Out of Neutral | Grace Baptist Church

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Have you ever been in a small group discussion that was more awkward than awesome? You look around and see silence, rambling, confusion, and irritation. Maybe you’ve been the one leading and wondered what went wrong. Consider these pitfalls that can make even the best of Bible studies less than they were intended to be.

Neglecting to prepare adequatelyJesus taught that “A disciple is not above his teacher” (Matthew 10:24). Over time, the people in a group sense whether a leader is winging it or has done the work to prepare. Before people arrive, you need to ensure that you understand the questions and can respond to them yourself. You also need to anticipate which questions may cause problems or need to be rephrased. Don’t wait until the discussion to figure this out.
Lecturing instead of listeningPeople who make the time for a small group have already heard a sermon—and they don’t usually want to hear another one in the group. A good leader prepares well but then listens to hear others articulate the truths of Scripture. Some responses will need to be followed up for clarity while others may need to be reshaped by saying, “I think what you’re getting at is …” Often the truth of God’s Word will surface as you seek multiple responses. Listening well means being curious, asking follow-up questions, and expressing affirmation, delight, or surprise at what you hear.
Avoiding your own vulnerabilityThe group will usually only be as vulnerable as the leader. If you are cool and impersonal, others will learn that’s what’s expected. While you don’t want to dominate the conversation, look for opportunities to share how the Scripture intersects with your life. As you share your struggles and joys, it gives room for others in the group to do the same.
Being too rigid with the planHaving a plan for your small group discussion is critical. And if you regularly abandon the plan for tangents that the whole group isn’t excited about, you’ll soon begin to lose them. But the questions you prepare are a guide, not a checklist. Allow some flexibility as you lead and give yourself permission to respond to questions that arise. And if it’s a discussion that you’re seeking, don’t sound like you’re reading out exam questions.
Failing to address problemsEvery group has issues that come up—group members are looking to the leader to address them graciously and wisely. It could be a disruptive member or a person who talks too much. People can be rude or dismissive of others’ opinions. For instance, if someone interrupts repeatedly, address it privately. Even if the problems don’t bother you personally, if they affect the group, they’re your responsibility.
Under-committing to the roleCommitment in a group is energizing. When people prioritize their fellowship with one another, it sends the message that the group is important—and that people matter to one another. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Nobody wants to feel like an afterthought. Nothing stirs commitment in a group more than a leader’s own passion. When a leader arrives late, leaves early, cancels frequently, and allows other things to take priority over the thriving of the small group, the lack of commitment spreads throughout the group. If you’re going to be in, go all in!

There are things in every group that are beyond your control. But by focusing on the problems that you can change, you can turn your group into the best version of itself. Consider these six pitfalls in your own leadership—better yet, ask someone else what you need to work on—and ask God to give you grace to grow into the leader your group needs.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Starting a small group is fun, but what started as a great thing can easily become a tired thing. Over time, the people who started with you might move on. And others join with different needs and expectations. Or people don’t join, and it starts to feel stagnant. While God is the one who builds community, there are practical steps you can take to keep your small group thriving over the long term. Consider these four.

Clarify what you’re trying to doEverybody who joins a group does so with a purpose in mind. They want to build relationships, deepen their accountability, or grow in Bible study. I’ve been a part of groups where months in, I realized that my expectations and the group’s goals were out of sync. It dawned on me that I wouldn’t get what I wanted from the group, and my interest and involvement began to fade.

When it’s thriving, people often express appreciation for the group and signal what it is about the group that they truly value. When that’s not happening, it’s worth asking group members why they’re there.

Our life groups set out to emphasize fellowship, discipleship, prayer, and mission, but groups can struggle with one or more of those priorities. And sometimes, people are looking for something different. Take some time as a group to ask:

What do you most want from this group?
What do you most appreciate?
Where would you like to see our group grow?

As you discuss those questions, you may find that a person’s unmet expectations may energize your group’s growth and development.

Work on the relationshipsThe thing about small groups is that they’re small. And because they’re small, the quality of the relationships impacts almost everything that happens. If relationships are that important, they’re worth observing. Ask yourself questions like:
Are people getting along?
Are people connecting outside of the group?
Is anyone left out?
How do people respond to newcomers?

Address tension where you see it. Be a peacemaker and a bridge builder. Help people deal with conflict. Encourage connections and create socials and events that will draw people together and deepen the fellowship. If you’re meeting online, this is all the more important.

Shepherd people’s growth graciouslyNobody joins a small group at church because they don’t want to grow. People sacrifice their time for relationships, support, and Bible study, but a small group has the potential to deliver more. As you get to know people in a small group, you can see areas where maturity is lacking. There can be gaps in understanding and holes in trust and obedience. A group thrives when it can help fill those holes. But doing so requires wisdom and grace.

Ask yourself questions like:

What’s the spiritual condition of the people in my group?
Am I confident that they truly know Jesus? Do they understand the gospel?
Are there areas of immaturity that are impacting others?
What’s the next step this person needs to take?

Once you’ve assessed the needs, you look for the most gracious way to address them. Maybe it’s a group assignment. Sometimes a testimony will help. Often, it will involve some one-on-one time. Bring grace and truth to the spiritual needs of your group members.

Get out and do somethingThere’s nothing like mixing things up to inject life into your life group. If all that you do happens in the same weekly format and time slot, it’s easy for it to become stale. There are things that you can do as a group that you’d never be able to accomplish as individuals. So, talk about opportunities and work at mission as a group.
Hold a social event you can invite others to
Plan an outing as a group to deepen your connections
Look for ways you can minister to your neighbourhood

Thriving small groups don’t happen by accident. They need work and fine-tuning to keep meeting their purpose and the needs of the group members. If you’re sensing drift, don’t panic. Start by clarifying your purpose, strengthen your connections, shepherd people with grace, and get moving on mission. Keep your group focused on what matters most and ask God to breathe new life into it.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step—but that first step is one of the hardest. People who have been a part of a small group for years can’t imagine the Christian life without it. For others, joining a group can feel like a daunting move. Preparing for what happens on the other side of the door can give you the confidence to walk through it. Here’s what you need to know before your first small group.

What to expectAlmost all small groups involve Bible study and prayer. In our groups, we use the discussion questions from the handouts which accompany that week’s message. Expect to read the Bible as a group and discuss what the passage means and how it applies to your life. After the study, group members typically pray for each other. And because small groups are a place to grow in fellowship, if you’re meeting in person, expect there to be time to hang out and get to know other people while you enjoy some snacks.

How to prepareGetting ready for your first small group shouldn’t be a chore, but there are a number of things you can do to make the experience more rewarding.

If the discussion will centre on the sermon, then make sure you’ve listened to the sermon online if you weren’t there that Sunday—and by all means bring a Bible. Reading through the questions in advance will help you feel more confident contributing to the discussion.

In the prayer time, you’ll probably be asked how the group can pray for you. This is an opportunity for people to support you, so give thought to areas of your life and faith where you most want God to act. Maybe you have a work challenge, a family situation, or a struggle with Bible reading that the group could pray for.

Dealing with nervesIt’s completely normal for people to feel nervous about their first small group meeting. Don’t worry—everyone else has felt the same thing.

While small groups are meant to be interactive, there’s no expectation for you to contribute when you’re first settling in. It’s completely fine to just quietly listen to the discussion.

If you’re not ready to pray out loud yet, it’s okay to pass. But don’t be intimidated if others pray long, eloquent prayers. Jesus commended people for short, simple prayers (Matthew 6:7; Luke 18:13), and so there’s no need to use special words or fancy language.

And don’t feel obligated to stay until the very end, either. If you’re meeting in person, people will hang out and chat afterwards, but it’s not a problem if you have to leave as soon as the formal part of the group meeting is done.

Take things at your own pace—anything that helps you make that first step is worth it.

Take the leapStarting something new can be uncomfortable—but God often works through the unfamiliar to grow our faith. You don’t have to have all the answers or know everyone in the room. Just showing up is a step of faith, and that’s something God always honours.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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When people think of church, they usually think of the place where you sit, listen, and sing on a Sunday morning, but church was intended to be much more. Church can be a lonely place if you never get past the crowd. You need relationships with other Christians you can invest in and be supported by. You need people to pray for and who will pray for you. You need a place where you can experience the family of God, not just a meeting with God. Small groups, or what we call life groups, are where those things happen.

Four things happen in a life group that you miss out on if you’re never a part of one: fellowship, discipleship, prayer, and mission.

In fellowship, we get to know the family we’re called to loveWhen people think of small groups, they usually think of Bible study—and studying the Bible is essential. But if we’re not growing closer to others in small groups, we’re not following the biblical pattern. The early church “devoted themselves to … fellowship” (Acts 2:42), meeting in homes—not just the temple—in order to love one another as Jesus commanded (Matthew 22:37-39).

In our life groups, we begin every week by sharing the highs and lows of our week, so we can get to know one another better, bear one another’s burdens, and celebrate one another’s joys. That’s why most groups either begin or end with snacks to provide a time when people can informally connect. It’s also why our groups do socials every few months and work at deeper relationships with one another.

You can’t love people you don’t know. Life groups are where you get to know the family you’re called to love.

In discipleship, we lean into the teaching until the penny dropsHearing a sermon is important, but it’s as you try to reflect on what you’ve learned and hear others do the same that real transformation can take place. We use the discussion questions from the sermon handout to dig into the meaning of the passage that was preached that Sunday and discuss how it applies to us personally.

While Jesus preached some amazing sermons, where would His disciples be had it not been for questions like, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15), “Why are you afraid, have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40), “Do you understand what I have done to you?” (John 13:12), or “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17). Questions help us to connect the dots from understanding to application. And just as Peter’s answers often helped the disciples to reflect on their own, hearing other people’s perspectives helps us to grow ourselves.

In prayer, we call on God for one anotherThe end of our formal small group time is spent in prayer. Some groups divide into men’s and women’s subgroups to pray while others are small enough to pray all together. While most Christians pray, it’s difficult to grow in prayer without hearing other Christians pray.

Look how the disciples learned to pray. We’re told that “one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1). The result was the Lord’s Prayer.

It’s perfectly fine to just listen to other people pray when you first start attending a life group, but it’s in groups like these that most Christians begin to pray out loud for the first time.

In mission, we do together what we can’t do on our ownYou can love your neighbour and share your faith with a coworker, but there are so many other opportunities that require the response of a team of believers. In groups I’ve been a part of we’ve organized clean-ups for a neighbour’s yard, handed out gospel tracts in a local festival, been a part of an art exhibition, went carolling at Christmas, and brought Christmas gifts to homebound church members. Seeing the faces of those impacted and feeling the satisfaction of serving together made those experiences precious and unforgettable.

Each group will be able to respond to different needs, but if there’s a common commitment to do mission together, you’ll experience the joy of impact and service. Ask God to give you eyes to see the opportunities around you.

If you’re not already, make time to be a part of a life group. If your nerves make you feel reluctant, know how welcoming the more intimate setting can be. There’s a whole dimension to the Christian life that you can’t experience without it.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Philip Gulley shares the story of an argumentative churchgoer who obsessed over end times details but was M.I.A. when there was a call for volunteers to serve in the local food bank. He argues, “We’re so busy preparing for heaven that we forget to make earth a better place.”

Brian McLaren agrees. He says, “The kingdom of God is not a ticket to heaven but a call to transform this world through love and justice.”

Have we got it wrong? Are Christians too preoccupied with the life to come? If we stop talking about heaven will that make us more useful here on earth? The Bible presents an interesting balance.

Jesus’ central call was to repentance, not free soupMost scholars agree that Mark 1:15 is the statement of Jesus’ core message: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The way many speak about the kingdom of God today, you might have expected Him to tell people to just roll up their sleeves and join Him in trying to help people—and He did plenty of that—but Jesus’ primary message was about calling people to repent and believe the good news.

There’s an interesting episode where people confront Jesus with a shocking case of injustice. The Roman governor, Pilate, had killed some Galileans while they were offering sacrifices. You might expect Jesus to form a political protest: “Down with Pilate! Away with Rome!” Instead, he says to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus was stubbornly focused on people’s spiritual condition and need for repentance.

But didn’t Jesus feed the 5,000? He did, and He showed compassion for all of people’s physical struggles. But even then, He pointed beyond their physical hunger to their spiritual need. Listen to how He addresses those who just wanted more bread in John 6:27: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life.”

We should care for people’s physical needs, but followers of Jesus should imitate His priorities, and His was a message of eternal life received through repentance and faith.

If all we can offer the poor is free soup, we leave them hopelessThe book of James makes it clear that faith without works is useless (James 2:17). We should help those who are “poorly clothed and lacking in daily food” and give “them the things needed for the body” (James 2:16). But if Jesus is reduced to a social worker and all we can offer is charity, then the poor are at the mercy of the privileged, and there is no future hope.

If you haven’t eaten all day, free soup is nice, but it’s never someone’s first choice. Heaven is the promise of a feast to all who turn to Jesus. It’s the hope of relief from this world’s struggles and injustices. That hope was central to the early church’s mission.

In 1 Corinthians 15:19, Paul said, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” If our religion can be reduced to a little more food, a little better health, and a little more friendship, then we should pack it in. But the reality is that we worship a Saviour who has risen from the dead and offers eternal life to all who turn to Him.

Only Jesus’ promise of eternal life can motivate us to serve soup when things get hardDiana Butler Bass once wrote, “Our faith should focus on healing this planet, not escaping it.” That sounds noble enough. And trying to escape this world feels like an abandonment of the mission Jesus gave us. But aid workers and those involved in areas of justice and compassion are especially prone to burnout.

When you set out to “heal the planet” it’s not long before you realize that your efforts are a drop in the bucket. The Bible tells us that our planet is broken and will one day be destroyed. What’s the point of changing the sheets on the Titanic?

According to the Bible, it’s the very promise of the life to come that motivates us to overcome the setbacks and difficulties that inevitably come when serving the needy. Take the Christians in Hebrews 10:34-35, for example. It says, “For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” How did they keep going when their support of those who had been imprisoned led to profound loss? They had their eyes focused on their eternal inheritance. We need a strong eternal hope to deal with the challenges involved in serving others. To shortchange one in service of the other is to move backward, not forward.

Jesus never taught us to ignore the pain and injustice around us, but neither would He let us live like this is all that there is. Our mission is to declare the gospel and call people to repent and believe in Him. But when we’ve experienced the love of God, it moves us to love our world. And the people that we love need eternal hope just as much as we do.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Sometimes, it’s hard to understand what God is thinking when we face painful circumstances. Knowing God could have prevented the trial we’re going through makes us question His heart toward us. Is He cold, stern, and uncaring? Does He just stand aloof and watch us suffer?

I was helped in dealing with some of these questions by Dane Ortlund’s book, “Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.” Three insights stood out.

Jesus’ heart is gentle and lowlyOrtlund shares how his father learned from Charles Spurgeon that there’s only one place in all of the 89 chapters that make up the gospels where Jesus describes His own heart. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus famously says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

The word translated “gentle” is the same word that appears in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus talks of the blessedness of “the meek” (Matthew 5:5) and in 1 Peter 3:4 where he talks of the beauty of a “gentle” and quiet spirit. Jesus’ heart is the opposite of overbearing, self-serving, and aggressive. He’s meek and gentle.

The word “lowly” describes someone who is “humble” in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5, but it can also describe someone’s circumstances. In Luke 1:52, it speaks of those in poor conditions or “humble estate.” In 2 Corinthians 7:6, it’s translated as “downcast.” Jesus lowers Himself and comes down to our level. His birth in a manger set the tone for everything that followed.

Ortlund clarifies that when the Bible speaks of the heart, it’s referring to “the central animating center of all we do. It is what gets us out of bed in the morning and what we daydream about as we drift off to sleep.”

Jesus is first and foremost gentle, meek, and down on the ground with us in humble concern.

God is all about mercy and graceSome might think, “That might be how Jesus describes Himself, but God seems a lot angrier than that in the Old Testament.” Ortlund is helpful again in taking us to the foundational description of God in the Hebrew Scriptures. Exodus 34:6-7 is God’s revelation of Himself to Moses, and the Old Testament authors quote it again and again.

God passes in front of Moses, saying:

“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

God doesn’t reveal Himself as “critical and stern” or “impatient and uncaring.” He always leads with mercy and grace. When there’s anger, it’s been a long time coming; He doesn’t have a short fuse or a quick temper. He’s responsible for justice and warns that our sins will impact us and several generations, but His love and forgiveness will reach “to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9). In other words, the impact of His love and forgiveness on those who turn to Him is limitless.

Mercy, grace, and forgiveness are at the centre of God’s heart toward us.

God takes no pleasure in your painIt’s comforting to think of God in these ways. We long for His mercy, grace, and gentleness. But those qualities are hard to reconcile with the painful trials we often go through. Is God powerless to do anything? Or is He usually merciful but turns stern when He has to “teach us a lesson”? Ortlund is helpful in pointing us to Lamentations 3:33 for the answer.

The verse appears in a book that is all about grieving. The people are reeling from the most gruesome disaster in the nation’s history. And it’s clear that God is responsible. After explaining that there is a limit to what God has done (Lamentations 3:31) and offering assurance that “though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love” (Lamentations 3:32), the prophet says, “for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33).

Whether for our growth, our discipline, or the collateral damage that results from the judgment that sin has brought on this world, God must at times bring grief and affliction, but He doesn’t do it “from his heart.” He doesn’t enjoy it. He feels the heaviness of our pain.

As He says in Ezekiel 18:32, “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone.” Our pain pains the heart of God. When we hurt, it hurts Him.

By contrast, God delights to bless us. Feel the enthusiasm expressed in a verse like Jeremiah 32:41, “I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.”

When we’re confronted with suffering, it’s easy to think that God has finally shown His true colours. We allow the pain to define God when the reality is that He’s grieved by it as well. He delights to bless us and is near to us in our trials—always compassionate, always gracious.

If you’re wondering whether God cares, look at Jesus. His gentle and lowly heart finds its deepest expression at the cross where He died for you. God isn’t just watching you suffer. He’s with you in it and doing something deeper than you can ever see in the moment.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Is heaven the next stop for those who trust in Jesus? Or do we go through a cleansing fire first? Understanding the history and biblical basis for purgatory helps us prepare for the afterlife and appreciate the great hope of the gospel.

What the Catechism teachesPart III of Article 12 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes purgatory as the “final purification of the elect.” The idea is that believers, though forgiven, still need to undergo punishment and purification “to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” This is described as a “cleansing fire.”

Verses offered in support of purgatoryBoth the Council of Florence (1439) and the Council of Trent (1545-1563) put forward three verses in support of this doctrine.

They quote Matthew 12:32 which says, “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” From this, they conclude that Jesus seems to imply that some sins are forgiven after death. But Jesus doesn’t say that—He only affirms that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven in either age. Building a doctrine on a passage that doesn’t teach it is dangerous.

Another verse they cite is 1 Corinthians 3:15: “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” This does teach that our work will be judged and tested by fire, but there’s no indication that believers themselves will be punished or purified.

Paul is simply teaching that if you build a ministry on worldly means like charm or superficial technique—what he calls in verse 12 “wood, hay, straw”–none of it will last. But he’s talking about the quality of our efforts, not the guilt of our sins: “the fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (1 Corinthians 3:13). This has nothing to do with purgatory.

The final verse offered in support of purgatory is from 2 Maccabees 12:45, which says, “Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” This verse comes from a book that has never been accepted as Scripture by Jews or Protestants. Not only does it contradict the rest of Scripture, but it also contradicts Catholic teaching.

Judas Maccabeus takes up a collection and offers a sin offering for fallen soldiers after discovering they had died in idolatry. Verse 40 says, “And they found on each of the dead some of the sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was why these men had fallen.” Catholic doctrine teaches that those who die in mortal sin—like idolatry—go to hell, not purgatory. So this passage undermines, rather than supports, the Catholic position.

The greater hope that the Bible offersNot only does the Bible not teach that believers go through a purifying fire after death, but the hope it offers makes belief in purgatory impossible.

When Paul faced the prospect of death, he said, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23). There’s no hint of flames, punishment, or a need to pray or give offerings on his behalf. He’s even more clear in 2 Corinthians 5:8: “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” For Paul, a believer is either in the body or with the Lord. There’s no in-between.

Some might argue that only someone as holy as Paul could avoid purgatory. But Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross settles the question. In Luke 23:43, He tells a condemned criminal, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” If a man guilty of crimes worthy of death enters directly into Paradise through faith in Christ, then purgatory has no place.

The idea that we must pray for the dead or give money to the church to ease someone’s suffering after death contradicts Jesus, Scripture, and the gospel. We have a far greater hope than that.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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For most of church history, Christians never questioned whether to choose burial or cremation. In 1980 in Canada, only 6% of people opted for cremation—and most of them would have been non-Christians. Today, that figure is over 75% and is a popular option among people of all faiths. How should Christians think about this trend? Is this a question of faith? Is it wrong to cremate a body?

Burial is described, not prescribed, in the BibleWhen reading the Bible, it’s important to distinguish between what the Bible merely describes and what it directly commands. The Bible describes Christians casting lots to make important decisions (Acts 1:26), sharing all things in common (Acts 2:44-45), and holding church services in homes (Romans 16:5), but none of these things are required of faithful Christians.

It was the practice of God’s people in the Old and New Testament to bury their dead. Abraham (Genesis 25:10), Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6), David (1 Kings 2:10), John the Baptist (Mark 6:29), Stephen (Acts 8:2), and Jesus Himself (1 Corinthians 15:4) were all described as being buried following their deaths. Burial practices varied, however, and John the Baptist and Jesus are specifically described as being laid in tombs rather than buried in the ground.

Saul and his sons’ bodies were burned and their bones buried (1 Samuel 31:11-13), but it’s not clear that this was intended to honour them. Some form of cremation is described in Leviticus 20:14, Amos 2:1, and Amos 6:8-10, but it is not seen positively.

What’s clear from the Bible is that burial is seen positively and cremation is seen negatively, but no commands or warnings are ever made regarding either practice.

We should hear the perspective of the churchWhile there are no commands to bury the dead, it can’t be denied that burial has been a distinctive of Christianity for most of the last 2,000 years. Since cremation is commonly practiced by people of other faiths, Oxford historian Diarmaid MacCulloch writes that “universally archaeologists are able to detect the spread of Christian culture through the ancient and early medieval world by the excavation of corpse burials oriented east-west.” Until 1963, the Roman Catholic Church explicitly forbade cremation.

Today, the consensus has shifted—not that there are strong Christian advocates for cremation—but it is viewed by most as an area of Christian freedom. John MacArthur is representative of many who feel that burial and cremation are both equally valid options for believers. He writes, “Obviously any buried body will eventually decompose (Ecclesiastes 12:7). So cremation isn't a strange or wrong practice—it merely accelerates the natural process of oxidation. The believer will one day receive a new body (1 Corinthians 15:42-49; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Job 19:25-26), thus the state of what remains of the old body is unimportant.”

The argument for burial comes down to its symbolismThe minority of Christians who argue for burial today do so based on its symbolism. They feel that the way we treat a dead body should reflect what we believe about death. John Piper, for instance, points to the fact that fire is associated with hell and torture in the Bible. One could counter, however, that fire is often connected with the purification of God’s people (Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7).

He and others also point to the fact that burial expresses more dignity for the body and treats it with greater care. It also maintains the biblical symbolism of sowing and sleeping. Paul talks of the natural body being sown like a seed but raised in glory (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Arguably, the burial or scattering of ashes could express something similar.

One of the ways that the New Testament expresses the hope of the resurrection is by referring to death as sleep. Jesus referred to Lazarus’s death as sleep before He raised him back to life (John 11:11-14), and Paul regularly referred to believers who had passed away as having fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 51; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15). The term reminds people that the person is in the presence of the Lord and that their body will one day be raised and transformed.

When believers choose to bury a body, they lay it down as if putting the person to rest. In fact, the word cemetery comes from the Greek word meaning “sleeping place.” It’s as if a graveyard is a resting place for bodies awaiting resurrection. The only problem with the symbolism is that it’s practiced by Christians and non-Christians alike.

Cremation isn’t a sin, nor does it hinder the resurrectionWhile it’s good to hear people’s perspectives on burial and cremation, it’s important that we remind ourselves that this is an area of Christian freedom. The Bible never forbids cremation nor commends burial. God will raise a believer’s body, whether it’s been cremated, buried, or lost at sea. Let’s seek to glorify God in our death as in our life and understand that different people will do that in different ways.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Richard Rohr challenges our view of faith with three boxes, which he feels represent the stages of spiritual development.

The first stage is one of order marked by simple answers. He compares this to a child’s toy box, which is neat but limited: “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.”

The next stage is about disorder. We lose our sense of certainty and begin to ask questions. He compares this stage to a messy playground where real growth can occur.

The final stage is re-ordering, where we let go of the simple answers of the first stage and enter a wide expanse of maturity where answers aren’t that important anymore.

Is this how Jesus envisioned faith? Is this the path to maturity?

Philip Gulley thinks it is. He says, “If the church were Christian, inviting questions would be more important than supplying answers.”

Progressive Christians like Rohr and Gulley give the impression that certainty is proud and conviction stems from close-mindedness. Again, Gulley says, “We just never know. We think we do. We think we have life figured out, and in our arrogance, we become hard.”

I think we have all had times when we have stubbornly shut down other perspectives and blindly held to our own preferences. But is faith more about questions than answers? Is it a journey or a destination? Is it a room to enjoy or a box to break out of?

If it’s been delivered, we don’t need to go searching somewhere elseJude would have found Richard Rohr’s view of faith very strange. Far from urging people to leave certainty behind, he appealed for the church to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). He saw the Scriptures as a complete package. In the Word of God, we have all the answers that faith seeks.
The content of our faith is to be guarded, not discardedWhile progressive Christians talk about discarding our answers, the apostle Paul spoke of defending them. He urged Timothy: “guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge,' for by professing it some have swerved from the faith" (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

Already in the first century, people seemed to be advocating special knowledge that caused people to abandon their faith, and Paul warned against it. Faith is a “deposit” that’s been “entrusted” to us. Moving on from it is like leaving out our bank card and broadcasting our password. That might feel freeing, but no one would call it wise.

Guarding the truth isn’t just for the spiritually immatureRichard Rohr acknowledges the idea of faith ordered by simple answers, but he feels that this is an immature phase that should be moved on from. Again, the apostle Paul disagrees.

Not only does he warn Timothy in his first letter to “guard the deposit entrusted to you,” but toward the end of his life, in his second letter to Timothy, he repeats the charge and builds on it: “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:13-14).

This isn't to say that faith never involves questions. The Psalms are filled with cries of “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1). But biblical faith doesn’t celebrate doubt as an end in itself—it seeks resolution in God’s revealed truth.

The Christian life consists of what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction.” We don’t graduate from the simple answers of faith, but we guard them and explore all of their riches.

G.K. Chesterton said it best: “Merely having an open mind is nothing; the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to close it again on something nourishing.”

While questions have their place, faith is not a journey toward uncertainty—it’s the firm grasp of God’s revealed truth. Let’s not view being open-minded as a virtue in itself. It can often just be a sign of ignorance. If the faith has been delivered once and for all, our task isn’t to endlessly deconstruct it but to believe it, enjoy it, and defend it.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Philip Gulley tells the story of his debates in Grade 6 with his best friend Joe. Philip was a Catholic and Joe was a Jehovah’s Witness. Each tried to convince the other that they were wrong. While Gulley would go on to abandon his beliefs in God, he would often think about Joe and reflect on their playground arguments. And he concluded that their attempts to convince each other of right and wrong were misguided. He longs for a world where we don’t “concern ourselves with the perceived errors and heresies of others.” Something about his story and his conclusion ring true, but are they? Are we too uptight about discerning what’s true? Should we just focus on being better people? I’m not convinced that kindness and goodness can flourish apart from the truth. Here’s why.

You can’t become a better person without truthWhat we do flows out of what we believe. For example, suppose you believe that there’s no God, no judgment, and the strong conquer the weak. In that case, it makes it much more difficult to sacrifice for others and show compassion in hard situations than if you believe in a God who holds us accountable and calls us to love our enemies.

Ironically, Gulley doesn’t seem to recognize that he’s still the same boy that he was on the playground arguing with his friend Joe. The only difference is that he’s arguing for moralism instead of Catholicism. He’s trying to get people to be less argumentative—which is a worthy goal, in one sense—and arguing that truth doesn’t matter to achieve that.

Jesus taught the exact opposite. In John 17:17, He prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” To sanctify someone is to make them holy—to make them a better person, more like God. The truth of the Bible is what does that. Truth is like a tuning fork for a piano. Without it, we’re left trying to play in tune by ear, with no standard to guide us. Jesus urged His followers to reflect deeply on His words and promised that doing so would free them from sin. In John 8:31-32, He said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Truth is essential to receiving God’s help to changeIf God didn’t care about truth, then maybe we shouldn’t get so worked up about it either. But according to the Bible, truth is critical to worship God and experience His nearness. Jesus taught, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). We tend to balk at this idea today, but how close could you be to someone who stubbornly misunderstood who you were and insisted on calling you Brad when your name was Fred? David had it right in Psalm 145:18 when he said, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

To ignore truth and just try to be a better person is to ignore the help that God alone can give to help us see our blind spots and overcome our resistance to change.

Hypocrisy—not truth—is what turns people offWhen I mentioned the conclusion Gulley came to as he reflected on his playground arguments, I said that there was something about it that rang true. I think that’s because he and his friend just seemed to be fighting. They probably didn’t have the maturity to genuinely long for the other’s good. They probably weren’t praying for each other or living out the truths they so ardently argued for. And so the arguments sounded petty and proud. Many people never graduate past this, and the Bible confronts this as hypocrisy. For example, 1 John 3:18 says, “Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” If your faith is all talk, then it’s not genuine faith. Real faith is passionate about truth but lived out in deeds. And Christians are called to “[speak] the truth in love,” (Ephesians 4:15) and follow Jesus who came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

If we abandon grace or truth, we’ve proven Gulley right, but I’m not convinced that it will make us better people. Let’s be passionate about truth, but not just to be right. Let’s seek God for the truth that will set us free. And when we share that truth, let’s do it with just as much grace as Jesus did. The world needs more of both right now.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I opened up YouTube yesterday, and was recommended a video titled, “Ed Sheeran—I Believe (Official Video) A Powerful Gospel Song.” I was intrigued to hear someone with the following of Ed Sheeran perform a song testifying to gospel faith, so I played the video and listened carefully to the lyrics. The chorus is powerful:

I believe in the power of Your name,

In the cross where You took my shame.

I believe in the hope that You restore,

You are King, now and evermore.

The comments are filled with Hallelujahs and Amens from excited Christians. But you have to read the fine print in the description to learn that the video was created using A.I. and didn’t involve Ed Sheeran at all. A clever deception tries to combine the popularity of a pop singer with some gospel lyrics to “spread the message of faith and hope to everyone.” But this well-intentioned trick raises a deeper issue—if something feels true and inspires hope, does it really matter whether it’s real?

Fake news has changed us in ways that we may not have noticed. I’d like to explore 3 symptoms of our post-truth world and what we can do about them.

We like to listen to what reinforces our beliefs whether it’s true or notOnce upon a time, everybody in town read the same newspaper and had a shared understanding of reality. Now, an endless supply of information and outlets are competing for our attention, so they feed us what the analytics tell them we want to hear. That can take the form of deliberate deception or just providing one side of an argument to make it appear more convincing than it is.

Paul warned of a time when people “having itching ears … will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). He was talking specifically about truth related to God and His will, but the same is true for other information as well.

We need to acknowledge our tendency to just listen to what we want to hear, and we have to resist it. I wanted to believe that Ed Sheeran had released a worship song, and that made me vulnerable to deception. We need to beware of “too good to be true” and check our sources and read the fine print.

We also need to listen to opposing voices. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” Charles Spurgeon once said, “A lie will go around the world while truth is pulling its boots on.” A post-truth world requires that we approach what we hear with more caution and do the work of verifying whether it’s true.

We don’t fully trust anyone, so lies don’t shock us anymoreOne of the goals of propaganda is to spread so much disinformation that people mistrust everything they hear. We’re seeing that more and more in our day. Try to present facts that conflict with what a person believes, and they’ll tell you that there’s so much misinformation that you can’t believe what you hear. It makes it difficult to talk to each other or trust one another. And along the way, deception has become normalized. It’s nothing for people to be caught in a lie anymore because—we tell ourselves—everyone lies. But everyone doesn’t lie, and surely the people of God are to be passionate about the truth (not just about our positions).

Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” In Ephesians 4:25, Paul put it like this, “Having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.” If Christians demonstrated a singular commitment to truth and to people who are careful not to lie, we would stand out as incredibly counter-cultural at this moment. Unfortunately, that’s not happening. Instead, we’re spreading videos labelled, “Ed Sheeran—I Believe.”

We feed the algorithm and need to decide what we’ll tolerateIt would be easy to blame other people for the post-truth world in which we live. But we determine what we’re exposed to online every time we click and like what we see. Through our engagement or lack of it, we could teach the algorithm that we aren’t willing to listen to lies and misinformation. But that requires that we exercise discernment.

The Bible urges that we practice just that kind of discernment. Colossians 2:8 says, for example, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” We can’t just blindly absorb the “empty deceit” that’s so prevalent today. Instead, we’re called to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Dr. Martin Camacho gives us this challenge: “Consumers have the last word, they are free people who can decide to re-establish the value of truth. This means avoiding lies, your own and those of others, and avoiding becoming accustomed to living in circumstances in which falsehood is usual. Rejecting any lack of truth in any way possible, however subtle it may be.”

Let’s rebuild a world where truth matters, and we see lies are seen as the abomination that God calls them.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Anyone who’s experienced the pain of being judged by other Christians wishes more of them would heed Jesus’ words, “Judge not, and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37). But people who seek to put those words into practice are often unclear about what they mean.

Steve Harper tells the story of two friends standing in the rubble of their bombed synagogue. A terrorist had done the deed in an act of antisemitic violence. One of the friends lamented the evil of it. The other replied, “I hesitate to use the word ‘evil’ because I don’t want to sound judgmental.” While intended as a joke, the story says something important about our generation.

We live at a time when people are either painfully judgmental or so afraid of being judgmental that they’re unable to make any kind of moral evaluation. What did Jesus really mean? Is there a time for judgment, or is it always wrong? When you see Jesus’ words in light of the rest of the Bible, several clarifications emerge.

Jesus wants us to stop writing people offWhen Jesus said not to judge, He was warning against condemning other people. In fact, that’s the next thing He says in that verse, “condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). The entire message of the Bible is centred on God’s plan to rescue people before the final judgment. When we treat people as if they’re beyond hope, it’s as if we’re taking God’s role and enacting His judgment before it’s time. That’s the sentiment in James 4:12, when he writes, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

We’re to focus on our own sins before we can help people with theirsIn Matthew’s account of Jesus’ call to “Judge not” (Matthew 7:1), it’s followed by a description of a person with a log in his eye offering to take the speck out of the eye of another person (Matthew 7:4). Jesus’ words are memorable and searching as they confront our hypocrisy. But He follows them with, “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Clearly, Jesus expects us to deal with other people’s sins, but not before we’ve dealt with our own. When we’re honest in dealing with the darkness of our own hearts, it gives us a gentleness and humility in approaching others and reminds us that the goal is restoration, not condemnation.

Everything needs to be evaluated, but some judgment should be kept to ourselvesWhile just about everyone can quote Jesus’ appeal to not judge, far less known is 1 Corinthians 2:15 which states that “The spiritual person judges all things.” The point isn’t that such a person condemns people left, right, and centre, but rather that they evaluate everything in light of God’s Word. Similarly, 1 John 4:1 says, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” Clearly, God expects us to exercise discernment and make moral and spiritual judgments about the things around us.

But that doesn’t mean that we should think out loud while we’re making those evaluations. In fact, when it comes to areas where thoughtful Christians disagree, we’re urged to keep our opinions to ourselves. Romans 14:4 puts it like this: “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.”

Christians are primarily responsible for holding other Christians accountableIf we’re honest, it’s probably our radical independence, rather than a fondness for Jesus that makes “Judge not” our generation’s favourite commandment. We don’t like people interfering with our business. But this is exactly what Christians are called to do to one another. We forget that Jesus said, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3). Similarly, 1 Timothy 5:20 warns, “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” The church is protected when believers provide gracious accountability for one another. But this responsibility for accountability rests primarily within the family of God. While there may be a time and a place for addressing the injustices of our world, Christians are to focus on keeping their own house in order, not on trying to get non-Christians to act like Christians. After a discussion of church discipline, Paul put it like this: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (1 Corinthians 5:12)

I suspect that many of the claims that Christians are judgmental are warranted. We tend to complain or even rant about the evils of the world. It makes us feel superior and look self-righteous. Instead, we need to embrace the redemptive heart of Jesus. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t judge right from wrong or confront the sins of other believers. We just need to make sure that we check our own hearts first and go to others with a desire to restore rather than condemn. May God give us firm convictions and gentle words.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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2024 was the year of manifesting. Cambridge Dictionary named “manifest” its word of the year. Everyone from Conor McGregor to Lady Gaga has credited their success to manifesting. And by that, they mean creating the future they want for themselves by visualizing and believing it hard enough that it becomes a reality. The power of positive thinking, the law of attraction, and even the way many Christians talk about “believing prayer” all refer to the same basic mindset.

While the success stories are highly publicized, the heartbreak of the many people who have experienced disappointment and frustration doesn’t get the same attention. The Bible diagnoses both the problem and the solution.

You’re not in control of your future—God isIt’s attractive to think that we can just decide what job we’re going to get and how much money we’re going to earn. We’d love to be in control of our health and relationships. And there’s no doubt that focus, will, and determination play a role in getting you to the place you want to be. But it’s prideful to think that you’re in charge of your future.

The Bible says: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

They thought they could manifest—or at least predict—the success of the coming year, but we don’t even know if we’re going to be alive tomorrow. Recognizing that God is in control not only keeps us from blaming our disappointments on a lack of positive energy or “faith,” but it also encourages us to trust in God’s good purposes, even when our circumstances seem discouraging.

You don’t know what’s best for you—God doesHave you ever stopped to consider what shapes the kind of future you’d like to will or pray into existence? For most people, better health, better relationships, and more money are at the top of their list. We want to be comfortable—and why wouldn’t we? But if you’ve ever met someone you deeply respected, it’s unlikely that their life was shaped by comfort. Character is often forged in difficulty. And what makes us comfortable today can often lead to regret tomorrow. As Proverbs 14:12 warns, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Even Jesus, in His humanity, wished there was a way to avoid the pain of the cross. But He knew that the will of His Father was ultimately better than the short-term comfort His body craved. And so He prayed: Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. (Luke 22:42)

When you try to manifest your future or bend God’s will to yours, you’re trying to run your corner of the universe without the wisdom or capacity to do so.

Your thoughts don’t change the world—your prayers doIt can feel discouraging to think that we’re not in control and don’t know what’s best for us, but the Bible describes God’s good plan to incorporate our desires, His power, and the knowledge He alone possesses regarding our needs and circumstances. That plan is prayer.

God could just do what He wants, but He has chosen to act in partnership with our prayers. Prayer, unlike manifesting, seeks the intersection of our desires and God’s will. 1 John 5:14 promises, And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

And its goal is never a mere transaction but a relationship of care and support: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

When you send positive energy into the universe, you’re all alone when you don’t attract the results you’re seeking. But when you look to a God who knows and loves you, you can rest in the peace of His plan—whether it agrees with yours or not.

Ultimately, it’s good news that we’re not in control of our future because we don’t know what’s best for us. But there’s a good God who does. When we walk with Him in prayer, learning to entrust our desires to Him and submit our will to His, He’s pleased to do great things in our lives. Look to Him today!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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We often see food as a guilty pleasure or a craving to be conquered. We’re either eating with indulgence or restraining as a punishment. What if we could embrace both sides of the Bible’s calls to celebration and discipline in our relationship with food? The practices of fasting and feasting may hold the key to the balance God has designed.

Fasting says that my spiritual hunger is greater than my physical oneEverybody knows the Ten Commandments, but we often forget that they were given to Moses while he was on a 40-day fast atop Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:28). We similarly remember Jesus’ miracles and how He resisted the devil’s temptations, but we forget that His ministry began with a 40-day fast (Luke 4:2). Spiritual discipline is developed through denial.

Fasting is also an important part of prayer. When Ezra led the people of God on a dangerous journey from exile back to their homeland, he says, “We fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:23). Before Esther went to meet the king to plead for the welfare of the Jews, she urged the people, “Hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day” (Esther 4:16). And when the church in Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas, they only did so “after fasting and praying” (Acts 13:3).

Fasting still doesn’t mean getting whatever you want, but it can be a critical way to discern God’s will and show God how important it is to you. Fasting also develops spiritual discipline and exercises self-control. Take a step to incorporate biblical fasting into your spiritual rhythms.

Feasting celebrates the joy of God’s provisionFood can be such a battle for us that we lose sight of its enjoyment. As John Calvin said, “Did God create food only to provide for necessity and not also for delight and good cheer? … Did he not, in short, render many things attractive to us, apart from their necessary use?” God could have created a world where we were all sustained on nutrition tablets. Instead, He gave us the variety of foods and the diversity of the world’s cultures to celebrate His provision.

Just as we forget that God commanded the Israelites to fast (Leviticus 16:29), we also forget that God called them to feast. At Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths, the Israelites weren’t merely to build temporary structures to remember the wilderness years; they were to feast for seven days (Deuteronomy 16:13) and were told, “You shall rejoice in your feast” (Deuteronomy 16:14).

Has food been such a battle that it ceases to be a joy? Have you stopped savouring food and started just consuming it? Enter into the gratefulness of the psalmist when He praises God saying, “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart” (Psalm 104:14-15).

Food isn’t our enemy, nor is it simply fuel. It’s a gift that points us to the Giver. By balancing biblical fasting and feasting, we can glorify God through both restraint and celebration. Food can deepen our spiritual discipline and heighten our spiritual delight. Let food not only sustain your body but nourish your soul.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Some people might view the question of Jesus’ relationship to veganism as unknowable and irrelevant. Understanding it, however, unlocks one of the keys to His attitude toward food and how we should view it.

Jesus ate like a Jew to reach the JewsWhile there is perhaps no definitive statement on Jesus’ dietary preferences, there are strong clues that tell us how He ate. Jesus was under constant scrutiny, and whenever His actions deviated from the religious traditions of His day, He was challenged. If Jesus had strayed from the normative kosher food laws, people would have almost certainly reacted. There would have been questions from the Pharisees about why He refused to eat meat. We have to conclude that when God came into this world as a man, He ate like a Jew to reach the Jews.

The other thing we should note is how important food was to His mission. Consider how many accounts we have of meals that Jesus shared (Matthew 9:10; Luke 7:36; Luke 9:16; Luke 24:30; Luke 24:41-43; John 21:12-13; Mark 14:22). And even when his meals with sinners drew criticism, He persisted in them. If I were being called “a glutton and a drunkard” (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34; Luke 15:2), I’d start pulling back, but Jesus didn’t.

It seems clear that meals were more than meals to Jesus. They were a part of His mission, and He ate like a Jew to reach the Jews. You might be tempted to think that this attitude toward food was just a peculiarity of Jesus. But consider what happened next.

Peter ate like a Gentile to reach the GentilesWe often think of the apostle Paul as the catalyst for the Christian mission to the non-Jewish world. There was something critical that happened first, however – God instituted a new diet. In a dramatic vision, God showed Peter a sheet full of “all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds” (Acts 10:12) and told him to kill them and eat them. The Old Testament food laws were so ingrained in him that God needed to tell him three times before he got the message.

This can just feel like a curious incident, but it was critical to God’s mission to reach the world. An overly restrictive diet would be a huge obstacle hindering the ability of Christians to build relationships across cultures. It’s also why Paul rebuked Peter so sharply when he stopped eating with the Gentile Christians in Galatia (Galatians 2:11-12). Food isn’t just food. It’s a means of fellowship and mission.

Paul called people to eat what people serve youWe know that food continued to be a point of contention in the early church. Not only was there the issue of Jewish food laws that needed to be overcome but most meat that was sold in the marketplace had been first used in the pagan sacrifices of local temples. Christians with delicate consciences felt like they were participating in idolatry by eating such meat and refrained out of conviction (Romans 14:2).

While Paul respected their convictions, he said, “If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience” (1 Corinthians 10:27). As long as your host isn’t making a religious act out of it (1 Corinthians 10:28), don’t put up barriers by refusing to eat what they serve. Again, it shows how important food can be in breaking down walls between people or erecting them.

Reflecting on these verses isn’t intended to talk anyone out of veganism or any other diet. Thinking responsibly about what you eat is something that glorifies God, and if you’re convinced that you’ve found a way to do that with a particular food plan, that’s commendable. But the Bible reminds us that what we eat has relational implications as well. Considering those implications when we’re eating with others is a vital part of fellowship and mission.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Do you ever wonder why God gave us cravings for potato chips, chocolate, and bacon? There’s no indication that the members of the Trinity were sitting around in eternity past sipping wine or grilling steaks. Our hunger for food and our need for it to sustain us is part of God’s design for humanity. But why did He give us this hunger? Wouldn’t life be much simpler if we didn’t have to stop for meals or resist those powerful urges? As you consider what the Bible teaches, a picture emerges of God’s purpose in food and how we should relate to it.

God disciples you through your appetiteAny consideration of God’s design for food has to take into account the fact that the first warning, the first temptation, and the first sin all had to do with food. God provides Adam and Eve with an abundance of food to eat from – “every tree of the garden” (Genesis 2:16) – but a single prohibition (Genesis 2:17). It feels like a test. Will we be ruled by our eyes and our bellies, or will we be ruled by God?

When God delivers the nation of Israel, he gives them a similar test. He sustains them with manna and quail with a warning that they are to only gather a day’s portion each day. As soon as the command is given, the purpose is spelled out, “that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not” (Exodus 16:4).

This doesn’t mean that a bag of chips is the same as the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But it does mean that food is one of the ways that God disciples you. Learning how to say no, learning how to be content with hunger, and learning how to find satisfaction in what God has graciously provided is a part of a Christian’s growth. Ignore what God is trying to teach you through your hunger and cravings – as I admittedly often have – and you miss an important part of your discipleship.

Don’t worship the god of your stomachThe early church struggled to understand the new freedoms they enjoyed. Jesus declared that they were no longer bound by the Jewish kosher laws of the Old Testament (Mark 7:18-19). They assumed that meant that God no longer cared what they ate. Paul quotes one of their slogans, “All things are lawful for me,” but then he adds that “not all things are helpful” and we shouldn’t be “dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

In an age when obesity rates are at an all-time high and an aggressive food industry is seeking to create foods that are increasingly addictive, we need to ask questions about what we’re putting into our mouths. Is this helping me? What is it doing to my health? Am I in control of my appetite, or have my cravings taken over?

Paul described people whose appetites set the agenda for their lives saying, “Their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). Food can become an idol that tempts, leads, and enslaves. God wants us to live free of that.

Make Jesus the Lord of your forkAll of this could feel like religious shame being heaped on top of the societal shame that we often feel when we overeat. But the Bible’s message is more personal and redemptive than that. Not only is God seeking to disciple us in self-control and protect us from the addictions that can accompany food and drink, but He wants us to see food as a means of worship. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, it says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Earlier in the letter, Paul elaborates why, reminding believers, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

What if we ate with the recognition that God loved us enough to redeem our bodies from slavery? What if we treated our bodies as God’s holy dwelling place? What if Jesus became Lord of our fork, and we chose foods that would honour Him and reflect His purposes?

Maybe those are hard questions to answer when you’re getting home late and your kids are irritable. But those questions can inspire a view of food that allows us to worship God with each meal. Instead of just a list of what we can and can’t eat, food becomes an occasion to praise His good creation and His faithful provision. Food can help us to practice self-control and remind us that we’re not ruled by our appetites. And hunger can remind us that there are things more important than another bag of chips. As Jesus said in John 4:32, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

There’s a reason God designed us to live on food. There’s a purpose to our cravings. He’s teaching us to worship Him. He’s training us to long for Him. Make Him the Lord of your fork and seek to glorify Him with your eating and drinking today.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The ancient church thought so much about food that they made gluttony one of the seven deadly sins. Today, many Christians have very little idea about what the Bible teaches about food at all. As a result, Christian attitudes toward food are mostly dictated by our appetite, the latest diets, or either guilt or ambition about the shape of our bodies. I want to attempt to give an overview of the Bible’s teachings on food and then share some implications of those teachings in subsequent posts.

God provides food as a gift to be received with thanksgivingThe Bible doesn’t just tell us that God created the world but that He specifically gave food to us as a gift. In the garden, He says, “I have given every green plant for food” (Genesis 1:30) and “and every tree with seed in its fruit” (Genesis 1:29). Following the flood, the human diet is no longer restricted to fruits and vegetables. God allows fish and meat to be eaten and declares: “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything” (Genesis 9:3). In the new covenant, God’s gifts are further celebrated. As Paul says to Timothy, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).
God restricts food to protect and teach usWhile God generously provides food for us, He also restricts it. He not only forbids Adam and Eve from eating from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17), but He also imposes detailed food prohibitions on the Israelites. Some of these may have had practical benefits, but most agree they were designed to protect them from the religious practices of the cultures around them and set them apart as God’s special people. God also famously provided manna, quail, and water in the wilderness to teach the Israelites to depend on God for everything (Deuteronomy 8:3). When the Lord’s Prayer says to pray for your daily bread (Matthew 6:11), a similar attitude is encouraged.
People refrain from food to show how important God is to themWhile Adam and Eve couldn’t even resist eating the one fruit God had forbidden, Moses is perhaps the first person in the Bible to go without food or water in order to focus more wholly on God (Exodus 34:28). Elsewhere in Scripture, fasting is commanded and modelled as an expression of repentance (Joel 2:12), dedication (Daniel 10:3), and need (Esther 4:16). It is strange that it is so seldom mentioned today given that both Jesus (Luke 4:2) and the church (Acts 13:3; 14:23) continued the practice.
Eating food is an important part of fellowship and missionWhile fasting is an important part of biblical spirituality, so is feasting. Jesus took a big hit to His reputation by eating with people who were normally shunned (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34; 15:2), but it was an essential way that He ministered to them. Similarly, Paul told Christians to “eat whatever is set before you” whenever they were invited to eat with people of other faiths (1 Corinthians 10:37). Sharing a meal is an important way to share your life with someone. It’s also how we care for those who have less (Matthew 25:35).
Overeating turns food into a godWhen a person believes in Jesus, God comes into their life, and so Paul can say, “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). As a result, how we treat our bodies matters to God (1 Corinthians 6:20): “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The opposite of glorifying God in your eating and drinking is letting food control you (1 Corinthians 6:12). Paul spoke of people whose “god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).
We celebrate a meal now in anticipation of the feast to comeThrough the Lord’s Supper, God has infused joy and hope into our relationship with food. Christians are called to regularly take bread and a cup, remembering Jesus’ death for our sins (1 Corinthians 11:24), enjoying His presence in our lives (1 Corinthians 10:16), and looking forward to our reunion with Him in the life to come (1 Corinthians 11:26). That reunion is elsewhere called “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9), a wedding feast where our fellowship with one another and with Him will find its culmination. Jesus so longs for this moment that He’s sworn off wine until the day comes (Matthew 26:29). When you think of the life to come, does it include food? Our dysfunctional relationship with food will be healed, and there will be a feast for all of God’s people with God Himself presiding over it.

Is there a part of the Bible’s teachings about food that you’ve lost sight of? Whether it’s thanksgiving, restraint, mission, or anticipation, let’s recapture all that God has revealed about glorifying Him in how we eat and drink.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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We’re all bombarded with more information than we can process. Recounting the most popular articles and videos from Out of Neutral at the end of the year is my way of helping you see what you might have overlooked or missed. But it’s also a way for me to see the kinds of themes that people are interested in learning about. This year, people were drawn to posts about the Bible, theology, and some of the challenges of the Christian life. Here are the top 10 of 2024.

How To Start a Christian CultCults thrive on twisting truth. By isolating verses, ignoring context, and using fear over grace, they turn gospel freedom into chains.
Good Things God Might Be Doing When Bad Things HappenWhy does God allow suffering in our lives? While the question is timeless, Jesus’ perspective offers surprising insights into how God redeems trials for our good.
Three Ways Our Views on Money Would Shock the Early ChurchWhat would a first-century Christian think of our excuses for not giving? Their radical generosity might challenge everything we believe about what it means to follow Jesus.
How To Love Your Enemy When Your Enemy’s an Abusive Family MemberChristians are called to love their enemies, but with an abusive person, it's not so simple. When does loving become enabling? How do you protect your personal safety? This post examines the tensions.
Is the King James Version the Only Bible Translation You Should Read?The King James Version has been a reliable translation and trusted Bible for more than 400 years. This post looks at how to evaluate the modern translations in light of it.
What Happens When We Confuse Friendship and FellowshipOur longing for connection reflects how God designed us, but true fellowship in the church is more than friendship—it’s about mutual growth and encouragement in Christ. This post looks at why that distinction matters.
How Baptists and Christian Reformed Believers Speak Past Each Other on BaptismThe when and how of baptism sparks passionate debate among Christians, but the conversation deepens our understanding of God’s covenants and calls us to reflect on Scripture with humility.
Four Lessons From Joshua About the Battle for Your FaithWhat can an ancient book about warfare teach Christians today? Joshua reveals surprising truths about spiritual victory, struggle, and the hope we have in a greater Saviour.
Why Don’t Catholics and Protestants Read the Same Bible? Why do Catholic and Protestant Bibles differ? It’s not about translations or changes over time. The answer reveals the heart of what each believes.
What Attracts Us to the Story of Noah’s Ark Distracts Us From Its Message What if everything you thought you knew about Noah’s Ark missed the point? Beyond the animals and the flood, there’s a message we need to hear.

That wraps up this year’s posts! If you have a question—big or small—that you’d like me to explore in the new year, let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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For many people, the happiness we expect at Christmas only magnifies the pain of the challenges. The over-the-top joy in sugary-sweet Christmas movies can make us feel like we’re the only ones who are hurting. But the story of the first Christmas is actually a dark tale that both acknowledges our pain and points to our hope. Consider the harsh realities of the first Christmas described in Luke’s Gospel and what they reveal.

The census stirred financial stress and political resentmentA reading of the Christmas story often begins with a statement about a census (Luke 2:1-2). We usually think about those forms we get in the mail where we’re asked how many people live in our home and what languages we speak. A census in biblical times was usually about taxation. When Joseph and Mary got the news that they would have to register, it would come with both financial burden and political resentment. Rome wanted more money! It’s not what you wanted to hear when you were expecting your first baby in an unplanned pregnancy.

The journey was dangerous and exhaustingWe tend to romanticize Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem (Luke 2:3-4). We picture Mary on a donkey and Joseph leading the animal gently, but nowhere in Scripture does it mention how they travelled. What we do know is that the distance is about 150 kilometres. You can drive that by car today in two to three hours, but it would have taken closer to a week for Joseph and Mary. And since everyone was travelling at the same time, it would have felt like rush hour traffic on a long weekend. We can imagine the discomfort that Mary would have felt.

The stable spelled rejection and disappointmentI’m not sure nativity scenes would have ever become a holiday tradition if Jesus had been born in a hospital. There’s something about those animals and the rustic surroundings that made for a great Christmas decoration. But the lack of a proper room must have felt like the last straw (Luke 2:7). After a long journey, you want to relax. And surely every pregnant mother craves a little comfort. Having to put your newborn in an animal feeding trough must have felt cruel.

Every detail in the chaotic story had a good, but invisible, purposeThe painful realities of the Christmas story can change how we see our own circumstances. Neither Joseph nor Mary could have seen anything good about what was happening to them. And yet as we look back at their story, we can understand God’s purposes. The census ensured that Jesus’ birth would be dated since these events were of interest to historians, religious or otherwise. The journey to Bethlehem fulfilled a 700-year-old prophecy of where the Messiah would be born (Micah 5:2). And the fact that there was no room in the inn foreshadowed the rejection Jesus would face but also His willingness to stand with the poor and the outsiders. Everything was just as God wanted it after all.

As you reflect on how these painful circumstances could fulfill God’s good purposes, it gives you hope as you consider your own disappointments. The Christmas story is not so much about happy endings or perfect circumstances. It’s about light in the darkness. It’s about a Saviour born in the midst of the struggle. It’s about a wise God carrying out a good plan when it must have seemed like everything was out of control. If God did that at the first Christmas, then He’s continuing to do that today. Think about something that makes Christmas hard this year, and choose to trust God’s good purposes by faith, and find hope in His plan for you.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Painful trials have a way of testing our coping strategies. The Book of Job introduces a man whose suffering included unimaginable financial devastation, unrelenting physical pain, and the tragic loss of his children. His story helps us to see the limitations of some of our usual responses and gives us more effective means of relief.

Sometimes friends can do more harm than goodAs tragedy hits Job, three friends “made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him” (Job 2:11). It feels at first as if they will be just what he needs. Unfortunately, they aren’t. As they begin to speak into his life and try to interpret what’s happening to him, it’s clear that they are just adding to his pain. At one point, Job calls for them to stop: “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all” (Job 16:2).

It seems that Job’s friends are given to us as a warning. Well-meaning people can say some insensitive and hurtful things in times of grief – particularly if they haven’t suffered themselves (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Hiding under your covers can make things worseIf you’re struggling with your circumstances and hurt by your friends, the temptation is to withdraw altogether. Job tried this, too. At one point, he said, “My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint” (Job 7:13). It didn’t. His problems were only amplified under the covers. The way Max Lucado put it was, “The cave has no answers.” Hiding and hoping for the storm to pass only gives it more power over us.
Adding regret to your pain steals from your comfortAs his suffering intensified, Job was helped by reminding himself of the big picture. He would eventually be remembered for the decisions he had made and the life he lived despite his circumstances. He encouraged himself that a life of faithfulness is its own comfort. In Job 6:10, he said, “This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” When the heat is turned up, it’s easy to turn to temptation, but Job realized that would only add regret to his pain. He purposed to glorify God.
God’s truth brings comfort in sufferingThe physical losses in Job’s case were made so much harder by the emotional anguish he experienced. His friends condemned him with a steady barrage of accusations that weren’t true. At one point, he says to them, “How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood” (Job 21:34). While Job’s friends may have been unique, most people struggle with confusing or condemning thoughts of one form or another when hard times hit. Job had an incomplete picture of God, but focusing on what he knew and understood of God’s truth gave him hope and counteracted the lies that he kept hearing (Job 16:19; 23:10; 19:25-27). When we suffer, we need to hear God’s truth more than ever.
Repentance unlocks comfort in our painWhen you’re reading a book of the Bible and see a word repeated a number of times, it’s worth checking the occurrences of that word in a concordance or app that allows you to search it. Often the biblical authors would point to a theme they were developing by using repetition.

Comfort is one of the keywords in Job’s story. In Job 42:6, however, the underlying Hebrew word is translated with a different word – “repent.” After hearing God speak out of the whirlwind, Job says, “Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” That one Hebrew word can include the sense of either comfort, repentance, or both. Here both are probably intended.

God’s words have brought clarity and self-awareness to Job that he didn’t have before, and so it’s correct to say that he repented. But that repentance also brought great comfort to Job. He was reoriented to God’s truth, and it built his hope, undid the lies, and released him from the confusion he struggled with. This is the turning point in Job’s healing.

When life is difficult, we think that comfort will only come in gentle thoughts and quiet relief. Often, what we most need is an encounter with God. We need to see Him more clearly and trust Him more deeply. We need to better understand His purposes and see where we’ve lost sight of them. This ultimately brings comfort to a true believer.

God will eventually bring His people the comfort they long forJob found relief in an encounter with God while he was still on the ash heap. But that wasn’t the only comfort he got. Job’s story ends with his losses restored and his life renewed. The isolation he felt from his unsympathetic friends was replaced by reconciliation (Job 42:8) and reunion. Job 42:11 says, “Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.”

This is the comfort that Job had been seeking since he first experienced his tragedy. It comes to him now only after he’s learned to find comfort in other places. It’s given to us here to encourage us that a day is coming for all of God’s people when we will meet God and experience the comfort we so desperately long for. That hope can comfort us even as we wait for it to be realized.

Reading a single keyword, in this case, “comfort,” across an entire book can give us a view that no single chapter or verse can provide. Learn to look for repetition as you read, and may you find the comfort you need as you look to God today.

In awe of Him,

Paul

Interested in learning more about the Book of Job?
Click here for the sermon series: When Tragedy Strikes

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Imagine explaining our lifestyle to a Christian from the first century. Cars, smartphones, streaming services, and online shopping have turned luxuries into necessities. Our homes overflow with furniture, closets with clothes, and refrigerators with food. Yet, in this age of unparalleled wealth, our giving reveals a poverty that would have baffled the early church. Consider the following statements through the eyes of Jesus’ first followers.

“I can’t afford to give”There’s no question that many people are struggling financially right now. Inflation is crazy, housing prices are unaffordable, and credit card debt burdens many. And yet the standard of what we “need” to live today would be unrecognizable to almost any other generation in history.

The early church believed that a commitment to Jesus should involve an adjustment in a person’s lifestyle. People sold properties to have more money to give to the work of God (Acts 4:34-35). Even people with very little were commended for the sacrifices they made to give.

Jesus famously praised a poor widow for putting a penny in the offering box – not just because it was so little but because “she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live one” (Mark 12:42-44). Similarly, Paul held up the example of the Macedonians whose “generosity” came from “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty” and resulted in them “begging … earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:1-4).

To someone who couldn’t afford to give, the early Christians would surely advise them to reduce their expenses, be content with less, and put God first in their finances. Statistics reveal that as income rises, the percentage people give away often decreases. In the end, giving reflects the priorities of the heart.

“I don’t have to tithe”Statistics say that only 5 to 10% of church attendees give at least a tithe or 10% of their income to God. Some argue: “None of the New Testament letters ever mention tithing.” I’ve addressed this topic before (“Why Doesn’t the New Testament Talk More About Tithing?”) but this feels like a case of being technically right but spiritually wrong.

If you’re going to be precise and talk about the fact that there aren’t any Christian commands to tithe, you also need to note that Jesus said to “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy” (Luke 12:33) and warned that “any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). It’s not as if Jesus was urging people to scale back from giving a tithe. If anything, he was encouraging more.

Research shows that Christians who tithe seem to understand this. Most committed tithers go beyond 10%, with 77% giving more than a tenth of their income to God. Once you understand Christian giving, generosity and gratefulness guide the amount.

“I like to give to more personal needs than my local church”One of the reasons people give for not contributing to the church is that they like to give to other needs. Missionaries make direct appeals, family members want our help, and in some countries a little money can go a long way. Generosity dictates that we try to respond where we can. But to not give priority in your giving to the local church you attend would be a strange idea to the early church.

Even as they saw that the needs were great, rather than everyone independently responding, the first disciples brought their offerings and “laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:35). In the Old Testament, no one would have considered withholding their temple offering to help a relative buy seed for his field." It’s a question of both/and not either/or.

While personal giving often feels more rewarding because of the immediate impact, somebody still needs to pay for less glamorous essentials like heating bills, elevator maintenance, and children’s ministry curriculum. Neglecting the local church in favour of personal giving may feel satisfying, but it ignores the place that the body of Christ is called to play in fulfilling Jesus’ mission.

The early church understood that giving as a Christian is about declaring that Jesus is Lord over every part of life. If we truly grasped their perspective, it would free us from the values that burden us with financial strain and give money such power over our lives.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I thought I had strong convictions. Maybe you do, too. What I learned was that many of my beliefs were borrowed from other people and hadn’t been tested, applied, or internalized. What I thought were convictions were loosely held ideas that wouldn’t hold up. I’ve come to recognize the cheaper substitutes to convictions that we often mistake for the real thing. As you consider them, reflect on your own beliefs and try to discern whether they’re truly rooted or just borrowed.

Things we don’t have strong reasons to denyMaybe it’s something you heard from your parents or picked up in a sermon. It sounded right, so you assumed that you believed it. In reality, though, you just didn’t deny it. You may not have thought deeply enough to test it against alternatives you might face.

The example of the Bereans is helpful here – they took the things they heard and then personally examined them in light of Scripture “to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). When we skip this step, true conviction isn’t formed.

Things we go along with when others around us doWhen we’re surrounded by people who act and speak in certain ways, our tendency is to mirror them. We may not be birds, but we tend to flock together. There are certain truths that we think we believe because we like a preacher who believes them or because we attend a church that teaches them. And it’s a positive thing when your beliefs and actions are shaped by the people around you, but unless you take the time to personally own those beliefs, you’ll find them slip away when you’re in the company of people who oppose them. In Jesus’ day, John tells us, “Many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it” (John 12:42). If you’re a different person depending on who’s watching, you don’t have convictions, you just have opinions.
Things we might deny if it costs us something to believe themJesus talked about people who are genuinely excited when they hear the good news, but he warned of the person who “has no root in himself” and so “endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away” (Matthew 13:20-21). It surprises many today to hear about individuals deconstructing their faith. We assume their enthusiasm reflected deeply held convictions, but often it didn’t. But the real test of a conviction is how it stands up to testing. Today, Christian beliefs in North America are being tested in ways that they haven’t been for a long time. It costs something to hold to biblical truth today and many are unprepared to pay the price.

Jesus’ disciples faced the same challenges we do. At one point, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). When Jesus asked the twelve whether they wanted to turn back as well, Peter showed us the path to true conviction. He replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). You build convictions by recognizing that the alternatives are counterfeits. Convictions are founded on “the words of eternal life.” And they form as you choose to follow “the Holy One of God” when other voices compete for your loyalty.

True convictions take time, testing, and trust in Christ. May we pursue beliefs that will stand when the pressure is applied to them.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The mob hitman confessing his sins in church after another brutal killing is cliché. We instinctively know that God doesn’t forgive people so that they can go on sinning. Yet we struggle to understand the tension. We say things like “God gives you a clean slate,” and “Jesus helps you turn over a new leaf.” There’s a sense in which those statements are true, but they can also be misleading. God’s forgiveness isn’t like pressing CTRL-Z on your computer. It doesn’t erase the sin as if it never existed. The “guilt offering” or “reparation offering” in Leviticus helps to clarify the tension.

A sacrifice that was all about making things rightEach offering in Leviticus taught God’s people something different about the nature of sin and forgiveness. Despite the name, the purpose of the “guilt offering” wasn’t to make people feel guilty. It taught people about the debt of sin and the restitution required of His people. It dealt with sins like financial corruption (Leviticus 6:2), theft, and oppression (Leviticus 6:3). When the person became convinced of their wrong, they wouldn’t just confess it to the priest. And they didn’t just offer a sacrifice to God. They were to first go to the person whom they had wronged and restore to them whatever they had cheated them of. In fact, the law required that the person “restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt” (Leviticus 6:5). It was only then that he was to bring his sacrifice to the Lord and receive God’s forgiveness.

New Testament echoes of the Guilt OfferingHundreds of years of guilt offerings shaped the conscience of the Jewish people. So, it’s not surprising that when someone like Zacchaeus who had extorted people’s money as a tax collector responded to Jesus’ message, his first instinct was to try to make things right. He immediately vowed to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back four times the amount of anyone whom he had cheated (Luke 19:8). Similarly, John the Baptist called people to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8) and the Apostle Paul told people to perform “deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). It’s not that you have to earn your forgiveness, but you do need to make things right.

A clean slate?When you put your faith in Jesus, you’re not only completely forgiven by God but also credited with the righteousness of Christ (Philippians 3:9). And there’s nothing extra we have to do to earn it. But while our slate with God is wiped clean that doesn’t change the fact that there are people we may have hurt, wrongs we may have left undone, and things that we need to make right. A murderer can be forgiven by God but still need to go to jail.

In my case, I tried to list the people I felt I owed something to. I thought of something I had broken but never replaced and sent money and an apology. I thought of someone I had hurt deeply with my words and called to express my remorse. I wasn’t trying to earn God’s forgiveness or add to my salvation, but what Jesus did in making things right between me and God taught me that I needed to take measures to make things right between me and the people I had offended. The guilt offering reminds me of that.

Is there anyone you need to make things right with? Any wrongs you’ve left undone? God’s grace gives us the courage to face our sins rather than deny them. It offers us a new start with Him, but part of the new start involves taking responsibility for the people we’ve hurt. May God give you help as you do.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The hippie movement of the 1960s sought peace through drugs. Celebrities like Julia Roberts seek it through yoga and meditation, while Richard Gere looks for it in Tibetan Buddhism. Stress at work, problems with kids, and our mental health push us to look for peace in different ways. But the instructions for the Peace Offering in the Book of Leviticus give us a unique insight into how God intends for us to experience lasting peace.

To know peace, you need to end the warThe Peace Offering in Leviticus 3 begins similarly to the Burnt Offering in Leviticus 1. The worshipper would offer an animal as a substitute sacrifice – an action that points back to the Garden of Eden. It was in the Garden that we lost our peace, and so we can’t reclaim it without addressing what happened there. Sin destroyed the peace we enjoyed with God, each other, and our conscience, so God uses the sacrifice to point to His means of resolving that problem. The sacrifice of the Peace Offering teaches us that you can’t find peace without dealing with your sin. If you’re at war with God, your neighbour, or your brother, no amount of meditation is going to make it easier to sleep at night. To know peace, you need to end the war – at least as far as it depends on you. The sacrifice that begins the Peace Offering points to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. As Romans 5:1 says, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
To know peace, you need time in God’s presenceSome people have confessed their sins and made peace with God through faith in Jesus, but they still struggle to feel that peace. That’s where the Peace Offering is so helpful. The Peace Offering was prepared as a meal. It describes it as “a food offering to the LORD” (Leviticus 3:3) and details which part of the offering is for God. Specifically, God gets the fat which is the juiciest, tastiest part of the animal. Imagine setting aside the best cut of marbled Kobe beef for God as a way of expressing your love to Him. To know peace, you don’t just need to end the war, you spend time in God’s presence expressing to Him what He means to you. Separation from Him robbed us of the peace we crave, and so drawing close to Him fuels that peace and deepens our experience of it.
To know peace, you need to celebrate it with othersThe unique thing about the Peace Offering was that it was enjoyed in the context of a group meal – a kind of “shalom party.” Leviticus 7:11-13 describes various kinds of breads that were included in the offering, all meant to be shared. These were eaten, along with the sacrifice, in God’s presence. And there were instructions to eat everything right away – leftovers weren’t allowed (Leviticus 7:15). This is unusual since an adult sheep could feed 40 to 50 people. Since eating meat was relatively rare in ancient Israel, the temptation would be to eat a little and take the rest in a doggy bag for the trip home. By requiring it to be eaten in one sitting, it would include the worshipper gathering his relatives, neighbours, and friends. Even then, there would be leftovers, so the poor and needy would be encouraged to join in. And the worshipper would gather everyone and declare to them the wonders of a God who provides peace to people who don’t deserve it.

As our culture increasingly turns to mysticism and meditation, looking within for peace, Leviticus calls us to look upward and outward – to confess, to connect, and to celebrate.

May God lead you into that peace today!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The promises and principles of Scripture are comforting and directly applicable. They don’t take a lot of work to relate to. Leviticus has to be read in a different way. It’s like a manual from a different age, but it helps you to visualize scenes of devotion and worship that can help you relate to God in ways that other Scriptures don’t explore so clearly. The grain offering shows you how to express your love to God.

An opportunity to express your loveThe grain offering usually followed the burnt offering, the substitute animal sacrifice that Christians are more familiar with. The worshipper has just offered a lamb from his flock and felt the forgiveness and acceptance of God. He feels clean inside and at peace with the Lord. He’s moved to respond. He wants to communicate to God something of what he feels inside. With the grain offering, God suggests that he bake a cake. The grain offering is essentially an offering of cake. It became a personal way of saying, “Thank you.”

Bring a gift with some personalityThere was a lot of variety with this particular gift. It was possible to just bring flour and pour oil and frankincense on it (Leviticus 2:1), but often it was baked in an oven (Leviticus 2:4), fried in a pan (Leviticus 2:7), or cooked on a griddle (Leviticus 2:5) – pancakes anyone? The point was that you could bring some personality and flair to this offering.

No hypocrisy in this relationshipWhen you baked a cake for God, there was one thing you had to remember to exclude and another that you had to add. While you’d be tempted to add yeast or leaven to make it rise, God repeatedly warns not to (Leviticus 2:4, 5 11). It was often used as a symbol of sin and hypocrisy and God wanted to make it clear that He wants neither. Honey was susceptible to fermentation, so it was excluded for a similar reason (Leviticus 2:11).

Preserve our relationshipSalt, on the other hand, had to be added (Leviticus 2:13). Salt was a preservative, but ancient treaties were often symbolically salted to express a desire for the covenant to last. By adding salt to the cake, the worshipper was saying, “May you sustain this relationship forever!”

But God doesn’t eat cake!What’s amazing about this offering is that God needs nothing, and He doesn’t eat cake. In His divinity, He’s never been hungry, so it’s not as if He’s craving the taste. And yet twice it says that the fragrance of this offering is “a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 2:2, 9). That tells me that God is pleased with my heartfelt expressions of love for Him, no matter how inadequate they might seem. If they come from a place of sincere worship and covenant relationship, they bring a smile to the heart of God.

The grain offering reminds me of when I was in kindergarten. I was walking home through a field and picked some dandelions for my mother. When I got home, I handed them to her as if I had just given her a bouquet of roses. And she took great delight in them! Not because of what they were but because of what they meant.

God invites us to offer our lives not our cakeLeviticus is from a different time. It teaches that responding to God’s forgiveness in tangible acts of love and devotion is appropriate. Today, instead of cake, God says to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” He calls this our “spiritual worship” and tells us that it’s “holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). We might not bake literal cakes for God, but we can offer Him something even more meaningful. Whether it’s taking time to care for a neighbour, setting aside extra time to pray, or giving something extra to support God’s work, these acts are like the grain offering—simple, heartfelt ways to show God our love. And He takes pleasure in them. He’s never thinking, “What did you do that for?” He sees them and notices.

Take time today to offer God a piece of your life – a prayer, a kind gesture, or a word of testimony—and know that it’s a pleasing aroma to Him.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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In my second year of university, a roommate and I were desperate to be accepted as engineering orientation leaders. They hosted the parties, led the events, and maintained the faculty’s wild reputation. For our interviews, we drank too much and dressed in one-piece long johns and leather jackets to try and look the part. I arrived with a massive, custom-order pizza to bribe them, and my friend swallowed a live goldfish in front of them to prove his qualifications.

Looking back, it seems absurd that we were willing to sacrifice so much to be accepted. Why was I so desperate for the approval of people I barely liked? It wasn’t the last time I would wear a mask to try to prove myself to someone. But surprisingly, it was a deep dive into a book that most people avoid that helped reshape my thinking in this area.

The masks we wear and why we wear themAs you begin reading Leviticus, you’re immersed in a strange world of animal sacrifices. You can’t help but wonder what’s going on. The sacrifices in Leviticus can be explained in part by a sacrifice God provides in the opening chapters of the Bible.

In the Garden of Eden, the Bible explains that Adam and Eve “were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Before God and one another, they lived with nothing to hide. But sin changed that. As soon as they disregarded God’s command, their first instinct was to hide from one another and from God. They famously sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves (Genesis 3:7). They were trying to put something on the outside to hide the shame they felt on the inside. We’ve been doing the same thing ever since.

Is it possible that my desperation to be accepted by an orientation committee stemmed from a yearning for the acceptance we lost in the garden? Were the long johns and goldfish antics the fig leaves we chose to hide who we were?

God’s alternative to our fig leavesYou can imagine how ineffective a bra and underwear made out of leaves would be – not to mention uncomfortable! Interestingly, God doesn’t tell them that the idea is silly. He knows that their shame is real. They were covering their bodies as a way of finding acceptance despite the guilt they felt.

God graciously provided a more effective covering for them. Genesis 3:21 says, “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” God somehow sacrificed an animal and covered Adam and Eve with it. The first fur coat? The birth of the leather industry? At least they wouldn’t have to deal with the constant embarrassment of wardrobe malfunctions. More importantly, God was giving them a hint that the solution to our longing for acceptance lies in a sacrifice.

Leviticus points to the sacrifice that heals our hidingIt helps to visualize the Book of Leviticus rather than just read it. It reads more like a manual than a novel. As you try to picture the first chapter, you see a person going through their flock and choosing their very best sheep (Leviticus 1:2-3). You didn’t just hand it over to the priest. You instead had to lay your hand on it and then kill it yourself. As you placed your hand on the animal, you’d remember how God had warned Adam and Eve that the penalty for ignoring Him was death. As you raised the knife to kill your very best animal, you’d be thinking, “It should have been me.”

I deserve to die for my sin, but God says that He’ll accept a substitute in my place. You’d think that the result would be mixed. Leviticus tells us that it’s complete. When the sacrifice is burned before the Lord, God calls it “a pleasing aroma” (Leviticus 1:9). God doesn’t just tolerate people whose sin has been covered by a sacrifice, He accepts them fully. They’re covered, cleansed, and received by the God against whom they’ve sinned.

Jesus died to provide the acceptance we long forHundreds of years of those sacrifices prepared people for a greater sacrifice that He was planning. When Jesus came, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) God brought the sacrifice, so we didn’t have to. God covered our sins, so we didn’t need any more fig leaves. And through faith in His sacrifice, we experience His full acceptance.

As long as we live in a world where people make you jump through hoops to earn their acceptance, we’ll feel the temptation to hide behind long johns and goldfish. But when you know the full and free acceptance of the God who made you, it makes you less desperate for the approval of people who often withhold it.

If you know the acceptance of God, re-read Leviticus 1, picture the scene, and rejoice in the God who breathes in the aroma of a sacrifice offered on your behalf and is fully pleased with it. He’s fully pleased with you!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Life is complicated. That makes it difficult when you try to apply the Bible simplistically. Everybody knows the command to honour your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12), and Jesus called us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-28). But what if our enemy is also our abuser? What if the parent we’re called to honour is mistreating or exploiting us? Some say the Christian response is to turn the other cheek. Others follow the recent explosion in articles advocating that you cut off all the toxic people in your life. The biblical tension is somewhere in between. There are at least 4 ways we’re called to love an abusive family member.

Pray for them and desire their goodIf Jesus could pray for the good of those who killed Him (Luke 23:34), then His command to “pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28) likely has no exceptions. Stephen, the first martyr, followed Jesus’ example in this. Even as he was being stoned to death, he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

I can’t help but think that the repeated encouragements to “bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28; Romans 12:14) are given, not only to change abusive people but also to free those who have been abused from the bitterness that would otherwise destroy them. One of the greatest dangers in our response to toxic people is that we become toxic ourselves.

In prayer, we learn to seek the good of people we would otherwise want to harm. That’s why the command to bless those who persecute you is followed by “bless and do not curse them” (Romans 12:14). It’s also why the Book of Proverbs warns against not rejoicing when your enemy falls (Proverbs 24:17). If we’re glad to see our enemy’s downfall, then the destructive circle is complete, and the oppressed has become the oppressor. Pray for your enemies, not only for their sake but for yours.

Release your grudges against themRelated to our prayers for our enemies is the release of our anger towards them. You can’t love someone whom you’re bitter towards. Leviticus 19:18 puts it like this: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

When you trust that God will carry out His perfect justice, it frees you from having to play judge and jury yourself (Romans 12:19). If crimes have been committed, that doesn’t mean that you don’t play your part in the justice system, but it does mean that bitterness isn’t what’s driving you. We have to let go of the grudges, or they’ll destroy us.

Meet the needs that are safe for you to respond toIf you’re praying for someone’s good, and you’ve released your anger against them, it’s not surprising that God would call us to express our love in tangible acts. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27), and Paul said, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans 12:20-21). Even the Old Testament prescribed that you had to rescue your enemy’s donkey if you found it (Exodus 23:5).

Scripture shows that meeting needs like this isn’t always realistic, however. When he was on the run from King Ahab, Elijah wasn’t thinking about whether there was enough food on the royal table. But I think it is worth asking, “Are there needs in this person’s life that it would be safe for me to respond to?” That’s different than doing whatever an oppressive person demands or whatever a tender conscience requires.

Absorb the offence, but flee the dangerFor victims of abuse, it’s unfortunate that “turn the other cheek” has become entrenched in the English language, but “take the child and his mother, and flee” hasn’t. The first is a quote from Jesus about how to respond to personal offences. The second is an angel’s warning to Joseph when King Herod was seeking Jesus’ life (Matthew 2:13). It shows what should be obvious: the command, “Do not resist the one who is evil” (Matthew 5:39), shouldn’t be applied to a person’s safety.

We see examples of this in John 7:1 where Jesus avoids the region of Judea because the religious authorities were trying to kill him. We see it again in Luke 4:29-30, where the crowd in Nazareth wants to throw Jesus off a cliff and he slips away. When Paul’s enemies were staked out at the city gates looking to kill him, he was lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall (Acts 9:24-25). The message is clear, if your safety is threatened, don’t turn the other cheek.

In fact, while turning the other cheek is Jesus’ prescription for a slap in the face, I imagine His message would be different for someone who was slapped in the face, day after day. At that point, what started as an insult has become damaging. While an offence can be absorbed, danger is something we run from.

I’ve tried to lay out the basic principles of how to love an abusive family member, but the biggest challenge is the healing needed to recover from the abuse. May this help you with the one while you pursue the other.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Whenever a new technology causes a shift in how the church functions, it’s worth stepping back to evaluate. Maybe starting a Zoom group in the first century wasn’t technologically an option, but there’s value in considering what would have been lost if Jesus had chosen to mentor His disciples online instead of in person.

Nobody would have ever learned what Jesus was really likeMeeting in person for fellowship today is inconvenient. You have to travel to someone’s home. You can’t wear your pyjamas, and you have to brush your teeth. Afterward, you’ll probably have to hang out. These are inconveniences compared to the efficiency of a Zoom meeting.

Doing fellowship in person was even more inconvenient for Jesus. First, there was the incarnation, of course. Then, there were the long distances he travelled, usually on foot. He became tired, hungry, and thirsty. But all of those experiences taught the disciples about Jesus’ character. They learned, for instance, that he was comfortable speaking with Samaritans (John 4:9) even though there was animosity between them and the Jews. They learned that he conversed freely with women (John 4:27) even though Jewish religious teachers rarely did. And they saw how He coped with the difficulties.

Online, we can exchange information, but it’s hard to share our lives. It’s hard to see what’s really going on with each other. And surely this is an essential part of fellowship.

Nobody would have asked their informal questionsJesus delivered some great sermons. And yet so much of His impact in people’s lives took place after the meeting in the informal times when people asked Him questions and made their requests. It was once the meeting ended that the disciples often asked Jesus about their theological questions (e.g., Matthew 13:36, Luke 8:9) and their ministry failures (Mark 9:28). In a Zoom meeting, all of this would have been missed.

When fellowship becomes more efficient, we lose those personal moments that take place before and after the formal meeting. It’s here that ministry becomes individualized, and relationships are deepened.

Nobody would have ever felt how much Jesus really caredJesus occasionally healed people from a distance (Matthew 8:8, 13), but usually, His miracles came with a personal touch. He didn’t have to touch the leper in order to heal him (Matthew 8:3), but when He did, it would have deeply affected the man. Jesus touched the eyes of the blind (Matthew 9:29), touched the ears of the deaf (Mark 7:33), and took the hand of a dead girl (Luke 8:54-55) before He raised her back to life. Touch shows a level of compassion that words alone don’t express.

There’s a level of care that can be demonstrated in person that doesn’t translate through a computer screen. And just the act of showing up expresses a level of commitment that connecting to a video call doesn’t. If Jesus had started a Zoom group, I’m convinced that the church would have been a more cold, impersonal place.

Online meetings are here to stay in the same way that email and text are essential elements of communication. But I’m convinced that online fellowship falls far short of what Jesus modelled for us. We need to build in-person relationships to be all that we were created to be both as individuals and as a church.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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If you’re going to read a Bible, at some point, you’ll probably give thought as to which translation you should read. The King James Version (KJV) is a good one. Many people already own one, and it has stood the test of time. For almost 400 years, it was the Bible read by Christians throughout the English-speaking world.

As modern translations were introduced, some welcomed the contemporary language. Others felt that the church had compromised God’s Word. For example, Christians would compare the KJV with a modern translation like the English Standard Version (ESV) of Luke 23:42.

•KJV: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

•ESV: And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Seeing that the word “Lord” was dropped from the ESV, the conclusion that some made was that this translation had tried to water down Christ’s lordship. It shows less respect for Jesus’ divine authority. But surely the question isn’t which translation uses more words to exalt Jesus, but which one is more accurate. I could rewrite the verse to say, “Jesus, divine Master, Son of God, Creator of all, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” But that wouldn’t make my verse a more faithful translation.

There are three main reasons you should trust the reliability of a modern translation like the ESV.

We have far more manuscripts now than they did 400 years agoWhile the translators of the KJV did an excellent job, there have been hundreds of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts discovered since it was published. In fact, there have been over a thousand Greek manuscripts found in the last century alone. With more manuscripts and more time to study them, it’s been possible to trace how slight variations in the text crept in. Correcting these results in a more accurate representation of God’s Word.

We have far older manuscripts now than they did 400 years agoAmong the many manuscripts that have been found since the King James Version was translated, the greatest discovery was certainly the Dead Sea Scrolls. Between 1946 and 1956, a treasure trove of ancient texts from 300 BC to 70 AD was found in the 11 caves around the Qumran region on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. Among these were found Hebrew manuscripts that were more than a thousand years older than anything that had been previously possessed. All of these new manuscripts have given scholars a clearer understanding of the biblical text.

One of the changes that resulted appears in Psalm 145:13. This psalm is what’s called an acrostic with each line beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the King James Version, the psalm skips one of the letters in the alphabet and so in Hebrew, it looks like there’s a line missing. Sure enough, when manuscripts containing Psalm 145 were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the missing line of the psalm was there. So if you compare Psalm 145:13 in a translation done in the last 50 years with the KJV, it’s twice as long – the missing line has been put back in. In this case, it’s hard to deny that the discovery of these older manuscripts has resulted in a more accurate translation.

We know more about Greek and Hebrew than they did 400 years agoIn addition to the discovery of hundreds of biblical texts, there have also been many other ancient Greek and Hebrew texts discovered also. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, not only contained religious texts but also notes, letters, and shopping lists. These have helped scholars immensely because the New Testament was written in the simpler, common Greek used by everyday people rather than the classical Greek used by scholars and philosophers, and until recently there weren’t as many good examples of it.

If you enjoy the King James Version or you’re used to it, continue to read it. It’s still an excellent translation and the differences between it and the many modern translations are negligible. But if you had worried about reading another translation for fear that it was corrupt, you should be confident that modern versions are based on older, more accurate manuscripts that have been translated more precisely than they were able to do in 1611 when King James commissioned an authorized English translation of the Bible.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Jay Leno once conducted a series of interviews with random people on the street and asked them to name one of the Ten Commandments. One of the most common responses was, “God helps those who help themselves.” That’s troubling because not only is it not one of the Ten Commandments, but it’s not in the Bible at all.

Where did it come from anyway?You hear echoes of the saying in one of Aesop’s fables where a man calls to the goddess Athena to ask for help during a shipwreck, and she tells him to try swimming first. There’s also a parallel in the Quran, (Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:11) where it says, “Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” The English writer, Algernon Sidney, was the first credited with the phrase in the 17th century, but Benjamin Franklin helped to make it popular.

Why is such a popular saying at odds with the teaching of the Bible?“God helps those who help themselves” is trying to deal with the passive mentality that asks God to do things that we can easily do for ourselves. “Did you mow the lawn?” “No, but I prayed that the grass would stop growing.” Nobody thinks this is a healthy attitude.

But instead of the warning, “God doesn’t help those who refuse to help themselves,” the popular saying gives a commentary on the kind of person God does help. People who “help themselves” are presumably hard-working, independent, and responsible. In fact, it sounds as if they’re so capable that God’s help at that point sounds more like a reward.

There are three reasons why that doesn’t line up with the Bible’s teachings.

God helps people who can’t help themselvesWhile there are many ways that we can help ourselves, in some of the most important ways, we are unable to. For example, God says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). How do we change ourselves when we have a chronic sin-sick condition? The Bible says that we can’t but then teaches that we can be saved by grace: “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy” (Titus 3:5).
God helps people who realize they need helpGod doesn’t help those who help themselves because the pride of independence is what keeps us from turning to God for help. In John 15:5, Jesus said that we’re like the branches to his vine and then added, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” We need God to do anything of lasting value in this world and having the humility and faith to recognize that is the first step toward getting well.
God’s help of people helps them help themselvesThe Bible’s teaching isn’t that God just does everything for us, however. The idea is that His help in our lives enables us to do things we never would have been capable of. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, for instance, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." When we turn to God in faith, we have His love motivating us, His strength enabling us, and His hope encouraging us. It’s a new day with new possibilities.

In the end, the saying "God helps those who help themselves" falls short because it misrepresents the heart of the Gospel. The Bible teaches that we are not self-sufficient beings, capable of earning God’s favor through our own efforts. Instead, we are deeply in need of His grace, love, and strength to do what we could never do on our own. Real transformation happens not when we rely on ourselves, but when we acknowledge our need for God and allow Him to work through us. It’s not about proving our worth; it’s about receiving His mercy and living empowered by His Spirit. That’s the true source of lasting change.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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We were created for connection, so we all feel a longing for relationships. In a church, there are lots of opportunities to get to know others, but if we don’t understand the difference between friendship and fellowship, we can miss out on what God wants to do in our lives. While friendship is often rooted in shared interests, fellowship centres in our shared faith in Christ. It’s more than companionship – it’s about mutual growth and encouragement. Consider what happens when we don’t get this right.

When we confuse fellowship for friendship, we just look for people like usFriendship is the time we spend with people who we like. We look for people of the same age, with the same kinds of jobs, and the same sense of humour. Fellowship doesn’t mean we surround ourselves with people we don’t like, but it does mean we embrace a broader spiritual family.

Fellowship includes spiritual grandparents, spiritual uncles and aunts, spiritual brothers and sisters, and spiritual babies. Like a body, the Bible says that the church is made up many different parts, but we’ve all received the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Through Christ, we’re part of the same family, even though we’ve grown up in different places, different times, and different circumstances.

This was a struggle in the early church and it’s often a struggle today. In Antioch, Paul called out Peter because he was only eating with the Jewish Christians and avoiding the Greeks (Galatians 2:11-12). Fellowship includes people who are different than us.

When we confuse fellowship for friendship, we’re only in it for as long as we get what we want out of itAs much as we like to think otherwise, friendships are often transactional. We find people who we enjoy being with, and we hang out with them until something changes. That something could be our feelings, our circumstances, or even our political opinions. But fellowship is not dependent on our preferences.

Fellowship begins with commitment not a transaction. The early church “devoted themselves to … the fellowship” (Acts 2:42) and Jesus said that “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). When Jesus talked about love it was always about sacrifice.

I love Paul’s prayer in Romans 15:5: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.” Why do you think that you need the God of endurance to live in harmony with other believers? Because we’re tempted to check out as soon as it’s hard. Fellowship is about sticking it out and working it through.

When we confuse fellowship for friendship, we just hang out instead of building upFriends sometimes play sports together, watch movies, and share memes. If you approach church fellowship with the same mindset, you end up hanging out but in superficially Christian ways. Fellowship goes beyond that.

In fellowship, the goal is to strengthen one another through the time spent together. Paul said to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and told the church in Rome that he longed to see them that he might “impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:11-12).

As I look back on my Christian life, God has strengthened me, helped me, and satisfied my need for relationship as I’ve committed to fellowship, even when it didn’t lead to friendship. When I’ve devoted myself to gathering with other believers for prayer, Bible study, and service, God has met me through the diversity of the people and the shared desire to grow. May He do the same in your life as you devote yourself to fellowship and take steps to deepen your commitment to it.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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If you’re a Christian parent, at some point, church will probably be a challenge for you and your kids. It was for me, and yet in retrospect, those challenges blessed our kids and our family, and I’m grateful for them. Let me share some of the lessons we learned when church was hard.

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As the school year starts, most families are scrambling to deal with registrations, supplies, schedules, and adjustments. Some kids look forward to the school year. Others feel dread as September approaches. There are lots of things to learn, but academics are only half of the challenge.

Friendships can either make learning attractive or derail a child’s motivation altogether. Friendships are where a child learns how to relate to others and works at practicing patience, forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. Most parents talk to their kids about grades. I’m convinced we need to talk to them at least as much about relationships.

Here are four conversations I think parents and children need to have.

Work on friendships not popularitySocial media has applied metrics to our relationships for the first time in history. Now, we have a number that tells us how many “friends” we have. Because there’s no number for the quality of our relationships only the quantity of them, it silently reinforces the idea that more is better, and superficiality doesn’t matter. The Bible says the opposite.

Proverbs 18:25, for example, warns, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Your kids will feel the pressure to seek popularity, but they need their parents to teach them that a few, committed friendships are far more important than a large number of shallow ones.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 puts it this way, “Woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Children don’t need to get everyone to like them. Adults don’t need to either. But they do need to work at the kind of friendships where there will be someone who’s there for them when they need a hand up.

Focus on being friendly, and let the friendships comeWe can’t force friendships, even if our need for relationships tempts us to try. It would be easier if there was an application form to sign or a course to take. But Jesus told us where to focus. In Luke 6:31, He said, “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” The application for kids is obvious: be the friend you want others to be to you.

And that needs to be done with no strings attached. We don’t do something kind to a person and then wait for them to do it back to us, or else it’s just a bribe. But when we show kindness, generosity, and patience toward others, we attract the same from them.

If you begin to see school and church not just as places to gain information, but where your child can practice putting others first (Philippians 2:3), being an encourager (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and showing kindness when it’s hard to do so (Proverbs 17:17), you realize how crucial this time is to develop your child’s relational skills. Talk to them about how they’re growing in friendliness and celebrate the wins when they come.

Know the difference between people you can learn from and people you can helpAs children head out into the world, it doesn’t take long before they’re confronted by people whose values and behaviour are different than what they’ve learned. Children need the wisdom to know how to treat everyone with compassion but give time and trust to those whose character they respect.

Proverbs 13:20 warns, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm,” and 1 Corinthians 15:33 adds, “Bad company ruins good morals.” Proverbs 22:24-25 is even more specific in warning us to “Make no friendship with a man given to anger … lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” We become like the people we spend the most time with, so it’s important that children learn to think about how to pursue healthy friendships.

Friendship in this world prepares us for friendship with GodFriendships are often hard. Other people are difficult, and even when they’re not, we can be the problem. The reassurance, encouragement, counsel, perspective, and support that we can experience in a friendship, though, whet our appetite for what’s possible in a relationship with God.

James 2:23 tells us, “‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’—and he was called a friend of God.” At school, children are thinking about friendships, looking for friendships, and working at friendships. This is the time to talk to them about the friendship that’s possible with God through faith in Jesus. And how our friendship with Him teaches us how to be better friends to those around us (Colossians 3:13).

Kids, today, have a lot of challenges, and parents do, too. But having a healthy framework for approaching friendships makes everything easier. Be the coach in their corner as they navigate the relationships before them.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Sometimes, a song is able to express the thoughts that everybody feels. Kacey Musgraves’ song, “The Architect,” asks questions that I’ve heard again and again. They’re questions that are worth thinking about because we’ve all felt them, but we usually think too casually about the answers.

“The Architect” is a song from an album that Musgraves released earlier this spring. It’s quiet and reflective and was borne out of her musings about beauty and tragedy and an event that stunned her sensibilities. But more about that later.

Consider the questions her song asks and whether you haven’t asked them yourself.

How can there be design without a Designer?The song begins with her reflection on an apple. She’s moved by the beauty of it.

Even something as small as an apple

It's simple and somehow complex

Sweet and divine, the perfect design

Can I speak to the architect?

How is it that we’re moved to marvel at a common fruit? It’s not as if apples are the wonders of the world, but she recognizes that they give evidence of a Designer.

If that’s true of apples, how much more are the mountains and valleys that captivate all who see them?

There's a canyon that cuts through the desert

Did it get there because of a flood?

Was it devised or were you surprised

When you saw how grand it was?

Of course, the canyon did get there, in part, because of a flood, but that doesn’t lessen the reality of its design. The Architect wasn’t surprised at its grandeur. He planned it to speak to us. As it says in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Whether you look at the vastness of the universe, the depths of the seas, the heights of the mountains, or the diversity of animals, plants, and insects in our world, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the design that we see points to a Designer.

If this world has an Architect, why is it such a mess?While Musgraves was working on her album in the studio in Nashville, Tennessee, news came of the mass shooting at an elementary school near where she was. A former student killed three nine-year-old children and three adults before being shot by police. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Tennessee history. And it made Musgraves think, “If there is a point to any of this, why are all these people suffering?”

Was it thought out at all or just paint on a wall?

Is there anything that you regret?

I don't understand, are there blueprints or plans?

Can I speak to the architect?

Interestingly, she wants to speak to the architect about things people have done. The Bible says that God designed a world full of goodness but created humanity with a moral freedom that would make virtue meaningful and love possible.

In turning our backs on Him, we bring pain to each other and grief to God. School shootings aren’t the Architect’s desire for anyone. They’re the result of human sin and brokenness. To blame Him for the messes we create is to put the blame in the wrong place. God made the apples, but we chose to throw them at each other.

Can you speak to the Architect, and will He speak with you?Again and again, Musgraves expresses her desire to speak with the Architect. And she has lots of questions.

Somеtimes I look in the mirror

And wish I could make a rеquest

Could I pray it away? Am I shapeable clay?

Or is this as good as it gets?

Who hasn’t looked in the mirror and wished they could order some adjustments? This is what feeds the plastic surgery industry. But ironically, these are the questions that come when we don’t listen to God. God tells us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and created “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).

When we listen to the Architect, we feel the affirmation of a God who loves us for who we are rather than an Instagram world that makes us compete for perfection, attention, and acceptance. When we listen to God in His Word, we understand more of who He is and how He works. We see our lives against the backdrop of His great overarching plan for the world. And yes, it’s a plan to make all things good and to deal with the evil of this world once and for all.

The architect invites us to speak to Him, but He’s interested in more than just a one-way message in a bottle. He wants a relationship where we listen rather than just speak. That relationship is possible through faith in Jesus Christ. In Him, we find the one who came to fix the mess that we made of the Architect’s design.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. If this is new to you, and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.

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When we’re overwhelmed by a problem, it’s easy to just sit and worry about it. We can obsess over a million things we have no power to change.

Sometimes, sharing with others can be a big encouragement. We need the perspective of others, and their words of comfort can bring real relief. But other times, the opposite is true. When we open up and people shut us down, we feel even more alone. Just ask Job about his three counsellors.

We should bring our troubles to God in prayer. He wants to bear our burdens and walk with us through our trials. But often our worries overwhelm even our prayers. What starts as an appeal for God to bring relief can turn into an exercise in anxious worry. When that happens, you may find that it helps to write, but in a specific way.

Where is God at work? What do you really need?I stumbled into the value of this kind of writing by accident. As a missionary, I wrote prayer letters every couple of months to honestly describe our ministry, highlighting areas where we were grateful for God's work and where we were seeking His help. I came to find that the very act of writing these letters gave me insight and perspective that I would have missed without them.

As I looked for God’s hand in our often difficult circumstances, I saw more cause for thanksgiving than I would otherwise have noticed. Until I took the time to write, I focused on the negatives and overlooked the positives. And slowing down to write about what I was asking God to do made my needs more clear and my circumstances less overwhelming.

Re-evaluating a painful flopAs we launched our church plant to what felt like a resounding failure, I was forced to look for God. We had invested in relationships, advertising, invitations, and preparations for our first Sunday, and not a single person from the community came. Discouraged wasn’t an adequate description of my feelings. But as I wrote, I was moved to gratefulness at how excited one of our kids had been at the message. I reaffirmed that I was there out of obedience to God not a hunger for success. And I was reminded of the things that truly mattered – none of which were undone by the setback of that day.

People who suffer in the Bible are always doing thisAs I experienced the encouragement of writing out my experiences in light of where God was at work and where I was seeking His help, I began to see people all over the Bible doing the same. The Book of Lamentations, for instance, literally starts with a moan. The first word in Hebrew is an expression of grief. But the raw statements of pain are arranged in a very careful poetic form. The author is venting but doing so carefully, almost methodically. And so it’s no surprise that the complaints eventually give way to praise. Conscious of God in his suffering, he gives us some of the most hopeful words in all Scripture:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24

Not everyone is a writer, and we’re just commanded to pray not write out our prayers. But if you find your worries overtaking your prayers, it might help you to put pen to paper. May God minister His comfort in your life as you do.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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There’s a lot of wrong teaching about the message of the Book of Revelation. Many see it as a book of secrets and like to magically show how those secrets point to current events and signal what is about to take place in the geopolitics of our day. As these predictions have proven false time and again, the average person is left confused.

The Book of Revelation tells us how it’s to be read, and if we would just follow its directions, we would benefit from the book and better understand its message. We still might not agree on all of the details, but we would be a lot closer, and we would have a common basis for our discussions.

Consider these 3 principles that the book itself gives us.

It was written to them before it was written to youOne of the most popular ways of interpreting Revelation in North America in the last century taught that most of the book (i.e., chapters 4 to 18) refers to a 7-year period at the end of history when they believe none of us will be present. When you hear who this letter was written to, that becomes very hard to believe.

The book tells us that God gave John a revelation “to show to his servants the things

that must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1). Scholars believe that John received this revelation in AD 95 or 96 when he was exiled to the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). He was writing to Christians who were facing false teaching (Revelation 2:2) and persecution (Revelation 2:9). They needed a challenge to remain faithful and witness to the truth at a time when the cost of following Jesus was high.

If we’re going to read the book properly, we need to first read it through their eyes. None of them would have thought, “Revelation is very confusing. It must be talking about some future time thousands of years from now when the U.N. is formed, vaccines are introduced, and people pay with cards instead of cash.”

It’s written with symbols from the past addressed to the present and speaking to the futureThe first verse of the book gives us its name, “The revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1). But this also tells us what kind of writing it is. The word “revelation” is the Greek word “apocalypse.” It means revealing or unveiling but it described a form of writing that was popular in the first century. Apocalyptic writing describes visions with vivid imagery and symbols. To try and read everything in Revelation literally is to ignore how the book tells us it should be read.

Even if we didn’t know anything about the rules and form of apocalyptic writing, Revelation teaches us to look for symbolism. We’re told, for instance, that the stars are actually angels, the lampstands are churches (Revelation 1:20), the bowls of incense are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8), and the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 18:16). These clues teach us to anticipate that the book will use imagery often drawn from the Old Testament to describe present realities.

Similarly, we’re supposed to expect symbolism in the numbers. Did you notice that there are 7 blessings, 7 angels, 7 spirits, 7 lampstands, 7 stars, 7 seals, 7 horns, 7 trumpets, 7 plages, and 7 bowls? And there are no random numbers in the book. There aren’t 46 or 152 or anything!

The imagery in Revelation is clearly from the Old Testament, and it’s addressed to – and therefore understood by – first century readers, but it speaks to us today as well. It’s as if the message addresses the challenges of the first century but in a way that will speak to the struggles of each generation as the climactic ending draws near. In that sense, it’s appropriate that every generation sees Revelation describing, to an extent, the problems and dynamics of their own day.

The book is about embracing Him not figuring out whenRevelation is first and foremost “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1), not the revelation of the Antichrist, the revelation of the date of the second coming, or any of the other rabbit trails we might be tempted to follow. The book tells us that there’s a blessing in hearing the message and following it (Revelation 1:3). Our tendency is to do neither and instead listen to people speculate about things it doesn’t teach and argue about our own opinions. That leaves us without the strength God intended to provide. Let’s read the message that God gave John to deliver to those first-century believers, and let’s be faithful in honouring Jesus as He’s revealed to us in this great book.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. If you’re interested in digging deeper into Revelation, check out my sermon series here: https://www.gracebc.ca/sermons/series/understanding-the-book-of-revelation

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When people think of church, they think of buildings and sermons, choirs and sacraments. There are programs and activities, and they all have their place. But there’s something happening beneath the surface that many people miss. The church has a secret weapon, a hidden strategy, that is the real power of the church. It’s spelled out in a leadership plan given in the apostle Paul’s letter to a pastor named Timothy. Consider where you fit in the plan.

First, let’s look at what he said.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. - 2 Timothy 2:1-2

Three principles make up the church’s hidden strategy to change the world.

Be strengthened by graceThe church doesn’t transform people by rules. The Bible contains lots of commands, but these are mostly given to clarify, sharpen, and reinforce what our conscience has usually already told us. It’s the grace that is found in Jesus that changes people. In a relationship with Jesus, there is forgiveness when we fall, the strength of a spiritual family, power from God’s Spirit to obey, hope that fuels our perseverance, and the love of God that satisfies our thirsty hearts. The church is a community where we support each other’s growth in grace, but some people never look for it.
Be a Timothy to a PaulPaul wrote to Timothy because Timothy listened. When he talks of “what you heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,” he seems to be referring to something more than a sermon. While the weekly teaching ministry of a church supplies a regular diet of spiritual food, people need something more than that to set the foundation of their spiritual lives. In the same way that you don’t become an accountant by popping in on random accounting classes, you don’t become a healthy Christian by just listening to sermons. At some point, you need to set aside time to master the basics of Jesus’ teachings. We, like many churches, have short courses to disciple people in the Christian life as well as marriage and parenting, but it takes a Timothy to make the time to listen.
Be a Paul to a TimothyThe apostle Paul wasn’t out to corner the market on disciples. He didn’t tell Timothy to send everyone they met to him to be taught. Paul saw the grace of God as something that had to be shared from one person to another to another. In fact, Paul pictures four generations of disciples in this passage: from Paul to Timothy, from Timothy to faithful men, and from those faithful men to others whom they would in turn teach. Although Paul doesn’t anticipate that everyone would be “able to teach others also,” he does picture many involved in the process. But it takes courage to be a Paul to a Timothy.

Where are you in the plan?If this is the church’s hidden strategy and secret weapon, where are you in the plan?

Are you being strengthened by grace?
Are you leaning into all of the resources that God has given for our growth, or are you just running on the fumes of rules and self-discipline?
Have you taken the time to get the foundation of your Christian life secure by being a Timothy to a Paul in a course of discipleship, or are you hoping that all of the pieces will just randomly fall into place?
Have you passed the baton of discipleship on to another, or are you hoping that the person who mentored you will mentor all the others who need it also?

Be a part of the church’s hidden strategy to change the world – because the world needs changing!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Life in North America has become so thoroughly secular, we don’t even see how secular we are anymore. Even Christians who believe in God tend to see the Christian life in mostly secular terms. We acknowledge God but don’t think very often about evil spiritual forces. Satan has been caricatured so much that we’re a little embarrassed to even mention him. But that leaves us both vulnerable and confused. Vulnerable because you can’t protect yourself from something you don’t acknowledge. And confused because there’s a lot about this world that you can’t make sense of if you only try to explain it in terms of God. The Bible’s teaching about the armour of God helps correct our tendency toward seeing the world through secular lenses.

Wait, what? There’s armour?The armour of God is described in Ephesians 6:10-18 against the backdrop of the battle attire of the Roman soldier. The armour includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14), shoes fitted with the readiness given by the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15), the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16), the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Together, they picture a person who is secure in a battle. There are four takeaways for the Christian life.

You ignore evil spiritual forces to your perilThe passage starts by warning us that without this armour, we are in danger of falling to the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). It famously warns us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” and then describes what we’re really up against: rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil. Ever been in a series of inexplicable trials and found yourself asking, “Why are you doing this to me God?” Some of life’s obstacles and difficulties make much more sense when we realize that we live in a spiritual battlefield with evil spiritual forces arrayed against us.
The less you know, the more vulnerable you are As you begin to look at the pieces of armour we’ve been given, it becomes clear how powerful truth really is. The reference to the belt of truth describes the leather apron worn under the armour to secure the clothing. Our commitment to truth undergirds all that we do. A Christian without integrity walks into battle with their pants down.

Roman soldiers had nails driven through the soles of their shoes to prevent them from being pushed back by an enemy charge. A deep grasp of the gospel gives a Christian spiritual traction to keep from retreating when attacks come.

The helmet of salvation is another layer of truth. It speaks to the conviction of the hope that springs from our salvation. In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:8 calls this helmet “the hope of salvation.”

Obviously, this picture of the protection that truth brings wouldn’t be complete without what Paul calls “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). And you realize that knowledge really is power. In this case, spiritual knowledge is spiritual power. If you’re going to be defeated spiritually, it’ll probably begin with a casual attitude toward God’s truth.

Truth plus obedience produces KevlarTruth isn’t the full story. Truth must be combined with obedience to provide real protection. The breastplate of righteousness is not merely the justification that comes through faith. It’s talking about practical acts of obedience to God and His Word. This not only pleases God; it protects the believer. To give in to sin is to give ground to Satan (Ephesians 4:26-27). Each time you say yes to God, you claim His authority in that area of your life, and you experience His protection there, too.
Faith is a verbI realize that faith is a noun. We tend to treat it as something that’s dull and static. You either have faith or you don’t. But faith in the Bible is active and dynamic. Faith is like a shield that can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:17). Paul was picturing a large door-shaped shield made of wood and leather. It could be locked together with others to form a wall in front and a roof overhead. When we see flaming darts coming our way, we usually pray for God to take them away. God wants us to take up the shield that faith provides and choose to believe God and what God has said in the face of the lies that are thrown against us. It’s only when the arrows are flying that we see what we really believe. Engaging our faith, especially in community with others, protects us from the attacks that we inevitably face.

Are you aware of the spiritual battle you’re facing? Are you committed to truth and growing in your knowledge of the gospel, the hope of your salvation, and the Word of God? Are you acting on the truth you learn? And are you doing the hard work of choosing to believe God and His Word when it costs you something to do so? This is your protection in the battle. This is how you can stay standing when the bullets start to fly. May God give us all hope in taking up the armour God provides.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The Book of Acts reads like a novel. There’s drama, intrigue, death plots, and shipwrecks. It’s exciting stuff. The ending is pretty disappointing though, right? By the time you get to the end, you’re absorbed in the story of the ruthless persecutor who became the apostle Paul. You’re engrossed in his incredible exploits, but as the book ends, he’s chained to a soldier under house arrest in Rome. He’s awaiting a verdict from the emperor regarding charges brought against him by the Jewish leadership. But there’s no resolution. Not only is there no happily ever after but there isn’t even a conclusion to Paul’s story. Have you ever considered why?

Acts 20 is the Cinderella ending to Paul’s storyIf I were to have written the Book of Acts, I would have ended the book in chapter 20. In Acts 19, we see the gospel spread throughout Ephesus in some powerful demonstrations of God’s power. Then in Acts 20, there’s a great scene where Paul takes a man who had fallen backwards out of a third-story window and brings him back to life. After that, he continues preaching until dawn. And then there’s a moving speech by Paul to the Ephesian leaders and they all kneel and pray and kiss and hug and send him on his journey. If Hollywood ever puts the Book of Acts on the big screen, this will be the final scene. It’s Paul’s fairytale ending. It’s the Christian Cinderella story.

It seems like it’s all downhill from thereUnfortunately, that’s not where it ends. In Acts 21, Paul goes to Jerusalem and the people swarm him. In Acts 22, he’s taken by the Romans and is almost flogged and interrogated. In Acts 23 to 26, Paul is dragged to stand trial before the Jewish authorities, and then Governor Felix, King Agrippa, and finally, he’s on his way to the emperor in Rome. As if things couldn’t get any worse, in Acts 27, Paul is caught in a shipwreck and when he finally reaches shore, he’s bitten by a poisonous snake.

Luke has given us a surprise endingFinally, in Acts 28, Paul arrives in Rome. We’re on the edge of our seats anticipating the fairy-tale ending. For seven chapters, we’ve been waiting for Paul’s name to be cleared. We’ve been waiting for him to triumph and be declared innocent. Only that conclusion never comes. Most scholars believe that Luke wrote the Book of Acts after Paul’s release from house arrest in Rome, but he doesn’t mention it. He knows how Paul’s story ends, but he doesn’t tell us. It begs the question, why?

What kind of ending does Luke give us?I think we need to deal with the ending Luke gave us. In Act 28:30-31, the book ends by just saying, “He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” There’s a note of victory but not the one we expected. The ending is about the victory of the gospel – the unstoppable spread of this message of good news. And the ending teaches us that that has been the point of the story all along.

It's about Jesus and the gospelAs you read the ending, you have to conclude that Paul is just a supporting actor in the Book of Acts. Luke has been telling the story of the spread of the gospel. So that scene of Christian warmth and fellowship in Acts 20 would have made a terrible ending. That’s not the climax of the story at all. And the riot, interrogations, shipwreck, and snake bite – while personally painful to Paul – are powerfully used to proclaim the gospel to a crowd, to some of Rome’s most powerful leaders, to a ship with close to 300 soldiers, sailors, and criminals, to the people of Malta, and then to the island’s chief official. Even that final chapter which felt like a disappointment, at first, is instead a fairytale ending after all. Despite riots, unjust legal action, natural disasters, and the opposite of Rome, the good news about Jesus continues to be proclaimed without hindrance.

Paul is a supporting actor and so are youWhen we read the story of our lives with ourselves at the centre, it feels like the Author has made a series of mistakes. But maybe we’ve been reading our stories wrong all along. How would it change your life if you began to see yourself as a supporting actor and not the lead? What if you gave the main role to Jesus and saw your circumstances in light of Him? There’s a happily ever after, but we can only see it when the good news about Jesus is in the centre of our view. So, let’s take up our roles as supporting actors and put our focus on the good news about Jesus where it deserves to be!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Reading the Bible often challenges our assumptions about Jesus. We think we understand Him, and then He does something that sends us back to the drawing board. Take, for example, what He does to Saul. We know what Jesus does with blind people in the Gospels, right? He makes them see. Why, then, does he blind Saul? And what does that tell us about Jesus? Am I next? Is this the kind of thing that Jesus does to people? Why wasn’t I warned about this in Sunday School?

Who was Saul?If you’re unfamiliar with the details, Saul was an earnest Jewish scholar with a prestigious education under one of the top rabbis of his day. As a member of the Pharisees, he was a meticulous rule-keeper who endorsed the stoning of Stephen, the church’s first martyr (Acts 8:1), and then obtained permission to arrest the followers of Jesus while threatening to murder them (Acts 9:1-2).

Why did Jesus blind him?It seems clear that Jesus blinded Saul for two main reasons, but not the reason you’d think. I would have assumed that Jesus was blinding Saul to hurt and punish him, but as you read the actual account, there’s no indication that retribution was part of the calculation. Saul’s blinding was all good news.

Saul had been trained to think one way for as long as he could remember. Jesus didn’t fit the mould that he’d been taught, and until he was blinded, he’d never slowed down long enough to consider a different way. When Saul lost his sight, we’re told that he went without food or liquids for three days. He was fasting as a way of seeking God and trying to discern His will. By taking away Saul’s sight, Jesus helped him to listen, and in listening, Saul found new life.

Saul’s blindness had another effect on his life, however. To have his sight restored, he would need another Christian to pray for his healing. Imagine how vulnerable he would feel in needing the help of the very people you had previously been intent on destroying. Imagine the grace and trust it would require for one of those people whom Saul had persecuted to now come and pray for his healing. And yet that’s exactly what happened (Acts 9:17). Saul’s blindness forged a bond between two people who would have otherwise been enemies and taught both of them a lesson on the importance of fellowship.

How might Jesus do the same to me?God does things dramatically in Scripture to teach us lessons about Himself and His ways. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t regularly blind people today. But He does often use circumstances to stop us in our tracks and cause us to consider our ways. If you’ve put Jesus in the back seat and painful circumstances come into your life, respond the way Saul did, and make a priority of listening to God and humbling yourself before Him.

Many Christians consider themselves fully committed to Jesus but aren’t fully committed to what Jesus is fully committed to: the church. God will often use weakness in our lives to force us to draw near to others in fellowship. It seems that we need regular reminders that Christianity is not a solo sport. It’s often in the context of trials and disappointments that we learn that we need to get close enough for people to pray for us and for us to pray for them. Of course, this isn’t a lesson that we need a wake-up call to learn. As Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Commit yourself in fellowship. Grow in vulnerability and openness toward other believers. Extend grace to people who need it.

Jesus blinded Saul as an act of pure grace. It was just what he needed to learn to listen and to love. Let’s lean into those lessons before the trial comes but all the more when it does.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Have you read “The Legend of Jesus”? In it, His brothers are among His first followers. They grew up with Him after all. In “The Legend of Jesus,” Jesus doesn’t get tired, and He doesn’t rest by the well in Samaria or fall asleep in the boat. The crowds don’t turn away from Him, and the disciples just seem to get it. They don’t keep dozing off in the garden when Jesus asks them to pray. And Peter certainly doesn’t cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant or deny that he’s one of Jesus’ followers. In “The Legend of Jesus,” Jesus doesn’t pray for the Father to let Him off the hook. And He doesn’t need a stranger to help Him carry the cross. Even after that terrible beating, Jesus is able to carry His own cross along with those of the two thieves who were crucified with Him. “The Legend of Jesus” is amazing. The only problem is that it doesn’t exist. There is no “Legend of Jesus.” What we have instead are the gospels.

Two of them (Matthew and John) were written by Jesus’ disciples. One of them, Mark, was close to Peter (1 Peter 5:13) and likely got his information from him. Luke was a doctor (Colossians 4:14) and a co-worker with Paul who wrote his gospel as a research project (Luke 1:1-4) the way a journalist or historian might. They record fantastic claims about a person who claimed to be God (John 8:58; 10:30; Mark 2:5-7), was worshipped as God (John 20:28), and whose life, death, and resurrection give evidence that He is God. But because the claims are unusual, people want to read them as legends.

There was a woman who had been in one of our Bible studies for months when she said, “I don’t know what to do with the gospels. They’re much more than just biographies. But they don’t quite read like legends either. How am I supposed to read them?” She was trying to read them without conceding any of the God stuff, and she found that hard to do. They felt too historical, too personal, and too detailed to dismiss as legends, so she was looking for another alternative. What she was trying to avoid was the conclusion that they were honest accounts of amazing events. And yet as you read them, it’s hard to conclude anything else.

C. S. Lewis held positions in English literature at both Oxford and Cambridge and came to faith in his 30s. In the essay, “What Are We To Make of Jesus?”, he wrote:

“Now, as a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear that they are not the same sort of thing. They are not artistic enough to be legends. From an imaginative point of view they are clumsy, they don't work up to things properly. Most of the life of Jesus is totally unknown to us, as is the life of anyone else who lived at that time, and no people building up a legend would allow that to be so.”

The gospels are just the kind of accounts you would expect to see from people who had witnessed the intrusion of God into human history and wanted the world to hear about Him.

May God speak to you as you hear them today.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P. S. If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.

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Over the years, I have had many people reveal to me a terrible trial or sickness they’re facing and the sickening feeling they have that God has cursed them or punished them for some unknown sin they have committed. People brought those same kinds of assumptions to Jesus, and He opened their eyes to the many ways that God redeems the trials we face for our good.

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There’s so much to do, and if you believe that what you do matters, doing more of it and doing it well is important. I’ve read all the books and I’ve tried all the apps. They’re helpful, but they tend to say the same things using different words. Jesus makes a truly unique contribution to a vision of personal productivity.

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People sometimes ask, “Why doesn’t Jesus spell out more plainly the fact that He is God?” While He does express His divinity plainly enough, we often forget that Jesus carried out His ministry in constant threat of death. The authorities were looking for a sound bite they could use as evidence to prematurely end His ministry. And after just a few years, they succeeded.

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Jesus doesn’t send His disciples out to battle armies or take over enemy lands. But the message of Joshua is important for Christians today. It gives vital lessons on how to face our spiritual battles.

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The life of Joseph makes for an incredible story. Readers of the Bible love its message. But it’s found a broader audience in our culture in productions like The Prince of Egypt by DreamWorks, The Ballad of Little Joe by Veggie Tales, and the theatrical production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. As interesting as the story is, it’s not immediately clear what the message is. What is it doing in the Bible and what are we to learn from it? And how does it provide the conclusion to the Book of Genesis?

I’ve been helped with these questions by Samuel Emadi’s book, From Prisoner to Prince: The Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. Let me share four takeaways.

Sin results in conflict – Joseph shows how it can be resolvedOne of the immediate consequences of eating the forbidden fruit was conflict. Adam blames Eve. Cain murders Abel. Ishmael mocks Isaac. Esau wants to kill Jacob. It feels like conflict is unavoidable and unresolvable. It’s only in the story of Joseph that we see the path to reconciliation. It’s made possible by God’s sovereign working, but it’s fulfilled through repentance on one side and forgiveness on the other. The brothers put their sin behind them, and Joseph does the same. As Emadi puts it, “Joseph is an anti-Cain. He truly is his brother’s keeper.”
God warns of suffering – Joseph shows how to deal with itIn the garden, Adam’s sin brings a curse on the land (Genesis 3:16-29). But he isn’t taught how to cope with it. He’s sent out of the garden, and we feel the hopelessness of his separation from God. Joseph shows that it’s possible to live outside of the garden in painful circumstances but still know the blessing of “God with you” (Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23). Even after Adam gave in to sin, Joseph shows that it’s possible to resist forbidden fruit (Genesis 39:6-12). And even in suffering and humiliation, Joseph shows that by serving others, God’s people can find their calling. The power for this comes from the conviction that what the world intends for evil God can use for good (Genesis 50:20).
God promises to bless the nations – Joseph shows how it’s possibleGod promises to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham’s offspring. Despite this, there are only tiny glimpses of this blessing in the lives of the patriarchs (Genesis 14:13-16; 18:22-33; 30:25-28). In Joseph’s life, however, he brings blessings to those whom he serves because God is with him. His hard work and wise management have an impact on Potiphar since“the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake” (Genesis 39:5). Then, while in prison, Joseph blesses the guard he serves because “whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed” (Genesis 39:23). Finally, Joseph brings blessing to the nations by interpreting the Lord’s dream to Pharoah and managing the crops in a way that delivers countless people from a terrible famine. Joseph has taken up Adam’s role as a gardener, and God has used him to bless many.
God promises a Saviour – Joseph shows what He’ll look likeWith the serpent’s deception in the garden, it looks like humanity is doomed. But God promises that a Saviour will be born who will eventually defeat the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Joseph shows us the kind of person to look for. Joseph has a dream where he’s pictured in greatness as royalty (Genesis 37:5-11), but he’s rejected and despised. Each time people try to harm him, he ends up closer to the throne. After his enemies presume him dead, he ascends to power and brings salvation and forgiveness to many. Joseph shows us what kind of Saviour to look for and helps to identify Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan.

Joseph is a great story, but its message is even better. I’ll give Samuel Emadi the final word on it:

“Perhaps Moses spends so much time on Joseph to show us that God can pull off the impossible – even through a seemingly insignificant Jew rejected by his own brothers. Perhaps Moses spends so much time on Joseph so his people will anticipate a coming Joseph who will finally reverse the curse and fulfil the promises. Joseph’s story is the story of the whole Bible.”

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Everybody knows the story of Noah’s Ark, right? There’s something irresistible about those pairs of animals and the incredible scale of what Noah built. Children love drawing the zebras and monkeys, and adults endlessly speculate about how everything fit and what it might have been like. Reports of the potential discovery of the ark’s remains on Mount Ararat only add to the fascination. But all of those things distract us from the message that Noah’s Ark is intended to convey. Do you know what it teaches? Or have you missed the forest for the trees? There are several important lessons that we should hear from Noah’s Ark no matter what our age.

The wrong that we do is more serious than we admitWe seem to have an unusual capacity to minimize our sin. We don’t see it. We won’t see it. We can’t see it. That’s the only conclusion I can draw from the stark assessments God makes about us in Scripture. Noah’s story begins with descriptions of God grieving at what His creation had become. He sees the wickedness of human actions and the evil of human attitudes (Genesis 6:5), and He declares, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7).

We experience some of God’s pain when someone sins against us, but even law-abiding people can disrespect, disregard, and dismiss the God who made them. The story of Noah teaches us that it not only hurts God but is an evil that can’t go unaddressed. When God vows to “blot out” His creation, it’s a word that can be used when you’re wiping clean a dirty dish (2 Kings 21:13). Just as God cleansed the earth with water in Noah’s day, God promises to one day purify the world with the fire of judgment (2 Peter 3:5-7).

God will rescue those who walk with GodWith such hopeless assessments of human sinfulness, we’re surprised to learn that there’s a person who has “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). Noah is called “righteous” and “blameless” (Genesis 6:9), and we’re left wondering how. What does it take to find favour with God in a world where sin feels like second nature? The rest of the passage is intended to teach us.

The first thing that we learn about Noah’s righteousness is that he “walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). We tend to view good and bad in terms of civil laws or whether the person is hurting anyone, but God views us in light of who He is and what He’s commanded. With Noah, before we learn anything about his actions, we’re told of his relationship with the Lord. From that relationship flows his obedience, not just his goodness. He didn’t just do good things. Again and again, it says, “he did all that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22; 7:5, 9, 16). As we see later in the story, that doesn’t mean that Noah was perfect, but he had a relationship of trust in God that caused him to walk in light of God’s commands. As Hebrews 11:17 says, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he … became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

We need a Saviour, but it’s not NoahWe might have gotten to the end of the story and concluded that Noah must be the Saviour. Surely, with God starting over with him and his family, there shouldn’t be any more problems. Unfortunately, no sooner do we see him rescued than he plants a vineyard and gets drunk from the wine he makes with the harvest (Genesis 9:20-21). The takeaway isn’t just that nobody’s perfect. What we learn is that even a global flood couldn’t succeed in cleansing the earth. We need a better Saviour than Noah. We need someone who will rescue us from a greater judgment that will surely come. We don’t just need someone who walks with God; we need God Himself to come rescue us. Noah points us to Jesus.

Is that the message you heard in Sunday School? Is that what you learned while the teacher put those felt lions on the board? Is that the message you’ve taught to your children? We need to hear and respond to the message of Noah’s Ark more than ever.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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When you read the Bible, usually the focus is on function over form. We know that walking in Jesus’ footsteps involves a distinctive lifestyle, not a specific brand of sandal. We’re told to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2) but not how long a sermon should be. We’re told to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16), but we’re not told whether we should use organs, guitars, or clarinets. The “what” seems to matter more to God than the “how.” Why do Christians get so particular about how people are baptized then?

If the purpose is illustration, the details matterWhile it’s clear that the “what” of God’s commands usually matters more than the “how,” we can also recognize some important exceptions. For example, everybody acknowledges that some of the details of the Lord’s Supper are critical. Bread preserves the symbolism of what Jesus is communicating in a way that rice, pasta, or chocolate wouldn’t. It points back to the Passover Meal and Jesus’ claims to be the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and so substituting something else for bread would make the Lord’s Supper something less than what God intended. Similarly, the question needs to be asked whether sprinkling, for example, communicates God’s intention for baptism as effectively as immersing.

The symbolism determines the importance of the detailsIf the bread of the Lord’s Supper is so important, is grape juice less faithful to the Scriptures than wine? For that matter, since Jesus reclined with the disciples at a low table for the Last Supper, is that the way that we should do it? To answer those questions, we need to ask what it symbolizes and whether the change affects that. The wine of the Lord’s Supper symbolizes Jesus’ death and points back to the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:25), the Passover, and the blood that was shed when a covenant was made (Matthew 26:28). Substituting Sprite or Coca-Cola would completely lose those connections. It’s hard to see how the alcohol content of the grape drink would impact the symbolism though. And interestingly, the word “wine” is never used in Scripture to refer to the second element of the Lord’s Supper. Instead, it’s always referred to as “the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:25, 26, 27; Luke 22:20).

What we know about the symbolism of baptism is that it’s connected with a believer’s washing of their sins (Acts 22:16) and union with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3, Colossians 2:12). The way that we practice baptism should reflect that.

If the details are clear, why confuse them?While the English word “baptize” is a religious term that can mean vastly different things to different churches, the Greek word that it’s based on simply means immerse or plunge. And when baptisms are described in the New Testament, it seems almost certain that’s what’s happening. In Mark 1:5, for instance, people are baptized “in the river Jordan,” not just near it. When Jesus was baptized, it not only says that he was baptized “in the Jordan” but afterward “he came up out of the water” (Mark 1:10). Later when John is baptizing people at Aenon near Salim, the Bible gives the reason: “because water was plentiful there.” Clearly, he didn’t think that a few drops would do.

So, baptize means immerse, the descriptions of baptisms in the New Testament seem to require immersion, and in at least one case, the amount of water is viewed as critical. As we consider what baptism is intended to illustrate, the reason becomes more clear.

There are many ways that the washing away of a person’s sins could be pictured. But with a little water, it could give the impression that the problem of sin is minor, and God’s solution to it is limited. There’s nothing like immersing a person’s whole body in water to communicate the fact that sin affects every part of us, and Jesus’ cleansing is total.

More importantly, only immersion can illustrate the fact that we have died to sin and been raised to new life with Jesus. It’s hard to make any possible connection to this vital truth if you just sprinkle or pour some water on a person.

If someone ate a cheeseburger and a root beer, thought about what Jesus did on the cross, and called it the Lord’s Supper, you’d probably tell them that Jesus had in mind something more specific. I think the same needs to be said about baptism. How you’re baptized matters.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Sometimes, cultural shifts can help us to understand the Bible more effectively. The rise of the transgender movement may have unknowingly done that in our generation. Today, it’s common to hear people say things like, “I feel like a woman trapped in a man’s body.” The person’s feelings drive them to think about their life in ways that don’t correspond to the objective reality of their biology. They get mixed messages. The Bible describes a similar dilemma facing all Christians.

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It’s easy to put other Christians and other churches who have rejected God’s commands in a different category from ourselves. We say things like, “I can’t believe they did that,” but our surprise says more about us than it does about them.

Anyone familiar with what happened to Adam and Eve should anticipate people doubting and rejecting what God has said. While Satan is persistent, fortunately, he’s also unimaginative. Novelty doesn’t seem to be one of his strengths.

When you’re tempted to reject God, you’ll probably justify it in one of five ways. Watch that you don’t find yourself beginning to hide behind one of these statements:

“I can’t believe that a God of love would allow that”It’s easy to reduce God’s character to a single characteristic, but He’s far more complex than that. 1 John 4:16 says that “God is love,” but that means that He defines love not us. And we can’t use one characteristic of God to explain away the others. Believing the God of the Bible means holding in tension all of his attributes including love, holiness, grace, justice, forgiveness, and wrath. God’s Word must define that tension not “what we believe God’s love requires.”
“Thoughtful Christians disagree on this issue”If the only Christians you ever speak to are the ones in your church, and the only preacher you ever listen to is your own pastor, it can come as a surprise when you learn that there are people who pray, read the Bible, and do good but also reject what seem like straightforward commands of Scripture. That should grieve us but not surprise us. Thoughtful Christians can still be wrong or disobedient. And if Satan “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), we shouldn’t expect false teachers to come with horns or pitchforks.
“That’s just your interpretation”While it’s easy to read more into a verse than is there, “that’s just your interpretation” isn’t an argument for anything. To interpret just means to give the meaning. The only question is whether the interpretation is correct or not. We’ll be held accountable to what God intended by what He said. There won’t be any free pass because “we had a different interpretation.”
“That was then, but this is now”The Bible was written in a historical context, so it’s true that it does need to be interpreted against the backdrop of that context. Too often, though, we assume that our culture has the answers, and we must have a better way of seeing things than in the past. When we assume that, we don’t let God speak.
“I’ve met someone who is affected by this”I think if we’re honest, many of the things that we say we believe have never been tested. It’s easy to believe something that doesn’t cost you anything. But as we experience the pain of obedience, either for ourselves or someone we know, we learn what kind of faith we really have.

May God give you grace to guard your mind and watch your motives as you see your convictions tested in the days to come.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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If you find yourself rushing through your reading, deliberately slow down. The Bible doesn’t TikTok well. Our digital scrolling trains us to skim but God’s Word needs to be stored and hidden deep within us to have its effect.

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If you just need some life hacks, maybe a Christian self-help book will do. But if you realize that your problems go deeper than that, you need something more powerful. When you invest in daily Bible reading, you’re taking a blow torch to the impurities in your life and a sledgehammer to the hardhearted attitudes that get in the way of your growth.

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Hopefully, you’re not reading this because you want to start a cult. But I think it’s important that we understand the ingredients of Christian cults so that we can recognize them when they come. Here’s how you might start a cult that taught that you have to be baptized to be saved.

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I was asked to debate baptism with a Christian Reformed pastor. As we talked back and forth for more than two hours, it was clear how much we shared in common but also how Christians from our traditions can often misunderstand each other on this issue.

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If you grew up Catholic and visited a Protestant church, you might be surprised to see that they use a different Bible. But it’s not for the reason you might think. Understanding why they differ, tells you something important about these two churches.

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This year, the most read articles and watched videos included topics from marriage and parenting to prophecy and church membership. See what you missed or what might warrant a second look as I break down the top 10 of 2023.

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No matter what your religious background is, you should be at least a little outraged at the message that a child’s presents somehow correlate with their moral behaviour. As others have pointed out, the presents that children receive mostly reflect the relative wealth of their parents, not whether they’re on some list of morally superior children.

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We often view hope the same we do gasoline: it helps us move so we don’t care much about where it comes from. But hope isn’t neutral. There are many things we hope in that end in huge disappointment and even painful consequences.

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Tim Keller recounts the personal impact of the 2008 financial crisis on many of the people at the centre of it. The acting chief financial officer of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac, hanged himself in his basement. The chief executive of Sheldon Good, a leading U.S. real estate auction firm, shot himself while sitting in his red Jaguar. A French money manager for many of Europe’s royal families slit his wrists after losing $1.4 billion in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

Each of these individuals was likely hard-working and well-educated. They were probably personable and sincere. If you had lunch with one of them, you would probably be impressed with their charm and conclude they were “good people.” So, what was wrong? What would cause seemingly good, well-adjusted people to take their lives following an economic collapse that none of them could have prevented or avoided?

Keller’s conclusion is that they had let a good thing become the ultimate thing in their lives. Whether it was their work or their reputation or their success or their money, we don’t know. But somewhere along the line, something had taken the priority that God was intended to have in all of our lives. The Bible calls that idolatry. It happens whenever we treat something – even a good thing – the way that only God is to be treated. It becomes our idol. It’s like a counterfeit god that we’re worshipping in the hopes that it’ll save us.

The book, Counterfeit Gods, offers a number of areas to question in order to discern where your idols might lie:

1. When you’re alone, where do your thoughts most often turn for joy and comfort?

We all have hopes and dreams. But when we pin our hopes on something other than what God has promised, it can become an idol. Maybe, it’s the path for your career or your vision for your family. Maybe, it’s a certain status or level of prosperity. When something other than God becomes our main source of satisfaction, we’re nurturing an idol, and idols always disappoint.

2. What do your finances reveal about what you really treasure?

Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). His point was that our money and how we spend it shows what we value and what takes priority in our lives. Does your bank statement reflect how important God and His values are in your life? Or does it show that something else has captured your real loyalty?

3. What do your emotions reveal about what’s most important to you?

Emotions can often provide an important window into our soul. Is there something that makes you blow up or shut down? Is there an area where you won’t take no for an answer? The way Justin Buzzard phrases this is by asking what your greatest nightmare is or what you fear the most. If your greatest nightmare is uncertainty, your idol is probably control. If your greatest nightmare is rejection, you may have made an idol of people’s approval. If your greatest nightmare is people’s demands, comfort might be your idol.

Repentance is simply trading your idol for the living God. It’s replacing counterfeit worship with true worship.

Keller includes the story of a man named Bill who had also lost big in the 2008 financial crisis. Like the other people I mentioned, he lost an enormous amount of money. He was hit with the sense of failure at not having anticipated what happened, and starting over was a monumental task for him. But three years before the financial crisis, he had stopped treating money as his god, and it made all the difference. He said: “If this economic meltdown had happened more than three years ago, well, I don’t know how I could have faced it, how I would have even kept going. Today, I can tell you honestly, I’ve never been happier in my life.”

Don’t turn a good thing into an ultimate thing. A life lived for an idol – whatever it is – will always disappoint. It’s only as we replace our idols with the true God that we experience Him as refuge, rock, and Saviour. Look to Him, today!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Nobody’s watching. Surely, no one will notice. You’ve heard God’s warnings, but you decide to do it anyway. It’s compromise. You’re cutting a corner. You’ve stepped over the line. And then you wait for God’s consequences. Only they don’t come. Whew, you got away with it! Or did you? In those moments, we often misinterpret sin’s consequences and God’s heart toward us.

1. Sin’s consequences are seldom what we think

We get some idea of how to think about God’s warnings and sin’s consequences in the opening chapters of Genesis. God warns Adam and Eve not to eat from the knowledge of good and evil saying, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). When they do it anyway, we expect them to fall dead. But they walk away still very much alive. Instead, their innocence has died, and they experience shame for the first time (Genesis 3:7). Something dies in their relationship with God, and they withdraw from Him in fear instead of moving toward Him in love (Genesis 3:8). And something dies in their relationship as a couple as well as there’s blame and denial in their first conflict (Genesis 3:12). At the end of the chapter, we learn that they have been barred from the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and so they now live under a death sentence.

When we think “we’ve gotten away with it,” the consequences we experience are subtle and often unseen. Prayer starts to feel like a chore. Worship feels more empty. Peace seems to elude us, and conflict is often the result.

2. Choosing sin removes God’s protection from sin

Perhaps one of sin’s most fearful consequences, in this life at least, is that sin makes it easier to sin. Sin is a gateway drug to deeper and more serious sin. Paul describes this in Romans 1:21 when he talks about people who “although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.” He then gives the consequences: “they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Choosing one sin makes it easier to justify the next. And when we tell God that we want sin more than Him, He gives us what we want and eases the restraints that keep us from sinning. God gives us over to our sin (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). This is how addiction is born and sinful habits are formed.

3. We often confuse God’s patience with His ignorance

Although sin’s consequences impact us in ways that we often overlook, in this life they’re still far less than they could be. The temptation is to think it’s because God didn’t notice. That’s not what’s happening. Romans 2:4 clarifies God’s heart: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” What feels like us getting away with sin is often just God choosing to show His patience and mercy in our lives. His hope is that through His grace, we’ll come to see Him as good and valuable and precious and our sin as destructive and controlling by contrast. Matthew Henry once wrote, “There is in every willful sin a contempt of the goodness of God.”

Consider the consequences God has spared you from. Think about how patient He’s been. Remember the gifts and blessings and kindness that He’s demonstrated when He had every right to cast you off. When temptation comes, choose the One who has been faithful to you and reject the sin that seeks to take you down.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I would have said that I believed in Jesus long before I actually did. I believed in Him like I believed in Napoleon. In other words, I didn’t completely reject His existence. But surely there’s more to it than that. Verses like John 3:16 make it clear that how we spend eternity is determined by our faith response to Jesus now. The problem is that faith isn’t something we can see, and so it’s hard to nail down. One of Jesus’ most famous invitations helps to describe believing in more concrete terms.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

1. Do you see your problem and Jesus as the solution to it?

When Jesus calls “all who labor and are heavy laden,” He’s not just singling out blue-collar workers and weightlifters. He’s addressing those who feel weighed down by the expectations of people and the burden of trying to prove themselves. In Jesus’ day, people felt overwhelmed by the rules and obligations placed on them by religious leaders. Pleasing God just seemed impossible. Today, people are more likely to try to prove themselves with grades, promotions, fitness, and romantic partners. The burden can be just as heavy.

Jesus called people to come to Him instead. Instead of living for other people’s expectations and trying to prove ourselves to God or anyone else, we put our trust in a Saviour whose life and death on our behalf made peace between us and God (Romans 5:1). We can rest knowing that we’re fully forgiven, accepted, and loved by God because of Jesus.

If you don’t see your problem, or if you’re just trying to handle it on your own, then you probably don’t believe in Jesus.

2. Is your life submitted to His leadership?

When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you,” He was talking to people familiar with farming. A yoke was a wooden harness designed to distribute the weight across an oxen’s shoulders. Using a yoke was like the difference between a good quality hiking backpack and a plastic shopping bag. The ease and comfort with which you can carry a load is completely different.

Believing in Jesus involves a personal commitment to follow His leadership. You take on His yoke and follow where He leads. It doesn’t make sense to say that you accept that Jesus is the Son of God and then disregard what He says. An oxen might resist at times or try to pull in a different direction, but if it’s wearing the yoke, the direction of its life will be guided by its master. If your life isn’t submitted to Jesus’ leadership, then you probably don’t believe in Jesus.

3. Are you learning from Him?

Some people say that they believe in Jesus but haven’t learned anything about what He taught since they were children. Or they make assumptions and generalizations about His teachings and fill in the blanks themselves. When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you,” He quickly followed it up with “and learn from me” to make it clear that we can’t follow someone we’re not learning from. Vague memories of the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount aren’t enough to direct a life with Jesus. When we hear His Word taught, read the Bible for ourselves, and discuss it with others, our thoughts and values are slowly shaped by Jesus’ will for us. If you’re not learning from Jesus, you may not really believe in Jesus.

Jesus’ great promise is that when we do truly believe in Him, we’ll experience His rest. There’s relief when we stop trying to prove ourselves and receive by faith the love and acceptance Jesus freely gives. When we stop using shopping bags to deal with the burdens of life and take Jesus’ yoke on us instead, the weight is lifted, and the relief is real.

If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, go to gracebc.ca/getunstuck.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Lori Gottlieb’s New York Times article, “What Brand Is Your Therapist?” is the personal story of a woman struggling with a profession whose goals are increasingly at odds with a changing culture. She cites a 30% decline in the demand for psychotherapy and says that the reason is that there are “fewer and fewer people coming in and saying, ‘I want to change.’” Instead, the trend is that people want someone or something else to change.

She tells the story of a colleague who was ignored at networking events when she put the word “psychotherapist” on her name tag. At the next event, she decided to rebrand herself as a “happiness locator,” and she walked away with several referrals.

To Gottlieb, this kind of rebranding changes something essential about her mission. She’s been trained to help people change, not just make them feel happy. But she fears for her profession. She writes: “Will we throw away so many doctrines of our training that we cease being therapists entirely? The more we continue in this direction of fast-food therapy — something that feels good but isn’t as good for you; something palatable without a lot of substance — the more tempted many of us will be to indulge.”

I fear that a similar dynamic is at work in the church.

In the rush to gain an audience, churches can rebrand themselves in ways that “feel good but aren’t as good for you.” They can offer “fast-food Christianity” that is palatable but lacks much substance. And so many doctrines can be thrown away that churches cease to be churches entirely.

When Jesus began His ministry, His message was simple: Repent. Matthew summarizes His message as “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Mark reports it, similarly, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). While repent has been turned into a religious word, fundamentally, it describes the change of mind that takes place when you realize you’re going in the wrong direction and need to turn and go a different way.

In a culture where “fewer and fewer people … want to change,” you and I may be tempted to look for churches and listen to messages that make us feel better while we stay the same. But if repentance isn’t foundational to a church’s message, it has lost Jesus’ message. It may have even rebranded itself into something that’s not Christian anymore.

Christianity is about more than repentance. There’s good news and lots of grace. But if we want more than fast-food therapy, there are a few things that all of us can do:

Invest yourself in a church where repentance is preached.
Practice repentance by regularly asking yourself, “Where do I need to change?”
Remember that repentance is never just about turning away from sin. It also involves turning to Christ and the better way He offers.

Make repentance central to the way you respond to the grace God has given you. And may Christ build strength and maturity in your life as you do.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Have you ever heard people arguing about whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie or not? Both sides dig in with their positions and disagree passionately, even though they usually agree that it’s a great movie. The debate never seems productive. We wish they’d just stop. I think it’s tempting to see various religions that way. They all seem to agree on things like kindness, honesty, and self-control. Do the other things really matter?

There are 3 ways that people like to express the idea that all religions are basically the same. Let’s consider them together.

Are all religions just different paths up the same mountain?

The idea that religions are just taking different paths up the same mountain sounds attractive. It allows for individuality and diversity but in a common pursuit. It assumes, though, that any path will do. It’s based on the assumption that the actual beliefs aren’t all that important. But what we believe often does matter.

If you’re a commercial airline pilot, it matters whether you believe that the earth is flat or round. What you believe matters in the medical field as well. While there have always been a lot of well-intentioned doctors trying to help sick people, what people believe about germs has made a profound difference in disease prevention and treatment.

The Bible says that what we believe determines our eternity. Jesus paid the ultimate price to provide a way that we could be forgiven and accepted by a holy God. And according to Jesus, there aren’t any other ways. He famously said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Are all religions just using different names for the same God?

It’s common to hear people say that religions just use different names for the same God. It assumes that the specifics don’t matter, and that people are all basically saying the same thing. Unfortunately, it’s only possible to believe this if you’ve never actually studied different religions. When you do, you realize they aren’t superficially different and essentially the same. Religions are essentially different and only superficially similar. Religions differ on God, morality, truth, life after death, and the nature of salvation. The different names used for God are just the start. But where God is concerned, even the names matter. Acts 4:12 teaches that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Are all religions like blind people looking at different parts of the same elephant?

Another way of expressing the idea that all religions are basically the same comes from the parable of the blind men and the elephant. It basically says that different religions are like blind men each describing a different part of the same elephant. This sounds attractive because it offers an explanation for the differences between religions.

The main problem with the parable of the blind men and the elephant is that it assumes all religions are just made up by blind people with limited knowledge, but somehow the people who believe in the parable are smarter than everyone else and can see the entire elephant. Do you really have the confidence to say that the followers of every religion are blind and only you can see? And if so, on what basis?

What the Bible teaches is that religion would be fumbling around in the dark if the elephant hadn’t spoken. Christianity teaches that God has made Himself known to us. John 1:18 says, for instance, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” Since God has revealed who He is, refusing to believe is a rejection of Him.

What the Bible teaches that no other religion does

The Bible teaches that our fundamental problem is the separation from God that resulted from our sin. While most religions teach what we should do to try to get to God or achieve His acceptance, only Christianity teaches that eternal life is a free gift that we receive through faith in Jesus. We don’t change to earn a reward. We receive a gift that changes us.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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You can hear a thousand sermons without ever really thinking about what the goal of a sermon is. But the more clear you are on what a sermon is all about, the better you understand what a preacher is trying to do and the more discerning you can be when you listen. Understanding the preacher’s dilemma may also make you a better Sunday School teacher or youth leader. It might help you assess the books you read and how you read the Scripture yourself. Let me explain the preacher’s dilemma with the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife as a case study.

I’m tempted to preach the part that I know

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but with the Bible, familiarity often breeds laziness. The first problem with the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife is that everyone assumes that they know what it means. The Sunday School story and our own casual reading seem to present a classic story of seduction, so we don’t feel that we need to put much effort into actually studying the passage. And when we do study it, we focus on what we know and look for details to support our assumptions.

When preparing to preach on Genesis 39 recently, I listened to three or four sermons and read three others. The worst of them just took the theme of sexual temptation from the text and spent most of the message railing about why adultery is wrong and what can be done about it. Others spent more time in the text and pointed to specific things that Joseph did to resist temptation and called for people to imitate him. Often, there was some attempt to show how Joseph’s obedience points to Jesus or how Jesus helps us when we fail.

The main problem with the sermons was that they just focused on the part of the story that everybody knows. And the main message was “be like Joseph” because “sin is bad.” Is that all there is?

I’m tempted to preach what my favourite scholar says

If you don’t assume you already know what the passage is teaching, you’re going to invest time in studying the passage carefully and listening to what other scholars have written. With Genesis 39, commentaries will point out that the passage begins and ends with repeated statements of the Lord’s presence with Joseph (vv. 2, 3, 21, 23). In fact, some scholars see this as so crucial that they point to it as the heart of the chapter’s message. It would have been very tempting for me to follow Sidney Greidanus, for example, and conclude that the chapter is seeking “to assure God’s people of his presence with them in times of prosperity as well as times of adversity.” To him, Joseph’s resistance of temptation is only important to show how God is still with us when we suffer unjustly. But a preacher’s goal is not just to preach what your favourite scholar tells you.

I’m called to preach what God intended the passage to say

The preacher’s dilemma is to study a passage of Scripture until you see the clues and emphases that the biblical author has given and can feel confident about what he intended to express.

The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39 is immediately preceded by another story of sexual sin in Genesis 38. The fact that Moses lined up a story about Judah easily giving into sexual temptation in Genesis 38 and Joseph fiercely resisting sexual temptation in Genesis 39 can’t be coincidental, especially since the story with Judah seems to interrupt the flow of Joseph’s story.

We know that Hebrew writing uses repetition for emphasis and one of the favourite forms begins and ends with a repeated emphasis and delivers a climax in the middle. The repetition of the “the LORD was with Joseph” (vv. 2, 21) and “the LORD was with him” (vv. 3, 23) is Moses’ way of indicating this. He wants us to consider the connection between the Lord’s presence with Joseph and his resistance of temptation. The message could just be, if the Lord is with you, you’ll be able to just say no, but that wasn’t true of Israel, or David, or Peter. It’s not often true in our experience either.

I’m convinced that the connection was that Joseph resisted sin by learning to treasure the presence of God in his life. If God hadn’t come into his life by grace and showed him the power of His presence and blessing, Joseph would have likely fallen just as Judah had. This seems to be illustrated and highlighted in the text for us by the fact that Joseph’s coat is mentioned five times in Genesis 37, first as a symbol of his father’s love and then of his brothers’ jealousy. In Genesis 39, Joseph learns to depend on the Lord’s presence instead of his special coat. Then, when temptation comes and his master’s wife tries to grab his new coat at the climax of the seduction account (Genesis 39:12), he’s able to leave his coat behind (Genesis 39:13) and choose loyalty to the Lord, instead. It’s still a message about resisting sin, but it deals with the heart, not just the behaviour. It addresses the why, not just the how. It starts with the grace of God, not just the effort of man.

As you listen to a sermon, don’t just ask yourself, did it speak to me? Or was it relevant or funny or convicting? Remember the preacher’s dilemma. Ask yourself, is this what the passage is actually teaching? And when you read the Bible or teach it to others, don’t assume that you know what it means or just teach what your favourite pastor said. Look for the clues in the passage itself that show you what God is trying to say. It’s God’s Word not ours that we’re seeking to follow.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Many people have made up their minds about Christianity without ever having actually read any of the Bible. Other people have been exposed to bits and pieces but made their own assumptions about how it all fits together. While no one verse can adequately explain all the intricacies of a book that numbers more than a thousand pages, most Christians agree that John 3:16 summarizes the heart of its message.

It simply says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Consider the three parts of this verse.

1. There’s a God and His heart toward you is love

The Bible ascribes the full range of emotions to God. Like any parent, He’s grieved when His children turn their backs on Him and full of joy when they return home. But we’re not left to wonder how He feels about us. God loves you. He has compassion for you. He cares for you.

We tend to doubt God’s love because we measure His feelings by our comfort and our pain. “If God loved me, surely He’d make my life easier,” we tell ourselves. But this verse says that the primary way He shows us His love is by dealing with a more serious, more fundamental problem.

2. We’re facing death, and our greatest need is life

According to the end of the verse, God’s love has moved Him to somehow rescue us from death and give us life. In speaking of “eternal life” we get a hint that this is more than just an emergency room resuscitation. In fact, the word used for “life” here doesn’t just describe someone with a pulse. It speaks of the fullness of life, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It’s a life connected to God and at home with Him (John 17:3). It’s a life that lasts forever but can start today.

Just as “life” in this verse is more than just a question of whether you have a pulse, death has more layers as well. Death points all the way back to the garden where God warned that sin would bring death (Genesis 2:17). In eating the forbidden fruit, something died in our innocence (Genesis 3:7), our relationship with God (Genesis 3:8), and our relationship with each other (Genesis 3:12). Without eternal life, we face eternal death. According to the Bible, this is our greatest problem.

3. Life and death turn on our faith response to Jesus

In the middle of the verse, God gives the gift of His Son as the solution to our problem. Jesus is the innocent one who died as a guilty criminal in order to take our place and receive the penalty we deserved. He took a bullet for us, literally. He’s the Saviour who pushed us out from behind an oncoming train. It cost Him His life, but Jesus purchased ours.

Eternal life, then, isn’t something we earn as a reward or achieve through good behaviour. It’s a gift we receive through faith in Jesus. Through faith, we submit to Jesus and stop living as our own God. Through faith, we receive God’s greatest act of love and begin a new life connected to Him and alive to His purposes. Through faith in Jesus, we move from death to life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

In awe of Him,

Paul

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“If there is a God, surely, He’ll just forgive everyone. The idea of judgment is just religion trying to scare people.” Ever heard that? Ever thought it, yourself? It seems reasonable, right? We want to assume that God is gentle and kind. If we put ourselves in His shoes, we wouldn’t send people to hell. Or would we?

The world’s injustice demands judgment

The idea of judgment sounds barbaric when we’re thinking about our own sins. We, of course, want forgiveness and mercy. When we think about the world around us, though, some concept of judgment seems unavoidable. Imagine arriving in heaven and meeting your rapist. Surely heaven won’t be a place of eternal trauma. Imagine strolling through the streets of gold and seeing Hitler sipping a cool ale. The injustice would make vigilantes of all of us. A belief in God’s judgment is what keeps people from living in bitterness or resorting to vengeance. As Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

Heaven won’t be heavenly if we bring our sin with us

It’s not just judgment that’s required. Sin needs to be removed. Our attempts at justice in this world have shown us that we’re notorious repeat offenders. And that’s not just with the sins that reach the criminal level. Can you imagine an eternity of theft, bullying, gossip, and addiction? Heaven would be unbearable. Maybe you think, God could just take away all of those tendencies and desires. But would people really find it fair for God to force people to obey Him if they didn’t want to? How would a white supremacist feel if God made him love people of all ethnicities? It would mean undoing his wrong beliefs and values and replacing them with healthy ones. Is the solution really for God to do that against people’s will?

The Good News is better than the alternatives we imagine

The Bible says that God will judge all sin (not just really bad people’s crimes). It says that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). And Jesus said, for example, that “on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). But God offers a pardon for those who admit the evil of what He calls sin and purpose to turn from it. As it says in Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” God not only grants forgiveness, but He promises transformation to those who turn to Him. He does what He must do if heaven is to be heavenly – He must change our wrong values and desires – but only does so with those who ask Him to.

God won’t just forgive everyone. But He will forgive you if you turn from your sin and trust Jesus. And better than just forgiving you, He’ll transform you into the person you were created to be. You’ll spend eternity with all who gladly welcome His rule in their lives.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Many people carry with them a weight of guilt over things they’ve done in their past. People often feel shame about things they’ve done, even decades ago. I’ve had people express to me the feeling that they could never be forgiven. As a result, they can’t forgive themselves, and their past continues to haunt them. There’s hope in the Bible but it comes as we confront an even greater sin that most people aren’t even conscious of.

1. The greatest sin is not treating God as God

In the Old Testament, the first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The message was essentially, treat the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture as number one in your life. When Jesus was asked, He responded similarly, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). Every sin we’ve ever committed flows from this deeper, more fundamental sin. Treating the most powerful Being in the universe as an afterthought is the sin beneath all the other sins.

2. The greatest sin is rejecting the greatest act of love

You would think that God would reject people who rejected Him. But as an act of love toward people who didn’t deserve it, God came into this world in the person of Jesus Christ. Out of love for us, He lived a perfect life of love and died as a criminal in order to pay the penalty for our sins. As Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Imagine giving your life to save someone, and their response was “No, thanks, I’m good.” I’d be frustrated if I gave up my lunch for someone who tossed it in the garbage, let alone someone who rejected my death for them. If not treating God as God is the worst sin, then rejecting that God’s greatest act of love might be the worst version of that worst sin.

3. Forgiveness is found in receiving God’s greatest act of love and treating God as God

As we have dug down beneath the sins that most people think of, the path forward becomes more clear. Tim Keller famously captured the essence of the Bible’s good news in these words: “We're far worse than we ever imagined, and far more loved than we could ever dream.” When we fail to treat God as God, the forgiveness He offers doesn’t feel real. His forgiveness has no weight in our lives because He has no weight in our minds. When we confess our casual attitude toward God as sin, we begin to listen to what He has to say and are confronted by what He has done. What God has done has send His Son to take the penalty for our sin and provide for our forgiveness. That’s why David can say, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

Jesus died on the cross for all your sins. When you purpose to treat God as God and acknowledge by faith what He did to provide for your forgiveness, there’s a weight that’s lifted. The psalmist expressed it like this: “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

Can you see how you’re far worse than you ever imagined? Do you believe that you’re far more loved than you could ever dream? It’s because of that love that we can be forgiven freely by a gracious God.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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When people say that they think they’ll go to heaven because they’re a good person, not only do they think they can define what good is, but they assume they know how good is good enough.

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Many couples begin their relationships giddy and excited about each other. Love comes easily and romance feels natural. Along the way, many people find that love hard to maintain. What started as a blaze feels more like a flicker. How do you rekindle your love, and what can you do to make sure the flame never dims? Jesus’ words to a church in western Turkey give a clear prescription of how to rekindle the love in your relationship. Although He was referring to a different kind of relationship, the implications for marriage are clear

In Revelation 2:4-5, He says this: “you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.”

Consider the 3 aspects of the strategy He proposes.

1. Remember what first drew you together

When you first fall in love, you focus on everything you love about the person. You see everything that’s wonderful about them. Over time, it’s easy for our focus to shift to our partner’s faults. You see what’s wrong about them and forget what’s right. The glass that looked half full slowly becomes half empty. In reality, your partner hasn’t changed. At best, your view of them has become more realistic. At worst, it’s become more cynical. Regardless, the prescription is the same. He says to “Remember therefore from where you have fallen.“ Remember what first drew you together. Choose to focus on their positive qualities. Think about why you originally fell in love. And keep those qualities in view by telling your partner about them. Don’t just say that you love them. Tell them why and tell them often.

2. Own the offences you’ve caused

The next step in the verse is the word “repent.” It’s a reminder that the love in a relationship doesn’t just cool, it can also be damaged. When you hurt your partner, the hurt doesn’t just go away. It can leave a scar, and it affects how you feel about each other. Usually, we think about what the other person has done. But as the saying goes, the only person you can change is yourself. Take stock of your relationship. Don’t keep score of who has more penalties, just focus on your own. Have you said things that hurt your partner? Are there habits that add to their burden? Are there unresolved grievances that you’ve avoided dealing with? Admit what you’ve done and resolve to change. Ask your partner to help you see your actions from their perspective and listen. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.

3. Do the things that you did when you were first in love

The final step in rekindling our love is the easiest to ignore. Jesus essentially says, do what you did before. Remember when you were first in love? You planned dates, you sent notes, you expressed your love. Early on, we’re eager to try things and we’re quick to compromise. We make an effort, and we don’t act like it’s an effort. Over time, it’s easy to get lazy. We take the relationship for granted, and it’s not a surprise that our feelings follow. If that’s you, admit that, and start doing the things you did when you were first in love.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I think we do want someone who will love us just the way that we are. But we also need someone who loves us enough to help us grow and mature as well. So instead of asking, “Will this person fit into my life and not change me?” maybe there are some better questions we need to ask.

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What’s ironic is that you tell yourself you’re making these sacrifices for your child, but the tension in your relationship is actually adding stress to your parenting and anxiety to your children.

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Some people feel stifled by a freedomless marriage and other married couples are like single people who happen to share the same address. The way that the members of the Trinity relate model for us a vision of marriage marked by profound unity without the loss of individuality.

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Christian women see Proverbs 31 as another burden they have to wear, but rightly read, it’s actually intended to do the opposite. The entire poem contains only a single command, and it isn’t addressed to women. The command comes after multiple statements about the woman’s children calling her blessed and her husband praising her.

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Today, couples are cutting ties over poor hygiene, meddling in-laws, and refusing to clean toilets. But obviously, there are far more serious issues at stake also. What are the deal breakers in marriage? How you answer that question depends mostly on how you understand marriage.

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While every person’s experience of grief is unique and the process of healing is seldom neat or straightforward, I felt the steps that I had heard that day were ones I wanted to hold onto and seek God for the strength to take when my turn eventually comes.

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When another person won’t open up, it’s often because they don’t feel safe to do so. Maybe you’ve had this conversation before, and it didn’t end well. Maybe you’ve made your views painfully clear, and your views felt a little painful! Maybe the person fears how you’ll respond. There are a number of ways to handle this.

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When we avoid hard conversations, problems go unaddressed, and tensions rise. These three principles help me to approach difficult conversations with humility and grace.

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As we’re listening to someone, we often try to fit things into stories we’ve heard before. Sometimes, we turn to stories that accurately reflect reality and they help us to quickly assess the situation. Other times, we turn to stories that hijack the conversation and prevent us from finding a healthy resolution. Consider some of the stories that most commonly sabotage the talks that we have.

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When we find ourselves in conversations about issues that are important to us, it’s easy to lose out to our worst tendencies. Our words can degrade into sarcasm and discussions can end with door slamming. Consider some of the things that can make conversations go sideways and what to do instead.

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I had given a book about Christianity to someone who had shown interest in learning more. When he returned it quickly, I assumed that he wasn’t interested. To my surprise, he told me that it had changed his thinking completely. That doesn’t happen every day, so I pulled out a short booklet that explains the gospel and asked whether he would like to sit down with me and look through it together. He said, “Oh, I’ve already seen that.” I was caught by surprise and felt a little awkward, so I retreated and changed the subject, vowing to try again another day. When I got home, I heard from another ministry leader that he had led him in a prayer of faith.

While we can’t get every conversation perfect, the exchange that I had that day highlighted for me why I often miss opportunities to talk with people about things that matter. When a conversation feels awkward, my instinct is to clam up and withdraw. The book, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, has helped me in dealing with this tendency.

The Fool’s Choice: Fight of Flight

The authors introduce the concept of “The Fool’s Choice.” In the same way that people’s response to conflict is often either fight or flight, when there’s something delicate to deal with most people assume that their only options are to keep silent or preserve the relationship. Assuming those are the only two alternatives is the fool’s choice. We need to think through the other options. They urge people to consider how to be completely honest and also completely respectful. Again, most of us are good at only one-half of this equation. If we’re going to have healthier conversations and stronger relationships, we need to grow in both of these areas.

People who say too much need dialogues, not monologues

For people who tend to say too much, the solution is dialogue. Ever try to have a one-way conversation with your teen about a difficult topic? How did that work out? If you’re in a conversation and the stakes are high, a monologue is usually a prequel to disaster. We’re forcing the conversation whether the person is ready for it or not. We’re going to “get it out” and “say our peace,” and we’re not too interested in how the other person feels about it. The Bible says, “let every person be quick to hear [and] slow to speak” (James 1:19). If it’s important enough to talk about, it’s important enough to have a dialogue. Ask questions, listen, and assume that you need more information instead of just saying your peace and letting the chips fall where they may.

People who say too little need dialogues, not assumptions

Sometimes, instead of saying too much, we say too little. We fear damaging the relationship. We fear the awkwardness. We fear the pushback. With all of our fears, there are assumptions, however. We assume that the relationship is so fragile, there’s no possibility of an honest and constructive conversation. We assume that there’s no way to discuss something delicate without there being awkwardness. We assume the other person will be too defensive to listen to us. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” The person who says too little needs the same thing as the person who says too much: dialogue. Instead of making assumptions about what the other person is thinking, have a conversation and try to learn what they’re thinking while you share what’s on your heart.

When the person I was talking to said they had already seen the booklet about the gospel I pulled out, I turned to assumptions instead of dialogue. I assumed they thought the little booklet was ridiculous. I assumed they didn’t want to talk about it. I assumed they weren’t interested in going any farther. If I had leaned into dialogue instead, I might have asked, “What did you learn? What did you think of it? Do you want to talk about it?” Thankfully, we’re not alone, and in this case, someone else picked up where I ducked out.

For any of you who share those tendencies, hear God’s assurance to Paul as he ministered in Corinth: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you” (Acts 18:9-10).

Next time, we’ll look at what can go wrong and what to look out for as you reject the fool’s choice and lean into a dialogue about the things that matter.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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It doesn’t matter how many weddings I attend, the vows that the couple expresses to each other always make me think of my own. We live in a culture where people hate obligations. We want to be free! So, when two people express their commitment to each other, it feels radical and beautiful at the same time. The beautiful part isn’t just that they’re in love. It’s that they realize their only hope for preserving that love is through concrete commitments. As I hear theirs, I’m reminded of my own, and I’m encouraged as a result.

Church membership isn’t a marriage vow. There’s no “’til death do us part.” But there are similar dynamics at play. We make basic commitments to one another because we believe they help preserve our faith. God puts children of God into the family of God in order to protect and strengthen believers against the inevitable tendencies to sin, complacency, selfishness, and error. And the commitments we make help to clarify how we’re to be family to one another.

There aren’t many opportunities to rehearse membership commitments the way there are with weddings, so one of my roles as a pastor is to try and graciously hold them up, so that they continue to define who we are as a family. As Peter said, “I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have” (2 Peter 1:12).

In our membership process, we make 4 basic commitments to each other. Let me share what they are.

1. Show up

Hebrews 10:25 warns against “neglecting to meet together” and while that doesn’t mean that Christians have to be at church every time the doors are open, it does imply that we prioritize the gatherings of God’s people. At our church, that means Sunday worship and life groups and/or prayer groups. We treat these gatherings as God’s sacred means of building us up through fellowship. (Read more …)

2. Serve

While many people show up at church, church members do so as hosts, not guests. We are each responsible to share our gifts and invest our talents to make the family of God all that it can be. When members hear of a need, they jump in to meet it. When they see a person they don’t know, they reach out to welcome them. When church members don’t serve, the body of Christ walks with a limp. (Read more …)

3. Give

A church is different than a country club. Our mission includes everyone. Because of that, we don’t charge admission or exact a fee for services. But that doesn’t mean that the ministry doesn’t cost anything. As a Christian moves from being a guest to a member, they take ownership of their local church’s financial needs and give regularly and sacrificially to forward the mission of the church. (Read more …)

4. Follow

One of the lowest points in Israel’s history occurred between the time that Moses led them as a prophet and Saul was established as her first king. It was the time when “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Living outside of God-ordained authority is a formula for compromise. God gives leaders to the church to guide and protect His people, but it is through church membership that a Christian formally accepts this authority and commits to living under it.

Show up, serve, give, and follow. These are commitments that should be basic to anyone who calls Jesus “Lord,” but they’re formalized through church membership. Are there any that you needed to be reminded of? Are there any that require course corrections in your life?

Just as wedding vows protect love in a marriage, the commitments of church membership help to preserve the direction of our faith. If you’re a church member, lean into these commitments as God’s guard rails. If you’re not a church member, find a place where you can commit yourself as one. Wolves seek sheep that wander from the flock.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Last week, I talked about how awe can lower our stress and give us a greater sense of peace and rest. It was the first time I had heard scientific studies on awe and wonder, but the conclusions seemed to agree with what the Bible has taught all along. Today, I’d like to consider some simple steps for experiencing awe in the daily rhythms of your life.

In one of the research experiments for the paper, Awe, Daily Stress, and Elevated Life Satisfaction, they had a group of 60 older adults take 15-minute walks for 8 weeks. They weren’t studying the impact of the walk on people’s behaviour, however. Half of the people just went for a walk. The other half were encouraged to look for awe as they did so. Both groups did the same activity for the same length of time, but while the former group tended to think about their day and upcoming plans while they walked, the latter group noticed the beauty, took in the wonder, and reflected on all they heard and saw. Interestingly, the group that was looking for awe showed lower stress, higher compassion, and deeper gratitude than the control group.

In a fascinating twist, they even asked participants to take selfies of themselves at the beginning, middle, and end of each walk. Those who were focused on awe not only smiled more intensely but they even showed less of themselves and more of the beauty around them in their pictures as the study progressed. Researchers concluded that awe not only produces contentment but a smaller, healthier understanding of yourself in relation to the world.

The parallels between how these two groups of people approached their walk and how we approach our faith and relationship with God are clear. Presumably, Christians can read their Bibles, pray, serve, and go to church either intentionally pursuing awe or acting largely oblivious to it. Here are some simple ways to cultivate awe in your relationship with God.

1. Reflect on the design and beauty of God’s creation

One of the great examples of an awe-seeking person is David. In Psalm 19, he revels in how “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1) and it’s clear that he’s spent hours looking closely and thinking intently about how all that God has made reflects His vast power and majesty. Like those on the walk, picturing themselves smaller and smaller in light of their world, David looks at the wonder of the universe and asks in Psalm 8:4, “What is man that you are mindful of him …?” The beauty of God’s creation invites us to reflect on the glory of the Artist and Designer who made it.

2. Reflect on God’s care for all He has made

Jesus taught us to “Look at the birds of the air” and how “your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26) and “consider the lilies of the field” and how God adorns them (Matthew 6:27-28). He’s telling us to reflect on God’s sovereign care and provision for His creation and so reassure ourselves of His concern and commitment to us. As you go for a walk, look out the window, or vacation in nature, try to think about how God sustains all that there is.

3. Think deeply about who God is and what He’s done

It’s easy to approach the Bible looking for rules about what to do and not do and to listen to sermons for the answers to your problems. But the Bible is fundamentally about God before it’s about us. As you read, listen, and pray, intentionally put your focus on God. As Psalm 33:8 says, “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” Awe is an expression of that reverent fear of the Lord that is at the heart of a healthy relationship with God. It’s the attitude intended by the words “tremble before him, all the earth!” that appears in Psalm 96:9 and many other passages. It’s the heart set afire in worship, and it’s what all of us need – and all the more so when problems overwhelm, and we feel the stress rising.

What helps you cultivate awe in your relationship with God? If there’s something that helps you, share it in the comments so that we can all learn from it.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.

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Life seems to move faster. The demands seem to get heavier. And the problems seem to get bigger. Stress affects all of us in different ways and it comes from different directions. But when stress is constant and not released, researchers say that it results in anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, muscle tension, and heart disease. Obviously, monitoring stress and finding relief from it is something that needs to be on our radar. What’s fascinating to me is that recent research points in the same direction that the Bible has prescribed for thousands of years.

In a 2021 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that “experiences of awe transform the meaning of daily stresses.” In fact, greater experiences of awe led to lower levels of daily stress. Dr. Virgina Sturm, one of the lead investigators, explained why: “One of the key features of awe is that it promotes what we call ‘small self,’ a healthy sense of proportion between your own self and the bigger picture of the world around you.” Awe engages your senses and focuses you on something outside and bigger than yourself. Their suggestions for cultivating awe were mostly related to nature and trying to notice the beauty and wonder that’s around us, but what could inspire more awe than God Himself?

The Bible addresses this same theme. God is regularly seen as calling people to Himself. He wants us to see Him and recognize Him, not only in the beauty of His creation but, more directly, in a personal relationship of wonder and reverence. And He promises that there is rest in His presence. Then, as now, people often choose stress over the rest that God invites us to. Isaiah 28:18 puts it like this: “God has told his people, ‘Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.’ But they would not listen.” We find rest in a relationship with God when we reflect on His strength and the depth of His care for us. The reminder of His power replaces the panic we feel about our weaknesses and limitations. The knowledge of His concern for us assures us that we’re not alone. And the wisdom that He provides gives us direction when we can’t see the way forward. We experience awe.

Another passage in Isaiah gives further insight into how stress results from ignoring God in our lives. In Isaiah 30:15, God issues another invitation to rest saying, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” The people were facing a huge threat that felt overwhelming, but God assured them that the solution was to come back to Him. When we’re quiet in God’s presence and trust Him to do what’s right, we lay down our frantic worrying and allow our racing thoughts to focus on the God who has the power and wisdom to make things right. Too often, though, we think that we know better. We short-change time with God and awe in His presence and take matters into our hands.

In Isaiah’s day, the people rejected God’s invitation to rest in Him. They tried to solve the problem themselves by saddling up their horses for war, but God warned that trusting in fast horses would only ensure that their enemies would be faster (Isaiah 30:16). He concludes by saying, “A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill” (Isaiah 30:17). He’s saying that you can have an army of a thousand people, but without God, even one enemy soldier can be enough to make you retreat. Without quiet time in God’s presence, you can feel alone, and your problems can feel daunting. Take time to cultivate the awe that you need to deal with the stress in your life.

If there’s something that has helped you to experience awe toward God, share it in the comments so that we can all learn from it.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.

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In last week’s article, we saw how in the Old Testament, someone who made a prediction that didn’t come true was rejected as a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Deuteronomy 18:20, 22). Adding God’s authority to someone’s guesses was seen as a serious problem. They were permanently silenced because someone saying untrue things while claiming to speak for God was in danger of leading the people of God astray. Today, many Christians have a different view.

There’s a sincere desire to “encourage the prophetic gift.” There’s a belief that New Testament prophecy may contain a kernel of truth even if there’s a husk of error. The idea is that people can be prompted by a genuine revelation from God but misinterpret it slightly. Something can get lost in the translation. There’s also an appeal to what I’ll call humble prophecy. Instead of saying, “Thus says the Lord,” people are encouraged to say things like, “I feel God wants me to tell you this.” All of this seems well-intentioned. But is it biblical? How does the New Testament present prophecy and is it different than the Old Testament?

1. Prophecy in the Gospels functions like prophecy in the Old Testament

The gospels open with a burst of prophecies. Elizabeth is “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41) and not only proclaims a blessing on Mary but identifies her unborn child as the Lord (Luke 1:42-45). Zechariah is also “filled with the Holy Spirit” and prophesies (Luke 1:67) that “the saving will of God which will soon be put into effect.” A righteous man named Simeon proclaims a blessing over the baby Jesus saying that “this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34-35). John the Baptist appears and seems to dress and speak the part of an Old Testament prophet. He is called a prophet (Matthew 11:9) and like those who came before him, he calls people to repentance (Matthew 3:1-2), predicts the Messiah’s coming (John 1:30), and identifies the Messiah directly (John 1:29). If the nature of prophecy has undergone a change with the coming of Jesus, we’re at a loss to see it in the gospels.

2. Prophecy at Pentecost is specifically linked to the Old Testament

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter declares that God has given the promised Holy Spirit. He quotes Joel 2:28-32, saying, “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). Even “male and female servants” will prophesy (Acts 2:18). Surely, the point is the sheer breadth of the Spirit’s empowerment in this new age. Men and women, young and old, slave and free – all will receive God’s Spirit without distinction. And God will speak! Peter presents prophecy, not as some unique first-century invention that can be imagined however we want but as a revival of the Old Testament gift. If what Peter means by prophecy is essentially different or a diluted version of what Joel’s readers were familiar with, it hardly would have served as a fulfillment of their expectations.

3. Prophecy in Acts looks exactly like prophecy in the Old Testament

While prophets and prophecy are mentioned in the Book of Acts, the only prophet whose prophecies are detailed with any precision is a man named Agabus. In Acts 11:28, Agabus predicts a great famine. Luke tells us that the church prepared earnestly in response to his prophecy (Acts 11:29-30), and the prophecy came true (Acts 11:28). Then in Acts 21:10-11, Agabus appears again, this time taking Paul’s belt and tying his own hands and feet with it while delivering a prophecy of warning. He says, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” Agabus didn’t get the memo about humble prophecy. He speaks authoritatively for God in very much the same way that Old Testament prophets like Elisha (2 Kings 2:19-22), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 19:10-11), and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 5:1-12) did. While there is discussion about how to respond to the warning of this prophecy, nobody argues that the prophecy might be wrong since Agabus is human after all. When Luke records what happened to Paul in Acts 28:17, he uses almost identical words to what Agabus had predicted.

I don’t see anything that justifies a redefinition of prophecy from the Old to the New Testament. New Testament prophets didn’t hedge their bets or claim to sometimes be a little off in expressing what God revealed to them. They weren’t shy to claim to speak God’s words and their prophecies always came true. I fear that confusion in this area has resulted in false prophets today not being held to account. I also suspect that what many people call prophecy today was what earlier generations of Christians used to call “impressions.” All Christians agree that the Holy Spirit guides people and prompts them in various ways. But words matter. Claiming God’s authority for our subjective impressions can cause great damage to people’s faith and God’s reputation. Let’s reserve the word prophecy for revelations that meet the biblical criteria.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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In a 60 Minutes interview, Denzel Washington shared how an elderly woman’s prophecy was a turning point in his life. He was in college and trying to figure out his future as he sat in his mother’s beauty salon. The lady from his church was there and she handed him a note with the words, “You will speak to millions.” Those words galvanized his resolve and shaped the future direction of his life. While Denzel’s experience was a great blessing to him, other people have had more painful experiences with prophecy. I have been left confused by prophecies that didn’t come true and words from the Lord that apparently got lost in translation.

Just looking at Old Testament texts regarding prophecy doesn’t immediately settle anything because we live under a new covenant and there are often changes from old to new. But reading the New Testament without being informed by the Old Testament ignores important context that should shape our understanding. Three truths regarding false prophets in the Old Testament stand out.

1. False prophets were capable of great signs and wonders

Today, we tend to assume that false prophets can be recognized by their counterfeit healings and miracles. And there are lots of fakes that have been exposed. But Moses was careful to warn about prophets with signs or wonders that are fulfilled (Deuteronomy 13:1-2). In fact, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to imitate Moses’ own miracles “by their secret arts” (Exodus 7:11). Jesus similarly taught that false Christians are capable of prophesying and casting out demons (Matthew 7:22) and warned that “false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders” (Matthew 24:24). The bottom line is that just because someone is able to do something incredible gives no indication of whether their message is to be followed or not.

2. False prophets were used by God to test people’s faith

It seems strange that God would allow false prophets to use real spiritual power. One of the reasons the Bible gives for this is “the activity of Satan” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). He seeks to deceive people and steer them away from God. But Deuteronomy 13:3 gives another reason: “you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Will you believe the truth even if there’s a flashier alternative? Will you follow the Lord even if someone heals you and tells you to believe something a little different? God uses the circumstances of our lives including spectacular but false prophets to help clarify what we’ve really placed our hope in.

3. False prophets were silenced so that God’s Word could be heard

Perhaps one of the starkest lessons that stands out regarding false prophets in the Old Testament comes from the fact that they were stoned. If a prophet made an astounding prediction that came true and then taught people contrary to the Scriptures, they were put to death (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Similarly, if a prophet made a prediction that did not come true, the penalty was death (Deuteronomy 18:20, 22). Why such a harsh sentence? The message seems to be that adding God’s authority to your own words is so dangerous to the people of God that the prophet had to be permanently silenced. There was no accusation that people “just weren’t being open to the Spirit” by not putting up with a prophet who had made some mistakes. If you were going to claim to speak for God, the words that came out of your mouth had to be as true and reliable as God Himself.

Today, there are churches that teach that prophecies should be treated the way you would eat a meal: chew the meat and spit out the bones. Or they say that it’s a divine message with human words and so things can get a little lost in translation. As a result, congregations will continue to listen to prophets whose predictions have failed repeatedly. If that is in fact the new covenant way, it’s a significant departure from God’s teaching in the Old Testament.

Next time, we’ll compare Old Testament and New Testament prophets to see if there’s a basis for that departure.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I think that many people feel a sense of envy when they hear someone talk of their calling. A missionary will speak of how God called them to their area of service. Or a person will speak of a new project or venture, and they’ll say, “I’ve really found my calling.” Ever hear that and think, “I just have a job; I guess I missed out”? The Bible’s teaching about God’s calling is different than the way we often speak about it.

1. You’ve probably already found your calling

Christians in the church at Corinth were struggling with their calling. They assumed that since everything had changed for them internally when they put their faith in Jesus, everything should change for them externally as well. Some of the non-Jews read about circumcision and were thinking of becoming circumcised. And some of the Jews realized that circumcision was no longer necessary in the new covenant and were thinking about getting uncircumcised. Paul gives them some surprising advice. In 1 Corinthians 7:17, he says, “let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” He clarifies in the next verse that he doesn’t want them to either get circumcised or uncircumcised, but what’s surprising is that he describes this condition as part of their “assignment” or “calling.” The idea is that circumcision and the outward Jewishness of the Jewish Christians were a part of how God had prepared them for the people He wanted them to impact. Similarly, the non-Jewishness of the non-Jewish Christians would enable them to reach non-Jews in a way that their Jewish brothers and sisters couldn’t. The same is true of most of the external things in your life. Your education, experience, hobbies, and background have all prepared you to be able to uniquely relate to and minister to a specific group of people. Recognizing that is a part of discovering your calling.

2. You don’t find your calling by copying someone else’s

When Jesus healed the possessed man whom He encountered among the tombs in the Gerasenes, he was overcome with the joy of being set free. As Jesus was forced out of the region, it was natural that the man wanted to follow. In fact, it says that he “begged him that he might be with him” (Mark 5:18). Jesus turned him down. In the following verse, He said, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19). You would think that leaving everything to follow Jesus was the whole point of His mission. Often, however, following Jesus means going to the people you knew before you met Jesus and acting as Jesus would to them. In this case, Jesus had been barred from the Decapolis region but the man He healed had access, connections, and a story. The same is true of you. A big part of calling is looking for opportunities to speak and serve in the place where you are.

3. Your calling is rooted in God’s design

While you’re probably already in the place of God’s calling, you’ll be more effective there and be able to assess whether He’s moving you somewhere else by paying attention to God’s design in your life. Ephesians 2:10 says, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” It’s saying that God created us with specific assignments in mind that He was preparing us to complete. Those things that you’re good at aren’t a coincidence. Those things you’ve learned and the experiences you’ve gone through are all part of how God equips you for your calling. On top of that, He gives spiritual gifts that uniquely enable us to minister. As we serve, it becomes more and more clear how those gifts can most effectively combine with the other ways that He has designed and prepared us to make a difference in this world.

May God lead you to greater effectiveness in the role that God has called you to!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Work can be hard. I remember a weekly meeting with a major client whose approach was management by intimidation. He figured that if the threats were mean enough and the consequences severe enough, he’d get the most out of his own employees and the companies he partnered with. Most of his team seemed to focus their energies on avoiding him or looking for a way out. Fear may motivate people for a while, but eventually, it turns to resentment and bitterness, and it can sap people’s energy and drive. What starts with a terrible boss can turn into a terrible performance review. Their problem can quickly spiral into your problem. And nobody wants to derail their career because they couldn’t find a way to deal with a difficult manager.

This problem is one that was faced by many in first-century Rome, and the Bible gives a unique solution to it. They estimate that one-third of the Roman Empire was made up of slaves. While slavery wasn’t based on ethnicity and often came with broad freedoms and privileges, it was still the case that slaves were considered property and often treated harshly. Today, switching jobs is an option for some. In the first century, most didn’t have that privilege. Consider the alternatives that the Bible provides.

1. Go to work for Someone else

Even if you’re fortunate enough to do a job that you love, you can’t avoid feeling as if you’re doing what you’re doing for the person who signs your cheque. Who wants to work for someone they don’t respect? How do you find the motivation to serve someone who makes you bitter? The Bible’s answer is to do your job for God, not your boss. Colossians 3:23 puts it like this, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” God is the one who provided your work. He’s the one who gave you the ability to do it. Regardless of how poorly your boss is doing their job, as long as you’re in that position, God still has an assignment He wants from you. Consciously choosing to do your work for God instead of your boss changes how you see it.

2. Go to work with a different motivation

A toxic boss challenges our motivation. We start thinking, “This isn’t worth it!” And maybe it isn’t, but it’s worth reflecting on what you mean by “worth it.” Why are you doing what you’re doing? Are you just working for the paycheque? For the glory? To be appreciated? Maybe the problem isn’t just your boss. You may need a different motivation. After urging people to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” Paul adds, “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” (Colossians 3:24). Do you know that God will reward you for the work that you do by faith out of devotion to Jesus? That’s not just talking about the volunteer work you do at church or in the community. The whole context is talking about your job. The work that you do matters to God and can bring pleasure to Him when you do it for the right reasons. When you work hard as an act of worship, God promises to reward you. Focusing on God and His reward instead of the money we can earn or the respect we might gain gives us a more reliable source of motivation, particularly when the people involved don’t inspire our effort.

3. Bring your grievances to a different HR department

In a perfect world, we could bring our grievances to HR and the toxic boss could be magically transformed into an amazing one. Life is seldom that simple. First-century slaves certainly didn’t have a personnel department that they could turn to, and even today, many can’t get the support they need. After reiterating again that “You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24), Paul assures workers that the Lord takes their grievances seriously and promises to bring justice. Colossians 3:25 just says, “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.” Did you know that God is as concerned about your boss’ behaviour as you are? He’s seeking their repentance, but if it doesn’t come, He’ll eventually see to their judgment. If you aren’t getting justice, the tendency is to take matters into our own hands. But even if it’s just through passive aggression, becoming the office vigilante is never a good move. Turn to prayer and commit your boss into God’s hands, instead. When we allow God to deal with our manager, it frees us to focus on doing our work in a way that would glorify Him.

If you have an example of a time you deliberately tried to do your work for the Lord instead of for your manager, share it in the comments below. Or if there are questions you have about your faith at work, I’d love to hear them. In the meantime, may God give you help with your assignment whatever that may be.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.

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I really wish you could have come to church this Sunday. I’m not talking to the person who really couldn’t come because they were too sick. But to the growing number of Christians who see church attendance as one of a number of good options for how they spend Sunday morning.

The shift began during the pandemic. At first, we all celebrated the technology that enabled us to watch sermons online. We could even sing along to some worship songs and connect with people on Zoom. But subtly we began to think that what we were doing online was the same as what we used to do in person. It was a natural conclusion to make. Let’s talk about what’s wrong with it. Let me explain why I wish you could have come to church this Sunday.

1. There was someone I wish you could have met

Do you remember the first time you went to church, and someone really connected with you? I’m not talking about the pastor. There was another Christian who noticed you and talked to you and you clicked. Do you remember how important that was for you? When you decide not to come, you miss the opportunity to be that person for someone who may be at a turning point in their faith. Often I’ll meet someone and think, “It would make such a difference if they could meet Sally.” But then I look around and Sally’s not there.

2. I didn’t hear your voice. And you didn’t hear mine

Do you know why we sing in worship services? To praise God, right? That’s only half the story. We sing in order to praise God – together! There’s power in a room full of people expressing their amen in unison. Many of us spend the majority of our week hearing people who reject our faith and think it’s crazy. And it makes it harder for us to believe. Hearing other people voice their praise alongside us strengthens our resolve.

3. You weren’t in the room when it happened

Do you remember that moment in the sermon when everyone got really quiet and leaned in? Or that time when it seemed like everyone was nodding and smiling in agreement. Or where we felt the presence of God? There’s so much of a worship service that you need to be in the room to experience. Not only does it not translate to video, but at home, we’re often more distracted by kids, phone calls, and chores. In-person isn’t the same as online.

4. We couldn’t serve people the way we wanted

Ever been to a restaurant where the servers are short-staffed? Everything feels more frantic. It’s more hurried and less personal. Often the food arrives late or cold. Something similar happens at church when you’re not there. A family member’s missing. There’s one less hand to serve and one more responsibility that someone else has to pick up. We can’t serve people the way we want to. The body of Christ walks with a limp.

5. We lost an opportunity to remind each other of how important Jesus is

Have you ever shown up for a party and there were only two or three people there? You want to turn around and walk right out, don’t you? Ever been to one where people can barely get in? You begin to think, this must be an amazing party – everyone’s here! We communicate something to each other by our actions. And that’s even more true of our attendance at church than it is of parties. When you sacrifice other things to prioritize time to worship with God’s people, it reminds the rest of us how important Jesus is. It’s like an unspoken testimony that strengthens our convictions. The opposite is also true. When you treat other things as more important than worship, it dulls our own sense of just how seriously we should prioritize Jesus.

The pandemic took a lot of things from us. Let’s not let it take the Lord out of the Lord’s Day.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Work is hard, but the pace can sometimes be exhausting. There were always demands, but now that we’re connected with email, text, and productivity monitoring software, people can feel more like machines than humans. And it’s hard to turn off. Even when we’re not physically working, it’s hard to convince our minds that it’s okay to rest. The Bible’s approach to rest is unique and it offers specific strategies to help us unwind in a world that keeps tightening its grip. Let’s look at three of them.

1. Take time for relationship not just naps

The Bible says more about rest than perhaps any other religion. In fact, its opening volumes were written to former slaves who had little experience with rest or days off. Rather than starting with some tips to clear your mind and get more balance in your schedule, the Bible begins by describing one of God’s work weeks and the astounding fact that He set aside the last day of the week to rest (Genesis 2:2). That seems strange because other verses tell us that God never gets tired (Isaiah 40:28) nor dozes off to sleep (Psalm 121:4). Clearly, God wasn’t resting because He needed a nap. He was showing that there was more to life than work. And He invited us to experience it with Him. He didn’t do that with the plants or the other animals He created. Only humans were called to rest from their work and given the privilege of spending time with God in relationship. Rest begins when we realize that we’re created by a God who’s not just interested in what we do – He’s interested in us. We rest when we respond to His invitation and take time in His presence to be in relationship with Him. We hear the voice that says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

2. Take time for the blessing of sacred rest

God wanted us to know that there’s something special about taking time to rest. In Genesis 2:3, it says, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” The day of rest is the only one that God blesses and the only thing in the entire Book of Genesis that God calls holy. It’s teaching us that life isn’t ultimately about what we accomplish – even though our work is ordered by God and supremely important to Him. When we rest in God’s presence, we’re reminded that our lives are more than our jobs. We’re reminded that we’ll eventually end our careers, but our relationship with God will remain. In fact, heaven is described as an eternal rest in Hebrews 4:9 when it says, “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” When we don’t take time to rest in God’s presence, we begin to act like machines, and the heart of what makes us human and the hope of eternity both fade in our minds.

3. Take time to let down your burdens

While the Old Testament highlights the importance of sacred rest, Jesus spells out in more detail how it works. He famously said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus promises to give us rest when we come to Him. Specifically, we’re invited to learn from Him and follow in His ways. When we do that, Jesus gives a rest that we can’t experience from anything else. It’s more restful than exercise, yoga, meditation, or an afternoon at the spa. That’s because something changes when we learn from Jesus and exchange our burdens for His – and that change lasts long after our rest is over. When we come to Jesus, we meet someone who cares about our cares. We’re reminded about the one who’s in control -and it’s not us! We grow in our understanding of what He’s doing in this world and how He works in our lives. And by following Him, we find ourselves working with His plan and His power, instead of against it. This energizes our lives and feeds us with rest.

Make time for sacred rest with God. In prayer and reflection on the Scriptures, remind yourself of who He is and who you are in His sight. Remind yourself that life is more than just work and play. We’re created to know God and there’s a special blessing in taking time to enjoy that relationship with Him. Lay down your burdens and entrust them to the God who’s not only powerful enough to handle them but also cares for you and seeks what’s best for you.

What helps you find sacred rest with God? How do you stop what you’re doing and remind yourself that life is more than work? Leave a comment to share how God helps you rest.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P..S. If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free, 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily, bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, click on the image below.

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It’s healthy that children growing up in the church see baptisms. Watching people declare their faith and identify with Jesus through baptism can do one of two things. Some children feel a sense of conviction. They understand the connection between what they’re witnessing and invitations like Peter’s in Acts 2:38 where he said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” They realize that as much as they might like Jesus, that line of believing faith is one that they haven’t yet fully crossed. Other children are attracted. Having prayed a simple prayer to believe, baptism seems like the obvious next step in expressing their faith. It’s a command of God; what more could there be to consider?

Parents and churches have a responsibility to help their children understand some of the factors involved. I’ll try and explain the two sides of the biblical tension and how we’ve chosen to navigate them as a church.

The Bible doesn’t give an age for baptism

We probably need to acknowledge up front that the Bible doesn’t give an age requirement for baptism. But that doesn’t resolve things. The Bible doesn’t give the appropriate age for someone to get married, drive a car, or vote in an election. That doesn’t mean that we just leave those things up to the child. We instead look to other principles and apply wisdom to guide our thinking.

The Bible warns against dismissing children’s faith

Jesus is famous for welcoming children when His followers dismissed them. When people were bringing their babies to Jesus to have Him bless them, the disciples thought it was a distraction for such an important leader and they told off the parents. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). Jesus wasn’t inviting the children to be baptized, but he was showing how important children are to Him and even encouraged the adults to learn from the humility and trust that children more naturally possess (Matthew 18:1-3; Luke 18:17). Other Scriptures speak of the importance of teaching children the Scriptures from a young age (Ephesians 6:4) and Luke even includes a curious detail about John the Baptist leaping in his mother’s womb as Mary approached, pregnant with Jesus. Discounting the genuine faith of children and their earnest desire to be baptized is unwise. But that’s only half of the story.

The Bible calls people to count the cost of faith

Many people misunderstand what biblical faith is. The decision to repent of sin and trust in Jesus is a re-orienting of a person’s entire life. It’s a commitment to let Jesus be Lord and to follow where He leads. And Jesus warned people of making the decision too lightly. He made it clear that following Him means putting Him above all other relationships (Matthew 10:37) and above everything we possess (Luke 14:33). With such a high cost, He warned the crowds that came to Him:

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ - Luke 14:28-30

A child can and should take steps of faith. But the full implications of what faith is usually dawn on a child slowly over time. And it’s easy for them to underestimate the cost, especially in the elementary school years when their parents make most of the decisions in their lives.

Navigating the tension of the Bible’s teaching

As a group of elders, we’ve decided to not have a formal age requirement for baptism. Dismissing the possibility of genuine repentance and faith because of the age of the child seems counter to the Scriptures cited above. At the same time, we believe that the command to be baptized needs to be treated with healthy caution toward all people but particularly with younger children who are highly motivated to please parents and Sunday School teachers whether they grasp the implications of biblical faith or not. The fact that the child threw up their hand in response to the question, “Who wants to follow Jesus?” doesn’t really settle anything. Parents should exercise patience and caution and look for the fruit of repentance and evidence of understanding. As a church, the way that we express that caution is not actively encouraging baptism until a child reaches Grade 7 and begins to make more independent decisions in the other areas of their life and can feel the cost and implications of following Jesus. Parents with younger children who are convinced of the genuineness of their child’s conversion and the right motivation for their desire to be baptized will be responsible for taking their child through the same discipleship that we offer to anyone who wants to be baptized (in our case, the Unstuck Life) and have their child’s profession of faith and readiness for baptism evaluated by the pastor and elders.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P. S. This article is about baptizing by immersion children who have put their faith in Jesus. If your question is about baptizing infants, read my article here.

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So many of life’s questions go back to the garden. Why is there so much violence in the world? Why so much hatred? Why is there suffering? Why is there disease? Because Adam and Eve ignored God and chose the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. According to the Bible, it all started with that fateful decision. But that still begs the question, “Why didn’t God just prevent them from sinning?” Couldn’t He have just removed the temptation or given them such an aversion to it that they never would have gone near it? Parents put up safety gates to keep their toddlers from falling down stairs. Couldn’t God have just put a big gate around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

So that we could be free?

Most Christians answer this question with some version of the importance of God granting humans free will. Yes, we put safety gates up for toddlers but they’re not a great idea for teenagers or adults. Real relationships require trust, and it’s in a context of freedom that trust can be given and reciprocated. Parents allow their teenage children to break rules and experience often painful consequences as a healthy part of the maturing process. Is this all that’s happening?

Rebecca McLaughlin deals with this question in her book “Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion.” She suggests that if the only point of allowing sin was to grant us free will “it renders the whole of human history a cosmic waste of time.” Surely there could have been a more efficient way to establish a relationship of trust between God and humanity! She points in another direction altogether.

So that we could know God more intimately?

McLaughlin compares the kind of relationship that is possible now, compared to before the fall.

In the early Genesis narrative, Adam and Eve knew God as Creator and Lord—perhaps, even, as friend. But Christians know Jesus far more intimately: as Savior, Lover, Husband, Head, Brother, Fellow Sufferer, and their Resurrection and their Life.

Adam and Eve knew God’s love, but there was a limit to how much they could grasp it because they didn’t know anything else. If your mom was a 3-star Michelin chef, you’d still love her food, but it would be as you tasted other things that you’d realize how good her cooking really was. Having experienced how unloving people can be and even how selfish and shallow our own love can be, we see more clearly the perfection of God’s love for us.

If we had been kept from sinning, we might always assume that God just loved us because we were so lovable. Many people “love” their Roomba because it’s programmed to clean their floors for them, but we wouldn’t celebrate that kind of love. Someone with an unflinching dedication to a hopelessly malfunctioning and even defiant vacuum cleaner would stand out. Through the fall, we see a God who loves the unlovable. We see a God whose love never tires. His love perseveres in the face of rebellion, indifference, and mistrust. Few of us would even pay for our enemy’s lunch. God proved His love by dying for those who would kill Him (Romans 5:7-8).

Probably the most terrible consequence of our sin, humanly speaking, is the pain that it causes. Sin unleashed untold suffering in our world. But even that suffering makes a depth of relationship with God possible that we would otherwise never have known. Because the Bible reveals a God whose love drove Him to enter our suffering and bear the worst of it in our place. The closest human relationships are often forged in difficult times. When you’ve been through the war with someone – literally or metaphorically – there’s a special bond that you share. God has been through the war with us. He’s been working to redeem the mess that we’ve made and He’s borne the suffering we’ve inflicted. Because He has, we can know Him at a whole different level. And according to the Bible that’s the point of it all. As Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

I’ll let Rebecca McLaughlin have the last word.

Christians are promised that one day, God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore” (Rev. 21:4). But we are not promised that God will not allow us to cry in the first place. What end could possibly be worth all this pain? Jesus says he is.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P.S. If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, go to www.gracebc.ca/getunstuck.

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An online magazine asked readers to summarize their life in six words. Many of them described the frustration of work.

· “The psychic said I'd be richer.”

· “Love drama, just not my own.”

· “Not quite what I was planning.”

· “Never lived up to my potential.”

· “Thought I would have more impact.”

If you read my article, What You Believe About Your Work Is Making You Miserable, you might have thought I was naively optimistic about the potential of work. The truth is that it’s not just what you believe about your work that’s making you miserable. It’s often the work itself that makes you miserable. For some, it’s the long hours and physical demands of work. For others, it’s the emotional toll that stress takes on them. For many people, it’s the people. Or at least, some of the people. Office politics and difficult colleagues can make work feel unbearable. But the frustration we experience in our jobs is trying to tell us something.

1. The frustration in your job keeps you from making a religion out of your work

As the quotes I shared illustrate, many people are surprised by the challenges they face at work. Hearing the success stories, we often assume limitless potential for ourselves. Most people either hit a wall or make a detour and are disappointed by where they end up. Some people achieve all their dreams only to realize that their dreams weren’t all that they hoped they would be.

According to the Bible, this disappointment we experience with work is a result of the curse God brought on the earth as a result of human sin (Genesis 3:17). It’s expressed in the account of Adam and Eve by the “thorns and thistles” (Genesis 3:18) that made cultivating the garden hard for them. Today, we still experience those thorns in the form of computer viruses and office gossip.

The thorns have a good purpose, though, even though they’re painful. They keep us from making a religion out of our work. They confront us with the reality that we’re not in paradise anymore. They remind us that we wrecked what we had by cutting God out of the picture. The thorns force us to ask why things are the way that they are and invite us to consider the Bible’s diagnosis that turning our backs on God comes with consequences. They also point us to hope, though.

2. The frustration in your job shows you the way to make the most of your work

When we follow the thorns back to the garden, we see the mess that turning away from God brought to our world. But the diagnosis points to the cure. If turning away from God made our work miserable, turning back to Him helps us make the most of it. The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it like this:

“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

God is the one who helps us to find enjoyment in our jobs. That doesn’t mean that He takes away all the thorns, but He uses them to teach us to depend on Him for peace, contentment, and strength. He helps us make the most of even the thorniest of jobs when we draw near to Him and seek the help that He alone can give.

3. The frustration in your job points to the one who can solve it

Maybe you think that a God who curses work because we turn our backs on Him is cruel and uncaring. The Bible tells a much different story. Not only does God help us make the most of our work when we include Him in it, but He faced what we face in order to provide an ultimate solution. Compare the frustrations you have at work with the ones that Jesus faced in His calling. He suffered from poverty and poor work conditions when He came into the world. He was insulted by “customers” and threatened by “competitors.” Just as His “career” seemed to be getting started, it was ended by people who were jealous of His “success.” When people mocked Him by putting a crown of thorns on Him, Jesus stood with all who have ever felt the thorns of their own jobs and wondered whether there’s a God who cares.

The message of the Bible is that through His death on the cross, Jesus bore the curse of sin. All who put their trust in Him, are invited to paradise and an eternity free of thorns.

It was my experience of the thorns of work that created a disillusionment that eventually drew me to the Bible and the message of Jesus. If you’ve had a similar experience, share it in the comments.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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In every generation, it seems that Christians are out of step with the culture. Their views on morality are usually outdated. Their opinions seem doomed for the wrong side of history. Is it the religious gatekeepers that keep Christianity in the past? Or is it God Himself? Or is the Bible the problem?

Christians claim that they worship an unchanging God who communicates timeless truths. To many, that seems like an excuse for people who refuse to adapt, but is it? Let’s consider why Christianity can’t keep up with the times. And why it shouldn’t.

1. How long would you follow Jesus if He wore skinny jeans?

At first, the idea of a trendy God seems like just what we need. But how long would you follow Jesus if He wore skinny jeans? We need a classic God not a trendy one. A God who keeps up with the times is like a dad who tries to talk and dress like his teenage son. God makes no attempt to keep up with the times because He exists outside of time. As Moses said, “from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). Because God exists outside of time, he doesn’t change. He says, for instance, “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6) and Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Because God doesn’t change, you can be confident that He won’t change His mind. He’s not like an adviser who’s telling you to put everything in crypto one month, and then get out of it the next. You can rely on what He says.

2. What would be the value of reading a Bible that needed to be rewritten every 20 years?

Every generation finds something in the Bible that they find old-fashioned. There’s a moral or philosophical line that’s moved culturally and people want the Bible adjusted to keep up with the times. But what would be the value of reading a Bible that needed to be rewritten every 20 years? Any time people find something in the Bible that they don’t like, they usually point to an obscure Old Testament verse like the prohibition about men clipping the edge of their beards (Leviticus 19:27). If we allow men to trim their beard edges why not allow everything else as well? What they don’t realize is that the Christian Bible contains an old covenant which governed God’s relationship with ancient Israel in preparation for the Messiah and a new covenant which governs His relationship with His people since the Messiah came (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:6-13). Christians don’t ignore the restriction on eating shellfish, for example, because they believe it’s outdated but because it’s not part of the new covenant. There are things in the Bible that Christians no longer have to follow, but it’s the Bible itself which determines what those things are. If people can just arbitrarily discount the commands that they don’t like, then the Bible isn’t a holy book anymore.

3. What could Christians contribute to culture if they just blindly followed it?

When talking about a biblical command that feels outdated, it’s easy to level the charge that Christians are on the wrong side of history. But that assumes that we can look into the future and predict how historians will judge us. It also assumes that the consensus of history is always right. C. S. Lewis called that chronological snobbery. Christians are explicitly called to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). That mindset has helped Christians contribute to society in countercultural ways that were later deemed to have been on the right side of history. The early church became famous for the babies that they rescued despite the fact that abandoning them was culturally acceptable in the Roman Empire. It was Christians like William Wilberforce who helped to abolish the slave trade in the 19th century despite the opposition to his stance.

There will be times when Christians misinterpret the Bible and when they fail to consistently practice what the Bible teaches. But we don’t need Christianity to keep up with the times any more than we need a trendy God or Jesus in skinny jeans. The Bible gives timeless truths from an eternal God who can both critique and inspire every generation and every culture.

If this is new to you and you think it’s something you’d like to explore, I’ve written a free 12-week course called The Unstuck Life that walks you through the essentials of Jesus’ teachings in daily bite-sized messages that you can read or watch by video. To learn more, go to www.gracebc.ca/getunstuck.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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You may not know that part of the Bible was written to people with a dysfunctional view of work that was making them miserable. The Israelites had known nothing but slavery for generations. People sometimes say that their boss is a slave driver, but in their case it was literal. Work was the place where they were brutalized and mocked. Their jobs were demeaning and monotonous. Their days were long and painful. As God set them free from that slavery and set about establishing a new nation, how would He change those engrained patterns of working? How would He keep them from approaching their work as drones or slave drivers? If you’ve ever felt those same tendencies yourself, you may need to rethink how you’ve come to think about your work. Consider how God infuses our work with significance and satisfaction.

1. Work gives our lives meaning and satisfaction

If you’re surrounded by people who think of work as drudgery and are just working for the weekend, it can begin to feel like punishment. It would have been natural for the Israelites to have felt like that. But God invests work with dignity. He sets the pattern by showing that He works, Himself. He models the 6-day workweek in Genesis 2:2 and He talks about the satisfaction that He finds in His work. He pauses regularly to notice that “it was good” (e.g. Genesis 1:4). And while He invites Adam and Eve to work, He’s on the job before they ever arrive. In fact, Genesis 2:8 records that it was the Lord, Himself, who planted the garden in Eden. Obviously, God doesn’t work because He has to. It’s not a chore for Him. And He certainly wouldn’t include work in a perfect paradise if there was something inherently wrong with it. People often treat work like a necessary evil but it’s in fact a major part of what gives our lives meaning and satisfaction. Knowing that should encourage us to reflect on some of the things that we enjoy about our jobs. It should remind us to reflect on the tasks that we complete and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done. Work is part of paradise, and part of what we’re created to do.

2. Work is where we reflect the image of God

Work is also how we reflect God’s character in the world. In Genesis 1:26, God famously says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Those words feel foreign to us but were surprising to the Israelites. Ancient kings were often seen as bearing the image of the gods they worshipped. The pharaohs portrayed themselves as the representatives of the gods. But when they said that, they were trying to set themselves apart from mere mortals. What Genesis teaches us is that God created humanity to reflect Him in the world. We were made as divine ambassadors and so have been given intelligence and a passion for design and industry that plants and animals don’t have. When we lose sight of this, we begin working like robots. When you see your job like a machine, you become less human, and work becomes something less than it was ever intended. Remind yourself that you were uniquely created for work and bring all of who you are to reflect God’s image in how you approach what you do.

3. Work makes this world worth living in

People often imagine the Garden of Eden as if it was a finished project. While it was perfect, in one sense, it was also incomplete. God commands Adam and Eve to “fill the earth” and “subdue” it (Genesis 1:28) because although Eden was perfect in its potential it was very much a fixer-upper. More people were needed to harness the fullness of all that it could be. More effort was needed to manage and develop it into all that God envisioned. Whatever job you do is a continuation of the original task of seeking the potential of God’s creation and cultivating a bit of paradise in your corner of the earth.

When you pursue your work with dignity as an expression of how God made you and with a heart to reflect Him in what you do, you make this world a little more like paradise. If what you believe about work is making you miserable, reflect on the garden and all that God intends work to be.

As you do, leave a comment and share how God’s design for work helps you see your work differently. Or if your work is difficult to imagine as contributing to paradise, share that too so that we can interact about where that might fit.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Jan Hunt is a parenting author and counselor who presents a popular approach to understanding children:

Children are born innocent. They want only to be loved, to learn, and to contribute. Those parents who are not able to appreciate this truth miss what should be the most precious moment of their life. They cannot trust their child - they instead suspect him of being somehow flawed and requiring constant correction. The emphasis is on fixing something, not on enjoying and learning about this new person. The focus, from that point on, is on the child's behavior, not on the parent-child connection.

The Bible presents a different view of children than Hunt but also different than the alternative to her view that she imagines. Let me explain how the Bible depicts children and how it influences your parenting.

Perhaps, one of the clearest expressions that children are born sinful comes from King David in Psalm 51:5. In this psalm, David is confessing his sins and regrets and as he does so, he concedes that he was sinful from the beginning. He says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” To be clear, he’s not charging his mother with sin or saying that there was anything sinful about the circumstances of his conception. He’s saying that he was marked by sin from the very beginning of his life. He wasn’t lying, cheating, or stealing in the womb. But he was born with a broken moral compass. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

Hunt is right in suggesting that people who don’t believe that children are born innocent see their children as “being somehow flawed.” As we’ll see, however, this is a perspective that gives children hope and encouragement. The part of the picture that the Bible adds, however, is that children are born in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). They are born with God’s imprint and so parents can wonder and celebrate the beauty of God’s creation and the hints of His handiwork that we see in our children (Psalm 139:14).

Despite the Scriptures I cite above, in a survey last year, 65% of Evangelicals agreed with the statement everyone is born “innocent in the eyes of God.” Consider three of the dangerous consequences of that belief.

1. If you believe children are born innocent, then they don’t need God

Children who are born innocent don’t need God. They don’t need a God to teach them, a Saviour to rescue them, the Spirit to empower them, or the Bible to guide them. They just need everyone to get out of the way and let them be true to themselves. But the Bible says the opposite. Proverbs 29:15, for example says, “a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Treating our children as innocent robs them of the relationship with God they need to thrive.

2. If you believe children are born innocent, then they’ll be unprepared to deal with regret

Putting an expectation of innocence on your child sets the child up for failure. Believing that a child will automatically demonstrate love, generosity, patience, and self-control because they’re innocent is like expecting your toddler to do backflips. It just won’t happen. When the child sins, you either have to redefine the sin as “not-sin” or you look the other way and teach your child to do the same. By contrast, the Bible calls parents to train their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4) but with the knowledge that we all fail (Romans 3:23) and need a Saviour who can provide for our forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Treating our children as innocent robs them of the help they need to deal with their sins.

3. If children are born innocent, then children’s sin is all their parents’ fault

It sounds wonderful to say that parents should just enjoy and learn about their child and not worry about trying to “fix” them. But when the child’s behaviour becomes a problem, the parent ends up getting blamed. Since the child was innocent, people start pointing fingers at who might have corrupted the little angel, but the problem was assuming that the child was an angel to begin with. That makes children out to be victims and people who believe that they’re victims will never take ownership of their faults.

You don’t have to believe that a child is born innocent to care about the parent-child connection. We can celebrate the glimpses of God we see in children because they’re created in His image. We can give ourselves to the sacred responsibility we have to train our children. But because we do so as fellow sinners, we don’t just focus on right and wrong. We point them to the God who loves sinners enough to die for them (Romans 5:8). And we seek to imitate His love for us in the way that we love our children.

There’s hope in understanding that our children are born with a broken moral compass (and are parented by adults who also have a broken moral compass). That hope is in Jesus. Look to Him and point to Him as you seek to raise your children.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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January is a time for resolutions. People vow to exercise more, eat less, read, save, and crush their goals. Christians often add to the list more time in Bible reading, prayer, and church. And parents resolve to yell less at their kids and spend more time with them. But the results are mixed at best. Why doesn’t our resolve bring greater change? Why do we struggle to follow through? The Bible doesn’t address the topic of New Year’s resolutions directly, but it does give two formulas that explain why they often fail and how to approach them differently

2 > 1

The first formula is simple: 2 > 1. Mathematically, it’s almost as obvious as 1+1=2. Applied to life, however, the formula comes from Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. He says this:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Independent, lone-ranger North Americans are notorious for ignoring this formula. Instead of just vowing to exercise more, why not find someone to exercise with you? Instead of just deciding to eat less or read more, why not ask someone if you can share your struggles with eating, or reading, or saving, so they can lift you up when you fall down and celebrate your successes when they come? Instead of just trying to spend more time in Bible reading, prayer, and church, why not find one or two others who can share that pursuit with you? For a Christian, those decisions are reinforced in weekly worship but made more specific and personal in regular small group fellowship and in relationships with individual Christians who can pray for you and support you. You alone with your resolutions is a recipe for failure. Look for one or two others to join you.

x – J = 0

The second formula is a little more complicated. If x represents any of the ways that you’d like to change or the things you’d like to accomplish, and J stands for Jesus, the formula says that whatever you try to do without Him results in nothing. It comes from Jesus’ words in John 15:5. That’s where He says:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. By apart from Him, He means apart from a personal relationship with Him – a relationship where we receive His love by faith (John 15:9) and respond to that love by loving others (John 15:12) and obeying His commands (John 15:10). If that doesn’t describe your life, your connection to Jesus is the place to start.

Did Jesus really mean that we can do nothing apart from Him? Obviously, there are plenty of things that we can do. But there’s nothing of lasting significance or ultimate value that we can do without Him. We need Jesus for real change. We need an abiding relationship with Him to fuel genuine transformation.

How are these two formulas functioning in your life? Have you factored them into the resolutions that you’re trying to make? Start with Jesus and add others to your plans for the new year.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Like most people at the end of the year, I get reflective and try to look back over the ground that I’ve covered. When it comes to the writing and speaking I’ve done for Out of Neutral, I want to try to understand which episodes have had the most influence in people’s lives. To do that, I compare the top performing articles and videos and come up with a combined list. This year, the top 10 are dominated by discussions of emotional needs, spiritual abuse, and the differences between Catholics and Protestants. Let’s walk through them in ascending order.

The 4 Voices of Loneliness and How to Answer Them

We can be alone without feeling lonely. God’s Word confronts the thoughts that lead us down the path of loneliness. This episode looks at the different forms that loneliness can take and how to address them from the Bible.

How To Avoid Teaching an Unchristian Message From the Bible

Whether you’re a Sunday School teacher, a youth leader, or just sharing the message of the Bible with your own kids, it’s important that what you say is Christian. Often, it’s not. This post outlines how to get it right

Catholics and Protestants on Prayer to the Saints

This is the first of several posts on the differences between Catholics and Protestants that made it into the top 10. Most Protestants have never considered the verses that Catholics point to in support of prayer to the saints. And most Catholics have never considered what’s really at stake.

Hope When You Feel Hopeless

Feelings of hopelessness can catch people by surprise. And Christians too often turn to Google for answers rather than God’s Word. This post looks at what you can do with the dark clouds when they settle in

What Is Spiritual Abuse and How Can I Discern It

For better or for worse, religion can have a powerful influence in a person’s life. Unfortunately, abusive people can misuse that power for their own selfish ends. This post looks at how to discern spiritual abuse and spiritual abusers.

The Question Nobody’s Asking About “the Slap”

Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards gave many people an opportunity to do what they love to do: talk about other people’s sin. The more important discussion, however, is what to do when you’re the one who’s made the slap or done something that was clearly out of bounds.

4 Ways God Can Help With Your Anger

If Will Smith’s slap got us thinking about how to deal with the aftermath of an angry outburst, this post looked at how God can keep us from getting there. He truly is just what we need to deal with the root causes of anger.

How Abusers Misuse the Bible Against Their Spouses

Merriam-Webster chose “gaslighting” as their word of the year. It describes the way that an abusive person will manipulate someone to make them question their own reality. When that happens in the church, the Bible is often weaponized in the process. This post looks at some of the ways that happens.

What’s the Difference Between How Catholics and Protestants Understand Salvation

Catholics and Protestants share much in common, but they differ in their understanding of what we contribute to our salvation and forgiveness. Does Jesus pay the bill, or does He ask us to split it with Him? This post breaks down the two responses.

What’s the Difference Between How Catholics and Protestants View the Bible

It was appropriate that the most viewed post dealing with the differences between Catholics and Protestants dealt with their views of the Bible. This is difference behind all the other differences. This post clarifies the two views.

Maybe there’s an article you missed or one that you need to give another read.

Let me know what themes or questions you’d like me to address in 2023.

In awe of Him,

Paul

P. S. The following post was published too late to make it into the top 10, but it is already one of the most viewed of the year. If you missed it, check it out: The Greatest Advance in Biblical Studies in the Last 50 Years Was Also the Simplest.

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There’s a lot about our celebration of Christmas that you can do without. Turkey is just too dry for some people. The Hallmark Christmas movies aren’t everybody’s thing. And the gift-giving can feel like it’s feeding commercialism more than it is our souls. There’s a lot about Christmas that you can skip, but what if Jesus skipped Christmas? How would it have been any different if Jesus hadn’t come into this world and been born as a child? Asking that “what if” helps us to see what we need to keep central about our celebration of Christmas.

1. We wouldn’t have a Saviour who gets us

If Jesus skipped Christmas, we wouldn’t have a Saviour who gets us. God can feel distant at times. It’s comforting to know that He loves and cares for us, but we want someone who understands. It’s so encouraging when we meet someone who’s faced what we’re dealing with – someone who’s been through the trenches. That’s one of the reasons that God came into our world. Hebrews 4:15 says, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” and Hebrews 2:18 adds, “because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Jesus went through it all and He felt the pain of this world’s suffering. He suffered poverty, rejection, violence, persecution, torture, grief, and death. He’s been where we are, and so He understands us when we come to Him. Without Christmas, we would have missed this.

2. We wouldn’t have a perfect example

If Jesus skipped Christmas, we wouldn’t have a perfect example. God’s commands are helpful, but it’s not always clear what they look like in real life. Principles and proverbs point us in the right direction, but without Christmas, we would never have seen how they all fit together. Noah was a righteous man, but he had a problem with alcohol. Moses was a role model in some respects, but anger got the best of him. Peter is an example of a disciple, but he had his issues as well. Without Christmas, we wouldn’t have a perfect example of how the will of God is fully realized in a person’s life. 1 John 2:6 says, “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Because Jesus came into this world, we have a perfect example to follow.

3. We wouldn’t have a mediator before God

If Jesus skipped Christmas, we wouldn’t have a mediator before God. As cute as the baby in the manger is, what we really needed was someone who could deal with our guilty verdict before God. We stood condemned for our sins and needed someone who could take sin’s penalty for us and stand between us and God. Most people assume that this is what happened at the cross, but it started in the manger. Jesus could only take our penalty for sin if He didn’t have His own to pay. We needed “a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19), so every act of obedience from the cradle to the cross was crucial. Born into this world as a baby, Jesus is both fully God and fully man, and having provided a perfect sacrifice for sin, He can bridge the gap as our representative before God. As 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Without Christmas, we would have none of this.

As you reflect on Christmas this year, the Christian message isn’t just “let’s all slow down and not get caught up in the commercialism of the season.” What’s magical about Christmas isn’t time with family or nostalgic traditions. The wonder of Christmas is the God who entered our world so that He could go through all the same kinds of trials that we face and gave us an example of how to face them in His perfect will. It’s the celebration of the Saviour who lived the life we didn’t and died the death we deserved so that we could stand before God. May God stir your hearts this Christmas as you reflect on what we enjoy because He came.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The work of scholars is often only ever understood by scholars. And it never seems particularly helpful for the average person. The same is true of biblical studies. But the greatest advance in biblical studies in the last 50 years is also the simplest, and it can transform how anyone reads the Bible.

Brevard Childs published a book in 1975 entitled “Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture,” and it set the entire theological world talking. While he used a fancy term to describe it: “the canonical approach,” his basic thesis was that the Bible is a book and God intended for it to be read as one. (I told you that it was simple!) That may seem obvious to you, but the academic world is still coming to grips with its implications, and you probably haven’t considered them.

1. The Bible is a book and should be read as one

When we say that the Bible is a book, it’s not saying that it’s not the Word of God. It’s just talking about the form in which God has given us His Word. The Bible is a book, and like any other book it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. There’s tension that runs throughout and drives toward a resolution. So, it’s not a coincidence that Genesis begins in paradise and Revelation ends in a renewed, fulfilled paradise. Adam and Eve’s sin ruins what they had, and the plotline running through the rest of the Bible is how God will restore what they destroyed. Keep that plot in mind as you read and ask yourself where you are in the story.

2. The Bible is a book not a daily devotional

Most people don’t read the Bible as a book; they read it as a daily devotional. What I mean is that they pick a portion of the Bible to read each day and assume that all the meaning God wants to communicate to them is contained in that passage. It often isn’t! If we understand that the Bible is a book, then when we read a chapter, it will often only have meaning in relation to the whole. Have you ever jumped in half-way through a movie and tried to figure out what was going on? That’s often what’s happening when you randomly open the Bible to read or take a passage at a time without thinking about the rest of the storyline. Ask yourself how the passage relates to what came before it and always try to think of the big picture.

3. The Bible is a book not just a collection of books

We often talk about “the Book of Ruth” or “the Book of Genesis,” and in Sunday School we put up posters displaying the books of the Bible sitting on a shelf. The impression that gives us is that the Bible is more like a library of sacred writings than it is a unified story. It’s better to see the books of the Bible more like volumes in a multi-volume work. Because of that, the order is important. Nobody picks up Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire if they don’t know what happened in the Prisoner of Azkaban. The same is true, particularly of the Old Testament books. Knowing what happened in the previous book is critical to understanding the significance of the next one. For example, in the Hebrew Bible, Esther is placed after Daniel and so you can’t help comparing and contrasting their hero and heroine. While Daniel wouldn’t defile himself with the pagan king’s food, Esther allows herself to be defiled in the king’s bed. Both will go on to be used by God, but their starting points are different. Daniel inspires as a model of virtue, while Esther is a testament to God’s redemption.

4. The Bible is a book filled with connections

When you start reading the Bible as a book, it helps you to look for connections. There are themes that run from beginning to end, and they develop as you read through. There are promises introduced early on in Scripture that get fulfilled gradually across the chapters of the Bible. The promise in Genesis 3:15, for example, that the offspring of the woman will bruise the head of the offspring of the serpent ties the Bible together and is one of the reasons that birth accounts are so prominent in Scripture. With each significant birth, we’re wondering, “Is this the one who will crush the serpent?” Look for words, concepts, and themes that are repeated in the Bible and watch how they develop in meaning or significance.

Obviously, the biggest problem most people have isn’t that they don’t read the Bible as a book; it’s that they don’t read the Bible at all. May God speak to you as you open yourself to the Bible and all its wonders!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The words “Jesus’ dating advice” may confuse you. Is there a gospel I haven’t read? Is there a passage I missed? You may draw a blank trying to think of what Jesus said about dating at all. And Jesus neither dated nor married. What advice could He offer, anyway? Besides, dating is a fairly recent phenomenon. In first-century Jewish or Roman culture, you didn’t invite someone to the chariot races as a path toward a romantic relationship. Things were different then. But Jesus gave two foundational principles to navigate all of life and they provide a roadmap for approaching areas, like dating, that hadn’t even been developed when He walked the earth.

Many people are familiar with the exchange where Jesus was asked the greatest commandment in Scripture. He gave the person two. Matthew 22:37-39 records the now-famous words.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. – Matthew 22:37-39

Love God with all you’ve got and love your neighbour as yourself. Those two commands are to shape our response to life. When it comes to dating, though, our instincts – even if you’re a Christian – are often influenced more by Love Island and The Bachelorette than anything Jesus ever said. Let me break down how you might apply His response in Matthew 22 to your dating life.

1. It starts and ends with God

Most dating begins with an almost desperate yearning for companionship and romance. It begins with our needs and is fuelled by our desire to fill them. And it feels like we’re in a competition with limited supply, so we’ll often do whatever it takes to get what we need. The process often makes people feel cheap and can be marked by regret, frustration, and pressure.

Jesus’ approach to dating, by contrast, begins and ends with God. It recognizes that God is the One whom we are first called to love and it’s God’s presence in our lives that truly satisfies. It also helps us remember that God is the One who provides companionship. He was the One who saw that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone and provided a partner for him. When we love God first, we have a relationship with a God who cares about our needs for companionship and guides us in the process. We’re not alone in it anymore. At the same time, when He’s our first love, then His commands rather than a date’s expectations form the basis of our actions and the standards we keep. We know that a partner we secure through compromise is not the partner God has provided.

2. It’s more about giving than taking

The second half of Jesus’ response is just as practical as the first. The command to love your neighbour as yourself teaches you that dating has to be more about giving than taking. The reality shows keep sending the message that dating is about trying to lure the richest or the hottest partner you can find. So, of course, the most important thing you can do is spend as much time as possible in the gym, get a great car, and dress and act in a way that will maximize your impact. If I’m going to use a give-not-take approach to dating, though, things will be different.

My goal won’t be to pretend to be someone I’m not or to snag the richest or the hottest person I can. I’ll instead seek to bless, affirm, and encourage the people I meet. I’ll try to help a date get a clearer sense of who I am and what I value and learn the same about them, believing again that God provides a companion, so it’s not a game I’m trying to win. And faith and character will take priority – both mine and theirs – because neither money nor looks can fuel a love that goes the distance. Besides, dating should always have marriage in view, and marriage is defined by sacrifice, commitment, and service. The end should shape the beginning.

What’s your take on Jesus’ advice for dating? What questions does it still leave unanswered? Where does it still leave you confused?

May God guide you in the journey as you follow Jesus’ advice for dating.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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We hear sin talked about in terms of its eternal consequences and the wonder of Jesus’ forgiveness so much that we can start to think that there’s nothing more to it. The problem with that is that it can make us feel as if there’s no reason to deny ourselves. In a moment of weakness, Christian grace can feel like a hall pass that nullifies all the consequences of sin. That’s not helpful.

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When we decided that it would be cheaper to pump our own gas than have someone do it for us, the calculation was that it was gas that we needed, and the people involved were just a wasted expense. The same value judgment went into ATM machines and self-serve kiosks. It’s only natural that we would be tempted to see church through the same lens that we see gas stations, banks, and grocery stores.

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The tendency is to view verses about hope like the decorations of the Bible – pleasant thoughts that aren’t very functional. But getting serious about hope is one of the primary means God has given us to make progress in personal growth and maturity.

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Maybe you do take a step to follow Jesus in an area of your life that’s new to you. As you do, you’re liable to hear voices of self-doubt. “You’re a fraud. What do you think you’re doing? How long do you think you’ll be able to keep this up?” Those voices have the potential to turn you back to your old ways in defeat. By faith, you can answer them, “God has made me new. This is who I am now. This is the path of my new life.”

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Maisie Williams has accomplished more in the first 25 years of her life than most of us could hope to in a lifetime. Knowing that, it’s surprising, perhaps, to hear her admit that she often lies “in bed at night telling myself all the things I hate about myself.” How do you deal with feelings of shame that seem to punish and condemn you?

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The Fyre Festival, the Tinder Swindler, and Anna Delvey, the Sinfluencer of Soho, have all put the spotlight on people’s capacity to perpetrate fraud and lie if it’s to their advantage. Could that be how Christianity’s claims of miracles and a Messiah were first spread? Did Jesus and His disciples set up a Ponzi scheme and lie their way to religious prominence? There was a time when I would have thought so, but Watergate convinced me otherwise.

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It’s amazing how many things we accept on faith. In science class, we’re taught about the existence of molecules and dark matter, and we all nod our heads in acceptance. In history class, we learn about the lives of Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte, and no one questions their reality. But when it comes to the existence of God or the life and message of a person like Jesus, the standard changes. We need evidence and confirmation. And rightly so. We recognize that there’s more at stake. The challenge is to figure out what that evidence might look like.

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Pascal’s wager is a famous idea that employs game theory to help people to think through the implications of countering the offer of Jesus’ good news with a response like, “I just don’t have the faith to believe.” The wager asks a person to consider their response to Jesus as they would a bet or any other important decision. He lays out a cost-benefit analysis for people to consider.

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In 1505, Martin Luther was returning home after having started studies in law, when he found himself in a thunderstorm that made him fear for his life. He sought shelter by a large rock and famously cried out, “Help me, Saint Anne, and I will become a monk.” Luther was spared any harm and he returned home, had a party with his friends, and entered a monastery never to study law again. He later came to reflect on this moment and was convicted that he was wrong in treating Saint Anne in a way that he was convinced only God should be treated. This remains a point of disagreement between Catholics and Protestants to this day.

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He said, “We’re all part of the problem, and we’re all part of the solution.” Webber responded with his own one-line summary: “We’re all part of the problem, but there is only man who is the solution. His name is Jesus.” The distinction between those two answers is at the heart of what distinguishes Christianity from what many people believe today.

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The church building can be a safety blanket for Christians. It’s our home turf, but it can be an obstacle to many. Taking part in a community event helped us get to know organizers and others who care about our city. We didn’t change the world, but we showed up and were able to bless our city and be blessed by the people we met and the discussions God opened up.

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Many Protestants assume that Catholics teach that you need faith and works to be saved. Catholics, similarly, often assume that Protestants teach that works are irrelevant to salvation. The reality for both is more nuanced.

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Both Catholics and Protestants see Jesus as central to forgiveness and salvation. They differ, though, in their understanding of what we can contribute to our salvation and forgiveness. Does Jesus pay the bill, or does He ask us to split it with Him?

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Catholicism teaches that Scripture and Tradition have equal authority while the Protestant church has held that the Bible is the only authoritative standard by which everything else is judged. This is the difference behind all the other differences.

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People search Google almost four million times per minute and watch a billion hours of video on YouTube every day. The question we should all be asking is, Will they find Jesus there?

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An unchristian message about discipleship or the Christian life is one where our effort is the only solution to the problem. It’s the message that says, “Be a good person” and “Just try harder.” Or worse yet, “You’re a terrible person; look how bad you are.” These messages create Pharisees, not Christians. So how do you avoid teaching an unchristian message from the Bible? Let me offer four questions to ask any time you prepare a talk whether it’s for a youth group, a Sunday School class, or even your own kids.

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If you don’t give people mental breathers in your talk, they’ll probably just take them and end up daydreaming or tuning out when you need them to lean in. Your talk should have a healthy rhythm of explanation, application, and illustration to keep people engaged and help them to listen.

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Some people love to dig into the original setting of the Bible passage they’re teaching. When done poorly, these messages can sound like history lectures. Other people are determined to be more relevant. It feels easier to apply, but it’s not always clear that the message came from the Bible or whether something was lost in translation. Let’s consider how to cross the bridge into the setting of the Bible and then back across the bridge into the present context.

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I thought that the goal of a message from the Bible was to tell people what the Bible says and how it applies to our lives. But I was missing a crucial step that’s essential to avoid losing people as you speak. I didn’t realize the importance of organizing my talk around a central idea. Let me share why that’s important and how you can do it.

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Just because you’ve sat through a bunch of sermons and Bible studies, it doesn’t mean that you understand what makes them work when they do or fall apart when they don’t. Let’s dissect some of the most common reasons an otherwise interesting Bible message lacks power or impact. Then, hopefully, next time you have an opportunity to give a talk, you’ll know where to start.

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Kacey Musgraves’ 2013 hit, Follow Your Arrow, expresses the frustrations that many people grapple with. It talks about the weight of people’s expectations and the pain of not being able to please people. What do you do when people’s expectations are crushing you?

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He’s essentially come to the conclusion that life is meaningless and insignificant, so he recommends just enjoying it. As you hear him talk about the freedom and happiness he enjoys, you start to wonder whether it matters if life has any meaning or not.

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You don’t have to be following Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard to know how dangerous anger can be when it’s out of control. We all know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a person’s anger. And we’ve also seen the damage that our own anger has caused. There are 4 specific roles that God alone can fill in helping us to deal with our anger in constructive ways.

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We often assume that somebody that pretty or that successful couldn’t be lonely. It’s like we assume loneliness is the penalty that you get for not measuring up in the game of life. Not only is that not true, but it adds the weight of condemnation to the pain of loneliness itself. Loneliness affects just about everyone at different points in their life, but it comes in different forms. Consider the 4 voices of loneliness and how you can answer them.

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Depending on how the person has approached their self-improvement goal, success can be very satisfying, but it can also subtly make the person prouder and more critical. Don’t you love the co-worker who’s lost 20 pounds and then becomes self-righteous about their new exercise routine and eating habits? How do you make positive change in your life without starting to think that you’re better than other people?

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When Jim Carrey announced the nominees for Best Motion Picture in Comedy at the 2017 Golden Globes Ceremony, he made a joke that everyone in the room knew was all too real. He said: “You know, when I go to sleep at night, I'm not just a guy going to sleep. I'm two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey, going to get some well-needed shuteye. And when I dream, I don't just dream any old dream. No sir. I dream about being three-time Golden Globe winning actor, Jim Carrey. Because then I would be enough. It would finally be true. And I could stop this terrible search for what I know ultimately won't fulfill me.” Cue nervous laughter.

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Feelings of hopelessness usually catch people by surprise. It’s as if we assign those kinds of negative feelings to a certain personality type and we assume that we’re immune. But dark clouds can settle in on anyone’s outlook. The question is what you can do about them.

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In the days following Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, almost every aspect of the altercation was dissected. Did Chris Rock know that Pinket Smith had alopecia? Did the domestic violence that Will Smith witnessed as a child trigger his passion in defending his wife? Was the Academy to blame in not removing Smith from the ceremony? Fellow actors have rushed in to express their feelings of outrage or support. Analysts plot Smith’s next moves. And everybody seems to love “being concerned.” But there’s a question that nobody’s bothered to ask.

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More often than not, conflict happens because someone wants to get their own way, and they end up hurting someone else in the process. At that point, neither person wants resolution: one wants victory, and the other wants justice.

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It’s the stress under the stress that makes most of the typical suggestions for stress relief limited in their effectiveness. The good news is that while you often can’t immediately deal with the stressors in your life, you can address the stress under the stressors. You can deal with the underlying needs that magnify stress in your life.

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“Tell your wife and kids you love them tonight. I shall do the same as I really don’t know if I will have many more chances to do so.” Those were the words of a man exposed by the 2015 hack of the Ashley Madison website. The site was started by a Toronto-born entrepreneur with the slogan: “Life is short, have an affair” and boasted tens of millions of users in more than 50 countries. When it was hacked, their entire database was released online and there were reports of suicide, divorce, and online shaming of users. While the forms of sexual temptation vary in each generation, the reality and painful consequences of it don’t. I fear that we’re missing some of the Bible’s old-school wisdom in this area. Consider these principles from the Book of Proverbs.

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Nobody wants to look back on their decisions with regret, but often we struggle to understand the right direction. I read one article that gave a list of ways to make better decisions. It began with the following: 1. Don’t fear the consequences 2. Go with your gut instincts 3. Consider your emotions If God doesn’t care and it’s all up to us, maybe that’s the best that we can do. It’s not hard to see how that advice for decision-making could end very, very badly, however. The Book of Proverbs gives us a far more reliable grid through which to process our decisions.

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Are you spending more time with cyber friends than neighbourhood friends? Are you focused more on quantity of friendships than quality? Are you listening to the kind of voices that are fuelling your anger? Or have you let charm and beauty take the priority that character and God’s grace were intended to have in your thinking? Let the Bible’s ancient wisdom guard your interaction with social media today.

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The late Nelson Mandela once said, “It is never my custom to use words lightly. If 27 years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.” Although we’ve all experienced more solitude and isolation over the last two years, we haven’t necessarily grown in our respect for the impact of our words and how we use them.

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When you leave your own culture, you learn things about it. One of the things that I learned about Canadian culture when I moved to Japan is that we don’t seem to place a high value on wisdom. In Canada, we work hard at helping our children learn skills with lots of after-school clubs and activities, but in Japan, proverbs still have a significant place in a child’s development. In kindergarten, our children started learning Japanese proverbs along with the other kids. There are lots of well-made comic books that introduce them to age-old truisms that are recognized across society. In elementary school, children are formally taught proverbs and even tested on them. As a result, children grow with a sense that older generations possess wisdom about how life can be navigated effectively.

By contrast, many of the children’s stories that we prize in Canada celebrate the children who break with tradition, ignore their parent’s advice, follow their hearts, and go their own ways. We emphasize self-discovery and self-expression, and wisdom is lost in the process. You can see the consequences of this focus in people’s faith. Today, we’re better at expressing ourselves in small groups, worship, and social media, but a lot weaker in godly wisdom. We study the Bible less, read fewer Christian books, memorize fewer verses, and seldom take the time to learn from those who are older. We can correct this. The following is a basic strategy for pursuing wisdom.

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When your partner mocks your words, keeps you from speaking, and distorts what you said or did to control the discussion, it’s a powerplay not just an argument.

Is It Abuse?: A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims

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Spiritual abuse is powerful because it feeds on the guilt and shame that we can all experience and uses the Scriptures to assert control rather than to minister. Here are some Scriptures to use and questions to ask to discern spiritual abuse.

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If you’ve seen the heartache and struggles of those who find themselves married to an abusive spouse, you’d do anything to try to help someone avoid that kind of pain. The problem is that most people have no idea that their spouse will turn out to be abusive until after the wedding. When you’re dating someone, there are so many things that you’re learning about the other person. And the excitement and thrill of being in love inevitably cloud your judgment and keep you from seeing things that you might otherwise notice. In her excellent book, “Is It Abuse?” Darby Strickland defines what the root of oppression is and gives a premarital assessment designed to help you identify the warning signs of abuse before it happens. Let me share some of the insights that stood out to me.

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This week, I had a strange experience with two books on marriage. I finished reading Darby Strickland’s book, “Is It Abuse?” and started reading Tim and Kathy Keller’s book, “The Meaning of Marriage.” Both of them are excellent. Both of them address the topic of marriage from the Scriptures. But it’s as if they’re addressed to people from two different worlds. The first helps people to identify whether domestic abuse is present in a relationship and gives strategies for addressing it. The second helps people discover how a marriage can become all it was intended to be. Reading one gave me new awareness in reading the second. I realized that in only approaching marriage from the ideal that the Bible presents, there are principles that can be misunderstood and even used by abusers to manipulate their spouses.

The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

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As you look through the lists of qualifications for elders in the New Testament, you can’t find words like tough, outspoken, bold, or unrelenting. In their place is the call to gentleness. An elder is someone who is neither quarrelsome nor arrogant but is marked by a considerate attitude toward others. Consider whether you’re gentle enough to do the hard work of Christian leadership.

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The most common term to refer to church leaders in the New Testament is “elder,” but it sounds foreign because we value youth so much today. The tech revolution has deemed most people who are over 30 as out-of-date, and so calling leaders “elders” seems to require that they be old and traditional. There’s value in holding onto the term, though. While it doesn’t demand a certain age, designating Christian leaders as “elders” does draw attention to the value of time as a necessary preparation for the role. In response to the question, “How old do you have to be to become an elder?” the Bible seems to answer in several ways.

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At the end of the year, I like to check back and see what articles and videos gained the most traction. This year, 3 of the top 10 related to Christian living and the gospel, 3 focused on predestination, and 4 dealt with the pandemic and mental health. Maybe there’s something you missed, or maybe there’s something you want to give another look. Here are the top 10 in ascending order.

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Early in the pandemic, I thought I was taking a long-term approach to all that was happening. I knew that we couldn’t just hold our breath for a few weeks or months and hope that it would all blow over. I knew that we had to settle in for the long haul and develop long-term strategies to cope in the midst of an extended battle with COVID-19. We’re now well past what I had anticipated, and all reports are that we still have a long way to go. I want to share what I learned about how Christians are faring in the pandemic from The Fellowship’s recent national conference and suggest some areas where we need to pray and give attention.

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We all know that Christian leadership is different than leadership in other areas. We’re not surprised to see certain requirements that you wouldn’t see, for example, in a senior management position. But there’s always been one requirement that seemed out of place. The qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 both list “hospitality.” Can you imagine being interviewed for an executive role and being asked about your grilling skills and the frequency of your dinner parties? Is that what’s required of an elder? Why is hospitality one of the essentials of Christian leadership?

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If you can smile and make conversation on a Sunday morning and are willing to volunteer to help, chances are someone will eventually ask you to lead. How do you know if you’re ready? Just smiling and putting up your hand surely aren’t the qualifications. In the case of an elder, the lines are drawn pretty clearly in Scripture. We looked last time at the first of those qualifications: integrity. Today, let’s consider self-control from 3 different angles.

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What should you do if you’re asked to serve as an elder? Do you decide on the basis of related work experience? Is there an x-factor you should know about? Is it a question of who has the strongest opinions or whether you think you could make better decisions than the current elders? The Bible gives a clear benchmark, and the starting point is integrity. But it’s not just a requirement of elders. It’s the goal of all discipleship and should characterize every believer. We all need to work on integrity whether we’re ever asked to become leaders or not. The Christian version of integrity is slightly different than how people typically conceive of it, though. Let me explain.

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Japan isn’t known for its level of English proficiency, but there’s a 3-word phrase that will elicit a knowing smile from almost any Japanese person wherever you go in the country. The phrase is, “Boys, be ambitious,” and it came from the farewell address that William Smith Clark made after an 8-month stint as head of the Sapporo Agricultural College in 1877. Today, there are statues of Clark bearing the phrase and a painting in the state capitol building in Sapporo with a full text of his speech. Clark was a devout Christian but is the phrase by which he’s remembered Christian? Should a Christian be ambitious? Or was this just an export of American capitalism? I think the answer is yes and no, depending on how we define the term. Let me explain.

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Every so often, something will happen to trigger a national conversation about injustice against Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Sometimes, it’s the disappearance or death of an Indigenous woman that doesn’t seem to have been adequately investigated. Other times, it’s a dispute over a land claim. This summer, it was the reports of the graves of Indigenous children associated with residential schools that brought the conversation to a head. When this happens, people search for ways to respond. For some, that has meant anger or vandalism. For others, politicization or indifference. And some have responded with hashtags, T-shirts, and land acknowledgements. Over the last number of months, I have sought to listen. I’ve listened to the partners we support in Indigenous ministry. I’ve listened to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I’ve read the Calls to Action. And I’ve tried to ask: How should we respond? Let me share what I’ve heard.

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When you first start reading the Bible, it’s all so new that just taking it in can be overwhelming. As you begin to read more consistently, though, you can’t help but notice that stories about Jesus are often repeated in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In fact, Jesus’ teachings are often repeated also. As you wonder why, you might be told that the gospel writers are each giving an account of the event from their own perspective like witnesses to a traffic accident. And that much is true, but the reality is a little more complicated, and it affects how you should read what they’ve written. Let me explain.

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Christians love the Parable of the Prodigal Son. And why wouldn’t we? There’s drama, loss, family tension, crisis, and reconciliation – all the ingredients of a great story! While it’s one that we love, there are lessons that we seem to keep missing when we read it. Maybe that’s because we’re so busy reminiscing about our own return to the Father, that we miss what He’s trying to tell us. But we really can’t afford to. Jesus’ parable wasn’t just told as a beautiful illustration of the gospel. It was told in response to the grumbling of the religious elite over his eating and drinking with sinners (Luke 15:1-2). There are 3 lessons we can’t afford to miss.

1. We don’t win the lost by forcing them to stay

It may be incidental to the focus of the story, but one can’t help but contrast the father’s response to the prodigal’s desire to leave (Luke 15:12) with the response of many parents and churches when someone has abandoned their faith. When the son asks to move out, the father allows him to do so but doesn’t shield him from the consequences of his foolish decisions (Luke 15:13-16). While appeals, encouragements, and invitations are commendable, parents often resort to bargaining and churches can apply guilt and pressure in an attempt to force outward conformity where there is no inward desire. The prodigal is only driven farther away, and the gospel is cheapened in the process. Far better to let the person leave with the experience of grace and the warning of judgment than try to manipulate, coerce, or control.

2. We don’t welcome the lost by ignoring repentance

In the story, the father is clearly more concerned with his son’s return than he is that he gets the words right in his admission of sin. Grace and love are to dominate our response to the lost. It is not insignificant, however, that Jesus includes such a clear and unequivocal statement of repentance from the prodigal. This mirrors John the Baptist’s call to sinners (Matt 3:2, 8) as well as Jesus’ own good news message (Matt 4:17). When we hand over the “ring” and the “robe” to a sinner just for showing up we do both them and the gospel a disservice. I remember an individual who claimed to be a Christian. Every so often, he would take a vacation from Jesus. He would check out from fellowship, service, church attendance, and Christian living for many months at a time. When he returned, the church celebrated. But because no one cared enough to confront what had happened and why, the pattern continued, and the sin remained a private tyranny.

3. Nothing should bring believers more joy than the salvation of the lost

It must have been heartbreaking for Jesus to be confronted with a religious community whose values were so completely out of step with the Father’s. The Pharisees were concerned with their own status and their own righteousness, but not with the lost. Their needs had become primary, and they resented Jesus giving attention to people they felt were not worthy of him. His depiction of the selfish, brooding older brother who is thinking about how he should be rewarded instead of celebrating the return of a lost brother confronts this attitude directly. It is easy for a church to become consumed with its own needs and for believers to focus on good pursuits like Bible study and personal growth while missing the heart of the Father through their failure to embrace his pursuit of sinners. Jesus is calling the church to share the Father’s compassion who looked for the prodigal “while he was still a long way off” and when he saw him “felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Do you see the spiritual needs of the people around you? Do you spend time eating with them the way that Jesus did with the hope of leading them home? Do you let other priorities get in the way of the lost that Jesus has sent us to reach?

We all need to hear the message of Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son afresh today. May God guide you as you apply its lesson.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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So, you’ve decided to read the Bible. You open the passage. You read it a couple of times and you notice some interesting things. Your curiosity takes over. Why is that there? Why is it phrased that way? Why didn’t they say this instead? Before you know it, you’ve spent the entire time you had set aside for Bible study going down rabbit holes and, in the end, learning very little about what God was likely trying to teach you. I had an experience like this yesterday. And it reminded me how critical it is to look for the right things and ask the right questions as you read the Word of God. Missing the forest for the trees is a real danger in Bible study and it’s one that we can all avoid. Let me explain.

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Have you ever wondered how much confidence you should put in the four gospel accounts that open the New Testament? Are they just legends? Should we read them as reliable accounts of what Jesus actually did? Could they have preserved Jesus’ teachings after such a long time? These are questions I asked when I first began to investigate Christianity, but a course that I’m taking in the gospels with Wayne Baxter this term has given me greater clarity in understanding them. Let me share what I’ve learned.

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Jesus’ miracles are only hard to believe if we assume that He’s an imposter. His supernatural acts only detract from His message if we don’t allow for the possibility of an all-powerful God.

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When God sees His children is He shaking His head in frustration? Or is He graciously looking away from the areas where we still falter? How should believers understand God’s attitude toward them when they sin?

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Most children learn to ride a bicycle by starting with training wheels. If we’re honest, training wheels look a little goofy. Riding with them is a little clunky at first. And no child wants to be hanging out with their teen friends with the training wheels still on. But figuring out everything about riding a bike all at once is often too difficult for a child. The training wheels focus the adjustment and help the child get used to the mechanics of steering and pushing the pedals. After they’ve mastered this, they can focus more on balance. With the training wheels off and the basics figured out, a child might even try out some tricks. Starting with the tricks and ignoring the training wheels is a recipe for disaster, though. I think the same is true of parenting. I’m grateful for the advice I was given about paying attention to the various stages of parenting and what to focus on when. Let me share what I feel are the two most important areas to try and get right.

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The application to vaccines and COVID-19 should be clear. People can have genuine medical reservations about getting vaccinated. But refusing the medical means that God has provided to protect you from a virus because of a mistaken belief that your faith makes you immune is a conviction promoted by Satan not God.

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The challenges of parenting start early. Most birth stories sound like thrillers, filled with tension, jump scenes, and a piercing soundtrack. After the birth, you have to cope with sleep deprivation and the emotional and often inexplicable crying. The excitement of early accomplishments like crawling, walking, and the first words are often offset by worries of whether those milestones are late, slow, or somehow signals of disadvantage compared to peers or your most vocal relative’s memory of when these things are supposed to happen. And then comes one of the biggest challenges of all: the first time your child responds with a defiant, “No!” What do you do when your child rejects your authority and crosses the line you’ve told them not to cross? Let’s look at two common options and a third alternative that the Bible gives.

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I was on a road trip with my two sons and something they said led me to share a very personal story. I went into detail about what happened, what I’d learned, and how it had such an impact on me. As I came to the end, I looked over at my sons, half-hoping to see wide-eyed expression of wonder and awe. They were both fast asleep! Communicating with children is hard. Let me share some tips from the Bible about how to speak in a way that reaches your child.

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If you’re a parent, you’ll likely spend a good portion of your time on this earth thinking about, caring for, and spending money on your children. They are inevitably the single biggest investment you’ll make in life. How much time have you given to thinking about what you’re actually trying to do for your children? Is your end goal that they’d like you? That they become financially successful? That they be independent? That they be kind, strong, or environmentally conscious? That they be religious? The work of parenting can be so all-consuming that we lose sight of what we’re aiming for. The crises of parenting can be so overwhelming that we forget what we’re trying to accomplish. Opportunities are lost as a result. And later we can regret them. Let me share what I feel is an inadequate end goal that we often settle for and two alternatives I believe God calls us to.

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A few weeks ago, we hosted several mental health professionals for a seminar entitled, “Renewed not Defeated: How to End the Pandemic Mentally Healthier Than You Started.” As I listened to the speakers, it struck me how complex mental health is. They talked about physical factors like diet, exercise, and chemical imbalances. They talked about social factors like isolation, group involvement, and safe relationships. They talked about factors related to trauma and abuse. They talked a lot about what I’ll call wisdom factors. When we believe things that aren’t true and develop habits that are unwise, it affects our mental health. They also talked about how God can help. Let me share what I learned and how I relate.

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People like William Carey and Hudson Taylor get mentioned so often in conversations about missions that you could get the impression that the spread of Christianity is just the story of European evangelistic exploits. That certainly isn’t the case. Today, Christianity is thriving in Africa while it is struggling to survive in many parts of Europe. And now there are more missionaries being sent out from South Korea, Brazil, and Nigeria than any country in Europe. I’ve been reading a book called Clouds of Witnesses that chronicles the contributions of African and Asian Christians to the church. Because Grace Baptist has been so blessed by the testimony and ministry of Zimbabweans over the years, I was intrigued to learn about Bernard Mizeki, one of the first missionaries to bring the Gospel to that nation.

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In 2016, Jerry Bridges passed away from heart failure. His writings, perhaps more than anyone, have made a deep impact on my life. I share them with you in the hopes that maybe you’ll add one of them to your summer reading list.

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I don’t have a bone to pick with the Baldwins’ parenting decisions and certainly not little Rafael. If I were to broadcast some of my early parenting exploits to millions of followers in real-time, I would be embarrassed about plenty of the things that I had done and not done. I do think that Hilaria has powerfully articulated one of the prevailing North American approaches to parental authority, however, and I think that it’s worth comparing with the Bible’s approach.

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I remember speaking to someone who compared the Christian life to their oral hygiene. They said, “It’s like brushing my teeth. I don't have a desire to do it, but I know that it's good for me, and I believe my dentist has the best interest for my teeth.” I wonder whether you identify with these words. I did. Let me share with you some of what I wrote in case it helps when you find yourself going through the motions in your relationship with God.

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Today, there’s a tendency to understand our sense of who we are in light of our feelings and ourselves. ‘The answer’s in our heart,’ we’re told, but many people don’t like the answers they find there. Our heart can be cruel and often it misleads us. There’s a song by Casting Crowns called “Who am I?” that captures the comfort and reassurance of somebody who has built their sense of identity from the Bible. It says: Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth Would care to know my name Would care to feel my hurt Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star Would choose to light the way For my ever-wandering heart In a single stanza of their song, they express a number of unique aspects of the Bible’s perspective on identity. Notice that there’s no disguising the weakness. He can acknowledge his hurt and even admit to having a wandering heart. He can do this because he feels the care and attention of a God who sees him for who he is and still loves him. He can also do this because he sees Jesus ‘lighting the way’ and helping him to become all that he longs to be. These three aspects of a healthy identity come straight from the Bible.

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Different versions of the following quote are attributed to Henri Nouwen. “We are not what we do, we are not what we have, we are not what others think of us. Coming home is claiming the truth: I am the beloved child of a loving creator.” After almost two decades as a celebrated professor at universities like Yale and Harvard, he went to work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was only natural that he thought deeply about identity. I want to consider what we need to learn from this statement, what we need to clarify, and what’s wrong with the popular alternative to it.

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Today, the question of identity is bigger than it’s ever been. ‘Who am I?’ isn’t just a question for philosophers. Who are you? And how can you know whether your approach to understanding your identity will help or hinder you as you go through life? Let me compare three options.

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In my high school days, the music of the Pet Shop Boys was a huge part of my life at a time of life when music seems so important. Recently, I heard their song, “It’s a Sin,” and reflected on its message with sadness and regret. His words give voice to many people’s experience of religion. Let me share what I’d want Tennant, and the many others who have shared his experience, to know about the God of the Bible.

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Ever read that God chooses to save some people and not others and wanted to point the person to some verses they hadn’t considered? Do you find that people’s explanation of election doesn’t do justice to how you understand God’s working in the Bible? Let’s consider some of those verses together.

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Have you ever thought about why you believed in Jesus when so many others don’t? Were you smarter? More spiritual? Were you just born in the right family or did you just meet the right friend? Was it luck, or was it something deeper at work? Before someone hears the good news, they usually assume that they can save themselves. With enough moral effort, they believe they can earn God’s approval because they underestimate the consequences of sin and their need for God’s grace.

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In Luke 9:25, Jesus asked, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” He was saying that you can get everything you want but lose yourself along the way. You can do whatever you want, but you might not like the person you become in the process.

What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

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Have you ever found yourself in an argument that never seemed to go anywhere? People dig in their heels and end up repeating themselves as they try to convince each other that they’re right. Often when that happens, we need to step back and look at the problem from a different angle.

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I don’t think we want to compartmentalize our faith, but often we do. We don’t try to be Sunday Christians, but the label sometimes fits. It can be a struggle to connect our faith with the rest of our week. When you’re cleaning up after your kids or facing a deadline at work, does it matter that you’re a Christian? Is there a Christian way to approach architecture, sales, or manufacturing? Should there be something distinctive about a Christian’s shopping, free time, or sleep schedule? I’d like to suggest three biblical principles that can help you take your faith 24/7.

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There’s a scene from the old movie, Superman, where Clark Kent’s father says to him: “Son, you’re here for a special reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but I know one thing – it’s not to score touchdowns.” His father’s intent isn’t to knock football, but to challenge his son to live in light of what he’s been created to do. I think Christians can often lose sight of that focus. Somewhere along the line, we get the impression that God’s goal is to just keep us from sinning. As long as we don’t do anything terrible, He’s not too concerned about what we do. But that’s not the Christian message at all.

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Intro: Isolation, monotony, and the extra demands that come with COVID-19 have left many of us feeling worn out. While there’s more stress, many of our usual outlets for stress relief are gone. And so much of our lives is beyond our control. We can’t control the arrival of the vaccines, the extent of the restrictions or when life will return to normal. But there are things that we can do to ease our stress. Writing while chained to a Roman guard and knowing that the people to whom he wrote might soon face the same kind of persecution, Paul explained how they could experience the peace of God. His words have given people peace ever since. Three lessons stand out.

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Most people feel that God is angry and judgmental in the Old Testament but full of love and forgiveness in the New Testament. And they struggle to read the Old Testament as a result. But Jesus constantly quoted from it and Paul said that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Are we reading the Old Testament the way they did? I think that there are at least three things that can help us reconcile the depictions of God in the Old and New Testaments.

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As we deal with another lockdown, the effects of the past year are mounting up. There are struggles with isolation and anxiety. Plans that we put our hopes in for relief and escape keep getting pushed out farther into the future. We can feel helpless and wonder how much gas is left in the tank. Even the language can add to our stress. When we hear that the premier’s pulling “the emergency brake,” it sounds like we’re in a car that’s skidding out of control and we’re about to do some risky maneuver. When they say that we’re in a “lockdown” or under “stay-at-home orders,” you can’t help but picture bars on the doors or at least a monitoring anklet to ensure that we don’t escape.

The apostle Paul was actually under stay-at-home orders when he wrote the book of Philippians. He was chained to rotating shifts of Roman guards who ensured that he stayed put. He wasn’t waiting for a vaccine to bring his lockdown to an end. He was waiting on a trial that would likely end in his death. Despite his circumstances, he exuded joy, hope, and confidence. What can we learn from him to better cope with the lockdown that we’re facing?

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Over time, it’s easy for historical figures to be seen as caricatures. We’re not so concerned with the details of their lives so much as what we think they stood for. As a result, we can treat them as mascots for our cause, rather than hearing them on their own terms. That seems to have happened with Jesus in a number of different ways. Some people believe in Jesus, the moral teacher. Others esteem Jesus as a prophet. Some see Jesus as a champion of social justice. And still others see Him as an ally for conservative politics. What Jesus do you believe in? And more importantly, who do the Scriptures reveal Him to be?

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We create sayings to remind ourselves about things we recognize as important:

“Keep the main thing, the main thing”
“First things first”
“Don’t sweat the small stuff”

Each of these slogans helps us remember the importance of prioritizing our priorities. And they highlight the reality that often other things distract us from what we believe should be central.

The church is not immune to this. I’ve seen Christians become obsessed with ‘biblical’ diets, numerology, church growth, the end times, particular forms of worship, home-schooling, social justice, speaking in tongues, and not speaking in tongues. In each case, a secondary issue became an all-consuming issue. In some cases, a good thing became a bad thing because it replaced the best thing. At times, I despaired that Christians seemed to get excited about almost anything other than the gospel!

Today, there is a trend to make the gospel a priority. But like all trends, this one will likely pass. When it does, we will still have God’s appointed means for keeping the gospel front and centre in our lives: The Lord’s Supper. Let me explain three ways that the Lord’s Supper can help us remember to keep our focus on the gospel.

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I used to live in a community where there were a lot of scientists. It seemed like almost everyone had a PhD. I would often ask people about their work but when they tried to explain it one of two things usually happened. Either they would lose me in a long monologue filled with technical jargon and confusing detail or else they would give a one-word answer as if to say, ‘You’re not going to understand this and I’m tired of trying to explain myself to people.’

I fear that the same thing happens when we have opportunities to share our faith. We either over-complicate the message or give up because we don’t feel qualified to explain it. How unfortunate it would be for the people you care about not to ever hear the good news of salvation because you were never able to explain it simply. With a little preparation, I’m convinced that anyone can share the good news. Specifically, I think there are eleven verses that every Christian should learn to share their faith.

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When our dryer broke down last summer, I was faced with one of those buying decisions that I wanted to get right. I looked at ads, studied manufacturer’s websites, and read some comparison guides. But I knew that as detailed as those were, they were all written by people who were paid to explain a point of view. And so I didn’t feel my research was complete until I read the consumer reviews of my top contenders. What did people love? What did they find annoying? What surprised them? Reviews can help you find a trusted book, a better plumber, and avoid a restaurant with terrible service. The only thing better than an online review is a personal one. When someone you trust tells you about their experience with a great product or a fabulous service, it can help overcome a lot of doubts. The same is true when we tell others about our experience in meeting Jesus. In fact, the Bible says that we should leave Him lots of reviews. Let me explain.

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Sometimes, our attempts to share our faith are little more than spamming the gospel. We go with the cheapest, most impersonal way to get the good news out. But gospel spam isn’t much more effective than the other spam that we receive. It’s quickly identified and sent to the trash. How can you be more than a gospel spammer?

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As a former missionary, I’ve preached a lot of sermons on the Great Commission. Jesus famously called His disciples to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18). Those words have inspired Christians to take the good news of the gospel around the world. As urgently as I feel the need to share the good news with people at the ends of the earth, I fear that many Christians don’t even share their faith within the walls of their own church. Let me explain.

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As you read the Old Testament, it’s clear that giving God tithes, or the first 10% of your income, is a big thing. It’s modeled by people like Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20) and Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22) even before the law was introduced. It’s commanded in the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 27:30). And when people neglect tithing, God equates it with robbing Him (Malachi 3:8). In the New Testament, it doesn’t seem to be mentioned as much. Understanding why helps us see how God’s vision for our finances has been transformed by Jesus.

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What does the word “giving” do to your facial expression? Does it cause you to smile as you think of what your giving expresses to God and what it means to His mission? Or do you get that uncomfortable, feeling like when you realize you have overdue library books? Some people reading this know the joy of giving and have experienced the satisfaction of sacrificial generosity, both towards God and those in need. But inevitably there are others who know that the way they use their money isn’t honouring God. In Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he gives four corrections that can help when you’re feeling guilty about your giving.

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Televangelists have made it difficult for people to listen to the Bible’s teachings about money. They flash their expensive cars and jewelry and declare that ‘Poverty is from the devil and God wants all Christians to be prosperous.’ In reality, they’re running a Christian pyramid scheme and getting rich on people who don’t know better. But where do they get their ideas and how should we understand the passages they wrongly cite?

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When it comes to money, we often fixate on more. Selfishness affects us. We’re influenced by unhealthy attitudes toward our finances. The Israelites weren’t all that much different. They famously grumbled and complained to Moses when they didn’t get enough food, but God worked to turn Israel into a generous nation. Seeing how He worked in their lives reveals how He might transform us today.

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Statistics say that the average Canadian has $22,000 of non-mortgage debt and the average millennial spends more money on gourmet coffee than on saving for retirement. Something is wrong. The 3000-year-old Book of Proverbs, written by Israel’s King Solomon, contains financial wisdom from another era, but its principles are as relevant today as when he wrote them. Three lessons stand out.

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There’s probably one passage more than any other that’s usually read at weddings. It’s the great chapter on love from 1 Corinthians 13. It’s an appropriate passage for married couples to reflect on, but it wasn’t written for them. This passage on love was written in a prolonged discussion of church ministry. It shows us how love turns volunteering into ministry and how a lack of love can make serving something less than it was intended to be.

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I think we make subconscious value judgments all the time. We decide whether something is worth our time by the impact we feel it makes. The same is true of ministry. We want our lives to count, the question is how? How can you make the most impact in ministry? Let me share four ways I think the Bible answers that question.

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I’m on vacation this week - in sunny Richmond Hill - but as we start off the new year, I wanted to look back at the most viewed articles from Out of Neutral. While written primarily for the church family, some posts took on a life of their own and were read more broadly beyond our local setting. In case you missed any of them or wanted to have another read, here are the top ten in descending order.

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With 2020 almost drawing to a close, instead of a regular post, I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look at the studios where we film our sermons, vlogs, and Sunday School videos. Some people have asked whether I film these at my home. Others have wondered whether I use my phone to record them. If I was relying on my own talents and resources, I probably would. Thankfully, God has provided a great team. They have invested a lot of time and research in getting the right lighting, sound, and picture quality to ensure that what you see online doesn’t distract from the message we’re trying to communicate. Out of gratefulness for them, let me show you what things look like from the other side of the camera.

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Once you’ve been reading the New Testament for a while, you run into various lists of spiritual gifts. They can be confusing and intimidating. There are so many of them and people disagree about what some of them mean. It can be hard to understand what your gift might be. One of the ways that the church has responded to the confusion has been with quizzes and assessments. You can go through questionnaires that are designed to predict your spiritual gift (see an example: here). While those may have some value, I think there’s a better way.

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Have you ever wondered why others in the church don’t care the way you do? Have you at least noticed that they don’t? If you haven’t felt this yet, before long you probably will. When I first felt this, I didn’t ask the why question; I assumed it. I assumed that other people didn’t care the way I did because they just didn’t care. I assumed that it must be a deficiency in their faith or their passion or something! What I was experiencing was real, but my assumptions about it were all wrong. Let me explain why other Christians don’t care the way that you do.

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Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘The pastor should do something about that’? I have. The more you read about the church in Scripture, the more you see that needs to be fixed. There are things that we’re not doing. There are ways that we’re not relating. There are purposes we’re not fulfilling. As a pastor, I feel burdened to evangelize those who are lost, disciple those who are new, counsel those who are struggling, comfort those who are weak, train up our leaders, oversee our office, lead the church in prayer and still devote the bulk of my energy to teaching and preaching God’s Word. The reality is that I often try to do all of those things, but the Bible says that there are a few things a pastor should focus on.

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I think we often take for granted the fact that Jesus lived and ministered with a group of twelve disciples. Moses didn’t do that. Neither did David or Elijah. In one sense, the apostles were unique. Jesus was setting apart twelve representatives for the birth of the church, patterned after the twelve tribes of Israel. But the character of the church was forever transformed by the fact that Jesus invested in a small group of disciples rather than just signing a book deal or travelling as a conference speaker. The impact of Jesus’ small group shows us why it’s important that we make time for small group fellowship ourselves.

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As the pandemic wears on, there’s a part of us that will begin to call ‘normal’ things that used to feel strange. ‘Doing church’ in pajamas on the sofa may start to feel like the ultimate in Sunday morning spirituality. People who have replaced evening ministry with Netflix may find it hard to go back. Even the isolation that we all struggle with may begin to feel attractive. Meeting people can be awkward, and relationships are often messy, we’ll tell ourselves. As you feel any of those thoughts, remember why fellowship is so essential and what we miss when we don’t invest in it. Let me give four specifics.

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Have you ever wondered what it might be like to visit one of the earliest churches? If you stopped in on a service, I think you’d likely be disappointed. In fact, I doubt you’d ever go back. By our modern standards, everything would feel a little disorganized. It might not start on time and, if the apostle Paul was the preacher, there’s no telling when it might end. The worship music would probably strike you as a little amateur. Besides that, there would be no Sunday School, no youth group, no dedicated building, no bulletins, no PowerPoint, no sound system, and no sermon outline. You’d probably return from your visit, wondering how the early church grew at all. And yet, grow it did! The reason for the disconnect is that we often evaluate churches by their programs and externals, whereas the power of the early church wasn’t as easy to advertise. To experience the impact of the early church, you’d have to hang around longer than most people today are eager to. But if you did, you’d see that the heart of the church was in their community life and the quality of relationships they built together. One of the windows into early church life comes through the “one another” commands of the New Testament. By seeing what everyday believers were called to do to one another, we get a better picture of what we’re called to be as a church.

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Last time, we looked at the earliest description of the church (Acts 2:42-47) and noted how they “devoted themselves to … the fellowship.” We said that it’s hard for us as Canadians because we love our privacy and our independence. I think it’s made even harder by the fact that we’re fuzzy on the word itself. I mentioned that I used to think that fellowship was just the Christian version of hanging out. Today, people use the word to describe a grant given to someone to do advanced studies (e.g. a research fellowship). We use the word to describe a loose association of people with a common interest or cause (e.g. The National Schizophrenia Fellowship). But none of these gets at the word that’s used in the Bible. Fellowship translates the Greek word koinonia. It was used to refer to friendships, partnerships and even marriages. The main idea always has the sense of active involvement in a relationship. Let’s look at what we can learn from how the word is used in Scripture.

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We Canadians love our privacy and independence, don’t we? Maybe geography has something to do with it. Canada has just 4 people for every square kilometre of land, while many countries average thousands of people in the same space. Whatever it is, we guard our independence. We value privacy. We keep our distance. We struggle to get too close. Is there anything wrong with that? As long as we let Jesus in, do we have to let other people in, too? Let’s look at what the Bible says.

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For many people, the process of becoming a church member feels hidden and obscure. So much so, that some people assume that they are members just because they’ve been attending a church for a certain period of time. On the other hand, there are people who think that they need to be invited to become members or achieve a certain ‘level’ before they’re deemed worthy. This is not the case. Let me explain why there is a formal membership process and what it consists of.

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I’m old enough now to remember when the Lord’s Prayer was recited every morning in the public schools that I attended. Repeating those words every day influenced how I thought about God, to some extent, but it didn’t really teach me how to pray. If I recited a 10-line poem to my wife every day and that represented the sum total of our communication, I’m not sure we’d still be married! In the same way, just reciting the Lord’s Prayer isn’t how we speak to the God who invites into a relationship. Besides, right before teaching the disciples this prayer, Jesus warned them against mindlessly repeating empty phrases (Matthew 6:7), so it’s clear that mere repetition wasn’t His goal. The Lord’s Prayer doesn’t tell us what to pray so much as it teaches us how to pray. Let me share 3 ways it can do that.

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Over time, things that initially shock us don’t anymore. I think something similar happens with the strangeness of baptism. It’s weird, right? If I asked you about your first day at work or your first time at a photography class and you said that they gathered everybody around to see all the new people dunked in a pool or a lake before they got started, I’d be pretty surprised. That would seem like a really strange company or club to me! So why have churches been doing that for the last 2,000 years? Let me give four reasons.

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I’m taking a preaching course this fall with Bryan Chapell. For the last 20 years, he’s been a bit of a guru in the area of Christ-centred preaching. In his book, “Christ-Centered Sermons,” he asks a provocative question. “What is the primary reason that sin has power in our lives?” I wonder how you’d answer that question. I can almost hear people’s answers. “I don’t pray enough.” “I don’t read the Bible enough.” “I don’t try hard enough.” “I’m not disciplined enough.” Do you recognize your own answer yet? In one sense, those answers may be part of the reason why sin has power in our lives, but he argues that the ultimate answer is something else. At the risk of stating the obvious, he says that the ultimate reason that sin has power over us is that we love it. In fact, even if we say that we love Jesus, in the moment that we commit a sin, we love that sin more than we love Jesus.

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In one sense the question of whether you should get baptized or not shouldn’t be a question. The fact is that baptism is commanded in Scripture. To ignore a command of God is a rejection of God’s will for your life. If there was anyone who might have been able to say, ‘I don’t think I need to do that,’ it would have been Jesus. When He came to John the Baptist to be baptized, He was refused at first. Understandably, John said that he should be baptized by Jesus instead! But in Matthew 3:15, Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus’ baptism takes away all excuses. Baptism is a non-negotiable for anyone who wants to walk in the will of God. But the Bible actually gives conditions. There are three questions you should ask to see if you’re ready to be baptized.

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When I was in university, I tried to tackle some of the Russian classics on my summer break. At first, I found the complexity of them overwhelming. The challenge was that they had so many characters and they all had multiple names and different people used different names to refer to each other depending on the nature of their relationship. I came to the conclusion that you need to be prepared to just spend the first hundred pages trying to figure out who everyone is and how they’re connected. Once you get past that, they’re fascinating stories. Those books showed me the importance of a reading strategy.

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Bible reading is a little bit like weight loss, if you could pay someone to get the benefits from it, you probably would. Many people start off reading the Bible with excitement, but discouragement can set in. Most of us aren’t great readers, to begin with. And when we do read books, we usually aren’t reaching for ones that are 1,200 pages long and 2,000 years old! Our motivation for reading the Bible is that God is trying to speak to us through it. And that conviction alone is enough to get you started. But there are three ingredients that I've found to be important in helping someone maintain a regular habit of daily Bible reading. Let me share them with you.

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I remember meeting with someone who had begun attending our church. They wanted to know how tolerant our church was. Before I answered their question, I asked them one of my own. “If you became convinced that the Bible didn’t meet your definition of tolerance, would you throw out the Bible or your definition of tolerance?” My point wasn’t that the Bible is intolerant, but before I began the conversation, I needed to understand whether I was trying to defend the Bible or explain the Bible. Was the Bible the authority that helped them evaluate all their other beliefs, or was a certain view of tolerance the standard by which they would evaluate the Bible? After a long pause, they decided that if the Bible didn’t agree with their definition of tolerance, they would abandon a commitment to their definition of tolerance and accept the Bible’s. Sooner or later, everyone who reads the Bible needs to make a similar decision. Will we treat the Bible as a nice book, even one of our favourites? Or will we put it on the top shelf, in a class all by itself, with ultimate authority in our lives?

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Very few people want to discard the Bible altogether. It’s a holy book after all, and there are passages in the Bible that even the most cynical atheist would admit are beautiful and inspiring. But, sooner or later, everyone finds parts of the Bible that make them feel uncomfortable. There are teachings that disagree with what we believe. There are commands to do things we don’t want to do. And there are warnings against doing things that we want to keep on doing. When we come to one of those uncomfortable places, we’re tempted to conclude, ‘That part must be wrong.’ If the Bible contains errors, then we get to pick and choose the parts we like. So, how true is the Bible? Does it contain mistakes? How can we know? These are important questions to settle in your mind.

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I didn’t use to think that I needed to take the Bible too seriously. I assumed that its message had gotten passed down through the centuries a little bit like the telephone game. That’s where everyone lines up and whispers a message from one person to the next down the line and when the last person says what they’ve heard, we all laugh at how garbled the message got along the way. Once I had done some investigation, I realized how wrong my assumptions had been. Over the years, I’ve talked to so many people with the same assumptions that I wanted to address how the transmission of the Bible differs from the telephone game.

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I believe that God is in control of all things and that includes the pandemic that we’re in right now. That makes me hopeful of His good purposes for all that we’re experiencing. But there is genuine cause for concern as well. When COVID-19 first caused churches to close their doors, there was a lot of optimism and even celebration. Early on in the pandemic, Carey Nieuwhof, announced that church growth had spiked 300% in the month following the shutdown and cited research that showed that 49% of all churches were growing. Church growth soon showed itself to be little more than online church curiosity. Christians were popping around to various churches to see what everyone else was doing.

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Dealing with the closure of our church ministries has been a difficult process for everyone. For some of you, it’s probably been the longest period that you’ve gone without attending a church service since you were born. For others without such established patterns of church attendance, the separation is different. As we try to navigate through the unchartered pandemic waters that we’re facing, it’s important that we continue to listen to each other and seek God’s will for our next steps. To help in that, I wanted to share the results of our latest survey about returning to in-person worship services along with some of my own thoughts.

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If you’ve ever shared doubts with a Christian friend about whether you can know that you’ve received eternal life or will go to heaven one day, it’s likely they’ve read to you 1 John 5:13. That’s the verse which says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” It’s a great verse of assurance that promises us that we can know that we have eternal life. There’s no need to be left guessing. The promise is made to those who believe in Jesus and it has calmed the fears of countless believers. I think it’s a great verse and it’s not wrong to share it with people who have doubts. The problem is that it can be read and applied too simplistically. That’s because it’s a summary statement that comes at the end of a 5-chapter book that has given a series of tests of true and false faith. And so 1 John 5:13 needs to be understood alongside those other tests. The book of 1 John gives at least four tests, alongside our faith in Jesus, that are given to reassure us of our salvation. Let me share them with you.

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It’s not surprising that the aspect of Christianity that is most unique is also the most misunderstood. Christianity makes the outrageous claim that God completely pardons sinners and gives them eternal life solely on the basis of their faith and not as a result of anything they have done morally or religiously to deserve it. This is what distinguishes the Christian message from almost every other religion. But it begs the question: What part do good works play in the Christian life? Doesn’t God care how a person lives? Our minds immediately race to movies featuring mafia members in a confessional booth or church service and then hours later committing some shocking crime. Is that what the Bible teaches? Two seemingly contradictory passages of the Bible help clarify the place of good works in a person’s salvation.

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Last time, we considered the ‘almost Christians’ who thought they were on-side with Jesus but found themselves denied entry into heaven because of their lack of repentance and relationship with Him. Perhaps that’s still too vague for some people, though. Is there a way to evaluate what you believe to make sure you’ve actually responded to the heart of Jesus’ message? One of the places to look is at the people who walked away. We often hear about the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus speak. But there were also those who heard His message and turned from it. Rightly understood, Jesus’ teaching invites some and repels others. Consider his encounter with a man who walked away, and evaluate your own faith in light of the exchange.

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Last time, we looked at an amazing promise of Scripture from Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Having understood that verse, however, it may be a little confusing to read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” He pictures people pleading to get into heaven but being denied entrance. They call Jesus “Lord” and can even point to some good works that they have done in Jesus’ name (v. 22), but Jesus casts them out saying that He never knew them (v. 23). It seems that they came close to salvation, but not close enough. What were they missing? They lacked what so many ‘almost Christians’ lack today: repentance and relationship. Let me explain.

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When someone understands what the Bible calls “good news,” they usually respond with hesitation. The gospel message that Jesus bore the consequences of our sins at the cross sounds like good news, but a little too good to be true. When people hear that all they have to do to receive Jesus’ free gift of salvation is believe in Him, it feels a little like one of those emails telling us that we’ve received an inheritance from a wealthy benefactor. Sure, we have! Click, delete. The problem is that the words we use to describe our response to God are often heard without any context and they’re robbed of their meaning and impact as a result. I’d like to consider one of the key passages that describes how a person can respond to the gospel.

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Like most people, I have spent the last week trying to process my anger and frustration at the murder of George Floyd. Feelings often point to questions but seldom give the answers. And the lack of answers has only compounded the frustration. Why does this keep happening? When will we change? Why can’t we do better? It would be a lot easier if this was just a police problem or an American problem, but viewing another senseless death through those lenses won’t likely get us any closer to an answer. I have to come to terms with the fact that this is my problem.

Numb from the news coverage that fuels more despair than it resolves, last night we watched, The Eye of the Storm, as a family. It’s a 1970s documentary about a third-grade teacher named Jane Elliott who, in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, tried to help her class of white students feel the impact of racism. Then we listened to accounts of people of African descent tell their stories of discrimination. And we prayed. I’m not qualified to speak to all of the changes that need to take place in our society if we are to deal with racism and take Jesus’ command seriously to love our neighbour. But I offer up the following as a sample prayer that I hope will guide our family’s response in the days to come.

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It’s easy to keep doing the same things without thinking about what you’re doing. That’s not a recipe for personal growth, though. This week, I’m taking a course called “Preaching the Narratives of Scripture.” There were a couple of books that I had to read in preparation as well as papers to write, summarizing their contents and my reflection on them. On Wednesday and Thursday, I’ll take in day-long lectures with the instructor, Kent Edwards, who will come to us from California by Zoom video call. On Friday, I’ll preach to my computer screen and then have the professor, and fellow pastor-students analyze and critique everything I’ve said and done. Pray for me! In the follow-up to the course, I’ll submit another three sermons for written feedback from the others and in turn, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the other participants. Having gone through the same process for the course I took in the winter, “Preaching Old Testament Poetry,” I know the value (and the stress!) of the feedback and reflection. You can’t grow in the echo chamber. Let me share some of the lessons I’ve learned so far.

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While a lot of attention has rightly been focused on the physical dangers of the COVID-19 virus and the economic impact of social distancing, more and more people are discussing its influence on our mental health. Anxiety, stress, fatigue and depression are a reality for many people in the midst of this pandemic. Perhaps you’re feeling some of these symptoms for the first time or maybe you’re finding that COVID-19 has exasperated what you were already feeling. I’d like to share where I believe the Bible intersects with COVID-19 and our mental health.

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“A Tale of Two Cities” is Charles Dickens’ most famous work and possibly the best-selling novel of all time. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and dealing with the class struggle of eighteenth-century France, at its heart is a beautiful love story. An English legal aide named Sydney Carton is in love with Lucie Manette. Her heart, however, is given to a man descended from the French aristocracy, named Charles Darnay. Darnay marries Manette and they begin a happy life together in England until he makes a return trip to Paris. There, he is swept up in the arrests of the French Revolution and thrown in prison. Shortly before his execution though, Carton manages to slip into the prison, drug Darnay, exchange clothes with him and has him sent out of the prison with his own identification papers. It’s an incredible act of self-sacrifice because, with Darnay out of the way, he might have been able to renew his love for Lucie. Knowing, however, that she loved Darnay, he gave his life in love and set another free. The novel ends with the death of Carton by guillotine. This story pictures for me, perhaps better than any other, the incredible message of the Bible.

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Everybody procrastinates. When we’re young, we learn to procrastinate with chores and homework. As we get older, we procrastinate about emails, exercise and taxes. So, it’s not surprising that we would procrastinate thinking about death and what comes afterwards. You may be putting off thinking about a will or your funeral planning, but let me explain why waiting until after this life to think about the afterlife is such a bad idea. Better yet, let me share how Jesus explained it and the reasons that He gave.

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As more foreigners visit Japan, Japanese hosts have to negotiate the cultural differences around views of what’s clean and what’s not. As we welcomed guests from many different countries in our home in Japan, it was clear that they struggled with the Japanese rules. Some people explained to me that their shoes weren’t that dirty. Others were convinced that they could wipe off the dirt. And some people just didn’t like to put on other people’s slippers. It was humbling to be told that your shoes were too dirty to just walk in. Despite the differences, everyone seemed to concede that a guest must defer to the host. As I have reflected on the dilemma faced by many Japanese hosts with their foreign guests, I’m reminded of a similar problem confronting God as the host of heaven. In fact, a story that Jesus told sounds very similar to the problem of slippers and outside shoes in Japan. And it helps me understand what keeps many people out of heaven.

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COVID-19 is on everyone’s minds right now, and it forces us to ask some tough questions. Does God exist? Does He care? Can He see what’s happening right now? Is He powerless to do anything about it? I’ve seen people ask these questions in recent weeks. I’ve seen people ask them after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. And I’ve seen people ask them after personal tragedies like the death of a loved one or a painful divorce. The place where I always bring those questions when they come is the opening chapters of Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve. Let me explain how I feel their account answers the hard questions of COVID-19.

1. The garden shows us how much God loves us.

As you read the opening chapters of Genesis, you see that God has created a paradise and set us in the middle of it. Every time God makes something, He pauses to note how good it is. After declaring it good six times (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), He creates humanity and completes His work and this time He sees that it is “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God blesses and empowers Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28) and generously gives them everything in paradise, except the fruit from just one tree (Genesis 2:16-17). There is no Coronavirus in the garden, only what is good. But the best thing about paradise, is the love, peace and trust that exists between God and Adam and Eve.

2. The garden shows us how much temptation deceives us.

The only thing that Adam and Eve have to avoid in the garden is the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). Until this point, they know only good and God wants to keep it that way. He warns them that in tasting evil, they will “surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Satan begins his temptations, first seeking to undermine God’s words, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’ (Genesis 3:1)?” Then he denies that there is any consequence to sin, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Finally, he claims that experiencing some evil alongside the good is just what they need to really start living (Genesis 3:5). Ever since, Satan has been sowing doubt regarding God’s Word, denying the consequences of sin and trying to persuade people that a little vice is what they’ve been missing.

3. The garden shows us how much sin ruins us.

When Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, they don’t immediately fall dead as we might have expected. But paradise is definitely lost. Immediately, they feel shame in their hearts and exposed before one another and sew fig leaves together as a covering (Genesis 3:7). Their innocence has died. Then when they hear God, their first instinct is to hide from Him (Genesis 3:8). Their friendship with God has died. When God questions Adam about eating the fruit, he blames Eve (Genesis 3:12). The harmony in their marriage has died. God also announces consequences for Adam and Eve and curses the ground because of them (Genesis 3:17). Now there is pain and death where before there was only joy and life. And the chapter ends with Adam and Eve barred from access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24).

4. The garden shows us that God has a plan to deal with the mess.

You might expect that the creation’s revolt would have just unleashed God’s fire and fury. Having corrupted paradise, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Him squish us like bugs. But while He does bring consequences for sin, there are seeds of great hope also. Seeing that the fig leaves Adam and Eve sewed together to hide their shame made an inadequate covering, God provides animal skins for them instead (Genesis 3:20) and so points to a coming Saviour who will cover human shame through His death. Seeing that the serpent had deceived Adam and Eve, God warns of an ongoing battle but promises victory through a serpent crusher who will be born to a woman (Genesis 3:15). And while God sends Adam and Eve from the garden (Genesis 3:24), the rest of the Bible tells the story of how He makes a way for humanity’s return to a renewed paradise.

The account of our beginnings in the garden shows us how deeply God loves us and how He desires for us to know Him and experience the peace and blessing of fullness of life and a relationship with Him. It also tells us that we were the ones who traded paradise for this world of sickness, death and, yes, COVID-19 when we refused to find our contentment in what God called good. And it also holds out hope of a rescue from this world through faith in the serpent crusher, Jesus Christ, who through His death provides a better covering for our shame than any fig leaves could ever do.

Let the hard questions of COVID-19 take you to the garden and point you to Jesus, His love for us and the paradise He’s preparing for all who put their trust in Him.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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If you were to draw close to Jesus, how do you think He would change you? There was a time when I would have answered that question very differently. I figured He would rob my fun. I feared He would be controlling. I worried that He would come with guilt and pressure. Instead, what I came to experience was rest. One of the first verses of the Bible that I ever read was Jesus’ invitation to rest in Matthew 11:28-30.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

At first, I didn’t understand how this promise worked or whether it was true. But it was one of those statements that was so bold that it was either false and put Jesus on the level of a con artist, or it was true and shattered everything I assumed about who Jesus really was. I’d like to share what I’ve come to experience of the truth of Jesus’ invitation.

Jesus heals us of the stress underneath the stress. Jesus addresses people “who labor and are heavy laden.” He’s talking to people who are tired and burdened. You’d think that the solution would be to just do less. Sleep in. Take a day off. But people can still feel stress with their head lying on the pillow. Our burdens are seldom just physical. And so, the solution has to go deeper. Jesus says, “Come to me … and I will give you rest.” He gives us rest by healing what robs our rest. He deals with the stress underneath the stress. He does that as we go to Him. It’s an invitation to relationship. And His presence in our lives makes all the difference.
Jesus replaces our heavy yoke with a light one. Jesus makes a strange invitation to tired, worn-out people. He says, “Take my yoke upon you.” The yoke was a harness used by an ox to carry a load. We’re left wondering, “Why doesn’t Jesus carry His own yoke?” We could only find rest in taking someone else’s yoke if it meant exchanging it for a heavier yoke we were already carrying. And that’s the point of Jesus words. We carry heavy loads that wear us down and tire us out. We carry burdens of guilt, perfectionism and control. We try to please people by our performance and think that we can earn God’s approval the same way. These yokes are what lie at the root of the stress underneath the stress. Through a relationship with Jesus, we learn to lay down these burdens and take up His yoke instead. We gladly give ourselves to His leadership in our lives. As we do, He promises that “[His] yoke is easy, and [His] burden is light.” Psalm 127:2 says, “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Here it describes, not just someone who works hard, long hours, but spins their wheels in doing so because they are driven by “anxious toil.” By contrast, the promise is that, “he gives to his beloved sleep.”
Jesus gives us rest as we learn from Him. Most people begin with a caricature of Jesus. They have false assumptions and wrong ideas about who He is and what He’s like. That’s why He says, “learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” As we learn from Jesus, we are changed by Him. We experience His gentleness. We feel His humility. And in His teachings, we find freedom from our own demanding, oppressive thoughts that wear us down.

I don’t just believe these promises are true because I read them in a book, and they seemed to make sense. I know that they are true because I’ve experienced them. And they work like an onion with ever-increasing layers of peace and rest as we draw nearer to Jesus and learn more from Him. Go to Jesus for rest today. Examine your heart for some of the burdens you’re carrying and exchange them for Jesus’ yoke.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Last time, we looked at some of the resources that are available to help busy parents encourage the faith of their children while they’re home from school with too much time on their hands. Pouring Scripture into your children gives them a foundation to begin thinking biblically about life and the world around them. But we also need to talk to them about the crisis itself. Chances are that some of your children may feel that COVID-19 is more of an annoyance than a crisis right now. Until you’re actually faced with the physical or economic pain of the pandemic, it may just feel like an inconvenience. Now is the time to prepare for when your family may feel that pain a little more personally. I was reflecting on how we talked with our own children about the earthquake and resulting nuclear meltdown in Japan when I came across an excellent article by Sandy Galea giving 7 Tips When Talking To Kids About Coronavirus. Let me share some of the things I learned from her article and illustrate how we saw them play out in what we experienced.

1. Understand that children respond in a variety of ways.

After Japan’s triple disaster, a parent came to me for advice. She had family who lived in Fukushima who had been forced to flee the nuclear meltdown. Radiation levels were dangerously high, and people were rightly fearing for their safety. She told me that she got angry with her children for happily playing and felt that they should express appropriate concern and grief. It was as if she felt that there should be one appropriate way to act in a crisis. In reality, her children were likely processing what they understood of the disaster with the only coping mechanism they knew – play. Each of our children felt the impact of the same disaster in different ways and it was important that we didn’t try to judge their feelings or expect them to conform to a right way of coping.

2. Take time to listen to your children.

Family mealtimes became extra important for us in the days following the earthquake. We asked questions about how our children were feeling and when they weren’t quick to share, we tried to talk about our own feelings. Asking leading questions and open-ended questions helped us to understand where pressure was starting to build. Fears and concerns must be expressed to be processed and so giving room for children to talk is important for them to deal with this pandemic in healthy ways. Galea encourages parents not to be afraid of a child’s tough questions like, “Did God make coronavirus? Can God stop coronavirus? Why doesn’t God stop coronavirus?” We don’t have to have all of the answers to our children’s questions, but we should be prepared to listen, and we shouldn’t feel threatened by them.

3. Speak God’s truth into the crisis.

Right now, you’re probably experiencing what we experienced after the triple disaster in Japan: an onslaught of news. Stories of death and suffering, reports of what wasn’t done and should have been done, and rumours of cover-ups and misinformation abounded. Understanding what’s happening around us is important, but too much exposure creates an overload and no ability to answer the questions that the news inevitably surfaces. In a crisis, our children need to be protected from an excess of information that they can’t process and instead be assured with the simple truths that the Bible teaches. God is in control. God is good. God cares for His people. God wants us to trust Him. God wants us to pray to Him. God brings good out of tragedy. Our children need to hear us affirm these truths and, importantly, see that we find strength in them.

4. Pray with your children.

If you haven’t had a habit of praying with your children, this would be an important time to start. Asking our children how we could pray for them in the days following the earthquake helped us to understand where they were struggling and helped us to show them how to express their needs and dependence on God. Prayer can be brutally honest in expressing what’s in our hearts, but it should also affirm our confidence in God and hope in His trustworthiness. Our children may have ‘prayed prayers’ before now, but COVID-19 may help them to experience the power of prayer like never before.

I commend Sandy Galea’s article to you and I would encourage you to work at listening, speaking and praying with your children as COVID-19 inches closer to all of our doorsteps. As you do, God can take this pandemic and use it to deepen the faith and trust of your children.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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These are not easy days to be a parent of young children. Having kids home for summer holidays can be difficult enough to plan for, but the COVID-19 school closures were too sudden to allow for planning and there are no camps to send them to or programs to enrol them in. Educators are doing what they can to provide online learning options and, as a church, we’re working to launch an online children’s ministry for our families. But still, many parents see this time as an opportunity to invest in their children’s faith and discipleship and are looking for tools and resources to help. The best place to start is the Bible itself. There’s nothing that can replace reading the Bible to your children and helping them to read it for themselves. You want to make sure that your children’s Bibles are well worn. But as you do that, you may want to supplement the Bible reading. Let me share what I feel are some of the best free materials available right now to encourage your child’s spiritual growth.

LifeWay’s, Kids at Home Preschool activity page

LifeWay Preschool/Kids at Home: One of the places to check out is Lifeway’s digital pass. There are two sections labelled, Kids at Home and Kids at Home Preschool. There’s a new Bible teaching video each week along with an activity sheet and colouring page for preschoolers and a different video and double-sided activity sheet for elementary-age children. The videos are less than ten minutes and the activity sheets are simple, but they may engage younger children.

The Bible App for Kids: The Bible App for Kids is an app as well as a website that you can access from your computer. There are close to two dozen videos combining animation and live actors teaching simple Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments. There are colouring sheets, activity pages and parent guides with everything geared toward the preschool to lower-elementary age group.

Church at Home from the Bible Project: For upper-elementary and teens all the way to adult, it’s hard to beat Church at Home from The Bible Project (https://bibleproject.com/church-at-home/). If you sign up, they’re currently offering a free 8-week series that gets mailed to you each week. It contains a high-quality animated video with Scripture readings and discussion questions. The content is theologically rich, and the animation is creative and engaging. Tim Mackie, the main writer and narrator, has a PhD in Semitic Languages and Biblical Studies so you can always count on fascinating insights into the Scriptures.

Read Slow: If you have older teens and wanted an option that didn’t involve screen time, Westminster Bookstore has released an interesting bundle that we’ve just started reading as a family called, “Read Slow.” It’s a collection of readings from 15 different books aimed at bringing peace in anxious times. Authors like David Powlison, John Murray, Alistair Begg, Paul David Tripp and Tim Keller are all compiled in a free PDF download for you to absorb and enjoy.

On-Demand Stories and Videos: Once you’ve found a good Bible teaching plan to supplement your own Bible reading as a family, you may want to look at some of the streaming services that are available. Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey Club is offering a free 28-day trial right now with high-quality stories about Christian themes and values. Fans of the Mrs G. radio program will be pleased to know that her stories are all online now at Bible Stories Alive. Redeem TV is a free, web-based streaming service that offers documentaries of people like Corrie ten Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and C. S. Lewis as well as animated children’s series and Bible recreations. Finally, Right Now Media, which has been dubbed the Christian version of Netflix because of its extensive library, is offering free access to a limited library of its content.

While mentioning all of these different resources, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that your goal, obviously, isn’t just to keep your child occupied and entertained. Discipleship that goes in should also come out, so look for opportunities for your children to serve. Serving your family through chores and calling, writing and praying for others who are vulnerable or serving on the front lines of the pandemic builds character and helps your children apply the lessons they are learning.

Next time, we’ll consider how to talk to your children about the pandemic. In the meantime, may God give you extra grace as you lead your children and nurture their faith.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Tim Challies recently chronicled, “How the Church Worshipped on One of the Most Unusual Sundays in Church History.” People all around the world were gathered in front of laptops and television screens as preachers spoke into cameras and phones. God’s Word was being proclaimed through YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom. It was a wonderful display of the flexibility and unstoppable power of the church. It was an important start. And if COVID-19 was going to be over in a week or two, that would probably be enough. But there’s more that’s needed if we’re going to ride out this pandemic over the long haul. Let me give some suggestions for how we can be the church in the midst of this global pandemic.

1. Find ways to be healthy. Do you find yourself losing track of time these days? A wrench has been thrown into our routines and it’s easy to drop some of the essentials of our daily and weekly rhythms. It’s never been more important to take time to read and reflect on the Bible and spend time with God in prayer. I’ve been trying to memorize Scripture as a way of centring my thoughts, particularly at the beginning and end of the day. Exercise and rest are crucial to help our bodies deal with all of the stress that we’re experiencing. Your patterns may have changed, but we all need to establish new healthy rhythms to give us the spiritual and physical strength to deal with all that we’re facing.

2. Find creative ways to adapt. Right now, we can’t do church the way that we’ve been used to doing it. Taking our message online involved a big adjustment. Online giving is also something new for many of us. On Sunday evening, our life group met by videoconference for the first time. Fourteen of us joined the call and were able to share what’s been going on in our lives and walk through the discussion questions in the sermon handout. I had a videoconference this afternoon with someone I would have otherwise met in person. Anyone with a smartphone, tablet or computer with a built-in camera can download the free Google Hangouts app and make fellowship happen while we’re all social distancing. I think we need to re-imagine prayer also. While prayer meetings are more difficult, prayer partners are just a phone call away. Why not call up a friend and pray together through the prayer guide? What are some of the things about church that have been meaningful to you? What are some creative ways you could find to continue to practice them while we are keeping our distance from one another? As time goes on, we will become extremely spiritually vulnerable if we don’t adapt and instead put church on hold until things return to normal.

3. Find ways to not be invisible. In the same way that we need to rethink some of the formal aspects of church life in our current crisis, we also need to work on the more informal, relational aspects of our Christian walk. Wouldn’t you love to enjoy some of that coffee in the connection time, right now? Don’t you wish we could have one of those great hot lunches that they serve at L.A.F.F.? It would be easy to let all of our informal fellowship fall by the wayside while we wait for things to get back to normal. But when we’re alone and feel invisible, we become targets for Satan’s attacks. Find ways to not be invisible. Reach out and call someone. Share your life with someone and be ready to listen. We need to support each other as we walk through this.

4. Find ways to love your neighbour. So much has changed in the last month, but our mission as a church hasn’t. We need to find ways to love our neighbours. In the coming months, many will experience the painful symptoms of COVID-19. Some will experience loss. Others will find themselves buckling under the emotional toll. And then the reality of the economic impact will hit and the consequences for many will devastating. The world needs us to be the church right now. Is there a (sanitized) game you can share with your neighbour’s children? Is there a neighbour who’s quarantined that you could shop for? Is there someone you could call? Look for ways you can be Jesus’ hands and feet to those around you.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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The actor, Jared Leto, recently emerged from a silent meditation camp only to learn that COVID-19 had become a global pandemic. After close to two weeks in a desert retreat, it was a shock for him to learn what had happened while he had been unplugged. With the constant barrage of troubling news reports and alarming developments, escaping to a desert hideaway may sound tempting. Meditation sounds like it may help deal with the uneasiness that many people are feeling. But does the Bible say anything about meditation? Is meditation Christian? And, if so, is it any different than Hindu and Buddhist forms of meditation?

In other religions, the focus of meditation is on an awareness of self and emptying of distractions. People seek answers from the inside and relief from the outside. Christian meditation is completely different. In the Bible, answers come from God rather than us. And God reveals Himself in His Word. The goal of meditation, therefore, is to concentrate on what God has said and done in an effort to grasp the meaning and implications. By saturating one’s heart and mind in God’s Word, we are shaped into His purposes and transformed by His values.

In Hebrew, there are two words that are translated into the English word meditation. One word literally means “murmur.” It can be used to describe the growling of a lion (Isaiah 31:4) or the cooing of a dove (Isaiah 38:14). But when it is applied to reflection on God and His works it describes a deep preoccupation. In Joshua 1:8, for example, it says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” God’s law was not merely to be read but considered deeply. It was to be constantly on the lips, turning the phrases over and over again to understand the meaning and application. That, he says, will lead to settled obedience, an aligning of a person’s life with God’s will. The same word is used in Psalm 143:5 to describe deep reflection on God’s works, both in history as well as the psalmist’s life. He writes, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.” I picture a person quietly recounting God’s faithfulness and gratefully remembering all that He’s done.

The other Hebrew word that is translated as meditation in English is “siyach.” It means “to talk” and can be used to describe a conversation, but when applied to the Scriptures it pictures more of a deep fixation that results in an internal conversation. The psalms are filled with descriptions of meditation. Psalm 119:48 says, “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.” People can meditate on God’s laws, precepts (Psalm 119:15) and deeds (Psalm 77:12), but the psalmist also meditates on God’s promise. In Psalm 119:148, he says, “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.” He rises early with a commitment to fix his thoughts on God’s promise and so find his strength in God and His plan.

You don’t need to escape to a desert or a cave to practice biblical meditation. And the goal isn’t to empty your thoughts or listen to your heart. The focus is Scripture. But it does require that we do something more than just read the Bible. We’re called to something deeper. We slow down and churn it over in our minds. We linger long enough in the Scriptures until they begin to saturate our thoughts and crowd out the lies that would oppose them. We think through the implications for our lives and the application that God would have us make.

Many of us are meditating on the Coronavirus these days. We’re fixating on news of it and it’s saturating our thinking. It preoccupies our thoughts and monopolizes our attention. This is the focus that God’s Word is supposed to have. When it does, God changes us. He gives us hope and changes our values. We begin to see the world through His eyes and align our steps with His purposes.

To meditate on Scripture, slow down and ask questions of it. Take notes of what you learn and reflect on what it might mean for your life. Write out a verse that stands out to you and carry it with you so you can reflect on it throughout the day. Read it before you go to bed so it’s the last thing that occupies your thoughts as you fall asleep. As you do, you’ll find it fill you with more hope than the sound of your breathing and the empty contemplation of the universe could ever provide.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I’ve enjoyed getting to know Michael and Nami of “Mike & Nami +.” They’re thoughtful Christians who have made their mark and their living on Instagram and YouTube. We invited them to speak recently at our church on the theme, “Journey From Online Addiction to Online Business.” They helped me to understand some of the dynamics involved in digital addiction and also some of the factors that can help in a person’s recovery. Their story is one of hope not only because they both radiate vitality and joy, but because they have seen such dramatic change in their lives.

Michael, for example, admits to playing video games for more than 80 hours per week in high school. It had become an obsession that resulted, at one point, in him failing or dropping more than half of his courses. At 18, he moved out of his parents’ home and into a basement apartment. It was a sobering move that forced him to take responsibility for his life and look for a job to support himself. He began looking for work but found, not surprisingly perhaps, that employers weren’t clamouring to hire him given his academic record in high school. Then he was hit by a computer virus that effectively shut down his access to the internet. With no job and no internet, he spent long periods doing nothing. Perhaps experiencing classic symptoms of withdrawal, he felt numb and hopeless. Thankfully, he began to read the Bible. Having been raised in a Christian home, he knew to look for help in the Scriptures, but reading didn’t come easily. With an immersion in the rapid imagery of video games, focusing on the words in a book was hard. God eventually broke through. He found in the Word of God both conviction about the lifestyle he was living as well as hope in the grace of a God who loves the undeserving. He went on to complete a triple bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Human Services and Social Work and, now as a father of three, is pursuing a master’s degree in theological studies.

Having come out the other side of digital addiction, Michael has reflected on some of the factors that contribute to it as well as those that help in recovery. Let me share some of the lessons that I learned from a workshop he gave at a local wellness conference (watch online here).

1. Meet the needs that feed the addiction.

With the World Health Organization now having declared “gaming disorder” as a behavioural addiction, it’s becoming clear that excessive time spent online isn’t just a symptom of laziness. Michael shared how video games became the means for him to meet his most basic needs. He talked about how time spent online brought with it respect and status from fellow players as well as friendship and a sense of belonging. As a result, banning the behaviour without addressing the needs that feed it is likely to backfire. He talked about how important it is for parents to invest in relational time with their children and express affirmation and hope for them. Showing love through words, gifts, service, time and touch gives children security. Hearing phrases like, “I’m proud of you,” and, “I love you,” particularly from a father, can go a long way in helping a child feel less needy and vulnerable online. On the other hand, he talked about how stress, loneliness and personal or spiritual stagnation can create an environment that will feed an addiction. While the circumstances with each child may differ, the root needs to be addressed not just the fruit.

2. Unmask the shame that blocks the help we need.

Michael shared that one of the things that contributed to his addiction was that shame kept him from admitting his problem. He talked about how important it is for the family and the church to be able to handle ‘real sin.’ If we believe we all fall short of God’s glory, then we shouldn’t be horrified when we discover that someone really has fallen. If we are, it will send the message that we’re really not ready to deal with serious sin issues. He encouraged those who are struggling with addiction to have access to people in the church who can address their issues with respect, humility and confidentiality.

3. Treat it as a spiritual problem, not just a video game problem.

Finally, Michael reminds people that online addiction is ultimately a spiritual problem. Video games or YouTube videos can become idols in people’s hearts when they give them the devotion that God alone deserves. Giving up an idol becomes so much more difficult if we don’t have the powerful, living God of the Scriptures to replace it with. He encourages parents to focus on the child’s relationship with God instead of just dealing in isolation with the time spent online.

Like any issue, the factors are complex and the recovery is seldom straightforward. But hearing stories of the hope that God brings and the wisdom that He gives is encouraging regardless of what we might be facing. May God arm all of us to protect our own hearts and bring help to others who struggle with the pull of digital excess.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Prayer is often criticized by people who don’t pray. Part of the criticism comes from unbelief and an unwillingness to see value in unseen things. But part of the criticism comes from the perception that people pray as a cop-out. Instead of doing something, they ‘pray about it.’ I think the criticism is well-founded. But the problem isn’t with prayer; it’s with a passive approach to prayer that asks God to adjust His behaviour when we’re not willing to evaluate our own. When we pray, we should ask whether our prayers have legs, in other words, whether we’re willing to do our part and examine our behaviour. Sometimes, God may ask us to be the answer to our prayers. He may also reveal actions and attitudes that are hindering our prayers. Rightly understood, prayer is active, not passive. Consider the way the Bible describes the connection between our prayers and our actions.

1. Speaking to God without listening to God hinders our prayers.

It may feel sometimes as if prayer is one-way communication. But God speaks to us through His word and also through people and circumstances. When we talk to God, He expects us to listen to Him. It’s a relationship that He’s seeking with us not a laundry list. That’s why Proverbs 28:9 warns, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” If we’re unwilling to listen to God’s Word, we shouldn’t presume His eagerness to listen to our words. Listening to God involves both obedience to His will as well as a willingness to let Him guide our response to the thing we’re praying about. When you pray, listen to God through His Word and look to Him to guide you.

2. Unresolved sin hinders our prayers.

Because speaking to God involves listening to God, unresolved sin in our lives will hinder our prayers. That doesn’t mean that an unanswered prayer is necessarily a result of sin, but sin does get in the way. The psalmist recognizes this when he says, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). Peter says something similar in the context of marriage. He urges husbands to be understanding and gracious to their wives, “so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). The picture is of a husband asking God to deal with some things and God, in turn, confronting the husband about some things he needs to address first. That doesn’t mean that we have to be sinless before we can pray, but we should confess and repent of sin as a part of prayer.

3. Selfish motives hinder our prayers.

Sin can hinder our prayers but so can wrong motives. When we pray, we’re not just evaluating our lives for things we may have done wrong. Prayer also involves examining our prayers. It’s healthy to ask, ‘Why am I asking God for this?’ James warns, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3). Some of the things we ask God for are just selfish. But, sometimes, our selfishness is more nuanced. What we’re asking for may sound spiritual but be a way for us to feed our pride, greed or bitterness. Time spent in prayer, if we are listening to God and examining our hearts, will cause us to sift our motives and, in some cases, abandon some prayers as wrong.

Prayer is the struggle to learn to want what God wants and join Him in seeking it.

As we look at all the Bible says about the connection between our prayers and our hearts and actions, it becomes clear that prayer isn’t just about asking for stuff. It isn’t passive. It’s not a cop-out. Prayer is the struggle to learn to want what God wants and join Him in seeking it. That’s what we learn from Jesus’ prayer in the garden. He prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). He brought His needs and concerns to the Father in prayer, but He submitted those needs and concerns to the will of the Father. In prayer, He confirmed God’s will and found the strength to commit Himself to it. Jesus’ prayer had legs that carried Him all the way to the cross.

Let’s not be passive in prayer. Instead, let’s invite God to reveal His will and examine our actions, even as we express our will and try to understand His actions. And let’s join Him in working toward the fulfilment of our prayers and the accomplishment of His purposes. May God give our prayers legs!

In awe of Him,

Paul

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I had a friend whose prayers made me uncomfortable. Listening to them praying often made me feel like I had walked in on an argument between two close friends. They’d say things like, “I’m pretty mad at you right now, Lord,” and, “I get so frustrated wondering what on earth you’re doing!” The emotions were raw and unfiltered. There was anger, impatience, sadness and pain. And when there was joy and gratefulness, you knew it was coming from the heart. Their prayers made mine feel very polite and superficial, in comparison. They made me question the depth of my prayers and the freedom I felt in my relationship with God. While this kind of prayer has a time and a place, if we never learn to talk to God honestly about the depths of what we think and feel, then we’ve probably never really learned to pray. There are several reasons that God seems to prefer honest prayers to polite ones.

1. Honest prayers show the security of our relationship with God.

Many of the psalms are known as laments. They give us words to express deep pain and disappointment. For instance, the psalmist prays, “Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever” (Psalm 44:23). At first, it feels rude and unrestrained. How can you talk to God like that? But these are words of intimacy. This is the way that family members speak with one another in times of sorrow and discouragement. You can only speak like this in a relationship where you feel secure and safe. It’s hard to imagine prayers like this in any other religion.

2. Honest prayers help us deal with deep pain and disappointment.

The honesty of laments gives us a healthy alternative to deal with pain in our lives. If we don’t bring our complaints to God in humble prayer, we turn in one of a number of dangerous directions. One option is to bury the pain and pretend that it’s not there. But buried pain only becomes more bitter with time. If we don’t bury the pain, we’re likely to complain to others and slander God in the process. Or we grumble, sulk or withdraw from God, refusing to trust that He will meet us or answer us in our pain. There’s a world of difference between a prayer that says, “Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble” (Psalm 10:1) and a complaint to a neighbour that says, “God’s never there for me when I need him!” The prayer believes in God’s faithfulness and trusts Him to make clear what feels inconsistent. The complaint doesn’t trust God with an answer at all and instead condemns Him as unreliable.

3. Honest prayers lead to hope and resolution.

The great encouragement of the honest prayers of Scripture, is that over time they lead to hope. Almost without fail, the psalms of lament which start with complaint end with expressions of hope and confidence. The psalm that Jesus quoted on the cross, for instance, in that excruciating time of shame and agony, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Psalm 22:1), ends with these great words, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28). Not only do individual laments move from complaint to hope, but the book of psalms as a whole shows this shift as well. In the first third of the book, more of the psalms express honest disappointment. But in the final third of the book, psalms of praise and thanksgiving dominate. And when you get to the final five psalms, they’re all praise and worship. The message seems to be that even the deepest agony when expressed humbly and sincerely before God is transformed by God’s peace. Seeing our troubles in light of who God is and what He’s done gives us strength and perspective and grace to meet them.

How honest are your prayers? When you’re hurting, do you tell God that you’re hurting? Does He get the real you or a sanitized but more superficial version of who you are? Bring all of your emotions to God in prayer, but as you do remind yourself of who He is and what He’s done. And listen as much as you speak. Let Him speak to you through His Word and invite Him to meet you in your pain.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Today's post is by guest contributor, Christian Clement-Schlimm. He gives an inside look at a corner of the internet to be aware of.

The internet is a useful tool for Christians. Through the internet, Christians now have easy access to a wide variety of Bible translations, commentaries, sermons, and Christian blogs and podcasts. Another helpful thing the internet provides Christians is internet chatrooms. While some of you may not have heard of them before, I have made and continue to make great use of these online meeting spaces. Through chatrooms on platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and Discord, I have connected and conversed with many hundreds of Christians from various parts of the world and Christian denominations across the spectrum. We have shared edifying insights, helpful resources, and unique perspectives which we would not have had access to apart from this online fellowship. But while I love all the useful tools that the internet provides me as a Christian, I was in for a surprise with what I experienced from the chatrooms. Let me share some of the lessons God taught me along the way.

Don’t assume people who claim to be Christians are Christians. To share an example, a couple of years ago I met an evangelical Presbyterian on an online Protestant discussion board. We had many great conversations about theology, history, and church life. A couple of months into dialogue, however, this new “friend” revealed how his conviction about the unique authority of the Bible (Sola Scriptura), a conviction we both firmly held, was creating problems for him in his evangelical Presbyterian church. Intrigued, I asked what could be controversial about holding to Sola Scriptura in an evangelical church. What followed was a surprising and disappointing debate on the doctrine of the Trinity. My friend shared how many verses like Philippians 1:2 which reference “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” demonstrate that only the Father is God according to Scripture. Further, he argued that well-regarded early Christian documents like the Nicene Creed reflect this belief when it confesses that “I believe in one God, the Father almighty.” This conversation was a shock. An evangelical Presbyterian, a person with whom I had several wonderful conversations, turned out to be a staunch Unitarian in rebellion against his local church. Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence. With some regularity, I witness people who initially present themselves as fellow Christians but turn out to be Unitarians, Gnostics, and members of a number of other bizarre religious groups. Fortunately, I was ready to take on the challenge of that conversation about the Trinity, having spent many hours studying these topics in theology and history courses in seminary. But I have seen other Christians, especially those new in the faith, be left utterly confused by encounters with people who turn out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Don’t assume that people who claim to be pastors are pastors. Another type of strange internet encounter is with “pastors.” At least three times, I have met people who presented themselves as pastors but then turned out to be something very different. There is a phenomenon where through various online video games, like Minecraft or Roblox, Christian young people have formed “churches.” With noble intent and excitement about their faith in Christ, they turn to the internet to express their Christian passion. The same way people often go online to discuss and further develop their passion for sports, gardening, pets, and movies, these young people go online to get more of Christianity. Inevitably it seems, many of them end up forming online congregations, raising up pastors, and even meeting for online services. Unlike actual churches, however, what you get in these online game “churches” are hundreds of excited young people looking up to another young person as a “pastor,” without any ordination, accountability, or oversight. These online pastors present themselves as legitimate pastors and even seem to honestly seek to shepherd people; but they do so without any calling, training, or guidance. While they certainly have passion, that’s often all they have.
Don’t confuse online “church” fellowship with real church fellowship. Video game churches regularly create a host of problems as people look up to unqualified, unknown internet personalities as sources for pastoral counselling and biblical education. What’s worse is that many of these young people, who already spend much of their days online, begin to see their online churches and communities as their primary Christian fellowship. This is as opposed to their actual, real-life church families!

In these examples, the wolf in the sheep’s clothing and the misguided young internet “pastor”, we see how a useful tool like the internet can easily lead astray a young or new Christian, especially one who is not firmly rooted in an established church community.

You might be reading this and think that the internet is a uniquely crazy place. But I would remind you that we have seen the same issue with other beloved tools used by Christians. For example, while the radio and television have brought us the sermons and teachings of great Christian pastors, theologians, and talk show hosts, we also know that many false teachers have firmly established themselves on these platforms. Many supposed Christian radio preachers are espousing the prosperity gospel. Many popular TV pastors are “faith healers” who hustle their followers by promising health for wealth. And, much the same can be said of Christian bookstores: the same place where you can get the latest John MacArthur or John Piper book also sells Kenneth Copeland’s or Benny Hinn’s latest work.

Like the printing press in Martin Luther’s day, new technology can be a great tool for Christians. Yet, technology can be and has been abused by false teachers and misguided people. As Christians, we need to be aware of the dangers and discern with diligence what we are consuming. With regard to that, we must remember that no online teacher or community can replace our local church’s leadership and fellowship. If something we read online causes questions or doubts, we must bring it to our local church. That’s where Scripture tells us God promises to work and make his truth known (1 Tim. 3:15).

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Martin Luther is quoted as saying, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” I remember the first time I read that I thought, ‘What on earth did he do all that time?’ The disciples seemed to have had a similar reaction to Jesus.

Jesus busied Himself with ministry in the day, but at the beginning and end of the day, He was often alone praying. He would get up to pray, “very early in the morning, while it was still dark” (Mark 1:35) and, as evening approached, he would often dismiss the crowds and go off by himself to pray (Matthew 14:23). With a big decision looming the next day, Luke tells us that, “he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). It’s no wonder that the disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). What could He have been saying all that time?

Many people get tongue-tied giving thanks before a meal and feel that their prayers run out of steam (and words!) after just a few minutes. While it’s true that just praying helps you get more comfortable and natural in prayer, I believe that God has given the prayers of Scripture to not only teach us to pray but to guide our prayers. They give us words to express our thoughts and desires to Him.

1. The prayers of Scripture help us express praise.

Jesus taught us to pray “Hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). The phrase means to recognize God’s name or character as holy and set apart. But how do you do that? The prayers of the Bible teach us. Praying through prayers like Psalm 19, 96, 103, and 147 inspires you with wonder and awe at the nature of God and His faithful works on behalf of His people. Reading one or more verses and then pausing to personalize and express similar thoughts in your own words helps you learn to meditate on God’s character and put your thoughts of wonder and thanks into words.

2. The prayers of Scripture help us pray according to God’s will.

Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will to be done (Matthew 6:10). While we can start by praying, “Your will be done,” the Bible is filled with examples of how to pray for this. Paul’s prayers, in particular, give us direction in this. For the church in Rome, he prayed for their unity (Romans 15:5-6) and the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). For the church in Ephesus, he prayed for their wisdom and to have their eyes opened to the hope and the power given to believers (Ephesians 1:15-23). He asked God to strengthen them, establish them in love and to fill them with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-21). For the church in Philippi, he prayed that their love would grow in knowledge and that they might discern God’s best and be filled with righteousness (Philippians 1:9-11). Similarly, praying through his prayers for the Colossians (Colossians 1:3-14) and the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; 5:23-24; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2:16-17) guide us in the ways that we can pray for those around us and seek God’s will in concrete ways.

3. The prayers of Scripture help us build trust.

While prayer is intended to have us express our dependence on God, without the help of biblical prayers, our prayers can sometimes become an affirmation of defeat rather than victory. We can spend so much time telling God how overwhelmed and worried we are that we end up feeling worse after prayer rather than better. The prayers of Scripture teach us to affirm our trust in God. In Psalm 27, for example, when David prays, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (v. 1), it’s an invitation to express your own trust in God and affirm your confidence in the face of challenges and adversity.

Do you run out of words in prayer? Do you find yourself repeating the same prayers over and over? Does your mind wander when you talk to God? Learn to pray the prayers of Scripture. Pray through a psalm or turn to one of the prayers of Jesus or Paul. Let God, Himself, teach you to pray.

In awe of Him,

Paul

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Today, it’s more common to hear about people fasting for non-religious reasons than for religious ones. The 5:2 diet, the 16/8 method and the warrior diet all incorporate fasts with an aim to weight loss and improved health. But the popularity of the methods may outweigh the actual research of their health benefits. Regardless, it probably says something about our culture that people are more apt to fast for their body than they are for their soul. In the Bible, fasting simply involves voluntarily going without food for a day or more in order to set aside time for prayer and express your hunger for God and desperation to hear from Him. If you haven’t been introduced to biblical fasting, or if it’s been a while since you fasted yourself, let me give you some encouragements from Scripture.

1. Don’t fast to impress God or other people.

Many Christians, today, are suspicious of fasting. We’ve heard Paul’s warning against thinking that fasting earns us points with God. In 1 Corinthians 8:8, he writes, “Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” But we often forget that Paul, himself, fasted (Acts 14:23). We’re also suspicious of fasting because we’ve heard about the fasting of the Pharisees in New Testament times and we don’t want to be like them. Many of them fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12), typically on Mondays and Thursdays, and they felt holier-than-thou as a result! Jesus warned about people who fasted in order to “be seen by others” (Matthew 6:16). They would wander around looking worn out and exhausted so people would applaud them for their spiritual sacrifice. Jesus warned that people’s applause was the only reward they would get because God saw through their hypocrisy. But we often forget that Jesus, Himself, fasted and even when He warned against the wrong attitude in fasting, He said, “And when you fast …” (Matthew 6:16) not “If you fast …”

2. Fast to express your desperation to God.

While the Bible warns against fasting to impress God or impress other people with how spiritual you are, it encourages fasting as a way of expressing your desperation to God. David fasts, for instance, when he learns of someone with a great sickness (Psalm 35:13). Esther asked people to join her in a 3-day fast before she went to intercede for them before the king (Esther 4:16). The prophet Joel called the people to fast in response to a great plague that had come upon them (Joel 1:14, 2:15). In each case, when people found themselves in urgent need of God’s help, they fasted from food and set aside time to pray to express their desperation to God and dependence upon Him.

3. Fast to seek God’s guidance and direction.

Fasting is also common in Scripture when people are seeking God’s direction. Nehemiah, for instance, fasts and prays when he learns of the desperate situation facing the Israelites who had returned to their land from exile. He writes, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). Not surprisingly, God responds to his prayer and gives him both a plan and the resources to make a difference. The church at Antioch also prayed and fasted when they commissioned Paul and Barnabas as missionaries (Acts 13:2). And when Paul and Barnabas established churches and appointed elders, “they committed them to the Lord,” with prayer and fasting. Fasting adds urgency to our prayers, particularly when we’re dedicating plans or people to Him.

To be honest, I’m a lot better at feasting than I am at fasting. And when I have practiced fasting, it’s never been a 40-day fast like Jesus and Moses or even the 3-day fast that Esther called her people to. But when I do go without food for a day and commit those mealtimes to extended prayer, it helps me to express to God how much I want to hear Him and how eager I am to see Him act.

Perhaps because of our society’s abundance problem, I think we find it easier to add things to our full lives than we do to take anything away. That’s why I feel that fasting is more important than ever for us to recapture. Express your hunger for God and your conviction that “man shall not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4). And as you do, remember the invitation and promise of Joel 2:12-13:

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love …

In awe of Him,

Paul

Out of Neutral | Grace Baptist Church: Recent Episodes

Paul Sadler