Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 120

Will We Have Our Own Homes in Heaven?

Perhaps you’re familiar with Christ’s promise in John 14: “In my Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (v. 2, KJV). The Vulgate, the Latin Bible, used the word mansiones in that verse, and the King James Version followed by using mansions. Unfortunately, that rendering is misleading if it makes us envision having massive lodgings on separate estates. The intended meaning seems to be that we’ll have separate dwelling places on a single estate or even separate rooms within the same house.

New Testament scholar D. A. Carson says, “Since heaven is here pictured as the Father’s house, it is more natural to think of ‘dwelling-places’ within a house as rooms or suites. . . . The simplest explanation is best: my Father’s house refers to heaven, and in heaven are many rooms, many dwelling-places. The point is not the lavishness of each apartment, but the fact that such ample provision has been made that there is more than enough space for every one of Jesus’ disciples to join him in his Father’s home.” [1]

The New International Version rendering of John 14:2 is this: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you.” Place is singular, but rooms is plural. This suggests Jesus has in mind for each of us an individual dwelling that’s a smaller part of the larger place. This place will be home to us in the most unique sense.

The term room is cozy and intimate. The terms house or estate suggest spaciousness. That’s Heaven: a place both spacious and intimate. Some of us enjoy coziness, being in a private space. Others enjoy a large, wide-open space. Most of us enjoy both—and the New Earth will offer both.

Heaven isn’t likely to have lots of identical residences. God loves diversity, and He tailor-makes His children and His provisions for them. When we see the particular place He’s prepared for us—not just for mankind in general but for us in particular—we’ll rejoice to see our ideal home.

When you’re traveling late at night and you don’t know where you’re going to stay, nothing’s more discouraging than finding a No Vacancy sign. There’s no such sign in Heaven. If we’ve made our reservations by accepting God’s gift in Christ, then Heaven is wide open to us. Jesus knew what it was like to have no vacancy in the inn and to sleep in a barn. On the New Earth, He’ll have plenty of room for all of us.

I live in Oregon. When I’ve flown home from overseas and landed in New York, I feel I’ve come “home,” meaning I’m in my home country. Then when I land in Oregon, I’m more home. When I come to my hometown, everything looks familiar. Finally, when I arrive at my house, I’m really home. But even there I have a special room or two. Scripture’s various terms—New Earth, country, city, place, and rooms—involve such shades of meaning to the word home.

Nanci and I love our home. When we’re gone long enough, we miss it. It’s not just the place we miss, of course—it’s family, friends, neighbors, church. Yet the place offers the comfort of the routine, the feel of the bed, the books on the shelf. It’s not fancy, but it’s home. When our daughters were young, our family spent two months overseas visiting missionaries in six different countries. It was a wonderful adventure, but three days before the trip ended, our hearts turned a corner, and home was all we could think of.

Our love for home, our yearning for it, is a glimmer of our longing for our true home.

For more on the eternal life that awaits us, see Randy’s book Heaven. You can also browse additional books and resources on Heaven available from EPM.

[1] Donald A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 489.

Photo by LinedPhoto on Unsplash

Scripture and Resources for Husbands and Fathers

Families are God’s precious gift to us, and they require our attention even in days of pressure and busyness. Here are three verses about wives and children, followed by some links to resources. May God speak to you through one or more of these:

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7).

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Some recommended resources:

What Does It Mean for a Man to Lead His Family Spiritually? by John Piper (14 minute audio)

25 Ways to Spiritually Lead Your Family by Dennis Rainey

10 Promises for Parents by Kevin DeYoung

Here are some past articles from my blog related to marriage: Husbands, Your Wife Is Your God-Given Assignment, Don’t Neglect Dating Your Spouse and Investing in Your Marriage, and Cultivating Your Marriage and Guarding It from Impurity

And here are some past articles from my blog related to fatherhood: Leaving a Legacy of Faithfulness: The Father as Model and Mentor, Advice for Dads Who Didn’t Grow Up with Role Models, The One Thing My Daughter Remembered Most About My Parenting, and Some Thoughts about Fathering (and Grand-fathering)

Photo: Pixabay

The Little Known Story of Olympian Eric Liddell’s Final Years

One of my favorite movies of all time is the 1981 Chariots of Fire. It’s the only reason many people are familiar with Eric Liddell, the “Flying Scotsman” who shocked the world by refusing to run the one hundred meters in the 1924 Paris Olympics, a race he was favored to win. He withdrew because the qualifying heat was on a Sunday, and he believed God didn’t want him to run on the Lord’s Day. Liddell then went on to win a gold medal—and break a world record—in the four hundred meters, not his strongest event. (In the black and white photo, that’s the real Eric Liddell in his gold medal winning 400m final at the Olympics.)

My favorite lines from the movie are when Eric’s character, played by actor Ian Charleson, says, “God…made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” Though those lines were actually penned by screenwriter Colin Welland, I think the real Eric would have agreed with the sentiment. Those who knew him testified that his personal and moral convictions weren’t born of a cold, rigid religious piety, but of a warm, happy devotion to his Lord and Savior. Here’s that clip from the movie, with Eric talking to his sister Jenny.

I still remember sitting with Nanci in a large Portland theatre in 1981, smiling and crying through various parts of that unforgettable movie. Chariots of Fire ends with these brief words about Eric’s life after the Olympics: “Eric Liddell, missionary, died in occupied China at the end of World War II. All of Scotland mourned.”

A Tragic Ending?

After the Olympics and his graduation, Eric returned as a missionary to China, where he had been born to missionary parents in 1902. When the Japanese occupation made life dangerous, he sent his pregnant wife, Florence, and their two daughters to Canada. Japanese invaders placed him in a squalid prison camp, without running water or working bathrooms. There, separated from his family, Eric lived several years before dying at age forty-three.

Upon learning of Eric’s death, it wasn’t just Scotland that mourned. All over the world people who had been inspired by him in the Olympics and in the Christian life joined the mourning.

On the surface, it all seems so tragic. Why did God withhold from this great man of faith a long life, years of fruitful service, the companionship of his wife, and the joy of raising those beloved children? It makes no sense.

And yet…

There is another way to look at the Eric Liddell story. Nanci and I discovered this firsthand when we spent an unforgettable day in England with Phil and Margaret Holder, in May of 1988. We knew almost nothing about the Holders except that Phil was a pastor. Some missionary friends we were visiting in England took us to their home in Reading.

Margaret was born in China to missionary parents with China Inland Mission. In 1939, when Japan took control of eastern China, thirteen-year-old Margaret was imprisoned by the Japanese in Weihsien Internment Camp, where many foreigners in Beijing were sent to. There she remained, separated from her parents, for six years.

Margaret told us stories about a godly man she called “Uncle Eric.” She said he tutored her and was deeply loved by all the children in the camp. She looked at us and asked, “Do you know who I’m talking about? Uncle Eric’s name was Eric Liddell.” I recall like it was yesterday how stunned we were because Chariots of Fire was such a favorite movie, and we’d watched it several times in the seven years since it was released. Here we were learning inside information about one of our heroes!

Uncle Eric’s Influence

Margaret shared with us a story that illustrated this man’s Christlike character. In the camp, the children played basketball, rounders, and hockey, and Eric Liddell was their ref­eree. Not surprisingly, he refused to referee on Sundays. But in his absence, the children fought. Liddell struggled over this. He believed he shouldn’t stop the children from play­ing because they needed the diversion.

Finally, Liddell decided to referee on Sundays. This made a deep impression on Margaret—she saw that the athlete world famous for sacrificing success for principle was not a legalist. When it came to his own glory, Liddell would surrender it all rather than run on Sunday. But when it came to the good of children in a prison camp, he would referee on Sunday.

Liddell would sacrifice a gold medal for himself (though he ultimately won the gold in a different race) in the name of truth, but would bend over backward for others in the name of grace.

A Godly Example

Dr. David J. Mitchell, who was also one of the children at Weihsien, wrote how besides sports, Eric Liddell taught the children his favorite hymn:

By still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain
Be still, my soul, thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Dr. Mitchell also wrote:

Eric Liddell often spoke to us on I Corinthians 13 and Matthew 5. These passages from the New Testament clearly portray the secret of his selfless and humble life. Only on rare occasions when requested would he speak of his refusal to run on the Sunday and his Olympic record.

…Not only did Eric Liddell organise sports and recreation, through his time in internment camp he helped many people through teaching and tutoring. He gave special care to the older people, the weak, and the ill, to whom the conditions in camp were very trying. He was always involved in the Christian meetings which were a part of camp life. Despite the squalor of the open cesspools, rats, flies and disease in the crowded camp, life took on a very normal routine, though without the faithful and cheerful support of Eric Liddell, many people would never have been able to manage.

…None of us will ever forget this man who was totally committed to putting God first, a man whose humble life combined muscular Christianity with radiant godliness.

What was his secret? He unreservedly committed his life to Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord. That friendship meant everything to him. By the flickering light of a peanut-oil lamp early each morning he and a roommate in the men’s cramped dormitory studied the Bible and talked with God for an hour every day.

Marcy Ditmanson, a Lutheran missionary imprisoned with Eric, shared his recollections:

Eric spoke with a charming Scottish brogue, and more than anyone I had ever known, typified the joyful Christian life. He had a marvelous sense of humor, was full of laughter and practical jokes, but always in good taste. His voice was nothing special, but how he loved to sing, particularly the grand old hymns of the faith. Two of his favorites were “God Who Touches Earth with Beauty” and “There's a Wideness in God's Mercy.” He was no great orator by any means but he had a way of riveting his listeners with those marvelous, clear blue eyes of his. Yes, that's what I remember most about him as he spoke―those wonderful eyes and how they would twinkle.

Full Surrender

Though he had become an “uncle” and father figure to numerous children, Eric Liddell never saw his own wife and daughters in this world again. After writing a letter to Florence from his bed in the infirmary, he said to his friend and colleague “It’s full surrender” and slipped into a coma. Suffering with a brain tumor, he died in 1945. And while all Scotland mourned, all in Heaven who had cheered Eric on as a servant of Jesus gave him a rich welcome.

Through fresh tears that unforgettable day in their living room, Margaret Holder told us, “It was a cold February day when Uncle Eric died.” No one in the world mourned like those in that camp. When five months later the children were rescued by American paratroopers and reunited with their families, many of their stories were about Uncle Eric. Liddell’s imprisonment broke the hearts of his family. But for years—nearly to the war’s end—God used him as a lifeline to hundreds of children, including Margaret Holder.

Viewed from that perspective, the apparent tragedy of Liddell’s presence in that camp makes more sense, doesn’t it? I’m convinced Liddell and his family would tell us—and one day will tell us—that the sufferings of that time are not worthy to be compared with the glory they now know…and will forever know. A glory far greater than the suffering which achieved it.

In an interview with Liddell’s youngest daughter, Maureen, who he never met, she shared this after visiting the granite monument in China dedicated to her father’s memory: “I felt so close to him and, more than ever, I realized what his life had been for. It all made sense. What happened allowed him to touch so many lives as a consequence.”

Her sister Patricia agreed:

The number of people he’s influenced … well, things seem to add up, don’t they? You only appreciate it when you look at each stage of his life and make the connections between them. …I used to ask myself: How would things have turned out if the three of us and our mother had been in the camp with him? Then I understood my father would have spent less time with the other youngsters, which would have deprived them of so much. That didn’t seem fair to them. He was needed there. The stories we heard after his death prove that.

If we can look at Eric and his family’s tragedy, and others’ tragedies, and see some divine purpose in them, it can help us believe that there is purpose in our own tragedies too. It can help us believe the blood-bought promise of God: “all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, CSB).

A Joyful End

Though years ago I had been deeply touched by Liddell’s story watching Chariots of Fire, it was what Margaret Holder told us that day that really made me look forward to meeting in Heaven this man whose Olympic gold medal was nothing compared to his humble service for Christ.

Dr. Norman Cliff, who was imprisoned with Eric, recalled this:

Eric Liddell would say, “When you speak of me, give the glory to my master, Jesus Christ.” He would not want us to think solely of him. He would want us to see the Christ whom he served.

I’m counting on Eric, in his resurrection body on the New Earth, being able to move slowly enough for me, in my resurrection body, to run alongside him. Together, we’ll worship our Lord and Savior, the One to whom all glory and praise is due.

You might enjoy this last clip of Eric racing in Chariots of Fire. He was known for looking face up to breathe deeply, and sometimes flailing his arms. His reckless abandon and face skyward beautifully symbolize how he set his eyes on the risen Christ in Heaven.

If you wish to know more, here’s an article on Eric's life. Also, if you’d like to read more about Margaret’s story, in my book The Grace and Truth Paradox I tell about her and the other prisoners’ rescue from the camp by Americans.

God Will Use Weakness and Failure to Build Your Faith

I’m sharing a guest blog today by Vaneetha Rendall Risner that is, to me, breathtaking and somewhat stunning (originally published by Desiring God). It won’t strike everyone as encouraging, perhaps, because it comes out of pain, and may cause fear in some whose vision of the abundant life doesn’t include what’s happened in Vaneetha’s story. However, I think it’s a bold and valuable perspective, one that we need to hear.

Vaneetha is a freelance writer who blogs at danceintherain.com. She’s also the author of The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering. My thanks to our sister Vaneetha for writing this article, and for giving us permission to share it here. I follow her words with some of my own.

Here’s what she has to say:

There are so many things I wish someone could have told me at thirty, because at thirty I thought I had life figured out.

I didn’t.

Life turned upside down quickly. I wish someone had said to me,

You are holding onto meaningless things, and you are believing in yourself for the wrong reasons. Stop judging your life by your achievements or “blessings,” whether material or relational or reputational, because none of them will last. What you now consider blessings will be taken away, and when they are, you will discover that being blessed is deeper and more lasting than you can imagine.

There is no way I could have prepared my thirty-year-old self for what lay ahead. How does one prepare for the unknown? I’m glad I didn’t know what was coming, but I wish I had known that while God was taking away my earthly treasures, he was giving me something that could never be taken away — he was giving me himself.

I wish I had known that trusting God would never be a mistake and that he would use every ounce of my pain for my good and his glory. And I wish I had known that life in Christ would continue to get better, because Jesus always saves the best wine for the end.

The Cost of a Successful Career

My late teens and twenties were marked by unmitigated success. Named valedictorian of my high school class. Accepted at every college I applied to. After college, worked for a prominent financial institution. Earned an MBA from a prestigious university. Met and married a business school classmate. Flourished in my work as I climbed the corporate ladder.

Life was glorious from a worldly perspective. I was denied nothing my heart desired. I had everything I wanted. But it came with a price.

My once-vibrant faith from college took a back seat to my career. My quiet times were mostly on the run, if they happened at all. My friendships were superficial, but I was too busy to care. My faith was shallow, but it seemed good enough.

Then I hit my thirties. A serious marriage struggle put us in counseling for years. Our infant son died. I had four miscarriages. I was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome, though the symptoms were just starting.

Stay-at-Home Achiever

My seemingly perfect life had taken a huge turn. I had decided to stay home full time after our first child was born. I shifted my focus from my career to being a devoted wife and mother. I made gourmet meals, took photographs of my children’s every breath, and made scrapbooks to commemorate every occasion.

I prayed for my husband and made time to be together. I planned regular family nights and homeschooled our children. I had consistent quiet times, taught women’s Bible studies, and mentored women on marriage.

My struggles forced me to lean on God, and I learned to adjust to a different life — one that was less in the limelight, but still felt accomplished. Just different priorities and accolades.

Nowhere Else to Turn

But midway through my forties, it all fell apart. My husband left for another woman, citing my inadequacies as a wife. My children walked away from God in anger, highlighting my failure as a parent. Our home became a place of rage and regret, the opposite of the sanctuary it once was. My arms began failing because of post-polio, and so I had to stop cooking, scrapbooking, and hospitality to concentrate on self-care.

Everything I worked for was gone. The things that I had valued disintegrated. There was not a shred of accomplishment I could cling to.

Those days were more painful than I can put into words. My friends and family rallied around me, but inside I was dying. Nothing I had accomplished seemed to matter.

I clung to God as I knew there was nowhere else to turn. And from that desperation came an unexpected delight in God. I craved fellowship with him. His word revived me daily. I prayed more earnestly.

And my relationship with others had a newfound authenticity. There was nothing to hide behind. I had no appearances to maintain. Everything was laid bare.

And I slowly realized this epic failure was a huge gift.

Identity and Security

As my life was tested by adversity and failure, I gained a truer sense of who I was. It was not based on my achievements. What people thought of me. What I did or had done.

My identity was based on Christ.

My successes in life never gave me security. Quite the opposite, they pressured me to keep succeeding.

But failure gave me an inner confidence. It has taught me about myself. What I could lean on. What could and would be shaken. And what was unshakable.

Amidst my failure, I understood more clearly what constitutes true blessing. True blessing always rests in God himself.

God Builds on Our Failures

The Bible shows us how God uses our failures and frailties. David sinned against God when he decided to take a census, counting his people instead of counting on God. God punished him, and in David’s repentance, he built an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And it was on that very ground, the place of David’s failure and repentance, that the temple of the Lord was built.

God’s temple in Jerusalem, the holiest place where he would dwell on earth with man, was built on the ground of human failure.

We offer nothing to God. He isn’t after our success. He wants our heart. Our repentance. Our dependence on him.

Now God does not dwell in a temple made by human hands. He dwells in us. And in the same way, God’s greatest work in us is built on the ground of our failure. God does his most extraordinary work when we rely on him alone.

To Me at Thirty

What would I tell my thirty-year-old self?

Trust God. He is going to use everything in your life to draw you closer to him. Don’t waste your suffering, for it will be the making of your faith. And one day, as your faith becomes sight, you will be grateful for it all.

From Randy: As Vaneetha experienced, for most of us it takes the chiseling effect of loss, hardship, sickness, and even tragedy before we adequately recognize and admit our true weakness, and need for and dependence on God. (For me, this included losing my mother to cancer, becoming an insulin-dependent diabetic, being arrested and sued for prolife activities, and having to resign as a pastor as a result.) The same is true for our becoming more grateful, more humble, and more God-focused. Over time, the experience of suffering can make us spiritually stronger, more dependent upon God, and less fearful.

Tim Keller writes, “You don’t realize God is all you need until God is all you have.” God uses our weaknesses and inadequacy not only to build our characters, but to manifest His strength and grace. So I see His goodness in giving me certain weaknesses to accomplish His good purposes.

Scripture puts it this way: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4, ESV).

Sometimes we may resent God for imposing unwanted difficulties on us. If we see through the lens of eternity, however, that resentment changes to thanksgiving for God’s grace and power. We praise Him for being glorified in our weakness and for making us better and ultimately happier people, even if it costs us temporary pain and extreme inconvenience.

Lord, help us today to look at our weaknesses and ailments and consider how you use them as opportunities to reveal your grace and strength. Counterintuitive as it may seem, help us delight in our weakness and in the knowledge that you can be glorified through giving us supernatural empowerment, grace, and perspective and by touching others through us as a result.

If you’d like to read more related to the subject of suffering, see Randy’s book If God Is Good, as well as the devotional 90 Days of God’s Goodness and book The Goodness of God (a specially focused condensation of If God Is Good, which also includes additional material).

Photo by Sawyer Bengtson on Unsplash

Human Touch Heals and Connects, Even Through Alzheimer’s

My friend Jay Echternach’s story of faithfully loving his wife Debbie, who has early onset dementia, was one of the most read and shared posts on my blog last year. (If you haven’t yet read it, I encourage you to start there so you know more about their journey.)

Jay recently wrote another powerful post about his bride and the connection between them. Many times his words about Debbie have touched me, but these more than ever. Thank you, brother, for being used of God to touch me once more. I love you and love Deb and can’t wait to rejoice with both of you in a far better world where our bodies and minds will be so much better than they ever were here. Debbie and Nanci and you and me and all of us who know Jesus are not past our peaks. That’s the meaning of resurrection and redemption and the New Earth. Our peaks await us, and we will never pass them. All because of the redemptive grace of Jesus. —Randy Alcorn

It just never seemed to be important. Walking the dog, walking around the block, shopping at the mall, heck most anywhere we went: Debbie just liked to hold hands and I didn’t. What a fool I was!

Now, it is the ONLY thing we can share consistently. From the moment I walk in, no words are spoken and she rarely if ever says my name (unless to our daughter Jennifer!). Her eyes finally notice me and she reaches out her good right hand and holds my hand tightly for the next hour. Her fingers don’t stroke, her hand doesn’t twist or turn; just a firm, hard grip that NEVER lets go.

So much is said between us in a relatively simple act. The need or desire to be close and know you are safe. The tactile sense of touch and being ever closer to her and the feeling of shared experience. A physical act that confirms we are still together in body, mind, and spirit. It is a priceless act that words cannot describe.

We shared a moment this past December that I will never forget. She had been experiencing fits of tears and terrible emotion in her face that spoke of pain, fear, or whatever was ailing her, unable to share or speak what was hurting her. I tried for almost 30 minutes to change her mood; laughing, telling stories, feeding her, HOLDING HER HAND—but nothing worked. She cried all the more, searching my eyes for a cure that was not coming.

My heart finally broke and I fell on my knees, gripping both her hands and burying my face in her lap, unable to watch her cry any longer. I sobbed audibly and all I could say was, “I’m sorry, so sorry!” Sorry I can’t help, sorry for anything I had ever done to cause you pain, sorry we are separated by a disease that cannot be healed.

God and His angels must have heard my prayer. Within seconds she let go of my hands and cupped my face with her good hand, pulled it up ever so slightly, looked deeply into my eyes, and said “It’s going to be alright!” Immediately she stopped crying and sat there staring out beyond me without a care in the world.

There was no oxygen in my lungs to breathe. Tears streaming down my face, I pressed my cheek to hers and kissed her softly.

Human touch heals a broken heart and speaks a thousand words without an utterance. It’s a touch we have shared for over 42 years but never like this or more tender.

Alzheimer’s is taking away Debbie’s mind as more and more words and physical acts are leaving her day by day. But it will NEVER take away her heart or her spirit, as God has given that to her for this life and the life to come.

For more on the hope of Heaven, see Our Best Life Yet to Come: The New Earth, Our Eternal Home and Why Is Resurrection So Important?, as well as Randy’s book Heaven. 

Top photo source: Pixabay

The Lord Is on the Move in the Muslim World—Here Are Five Ways Satan Seeks to Undermine That Work

Greg Livingstone, founder of Frontiers, a mission to the Muslim world, has written a great article on Muslim conversions. He is now senior associate for missions advancement of World Outreach for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Thanks to Greg for his permission to use his article, and to Desiring God for originally posting it earlier this month. —Randy Alcorn

Five Ways Satan Undermines Muslim Conversions

Let me give you some encouraging news: despite some unsubstantiated stories and exaggerated statistics, it is true that history has never seen so many Muslims bowing the knee to the Lord Jesus!

The last 27 years of increased harvest among Muslims has been remarkable! As someone who’s given most of his life to understanding Islam and sharing the gospel with Muslims, I think we have every reason to be joyful, grateful, and hopeful. The Lord is on the move. And though the vast majority of Muslims still need to be reached, the King of kings is not wringing his hands over the massive barriers to reaching them.

In the back of the Book, it says Jesus will ransom people from “every tribe and language and people and nation [ethnic group]” (Revelation 5:9). So we have scriptural and observable reasons to believe there will be thousands and thousands more Muslims in that great crowd worshiping the Savior!

But I can also say that it’s too soon to feel triumphal or satisfied with the present response. Ninety-eight percent of the Muslim world — 24 percent of all the men, women, and children on the planet today — are still under the deception of a false prophet. Their souls are in grave danger. Satan still imprisons far too many. We must pray and strategize and work to see more Muslims embrace the gospel and come to Jesus.

Five Schemes of Satan

The apostle Paul wrote, “we are not ignorant of [Satan’s] designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). I can think of at least five schemes Satan uses to keep Muslims deceived.

Scheme #1: Satan insists Muslims are our enemy.

Satan wants us to forget that he, the Great Deceiver, is our enemy. Instead, he’d have us fear and neglect Muslims. Too many Christians in the West view Muslims as bad guys who deserve God’s judgment (as if we don’t!), and don’t deserve God’s mercy (as if we do!). That’s satanic. Why would we who are commanded to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) be indifferent when hearing of the deaths and suffering of so many in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Pakistan, and more?

Scheme #2: Satan spreads exaggerated reports of conversions among Muslims.

One popular book says, “Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are falling in love with Jesus.” Though well-intentioned, it’s a misleading claim.

Too many pass along undocumented stories, often told by national workers who are tempted to make claims that will please their financial supporters. If one would ask nearly any Muslim if he loves Jesus, the answer would likely be, “Of course. Jesus is our #2 prophet. Muslims love Isa Al Masih so much, we correct the false claim that he died on the cross. Allah would never allow that to happen because Allah loves him too.” But admiring Jesus, even as a sinless prophet, does not mean that a Muslim has been reconciled to God.

Most informed Christian observers of the Muslim world agree that more Muslims have become Christians since 1990 than all the previous centuries combined since Mohammed. But most of these conversions have occurred only in a few countries, and usually only among certain ethnic groups in a particular country. For example, the harvest in Algeria is among the indigenous people, the Kabyles, but very little among the Arab majority who conquered the Kabyles in AD 670. And Kabyle Christians are very slow to reach out to the Arab majority, whom they historically resent.

The movements to Christ in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Iran are examples of what we pray will yet occur among other Muslim peoples. Turkey has perhaps only five thousand known believers among 80 million Turks. Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Arabs, the Maldives, Malaysia, and Pakistan have less than one hundred known citizens of Muslim background taking an open stand for Christ.

Scheme #3: Satan tells the lie that Western missionaries to Muslims aren’t needed because national believers are already doing the work cheaper and more efficiently.

Where believers are able and willing to risk their livelihood, and maybe their lives, to make disciples among their own people or nearby Muslims, this may be true. But this is very rare. Most Christians in places like Pakistan, Malaysia, India, China, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and so on are either not able or not willing. Most of the bolder, outspoken former Muslims now reside in the West, not among their own people.

For example, there are wonderful, dynamic large congregations of Chinese and Indian believers in Malaysia, but hardly a dozen believers among them are willing to risk witnessing to the 19 million Malay Muslims. Not even one fellowship with elders of Malay believers exists there!

In Pakistan, the Christians (whose social contact with Muslims is hampered because they are still considered part of a low Hindu caste) face a very real and present danger of being accused of “blasphemy against the Prophet,” which not infrequently leads to being killed on the spot before they can get a trial. Who can blame them for remaining silent for Christ while surrounded by uneducated, often Taliban-oriented Muslims who would prefer to exterminate them?

Scheme #4: Satan creates dissension between missionaries over methodologies.

Satan is working hard to turn missionaries and their supporters against fellow missionaries over methodology. It’s not unlike the controversies that began in the 1960s when Charismatic Christians and non-Charismatic Christians wrote each other off as “unbiblical” or “demonic.”

This is an issue for urgent prayer. Pray that missionaries and their agencies would be delivered from consuming precious time and resources on debates over the “right” methodologies for witnessing to Muslims.

Scheme #5: Satan spreads the lie that it’s wrong to put our families at risk in order to serve on the mission field.

This is understandable from an emotional perspective. But it is not biblical. The witness of Scripture and church history all testifies to the need and the cost of Christians to put their lives, and sometimes the lives of their family members, at risk for the sake of the gospel. We are sent out “as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3). Lambs’ odds against wolves are not good — unless, of course, God is with them.

As John Piper says,

Should a Christian couple take their children into danger as part of their mission to take the gospel to the unreached peoples of the world? Short answer: Yes.

Why? Because the cause is worth the risk, and the children are more likely to become Christ-exalting, comfort-renouncing, misery-lessening exiles and sojourners in this way than by being protected from risk in the safety of this world.

Were early missionaries to Africa irresponsible, knowing that at least half of them would die from Malaria or other diseases? Will we send missionaries today to a country where thousands are dying of Ebola? Or what about a country like Afghanistan where at least forty missionaries have been murdered in recent years? Does being married and having children disqualify us? Where does it say that in the Bible?

Pray for More

It is right to rejoice that we are living in an era when the global harvest is ripening! And we may be on the cusp of a great Muslim movement to Christ. I recently returned from the Vision 5:9 gathering in Thailand, where 840 missionaries, agency leaders, and Muslim background believers (240) responded with determination and faith to the challenge to pray and fast that the Lord of the harvest would draw ten percent of the Muslims across the globe to himself by 2027.

But let us stay alert. We must not be unaware of Satan’s schemes. Satan will resist us, but God will not be mocked by his schemes. Jesus will send workers into the harvest to take the good news where Muslims are perishing in unbelief. All we need to do is ask in faith.

Will you pray? Will you go?

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

Senator Ben Sasse on What We All Know Deep Down: The Unborn Are Babies

Sadly, this week the U.S. Senate blocked the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have protected unborn babies from abortion after 20 weeks, when doctors say they’re able to experience pain. The U.S., along with China and North Korea, is among only seven countries worldwide which allow elective abortion after 20 weeks. (See Explainer: What you should know about the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.)

It’s heartbreaking that this Act was not cleared by the Senate, when the lives of unborn children are at stake. But perhaps one of the benefits of this process was the attention once again given to the unborn and their humanity. Check out this excellent 10-minute speech from Senator Ben Sasse.

For more, see Randy’s books Why ProLife? and ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments. 

Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

Super Bowl Sunday, Nick Foles, and a Great Half-Time Video You Can Use

In a recent blog, I shared my appreciation for quarterbacks Nick Foles and Case Keenum, two young men who love Jesus and are committed to honoring Him. I said that I wished both Nick and Case could go to the Super Bowl and win it, but of course that’s not how it works!

After starting for the Eagles and leading them to the playoffs in 2013, Nick came back to the Eagles this year a backup to quarterback Carson Wentz (another terrific brother). When Carson was injured in early December, Nick took over, and had several good games. Then in the NFC championship game against the Vikings, he had one of the best playoff games in NFL history (over 352 yards passing, 3 TD passes, 0 interceptions, 141 QB rating).

I know that the Super Bowl is “only a football game,” but it’s also the single biggest platform, with the largest audience, of any event in the U.S. I’m praying for Nick, that he would be in the eye of the hurricane, experiencing the peace of Jesus. Nick turned 29 last week, so this is a lot of pressure on a young man, but he’s humble and grounded, and I know from interactions with him yesterday that God is giving him great peace. Pray that, win or lose, he and the Eagles believers (as well as the Patriots believers) would faithfully represent our Lord.

Personally I’m also fine with praying that Nick will do great and the Eagles will flat out win. :) Of course there are more important things in the world. And I do realize that some Patriot fans will read this, God bless you, but of course you are already accustomed to everyone else wanting you to lose (that’s one of the burdens of normally winning)! :) But seriously, I think God can handle us praying for some things we just want, coming from our different viewpoints, knowing the answer’s up to Him. :)

The Eagles are a big underdog, just as they’ve been ever since Carson was injured. And historically Tom Brady and the Patriots do have a difficult time losing a Super Bowl. Still, knowing firsthand Nick’s character, biblical convictions, and love for Jesus, I am confident he will use this platform for God’s glory. (Knowing both Carson and Case, I’m sure they would have too.)

Seven weeks ago I was asked to speak about Heaven to the Eagles when they came to Seattle. Since they’d had chapel the night before, I was surprised that fifteen showed up, including three coaches. I’d met five of these players through the great ministry of Pro Atheletes Outreach, including Nick, Carson, Trey Burton, and Zach Ertz (Chris Maragos was back in Philly with an injury, but he set it up, and Nick was on the scene to make it happen and introduce me to the Eagles). I was struck by the degree of spiritual thirst I saw in many of these guys.

There are believers on every NFL team, but there is something special about this group of Eagles. I’d be delighted if Nick and the team surprises everyone and wins—but the most important thing is that they be faithful to Jesus, and that’s my first prayer.

I realize this is very close to the Super Bowl, but let me encourage you to check out Football Sunday, which is produced by The Increase, with Pro Athletes Outreach. Each year they offer a free, professional video presentation featuring several athletes telling their stories and sharing about faith in the NFL. Best of all, it includes the gospel message of Jesus. In previous years many people have responded to Christ through this.

Churches can sign up to use it during their services, and individuals can also show it to those gathered in their homes. You can show the whole thing or just choose one segment. One great idea is to use it as a positive alternative to the halftime show on Super Bowl Sunday! (Pastors can check out this page for promotional resources to use.)

Check out this video for more about it.

And here’s last year’s full video, to give you an idea of the quality of the production.

Will Those Who Dislike Cities Find Themselves at Home in the New Jerusalem?

Scripture describes Heaven as both a country (Luke 19:12; Hebrews 11:14-16) and a city (Hebrews 12:22; 13:14; Revelation 21:2). Fifteen times in Revelation 21 and 22 the place God and His people will live together is called a city. The repetition of the word and the detailed description of the architecture, walls, streets, and other features of the city suggest that the term city isn’t merely a figure of speech but a literal geographical location. After all, where do we expect physically resurrected people to live if not in a physical environment?

The city at the center of the future Heaven is called the New Jerusalem. Everyone knows what a city is—a place with buildings, streets, and residences occupied by people and subject to a common government. Cities have inhabitants, visitors, bustling activity, cultural events, and gatherings involving music, the arts, education, religion, entertainment, and athletics. If the capital city of the New Earth doesn’t have these defining characteristics of a city, it would seem misleading for Scripture to repeatedly call it a city.

A City with All the Best, None of the Worst

Over the years, people have told me they can’t get excited about the New Jerusalem because they don’t like cities. But this city will be different—it will have all the advantages we associate with earthly cities but none of the disadvantages. The city will be filled with natural wonders, magnificent architecture, thriving culture—but it will have no crime, pollution, sirens, traffic fatalities, garbage, or homelessness. It will truly be Heaven on Earth.

If you think you hate cities, you’ll quickly change your mind when you see this one. Imagine moving through the city to enjoy the arts, music, and sports without pickpockets, porn shops, drugs, or prostitution. Imagine sitting down to eat and raising glasses to toast the King, who will be glorified in every pleasure we enjoy.

Theologian and novelist Frederick Buechner writes: “Everything is gone that ever made Jerusalem, like all cities, torn apart, dangerous, heartbreaking, seamy. You walk the streets in peace now. Small children play unattended in the parks. No stranger goes by whom you can’t imagine a fast friend. The city has become what those who loved it always dreamed and what in their dreams she always was.” [1]

In this video, an excerpt from Eternity 101, I talk about how we sometimes transfer our negative feelings onto our concept of Heaven:

Different Kinds of Beauty on the New Earth

Still, some people read the Bible’s description of Heaven’s capital city and think they will be uncomfortable in that vast architecture. Tolkien seems to address this in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he portrays differing concepts of Elvish beauty and Dwarvish beauty. Elves, people of the woods and waters, celebrate and protect the natural beauty of Middle Earth. Dwarves, in contrast, are miners and builders who dig deep for precious stones and construct vast buildings. The Elves are uncomfortable with Dwarvish architecture, and the Dwarves feel uncomfortable deep in the forest.

Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf forge a great friendship. They come to appreciate the previously undiscovered beauties of each other’s world. Legolas beholds the underground wonders of Moria, a gigantic and awesome architectural accomplishment, testifying to the ingenuity and beauty of what Dwarves can carve out of stone. Similarly, Gimli comes to appreciate the spectacular natural beauties of Lothlorien and of Galadriel, the Elven queen.

As I read Revelation 21–22, I’m struck with how the Elven paradise reflects the Edenic elements of the New Jerusalem—rivers, trees, fruits, and mountains—while the Dwarves’ view of beauty reflects the vast detailed architecture and precious stones of Heaven’s capital. Which kind of beauty is better? We needn’t choose between them. The New Earth will be filled with both. Whatever God’s people create is also God’s creation, for it is He who shapes and gifts and empowers us to create.

It’s likely that our tastes will differ enough that some of us will prefer to gather in the main streets and auditoriums for the great cultural events, while others will want to withdraw to feed ducks on a lake or to leave the city with their companions to pursue adventures in some undeveloped place. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we’ll never leave the presence of the King. For although He dwells especially in the New Jerusalem, He will yet be fully present in the far reaches of the New Universe—in which every subatomic particle will shout His glory.

For more answers to questions about eternity, see Randy’s book Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Heaven as well as his comprehensive book Heaven and devotional 50 Days of Heaven.  

[1] Frederick Buechner, quoted in A Little Bit of Heaven (Tulsa, Okla.: Honor Books, 1995), 118.

Photo by ANIMESH MANDAL on Unsplash

Come and See: An Invitation to Experience the Goodness and Fullness of Life God Offers

My friend Todd Wagner is pastor of Watermark Church in Texas, a great church where I’ve had the privilege of speaking. He’s also the author of a new book called Come and See: Everything You Ever Wanted in the One Place You Would Never Look.

I love Todd, his family, and Watermark Church. If you want to have hope for Christ’s church, I encourage you to dig into this thoughtful, well-written, and engaging book. Come and see the Jesus who adores His church and can still make her a wonder to behold. “Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!” (Psalm 66:5).

Here’s more about the book:

Come and See what? LIFE as God intended irresistibly revealed today in a way that is every bit as awe-inspiring and life-changing as when Jesus Himself walked the earth. Todd Wagner invites readers to experience the adventure, goodness, and fullness of life that God has intended for humankind from the beginning of time and especially today through His provision through His people. Weekly meetings of mostly bored adults who regularly attend services have nothing to do with God’s vision for His people. Wagner paints the picture of a perfect Father’s intention to bring His people into an adventurous life full of authentic relationships, powerful transformation, and seemingly impossible significance and meaning.

And here’s an excerpt from Todd’s introduction:

This book exists to remind you that God is alive and well—and still doing the same amazing things you vaguely remember hearing about in long-ago-told, too-good-to-be-true stories. In fact, what if I told you that just within my small circle of friends in the city where I live, more miracles have occurred in the last few months than in all of the long-ago stories from Jesus’s days combined?

Even better, what if I told you that the “miraculous” occurrences often celebrated on obscure TV channels late at night have little to do with what I am talking about? What if you discovered that while miracles are supposed to be awe-inspiring evidences that God is still there and still at work, they were never supposed to be the kind of nonsense being embraced by false teachers who want you to plant a financial “seed of faith” today so you can experience abundant financial blessing tomorrow? (I am intentionally not yet giving full details here, so if you are a skeptic, don’t let me lose you before you let me explain what I mean. And if you are a “God is still in the business of doing first-century miracles” kind of friend, I look forward to being more specific about what I am talking about. I have an entire chapter explaining what Jesus meant when He said “even greater works than these will He do” coming, so stay tuned.)

Would you keep reading if I told you that the mundane rituals that define most people’s religious experience are more a result of us compromising truth instead of living in it? What if I told you the reason you are not experiencing more of God’s kind intention for you and your city is actually something you can do something about? And what if the time we are going to spend together in the pages ahead is a key part of you doing that something? Would you be surprised to learn that the reason the miraculous is still happening today is because Jesus is who He said He is and He actually meant everything He said? What if I told you God’s glory and your good have always been a part of God’s plan … and that His plan for both actually involves both you and the Church?

You would probably roll your eyes.

Not that many years ago, I would have too.

But my reality has changed, and I believe as you read this book and are informed or reminded of the fullness of His truth, yours will be too. In just the last few years, I have personally been a part of a group of friends who have watched bar crawlers, housewives, drug addicts, sex addicts, addicts to self, atheistic philosophers, materialists, driven workaholics, homosexuals, cultural Christians, abortionists, drug dealers, homeless men, impoverished millionaires, promiscuous women, unfaithful husbands, dead religionists, liars, predators, strippers, modern-day Pharisees, pornographers, fallen church leaders, prisoners—and a whole host of others—experience something so completely transformative that they are now living radically different lives full of hope, transparency, boldness, freedom, and joy. (This is not a made-up list. It is a partial one. There are names I know attached to every one of these labels. Even better, I have been an eyewitness to their sustained transformation from societal destruction and self-destruction to life.) What if I told you that you could be—no, should be—a part of something like that?

That, my friend, is the real question.

In the pages ahead, I hope to convince you that you should not only want a life like this but also that you actually can have a life like this. Even more incredibly, I am going to either inform you or remind you that the way you can be a part of such dramatic life change is by fully investing in something that, for most people, seems full of anything but the life you seek. If the words I write do their job, they will provide you with a compelling picture of the means through which these kinds of occurrences are actually intended to happen—and are happening—every day.

Come and see.