Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 128

True Leading Is Serving

[image error]Recently I was asked, “We use the phrase ‘servant leadership’ frequently, but what does that really look like? It’s all too easy to desire for our wants and needs be taken care of, rather than acting as servant leaders who care for others, spiritually and physically, behind the scenes. What are your thoughts?”

In most cases, I think we in church and ministry leadership honestly do want to be Christ-honoring servants. I’m friends with many pastors, and I deeply appreciate their love for Christ and love for those in their churches.

But all of us can find it difficult to do the hard and thankless things that servants do, especially when no one is watching. True service is training in humility. It’s interesting that Paul tells Timothy to command the rich not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, but to do good and be rich in good deeds (service) and also to be generous and willing to share (giving). Serving and giving, in concert, are the only things that break the back of arrogance, materialism, and self-obsession.

Genuine leadership is serving, and serving is leadership. The shepherd leads by giving himself to the sheep. The Good Shepherd owns the flock, the shepherds under Him don’t. We don’t shepherd our flock, but His flock: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2). So overseers are servants caring for their Master’s flock.

This is the ultimate paradigm shift. Peter then tells us we should not be “greedy for money, but eager to serve.” Sometimes we’re eager to be served, not to serve. We all like to be called servants, but it’s easy to become resentful when we’re treated like servants.

First Peter 5 then describes leaders as “not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” Examples of what? Examples of Christ-like service, in which we put others before ourselves.

Leaders should never use God’s flock to build their kingdoms and reputations in order to further themselves. Rather, we should set the example of humble service. Let’s be humble leaders, not self-promoting celebrities who fail to follow the servant-leader model exemplified by Christ.

God knows our hearts. If we’re in this for fame, money, or power over people , rather than to honor and serve Christ, God will judge us severely. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

But if we’re broken, humble, quick to admit and confess our weaknesses and sins, and ready to serve, God will shed His grace upon us, comfort us, and empower us. Then, and only then, will we be Christ-like and Christ-exalting. Then, and only then, will we be leaders worth following.

Photo: Pixabay

Forsaken for a Reason

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

—Mark 15:33–39

Echoing David in Psalm 22, Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In that haunting cry, Christ identifies with our despair and bridges the gap between God and us not only theologically, in the Atonement, but emotionally—between our suffering and God’s, between our agonizing cries and those of God’s Son.

The beloved Son who had “well pleased” His Father (Matthew 3:17) became our sin (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). So the Father turned away. For the first time in all eternity, the oneness within the Godhead knew separation. In ways we cannot comprehend—ways that would amount to blasphemy had not God revealed it to us—the Atonement somehow tore God apart.

Some believe that Jesus’ cry showed He didn’t know why His Father had poured out His wrath on Him. But Scripture says otherwise. Anticipating His death, Jesus said, “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:27–28). Jesus knew why He had to die. He cried out because any separation from His Father constituted an infinite horror.

Tim Keller explains:

The physical pain was nothing compared to the spiritual experience of cosmic abandonment. Christianity alone among the world religions claims that God became uniquely and fully human in Jesus Christ and therefore knows firsthand despair, rejection, loneliness, poverty, bereavement, torture, and imprisonment. On the Cross he went beyond even the worst human suffering and experienced cosmic rejection and pain that exceeds ours as infinitely as his knowledge and power exceeds ours.[1]

The unrighteous have no grounds for asking God why He has forsaken them—all who understand His holiness and our sin know the reasons. But God’s beloved Son had the right to ask, even knowing the answer. In some qualitative—not quantitative—way, Jesus endured the punishment of Hell. When He said, “It is finished,” signaling He had paid the redemptive price, Jesus ceased to bear the penalty for our sin. Then “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46). The unimaginable had happened. But once redemption was accomplished in space-time history, the triune God was restored to the complete oneness known from eternity past and assured for eternity future.

Lord, nothing is so horrifying as the teaching of Scripture that you became sin for us and in doing so became the object of your Father’s wrath. Thank you, Father, for being there for Jesus as He went to the cross and as His spirit departed from His body on the cross. But thank you too—Father and Son and Holy Spirit together—for your willingness, in those three hours of unfathomable darkness, to make the ultimate sacrifice to purchase our place with you forever.

Excerpted from Randy Alcorn's book 90 Days of God's Goodness.

[1] Timothy Keller, The Reason for God (New York: Dutton, 2008), 30.

Photo by Stephen Arnold on Unsplash

Dream With Me: One of My Heroes, John Perkins, Writes about Race, Justice, and Love

I was honored to be asked to write the foreword for John Perkin’s new book Dream With Me: Race, Love, and the Struggle We Must Win, released a few months ago. Dream With Me is wonderful. I read, loved, and highly recommend it. The book speaks for itself, but far more if you know the man behind it. So it’s John Perkins and how he’s influenced me that I want to talk about. Mine is only one story. Thousands, if given the chance, would gladly tell their stories about John—and one day, at great banquets with Christ at the head of the table, they will.

There are people who I can honestly say changed my life. John Perkins is one of them.

In 1976, I read Let Justice Roll Down. It stunned me. In the book I learned that in 1946, when John was sixteen, his brother Clyde was shot and killed by a deputy sheriff while waiting for a theater to open. Twenty years later, John spoke out for voter registration and took on segregation when he enrolled his son Spencer in an all-white high school. After organizing a boycott, he was arrested. His beloved wife, Vera Mae, and his children, who were outside the Mississippi jail, heard him beaten and tortured.

I knew all this from reading that powerful book. But in 1988, I met John when both of us were speaking at a writers’ conference. I took him to lunch and asked him questions. He told me he had dropped out of school in the third grade, but our coffee cups weren’t half empty before I realized he was one of the wisest men I’d ever met. John smiled a lot and then shed a tear. When he crossed his legs, his raised pant leg revealed a sizable scar. I don’t know whether that scar was old or new, temporary or permanent, from an accident or surgery or torture—but to me it symbolized what he’d endured and gave power to his words about forgiveness.

I’m not easily impressed, but after two hours I knew John Perkins was the real deal. Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NKJV). Christ’s fingerprints were all over John. He could have been angry and bitter; instead, he embodied gospel grace. He was incredibly kind to me, a thirty-four-year-old white suburban pastor trying to understand the world. Jesus flipped a switch in me that day, as he has with countless others who’ve hung out with John.

A year later, not coincidentally, I became involved in peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience, modeled after the civil rights movement. This resulted in multiple arrests, brief jail stays, the loss of my job, and decidedly unpopular news coverage. The cause was different (defending the rights of unborn children), but as Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

When arrests and lawsuits kept me from continuing as a pastor, I started Eternal Perspective Ministries, which continues to give away all my book royalties to kingdom causes. Besides missions, pro-life work, and helping the poor, some of my other central concerns were racial justice and reconciliation. This came about because of John’s influence, and I’ve been honored to support the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation, Justice, and Christian Community Development.

When writing my novel Dominion in 1995, I made my main character a black journalist who grew up in Mississippi. I immersed myself in black history and interviewed many African Americans (including Reggie White, who was then playing for the Green Bay Packers). I contacted John’s son Spencer, who lived in Jackson with the family of Chris Rice, a white brother. Chris and Spencer had coauthored More Than Equals, a book on racial reconciliation that I really appreciated. I asked if I could meet with them and ended up in their home with their families.

I attended a Christian Community Development Association National Conference where John Perkins spoke. That afternoon as he walked me down the streets of Jackson, stories overflowed from his heart and mind. He took me into a thrift shop where he found an old hat that was tagged for twenty-five cents. He tried it on and asked for my verdict. I told him it looked snazzy. I’ll never forget his delight at that treasure he’d found!

The girl at the counter recognized John as the founder of the ministry that owned the thrift shop and said, “Dr. Perkins, you shouldn’t pay for that!” He insisted and then handed her the quarter and proudly put on his hat. I smiled every time I looked at him the rest of the day. What great happiness this man found in something so small—he saw life crowded with God’s kindnesses, which helped me see the same.

My favorite character in my novels is Obadiah Abernathy, who played baseball in the old Negro leagues. He modeled dignity, grace, wisdom, and humor. My sports inspiration for Obadiah was Buck O’Neil of the Kansas City Monarchs, but my spiritual inspiration was John Perkins. Whenever I wrote dialogue for Obadiah, I asked myself, What would John say?

In 2008, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association honored John Perkins with the Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award. I canceled whatever was on my schedule to attend the event at which he was presented with the award. After John spoke, I waited at a distance. Though ten years had passed since we’d last seen each other, his face lit up when he saw me, and he called me by name. A photographer snapped a picture of John greeting me, his hand on my shoulder, which appeared on the front page of a newspaper the next day. I still treasure that photo.

There’s so much good in Dream With Me, because it flows straight out of John’s heart. It’s honest, humble, prophetic, and Christ-honoring. We need to hear it.

John, you’ve shown me Jesus. Countless people would say the same. I look forward to spending time together on God’s new earth, where love, justice, and joy will be the air we breathe (see 2 Peter 3:13). Meanwhile, you have my heartfelt gratitude, brother. I’m encouraged by the words I believe Jesus will one day say to you: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Giving Might Be the Most Neglected and Least Modeled Spiritual Gift in the Western Church

Below is an excerpt from the new edition of my book The Treasure Principle , one I’ve tweaked a little for the purposes of this blog. I hope you enjoy it.

In Romans 12, Paul lists seven spiritual gifts, including prophecy, serving, teaching, mercy, and giving. I’m convinced that of all these gifts, giving is the one least thought about and talked about in the Western church, and perhaps in the entire world.

Of course, all of us are called to serve, show mercy, and give, even if we don’t have those specific gifts. But I believe that in different times of history God has sovereignly distributed certain gifts more widely (such as the gift of mercy during devastating plagues, and the gift of teaching when false doctrine is rampant and must be counteracted).

Suppose God wanted to fulfill His plan of world evangelization, reach the unreached, and help an unprecedented number of suffering people. What gifts would you expect Him to distribute more widely? Wouldn’t a primary one be the gift of giving? And what might you expect Him to provide for those to whom He’s given that gift? Why not unprecedented wealth to meet those needs and fund outreach to people of every tribe, nation, and language?

Look around. Isn’t that exactly what God has done? There’s greater wealth among God’s people, especially in the Western world, than there has ever been in human history. The question is, what are we doing with the wealth He’s entrusted to us?

We regularly see the gift of teaching and know what it looks like. We know of prayer warriors and Bible students, but rarely do we know of people giving large percentages of their incomes to the Lord.

It’s increasingly common for Christians in accountability groups to ask one another the tough questions: “Have you been spending time in the Word?” “Are you living in sexual purity?” or “Have you been sharing your faith?” But how often do we ask, “Are you winning the battle against materialism?” or “How are you doing with your giving?”

When it comes to giving, many churches operate under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. We lack communication, accountability, and modeling. It’s as if we have an unspoken agreement: I won’t talk about it if you won’t, so we can continue living as we are.

Think about it. If a young person wants to learn how to teach, pray, or lead a group, the church provides many examples to learn from. But how does a young Christian learn to give? Where can he or she go to see what giving looks like in the life of a believer captivated by Christ? Why are we surprised when, seeing no alternative examples, our young people take their cues from a materialistic society?

We’re to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). Shouldn’t we then be asking how we can spur one another on toward giving?

Some may object, “But we shouldn’t compare each other’s giving.” Yet Paul tells the Corinthians about the Macedonians’ giving, saying he’s making a comparison to motivate them (2 Corinthians 8:7–8).

Dixie Fraley Keller told me about some friends of hers: “They’re such an example of the art of giving. Every year we try to outgive each other!” Isn’t that spurring one another on? Don’t we need to help one another raise the bar of giving so we can learn to jump higher?

Scripture tells us not to give in order to be seen by men (Matthew 6:1). Certainly we should be careful to avoid pride. But Jesus also said in the same sermon, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Through an unfortunate misinterpretation of biblical teaching, we’ve hidden giving and therefore hidden its joy and deprived God of glory. We’ve failed to draw Christians toward giving. And they lack gladness and purpose because of it.

Years ago, when our missions pastor returned from Sudan, he told our church about enslaved Christians in that region. Spontaneously, several families decided to forgo giving Christmas presents that year and instead gave toward freeing slaves. The fourth-grade class at our school raised thousands of dollars for this purpose through work projects. One sixth-grade girl took the fifty dollars she’d saved up to play on a basketball team and gave it to help Sudanese believers.

One family had saved hundreds of dollars to go to Disneyland. Their child asked if they could give the money to help the slaves instead. Before long, people had given sixty thousand dollars to redeem slaves. We never even took an offering, but the giving was contagious. People told one another their giving stories. When they did, it encouraged the body to give more. It was one of our church’s finest hours, and the key was God’s people joyfully sharing with each other how God moved them to give.

King David told the people exactly how much he’d given to build the temple. The precise amounts of gold and precious stones given by the leaders were also made public. “The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord” (1 Chronicles 29:6–9). The people could rejoice and follow their leaders’ example only because they knew how generous those leaders had been. I’m not saying we should do exactly this same thing! I am saying that unless we learn how to humbly tell one another our giving stories, people in our churches will not learn to give.

It would have been an incalculable loss to my spiritual life not to hear the stories of prayer and giving in the lives of Hudson Taylor, George Müller, Amy Carmichael, and R. G. LeTourneau. Knowing what God did in and through them has been an inspiration to ask Him to do more in and through me.

I encourage you to read and meditate on 1 Thessalonians 2:1-14, where Paul talks about how he and his ministry team modeled radical Christian living. The result was that the Thessalonian believers not only had teachings to believe, but also footsteps to follow. He clarifies, “We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else” (v. 6). He says, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well” (v. 8).

Sharing their own lives included transparently showing the Thessalonians an example of hard work and kingdom-centered living. He praises them because “you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea” (v. 14). Not only did Paul and his fellow servants show them their own spiritual disciplines and joyful lives, they also told them inspirational stories of other believers.

When this happens today, the imaginations of our people, especially our young people, can be captured for the glory of God. But if all they see in the church are lives of entrenched materialism, that’s what they will naturally ease into themselves, because we only follow what we see. If they see people living well below their means and joyfully giving away the bulk of their income to help others, they will have an alternative model that’s radical and attractive. They will be inspired to consider that way of living.

If the apostle Paul told the Thessalonians about the example of the churches in Judea, why shouldn’t we be able to take aside a teenage girl in our church and say, “See that woman? She goes downtown every week to work with refugees, help them, and tell them about Jesus. Most of them aren’t believers yet, but they love her! Being with them is the highlight of her week. How about you and I go with her and meet her friends downtown?”

Or what if we could say to a young man in church, “See that guy over there? He makes enough money to live in the nicest house you’ve ever seen. But he gives most of it away to reach people with the gospel all over the world, and he’s the happiest guy you’ll ever meet. How about you and I take him out for lunch and hear his story?”

Actions really do speak louder than words, and they also demonstrate the meaning and authenticity of words. But actions can’t do this unless they are seen. To be seen they must be somehow visible to others—never for our glory, but for God’s. When I learn of someone daily reading and praying through Operation World for ten years, lifting the nations of the world up to God, I can be inspired. But if no one ever tells me this, I can’t be inspired by it. When someone is excited because they shared the gospel today, I can only be touched by their example if I know it happened.

Let’s not only follow Jesus but also allow others to see what it means to follow Jesus. Let’s examine and purify our hearts and motives, humble ourselves, and obey the words of Jesus: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Let’s spur one another on to love and good deeds by discussing and showing each other love and good deeds.

May we humbly tell the stories of others and ourselves, of God’s work in our study of His Word, our sharing Jesus with others, our prayers, and our giving—not to glorify ourselves or others, but to glorify our Father in Heaven. Let’s provide more radical and more visible models to follow in the body of Christ, including our young people. As we do so, may we pray that the sharing of examples will result in more and more people joyfully living the kind of life that will make them examples to others.

“A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Will We Maintain Our Own Identities in Heaven?

You will be you in Heaven. Who else would you be? If Bob, a man on Earth, is no longer Bob when he gets to Heaven, then, in fact, Bob did not go to Heaven. If when I arrive in Heaven I’m not the same person with the same identity, history, and memory, then I didn’t go to Heaven.

The resurrected Jesus did not become someone else; He remained who He was before His resurrection: “It is I myself!” (Luke 24:39). In John’s Gospel, Jesus deals with Mary, Thomas, and Peter in very personal ways, drawing on His previous knowledge of them (John 20:10-18, 24-29; 21:15-22). His knowledge and relationships from His pre-resurrected state carried over. When Thomas said, “My Lord and my God,” he knew he was speaking to the same Jesus he’d followed. When John said, “It is the Lord,” he meant, “It’s really him—the Jesus we have known” (John 21:4-7).

If we weren’t ourselves in the afterlife, then we couldn’t be held accountable for what we did in this life. The Judgment would be meaningless. If Barbara is no longer Barbara, she can’t be rewarded or held accountable for anything Barbara did. She’d have to say, “But that wasn’t me.” The doctrines of judgment and eternal rewards depend on people’s retaining their distinct identities from this life to the next.

Bruce Milne writes, “We can banish all fear of being absorbed into the ‘All’ which Buddhism holds before us, or reincarnated in some other life form as in the post-mortem prospect of Hinduism. . . . The self with which we were endowed by the Creator is his gift of life to us, the self whose worth was secured forever in the self-substitution of God for us on the cross, that self will endure into eternity. Death cannot destroy us.”[i]

Some people read “you may participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and imagine that we will all become indistinguishable from God. But to imagine we’ll lose our personal identities is a Hindu belief, not a Christian one. The verse in 2 Peter means that we’re covered with Christ’s righteousness. We’ll participate in God’s holiness yet fully retain our God-crafted individuality.

Our own personal history and identity will endure from one Earth to the next. “‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure’ ” (Isaiah 66:22). Jesus said to His disciples, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, emphasis added). The same Jesus will drink the same wine with the same disciples. It isn’t that what used to be us will commune with what used to be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Rather, we, the same people but fully cleansed, will eat at a table with the one and only Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 8:11).

In Heaven will we be called by our present names? The names of God’s children are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20:15;21:27). I believe those are our earthly names. God recognized as valid the names Adam gave the animals. God calls people by their earthly names, the names given by their parents. He calls people in Heaven by those same names—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for instance. The names of the twelve sons of Israel and of the apostles, apparently the same names we know them by, are written on the city’s gates and the foundations of its walls (Revelation 21:12-14). Our names reflect our individuality. To have the same name written in Heaven that was ours on Earth speaks of the continuity between this life and the next.

In addition to our earthly names, we’ll receive new names in Heaven (Isaiah 62:2; 65:15; Revelation 2:17; 3:12). New names don’t invalidate the old ones. Many people had multiple names in Scripture: Jacob is also Israel; Simon is also Peter; Saul is also Paul.

Imagine a beautiful rose garden. It’s been perfectly designed and cultivated. But the rose bushes become diseased. The garden becomes a tangled mass. It’s a sad, deteriorated remnant of the glorious garden it once was. Then the gardener determines to reclaim his garden. Day after day he prunes, waters, and fertilizes each bush. His desire isn’t simply to restore the garden to its original beauty; it’s to make it far more beautiful than ever.

When the gardener is done and the roses are thriving, beautiful, and fragrant, is the rose garden the same as it was? Is each individual rose the same? Yes and no. It’s the same rose garden, restored to its previous beauty and beyond. Yet to look at it, it’s hard to believe these are the same roses that were once a withered, tangled mess.

This is a picture of Creation, Fall, and Resurrection. When God is finished, we’ll be ourselves without the sin—meaning that we’ll be the best we can be.

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.  

[i] Bruce Milne, The Message of Heaven and Hell (Downers Grove,Ill.: InterVarsity, 2002), 194.

Photo: Pixabay

Encouragement to Men to Study the Bible and Theology, and Find Great Happiness

Many Christian men would agree that they’re experts in business, hunting, fishing, football, or cars. Sadly, however, even those who attend Bible-teaching churches may know very little about the Bible and theology. (Everything I talk about in this blog pertains to women also, but I know more women than men who study God’s Word, and I believe men are missing out on joy and happiness as a result.)

Why? It’s simple. Every week, men invest hours watching sports and listening to radio talk shows. They visit car dealerships, read car repair manuals, and spend extended time under the hood. They go fishing or hunting. None of these activities is sinful, but any and all can dominate our spare time and the thoughts that occupy our minds. We’re all experts in what we do and think about, and novices in everything else.

Suppose men dedicated even half the time invested in those activities to reading and listening to the Bible and great Christian books. What if they took half the time now devoted to political talk shows and hobbies and invested it in learning solid Bible doctrine? Soon they could converse theologically with as much knowledge and pleasure as they can about sports, hunting, fishing, cars, or politics. And the activities they engage in will be that much more happiness-producing because they’ll know better the one who made all these other pastimes possible! Put God first, and everything else falls into place.

We all talk about what we know best—what’s most important to us. That means we need to change what’s important to us by investing more time in it.

How many men have frequent God-centered conversations today—with each other, their wives, and their children? How much pleasure and happiness are we depriving ourselves of by talking about everything except what matters most?

Calvin Miller lamented, “Never have there been so many disciples who did so little studying. . . . Our day is plagued by hordes of miserable Christians whose pitiful study habits give them few victories and much frustration. Serious students will develop dynamic minds and a confident use of the gifts God has given to them.”[i]

Excerpted from Randy's book Happiness. 

[i] Calvin Miller, The Taste of Joy: Recovering the Lost Glow of Discipleship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 18.

Photo by Julentto Photography on Unsplash

Why I Love Not Receiving a Cent of the Royalties from My Books

Most writers won’t sell a lot of books. But I encourage those Christian authors who do sell a large number to give away most or all of the royalties to God’s kingdom, and to recognize they belong to Him. (Of course, you could only give away all those royalties if you have another job that pays your living wage, as not all, but a good number, of bestselling writers do. If writing is all you are paid to do, then obviously you have to live on some of that income, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that!) One of my heroes, C. S. Lewis, gave away the majority of his royalties to the needy. There are many good reasons for this—including the temptations that receiving large amounts of money can present, as well as the joy to be found in giving.  

This idea applies not only to writers who have other jobs, but also to those who have second incomes they don’t need to live on. One example might be when one spouse makes enough to live on, and the other spouse’s income, whether part-time or full-time, can be given away. In such situations, instead of serving to raise your standard of living, the other job can serve to raise your standard of giving.

Some authors I know, who make a living by their writing, choose certain books and say, “100% of those royalties will go to God’s work.” Some business people own more than one business and say, “100% of the profits from that particular business will go to world missions or famine relief.” I know one author who has done that and the book she chose is by far the bestselling book she’s ever written. And sometimes those businesses given over to God’s kingdom work also thrive. Perhaps God has an extra motivation to make that happen when His people make those decisions.

John Piper, the bestselling author of more than 50 books, gives away all the royalties from his books. (To clarify, John is paid a good wage by Desiring God, just like I am by our ministry. So both of us aren’t giving away everything, but are giving away our royalties.)

Desiring God made a video of John explaining where those royalties go. I love John’s heart, and the joy that he receives from giving is evident: 

Like John, I’ve experienced the sheer happiness of giving away funds to further God’s kingdom. All the royalties from my books go directly to our ministry, Eternal Perspective Ministries (which gives 90% to worthy Christian organizations and uses the other 10% to help offset costs related to the writing/researching/editing of the books and to facilitate book donations to people all over the world). By God’s grace, to date we’ve given away nearly $8 million to fund missions, feed the hungry, sponsor prolife causes, and much more. Here are just a few of the projects EPM has supported this year:

Mercy Ships: medical outreach to Benin on the Africa Mercy
Joni & Friends: “Wheels for the World” Cuba
SAT-7: Middle East “Because I am a Woman” TV program
CRU: Syria crisis

Because all the royalties go to kingdom causes, I’m not tempted to spend on myself the money God has graciously entrusted to me. Instead, Nanci and I get to give them away and rejoice as we make eternal investments in God’s powerful work around the world. Greed is kept in check, because our lifestyle doesn’t go up if a book commands a greater advance or higher royalties. It’s just more money for the work of the ministry. When I see my books on the bestseller list, I figure, “Maybe the Lord wanted more money for missions work.”

I don’t go to bed at night feeling I’ve “sacrificed” that money, wishing somehow I could get my hands on it. I go to bed feeling joy, because there’s nothing like giving. For me, it is like the joy of leading someone to Christ.

No matter our occupation, each of us has a responsibility to faithfully steward the money God has entrusted to us. May we all be found faithful—and experience the deep, overflowing happiness of giving!

“You must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Yeshua himself, ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving’” (Acts 20:35, CJB).

Our Time Aboard Operation Mobilization’s Ship, Logos Hope

Earlier this month, Nanci and I returned from a trip to Jamaica, where I spoke at a conference with OM Ships International, centering on the wonderful ministry of the current ship Logos Hope.

Here’s a video of our welcome onboard when we arrived with others from the conference to visit the ship.

Following the conference we were privileged to spend five nights on Logos Hope. I’ve written before about the ship, but wanted to share more after we experienced this ministry firsthand.

We went to nearly every deck and area of the ship while there. We met many of the crew of 400, most of them 18 to 25 years old, a number of whom, I was happy to discover, said they had read or were reading my books.

As great as it was to visit the ship a few days while I was speaking at the conference (and staying at an amazing hotel) the real highlight was actually staying those five days on the ship! It was great going to the huge onboard bookstore, called a “book fair,” and fun seeing adults looking at my books. But nothing compared to seeing Jamaican children flipping through the pages of my graphic novels, Eternity and The Apostle!

Our room was on deck eight of nine, and to our delight there were children playing in the narrow hallway. Some crewmembers live with their families on board. The children have their own school and teacher. Some of them have lived on the ship for years, and what a life: surrounded by the young volunteers on the ship, having people of countless  tribes and nations and languages come on board, and getting to go ashore and meet others, including children, in every port. It’s truly remarkable.

Nanci and I were struck by the large number of children visiting the ship. 

We watched them come aboard, visit the bookstore, buy many books very inexpensively, hear the Gospel presented, and hang out in the International Café.

Sitting with the crew and talking at meals was a unique experience. I would be speaking with a young man from Russia, while sitting next to a girl from Zimbabwe, and meet another from the Faroe Islands, greet a young man from China and another from Iraq, be called to a table to speak with a woman from Guyana, and on and on. I just mentioned six countries, which means I left out about 54 others represented among the crew! The vitality of the crew members, both young and older, was striking.

We thoroughly enjoyed talking to them about their countries, and I loved the pride they took in their homelands. We talked about God’s Word, about their walks with Jesus, and what they were learning going around the world serving on the ship. Some of them go out in the cities where they dock to serve the communities, by building playgrounds, providing eye tests and reading glasses and dental care, distributing medical and food supplies, renovating clinics and orphanages, and much more.

By God’s grace, I have been in many countries and witnessed incredible ministries. But Nanci and I were touched as deeply by what we saw on Logos Hope as we have ever been anywhere in our lives. George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilization, is a dear friend, and he is the man who God gave the vision to launch the first OM ship in 1970. George and many others have talked to me about the ships over the years, but never did I realize the breadth and depth and kingdom-shaping quality of this ministry until we witnessed it firsthand. We were blown away by the work of God’s Spirit.

In the picture below, I'm with my friends George Verwer and Karen Coleman. Karen is on the EPM staff. Her son Zac served two years aboard Logos Hope.

Here’s a brief video I filmed of a young crew member telling a story of people coming to Christ after she shared with them, when she didn’t know their language and they didn’t know hers!

The original Logos ship launched in 1970, followed by Doulos, Logos II, and then Logos Hope, by far the largest of the ships. The OM ships have been to 151 countries, and cumulatively, over 46 million people have come aboard them. Logos Hope has had over six million visitors since it launched, visiting 135 ports in over 60 different countries. Close to seven million books have been purchased onboard, and many more given away. It has sailed about 90,000 nautical miles, enough to circumnavigate the globe more than four times!

If you want to see a record of where the ships have been since 1970, click on each of the ships and look at page after page of the ports they’ve visited. There’s no way to calculate how many millions of people have been reached by the ships, and how many have come to faith in Christ, been discipled and grown in their faith, and received Bibles and been equipped with great books.

The stories of changed lives they do know of are marvelous. One that sticks with me is a man who boarded Logos Hope, and shared that many years before when “the book ship” came to his country, he came onboard and stole a Bible. He read it and his life was transformed by God’s Spirit. He became a pastor and has shared the Gospel with countless people. (Needless to say, they didn’t ask him to return the Bible!)         

Logos Hope is certainly not a cruise ship (not that those are bad). It’s a missions ship. While we’ve never been on a cruise ship, we were docked near a couple of them, and saw the people unloading at Montego Bay. We’ve heard stories of the food and accommodations on cruise ships, and in comparison Logos Hope is somewhat austere, and the food, while nourishing, is not what draws people to fine restaurants. Everything is on a budget, and nothing is luxurious. The dollars spent to support this ministry are stewarded carefully; yet, there is a spirit of grace, freedom, and joy.

Nanci and I enjoyed our meals and were comfortable and grateful to be onboard. Being surrounded by these multinational young people, we thought of the day when we will sit at banquet tables in the presence of our Lord (Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 8:11). We will hear stories of people from all around the world redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and drawn to Jesus by the Holy Spirit’s work. We at EPM are honored to support Logos Hope by donating royalties and books. We look forward to meeting in Heaven those saved through the ship’s ministry in Jamaica and 150 other countries to which the ships have brought the Gospel.  

Everywhere we went in Jamaica, on streets and in shops and taxis, people called Logos Hope “the book ship.” Here’s an article from a Jamaican newspaper, showing many pictures of the ship’s visits to Kingston and Montego Bay. The warmth and respect you sense in the report is commonly felt by people who see the ship as a beacon of light. It brings the hope and love of Jesus and the good news of eternal life, as well as substantial help to their communities.

One evening, the crew members converted the theatre into a dining room for those attending the conference, and served us a wonderful dinner. Then they performed part of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe drama they’ve been doing in every port. What an incredible ministry.

Here is a video of some of the crew worshiping Jesus with all their hearts. 

We made such great friends on the Logos Hope and walked away wanting to tell any young person with a heart to serve God and a desire to see the world to consider signing on for two years as a crewmember! You will become a “world Christian,” see God at work, help the needy, serve people of many nations, and gain lifelong friends from all over the world. It’s not easy, but it’s enriching and strategic and God-honoring, and you will never be the same.

Sidenote: an added bonus was that I got into the warm ocean and snorkeled for hours, enjoying the beauty of God’s underwater creation and taking photos. Here’s a lionfish.  

I stuck my head into a cave to get a photo of this giant pufferfish.

Okay, back to this ministry: one of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that Operation Mobilization is a great asset to other ministries. While some crewmembers will end up serving with OM the rest of their lives, many will serve with other missions groups and churches worldwide. Logos Hope is a missions incubator that raises up young missionaries, and seeds them all over the world. Those who go on to work secular jobs will pray and give and serve their churches with a devotion to missions.

Want to see the essence of the Logos Hope distilled down to 90 seconds? Here it is.

And check out this great 2-minute video about Operation Mobilization. Seriously, you’ll be glad you did.

At the conference where I spoke, they raised commitments of about $1.5 million for OM Ships. But that’s just a beginning. They will need that much more to fund the ship’s long voyage for 2018-19, which will go all the way around Latin America. Here’s more from them about their plans and needs:

Since Doulos was in South America in the late seventies and early eighties, we’ve seen a steady flow of Latin Americans joining OM, both on board with OM Ships and in other mission fields around the globe. God has used OM Ships as a catalyst to launch His message to the least-reached people around the globe. We are asking God to make the Ship Ministry the catalyst to inspire a new and unprecedented wave of Latin American missionaries to reach the world’s least reached.

Logos Hope needs ‘seed’ funding of $3 million to initiate our Latin ministry. One third of our operating expenses are funded through book sales but restocking our inventory of books on board in Portuguese and Spanish is a formidable challenge. As Logos Hope sails to Latin America we anticipate that tens of thousands of people will be blessed with the availability of quality books and Bibles. Study reference books for pastors, Christian growth books for adults, children’s books, Bibles at prices all can afford, and educational resources are just a sample of what will be available.

While visiting the ship, people will hear the Gospel of Jesus proclaimed and receive free Christian literature as they exit. Our bold vision for Latin America is that Logos Hope will be the catalyst needed to help OM Latin America send out 2,000 well-prepared missionaries to countries least reached with the gospel over the next decade.

There are several ways to be a part of this eternity-changing ministry:

I highly recommend you subscribe to their email newsletter.
You can pray for the Logos Hope and sign up to receive daily prayer requests by email.
If you’d like to support their ministry, you can give online.

Nanci and I came away with a wholehearted commitment to do what we can for the crew and for the mission of the ship. We are making efforts to purchase and donate, and in some cases possibly print, a large quantity of my books in Spanish and Portuguese (which is the language of 211 million people in Brazil, who comprise about one third the population of Latin America). If you’d like to help fund the purchase or printing of my books for the ship, we would be deeply grateful for your partnership. You can donate online and select the “Books for Logos Hope Fund.”

Spanish:

Portuguese:

Let me wrap it up this way.

Time and time again on Logos Hope I sensed the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, and tears came to my eyes. The ship is like a microcosm of the global body of Christ. Worshipping with the crew is worshipping with citizens of our true and common country, Heaven (Philippians 3:20).

When I spoke to the crew, and looked out at all those happy, Christ-emoting faces from so many races and nations, I thought of this passage about God’s people in Heaven:

They sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)

A wonderful young brother from Papua New Guinea:

Have you ever heard someone say, “That was a taste of Heaven”? Well, what we experienced on Logos Hope really was a taste of the Heaven spoken of directly in Revelation 5, and again in Revelation 7:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-11)

A delightful crewmember from Thailand:

Periodically in my life, I have been overwhelmed with the sense that God was prompting me to do everything possible to support a particular cause and ministry. That’s how I feel about OM in general, and Logos Hope in particular.

In light of the people of every tribe, nation, and language in Heaven spoken of in Scripture, what better way to joyfully obey the command of Jesus to store up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), than to generously support this unique and Spirit-led ministry?

Randy Alcorn

3 Things to Remember When You’re Browsing Through Social Media

Besides being a full-time wife and mom, and a part-time ER nurse, our daughter Angela is also the women’s ministry director at her church. She has a heart for women and most importantly, for the Lord, as I think you’ll see in what she writes. Nanci and I couldn’t be prouder of her and her sister Karina.

If you haven’t yet seen it, I encourage you to start by reading her first post on 3 Things to Remember Before You Post on Social Media. Part two of Angie’s article encourages us to keep some things in mind when we’re browsing through posts from others on social media. —Randy Alcorn

Social media is hard. The range of emotions you can experience within just a few minutes of being online can be exhausting. And infuriating. Friends post pictures that make us smile and that make us cringe. Friends say things we agree with and disagree with. Things we disagree with so passionately that it could change the way we interact with them. So, how do we, as those who love Jesus, respond to what we’re seeing on our screens? 

Just as we should be intentional about what we post, we should also be intentional about how we process what others are posting.

We've talked about how we should (or shouldn’t) post on social media but there’s another piece to it. Just as we should be intentional about what we post, we should also be intentional about how we process what others are posting. Obviously people with a different worldview post things that we don’t agree with, but I can’t begin to tell you how many conversations I’ve had with women about the negative effects a Christian friend’s post had on them. So, how do we, as believers in Christ, love each other well on social media? Yes, the writer of the post has a lot of responsibility, but remember, as you’re scrolling through the endless library of social media feeds, you, the reader, also have a responsibility. Here are three things to consider as you’re browsing. 

1. Choose to Believe the Best 

As the reader, you need to choose to believe the best about people. Believe that the mom being honest about the difficulties of raising kids isn’t trying to hurt the women desperately trying to get pregnant or who have just miscarried. Believe that the engagement pictures aren’t meant to mock the single person or the woman longing for the lost romance in her marriage. 

Remember that you don’t know the story behind every post. When the couple who you know is struggling financially posts a picture of their brand new car, realize it could have been a gift, not an unwise financial decision. The woman constantly posting about her “awesome husband” might be praising the one positive quality she can think of because she’s fighting to save her marriage. (Those two examples are actually true stories, and unfortunately I responded to both poorly. I was embarrassed, and profoundly humbled, by my quick judgments when I found out the truth.) 

2. Please Don't Compare 

At times, we make judgments that swing to the opposite side. We think someone has it all together, and if we could just be like that person, life would be so much better! Please don't compare. Just because so and so is doing such and such doesn’t mean that you’re a failure if you’re not doing the same thing. God has a unique plan for each of us and has given us different gifts and abilities. We’re not all the same, nor should we be!  

On the other end of the spectrum, just because someone is (or isn’t) doing something doesn’t mean you’re better than they are. Remember Jesus’ words about finding the speck in another’s eye before removing the log from your own (Luke 6:41–42)? Be careful not to judge others before you've examined yourself.  

3. Be Happy for Each Other 

As easy as it sounds, this last one can actually be really difficult. Be happy for each other. When someone talks about buying a new house, or celebrating an anniversary in the tropics, or the fun girls’ weekend they just had, whether or not it’s your first reaction, make a conscious thought to be excited for them. Satan wants us to be focused on ourselves, but God wants us to love others more than ourselves. If a sister has a moment of delight, rejoice with her! Scripture tells us that just as we should bear each other’s burdens, we should share in each other’s joys (Romans 12:15).

It's All About the Gospel 

It’s about loving others because of the love the Father gives to us.

Every word we read and every picture we see on social media can have an impact on us. How do we navigate through all of the thoughts and emotions that some posts bring out in us? It really all comes down to giving each other grace because of the grace that we have received in Christ. It’s about loving others because of the love the Father gives to us. It's about living out the gospel and putting Jesus on display in everything we do and every thought we allow to grow in our minds and hearts. 

If you feel like you could be allowing social media to get in the way of your relationships with others, or especially with Jesus, I encourage you to take a break. Take a day or two (or more) and ask yourself if the time you spend online is encouraging your walk with the Lord, or discouraging it.

Most importantly? Pray. Pray with me that God would give us wisdom and discernment, and that our hearts would be aligned with His. Pray that we will represent Jesus well to our fellow believers in Christ, our families, our unbelieving friends...and even social media.

Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

3 Things to Remember Before You Post on Social Media

Both of our daughters, Karina and Angela, are Christ-centered women and wonderful wives and moms who serve their families and churches well. They are very wise, and I have learned a lot from both of them. 

Angela Stump is a part-time ER nurse, and the women’s ministry director at Gresham Bible Church, where she and her husband Dan are both very involved.

Three years ago we shared the original version of Angela’s article on social media, and it was one of the most popular posts we’ve ever had. She’s since revised and expanded her post into a two-part series. Since the expanded version is every bit as relevant and helpful as the original, I wanted to share it with you.  

In part one, which follows, Angie encourages us to stop and think about what we’re posting on social media. —Randy Alcorn

Is it just me, or does anyone else have a serious love/hate relationship with social media?  

I love to reconnect with old friends, to keep up relationships with people who live far away, and to see worlds collide when someone at work turns out to be friends with someone I went to elementary school with. Love it.  

And then I hate it. Sometimes I see people, often not realizing it, post things that really rub me the wrong way. Should I comment or keep my mouth shut? I also hate it because browsing through pictures or reading updates “for a few minutes” often turns into 45 minutes...or more. And I hate it because sometimes I see all the wonderful things people are doing and feel like a failure. Pinterest, anyone? 

As I’ve been leading women’s ministry over the last few years, I’ve heard from a whole lot of women in the church who have various struggles with social media. Facebook is often the biggest culprit. There's probably a book series that needs to be written on this subject; I’m sure there are several already. Here are some thoughts to encourage and challenge Christians to examine how we represent ourselves, and most importantly, our Savior, to the online world. 

1. Check Your Motives

Always ask yourself, “Why am I sharing this?”

First, before you post anything (a picture, Facebook status, Tweet, or even a comment) please check your motives. Always ask yourself, “Why am I sharing this?” Are you posting something for the sole purpose of getting comments to boost your ego or to have people add fuel to a fiery rant you’re getting off your chest? I think it’s fine to want to share a favorite picture, or a funny story, or even be honest about a struggle you’re having—as long as you’re not doing it just to get that pat on the back you think you deserve or insinuating that the “struggle” of trying to decide what’s for dinner tonight is the biggest one you’re facing. Or how about this one: seeking permission from others to nurse a bad attitude. Ouch. Guilty.  

2. Remember Your Audience 

After you’ve checked your motives, before posting please remember your audience. When was the last time you looked through your list of “friends” or “followers”? Not just glanced at it, but really looked? (Hopefully your network of friends is diverse!)

Pause to consider your audience... 

Not everyone is single, or married, or has kids.  
Not everyone who is single is either a) desperately looking for a date, or b) not praying hard enough for one.  
Not everyone who is married is living happily ever after.  
Not everyone who has children is loving being a parent every second of the day.  
Not every woman works and not every woman stays at home.  
Not everyone has enough money to go out to dinner every week...or at all.
Not everyone who has extra spending money wants to or should spend it the same way you do.

Many of the believers in your friend network are at different places in their spiritual walk than you are. You can safely assume everyone has a different story and different insecurities and struggles you have no idea about. That’s the reality. You can’t change it, but you need to be aware of it. 

The point is: Your words and pictures have the opportunity to encourage and amuse. But also know your words and pictures have the power to discourage and potentially cut deep. Be sensitive. Be gracious. Be considerate. Be kind. 

3. No Really: Consider Your Audience  

Then there’s another percentage of your audience. When you look at the list of your “nearest and dearest,” are there any who don’t know Jesus? The world is full of them, and I certainly hope some of them are your friends! Have you ever considered that for some people, you might be the only person they’re friends with who claims to love Jesus? Have you thought about what that might mean? People are watching you. “Uh, yes, Ang, that's the whole point of social media.” But listen to what I’m saying. People are watching you.  

Whether you acknowledge it or not, and regardless of whether you like it or not, non-Christians are watching you, and you could be one of the only people in their life who has the opportunity to show them Jesus—the real Jesus.

It may not seem that way, but every picture, every status update, every comment you post is a representation of Christ to those who don’t know Him. There are people who are curious as to what Jesus is all about and are waiting for an opportunity to see His truth and love in your life. But unfortunately, there are also people who are watching and waiting for an opportunity to say “and that is why I’m not a Christian.” Please don’t give them more ammunition with careless words or angry rants. (And if you do make a mistake, be willing to own up to it and ask for forgiveness! That kind of honesty and humility may be what draws them to the Lord.)

Does this mean that we’re never supposed to speak (or write) truth? That we have to swing our pendulum wildly to the side of embracing everything, even those things at odds with our beliefs? Absolutely not. But maybe you should consider having a face-to-face conversation with someone you disagree with, instead of writing a blanket statement post, or commenting on someone else’s.  

The written word can have a tone to it that you don’t intend, and you can’t read the facial expression of the person receiving the message unless you’re sitting across from them. If that’s not possible, call them. Or write them a private message. Commenting on someone’s post where the whole online world can see it might embarrass them, anger them, or start a chain reaction of comments from others that you can’t control.    

This Is Speaking Truth in Love 

Bottom line: before people can hear truth from you, they have to trust that you care about them regardless of if they ever agree with you. Are you “speaking truth in love” or are you just irritated that people don’t make the same choices you do? Remember that as Jesus was being crucified He prayed for His torturers, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Is that our attitude towards unbelievers, or even to Christians who are walking in sin? Do we pray for them and do our hearts break for them? Speaking the truth in love is gut-wrenching. It should bring you to your knees, not to 30 seconds on your keyboard and a click of the mouse. 

So the next time you’re sitting at your computer or opening your go-to social media app on your phone, and you get the urge to speak your mind, take an extra minute to think it through. Think about not only what you want to post, but why. And after that, think about who might read it and how you’re coming across. But above all? Think about Jesus.

Photo: Priscilla Du Preez