Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 32

Andy Stanley, the Unconditional Conference, and Why We Cannot Be More Loving Than Jesus

I met Andy Stanley twenty years ago. I found him interesting and likeable. We had a number of mutual friends, I knew people at his church, and I have recommended several of his books that I found helpful and on target. I am sad to say that in the last eight years or so I have been unable to recommend Andy’s teaching for a variety of reasons. This 2016 article by Josh Buice documents some of those. I take no delight in being a critic in this situation. On the contrary, I find it heartbreaking.

Many readers are aware of the recent controversy surrounding Andy, who is senior pastor of North Point Community Church. North Point hosted the Unconditional Conference, designed for parents of LGBTQ+ children and ministry leaders, which claimed to approach LGBTQ+ issues from “the quieter middle space.” It featured speakers who are either in same-sex relationships or are supportive of those who are.  

I’d like to recommend a few resources related to this. First, Sam Allberry wrote an article on Andy Stanley’s ‘Unconditional’ Contradiction. He does a good job of summarizing the serious issues with the conference.

Second, before the conference, Albert Mohler wrote a thoughtful column for WORLD: The train is leaving the station: Andy Stanley’s departure from Biblical Christianity.  After it, Andy Stanley responded to Mohler’s article in his Sunday sermon. In his follow up article (Go and sin no more: Andy Stanley doubles down on his departure from Biblical Christianity), Al writes, “…he stated up front that he ‘never subscribed’ to the Christianity I represent, so he has not departed from it. Stanley represented my understanding of Biblical Christianity as drawing lines and suggested that Jesus, unlike those who draw lines, drew circles: ‘He drew circles so large and included so many people in His circle that it consistently made religious leaders nervous.’”

Al Mohler continues:

The problem with Stanley’s assertion that Jesus drew circles rather than lines is that the four Gospels consistently present Jesus as drawing both. He did draw lines, such as when He told of the good Samaritan who, unlike the religious leaders of His day, helped the man assaulted by robbers. Casting the Samaritan as the God-honoring character in the parable was indeed a way of drawing a circle. Jesus came to save sinners, and thus we are saved. But Jesus never drew circles that ignored the reality of sin. Christ also drew lines with clarity, such as the line separating the sheep from the goats. Similarly, the Apostles preached the great good news of the gospel, yet also called Christians to holy living and to avoid sexual immorality. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).

Third: writer, theologian, and pastor Gavin Ortlund made a video on Is Same-Sex Marriage an “Agree-to-Disagree” Issue? He responded to Stanley’s comments after the Unconditional Conference:

Gavin says, “Jesus said, ‘Come as you are,’ but He didn’t say, ‘Stay as you are.’” And: “Giving people clarity on what God commands is love. And giving them ambiguity about what God commands is unloving and unkind. It isn’t compassion.”

Finally, Greg Stier shared these reflections:

It’s not whether or not a church is affirming that bothers me so much as what that church has to do to Scripture to get to that conclusion. Yes, we must love those in the LGBTQ community. We must reach them with the hope of the gospel. But we cannot dismiss, redefine, or minimize what Scripture clearly says on these issues.

All of the current Christian chatter on social media regarding this subject ultimately comes down to one issue, Biblical authority. Do we really believe God’s Word is authoritative? Are we willing to submit to its commands, both to love everyone with the love of Christ and being willing to call a sin a sin?

It is my contention that we can be 100% truthful and 100% loving at the same time. I believe we can speak the truth in love. I believe we can call homosexuality a sin and compel those in that community to come to Jesus as they are. As the old hymn goes, “Just as I am, thou wilt receive wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve because Thy promise I believe. Oh, Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

Once any sinner comes to Christ in simple faith based on his finished work on the cross, they are born again (John 3:3). They have a new identity in Christ and as a child of God (John 1:12).

We can help new these new believers shed their old lifestyles and live holy lives as new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Everyone comes to Christ as a sinner, totally unable to change themselves or turn from their sins in their own strength. But as soon as they put their faith in Christ they are declared righteous in the sight of God (Romans 4:5), regenerated spiritually (Titus 3:5) and immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14.) Now, that new believer has all the powers of heaven at their disposal to live a life that pleases God on every level, including when it comes to their gender and sexuality (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).

And we, as fellow sinners-turned-saints, must help them walk in that spiritual victory, as others have helped us!

That journey will be messy; sanctification always is. But we must “fail forward” together, helping each other make progressive steps in holiness until we ultimately fall into the arms of Jesus and (hopefully) hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Let us strive to submit to God’s Word on these issues. May we speak the truth in love. May we strive to live humble lives drenched in love, compassion, and holiness.

Some last thoughts: John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (emphasis added). Jesus distinguished Himself from the attitudes of the Pharisees toward the adulterous woman when He said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” But He still said to her, “Go and sin no more.” The Gospels show us how Jesus treated each person, full of grace and truth. Sometimes (sensing that person’s particular heart and needs), He came across heavier on truth, and other times heavier on grace, but never devoid of either. He came across differently than the truth-only Pharisees, but also differently than modern grace-only Christians who would picture themselves being loving because they never raise the sin issue, or redefine what is and isn’t sin. (Do we really think it’s possible to be more loving than Jesus?)

To admit we are unworthy sinners, that we are lost without Jesus, and that we are called to forsake our sins is difficult, but it is necessary in order to come to true faith in Christ. That is the gospel message for everyone, heterosexual or homosexual: that all our sins are sufficient to send us to hell, which is why we desperately need the Savior. The gospel is insulting to all of us. But it is the grace and power of God. And it is Christ’s grace and His truth that set us free.

Also see our recent article series on gender confusion and sexuality .

Photo: Pexels

Prayer Requests from a Church in Israel

The following is from a church in Israel that Nanci and I attended years ago. We got to know the founder and pastor, and I believe this information to be trustworthy:

October 16, 2023

As of this writing, Israel has not entered into Gaza by ground yet. The Israeli army is waiting, giving more time for the innocent citizens of Gaza to flee south (near Egypt), thus escaping the war zone. Day after day, the IDF [the Israel Defense Forces] is strongly urging the civilians to flee. The army goal is to obliterate Hamas only, not the people of Gaza.

We are a resilient people, but right now, our hearts are shattered at the depth of barbarism that occurred on October 7. More than two thousand Hamas terrorists slaughtered innocent families who were hiding in their homes, burning them alive and beheading babies, as well as brutally kidnapping many of them to Gaza. They kidnapped soldiers, entire families, shot parents in front of the children then dragged the children off to Gaza after just seeing their parents killed in cold blood. The pictures and stories are beyond our capacity to digest. The numbers are devastating: 1,300 died, 3,842 injured as of this writing. One hundred ninety-nine families have been informed their relative was kidnapped. Currently, some of them are in critical condition, not receiving proper care. There is no one in Israel who doesn’t know someone impacted by this war. The state of Israel is devastated and in mourning, with funerals happening non-stop. Never before have so many Jewish citizens been murdered in one day since the Holocaust, and the rockets are still being fired into Israel, over 6,300 up till now.

In the midst of all the atrocities, there are miracles that are taking place every day. Soon, we look forward to sharing them with you. But until then, please continue to pray for God’s shelter from the arsenal storm of the enemy. We take comfort that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God’s mighty outstretched arm, and the prayers of the saints.

When you see Israelis say “Am Yisrael Chai,” we are declaring that “the People of Israel Live.” We know it is because of the Grace of God alone. Together we bow in prayer and praise, to Him to care for us, to protect us, to heal our land.

Join us in praying for:

A wall of prayer to hold back Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria from opening a front in the north.
Security and protection for the soldiers and citizens as we enter into Gaza by ground forces.
Protection and salvation for the innocent civilians of Gaza.
That accurate news will be disseminated throughout the world and not propaganda causing people to believe lies and get into fear.
For the shock and trauma to lift off and healing and comfort to take place throughout Israel.
The body of Yeshua to be united both in Israel and the world to pray against the schemes of the devil.
Believers to be able to share our Faith, and the people receive the Hope and Love of our Savior.

"Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." (Michah 7:8)

And here are more prayer requests this church sent last week:

Pray for the young people who have been called up to active military service as well as their families who see them off knowing how devastating this conflict is. Joining with the soldiers who are already in service. There are many from our congregation and all the congregations in Israel being called up daily.
Pray for the soldiers, for wisdom and discernment when looking for the terrorists who are still hiding in the villages and other places through the country.
Pray for the kidnapped soldiers and citizens, many elderly, women, small children, for their safety and quick release.
Pray for a wall of fire, for protection against the intervention of Hezbollah, the Muslim Shihad from Lebanon, allies of Iran, that they will not open another front against Israel from the North.
Our families and friends living in the south where the devastation is the most extensive. Pray they are safe, out of harm’s way and will be healed of post-traumatic stress. All of them will have friends/relatives that they celebrated the holidays with, now gone.
Our government and military to make wise, long-lasting decisions that honors God, seeks His help and wisdom to defeat the enemy and save our troops.
Many families lost their home along with all their belongings. Pray they God will supply and provide for them.
For the body of Yeshua to unite and be the light to their friends and family. Going through this trauma as well, for God to give them the strength to give out.

Photo: Pexels

Raising Faithful Stewards

Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:25). This is the Good News Translation, and it correctly renders the Greek word makarios as happiness.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is freedom from materialism. How? By teaching them to be generous givers who know everything belongs not to them, but to God. And by demonstrating that greater joy is found in giving than keeping.

Giving statistics are bleak. They consistently show that older generations give away a higher percentage of their money than younger ones. We’re failing to teach our children to give, and that failure will both rob them of joy and hinder the work of Christ around the globe.

When our girls were seven and five, I gave each of them three jars labeled “Giving,” “Saving,” and “Spending.” Every time they received money from chores or gifts, they were to put at least ten percent into the giving jar, then distribute the rest between the other jars. Once they put money in the giving Jar, it was untouchable until they gave it to the Lord at church.

When they put money in “Saving,” they could spend it only for something planned. But they were free to transfer money from saving or spending to giving, or from spending to saving.

I’ll never forget the night I explained this system to my daughters. They were so excited they immediately distributed the money they already had between the jars. They used those jars for years. This simple system may have resulted in more financial education than anything else my wife Nanci and I did.

Many of us have become so immersed in our culture that we’ve lost the ability to discern what will—and won’t—count for eternity. But Jesus commanded us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). We put our treasures in Heaven by giving to build God’s kingdom, not our own.

God entrusts riches to us, not to increase our standard of living, but to increase our standard of giving. When Jesus tells us to store up treasures in Heaven, He’s saying, “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

How can we pass these truths to our children? By example.

Over two decades ago my family began giving away 100 percent of the royalties from my books. When my youngest daughter was a teenager, we rode our bikes into an expensive neighborhood and admired the biggest, most beautiful house. When I saw the selling price, I said, “If we had kept the royalties from the last year and a half, we could pay cash for that house. Do you wish we would’ve done that?”

My daughter laughed. “Dad, it’s just a house!”

Money didn’t have a hold on her. She had learned it all belonged to God, and there was no greater joy than giving it back to Him. Keeping it would have gained us a nice house; giving it gained us an eternal investment.

The more children witness us practicing wise and generous stewardship, the more natural it will seem. If we give generously, save rather than borrow, and spend carefully, we grant our children a wonderful gift—and guard them from financial disaster.

The next generation is growing up amid vast wealth, which many will inherit. Yet most have not learned the habits and joys of giving, saving, and wise spending. If we parents don’t teach our children how to manage God’s money, who will?

If you want your children to develop hearts for God, don’t overlook what Jesus explicitly says will accomplish that: giving. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Our duty is clear: “Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

Some say we shouldn’t require our children to give. That makes no more sense than advising, “Don’t make your children wash their hands before they eat or wear coats when it’s cold.”

Others say, “Giving must be from the heart, not imposed.”

I respond, “But giving—like Bible study, prayer, and witnessing—is a habit, and all good habits can and should be cultivated.” There’s no better way for parents to cultivate giving than by making it one of their family’s standard practices.

In the movie Chariots of Fire, Olympian Eric Liddell says, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” When they give, our children can learn to feel God’s pleasure.

Likewise, we can teach our children how to properly manage money by showing them how we spend it. (If you aren’t spending it wisely, this could motivate you to change!) By the time children are ten—in some cases younger—they’re old enough to learn about the family budget.

Nanci and I occasionally allowed our daughters to spend impulsively. This was difficult. But if we always say no to their unwise decisions, even though children may reluctantly obey, they won’t learn wisdom through firsthand experience.

We must be careful not to bail them out or say, “I guess you learned your lesson, so I’ll get you what you want.” If your child squanders his lunch money, what should you do? Nothing. He must earn more money, use the money he’s saved, or go without lunch. If we don’t interfere with the natural laws of life, mistakes can be our children’s finest teachers.

An alarming number of children growing up in Christian homes are afflicted with the killer disease “affluenza.” Consider a typical Christmas in the U.S. After the annual obstacle course through crowed malls, the big day culminates in a pile of abandoned, unappreciated toys. Far from being thankful, children are often grabby, crabby, and ungrateful—because they’ve been given so much.

Children who grow up getting most of what they want without having to earn it have a predictable future. Odds are they’ll misuse credit, blame others, and believe their family, church, country, and employer—if they have one—owe them.

Nothing will interfere more with our children’s relationship with God—or prevent them from having one—than a life centered on things. Though many parents seem content to leave their children an inheritance, our job is to leave them a legacy of wisdom and generosity they can pass on to future generations.

An eternal impact can result from our acts of faithful stewardship. That’s because we’re stewards, not just of God’s money, but also of the children He entrusts to us.

Your Challenge

How can you teach your children the emptiness of materialism in a memorable way? Try taking them to a junkyard or dump. (The lines are short, admission is free, and little boys love it.)

Show them the piles of “treasures” that were formerly expensive presents. Point out things children quarreled about, honesty was sacrificed for, and marriages broke up over. Show them the useless remnants of battered dolls and electronic gadgets.

Explain to them that most of what your family owns will one day end up in a junkyard. Read to them 2 Peter 3:10-14, which tells us that everything in this world will be consumed by fire.

Then ask: “When all that we owned lies broken and useless, what will we have done with our lives that will outlast this world?” Tell your kids you want your life to count for eternity, and that you’re praying they’ll learn with you the Christ-exalting joy of generous and faithful stewardship.

Your Plan

If you can’t get to a dump or junkyard anytime soon, try a thrift store or garage sale—or just lead a safari through your storeroom, closets, or an old toy chest. Point out items that once seemed so desirable but are now abandoned. If that won’t work for you in the next 24 hours, use the following space to make a list (with your child’s help) of at least five possessions your family used to have but no longer does. Talk about why these items are gone. What did they cost? What was their real worth? How could remembering them help you and your child next time you face a buying decision?

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: Unsplash

Pray for Israel and the Peace of Jerusalem

Our hearts are broken for the people of Israel who have endured such great atrocities inflicted upon women and children and the elderly, slaughtered mercilessly. I also pray for those who seek peace, including believers in Jesus in Gaza, who will inevitably suffer as a result of Israel’s justified actions in defense of its people. (What else can Israel do but retaliate and try to bring justice to the perpetrators of these terrible crimes? What would the U.S. government do in the same circumstances? What would we want them to do?)

It is Hamas that has done this, a terrorist organization, and if there was a way to punish Hamas, and only Hamas for this, it would be ideal. But that would be like saying in World War II one should wage war only against the Nazis, not against the people of Germany, which included many who did not support the Nazi government, though there were, unfortunately, many who tolerated it. 

My heart breaks for innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians, but for sure any chance of peace in the Middle East, at least in the near future, has been decimated by the horrific actions of Hamas against innocent men, women, and children. Gavin Ortlund writes, “There is some evil in this world, like what Hamas terrorists are doing, that is hard to account for apart from belief in supernatural evil (demons). God, protect the innocent and break the teeth of the wicked (Psalm 58:6).”

I have met genuine believers in Christ in Gaza and in Israel. Let’s pray for those Christians, and their influence on those around them. Pray that in the midst of tragedy—and the further tragedies that are almost certain to follow—hearts would be turned toward Jesus, who is not only King of Kings, but also the Prince of Peace. 

In his article “Rachel weeps for her children: Israel’s fight is our fight as well,” Al Mohler writes,

The cumulative shock, grief, and horror experienced in Israel over the last few days is unspeakable and incalculable. The anger is palpable and justified. The righteous wrath of Israel is now to be unleashed, and difficult days lie ahead. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Among the residents in Gaza are Christian believers, trapped in a war started by Hamas and now prosecuted by Israel. We pray for those Christians even as we pray for Israel. Some of these believers are also victims of Hamas and its ideology.

A brother in the U.K, Gavin Drake, has a written a helpful article on “What’s happening in Israel and Gaza, and how should Christians pray?” He explains some of the history of the Gaza strip, and writes:

There are two evil positions: one is to be so pro-Israeli that you want to see Palestinians crushed, the other is to be so pro-Palestinian that you want to see Israel destroyed. Peace will only come to the Holy Land when Israelis and Palestinians – Jews, Muslims and Christians – feel secure and live in justice.

…In Psalm 122, King David extols us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. That has never been more important.

Many people are thinking about prophecy right now and wondering if these events are a specific fulfillment of any particular biblical prophecies. Biblical scholar Chad Bird addresses, “Is Psalm 83 predicting events in Gaza and Israel?” and reminds us to be responsible with our treatment of the Scriptures.

We know for sure Jesus is going to return, and we long for His return, but we don’t know when it will happen. Sometimes it is obvious when biblical prophecies are being fulfilled, but often there is such out-of-context speculation that the same passages have been cited as being fulfilled dozens and dozens of times by different events. 

This goes back at least to the 70s when as a young Christian, like many others, I was reading Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth. He was saying, based on his interpretations of passages, that Scripture was clear that Jesus would have to return by 1980.

Then there was the bestselling book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Happen in 1988. A variety of biblical passages were interpreted in ways which history did not bear out—and obviously, Jesus did not return in 1988. He said we do not know the day or the hour of His return. We need to believe that. The errors of that popular book (and many others have made similar errors since) were dealt with in this article by the Christian Research Institute, and can still be learned from today.

Finally, let’s be careful in how we talk about these subjects with others. No doubt, we will disagree about various aspects of this conflict, the specific actions of Israel’s response, how this particular war does or doesn’t fit into prophecy, and countless other things. I have already heard some sad stories of this issue dividing brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember that Satan is called the accuser of God’s family (Revelation 12:10) and uses every means to undercut our love for each other. Too often we do his work for him. His goal is to divide churches and keep people from believing the gospel.  (See Healing a Pandemic of Disunity, and When Christians Disagree about Beliefs and Actions.)

God’s people can be united in our desire to pray for peace, for His work in the hearts of both Israelis and Palestinians, for the growth of God’s Kingdom, and for His will to be done. We can be gracious with each other and believe the best of others. Let’s “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6), always looking forward to the day when we will experience everlasting peace when Christ reigns from the New Jerusalem.

God promises that He has a great future in store for Jerusalem: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream” (Isaiah 66:12). One day, Scripture’s repeated promises about land, peace, and the centrality of Jerusalem among all cities and nations will be fulfilled:

“I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” (Isaiah 65:19)

“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Yahweh—the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.” (Jeremiah 31:12)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:1–5)

If you'd like to give to help those suffering, we recommend Samaritan's Purse and World Relief, two reputable organizations that will be providing aid.

Photo: Unsplash

God’s Word Sustains Us When Life Is Hard

Psalm 119:107 says, “I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Yahweh, according to your word.” The God to whom the psalmist prays knows how much and the nature of his suffering. Jesus knows the same about us but invites us to pour out our hearts to Him nevertheless.

God’s Word gives us strength in our weariness, and it comforts and sustains us. When not afflicted, we tend to go astray, but God uses our afflictions to help us obey His Word (Psalm 119:67). Without God’s Word to sustain us, we will perish in our affliction. God has purpose in our affliction, and one purpose is to know Him better through studying His Word. We must not forget God’s Word, for it preserves our lives.

Clearly, if we are to face suffering well, if we are not to waste our suffering, we must let it take us to God’s Word. If we don’t, our loss will be incalculable. If we do, our gain will be abundant and eternal.

Before difficult times come your way, develop habits of studying God’s Word, listening to Christ-centered teaching and music, and reading soul-nourishing literature, both nonfiction and fiction. Daily fill the reservoir from which you can draw when facing difficult times—and helping others face theirs. Great peace comes in meditating on the attributes of our God and His care for us. His Word is a source of delight to us.

In this video, I share about how the Bible helps us face the hardest times of life.

Photo: Pexels

What Does It Mean That Christ Is a Friend to Sinners?

I love this audio devotional from the excellent book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. When I really love a book, I tend to either read it quickly or slowly. In the case of this book, I read it very slowly and spent multiple days reading some of the chapters because I found it so rich and nourishing and worthy of contemplation. Nanci also read it in the last year before she went to live with Jesus. I would highly recommend this book to any follower of Christ. Listen to this excerpt:

Read the Gospels, and it’s evident many sinners loved being around Jesus. They enjoyed His company, sought Him out, invited Him to their homes and parties. Unbelievers tore off the roof to get to Jesus. Why is that? What did Jesus show them? Grace. People sensed that Jesus loved them, even when He spoke difficult words. He was full of grace and truth. He drew them out of the night like a light draws moths.

No, Jesus didn’t minimize the truth of human sin; in fact, through His redemptive work, He paid the price for us because of His desire to be our Father and friend. That Jesus truly is and wants to be our friend is still a revolutionary concept to many Christians. If we believe it, we understand how Jesus’ disciples must have felt when He said, “No longer do I call you servants . . . but I have called you friends” (John 15:15).

Dwight L. Moody said, “A rule I have had for years is: to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. His is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have.”

Like Moody, I encourage you to think of Jesus as your mentor and best friend, as well as Savior and Lord. Your relationship with Jesus grows as you spend time with Him—as you talk and listen to Him. He truly is a friend of any sinner who will come near to Him.

See Randy's books  It's All About Jesus  and  Face to Face with Jesus .

Photo: Unsplash

Are You Experiencing Bible Poverty?

One of our staff sent me this video about “If Your Bible Was Your Cell Phone…” I thought this was great:

 
 
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jonathan Bonilla (@pastorjonathanbonilla)

It’s funny, but it makes a good point. And it’s a reminder that there are two kinds of Bible poverty in the world: first, the poverty of those who don’t have God’s Word in their own language; and second, the poverty of being surrounded by Bibles, but not reading them.

Scripture confronts sin in our lives, encourages our obedience, and gives us delight in Jesus. It is the source of correction, training, eternal perspective, and joyful rest from weariness and sorrow. Who but the devil and sin itself would distract us from such treasure?

I share some more thoughts in this video about the vital importance of Scripture in our lives:

Photo:Unsplash

Nations on the New Earth, and the Importance of God’s Word for People of Every Nation and Tongue

Most of us are unaccustomed to thinking of nations, rulers, civilizations, and culture in Heaven, but Isaiah 60 is one of many passages that demonstrate that the New Earth will in fact be earthly and full of the Earth’s nations. God’s people will have a glorious future in which the nations and their leaders will participate in and benefit from a renewed and glorious Jerusalem. It won’t be only some nations but all of them: “All assemble and come to you” (verse 4, NIV).

This will be a time of unprecedented rejoicing: “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy” (verse 5, NIV). On the renewed Earth, the nations will bring their greatest treasures into this glorified city: “The wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come” (verse 5, NIV).

Will we have ethnic and national identities? Yes. Is the risen Jesus Jewish? Certainly. Will we know He’s Jewish? Of course. Our resurrected DNA will be unflawed, but it will preserve our God-designed uniqueness, racial and otherwise. The elders sing to the Lamb: “You are worthy. . . . Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10, NLT). Who will serve as the New Earth’s kings and priests? Not people who were formerly of every tribe, language, people, and nation. Their distinctions aren’t obliterated—they continue into the present Heaven and then into the eternal Heaven.

Tribe refers to a person’s clan and family lineage. People refers to race. Nation refers to those who share a national identity and culture. Some scholars argue that the image of God has a corporate dimension. Richard Mouw writes in When the Kings Come Marching In: “There is no one human individual or group who can fully bear or manifest all that is involved in the image of God, so that there is a sense in which that image is collectively possessed. The image of God is, as it were, parceled out among the peoples of the Earth. By looking at different individuals and groups we get glimpses of different aspects of the full image of God.”

If this is true, and I believe it may be, then racism is not only an injustice toward people but also a rejection of God’s very nature. On the New Earth we’ll never celebrate sin, but we’ll celebrate diversity in the biblical sense. We’ll never try to keep people out. We’ll welcome them in, exercising hospitality to every traveler. Peace on Earth will be rooted in our common ruler, Christ the King, who alone is the source of peace: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14, NASB).

On the New Earth, “the nations will walk by [Christ’s] light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into [the New Jerusalem]. On no day will its gates ever be shut. . . . The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Revelation 21:24-26, NIV).

Tribes, peoples, and nations will all make their own particular contribution to the enrichment of life in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 21:24-26). Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would be “given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (Daniel 7:14).

Consider what it will be like to worship with Masai, Dinka, Hmong, Athabascan, Tibetan, Waodani, Icelandic, Macedonian, Moldovan, Moroccan, and Peruvian believers. In the sweeping breadth of his redemptive work, I believe that God may resurrect not only modern nations but also ancient ones, including, for instance, Babylon and Rome. Are ancient Assyrians, Sumerians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, and Greeks among God’s redeemed? We know they are, for no nation, past or present, is excluded from “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9, NIV).

Hundreds of nations, thousands of people groups, untold millions of redeemed individuals will gather to worship Christ. And many national and cultural distinctions, untouched by sin, will continue to the glory of God.

As we anticipate that coming New Earth, could there be anything more important than getting God’s Word to people around the world, so that they may know Jesus and enjoy life with Him forever? Earlier this year I spoke to a gathering of illumiNations partners (Bible translation and resource partners working together to eradicate Bible poverty in this generation). I shared about the gift of generous giving, as well as Revelation 5:9 and the hope of God’s Word reaching people of every tribe and language and nation:

I encourage you to check out the illumiNations site, where you can learn more and donate towards translation efforts.

Photo: Unsplash

God Calls Us to Find Happiness in Him

In my novel Safely Home, I tell the story of two Harvard roommates reunited in China twenty years after graduation. One is American businessman Ben Fielding, an entrepreneur in international high-tech corporate partnerships. The other is Li Quan, a brilliant academic who, when Ben last saw him, was headed home to be a professor at a Chinese university.

When Ben reconnects with Li Quan on a business trip to China, he’s shocked to find his old friend living in poverty, working as a locksmith’s assistant, and involved with a house church often raided by the police. Shortly after the two become reacquainted, Quan is imprisoned. Yet even in prison, to Ben’s astonishment, Quan remains cheerful, trusting God and rejoicing in His goodness despite enduring cruel treatment.

The longer Ben stays in China and the more time he spends with Li Quan and his wife and son, the more he envies his old friend. Even with everything he has going for him and everything working against Quan, Ben realizes he wishes he could trade places with his former roommate. Why? Because Quan has what Ben doesn’t: love and happiness. Li Quan drew his happiness from God, who was with him even in prison. Ben Fielding attempted to find happiness in everything the world had to offer . . . and failed miserably.

Happiness is God’s command—and a pleasant calling— for His people.

C. S. Lewis said, “It is a Christian duty . . . for everyone to be as happy as he can.” Happiness is a privilege. However, since God repeatedly calls upon us to rejoice, delight, and be glad in Him, we have an obligation to actually do so.

This makes sense only if the God we love is happy, if the gospel message we embrace and proclaim is happy, and if Heaven is a happy place. It makes sense if we understand that people long to be happy and won’t turn to Jesus if they believe there’s no happiness in Him. Others will judge whether there’s happiness in Jesus by whether they see happiness in His followers. Hence, our happiness is, indeed, a Christian duty.

But what an incredibly wonderful responsibility it is . . . like being required to eat Mom’s apple pie! We’re accustomed to thinking of duty as drudgery, not happiness. But a person’s duty to love his or her spouse or to care for a son or daughter, and a soldier’s duty to defend his country—when done with the right heart and perspective—all bring satisfaction, contentment, and happiness.

Paul’s words in Philippians 4:4 are often translated “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” They could also be translated, “Be happy in the Lord always, and again I say be happy.” Commenting on this verse, Spurgeon said, “It is intended that we should be happy. That is the meaning . . . that we should be cheerful.”

This passage commands us twice to be glad in God. A command carries with it the duty to obey, and when it’s repeated, that expectation is intensified. Fortunately, when God commands us to rejoice, His Holy Spirit empowers us to obey.

The fact that “rejoice” is followed by “always” and is repeated (“again I say rejoice”) makes it one of the most emphatic directives in Scripture. If our lives are not characterized by rejoicing, or if we’ve given up on happiness, we’re missing out on what God intends for us. We must go to Him and ask for His help and empowerment to find joy in Him.

Only if we truly want to experience the happiness-driven desires of our hearts will we be drawn to God by verses such as this: “Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desire” (Psalm 37:4, GNT).

Judging by what we hear, we might expect Scripture to say, “Obey God, and say no to your heart’s desire.” Not so!

Jesus says, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

The Contemporary English Version and God’s Word Translation both render the final clause in John 16:24 this way: so that we will be “completely happy.”

Can our joy be full if we’re not happy? No.

The CEV, a translation from the original biblical languages (not a paraphrase), says:

Be happy and shout to God who makes us strong! (Psalm 81:1)

Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. (Matthew 5:12)

The Bible clearly commands us to be happy.

You may not be accustomed to thinking that God commands us to be happy. But it’s a fact. And I’m betting it’s a command most of us would like to obey!

Some have an intuitive resistance to the notion that happiness is unbiblical, and so we should. A blogger says, “Happiness isn’t in the Bible? But what about all the commands to rejoice? What about laughter? Please tell me I’m not supposed to always be heavy-hearted, trudging along and begrudging obedience. I want to be a happy Christian!”

Scripture confirms that God wants us happy.

I’ve studied more than 2,700 Scripture passages where words such as joy, happiness, gladness, merriment, pleasure, celebration, cheer, laughter, delight, jubilation, feasting, exultation, and celebration are used. Throw in the words blessed and blessing, which often connote happiness, and the number increases.

God is clear that seeking happiness—or joy, gladness, delight, or pleasure—through sin is wrong and fruitless. But seeking happiness in Him is good and right.

Even Jeremiah, who’s called “the weeping prophet” since he was brokenhearted over the tragic suffering of God’s people, spoke prophecies of happiness. He saw the future—some of it in this world’s Jerusalem and much of it in the New Jerusalem to come—and in it he was given glimpses of God’s promised happiness:

Hear the word of the Lord. . . . [My people] will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord. . . . They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.  Jeremiah 31:10, 12-13, NIV

That’s a lot of joy for a weeping prophet!

Consider the Psalms, which reflect both great sorrow and great happiness:

I will be happy and rejoice in you! I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One! (Psalm 9:2, NET)

You will fill me with joy when I am with you. You will make me happy forever at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11, NIRV)

God, your love is so precious! . . . [People] eat the rich food in your house, and you let them drink from your river of pleasure. (Psalm 36:7-8, NCV)

I will go to your altar, O God; you are the source of my happiness. I will play my harp and sing praise to you, O God, my God. (Psalm 43:4, GNT)

As Jeremiah and Jesus wept, we, too, will sometimes weep—and so we should. But if we’re not experiencing happiness in God, then we’re not obeying God’s commands and we’re missing out on the abundant life Jesus came to give us (see John 10:10).

For more, see Randy's blogs on happiness, as well as his book Happiness.

Photo: Unsplash

God Takes Our Stinginess or Generosity Personally

To give lavishly is to be rich toward God; to hoard or spend on ourselves without regard for others is to be impoverished toward God. He accepts our gifts to the needy as if they were given directly to Him: “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed” (Proverbs 19:17).

Any lifestyle that doesn’t align with God’s priorities and won’t hold up after death is not a good one—no matter how glamorous or appealing or sensible it seems at the time.

What Makes Someone a Fool?

In Christ’s story of the rich fool a man decides to hoard his fortune then “take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (see Luke 12:13-21). The word translated “fool” literally means “unthinking one.” Mindless. Senseless. The rich fool was out of touch with eternal realities. Despite death’s inevitability, he failed to prepare for it—and failed to remember that he would give an account to God (Romans 14:12).

The rich fool stored up treasures for himself on Earth as if he were the center of the universe and as if this world was where he’d live forever. The man was a fool to imagine his silver, gold, crops, land, and barns were actually his. He was a fool to ignore God’s claims on him and his possessions:

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1, NIV)

“The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the Lord Almighty. (Haggai 2:8, NIV)

A wise person will regularly ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do with all you have put in my hands?” God’s Word tells us exactly how to prepare now for the afterlife. Though our culture and even some of our Christian friends may encourage us to do so, we don’t have to live like fools!

In the world’s eyes, the rich fool was a great success. Today he would be admired, and he might even be placed on a church or ministry board. But in the end, all his success counted for nothing.

Had the rich fool acknowledged God as his Creator and Redeemer, and as the ultimate owner of everything he possessed, he would have been rich toward God and stored up treasures in Heaven. Instead, he stored up for himself treasures on Earth and  was suddenly and eternally parted from them at death.

The most troubling aspect of this parable is that if we met this man, most of us would commend him for his foresight.

Notice he isn’t called the rich sinner, but the rich fool.

Materialists Are Self-Destructive Keepers

Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson observed this about those who fail to live generous lives:

By holding onto what we possess, we diminish its long-term value to us. In protecting only ourselves against future uncertainties and misfortunes, we become more anxious about uncertainties and vulnerable to future misfortunes. In short, by failing to care well for others, we actually do not properly take care of ourselves.

Christ-followers are self-enriching givers. Why? Because giving inevitably enlarges our hearts, lives, and capacity for joy.

Don’t misunderstand. The true good life doesn’t say no to wealth or pleasures. Rather, it says yes to greater and lasting wealth and pleasures that are found when we cheerfully part with God’s money and possessions for others’ good and God’s glory.

God graciously gives us money and possessions to meet real needs, both our own needs and the needs of others. He wants us to enjoy life, but He doesn’t entrust excess to us so we can indulge excessive wants. Money and possessions are not life-giving. They are utterly incapable of imparting to us the identity, purpose, significance, and security we crave.

I recently heard someone talk about the rampant unhappiness, disease, and disillusionment he and his friends experienced while, he said, they were “living the good life.” Though I put that phrase in quotation marks, this person didn’t use air quotes or note the irony that what he called the “good life” was in fact devastatingly bad. In his case, the “good life” included drugs and sexual immorality, led to the loss of his wife and children, and ultimately left him utterly empty.

Even when this so-called good life brought times of enjoyment, it was only “the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25). Such pleasures don’t even last in this world, and they certainly won’t outlive this life. The rich man in Christ’s story learned the hard way that his prosperity was short lived. It came to a dramatic and eternal end at his death, when God proclaimed, “You fool!”

Our Source of Life

To understand what constitutes the good life, we need to understand what life really is, where it comes from, and where it’s going.

God is the eternal source of life. He gave human beings “the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7), and He designed the first people to experience communion with Himself, the living God. In the presence of Eden’s tree of life (Genesis 2:9), He walked with Adam and Eve as they enjoyed a life-giving and delightful relationship (Genesis 3:8). God warned them, though, that if they ate of the fruit of one particular tree, this beautiful life would tragically end in death (Genesis 2:17).

They disobeyed, and as promised, sin brought death. While Adam and Eve’s physical death came gradually, the end of their life-giving spiritual relationship with God was immediate.

Ever since, people have lived in a state of spiritual death, with dying bodies, decaying relationships, and failed dreams. Death is the new normal. But that’s not the end of the story. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus’ sacrifice conquers sin and death on our behalf.

John’s Gospel tells us that God created the world through Jesus, bringing life and light to His creation (John 1:1-5). He raised Lazarus from the dead to display His power to make dead people alive again (John 11:42-44). Then He, too, rose from the grave, ensuring the ultimate death of sin and the defeat of death itself. His resurrection gives us life (Romans 4:25). His coming back to life is the basis of God’s moving us from death to life (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Jesus calls Himself life in these four passages:

the bread of life (John 6:48)

the light of life (John 8:12)

the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)

the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6)

There’s no way to overestimate the importance of life in John’s Gospel. John tells readers his Gospel was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, NIV).

Jesus is not just a signpost or a compass to life; He is life. He’s not merely a map leading to water or an X that marks the spot where treasure is buried. Rather, He is the wellspring. He is the treasure.

The living God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). He offers us true life and, with it, blessing. But He warns us against sin and the curse that always comes with it. Just as He did in the Garden, God offers us the quality of life that comes from obeying Him. God says, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live” (Proverbs 4:4).

The Good Life Is Available to Everyone Who Knows Jesus

After establishing a restaurant chain, two banks, a ranch, a farm, and real estate ventures, Jerry Caven says the real fun started when his career was coming to an end:

At age 59 I was headed into retirement, looking for a nice lake home. Then God changed our plans and led Muriel and me to put our money and time overseas. It’s been exciting. Before, we gave token amounts, now we put substantial money into missions. Our hearts are in another country now. We visit and minister there often.

The Cavens say, “After seeing the way poor Christians in other countries trust him, we’ve asked God if he wants us to give away all of ‘our’ money. He hasn’t led us to do that yet. But we’ve meant it when we asked.”

When we live the good life, people quickly notice. The Cavens added this story: “A non-Christian couple saw us giving, and saw how much it excited and changed us. Then they started giving too, even before knowing Christ. They saw the joy and they wanted in on it!”

The simplest statement made in Scripture about the life that Jesus brings His people is perhaps also the most profound: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

The giving life is not about obligation or guilt or drudgery or merely surviving. It’s about life in abundance.

Adapted from Randy’s book Giving Is the Good Life .

Photo: Pexels