Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 28

Eternity Changed Because Nanci and I Met 55 Years Ago

I shared a version of this on Facebook last week but wanted to also post it on my blog, and add a few more things.

Last week was the anniversary of the day Nanci and I met 55 years ago, December 7, 1968. The photo at the top of this blog was taken exactly one week earlier on her 15th birthday. The night we met, Nanci was wearing that same outfit. I remember her exactly as the photo portrays, including that impish look on her face. 

It fills my heart with joy to remember that day, as if it were yesterday, when my life began to change. I thank the Lord Jesus for bringing Nanci into my life, leading me to come to a youth group and a church where I first heard the good news, and eight months later knelt with an open Bible in front of me in my bedroom, and gave my life to Him.

What if I had not met Nanci (all the odds were against it) and come to Jesus a year later? Since my name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, I won’t ask the question of whether I would’ve come to Jesus without meeting Nanci, but I certainly believe she was central to His plan in drawing me to Christ. Even though the circumstances of our meeting and the fact that we were together in a serious relationship 10 months before I came to Jesus were not God’s moral will, they were part of His sovereign will. 

I thank God for the 54 years Nanci and I were best friends, including the 47 years we were married. I can’t imagine my life without Him, and I will be eternally grateful for His entrusting to me my soulmate Nanci, who walked beside me as together we walked with Jesus.

I will never forget Nanci saying to me a week before she died, “Randy, please take me home.” Of course, we were in our earthly home, where she lay in the hospital bed we had moved into our bedroom, but we both knew she was speaking of our home with Jesus. In tears, I responded, “Sweetheart, if I could take you home right now, I would, and I would never come back to this fallen world. But we know God is in charge of the timing.”

That Monday morning in 2022, when I held Nanci’s hand as she exited her body and entered the presence of Jesus, I could picture Christ’s outstretched arms and hear His loving words, “Well done.” I could imagine her broad smile as He hugged her. Home at last! And I thought of all the people from all over the world she would then meet and get to know and love—those we had the privilege of helping through our giving and ministry, and who thereby received the gospel, food, clothes, clean water, medicines, Bibles, and good books. Sometimes I feel like part of me went to Heaven with Nanci. That’s not only because of our deep love for each other, but because she and I partnered together to invest in people for eternity. I so look forward not only to seeing old friends but to having Nanci introduce me to these new friends we invested in before we ever met them!

I can’t wait to see Jesus face-to-face—Him above all—and then Nanci above all others. ♥️ 

A Grieving Mother’s Cry, and a Glimpse into How God Is Using Eternal Perspective Ministries

One of the things I love most about our ministry is that our staff take the time to respond to people who contact us. I have been told by countless people that in times of need they reached out to their church and didn’t hear back, or that they wrote to a ministry and didn’t hear anything. Or worse, they got back a form letter, reminding them to financially support the ministry. 

I do not want in any way to jump on the bandwagon of anti-church sentiment. I love the local church. I understand that pastors and churches get overwhelmed sometimes by all the needs in their midst. More people could sometimes be trained to respond as our staff does. There are legitimate reasons why a response might have fallen through the cracks in situations such as these, but I also know that it communicates something important when a hurting person receives a personal answer.

Heidi McLaughlin is one of our Eternal Perspective Ministries staff members who responds to emails. Recently she replied to a reader, and what she wrote was heart-touching, beautiful, and biblical:

A reader wrote:

To anyone who might be willing or able to help: I’ve always enjoyed Randy’s novels and perspectives, until my adult son died earlier this year. …grief aside, the worst for me is…the potential terror of the “intermediate state” that my son is in now. For, wherever he is now, and whatever he is now...he is not a complete, integrated human—body and soul. He is a disembodied spirit, lacking eyes, ears, hands...and along with it the (assumed) capacity to laugh and love as a human would. I am in terrible grief over this, dare I say, agony.

I’ve spent the past  months reading every book, article and summary on “the intermediate state” that I can get my hands on... I know the resurrection has not yet occurred. What then, is my son? How can he possibly enjoy life as a “disembodied spirit”? …If anyone knows of any literature on this subject, and has any time to attend to a personal cry, it would be appreciated.

Heidi responded:

I am so sorry for your loss. I have sons and I can only imagine the terrible grief and pain that you are going through. 

Here is where Randy has addressed the “Present Heaven” (he prefers using the term “present” rather than intermediate).

Please read the whole article, but I want to highlight two sections that I think speak to your concerns directly: 

Though the present Heaven is not our final destination, it’s a wonderful place, and it’s understandable that those who have had loved ones die in Christ wonder what life is like for them there. Based on the Bible’s teaching, we know several things: the present Heaven is a real (and possibly physical) place. Those who love Jesus and trust Him for their salvation will be with Him there, together with all who have died in Christ. We will be awake and cognizant. And because we will be with Jesus, it is “better by far” than our present existence.

And also:

Given the consistent physical descriptions of the intermediate Heaven and those who dwell there, it seems possible—though this is certainly debatable—that between our earthly lives and our bodily resurrection God may grant us some temporary physical form that will allow us to function as human beings while in that unnatural state “between bodies” awaiting our bodily resurrection. If so, that would account for the repeated depictions of people now in Heaven occupying physical space, wearing clothes and crowns, carrying branches, and having body parts (for example, Lazarus’s finger in Luke 16:24).

I really hope that Randy’s words are comforting to you.  No matter what though, please know as Jesus said to the thief on the cross as he was dying, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Your son is not at all miserable. There is no misery in Heaven whether we are talking about the present Heaven or the New Earth to come. 

Have you considered grief counseling? I just wonder if some of what you are going through is grief fatigue. Sometimes when our brain is so busy with grief we can’t think clearly. It sounds like your mind is spinning and unable to find rest. I would highly recommend finding a grief counselor or a grief share group at a church near you. You can search for a group near you at this website.

I’m praying for you today that you will feel the peace and comfort of the Lord as you walk this difficult path of grief.

The reader wrote back:

I’m flabbergasted that anyone, gatekeeper or staffer, actually ANSWERED my plea for help. I sometimes feel like a wounded animal howling into the wind in my pain, wondering if I’m heard at all. 

So…bless you…in every sense that God can…

I’ve never found this article Randy wrote…how I missed it, I don’t know. But thank you beyond words for pulling and sending it to me. 

Only in Heaven…will you know how much your time and small effort helped this grieving mom.

Randy again: Jesus said, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42).

The same is as true for you as it is for our staff: our Savior will not forget a single one of the countless acts of kindness each of us do for others, through work, church, and in our own personal lives with neighbors, friends, and strangers (one of whom may be an angel or Jesus Himself).

I’m deeply grateful for the servants’ hearts of our staff, and also for their wisdom. I’ve said this before, and it’s still true: daily we are humbled and amazed to see remarkable responses from people worldwide who are being touched by this ministry. 

I want to also say a special thanks for the ongoing support of our donors. You are the backbone of this ministry and enable us to keep serving in Jesus’s name. I am profoundly grateful for your kind support!

If you’d like to be part of our efforts to reach out to people in Christ’s name and to keep producing quality resources, we invite you to consider making a one-time or recurring donation. It’s the generous support of our ministry partners that enables us to continue our eternity-shaping work.  (I encourage you to start by giving to your local church where you are taught God’s Word, enjoy the fellowship of God’s people, and collaborate to take the Gospel to the world. Secondarily, you may choose to support other church groups such as EPM.)

We’re here to serve everyone without cost, so please don’t feel obligated to give to us. Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). It’s our privilege and joy to share freely what God has so graciously given us.

(If you do wish to make a year-end, tax-deductible donation, please note donations postmarked no later than December 31, or received online by 11:59 p.m. PT on December 31, will be included on this year’s tax receipts.)

Photo: Pixels

Could You Summarize the Christmas Story with One Word?

Note from Randy: A great book to reflect on Jesus this Christmas season is Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp (Amazon, Christianbook). There’s no greater subject in the universe to contemplate than Jesus! The following is excerpted from Paul’s book.

If you had to summarize the Christmas story with one word, what word would you choose? Now, your word would have to capture what this story points to as the core of human need and the way God would meet that need. Do you have a word in mind? Maybe you’re thinking that it’s just not possible to summarize the greatest story ever with one word. But I think you can. Let’s consider one lovely, amazing, history-changing, and eternally significant word.

It doesn’t take paragraph after paragraph, written on page after page, filling volume after volume to communicate how God chose to respond to the outrageous rebellion of Adam and Eve and the subtle and not-so-subtle rebellion of everyone since. God’s response to the sin of people against His rightful and holy rule can be captured in a single word. I wonder if you thought, “I know the word: grace.”

But the single word that captures God’s response to sin even better than the word grace is not a theological word; it is a name. That name is Jesus. God’s response wasn’t a thing. It wasn’t the establishment of an institution. It wasn’t a process of intervention. It wasn’t some new divine program. In His infinite wisdom God knew that the only thing that could rescue us from ourselves and repair the horrendous damage that sin had done to the world was not a thing at all. It was a person, His Son, the Lord Jesus.

Photo: Unsplash

Kirk Cousins, Focus on the Family, and How God Uses Opposition to Spread the Truth

Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, and former QB of the Washington Redskins, is a faithful and Christ-centered brother. We’ve gotten to know each other well over the last seven years, seeing each other once or twice a year and often texting. Several years back Nanci and I spent three days with Kirk and his wonderful wife Julie in their home and saw up close their hearts and character. (Here’s a Q&A I did with Kirk on Heaven, happiness, and generosity.) Those who have seen the Netflix series “Quarterback” know why so many viewers came to deeply appreciate and respect the Cousins. The family’s Christian faith was clear, and many reviewers, including no doubt some unbelievers, singled out Kirk as their favorite of the three QBs featured.

Despite the fact that those who know him personally realize he is a caring and loving person, Kirk has received heavy criticism recently from LGBQT advocates for simply appearing on a Focus on the Family program, even though he said nothing whatsoever about LGBQT issues. One article begins, “Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is under fire from angry fans after he sat down with Focus on the Family, an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, for a conversation about faith and marriage.” It says,

Cousins engaged in a discussion with Focus on the Family's Chief Operating Officer Ken Windebank. The conversation revolved around Cousins' faith and the significance of marriage. Notably, Focus on the Family espouses fundamentalist Christian beliefs, including anti-LGBTQ+ stances and support for conversion therapy, among other contentious positions. During the half-hour dialogue, Cousins didn't explicitly delve into LGBTQ+ matters. Still, his alignment with Focus on the Family's values becomes apparent through his rhetoric.

After I shared the article with our EPM staff, my assistant Amy Woodard responded with these thoughts, which I really appreciated:

It’s too bad Kirk is receiving this unfair criticism (and Focus on the Family too!). But what made me chuckle is that the article quoted the statements (below) trying to discredit him, but all it does is share God’s truth with their audience! Then at the end of the article, it links to the entire 34-minute video with FOTF where they can watch and listen to Kirk talk about what it means to trust God and walk with Him.

It reminds me of Philippians 1 where Paul is in jail and says that God is using it to advance the gospel, since the whole palace guard knows why he is there, and it’s giving people confidence to proclaim the gospel even more. Verse 17-18 says, “The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I in chains, but what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

It’s not fun to be unfairly criticized and misrepresented, but I hope Kirk is encouraged that without intending to, even his critics have helped spread his message, including biblical truth about the family and the good news about Jesus. The article said the following about Kirk, then quoted his biblically based words (see Galatians 6:7-8).

He shared thoughts on the consequences of life choices, echoing a belief in reaping outcomes based on actions taken:

"There are consequences to the choices you make in life. Good or bad. And if you sow good things you’ll reap good things. But if you sow poor decisions, you’ll reap poor decisions."

And at another point, he addressed his discomfort with how culture has drifted away from matters of faith, referencing one of his mentors within the organization:

“He challenged us to understand that that meant following Jesus, even if it cost you something. So if culture goes this way and Jesus went this way, even if it cost you something. I’m going to be a fully devoted follower, even if it costs me something."

"I’m going to trust Him and build my life on His truth."

Randy again: Seriously, isn’t this exactly what you would want readers of that website to hear?

Here’s the full video of Kirk sharing what it means to live as an ambassador for Christ:

Consider how these passages relate to the adversarial statements about Kirk Cousins and Focus on the Family, and how they apply to our own lives in light of God’s sovereignty and hidden purposes:

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…” (Genesis 50:20).

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

 “The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths” (Psalm 135:6).

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Thousands of Years Before Bethlehem

Note from Randy: Pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie has a new advent devotional out called Heaven’s Light Breaking. He shares wisdom, Scripture, and prayers to help you connect with God and find hope and peace amid the holiday rush.

Greg writes, “God entered our world. He walked in our shoes, lived our life, and died our death. God came near. I pray He comes near to you this Christmas season and that this book might play a small part.” I hope you enjoy this introduction from Heaven’s Light Breaking.

“My King who is alive from everlasting ages past!”

Micah 5:2, TLB

Have you noticed it? Behind the scenes, many of today’s scientists, historians, and educators have been working overtime trying to remove the familiar calendar designations of “BC” and “AD.”

It’s a small, subtle thing, of course.

But it has worlds of significance.

As we all know, BC means “Before Christ.” And AD stands for “Anno Domini,” a Latin term meaning “Year of Our Lord.” According to one keen observer, “The change was made to mask the Christian basis for the dating system, in a bid to accommodate non-Christians and maintain political correctness.”  Now you are seeing BCE, which means “Before Common Era,” and CE, which means “Common Era.”

To put it plainly, some people want to remove Jesus—or any hint or trace of Him—from our calendars and textbooks and culture. They don’t want to be reminded of His name. They don’t want to admit that He was born of a virgin mother in a stable in Bethlehem. They don’t want to acknowledge that He walked this earth, died on a cross, and rose from the grave. They don’t want to be reminded that Jesus changed history. They don’t want to admit the truth that for 2,000 years our calendars have hinged on the day of His birth.

That hinge is Christmas.

When the Son of God was born to Mary in Bethlehem of Judea, everything changed. Through time and eternity, nothing would or could ever be the same.

Christmas changed everything.

Christ changes everything—and all the politically correct scholars and “woke” writers in all the newsrooms and universities of the world can’t change that truth. It is the hinge of history. When God Himself entered the world in human form, when the great Creator of the universe became a baby boy, planet Earth was transformed forever. And so were we.

Jesus, of course, did not begin life when He was conceived in Mary’s womb or when He was born in that humble animal shelter. He has always existed as the Son of God, the third Person of the Trinity.

The real story of Christmas goes way, way back before Bethlehem, before Mary and Joseph, before the shepherds and wise men and innkeepers and King Herod and all of the people who played a part on that best of all nights 2,000 years ago.

How could that be? How could there be a Christmas story before Jesus came?

The answer is simply this: The story of Christmas is actually an integral part of an even greater story that goes all the way back to the beginning. It is the story of our redemption.

God had a plan to save humanity before it ever fell away from Him. God had a plan to offer salvation to you and to me before we ever saw the light of day.

Jesus knew you BC.

Think about that for a minute or two. He loved you thousands of years before Bethlehem. David the psalmist exclaimed, “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me” (Psalm 139:16-18, TLB).

Yes, at the right moment the Lord came to us, born on a back street in the backwater town of Bethlehem. As it says in the book of Galatians: “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4, NKJV). A better translation would be: “When the time was just right, God sent His Son…”

That is where He began life on earth, as the God-Man. This is where He first drew His lungs full of the air He had created. But the life of the Son of God goes back to the beginning of the beginning of the beginning. And before that! Speaking over seven centuries before the Lord’s birth, the prophet Micah wrote these words:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are small among the clans of Judah,

Out of you will come for me

One who will be ruler over Israel,

Whose origins are from of old,

From ancient times.”

(Micah 5:2, NIV)

“Origins from of old!” Another translation captures it like this: “O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!”

The truth is, Jesus knew you and loved you before you were you.

Before your parents met.

Before your parents’ parents’ parents met.

Before our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Before Columbus set out from Spain.

Before Bethlehem.

Before Adam and Eve drew a breath.

Before the first star caught fire in the vault of space.

Before all Creation.

Never, never imagine that your life is random or without meaning. How could it be, when the Lord and Creator of the universe has loved you a million years before you were born.

Excerpted from Heaven’s Light Breaking: A 25-Day Advent Devotional .

Photo: Unsplash

Why Love Is Love Doesn’t Square with Scripture

Note from Randy: Rosaria Butterfield is an author, pastor’s wife, homeschool mom, and former professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University. This sister in Christ was previously, in her words, “a queer activist.”  God has done a remarkable work in her life, and Rosaria has become a wonderful communicator who doesn't shy away from tough topics.

Rosaria is the author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert; Openness Unhindered; and The Gospel Comes with a House Key. Her new book is Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, and she addresses the propaganda modern culture has embraced about sexuality and spirituality, using the word of God to help illuminate each topic.  (You might like to watch her interview with Kevin DeYoung, going through each of the lies.)

I listened to the audio version of this book, and I can’t tell you how encouraging it was for me to hear Rosaria read it and to hear the inflections of her voice. It made it feel very personal. Whether or not you listen to many audiobooks I’d highly recommend that you do so with this one. Though I have not yet met Rosaria face-to-face, when I do meet her one day, I will tell her how deeply I appreciate her heartfelt love for Jesus and her boldness in standing for His truth. God bless you, precious sister.

Unpacking “Love Is Love”
A Rallying Cry for a Movement

I started seeing the slogan “Love is love” pop up everywhere in 2014.

Pithy and practical, the slogan humanized the LGBTQ+ experience. It steadied all gospel discussions of homosexuality on common grace, not saving faith. No dying to self, renouncing sin, or battling the evil in our hearts or the world. “Love is love” declared that we are more alike than different, that feelings are authentic and therefore good, and that homosexual relationships should be valued and honored.

“Love is love” became a powerful rallying cry, and it produced a mandatory constituency in the gay rights movement: allies—that is, heterosexual people who provided legitimacy, visibility, and cover, making the LGBTQ+ movement almost look wholesome. “Love is love” proudly pronounced that the lover's authenticity determines the love's integrity. Who can judge love? it asked. The phrase seems innocuous and non-threatening. But inherent in its appearance was the deception that Eve met in the garden with Satan: Did God really say that love’s virtue is in the eyes of the beholder or that it is inherently good no matter the object?

Does God define love, or do I? Is God love, or are my feelings my God?1

It can’t be both.

“Love is love” declares that love stands on its own with integrity, meaning, and grace. But the Bible doesn’t square with this. The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). In grammatical terms, “love” is a transitive verb. The integrity of “love” is found in its corresponding object. If you love what God loves, then love is a moral good. But if you love what God hates, love is a twisted sin. To suggest that love has integrity on its own terms is to render it an idol and wrench it from its moral anchor: the God of the Bible. Indeed, “Love is love” demonstrates the LGBTQ+ movement’s rejection of the biblical God for idolatrous lust.

“Love is love” exchanged compassion for the lost (knowing that people who live in the sin of homosexuality are dying in their sin and need God’s salvation and rescue) with a new definition of kindness (one that appeased sinful desires over God’s power to create new creatures whose progressive sanctification releases them from the bondage of sin). “Love is love” says you are fine as you are, and the only problem you have is the closed-minded Christians standing in the way of your political rights.

In all these ways, “Love is love” has had the social effect of normalizing what God calls abomination. “Love is love” is not a Christian slogan because it condemns people. Christians don’t throw people away; we know we are all born in Adam, loving something God hates. And we will fight this internal corruption—what the Bible understands as indwelling sin—until glory. But as we fight our sin, we grow in sanctification and live in the newness of life in Christ and the love of the visible church (Gal. 2:20).

“Love is love” became the motto of the gay marriage movement, a movement that, almost as soon as it hit the ground, rebranded itself from “gay marriage” to “marriage equality.” What’s in a slogan? A lot. “Gay marriage” signifies the entrance into uncharted territory, while “marriage equality” signifies a corrective shift, the righting of past wrongs, and the speedy sail to the “right side of history.” “Love is love” was the wind beneath the sails of a new anti-Christian age, the post-Obergefell world.

“Love is love” asks for empathy as it subtly redefines the institution of marriage. Empathy means standing in someone’s shoes, feeling their pain, and not rushing in to solve their problems. But people dying in sin need rescue. “Love is love” rejects this and instead asks you to jump in the lake and stand in the shoes of the drowning person. What kind of compassion is this? The Lord Jesus died for the sins of his people so that we could offer rescue, hope, and change.

“Love is love” says, “We’re all the same; we all have feelings of love and affection, and love is always good.” “Love is love” also has a grammatical thrust. “Love” is the subject; “is” is the linking verb; and “love” is the predicate adjective. The grammatical thrust anchors love’s morality in its self-referential meaning. But the Bible anchors love in the moral law of God. Why does this matter? Because “Love is love” rejects that anyone needs a gospel rescue. It rejects the grand story of creation, being made in the image of God, falling with the imputation of Adam’s sin, requiring the blood of Christ for rescue and ransom, and living in Christ as victors over sin and ambassadors of God’s call to all to repent and believe. The only relevance and place left for religion is the gutted faith of neo-orthodoxy that says Jesus is welcome to bless and affirm, but not to judge or to ransom.

Strategic Developments Made by “Love Is Love”

“Love is love” was strategically brilliant, encapsulating three necessary components for the LGBTQ+ movement to advance.

“Love is love” redefined personhood and declared gay is good and immutable. “Love is love” captured the Freudian idea that “sexual orientation,” a 19th-century category invention, is stable, fixed, morally neutral, and determines who you are (not simply how you feel or how your sin nature has deceived you). However, the truth is that there is no such thing as an “LGBTQ+ person” because personhood is bound up with image-bearing a holy God in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness (Gen. 1:27), and LGBTQ+ is captive in the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:2–3). For those of you who want to evangelize “the LGBTQ+ community,” please know what you are saying. If God blesses your work, then there is no “LGBTQ+ community” because a saved person isn’t a slave to sin, either at the level of practice or in self-identity. I know. I was once lesbian, but God saved me, and in saving me, he plucked me out of the fire and brought me into the church. Born-again people die to sin, take up their cross, and follow Christ out of the gay bar. And we don’t go back.
“Love is love” reevaluated the categories of sin, sickness, personal freedom, and liberty. Another Freudian idea embraced by the evangelical church today is that homosexuality is first a form of suffering—and that suffering can lead to sin, but it doesn’t start out that way. But this is a falsification of what Genesis 3 tells us about the fall of man. Adam’s sin was imputed to us as our own. We are responsible for our “original sin,” not victims of it. Because we love the darkness (John 3:19) and we love our sin, our job is to hate our sin without hating ourselves.
“Love is love” produced reiterations of itself as slogans quickly replaced doctrine. “Love Wins” became a celebration of gay marriage’s legal victory in Obergefell vs. Hodges (2015), the Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage in all fifty states. Obergefell also redefined “harm” from material (job loss, etc.) to the subjective. The “Dignitary Harm Clause” demands that you “affirm” someone’s LGBTQ+ identity so as not to “harm” their dignity. Well, here’s a news flash: the gospel harms all of our sinful identities, including those that now have legal protection. The consequences for what it means to live as real Christians in the world are serious: to comply with this law, you will need to honor everyone’s pronouns of choice lest you not only be labeled a bigot but be prosecuted as one. When the civil magistrate doesn’t punish the wicked, it will eventually punish the righteous.

Finally, the relative ease with which “Love is love” slipped into the moral framework of our age exposed that the evangelical church was not in a fighting mood. It was busy with the mission of being a soft presence in the world and didn’t believe that the sheep needed protection from the wolves. It exerted its false and foolish confidence that no spiritual war rages in my sweet town and no enemies pursue.

Have you noticed that LGBTQ+ allies, who ten years ago wanted you to “leave consenting adults alone,” now defend the rights of “trans girls” to play sports and use the locker room of their choice? How quickly allies became groomers. And yet, as Christopher Rufo has pointed out, there is no such thing as a “trans child.”2 Has anyone reading this spoken or attended a school board meeting at your local government school lately? I have. And the only time the word “pervert” was used was against the Christians who spoke against transgender ideology. The goalposts have been moved, and even though God is not constrained by this, you are and I am. Christians need to know what time it is and deal honestly with the world in which we live.

Because the visible church is apparently slumbering, the slogan “Love is love” has allowed Satan to drag us to Babylon by the nose. It’s high time for a wake-up call.

Notes:

An excellent book on the subject is Kyle Borg’s What is Love? Pittsburgh, PA: Grassmarket Press, 2022.
Christopher Rufo, “Trans Kids are the New Totem of the America Left,” Manhattan Institute, March 16, 2023.

Article by Rosaria Butterfield, Originally published and used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org .

Photo: Unsplash

Jesus: Good News of Great Happiness

The angel’s message to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth condenses the gospel to its core. He said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). The gospel isn’t for some; it’s for all. The Greek adjective translated “great” here is megas—this isn’t just news, but good news of “mega-joy.” It’s the best news there has ever been or ever will be.

What characterizes this good news is a deep, everlasting joy for any who will receive it. The Contemporary English Version renders the verse this way: “good news for you, which will make everyone happy.”

Isaiah wrote, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness.” And Paul clearly refers to Isaiah 52:7 in Romans 10:15 as he references the gospel, demonstrating that this “good news of happiness” is in fact nothing else but the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.

If the gospel we preach isn’t about happiness, then it contradicts God’s words in Isaiah 52:7. The gospel offers an exchange of misery-generating sin for happiness-giving righteousness provided by Jesus Himself. In bowing to Him, the shepherds bowed to joy incarnate, happiness in human flesh.

Joy, exultation, and happiness are proper responses to Jesus.

Each stanza of “O Come All Ye faithful” contains sentiments of true happiness: “joyful and triumphant,” “sing in exultation,” “born this happy morning.”

A gospel not characterized by such overwhelming gladness isn’t the gospel. Think about it—delivery from eternal damnation is delivery from eternal misery.

Those who trust and serve Christ receive this mind-boggling invitation: “Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, NIV). Those who trust in riches, in contrast, are told, “Weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you” (James 5:1).

Our happiness is certainly not the only thing the gospel is about. However, it’s one of the wonderful things Christ accomplished through His redemptive work.

As a young believer, I often heard testimonies in which people happily recalled the day of their conversion. Years later, it dawned on me that instead of only being happy about what Jesus did in the past (on the cross and at my conversion) and what He’ll one day do (at His return), I should be happy in what He’s doing today. The psalmist was onto something when he said, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Yes, he spoke of one particular day, but God has ordained all our days.

I have a friend who genuinely believes that nearly every meal, get-together, retreat, or vacation is the best he has ever experienced. His capacity to enjoy the moment and savor present happiness becomes a treasured memory of past happiness. The present is the only place we live. Circumstances constantly change, and good news comes and goes, but the Good News of happiness has come, it is still here, and it will never go away!

Happiness is our natural response to good news.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end of man?” and offers the reply, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” For theologians to come up with “glorify God” is no surprise. But to enjoy Him forever?

Why not “obey or fear” Him forever?

The catechism writers understood that the Good News includes more than one dimension. There’s the God who deserves to be glorified, and there are the people He created not only to glorify Him but to enjoy Him and delight in Him unendingly.

When we hear good news, what’s our reaction? Happiness, excitement, wonder, and celebration, right?

The gospel is a concrete, reality-grounded call to happiness. Jesus really did become a man, go to the cross, and rise from the grave. He truly is with us and in us now and will return again one day. These facts are what separate the gospel from wishful thinking.

In Hebrews 3:13, God calls us to happiness this way: “Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today” (HCSB). If God wants us to be happy in Him, today (not tomorrow) is the time to experience Christ-centered happiness.

Choosing to rejoice by rehearsing reasons to be happy and grateful even in the midst of suffering is an affirmation of trust not only in what God has done but also in our belief that He will bring a good end to all that troubles us. The gospel infuses hope and joy into our circumstances because it acknowledges God’s greatness over any crisis we’ll face.

Today’s 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.

If the gospel doesn’t bring us true happiness, then what we believe is not the gospel. When a pastor or author says, “God never intended for humans to be happy,” it may sound spiritual. But unless being happy is a sin, it’s not true.

Unfortunately, we diminish the Bible’s overflowing happiness when we separate “holy” things that give us joy, such as prayer, Bible reading, and church, from “worldly” things that bring us happiness, such as pets, hobbies, barbecues, vacations, and sports. This turns us into spiritual schizophrenics, creating false divisions between “Jesus time” and “world time,” “God time” and “me time.”

How can we “glorify God in everything” and “pray without ceasing” if we can’t glorify God and pray while working, riding a bike, playing games, or watching a movie?

The truth is, the Good News should leak into every aspect of our lives, even if we’re not consciously talking about God or witnessing to someone. Every time we ponder the gospel, live by it, share it, and anticipate its culmination in a world without sin and death, “good news of happiness” will permeate our lives with . . . well, happiness.

That’s exactly what happened when Paul and Barnabas took the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul said, “We bring you the good news [glad tidings (KJV)]. . . . And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing [the Gentiles were very happy to hear this (CJB)]. . . . The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit [The disciples were overflowing with happiness (CEB)]” (Acts 13:32, 48, 52).

Fred Sanders writes in The Deep Things of God, “A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small. A gospel that gets your sins forgiven but offers no power for transformation is too small.” I would add that a gospel incapable of making you happier than you have ever been is too small.

God timed the incarnation of Jesus—joy personified—perfectly.

“When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman . . .” (Galatians 4:4, NIV). God’s timing in sending Jesus wasn’t just perfect for the world in general; it was ideal for Israel in particular. The hand of Rome was heavy on the Jewish people, and life under an emperor who claimed to be a god was particularly oppressive to those who believed in the one true God.

Though the Jews had long hoped for God’s intervention, the promises of redemption and judgment on their enemies seemed no closer to fulfillment. Discouragement and pessimism were rampant.

When Christianity emerged, the appeal of Jesus’ teachings was widespread. He emphasized truth and virtue, as did Stoicism, and the goodness of pleasures and happiness—including eating and drinking—as did Epicureanism. He also offered a true relationship with God, which the mystery religions fruitlessly sought. Just as He does today, Jesus offered the genuine happiness everyone wanted but had not found.

Wise happiness-seekers accept God’s offer of eternal, unending happiness.

Jesus tells a story about a great party thrown by God: the great banquet (see Luke 14:15-24).

When a good, happy king (who represents God), with vast wealth and unlimited resources threw a party, the people the king invited made all kinds of excuses for not coming. When those who were invited refused, the king sent invitations to anyone his servants could find. So the wedding hall was filled with grateful people.

This parable exemplifies God’s sincere invitation to happiness and our tendency to turn down His invitation to pursue things we believe will make us happier.

Refusing the King’s invitation to endless celebration in His presence is refusing happiness itself.

The moral of the story? When God invites you to a party, say yes. You’ll be happy you did!

Adapted from Randy’s book Happiness .

 

From Eternal Perspective Ministries: For a short time, you can purchase Randy Alcorn’s The Promise of the New Earth for just $10 (50% off $19.99 retail)! This book makes a wonderful gift this Christmas season. Plus get free media mail shipping on orders over $30 with code 23THANKS.

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Sale ends Thursday, November 30 at noon PT. Free shipping offer ends Friday, December 8. Available for U.S. continental orders only.

Photo: Unsplash

Giving, the Gift of Happiness

Sociologist Christian Smith’s study on generosity yielded this observation: “People rightly say that money cannot buy happiness. But money and happiness are still related in a curious way. Happiness can be the result, not of spending more money on oneself, but rather of giving money away to others. . . . The data examined here show this to be not simply a nice idea, but a social-scientific fact.”

Sure, receiving a gift is great, and our hearts should be full of praise to God for what He has given us—first and foremost His Son, but also thousands of other smaller gifts we seldom think about. We should be profoundly grateful for what others have given us too. But have you ever worked hard to find the perfect gift for someone you love? Or thrown a surprise party for someone or given them tickets to a concert or game? Or given a bag of groceries to a person in need? Don’t you get great happiness in the planning and giving of that gift? And isn’t your joy multiplied by the receiver’s joy?

No Greater Privilege

The thought that giving makes us happier than receiving seems counterintuitive. What could be better than receiving a gift? Don’t we love Christmas and our own birthdays? Isn’t it fun to get a package in the mail?

Once, I received a totally unexpected gift of a framed black-and-white photograph of me sitting at a desk in 1985, in front of my first book and my first computer (a Kaypro, for those over fifty who remember or care). My friend tracked down and bought the photo, taken by a photographer from the local paper more than thirty years ago.

Looking at the photo was like time traveling, and it brought back a flood of memories. Did my joy in receiving negate what Jesus said? No, because when I contacted the woman who had given it to me, she told of her utter delight in finding, framing, and sending it to me. As much as I enjoyed receiving it, she seemed to enjoy giving it even more. And though I’ve received a lot of great gifts over the years, many of those that make me smile the most are those I’ve given to my wife, daughters, friends, people I met in a store or on a plane, and even people I haven’t met who have received food, clothes, clean water, and the gospel through organizations my family and I have supported.

If we understand what Scripture says about how giving touches lives for eternity, stores treasures for us in Heaven, and brings us great happiness here and now, we’ll realize there’s no greater privilege than to live lives of overflowing love and joyful generosity. It’s a no-brainer.

The Payoff of Loving Jesus and Others

On a trip to Ukraine, my pastor friend and I spent the evening with a large family, feasting and singing hymns and laughing and exalting Jesus together. We felt bad when we learned our hosts had served an entire month’s ration of butter at the meal, but we were assured there was nothing they would rather have done than open their hearts and home to brothers in Christ. It was humbling to be served when we had envisioned ourselves going to serve them. Giving is a great equalizer among God’s people.

To the selfish person, the giver’s behavior appears foolish and against his best interests. (Why part with a month’s ration of butter to serve rich visitors who have unlimited amounts of butter at home?) Scripture says the opposite: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24, NIV). The Message puts it this way: “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”

I’ve certainly known generous people who were facing serious problems, but I’ve never known a generous soul—of any income level—who was chronically unhappy. Sure, we all struggle with life’s tough circumstances. But I’ve found in life what studies confirm: even in hard times, loving, generous people always default not only toward gratitude but happiness. That wonderful Ukrainian family might have missed their butter, but the payoff of loving Jesus and us by showing hospitality was, to them, a far greater treasure.

See more resources on money and giving, as well as Randy's related books, including  Managing God's Money  and  Giving Is the Good Life .

Photo: Pexels

Sixty Years Later, C. S. Lewis’s Voice Still Speaks

I shared these reflections on my Facebook page last Wednesday, but I wanted to also share them on my blog and add some other important things about C.S. Lewis.

Wednesday, November 22, flooded me with memories of exactly 60 years ago, as a nine-year-old third grader at Orient Elementary School. I remember the exact place I was standing on the stairs, walking from one room to another about 10:40 AM when a teacher, also on the stairway, said, “President Kennedy has been shot.” Within the hour we got the news that he was dead. It affected all the teachers and students dramatically.

When I got home from school that day, my mother was in front of our black and white TV weeping. JFK was young and strong and athletic, very popular among children. We talked about him in class all the time; it was very different from today’s world. All of our lives changed that day, as it all seemed so unthinkable. That Thanksgiving and Christmas our country was under a shadow.  The president was a superhero to us (not so much to many church families, but I didn’t grow up in a church family).

Years later, after I had come to Christ and was by then reading every book by C. S. Lewis I could find, I discovered that Lewis had died the same day as Kennedy. Still later I learned it was just one hour earlier. Two immensely powerful figures in my life, one who would eventually exert far more and lasting influence than the president.

Samuel James writes, “It is a remarkable providence that John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis died on the same day. It is likewise remarkable that while Kennedy obtained the most powerful office in the world, it is the professor, the letter writer, and the storyteller Lewis whose prophetic voice rings out most audibly and most wisely from the grave.”

(See his article A prophetic voice rings out.)

Finally, this article from Trevin Wax on Lewis’s last days is touching. Trevin writes,

Lewis said goodbye to his closest friends, perhaps like Reepicheep as he headed over the wave in his coracle in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader—“trying to be sad for their sakes” while “quivering with happiness.” The joy—the stab of inconsolable longing—that animated his poetry and prose was on display in how he died, in those weeks of quiet rest, as he endured his physical maladies with patience and good humor, in full faith that this earthly realm is just a prelude to the next chapter of a greater story, a new and wondrous reality suffused with the deep magic of divine love.

See Randy’s blog about C. S. Lewis’s influence on his life and writing, as well as his conference message about C.S. Lewis on Heaven and the New Earth.

JFK photo: Wikimedia Commons

May Christ’s Promise of Eternity with Him Cause You to Rejoice This Thanksgiving

Tomorrow will be our family’s second Thanksgiving with Nanci in Heaven. I am so deeply grateful for the life God gave us together, and it is impossible to be this grateful without also being happy. This is 2 Corinthians 6:10, “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” And it is not just words or pretense; it’s an absolute blood-bought reality, a certainty that I feel deep in my heart and bones. I sense continuously His presence. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).

Of all people, God’s people have the best reasons to rejoice at Thanksgiving. After all, our names are written in Heaven not because we were smart and strong and moral. Rather, “because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). In other words, Jesus became for us, and remains for us, what we could never be for ourselves. And that should overwhelm us with unending gratitude.

Author Nancy Guthrie writes, “God is calling us to receive with thankful joy our Savior. He is calling us to join in the heavenly celebration, that we might be happy as He is glorified. God has come to us in Christ to bring glory to Himself in the highest as He grants us peace here in our lives. What can we do but rejoice?”

I am continuously grateful to Jesus, the Creator and Master Builder, who has paid the price of redemption and will one day completely fix all that’s broken and bring into full flower the New Heavens and New Earth, the home of relentless and unending happiness.

Helen Keller blind and deaf since a toddler, wrote, “For three things I thank God every day of my life: thanks that he has vouchsafed me knowledge of His works; deep thanks that He has set in my darkness the lamp of faith; deep, deepest thanks that I have another life to look forward to—a life joyous with light and flowers and heavenly song.”

One day, Nanci and I—and all of God’s risen people—will behold “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. …No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face…” (Revelation 22:1-4).

I am also so grateful for your support of EPM’s ministry, whether that’s through prayer, giving, or reading and sharing our resources. Whatever challenges and joys you might be facing this Thanksgiving season, I trust you will experience the presence and love of King Jesus. May we all anticipate the glorious fulfillment of God’s great promise that in the coming ages He will continuously reveal to us the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. And until then, even today, may He give us glimpses of that grace and kindness for which we owe Him all gratitude and praise.

Photo: Unsplash