Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 184
January 13, 2014
The Sad Reality of the Disregard for Truth, Even Among Church Leadership
I once flew across the country to not preach at a church that had invited me to speak at their morning service.
After leaving my hotel, I rode with a prominent Christian leader to the church. I knew this man had been accused by the media of misrepresenting certain key details on his résumé, so I asked him about the charges.
He admitted saying and writing some things that weren’t true—but it didn’t seem to bother him. I told him, calmly, that I thought he should repent and publicly ask forgiveness for his dishonesty. He said nothing and we rode to the church in silence.
A few minutes after we arrived, I was escorted to the office of the senior pastor, where we were scheduled to pray together before I preached in the service. When I stepped in, the pastor slammed the door behind me. I was surprised to see his face turning scarlet, his veins bulging. He poked his finger at me. “No way will I let you preach from my pulpit!” he thundered.
Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man I had just confronted. The pastor told me I’d had no right to question our brother’s integrity. The pastor was fully aware of the man’s reputation but thought it none of my business. We left the office, the pastor still seething.
As the service began, the pastor took the microphone, his voice now sweet and “spiritual.” He introduced the man I had confronted. This man conducted the offering, challenging the people to give generously. The pastor then addressed the church, telling them he felt “the Holy Spirit’s leading” to dedicate the service to sharing and healing. Therefore, regrettably, there wouldn’t be time to hear from the scheduled guest speaker—me.
On the long flight home, I marveled at how Christian leaders—who should be guardians of God’s truth—could have such a blatant disregard for truth.
This isn’t a new problem. “‘Do not let the prophets... deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:8–9).
You see, a speaker can be popular, a sermon can be greatly loved, a book can be a bestseller in Christian bookstores—and still be full of lies.
I do not intend the preceding story to reflect poorly on pastors. Most pastors I know are men of honesty and integrity. I tell the story as an illustration that the Christian community isn’t immune to the dishonesty that plagues the world.
As followers of Christ, we are to walk in the truth (3 John 3), love the truth and believe the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10,12). We are to speak the truth, in contrast to “the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). We’re to speak the truth “in love” (Ephesians 4:32).
When we fail to tell the truth, we fail to represent Jesus, who is the Truth.
Related Resources
Blog: Two Essentials: Grace and Truth
Book: The Grace and Truth Paradox
Article: Living a Life of Grace and Truth for the Audience of One
January 10, 2014
Will We Become Angels in Heaven?
I’m often asked if people, particularly children, become angels when they die. The answer is no. Death is a relocation of the same person from one place to another. The place changes, but the person remains the same. The same person who becomes absent from his or her body becomes present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). The person who departs is the one who goes to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).
Angels are angels. Humans are humans. Angels are beings with their own histories and memories, with distinct identities, reflected in the fact that they have personal names, such as Michael and Gabriel. Under God’s direction, they serve us on Earth (Hebrews 1:14). Michael the archangel serves under God, and the other angels, in various positions, serve under Michael (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7). In Heaven human beings will govern angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).
The fact that angels have served us on Earth will make meeting them in Heaven particularly fascinating. They may have been with us from childhood, protecting us, standing by us, doing whatever they could on our behalf (Matthew 18:10). They may have witnessed virtually every moment of our lives. Besides God himself, no one could know us better.
What will it be like not only to have them show us around the intermediate Heaven but also to walk and talk with them on the New Earth? What stories will they tell us, including what really happened that day at the lake thirty-five years ago when we almost drowned? They’ve guarded us, gone to fierce battle for us, served as God’s agents in answer to prayers. How great it will be to get to know these brilliant ancient creatures who’ve lived with God from their creation. We’ll consult them as well as advise them, realizing they too can learn from us, God’s image-bearers. Will an angel who guarded us be placed under our management?
If we really believed angels were with us daily, here and now, wouldn’t it motivate us to make wiser choices? Wouldn’t we feel an accountability to holy beings who serve us as God’s representatives?
Despite what some popular books say, there’s no biblical basis for trying to make contact with angels now. We’re to ask God, not angels, for wisdom (James 1:5). As Scripture says and as I portray in my novels Dominion, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, and The Ishbane Conspiracy, Satan’s servants can “masquerade as servants of righteousness” and bring us messages that appear to be from God but aren’t (2 Corinthians 11:15).
Nevertheless, because Scripture teaches that one or more of God’s angels may be in the room with me now, every once in a while I say “Thank you” out loud. And sometimes I add, “I look forward to meeting you.” I can’t wait to hear their stories.
We won’t be angels, but we’ll be with angels—and that’ll be far better.
Related Resources
Blog: Do you believe in guardian angels?
Book: Heaven
Video: People Are People, Angels Are Angels
Stock photo credit: Chemtec via sxc.hu
January 8, 2014
Using the Platform of Professional Football to Honor Jesus
It’s playoff time in the National Football League, and there were some great games last weekend. I find myself praying for those players and coaches I know to be brothers in Christ. God has given each of us a platform to use for our Lord, with our own unique sphere of influence. Same with these guys.
There are athletes who are Christ-followers on many professional sports teams. The National Football League has a significant number. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of them, including Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, left tackle Russell Okung, free safety Chris Maragos and long-snapper Clint Gresham. I recently had the opportunity to talk and pray with these guys and others the night before a game. They met Nanci and two of my grandsons and were very kind to them, and it was great for my grandsons to pray with team members. Here’s Chris Maragos with Jake and Ty:
After the game Clint Gresham invited us to meet him and then took us out on Century Link field, where he snapped balls to the boys and played catch for about 45 minutes:
Here’s a 14-minute video that’s worth watching even if you’re not a Seahawk fan. :) It was paid for by Wilson, Okung and Gresham and distributed as a DVD to something like 30,000 fans at one of the games:
Finally, here’s a touching story about a sick girl that involves Russell Wilson, Seahawks QB:
Of course I’m cheering for my team and want them to win this weekend. BUT more than anything, I’m praying for their faithfulness to God. Win or lose, God calls us to be faithful to Him (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Related Resources
Blog: You Are Serving the Lord Christ
Article: Fame or Character?
January 6, 2014
Should We Be for Adoption or Against Abortion?
I appreciated this article by Michael Spielman, director of a great organization called Abort73. (Spend half an hour poking around this website and I think you’ll be amazed at how thoughtfully done and effective their site is. They reach young people in ways most prolife websites won’t.)
Michael hits on something very important—the fact that we do need to tell people the truth about abortion, saturated with grace and kindness and empathy. Abraham Lincoln said, “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” Silence is never the solution. When churches are silent about abortion, we encourage it. Silence becomes a form of consent, a quiet permission. Let’s not be cowards. Let’s stand up for truth; let’s reach out in compassion.
And in doing so, we can also uphold the dignity and beauty of adoption. Being known as prolifers, we want to be completely consistent with our message. If we’re saying that these so-called “unwanted children” should be brought into the world, then of course we should be thinking of what we can do to care for those who need to be placed somewhere because their parents can’t care for them.
Here’s what Michael has to say:
For Adoption or Against Abortion?
By Michael Spielman
If you’ve been in the church for any length of time, you’ve almost certainly heard some variant of the following sentiment:
Christians should be known for what they’re for, not for what they’re against.
If you’re like me, you’ve heard this maxim more times than you can count, and while it holds some helpful truth, I wonder if it doesn’t also set up a false dichotomy — giving aid and comfort to some thoroughly unchristlike behavior.
In theory, this simple pronouncement encourages Christians to extend grace and humility, instead of anger and condemnation. It urges us to be more concerned with proclaiming the name of Jesus than with hammering away at society’s ills. But in practice, I fear it may cause some of us to hold our tongues when we should be shouting something from the rooftop.
Not Wary of Against
The problem is this: You can’t be for one thing without being against another. Even a cursory glance at Jesus’s life makes this abundantly clear. Clearing the temple, hurling insults at the religious elite, driving away “seekers” by pointing to the law — these are not the actions of someone who is wary of taking a public stand against something. Jesus’s behavior was sometimes gentle and sometimes harsh. It rarely accommodates our pithy conventions. Why? Because Jesus wasn’t sometimes loving people and other times hating sin. He was always doing both. It is only the expression of this ongoing duality that changes from context to context.
In the vocational context in which I operate, millions of children have been torn to pieces for our failure to faithfully, courageously, and creatively express the fact we are against abortion. Few pastors will publicly say with R.C. Sproul, “If I know anything at all about God, I know that God hates abortion.” Rather, too many Christians have largely embraced a “no offense” approach to abortion. Not wanting to sully our hands by entering the fray directly, we take what is perceived to be the moral high ground. If there is any engagement on the abortion front, it tends to be indirect — by promoting adoption and/or supporting a crisis pregnancy center.
These are both good things, but they do too little to curb abortion in the mainstream.
Driven by Ignorance and Evil
Abortion is not driven by a lack of adoptive parents or a lack of low-cost, prenatal services. Abortion is driven by ignorance and evil. And so long as Christians are unwilling to call a spade a spade, this will continue. In the realm of abstract morality, it may seem noble to keep your opinion to yourself, but what about those more concrete realms where unchecked immorality is literally killing thousands of innocent human beings every day?
The difficulty is this: We all want to be liked, and the “be known for what you’re for” mantra offers a convenient rationale for not speaking out against something that is likely to ruffle some feathers — and few things ruffle more feathers today than the open, unapologetic condemnation of abortion.
Are We Inordinately Polite?
C.S. Lewis wonders in his Reflections on the Psalms whether the end result of our hyper-focus on politeness is actually a net loss. While granting that his argument is open to abuse, he speculates that if there were a higher social cost for wretched behavior, the world would be a better place. He writes,
It may be asked whether that state of society in which rascality undergoes no social penalty is a healthy one; whether we should not be a happier country if certain important people were pariahs as the hangman once was. . . . It can be argued that if the windows of various ministries and newspapers were more often broken, if certain people were more often put under pumps and (mildly — mud, not stones) pelted in the streets, we should get on a great deal better. It is not wholly desirable that any man should be allowed at once the pleasures of a tyrant or a wolf’s-head and also those of an honest freeman among his equals. (Kindle Locations 710–716)
Think about that in the context of abortion. For fear of appearing self-righteous, our general silence has provided Planned Parenthood with a modicum of social respectability that is nothing short of outrageous.
Lewis concedes that Christians shouldn’t be always making a fuss, but he then continues,
There comes of course a degree of evil against which a protest will have to be made, however little chance it has of success. There are cheery agreements in cynicism or brutality which one must contract out of unambiguously. If it can’t be done without seeming [self-righteous], then [self-righteous] we must seem. . . . If we sufficiently dislike making the protest, if we are strongly tempted not to, we are unlikely to be [self-righteous] in reality . . . though it is very bad to be a prig, there are social atmospheres so foul that in them it is almost an alarming symptom if a man has never been called one. (Kindle Locations 772–778)
The Need for Both
By the latest count, there are 15 infant adoptions in the United States for every 1,000 abortions. That’s 67 abortions for every one adoption. Among women who visit Planned Parenthood, the results are even worse. According to their own numbers, they perform 392 abortions for every adoption. All the while, the National Council for Adoption states that “hundreds of thousands of families are now available to adopt” (Adoption Factbook, 2011, 9).
The problem is not our unwillingness to embrace adoption; it’s our unwillingness to meaningfully oppose abortion. So long as abortion is kept beyond the realm of moral critique, adoption will continue to be an afterthought. It is only when abortion is removed from the realm of moral acceptability that adoption becomes a real and viable solution to unwanted pregnancy.
Jesus once said that whoever is not for him is against him (Matthew 12:30). Along these same lines, I would suggest that whoever is not against abortion is for it. It’s as simple as that. So, if the question is whether we should be for adoption or against abortion, the answer is emphatically, “Yes!”
Related Resources
Book: Why ProLife?
Blog: Will we intervene for the least of these?
Video: Sanctity of Human Life Message
January 3, 2014
Real Choices without Consequences?
Romans 8:28 promises that God will work everything together for good for those who love Him and keep His commands. It’s not easy to understand how God can take the results of evil choices and create good. In this conversation from my novel Deception, Jake and Clarence challenge Ollie’s desire for both freedom to choose and freedom from evil’s consequences:
“You believe in free choice?” Jake asked.
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t free choice demand the freedom to choose evil?”
“Not if it causes this much suffering.”
“How much suffering is acceptable? Can you have real choices without consequences, both good and bad?”
I [Ollie] shrugged.
“Isn’t it inconsistent,” Clarence piped in, “to say it’s good for God to give us free choice, but then say He shouldn’t allow evil consequences from evil choices?”
“You can’t have it both ways,” Jake said.
These guys were a regular tag team.
“I’ve made some bad choices,” I said. “If I had it to do over again, I’d have been there for my daughters. But if God’s all-powerful, couldn’t He have made me do it right in the first place?”
“Made you do it right?” Jake asked… “If I were to offer to make things okay in your life, but to do it I had to take away your ability to choose, would you take me up on it? Ask me to make all your decisions for you?”
“Then it would be your life, not mine,” I said.
“Exactly. So how can you expect God to give us free choice, then fault Him because He did? What could He do to make you happy?”
I explore this topic more in the article “Do human beings really have free will? How does that fit with God’s sovereignty?”
Related Resources
Book: If God Is Good
Video: Does the inability to sin in Heaven violate free will?
photo credit: Bogdan I. Stanciu via photopin cc
January 1, 2014
Planning Your New Year and Making God’s Word a Priority
As we start this New Year, let’s remember that there is no substitute for time spent with our Father in Heaven. Time in His Word and prayer is never wasted. It sets our compass needle to true north, and brings a quality to all the rest of our time. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you…” (Psalm 63:1).
Looking to make a New Year’s resolution? A great place to start is with what Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Holy habits such as meditation, prayer, and church should be determined commitments. Our choices show what we value most: TV, internet, sports, hobbies or God’s Word? “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).
Our hearts and character won’t change until our habits change. Time in God’s Word doesn’t just happen. You must choose wisely to make it happen. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
And what a privilege it is to spend time in God’s Word! There's nothing like it. Its depths are endless. You can never exhaust it. Day after day, year after year, it always has more to offer. “Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders” (Psalm 119:27).
John Piper shares some thoughts on the importance of planning and making God’s Word a priority as you start 2014:
Very specifically my plea to you this new year is that you take time to plan the most important things in your life. …Plan how you are going to spend time with your spouse to deepen and strengthen the relationship. Plan how you are going to spend time playing with and teaching the children. Plan how you are going to get the amount of exercise you need to stay healthy. Plan how you are going to get enough sleep. Plan how much you should eat and how you are going to limit yourself. Plan your vacation so that it really gives rest and spiritual renewal.
And most important, plan how prayer and meditation on the Word are going to be significant parts of your life. Without a plan these most important things always get pushed aside by urgent pressures.
Make Planning a Regular Part of Your Life
But it won't work just to plan something tonight or tomorrow. Planning must be a regular part of your life.
…So my plea to you is that you set aside time each week to plan, especially to plan your life of prayer and Bible study. For example, since Sunday is the first day of the week (not the last day of the weekend!) and belongs to the Lord, take ten or fifteen minutes each Sunday and think through when you will pray and what you will study that week. Give some thought how God might want to use you that week in a special way. Plan the letters you need to write, the Bible verses you want to teach your children, the visit you want to make, the book you want to read, the neighbor you want to talk to, etc.
…God is a God who does all things according to plan. And Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem because of the most loving plan ever devised. He planned for our joy; we ought to plan for his glory.
Jesus said, “I have told you this so that you can share my joy, and that your happiness may be complete” (John 15:11, Phillips). May your New Year be centered on Jesus and happy in Him!
Related Resources
Book: We Shall See God
Blog: A New Year's Resolution from Philippians 3
Article: Into the Depths of God
Stock image credit: ba1969 via rgbstock.com
December 30, 2013
The Problem with the Term “Pro-Choice”
I confess that I dislike the term pro-choice. As I explain in my book Why ProLife?, I use it only because it has become the dominant term used in our culture. But it is profoundly misleading.
When we talk about someone being pro-environment, pro-business, or pro-marijuana, we have a good idea what they mean. But what if someone insisted we not use the words environment, business, or marijuana? No, we must just call these positions pro-choice.
But choice is not a synonym for environment, business, or marijuana. The term pro-choice obscures the subject we are talking about, because it demands the explanation, “pro-choice about what?” If our attention is on the “right to choose,” we can be distracted from the subject at hand.
The term pro-abortion tells us that someone thinks abortion is okay. Whether or not they would have one, they favor abortion’s legality. Okay, we can agree or disagree, but at least the term tells us what we’re talking about.
The term pro-choice tells us that someone thinks choice is okay. Well, of course. But what does that mean?
All of us are pro-choice when it comes to where people live, what kind of car they drive, what food they eat, and thousands of personal preferences. We’re also pro-choice in matters of religion, politics, and lifestyle, even when people choose beliefs and behavior we don’t like. Indeed, I am pro-choice about the great majority of things in life, even when I personally don’t agree with someone’s choice. I have no interest in dictating their choices, nor do I want them dictating mine.
But that’s not the end of it, because there are many things almost none of us are pro-choice about—including whether someone has the right to choose to assault you, break into your house, steal your car, or cheat you in a business deal.
Of course, it’s self-evident that people have the freedom to make these choices. But that doesn’t mean they have the right to make them.
What would you think of someone who said, “I wouldn’t rob you myself, but I am pro-choice about robbery.”
Well, not only would we say they are wrong to defend robbery, we would not allow them to hijack the term pro-choice as their means of taking the moral high ground. We would say, “Stop talking about choice—the issue is robbery! You are not pro-choice, you are pro-robbery!”
The term pro-choice entirely shifts the abortion issue away from abortion itself. It attempts to take the moral high ground, as if it would be cruel to rob people of a “right” no one should have—to kill innocent preborn children.
Both the terms pro-life and pro-choice, by avoiding the word abortion, can obscure what’s at stake—an innocent preborn child’s right to live.
From a propaganda point of view, I must admit that the pro-abortion movement has won the battle of semantics. Choice has become a euphemism for abortion that veils abortion’s horrors. Arguing against abortion appears to be arguing against choice.
Pro-lifers must never argue against choice—that’s a battle that can’t be won, and shouldn’t be fought even if it could be won. Rather, we must argue against the real issue—abortion.
Whenever we hear “pro-choice,” we must ask, and urge others to ask, “Exactly what choice are we talking about?”
If its abortion, the question is, “Do you think people should have the right to choose to kill children?” By opposing abortion we are not opposing choice in general. We are opposing one choice in particular—child-killing.
Consider the popular pro-choice question, which I’ve seen on bumper stickers: “If you don’t trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?” It’s intended as a discussion stopper. But notice how choice is substituted for abortion. When we insert words that reflect reality, the question becomes, “If you don’t trust me to kill a child, how can you trust me to raise a child?” . . . Huh?
When we oppose the “right to choose” rape or “the right to choose” abortion, we aren’t opposing a right. Rather, we’re opposing a wrong. And we’re not narrow-minded and bigoted for doing so.
Related Resources
Book: Why ProLife?
Blog: The Uncomfortable Truth: The Humanity of the Unborn
Image credit: baikahl via sxc.hu
December 27, 2013
Should the gift of eternal life change how we live our lives here on earth?
The reality of eternal life should definitely change how we live! In fact, we’re directly told that in 2 Peter 3. In verse 10 Peter says, “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” We need to look at this present Earth as a passing, temporary time where what matters is how we live now and how we invest in eternity.
Peter continues, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. …in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (verses 11-12a, 13).
When you know Jesus and realize that you’re going to live forever in a world that is the home of righteousness, then you want to get a head start on living the righteous life, to God’s glory and by His empowerment, right here and now! There’s continuity between this life and the next. We will stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Not people who once were us, but we ourselves—that is continuity. So how we live now does matter.
Then Peter says in verse 14: “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” Our reference point for the past is Eden. For the present, it is the redemptive work of Christ on our behalf—having a relationship with Him and living each day seeking to become more conformed to His image. For the future, it’s the New Earth, where God will dwell with His people forever.
This changes our perspectives. It’s revolutionary to realize, “I don’t have to spend all this money on myself. I can understand that I’m like God’s ‘FedEx guy.’ He has entrusted these resources to me to help others who need to hear the Gospel and need to be fed and clothed. I can do this, knowing what awaits me in God’s presence.”
But if you don’t have a clear picture of all that is ahead of us in eternity—that which is promised by God that we can invest in right now and experience eternal reward for—then you’ll think, “I’ll just grab onto this life right now to make myself happy. I’m going to do whatever I think it takes to make me happy.”
Nothing could be more short-sighted in light of the long tomorrow.
Related Resources
DVD: Eternity 101
Blog: Deposting This Life in Eternity's Account
Article: What does eternal life mean?
Stock photo credit: anyone71 via sxc.hu
December 25, 2013
This Christmas, Let’s Rejoice in the Far Reaches of Christ’s Redemptive Work
If you had asked me my favorite Christmas song when I was a kid, it would have been “Silent Night,” even though I didn’t understand the meaning. Now my favorite is “Joy to the World,” because as my wife Nanci pointed out to me years ago, it’s the Christmas song that looks forward to Christ’s return and the New Earth.
How far will God’s blood-bought redemption reach? Isaac Watts, not only a great hymn writer but also an accomplished theologian, nailed it in his lyrics:
Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
“He rules the world with truth and grace.” That’s what my heart longs for. “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.” Christ’s redemptive work will restore the earth to what God originally intended. Everything touched by the curse will be renewed and transformed into something great. “Joy to the World”—by the power of the risen Christ, the old world will be transformed into the new!
Merry Christmas to you, and all glory to Christ, who one day will transform this earth we live on into all He intended it to be.
Related Resources
Book: 50 Days of Heaven
Blog: Snow on the New Earth, and a New Year's Resolution
Article: The Far Reaches of Christ's Redemptive Work
"Joy to the World" sheet music credit: The Old Design Shop
December 23, 2013
Grandchildren, Grandparents, and Spiritual Heritage
My home church, Good Shepherd Community Church, recently showed this delightful video. In God’s providence we were seated behind Owen’s parents and grandparents when this was shown. Among other things, it demonstrates the power of a Christian heritage, and the potential spiritual influence of grandparents. As a granddad of five, I look for opportunities to influence them for Jesus, and I found this video very encouraging. Hope you enjoy it.
Teaching Owen to Pray - Being the Great Community from Good Shepherd Community Church
Related Resources
Book: Tell Me About Heaven
Blog: Some Thoughts about Fathering (and Grandfathering)
Video: Heaven, Heritage, and Tell Me About Heaven
