Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 212

Be Not Mere Shadows and Echoes

Doug Gabbert, my friend and an elder at our church, shared the following, by John Piper. It is biblical, God-honoring and powerfully written. Read it prayerfully and thoughtfully. 

We are not God. So by comparison to ultimate, absolute Reality, we are not much. Our existence is secondary and dependent on the absolute Reality of God. He is the only Given in the universe. We are derivative. ...We were. He simply is. But we become, "I Am Who I Am" in His name (Exodus 3:14). 

Nevertheless, because He made us with the highest creaturely purpose in mind—to enjoy and display the Creator's glory—we may have a very substantial life that lasts forever. This is why we were made ("All things were created through Him and for Him", Colossians 1:16). ...This is why we eat and drink ("So whatever you do, do all to the glory of God", 1 Cor. 10:31). ...This is why we do good deeds, ("Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven", Matthew 5:16).

That is why we exist—to display the glory of God. Human life is all about God. That is the meaning of being human. It is our created nature to make much of God. When we fulfill this reason for being, we have substance. There is weight and significance in our existence. Knowing, enjoying, and thus displaying the glory of God is a sharing in the glory of God. Not that we become God. But something of His greatness and beauty is on us as we realize this purpose for our being—to image-forth His excellence. This is our substance. 

Not to fulfill this purpose for human existence is to be a mere shadow of the substance we were created to have. Not to display God's worth by enjoying Him above all things is to be a mere echo of the music we were created to make.

This is a great tragedy. Humans are not meant to be mere shadows and echoes. We were to have God-like substance and make God-like music and have God-like impact. That is what it means to be created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). But when humans forsake their Maker and love other things more, they become like the things they love—small, insignificant, weightless, inconsequential, and God-diminishing.

Listen to the way the Psalmist put it: "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes but they do not see; they have ears but they do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them" (Ps. 135:15-18: see also 115:4-8).

Think and tremble. You become like the man-made things that you trust: mute, blind, deaf. This is a shadow existence. It is an echo of what you were meant to be. It is an empty mime on the stage of history with much movement and no meaning.

Dear reader, be not shadows and echoes. Break free from the epidemic of the manward spirit of our age. Set your face like flint to see and know and enjoy and live in light of the Lord. "O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:5). In His light you will see Him and all things as they truly are. You will wake up from the slumbers of shadowland existence. You will crave and find substance. You will make God-like music with your life. Death will dispatch you to paradise. And what you leave behind will not be a mere shadow or echo, but a tribute on earth, written in heaven, to the triumphant grace of God.

—John Piper, Pierced by the Word 

      

Congratulations to Tyndale House Publishers on their 50th Anniversary

Congratulations to Tyndale House Publishers on the celebration of their 50th anniversary this year. They’re a great company and have been a pleasure to work with over the years.

I’m grateful to all my friends at Tyndale for agreeing to publish books I believe God has put on my heart, starting with the first edition of my book Money, Possessions and Eternity back in 1989. It was followed by many other books, including my novel Safely Home, Heaven, and all the other Heaven-related books.

Ron Beers, senior vice president and group publisher, has been a great friend. If not for him, the books Safely Home and Heaven probably wouldn’t have been written, at least not in the forms they’re in now. It was Ron who first asked me, “Would you write a big book on Heaven?”

I am so grateful for and have wonderful memories of Dr. Ken Taylor, the founder of Tyndale House who is now with the Lord. (Dr. Taylor named his company Tyndale House Publishers, after William Tyndale, the 16th century reformer who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English.) I remember sitting with Ken and his wife Margaret, along with my wife Nanci, at a Tyndale dinner, talking about things that moved our hearts. The humility and grace of these people was obvious.

One of the funniest memories I have is Dr. Taylor writing me a letter in the mid-nineties saying that he had just re-read Money, Possessions and Eternity and considered it to be one of the best “poor selling” books Tyndale had ever published! He said the book had made a real impact on him, and expressed regret that the sales hadn’t lived up to what he considered the value of the book. Of course, he had nothing to apologize for, but it seemed to truly bother him. The sweetness and humility of his letter touched my heart, and made me realize I was truly part of a publishing family, of which he was the father. The fact that he had taken time to write this personal heartfelt letter was a real encouragement. (And he would be happy to know that now Money, Possessions and Eternity has sold over 100,000 copies.)

In a time when many Christian publishers are publishing books that are spreading misleading and harmful doctrine, I appreciate Tyndale’s commitment to produce literature consistent with biblical principles and to spread the Good News of Christ around the world. (During the past 40 years, they have distributed over 100 million Bibles, New Testaments, and Bible portions worldwide.)

Through the Tyndale House Foundation, their non-profit arm, they have made thousands of grants to support Christian work, including new translations of the Bible in languages around the world. From 1963 to 2008, the Foundation’s grants totaled $59 million (the equivalent of $139 million in today’s dollars).

Tyndale House—thanks for investing in eternity, and congratulations on your 50th anniversary!

      

Some Facts about Tyndale House and Their Giving to God’s Kingdom

1. Tyndale House gives 10% of pretax income to charitable work. 

2. Tyndale House gives all its remaining profit after taxes and expenses to the Tyndale Foundation, which provides hundreds of grants to Kingdom work worldwide, primarily Bible translation in numerous languages, but so much more. This amounts to an average of 5 to 6 million dollars each year. 

3. Tyndale House gives away all damaged product. Instead of shredding slightly damaged product, we give it away to various ministries who are thrilled to have it. This amounts to about 1 million dollars each year. 

4. All NLT Bible royalties go to the Foundation. Rather than keeping these for himself, Ken Taylor decided at the founding of the company that Bible royalties would go to the Foundation. This amounts to well over a million dollars each year. 

 

God-Honoring Rap: Beautiful Life, Persecuted Church and Man Up

I’ve mentioned before my respect for Lecrae, a Christian rapper. Recently he told his Twitter followers and Facebook fans that he was reading If God Is Good, and posted a photo of the book, calling me a “bad man.” Makes me smile. He’s a good [bad] brother, with an incredible outreach.

Here’s one of his videos, titled “Just Like You.” And here’s his classic “Don’t Waste Your Life.”

Watch this great five minute video with his testimony:

Pray for Lecrae, would you? He has an amazing platform, and is surely hated by the enemy of our souls.

Here are three more videos, featuring Trip Lee, Lecrae and others. Whether or not you like hip hop or rap, I hope you can appreciate young men who are using rap for God’s glory, and calling a generation to the cross of Jesus.

Check out this Trip Lee song, not a live video, but pay attention to the prolife lyrics on the screen. (Andy Abelein, Barlow High School class of 2012, recently recommended this to me. Speaking of which, I graduated from Barlow in the first class that attended there four years. It was a mere...drum roll....40 years ago, in 1972.)

Here’s Trip Lee again, this time in full video with Lecrae, singing out about the persecution of Christians around the world:

Finally, a video with a group of male rappers, including Lecrae and Trip Lee, this time calling upon young men to “Man Up!”

To these musicians and others: Brothers, may you stay strong, stay pure, stay outspoken, and stay close to Jesus.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31

      

Voting as a Way to Help the Unborn

As people repeatedly state, abortion is NOT the only issue. However, I believe that because God hates the shedding of innocent blood, and has a special love for the most vulnerable and defenseless children, abortion is the single most important issue facing this country. I cannot see how any Christian cannot agree a least that it is ONE of the most important issues.

If your state has a prolife measure up for vote this year or is trying to get one off the ground, I encourage you first of all to vote, and then also to prayerfully consider how you can be involved in supporting these prolife efforts.

For those of you in Oregon: Citizen Initiative #25 is seeking to end public funding of abortion in Oregon. The proposed constitutional amendment reads, “No public funds shall be used to pay for any abortion, except to save the life of the mother or as may be required by federal law.” This initiative is an opportunity for all pro-life individuals, churches and organizations to unite and work together to gather the needed 150,000 signatures by May 18th to get it on the ballot.

The amendment does not restrict abortion, but it will ensure that taxpayers who are morally or fiscally opposed to paying for abortions will no longer have to. (For example, in 2009 there were 10,801 abortions in Oregon, and of those, 3,375 were paid for by taxpayers via the Oregon Health Plan. That’s 65 babies per week.)

Timing could be on the side of the amendment, due to the current economy and a nationwide desire to cut government spending (including seeking to defund Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in America).

For more information, and to learn how you can help support the initiative, go to www.Oregon2012.org.  

For more information on abortion, check out www.Abort73.com or my book Why Prolife? For ideas on how to get involved in prolife efforts, including through political action, see 50 Ways to Help Unborn Babies and their Mothers.

      

Chuck Colson, Faithful Brother and Servant of Christ

Last Saturday afternoon, Chuck Colson went home to be with the Lord. After founding Prison Fellowship in 1976, Chuck ministered in more than 800 prisons, in 40 countries around the world, over the next 35 years. EPM has had the privilege of supporting their ministry for many years.

I’ve shared before my high regard for Chuck. I had lunch this week with my friend Tony Cimmarrusti, who served on the board of Prison Fellowship. I told Tony that I rarely use the word, but I told him that to me Chuck was a giant. Tony concurred. He had nothing but respect for him.

In every face-to-face and written contact I had with Chuck, I was touched by his heartfelt sincerity and his love for our Savior. He sent me many short personal notes over the years, and each time I sensed genuine warmth.

Back in the late 1980’s, many Christian leaders distanced themselves from those of us who stepped out to rescue the unborn through peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience. Chuck Colson spoke out in our defense, warning that the day would come when many other believers would be forced with the same choice in other arenas. The Manhattan Declaration, in which Chuck was a prime mover, recognizes that reality.

When asked in an interview if he had ever gotten over the night in 1974 when Christ gripped his life, Chuck replied, “No, and I never want to get over it. When I think about who I was that night and who I had been, and then think about what Jesus has meant to me since and knowing that I can live my life without suffocating in my own sin—which I would have otherwise—I am so filled with gratitude that I am compelled to do what Jesus commands. That is why I keep doing what I am doing. I am so grateful for what He has done for me.”

Watch this great six-minute video about his life:

I am confident that upon seeing Him face to face Chuck heard Jesus say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into your Master’s joy.”

I will miss this faithful brother. Reunion coming soon…

      

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. . . . God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. . . . We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them. . . . And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

What do you think about "Christianese"?

Several weeks ago we asked blog readers to submit questions for me to answer. I’ll be posting the video answers to the questions as blogs over the course of the next few weeks.

One of the questions asked was:

What do you think about "Christianese"? You know, Christian phrases, some of which are from the Bible, some of which are not really, that unbelievers don't use or understand. On one hand people say it is great, and it makes us different from the world, which we're supposed to be, and that there's nothing wrong with it. On the other hand, it annoys some people that some Christians are so caught up in the culture of Christianity that unbelievers, and even some believers, don't know what they're talking about when they're always discussing regular mundane information using Christianese. Plus, it is sometimes seen as an attempt to sound more holy.

Sometimes using “Christianese” (that is, words that only Christians know the meaning of) can be an attempt to sound more holy, and obviously phoniness is never a good thing.

Certainly as Christians we should be sensitive to our audience. Whom are we talking to? We need to be careful about using unfamiliar words when we’re talking with unbelievers without explaining what those terms mean. And if we’re explaining them, why are we using the terms in the first place? Just give the explanation. In that respect, I relate to the questioner’s concern.

However, I do think that we need to recognize there is a place for specialized language. For instance, if you overhear two physicians talking with each other, they’re using highly technical terms which help them to communicate precisely. (Also, we probably all know doctors who talk to us as patients and use those same terms as if we should understand what they are, making us have to say, “Whoa…please explain.”) Similarly, attorneys use terms with specific meanings to communicate effectively.

The same thing is true in theology. There is a time when it’s appropriate to use precise technical terminology, which can serve as shorthand communication.  So the terms eschatology, soteriology, propitiation, and atonement are good words that can effectively communicate with those who have been taught the meaning of those words. No one is going to say to doctors, “Stop using medical jargon when you talk with each other”, nor would anyone tell lawyers, “Don’t use the language of the law.” No, they are using their established language.

If avoiding “Christianese” means not using the terms redeemed, sovereign, holy, and grace, that’s not a good thing. Let’s teach people the meaning of those terms, because they are good ones. We don’t have to come up with a long-winded explanation of what we mean by the word sovereign every time we use it; we just need to explain it to our audience so that the next time we say sovereign, they’ll understand what we mean.

I’ve seen people go overboard with this, priding themselves in never using theological terminology. The result is not precision, but vagueness. I think it’s perfectly appropriate to use the words as long as the person we are talking with understands them. When we’re talking to unbelievers or young Christians, let’s be sure we’re explaining what we mean before we go on to use technical terms they’re unfamiliar with.

      

Anticipating What God Has Promised: “Life Promises for Eternity”

The promises are the Christian’s Magna Carta of liberty; they are the title deeds of his heavenly estate. Happy is he who knows how to read them well and call them all his own. —Charles Spurgeon, “Obtaining Promises,” Sermon 435

In this video, I share more about my new book Life Promises for Eternity, which contains more than 100 brief readings on the topic of Heaven and the New Earth:

Here’s an excerpt from the Life Promises for Eternity audio book:

“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). This is a direct command to set our hearts on Heaven and to contemplate what God has promised us. And to make sure we don’t miss the importance of a heaven-centered life, the next verse says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” God commands us to set our hearts and minds on Heaven.

To long for Christ is to long for Heaven, for that is where we will be with him. God’s people are “longing for a better country” (Hebrews11:16). We cannot set our eyes on Christ without setting our eyes on Heaven, and we cannot set our eyes on Heaven without setting our eyes on Christ. Still, it is not only Christ but “things above” we are to set our minds on.

Anticipating Heaven doesn’t eliminate life’s pain, but it lessens it and puts it in perspective. Meditating on God’s eternal promises is a great pain reliever. It reminds us that suffering and death are temporary conditions. Our existence will not end in suffering and death—they are but a gateway to our eternal life of unending joy. The biblical doctrine of Heaven is about the future, but it has tremendous benefits here and now. If we grasp it, it will shift our center of gravity and radically change our perspective on life. This is what the Bible calls “hope,” a word used six times in Romans 8:20-25, the passage in which Paul says that all creation longs for our resurrection and the world’s coming redemption.

Don’t place your hope in favorable circumstances, which cannot and will not last. Place your hope in Christ and his promises. He will return, and we will be resurrected to life on the New Earth, where we will behold God’s face and joyfully serve him forever.

      

From Eternal Perspective Ministries

Inspired by the best-selling book Heaven, Life Promises for Eternity provides readers with more than 100 brief, inspirational readings on the topic of Heaven and the New Earth. Each reading is coupled with a trio of complementary Bible verses designed to further illuminate what the Bible has to say about the extraordinary place we will someday call home. A beautifully designed two-color, padded gift book with a ribbon bookmark, Life Promises for Eternity is an ideal gift for anyone who has ever wondered, What will Heaven really be like? EPM price $7.99 (retail $9.99)

A Wholehearted Passion for Your Local Church

I love and wholeheartedly agree with this blog post from pastor and author Ray Ortlund. (Check out his blog.) Sure, we’ve all had our bad church experiences. Me too. But I tire of the unending criticisms of local churches, and the cynicism about the body of Christ. (I shared some more thoughts in a past blog post.)

Here's Ray:

My church or the Kingdom?

by Ray Ortlund

“My passion isn’t to build up my church.  My passion is for God’s Kingdom.”

Ever heard someone say that?  I have.  It sounds noble, but it’s unbiblical and wrong.  It can even be destructive.

Suppose I said, “My passion isn’t to build up my marriage.  My passion is for Marriage.  I want the institution of Marriage to be revered again.  I’ll work for that.  I’ll pray for that.  I’ll sacrifice for that.  But don’t expect me to hunker down in the humble daily realities of building a great marriage with my wife Jani.  I’m aiming at something grander.”

If I said that, would you think, “Wow, Ray is so committed”?  Or would you wonder if I had lost my mind?

If you care about the Kingdom, good.  Now be the kind of person who can be counted on in your own church.  Join your church, pray for your church, tithe to your church, throw yourself into the life of your church with wholehearted passion.

We build great churches the same way we build great marriages — real commitment that makes a positive difference in practical ways.  And thus we build the Kingdom.

      

Don’t Throw the Preborn Baby out with the Bath Water

Diane Meyer is a close friend of mine and my wife, Nanci. In fact, she is like a third daughter to us. She lived with us when our daughters were small, and when she was a young unwed mother. We had the joy of seeing her come to Christ, and we helped her place a baby for adoption. Over the years we have seen Diane honor Christ and serve the needy, with a great heart for women in prison, and those damaged by abortion (She and I and Dan Franklin spoke together about abortion to our church in January 2010; video is available on our site.). Nanci recently accompanied her on a ministry visit to an Oregon women’s correctional facility. When Diane told me about her experience at the Justice Conference, I asked her if she would write this guest blog. This is a sister in Christ who knows what she’s talking about. I encourage you to listen. —Randy Alcorn

Two months ago I went to the second annual Justice Conference held in Portland. This international gathering sponsored by Kiln College and World Relief, is intended to be a place where speakers, pastors, theologians, professors, and activists join in a conference format for a discussion on what it means to live out the topic of justice.

I was intrigued and excited to be going to listen to nationally known speakers on such diverse subjects as sex trafficking, gangs, racial tensions, poverty, gentrification, and immigration. The speakers resonated with my heart and I loved being there and learning from their experiences.  (Plus, I had a feeling that this was a chance to hang with the cool crowd. Win-win.)

With the focus on human rights and the desperate needs of the world’s most vulnerable, I hoped that someone would speak to the issue of abortion. While the local Pregnancy Resource Center had a booth there, alongside dozens of others, I would have loved to hear someone up front speak out for the unborn and their mothers. (To be fair, I don’t know if someone had been invited to speak on the subject. I just know no one did.)

Though I was hoping that someone would talk about unborn children and women scarred by abortion, to be honest, I didn’t really expect it. The sense I’m getting lately from a large number of people is that pro-life concerns are old news. People seem to be distancing themselves from it because, as I was recently told, it is “too wrapped up in politics.”

Some see abortion as the pet project of the Republican Party, and the hobby of flag-waving, NRA- loving, wealthy, right-wing, and capitalist, Christian evangelists. This image leaves a distasteful feeling with many.

Honestly, it seems to me that many of the cool, hip, postmodern, emerging church Christians are into a selective group of causes that do not include preborn children and mothers whose lives have been shipwrecked through their abortions. We rightly address world hunger and sex trafficking, and God knows we should. There are other issues such as the environment which are considered cutting edge, while being a pro-life Christian has become, in the minds of some, a bad cliché.

I agree that all of these vital issues need to be addressed, and need people and ministries to attend to them. I am humbled by the work that is going on all over the world by people who want to see justice done in almost every area imaginable. There are amazing, courageous and determined brothers and sisters pouring their lives out for the well-being of others and it is so encouraging to be made aware of them through the Justice Conference. It spurs each of us on to work harder and to give more.

When I brought up the abortion issue to a couple people at the conference, my question was answered by more questions; what about needless war and all the innocent people being killed? What about socio-economic issues?

But why the deflection? I wasn’t trying to win an argument, just honestly questioning the lack of a pro-life viewpoint being represented. It seems as though being strongly pro-life (in the historic sense of anti-abortion) is increasingly unpopular with the evangelical “in” crowd.

Maybe my problem is that I can’t view abortion as simply a political issue or a popularity contest.

This is how I view it: a doctor violently killing a child with the mother’s consent.

We’ve all heard the sad and tragic stories. She can’t afford a child. She’s afraid she might abuse the child. She doesn’t want to lose her job. There is no father in the picture to help raise her child. She was raped.

But killing her child does not mean she is no longer a mother. It means she is a mother who has killed her child. How do you suppose she lives with that knowledge?

Abortion kills children and destroys women from the inside out. Before you shake your head or roll your eyes in denial, consider that our prisons and homeless shelters are filled with women who have chosen abortion, or had abortion chosen for them.

I know this because I work with them. I have held women as they spill out their deep shame and self-loathing for this choice they made. I have tried to comfort them as they share their hopelessness and despair; sure that God will punish and condemn them. I have listened and cried with them as they share how their decision to end the life of their child led to such despair and guilt that they have turned to drugs, alcohol, suicide attempts and other destructive behaviors, because nothing mattered anymore.

My understanding of these women and their anguish came to me at the cost of two of my own children through abortion. There was no dignity in their deaths and I have mourned their loss for years and will continue until the day I die. There was a time when I wanted the Lord to take my life because of this choice I made that ended the lives of my children. When I visit women in prison and the homeless shelter, sharing Jesus and encouraging those scarred by abortion, I can weep with them because I feel their sorrows as my own. Their tears are my tears and their heartache is my heartache.

How can it be good for our society to be filled with women who are weighted down with this burden?

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I implore you; do not look the other way while children are being killed in your neighborhood and you do nothing and say nothing because you believe there are other, more pressing issues.  Don’t choose between standing up for and helping people who have been born and the youngest and most vulnerable of people, the pre-born. If being anti-abortion will not be as popular or progressive as being anti-sex-trafficking, have the courage and compassion to be both.

Abortion is much more than an opportunity for prolife Christians to throw fundraisers, have meetings and create programs.  Abortion is the betrayal of women and one baby after another being violently killed. It is the death of millions of inconvenient but precious children. Doesn’t this break your heart? It breaks God’s heart because each human life is created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). Do not dismiss the entire prolife position and only embrace environmental issues, sex trafficking ministries and others that focus on what is trending now. Be supportive of them all. Speak highly of them.  Bring attention to them. Don’t invalidate the prolife stand because you don’t like the politics of some prolifers. Don’t turn away from these children and their mothers. They are just as worthy of justice and protection as any others.

So please. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

I think Mother Teresa said it simply and said it best:

"Many people are concerned with children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is the greatest destroyer of peace today—abortion, which brings people to such blindness."

—Diane Meyer

The Narrow but True Path

Our friend Pat Maxwell recently sent us these amazing photos. When I saw them, many of the verses below came to my mind.

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

“You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).

 “Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it” (Psalm 119:35).

 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

 “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil” (Proverbs 4:14).

“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths” (Proverbs 5:21).

“In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28).

“The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath” (Proverbs 15:24).

“One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead” (Proverbs 21:16).

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16).