Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 114

Do the Poor Have a Way to Store Up Treasures in Heaven, or Will They Continue to Be Poor in Eternity?

This question was answered a few months ago by Karen Coleman, an EPM staff member now with Jesus. I appreciate her response. As I shared in our tribute to Karen, she is truly one of my heroes. —Randy Alcorn

Question from reader:

I’m reading Managing God's Money and my question is related to storing up treasures in Heaven. I’m an American and compared to the rest of the world, I’m very, very rich. However, if I were dirt poor and reading your book, wouldn’t it be discouraging, since I’d have no way to accumulate heavenly treasures? If some Christians have the ability to store up treasures and others don’t, will some believers have 10,000 square foot houses in Heaven and others have cardboard boxes in the ghetto? This makes it seem like there will continue to be haves and have-nots in eternity.

Answer from Karen Coleman:

Randy wrote: “Studying Zacchaeus, the rich young ruler, the poor widow, and other Bible characters reveals that how we handle money is an accurate index of our spiritual lives. This is true of all people in all ages [emphasis added]. But it’s particularly true for most readers of this book, since we live in a place and time when what our government calls the ‘poverty level’ far exceeds the average standard of living of nearly every other society in human history, past and present.”

So although the target audience for Randy’s books about money and giving is usually those far above the U.S. poverty line, God has never excluded the poor of the world from earning eternal rewards in other ways.

Randy cites Ephesians 2:10, which says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God has prepared a lifetime of good works for us to do. According to Jesus, “even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones” (Matthew 10:42) will gain God’s reward.

Randy explains in The Treasure Principle that it is not only financial giving we are rewarded for. “God will also give us eternal rewards for doing good works (Ephesians 6:8; Romans 2:6, 10), persevering under persecution (Luke 6:22–23), showing compassion to the needy (Luke 14:13–14), and treating our enemies kindly (Luke 6:35).” Rich and poor alike are able to participate in these things.

Randy says this in Managing God’s Money:

What does it mean to give beyond our ability? It means to push our giving past the point where the figures add up. It means to give away not just the luxuries but also some of the necessities. It means living with the faith of the poor widow Jesus commended to his disciples (Mark 12:41‑44).

The Macedonian Christians were dirt poor [emphasis added], yet when they heard of needy people in Jerusalem, “they gave according to their means . . . and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:3‑4, ESV). When told they were too poor to give, they begged for the privilege of helping out! For most of us, giving according to our means would stretch us. Giving beyond our means would stretch us or even appear to break us. But it won’t—because we know God is faithful.

So we see it is possible for very poor people to give financially, and they will surely be rewarded for it.

In the context of encouraging believers towards great generosity, Paul spoke these words to the church in Corinth: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians, 8:9). Jesus went from riches to rags to make His people rich. Since Jesus never promised the eradication of poverty on Earth, surely every aspect of this richness will have its perfect fulfillment in Heaven. I think it’s safe to say there will be no ghettoes on the New Earth.

 To understand the differences that will exist in Heaven, Randy explains it this way:

Because God promises to reward people differently according to their differing levels of faithfulness in this life, we should not expect equality of possessions and positions in Heaven… Scripture is clear that we’ll have different rewards and positions in Heaven, according to our faithful service in this life. Since everyone will be happy, what could be the nature of these differences? Jonathan Edwards said, “The saints are like so many vessels of different sizes cast into a sea of happiness where every vessel is full: this is eternal life, for a man ever to have his capacity filled. But after all ’tis left to God’s sovereign pleasure, ’tis his prerogative to determine the largeness of the vessel.” …A pint jar and a quart jar can both be full, but the larger jar contains more. Likewise, in Heaven all of us will be full of joy, but some may have a larger capacity for joy, having been stretched through their dependence on God in this life. John Bunyan said it well: “He who is most in the bosom of God, and who so acts for him here, he is the man who will be best able to enjoy most of God in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus did not fault people for being rich. He did fault them for idolizing those riches to the neglect of the important things. A poor person could have a heart just like the rich ruler (Matthew 19:16-30) and love what little he has more than he loves Christ, thus losing out on his reward. Ultimately it’s a heart matter. 

We have the picture of our generous Heavenly Father in Matthew 20:1-16. The vineyard owner had his own way of paying back his workers which did not make sense or seem fair to all of them. God is the one who places the value on what we do. He sees and knows our hearts. In His infinite justice, He will not penalize in Heaven those who were poor on this earth because they gave less money to God’s work than those who were rich in this life. Many things in God’s economy appear upside down to our eyes!

For some additional thoughts, check out these resources:

Does Giving Time or Goods Instead of Money Earn the Same Eternal Reward?

The Reversal Doctrine

Can We Really Earn Eternal Rewards?

How can we store up treasures in heaven? (from Gotquestions.org)

I hope these things are helpful to you. May God bless you as you continue to study His Word.

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

When It Comes to Knowing God, Are You a Traveler or Just an Observer?

On my bike rides I’ve been listening to the wonderful audio version of a book that deeply affected me when I was a young teenage Christian in the 1970s. It’s J. I. Packer’s classic, Knowing God. (As a printed book or an audio to listen to as you drive or work out, this book is gold.) In an early chapter Packer says this:

In A Preface to Christian Theology, John Mackay illustrated two kinds of interest in Christian things by picturing persons sitting on the high front balcony of a Spanish house watching travelers go by on the road below. The “balconeers” can overhear the travelers’ talk and chat with them; they may comment critically on the way that the travelers walk; or they may discuss questions about the road, how it can exist at all or lead anywhere, what might be seen from different points along it, and so forth; but they are onlookers, and their problems are theoretical only. The travelers, by contrast, face problems which, though they have their theoretical angle, are essentially practical—problems of the “which-way-to-go” and “how-to-make-it” type, problems which call not merely for comprehension but for decision and action too.

Balconeers and travelers may think over the same area, yet their problems differ. Thus (for instance) in relation to evil, the balconeer’s problem is to find a theoretical explanation of how evil can consist with God’s sovereignty and goodness, but the traveler’s problem is how to master evil and bring good out of it. Or again, in relation to sin, the balconeer asks whether racial sinfulness and personal perversity are really credible, while the traveler, knowing sin from within, asks what hope there is of deliverance. Or take the problem of the Godhead; while the balconeer is asking how one God can conceivably be three, what sort of unity three could have, and how three who make one can be persons, the traveler wants to know how to show proper honor, love and trust towards the three Persons who are now together at work to bring him out of sin to glory. And so we might go on. 

Now this is a book for travelers, and it is with travelers’ questions that it deals.

Photo by Fidel Fernando on Unsplash

John Piper on Your Greatest Reason Not to Worry

Here’s an amazing truth: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God, the Creator of the universe and fountainhead of all marvels, cares for you? Think about that for a few million years.

The Lord does not call us merely to release our anxiety to Him, but to willingly cast it upon Him—and not some of it, but all of it. God wants us to trust Him in both the big things and the little things. Worry is momentary atheism crying out for correction by trust in a good and sovereign God.

In this three-minute video, John Piper talks about why the phrase “Our Father in Heaven” in Scripture contains our greatest reason not to worry:

Photo by Tina Bo on Unsplash

Help Us Fund a Translation of Scripture, in Honor of Our Coworker Karen Coleman

On June 10, our beloved coworker and dear friend Karen Coleman went to be with Jesus. Prior to working at EPM, she and her family spent 23 years as missionaries in Africa. Her missionary heart never changed and her greatest desire was for people to know Jesus as their Savior. Even during her final weeks, she was handing out booklets and gospel tracts to those she met in the hospital and later to her hospice workers. She also passionately loved God’s Word, and had several opportunities to speak at the women’s Bible Study at her church.

We can’t think of a better way to remember Karen’s legacy than to give in her honor towards the translation of Scripture. We were so happy that she learned of our idea just before she died and was able to respond with a smile and nod! So we’re partnering with The Seed Company to help fund the Esimbi project, which will bring God’s Word to 20,000 people who live in isolated areas in Karen’s beloved Cameroon. 

True Christians among the Esimbi are few; most follow African traditional religion. Churchgoers hesitate to disturb a God who they believe is far away. Having God’s Word in their mother tongue will draw them to their loving Father. The current goals for this project include translating Genesis 1-24. They will also have a consultant check and test 12 previously drafted books. In addition, the team will print Mark and Luke and digitally publish Acts and Hebrews.

Although translation efforts aren’t projected to be finished until 2023, we have a short-term goal of raising $120,000 by September 30, 2020. Would you partner with us to help the Esimbi people have God’s Word in their own language? If you’d like to donate, please select the fund “Esimbi Translation Project” on our donation page or send a check to Eternal Perspective Ministries, 39085 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 206, Sandy, OR 97055, marked with “Esimbi translation” in the memo line. 100% of donations will go directly to The Seed Company.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

And through [Abel’s] faith, though he died, he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4)

 Esimbi people who need the Scriptures in their heart language

Three People Who Through Suffering Became Extraordinary

Seeing positive outcomes of some suffering should lead us to trust that God can bring good from all suffering. Consider three people who through suffering became extraordinary:

Doctors once thought that Joseph Merrick, “The Elephant Man,” had elephantiasis, though now they believe he suffered from Proteus syndrome, which causes abnormal growth of bones, skin, and other systems. Joseph was born in England in 1862 and appeared normal until age three. By age eleven, his deformities had grown severe; at that time his mother died, and later his new stepmother kicked him out.

He became a door-to-door salesman but suffered constant harassment. His condition worsened: protruding, cauliflower-like growths appeared on his head and body, and his right hand and forearm became useless. No longer able to do physical work, he took a job as a curiosity attraction. After a promoter robbed and abandoned him, he returned to London and visited Dr. Treves at the London Hospital, where he received permanent living quarters. Despite his adversities, Joseph Merrick remained cheerful and gentle, and never grew bitter. He found comfort in writing, including poetry. He died at age twenty-seven.

Merrick often ended his letters of thanks with a poem by hymn-writing theologian Isaac Watts: “’Tis true my form is something odd; / But blaming me, is blaming God.... / I would be measured by the soul; / The mind is the standard of the man.”

Helen Keller was born in Alabama in 1880. A year later, illness took her vision and hearing. At age seven, her parents hired Anne Sullivan, whose innovative tutoring transformed Helen’s life. Helen learned to speak at ten, and though listeners had trouble understanding her, she never gave up. She attended college and wrote several books, including The Story of My Life. She devoted herself to research, speaking, and raising money for organizations such as the American Foundation for the Blind. Helen traveled the world on behalf of the blind and visited thirty-five countries. At age seventy-five, she embarked on a five-month-long, forty-thousand-mile tour through Asia, bringing encouragement to millions.

Christy Brown was born in Dublin in 1932. His cerebral palsy caused everyone to consider him mentally handicapped until he used his left foot to grab a piece of chalk from his sister. His mother taught him to read and write. Well into adolescence, he could not speak intelligibly. He wrote an autobiography titled My Left Foot as well as several other novels and poetry collections. He typed using only his left foot. People loved Christy Brown for his warm and cheerful personality.

These stories don’t prove that God always brings good out of evil in this life. But they do prove that He sometimes does. Shouldn’t that give everyone hope?

Excerpted from Randy’s book If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil.

Photo by Stephen Walker on Unsplash

Will We Witness Together God’s New Creation?

In The Magician’s Nephew, C. S. Lewis portrays two children, a few adults, and a horse transported from Earth to an unknown place. It’s the darkness and silence that precedes the day of Narnia’s creation. They watch in wonder as this beautiful new world is masterfully shaped by the creator, Aslan the lion, who sings it into existence.

God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? . . . On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).

The picture is of angels, created beings, witnessing God’s creation of the first Earth. I believe Scripture makes clear that we’ll have the privilege that was experienced by the fictional characters in The Magician’s Nephew and by the real angelic beings who witnessed the creation of the first Earth: We will actually witness the creation of the New Earth.

In John’s vision, after he saw humanity’s resurrection, he saw “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . . I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:1-2).

Although Scripture doesn’t state this, the New Earth’s creation might unfold in stages just as the old Earth’s creation did. The first Earth was raw and uninhabitable, dark and empty (Genesis 1:2). God then created light, and on subsequent days He created water, sky, clouds, dry ground, vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees, sun and moon and stars, and the entire celestial heavens. Then He made the sea creatures, birds, and the rest of the animals, domestic and wild. Finally, he fashioned the man.

God may form the ground of the New Earth directly from the old. He may form the waters of the new from the old. Romans 8 implies He will form the plants and animals of the New Earth from the old Earth, just as He will form our resurrected bodies out of genetic material from our old ones.

This time, however, new mankind will preexist the New Earth. But as He did for Adam and Eve, God will prepare it for us before we step foot on it. Perhaps on the sixth day of the new creation, instead of being formed from the dust to begin civilization, new men and women—who have beheld the new creation—will be brought down in the great city to settle on the New Earth, to continue and expand civilization to the glory of God.

Perhaps we’ll watch God at work for another creative week, beholding His unfolding wonders one by one. Of course, since the forming of the New Earth is a resurrection of the old Earth, not a creation from nothing, its creation may be instantaneous. Either way, it will be spectacular, and we will watch and ooh and aah and applaud.

Just as God presented Eve to Adam in Eden, so He will bring Christ’s bride to the second Adam, Christ, on the New Earth.

We will behold the wondrous creation of the New Earth—and then we will descend to live in that place, reigning forever with our beloved King Jesus.

Excerpted from Randy’s book Heaven.

Photo by Kym on Unsplash

When It Comes to God’s Truth, Searching or Being Sincere Isn’t Enough

Suppose a professor or inspirational speaker says, “What’s important isn’t finding the truth, it’s searching for it.” Try applying the same logic to your search for a life preserver when you’re drowning!

Or, “Truth is whatever you believe, as long as you’re sincere.” Certainly, you can step off a building sincerely believing you won’t fall. But gravity cares nothing about your sincerity. Even sincere people are often wrong, sometimes catastrophically so.

In this video, I share more thoughts about the importance of finding God’s Truth:

For more on this subject, see Randy’s devotional Truth: A Bigger View of God's Word.

Photo by NICK SELIVERSTOV on Unsplash

If You Read Only One Book Besides the Bible This Summer, Make It This One

In this two-minute video, teacher and author Jen Wilkin answers the question, “Which book do you wish every Christian would read, and why?” Watch her answer:

I agree with Jen—Tozer’s book is an important one for Christians today to read. Why? Because he speaks of the attributes of God, including those we’re tempted to minimize. Our theologically-weak Christian culture desperately needs an infusion of Christ-centered doctrine that encourages us to go deep in knowing and loving God.

Tozer writes things like this: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. . . . No religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. . . . The most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.”

Speaking of the book’s impact, I remember having lunch several years ago with Gerry Breshears, theology professor at Western Seminary, and Bruce Ware, who teaches theology at Southern Seminary.

Bruce asked me, “Randy, what book besides the Bible has had the greatest influence on your life?” I said, “That’s easy. Without a doubt it’s A. W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy.”

Bruce looked at me and said, “You’re kidding! That’s the book that has had the biggest influence on my life.”

And then Gerry Breshears said, “I’m not kidding! That’s the number one book for me, too.”

So I challenge you to read The Knowledge of the Holy for yourself this summer and find out why this classic book has impacted so many theologians, teachers, writers, and countless others who love Jesus. It would also be a great one to listen to on audio while you’re working out or driving!

Photo: Pexels via Pixabay

Some Concerns about Jesus Calling, and Thoughts on the Sufficiency of Scripture

Few Christian books have sold as well and been shared as widely as Sarah Young’s devotional Jesus Calling. It has inspired a number of spinoffs, including Jesus Lives, Dear Jesus, Jesus Calling for Little Ones, Jesus Calling Bible Storybook, Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids, and Peace in His Presence. Altogether, they’ve sold more than 25 million books worldwide.

Recently the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association named Jesus Always, Sarah’s follow up to Jesus Calling, as its 2018 Christian Book of the Year. Given the widespread influence of her books, which is only growing, it seemed time to address some concerns directly on my own blog. (This blog is way longer than my normal posts. If you wish to leave a Facebook comment or send an email, please read the post in its entirety first so you have the full content.)

First Some Clarifications

I’ve hesitated a long time to write about Jesus Calling, because I don’t want to send the wrong message. I’m not saying God doesn’t or can’t speak to you or others through it. He can speak through whomever He wants to, however and whenever. For example, many people have told me they learned about God’s love for them for the first time while reading The Shack. The author puts words in God’s mouth, is a universalist, and effectively denies Hell, and yet I believe God can use a book in people’s lives despite serious errors. (See my lengthy article on The Shack and my shorter blog on Paul Young’s book Lies We Believe About God.)

But how can I argue with my friends who say God used The Shack to deepen their walk with Christ? All I can say is, there are things in the book I don’t believe are true to God’s Word—and there are things in Lies We Believe About God that definitely contradict Scripture.

Now, my reservations with Jesus Calling are NOT that I believe the book is full of heresies. No doubt, there’s much that is valid and true. But I think there are still cautions that need to be shared. What concerns me is the basic premise of someone actually recording words of Jesus that they believe God has spoken to them, but which don’t appear in Scripture (even if most of them don’t contradict Scripture). That’s what I’ll focus on in this blog.

The Most Troubling Issue with Jesus Calling

For those not familiar with the format of the book, each entry of the devotional has a message written as though Jesus is speaking directly to the reader, followed by a list of related Scripture references. (Some recent versions include the actual biblical text, which is definitely an improvement.)

In the introduction to Jesus Calling Sarah Young writes,

…I began to wonder if I could change my prayer times from monologue to dialogue. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day. I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believed He was saying. I felt awkward the first time I tried this, but I received a message. It was short, biblical, and appropriate. It addressed topics that were current in my life: trust, fear, and closeness to God. I responded by writing in my prayer journal.

My journaling had changed from monologue to dialogue. Soon, messages began to flow more freely, and I bought a special notebook to record these words. This new way of communicating with God became the high point of my day. I knew these writings were not inspired as Scripture is, but they were helping me grow closer to God.

I have continued to receive personal messages from God as I meditate on Him.

The biggest problem with Jesus Calling is very simple: Jesus did not speak these words. If these were His words, then Jesus Calling would be Scripture, which is by definition the words of God. So if it’s not (and it isn’t) on an inspired and trustworthy level like Scripture itself, then it’s making a false claim. In fact, regardless of whether it’s biblically sound, it’s an entire book built on falsehood.

The Influence of God Calling

Tim Challies addresses the fact that in the early printings of Jesus Calling, Sarah Young acknowledged her profound debt to the “Two Listeners” who wrote the book God Calling. That has now been removed from the introduction, but it doesn't change the fact that God Calling influenced her deeply. Here's one of many troubling passages from God Calling:

How often mortals rush to earthly friends who can serve them in so limited a way, when the friends who are freed from the limitations of humanity can serve them so much better, understand better, protect better, plan better, and even plead better their cause with Me.

In other words, look to dead people for guidance and help. I remember vividly the negative effect God Calling had in churches. As Tim notes, “This book [God Calling] was unorthodox both in its writing and in its content and in many ways more closely resembles the New Age movement than orthodox Christianity. Still, Young says it ‘became a treasure to me.’”

The fact that this book had such a profound impact on her is concerning.

Speaking Words “from God”

When Sarah writes, “I decided to ‘listen’ with pen in hand, writing down whatever I ‘heard’ in my mind,” she is taking her subjective sense of God speaking to her and trusting that her words to readers are actually, in some sense, God’s Words. This is putting words in His mouth, and incredibly dangerous. It’s like The Shack in that regard, where different members of the trinity are quoted as saying specific words. But while Paul Young at least acknowledged he was writing fiction, Sarah Young appears to claim that her words are given to her by Jesus.

She goes on to explain, “I have written from the perspective of Jesus speaking, to help readers feel more personally connected with Him. So the first person singular (‘I,’ ‘Me,’ ‘My,’ ‘Mine’) always refers to Christ; ‘you’ refers to you, the reader.”

Now, Sarah tries to balance this by writing, “The Bible is, of course, the only inerrant Word of God; my writings must be consistent with that unchanging standard.” I appreciate that, and of course I agree that’s true for any author, me included. We should all be like the Bereans, evaluating what we read against Scripture (Acts 17:11). So we write what we think honors God and is in keeping with His word. However, we should always know that inevitably we will say some things that are not what God would actually say. Why? Because we are flawed and imperfect and our words are not God-breathed, as Scripture is.

I’m certainly in favor of Sarah or anyone else journaling what they believe God is speaking to them as they read Scripture. But I’m not in favor of publishing it for others to believe these are words God is speaking to them. If someone wrote a book attributing their own words to Bill Gates, Tom Brady, Chuck Norris, or Julia Roberts, what would happen? In addition to the lawsuits, no one would trust the author.

If personal pronouns attributing the author's words to Jesus weren’t used, and instead Sarah said “These are thoughts God brought to my mind,” then you could evaluate what she has written in light of Scripture. But Jesus Calling is simply written from Jesus’ perspective, as if they’re direct quotations from Him, which is radically different. And when people read it, many of them actually respond, even if subconsciously, as if these ARE the words of Jesus.

I have a friend who loves Jesus Calling and says she reads it just as she would read a book by me or anyone else, realizing the words are Sarah Young’s, not the perfect words of Jesus. But of course when it is supposedly Jesus speaking the words, many readers who aren’t biblically grounded will naturally think “Jesus is speaking, and I need to believe what He’s saying.”

So yes, some people no doubt realize these are not the words of Jesus, but that’s easy to forget when the premise is (and the use of the personal pronouns indicate) that this really is Jesus speaking, not merely a flawed human author.

No other Christian writers I know of claim that God has spoken direct words to them, and that what they are writing are the words He had to say. Sure, all of us writers share our particular interpretations of what Jesus said. But Sarah appears to be making a greater claim by saying me and mine and I as though channeling Jesus, rather than quoting His words from the Bible.  

It’s fine to have teachers who say, “This is what I think the Bible means.” It can be helpful as long as we’re careful to use discernment and evaluate the teaching based on Scripture. But this is looking at something outside of the Bible as if it were the word of God, and some sort of further insight from Jesus. Hence, whatever the author’s intention, it becomes equal to God’s Word, or even a substitute for it.

God warns us sternly, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you” (Deuteronomy 4:2, NIV).

Revelation 22:18-19 says, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

“Prophecy” is not merely prediction; it means “speaking words from God,” or what the speaker claims are words from God. How do we add to God’s Word? One way is by claiming that the words we say are His. No matter what else we might say, if we go beyond quoting Scripture, and say other things that we claim to be from God, then we’re equating them with Scripture, and thereby adding to God’s Word. Effectively, we’re also taking away from Scripture by denying its sufficiency and demeaning its exclusive authority.

God’s Word Is Sufficient

Sarah writes in her introduction, “I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day.”

“Yearned for more” seems to indicate that what God has revealed in His inspired Word is not enough. And it’s not enough for readers either, or they wouldn’t need to go to her to hear what “Jesus” says.

But God’s Word has no substitute. It is sufficient, of a different nature than anything else. “But [Jesus] answered, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Tim Challies writes,

James Montgomery Boice once said that the real battle in our times would not be the inerrancy or infallibility of Scripture, but its sufficiency—are we going to rely on the Bible or will we continually long for other revelation? In Jesus Calling we see this so clearly. Young teaches that though the Bible is inerrant and infallible, it is insufficient. It was not enough for her and, implicitly, she teaches that it cannot be enough for us. After all, it was not reading Scripture that proved her most important spiritual discipline, but this listening, this receiving of messages from the Lord. It is not Scripture she brings to us, not primarily anyway, but these messages from Jesus.

The danger with books like this is that readers could think, “Reading and studying God’s Word isn’t as dynamic or interesting or personal as reading what Sarah writes.” Yet Scripture encourages us to go deep in studying and contemplating God’s Words, and to find our greatest pleasure in them:

“Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2, CSB).

 “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight” (Jeremiah 15:16a).

Psalm 1 talks about the righteous person who delights greatly in God’s Law. Likewise, we need to make sure our primary delight is in Scripture—not a particular writer, pastor, or teacher. A good test for readers of Jesus Calling is, “Am I motivated to spend more or less time in God’s Word after reading this?” In other words, does it drive you toward Scripture in a deeper and more serious way, or does it leave you feeling as if you’ve heard what you need to from God and received all the inspiration and peace you need for your day?

To be clear—I don’t think there is anything wrong with devotionals (I’ve written a number of them myself), provided they point us back to God’s Word as our primary source of strength, encouragement, correction, and direction. There are plenty of wonderful ones out there, from classics like Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening to modern books like Joni Eareckson Tada’s A Spectacle of Glory and Tim Keller’s God's Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs. Another excellent choice is the ESV Devotional Psalter, which pairs each of the 150 psalms with devotional content written by Dane Ortlund.  

But these devotionals are distinctly different from Jesus Calling, in that they never claim to be the words of Jesus except when directly quoting Scripture. The author’s comments, like mine in all my books, are in no sense presented as the actual words of God.

In an interview with the New York Times, Sarah writes, “I agree that revelation has ceased in the sense that the Bible is complete. However, what I am doing is devotional writing, and I do so by asking Jesus to guide my mind as I spend time with Him—to help me think His thoughts.” This sounds to me like Sarah wants to affirm the Bible’s uniqueness, yet at the same time believes she is writing out the thoughts of God with such confidence that she can put her words into the mouth of Jesus.

Why Does All This Matter?

We live in a day when biblical literacy is at an all-time low. The next book that fans of Jesus Calling read which claims to be words from Jesus may be mostly false, not true. Some will probably have the discernment to see where it contradicts the word of God, but many or even most people won’t.  Sadly, very few people today are deeply immersed in Scripture. That’s the reason for my concern.

Another concern is that the “Jesus” Sarah presents in her book frequently has a very one-sided message. That can leave readers with a lopsided view of Jesus, one which doesn’t fully appreciate the depths of His character. And whether consciously or subconsciously, the messages we read in books do shape our view of God and our worldview. 

In her response to the book, Kathy Keller, wife of pastor and author Tim Keller, writes,

Ms. Young says near the end of her introduction: “I have found themes of His Peace becoming more prominent in my writing. I’m sure this tendency reflects my personal need. However, when I get to know people, I find that most of them also desire the balm of Jesus’ Peace.” No doubt. 
 
But is that all that God wants us to hear from him? Only messages of peace and comfort? Ms. Young thinks so (and says so, in the introduction), and her messages are consistently filled with that theme. Yet if you take even a very simple read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan, like the one devised by Robert Murray M’Cheyne, you will find yourself encountering a complex, transcendent God, one who is holy, mysterious, righteous—not a tame God. He does promise his peace, deeply and profoundly, but there are many other things that God has said that we need to hear, or he wouldn’t have given us the whole Bible. 

We should believe all that Scripture says about Jesus—whether it is palatable and makes sense to our finite little minds or not. He’s all the things the Bible reveals Him to be, including judge, friend, shepherd, and master. His attributes aren’t a smorgasbord for us to choose what we want and leave the rest untouched.

Jesus spoke some of the harshest words of condemnation in Scripture. The gentle, compassionate Jesus is also the Jesus who drove the merchant-thieves from the temple and spoke condemnation against self-righteous religious leaders. His less popular qualities so outraged people that they nailed Him to a cross.

We must look at the complete Jesus revealed in Scripture, lest we remake Him in our image, with His only attribute love or peace. By seeing Him in His holiness and love, His truth and His grace, we’ll learn to see the fullness of His beauty.

So whether or not you agree there are shortcomings and dangers with the Jesus Calling books, let’s all agree to dig deep into Scripture, making it our primary source of delight, joy, strength, encouragement, and yes, peace. Then, and only then, will we have the discernment to read other books as secondary and fallible, and only God’s Word as primary and infallible. If you’re going to quote Jesus (and I hope you do!), use the words He actually said, not the words He is portrayed as saying in Jesus Calling, or any other book. 

Further Reading

Here are some articles that offer what I think are some valid cautions. I don’t agree with everything every one of them says (and some of them overlap with others), but as a whole I think most of their concerns are noteworthy:

10 Serious Problems with Jesus Calling

Is Jesus Calling a good book? Are there any doctrinal problems with Jesus Calling?

The Jesus Calling Controversy in a Nutshell

Book Review on The Jesus Calling

10 Scriptural reasons Jesus Calling is a dangerous book

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young: A False Jesus?

Related books by Randy Alcorn: Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word and The Grace and Truth Paradox.  

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

In Honor of Karen Stout Coleman, Beloved EPM Coworker and Friend

On Sunday, June 10, at 10:45 a.m., Karen Stout Coleman went to be with Jesus. Nanci and I have known many Christlike people, but she’s on the shortlist. This amazing sister has been a dear friend to us, full of grace and truth in the face of hardships, never losing her wit and humor, quietly saying the funniest and wisest things. She is truly one of my heroes. And now she’s with her Lord and Savior, after being diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer in March.

For the past three and a half years, Karen was a vital member of our Eternal Perspective Ministries staff, and brought with her a deep love for the Lord and a heart for ministry. (Part of her job involved responding to reader questions. Check out these articles, and you’ll get a taste of her wisdom, love for Jesus, and heart for people.)

Before that, she and her family served for 23 years as missionaries in Africa. After she retired several weeks ago, she wrote me, “It was so good of our Father to allow me the privilege of being a little part of this great work. …I had no pretensions that I would ever find myself in ministry again. What a great Redeemer He is!”

Truly, the privilege was all ours.

Holiness and Happiness, Grace and Dignity

Karen and I also worked together years ago at my home church, Good Shepherd, when I was a pastor and we were both in our twenties and thirties. We often recounted our funny memories from 25-40 years ago.

One of the things I’ve thought about lately is how Karen is one of most beautiful blends of holiness and happiness I’ve ever known. I honestly can’t remember a time spent with her that I didn’t fully enjoy. She was simply delightful. She always made me, and everyone around her, smile and laugh.

I am also struck by her childlikeness, fully trusting her Heavenly Father even when she faced heartbreaks in her marriage and personal health problems. She responded with extraordinary dignity and grace at the end of a beloved overseas ministry, and God went on to use her powerfully in countless lives.

A Deep Reservoir

When Karen received her diagnosis, it was obvious the reservoir of her knowledge of God was deep. No crash course was necessary. She had done her homework for decades, and was well-prepared to lean on Him because she started long ago. She knew her God, and now she knows Him perfectly.

In one of her first journal entries about the return of her cancer, she wrote this:

Just before going to bed, I had opened a hefty medical bill. Then I woke up about 2:30 a.m. with my first wave of nausea on this treatment. It brought back a flood of memories from my first cancer treatments in 2011-12. When that bill also came to mind, I knew I needed a course correction! The Psalms are always good for that, so I opened my Kindle to the Psalms. There are 50 displayed on the screen and I touched the screen randomly. Psalm 39 came up—not random at all but just what I needed.

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths...And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you...Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart.”

Just a reminder that He has our fleeting lives in His hands and our hope is in Him. We are all sojourners and guests here. And we can smile now along the journey, no matter what, if we know Him as our Savior. I'm so glad He’s helping me to smile!

Later she wrote:

I’ve had sweet times with my old hymnbook, and the Valley of Vision prayer book. A few lines from the latter spoke to me this week: “You are eternal wisdom in dispensations towards me; and it matters not when, nor where, nor how I serve You, not what trials I am exercised with, if I might but be prepared for Your work and will.”

Along with creation, my body is groaning under the weight of this disease. Paul taught us in Romans 8:22-23, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

I’m waiting eagerly, and still smiling at His glorious future for me!

Anticipating Heaven

In “Is It Normal to Be Afraid to Go to Heaven?,” Karen wrote this in 2015:

I am SO excited about Heaven—seeing Jesus face to face, reconnecting with my family who have gone on to Heaven before me, meeting intriguing people I’ve read about, like Queen Esther and Deborah, and missionaries like Amy Carmichael and Helen Roseveare and Elisabeth Elliot…oh, I could go on and on. 

And now she is experiencing it firsthand. Surrounded by her sons Zac and Noah, her daughter-in-law Hannah, and her sister Kathy, she slipped into eternity as Hannah sang to her. Please pray for her boys and her family in these coming days.

Karen: well done, good and faithful servant. You have entered your Master’s happiness. I already can’t wait to see you again, and worship Him with you. We’ll explore His New Earth together, all by His incredible grace. I look forward to laughing and feasting and singing and snorkeling with you there:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)

Thoughts from the EPM staff

Linda Jeffries, office manager:

I could use so many words to describe Karen. Wise, godly, and smart, but also competitive, humorous, and cool. It became the running joke that if we had an office contest or competition that Karen would win, because she often did. She had this quiet sense of humor that was so fun and unexpected, making it even more special. She also had one of those rare qualities that made you feel as if you were the most important person in the room.

When we first hired Karen, I quickly realized that she and I were going to be polar opposites when it came to room temperature. She arrived at the office one morning in her puffy down coat, scarf, gloves, hat, sweater, slacks and probably wool socks. I looked down at my attire and saw no coat, a short sleeve shirt, slacks, and sandals (no socks). Oh goodness Karen, how we tried to keep the office warm for you. I think we probably failed, but we tried. I hope the Lord provides you with a tropical warm room. I know He’s been preparing it just for you!

Kathy Norquist, ministry development:

When I first thought of what I would write about Karen I started to make a list of adjectives to describe her, but then was reminded of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. She embodied them all and lived them out before us at the EPM office. And along with these she brought a deep reservoir of wisdom and grace, calmness, peace, and stability. Add to that her great sense of humor and who wouldn’t want to be around her? You could always count on Karen as rock-solid trustworthy. She faced her severe trials with the strength of the God she knew so well through the study of His Word. For me, the loss of her as a co-worker and friend is very great. But I smile thinking of her with Jesus.

Shauna Hernandez, marketing and communication specialist:

Karen was in charge of answering questions that came in from readers all over the world. She answered with such grace and compassion. I learned so much from her.

Karen walked through very difficult things in life, yet I never saw one ounce of bitterness in her! She truly had an eternal perspective and didn’t let hardships negatively define her.

Karen was someone who would get excited about the little things in your life with you, and would then turn around and fill the room with deep wisdom. She was so multi-faceted.

Stephanie Anderson, communications and graphics specialist:

In the three years I knew Karen, I quickly came to see why she was so special to so many. She showed such love and care for me by closely following my husband’s journey through unemployment. When she asked for an update on how he was doing—and she often did—it was clear she had been regularly praying for us. That touched me deeply. 

I loved the beautiful, colorful scarves that frequently adorned Karen’s outfits. She also had a deeper kind of adorning: “Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4). This inner beauty and joy radiated from her, and I know it was the result of years of loving and learning more about her Savior.

Sharon Misenhimer, ministry assistant:

The thing that stands out the most to me about Karen is that she had a deep abiding love for God and His word. He was her treasure, and her life showed it. She was an incredible prayer warrior and loved praying and seeing God work.

She had a humble and teachable spirit. She faithfully served Him through the good times and the bad. She embraced that God had a purpose and kingdom work for her to do until He took her home. She had a concern for all the precious people that God put in her path and wanted them to know Christ.

Karen had complete trust in God’s faithfulness, goodness, sovereignty, and His perfect plan for her life. She trusted that her times were in His hands and she eagerly awaited her glorious future with her Lord. She said she could “smile at her future because He is there.” She said, “I do not want to waste anything He has His purpose for, either in my life or those around me.”

She was a wonderful teaching leader for the women’s Bible study at her church. The last time Karen spoke in March she said, “We are to show the Kingdom to others around us, and we are to pray persistently for his Kingdom to come.”

Karen has touched and blessed my life and it has been such a privilege to work with her and get to know her. I can’t wait to be with her again in eternity.

Brenda Abelein, ministry assistant:

I knew about Karen originally as a missionary from my home church. I was a prayer partner for her family over many years. My two children are the same age as her sons, so when she wrote in 2013 about kids growing up and leaving home, I could totally relate. The verses she included really encouraged me, so I wrote to thank her. She replied immediately, and a sweet email relationship began. I treasure those emails.

When she started working at EPM, our now real-life friendship seemed immediately connected. On Wednesday afternoons it was usually just Karen and me in the office, and we’d sometimes take a break together to talk about and pray for our kids. I miss my Wednesdays with Karen.

On March 16 I drove her to the ER and spent the day at the hospital with her. I watched as she had intentional conversations with every single person who attended to her (even the ones who came to clean her room!), asking their names and if she could share a booklet with them. She always had a stock of Randy Alcorn's Heaven booklets and tracts in her purse. People knowing Jesus was always Karen’s highest priority. Her eyes got bright and her usually quiet and reserved demeanor became confident and outspoken when she was talking about Jesus!

It was only 86 days from that day until she passed away last Sunday. None of us expected it to be so fast. She handled every day "...clothed in strength and dignity, and [laughing] without fear of the future" (Proverbs 31:25), the verse she said God had impressed on her heart just a few weeks before. He knew she would be needing it. This verse will now always remind me of Karen, and watching her live this verse out will be a constant encouragement for me.

It’s hard for me to understand how Karen’s purpose on earth could already have been fulfilled. But I’m choosing to trust that God’s timing is perfect. That’s what Karen would do. ❤