journeyintheword

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

Wed, 21 May 2025 17:42:13 GMT

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

Some Christians believe that Jesus descended to hell between His death and resurrection to proclaim victory over sin and death. This belief is largely based on passages like 1 Peter 3:18–20, though interpretations vary across Christian traditions.

1 Peter 3:18–20 Explained

Verse 18

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit..."

Explanation:

Christ’s suffering was once and for all—He fully paid the penalty for sin.
"The righteous for the unrighteous" highlights the substitutionary nature of Jesus’ death—He was sinless and took the place of sinners.
"Put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit" refers to Jesus’ physical death and His continued life in a spiritual, glorified state.

Verse 19

"...in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison..."

Explanation:

After His death and before His resurrection, Jesus “proclaimed” (not necessarily preached the gospel) to “spirits in prison.”
This likely refers to fallen angels or disobedient souls from Noah’s time, possibly awaiting judgment.
The Greek word kerusso (translated "proclaimed") often means a declaration of victory, rather than an offer of salvation.

Verse 20

"...because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water."

Explanation:

These “spirits” are connected to the time of Noah, a generation known for great wickedness (see Genesis 6).
God showed patience before bringing the flood, giving people time to repent.
Only eight people—Noah and his family—were saved, underscoring both God’s judgment and mercy.
This sets up a symbolic connection to baptism, which Peter discusses in the following verse (v. 21).

What We Learn

While there is debate about the exact meaning of Jesus' proclamation to the "spirits in prison," the central message of the passage is clear: Christ is victorious over sin and death. His sacrifice was once for all, and His resurrection brings hope and salvation.

At Journey in the Word…

Our mission is to equip pastors with biblical understanding so they can lead well in every culture. Whether it’s navigating theological questions like this one or equipping leaders for everyday ministry, we are committed to building up those who shine the light of Christ—even in the most remote corners of the world.

Join us in this mission. Your support helps us build pastor training centers where leaders grow in truth, wisdom, and cultural awareness - making disciples who make disciples.

Give today or learn more about our work .

What does the Bible say about tattoos?

Wed, 21 May 2025 17:25:32 GMT

What does the Bible say about tattoos?

Tattoos are more common today than ever before, sparking plenty of questions among Christians. Is it okay to get one? Does the Bible forbid it? How should believers approach this topic?

Let’s explore what Scripture actually says and how we can apply it wisely, especially in light of our calling to disciple and equip leaders in every culture.

The Most Referenced Verse: Leviticus 19:28

"You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord."

Leviticus 19:28

Verse Breakdown

"You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead..."

In ancient pagan cultures, it was common to cut oneself as part of mourning rituals to honor or appease the dead.
God forbids this because such practices were associated with idolatry, superstition, and self-harm, which went against Israel’s identity as God’s holy people.

"...or tattoo yourselves..."

Similar to the cutting, tattoos in this context were often religious or ritualistic, tied to idol worship or death cults.
The issue wasn’t body art itself but its association with pagan religious practices.

"I am the Lord."

This phrase reinforces the authority behind the command. God's people were to reflect His holiness -not the customs of idol-worshiping nations.

Understanding the Cultural Context

At first glance, this may seem like a clear prohibition. But to interpret it well, we must consider the context.

In the ancient world, body markings and cuts were often part of spiritual rituals rooted in false religions. God was setting Israel apart - calling His people to live differently, not simply in appearance but in worship and devotion. The real issue was who the markings honored and why they were done.

Does This Mean Tattoos Are Wrong Today?

This is a common question, and the answer depends on context and intent:

Cultural context matters. The tattoos in Leviticus were tied to pagan worship; most modern tattoos are not.
The New Testament does not repeat this command, and Christians are not under the Old Covenant law in the same way (see Romans 6:14, Galatians 3:23–25).
What matters most is your motive, heart, and witness:

- Is the tattoo honoring to God?

- Is it done thoughtfully?

- Does it align with your faith?

Still, the Bible offers important principles that apply:

Honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
Avoid causing others to stumble (Romans 14:13)
Seek wisdom and discernment (James 1:5)
Glorify God in everything you do (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Summary

Leviticus 19:28 forbids pagan mourning practices and religious tattoos rooted in idolatry. It’s a call for God’s people to be holy and distinct—not to imitate the spiritual customs of the world.

At Journey in the World…

Our heart is to equip pastors with biblical understanding so they can lead well in every culture. Whether it's answering questions about tattoos, theology, or practical ministry, we’re committed to building up leaders who shine the light of Christ—even in the most remote corners of the world.

Join us in this mission. Your support helps us build pastor training centers where leaders grow in truth, wisdom, and cultural awareness—making disciples who make disciples.

Give today or learn more about our work .

Pastor Training Experience

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:39:07 GMT

Pastor Training Experience

February 26, 2025

In 2010, the Lord opened the door to take a mission trip to Munkacs, Ukraine. Our church's purpose was to conduct a VBS, but the Lord brought me there to start a school among some of the poorest people in the world, the Roma gypsies.

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Exemplary Leadership

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 16:37:32 GMT

Exemplary Leadership

February 20, 2024

In his book, The Leadership Challenge , James Kouzes writes, “Exemplary leaders know that if they want to gain commitment and achieve the highest standards, they must be models of the behavior they expect of others.”

Before you can become an exemplary leader to others, you have to develop exemplary qualities of leadership within yourself.

Four words I want to suggest will help you develop exemplary qualities of leadership. These are four that I continue to work on and develop within me.

Intentionality . Every morning, think through how you will lead that day so you can lead intentionally rather than reactively.
Integrity . Ask yourself, “Am I shepherding those under my care now with the integrity of my heart?” Ps. 78:72 says, "With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand."
Imagination . Think about how to use the skills and gifts God has uniquely placed within you. Be yourself. C.S. Lewis called this approach to leadership: “baptized imagination”. Lewis said that when he stopped trying to live up to everyone’s expectations and lived within his God-given design, it freed him to write and think with greater creativity and clarity.
Incessant-cy . Exemplary leaders move through their struggles with contagious conviction. Winston Churchill said, “Success is moving from failure to failure without a lack of enthusiasm.” Challenges can lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness when you learn from your failures.

Leadership comes from years of experience learning how to fail forward, invest in people who you can develop to outshine you and stand firm on your convictions even if it means disappointing some people along the way. Personally, disappointing people has been my greatest challenge. As Marty Linksy famously said, "Leadership is disappointing people at a rate they can absorb." For me, that has been a small margin, but the more leadership years I gain, the more I realize that the best way to move forward and to move people forward is through tough decisions, perseverance especially through failures, being who God made me to be, intentional investments and above all, maintaining the integrity of my heart.

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Live Your Best Life Every Day by Pursuing Holiness

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 16:32:43 GMT

Live Your Best Life Every Day by Pursuing Holiness

February 19, 2021

Over the last three devotionals, we’ve said to Live Your Best Life Everyday…You Set the Right Examples (that was chapter one). Then in chapter two You Invest Your Life into Others, and then in chapter three You Intentionally Encourage Others Along the Way in Life. Today, we want to see how pursuing holiness in our conduct leads to knowing the will of God for our life. In other words, as my life is connected closely with Christ and mirrors the character and conduct of Christ, then He sets my life on a course of peace and prosperity that is greater than anything I could ever imagine. So, let’s journey through 1 Thess. 4:1-8.

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

There are two major ways Paul mentions to Pursue Holiness...

1. Live to Please God - The overarching desire of every Christian’s heart should be and must be to Please the Lord – Most people either live to please others because they want their approval or they live to please themselves because they have been hurt by others in the past and trust no one. But when a person gives their life to Jesus Christ, He changes their desires. 2 Cor. 5:15 says, “Christ died for all, that those who live should NO LONGER live for themselves but for Him who died for their sake and was raised.”

Whitney Hopler writes: “Too many people end up frustrated and exhausted from the stress of trying to please God through work that isn’t really necessary. From serving in church to trying to keep their behavior in line with biblical values, plenty of well-meaning Christians pursue good activities yet fail to reap the good result God intends from their efforts: more joy in their relationship with Him. If you’re trying hard to please God but feel like you’re falling short of doing so, it’s time to discover how truly easy it actually is to please God.”

She listed 13 easy to understand ways to live a life pleasing to the Lord that you find on crosswalk.com, but one of those ways she listed was Invest your time and energy first into your relationship with God instead of your work for Him . We often get that reversed but when you seek to build a strong relationship with the Lord, we get into a groove where everything else makes sense.

2. Live to Honor the Lord with Your Body . If there is one place in the Bible where we definitely know the will of God, it is here. He says plainly, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification”. The word means to be set apart or conduct yourself differently than the world. I like the way the Message explains this passage: “God wants you to live a pure life.

Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity. Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.” For God has not called us to live in such an impure way, but in holiness, and whoever chooses not to live holy chooses to live in opposition to God Himself which proves they do not know Him because every person who knows Him has the Holy Spirit living inside them.

When we live in opposition to God, we fail to live up to the standards for how God created us, but instead, we settle for a life of selfish pleasure; we live beneath the standards of God’s best. The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn't fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn't long till the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at the ground.

This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen. One day the farmer was visited by a shepherd who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle, the shepherd said to the farmer, "What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here in your barnyard! Why don't you let it go?" The farmer agreed, so they cut off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around, scratching and pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall. For the first time in months, the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings and with a leap soared off into a tremendous spiral flight, up and up and up. At last it was acting like an eagle again. Sin will cause you to look and act unnatural, not like God created you to be. But holiness causes you to act and look like a child of God.

If you want to live your best life every day, pursue a life pleasing to the Lord that honors the Lord with your heart, soul and mind.

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Live Your Best Life Every Day by Encouraging Others

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 16:27:45 GMT

Live Your Best Life Every Day by Encouraging Others

February 19, 2021

We’ve been looking at two ways to live our best life every day, and the first way we saw was setting a good example or making our life a blueprint of Christ in us for others to follow. Then we looked at how making an investment in others is critical for living a life of selflessness for the glory of God.

In chapter 3, Paul gets personal. Remember that Paul not only gave this church the gospel with his words, but he invested his life in them. He sends Timothy to check on them and see if the trials they faced were discouraging them and causing them to doubt. What Paul discovered was a group of Christ followers who were staying strong in their faith in the midst of hardships and was a source of encouragement and joy to other believers.

We learn through this personal statement to these Christians some valuable lessons about encouragement and encouragements impact on those who do the encouraging. (Read 1-3)

(1) We need to encourage others because life is hard (1-3)

Rocky Balboa: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. “

(2) We need to encourage others because our enemy seeks to destroy our joy in Christ (5)

How many times have you been around people who believe the lies of Satan and are living defeated lives even when they know that God has delivered? We tend to believe the worst and hang on to every criticism. The enemy loves to discourage and depress us. You may be around people who are under serious attack from the enemy and God has put you in their path to speak a word of encouragement. Your words will pull them through when nothing else will.

Max Lucado wrote in his book, He Still Moves Stones: Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer, tells of the time he was walking down the street and passed a beggar. Tolstoy reached into his pocket to give the beggar some money, but his pocket was empty. Tolstoy turned to the man and said, “I’m sorry, my brother, but I have nothing to give.”

The beggar brightened and said, “You have given me more than I asked for—you have called me brother.”

To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel, but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast.” Whether it’s love or hope or a challenge to keep moving forward in the face of trials, your encouragement could be the weapon a person needs to defeat the enemy’s attack today.

(3) We need to encourage others because the community it builds is priceless (6)

William Ward: “Flatter me and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me and I will never forget you.”

(4) We need to encourage others because when we do it comes back to us (7-10)

Mutual encouragement creates relational synergy and joyous community breathing new life into relationships that could otherwise be strained and on the verge of collapse.

Encouraging others is a ministry everyone can do. Look around today and find someone to encourage. Maybe it will be a waitress who is a single parent working two jobs to raise her children. Maybe its coworker who is struggling to bring balance to their life and on the verge of depression. Maybe it’s your spouse or child who just need to hear a positive word from you and not a critical word. Whoever or however, encourage someone today for the glory of God.

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Investing Your Life in Others - 1 Thess. 2:1-10

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 16:26:06 GMT

Investing Your Life in Others - 1 Thess. 2:1-10

February 11, 2021

Last time, we opened up a series of devotionals in 1 Thessalonians as we looked at Living Your Best Life…Everyday! And the first way we discovered last week from chapter one was to Determine Everyday to Set a Good Example. Today, we are going look at chapter 2:1-12 and talk about the importance of Investing Your Life into Another Person.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 “For you yourselves know, brothers,[ a ] that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery,[ b ] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle[ c ] among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

William Booth, founder of Salvation Army, could not make annual convention: “OTHERS!”

If you want to truly live your best life everyday, find someone you can pour your life into!

1. Making an investment in others seldom happens when everything in your own life is going well. (1-2) –

“For you yourselves know, brothers,[ a ] that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.

In February 2020, I was flying how from Budapest, Hungary. I had finished a week long of training pastors and graduated 30 students at our school for Roma Gypsy Pastoral Leaders. I was ready to be home and arranged my flight to make it home by late afternoon. My flight out of Hungary was a little late, but that was not a huge problem. When we landed in Amsterdam, I checked the gate for the Atlanta flight and headed that way. Passport Control was crazy crowded but made it through...barely. When I got to the gate, I still had a few minutes to spare. However, I didn't see the normal line up of people for this flight and asked the counter agents the reason why. She informed me that the gate had been changed!! The new gate was on the other end of the terminal. I took off like a mad man and arrived at the gate just in time to see them close the door and take my bags off the plane. With all the charm and reasoning I could muster, nothing could be done and I had missed my flight. Anger and frustration flooded through me as I thought about not being able to see my wife when I expected and possibly getting stuck in Amsterdam another day! I went to customer service to rebook my flight. The kind lady told me they had a flight leaving in four hours with one seat available, AND, it was an aisle seat!!

I took the ticket and began to pray about why this had happened. God did not speak audibly to me about why but somehow I had peace. When I went to my seat on the plane, I sat beside this young man from Bali, Indonesia who was flying to the States to work for Carnival Cruise Lines. We began to talk. he was very engaging and wanted to know all about the US. Before long, we were deep in a conversation about spiritual things, and I told him about Jesus and the Gospel for the first time in his life. He was coming from a Hindu background. To this day, we continue to correspond and I continue to share things about Jesus when I can. While I was talking with this young man, it dawned on me that he was the reason I had missed my flight. God wanted me to invest in this young man for the sake of him knowing Christ. The situation wasn't ideal and I had to confess my anger about missing my flight, but God did not allow that to stop me from investing in that young man. Making investments in others doesn't require perfect environments but positioned hearts that are positioned to do the will of God wherever and to whomever He desires.

2. Making an investment in others should never come from selfish motivations (3-6)

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

A, Not about impressing the person to make them feel good (3-4)

B. Not about getting something out of the person (5) - spending time with only the people who will advance your cause or line your pockets – we see this in politics, sports and entertainment…we can also see this in the church!!)

C. Not about impressing other people to be recognized by others (6)

"How To Be Miserable." It says, "Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use "I" as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them. Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others."

3. Making an investment in others requires more than our mere words (7-8, 11-12)

A. Pleaded with them,

B. Encouraged Them

C. Urged Them to walk in a manner worthy of God!

That’s investing your life in a person!!

In the movie, The Guardian, with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher – US Coast Guard Instructor who had gone through serious trauma and loss. He had a student , Ashton Kutcher, who felt responsible for three of his friends death in an auto accident. He was struggling to get his life together until Costner shared his own loss and poured his life into Kutcher which made all the difference! At the end of the movie, Costner makes a sacrificial move to save Kutcher. Costner falls into the sea never to be found. In the last scene, Kutcher rescues a man who says he was buoyed by someone under the water who would not let him go. They called Costner, the Guardian of the sea.

The real Guardian is Jesus Christ who holds up our lives when we feel like we are about to drown under the waves and pressure of life. But He also gives us that ministry as He works through us to buoy other people who might be drowning. Being a US Coast Guard was and is about saving the lives of others. All of our military who defend us courageously make an investment of their life sacrificially. Today or this week, look for someone in whom you can invest your life with the Gospel, with encouragement, with a challenge. Making an investment in others keeps the focus off you and guards you from becoming overwhelmingly self-centered. When you pour into others, God pours Himself into you!

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Determine to Set Good Examples - 1 Thess. 1:1-10Determine to Set Good Examples - 1 Thess. 1:1-10

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 16:21:39 GMT

Determine to Set Good Examples - 1 Thess. 1:1-10

February 10, 2021

We’ve heard a lot about live your best life now. It’s in pop culture, the church culture and the language of people who want to inspire and motivate. But, what does it really mean to live your best life now? Everyone wants to have a meaning-filled and prosperous life. People pay anywhere from a thousand to $3000 for seminars by big-named motivational speakers who will turn them on to their purpose or encourage them to chase their dream, and they leave with a spring in their step and a determination to build their empire for financial and personal freedom. Maybe they simply tune in to one of the talk shows like Oprah had for years and work their shame, guilt or regrets that have kept them from living their best life now. Certainly, you can find motivational preachers who will pump you up…all for the purpose of helping you find your true north, your dream, your legacy, your purpose for living, your key to personal and financial freedom.

For the majority of the culture who walk a different path from the one Jesus laid out, they want a good life and that’s good, but in the end, amid all the good things they can have and do, everything is done for their benefit, for their glory, for their renown. But, for the follower of Jesus Christ, they want God to direct them and for Him to get the glory in everything they do. So in essence, they can live their best life everyday even when life is not going good, when their marriage is being tested or when their company is down-sized and they lose our job or when their children have issues that are out of their control, when life just snatches away their dreams and they are left with what could have been.

Life is not always easy! But everyday can be greater than we could ever imagine when we look to the path God has laid out in His word and when we faithfully walk down that path expecting nothing in return but having a deep feeling that God is up to something special. I love what C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity: “This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there’s a rumor going around the shop that some of us are someday going to come to life.” Your life in Christ is alive and you have the ability to be and do great things that will echo through eternity. Here's 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Here’s the first thing you can be and do to live your best life today:

Determine to Set Good Examples (1:2-10; 4:11-12)

Setting a good example in a biblical context means that you…

1. Give people something to talk about! (Faith, Hope and their Love)

2. Live for Jesus so joyously, so authentically, so contagiously that others cannot help but want to do the same (6-8).

Martin Luther, the great German reformer gave a brief, simple, but expressive eulogy in 1522 for Nicholas Haussmann. Luther said, "What we preach, he lived.” – Nothing will people’s attention more than a person who truly sets a good example in their integrity, their work, their leadership and their home!

Mark Twain: “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”

3. Back up your testimony by showing everyone who truly has your heart and your priorities (9-10)

We live in a culture and society that cannot find their way to God and refuse to search. They live without true sight and have grown accustomed to the dark. Many who have the light do not shine bright enough for them to see anything, but then there is YOU. What can YOU be and do? Can you shine the light of Jesus Christ bright enough for them to see?

For many years Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican's paradise. As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the offal to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however the offal was utilized, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves. The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended.” All by setting the example. You be that example today!

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Contagious Christianity: It Just Takes One to Make a Difference

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 16:13:05 GMT

Contagious Christianity: It Just Takes One to Make a Difference

January 20, 2021

I can’t…

I don’t have time…

I don’t know how…

I’m not called to do that…

Those are all words that could have been used by the disciples when Jesus told them that he was heading back to Heaven. Sure, they were distraught, discouraged, uncertain, afraid, but when the Holy Spirit filled them they were confident, certain, courageous and contagious. Those disciples were maligned but motivated, rejected but renewed, crushed but confident. They did not stop until every person God introduced them to saw, heard and experienced Jesus living in and them by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was not a matter of how but when. It was not a matter of why but who. They were on a mission and there passionate faith was contagious!

Are we certain it spread?

If you know Jesus today, then you are a product of their obedience and love for Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:2).

Everyone of you can find a person of peace, someone who may not be a believer in your neighborhood, and invite them to invite others to your home or their home for a discovery bible study. Oh, what is a Discovery Bible Study (a Discovery Group)? I’m glad you asked!

A Discovery Group is a group of 4 or 5 people coming together to see what the Bible says about God, about them and if lived out, what it could mean for their lives.

This is a simple approach to inductive bible study that you can do anywhere, anytime with a consistent group of people where you together learn what God says, learn more about who you are and are challenged to make adjustments to our lives according to what we read. In essence, we are inviting the Spirit of God to teach us the Word of God and transform us into the People of God for the Glory of God. People in a Discovery Group are believers and unbelievers. What a believer prays for is that an unbeliever might take God at His word and watch Him transform his life through obedience to the truth. For believers, you are learning to live out truth authentically by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. It’s a Win Win situation.

If you want to know more about this approach to Bible study with others, click on this link.

Contagious Christianity is Contagious Disciple Making

Bible Studies You Can Do with Others…without having to know it all!

Inductive Bible Study is simply allowing the Spirit of God to take you verse by verse through the Scripture, and allowing His Spirit to open it up to you. Facilitating a study is NOT teaching the passage. Facilitating the study is opening the people to the Scriptures and then allowing the Spirit of God to show the people what God’s word literally says and then drawing off application. Everyone participates. Everyone is challenged to think it through and live it out.

Here’s how it would work in your home or wherever you would meet (then it would multiply to other groups forming as believers are raised up over time):

Worship. After greeting each other and having some chit chat, you begin with taking them into a time of worship. Here is how you could start: (1) What are you thankful for this week? (this leads to gratitude and our focus on God); (2) What are some challenges you face this week? (this leads to knowing how to pray for one another); (3) What do you need to to make the situation better? (this gives the group a practical way to pray or serve); (4) What are the needs you are seeing of the people in our community? (this leads to deeper prayer, compassion, service and opportunity to make disciples); (4) How can we help one another this week with the things we have mentioned? (this gets to the heart of true biblical community, fellowship and love for one another where life-on-life is lived out).
Application/Accountability. After week one (you’ll understand by the end), you talk about what they looked at last week and how they applied it. Ask: (1) What did we talk about last week? (accountability to impartation); (2) What changed in your life as a result of last week’s study and the point of obedience you discovered? (these come from their “I will…” statements, explained later); (3) How did it go when you shared the story/truth with someone else? (accountability for evangelism and replication); (4) We identified several needs last week and committed to meet them: How did it go? (accountability for commitments made to serve one another). This is a difference maker. This is where life is lived and change happens.
Study. Choose a Bible passage (below is a list of passages and topics you could work through over a year long period. Also, you can get a copy of Pastor Joey’s devotional passages looking at the life of Jesus. Call the church office for copies). (1) Share the context of the story or passage and then tell the story/passage from memory; (2) Then, Read the Story/Passage. (Read the passage yourself, ask someone you are discipling to read the passage or anyone in the group). (3) Ask for someone to retell the passage/story in their own words, as if he/she is telling it to a friend (useful for internalization and replication, evangelism); (4) Did he/she leave anything out? (5) Re-read the passage (correct any misleading or false comments by asking, “Where did you find this (what he said) in this passage? (6) Ask a series of discussion questions:

What does this passage teach us about God? (reference point for truth)
What does this passage teach us about humanity? (reality check of contrasting character and conduct)
If we believe this passage is from God, how must we change? (obedience, transformation)
Ask each person in the group to form their own personal response to this passage by starting with, “I will…”. Write them down on cards, paper, etc. They will use these the following week.

4. Practice. Now that you have studied a bible story or passage together, it’s time to really make a difference. It’s time to take it to the streets. (1) Ask - Who are you going to share this with this week? (evangelism and replication); (2) Say - We are not here to simply learn interesting facts about the Bible or even to be encouraged. Let’s practice what the Spirit of God showed us today. (3) Follow-through - Remind the group about their service commitments and “I will…” statements. (4) Pray and dismiss the group deciding when the group will meet again.

After this takes root, you will see God raise up more people who will want to do as you did with another group of people. This is bible study made easy and made to where you see life change. We often do not see life change because we are never held to how we might apply truth. Application of truth is where we GROW (Heb. 5:11-14).

Bible Reading Plan for Your Group

Trust

More about Trust

Obey

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Share

Matthew 28:18-20

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Matthew 5:13-16

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Relationships

1 Peter 1:22, 3:8, 4:9, 5:5

Ephesians 4:2, 4:32, 5:21

Serving

Giving

Disciple

2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Hebrews 5:11-14

Matthew 7:15-28

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A.C.T. Three Methods Jesus Used to Disciple Others

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 16:10:37 GMT

A.C.T. Three Methods Jesus Used to Disciple Others

November 24, 2020

Assess, Commit & Train

How to Use Your Head, Heart and Hands to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples

Introduction

A.C.T. is a resource tool to help a person who understands their call to make disciples. For many people who want to make disciples, they just don’t know how to get started. This simple tool helps a person think through the process and get started on a journey that will change their life and the person they disciple.

A.C.T. stands for Access, Commit and Train. Each word relates to the wholistic approach to disciple making: Head, Heart and Hands. The disciple maker uses their head to prayerfully and thoughtfully assess the people God has brought around them to see who they might approach about a disciple making relationship. Ideally, this happens organically, but it may also be a situation where they intentionally approach a person pointedly. The disciple maker uses their heart to commit their time, attention and knowledge to a person. This is a major investment of personal capital for the purpose of fulfilling their call to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, the disciple maker uses their hands to train the disciple in the ways of the following Christ. Using their hands is a way of saying that they are going to get their hands “dirty” or get involved in a disciple’s life and allow them into their own life for the purpose of transparency. They train them relationally, intentionally and particularly as they move the disciple toward becoming a disciple maker themselves.

The overarching purpose of any disciple making relationship is the disciple’s life transformation that leads them to a deeper maturity in Christ and a commitment to multiply their life into others. A.C.T. gives the disciple maker the parameters for moving forward rather than allowing them to remain stuck in a nebulous feeling of guilt. They gain direction for thinking through next steps along the way. Disciple making is not accomplished through a program or six-week study. Disciple making happens when a disciple commits their life to helping another person grow and learn in the walk they have with the Lord. A disciple maker simply imparts into another what has been imparted into them.

“And the things that you have heard and seen in me, in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Assess

Prayer (Luke 6:12) – Jesus made prayer the discipline He would use to select who He would disciple. Disciple makers do the same. You cannot exclude this critical element from the process. Jesus did this not to choose the perfect men because all of the disciples were flawed. He prayed because prayer moves us toward the will of God, gives us wisdom toward insightful discernment and puts in the right frame of mind as we are seeking the person God is leading to approach.

Perceive (Matthew 4:18) – Before Jesus called one of His disciples, He simply walked among the people living around Him, developed a relationship with various people and then called out of many a few to follow Him. Not everyone you know is ready to take a journey toward being a disciple maker. Yes, everyone is called to make disciples, but you are not called to make everyone a disciple maker. There are certain people God will place on your life’s path just for you. Not everyone will gel with you but they will gel with someone else. This takes perception.

Plan (John 1:35-39) – While Jesus lived a life of adventure and in step with the Father, He had a plan for His disciples. He would intentionally take them into villages where they would confront demons, prostitutes, corrupt religious leaders, and people who were simply imprisoned by their sin. Jesus would teach them about the kingdom of God and on occasion, send them out in pairs to minister on their own before bringing them back together for a post-mission debrief. A disciple maker plans what their schedule could handle so they do not over-commit. They also plan a pathway in their mind based on multiple conversations that help them discern what the disciple needs to learn and what will help them in the transformation process. Finally, the disciple maker plans to share the vision of disciple making so the disciple knows that the end is not further knowledge but multiplication.

Commit

Time (Mark 3:14) – Disciple making doesn’t happen until the disciple maker is willing to give a disciple one of the most precious possessions of any human being: their time! Jesus spent increasing amounts of time with decreasing amounts of people. While Jesus preached to the multitudes, His main ministry was time spent with just 12 ordinary men. In these men, Jesus would invest His life. He spent three and a half years pouring His life into them. Disciple makers will commit to giving others their time over lunch, over the phone, over coffee or simple texts. Whatever it takes, their time is the committed to seeing that disciple’s life transformed into a maturing and multiplying disciple.

Attention (John 13:1) – Jesus took time to really pay attention to the needs of His disciples. The crowds continually pressed in on Him but Jesus never allowed the crowds to take Him away from His men. He knew their needs. He knew their temptations. He knew their weaknesses. He knew their strengths. Disciple makers pay attention to the details in a person’s life and then uses what they learn to help the disciple grow.

Knowledge (Luke 24:13-35) – Jesus taught His disciples the Scriptures from the Old Testament and from His own words about the kingdom of God. He was the walking exegete of all Scripture (John 1:1-3). Jesus poured knowledge into His disciples through pure teaching but also in life-on-life situations as they walked and talked. Disciple makers do the same. Disciple makers pour what they know into the lives of others not with arrogance but humility. They share life stories, doctrine, sermons, teachings, insights, quotes, podcasts and anything that will help the disciple grow in their walk and be transformed.

Train

Relationally (2 Timothy 2:2) – Jesus could have trained His disciples by the masses or even in a small group, but He did it knee-to-knee. There are several places written where Jesus takes a few of His disciples aside and talks with them or takes them ahead of the others. Jesus spent time face to face with His disciples pouring truth and life into them. Disciple makers do their best training when they sit close, look into the eyes and listen intently to the needs of their disciple. Disciple making cannot be done through sermons or classroom teaching. Disciple making is done relationally.

Intentionally (Colossians 1:28) – Jesus trained His disciples with the intention that they would mature and multiply. He poured specific instructions into His disciples about the kingdom of God to give them a view of what Heaven valued. Jesus walked with them through the ups and downs. All the while, Jesus had one purpose: their transformation! Disciple makers have to be intentional. This means that a disciple maker needs to think about the end goal and work toward it with precision. They cannot afford to simply meet with the disciple and talk about sports the whole time. While daily life IS a part of the process, disciple makers need to work toward the spiritual goals assessed in the beginning. Write down those goals and work through them over time.

Particularly (Matthew 28:19) – The last thing Jesus told His disciples was to naturally go and make disciples but as they teach or train, do it with one goal: teach them to obey. The one thing disciple makers have to do is train their disciple to do is obey the Lord. Obedience is one of the marks of knowing Jesus and others knowing that we know Jesus. Helping disciples know how to obey the Lord and then giving them situations where they can demonstrate their obedience in an accountable and loving relationship moves the disciple toward a greater understanding and love for God’s word.

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America in Bible Prophecy

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 15:59:36 GMT

America in Bible Prophecy

November 18, 2020

Why do we not see America in the Bible, especially in the End Times?

· America’s founding came 1,100 years after the Bible was closed.

· America could be destroyed before the Tribulation

· America may become irrelevant to the issue due to their moral, spiritual and economic decline; as implosion from within.

Prov. 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

· America could be swallowed up by Islam or Religious tolerance, leaving Christians in the wake of persecution prior to the Rapture. Therefore, America would turn on Israel and find them against God.

Do we need Israel? Gen. 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.”

Any nation who tries to destroy Israel fails! America has always supported Israel, until these latter days. However, President Trump sided with Israel in moving the US headquarters from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

What is happening in America? Four Critical Realities in the US:

1. The Potential for an Economic Collapse

· US Debt today is $27 Trillion and counting

· $3.4 Trillion of Tax Revenue

· China holds 8% or 1.2 Trillion of US Debt – “To put China's ownership of U.S. debt in perspective, its holding of $1.2 trillion is even larger than the amount owned by American households. U.S. citizens hold only about $959 billion in U.S. debt, according to the Federal Reserve.”

· Only 53% of all eligible taxpayers pay taxes

· 46 States are on the verge of collapse

· Russia, China and Japan are calling on the US to replace the dollar with a world economic source

· Big Tech companies in the US with corporations are influencing the economy more than any other group and through the political system have a socialist agenda bathed in Marxism.

2. Freedoms are Being Lost to Cultural and Religious Shifts – As Europe has shifted more and more secular, the US is also shifting. Rather than shifting toward secularism, we have sailed past that and now into the open waters of religious paganism. This shift and the political control we see in other countries are alarming. @ There was a Salvation Army nursing home in Switzerland, that received a letter from the government that said, “Even if you do not want to help people kill themselves, YOU HAVE TO!” When a government moves toward greater control of the people, even when it looks like a justified, there is only one result…a leader will emerge to tell everyone else what to do. This is where the US is heading!

3. Cultural, Moral and Political Corruption – Bible out, prayer out, abortion in and homosexual agenda in full pursuit; going the way of Europe. The recent political and current political drama and corruption are alarming but in line with where we have been heading as a nation for many years. In many ways, we are reaping what we have sown. @ Ronald Reagan used to say, “We are the light shining on the hill.” We are no longer that light for good and godliness and haven’t been for many years. The United States as a society has taken on 2 Timothy 3:1-5 as our modus operandi. Listen to what Paul says here and see how this fits much of our culture.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

4. Rapture – what happens when the Church is taken out of America? No one to call for moral absolutes. No one to share the Gospel. No one to stand for truth.

What does this mean?

1. God only mentions four major nations in biblical prophecy – Daniel 2:33-45 (Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman) – Roman Empire will be renewed in the last days. All four of these kingdoms ruled over Israel. Israel, not the United States, is the central part of God’s plan.

2. Israel stands alone in the end – Ez. 38:1-18. As much as we have done for Israel recently and over the years, the Bible says nothing about a nations standing with Israel. More than likely, the United States will be weakened in its influence and power to the point that we have no resistance to the outside forces. You can see it now. If we adopt a progressive agenda, then we will continue to move farther from God and farther from a democratic union that is by the people and for the people.

3. The US will more than likely stand against Israel – There is no love for Israel among a growing number of Muslim US residents and those influenced by them. We also have a growing number of Americans who refuse to accept Israel as an ally. We know in the end that Israel will face the wrath of the nations to the North and East of them (Ezekiel 38-39). Recently, Russia and China began to do military exercises together. What does this all mean? They are planning their attack one day with the Middle East countries being puppet states for them to use for bases of operation. As Babylon walked through the countries east of the Jordan, so China and Russia will walk through the Middle East.

How do we live in light of this as Christians living in America?

2 Pet. 3:1-17

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” or they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,[a] not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

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Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 15:54:43 GMT

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

October 6, 2020

EZEKIEL – Part 2

A Brief Overview and Study of the Message in Chapters 21-36

A Historical Perspective

The first twenty chapters of Ezekiel unfold the justification of God’s wrath on Israel as He recounts all the ways the people have committed sin. Their sins were identified as bloody violence and idolatry. Through a series of analogies and illustrations, symbols and visuals, the Lord spoke through His prophet Ezekiel that Israel’s sin had profaned the holiness of God’s name (36:21). This theme continued into chapters 21-36.

The historical backdrop for Ezekiel is the assault from the East in the form of the most powerful military force in the known world at that time: the Babylonian Kingdom. Under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon marches West destroying any power who tries to oppose them. Around 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar takes over the throne from his father, Nebopolassar, who defeated the Assyrians at Nineveh in 612 B.C. and Carchemish in 605 B.C. Over the next twenty years, the city of Jerusalem is breached, destroyed and its people dragged off into slavery.

Historian and commentator, Iain M. Dugoid, gives the following perspective on the times of Israel’s great destruction and enslavement in the context of God’s ultimate work among His chosen people:

The years leading up to that ultimate cataclysm form the background to the prophecies in the book of Ezekiel, which span a twenty-year period before and after Jerusalem’s destruction. You cannot understand this book unless you see it as the response to Holocaust Now, warning God’s rebellious people of the oncoming juggernaut-and then scraping up the pieces of what remained off the highway. The book itself is fundamentally arranged about the central event of the fall of Jerusalem, or more precisely, around the event of the arrival among the exiles of the news of the fall of Jerusalem.

This forms the turning point in the experience of both the prophet and God’s people in the exile. The prophecy, which begins by clearly depicting the end of the road for God’s rebellious people, closes by showing that the end of the road is not the end of the story. Even His people’s sinfulness and rebellion cannot ultimately prevail against God’s electing grace (Ezekiel: The NIV Application Commentary, p. 22).

In the next sixteen chapters, from 21-36, Ezekiel continues to prophecy what the Lord tells him about the coming judgments through Babylon. The Lord will bring a sword against His people like they have brought a sword in the holy city Jerusalem (21). He does this on account of His people’s violent acts and their idolatry. The Lord compares Israel to two nations who lusted after Assyria who were idolaters from the start (23). The consequences of their lust are spelled out specifically when the Lord says, “Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring” (23:35). The Lord is incredibly offended by their idolatry but even more their blatant disregard for the holy name of God. The people of Israel were committing idolatry in the worship of false gods and then walking to the temple to worship Yahweh! This half-hearted worship was prophesied by the Lord earlier with a promise that He would not put up with it.

A Tragic Lesson Personified

In a sobering moment during these chapters, when Ezekiel already had to stand up against the tyranny of their evil, tragedy strikes Ezekiel’s personal life. The Lord comes to Ezekiel and says these words:

“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet, you shall not mourn or weep nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet, so not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men” (24:16-17).

What was this all about? What would cause Ezekiel so much grief and at the same time, we would not be allowed to show his sorrow? The next verse spells it out, “So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died (24:18) . Wow! What a bombshell for this prophet. In the spirit of Hosea, Ezekiel becomes an illustration for Israel, in that, they delighted in their city as their stronghold. In other words, the trusted in the creation and scorned the Creator. The Lord would take the city, their delight, just as he took Ezekiel’s wife. For this prophet, his work would cause him to weep but also realize the seriousness of sin’s impact and influence in the life of God’s people. They had turned their back against God and that would only lead to chaos and ruin. God was not about harming Israel through His jealousy but being their provider. By turning their back on God, they were forfeiting God’s provisions which were more than abundant and settling for the scraps that could never satisfy.

God’s Purpose and Covenant Commitment Revealed

In Ezekiel 25, the Lord confronts four surrounding nations, Ammon and Moab, and Edom and Philistia about their complicity in allowing Babylon to come through their land to destroy Israel. These surrounding nations rejoiced at the demise of Jerusalem, but God remembered His covenant with Israel, despite Israel’s rebellion (Exodus 19:5-6). Repeatedly, the Lord told Israel that in their obedience they would find blessing, but Israel continued to rebel and turn their back against the Lord. However, the Lord held up His end of the covenant. They were His people even though they had rebelled. He would not abandon them even though He would discipline them mightily. That is what happens to Israel in Ezekiel. Their devastation could have been prevented if Israel had only obeyed the Lord and not fallen into idolatry.

God had placed Jerusalem in the center of the nations (Ez. 5:5). Why did God do this? God had called out a people for Himself, His own special people (1 Pet. 2:9) to be at the center of the nations to influence them and be a light of hope to the world. Rather than being that light, Israel “rebelled…by doing wickedness more than the nations” (5:6) , and against the statutes of the Lord more than the countries all around her. The result of this rebellion was catastrophic for the people of God. They did not build alliances and trust with the nations. Their influence was one of disdain and not blessing. Israel could have built friendships and a relationship where the surrounding nations could have seen the glory of the Lord through them, but they did not. The result was animosity against Israel, and when Babylon came knocking, the nations opened their doors to them and welcomed them though their land to enter on the doorstep of Jerusalem. Rather than being a unified group of nations who would ally together against larger, more aggressive countries to be a buffer and opposition, the nations turned their back on Israel and allowed the enemy to enter freely.

What a missed and tragic opportunity for Israel! The lesson should be clear: the Lord placed them at the center of the nations to be a light but they did not influence them toward God which resulted in a weak defense when the enemy attacked. God has placed the Church at the center of the nations, just as He has placed parents in the home to bring the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and protect them from the onslaught of evil flooding into our homes and nation. When that light does not shine due to sin in our lives, we open the door for more and more sin to flood into our communities and our homes.

In Ezekiel 22 and 33, we get a clear illustration of what God was looking for but what Israel could not provide because of how they lived.

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none” (22:30). The Lord looked for someone who would stand in the gap of the wall and be a wall against the pressures of evil, but no one would do it. What Israel lacked was a watchman (33:1-9).

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

The Lord lays out the sin of remaining silent. He shows Ezekiel that He is looking for people who will stand up and speak out on His behalf to warn the people. If they did not listen, the people would be guilty, but if Ezekiel did not speak out then the blood of the people (who were still guilty) would be on Ezekiel’s hands.

God has called His people to stand in the gap, speak out and not be silent in the face of the enemy. There is a battle for our children, our marriages, our communities and our nation. The enemy will do everything in his power to influence and impact our political system, our justice system, our family system and our culture to shape it away from the love, truth and justice of God. Confusion, deception, corruption and tolerance for things that stand in enmity before God are only some of the tools of Satan (Eph. 6:10-13; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; 1 John 2:15-16). Ezekiel reveals a people who had fallen prey to the enemy’s trickery and fallen headlong into idolatry.

At the end of Chapter 33 and then in Chapter 34, Ezekiel recorded the prophesy that truly revealed how far Israel had slipped and why they could not recovery from their own failures. Listen to the corruption from the heart and lives of the people:

“As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it” (Ez. 33:30-32).

The people of God had totally abandoned the prophetic voice of God through their prophets and teachers. They had no respect for their leaders but simply played the part of the faithful. This is what you are left with when the mores around you have fallen aside and all you have left are empty shells of leadership from people who live only for themselves, and where truth is hidden under the hoarding pile of compromise and self-centered lifestyles. The Lord brought this out in Chapter 34.

The Lord directed Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. He was not talking about the literal shepherds who tended literal sheep, but the religious leaders. The Lord’s indictment was quick and to the point:

“Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them” (Ez. 34:2-6).

This is why the Lord could find no watchman…the ones He called to watch over them had failed to do their duty. Rather than care for the sheep, they cared for themselves. The religious leaders were corrupt and derelict in their duty. They had no excuse, but revealed their pride and lack of concern through their lack of effort to guard the people. The Lord judged the shepherds sternly (34:10). Then told Ezekiel that He would search for the sheep Himself and bring them out of the surrounding countries to their own land (34:11-16). In 34:16, we get a glimpse of the Good Shepherd who comes to seek and save the lost. The Lord says plainly, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down…I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and strong, I will destroy (speaking of the religious leaders). I will feed them in justice.”

Ezekiel recorded, perhaps, the most eloquent verbiage of God’s love and care for His own sheep. This love personified in the incarnation and sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ, who truly cared for His sheep enough to die for them. He lived the life that we should have lived and died the death we should have died, so that we could stand in the righteousness of God and be free of the condemnation God’s wrath placed against sin.

In a final glimpse of the awesome love of God and concern for His people, Ezekiel recorded the Lord’s concern for His holy name (36:16-21), and then gave us the motivation behind everything the Lord did and continues to do. Ezekiel 36:22-23 showed clearly that it was God’s grace and not man’s goodness that lead His actions, but also why He did it.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ‘It is not for you sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord., declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”

The next section may be the greatest Old Testament section on the grace and provision of God which would ultimately come through Jesus Christ in His finished work on the cross and resurrection. Not only did this passage describe God’s provision of His Spirit but also provided the power of the Gospel to transform people’s lives!

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ez. 36:24-27).

All of this was done by the Lord not for the sake of the people (or because of any good they had done), but for the sake of the name of the Lord our God. As you see throughout the book of Ezekiel, the purpose for every act of God was “that they will know that I am the Lord” (Ez. 36:38).

Conclusion

God had judged His people and kept His covenant by judging the nations around Israel who had attacked them. The major takeaway in this section was that Israel had fallen so deeply into violence and idolatry that they forfeited any influence they might have on their own community but also the surrounding nations. Compromise will do this! When we fall prey to the enemy’s seductive attacks, we lose credibility and influence in our families and communities. We cannot afford to lose this when the souls of our children and the people in our communities starve for the direction and purpose of God. How can they see and know God, if they cannot see Him in us?

Questions to Consider:

1. What overarching thought GRABBED you the most in these chapters?

2. What challenged you or bothered you as you read these chapters?

3. What did you learn about God?

4. What did you learn about the heart and ways of people?

5. What are the comparisons to Ezekiel’s day and our own?

6. How would you apply what you have read to your own personal life?

7. Were there SINS to avoid? PROMISES to claim? EXAMPLES to follow? Or COMMANDS to obey?

8. Pick out one point of application. How WILL you apply it this week? (Be SMART about this: Specific…Measurable…Attainable…Realistic…Timely).

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Leading Leaders: 4 Reminders to Create a Transformative Culture

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 15:46:23 GMT

Leading Leaders: 4 Reminders to Create a Transformative Culture

October 2, 2020

Leading leaders is one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of being a leader. This especially is true when church staff are working with volunteers, but it is equally important when Christian men and women working in the corporate world lead leaders with vision and integrity. The principles in this article are transferable in both the church staff setting and the corporate setting. For those in corporate life, you may not be able to publicly implement all of these simple principles but there are work arounds. For example, you may not be able to pray with a colleague in public, but you can pray for them or over lunch outside the office, pray with them one-on-one.

"True leadership lies in guiding others to success--in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well." --Bill Owens

As you think about how to constantly engage your leaders, here are four principles we need to remember and consider:

(1) Pray for them daily - this is an obvious one, for sure, but one that reminds us that in our prayer life, we need to keep the ones under our charge before our Lord. To not pray for those we are leading is to abandon them to our own opinions and whims. Prayer is not so much for those being led but for those leading them ones being led. Leading leaders requires wisdom and insight which can only be contextualized through consistent and meaningful time spent with God.

(2) Contact them regularly - phone calls, texts or emails are great to stay in touch with your leaders, but also include personal meetings over breakfast, lunch or coffee. During these times you want to connect with them personally but also to share vision and ways they can grow as a leader. Time is a commodity you can never get back but will pay far greater dividends than skipping this step for mindless moments that reap nothing in return. Schedule your week so you can personally contact at least one person you are leading in a meaningful way.

(3) Resource them practically - find out what they need and make sure they have it. You are their resource person. Your leaders should not be looking for resources or looking very long. They may not even know what they need, but you can step in and find out through personal conversations. These resources may be books, podcasts, videos or articles. Put them onto people from which they can learn and grow as a leader.

(4) Train them diversely - every person learns at a different rate and with different methods. Find the way each person you are leading learns and then help them grow in that way. Training is not always done in a conference room but often is done in personal conversations about trying this or trying that. Training is also done through evaluation. Follow-up the least utilized resource for the leader. In follow-up evaluations, you can learn so much more about what went wrong and what went well. Here is where growth takes off!

Whether you are leading a church staff, a small organization or a major team in a Fortune 500 company, these principles are helpful for Christians leading well in the workplace. Use them and see your leaders transformed.

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The Village: Why We Need One Another More Than Ever

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 15:44:23 GMT

The Village: Why We Need One Another More Than Ever

September 9, 2020

Based on a Nigerian Igbo culture saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” we understand that it takes many in a village to raise a child. Raising a child or living a life that is balanced takes more than an individual effort. Having community around you is essential and having people in your life who can help you along the way to speak words of wisdom into your child’s life or your life is a gift from God. On the flip side, when that is taken away or when a person chooses to go it alone, the results can be devastating. Some people feel that it is intrusive and offensive to have other people speak into the lives of their children or give them personal advice. Who are they? What right do they have to say anything? They have their own problems to work out. Without a doubt, there are times when people can give poor advice or say things that are not helpful when speaking into our children’s lives, but more times than not, the community that surrounds us can be of a far greater benefit than detriment.

Cultural and ethnic differences have the possibility to keep us from building the village where people can speak life and truth into our lives. When we look at our neighbors through biased lens of skin color, intellect or socio-economic status, then we limit the diversity of wisdom that could truly make a difference in the life of our children or us personally. More importantly, when these divisions are not settled in our hearts but legitimized, they create avenues for pride, unhealthy competition, jealousy and disdain. We fall prey to the idea that we want others around us to fail and for us to succeed. We might not say that but that is how we think and in truth, that is how we act. When this attitude takes root, we turn on one another rather than lifting up one other, protecting one another and forgiving one another in love. The net result is vengeful behavior that looks like anything but love.

The truth is, God has put us in community with one another to provide protection, mutual assistance and encouragement. The Lord has surrounded us with beautiful diversity of language, conviction and passion. We must be able to see this and appreciate it so that we can benefit from it as a community. In the movie, Gladiator, there is a scene where the Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, is a faced with a situation where he has men who have to fight alongside him to defeat and overwhelming enemy. They are out-matched and under-resourced. However, Maximus rallies them together with these words, “We have a better chance of winning if we stay together.” They won the battle in the arena that day against all odds. The same holds true today. We must stay together if we are going to hold off the hordes of idolatry and perversion that continues to push mightily into our families.

In Ezekiel 25, this is illustrated for us when the Lord directs Ezekiel to prophecy against four of the surrounding nations of Israel and Judah. The previous 24 chapters, God speaks through Ezekiel to Israel and explains why He is bringing judgement and His wrath upon them. Israel is filled with bloody violence and idolatry. Therefore, the Lord raises up Babylon to penetrate the walls of Jerusalem, take their people captive and kill them by the thousands. The Lord is justified in His wrath as He explains, but in chapter 25, He points out the guilt of the surrounding nations. Due to their own pride and envy against Israel that dated way back, they were glad to see the destruction of Israel. Therefore, when Babylon came from the East, they were more than happy to open their roads and assist them in any way so that Israel might get what they deserved. The Lord does not praise them in their complicity but condemns them for their revenge. He does for the same reason Israel broke the heart of the Lord: they did not know Him even though the Lord had made Himself fully known.

What we see in this chapter is a breakdown in community. Babylon was a mighty nation but could not have had access to Jerusalem if they had banded together to push Babylon back to their homeland. However, the relationships between Israel and these four nations were not good, but this was not the real fault of the nations. The true guilt laid at the feet of Israel. Israel had not lived in accordance with the laws of God. They had lusted after idols and the pagan life for so many years that the surrounding nations saw no credibility in their words of faith. The Lord had set Jerusalem as the center of the nations (5:5) but Israel rebelled by doing “wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries all around her, for they rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes…therefore, says the Lord God, behold, I am against you” (5:6, 8).

When the people of God influence their community around them, people of diverse thought and background, it creates a bond of truth that cannot be easily broken. When the community of faith in Jesus influence their community, it creates a wall against perversion and a village of protection as we look out for one another, love one another and speak words of wisdom into the lives of our children and our families. Diversity is beautiful, but when it is coupled with the power of the Gospel, contextualizing it and utilizing it, then it becomes a magnificent tool to provide health, purpose and joy in the lives of everyone they touch.

This is the community the Lord died to provide. This is the Church when the Church ceases to compromise its values for the values of world. This is the strength displayed when a weakened spiritual immune system is cleansed from its worldly corruption. This is the Church in every community living out the command of Jesus to love God and love others.

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Dr. Craig Hamlin is the Executive Pastor of Discipleship and Congregational Life for First Baptist Church of Peachtree City in Peachtree City, Georgia. He has been a senior pastor for over 20 years in North Carolina and Georgia. He has preached in many parts of the United States and around the world. Dr. Hamlin also founded the Roma Bible Institute of Central Easter Europe to provide theological training for Roma gypsy pastors in Ukraine, Romania and Hungary.

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Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:35:29 GMT

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

August 27, 2020

EZEKIEL

A Brief Overview of the First Twenty Chapters

The Book of Ezekiel may be one of the most unusual and confusing books in the Bible. The Lord led me to this book recently to do a slow study during my devotional reading. When you read Ezekiel, you feel like you are in outer space or in some type of warped reality, but when you begin to read it slowly, you see that the Lord uses a ton of symbolism as He communicates to His people Israel.

Through symbols and illustrations which often Ezekiel is called upon to personally and visually demonstrate, the Lord warns, condemns and encourages His people. Ezekiel is asked to cut off a part of his beard and burn it in front of the people. He is asked to carve on bricks, cook food over human waste and lay naked for days on end. Through it all, Ezekiel obediently follows the Lord command as His prophet and serves as the mouthpiece of God. His words are not comforting most of the time but condemning. Israel has strayed. They are playing the harlot with their idols like their forefathers, and God is not about to excuse their behavior. The Lord has placed Israel in the center of the nations (5:5) as a witness to the Lord, but they act as if they do not know Him. The phrase which dominates Ezekiel’s message is repeated in virtually every chapter: “And they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Placing Israel as the center of the nations, the Lord gave them all the benefits of His provision and His protection, but the people rebelled against it. God’s very purpose in placing them at the center of the nations was their testimony to His abundant love. They were to be the Lord’s hands, feet, and mouthpiece. Everything that God is was to be seen through their faith, their devotion, their kindness to the nations but most importantly, their holiness. However, they forsook the love of God for the love of idols. Look at just a few of the passages the Lord speaks through Ezekiel about their rebellion:

“And she has rebelled against my rules by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries all around her; for they have rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes” (5:6).

“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them” (7:10-11).

“Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose” (8:17).

“And you shall know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you” (11:12).

“But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his” (16:15).

“How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute” (16:30).

In the midst of all this rebellion and idolatry, the Lord is merciful. Simply by sending the prophet to the house of Israel, God was saying that I am patient and merciful. It broke God’s heart for the people to rebel against Him. When he spared some from His judgment, He said, “Then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me, and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols” (6:9). To bring judgment upon His people broke the heart of God. Because the Lord is holy, He cannot be defiled by idolatry and had made a covenant with Israel that as they obeyed His rules and follow His statutes, He would bless them in the land and among the nations, but if they rebelled, He would discipline them. The Lord said plainly to Israel about His desire for them to obey and His brokenness over their rebellion, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (18:23).

Perhaps the most heart breaking and most disturbing part of the first twenty chapters of Ezekiel is Israel’s brazen belief that they could live with their idols and still call on the Lord as if He would tolerate an anything goes lifestyle. Chapter 20 outlines Israel’s desire to have the Lord on their side but divide their allegiance with their idols. Israel wanted to cover all their bases, when the Lord was their base. In chapter 20, the Lord recounts Israel’s past failures and warns the people not to fall into the same pattern. Out of an abundance of mercy, He declares His power and determination to see His people to a new future where “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out”, He would be their king (20:33). The final section of chapter 20 mentions the Lord’s deliverance coming from His holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel (20:40). In the next few verses, the Lord prophetically declares His purpose and provision:

“As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God” (20:41-44).

This prophetic declaration is a foreshadowing of what the Lord would do on the mountain of Israel, His holy mountain. In the coming years, the Lord would Himself come in human flesh, live among the people, teach them and live the life they could not live in perfect obedience God the Father. Jesus Christ would ascend the holy mountain of God bearing a cross and lay down His life for every single human being past, present and future. His perfect life and the blood shed on the cross would be the payment for the house of Israel and for every Gentile whom God would adopt into His family by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). The Lord would give those who trust in Him a new heart of flesh and remove the one of stone, so that they would turn their affections away from idols and to the Lord. When this would happen, those who trusted in Christ would know that He was the Lord.

This is God’s purpose for our lives --- to know Him! To know the Lord and live for Him are the two greatest realties in life. That we can have a relationship with the God of the universe is beyond comprehension. To have the privilege to live for Him is the greatest honor in life. Flowing from those two realities are further realties of His forgiveness, His grace, His peace, His gifting, His mission and His love that flows through us into the lives of every person we meet. This is what the Lord was after for Israel, but they chose to reject the Lord for their own pride and selfishness. What will you do? As you study these chapters, think of the heart of God that breaks when we turn away from Him. Think about the people who need to hear the Gospel. Think about how your life can be a witness to the love of God in our world.

Questions to Consider:

1. What overarching thought GRABBED you the most in these chapters?

2. What challenged you or bothered you as you read these chapters?

3. What did you learn about God?

4. What did you learn about the heart and ways of people?

5. What are the comparisons to Ezekiel’s day and our own?

6. How would you apply what you have read to your own personal life?

7. Were there SINS to avoid? PROMISES to claim? EXAMPLES to follow? Or COMMANDS to obey?

8. Pick out one point of application. How WILL you apply it this week? (Be SMART about this: Specific…Measurable…Attainable…Realistic…Timely).

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Praying in the Midst of Spiritual Battles

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 15:32:14 GMT

Praying in the Midst of Spiritual Battles

August 19, 2020

Praying in the Midst of Spiritual Battles

“And Lead Us Not into Temptation but Deliver Us” Psalm 73:1-3, 13-26

We have been studying the subject of prayer this Winter and into the Spring. Our study has taken us through many parts of Scripture as we have focused on the Lord’s Prayer and discovered that to truly understand this prayer and why the Lord gave us this prayer, we have to look at the doctrine or meaning behind it. That has taken us throughout the Bible in an effort to get the full range meaning of what Jesus was saying. As we have learned, everything the Bible teaches, in essence, is wrapped up in this prayer. Everything we need to know about the purpose, character and desire of God is found here. We have learned how to worship through praise, how to call on the Lord for petition and the critical nature of forgiveness.

In this session, we are on the section of the prayer that speaks of the spiritual battles we face and the power we have to face them. Everyday this is the case. There are battles and temptations we face that are obvious and in our faces. The evil is easy to recognize. There are other battles that are more subtle and harder to deflect. How do you work through those moments when you are under attack?

There are several places we could go to in Scripture but Psalm 73 is a great place to learn a prayer that helps us navigate and find victory in moments of struggle when you don’t know what to do.

Spiritual battles are not always the result of poor choices. Verses 13-14 the writer is saying that he has a clean heart, he’s doing everything as right as he knows how but still things are going wrong. He knows the truth...Psalm 73:1 “Truly God is good in Israel, to those who are pure in heart.” However, things are not going well, things are precarious and in fact, things are going really bad. He is facing struggles that are discouraging him, defeating him and depressing him. Victory seems too far away and unattainable.

BUT, on the other hand, he looks at everybody around him and sees people who are prospering more than he is, succeeding more than he his and sinning more than he is, but his life is the one in turmoil (vv. 4-12). Their life is going great!! What’s up with that?

His problem is that he is slipping (v. 2). He is stumbling! His problem is ENVY (v. 3).

What is envy? Envy is wanting someone else’s life. Envy is dissatisfied with God because you believe that God is not giving you what you think you deserve. This man is about to walk away from God because he is upset about how life is going. He is being tempted to walk away and forsake his faith. He doesn’t see the reason to follow God if God is not going to give him at least what others have. What is the solution?

He has to get the right perspective. How did he do this? Look at verses 16-17 “But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” That was the key. He did not simply walk into a church building, sit down and contemplate God. He went into the very presence of God. Not through a worship gathering where you think about God or sing about God, but you begin to deal with God. There is a directness with God. You cannot get the right perspective if all you do is read about God or sing about God or talk to others about God. You begin to understand Him when you talk to God, ask God questions and wrestle with the issues of life honestly in a conversation with God.

1. He Admits the Worst (v. 13)

This is shocking language in verse 13. Can you imagine really saying this? The writer is saying that everything he has done for the Lord is in vain. What is he saying? That everything he has done for the Lord is meaningless and a waste of time! WOW! Here is a man who is on the edge of bitterness, despair and admitting that his life is so turned inward on himself that his motivation for serving God, loving others and worshipping is all about his own gain. Someone said about this passage: “It was shockingly shallow.” His admission was so shocking that it literally shocked him into reality.

What he was admitting is what so many people today could admit and that is, the reason they are serving God is for what God can do for them and not what they can do for God. They are more interested in God’s blessings. They are not content unless God is lavishing on them all the things they want or think they deserve. Did you come to faith in Jesus Christ for the things He can give you or did you come to faith in Christ for Him and Him alone? Did you come to God for Him to be your slave? This is the critical admission to understand the battle you are in. The battle is not with people around you. The battle is mainly with you.

2. He Sees the Whole

The Psalmist is saying that he goes in the sanctuary of God (v. 17). He is referring to prayer or coming into the presence of God. What is happening here? The writer, when he comes into the presence of God, gets insight like no other time. He doesn’t just see circumstances in fragments but now he can see things as they truly are - the whole of it. It’s like watching a panoramic 360 degree view. You can YouTube videos where you can see places in the world from every angle. They are virtual tours where you can make the camera go up, down and completely around. That is what the writer is picturing here. He says, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end” (v. 17-20).

This only happens when you pray. Prayer gives you a vantage point that allows you to see more tan you are able when you try to reason things out in a normal way. Prayer reorients you. Prayer takes you higher than you can normally be like going to a peak above the trees.

Here’s what he is realizing...

Nothing in life that seems to bring ultimate fulfillment brings fulfillment ultimately. He looks around him and notices that the things people are pursuing to make them happy never last. All the money they earn, all the power they acquire, all the possessions they collect...all of it goes away eventually. In the end, all you are left with is what you brought into the world because you are not going to take it with you, and if you have built your entire world on these things, then you will face the end of your life with brokenness, disillusionment and despair. Your life will be empty and meaningless. For most younger people this is so hard to understand because all of life is in front of them. But the older you get, the more is taken away and the you begin to realize that life is not about the things you possess.

The writer is wondering why he is pitying them. They have nothing. The one thing they need and the one thing he realizes that he has is God! “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (25). He realizes the the ultimate longing and meaning of his life is not in what everyone else thinks you have to have. It’s the Lord!

Look at verse 20. He says, “Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.” He is saying that this realization is like when you awake from a dream and realize that all the craziness in your dreams is not real. Do you see what he is really saying? All of the things that cause us worry and anxiety -

Am I making enough money? Why don’t I look better? I wish I had a better career? All the things that tend to make us crazy and cause us to think we are worthless are like phantoms. You see, the only thing that truly matters in life and gives meaning to life is found in God. He alone gives purpose to your life. Only what you do for Him will last for eternity. Where does this perspective come from? The sanctuary! You get it in the sanctuary of God, in His presence...in prayer!

3. He Grasps God’s Grace (vv. 21-24)

In these verses we see the writer coming to terms with who who really was. His soul was embittered. He felt like a brute, like a beast. His description is one of his true self apart from God. That is what the Gospel says about us. Until we comes to terms with that and realize that we are like a brute beast, sinful, awful, exposed, and broken within, we cannot understand the greatness of the love of God toward us. While he sees this, he also sees that there is someone greater who is with him. This is how he says it:

“Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You uphold my right hand” (v. 23).

This is a picture of the Gospel. Every person who realizes that their sin has created them to be a brute beast but God has not forsaken them but upholds them, they are the ones who understand the grace of God. This is what Jesus did when He went to the cross. Jesus took our sin that had made us into a beast and gave us His beauty. From that position the Lord guides us and receives us to glory (24). The grace of God provides the strength we need. He is our portion forever (v. 26).

“Our ability to remain faithful to God, is by itself a miracle. For nothing happens without His Grace that works in us, and His Spirit that perfects us, which urges us to be like Him. For truly ,everything begins with His mercy and ends with His mercy.”

~ Henrietta Newton Martin

The battles we face are from within, but when we enter the sanctuary of God we see who we truly are and realize the greatness of who God truly is! That is when battles are fought and won. That is when the temptations of life are put aside, because you realize that nothing or no one can compare to the treasure of God!

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ReOrdering the Church: Looking In,Looking Back or Looking Forward

Fri, 22 May 2020 15:29:38 GMT

ReOrdering the Church: Looking In,Looking Back or Looking Forward

May 22, 2020

Throughout my years of ministry and throughout my life, I have observed the Church with a mainly come and see mentality. We have built large buildings, developed complex programs and sent missionaries all over the world to replicate the success of our ministries. While we have done an okay job in the community, most of our churches are filled with people who would rather cross the pond to do ministry than develop it in their own community. The need among the nations is great, don’t get me wrong, but we are losing generations in our own communities because many within the church have never taken the time to exegete their neighborhoods or developed a heart to see their neighbors discipled.

When COVID-19 hit, churches began to scramble for ways to continue their ministries. Some churches pivoted well and others not so well. What churches are discovering is that if they want to be deemed irrelevant coming out of this crisis, they need to simply go back to the way they were doing ministry. Doing things the way we have always done them is comfortable. Why make any shifts or look in a different direction? Richard Blackaby, son of Henry Blackaby and an author and speaker around the world, made this statement:

“I spend half my time working with Christian CEOs from corporate America. I have been on numerous Zoom calls with them as they seek to navigate COVID-19. Doing so has provided a fascinating contrast of how business and church leaders are preparing to lead in the future. Business leaders know they can never return to the way things were. They don’t look back; they look forward. They don’t bemoan lost opportunities; they search for new ones. Church leaders could learn much from this approach.”

His comments came in the context of sharing the story of Lewis and Clark as they navigated rivers plotting their way to the Pacific. Things were going well until they ran into the Rocky Mountains. How they did things would not work when they got to the Rockies. For them to continue they had to adjust and work within their new environment. The same is true for the Church and for your church. If we embrace the new possibilities and opportunities afforded through this crisis, we may come out doing things differently but seeing greater fruit than ever before. Could we see a reversal in the trends of college students who are leaving the Church at alarming rates start to come back? Could we see neighbors who stay at home on Sundays and are indifferent to the Gospel begin to open up to you and what you have to say? Could we see followers of Jesus intentionally take their faith into their neighborhoods to birth, host or lead a LIFE Group that studies the Bible, creates a safe place to share life and develops future leaders who will do the same in the next neighborhood over? Could we see a generation of Christ followers concerned more about going to their communities rather than expecting their communities to come to their church or their church’s programs?

This is a time for us to ask the hard questions and consider finding new ways to fulfill the goal that every LIFE group should pursue: the radical TRANSFORMATION of every person in their group.

Might you be the catalyst to participate, host, launch or lead a community group that multiplies all over where you live? It would not be about giving up something or giving up relationships, but about expanding them, expanding your influence and expanding the kingdom of God.

A Final Word…

Richard Blackaby concluded his argument for the church to consider ways to look forward and the dangers of waiting for things to get back to normal, by bringing up the story Jesus told in Luke 19 about the Master leaving his servants in charge and giving them each 10 minas. When the Master returned, one of the servants had hid his minas out of fear. Jesus rebuked him and took it away. Blackaby drew a parallel to churches who do the same versus churches who look for more creative, uncomfortable and necessary ways to do ministry. He said, “I believe the future calls for entrepreneurial leadership in both business and the Church. It demands creative, future-oriented, courageous leadership. Outdated methodology must be discarded, and new, more effective means implemented. Effective leaders know what matters. They hold tightly to the mission and the message, but they hold loosely to the means. They clearly recognize that the means are just the means. They’re not the ends.

COVID-19 has been a wakeup call to leaders everywhere. Some have responded brilliantly. Others have buried their mina in the sand and dourly waited out the storm. Such leadership will not see God’s kingdom expand, and it certainly won’t be rewarded by the King.”

Dr. Craig Hamlin - Pastor, Writer and Discipleship Staff Leader/First Baptist Church of Peachtree City, Georgia

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Flat Screen Church or In-Person Church: What is the Real Thing?

Fri, 15 May 2020 15:24:08 GMT

Flat Screen Church or In-Person Church: What is the Real Thing?

May 15, 2020

In light of churches being strictly online for the past two months, the question has been raised, “Is this all we need to be a part of the Church?” For many people in the United States, online, TV church or flat screen church has become the norm. In this period of time, being able to have medium is a huge blessing, but is this really church and what about when churches reopen? What if families do not want to come back (even when it is completely safe)? Will it be good enough for them to simply watch it from their living room, bedroom or anywhere they choose?

The fundamental question is “What is the Church?” The Church is God’s creation and a holy convocation of people who have been redeemed through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, covered by His grace and called out of darkness to His glorious light. The Church is the body of Jesus Christ. Does this body stand alone? Can you be a part of the Church in isolation? I guess the most practical question is, “Why do you attend Church?”

Church attendance is one of those things which fluctuates up and down like Goliath, the big rollercoaster at Six Flags. Now that our society has become so mobile and activities for families every day of the week, especially on the weekends, church attendance has seen dramatic declines over the past 50 years. In fact, reports show that less than 20% of people attend a church service once a week. Sure, the church has done a poor job connecting people and there are things every church could do better to “attract” people to their services, but some where along the way, the church must stop trying to market itself like it is some kind of commodity and call believers to truly recognize the value of what Jesus Christ started in the first place: His Church.

Below is an article by Thom Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay, who wrote about why he attended church. As disciples of Jesus Christ, God has called us to the body of Christ. The Church is His body and like it to not, the Church meets and as been meeting for over 2,000 years for a reason. Read this article. I hope it enlightens your thinking, challenges you and mobilizes to love and support your church like never before. I know one thing…I LOVE My Church!

In a culture that minimizes commitment and maximizes self-indulgence, I have learned the precious gift of church attendance or, more specifically, the church gathered. I do not see church attendance as a burden or legalistic commitment. I view it as joy—a place where I can give and serve, a place where I can focus more on others rather than myself.

I could name many, but here are ten reasons I attend church.

I attend church to serve others . There is so much greater joy in serving than seeking to be served. I have many opportunities to serve when the church is gathered. Those opportunities are my gifts from God.
I attend church to encourage others . We live in a world of incredible digital communication. But there is still something irreplaceable about gathering together. When I encounter someone in person at church, I have an opportunity to encourage him or her in person as well.
I attend church to encourage my pastor . I doubt many of us know how much our pastors serve us and love us seven days a week. The least I can do for my pastor is to be there in person when we gather as a church. I know it encourages my pastor, and I want our pastors to have that gift of encouragement every week.
I attend church to state my priorities . If I am able to go to work, to go to school, to go on vacation, or to watch or be involved in a sport, I can attend church. I desire to have a “no excuse” clause in my life for attending church.
I attend church to participate in worship . There is something special and Spirit-filled about worshipping together with other Christians. It is both an opportunity and gift I do not take lightly.
I attend church even if it doesn’t meet all my needs . If I say, “I am not getting fed spiritually,” it likely means I am not hungry spiritually. If my church does some things a bit differently than my preferences, I realize I am there, not as a consumer, but as a giver and one who has been called to put others’ needs before my own. No church is perfect. No worship style is perfect. No pastor is perfect. And neither am I.
I attend church with frequency, not on occasion . It is my prayer to be in my church every Sunday. When I am out of town, I can find another church to attend. I pray I will never say, “I need a break from church.” I certainly don’t want God to take a break from me.
I attend church to set an example for my family . Couples have healthier marriages when they attend church. Children grow up with countless benefits because their parents took them to church. I need to show the importance and priority of church attendance to those I love.
I attend church because the Bible tells me to do so . Two-thirds of the New Testament is about churches, specifically gathered churches. The words of the writer of Hebrews in 10:24-25 are powerful: “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and more as you see the day approaching.”
I attend church because I love my church . I love my church. I love my pastor. I love the members of my church. I love the community my church serves. If I love someone, I will be there for them. I truly love my church.

It is becoming increasingly common to see church attendance as just another activity, an option among many, a place to get consumer preferences met, or an occasional gathering to hide in anonymity.

It has become increasingly popular for some to argue that church attendance is not a high priority because the building is not a church, the people are. But those people are supposed to gather. Indeed, they are commanded to gather.

I love to attend church. I attend church for these reasons and many more.

I thank God for my church.

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Avoiding Spiritual Boredom

Thu, 07 May 2020 15:20:05 GMT

Avoiding Spiritual Boredom

May 7, 2020

Recently, as I was having a conversation with a few people, someone mentioned a phenomenon that could only described by them as spiritual boredom. The term came to mean a sense of apathy and over-familiarity with God, the Bible, the Church and basically, all things Christian. The term was used to describe the general attitude of those in the South who claimed to follow Jesus.

I think spiritual boredom could be described as the syndrome where people have heard the old-old story of Jesus and his love, but they are no longer moved by it, compelled by it or convicted by it. The most it stirs is a raised eyebrow as they remember days when there was a fire in their belly, but now, that fire has been relegated to the smoldering smoke of replaced and justifiable priorities. At best, they wish there was something that could be done, because down deep, they know something is not quit right. However, they are not sure how to break the cycle, or even if they want to. To break the cycle would mean that they would need to make adjustments in their lives, and surely, that is not what God is after in them.

So, they continue through their spiritual lives yawning and plodding along, leaving the real revolutionary stuff up to the younger, more energetic people who need to put their own stamp on God’s kingdom and this world. For the bored ones, what are they (you) to do? I guess they should just accept reality, coast into heaven, and be glad that their greatest days are behind them. Besides, they have heaven in front of them, right?

Yes, that’s true (for born again disciples of Jesus)…but wait a minute! Let’s get personal.

Do you and I really want to simply coast onto the streets of gold…back float up to the gates of pearl…proudly approach the throne of Jesus with our salvation ticket in hand and do like the man who was given a talent but hid it for fear of losing it (Matthew 25:14-30). Not on your Life!!

God has made us for so much more! He has given us so much more! The grace of Christ is not about giving us a pass, but giving us a passion. It’s not about giving us a seat at the table but a desire to serve those around the table and those who don’t even know a table is waiting for them!

How can we begin to understand the depths of all God has for us? One way is to describe the disciple’s purpose in one word: NEW! You have been made new in every way. I would argue that this one fact alone could break the cycle of spiritual boredom and release such a passion in people that they would never be the same.

“If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). What does that really mean for us?

If we are going to break the cycle of spiritual boredom and realize a greater passion that is authentic, compelling and impactful, then we must realize that our new life in Christ, when we came to Him for salvation, has afforded us everything we need to keep life exciting and filled with adventure.

For every disciple of Jesus Christ, there are four things He has made new in your life, and when we realize these four things, our faith will never again be routine.

New Motivation

2 Corinthians 5:14 says, “For the love of Christ compels us…”. Nothing should motivate the disciple to live radically and boldly for Christ than love for Christ. This is the disciple’s purest and best motivation. Love for Christ steers everything else in our life. It prioritizes everything in our life. It sets into meaning everything in our life. Love for Christ causes us to love our families, love others and even love our enemies. So, what motivates you?

New Direction

Rather than living for themselves, Christ puts within the new believer a direction that leads them toward a life pleasing to Christ, selfless and pliable for use in God’s kingdom. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “And He (Jesus) died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” A life that is self-directed, self-centered and driven by a passion for the natural world will not be a God-directed life. That life is not connected to Christ, because in Him, your direction is made new. Where are you headed?

New Relationships

Before a person comes to Christ, they regard people based on all kinds of biases and prejudices. However, in Christ, all those things are to be put away. We are to love people and relate to them as Christ would be pleased. Disciples resist barriers of color, socio-economic or even religious differences. For the sake of the Gospel, we build relationships believing all people to be created equally. 2 Corinthians 5:16 says, “From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard Him thus no longer.” Are you pursuing relationships with people for the sake of the Gospel that are authentic and not filled with bias or prejudice?

New Purpose

Everyone is searching for their purpose. Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? While people do things of all kinds, disciples have one overarching purpose that defines who they are and why God left them on the earth after coming to Him for salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is our new purpose: to be His ambassadors in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, on our jobs, when we travel, where we shop, where we attend school, where we vacation…no matter where we go or what we do. Our purpose is to represent Him and display Him before a watching and needy world! Are you fulfilling your purpose?

If you want to break the cycle of spiritual boredom and truly experience your faith on radical levels with God, then be motivated to do everything with love for Christ, move in the direction of God’s kingdom agenda, discover new relationships with people based on your love for them as creations of God and realize your purpose as an ambassador of Jesus Christ in this world. If you do this, there is no way you will ever get bored in your faith, because God will put you on an adventure with Him everyday!

Let’s go…

Dr. Craig Hamlin

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Sheltering in the Pew: Parenting in "Big" Church for the 1st Time

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 15:16:10 GMT

Sheltering in the Pew: Parenting in "Big" Church for the 1st Time

April 29, 2020

As churches are planning their re-opening strategies, one of the major points of discussion is how churches will handle children’s ministry. Prior to COVID-19, many churches offered parents a respite for an hour or two where the preschoolers and elementary children would experience their own worship service. The children seemed to love it and the parents focused on the music and the preaching without the constant pulling, crying, nagging and embarrassing stares of people around them. With all that said, I believe we have lost a sense of how to parent from the pew.

Robbie Fox Castleman, in her book, Parenting in the Pew, wrote: “In many of our modern, sophisticated congregations, children are often viewed as distractions. We tolerate children only to the extent they promise to become "adults" like us. Adult members sometimes complain that they cannot pay attention to the sermon, they cannot listen to the beautiful music, when fidgety children are beside them in the pews. "Send them away," many adults say. Create "Children's Church" so these distracting children can be removed in order that we adults can pay attention.” She went on to cite professors at Duke University who studied this phenomenon and noted, interestingly, that “Jesus put a child in the center of his disciples, "in the midst of them," in order to help them pay attention.... The child was a last-ditch effort by God to help the disciples pay attention to the odd nature of God's kingdom” (Castleman, 96).

While children’s church and extended session for preschoolers can be super effective and helpful to both the child and the parent, honestly, it has left a generation without the resources to know how to parent their children in an “adult” situation. Now, if you Google this topic, you will be online for a long time. So, knowing that many churches will bring in-person services back soon and knowing that most parents are not prepared for keeping their family together for “Big” church, what can parents do to have some measure of success “Sheltering in the Pew”? Through some research and pastoral experience, here are seven simple (notice I didn’t say…easy) tips I’m offering. You might think I am crazy, and you may have a good case, but when you venture back to in-person worship services, you might want to have these tools in your toolbox.

Food is Your Friend . One of the biggest distractions for a child is a hungry stomach. They may be the most well behaved child but when they are hungry….watch out! Make sure before you come to give them a good breakfast and bring some snacks for them.
Clothing Choices Might Seem Silly but it Works . Rather than allowing your children to dress in their pjs or last year’s Halloween costume, talk to them about dressing up a bit. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not a suit and tie guy. I’m a jeans and button down guy, but children seem to feel special when they know there is a reason to put on “nice” clothes.
Proximity has a Purpose . Maybe the most counterintuitive thing I found in my research was that sitting closer to the front is better than sitting in the back close to the exit! Kids are easily distracted…duh, so are you! I’ve watched you!! Sit close to the front and talk with your children about what is going on up there. “Listen, they are singing about Jesus! We do the same thing at home.” Or, “Did you hear what the preacher just said? I want us to talk about that at lunch, ok?” It might sound crazy, but try it!
Pre-Game Pep Talks are Essential . Like a great coach who gets their team ready for a game, parents can rally their team for Game Day with an inspired word to challenge them with what they can expect, ground rules (be nice) and expectations for a post-game celebration (that’s my last point…stay with me).
Partnerships are Helpful . Now, in a time of social distancing, you might not have the luxury of having another family close by who can serve as a boundary for your runner or a distraction person to help bring calm to a child who is about to explode all over the older lady sitting in front who keeps giving you dirty looks. Maybe extended family or people you are very close to could help partner with you.
Special Books Can Distract and Instruct . Awww—-you knew I would get there, right? Of course, books are helpful, but especially “Special” books. What I mean is that children need books that teach them about the Lord and are unique to their time in worship. Books that only go to “Big” church are viewed as different and special, not the ones worn out and familiar.
Post-Game Pressers with Benefits Communicate a Ton . After a game, the coach gets with the press and talks about the game…the good, the bad, the ugly and what they learned. The same can be done with children. From your Pre-game pep talk, you can discuss how things went. “You really did well during the music. I could hear you trying to sing those songs.” “You were very quiet, coloring your sheets.” “What was one thing you heard about Jesus that you can remember?” Give them some reward from a high five to ice cream. Kids love the benefits of good conduct…you do too!

These are some tips that I hope you can use. Maybe you know some more and would like to contribute to the article by posting a comment. God bless you, parents, as you disciple your children and watch them grow in their understanding of our Savior Jesus Christ!

Websites you might enjoy: ministry-to-children.com; Lifeway.com; Crosswalk.com; Georgia Baptist Children's Facebook page

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Out-Loved by the Lost: How it Happens and What it Means

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 15:12:31 GMT

Out-Loved by the Lost: How it Happens and What it Means

April 24, 2020

Have you ever been out-matched, out-witted or out-played? Of course, we all have, unless you are that rare exception who happens to be the brightest, strongest, and best of the best. Ok! Seriously! Here is the more important question:

Have you ever been out-loved?

To be out-loved happens when people go over and above the call of duty to express love. They lavish love and care on you in ways that mean the world to you. That has happened on many occasions for me. I remember a time when my car lost a timing belt and I could not afford to fix it. I was a seminary student, single and broke. The church I was serving as student pastor put together an auction on a Sunday night where they auctioned off cakes and pies. I was trying to bid for them because I needed the food :-) but in the end, they handed me all the money collected and many of the cakes and pies from that night! I was shocked and overjoyed with love from them.

That is one story among many that I could recall. How about you?

Love like that coming from followers of Jesus in whom God has placed His love is not surprising. It should be normal, natural...ordinary. Jesus said that we should love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:43-48).

However, what does it say when Christians are out-loved by non-Christians?

That is the story of Jonah 1.

When you read this familiar story, you immediately recognize that Jonah has been called by God to be His prophet. Jonah does not like the assignment he has been given and rebels. He flees opposite of where God called him and gets on a ship to get as far away from God as he can. Now, Jonah knows that fleeing from the Lord will not end well, so what does Jonah do? He gets other people to step into his mess! As the ship goes out to sea, the Lord hurls an incredible storm toward them. The sailors are all pagans who worship the gods of man's imagination, but they know something is wrong.

They played a pagan game to find out who the trouble maker was and God used that game to expose Jonah. The men questioned Jonah and he told them that he was fleeing from the Lord's presence. Rather than the men being angry and throwing him immediately overboard, they were afraid. Jonah suggested that they throw him overboard because God was really after just him. That's what I would have done. hat about you? But not these men.

"Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land but they could not, for the sea grew more and more fierce against them (Jonah 1:13). This verse blows me away! What happened here is the result of what happens when a Christian disobeys the Lord: they cover up their Christianity.

Jonah was out-loved by people who should have cared less about him. When God's love should have been poured out on these men, the men poured love out on Jonah. What a humbling experience! But this is what happens when our hearts are turned from light to dark, from sacrifice to selfishness, from love to hate, from life to death.

If Jonah could be out-loved, how easily can we be out-loved. I believe these are the times when God uses unbelievers to show us that what unbelievers can do in their unbelief, self-centeredness and general kindness toward humanity should not be the Christian's standard. We should not be striving to match a non-Christians love but to out-love their love. Disobedience, sin and the like are all things that will blur that, complicate matters and get us moving on paths away from God's will.

So, are you getting out-loved? What can we do on a day-today basis to out-love the people around us? It's first starts with asking God to forgive us for walking away from His direction. Then we must willfully start moving toward Him. Once we are walking toward God, we will have eyes to see the needs before us and respond with outstanding love.

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How to Read the Bible and Understand it forYourself

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 15:06:40 GMT

How to Read the Bible and Understand it forYourself

April 24, 2020

As a young boy, all I knew about the Bible was that it was written in hard to understand English and there were a lot of pages. Reading the Bible can be a daunting task, but understanding the Bible can seem like an impossibility. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.

You can read and understand the Bible for yourself without having a PhD in Theology or a seminary degree. You may have an outstanding Sunday school teacher who knows the Bible better than most pastors and feel like you could never match his or her knowledge of God’s word, but I can guarantee that your confidence level will rise if you put into practice what I have written in this article.

This article is not designed to make an argument against teachers or preachers speaking into your life through God’s word. On the contrary, I believe wholeheartedly in the preaching and teaching of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:1-4:5). I believe there is a place for this in every believer’s life, but I also believe that we have attempted to make disciples by entirely relying on preachers and teachers from pulpits to classrooms to videos. Most of these teachers have wonderful knowledge, excellent communication skills and have been used by the Lord to teach millions. However, many have not intentionally equipped people with the tools for them to read the Bible on their own with confidence, insight and a vision to be a multiplying disciple of Jesus Christ. As a result, people guess what the Bible says, contribute very little in open discussion, get sucked into lies, spend little time discovering what the Bible says and never feel “smart” enough to lead a Bible study on their own.

The following is a way you can use to GROW your daily Bible reading and understanding. Pick a short book (like1 John, James, Philippians or Jonah), get a journal or notebook and follow this simple outline. Once you get the hang of it, try it with larger books. The key is going at a pace that fits you, praying through your reading asking the Lord to give you insight and then applying the Scripture. Don’t look at other passages but only focus on the one at hand.

WARNING: This is simple and may require you to think, meditate through prayer and interact with other people. Side effects could include gained wisdom, the ability to spot false teaching, renewed confidence in your walk with Christ and increased spiritual energy. If any of these side effects occur, immediately thank the Lord and call or text another Christian. Symptoms could be highly contagious.

My Bible Reading

Scripture Read: _________________

Date: __________________

Write down the paragraph or chapter you read

Key Verse(s): _________________________________________

This is the verse that really grabbed your attention

Write out the Key Verse(s) in your own words: __________________________________________________________________________________________

Using the word GROW, answer these questions:

G - What Grabbed Me (what really grabbed my attention)? __________________________________________________________________________________________

R - What did I Realize about God (His character and conduct revealed)?

_____________________________________________

What did I Realize about people (character and conduct like/unlike God’s)?

_____________________________________________

O - How could I Own this passage? (what are the ways I could apply the truths of

this passage? _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

W - What is one thing you Will apply this week from what you have learned? (Write out an “I will…” statement and allow someone else to read it and hold you accountable. Use the SMART approach to your I will statement - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely)

I will _____________________________________________

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Dealing with Anxiety and Depression During the COVID-19 Crisis

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:03:50 GMT

Dealing with Anxiety and Depression During the COVID-19 Crisis

April 22, 2020

This material is an excerpt from Focus on the Family. I wanted to include it so that it might be an encourage and help to you. The interview is from a radio broadcast. May God use it to help you or you might can share it with others.

Dr. Gregory Jantz : My concern is we probably have a lot of folks right now that social distancing has turned into social isolation. And we’re turning to food. People are turning to alcohol. People are turning to things that ultimately are self-destructive. And I need to say, years ago, that was me. And I think, if anything, I see that people feel like they’ve waited too long to ask for help. And, you know, there is help.

End of Excerpt

John Fuller : That’s Dr. Gregory Jantz and he joins us today on Focus on the Family. Your host is Focus president, Jim Daly. I’m John Fuller. And we’re gonna be talking today about how you can deal with anxiety and depression during this pandemic.

Jim Daly : John, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the U.S. Get this number. About 40 million adults in the U.S. report suffering from anxiety to some degree or another. And we have that in our family. There’s a family member that struggles with anxiety. So, I’m very close to this issue. And, you know, there’s coping mechanisms. There’s ways to deal with that. And I’m looking forward to talking to Dr. Jantz today.

John : Yeah, this is something that really kind of comes to the surface when there is a crisis like this pandemic going on.

Jim : Well, I saw a report that said calls to the National Mental Health Hotline have increased by almost 900%.

John : Mmm.

Jim : So that’s the evidence of what we’re talking about. If you’re in that place today and you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, or perhaps your spouse or your children are, we want to offer some help to you today.

John : And beyond the broadcast we have a lot of resources. We’ve got the book by our guest called Five Keys to Dealing with Depression. We can make a counseling referral session happen for you. A lot of great resources at focusonthefamily.com/broadcast. And Dr. Gregory Jantz has been here before. He’s a psychologist, a devout follower of Christ, and is nationally renowned for his work focusing on whole person health.

Jim : Dr. Jantz, welcome back to Focus.

Gregg : Good to be with you today. Such an important topic today.

Jim : Well, I appreciate it. You know, we’re practicing the distancing here. John’s in a different studio. I’m in and this one alone and you’re all the way on the West Coast, right?

Gregg : We’re doing pretty good about this distancing.

Jim : That’s so true. You say that many people may not even be aware that they’re experiencing anxiety or depression because of the coronavirus. So, I think the obvious first question, Dr. Jantz, is what are the signals? What should we be looking for in ourselves and perhaps are our close family members to discern whether or not they’re struggling?

Gregg : You know, this isn’t a time where we may be focused on all the fear around coronavirus. Let’s just look at some of the symptoms for example. If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression – and by the way, anxiety now is being called the “new depression.”

Jim : Huh.

Gregg : And so, if you’re living with somebody and maybe we all have gone through some shock. We’ve all gone through this. We’ve been traumatized by all this.

Jim : Sure.

Gregg : And it’s kind of like we don’t know what’s next. And there’s this theme of fear right now in our lives or a theme of unknown. You know, some of the things that you may notice. A person may simply be overwhelmed. You can’t concentrate. Uh, we see a lot with sleep disruption. It’s like, oh, you wake up in the middle of the night and you can’t go back to sleep, or you wake up and your heart’s racing. And so, sleep is an area that we always want to look at that could really be affected by anxiety. I think, too, I’m seeing a lot of folks with just some anxiety around the future and the financial stress, which is very, very real. And so, this translates over – there’s chronic stress. And this chronic stress to our bodies. You know, we may have headaches. We may have digestive issues. We may have great difficulty just kind of functioning throughout the day because we can’t seem to concentrate. So, you know its anxiety if it’s got physical symptoms.

John : Hmm.

Jim : Yeah. Before we get there, I want to explore a little bit of that connection you make between anxiety, panic and what’s happened, you know, just a couple weeks ago with the grocery stores. My sister…

Gregg : Yes.

Jim : …Is a manager at a major grocery store and she had lots of stories to share with me about just the bizarre behavior some people expressed in this time. I mean, wiping out milk. One woman bought 15 gallons of milk and another woman wanted $3,000 worth of beef. Other people, before they put some kind of limits on toilet paper, I mean, that that row at the grocery store has been missing in action for weeks now. Toilet paper unavailable. And really, what’s bazaar, is why are people driven to that kind of what I would say is an expression of anxiety? They’re overbuying and – and doing these things for protection or self-preservation, I guess. I’m just curious how all those toilet paper buyers are doing right now with a garage full of toilet paper.

(Laughter)

Gregg : Well, you bring out an excellent point, because fear and panic – we run in herds. And so, what happened – and, um, it’s somewhere here in Seattle, somebody started this toilet paper purchase and it had a ripple effect. And if you’ll notice, um, people join these herds. And part of it is, “OK, well if everybody’s buying toilet paper or everybody’s buying something. I have to do something, too. I have to do so.” And so, there’s that sense, if I do something, I’ll have more control. And you’re right. There’s a line where we cross, and it becomes hoarding. There’s a line we cross, and it becomes greed. And I need to tell you, I did a personal experiment. We drove by one of the – the Costco warehouses and I did not go inside. This is a few weeks ago. But I observed the behavior from the outside. And it was. It was – you could feel the fear in the air.

Jim : Huh.

Gregg : And then we drove – my wife and I, we drove one mile away. And one mile away was a grocery store. And we went inside. Besides wiping the handle, uh, with the disinfectant wipe, everything seemed normal. I even went over to where the toilet paper…

Jim : Right.

Gregg : …Just to do a little test. And it was all there. And there were not people behaving in a panic. And so, I share that story in that it some of it is, “What are we going to join in on?” And I think, you know, we’re promised that God did not give us the spirit of fear. We have power and love. And of course, the final part of that verse is a sound mind. How do we operate with all this pressure? And I know there’s – the financial pressures for many can be really, really great. I want to acknowledge that. But we can still do this with God’s spirit and not joining a herd of panic.

Jim : Dr. Jantz, let me move to another theme. You know, you’re not just the practitioner, the psychologist. You have experience paralyzing emotional numbness, trauma for yourself. Describe what that felt like. What happened? And your recovery process.

Gregg : Yes, I had a season and it was a while back, but I had a season of depression and I would say mine kind of moved over to despair where I felt – I was no longer doing good self-care. Things that I loved to do I stopped doing.

Jim : Hmm.

Gregg : And I really began to isolate. And my concern is we probably have a lot of folks right now that “social distancing” has turned into “social isolation.” And we’re turning to food. People are turning to alcohol. People are turning to things that ultimately are self-destructive. And I need to say, years ago, that was me. And, um, I really was in a significant depression and anxiety. And I was asking this question, “Am I in the wrong career? Did I miss my calling?” And it really took my family’s intervention into my life where I needed somebody to throw me the life preserver. And I was not seeing things accurately. And, you know, I didn’t look well. And somewhere I have some pictures from the past and they go, “Wow.” It’s like, you know, it may be 20 years later, but I sure look better now. You know, that’s what depression – it’ll oppress us. We stop self-care. But I also remember – and it for me, you know, to rebuild physically. And it probably took a good, you know, six months to a year to fully get in that strength zone. And I know what I don’t ever want to go back to. And with God’s help. But I know what it’s like to walk out of it. And I think what happened for me was there was a real empathy and a real passion that got ignited. I got clear on my mission, my calling and what I was to do. And part of that is, um, to really – there’s answers for our anxieties. There’s answers for the depression. And I think, if anything, I see that people feel like they’ve waited too long to ask for help. And, you know, there is help.

Jim : Yeah. In that regard, um, you discuss the need for emotional comfort. I mean, some people are going to see that and say, you know, “The Lord is my comfort.” I get that. But describe that human need that we all have to some degree for that emotional comfort. What does it look like? How do we get there if we’re feeling anxious being at home? I mean, I’m out of my routine. I used to love to come into work and get the job done. Then late in the afternoon, five o’clock, I’d go work out at the gym before heading home for dinner.

Gregg : Yes.

Jim : I haven’t been able to stick with that routine now. I mean, I’ve got some things at the house to – to work on, but it’s not like being at the gym. And that’s kind of been, you know, uh. I’m feeling like I had a good year and a half run being consistent and now I’m struggling to be consistent.

Gregg : Absolutely. And I can relate to that as well. And one of the things that happens is, you know, we’re going to work. We’re doing things that are bringing us meaning and we’re excited about. And then that’s like all that got taken away. Um, we’ve got to re-establish, okay, what’s going to be healthy? Here’s what I did. You know, I – I’m claiming this, the Lord is the strong tower. And so, in my home, where’s my place of safety at home that’s my quiet spot that represents going to that strong tower? Is it a favorite chair, favorite quarter? But it’s a place where I’m going to reset myself. Maybe it’s a time of devotion. And I’m going to begin each day with three gratitudes. And that may be very simple. Three, gratitudes. And I’m going to maybe keep a journal and I’m going to write those down. And then from there, that’s my re-anchoring point. It’s my resetting point.

Jim : Yeah.

Gregg : Some of the other things that we need to look at is our self-care. And I noticed that when people are anxious and depressed, they tend not to drink enough water. Now, I know that sounds so simple, but, um, water consumption when you’re anxious and depressed is really important. What happens is…

Jim : I have a question about that. Hang on one second.

Gregg : Yeah.

Jim : I’ve got a question but let me come back. John’s going to let people know how to get ahold of us.

John : Well, I do want to make sure that folks listening and watching know about Dr. Jantz’s great book Five Keys to Dealing with Depression. As well, we have caring Christian counselors here on staff and we are open. We’d love to schedule a time for you to talk to them. Get some starting points in having a conversation with a family member who’s struggling or your own struggles. Finding that path toward healing. We’re a phone call away. Our number is 800, the letter A and the word FAMILY. Or stop by focusonthefamily.com/broadcast for more.

Jim : Dr. Jantz, in fact, you had a story about, I believe, a patient of yours who was drinking a lot of coffee. This one was a little convicting for me.

John : (Laughter).

Jim : But, you know, talking about that hydration issue, because I thought, “You know, coffee gives you a little hydration, right? It’s made with water.” But what happened?

Gregg : There you go. Yes. So, one of the things that we look at is what’s going in your mouth and this is good for us all to look at this. Here’s a gentleman who struggled with depression for so many years and anxiety. And, you know, the question really hadn’t ever been asked, “Well, you know, what do you put in your mouth?” So, we do something called food diaries. Just log what you’re eating and drinking. And, uh, we looked in and he had written down “pots” and it said “10 to 12 pots of coffee a day.”

John : Oh, my.

Jim : (Laughter) Oh, my goodness.

Gregg : And I really thought he meant cups. (Laughter) I thought he meant cups.

Jim : Did you hear that, John?

(Laughter)

Gregg : Yeah.

John : I don’t have that much, Jim. I’m really not that bad.

Jim : You’re down to two pots there. That’s good.

John : (Laughter).

Gregg : You know, and here’s – here’s his response. He said, “Well, it’s just that the home coffee machines, you know.” “Well, what do they hold?” “12 to 14 cups.”

Jim : (Laughter).

John : Wow.

Gregg : And overtime – now, it was subtle, and this is what happens. The self-destructive behaviors. They’re subtle and they’re sneaky and they kind of grow slowly over time. So over time, he had really worked himself up all day long. That’s all he did was drink coffee. And he did – he actually did work from home. And there was a part of his life that was real successful. But his health, his depression, his anxiety, obviously was very high. Well, you know, you just cannot – God didn’t design us to have that much coffee. (Laughter) Okay?

Jim : Right.

Gregg : And so sometimes we don’t realize some of the self-destructive behaviors we’re doing because we’ve normalized it and say, “Well, that’s just what I do.” And so, this is a time to reset. “Am I doing any self-destructive behaviors? Am I, uh – am I my turning to food?” We know that, you know, the whole area of alcohol really concerns me because we’re seeing that the purchase of alcohol is way up. People are isolating. So, they’re beginning to do self-destructive behaviors that later are going to have some real regret.

Jim : Mm. Well, that’s and that’s part of the problem. Let me come back to something you mentioned as well, the irritability factor. You know, we’ve experienced a little bit of that in the Daly household. It’s been mild. But, you know, I think if I could be blunt, I think I can say and be a little silly and it kind of gets on Jean’s nerves a little bit. (Laughter)

Gregg : Yes.

Jim : Uh, but, you know, how do we manage that irritability factor in our households when we are sheltered-in-place? We have our kids with us. There’s a lot of different activity going on. Whether that’s schooling them or worrying about them in the older kids’ case. We have a junior in high school.

Gregg : Yes.

Jim : So, you know, Jean’s got an eye on that and how much time he’s spent in between other things and that. And that’s usually our pillow talk is her concern that he’s not given it 125%. (Laughter)

Gregg : Right.

Jim : And I’m trying to say, “It’s OK. It’s all right.” “You need to care more.” You know? (Laughter) So just bring it down to real world experience. Speak to irritability, because that’s a real problem. If someone’s very irritable, what could that be a sign of?

Gregg : Yeah. The irritability I’m always going look – well how’s sleep? What are we doing under the self-care? Is there enough physical activity? Uh, that’s a very important piece. The other is – we did this around our family table here recently. I actually started with a personal confession and we had our family around the table, and I said, “You know, I’ve had a lot going on and lot’s been consuming my mind. And I realize I feel like I haven’t really been fully present for you guys. And I love you so much. And I’m so sorry. I just – I’ve been consumed, and I know I’ve been short at times.” And – and so, I just talked about it. And so, we just made it an open discussion. And I said, “If this happens, please have grace for me. I love you greatly. And it’s OK. You can point out something to me. It’s all right.” (Laughter) So…

Jim : That’s great.

Gregg : We – we just had a discussion for all of us, which led to, you know, what are other family members feeling? And then it led to the next area was – well, how can we support one another?

Jim : Mm. No, it’s really good. I think one of the ways the boys and I are dealing with, you know, being cooped up – last night we were out with airsoft guns playing capture the flag. (Laughter)

Gregg : Love it.

Jim : So, it was a lot of fun.

Gregg : Yes.

Jim : Hey, on a really serious note, you learned something profound about attitude from a Holocaust survivor. Explain what that was and the setup. And what did you learn?

Gregg : Yes. You know, we learned that for those who really – and I believe that we need God’s help to do this. But you think about Victor Frankl. You know, he survived Nazi Germany concentration camp. And he ended up studying, “Well, what was the difference for some who really survived?” And, you know, the bottom line, and I know we’ve been told this before, is that we can’t always control our circumstance. Well, wow. Is that true right now?

Jim : Absolutely.

Gregg : Um, but we have a choice. And we can choose optimism for the future. We can choose hope. And he talked about you can also choose joy. And so, if you can imagine that in a concentration camp and cruel concentration camps. Choosing optimism, choosing of a future of hope. Here’s what’s important. We’re not on the Titanic. It’s not the Titanic syndrome happening here.

Jim : Hmm.

Gregg : We’re not going to sink. We’re going to help one another. And we’re going to do this as a Christian body. We’re going to come together. We’re going to help one another and we’re going to grow through this.

Jim : Dr. Jantz, when I hear that story, the question I have is perhaps one of the most difficult questions people will ask, and that is, “I don’t have that optimism. I don’t possess that personality to just be optimistic.” And I think that’s the question even in World War II, in those concentration camps. There was this difference between those that had that optimism, that had hope and that survived or lived longer than others. But how do the others that aren’t in that optimistic community or they’re finding it hard, what is that mechanism to do it, though? You have to have – it has to come from somewhere within. And that’s the difference. And if I’m not a glass-is-half-full kind of person, how do I become that?

Gregg : Yes. And I think we ask God to help us become that. And also, have at least two, maybe three, individuals in your life that are praying for you, that are there for you, that really know how you’re doing. There’s power in that prayer. And I’m saying just a couple folks, because you’re going to be able to do that for somebody else later on. I – I’m going to also say we need to limit the digital distractions. (Laughter)

Jim : Hmm.

Gregg : OK? We’re too absorbed. You know, it’s so easy to go from, you know, cable channel to cable channel and – and news notifications. And if you’re working from home right now or – and you’re looking at screens all day, you know, by the end of the day, you can be pretty anxious.

Jim : Right. Dr. Jantz, many people may feel like they need to put on that brave face. I’m thinking moms and dads, particularly if they have children in the home. What are some healthy outlets to release that tension while we’re trying to maintain that parental brave face? You know? Even though underneath the surface of that brave face, we might have our own concerns. I mean, people are losing their jobs. We have millions of people who have lost their job right now. They may be concerned about how they’re going to make their rent payment or their mortgage payment or buy groceries. How do we manage that super stress?

Gregg : And it is. And that’s – can be very intense and it can be very overwhelming. Well, one of the dangers that we may fall into is we may have kids at home. And fear is something we feel. When you walk into a room and a person’s full of anxiousness and panic, we feel it. We – we can see it and feel it. And I want us to remember that our kids are like sponges. And so, they’re going to feel a lot of that. They may not know exactly what it is, but they’re going to be the ones absorbing a lot of that fear and anxiety. So, that’s where we’ve got to have – if it’s a spouse or if it’s a close friend, we’ve got to have somebody that we’re processing that with because otherwise – and it’s not our kids. It’s easy to be saying things out loud or, “I don’t know how I’m gonna pay the rent or we’re gonna get groceries.” And we’re saying those things in front of our kids…

Jim : Mmm.

Gregg : …As a part of our stress. And so, I – that has a ripple effect. So, we need to always be careful what we’re verbalizing out loud. And I get it. This is an intense time. And I – I know that for some. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pay rent. I don’t know if there’s gonna be enough groceries.” So that’s something we need to problem solve with somebody probably beyond our kids.

Jim : Absolutely. Without a doubt. At the other end of that, the other book end of that is something you refer to as “positive God talk.” That sounds a little funny, to be honest, but I’m sure it’s helpful. What does it mean – “positive God talk”?

(Laughter)

Gregg : Well, for me, that’s going back to the Scriptures. And that’s why if you – if you could just see my desk right now, my three-by-five cards.

Jim : (Laughter)

Gregg : I really do try to practice what I preach.

Jim : That’s good.

Gregg : And so, you know, I’m rotating my – my old fashioned three by five cards. (Laughter) And, you know, the positive God talk is simply speaking the truth of the Scripture.

Jim : Hmm.

Gregg : And you may not feel it. You may not – it may seem very foreign and you may even feel some anger. Anger at God that you’re in this place. Or you feel very alone. And we’re not meant to go through this alone. And that’s why, uh, God is going to send for you that person that’s gonna be in your life to help you walk through this. Remember, when we’re anxious and we’re fearful, it’s hard to see options. We can’t concentrate. Our creativity goes way down. So, it’s hard to see options. So, really, don’t do this alone.

Jim : Yeah.

Gregg : And go back and keep getting your – even if you don’t feel it – but keep getting re-anchored in God’s truth. You know, again, I’m holding mine for the day. “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid.” “Okay. God, I’m gonna I’m gonna literally walk that out today and I’m gonna practice that truth. I don’t know how, but I’m gonna believe it by faith and see what God’ll do today.”

Jim : It’s so true. Before we close, we’re wrapping up. Maybe it’s the ending where we started. Being mindful of people with anxiety, with depression, maybe unknowingly. What are some signs again, that it’s time to get some help? And what are ways to do that right now during this coronavirus shelter-in-place environment?

Gregg : Absolutely. Well, depression can lead to despair. Here’s how you know if you’re in despair. You’re on the very edge. You’re not thinking rationally. And there are some folks go, “I don’t see any way out of this.” And you start to have those irrational thoughts like, ‘It’d be better off if I wasn’t even around or alive.’” So, the basic functioning of doing my daily self-care. Uh, there’s those that, you know, I have not showered for a week or I’m not eating. I’m not doing basic hygiene. Not doing the self-care which is so important. That’s just a sign. And I would suggest, even if you’re working from home, still take care of yourself as, you know – still be presentable. If you have found that, uh, you know, “I’m not I’m not functioning. I don’t have an appetite. I don’t even think I slept last night.” You know, there’s that that sleep that you’re in this zone where you go, “I don’t know if I’m sleeping” because they’re full of fear. Those are some signs. Look, pick up the phone and ask for some help. Don’t stay on the edge of despair.

Jim : No. Those are really good suggestions, Dr. Jantz. Let me just say, it’s been really encouraging to talk with you the last 30 minutes, and I so appreciate it. Thanks for being with us.

Gregg : So good to be with you and we can do this together.

Jim : Very good. See you now.

Gregg : You bet.

Jim : Let me turn to the listener and the viewer on YouTube. You know, things are continually shifting in this environment. We’re listening and hearing from the President – different governors about what is in front of us. When states will be opened. You know, it’s all over the map. People are talking about being shut down for many more months and others are saying we need to open up right away. We can’t control when that will be. So, we’ve got to be informed. But I’m concerned that it is driving anxiety and we are here for you at Focus on the Family. I mean, thanks to the donors who support the ministry, we have caring, Christian counselors who can do a consult with you. Who can talk you through those anxious feelings. Maybe even the depression that you’re feeling. We may be able to refer you to somebody in your area that can help continue that discussion or we can give you some great resources to strengthen you in your journey right now. And one of the things I want to do with Greg’s book – this is great. Five Keys to Dealing with Depression. It’s a small book. I’ll make this available to anybody who needs it. And I’m going to trust by faith that others will take care of us financially for doing so. So, if you’re in that spot where you’re feeling anxious or depressed, get ahold of us here at Focus on the Family. Get a free copy of this book Five Keys to Dealing with Depression. And it’s our way of saying we’re here to help. And for those of you that can help us, God bless you.

John : And we do appreciate those who can support us. We understand if you’re in a spot where you can’t. Either way, as Jim said, get in touch and let us send this book Five Keys to Dealing with Depression to you. And if we can, we’ll be happy to schedule a time for you to talk to one of our caring, Christian counselors as well. Additionally, we have a really rich website full of Covid-19 coping skills and tools for you as you and your family continue to deal with these uncertain times. All of this available at focusonthefamily.com/broadcast. Or call 800, the letter A, and the word FAMILY. Well, thanks for joining us today and listen in next time as Dr. Kathy Koch shares ideas for enjoying your family time together.

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Essential Work from Home Tips

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:54:47 GMT

Essential Work from Home Tips

April 20, 2020

Bill Search wrote an article recently about men and women working from home due to COVID-19 and the challenges they may be facing. I wanted to include this article in these blog posts because I am sure there are several people who are facing similar challenges. Enjoy! And, I hope you are encouraged today!

Many of us started a new routine several weeks ago: working from home. So I’ve turned to a long-time friend and work environment expert, Ryan Anderson, Vice-President of Digital Innovation at Herman Miller for some advice. If you’ve ever sat in an ergonomic chair, you have Herman Miller to thank for that innovation. Ryan’s career over the past 25+ years has focused on the future of office space and how technology impacts the ways people work, so yeah, he’s really an “expert” in the truest sense of the word. I met Ryan when I served a great church in West Michigan several years ago. Ryan and his wife Jill have great hearts for ministry and the service to Christ.

BILL : Ryan, thanks for your willingness to be part of this interview.

RYAN : Thanks for asking!

BILL : First things first, does it matter what I wear to work now that I’m working from home? I know that’s an odd question, but I’ve read you should put on clothes like you’re heading to the office. Does that sort of thing really matter?

RYAN : I don’t think it’s just about what you wear, specifically, but I do think it’s important for each of us to create a basic routine to help us be sustainably productive. The emphasis here is on “sustainability.” These first few weeks of working remotely should be focused on establishing a new normal in our lives because the need to work remotely will likely last for several months. The upside is that being effective as a remote team can be extremely advantageous during normal times, and these patterns can benefit ministry teams well beyond the Covid-19 crisis.

BILL : On a typical weekend I work from the kitchen island. I realized within the first two days that wasn’t going to work for me. For those who don’t have a designated home office, what can they do to create a productive space? What’s essential and what’s not essential?

RYAN : What’s essential is mental focus, physical comfort, and technological support. I’d begin by finding a place in your house or apartment that is as sequestered as possible from the chaos of daily living, but where you still get a strong Wi-Fi connection and that isn’t too hot or too cold. That can even be a space that isn’t very pretty like an attic or storage area and work to make it comfortable. That means finding a surface to work on (most people will be comfortable on a surface between 27” and 30” high or so, based upon their height), sitting in the most comfortable chair that you’ve got, positioning yourself looking towards a window to enjoy some natural light or bringing in some extra lamps. If you’re on video a lot, you can hang a curtain or sheet behind you, or sit in front of a wall so that your camera points towards it instead of towards anything in the space that might be distracting. Finally, no matter where you work, get up and stretch or step outside every hour or two. The movement and fresh air will greatly impact your productivity and mental health throughout the day.

BILL : Many of us have struggled to maintain a healthy work-home balance (especially church ministry types) but that line is completely erased now. How does someone working from home maintain some balance and good boundaries so they don’t neglect either work or their personal life and family?

RYAN : It’s interesting you ask that because in the business world there’s been a longtime stereotype that working from home may result in people slacking off, but I’ve found that the opposite is often true—that people can’t “turn off” the work because they don’t leave their workplace. This balance has always been tricky for those in ministry because the needs of serving others is so demanding. I’d circle back to that theme of being sustainably productive. You can’t effectively serve others in these very trying times if you become exhausted or burned out, so each of us needs to establish a daily ritual that ensures a good night’s sleep, time to be with the Lord, time to be with family or friends (even virtually), and times of rest and relaxation. It will be different for each person, but it starts with the understanding that you have to turn off your work each day to be your productive best over time.

BILL : What about parents with small kids at home? Got any tips for parents who need to get work done and don’t want to seem like jerks to their kids?

RYAN : This is extremely difficult. My best advice is to recognize that every day will be a mix of being productive and needing to care for your little ones. As best you can, teach your kids that your home workspace is a quiet zone that shouldn’t be disturbed unless it’s an emergency. Then, even if you need to check on them frequently, at least you’ll be able to have short periods of time without disturbance. For those with very young kids, your workday may need to be structured around their nap times and bedtimes, which is unconventional, but so are the times we’re living in.

BILL : I don’t think it matters if you’re introverted or extroverted, sooner or later we miss the hallway conversations and breakroom banter. How can a team (or a small group) stay relationally connected while they are physically distant?

RYAN : Technology can help greatly. I’m a big fan of using video conferencing calls like Zoom or Skype for times of connection—team coffee, team prayer, and 1-on-1 meetings. But here’s my warning: ministry teams should not become overly-reliant upon video or audio conference calls as they are very demanding of people’s time, particularly for those trying to care for kids or juggle busy schedules. Instead, I’d adopt a platform such as Slack, Teams, or Basecamp for day-to-day work, which allows people to contribute whenever they have a free moment and then use video or audio calls more sparingly for those times of connection. If you’ve never looked into a solution like Slack, now is a great time to watch a tutorial and give it a try.

BILL : Some reading this are supervisors and others are volunteer leaders of groups of people. How can a leader check-in without becoming annoying? Are there are any pro-tips for leaders to be there for their people without becoming a nuisance?

RYAN : It’s very situational. My best advice is for leaders to ask their team members that question directly and then to be on the lookout for burnout. Most people will raise their hand if they need help on a project or to help another person, but too often we neglect our own mental and spiritual health. It’s the job of a leader to prioritize care over productivity and to seek out those that may be withdrawn and struggling.

BILL : I’ve been working from home less than two weeks and already I’m having a hard time focusing on one task without dealing with a phone call, text message, or email alert. Part of it is this particular season and part of it is getting used to a new working space. How can a home-bound work, stay focused, and minimize outside distractions?

RYAN : Personally, I keep a running laundry list of everything that I need to do, and I decide each morning which ones aren’t critical. In fact, I’ll often email my boss and say, “Head’s up, I’m going to prioritize this but not this.” just to make sure we’re aligned on what things should take a backseat to others. Then, I’ll block time on my calendar to address the most critical items and treat those like a meeting. I won’t answer the phone or answer emails until I’m done. The reality is that most of us have far more to do in a given day than we can ever accomplish. Many of the demands placed on us each day won’t get done and that’s okay; the key is to determine what’s not the highest priority and push those things off.

BILL : What didn’t I ask you but I should have?

RYAN : I’ll just add this. I think that ministry leaders should pray for creativity and innovation and be quick to porotype new approaches to ministry. We’ve been designed in the image of a designer, and these times require innovative, new solutions to problems. I know that technology can be frustrating, separation can be isolating, and fear can be paralyzing, but it’s in the most challenging times that Christians have historically been the most active in positively impacting the world. Wi-Fi, video calls, Google Docs and mobile apps are gifts to us to help a scared and hurting world. It’s time for Christians to step up, get creative, and to demonstrate love in the digital era.

BILL : Ryan, we can’t thank you enough for your insight and wisdom! Thanks so much! Now I’m going to lean back in my fiberglass Eames armchair…

RYAN : Enjoy it my friend, and thanks for reaching out. God bless.

Bill Search is an Executive Pastor at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City and SmallGroups.com contributor.

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A Mom's Mission Impossible Made Possible

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:47:56 GMT

A Mom's Mission Impossible Made Possible

April 20, 2020

Moms are given an almost impossible task. They have to be all things to all people, so that by all means they can SURVIVE! Outside of the Cross, the greatest gift God gave the world is the gift of mothers. They nurture, love, clean, manage, sacrifice and so often, put themselves last so that others can benefit from the fruit of their labors.

The role women have as moms in raising their children is a challenge that is not taken lightly. A woman who takes this responsibility lightly will not challenge their children to dream great dreams. She will leave them with insecurity and a passionless life. However, the woman who strives to influence her children toward greatness will raise children who believe nothing is impossible. Those children will impact the world greatly! One such woman who did this was Susannah Wesley, who only had 19 children! How did she do it? She spent one hour each week talking with each child privately about spiritual matters. Also she had 16 rules that governed the house:

Here are 16 rules she laid down in her home.

1. Eating between meals not allowed.

2. As children they are to be in bed by 8 p.m.

3. They are required to take medicine without complaining.

4. Subdue self-will in a child, and those working together with God to save the child’s soul.

5. To teach a child to pray as soon as he can speak.

6. Require all to be still during Family Worship.

7. Give them nothing that they cry for, and only that when asked for politely.

8. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is first confessed and repented of.

9. Never allow a sinful act to go unpunished.

10. Never punish a child twice for a single offense.

11. Comment and reward good behavior.

12. Any attempt to please, even if poorly performed, should be commended.

13. Preserve property rights, even in smallest matters.

14. Strictly observe all promises.

15. Require no daughter to work before she can read well.

16. Teach children to fear the rod.

On Discipline

Susannah Wesley believed that for a child to grow into a self-disciplined adult, he/she must first be a parent-disciplined child. To her, the stubborn flesh was the hardest battle for Christians to fight, and godlyparents would do well to equip their children to overcome it early. She writes:

“When the will of a child is totally subdued, and it is brought to revere and stand in awe of the parents,then a great many childish follies … may be passed by. . . . I insist on the conquering of the will of children betimes, because this is the only strong and rational foundation of a religious education … when this is thoroughly done, then a child is capable of being

governed by reason and piety.”

One day one of her daughters wished to do something which was not altogether bad, but which was not right. When she was told not to do it, she was not convinced.

It was late and she and her mother were sitting beside a dead fire. Her mother said to her: “Pick up that bit of coal.” “I don’t want to,” said the girl. “Go on,” said her mother. “The fire is out, it won’t burn you.” “I know that,” said the girl. “I know it won’t burn me but it will blacken my hands.” “Exactly,” said Susannah Wesley. “That thing which you wish to do won’t burn, but it will blacken. Leave it alone.”

Susannah Wesley was the 25th child of twenty-five, and the mother of nineteen children, including John and Charles Wesley. Through much adversity, she dedicated her

life to instilling a sense of Christian Destiny into each of her children. Her children went

on to change the world.

Susannah Wesley was a remarkable woman of determination and strength. Rarely, do you find a woman with these convictions. In a world of fast-paced lifestyles and misplaced priorities, Wesley’s example certainly seems abnormal. However, we (dads and moms) would do well to take note of her example and strive to raise our children to love the Lord, fear Him and live a life of integrity, so that those who view our lives would see the glory of Christ in how we conduct ourselves in every situation.

For all the moms and future moms, you are loved and you are a gift from the hand and heart of Almighty God!

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Avoiding Spiritual Atrophy

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:45:39 GMT

Avoiding Spiritual Atrophy

April 20, 2020

According to a medical journal, muscle atrophy is “a decrease in muscle mass, often due to extended immobility” (medicine net.com). I have seen this while ministering to cancer patients and those who have been paralyzed. Not only does atrophy effect the physical body, but it also effects the emotions. People who are immobilized or lose their will to exercise even in normal life ways, they get set in unhealthy patterns that seem to defeat them. While physical atrophy is felt and seen, there is another type of atrophy that can be subtle but also devastating, and that is, spiritual atrophy.

Some years ago, I was in a seminar with one of my spiritual heroes, Stephen Olford. Even though short in stature, he loomed large as a man who could take on hell itself with a water pistol because of his unrelenting confidence in the word of God. In one session, Dr. Olford talked with us about spiritual disciplines, in particular, how to have a quality devotional life with God which would strengthen our faith and walk with Christ. He was talking about building spiritual muscle. However, he made an admission and gave us a warning that I still remember to this day.

Dr. Olford said that the time when he struggles the most to build spiritual muscle through having a consistent daily quiet time of intimacy with God is when he is on vacation. Most of us reading this go on vacation or take time away from our daily routines. He said that getting out of his daily routine is when he tends to allow other things to crowd into his time with the Lord. He admitted that if this is not addressed or planned for, the neglect gets worse and he begins to feel the affects of spiritual atrophy. Knowing that the enemy does not take a vacation, spiritual atrophy can be devastating because it weakens our spiritual muscles or we might say, our spiritual immune systems.

During this crisis where so many of our routines have been interrupted, we can adopt some really unhealthy habits or just the opposite can happen, we can begin to implement some habits that get us back on track with a deeper intimacy with God than ever before. Slowing down and getting back to the basics can be just the thing we needed to get our hearts right with God and find time for prayer, bible study and practical application of the word like no other time. However, just the opposite can happen.

Down times or times that get us down can lead us toward unhealthy eating habits, binging on too much Netflix and social media (which is a norm unfortuantely), or sleeping the days away. This is when spiritual atrophy can really been noticed. Spiritual atrophy leads to compromise, willful sin, apathy and distrust. These are times when our flesh is allowed to get stronger because we are feeding it more than our spirit. When our flesh gets stronger, sin grows and we have little will to resist its pull. What can we do to maintain our spiritual health, grow spiritual muscles and avoid spiritual atrophy?

(1) Set your alarm . That sounds easy enough. We do it most everyday. Setting our alarm sends the signal that a plan is in place. In Mark 1:35, not seems that Jesus might have done something just like this (long before the convenience of having a mobile phone beside our beds). It says, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a solitary place, and there he prayed.” If you read around this verse, you will notice that Jesus had been slammed with ministry and spiritual warfare. People were continually hounding Him, pulling at Him and wanting Him to solve their problems. Jesus knew that His strength depended on His time with the Father. If that was true for Jesus, who was God in the flesh, how much more is this true for those who follow Him! Set your alarm and prioritize time to spend with the Lord.

(2) Set your attitude toward thankfulness . Ben Woodward, a worship leader in Australia, writes, “We have a saying in our house that makes our kids cringe: “Tell me 10 things you are thankful for.” It is usually followed by a sigh or, in the case of my oldest daughter, a slight rolling of her eyes. This request usually comes at a point in the day when the whining has increased, ungratefulness is at an all-time high and the kids are probably in need of a nap. Why thankfulness? Because of what it does both to your brain and your spirit. Thankfulness puts your brain to work in the right way. Spending a few minutes a day in thankfulness can actually release the “pleasure” chemicals that your brain so desperately craves each day.” Being thankful during this time (and all the time), reminds us that God has been faithful to us and will continue to be no matter the adversity we currently face. Besides, spending time with our family may be a challenge at times, but it can be the greatest blessing we have experienced in years!

(3) Set your heart to worship . Worship of God is the act of proclaiming the worth of God that He is due. No one truly deserves anything other than God. He alone deserves worship. When we worship through quiet meditation, Bible reading, prayer reading through the Bible, listening to worship music or just simply contemplating the majesty of God, it refocuses our mind away from unhealthy stuff to things that can really put on spiritual muscles. Worship opens our minds to what God is doing around it. Worship tunes our spiritual ears to what God is saying. We respond quicker and with more confidence.

I have a friend in Colorado who is a PE teacher at a local school. Since schools are out, he is putting up YouTube videos for parents to do exercises with their children in their living rooms. It’s just that easy for us too! We have to make the choice to spiritually exercise, spend time with the Lord and then find ways to practically apply it. Get off the proverbial spiritual couch and get moving in the worship and service. Avoid “vegging” out with social media and hours upon hours of TV. Don’t wait until it is too late. Use this time to BUILD spiritual muscle and not lose it. Let’s come out of this season stronger than ever before!!

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Bible Prophecy and the Coronavirus

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 14:41:31 GMT

Bible Prophecy and the Coronavirus

April 18, 2020

Biblical Prophecy and the Coronavirus:

Is the Coronavirus a Sign of Jesus’ Soon Return?

Matthew 24

Intro. The latest reports have the curve flattening and Governors now with the decision when and how to open up businesses and large gatherings. This has truly been the craziest time I have ever witnessed!

Elizabeth Dias, in a New York Times article wrote: “For people of many faiths, and even none at all, it can feel lately like the end of the world is near. Not only is there a plague, but hundreds of billions of locusts are swarming East Africa . Wildfires have ravaged Australia , killing an untold number of animals. A recent earthquake in Utah even shook the Salt Lake Temple to the top of its iconic spire, causing the golden trumpet to fall from the angel Moroni’s right hand.”

These are unusual times to say the least, but is the COVID-19 a sign that Jesus is returning imminently?

24:3-8 “As he sat on v the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your y coming and of z the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For b many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am c the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For f nation will rise against nation, and g kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of i the birth pains.”

There are 9 marks from Matthew 24 of Christ’s return:

Birth pains of false christs, warfare among the nations, famines and earthquakes - Mt. 24:5-7
Massive Persecution will happen worldwide - 24:9-11 @ In the last five years, over one million Christians have been killed at the hands of persecutors.
Lawlessness will increase and love will grow cold - 24:12
Believers who endure through the tribulation to the end - 24:13
Proclamation of the Gospel around the world - 24:14
The abomination of desolation prophesied in Daniel - 24:15
The massive events of the Great Tribulation - 24:21-22
The Cosmic and cataclysmic disruptions - 24:29-31
All the signs will be experienced in one generation - 24:32-35

You see, Jesus was teaching that another generation would come and see all of this things happen as a sign of His imminent return. These signs would be fulfilled and then Jesus would return for His earthly reign.

We have seen, over the years, all of these signs to some extent…but never all at once. So, what does the Coronavirus mean? No one can know all of the ramifications and purposes for sure, but one thing it certainly looks like is…

FORESHADOWING of coming events: pestilence, disease, shutdowns, loss of freedoms, government unification and worldwide unification around an event.
DRESS REHEARSAL for how the Church may need to RESET for unconventional ministry.

If nothing else, this virus has brought certain things to the forefront important realities.

What Has this Virus Brought to the Forefront of our Lives?

Life is fragile - Ps. 90:9-10 “For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh (whisper). The years of our life are 70, or even by reason strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
The Bible is the credible source for all things especially future events
People are gripped by uncertainty and fear (fear of sickness, fear death, fear of government takeover of freedoms, and fear of financial losses among many more)

People are searching for answers in Religion and other places

Al Mohler in a recent blogpost wrote about Kate Cohen who wrote an article for The Washington Post with the headline, “Even Those of Us Who Don’t Believe Need What Religion Can Provide Right Now.”

Cohen writes, “The first virtual gathering that anyone in my family thought to organize was Shabbat. My dad organized it. I jumped on the idea, my big sister offered to host the meeting. The thing is we are not a religious family, although we used to have a Shabbat or Sabbath dinner when I was a kid. Only one of us still does and only sometimes, but there we were on Friday across six Zoom windows from four states, nine adults, six teenagers, one four-year-old and three sets of candles.” Then, Cohen asks a very interesting question: “Did the global pandemic suddenly make believers out of us? Now would indeed be the perfect time to pledge fealty to a capricious, plague-wielding, Old Testament God, but I can’t make myself believe.”

Cohen continues her article, stating, “We don’t need religion, but as the crisis reminds us, we still need certain things that religion can provide. We need community and ritual and dates that can’t easily be deleted. I may hide the Jewish calendar so that it does not show up on my app or in my life, but I cannot change or cancel it. It will always be there.” For Cohen, Judaism functions not as a truth claim but a source of comfort during a perilous time.

People are looking for sources of comfort in religions but that is NOT the right place to look. Religion gives people functional comfort but will never give them eternal peace. Only Jesus Christ can do that!

4. The Church has been given a golden opportunity to get the Gospel to people all over the world - technology, disruption of the normality - the worse thing that could happen is to get back to normal.

I am praying that the Lord will use this crisis to…

Re-Awaken the Church
Reorient the way we minister & disciple
Renew a dependence on God though prayer
Refine the Church of pretenders
Re-ignite our hearts to share the Gospel.

Quoting Elizabeth Dias again in that NYTimes article, and after siting various religious beliefs about the end of the world, she said, “For too long America has been on “spiritual life support,” trusting its own invincibility. Is it the end of the world? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but we need to be ready. We need to learn to number our days because we really do not know when our last breath will be.”

Not only that, we need to be ready to share the hope we have in Jesus Christ! This is our time! Let’s take advantage of the Reset the Lord has given to His people!

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journeyintheword

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

1 Peter 3:18–20 Explained

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

What We Learn

At Journey in the Word…

What does the Bible say about tattoos?

What does the Bible say about tattoos?

The Most Referenced Verse: Leviticus 19:28

Verse Breakdown

"You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead..."

"...or tattoo yourselves..."

"I am the Lord."

Understanding the Cultural Context

Does This Mean Tattoos Are Wrong Today?

Summary

At Journey in the World…

Top 20 Most Frequently Asked Bible Questions

Top 20 Most Frequently Asked Bible Questions

Answers to the 20 Most Asked Bible Questions

1. What does the Bible say about women pastors?

2. What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Is it a sin?

3. What does the Bible say about tattoos?

4. Once saved, always saved? / Is eternal security biblical? / Can a Christian lose salvation?

5. Masturbation - Is it a sin according to the Bible?

6. What does the Bible say about interracial marriage?

7. Who was Cain’s wife?

8. What is the Christian view of suicide? What does the Bible say about suicide? What about a believer who commits suicide?

9. Do pets / animals go to heaven? Do pets / animals have souls?

10. What happens after death?

11. What does the Bible say about Christian tithing? Should a Christian tithe?

12. What is the gift of speaking in tongues? Is it for today? What about praying in tongues?

13. What does the Bible say about dinosaurs? Are there dinosaurs in the Bible?

14. What is the importance of Christian baptism?

15. What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol? Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol?

16. What does the Bible say about gambling? Is gambling a sin?

17. What does the Bible teach about the Trinity?

18. What does the Bible say about sex before marriage?

19. Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

20. What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?

Conclusion

Pastor Training Experience

Pastor Training Experience

Exemplary Leadership

Exemplary Leadership

Live Your Best Life Every Day by Pursuing Holiness

Live Your Best Life Every Day by Pursuing Holiness

Live Your Best Life Every Day by Encouraging Others

Live Your Best Life Every Day by Encouraging Others

Investing Your Life in Others - 1 Thess. 2:1-10

Investing Your Life in Others - 1 Thess. 2:1-10

Determine to Set Good Examples - 1 Thess. 1:1-10Determine to Set Good Examples - 1 Thess. 1:1-10

Determine to Set Good Examples - 1 Thess. 1:1-10

Contagious Christianity: It Just Takes One to Make a Difference

Contagious Christianity: It Just Takes One to Make a Difference

A.C.T. Three Methods Jesus Used to Disciple Others

A.C.T. Three Methods Jesus Used to Disciple Others

Assess

Commit

Train

America in Bible Prophecy

America in Bible Prophecy

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

Leading Leaders: 4 Reminders to Create a Transformative Culture

Leading Leaders: 4 Reminders to Create a Transformative Culture

The Village: Why We Need One Another More Than Ever

The Village: Why We Need One Another More Than Ever

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

Ezekiel: The Watchman of Israel

Praying in the Midst of Spiritual Battles

Praying in the Midst of Spiritual Battles

Praying in the Midst of Spiritual Battles

ReOrdering the Church: Looking In,Looking Back or Looking Forward

ReOrdering the Church: Looking In,Looking Back or Looking Forward

Flat Screen Church or In-Person Church: What is the Real Thing?

Flat Screen Church or In-Person Church: What is the Real Thing?