Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 76

Reflections on Christ’s Birth

In this video, I read several quotes from the section of my book It’s All About Jesus about Christ’s birth. I hope these reflections will help you meditate on our Savior, because doing so will truly bring you great joy.

Have a Merry and Christ-centered Christmas!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child… Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”  Matthew 1:18-20

[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7 NRSV

[Mary] looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. “His kingdom will never end.”

He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.  Max Lucado

They all were looking for a king to slay their foes and lift them high. Thou cam’st, a little baby thing that made a woman cry. George MacDonald

Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel, and a furtive scurry of curious barn mice. Except for Joseph, there was no one to share Mary’s pain. Or her joy. Yes, there were angels announcing the Savior’s arrival—but only to a band of blue-collar shepherds. And yes, a magnificent star shone in the sky to mark his birthplace—but only three foreigners bothered to look up and follow it. Thus, in the little town of Bethlehem… that one silent night… the royal birth of God’s Son tiptoed quietly by… as the world slept.  Ken Gire

Late on a sleepy, star-spangled night, those angels peeled back the sky just like you would tear open a sparkling Christmas present. Then, with light and joy pouring out of Heaven like water through a broken dam, they began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The angel called it “Good News,” and it was.  Larry Libby

Joyful, all ye nations, rise.

Join the triumph of the skies.

With angelic host proclaim,

“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”  Charles Wesley

The birth of Jesus is the sunrise of the Bible. Towards this point the aspirations of the prophets and the poems of the psalmists were directed as the heads of flowers are turned toward the dawn.  Henry Van Dyke

The most outstanding record that is graven on the scroll of time is the date of the birth of Jesus Christ. No issued document is legal, no signed check is valid, and no business receipt is of value unless it bears the statistical reference to this great historic event.  Homer G. Rhea Jr.

For millions of people who have lived since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.  Frederick Buechner

The coming of Christ by way of Bethlehem manger seems strange and stunning. But when we take him out of the manger and invite him into our hearts, then the meaning unfolds and the strangeness vanishes.  Neil Strait

If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost.  Corrie ten Boom

So God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us?… So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.  Ann Voskamp

A God who was only holy… would have simply demanded that we pull ourselves together, that we be moral and holy enough to merit a relationship with him. A deity that was an “all-accepting God of love… this God of the modern imagination would have just overlooked sin and evil and embraced us. Neither the God of moralism nor the God of relativism would have bothered with Christmas.  Timothy Keller

The baby of Bethlehem was Creator of the universe, pitching his tent on the humble camping ground of our little planet. God’s glory now dwelt in Christ. He was the Holy of holies. People had only to look at Jesus to see God.  Randy Alcorn

Long before silver bells jingled, Christmas lights twinkled, and horse-drawn sleighs went dashing through the snow, God reached down from heaven with the best gift of all. Love, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Hope, nestled in a manger.  Liz Curtis Higgs

In our world too, a Stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.  C.S. Lewis

Come to earth to taste our sadness,

he whose glories knew no end;

by his life he brings us gladness,

our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.

Leaving riches without number,

born within a cattle stall;

this the everlasting wonder,

Christ was born the Lord of all.  Charles Wesley

Human logic says the King of kings should have been born in a palace, surrounded by luxury. Instead, the only door open to the humble Savior was a dirty stable. Amazingly, and revealingly, this was all by God’s design. Why is this good news for us? Because the Savior offered himself on our behalf, we won’t find “No Vacancy” signs in Heaven. If we’ve made our reservations by receiving God’s gift in Christ, then Heaven is wide open with plenty of room for all of us.  Randy Alcorn

No other God have I but Thee; born in a manger, died on a tree. Martin Luther

It's All About Jesus on Sale 

Randy Alcorn’s It’s All About Jesus is on sale from EPM for $9.99 (47% off retail $18.99), plus get FREE Media Mail shipping on every order when you use the code FREESHIP20.
 
Offer ends Thursday, December 15 at 4 p.m. PT. Free shipping offer is available for U.S. continental orders only

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Pastors, It’s a Great Kindness to Talk to Your Church about Abortion

Many Christians and even some pastors have told me, “It’s cruel to bring up the subject of abortion.” But by talking about abortion in our churches—with grace and truth—we will prevent abortions and offer forgiveness and healing to women and men who are suffering in silence. Isn’t that an act of kindness both to unborn children and their parents?

Because it will potentially make some people feel bad, would we therefore not talk about adultery, lying, stealing, or the need to share our faith in Christ or abstain from pornography, gossip, and greed? If we knew a number of people in our churches had abused their children, shouldn’t that motivate us to talk about child abuse, rather than not talk about it?

We must stop thinking of abortion as a side issue. Addressing life issues has always been central to the Christian’s calling. Church is more than a social club. We are not here simply to help each other feel good; we are here to help each other be good. And sometimes that means admitting we are sick and taking some medicine we’d rather not take in order to get well. The greatest kindness we can offer each another is the truth, spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Silence Isn’t Grace

The abortion issue isn’t primarily about the church needing to speak to the world. It’s about the church needing to speak to itself first, and then to the world. One out of five American women having an abortion claims to be a born-again Christian. Yet pastors tell me, “I don’t talk about abortion because it will make our people feel guilty, since many have had abortions.”

Isn’t that exactly why we should talk about it? To help men as well as women (since every child has two parents) recognize and deal with their guilt and receive Christ’s grace? And to help others avoid the sin that creates guilt? And to save innocent human lives in the process?

A man at our church, in his 60s, told me of a girl he got pregnant 39 years ago. She asked him to choose what she should do; he chose abortion. It has haunted him ever since. He thinks about the son or daughter whose life he took and wonders about the grandchildren he’d now be holding. He said to me, “Please tell people about the consequences. Warn our young men—tell them God will hold them accountable for what they do with their children.” Then he broke down in tears and said, “I don’t want any of our young men to do what I did 39 years ago.” I will never forget that heart-wrenching conversation. Nor will I forget my many conversations with women wracked by the pain and guilt of abortions no one attempted to talk them out of.

Many have experienced God’s forgiveness and profound healing after abortions. Those who suffer most are those who do not face the truth. Deep inside they know it, their consciences accuse them, and they often pursue self-destructive behaviors. Our silence isn’t grace—it’s cruelty. As Scott Klusendorf points out, “When we fail to equip our churches on abortion, we don’t spare people guilt; we spare them healing.”

Michael Spencer, founder and president of Project Life Voice, says, “We often will hear this objection that speaking out as a pastor will only inflict greater pain on those who have had abortions. …I think the fear of inflicting greater pain on those who’ve had abortions is a legitimate pastoral concern. It was for me when I was actively pastoring, and I think it should be for every pastor. But nothing inflicts greater pain than pulpit silence.” Michael also says, “When the pulpit goes silent, we communicate one of two messages, and both are regrettable: abortion is not so bad, or the gospel is not so good.” (Hear more in this podcast episode.)

Just Another Political Issue?

Almost no topic is as guaranteed to offend some church members as abortion. I well remember at my home church, one of the most prolife churches I know of, how certain people would stay home from church whenever they knew one of us were going to speak on abortion. Pastors may also be concerned about being called partisan and further dividing their congregations politically.  

But long before it was ever a political issue, abortion was a moral issue, and one which God has a clear and emphatic position on. It has everything to do with the worth of a human child. (I encourage you to take a look at what God’s Word says about unborn children, and what the people of God throughout history have said about abortion.) If today I were to jump in front of a car to remove a child from its path, it would not be to lodge a political protest against reckless driving. It would be to save the life of an innocent child. Abortion first became “political” when the law was changed to justify the killing of children. If killing one-month-old children were made legal—which Princeton ethics professor Peter Singer actually advocates—that too would be a political issue, but first and foremost it would remain a moral and biblical issue.

We’re not dealing here with “one more social/political issue.” We’re dealing with a unique and focused evil in which Satan has deeply vested interests. 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 can’t afford to simply look away or sweep this issue under the rug.

Michael Spencer says, “We have children missing every Christmas from most of our local churches, children that ought to be there for the Christmas drama... but in many cases they’re not there because they were aborted five, six, seven years earlier, in many cases with the silent approval of their church. This should not be a controversial or divisive issue in the church.”

I was a pastor for fourteen years and some of my closest friends are pastors. I know that pastors can’t address every important subject all the time. But what could be more important than whether children’s lives are taken or saved? Some pastors and churches take far bolder stands against other issues than they do abortion. Martin Luther said this, and while it’s worth contemplating about other issues too, it certainly includes abortion:

If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved. And to be steady on all the battle fields besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.

A Challenge to Pastors

January 17, 2021 is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Certainly, pastors and church leaders have faced an abnormal number of pressures in the past year due to COVID, political divisions, and societal unrest over racial justice and other issues. But despite the obstacles, I plead with them to not play it safe, to not be people pleasers, and to not fail to speak prophetically into people’s lives on the issue of abortion. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). Don’t skip this important date and miss the opportunity to speak the truth in love about abortion!

Phillip Bethancourt writes, “Sanctity of Life Sunday is not a distraction from the mission of the church. Instead, the New Testament calls the church to be a people who manifest the kingdom through our words and works. We long for the redemption of hearts and the restoration of communities. When the church cares for widows, orphans and the vulnerable, it’s following the way of Christ for the sake of our culture.”

There are many free quality resources available to help pastors. Here are my notes from a past Sanctity of Human Life Sunday message. My new book Pro-Choice or Pro-Life: Examining 15 Pro-Choice Claims—What Do Facts & Common Sense Tell Us? is free online. Print copies can be purchased  for just one dollar (even less in larger quantities), for churches that would like to make the book available to their members. At this price, one person could provide a copy to be distributed free to everyone in his church. Please ask God if He would have you do that. (Trust me, our ministry isn’t making money on these books, nor do we desire to.)

Care Net offers a free Sanctity of Human Life Sunday kit for pastors, including a one-page guide to Crafting A Sanctity of Life message, a pastor’s executive summary on the latest facts and statistics about abortion, a video explaining how members of your church can get involved in their local pregnancy center, and more.

Let’s Model Showing Grace and Truth

I’ve personally seen joy and peace in the lives of many women (and men) who’ve had an experience of forgiveness after their abortions and many women who, as a result of intervention, spared the lives of their children.

Sometimes showing grace requires silence. Other times it requires speaking up. We should help women with unwanted pregnancies who feel pressured toward abortion see that abortion will hurt them, not help them. We should also love women who’ve had abortions and do all we can to help them recover from abortion’s trauma. And certainly, we should do what we can to help children saved from abortion, after they are born.

When it comes to abortion and every other moral issue, we show people Jesus only when we show them both grace and truth. May churches and their pastors heed God’s call to offer people both.

Photo by DNK.PHOTO on Unsplash

Who Are You Roped to for the Climb of Life?

This is Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, the first two men to climb to the peak of Mount Everest.

Tenzing Norgay, in his autobiography titled Tiger of the Snows, writes about the experience of climbing Kang Peak in the Himalayas with a man named George Frey, on a 1952 Swiss expedition:

At first the going was easy enough, following a long snow slope into which we could kick good steps, and not so steep that we needed a rope between us. But after a while the angle grew a bit sharper, and the snow harder, and I stopped and put on my steel-spiked crampons, so as to have a steadier footing.

“Aren’t you going to put yours on?” I called up to Frey, who was in the lead. “No, I don’t need them,” he answered. And we continued climbing. Once again there is the question of whether I should have done otherwise—such as arguing or urging more strongly. But Frey, as I have said, was an excellent climber. He had had much experience in the Alps, had certainly been in much more difficult places than where we were now, and seemed to be having no trouble.

We continued smoothly and easily—he first, myself second, Ang Dawa third—still unroped and with perhaps fifteen feet between us; and looking around, I judged that we were at 17,000 feet, with only another 2,000 to go to the top of Kang Peak.

Then Frey slipped. Just how or why, I could not tell. But one moment he was climbing steadily above me and in the next he was plunging down. At first it looked as if he were going to fall right on top of me and carry me along with him, but actually he was a little to one side, and as he came by I dug in and lunged and tried to hold him. It was hopeless, though; there was too much weight and momentum. His body struck my outstretched hand, there was a quick, sharp pain in one finger, and then he was past me—past Ang Dawa, below me—falling and tumbling down the mountainside until he came to rest on a flat place about a thousand feet below.

This story is told by Ken Gire in his remarkable book which I read and highly recommend: The North Face of God. Based on the above, Gire goes on to say this: 

The parallels in the spiritual realm are frightening. In a moment, we can lose our footing. A moral misstep when our marriage feels shaky, and it can lead to an affair. An emotional misstep when we’re going through depression, and it can lead to the loss of a job or the loss of a friendship. A spiritual misstep when we’re suffering, and it can lead to our falling away from God, falling so hard and so far that it might lead to paralysis of some of the feelings we once had for spiritual things, even to the death of those feelings. This is why the rope is so essential. If we are not roped to other caring Christians, it could result in a catastrophic fall like the one Frey experienced.

We dare not live under the deadly illusion of independence and self-sufficiency. We should put on our steel-spiked crampons to ensure the best footing, and listen when our traveling companions advise us to do so.

That was Ken Gire, this is Randy again (not Tenzing Norgay either; I'm trying to confuse you by having three voices in this blog). In my climb, I look to my Lord Jesus to empower me. But I also need others He has given me. I am roped to my wife and to my daughters, sons-in-law, and my grandsons, with whom I share Scripture verses. I’m also roped to a number of friends and co-workers with the same commitment to following Christ, as well as to some close brothers in my church. These brothers would die for me and know I would die for them. But we won't let each other die alone.

For the upward and sometimes exhausting and hazardous climb of the life you’re living (especially during this difficult season of COVID), are you wearing your steel-spiked crampons? And are you roped to someone you trust to help pull you up closer to Jesus? Who? We may not be able to be face-to-face right now, but we need each other’s encouragement and accountability more than ever.

Who is climbing beside you and above you and below you, who will stand with you on the summit one day, so together you can behold the face of God?

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

There’s No Greater Question Than Who Jesus Really Is

If you’re told you’re going to meet someone important whom your friends know, you naturally ask them, “Who is he? What’s he like? Where did he come from? What does he do? Is he the real deal? Does he live up to expectations?”

Because no other historical figure is as widely known, multitudes live with the illusion that they really know Jesus, when in reality they simply have various impressions about Him. Impressions are not knowledge. They are a random collection of data picked up from family, friends, books, movies, articles, social media, and in some cases, experiences with churches or professing Christians. Many of these sources are either completely wrong, mostly wrong, or mostly right but with significant errors.

As a result, it is hard to imagine any subject more fraught with confusion, misinformation, and deception than the subject of who Jesus really is. And what a quandary! The most important person who has ever lived is also the most misunderstood. People often quote Him—“Judge not,” or “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,” for instance—without understanding the context of His words, thereby entirely “missing” His meaning.

Thoughts flow the moment we hear the name Jesus Christ. The question is, which thoughts are true, and which are false? Even more important than His teachings on life and ethics is who Jesus actually claimed to be. As Kevin DeYoung has said, “Just about everybody in America likes Jesus, but few like him for who he truly is.”

The doctrines of the deity and humanity of Christ, with all their implications, are vitally important not only to sound doctrine but to loving our Savior and Lord by seeing Him more accurately. We are all theologians. The only issue is whether we’re good ones or bad ones. Wouldn’t you rather be a good one—especially when it comes to believing what’s true about Jesus?

Sadly, many religious professionals deny Christ’s deity, miracles, atonement, and/or resurrection and view the Gospel accounts as myth and distortion. To them, “the historical Jesus” was merely a moral teacher and example that the church turned into a god, falsely claiming that he performed miracles and was superhuman. These skeptical scholars suppose the Gospel accounts and the New Testament letters to be a human invention and argue that the church elevated Jesus to a divine status He never claimed. (This raises the question of why all the apostles were tortured, and every one of them but John died for what they believed. No one endures that kind of suffering for what they know to be a lie.)

Scripture itself, however, presents Christ not as myth, but history. It emphasizes the role of eyewitnesses. Seeking the historical Jesus while denying the Bible is like seeking to know what happened at Gettysburg while denying the historical records from Gettysburg.

Our faith in Christ is only as good as the authentic reality of the Christ we believe in. It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that Satan will attack us by promoting false and unworthy views of the person and work of Jesus.

Peter wrote sobering warnings about those who give false portrayals of Jesus (2 Peter 2:1-3). The worst and most dangerous heresies misrepresent Jesus Christ, denying the truths about Him and making Him out to be less than He really is.

The apostle John also warned about misrepresentations of the Jesus he knew so well:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God (1 John 4:1-3 NIV).

Since nothing is more important than who Jesus is and what He has done, naturally there are no greater truths—and in turn, no more pernicious and destructive heresies—than those concerning Jesus. If Jesus did not live, if He was not God, if He was not the Creator but merely one of the created, or if Jesus was not really a man, the consequences would be devastating in the lives of literally billions of people who have believed the words He spoke and the Bible’s teachings about Him.

Biblical Christianity is not simply a religion about Christ but a relationship with Christ. If we get it right about Jesus, we can afford to get some minor things wrong. But if we get it wrong about Jesus, in the end it won’t matter what else we get right.

This is why I started section one of my book It’s All About Jesus with the greatest question Jesus ever asked anyone: “Who do you say I am?” Because our answer to that question, whether silent or spoken, is the single most important answer we will ever give.

Who Do You Say I Am?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”  Matthew 16:13-17 NIV

If you find it hard to believe in God, I strongly advise you to begin your search not with philosophical questions… but with Jesus of Nazareth.  John Stott

Who is Jesus Christ? You’ve never met him in person, and you don’t know anyone who has. But there is a way to know who he is. How? Jesus Christ–the divine Person revealed in the Bible–has a unique excellence and a spiritual beauty that speaks directly to our souls and says, “Yes, this is truth.” It’s like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light, or tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet.  John Piper

Among the Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if He was God… Among Pantheists anyone might say that he was a part of God, or one with God: there would be nothing very odd about it. But this man, since He was a Jew, could not mean that kind of god. God, in their language, meant the Being outside the world Who had made it and was infinitely different from anything else. And when you have grasped that, you will see that what this man said was, quite simply, the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips.  C.S. Lewis

The claims of Jesus are so startling that they… challenge us to make up our minds about this most remarkable person. Was he just a great teacher or was he much more?  Michael Green

Everyone who comes in contact with Jesus has rendered a judgment on him. Even ignoring him is a decision about his identity.  Kevin DeYoung

Reared in a carpenter shop… this young man gathered disciples about Him, and proclaimed Himself the Messiah. He taught and performed miracles for a few brief months and then was crucified; His disciples were scattered and many of them put to death; His claims were disputed, His resurrection denied and His followers persecuted; and yet from this beginning His religion spread until hundreds of millions have taken His name with reverence upon their lips and millions have been willing to die rather than surrender the faith which He put into their hearts. How shall we account for Him? “What think ye of Christ?” It is easier to believe Him divine than to explain in any other way what He said and did and was. William Jennings Bryan

The real question is not what are we to make of Christ, but what is He to make of us? The picture of a fly sitting deciding what it is going to make of an elephant has comic elements about it.  C.S. Lewis

It takes a fantastic will to unbelief to suppose that Jesus never really “happened,” and more to suppose that he did not say the things recorded of him—so incapable of being “invented” by anyone in the world at that time… We must therefore either believe in Him and in what He said and take the consequences; or reject Him and take the consequences.  J.R.R. Tolkien

The most important question in anyone’s life is the question asked by poor Pilate in Matthew 27:22: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” No other question in the whole sweep of human experience is as important as this. It is the choice between life and death, between meaningless existence and life abundant.  Dale Evans Rogers

After six years given to the impartial investigation of Christianity, as to its truth or falsity, I have come to the deliberate conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of the Jews, the Saviour of the world, and my personal Saviour.  Lew Wallace

The battle for human souls pivots on the issue of Christ’s identity. He’s the watershed, the dividing line between Hell and Heaven. Who do you believe, in your mind and deep in your heart, that he really is? Every person must give an answer—and whether our answer is right could not be more consequential or eternally significant.  Randy Alcorn

It's All About Jesus on Sale 

Randy Alcorn’s It’s All About Jesus is on sale from EPM for $9.99 (47% off retail $18.99), plus get FREE Media Mail shipping on every order when you use the code FREESHIP20.
 
Offer ends Thursday, December 15 at 4 p.m. PT. Free shipping offer is available for U.S. continental orders only

“If you want to give a Christmas gift to a reader, this is one they will be grateful for! Love it!” —Reader Review

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Prisoners Are Greatly Affected by the Isolation of the Pandemic; Pray for God’s Work in Their Lives

COVID-19 has brought many challenges to all of us, but the challenges have been amplified for those in prison. WORLD News did a recent feature on this:

It’s been a long eight months for inmates since the coronavirus pandemic began—months without visitors, ministries, educational programs, addiction recovery meetings, or even chaplains in some cases. Some prisons had big COVID-19 outbreaks, while others fared better than the outside world. Now as a second wave of COVID-19 infections hits prisons, some that just began opening to visitors and programs are locking down again. That means more isolation for prisoners.

I encourage you to read the whole article, “COVID-19 Behind Bars.” Here’s an excerpt:

In New Jersey, South Woods State Prison canceled visits, Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, classes, and worship services in March, according to inmate Jim Hyson. “Not having any worship services has been the hardest,” he said. 

Hyson faced other hurdles: For 40 days he was quarantined to his cell for 23½ hours a day. The other half hour was for showers, phone calls, or JPay (an online service for inmates for things like visitation or sending and receiving money). He didn’t have exercise or fresh air for 40 days, and he struggled with “mental battles,” he said. 

“Dealing with confinement within an already confined setting plays havoc on the mind. … I did get lots of Bible reading/studying in, but after a while everything began to become blurred,” he said. “While everything was said to be for our protection and well-being, it didn’t feel that way.” 

What a reminder of the tough times these precious men and women are dealing with. May more of them than ever be drawn to Jesus, and may God’s people pray for them and look for creative ways to minister to them.

Though it was part of our ministry I never really envisioned when we began, over the years we’ve given away thousands of my books to prisoners. Those in prison are often forgotten by the rest of us, but by God’s grace, there are literally thousands of Christian brothers and sisters imprisoned in facilities across the U.S. Many of them found Christ in their desperation.

Our wonderful EPM staff member Amy Woodard, who oversees our ministry’s sending of the books, writes about the effects of COVID-19 on this part of our ministry: “I’ve talked to so many facilities that have had to adjust their mail rules and guidelines and some just plain refused books for a few months! Since opening things back up again, we’ve been able to send quite a few boxes of books to prison libraries as well as all the books we continue to send on a weekly basis. I sent emails to many facilities, and it’s like it reminded them we’re still here. It’s been encouraging to see all the new orders. Praying for inmates now as I begin today’s orders.”

We are convinced from many direct interactions with both prison chaplains and prisoners that books sent to prisoners are widely read and have a far-reaching impact. While books bought by people who aren’t in prison often go unread and may not be passed on to others that much, it is radically different for prisoners. They not only read books they have requested (and the great majority of my books are sent when prisoners themselves have requested them), but they also eagerly pass them on. It’s common to hear reports of books that have literally fallen apart, pages coming out, because they have been read and reread so many times, sometimes by dozens of prisoners. 

Here are some notes EPM received from inmates this year:

“…I am a beginner in Christ. I have been studying the word of God now for a few months. I have been reading your books and they seem to be an easy way for me to understand. These materials and the book can be a way for me to hand down these lesson[s] to my kids later down the road. Thank you.”

“I would like to thank you. I received the Happiness Study guide earlier this week. I have already begun week one and look forward to working through this topic over the course of the next several weeks. I have been incarcerated for two years now. I have at times struggled to continue to grow in God’s Word. While I have always read daily, having guidance through Biblical topics helps me to focus and leaves me feeling as if my time here is serving a greater purpose. Thank God and this ministry for your assistance.”

“…I was a 50-year-old lost sinner, a real walking dead man. Life just beat me down. …I didn’t want to go on living. So I took my last $80 from my paycheck, went to a known drug area to buy something/anything that might fill my void. …Some 100 ft. away from the drug dealer I get jumped by undercover cops and arrested. They put me in the jail cell. I’m all alone—no hope, no will, and broken. Then I see your books in the corner (Deadline, Deception, and Dominion). I read all three books. With nothing to lose, I began to pray for the first time to a God I didn’t know of at all, until I read your three novels. …Then something happened! I felt God speak to me from my heart. God has given me life, hope, comfort, and joy! …God found me in a jail cell from your novels. …I’m now spreading God’s love to everyone at this jail. I read from a pocket Bible. I keep passing the three novels from cell to cell. I pray with all willing inmates and testify what God’s doing for me. God is awesome!!!”

If you’d like to partner with us in reaching these men and women for Christ, we’d be honored if you’d prayerfully consider supporting Eternal Perspective Ministries with a year-end gift. Financial gifts to our General Fund support our operating expenses and staff, and allow us to continue giving away the royalties from my books. (On our donation page, you can also give to our Books for Prisoners Project to directly support that part of our ministry)

Photo by Milad B. Fakurian on Unsplash

The Advent of the Happiest Human in History

In his book Abundant Living, E. Stanley Jones observed, “The early Christians did not say in dismay, ‘look what the world has come to,’ but in delight, ‘look what has come into the world.’”

What has come is Jesus Christ. Through the miracle of His incarnation, He made God visible to us: “No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him” (John 1:18, CSB). Yet God’s Son did not merely bring the grace, justice, peace, love, and truth of God with His arrival, but also His eternal happiness.

Jesus Himself says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). One translation renders this verse, “I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am.”

Birth of Exceeding Joy

We see glimpses of that happiness reflected in the wise men, who were “overwhelmed with joy” (Matthew 2:10, CSB) to see the star pointing toward Jesus. Mary, Elizabeth, the shepherds, the angels, Simeon, and Anna also were overcome with happiness at the Messiah’s coming, and the preborn John jumped for joy at the presence of Jesus (Luke 1:44).

Consider the angel’s message to the shepherds at Jesus’s birth: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). This is not just an announcement of joy but great joy—the best news there has ever been or ever will be. But sadly, many people overlook or completely miss the happiness of Jesus and the joy He brings, throughout the year and even at Christmastime. Ask a random group of believers and unbelievers, “Who is the happiest human being who ever lived?” and very few, if any, would give the correct answer: Jesus.

Gladness Beyond His Companions

The Bible clearly teaches that although He also was called “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3), He also exceeded all humanity in His joy. The author of Hebrews captures Psalm 45:6–7 and applies it to the Messiah, where the Father says of His Son, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Hebrews 1:8–9).

Who are Jesus’s companions in this passage? Given the context of Hebrews 1, where Jesus is portrayed as God incarnate, “companions” probably refers to all His fellow humans. This appears to be a direct affirmation that the gladness of Jesus exceeds that of all humans who have ever lived. Reflecting on Psalm 45 and Hebrews 1, John Piper writes, “Jesus Christ is the happiest being in the universe. His gladness is greater than all the angelic gladness of heaven. He mirrors perfectly the infinite, holy, indomitable mirth of his Father” (Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ).

When I wrote my first graphic novel, I had to decide how I wanted the artist to portray Jesus’s face in a typical scene. Having read the Gospels many times and known Jesus for over forty years, I knew His default look should be one of happiness. Yes, I asked the artist to portray Him as angry when facing off with the Pharisees and anguished when heading to the cross. But the man who held children in His arms, healed people, fed the multitudes, and made wine at a wedding was, more often than not, happy!

If we picture Jesus walking around in perpetual sadness or anger, grumbling and looking to condemn rather than to extend grace, we’re not seeing the Jesus revealed in the Bible.

Christ’s Everyday Happiness

In Luke 4:17, Jesus unrolls the scroll of Isaiah and reads the first few verses of Isaiah 61, after which He says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Isaiah 61 continues with its prophecy about Jesus: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10). This passage tells us that the Father is the Son’s source of joy. The New Century Version (NCV) renders the verse, “The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God.”

It takes a joyful person to instruct His disciples in the art of rejoicing. Jesus said, “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The CEV renders the verse, “Be happy that your names are written in heaven!” The next verse connects his disciples’ joy to Jesus’s joy: “In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit” (Luke 10:21). The Weymouth New Testament reads, “Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit with rapturous joy.”

Man of Sorrows

Yes, the Messiah is called “a man of sorrows” specifically in relationship to His redemptive work (Isaiah 53:3). When He was headed to the cross, Jesus said, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death” (Mark 14:34 NASB). But this was the worst day of His life—He was heading to a worse death than any human has ever faced. It doesn’t indicate the typical, day-to-day temperament of Jesus.

Given the price he paid for our sins, does being “a man of sorrows” contradict the notion that Jesus was happy? Absolutely not. Sorrow and happiness can and do coexist within the same person. Jesus knew, as we too can know, that the basis for our sorrow is temporary, while the basis for our gladness is permanent. In Christ’s case, He’d known unbounded happiness since before the dawn of time, and He knew that it awaited Him again.

His Happiness Matters

This present world is still cursed with sin, suffering, and sorrow, but these obstacles can’t trump the joy or diminish the light that dawned at Christ’s incarnation. He has already come, and with Him came grace, hope, redemption—and happiness.

Each stanza of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” contains sentiments of true happiness: “joyful and triumphant,” “sing in exultation,” “born this happy morning.” Joy, exultation, and happiness are proper responses to Jesus and the gospel, which tells us that in Christ we are created by God, loved by Him, redeemed, indwelt with and empowered by His Spirit, and assured of an eternally happy and abundant life in His presence. What happiness is ours! That’s why a gospel not characterized by overwhelming gladness isn’t the gospel. A Christmas without a deep, God-given happiness isn’t reflecting the good news of Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon preached, “Jesus—man, yet God. Jesus—allied to us in ties of blood—oh, here is a reason for holy mirth! Here is Christmas all the year round!” (“How to Become Full of Joy”). It’s hard to overstate the liberating, gladness-producing result when Christ’s people recognize and share His happiness. Knowing a Savior who is so happy that His delight spills out in the universe and in us changes everything, both now and forever.

So, may the happiness of Jesus be a central part of the fantastic good news we share with a hopeless, desperate world—not only each Christmas, but all throughout the year.

For more on the happiness of Jesus, see Randy's books Happiness, It's All About Jesus, and Face to Face with Jesus.

Photo by Leon Oblak on Unsplash

The Fall-Out Effects of COVID-19 Have Greatly Affected the Needy Worldwide; How Can We Help Them in Christ’s Name?

For several months, international organizations have been sounding the alarm about how the cascading effects of COVID-19 will impact the vulnerable and poor around the world.

The Western Journal reports:

A new report from the United Nations published in the medical journal The Lancet estimates well over 100,000 children will starve to death in 2020 due to the economic fallout from the economic restrictions of the U.S. and other Western nations.

…Back in April, World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley warned that a looming “hunger pandemic” caused by the fallout of economic shutdowns would likely bring “the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.”

Beasley’s organization predicted that an additional 130 million people could be on the brink of starvation by the end of 2020 because of the world’s response to the virus.

The agency also reported that 300,000 people could die due to starvation every day over a three month period, meaning shutdown-related deaths would far surpass the novel coronavirus’ total death count.

That statistic on millions of people dying worldwide of starvation hits me hard, and as the months go on it gets more serious. Because caring for the vulnerable and needy is at the heart of our ministry, we at EPM are gravely concerned about this.

Let me share a few thoughts on love and giving, before including information about some excellent ministries working to help those in need.

As God’s people, may we remember that our love for God and others is not merely sentiment or words; it is something we actively give—both to God and to people. Imagine if God had stayed in Heaven and, instead of sending His Son, sent us a message through an angel: “Too bad you’re going to Hell. Remember, though, I love you!” Instead, He loved us as Immanuel, God with us.

If our love is genuine, when we see the picture of a hungry child or hear about these immense needs, we don’t just feel bad for the moment or merely think, I wish that child weren’t hungry. Love finds a way to help feed that child or children like him. Love means giving.

Consider these words: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” (1 John 3:16-17).

This passage portrays love as inseparable from giving. In fact, it’s impossible to truly love without giving. No, we can’t give everything to everybody. Yet to withhold our money and possessions from the needy is to withhold from them God’s love and compassion. God doesn’t need our help—He could do everything without us. But He chooses to entrust us with His mission of love. We are the body of Christ, His hands and feet to the needy.

That brings me to tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1, which is Giving Tuesday. I encourage you and your family to consider giving generously to some of the following ministries in their efforts to help alleviate suffering. We’ve included information and statistics from them about the effects of COVID-19 on people worldwide, including on persecuted Christians:

ACTION International

ACTION Field Workers in Africa, Asia, and the Americas are already working to distribute emergency food supplies to desperate families in seven different countries. These families are struggling to buy food due to loss of work during the lockdown. ACTION desires to help provide their daily bread in the name and love of Christ.

Joni and Friends

Painful isolation. Debilitating poverty. Horrendous neglect. Starvation… These are the daily realities that families impacted by disability wake up to every morning.

And while the whole world has experienced extreme health and economic crises as a result of COVID-19, children and adults living with disability have been hit the hardest. This global pandemic has exposed the devastating needs of these marginalized families in unimaginable ways.

In countries like Peru, families' worst fears have come true. Parents can no longer buy or sell goods, and children wonder if or when they will eat next.

As the death toll rises due to COVID-19, children impacted by disabilities are no longer receiving necessary therapies or needed medical care. They are being pushed even further into the margins of life and their already frail bodies are succumbing under the strain. In their desperate search for clean diapers, sanitizer or soap, parents dare not even dream of the luxury of a wheelchair that would lift their little child off the cold, dirt floor of their one room home.

Open Doors USA

The coronavirus pandemic is a health crisis, but for many poor people around the world, it is also a crisis of food and basic needs. When the coronavirus forced countries to close their borders and brought societies and economies to a standstill, many day laborers and others living in poverty were in immediate trouble. By locking down, poor people wouldn’t be able to work or collect the daily wages they depend on survive.

Christians were, of course, also affected in this way. Poor Christians saw their ability to buy basic supplies and necessities disappear, almost overnight.

But many Christians were hit twice as hard.

Christians living in places where they are persecuted for their faith have often been discriminated against in government aid and relief. We’ve heard stories from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and elsewhere, all saying the same thing: Christians who have been told they don’t get food or medical aid because they follow Jesus.

Our field team plans to rush emergency food kits to 50,000 persecuted Christians in Asia alone in the coming weeks—as well as other efforts worldwide.

World Relief

Without the ability to continue treatment and a six-month disruption in access to antiretrovirals, AIDS-related deaths could double in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 alone.

80 million children are at risk for contracting preventable diseases because immunization services at many health centers have slowed or stopped. 

Essential maternal and child health interventions are being reduced and could result in maternal mortality rising from 8% to 38% and children under 5 mortality from 9.8% to 44.7%.

With no access to these life-saving health services, COVID-19 could undo years of progress. 

Last month, Oxfam projected that the number of people experiencing crisis-level hunger could reach 270 million in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic – an increase of over 80%.

An estimated 243 million women and girls around the world have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner in the last 12 months. Experts warn that this number is likely to increase dramatically as security, health and money worries heighten stress within homes, and confined living conditions place women at heightened risk. 

It is estimated that 85 million more girls and boys may have been exposed to either physical, sexual or emotional violence as a result of COVID-19, and as many as 30 million children’s lives are in danger of secondary health impacts such as exposure to deadly diseases like malaria, lack of immunizations and malnutrition as health systems are overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. What’s more, millions more children are at increased risk of child marriage and child labor over the coming years as family livelihoods evaporate, pushing families to identify other forms of income that harm children.

(See World Relief’s series COVID and the Issues.)

Unto

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for all of us here in America. As hard as this has been for us, the effects of the virus are absolutely devastating in some of the toughest places on earth where people already struggle because of hunger, poverty, and war.  Requests for critical emergency assistance are pouring in from our field staff leaders. Their pleas are heartbreaking:

“Many will die not from the coronavirus, but they will starve …”—Peru
“Because our country is locked and everything is closed, there is no one to help refugees.” —Middle East
“Our nation is not prepared at all. We are merely a death trap waiting to happen.” —Zimbabwe
“As a country we have no capacity to respond effectively should the cases of the disease begin to multiply.” —Zambia

Photo by Zach Vessels on Unsplash

Thoughts on Flipping the Bible Open and Reading Wherever You Land (and Recommended Study Resources)

I don’t normally do the “flip the Bible open and put my finger down” method of reading Scripture. However, I used to mock that practice, and I don’t anymore. “Mock” is perhaps too strong of a word, but I used to think, Come on, don’t study the Bible that way. But I’ve often done it and been richly rewarded for it. It’s certainly not my usual way of opening God’s Word each day, but one real positive is that no matter what, you’re still going to end up in the inspired Word of God.

When you study Scripture long enough, you have a sense of the overall context for wherever you land. For example, it’s easier to start in Isaiah 44 when you have an understanding of the whole book of Isaiah. So just flipping open the Bible could be an issue for the young Christian who lands in a passage and doesn’t understand what it means or have any idea what the context is.

When it comes to studying God’s Word, sometimes I read through the Bible in a yearlong program. Other times, I do simply open to a portion of Scripture and meditate on it, asking God for guidance. I don’t mean that I stick my finger in the Bible and just read wherever it lands—although I have done and it actually can be fun—but my normal approach to Bible study is to pore over texts that relate to something on my heart or that I’m writing about. Also, if one of our pastors preaches from a certain passage, I might go back to that later and spend more time meditating on it.

So sometimes my Bible study is systematic, while other times I find myself going from place to place in my Logos Bible study software, wherever I sense the Spirit of God leading me. Logos Bible Software is an incredible resource I use nearly daily at home and in study. It’s totally portable, so I use it on my tablet and cell phone too. As the pastor preaches a passage, I check the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words in the biblical text. It’s an unbelievably helpful tool, particularly if you take the time to learn how to use it. See what endorsers, including me, have to say about it. (They offer different software packages. Pick one and dive in. Be sure you take advantage of their online training videos.)

Finally, in this video, I share about my favorite study Bible, another great resource:

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Giving Thanks to Jesus

As it has been for many of you, 2020 has been a difficult year for Nanci and me for many reasons. But the more difficult the year, the more we need to take time to focus on giving thanks and praising our God of grace. Proverbs 19:21 declares, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” We should thank God no matter what, trusting in His wisdom, goodness, and love.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss writes, “The person who has chosen to make gratitude his or her mindset and lifestyle can view anything—anything!—through the eyes of thankfulness. The whole world looks different when we do.”

A year ago Nanci was in the hospital having her first lung surgery, and I was able to bring her home Thanksgiving night. We are grateful beyond words for the three encouraging test results we got in the past week. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” (Psalm 28:7).

Like some of you, it’s also tough for us not to be with some of our family in this season, though we’re grateful we can be with those who live nearby.  I remind myself God has multiple purposes for COVID and the restrictions, as He does everything. And He truly will work it altogether for our good and His glory, just as He promises in Romans 8:28-29. So thankful for that!

As the stresses of life and our unique situations and losses press on us, here are eternal words to ponder and treasure that outweigh all temporary losses: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Hope you enjoy the following excerpt from my book It’s All About Jesus. God bless you, and may you have a Happy, gratitude-filled Thanksgiving.

Trusting our Sovereign King with heartfelt gratitude,

Randy

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:16-17 NIV

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves—that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.  N.T. Wright

Our names are written in Heaven not because we were smart and strong and moral. Rather, “because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). In other words, Jesus became for us, and remains for us, what we could never be for ourselves. And that should overwhelm us with unending gratitude.  Randy Alcorn

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

Scripture commands us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Who is more excellent and worthy of praise than Jesus Christ? We should trace all secondary joys and pleasures back to him as we’d trace a sunbeam back to the sun. We should thank him and worship him, so that when we ponder and delight in every good thing he gives us, we’ll be thinking of and delighting in Jesus.  Randy Alcorn

Jesus went without comfort so that you might have it. He postponed joy so that you might share in it. He willingly chose isolation so that you might never be alone in your hurt and sorrow. He had no real fellowship so that fellowship might be yours, this moment. This alone is enough cause for great gratitude!  Joni Eareckson Tada

Just get to know Jesus… not who you want Him to be or who other people say He is. Get to know Him through the power of the Spirit as you study the Word. The more you get to know Him the more thankful you will be for Him.  Deb Wolf

Help us not only to receive him but to walk in him,
depend upon him,
commune with him,
follow him as dear children,
imperfect, but still pressing forward,
not complaining of labour, but valuing rest,
not murmuring under trials, but thankful for our state. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

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

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Encouragement for the Depressed from Charles Spurgeon

During this global pandemic, depression and suicidal thoughts are on the rise. That makes the release of the short book Encouragement for the Depressed, with a sermon from Charles Spurgeon, timely. The book description says, “Having battled depression and discouragement himself for most of his years in ministry, Spurgeon encourages the downtrodden to hold fast to the promises of God, for he is steadfast and will comfort his children as they walk faithfully with him.”

I share in my book Happiness how as a teenager, before knowing God, I had nothing much to fight depression with. Now I have far better tools—first and foremost an awareness of the presence and grace of God. The following is the foreword I wrote for Encouragment for the Depressed, sharing how God has used Spurgeon’s words about depression in my life. If you’re struggling, I pray this helps you. Please don’t suffer alone. Reach out to get prayer and encouragement from trusted friends and if needed, help from medical professionals. (There are medications that help some people, and I’m grateful for that, as they’re part of God’s common grace.)

Hardly anyone outside of Scripture speaks to me like Charles Spurgeon does. He had incredible depth and biblical insight, and his sermons and writings, full of grace and truth and sheer eloquence, always draw me to Jesus.

Spurgeon preached to approximately ten million people in his lifetime, often speaking ten times a week. His 3,561 sermons are bound in sixty-three volumes, and in addition he wrote many books.

Wonderful as those accomplishments were, they put demands on his life that no doubt contributed to his battles with depression—not least of all that he often worked eighteen hours a day!

Spurgeon took great solace in Scripture, especially in the Psalms he loved so much, as evidenced in his massive commentary set The Treasury of David. God’s words, as Spurgeon well knew, are far more valuable than anyone else’s. God promises that his word “shall not return to [him] empty, but it shall accomplish that which [he purposes], and shall succeed in the thing for which [he] sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 ESV). God does not make that promise about your words or my words or even Spurgeon’s words, but only his word. In the face of great criticism, Spurgeon took great pains to conform his preaching and writing to Scripture. We need to hear Spurgeon’s voice because he was faithful to speak God’s word, and today there aren’t nearly enough voices like his.

Spurgeon also serves as a reminder that people of great trust in God can nonetheless be brought low in depression. While that thought may be, well, depressing to those who haven’t experienced depression, it is liberating to those of us who have.

I have known depression at times in my life. Several years ago, for no apparent reason, a cloud of depression descended on me. Day after day, it was my constant companion. During that time, I was encouraged by the perspectives of Spurgeon, whose long-term struggles with depression were far worse than mine. I blogged about my depression and shared a few Spurgeon quotations that can be found in this book.

Many people have since written to tell me their own stories of how God has used Spurgeon’s perspectives on depression in their lives. After I wrote a subsequent blog post about Spurgeon and the suffering he endured, I received this note: “I was depressed because once again I was not feeling well. It’s amazing to realize even great leaders suffered so much. It gives me hope, as I suffer from near constant pain. Thanks. This really encouraged me—I needed it!”

Would Spurgeon have ever guessed that nearly two centuries later his sufferings from depression would be a source of comfort to God’s people? (Who is being, and will be, touched by our sufferings and our perspectives that we won’t know about until eternity?) I am confident that God will use Spurgeon’s words in this little book to encourage many more believers who struggle with depression.

Spurgeon writes, “I have suffered many times from severe sickness and frightful mental depression seeking almost to despair. Almost every year I’ve been laid aside for a season, for flesh and blood cannot bear the strain, at least such flesh and blood as mine. I believe, however, the affliction was necessary to me and has answered salutary ends.”

Those words were written by a man who lived with great physical pain for a large part of his life. While his dear wife, Susanna, was bedridden for decades, Spurgeon contracted smallpox and suffered from gout, rheumatism, and Bright’s disease (inflammation of the kidneys). His health became progressively worse, so that nearly a third of his last twenty-two years were spent away from the pulpit. This physical hardship took a great emotional toll on him.

When Spurgeon was twenty-two years old, a tragedy took place that still haunted him years later. He was preaching for the first time in the Music Hall of the Royal Surrey Gardens because his own church wasn’t large enough. The ten-thousand-person seating capacity was far exceeded by the crowds pressing in. Someone shouted, “Fire!” and though there was no fire, the resulting stampede caused many injuries and the deaths of seven people. Years later, Spurgeon said this horrifying incident took him “near the burning furnace of insanity.”

Still, Spurgeon found that his great suffering drew him closer to God. In an address to ministers and students, he said, “I daresay the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness. If some men whom I know of could only be favored with a month of rheumatism, it would, by God’s grace, mellow them marvelously.”

Spurgeon said of pastoral ministry, “Our work, when earnestly undertaken, lays us open to attacks in the direction of depression. Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust? Passionate longings after men’s conversion, if not fully satisfied (and when are they?), consume the soul with anxiety and disappointment. To see the hopeful turn aside, the godly grow cold, professors abusing their privileges, and sinners waxing more bold in sin—are not these sights enough to crush us to the earth. . . . How often, on Lord’s Day evenings, do we feel as if life were completely washed out of us! After pouring out our souls over our congregations, we feel like empty earthen pitchers that a child might break.”

He also wrote, “I am afraid that all the grace I have got of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good I have received from my sorrows and pains and griefs is altogether incalculable. Affliction is . . . the best book in a minister’s library.”

Like the apostle Paul, the often jovial Spurgeon was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10 ESV). Near the end of his words in Encouragement for the Depressed, Spurgeon says, “Glory be to God for the furnace, the hammer, and the file. Heaven shall be all the fuller of bliss because we have been filled with anguish here below, and earth shall be better tilled because of our training in the school of adversity.”

Thank you, Charles Spurgeon, for your integrity, devotion to God’s word, honest sharing of your own weaknesses, and unquenchable passion for God not just in times of good cheer, but in times of desolate darkness. And thank you, sovereign Lord, for encouraging us through your servant, who, like Abel, though he is dead (while fully alive in your presence), still speaks through his example and life-giving words (Hebrews 11:4).

May God give us ears to hear, and may our hearts be full of hope and expectancy as we await the day when King Jesus, true to His blood-bought promise, will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).

Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash