Persecution: What to expect and how to respond

An ISIS soldier "had begun having dreams of this man in white who came to him and said, 'You are killing my people.' And he started to feel really sick and uneasy about what he was doing," Fadely continued. "The fighter said just before he killed one Christian, the man said, 'I know you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible.' The Christian was killed and this ISIS fighter actually took the Bible and began to read it. In another dream, Jesus asked him to follow Him and he was now asking to become a follower of Christ and to be discipled" (Menzie, Christian Post).

I released “Everything We Need: God’s Path to Know Him Better” a little over a year ago. In it, we consider twelve areas where God calls us to know one of His truths. One of those truths – persecution – is growing like a wildfire. For us in America, I think the time has come for us to stop believing our first amendment rights are more iron-clad than God’s Word; persecution will come. For those in America and all nations, we need to know what God wrote about persecution so we can cope.

That’s why I’m sharing excerpts from the chapter in “Everything We Need” that focuses on persecution. This is only about a fourth of what’s in the book. Click here if you want to learn more.

Who is the world?

The gap between believers and the world is growing every day.

We are followers of Christ living in the world; those who persecute believers are part of the world. So, who and what is the world?

In his commentary, Matthew Henry described “the world.” The world is led by Satan although he will be driven out and condemned (1 John 5:19, John 12:31, and John 16:11). The world hates believers because we don’t belong in it. God has chosen us out of it (John 15:18-19). The world has many followers but the number of believers in Christ are few (Matthew 7:13-14).

I also have made two observations regarding the relationship between the world, the believer, and God.

First, a believer’s relationship with the world can’t be one of friendship. The world is comprised of hollow, fleeting obstacles to a relationship with Christ. We can’t desire or seek after those things and love God at the same time as they are diametrically opposed to each other (James 4:4, 1 John 2:15).

Second, the world’s treatment of believers is opposite of how believers are to treat one another. The world hates believers but believers should be known for their love (1 John 3:13-15). Our love is evidence of the transformation Christ makes in our life as we grow in Him. Think about it—we were once part of the world until He chose us out of it and we followed in obedience. Therefore, by our very sin nature, we also once hated believers. For love to now define us requires a radical transformation.

Despite the hatred the world feels toward God and His people, God feels only one way about the world. He loves it and His strongest desire is to save it. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Should we expect persecution?

A chasm exists between the world and the children of God. In John 15:18-21, Jesus warned His disciples of this split during the Last Supper. His warning compared two aspects of life for the world and the believer—their relationship with each other and their treatment of each other.

The relationship between the world and the believer is not a pretty one. Believers were once part of the world. If they still were, the world would love them. So what happened to change their status from part of the world to that of a believer? Jesus chose them out of the world. And the world hates Him. The world is those who are “alienated from God” and “hostile to the cause of Christ”. The only possible outcome is for the world to also hate believers (John 15:18-19).

This relationship impacts the second aspect of life between the world and the believer—their treatment of each other. During the Last Supper, Jesus twice told His disciples, “No servant is greater than his master” (John 13:16 and 15:20).

John 15:20 is the second time Jesus said, “No servant is greater than his master.” He said it within the context of persecution. If the world persecuted Christ, which they did to the point of death, the world is going to persecute the believer as well. Notice that Jesus didn’t say they will probably persecute you or they might persecute you. He added no conditional aspect to this part of the sentence. Friend, if you are following Christ, the world will persecute you.

Despite the guaranteed persecution, Jesus set an example for believers in how they should feel about the world. The first time He said “No servant is greater than his master” was in John 13:16. The context was Jesus’ act of humility while washing the disciples’ feet. This act not only portrayed Him as a servant; it was also an acted parable. This dramatized parable showed His humility in coming to earth, giving His life to redeem mankind, and return to the glories of heaven. “The love that is evident in the laying down of life at the crucifixion is also demonstrated in the laying down of life in humble service in the footwashing” (Osborne). Jesus’ life was one of humility and believers should not aspire to anything different.

How should I respond?

All of these factors combine to reveal another aspect of how believers should treat the world. Yes, the world persecutes believers. Jesus says in John 15:21, “They will treat you this way because of my name…” This next part is very important, “…for they do not know the One who sent me.” Friend, the world does all of this because they do not know! How did you come to know the One who sent Jesus? I’m fairly certain it was because someone told you about Him, whether it was in a sermon, over lunch, in a book, or through any other media. Someone told you about Jesus. For those who don’t know, maybe they just need to be told. Who better than you and I to tell them?

I'm Too Busy: How will God view our excuses when eternity comes?

The church is full of hypocrites.

A God of love would never send people to hell.

Everyone has their own truth and their own path to God.

My teacher told me God doesn’t exist.

I went to church when I was little so it’s all good. Or, I’m a member of the local church so it’s all good. I’m covered.

I’ve done too many bad things. God doesn’t want me.

I’m a good person. God will let me in.

I can take care of that some other time. I’m too busy right now.

I don’t feel like it.

All that Bible stuff is too hard. I’ll just wing it.

I went to church but someone there made me mad. I won’t go back.

I’d go to church but someone already there hurt me. I’ll never go somewhere where he/she is at.

They are just after my money. They don’t care about me.

We’ve all heard these excuses for why people reject Christianity. We’ve probably even said or thought some of them ourselves.

I’m not even going to offer a rebuttal to them. Instead, I’m going to skip the debate and go straight to the point. I’m going to focus on the heart of the issue. These are all excuses we use so we don’t have to face the truth. However, when the moment of truth comes, our excuses won’t matter one single bit.

I’m not going to sugar coat this or try to make it politically correct. I’m going to put it out there and leave the rest up to you.

You will stand before God at some point. He’s not going to consider your excuses and make allowances for them. God won’t say, “Yes, I know. The church was full of hypocrites so I understand why you didn’t go. Please, enter into eternity with Me.”

You’ll never hear, “Your teacher told you I don’t exist so it’s not really your fault that you rejected Me. We’ll blame your teacher instead. Heaven awaits you.”

God isn’t going to look at the calendar on your smartphone and reply, “Wow, you’re right. You were really busy with your career and your children’s activities and civic responsibilities and taking care of your home and still trying to fit in some fun stuff. I can see why you never took time to learn about Me. Sure, we can make an exception. I have a spot prepared for you in heaven with Me.”

Do you see where I’m going with this?

We throw out excuses for our rejection of God’s truth as if they’ll make a difference in our eternal outcome. We actually think God will consider those excuses as valid “Get out of jail free” cards in a cosmic, eternal Monopoly game.

I mean, after all, God is love and His is a message of grace, right?

This is God’s Love

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

God is a God of love. As Creator of the universe, He has the privilege of defining love. He defined it as a sacrifice made by one person for the benefit of another person. He played it out by sacrificing Himself to pay the penalty for our sin so we might receive the benefit of forgiveness and eternity in heaven.

This is God’s Grace

“Since by one man’s trespass [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. … But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:17, 20-21).

God is a God of grace. Grace doesn’t make excuses and exceptions to get around the truth. That’s called lying and deception and they’re trademark signs of Satan, not God. God’s grace recognizes our sin for what it is without excuse. Instead, He forgives it completely and totally because of the blood sacrificed by Jesus.

A difference exists between excusing an offense and forgiving one. To excuse an offense means to pretend as if it wasn’t actually offensive or didn’t hurt you. To excuse an offense gives power to the offender. To forgive an offense means to recognize that the person’s action was wrong, it did hurt you, but you choose not to hold it against them. To forgive an offense gives the power to the one offended. The latter is God’s grace.

No one will hold your hand

When that moment comes and you stand before God, I won’t be there to hold your hand and offer false promises of security. Your excuses won’t be there still promising false justification. That moment will be between you and God alone; all that will matter is what you did with the message of love and grace offered by Jesus. Did you accept it or did you excuse it away?

Please click here to read a full explanation of what it means to accept Jesus’ gift of love, grace, and salvation. It’s eternally significant.

Deal Breaker: Crossing the line into false teaching

False teaching. It’s a touchy subject but one that thrust itself into my life this week. It wasn’t loud or obnoxious; it didn’t come from an arrogant televangelist or celebrity Christian. It was small – only a few lines quietly buried in the middle of an otherwise great message.

I’m sure I’ve taught the Word of God incorrectly at times through the years, as much as it pains me to say so. I know God’s Word is absolutely true – every word, every concept, every story. I also know my mind isn’t perfect, my heart is sinful, and sometimes I just mess up.

So this week, I heard something that goes against God’s Word – an errant teaching I’ve encountered before on the internet but not from the mouth of a friend. I’m not going to share what it was as that would be an article in itself. But today I’m wondering a few things…

• What distinguishes a false teacher from a teacher who messed up on a particular point?
• What distinguishes a false teaching from a teaching with which I happen to disagree?
• Where is the line between areas where we “agree to disagree” and areas that are “deal-breakers” under valid Christian teaching?

Many believers think the end times are approaching quickly. If this is so, Scripture warns that false teaching and deception will be prevalent in our world. “False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). And again later, “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1).

So, if false teachings and deceptions will increase, I think it’d be wise of us to answer some of these questions.

A false teacher from a teacher who messed up

No Bible translation is perfect, no denomination is perfect, no pastor or teacher is perfect, no commentator is perfect, and no Christian blogger is perfect. Sometimes I think God allows this on purpose as only He is perfect. No one and nothing will ever match His sinless perfection. Every person who’s ever tried to teach something from the Bible has messed up at some point. So how do we distinguish between a teacher who messed up and a false teacher?

I think a key factor is intent behind the teaching. I can only speak for myself, but I know my intentions in studying the Bible and writing about it is to know Him and make Him known. My books and blog are a natural outcome of my desire to love and serve God. A false teacher’s intention is destruction. “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies…” (2 Peter 2:1). It goes on to describe their work as unrestrained, blasphemous, exploitative, and greedy.

Another key factor is the outcome of their teaching. Good teaching brings others into a relationship with Jesus and then helps them continue to grow in their relationship with Him. This isn't the case with false teachers. “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. … Every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:15-18).

A false teaching from a teaching with which I disagree

Or, to say it another way, it might be ok for us to disagree on some teachings. In other areas, lines have to be drawn, truth spoken, and even relationships severed at times. Where is the line between these two areas? After all, I know of no other person with whom I agree on every single detail of Christianity. When is it ok and when is it a deal-breaker?

Sometimes we may disagree but we don’t have to argue about it. I think of a friend who believes the rapture will happen at the end of the tribulation whereas I think it will happen at the beginning. We can’t know for sure and simply agree to disagree.

At the other end of the spectrum, I heard a church deny Jesus rose from the dead after His crucifixion. I don’t have to question or wonder; I know this is a deal breaker. If we deny the resurrection of Jesus, then God’s Word is a lie. The whole plan falls apart.

The problem comes in a wide range of areas in between these two extremes. That is why Paul wrote, “Test all things. Hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We have to put this into practice rather than blindly accept every teaching we hear – even if that teaching comes from someone we know and respect.

John gives us a little more help when trying to discern the validity of a teaching. He wrote, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God” (1 John 4:1-3).

Denying Jesus isn’t only denying what the Bible says about Him. To deny Jesus is to deny the whole of the Word of God as John also wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). The Word isn’t merely about Jesus; Jesus is the Word made flesh.

I guess it comes down to one thing when we’re trying to determine if we can agree to disagree or if the issue is a deal-breaker. Does this teaching deny Jesus – His truth, His Word, or His work? If the answer is yes, then it’s more in the deal breaker range. If the answer is no, then maybe we can agree to disagree. We’ll only know into which category it falls if we know the Bible for Jesus Himself – the Word made flesh – said, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).

Religious Extremism: Why it's a good thing

Religious extremism.

This term has bounced around social media and news outlets a lot over the last couple of months.

Most people use it to refer to ISIS – a militant, radical Islamic group who established a caliphate in regions of what you and I call Syria and Iraq. The leaders of ISIS embrace a form of Sunni Islam called Salafism. From what I understand, this classification level would be comparable to a particular denomination in Christianity, such as Methodist or Presbyterian.

President Obama and many others have referred to ISIS as not representative of true Islam. Perhaps the problem is that ISIS doesn’t ascribe to the same branch of moderate Islam that many in western culture would prefer.

Our western culture prefers to keep religion moderate. It’s OK to believe in God as long as you don’t actually talk to Him or think He speaks to you as well. Then you’re a fanatic. Helping the poor and less fortunate is a good thing… unless you give them too much of your time and resources. Then you’re obsessive. Reading a Bible is valuable literary understanding, but don’t let it affect how you live or view the world. Then you might be an extremist. You may believe whatever you want – just keep it to yourself and don’t try to impose it on anyone else.

Members of ISIS, however, are doing those things. They are studying the Koran and other ancient writings. They are letting it transform how they think, view others, and live their lives. They are praying to Allah daily – several times a day. They are sharing their message with others on a massive global scale as thousands of young people from all over the world pour into the region to join ISIS. They’re religious extremists; whether you like their form of Islam or not doesn’t change that.

When Islam is taken to extreme measures, ISIS is what it looks like. And it is massively changing our world.

But any religion may contain extremists. Christianity does… and should.

Balance is critical to so many areas of our lives. Wise financial sense balances income with expenses. It spends an appropriate amount on charity, bills, savings, and a little entertainment. A balanced diet includes mainly fruits and vegetables, some dairy, meat, and grains but also knows a little chocolate now and then is a good thing. Peaceful time management utilizes available blocks of time to accomplish tasks but also realizes we need a little rest every now and then. Moderation and balance is good in life.

Except in one area… Religious extremism is a good thing.

Shocked to hear me say that as the blood of 21 Christian martyrs soaks into the sands of Tripoli? Or, as the ashes of 45 Iraqis blow through the streets of al-Baghdadi, Iraq?

Religious extremism shows us the true nature of the religion.

What does Christian extremism look like?

As I walked through my journey to learn balance in most areas of life, I found two areas where balance isn’t acceptable. They are all or nothing kind of deals.

First the “All”
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

We can’t love God moderately. No balanced approach exists for loving God. You are a three-part being. You have a heart or mind that relates to others. You have a soul or spirit that links with God. You have a body (“strength”) that connects to the physical world. We love God with all three parts. We love others unconditionally and sacrificially. We tenderly love our world – His creation. We love Him unashamedly.

Then the “Nothing”
“Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle – is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

We can’t avoid sin moderately. No balanced approach exists for dabbling in sin. The world likes to pull us away from God physically, mentally, and spiritually. It does so through desires that feel good to our body and our mind. It does so through the prideful self-exaltation of our own spirit over God’s.

But we mess up
I get it. I’m right there with you. We can’t love as unconditionally, sacrificially, tenderly, and unashamedly as God loves. We can’t avoid sin’s pull on our mind, body, and spirit completely on our own.

They aren’t going to happen.

That’s the beauty of God’s grace and forgiveness – two concepts unique to Christianity among religions. I’ve written about them before and I’ll write about them again. Today, they’re not my point though.

Christian Extremism

ISIS takes the practices of Islam to extremes; the world is rapidly becoming a different place because of it.

As Christians, now is not the time for moderation. Now is the time for our own version of religious extremism. Now is the time to take the teachings of Christianity to extremes and show the world what it looks like.

Extreme Christianity loves sacrificially. We follow Jesus’ example of love that gives until the last breath and extends to every soul on the face of His creation. We love even when it means we deny our prideful rights. We love even when loved one’s actions tear our hearts into pieces. We love because He loves us.

When Christianity is taken to extreme measures, it looks like Jesus. And it can massively change our world.

American Sniper: What would Jesus do?

If a man burst into our home or approached me on the street with a loaded weapon intent on killing me, I would be ok with Jimmy shooting him. In fact, I would expect him to do everything within his power to protect me. It’s his job.

It was Chris Kyle’s job to do so as well.

Chris is the hero of the blockbuster movie “American Sniper,” a true story based on his military career as a Navy SEAL. Chris’s accuracy with a sniper rifle saved the lives of countless Americans throughout four tours of duty in Iraq. His accomplishments earned him the nickname “Legend” among his military brothers. The movie isn’t only Chris’s struggle on the battlefield, however, just as Chris Kyle’s life wasn’t only as a military hero. Chris was also a husband and dad; balancing the aggression of the battlefield with the compassion of the home may have been his greatest battle just as it is for many who return home from war.

Despite his heroic actions, the movie has met with strong criticism in social media. One tweet has caught my attention more than others. I saw the movie Saturday night; the movie was still fresh in my pondering mind when I read this tweet,

I admit it – the expression “What would Jesus do?” is kind of worn out. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone wearing a WWJD bracelet. Besides, the question of what Jesus would do is pointless as He doesn’t need a sniper’s rifle to strike down his enemy. The power of His spoken word will be adequate when the time comes. Don’t believe me? Read Revelation 19:11-21. But that’s another battle for another day and time.

All joking aside, I think we understand the point of the tweeter’s question, “What would Jesus do?” The question really asks “How should I – as a follower of Jesus – respond to this situation?” Or, sometimes people use the question to indicate, “What is Jesus’ teaching on this issue?” To that end, I’ve come up with six areas where Chris Kyle is a good example for us as followers of Christ as we engage in the battle.

He enlisted.

It seems basic but we all have to start somewhere, don’t we? Yet, some of us never enlist in the battle. We assume life can be all happy thoughts, peaceful moments, and kumbaya campfires. That’s not reality, though. We may find personal peace in Christ but neither the spiritual nor physical worlds will experience complete peace until eternity begins. Only then will God “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until then, we better come to grips with reality; wars and rumors of wars will continue until the end (Matthew 24:6) and “we will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33).

He developed his skill.

Chris Kyle appears to have had some natural talent with a rifle. Natural talent doesn’t make you the most successful sniper in American history, however. The movie doesn’t go in to much detail in this area but common sense tells me that Chris spent hours practicing and developing his skill so he would be ready when deployment came.

As followers of Christ, we have a gift as well – a special area where God has given us the capacity to serve Him. The capacity to serve is only as effective as natural talent, however. It will get some work done but serving at a higher level requires the development of that capacity. Then we can step into the battle ready to do some damage against the enemy.

He knew his purpose.

Chris Kyle’s job was to protect his fellow soldiers. Period. He didn’t spend time cooking in the mess hall or analyzing intelligence in the offices. His duty – his purpose – was to spend hours staring down the scope of a rifle watching for those who might harm his brothers. That’s what he did and it made him a legend.

We have a purpose as well; we have to know what it is. We can waste a lot of hours doing good things that keep us from the best thing, however. In fact, I believe this is one of Satan’s primary methods of attack for those who follow Christ. He can keep us so busy doing good things that we aren’t effective in our true area of purpose, whatever that might be. The more our relationship with Jesus grows, the more we will know our true purpose. Then, we will be the one striking down the enemy on the battlefield.

He did his job.

He developed his skill. He knew his purpose. All of that is worthless if we don’t step up and do the job. Hours of practice and tons of head knowledge didn’t make Chris a legend. He was a legend because he put it into practice on the battlefield.

When the enemy entered his view on the cross hairs of his rifle scope, Chris pulled the trigger. He didn’t enjoy it but he didn’t regret it either. It was his job to protect the lives of his fellow servicemen. Pulling the trigger accomplished that mission.

Chris also recognized the ripple effects of his job performance. Yes, he took the lives of Iraqis, but doing so saved the lives of countless others. In the immediate sense, it saved the lives of those at the other end of the Iraqi’s gun. It also rippled out into the future as each Iraqi he killed couldn’t kill American soldiers in the weeks, months, and years ahead. The ripples didn’t even stop there. Each time Chris successfully fired his rifle, he took one more step toward keeping the battle off American soil and away from his wife and kids.

Chris served faithfully.

His service was hard. His family suffered as did his health. Sometimes he was unable to save his military brothers. He lived in humble conditions while deployed. No one ever said it was easy to be a Navy SEAL. Likewise, no one ever said it will be easy to follow Christ. If it was, God could have called bunnies and kittens to fight the forces of evil. Instead, He called us – those He created in His image and in whom His Spirit dwells – because through Him He knew we could win the battle.

His service was met with criticism. Obviously, not everyone agrees with what Chris Kyle did. Yet Chris knew his purpose, did his job, and would do so again if he could as he knew it was the right thing to do. Similarly, not everyone is going to agree with or understand when we step up to the spiritual battle. That doesn’t matter; we do it because God called us to do it and it’s the right thing to do.

So in the end

War will continue on this planet. Even more, war will continue in the spiritual realm. Our enemy isn’t a person lined up in our crosshairs; our battle is against forces of evil and powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). Some of us would like to sit in our pews, following a Christianity that denies hell and demonic forces where everyone lives pretty, peaceful lives. Recognition of Jesus’ teaching realizes, however, that following Christ sometimes means war. We have to enlist in the battle, develop our skill, study to know our purpose, do our job, and serve faithfully until the end.

A Christian Hijab: Two signs that show you follow Jesus

I ran several errands in my local community the other day. While out and about, I noticed several women wearing a hijab (Muslim head scarf). My Christian friend wears a hijab since she lives in a Muslim country and works among Muslim people. She wears it as a sign of respect to their culture.

 

However, a woman only wears a hijab in the heart of Midwest America if she’s Muslim. She may wear the hijab out of a sense of obligation or the force of habit but – rather intentional or not – if she wears a hijab in my local culture, she is proclaiming her religious beliefs.

I stood in line at Target, considering one such woman in line behind me. I wondered to myself, “If I had to consistently wear something that so publicly declared my religious beliefs, would I do so? What would I wear?”

Would I wear my Christian hoodie with the clever tagline? Would I wear a cross necklace?

 

Would I wear it if my religious system made it a requirement? After all, I'm not very good at following the rules. Tell me I have to do something; it’s a sure fire way to keep me from doing it.

Here’s the reality, though. Following Christ doesn’t require any outer sign on my part. I don’t have to wear a head covering, fix my hair in a certain style, make any marks on my skin, or perform any other outer religious modifications to who I am.

I can be me.

You could place me in a line up with several other women and you’d see no distinguishing marks of my decision to follow Christ.

During the times of the Old Testament, God did require an outer mark – circumcision. “This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every one of your males must be circumcised” (Genesis 17:10).

Even during that time, however, God said that sign would eventually change. He later wrote of a then future time when “The Lord God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). We’re living in the midst of that fulfillment now, but that’s another article.

This verse from Deuteronomy sums up a lot about signs of our relationship with Jesus. We base our relationship on two signs – an inner circumcision of the heart and a little thing called love.

Inner Circumcision of the Heart

Paul recalled Moses’ words from Deuteronomy when he wrote, “circumcision is of the heart – by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29). A cross around our neck isn’t a sign of our salvation; the sign is the presence of the Spirit of God within us. “When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).

He marks us as a follower of Christ in a way that’s more impacting and permanent than any tattoo could ever be.

Going back to the idea of placing me in a line up to pick out the Christian… The presence of the Spirit of God within us isn’t very visible to the world is it? That’s where love comes in.

It’s all about love

God left us with another kind of sign. This one also comes from inside us – love for God and for each other.

Jesus emphasized this transition from outer signs to inner transformation when a Jewish rabbi asked Him which command from the Old Testament is the greatest. He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Christianity doesn’t require me to wear a certain headscarf or any other outer modification or adornment. It asks that I love God. People aren’t able to see that one quite so easily, though, so it doesn’t end there. Jesus made it really clear when He said, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). When you look at love in the Bible, you quickly realize that God’s kind of love looks a lot like service and sacrifice.

It flows with generosity.

It aches with compassion.

It's exhausted by perseverance.

It dares with kindness.

What’s my sign?

Wear a cross necklace if you want. Enjoy your Christian t-shirts with clever taglines on them. But those things aren’t going to reach the world. Your waitress or store clerk might give you a little, “Hey, I like your shirt” quietly indicating that they are a believer as well. That’s probably all your outer sign is going to accomplish.

The world is changed and lives are transformed when people see us serving and sacrificing – in short, loving – in a way that’s only possible by the presence of the Spirit of God in our lives. The sacrificial love of God will mark us as different.

Invest: How much is too much?

A friend of mine started Discovering Beautiful, a ministry designed to encourage individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. As such, she stays up to date on what's going on in the fight against drug and alcohol abuse. I've often thought our ministries are similar; we both focus on helping people find freedom.

 

The state of Colorado recently legalized the use of marijuana. During a subsequent conversation, my friend told me about the extent of money invested by proponents of marijuana legalization. Those campaigning to legalize marijuana had invested over $12,000,000 at that time. Those who wish to keep marijuana illegal had invested $56,000 in the fight. Those supporting the legalization of marijuana invested 214x more money to make their case heard - and they won!

 

In other words...

 

 

Here was my take away from that conversation...

 

Are we ready to invest in the battle?

The above doesn't apply only to the fight against drugs. It applies in all areas - abortion, definition of marriage, human trafficking, pornography, education standards, etc. A secular worldview is fighting hard to gain victory in these areas; they are investing time, money, and resources to win their battle. Many in the American church don't even realize a battle is going on, let alone are they ready to fight.

 

Grow Barefoot focuses more on missions than the war on drugs. Lottie Moon was a missionary to China for forty years; her service ended only by her death in 1912. A friend gave me this quote from Lottie Moon a few weeks ago, "Why should we not ... instead of the paltry offerings we make, do something that will prove that we are really in earnest in claiming to be followers of Him who, though He was rich, for our sake became poor?" (Source)

 

Read her story and you'll soon realize that Lottie wasn't content until she was giving the full extent of what she had in service to God's kingdom. She taught others the Word of God, she encouraged the American church of her day to support more missionaries out on the field. She wrote letters and articles to plead the cause of mission work in China. She evangelized and discipled people. She gave all of her time, resources, and meager income until God called her home.

 

Lottie Moon realized a battle is going on; she committed her life to fight. She willingly invested all she had.

 

Some of us may go to places like China or other locations in the far reaches of our shrinking globe. God calls the rest of us to join the battle right here and now. He asks us to invest our time, money, and resources in the battle. The world won't change and lives won't transform until we do.

 

American church, I believe a time of testing may be on our horizon. God will say, "I've blessed you in abundance; now what are you going to do with it?" Did we build mega-churches or did we feed the hungry? Did we give the homeless a place to sleep or did we lock our doors? Did we reach out to the abandoned, the imprisoned, and the lonely or did we wait for them to come find us in our cushy pews?

 

 

Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

 

For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat;

 

I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink;

 

I was a stranger and you took Me in;

 

I was naked and you clothed Me;

 

I was sick and you took care of Me;

 

I was in prison and you visited Me.  ...

 

I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me' (Matthew 25:34-36, 40).

Good & Evil: Where will we live after a world of evil

“Boko Haram has emerged as one of the world's most dangerous and violent Islamic terrorist sects.”

This quote is from an article entitled Photo prompts speculation Nigeria’s Boko Haram leader killed in battle  at FoxNews.com (Warning: Link contains graphic images). We’ve talked about the atrocities of Boko Haram a lot over the last few weeks as we consider some aspects of Psalm 37. As you can probably guess by the title, the leader of this brutal terrorist group may be dead. But if you read the article, you’ll find that authorities don’t know for sure if he’s dead or alive. The man in the gruesome photos may be a body double. To further increase suspicion, neighboring militant groups have reported his death before only to be proven false later.

Perhaps he is dead, in which case I mourn for the state of his soul. Heaven doesn’t await those who reject the message of Jesus. Perhaps he is still alive, in which case hope remains for him. It’s happened before.

Either way, Scripture assures us of the outcome of the evil among us. That’s what we’re going to read about today in this final section of our study on Psalm 37.

We’ve already studied who we are as children of God in the midst of an evil world. We looked at what we should do and what God will do for us – His children – in an evil world. Today, we wrap up the study by comparing the final outcome of the children of God with the outcome of those who reject His message of salvation. Where will each group live for eternity?

Outcome for God’s Children

37:3 – Live securely. As a shepherd watches over his flock, God will watch over His children. That’s the message here; it’s a familiar one in the New Testament. “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:14-16).

37:4 – Obtain our heart’s desires. If we delight in Him, He grants our heart’s desires. The first half is the balance to the second half. God doesn’t give everyone everything we want. But for those who delight in Him – who make Him their reason to be happy – He will grant you your heart’s desires. A key factor here is that when He is our reason to be happy, then the desires of our heart align themselves with what He would want as well. “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17 NIV).

37:11 – Enjoy abundant prosperity. I’m not sure about the word “prosperity” here. The Hebrew is the common word shalom which can mean prosperity but is more commonly translated as peace. In our world of war, I like the idea of abundant peace in the end for God’s children. “And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

37:19 – Won’t be disgraced; will be satisfied. A reality of life is that hard times are going to come. Quite often, the presence of evil in the world causes those hard times. And yet, God’s children won’t be ashamed or disappointed during those times. They will be satisfied. “Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated – so also with the fish, as much as they wanted” (John 6:11).

37:24 – Won’t be overwhelmed. The idea behind this phrase is something causes you to be hurled or thrown down. God’s children fell; we’ve all sinned. Satan sinned too and the result for him was to be cast down from heaven. We sinned but God sent a Savior so that we won’t be overwhelmed – we won’t be cast down from God’s presence in the end. “Anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

37:37 – Will have a future. This phrase is similar to the ones we read in verses 11 and 24. When the end comes, the child of God will know peace. The evil will be cast into the lake of fire but the child of God will rest in His presence. “Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

37:3, 9, 11, 18, 22, 27, 29, 34 – Inherit the land and dwell in it forever. I saved the best for last; isn’t it amazing how these are building one on the other? What an example of God’s perfect word! God promised the land to Abraham for his descendants. This physical Promised Land symbolizes a spiritual Promised Land that awaits each of Abraham’s descendants – an eternity in heaven! You can read all of Romans 4 to see this but for now, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness. … This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all” (Romans 4:3, 16).

Outcome for the Evil

37:2, 10 – Will wither and wilt. The evil have no lasting place. They’re like a plant that is here today and gone tomorrow. “The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isaiah 40:7-8).

37:15 – Pierced by their own swords. Their own actions – their own choices – will bring them to destruction in the end. “The LORD has revealed Himself; He has executed justice, striking down the wicked by the work of their hands” (Psalm 9:16).

37:15 – Bows will be broken. God will not allow their wars and evil to continue. In the future, He will return a second time to reign in peace. At that time, He alone will be exalted among the nations. “He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; He burns up the chariots. ‘Stop your fighting – and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth’” (Psalm 46:9-10).

37:17 – Arms (or power) will be broken. The Hebrew word for “arms” is often symbolic of power throughout the Old Testament. It is even translated as such a few times. The power of God and the light of His truth are foundations for followers of Christ. Yet, for those who reject Him and choose evil, “Light is withheld from the wicked, and the arm raised in violence is broken” (Job 38:15).

37:20 – Will perish and fade away. They come to nothing. No one remembers the wicked in grandeur. The hopes of the wicked die with them. “As smoke is blows away, so You blow them away. As wax melts before the fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God” (Psalm 68:2).

37:9, 22, 28, 34, 38 – Will be destroyed. Wicked, evildoers, cursed, children of the wicked, and future of the wicked; God brings all of it to destruction. The outcome for God’s children ends with our freedom to inherit and dwell in the land forever. It’s not so for the evil. “For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous uprooted from it” (Proverbs 2:21-22).

So,

We’ve asked a series of questions and looked to Psalm 37 for answers. We could probably ask several more. But we’ve seen the truth already; we must decide what we’re going to do about it.

Who are we in a world of evil? We’re those who live differently from the ways of the world as we follow the way God designed for us to live.

What should we do in a world of evil? We can turn our focus to Almighty God as we trust Him and intertwine our lives with Him.

What does God do in a world of evil? He is there for us in ways we can never imagine providing us with all that we need.

Finally, what are the outcomes for both the good and the evil? Where will they live for eternity? This is the question where we face a decision. We’ve talked about the evil of groups like Boko Haram and ISIS. But we’re all evil. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and our “heart is more deceitful than anything else and incurable” (Romans 3:23 and Jeremiah 17:9, respectively). We are among the evil until we choose to surrender to Jesus and give Him our sinful heart by faith. In His infinite grace, He forgives the evils of our deceitful hearts and makes us one of His children. He brings us into the sheepfold and allows us to be among those who inherit the land, as we mentioned earlier in this article. Click here to read more about finding a relationship with Christ.

Click here to read the previous article in this series.

Missions: Debunking the myth of the hyper-spiritual

Some people think missions’ involvement is too hard. It’s something they could never do.

It’s only for the hyper-spiritual.

It’s all about preaching, …and saving lives, …and Bible translation.

It’s all about mountain-top power moments where the Spirit moves radically in our lives.

When it comes to missions, sometimes people do those things. Sometimes people have those moments. But most often, international missions is doing what you do here – only you do it there.

Jimmy has sent me several text messages from their current project in Africa over the last few days. They don’t contain any radical salvation stories or mountain top moments. I hesitated to share them with you because of that lack of emotional, spiritual impact.

But then I realized that part of what we at Grow Barefoot want to teach people is that missions is doable for everyone. And I’m guessing a lot of you can identify with these stories because they’re a lot like what you do everyday – you go to work and do your job. If you're doing it to God's glory, doing it in Africa instead of America doesn’t make it any higher of a calling.

So, here’s a compilation of those messages.

Day 3 – Out to the village

We woke up in the city at 5:30am and headed to the airport to fly a small 4-seater plane out to the village. We met Coffee – a coordinator for that region – but he had eaten something the night before that, um, let’s just say it didn't agree with him. He was unable to take us to the airport. So, a strategy director over north central Africa who had come in the night before took us to breakfast. We ate at the same bakery we had eaten at two years ago.

After breakfast, we went to the market to pick up some fresh vegetables to take out to the village. We got to the airport and bused to the hanger with the small plane. We had a smooth flight as we again overlooked a barren wasteland of dry desert alive with fresh grass and flowers. In the desert, the promise of the rainy season is the promise of hope that God will provide.

The flat land reminded me of driving through Kansas on I-70. We could see scattered rain showers as we dodged weather and clouds. We arrived in the village with a greeting of over 40 people and a huge cardboard welcome sign that the missionary children had made from the solar panel boxes. The rest of the welcome party was for a sick woman very high up in town that had needed medical attention in the city.

Details have been blurred for their protection

We started working after lunch at 1pm; we worked until 10:30. I held a brief class on solar power and what we were going to do first.

ü  Get the control panel set up on the wall.

ü  Get the cables set up and wired.

ü  Get the batteries set in place and hooked up for charging.

It was a good day’s work. Despite the early start and the long workday, sleeping was a bit difficult even though it was very cool in the 70’s.

Day 4 – Making progress

We have all the cooling fans up and running. We’ve been working from 7am to 8pm every day. Everyone is getting tired. But we are about finished. God is good. It rained today and brought 70° winds that felt like air conditioning. It’s humid but comfortable at 82°. We just have half the house lights to go before they’re complete. We should have that done tomorrow. We’ll run the outlets but not hook them up. I trained Doc today how to wire the dc and he did all the lights. It took a little longer but he was excited to know how to do it. We are staying at the clinic guest house so we only see the area in the morning. We will be going to the village and market on Saturday. 

More to come...