Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 141

Parents: It’s Time to Wake Up About Pornography, Sexting, and Your Children

While speaking about sexual purity at my church several years ago, I told parents that if they’re going to let their children have unrestricted Internet access in the privacy of their own rooms, through computers, tablets, phones, or any other device they might as well buy thousands of pornographic magazines and stack them in their children’s closets and say, “Don’t ever look at those.” It amounts to the same thing.

After my message, a sincere Christian mother came up to me. She was offended by my warning to parents not to allow their children to have unmonitored Internet access.

“I can’t believe you said that,” she began. “My son has Internet access in his room, and I trust him! He’s a good boy.”

I told her, “I was once a seventh grade boy. I’ll tell you right now, you think you’re honoring your son by trusting him, but you are setting him up for a fall. You could hand him a gun, and his life might turn out better than if you just hand him over to the Internet.”

If this strikes you as an overstatement, you simply do not understand the devastating effects of pornography. The great majority of children, especially boys but also girls, who are allowed access to pornography will view it, either inadvertently or purposefully, and many of those will become addicted to it, ruining their lives and in many cases ruining their future marriages.    

That pornography is “harmless” is a lie from the pit of Hell. Scripture says that Satan goes around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and sadly, we are losing our daughters and our sons.

For years, such predictions and warnings sounded like the overreactions of religious zealots. But recently an outpouring of information on the negative impact of pornography is available from mainstream researchers and secular sources. (Even GQ Magazine for men shared a piece in 2013 titled, “10 Reasons Why You Should Quit Watching Porn.”) Many researchers recognize, even from their non-Christian worldview, that children’s early exposure to addictive pornography and behavior such as sexting (taking and sharing provocative selfies) is harming them deeply.

The cover title for Time Magazine’s April 2016 issue was “PORN: Why young men who grew up with Internet Porn are becoming advocates for turning it off.” This lengthy, non-faith based article highlighted the real-life sexual problems that men who grew up with Internet porn are facing in relationships (like not being physically able to become aroused by a real encounter with a woman because of the way porn use has altered their brain’s chemistry/functionality).

The New York Times tweeted this tag line to a recent article: “The longer you wait to give your children a smartphone, the better.” Brian X. Chen writes about how increasingly younger kids are being impacted by pornography and sexting:

Ms. Weinberger, who wrote the smartphone and Internet safety book “The Boogeyman Exists: And He’s in Your Child’s Back Pocket,” said she had surveyed 70,000 children in the last 18 months and found that, on average, sexting began in the fifth grade, pornography consumption began when children turned 8, and pornography addiction began around age 11.

In an article for The Atlantic, Hanna Rosin cites research about the wide-spread practice of sexting:

A recent study of seven public high schools in East Texas, for example, found that 28 percent of sophomores and juniors had sent a naked picture of themselves by text or e-mail, and 31 percent had asked someone to send one. …boys and girls were equally likely to have sent a sext, but girls were much more likely to have been asked to—68 percent had been. 

…This year, researchers in Los Angeles published a study of middle-schoolers showing that those who sent sexts were 3.2 times more likely to be sexually active than those who didn’t. 

A police officer friend told me that hardly a week goes by when he doesn’t get a call from a distraught parent who has discovered nude pictures of their daughter are being sent all over the school or across the country because she posed for a friend, or took the picture herself. Those images can never be fully recalled, nor the shame erased from memory. 

Officer John Rasmussen, a school resource officer in my area, explained he often shares with families how the devastating effects of sexting and pornography knows no bounds.  “I’ve frequently found the youth involved come from believing families who have raised ‘good kids.’”

Christian parents would never have believed it if you had told them 25 years ago that one day most kids would be carrying around a little device that would allow them access to pornography and on which they could receive naked images sent by their classmates while the young person is doing homework, in bed, or sitting in church.

Hanna Rosin explains how Major Donald Lowe and his fellow officers at the Louisa County Sheriff's Office have talked to kids about the consequences of sexting:

Lowe’s team explained to both the kids pictured on Instagram and the ones with photos on their phones the serious legal consequences of their actions. Possessing or sending a nude photo of a minor—even if it’s a photo of yourself—can be prosecuted as a felony under state child-porn laws. He explained that 10 years down the road they might be looking for a job or trying to join the military, or sitting with their families at church, and the pictures could wash back up; someone who had the pictures might even try to blackmail them.

“Locally we see a blackmail tactic used time and again.  It usually starts with ‘send me just one pic’,” says Officer Rasmussen. “And that first picture may not be considered too provocative by most, but the kid is manipulated with shame and fear that someone will find out. Coercive requests follow, like, ‘Send me more or I’ll send this one out to your friends and family.’ This can very quickly progress to, ‘Now meet me for “_______” (sex act) or I’ll share all the photos.’”

I’m a grandparent to five boys, the oldest of them 12. Like many of you, I find this information, and the related statistics, chilling. (And remember, it’s not just boys who are looking at pornography; young girls are too. Nor are girls the only ones participating in sending inappropriate pictures.) The reality is, if you have children in grade school and older, even if they themselves aren’t exposed to or involved in these practices, some of their classmates certainly are, and as the years go on, more will be.

So what can concerned parents do?

1. Realize your responsibility to protect your children. If your child has a smartphone or has access to a phone, a tablet, online gaming console, or a computer, they are vulnerable. As a parent you might wonder, “Do I have the right to interfere? Isn’t that being nosey?” Your job is to interfere, and to know what is going on in your children’s lives, as well as what happens when they’re at friends’ houses and at school. You need to protect them, just as if you were standing next to a freeway and would feel an obligation to put your arms around them and say, “Stay off that freeway.”

You and your spouse need to decide what age is appropriate for your children to have their own phone, as well as the capabilities their phone has when do they do get one. (Some parents concerned about being able to safely reach their children have provided a phone that can only make calls and text certain numbers.)

2. Start the conversations about the dangers of pornography now. Given the ever-younger ages of kids affected, there’s a great advantage in talking to your kids early—probably much earlier than you might think. Several parents I respect have used and recommended the book Good Pictures, Bad Pictures by Kristen A. Jenson to talk with their children about the dangers of pornography in an age-appropriate format. (The book also provides positive, practical steps for kids when they are inadvertently exposed to inappropriate images.) Older teens could benefit from the many purity-related resources available from ministries.  (For instance, see my article Guidelines for Sexual Purity and Dannah Gresh’s Seven Secrets to Purity for Every Teen Girl.)

Realize too that the conversations shouldn’t be just one time, but ongoing. One mom of boys writes, “What I am coming to see is that my boys and I just have to have conversation after conversation after conversation about the topic and about how most of their friends are going to struggle with this and most of society is struggling with this.”

3. Establish clear guidelines in your family. Install a pornography-filtering and accountability-reporting program on computers, tablets, and smartphones (realizing it can’t screen out everything). See this article for various options. Establish, and enforce, rules in your home about keeping electronic devices, including phones, out of private rooms. (Some families have a “drop basket” or a “station” where everyone, including parents, deposits their phones when they come through the door.) Require that computers and televisions stay in high-traffic areas.

4. Talk to your children about the great rewards and happiness of purity, and the destruction and unhappiness of impurity. Talk about how good sex can be inside marriage. Explain how sex is one of the best things God has made, but it becomes the very worst—the most devastating—when it is taken out of its God-given context. Scripture, especially in Proverbs 5-7, provides a great basis to talk to kids about the dangers of impurity and lust. (Some parents have gone through my book The Purity Principle with their teens.)

This is a battle for our children, with their lives and futures at stake. May Christian parents answer the Lord’s call to protect their children, and train them in the joys of purity.

Article Sources

Porn Addiction Is Now Threatening an Entire Generation – Relevant Magazine
What's the Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone? – The New York Times
Why Kids Sext – The Atlantic

More Resources

Teaching teens about sexual purity isn’t good enough. Here’s why.
Protecting Your Family from the Digital Invasion
Four Ways Parents Can Protect Their Kids from Sexting
Helping Your Child Avoid the Pornography Trap
Taking a Stand Against Pornography in Your Home
Becoming a Cyber-Savvy Parent
Cell Phone Rules

Does Jeremiah 29:11 Apply to New Testament Believers Today?

A few times I’ve shared Jeremiah 29:11 on my Facebook page. The verse says, “I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope” (CEB). I always get some pushback on this. Recently a thoughtful reader asked, “But for whom and when does this apply? Is the context meant to include me/us?”

The “you” in Jeremiah 29:11 is plural. It’s spoken not to an individual but to a nation—God’s people Israel, in exile in Babylon. Seven verses earlier it says: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon ...” (Jeremiah 29:4). And just a verse earlier it explains that exile will last seventy years. In the near context there is a false prophet, Hananiah, who is basically preaching health and wealth gospel, telling lies to the people that all would be well and that Babylon would be defeated. Jeremiah, the true prophet, who is speaking a message of God's judgment on Israel, is rejected. God is promising to bring Israel back from the seventy year exile, and that will fulfill His plans for peace and a future of hope.

But the promise of God for all His people is revealed in this passage: that regardless of what judgment and suffering might happen first, God's ultimate plans for His children (as much for us as for Old Testament Israel) are for good and not evil, for welfare and hope.

Yes, Jeremiah was writing to his fellow Israelites. But so were Moses, Samuel, and David, and nearly all the prophets. That’s true of virtually the entire Old Testament, which in hundreds of cases the New Testament freely applies to the church, followers of Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike. Israel was God’s people, and it’s no stretch to say that today’s believers, the church, are also God’s people. So verses that were written to Israel are also written for the church.

For instance, take 1 Corinthians 10:1-11. Paul is talking about Israel disobeying God, wandering in the wilderness and engaging in immorality, but he takes each of these experiences of Israel and uses them to warn believers in the church, e.g. “And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come” (v. 10-11).

Of course, many promises in Scripture are narrow, to particular people such as David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Certainly it would be a mistake to imagine that God is promising each of us will have eternal thrones. Yet there is truth in that verse for our benefit too, because we know Jesus our Lord and Savior is the descendant of David who will reign forever, His people with Him.

It’s really true that while not all of God’s Word is written to us, it is all written for us. God spoke all His words in Scripture to certain people in certain times, but in the larger sense, the principles—which are timeless truths—apply to all His children. In the case of Jeremiah 29:11, just because it was spoken to Israel about coming back from exile doesn’t mean it has no connection to our lives.

Other passages reveal that our future in God’s presence will never end. What could be a better future and a hope than our joyful expectation of resurrected eternal life with Christ who has gone to prepare a place for us and invited us to enter into His eternal happiness? Don’t many passages reinforce this idea that God our Father, who loves us, promise us ultimate peace, not disaster, and an incredibly bright future filled with hope, a place we will live happily ever after?

While we are not in exile in Babylon, it doesn’t mean God’s Words have no relationship to us. Jesus, King of Kings will deliver us all from our captivity in this world under the Curse, where we are called “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11). He will rescue us, taking us to our true and eternal home, the New Earth, where He will reign forever, and we will reign with Him. Dozens of verses support each of these truths, which suggest clearly that we are part of God’s broader audience of Jeremiah 29:11.

God’s nature hasn’t changed, so everything Jeremiah 29:11 says about God’s plans remains true. As He rejoiced over Israel (Zephaniah 3:17) and sought their eternal good, He also rejoices over us and seeks our eternal good. Speaking of 2 Corinthians 1:20 (“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him”) John Piper says, “If you’re in Christ Jesus by trusting Him, all the promises are yours.”

So I think that while the specific promise to return Israel to the land after seventy years of exile is clearly not made to us, nonetheless the underlying principles of Jeremiah 29:11 pertain to all God’s children in every place and time as they face the hardships of life.

Of course, we should first understand the passage as God actually spoke it and Jeremiah understood it: not a promise of immediate prosperity. Indeed, times were tough for these Israelites and would remain tough for seventy years of exile, where most of the individuals would die. But this was a reminder that corporately their ultimate welfare as a nation was in the hands of a sovereign and loving God. And even if they died in Babylon, their God would take them through the valley of the shadow of death and they would live in His house forever (Psalm 23).

That’s how I understand the passage and that’s why I love it. I agree that some people take it out of context, not bothering to recognize the specific historical context and the seventy year exile. Unfortunately many passages are taken out of context. But when I am sharing a verse on Facebook or Twitter without commentary, I am not attempting to anticipate and correct all those who might misinterpret it. I sometimes quote commonly misused passages which, in context, are wonderfully true, and which furthermore, contain timeless truths applicable to our lives as well.

Writing in his commentary, Puritan Matthew Henry said this about Jeremiah 29:11:

We often do not know our own minds, but the Lord is never at an uncertainty. We are sometimes ready to fear that God's designs are all against us; but as to his own people, even that which seems evil, is for good. He will give them, not the expectations of their fears, or the expectations of their fancies, but the expectations of their faith; the end he has promised, which will be the best for them. 

Henry’s words about “that which seems evil, is for good” calls to mind Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (ESV). Romans 8:28 suggests that God does intend life’s ordeals for our good—but there’s a difference between immediate good and ultimate good. Seeing that difference requires faith.

We’re told in Proverbs 10:28 that “The hope of the righteous brings joy.” No matter what comes today or tomorrow, may these words from the Lord to His people Israel become our expectation of the life God ultimately intends for all His children: “I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.”

This doesn’t mean life will be easy, it won’t, or that we won’t face hard times. We will. But it means that just as He did for Israel while in exile, God has a future in mind for us—in our own difficult challenges—that we can bank on. And we should trust the God who loves us to ultimately bring us peace and hope in a far greater and eternal form than anything the nation Israel ever experienced in their return from exile. 

A Post-Election Prayer from Pastor Kevin DeYoung

In Pastor Mark Dever’s Sunday sermon he said,

Some members of our congregation are happy with the results of this last week’s election, some don’t care, and some are scared. It’s our job as a congregation...to show that the Christ we share is more important to us than the politics we don’t.

I agree wholeheartedly.

The following prayer for our new president-elect and for our nation, from Pastor Kevin DeYoung, is my prayer as well. Please read it and see if you wish to make it yours too. Perhaps your family, pastor, or your church could use it as a starting point for your own prayers with the wording that most captures your heart and concerns and desires.

I’ve had people ask me before, with more than a hint of criticism, “Why do you post these prayers? Are you trying to parade your righteousness before others?” While I suppose there is always the danger that one puts out a prayer for the praise of men (a danger with any public post), that’s not why I include prayers like this on my blog (at least not what I think is going on in my heart). I post prayers from time to time because (1) we need examples (even imperfect ones) of how to pray, (2) it serves my congregation, and (3) sometimes when I don’t know the right analysis or the best way forward, I figure I can at least pray.

So here’s how I led my church in prayer this past Sunday.

*******

Our good and gracious heavenly Father, we praise for your almighty and ever present power, by which you uphold, as with your hand, all things.

When we don’t know what will happen with our health, we trust you. When we don’t know what we will happen with those we love, we rest in you. And when we don’t know what will happen with our nation, we turn to you.

In the midst of a world filled with triumphalism on the one hand and recriminations on the other, in a world where we tend to assume the worst of those who are not like us, help the church to show a more excellent way. May the world look in at our counter-culture communities and say with astonishment, “See how they love one another.” Give us the empathy to listen to one another and the wisdom to learn from what we hear.

May the church show forth the kind of diversity worth pursuing—the diversity of every nationality, and every race, and every class, and every color confessing sins together and together worshiping the risen Christ.

As we are commanded in 1 Timothy 2, we pray for Donald Trump, the next President of the United States.

Grant him wisdom, courage, and integrity as a man and as a leader. Keep him faithful, kind, and loving as a husband and father.

Give him a heart for the poor, concern for the powerless, and compassion for the weak. May he resist the temptation to settle scores and tear others down. Give him a heart, a disposition, and a commitment to honor women, protect the vulnerable, and reject all racial animus.

Put before him the best information and the most intelligent counselors so he can make good decisions about economic and foreign policy and choose capable men and women for a vast array of judicial, cabinet-level, and bureaucratic appointments.

May the President be guided by both courage and restraint as Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces. Make him a defender of the unborn and a champion for religious liberty.

Make him a man of prayer and a daily student of the Scriptures. Give him the humility to see his sins, the honesty to admit his faults, the grace to forgive his enemies, and the strength of character to change his mind.

Lead him to a firmer understanding of the truth of the gospel, a resolute commitment to obey the Word of God, and a passion to promote what accords with your truth.

By your grace, heavenly Father, may President Trump be a better man than many expect and a better man than we deserve.

And no matter the smiles or frowns of providence, keep your people faithful to the things we know we must do: to love our neighbors as ourselves and to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Make us quick to serve and eager to speak the truth in love. Grant us the privilege to bear witness to the only King who keeps all his promises and the only One whose kingdom knows no end.

In the name of Christ—the only name given among men whereby we must be saved—we pray, Amen.

Photo: Pixabay

Cinderella with Amnesia

All of us need to lock arms with a group of comrades who will inspire and encourage us and challenge us to greater accomplishments for God’s kingdom causes. That’s why we all desperately need to be part of a local church where God’s Word is taught and God’s Son is worshiped (Hebrews 10:25). Hebrews shows how today’s churches can trace their heritage back to the ancient body of Christ and heroes of the faith throughout the ages.

Michael Griffiths wrote God’s Forgetful Pilgrims, in which he maintains that the church has largely forgotten her wondrous identity in Christ and has settled for the world’s substitute identities. I came across the original British edition of the book, which had a more striking title: Cinderella with Amnesia. As children of God, we are prized by the Prince, chosen by Him to reign at His side (1 Peter 2:9). Yet, beautiful and beloved as we are to the Prince, we go right on—like Cinderella with amnesia—living in drudgery as citizens of a second-class country, forfeiting heavenly treasures by clinging to earthly ones.

Back in Kansas, with her experience in the land of Oz behind her, Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” How true! But how easily we forget where our home really is. At death, the Christian doesn’t leave home. We go home: “We . . . prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Consider the paradox—our true home is a place we’ve never been! (Had we been there we could hardly bear to live here.)

Home is where our Father is. Our true home is so far superior, the spiritual family there so vast and rich. The Great Reunion awaits us. We long for it.

When we understand what home really is, money and things lose their glitter. We finally see them as they have been all along: pale, insipid, cheap imitations of the true and vast wealth that is ours as children of God.

C. S. Lewis puts it well: “Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.”

For more on the subject of stewardship and eternity, see Randy's books The Treasure Principle, Managing God's Money, and Money, Possessions, and Eternity.

Photo: Unsplash

The New Kingstone Bible, the Most Complete Graphic Novel Bible

I’m excited to share about a new graphic novel version of the Bible that’s now available, called The Kingstone Bible. It’s released by my friends at Kingstone Media, a publisher dedicated to producing quality graphic novels that are biblically sound and Christ-centered.

The Kingstone Bible is the longest single graphic novel ever published, as well as the most complete graphic novel adaptation of the Bible. My book The Apostle is part it, telling the story of Paul’s life and ministry, mainly based on the book of Acts. The Action Bible, which my grandsons love, has sold over a million copies. It’s proven that the Bible in graphic novel form can be both engaging and Christ-honoring. The Kingstone Bible is every bit as compelling as the Action Bible, but it utilizes many more illustrators (over 45) and covers a lot more biblical content. Here’s more about it:

The Kingstone Bible illustrates all 66 books from Genesis to Revelation and brings the entire Bible together into one continuous story. The Kingstone Bible will release in three formats: three hardback volumes, 12 soft-back versions and digitally. Portions of The Kingstone Bible are currently available in print and digital in multiple languages with more planned. An animated version begins releasing January 2017 and a Virtual Reality experience of The Kingstone Bible is currently in development.

At 2,000-pages, The Kingstone Bible is the longest non-serialized graphic novel ever published. The book features more than 10,000 art panels. All images were done by hand with pen and ink by more than 45 industry-recognized artists including Kyle Hotz (Captain America, Dr. Strange, Spiderman), Christopher Ivy (Daredevil, Avengers and Hulk), Emily Kanalz (Spiderman and X-Men) and artists with a long list of Marvel and DC Comics credits.

The three volume hardcover set is monumental. Together, the books weigh over twelve pounds. When they were shipped, I immediately got them into the hands of my grandchildren.

I encourage you to check out The Kingstone Bible, and consider if there’s a young person in your life who might benefit from reading it. (And I recommend getting a copy for yourself—I  think you might be surprised how much you enjoy it as a fresh, visual supplement to your study of God’s Word.)

May God use The Kingstone Bible to multiply His kingdom!

Evaluation by Gerry Breshears, Chairman of the Department of Theology, Western Seminary:

The Kingstone Bible is a powerful new way to get the message of the Bible into the hands, heads, and hearts of people who simply do not read books, much less the Bible. I greatly appreciate the use of this format to engage the imaginations of all people. It presents the message of God’s Word simply and faithfully. While the format is at its best in narrative, gospel and apocalyptic, all genre of Scripture are presented well. Haggai and Jude come to life in graphic format while Romans is summarized clearly. It is not intended to be a substitute for the Bible itself. Rather this ingenious work introduces and invites people into God’s Word. Enjoy the work of this team of godly artists.

7 Reflections Now That the Election Is Over

I think we can all agree that we are glad this election is behind us, regardless of how we feel about the outcome. Many of us may be discouraged. Some may be angry, not only at the candidates and political parties, but at their fellow believers who voted for or didn’t vote for those we personally felt strongly for or against.

Before anything else, let me begin with a plea for unity in the body of Christ that comes from Jesus Himself:

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”  (John 17:20-23)

I had a talk just the other day with a good brother who was voting for a candidate I could not in good conscience vote for. But he, in his conscience, felt he had to vote for him. We lamented that the outcome of this election would be discouraging for both of us. We talked about how we were committed to believe the best of each other, and not let this affect our friendship. I love this brother, and he loves me. Our friendship and our identity as partners in the gospel and part of the church will not be tarnished through this.

I encourage you to not assume the worst of your brothers and sisters in Christ. I found in this election more than any other I’ve seen, many people with pure motives passionately disagreed with each other’s choices. So don’t assume your fellow church members have sinned. But if you are convinced they have sinned, forgive them. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Here are seven perspectives as we seek to think biblically and eternally about not only the upcoming four years, but for the rest of our lives:

1. God remains sovereign and in control.

The Lord “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). There is great comfort in acknowledging and embracing Scripture’s teaching that God is sovereign over human events, including the outcome of elections. In Isaiah 46:10, God says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Those who believe in a God who knows “the end from the beginning” can relax because even though they don’t know what lies ahead, their sovereign God does.

Our fates do not rest in the hands of fallen humankind: politicians, lawyers, military officers, employers, or even spouses and children. If we believe this, our reaction to many of the difficulties we face will be different. Problems will seem smaller, for although we can’t control them, we know God can—and everything will work out for His glory and our good.

“Dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). Because God has absolute power, no one—including demons and humans who choose to violate His moral will—can thwart His ultimate purpose. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

Ultimately our hope is in Him, this Sovereign over the nations: “O LORD, the God of our fathers, are you not God in the heavens? And are you not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?” (2 Chronicles 20:6).

2. While circumstances can sometimes change and become worse, our Savior never changes.

I have been asked whether I think God will judge America. I believe He has for some time been judging us for many things, including the killing of the unborn, immorality, materialism, and arrogance. In fact, I believe the two major party candidates of our recent election were themselves part of God’s judgment upon us.

However, even when God judges a nation for its sins, He freely offers grace, empowerment, and hope for His people, and for all who will turn to Him in repentance and trust. He is faithful. In Malachi 3:6, God says, “I the Lord do not change.” He’s a God “who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). God doesn’t change in His essence, character, knowledge, plans, or purposes:  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “A changeable God would be a terror to the righteous, they would have no sure anchorage, and amid a changing world they would be driven to and fro in perpetual fear of shipwreck… Our heart leaps for joy as we bow before One who has never broken His word or changed His purpose.”

3. Only by trusting in Christ and His promise of the world to come can we find peace.

Jesus told His followers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). It is now, not at some vague point in the future, that “the Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, NIV). The fruit of the Spirit is not something we wait until Heaven to enjoy; it’s available to us in this life (see Galatians 5:22-23). “So my heart rejoices and I am happy” (Psalm 16:9, NET). Did you catch that the psalmist is speaking in the present tense? He isn’t just anticipating rejoicing—he’s doing it now.

Today’s supernatural peace and happiness in Christ is drawn from an infinite deposit of happiness that God has already placed in our account. It isn’t something we have to wait to experience after death, though only then will we experience it completely. We can find comfort and joy knowing “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him” (Psalm 145:18).

May we thank God for His sovereign grace, and entrust ourselves, our children and grandchildren, our churches and our country, to His care and mercy. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

4. Remember that the Bible’s commands to submit to ruling authorities were given at a time when Christians were facing hardship and oppression.

Romans 13:1-3 says, “Everyone must submit himself to governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.”

Paul was writing to a Roman church feeling the heat of persecution. In coming to Christ the Roman Christians confessed “Jesus is Lord.” Simultaneously, they boldly refused to recite the words of unconditional loyalty to the state: “Caesar is Lord.” That’s why they were facing suspicion and increasing oppression from the government. Within only a few yards of the writing of Romans, Nero would launch a campaign of persecution against them, which would recur in waves over the next two and a half centuries.

The Roman Christians could easily have become resentful of and even rebellious against the often corrupt government of Rome. Paul saw that Caesar could be regarded as the enemy in such a context. But for the most part, Roman law was just and worthy of obedience. It was only in rare cases that Christians should disobey. For example, the law that commanded sacrifice to Caesar or the law that forbade intervention for the abandoned infants left to die outside the city gates. Paul did not have to mention those exceptions. All his readers knew them, and churches didn’t obey those laws. (Examples today would include if the government forbade churches from speaking against homosexual practices or abortion, which would be commanding Christ-followers to act inconsistently with Scripture.)

If Paul called his readers to submit to the ruling authorities of Rome, we too should obey Scripture’s command to pray for and submit to our American leaders. Let’s thank God for the freedoms we continue to enjoy, and use every opportunity to glorify Christ and testify concerning Him.

When and if the time comes that we must disobey the government—for instance, if we’re told we can’t preach what the Bible says—let’s do so not with rancor but in the straightforward way that we see in Scripture: “Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men’” (Act 5:29).

We may increasingly experience persecution in the years to come, as our belief in Scripture will continue to separate us from the culture around us. As Romans 8:28 indicates, God brings good things out of bad. If American churches face more adversity in the future, which I think we will, may we experience greater zeal for Christ, more fruitfulness, and increased joy in our Lord.

5. Deceit isn’t confined to politicians—and as Christ’s followers, we should be defined by gracious truth-telling.

As this election cycle dramatically illustrated, telling the truth is no longer normal among our civic leaders. (Sadly, this is true of people from every segment of society, not just politicians. Note the number of times characters routinely lie to each other in television shows and movies.) The spiritual implications of choosing a path of deception are considerable when you look at Revelation 22:15, which says that among those who have no place in Heaven is “everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

A society cannot function without trust. People should be able to trust their politicians, pastors, bankers, mechanics, shopkeepers, and police officers. Where there is no trust, families and churches and nations cannot operate properly. We’re naive to think that our own social system can withstand the barrage of dishonesty it has been undergoing for these last decades. Without honesty there is no integrity, and without integrity, we as a nation are nothing. None of our past virtues or successes can compensate for our present lack of integrity.

But as followers of Christ, we’re to live differently. We are to walk in the truth (3 John 3), love the truth, and believe the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 12). We’re to speak the truth “in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We may not be able to fix the problem of deceit in our government, perhaps not even in our neighborhoods and workplaces, though we can be a positive influence there.

6. While we can’t control the world around us, we can positively impact the lives we do have control over.

We can’t control the new president’s choices. But by the Spirit’s empowerment, we can make daily decisions that are honoring to Christ: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).  

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20)

God has also given us opportunities to positively influence the other lives around us in our families, churches, and communities. If you’re a parent or grandparent, or a mentor of young people, you can impact future generations for Christ. You can choose to be a truth teller, and you can teach your children and grandchildren to be the same.  We can help raise the bar of truthfulness in our churches.

When we fail to tell the truth, we fail to represent Jesus, who is the Truth personified. When we speak the truth in love, we cast our votes for Jesus. We become the kinds of people we wish there were more of in political office.

7. Our primary God-given job is not to promote conservativism or liberalism, but to represent Jesus, our true King, and Heaven, our true country.

Conservativism is not the Gospel. Liberalism is not the Gospel. Patriotism is not the Gospel. Only the Gospel is the Gospel.

I love my earthly country, and I want to hold on to liberty, but America is not the answer. Christ is the answer. The church shouldn’t merely be raising young conservatives, but sold-out followers of Jesus who just want to be like Him, regardless of whether in a given instance that looks liberal or conservative. (See my article Conservative, Liberal, or Christian?) We should teach our children to oppose abortion not because they’re conservatives, and teach our children to oppose racism not because they’re liberals, but because they love Jesus and believe in biblical justice for all people.

We should teach our children to set their hopes NOT on the Republican or Democratic parties or any other party, but upon the only One who can save them—their true President, their true Chief Justice, and their true Lawmaker. “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). No matter what direction our earthly country may be going, it’s our never-ending heavenly country that we should represent.  America may or may not unravel in coming decades, but God’s kingdom certainly won’t unravel. People of the world don't need America; they need Jesus. So, sure, do what you can for your earthly country, but realize it’s not the source of your true identity.

The key to influence and change in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus. In the end, which will never end, acts of faithfulness—many of them quiet, some seen only by God—are the votes that will count, bringing the eternal results that will matter. “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Whether it’s coaching a team, mentoring young people, mowing a widow’s lawn, standing up for unborn children, working for racial reconciliation, going on short-term missions trips, or giving a large portion of your income to missions or inner-city work—If we’re doing it through Christ’s power we’re bringing a foretaste of the coming New Earth to this current, hurting Earth.

As Romans 8 tells us, this world under the curse groans as in the pains of childbirth, awaiting our Redeemer and our resurrection, on the coattails of which it too will rise. Meanwhile, nations will rise and fall, but through it all, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2). “The LORD foils the plans of the nations....But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:10-11).

The knowledge that a New Earth is coming should reassure us and give us perspective. It means that though injustice, corruption, deception, and ungodliness may be widespread, they will not last. God will make all things right, rewarding His people for trusting Him. He’ll turn this upside-down world right side up, placing it in the care of His beloved children. “To him be honor and eternal dominion” (1 Timothy 6:16).

Everlasting justice, peace, and righteousness are certainly coming, personally delivered by the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Meanwhile, may we be on their side, and His side, before they arrive.

“…until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed [makarios, happy] and only Sovereign,  the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:14-16)

Photo: Unsplash

Joni Eareckson Tada on Suffering, Sorrow, Wheelchairs and Eternal Gratitude

Jesus promised that in Heaven, those who endured difficult things on Earth would be comforted for them (Luke 16:25). The comfort implies memory of what happened. If we had no memory of the difficult things, why would we need comfort? How would we feel it?

It seems likely that recalling the reality of our past troubles, sorrows, and sins would set a sharp contrast to the glories of Heaven, as darkness does to light, as Hell does to Heaven. We would lose this contrast if we forgot what sorrow and suffering was, and how Christ used them in our lives to glorify Himself.

I love what Joni Eareckson Tada says in her booklet Hope . . . The Best of Things:

I sure hope I can bring this wheelchair to heaven.

Now, I know that’s not theologically correct.

But I hope to bring it and put it in a little corner of heaven, and then in my new, perfect, glorified body, standing on grateful glorified legs, I’ll stand next to my Savior, holding his nail-pierced hands.

I’ll say, “Thank you, Jesus,” and he will know that I mean it, because he knows me.

He’ll recognize me from the fellowship we’re now sharing in his sufferings.

And I will say, ”Jesus, do you see that wheelchair? You were right when you said that in this world we would have trouble, because that thing was a lot of trouble. But the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on you. And the harder I leaned on you, the stronger I discovered you to be. It never would have happened had you not given me the bruising of the blessing of that wheelchair.”

Then the real ticker-tape parade of praise will begin. And all of earth will join in the party.

And at that point Christ will open up our eyes to the great fountain of joy in his heart for us beyond all that we ever experienced on earth.

And when we’re able to stop laughing and crying, the Lord Jesus really will wipe away our tears.

I find it so poignant that finally at the point when I do have the use of my arms to wipe away my own tears, I won’t have to, because God will.

Joni shares more thoughts on wheelchairs and Heaven in a segment on her radio program:

…I always say that in a way, I hope I can take my wheelchair to heaven with me—I know that‘s not biblically correct, but if I were able, I would have my wheelchair up in heaven right next to me when God gives me my brand new, glorified body. And I will then turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, do you see that wheelchair right there? Well, you were right when you said that in this world we would have trouble, because that wheelchair was a lot of trouble! But Jesus the weaker I was in that thing, the harder I leaned on you. And the harder I leaned on you, the stronger I discovered you to be. So thank you for what you did in my life through that wheelchair. And now,” I always say jokingly, “you can send that wheelchair to hell, if you want.”

That thought tickles me, but not long ago when someone heard me say that, they replied, “Oh, Joni. You can’t mean that. Look at how God has changed you through your wheelchair. Look how close you’ve drawn to Jesus because of it. And look at the ministry that came through it and all the people reached. Please, don’t say you want God to kick it out of heaven,” my friend said “Why, the Lord just may transform it into something golden and glorious studded with beautiful jewels for every person you’ve reached for Christ through that wheelchair of yours.”

And you know what? She had me. She stumped me. After all, the Bible does say that it has been “given” to us to suffer for his sake. My wheelchair is a gift from God—a gift! I never would’ve chosen this gift, but since God chose it for me, I’ll take it as a gift, hard as though it may be at times. So there may be such a thing in heaven as holy wheelchairs... if God’s throne has wheels, and the book of Daniel makes it crystal clear it does... then who am I to say that there won’t be other chairs in heaven with wheels on them, too? Not to sit in, thank the Lord, but wheelchairs as symbols of the bruisings of a blessing that God has given people like me when he had blessed us with the gift of suffering.

So, friend listening, if you are in a wheelchair, or using a walker, or a cane or crutch...try imagining it gilded and golden and encrusted in jewels. Oh, it’s a strange and humorous picture, but remember, it is the gift that causes you to be weak—and the weaker you are, the stronger you will discover your Lord and Savior to be. More than 40 years in my wheelchair has taught me that—and in heaven, whether or not my old wheelchair is parked up there by the gates of pearl, feel free to join me in dropping on brand-new, grateful glorified knees before our Savior for all that he has done through our sufferings, yours and mine.

If you’re not aware of the new Beyond Suffering Bible from Joni and Friends, I highly recommend that you take a look at it. (See my blog on the Beyond Suffering Bible.)

Randy

Suffering Is Not A New Truth

Assyrian believers return to pray at their church after it was destroyed by Islamic extremists

“Suffering is not a new truth, it is an old truth.” — Sarah Liu imprisoned and tortured for her Christian witness.

This coming Sunday the 6th day of November, 2016 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Christians from around the globe will set aside time to honor, remember, and pray for our persecuted family. I am grateful for the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with those of whom the world is not worthy. I pray that this day is the beginning of a deeper fellowship with our persecuted family.

I rarely approach IDOP without remembering my introduction to those who suffer for their faith.  I was reading for the first time a Voice of The Martyrs newsletter. The stories were disturbing and intriguing. I found myself face to face with a reality I couldn’t reconcile. The suffering and pain was too difficult to fit into the sterile package I had stuffed my understanding of God into.

The journey I began by reading the true life stories of persecuted Christians would eventually land me at a VOM regional conference in Bartlesville, OK. It was there that a more disturbing truth came to life. That first evening I listened as a man from Pakistan described the road of suffering Pakistani Christians walk. He told of the torture and eventual murder of a young boy—someone's son, brother, and friend. This child died at the hands of his torturers—his crime? He was a Christian. For the first time in my life I contemplated the possibility that God would not always intervene--that perhaps suffering was part of His plan.

Being shaken by the very thought of suffering of this kind, I went back to my hotel room and had a heart-to-heart talk with my God. You see, it was up until that time that I had cried “send me!” Now I was asking Him to not honor my requests.  The weight I felt upon my heart was great. Standing securely in my “mirage” of comfort, safety, and control, I laid out “my” plan for my life. He graciously listened to me try to tell Him what to do.

Day two of the conference began with me feeling assured—certainly my one–on-one talk with God had sealed the deal. I had effectively canceled out all those “send me” prayers! It was then that a young man from the Middle East began to share about his work, which includes traveling great distances into hostile territories controlled by Islamic extremists. These were places where Christians die for their faith. Pictures were displayed on a screen behind him of people receiving the Bibles he delivered. Their expressions of curiosity and delight captivated me. As he spoke, he seemed puzzled by those who ask why he goes to such dangerous places. His response was simply, “Since when has the gospel been safe?”

I felt as if I were alone with the Lord in that room. I knew He was speaking directly to me. I recalled the list of demands I called “a prayer” the night before, and heard Him say, “I did not create you that way.” I’m so glad He didn’t “create me that way.”

Since then I’ve learned that God’s love trumps suffering. Those who walk the road of suffering for Jesus Christ—never really walk alone. Their substance for the journey? An intimacy with God reserved for those He counts worthy.

“So, instead of continuing to focus on preventing suffering—which we simply won’t be very successful at anyway—perhaps we should begin entering the suffering, participating insofar as we are able—entering the mystery and looking around for God. In other words, we need to quit feeling sorry for people who suffer and instead look up to them, learn from them and if they will let us—join them in protest and prayer.” — Eugene H. Peterson, Introduction to Job, The Message Bible 

There’s a beauty in martyrdom that one can only see through spiritual eyes. Perhaps this is why Hannelie Groenwald can say God prepared her before the Taliban attacked, killing her husband and two children. She and her family had left the comforts of home to serve God in Afghanistan. They knew the risks and refused to deny the call of God. Her family gave it all for Jesus in Afghanistan. You can listen to her story at https://secure.persecution.com/radio. Pray for Hannelie and others who are living martyrs.   

“We die only once. We might as well die for Christ.” – Werner Groenwald

The church in America can join with the body of Christ around the world to pray and remember the persecuted church on November 6th. To learn more please visit www.persecution.com/idop.

And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand (Revelation 8:4).

“It was not easy for me to say that I forgive the killers.” Semse said later at the memorial service. “To be honest, my heart is broken and my life feels shattered. I really loved Necati. He was the love of my life, my closest friend. But there is no one I love more than Jesus. Only because of this, I can bear it.” — Semse Aydin from Faithful Until Death.

Photo credit: VOM–USA

God's Incomprehensible Power

God’s omnipotence, His power, is a subject well worth contemplating. I like what Puritan Stephen Charnock wrote: “As holiness is the beauty of all God’s attributes, so power is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the Divine nature. How vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did not step in to execute them. Without power His mercy would be but feeble pity, His promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere scarecrow. God’s power is like Himself: infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.”

Scripture speaks of Christ’s “incomparably great power” and “mighty strength” that made possible his resurrection. Today He sits at God’s right hand, “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:19-22, NIV).

God is “the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!” (Psalm 24:8, NIV). The rhetorical question “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” implies a “no” answer (see Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:27).

Gabriel says to Mary, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Jesus says, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

God is the “Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8). He is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). John the Baptist says, “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).

Jeremiah 32:17–19 says, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands.... O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds” (NIV).

In the New Testament, God’s power is referred to numerous times. Here’s just a sampling of those verses. I think their cumulative force is well, powerful.  (My thanks to EPM’s Karen Coleman for sharing these with our staff last year.)

But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)

And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” (Luke 4:36)

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1)

“I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”(John 17:11, NIV)

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-34, NIV)

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose…. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke…. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:8-9, 10, 15 NIV)

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38,  NIV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

…so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:5)

And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. (1 Corinthians 6:14)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:18-21, NIV)

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:4-5, NIV)

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to] his own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3)

Perhaps what’s most incredible is that because of Jesus, the power of the almighty God of the universe is available to us , and we are free to call upon that power. What grace!

Karen also shared with our EPM staff the lyrics from Jeremy Camp’s song “Same Power”, which I think well reflects this truth. (The song was written by Jeremy Camp and Jason Ingram. You can watch the full song video.)  

I’ll close with some of the song’s words:

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave

The same power that commands the dead to wake

Lives in us, lives in us

The same power that moves mountains when He speaks

The same power that can calm a raging sea

Lives in us, lives in us

He lives in us, lives in us.

Photo credit: Jordan Donaldson

Looking Forward to a Heaven We Can Imagine

What difference is Heaven supposed to make in our lives now? Why do you think many Christians don't look forward to Heaven anymore? What are some of the biggest misconceptions about Heaven?

Christians faced with death often feel they’re leaving the party before it’s over, going home early. They’re disappointed, thinking of all the people and things they’ll miss when they leave.

But for God’s children the real party awaits—think of the Father making merry and celebrating with a feast for the prodigal son who’s come home (Luke 15). The celebration is already underway at our true home, where we’ve not yet lived—and that’s precisely where death will take us. As others will welcome us to Heaven’s party, so we’ll one day welcome those who arrive later.

God commands us in his Word to set our minds in Heaven where Christ is (Colossians 3:1). We focus on an actual place where the eternally incarnate, resurrected Christ lives. We’re commanded to be “looking forward to the new Heavens and New Earth where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13)—the resurrected cosmos, our future and eternal home.

Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). If we don’t understand this future glory of Heaven that awaits us, we won’t see our present sufferings shrink in comparison to its greatness.

What God made us to desire is exactly what he promises to those who follow Jesus Christ: a resurrected life in a resurrected body, with the resurrected Christ on a resurrected earth. Our desires correspond precisely to God’s plans. It’s not that we want something, so we engage in wishful thinking. It’s the opposite—we want real human lives as real embodied people because God has wired us that way, and has always planned for it. 

Will Heaven ever be boring?

We will be more likely to think of Heaven as boring if we think of it as a disembodied state. But the ultimate Heaven where we’ll live forever is defined by resurrection, and resurrection is by definition embodied. Jesus spoke of the coming “renewal of all things” (Matthew 19:27-28). Peter preached of “the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). For resurrected people in a renewed universe, boredom will be unthinkable.

Our belief that Heaven will be boring betrays a heresy—that God himself is boring. There’s no greater nonsense. Our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God’s hand. He made our taste buds, adrenaline, and the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains. Likewise, our imaginations and capacity for joy were made by the God whom some imagine is boring. Are we so arrogant as to imagine that human beings came up with the idea of having fun?

“Won’t it be boring to be good all the time?” This assumes sin is exciting and righteousness is boring, which is one of the Devil’s most strategic lies. Sin doesn’t bring fulfillment, it robs us of it. When there’s beauty, when we see God as he truly is—an endless reservoir of fascination—boredom becomes impossible.

God delegates rule of his creation to us, and we’ll reign with him over his new creation. We’ll have things to do, places to go, people to see. Heaven is guaranteed to be a thrilling adventure because Jesus is a thrilling person—the source of all great adventures, including those awaiting us in the new universe.

Will we eat and drink in Heaven?

Words describing eating, meals, and food appear more than a thousand times in Scripture, with the English translation “feast” occurring 187 times. Feasting involves celebration and fun; it’s profoundly relational. Great conversation, storytelling, relationship-building, and laughter happen during mealtimes. Feasts, including Passover, were spiritual gatherings that drew attention to God, his greatness, and his redemption.

People who love each other love eating together. Jesus said to his disciples, “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom” (Luke 22:29-30). He promised, “Many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 8:11). The finest foods and drinks, according to Isaiah 25:6, will be prepared for us by God himself.

Jesus knew his words would be attractive to all who heard them. How can it be trivial or unspiritual to anticipate such things? Don’t you think he wants us to look forward to eating at his table?

In my book Heaven I coined the term Christoplatonism. It’s reflected by a Christian man in our church, who told me after I preached on the resurrected life, “This idea of having bodies and eating food and being in an earthly place . . . it just sounds so unspiritual.” If we believe that bodies and the earth and material things are unspiritual, then we’ll inevitably reject biblical revelation about our bodily resurrection or the physical characteristics of the New Earth. But the idea that physicality is inherently unspiritual is not biblical. As C. S. Lewis said of God, “He likes matter. He invented it.”[1]

What will relationships in Heaven be like?

Scripture tells us we will all be living with the same person (Jesus), in the same place (Heaven), with God’s people (the church). Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 that we are to “comfort one another with these words,” in reference to our being together with the Lord forever. So clearly we will be spending eternity with our loved ones in Jesus.

Christ said that there won’t be human marriage in Heaven (Matthew 22:30).Yet there will be marriage in Heaven, one marriage, between Christ and his bride—and his people will all be part of it (Ephesians 5:31-32). Nanci and I won’t be married to each other but will be part of the same marriage to Jesus.

I have every reason to believe that in Heaven, I will be closer to my wife and kids and grandkids than ever. It won’t be the end of our relationships, but they’ll be taken to a new level. Our source of comfort isn’t only that we’ll be with the Lord in Heaven but also that we’ll be with each other.

Will we be capable of sinning in Heaven?

Christ promises on the New Earth, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Since “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), the promise of no more death is a promise of no more sin. Those who will never die can never sin, since sinners always die. Sin causes mourning, crying, and pain. If those will never occur again, then sin can’t.

We’ll have true freedom in Heaven, a righteous freedom that never sins. Since Adam and Eve sinned, despite living in a perfect place, as did Satan, many people wonder if we’ll sin someday in Heaven. The Bible says that God cannot sin. It would be against his nature. Once we’re with him, it’ll be against our nature too. We won’t want to sin any more than Jesus does.

Jesus said, “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. . . . Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:41-43). What will be weeded out? Everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

Sin will have absolutely no appeal to us. It will be literally unthinkable. The memory of evil and suffering in this life will serve as an eternal reminder of sin’s horrors and emptiness. Sin? Been there, done that; seen how ugly and disastrous it was!

Paul Helm writes, “The freedom of Heaven, then, is the freedom from sin; not that the believer just happens to be free from sin, but that he is so constituted or reconstituted that he cannot sin. He doesn’t want to sin, and he does not want to want to sin.”[2]

How might you use the doctrine of Heaven when sharing the gospel with someone?

Heaven is a terrific evangelistic subject when we portray it as the Bible does. Satan has vested interests in our misconceptions regarding Heaven. When he depicts it as a dull, drab, tedious, boring place where nobody would want to go, all motivation for evangelism is removed.

Why would we want our friends to spend eternity in an eternally dull place? And why would they want to go there? Nobody wants to be a ghost when he dies—people will no sooner develop a taste for a disembodied life than for broken glass.

On the other hand, when Christians understand Heaven is an exciting physical place on a redeemed world with redeemed people in redeemed relationships without sin and death, where there is music, art, science, sports, literature, and culture, it’s a great source of encouragement and motivation. “They all lived happily ever after” is not merely a fairy tale. It’s the blood-bought promise of God for all who trust in the gospel.

The New Earth is where there’ll be no more pain and sorrow and God will wipe away the tears from every eye (Revelation 21:4). That’s the perfect promise to share with unbelievers.  We should unapologetically tell them that the happiness they long for, the reconciliation to the God from whom happiness flows, is found in Jesus alone—this is what makes the gospel “good news of great joy”!

Photo credit: Tyssul Patel

[1] C. S. Lewis, C. S. Lewis and His Circle (Oxford University Press, New York, 2015), 57.

[2] Paul Helm, The Last Things (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1989), 92.