Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 50

The Story of the First Missionary Hymn

Note from Randy: I really love this article by Scott Hubbard, editor at Desiring God, for several reasons. It is so powerful from a missions perspective. Plus, I’m a huge fan of Isaac Watts who was not only a hymn writer but also a great theologian.

Watts wrote Nanci’s and my favorite Christmas hymn, which is actually a New Earth hymn. It is then and not until then that the Curse will be finally lifted! How far does Christ’s redemptive work extend? Isaac Watts: “He comes to make His blessings flow / Far as the curse is found.” A redemption that failed to reach the Curse’s farthest boundaries would be incomplete. God won’t be satisfied until every sin and sorrow is reckoned with!

When I think about Watts’s hymn  “Jesus Shall Reign,” I think of Daniel 7 and Isaiah 60 and other prophecies of God‘s reign and the New Earth redeemed national leaders under Him, which I speak of in “God’s Kingdom…And Ours.”

Listen to these great insights Scott offers on this wonderful hymn.

Jesus Shall Reign
The Remarkable Story of the First Missionary Hymn

By Scott Hubbard

On Pentecost Sunday 1862, as Western eyes watched civil war rip through America, an event just as momentous unfolded half a world away, hidden from every headline. Some five thousand men and women, many of them former cannibals, gathered on a South Pacific island to worship Jesus Christ.

George Tupou I, the first Christian king of Tonga, had assembled his citizens as part of a ceremony commemorating a new code of laws. And there, “under the spreading branches of the banyan trees,” writes George John Stevenson, with the king surrounded by “old chiefs and warriors who had shared with him the dangers and fortunes of many a battle,” five thousand voices sang,

Jesus shall reign where e’re the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

For centuries, the sun had run from east to west, the moon had waxed and waned, over a Tonga without Christ. His gospel had not yet reached Tonga’s shores; his kingdom had not yet touched Tongan hearts. But now, a new nation rose to sing his reign.

First Missionary Hymn

Although the words were not in the Tongans’ mother tongue (the song having been taught to them by Methodist missionaries), few lyrics could have described the situation in Tonga more fittingly. For by 1862, the hymn told their history.

“Christ’s Kingdom Among the Gentiles” — or, more commonly today, “Jesus Shall Reign” — has been labeled by some “the first missionary hymn.” Almost a century before the modern missionary movement, before William Carey sailed to India, and Adoniram Judson to Burma, and Hudson Taylor to China, and Methodist missionaries to Tonga, the English minister Isaac Watts (1674–1748) penned a hymn of Christ’s coming reign: a reign that would reach islands far beyond Britain and gather tongues far different from English.

To look out over unreached lands and sing “Jesus shall reign” is always a cry of faith, but Watts needed far more faith than we do today. The mustard seed of the kingdom had grown large by 1719 (when Watts published the hymn), but its branches had not yet spread far beyond the Western world (Matthew 13:31–32). It was not the kind of tree we see today, sheltering multitudes of peoples far south and east of Europe and North America.

Nevertheless, Watts knew his Bible — and in particular, he knew Psalm 72, of which “Jesus Shall Reign” is a Christian paraphrase. And so, by faith he sang of the day when “the whole earth [would] be filled with his glory” (Psalm 72:19).

Song in the South Seas

Two themes dominate the hymn the Tongans sang 160 Pentecosts ago: the universal reach of Jesus’s reign, and the unrivaled blessings of that reign. The risen Christ is on the move, undeterred until his blessed foot treads every coastland and continent, every inland and island, from Israel to England to Tonga. The Tongans sang because Christ’s reign had reached even them, and because his was the kind of reign to make one sing.

Universal Reach

The first stanza of Watts’s hymn, quoted above, finds its inspiration from words like these:

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
     and from the River to the ends of the earth! . . .
May his name endure forever,
     his fame continue as long as the sun! (Psalm 72:8, 17)

“A boundaryless, timeless kingdom calls for an omnipotent, eternal King.”

Psalm 72 comes from Solomon’s hand, written in the first place as a tribute to “the royal son” (Psalm 72:1). Clearly, however, the psalm speaks of a king greater than Solomon, even at the height of his strength: this royal Son’s kingdom is boundaryless (“to the ends of the earth”) and timeless (“endure forever”). And a boundaryless, timeless kingdom calls for an omnipotent, eternal King.

Far before 1862, then, God had planned to give Tonga to his Son. And so, Solomon, inspired by the Spirit, sang of the day when “the kings . . . of the coastlands [would] render him tribute” (Psalm 72:10), captured in the second verse of Watts’s hymn:

Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From North to South the Princes meet
To pay their homage at his feet.

On Tonga, one more island and one more king rendered tribute to Jesus. One more southern coastland paid homage at his feet. One more prince found his place in ancient prophecy, and bowed before the God who had pursued him.

Unrivaled Blessings

Conquered peoples seldom sing the reign of their new king — at least not willingly and gladly. Yet here is where Christ’s kingship differs so markedly from “the kings of the Gentiles” (Luke 22:25), for he conquers in order to bless. As Watts puts it,

Blessings abound where e’re he reigns,
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains,
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blest.

Wherever King Jesus plants his scepter, flowers bloom in fields of thorns, prisoners run for release, and the weariest of all finally rest. He is, Solomon says, “like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!” (Psalm 72:6). And therefore, “May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Psalm 72:17). In 1862, the Tongans were, and did.

Some today may cringe at the claim that a nation like Tonga needs Jesus — indeed, is lost without him. The idea may sound like it belongs to the Age of Imperialism. But those who have felt sin’s bone-bruising chains, and the black cell of guilt, and the impossibility of escape — and have heard, at last, the King’s “come forth!” — cannot cringe. Rather, we sing.

Some of the Tongans, remember, had eaten humans. But now, those very mouths were praising the risen Christ. We may be more civilized sinners, but we have similar stories to tell, don’t we? The hands that once flew in rage now gently rise in praise. The feet that once fled to the far country now carry us to worship. The minds that once invented evil now weave good works. The eyes that once feasted on all that’s forbidden now gladly gaze at Christ.

Whatever the culture or background, Jesus reigns to bless — to redeem all the good, remove all the bad, and scatter gifts with open hands.

He Shall Reign

On Pentecost 1862, while the newspapers reported the progress of war, God was quietly advancing his kingdom among the coastlands. The tree from the mustard seed sprouted a new branch; the leaven of the kingdom rose a little higher. And so, on Pentecost 2022, we might reasonably wonder what marvels God is working outside the day’s headlines. Perhaps this morning, a nation on some far distant island began to sing his reign.

Regardless, we can join Watts, King George, and the five thousand Tongans to say it shall be. “Jesus Shall Reign” is not a prayer, but a declaration, and rightly so. For the day is coming soon when the psalm and the hymn will find their fulfillment, when the flag of the slain Lamb will wave on every hill, and every tongue will hail the reign of Christ the blessed Lord.

This article originally appeared on Desiring God and is used with permission of the author.

Photo by Shaah Shahidh on Unsplash

There’s a Fierce Spiritual Battle at the Heart of Abortion

As should be obvious from the intensity of the outcries to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, when it comes to abortion, we are not talking about a topic that is just hotter than any other. Abortion is birthed by a force of darkness that will bitterly resist every effort to combat it, and which requires earnest and sustained prayer and alertness to the spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-20). The abortion battle is fought in the realm of thoughts and ideas.

Paul says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). That’s why I believe that if the darkness of child-killing is to be overcome with the light of truth and compassion, it will require spiritual warfare, fought with humble and consistent prayer (Ephesians 6:10–20).

As I develop in my novels Lord Foulgrin’s Letters and The Ishbane Conspiracy, there are demonic forces behind child-killing. Abortion is Satan’s attempt to kill God in effigy by destroying the little ones created in God’s image. We are not dealing here with “one more social issue,” but a unique and focused evil in which Satan has deeply vested interests.

Here’s how the demon Prince Ishbane describes abortion in a letter to Foulgrin, a subordinate demon, in The Ishbane Conspiracy:

I’m delighted at Brittany’s willingness to sacrifice her child on our altar. Praise Moloch. There’s nothing the Enemy [God] hates more than the shedding of innocent blood. So there’s nothing we love more. Nothing defines our control of a culture more than the frequency of child killing. Whatever they kill children in the name of—whether Moloch or choice or convenience or compassion—doesn’t matter. What matters is the killing itself.

The Enemy’s fond of His tiniest sludgebags. Often He uses them against us. He uses babies to turn irresponsible adults into responsible ones. He makes those who’ve scorned family values embrace them. What happens to the person who gives himself to care for the child? The elderly? The handicapped? He grows in compassion. Patience. Self-sacrifice. He becomes disgustingly less like us and more like the Enemy.

The more of the brats we can eliminate, the better. Our slogan on earth is “every child a wanted child.” In Erebus we say it plainly: “Every unwanted child a dead child.” When it comes to unwanted children, the Enemy seeks to remove the “unwanted.” We seek to remove the “children.”

Keep telling Brittany she’s making the best choice for every person involved. Just make sure she doesn’t think of the primary person involved.

Clouding Brittany’s brain comes down to the pronouns. As long as the baby is an “it,” not a “he” or “she,” we win. Make it “terminating a pregnancy,” never “killing a baby.” It’s all semantics. If a woman wants her baby, everyone recognizes the baby’s real. Kicking inside her. Clearly visible in the ultrasound. “Do you know if the baby’s a boy or a girl?” they’re routinely asked. But if they want to kill the baby, then shut their mouths about such things. Make them pretend.

We’ve exalted the word choice to a sacred mantra. Keep their focus on the grand notion of choice and off the particular choice in question. Ask them if they’re pro-choice and they’ll say yes. Don’t let them ask the obvious: “What choice are you talking about?” Are they pro-choice about rape, kidnapping, gay bashing, racial violence, and assault and bat­tery? Of course not. Are they pro-choice about killing preborn children? Of course, because every choice is good, isn’t it?

Don’t let them see what laws against murder and rape and kidnapping and child abuse do—they all restrict a person’s right to choose. In the Enemy’s moral framework, one per­son’s choice ends where another’s begins. The woman doesn’t choose to be raped. The Jews don’t choose to be gassed. The blacks don’t choose to be hung. The babies don’t choose to be aborted.

We celebrate choices that inflict suffering on the weak. The Enemy doesn’t. Our job is to make the vermin think like us, not Him.

Two go into the clinic. Only one comes out alive. Two victims for each abortion—one dead, one wounded. Two for the price of one! Hell’s sidewalk sale.

Jesus said of the devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning...when he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). It is no accident that Jesus speaks about Satan’s murders and his lies in the same breath. Lies are the wheels that turn every holocaust. To pull off his murders, Satan tells us lies. He is so eloquent, so persuasive in his lies, and we are so gullible, that we fall for his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). He masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), calling right wrong and wrong right, making us think—as many pro-choicers do—that they are taking the moral high ground and doing what’s right even as they defend something unspeakably immoral. We’ve seen that more than ever at this time in our nation’s history as pro-abortion forces are mobilized and motivated and will aggressively raise funds and recruit volunteers to fight to make abortion universally legal once again.

I don’t hate those who are pro-choice or believe they are the devil incarnate. We should pray for them and look for ways to have real dialogues full of both grace and truth. I know and like many who support what they call reproductive choice. I have listened to them, read their books, and watched their videos. (I think it’s fair to say I’ve studied the pro-choice arguments far more than most pro-choice people have.) I do not imagine people who are pro-choice are plotting to destroy civilization. I think they honestly believe that abortion is a necessary option that is ultimately best both for women and our society. But that doesn’t change the ugliness and darkness of what they are supporting or the fact that abortion brutally ends a child’s life.

I encourage you to download (without cost) my short book Pro-Choice or Pro-Life: Examining 15 Pro-Choice Claims—What Do Facts & Common Sense Tell Us?  It will equip you in your conversations and also is a great book to share with those who are pro-choice or are on the fence.

Photo by Brian Erickson on Unsplash

“One Anothers” You Won’t Find in the New Testament

Note from Randy: I love this article by Ray Ortlund, who shares great insights on his blog. In fact, I’ve considered asking him if we could just have blanket permission to repost a number of his articles! (Here are some of the past ones I’ve shared.)

Before you read today’s article, here’s an article from Tim Challies, listing out the true “one anothers” in Scripture. Then contrast them with what Ray says below.

The beautiful “one another” commands of the New Testament are famous. But it is also striking to notice the “one anothers” that do not appear there.

For example, sanctify one another, humble one another, scrutinize one another, pressure one another, embarrass one another, corner one another, interrupt one another, defeat one another, sacrifice one another, shame one another, marginalize one another, exclude one another, judge one another, run one another’s lives, confess one another’s sins . . . .

The kind of God we really believe in is revealed in how we treat one another. The lovely gospel of Jesus positions us to treat one another like royalty, and every non-gospel positions us to treat one another like dirt.  But we will follow through horizontally on whatever we really believe vertically.

Our relationships with one another reveal to us what we really believe as opposed to what we think we believe, our convictions as opposed to our opinions. It is possible for the gospel to remain at the shallow level of opinion, even sincere opinion, without penetrating to the deeper level of conviction. But when the gospel grips us down in our convictions, we embrace its implications wholeheartedly. Therefore, when we mistreat one another, our problem is not a lack of surface niceness but a lack of gospel depth. What we need is not only better manners but, far more, true faith.

Then the watching world might start feeling that Jesus himself has come to town:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

This article originally appeared on Ray's blog and is used with permission.

Photo by Åaker on Unsplash

 

Should We Say, “This World Is Not Our Home”?

We’ve probably all heard it said, “This world is not our home.” I used to say it, too. It’s true, but it’s a half truth. We should qualify it to say, “This world—as it now is, under the Curse—is not our home.” But we should also say, “This world—as it once was, before sin and curse—was our home.” And we should add, “This world—as it one day will be, delivered from the Curse—will be our home.”

Often we think of Heaven as our going up into an angelic realm to live with God in His place. But in fact, the Bible says the ultimate Heaven will be God coming down from His place to live with us in our place—the New Earth.

I share more in this video:

Let’s never fall for the devil’s lie that the physical universe is evil—God is the one who created it, who made us to live in it and desires us to rule over it forever for His glory! He will not annihilate the universe; He will reverse the Curse and refashion the universe to His glory. The Carpenter from Nazareth is a builder of worlds and a repairer of worlds. Both we and the Earth are in desperate need of repair. And that is His promise. Everything that is broken, including us, He will fix.

For more on the New Earth, see Randy’s book  Heaven . You can also browse our resources on Heaven and additional books.

Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

She Was Like a Tree Planted by Water

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and for your prayers over the last few months. I am still dealing with the physical and mental fatigue of grief, but there is progress, and I am grateful for it. Above all, I’m experiencing the peace and friendship of Jesus, and I’m so grateful not only for His Lordship, but His companionship.

Nanci and I always said that Jesus was our best friend, and we were each other’s second best friend. Now my second best friend is with my best friend, but my best friend is still here with me. “And behold, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). His presence helps me put one foot in front of the other, not with sense of drudgery, but with a sense of gratitude and comfort, knowing He is with me and is giving me strength.  

Jeremiah 17:7-8 was Nanci’s go-to Scripture during her four years of cancer: “Blessed is the one who trusts in Yahweh, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

I’ve been reflecting on how powerfully I saw that passage displayed in her life. During all the years I knew Nanci, she was devoted to Jesus. But something wonderful happened in her last four years. In her walk with God, her view of God, and her trust in God she mentored and discipled me. I watched her life in ways no one else could, day by day. (You can’t fool the person you live with!) I saw up close her diligence in reading and meditating on God’s Word, reading great books, and writing in her journals, which she would sometimes read to me.

I saw the reality of Jeremiah 17 in her life:

like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream

Every morning Nanci read Scripture, Spurgeon, The Valley of Vision (a book of Puritan prayers), Paul Tripp’s New Morning Mercies, and books by J. I. Packer, A. W. Tozer, and John Piper. She placed herself by the stream of God’s Word and great books, and she sent her roots deep.

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green

Nanci always cared for the plants and flowers around our house. I watered them during her illness, and under her direction they thrived. Likewise, she was careful to attend to her soul’s thirst. She wrote in her journal, “Trials/sufferings/‘heat’ will come—even to believers—but those who draw their sustenance from the LORD—‘the stream’—will not only survive; they will flourish.”

and is not anxious in the year of drought

for it does not cease to bear fruit

When Nanci sometimes felt anxious, she instructed herself by God’s Words, and the anxiety was replaced by peace and hope and rest in the great God she knew to be her Father, and the Jesus she knew not only as Savior and Lord, but friend. And WOW—she bore more fruit than ever before!

Nanci wrote, “Needing to trust in Christ, and then choosing to do so, results in Him making a home deeper in my heart. My trust allows my soul to continuously grow in the presence of God’s love for me. It is a deep and marvelous love.”

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to God—not just for what He did in our healthy years, but especially for what He did in our last four years together. It was a wonder to behold. I had a front row seat—THE front row seat—and it was far more compelling and ultimately triumphant than any sporting event or concert or rally.

God did a miracle of grace and empowerment in Nanci’s heart that far exceeds physical healing, and through her afflictions He achieved in her an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. I saw the miracle of my wife’s last years. She praised Jesus for it, and I will forever praise Him for it.

Photo by kien virak from Pexels

The Art of Arguing Well: Six Strategies for Winning the Abortion Debate Without Losing Your Opponent

Note from Randy: In this article, Mike Spencer, author of Humanly Speaking: The Evil of Abortion, the Silence of the Church, and the Grace of God, gives us six pieces of advice for when we’re talking about abortion with others. His advice is especially applicable to our cultural conversations in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.

I met Reagan on a flight home from a speaking engagement. After a few friendly questions, I discovered that he had married two years earlier, worked for the United States Air Force, and was returning from a business trip.

Our conversation lapsed, but about twenty minutes before our plane landed, I noticed Reagan had closed his book, so I asked another question. Eventually, he asked about my work. I explained that I advocate for the unborn threatened by abortion, as well as for their mothers facing unplanned pregnancies. Without skipping a beat, he responded, “I lean toward the pro-choice position. Tell me why I should be pro-life.” I answered, “Well, actually, you shouldn’t be pro-life if the science of human embryology is wrong.” Reagan’s curiosity was piqued, and we launched into a meaningful dialogue by focusing our discussion on the question at the heart of the abortion debate, “What are the unborn?” Before long, we had an audience as the passengers in the two rows in front of us didn’t even pretend not to be listening.

As the plane landed, Reagan surprised me with another direct question: “Thirty years of marriage? What’s your secret?” I answered, “Reagan, there’s no secret. My wife and I are convinced Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be. We’ve built our lives on this truth, and it has made all the difference in our marriage.” I have no idea what lasting impact, if any, my words had on him or our extended audience. But God knows, and I trust Him to use my words for His purposes.

I confess this was a conversation I could not have had 20 years ago. At that time, I lacked both the knowledge and the skill to navigate through thorny subjects like abortion without my passions getting the better of me. In my earlier years I meant well, but it is possible to have the right answers and the right motivation but the wrong approach. The apostle Paul must have had this in mind when he wrote, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 3:5-6).

Here are six simple strategies that will help you win the abortion debate without losing, or alienating, your audience.

Strategy #1: Take an honest interest in others.

With the noteworthy exception of public pro-life events and displays designed to create public dialogue, generally the most effective way to start one-on-one conversations about abortion is to talk about other things and simply look for natural openings. With Reagan, I did not set out to have a conversation about abortion. However, by expressing an honest interest in his life, a door of opportunity opened.

I’ve found that people are very interested in discussing abortion but are more inclined to do so when they know our care for them is genuine and not a sneaky sales tactic. If we are not careful, our burden for the unborn (or any theological, political, social, or moral topic) can blind us relationally, causing us to view family, friends, and strangers as targets rather than as people. (As my conversation with Reagan demonstrated, defending the unborn and sharing the gospel are not competing interests. Doing the first often presents the opportunity to do the second.)

Strategy #2: Attack arguments, not people.

Preaching the gospel repeatedly brought Jesus’ disciples face-to-face with hostile opponents. They undoubtedly felt the urge to lash out, to respond sarcastically, and to portray their antagonists unfairly. But they didn’t. Paul wrote, “Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). What a powerful example. Clever tactics and good apologetic arguments are vitally important, but arguing well on behalf of the unborn has to begin with love. We must resist the temptation to attack or demonize those with whom we disagree.

However, loving and respecting people does not mean loving and respecting their opinions. Some ideas are so bad and so dangerous that we are duty-bound to expose them: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). When an idea or argument justifies killing innocent human beings, defeating it becomes our calling. 

This isn’t an easy balance. If we are motivated by anything less than Christ’s love, the worst in them will bring out the worst in us.

Strategy #3: Define “winning” the abortion debate from a biblical perspective.

Winning does not necessarily mean having your pro-choice friend on his knees renouncing his pro-abortion position. There is freedom in recognizing that our part is simply to “make the most of every opportunity,” to be sure our conversations are “always full of grace and seasoned with salt,” and then to trust God for the results. Understanding this helps take the pressure off. Treat your opponents in such a way that if they visit your church and sit in the pew next to you, you will have nothing for which to apologize.

Strategy #4: Stay focused on the unborn and stay out of the weeds.

Perhaps you have noticed that abortion supporters want to talk about anything and everything except the unborn child. They talk about a woman’s “right to choose,” a broken foster-care system, hard-case scenarios like rape and incest, and a litany of other secondary issues. While these topics deserve our attention, none of them has anything to do with the moral question of abortion.

Even though many pro-choice people would have us believe abortion is a complicated matter, Scott Klusendorf lays out the pro-life argument with clarity: 

Premise 1: It is morally wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being.

Premise 2: Abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being.

Conclusion: Abortion is morally wrong.

So keep the unborn front-and-center in your conversations or you will end up in the tangled weeds of red herrings, empty slogans, and misleading clichés.

Strategy #5: When appropriate, be the one to end the conversation.

We have all encountered well-intentioned pro-lifers whose zeal blinded them to normal social graces, causing others to avoid them like the plague. Being the one to end the conversation in situations where you are likely to have future opportunities to revisit the topic can be particularly helpful. When people know they can leave a conversation, they feel free to stay with it or to return to it at another time.

Strategy #6: Keep in mind that the world is watching you.

Although we shouldn’t be consumed with an unhealthy need to be liked or accepted, we should nevertheless care deeply about how we are perceived. We represent another King and another Kingdom: “We are Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). When it comes to conversations about abortion, what we say and how we say it can have life and death consequences for our tiniest neighbors. This should cause us to be on our best behavior, “so that in every way” we “will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” (Titus 2:10).

Unfortunately, many of our adversaries have painted us as belligerent, religious know-nothings bent on oppressing women. And much of our public discourse over morality and politics has decayed into a snarky game of “gotcha” where civility and diplomacy are sacrificed on the altar of winning at all costs. But the command to “Make the most of every opportunity” is not about scoring points or crushing people; it is about finding ways to argue our case persuasively, with kindness.

Remember, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). We should ask ourselves, “What is in my heart? Do I value crushing my enemies more than winning them over?” A little kindness goes a long way in developing the type of trust that invites greater and more meaningful dialogue.

Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

Satan Has Vested Interests in Making Unbelievers Think They Are Going to Heaven

I’ve read many accounts of experiences in which people who do not know Christ claim to have gone to Heaven, or its outskirts, and were reassured by a “being of light” that all is well with them. I’m convinced that though some have had real supernatural experiences, the one who reassured them was not Jesus.  Obviously, Satan has great vested interests in deceiving unbelievers into thinking that what awaits them after death is a place of serenity rather than of eternal punishment. Scripture says, “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:15).

Years ago, one of my friends, a trustworthy and credible doctor, recounted an experience that really disturbed him. He observed a patient who appeared very close to dying have terrifying and inconsolable visions of where he was about to go upon his death. He actually recovered, but when the doctor attempted to share the gospel with him, the man remembered his dreadful experience as a wonderful dream of Heaven. This incident wound up as a story thread in my novel Dominion:

Clarence called Ollie from the hospital to update him on his father.

“You won’t believe this,” Ollie said. “Norcoast is in the hospital. He attempted suicide.”

“What? Which hospital?”

“Right where you’re calling from—Emanuel.”

Clarence went to the front desk to get Norcoast’s room number. He’d just been moved off critical condition and out of ICU but was still under close monitoring. Clarence went to his room on the fourth floor and stood over him. The councilman was drained of color, pale and pasty. Unconscious, he lay very still. Clarence stood over him for ten minutes before Norcoast started to move. He shuddered and trembled. He started mumbling, appearing to be seeing things and hearing voices.

“O God, they’re trying to get me.” Clarence backed away from the tortured voice. “Monsters, demons attacking me.” His arms flailed. “It’s so hot. Hurts so bad. No. Stay away. Don’t hurt me.” After a few minutes of incoherence, he calmed down a little, then spoke again, eyes closed. “Gone now. Where is everybody? I’m so alone. I’m burning up! Help me!” He screamed out, writhing, soaking himself in sweat, casting the sheets to his side and bumping against the bedrails. Two nurses ran into the room.

Clarence backed out of the room, shaken. He went directly to the hospital chapel and prayed fervently for his father, but even more fervently for Reggie Norcoast.

The next morning Clarence came early to the hospital, first visiting his father, who was unconscious. Then he went up two floors to visit Norcoast. The door was closed. A nurse told him the councilman had had terrible hallucinations all night, but he was now awake and out of trouble.

Clarence peeked in the door. Norcoast, usually vibrant and healthy, looked pale and peaked, like a man who’d been through a wringer. Clarence knocked lightly on the doorframe.

“Hello, Reg, can I come in?”

“Clarence?” Norcoast looked down. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Esther and Gray and everything.” He lay there looking dejected and pathetic. Clarence pitied him.

“Reg, I need to talk to you about some things. I know I’ve never talked with you about my faith before, but I feel it’s—”

“Clarence, something wonderful happened last night.” Norcoast suddenly sounded euphoric. “I was just about to die—in fact I think I may have died, really. I was walking down this shining corridor and there was this magnificent angel of light. It was so beautiful. The angel assured me there’s a special place in heaven for me. He said I just needed to get in touch with myself, live a good life, and do the best I could to love others. It was so real. I was on the verge of heaven, and I didn’t want to come back. But I realize I was sent back for a reason. To tell people about God’s love and acceptance.”

Clarence looked at him, slack-jawed. “Reg, I was here last night. I heard you crying out to God and screaming and talking about demons attacking you. You felt like you were on fire, then you talked about being all alone. You weren’t on the verge of heaven. You were on the verge of hell!”

“What are you talking about?” Norcoast said. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. I remember it clearly. A bright angel, a beautiful home, peaceful feelings. Serenity. It was the most wonderful place I’ve ever been. The most extraordinary experience I’ve ever had. I’ve lost so much that’s dear to me in the last few days, but this is a great comfort. I’ve made contact with my angel now. Esther says eventually I’ll learn to talk to him and get his guidance.”

Clarence stared at him, at a complete loss for words.

Let’s pray for the unbelievers in our lives, that God will open their eyes and “grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25).

See the booklets and tracts available from our ministry, including Heaven, If God Is Good, and Are You Living the Good Life?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

If We Fear God, We Can Trust His Provision

There are people who reason, If I give generously, I’ll have to worry about where the money will come from to replace what I’ve given. But Jesus actually says the opposite. Immediately after He commands us not to store up treasures on Earth but store them in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), He says we are to adopt the right perspective (verses 22-23) and serve the right master—God, not money (verse 24).

Our Lord immediately follows this statement by saying three times, “Do not worry” (Matthew 6:25, 31, 34, NIV). Anyone who is investing in the right treasury, adopting the right perspective, and serving the right Master has nothing to worry about. In contrast, those who invest in the wrong treasury (Earth, not Heaven), adopt the wrong perspective (the temporal, not the eternal), and serve the wrong master (money, not God) have every reason to worry.

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15, ESV). Since we can’t serve two masters, our fear of not having enough reveals our true master.

Jesus specifically tells us not to worry about life’s necessities—food, drink, and clothes. Then He says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). According to our Lord, giving isn’t what leaves us short of material provision. In fact, it’s part of the solution to our material needs. God promised to provide for givers in Old Testament times (Malachi 3:8-11). And Jesus promised the same in the New (Luke 6:38). When we give away our treasures, we are seeking God’s Kingdom first. And therefore, “all these [material needs] will be added to” us.

Paul told the Philippians, “I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18, CSB). Their financial gifts were gifts to God. Since they gave so generously to provide for him and his work, Paul was confident God would provide the same for them: “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, CSB). This is a familiar promise, but most people don’t realize that in context, it is specifically for givers who have stretched themselves to become sacrificial partners in Kingdom ministry. “For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times” (v.16).

In some cases, God’s provision is obvious—we get an unexpected check in the mail or are given something we thought we’d have to buy. One time Nanci and I discovered an error we’d made in our bank balance, finding we had significantly more money than we realized.

In other cases, God’s provision is less obvious but equally generous. A washing machine that should have broken down a decade ago keeps working. A car with more than two hundred thousand miles runs for three years needing no repairs. A checking account that should have dried up long before the end of the month somehow makes it through. As God miraculously stretched the widow’s oil supply in Elisha’s day (2 Kings 4:1-7), and as He made the Israelites’ clothes and sandals last forty years in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:4), I’m convinced He sometimes graciously extends the life of things that would normally need replacement.

The God who fed a million-member family in the wilderness for forty years, fed five thousand with one boy’s lunch, and who is perfectly capable of turning water into wine and stones into bread, will not have any trouble providing whatever He knows you need.

In this video, I talk about what it means to be fearless and not worry about money, but trust that God will provide:

See more resources on money and giving, as well as Randy's related books, including  The Treasure Principle .

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

She Loved Her Life: Thoughts from Some of Nanci’s Friends and Pastors at Her Memorial

Over the years, the friendships Nanci and I enjoyed most, like with our friends Steve and Sue Keels, and Paul and Michele Norquist, are the ones where we laugh and have fun together but also talk about the things that really matter. Those kind of friendships are worth seeking out and preserving. (Michele went to be with Jesus on January 1, 2022, two years after this photo taken on Maui. Nanci joined both Jesus and Michele nearly three months later, on March 28, 2022.)

Our friends supported and loved us through the last four years. Nanci wrote in her journal, “So thankful for friends and family who have prayed and cared so much for me.” Anticipating a scan, she wrote, “What God does is always good. Whatever God does is always in the best interest of all involved. All=me, Randy, Karina and Ang, the Dans, my grandsons, my extended family, my close friends, those with whom I come in contact, and anyone who knows my story.”

Nanci also wrote this in her journal:

It is a mercy from God to me that I regularly face my mortality. It is a mercy that I struggle constantly with feet and hands that don’t work right; with energy levels that prevent me from many activities. The mercy in these things is that these are God’s tools used to keep my eyes on Him; to live with His perspective; to anticipate with greater zeal my eternal home; and most importantly to fall deeper in love with Him. It is only by His grace that I am not resentful of Him, questioning Him, mistrustful of Him. I get depressed; I get afraid; I get very weary, but by His power and compassion I do not waiver in my faith of Him.

God does all things well.

My assistant Amy sent me an email that described “the Jesus-honoring way Nanci loved her life.” Then she followed it with the asterisk you do to correct a typo, and it said “lived.” Except it totally made sense as Amy typed it, because Nanci loved her life. Not that there was never sadness—of course there was. But she loved her life, she loved God and God’s world and her family and friends. Nanci had an ability that she and I cultivated over the years together: she could see through the Curse, she could see in her mind’s eye the Eden that preceded it and the New Earth that will follow it. She knew the Curse was abnormal and death and suffering are temporary. She knew the world is temporarily now at its worst. She lived with one eye on Eden and the other eye on the New Earth. And that infused her with perspective and joy.

Nanci’s love for Jesus and for her family and friends comes through in these videos of some of our dear friends that were shared at her service. These were also our pastors and their wives. We have done life together, and they were all a big part of Nanci’s life that she loved:

Steve and Sue Keels:

Paul Norquist:

Stu and Linda Weber:

Alan and Theda Hlavka:

What Do You Like Most About Jesus?

Eight years ago, Nanci and I did a question and answer time with the group of young moms at our church. One of the questions we answered was, “What do you like most about Jesus?” I remember this question and Nanci’s answer well.

Nanci and I used to talk a lot about our New Earth post-bucket lists, consisting of all the things we look forward to doing after we die, and in particular, after the resurrection. Nanci’s post-bucket list included her dream to spend a lot of time by a lake, playing with dogs. She often told me that she was asking Jesus to let her serve Him by living near the water and taking care of dogs and otters, as well lions, cheetahs, dolphins, monk seals, manta rays, and whales (she never mentioned eels!).

You get to hear Nanci’s contagious laugh in this video clip. I am confident that when Jesus brought her into His presence, she received a rich welcome and heard His laugh of delight—and those wonderful words, “Well done.”

(If you’d like to watch our full Q&As at the Mom to Mom group, see part one and part two here.)

For more on happiness, see Randy’s article Exploring the Happiness of Jesus, as well as his books  Happiness  and  God’s Promise of Happiness . See also It's All About Jesus  and Face to Face with Jesus . 

Photo by Tara Winstead