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miracles

Bible Studies

Unleashing God’s Power

by Tony Evans
written by Tony Evans

Electric vehicles have become more popular in recent years. There are many kinds of electric cars, but only three major types: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric. Plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles have batteries that must be charged by plugging into a main electric power source. These cars cannot run or reach their maximum fuel economy potential without being plugged in to charge. In the same way, believers can only achieve their God-given calling if they are plugged into the Holy Spirit. He is the agent and the power source that brings Kingdom reality into the life of believers.

As the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit bears all the attributes of God. He is a divine person. Like electricity, He provides the power we, as believers, need. The Holy Spirit is also a relational person. We can relate to Him and call on Him personally. Therefore, He is not merely a power to be used but a person to be known. The more we interact with Him, the more His Kingdom power can be manifested through us.

The Kingdom of God means that God will rule. God wants to demonstrate His rule through the Holy Spirit working through us, His Kingdom people. The Holy Spirit empowers us to witness about Christ, share our testimony and proclaim the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit also enables us to do the works of Christ, and without Him, we can do nothing. When we testify about Christ, we connect to the Kingdom. But if we abandon the truth of God’s Word, we cancel the Holy Spirit’s work and power in our lives. We can either align our will with God’s or pursue our desires. We can either do things in our own power or connect to the power of the Holy Spirit. If we want to experience God’s Kingdom power in our lives, we must seek to know the Holy Spirit and allow Him to be our source of strength.

GETTING STARTED

  1. What are some things that do not work unless they are plugged into a power source?
  2. What drains your power and energy? How do you get refreshed and reenergized?

LET’S GET PERSONAL

  1. How have you relied on your own power rather than the power of the Holy Spirit? How has that impacted your life and your relationship with God?
  2. How often do you share your testimony and proclaim Christ to others? What prevents you from sharing?
  3. Where have you abandoned the truth of God’s Word and canceled the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Where have you been aligned with God’s will?

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

  1. How can you spend more time each day with God? How will seeing the Holy Spirit as a relational person change your daily life?
  2. How can you develop your testimony so that you will be prepared to proclaim Christ at any given moment?
  3. Want to go deeper? Take time to look at the following passages: Acts 1:1-8; Luke 11:13; John 16:12-15; Luke 24:49; Romans 14:17; Ephesians 5:18; Acts 28:30-31; John 7:37-39; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Acts 2:1-4; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Galatians 5:13-26; 1 John 2:20-27; Romans 8:18-29; Acts 8:12; Acts 19:8; Acts 20:25; Acts 28:23.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’”

Acts 1:8

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Sermons

Elisha: Ridiculous Faith

by Craig Groeschel
written by Craig Groeschel

Can you imagine what could happen if we gave control of our life to God? It’s scary, but the benefits are world-altering. The story of Elisha challenges your congregation to answer God’s calling and take the risks that are necessary to do His will. “Elisha: A Tale of Ridiculous Faith” would work well at a retreat or as part of a mission emphasis. It’s time we start taking risks and making decisions the world doesn’t understand. Come see what life can look like when we let go…when we decide to have Ridiculous Faith.

www.lifechurch.tv/open.

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Devotionals

Empowered by Jesus

by Abraham Kuruvilla
written by Abraham Kuruvilla

Disciples commissioned by the divinely powerful Jesus are themselves divinely empowered by him to meet any need.

“You yourselves give them to eat!”
Mark 6:37

The crowds gathered are like “sheep not having a shepherd” (6:34), a proverbial metaphor in the OT, used of Israel in a leadership vacuum (Num 27:17; 1 Kgs 22:17; Ezek 34:5–6). This sets the stage for the leadership role disciples are directed by Jesus to play. But they have apparently given no thought to providing for the crowd as their recommendation to Jesus reveals (Mark 6:36)—they want the crowd dismissed to go buy food for themselves.

Jesus counters with an emphatic “you yourselves” (6:37)—it was up to the disciples to provide for the people’s need. They, however, are unwilling to accept that responsibility and make a sarcastic response in return: 200 denarii was, after all, more than half a year’s wages. But the intent of Jesus’ exhortation is clear: successful ministry (leading others) involves meeting people’s needs in the power of God. Instead, the disciples look like helpless and cynical disbelievers.

The verb “set before” (6:41) is often used to denote the hospitable provision of food to guests by a householder. Thus, while the disciples were all for dismissing the crowd right away, Jesus was welcoming “dinner guests” as he “set before” them a table overflowing. That is the attitude the disciples ought to have had, and the deputized power they ought to have exercised.

As Jesus performs the feeding miracle, it is the disciples’ food that is the foundation for this miracle—and they must provide for the shepherdless people in the power of God (6:41).

Not only has Jesus demonstrated “how the impossible can be made possible,” he has also directed disciples to perform the impossible with what impossibly little they have! They are learning to lead as Jesus’ apprentices.

And then there follows another test for the disciples …

Jesus virtually forced (“compelled,” 6:45) the disciples to undertake this journey, and that by themselves. This was a purposeful sending of those he had called; they were being authorized to demonstrate God’s authority over the powers of chaos in that watery domain that threatened to sink their boat.

The verb “passing by” (6:48) is also found in Exod 33:22; 34:6; and in 1 Kgs 19:11, where Yahweh shows himself to Moses and to Elijah, respectively, when both were in a crisis—God performing a “passing by.” In other words, Jesus’ “passing by” is a divine act of reassuring self-disclosure that meets his people at their point of greatest desperation.

Unfortunately, all this is completely lost on the disciples—their reaction is sheer terror, the opposite of what was intended (6:50). In light of all that the disciples had already heard and seen of Jesus, it is astonishing that the disciples fail to discern who Jesus really was—the divine one with power; instead, they think he is a phantasm, a ghost (6:49).

Mark 6:53–56 forms an ironic summary for the chapter: whereas the hard-hearted disciples (6:52) failed to recognize Jesus’ person and power, the crowd is stated to have recognized him “immediately” (6:54). And their response is vigorous and enthusiastic: they run, they carry the afflicted here and there to wherever Jesus is, seeking at least a peripheral touch from this powerful one whom the disciples, who had been with him for so long, had failed even to recognize!

Thus the disciple, we are taught, is one who recognizes his or her own inadequacy and, acknowledges the total adequacy of God and his power alone, for the undertaking of ministry.

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Articles

Jesus’ “Greater Works”?

by Tom Terry
written by Tom Terry

Recently, someone asked me if I was familiar with John 14:12 where Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do.” The implication of the question was that when Jesus said this, couldn’t it apply to teleportation? This question actually brings up other passages where Jesus seems to tell us that Christians will do remarkable things if they have enough faith to believe—things like moving mountains (Matthew 17:20), withering trees (Matthew 21:18-22), make trees fly (Luke 17:6), walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33), or even controlling the weather (James 5:17), all by faith. There is only one problem with this line of reasoning. In the nearly 2,000 years since Jesus walked the earth, no one has ever moved a mountain, instantly withered a tree, made a tree fly, or walked on water. So, what is going on here? If we are Christians and believe in Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection, why can’t we do these things? Is this a matter of, as some would say, faulty faith?

I don’t think so, and I’d like to tell you why.

The first thing we must do is get a proper understanding of what Jesus meant when he said that we would do, “Greater works” than he did. Then we must look carefully at Jesus’ statements about moving mountains and withering trees (and so on) and see if there is another legitimate meaning. Then we must examine faith. What did Jesus mean when he referred to the “mustard seed” of faith (Luke 17:6). Does faith come in greater or lesser volumes, sizes, or weights, or is something else going on? As I examine these issues with you I’d like you to consider an important truth about scripture.

Jesus didn’t always mean what he said.

I’m not saying that Jesus didn’t believe what he said, or that he lied about what he said. Rather, Jesus sometimes employed verbal (or literary) devices to help him make his points. When he did this he did not intend for his hearers to take him literally on certain subjects, rather, he was employing a verbal tool to illustrate a greater truth. Many people read the Bible and take it quite mystically. Some Christians think that everything in the Bible must always be taken literally. But if that were true, then a camel might really go through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25). Clearly, that is impossible. Jesus didn’t mean it literally, he was using a literary device to make a point. Understanding these literary devices in scripture is necessary if we want to understand the Gospel author’s intent and original meaning. While the Bible has some difficult passages, it should be approached like any other book that uses a variety of literary styles, genres, and devices. I’ll touch on this as we move ahead. First, let me address what Jesus meant by “Greater works.”

Greater Works

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12). What was Jesus referring to when he said, “Greater works?” There were, essentially, two things that Jesus did in his three years of ministry. He taught the people and his disciples and he did miracles and healing. It is clear from scripture’s testimony that Jesus’ disciples exceeded Jesus’ work in both areas. Consider that when the Apostle Peter preached his first sermon 3,000 people came to faith in Christ (Acts 2:41). Jesus never did that. That was a “Greater work.” The disciples spread around the known world, lead thousands to Christ and planted numerous churches. Jesus never did that. That was a “Greater work.”

We find another example in the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote 13 books of the New Testament. Jesus authored nothing. This is a “Greater work.” Paul gave the church most of its theology. This is a “Greater work.” All of the Apostles and their disciples spread the Gospel from Europe to India within the first 60 years of the church. Jesus never ministered outside of Palestine. This is a “Greater work.” All of the Apostles, except James the brother of John, lived far longer than Jesus and ministered for decades longer than Jesus ever did. This is a “Greater work.”

What about miracles? The disciples did some of the same miracles that Jesus did. They healed the lame (Acts 3:7). They restored sight to the blind (Acts 9:18). They healed illness (Acts 28:8). In one instance, handkerchiefs that touched Paul healed people (Acts 19:12). Jesus never did that. I believe that these things are “greater” in that they were miracles performed by the Holy Spirit through sinful, forgiven men, rather than from the sinless, righteous Jesus. It is amazing that sinful men had been given such power. This is a “Greater work.” But noticed what none of the Apostle’s did—they never moved mountains, withered trees, or walked on water. And they certainly didn’t teleport. Now, if the Apostles had the faith to do these things, why then didn’t they move mountains? In fact, Jesus said, “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Jesus said that. Jesus only spoke truth. So why don’t we move mountains today? In fact, why hasn’t anyone in the last 2,000 years moved a mountain, ever? Is it a problem with our faith?

A Literary Device

I don’t believe that Jesus literally meant that we would move mountains anymore than Jesus meant that camels would go through the eyes of sewing needles (Mark 10:25). Rather, Jesus was using a literary device we commonly call, hyperbole. Now, this is a difficult thing for some Christians to accept because many Christians see hyperbole as a form of lying. An exaggerated statement is not necessarily a true statement. In one sense that is correct. However, an exaggerated statement can also be a statement of truth when used in a way to illustrate that truth. This is what hyperbole does. It doesn’t employ falsehood. It is a literary device that employs the absurd to illustrate a common sense truth. This is what Jesus was doing when he said a person with faith can move a mountain.
Jesus often used hyperbole to make a point. Look at these examples: Luke14:26, “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Did Jesus literally mean for us to “hate” our families? How about Matthew 6:3? “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Hands don’t “know” anything. In Mark 10:27 Jesus says, “All things are possible with God.” Really, all things? Can God sin? No! God is incapable of sinning. This is using hyperbole for effect.

Many Christians read the Bible without considering that the text they are reading falls under different genre or type as the text progresses. In order to understand the text’s meaning you must understand what genre is being used, otherwise it will be easy to misinterpret what is being read and discover a meaning that was never intended by the author.

Faith

Some Christians object to the idea that Jesus employed hyperbole in these passages because Jesus said that anyone who has enough faith will be able to do the things he said, like move mountains. But is that really the case?

How much faith does it take to move a mountain? A quarter cup? Two-and-a-half gallons? Three pounds? Jesus said that if we have faith as “A mustard seed,” we would move mountains (Matthew 17:20). So the question becomes, do you have the faith of a tiny mustard seed? If that is all that is required to move a mountain, then certainly we need much less faith to command a single grain of sand to move one inch from left to right. Yet, do you have the faith to move a single grain of sand? Have you tried?

While I am employing a little hyperbole myself, like Jesus, I am doing so to make a point. Consider that in order for us to be saved and have eternal life we must believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead bodily never to die again. If you are a genuine Christian then you must believe this. Moreover, you must also believe that someday you will also rise from the dead never to die again, as Paul explained in I Corinthians 15. Do you believe this?

Here is my point. Believing in the resurrection of the dead is a hard thing to believe. Remember the Greek’s response to the Apostle Paul when he mentioned Jesus’ resurrection? They laughed at him (Acts 17:32). In Acts 23:6-10 Paul cries out that he believes in the resurrection of the dead and the dissension in the room becomes so great that the people became violent. When Paul stood before Festus at his trial in Acts 26:23-24, upon simply stating his belief in the resurrection of the dead, Festus yelled at Paul, “You are out of your mind!”

Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is not an easy thing. There is nothing more miraculous than this. Nothing turns the laws of physics and biology on their heads more than the miraculous resurrection from the dead. Yet, if you believe in the resurrection then you must have the faith to move a single grain of sand one inch from left to right. Which takes more faith, believing in moving mountains or the resurrection? Indeed, the resurrection! Thus, if you believe in Jesus you have that mustard seed of faith and more!

So, why haven’t you moved a mountain? It’s not because you don’t have faith, or enough faith. It’s because Jesus was using hyperbole. Besides, moving a mountain is incredibly destructive. Do you imagine Jesus would willy nilly give us all that kind of power? I think not.

If you believe in the resurrection then you can believe anything. You have all the faith you need. So, faith is not the issue. Literary genre is the issue.

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Ask Roger

You MATTER. Never Forget It!

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Ever had God blow your socks off? Shock you with His goodness? Leave you speechless with His plan?

 

This weekend I was reading the new book by Richard Preston. He wrote the Hot Zone years ago about the Ebola virus breakout outside of Washington DC. His newest covers the Ebola crisis in West Africa four years ago. (I know, I know, why on earth am I fascinated by deadly viruses and germs?)

 

Anyway, the ending of the book described the two American medical personnel from Samaritan’s Purse who caught Ebola while serving in Liberia. Then I began to read about the missions agency who raised $1.5 million in 48 hours to outfit a plane with a bio containment unit, bring a lifesaving experimental drug to Liberia, and evacuate Kent and Nancy to a hospital in Atlanta.

 

I started crying as I remembered…I had the privilege of helping to strategize raising those funds, writing the fundraising copy, and praying nearly round the clock as God prompted His people to give. I stood with my team as we watched the plane arrive, where Kent Brantly walked, yes walked, across the tarmac, when he had been at death’s door when he was carried onto the plane in Liberia.

 

All through the Old Testament, God told His people to build monuments to remember when they experienced miracles. Think Joshua’s army winning an impossible battle at Jericho…Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea…moments when God revealed His power in unmistakable ways.

 

Sometimes I forget why I work so hard to raise funds for my clients. When I struggle to write the words, I worry that my inadequacy will keep them from doing everything they’re called to do. I wonder if the hours I spend sitting all alone in my living room, staring at a laptop, really matter at all.

In my weakest moments, God sends a reminder…encouragement that He is using me to make a difference.

 

God is using YOU to make a difference, right where you are today. When you get a glimpse of His handiwork, do what Mary did, and “cherish these things in your heart.” And when you wonder if you matter, take time to remember.

 

 

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Articles

You MATTER. Never Forget It!

by Brie Barrier Wetherbee
written by Brie Barrier Wetherbee

Ever had God blow your socks off? Shock you with His goodness? Leave you speechless with His plan?

 

This weekend I was reading the new book by Richard Preston. He wrote the Hot Zone years ago about the Ebola virus breakout outside of Washington DC. His newest covers the Ebola crisis in West Africa four years ago. (I know, I know, why on earth am I fascinated by deadly viruses and germs?)

 

Anyway, the ending of the book described the two American medical personnel from Samaritan’s Purse who caught Ebola while serving in Liberia. Then I began to read about the missions agency who raised $1.5 million in 48 hours to outfit a plane with a bio containment unit, bring a lifesaving experimental drug to Liberia, and evacuate Kent and Nancy to a hospital in Atlanta.

 

I started crying as I remembered…I had the privilege of helping to strategize raising those funds, writing the fundraising copy, and praying nearly round the clock as God prompted His people to give. I stood with my team as we watched the plane arrive, where Kent Brantly walked, yes walked, across the tarmac, when he had been at death’s door when he was carried onto the plane in Liberia.

 

All through the Old Testament, God told His people to build monuments to remember when they experienced miracles. Think Joshua’s army winning an impossible battle at Jericho…Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea…moments when God revealed His power in unmistakable ways.

 

Sometimes I forget why I work so hard to raise funds for my clients. When I struggle to write the words, I worry that my inadequacy will keep them from doing everything they’re called to do. I wonder if the hours I spend sitting all alone in my living room, staring at a laptop, really matter at all.

In my weakest moments, God sends a reminder…encouragement that He is using me to make a difference.

 

God is using YOU to make a difference, right where you are today. When you get a glimpse of His handiwork, do what Mary did, and “cherish these things in your heart.” And when you wonder if you matter, take time to remember. 

 

 

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Ask Roger

How to Discover and Develop Your Spiritual Gifts

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

I’m a new Christian and I’d like to know more about spiritual gifts. Our pastor preached once on spiritual gifts, and then he went on to something else. How can I find out what my gift is and how to use it?

Sincerely,

Dear Ryan,

When we meet Christ, the Holy Spirit gives us at least one spiritual gift. In one sense, we are wired to serve (Romans 12:6).

God does not just tell us to serve; He gives us special tools for the task: “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1).

Why does the Holy Spirit dispense gifts?

  • “For the common good…” (1 Corinthians 12:7)
  • To Strengthen the local church fellowship
  • To Extend the church’s witness and ministry
  • To provide Christians with the tools needed to accomplish their ministry
  • To paint a relevant picture of Christ when all the gifts are working properly

Spiritual gifts are found in three separate passages in the New Testament.

The lists are not exactly identical, but some overlapping occurs: 

Ephesians 4:11

  • Apostles
  • Prophets
  • Evangelists
  • Pastor-Teacher

Romans 12:6-8

  • Prophecy
  • Helps
  • Teaching
  • Encouragement
  • Giving
  • Administration
  • Leadership
  • Celibacy
  • Mercy

1 Corinthians 12:8-10

  • Wisdom
  • Knowledge
  • Faith
  • Healing
  • Miracles
  • Prophecy
  • Distinguishing spirits
  • Speaking in tongues
  • Interpreting tongues

1 Corinthians 7:7

  • Singleness

What is the difference between spiritual gifts and natural talents?

We are born with natural talents. Spiritual gifts are given at conversion.

Natural talents are often the vehicle through which spiritual gifts can be used.

A Christian vocalist may have a natural talent to sing beautifully. A vocalist with the spiritual gift of evangelism may use musical talents along with the spiritual gift of evangelism to guide people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Does every believer have a gift?

Yes: “All these are the work of one and the same spirit, and he gives them to each man, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Can a believer have more than one gift? Yes.

As we mature and our ministry responsibilities increase, God will give us the tools we need for the tasks ahead: “Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in the gifts that build up the church” (Romans 14:12).

The number of possible combinations is astounding. By using the algebraic formula, “2n-1” where “n” is the number of gifts, 18 spiritual gifts can produce 262,144 combinations.

I don’t have the gift of service, am I still supposed to serve?

Of course!

While there are many combinations, there is only one Lord and one Body.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them and all men. . . The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…” (Romans 12:4-12).

I’m going to share a short description of each gift. Hopefully, this will help you understand which spiritual gift, or gifts, that the Holy Spirit has given to you.

A short description of each gift:

An Apostle is one who is sent to establish a foothold for Christianity in unevangelized areas by establishing churches. Today, we often call these Christians, “church planters.” Our church ministry partner in Mexico, Roberto Morales, is an apostle. He has planted over 80 churches in Mexico and Peru.

A Prophet applies a message from God to a particular situation in relevant terms. The Prophet answers the question, “Does God have a Word for me today?”

An Evangelist is spiritually anointed to persuade people through a variety of relevant methods to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. They are quite successful at it.

A Pastor-Teacher oversees the care and spiritual feeding of a church congregation. His/her teaching clarifies and preserves the truths of God. Many pastor-teachers find preaching the Word more exciting than shepherding the flock. Remember, when Jesus commissioned Peter for ministry instructed him to, “Feed my sheep; take care of my little lambs.” Jesus was saying, “I’m a shepherd, you be a shepherd, too.”

The gift of Helps is a God-given gift for meeting the practical needs of people. When Don Young died, my friend Marilyn Tolson was cleaning up the kitchen when I arrived. “Do you have the gift of helps?” I asked. She gave me a puzzled look: “I don’t know; but, if there is something you need help with, let me know.”

The gift of Encouragement has a double use: to comfort or encourage, or to admonish and rebuke when necessary. An encourager is someone with a fantastic ability to motivate others: “Cheer up! Our God is omnipotent!” You know people who are like that; they’re always in the right place at the right time.

Several years ago I set a goal to do three encouraging things every day. At a restaurant, for example, when I see two parents with well-behaved children I like to walk to their table and say, “you must be wonderful parents, you have such delightful children.” They grin from ear to ear.

One of our staff once came to my office and said, “I need to give you a biblical rebuke about something you’ve done.” He was right.

The gift of Giving is the ability to make money and/or resources and to give them freely away with joy and delight. Two characteristics of a person who has the gift of giving are: he/she has resources; he/she delights in sharing those resources.

Every Christian is to give generously whether they have the spiritual gift or not.

The gift of Administration is the spiritual capacity to organize and manage the church. The Greek word for administration is kuberneseis, meaning helmsman or governor.  The administrator is the person who is qualified to steer the ship. He/she is not the Captain.

The gift of Leadership is the spiritual capacity to energize people by creating a vision for the future and then by inspiring them to make the vision a reality. Children can be so delightful. A group of children was asked to define Leaders:

“Leaders are out front.”

“Their rear end is better seen than their front side.”

“Leaders chart a course on star that most never see.”

“A leader is one who causes conflict, but who changes things.”

“You know you’re a leader when you look around and people are following you.”

Such astute observations from children!

The gift of Mercy brings the empathetic love of God to hurting people in practical ways.

In the first teachers’ meeting of the new year a new teacher sat down beside one of our church members. They began discussing churches and the new teacher asked Linda where she went to church. “I go to Casas Church,” Linda replied. “I know that church,” said the new teacher. “That’s the church that helps people.” “Helping hurting people” was our church motto. Every church has a target market whether they realize it or not. We figured that there would always be a market for hurting people.

One with the gift of mercy is drawn to suffering people. He/she must do something about it. The hurt requires action.

The gift of Wisdom synthesizes concepts, facts and truths in order to find a God-inspired solution for a particular situation. Some people have the ability to synthesize a complex issue into a simple solution. Dr. Harry Ironside said, “Put the cookies on the lower shelf where everyone can get to them.”

The gift of the Word Of Knowledge is a supernaturally-revealed communication for a particular reason. Peter’s knowledge of God’s supernatural judgment regarding the embezzling of Ananias and Sapphira is a prime example (Acts 5:1-11).

The gift of Faith is the spiritual ability to see something that God wants done and to live accordingly even before God acts.

Perhaps the gift of faith is synonymous with vision. This person has the same problems as all others, but can see right through the problems to the resources of God.

One of our church building projects was having troubles. I was panicking. Lefty, one of our elders, pulled me aside and said, “I have the spiritual gift of faith. Trust me, everything is going to be okay. There was something about the way he said it. I felt a calm peace. I said to myself, “I think I can live on that faith.” So I did!

The gift of Healing refers to the healing of physical disease in response to the Holy Spirit’s promptings through confession, laying on of hands and prayer. One with this gift will often utilize James 5:13-17 to facilitate the work.

By the way, I believe that this healing gift and the following gift of miracles are not often seen in the United States of America today. On the other hand, we often hear missionaries on the mission field tell supernatural stories about how miracles and healings compel people to come to Christ. However, we must not limit God’s power.

The gift of Miracles is an event of supernatural power, to authenticate the Word and/or the reality of God.

One particular Campus Crusade missionary told of a witch doctor who didn’t want the Jesus film shown in his village. He demanded the villagers to stay away. The witch doctor didn’t want the Jesus film. He pleaded and threatened. The missionaries showed it anyway. They invited neighboring villages to come and several thousand turned up. They turned on the generator and the film commenced. Fifteen minutes into the film the witch doctor crept into the darkness, took his machete and with one quick move, cut the electric cord in two. And the movie kept right on playing! The Jesus film never stopped. The witch doctor said, “If that is the kind of God you have, we need him.” He became a Christian.

The gift of Distinguishing Between Spirits is the ability to differentiate between holy, human, and demonic powers.

We’ve all wondered sometimes if it is really God speaking to us. The person with this gift has a God anointed ability to give guidance and wisdom in these areas.

Please notice that the gifts of Tongues and Interpreting Tongues the are considered by many to be gifts utilized in the first century only. The gift of Tongues is the ability to speak fluently in a previously unlearned language (dialektos) (Acts 2).

Unsaved men and women might hear the gospel in their own languages. This occurred on Pentecost as described in Acts or in a Holy Spirit-inspired spiritual prayer language (glossolalia) which means tongues (1 Corinthians 12).

Tongues are useful in prayer to express ideas and concepts that are deep in the human spirit. Some Christians believe that glossolalia is described in Romans 8:26-27:

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

My wife Julie had a miraculous experience with dialektos. On a mission trip to Brazil, Dianne Walters, one of her mission volunteers, broke her leg in two places. The rest of the tour leadership left my wife, Julie, alone to handle the medical emergency in the huge metropolis of San Paulo. She knew no one and spoke no Portuguese. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Julie was granted the ability to speak Portuguese (dialektos), discuss medical terms and make all sorts of hotel, airline and hospital arrangements while communicating in Portuguese.

The gift of Interpreting Tongues is the spontaneous ability to translate the language of one who is using the gift of tongues (glossalalia). 

How to unwrap your gift/gifts:

1. Study the gifts in the Bible and learn how they operate.

2. Observe the lives of Christians you know to see how gifts operate in them.

3. Analyze what gifts you recognize developing in yourself.

4. Seek confirmation of your gift from others–and from God.

Jake Ellis, a well-respected teacher at my home church affirmed my teaching gift early in my life.  “Roger, you are a wonderful teacher,” he said. The inner witness of the Spirit is not limited to confirming our salvation. He wants us to know what our gifts are and how to use them.

Let your successful ministry experiences be a determining factor in recognizing your gift.

What ministry is God blessing?

When you have prayed for sick people, do you often see answers to those prayers?

Do you see fruit from your teaching?

Are people trusting Christ as a result of your evangelism?

Finally, practice! Practice! Practice!

1 Timothy 4:10: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

 

 

 

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Ask Roger

Understanding Why “Good People” Go to Hell

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

Our Bible study group was discussing how and why God could justify sending good people to hell. We all agree that someone like Adolf Hitler ought to be in hell. But we also agreed that we know many non-Christians who are better people than many Christians.

It seems so unfair for God to send some bad people to heaven while some good people end up in hell. How can this be?

Thank you, Kelly

 

Dear Kelly,

 

We had to stick really closely to the Bible to deal properly with your question.

From my perspective I feel that most people believe they will go to heaven or hell based on how good or bad they were on earth. While most people think it will be close, they do believe that they’ll make it to heaven. Unfortunately, this is exactly the opposite will

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

In Romans chapters three through seven Paul shows us how all have sinned and are guilty. In Romans chapters one and two Paul shows us why good men and women aren’t good enough for His heaven.

 

Good people need forgiveness for their sins just like everyone else.

 

Christians have their sins forgiven at the cross. Because of God’s grace and mercy Christians will never face their sins again. Not so with those who died without a Savior.

Revelation 20:11-14 describes the Great White Throne Judgment when and where those who’ve died without a Savior are given the opportunity to convince God why he should let them into heaven unforgiven and without a Savior.

 

The key to understanding “good people in hell,” revolves around the Book of Life and the Books of Works. The Book of Life contains the names of everyone who has ever born. Those who die without a Savior have their names “blotted out of the Book of Life” and will be evaluated by their behaviors which are recorded in the Books of Works.

 

I imagine that those awaiting their turns with Jesus to be organizing their speeches to show Him why they are good enough for Heaven.

 

God will then show them in the Book of Works why they are not good enough. Then, the Lord Jesus Christ will open the Book of Life and discover, as He already knows, that their names are not there. Tragically, they will be tossed into the Lake of Fire and assigned to hell for eternity.

 

The problem is that no one is good enough for God’s Heaven. If He were to let us into heaven with all of our sin we would wreck the place.

 

We need the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and our surrender to him as Lord and Savior, to clean our lives of sin and make us fit to live in heaven.

 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

 

“For the wages of sin is, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:3 3).

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-17).

 

In Romans Chapter Two the apostle Paul shares with us the seven factors of judgment that Jesus will use when he opens the Books of Works at the Great White Throne Judgment. From these books Jesus will prove why good people are not fit for Heaven.

 

Romans Two does not show folks how to be saved. This passage shows folks why they are lost! These are not the principles of salvation. These are the principles of evaluation. Here are seven of the reasons why good people are disqualified from entering into God’s Heaven.

 

1. GOD WILL EVALUATE ACCORDING TO TRUTH AS OUTLINED IN THE BIBLE (Romans 1-3).

 

God will judge everything according to Truth because we all are in the habit of comparing ourselves with others.

 

On Judgment Day God will say to those who died without Jesus Christ as their Savior, “Let’s judge you for who and what you really are.”

 

2. GOD WILL EVALUATE ACCORDING TO HIS KINDNESS (Romans 2:4).

 

God’s judgment will be in proportion to the amount of kindness that God has poured out to people during their lifetimes.

 

God expends His kindness to us that He might lead us to repentance.

 

Christians often wonder why lost people seem to have it so good. The answer is that it’s just God’s kindness to turn them to repentance – the longer they reject His kindness, the more inexcusable they will be when they stand at the Great White Throne Judgment.

 

3. GOD WILL EVALUATE ACCORDING TO ACCUMULATED WRATH (Romans 2:5).

 

Hardening of arteries can take us to an early grave – but hardening of the heart, spiritually, will take us ultimately to the Lake of Fire.

 

If the grace and kindness of God have not led us to repentance, then every day, moment by moment, hour by hour, we are storing up drops of the terrible treasure of God’s wrath which will break forth at the Great White Throne.

 

*God is allowing us to live and He is holding back punishment – giving us kindness – so that we might turn to Him in repentance.

*Our judgment for eternity will be in direct proportion to the amount of kindness that God has given to us to which we ignored as coming from God.

 

4. GOD WILL EVALUATE ACCORDING TO DEEDS (Romans 2:6-10).

 

Standing before God now is the person who says, “Look, God, judge me according to my deeds. I’ve lived a good life. Take my good works and put them beside my bads and certainly the good will outweigh the bad!”

 

But the problem with the moral man is that he thought that his good deeds will be weighed against his bad deeds or at least be compared against the deeds of others.

 

That will not be the case.

 

God will take the best works of the moral man or woman and compare them with Jesus’ deeds. Jesus raises the lame, gives sight to the blind, and heals the sick. He takes on the sins of the entire world and by his death and sacrifice brings salvation to those who commit to him as Savior and Lord.

 

No person in his or her right mind wants to be judged on works. He or she wants mercy.

 

5. GOD WILL EVALUATE WITHOUT PLAYING FAVORITES (Romans 2:11).

 

God offers salvation to everyone because everyone needs it.

God is no respecter of persons. He shows no favoritism. Regarding the issue of sin, no one is better than anyone else from God’s perspective.

I remember as a child when dad took me to the top of the 10 story Braniff building in Dallas. I looked down, and all the cars look like toys.

 

Dad said, “Look at the people.”

“They all look small to me.”

“Can you tell the difference,” he asked, “between the five- foot- tall people and he six- foot- tall people?”

“No.”

Several minutes later we were down on the sidewalk and dad asked, “Now, can you tell the difference between a tall man and a short man?” It was easy.

 

So it is in our human judgments. On the human level we see all sorts of variations in wealth, culture, education, character, goodness, and badness.

But, from God’s point of view from the “10th story, everyone looks alike!

 

Without being irreverent I can almost hear God saying to some individuals,

“You dummy. Do you really figure that you have calculated some shifty plan that will let you go up against Me and get away with it? You don’t have a ghost of a chance.”

 

God doesn’t like to judge. He definitely says that judgment is His “strange work” (Isaiah 28:21).

 

Nevertheless, He will judge: “He who spared not His own Son but delivered him up” will certainly not hesitate to judge those who reject His free offer of grace in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:3 2).

 

6. GOD WILL EVALUATE ACCORDING TO HOW WELL WE’VE LIVED UP TO THE “LIGHT THAT WE’VE RECEIVED” (Romans 2:12-15).

 

There are two types of people: Those who have heard the gospel and those who have not.

 

Both are judged according to how they respond to what they know. In other words they will be judged on the amount of “light” which they have received.

 

Those who have heard the gospel have seen the “Light” and by receiving Christ are living up to the level of the light they have received.

 

But there are many people who hear the gospel and reject it. They have not lived up to the light and therefore stand condemned for God.

 

Of course, this begs the question regarding the natives in Africa who will never be exposed to, or hear, the gospel during their lifetimes. This is certainly unfair to send people to hell and have never had the chance, and most likely never will have the chance, to hear the gospel and respond positively to Christ.

 

Paul teaches us that these folks will be judged according to how well they live up to what they know and they know much more than we realize. They have an internal conscience which guides him as to what is right and wrong behavior. They can look at the stars at night and see the universe and know that there must be a God who created all.

 

In a Startling Way, Paul seems to be teaching us that salvation is available to those who never heard the gospel if they live up to the light they’ve received.

 

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (Romans 2:7-8).

 

This idea of living up to the light brings up some intriguing thoughts. Do you know anyone who’s lived up to the light they have received? Is it possible that God accepts for salvation those who have lived up to the light received, then, perhaps, it’s best that we not share the gospel because those who hear it may reject it and be lost. They might have a better chance to live up to the light that you have received.

 

I’m sharing these thoughts above with you because people have asked me questions like these many times over the years. I’m not declaring any sort of theological statement. I’m just illustrating some of the things with which people wrestle.

 

People who have greater “Light” have more responsibility to live up to the “Light” (Matthew 11:23-24).

.

The key is – are we living up to what we know? The answer is a resounding “No!” No person performs up to the level of what they know. We all fall short.

 

7. GOD WILL EVALUATE ACCORDING TO THE INNER SECRETS OF THE HEART (Romans 2:16).

 

At the Great White Throne God will open the closet doors and reveal the secrets of the people who stand there. Jesus spoke of this often (Matthew 10:26-27).

 

Skeletons will come out of closets then. Deeds long buried in the depths of memory will be brought up. Unsolved crimes will find their solutions. These are the secrets of men.

 

As a Christian I know with absolute assurance that I will never stand before this Judgment Bar. “There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1.

 

ANYWAY, I’VE ALREADY SETTLED MY CASE OUT OF COURT.

The way to avoid The Judgment Seat of Christ is to settle your case before it comes to trial.

 

Christ said, “If you meet your adversary in the road way, you had better settle with him, lest he drag you into court and you have to pay to the uttermost penny!” (Matthew 5:25-26).

 

In this passage, the adversary will be God. He will be Judge, Jury, and Prosecuting Attorney.

 

Christ died on the cross to offer us a chance to accept Him now and settle our sin issue before Judgment Day comes. If we die without Christ our case will come to trial and God has enough evidence to condemn every person to Hell – and He will. There is mercy now – settle out of court. The days of mercy are not without end. When we die, our choice is sealed for eternity.

 

Well Kelly, I hope that my answer is helpful to you and your friends. As far as I’m concerned, this subject is hard to swallow. But it shows us very clearly how devastating is sin and how much God loved us to let his son died to save us.

 

Sincerely, Roger

 

 

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Ask Roger

Did the Israelites Really Walk Across the Water?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

How did God part the waters of the Jordan when the Israelites crossed on dry land in Joshua 3:14-16? Was the river shallow, and they stepped carefully on the rocks? Is the passage a metaphor? Or was this a real miracle?  Love, JNG

Dear JNG,

I am going to defer to our resident PITI scientist, Mark Marikos, for this fascinating answer.

Joshua 3:14-16 describes the fact that the Israelites crossed the Jordan River after 40 years in the wilderness. In flood stage, due to the spring rains and snowmelt from Mount Hermon, the river comprised a formidable barrier to the conquest of Jericho and the rest of the Promised Land (up to a mile wide, up to 12 feet deep, and swift).

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.

Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. (Joshua 3:14-16)

God stopped the water upstream, at the town of Adam, at just the right time, so that as the priest stepped out, 15-20 miles downstream, the water ceased to flow where they were.

This brought back a lecture I heard while a graduate student in the Earth and Space Sciences Department at UCLA. A geologist from the Israeli Geological Survey spoke on Geology and the Bible. Among his topics, he spoke about the crossing of the Jordan.

About 17 miles north of Jericho, at the site generally thought to have been the town of Adam (Tell ed-Damiyeh or modern-day Damiya), there is geological evidence that numerous landslides temporarily dammed the Jordan River at various times. At least seven historical earthquakes precipitated landslides that dammed the Jordan River near Damiya:

1927 AD (July 11 – stopped flow for 22 hours)1906 AD (stopped flow for 24 hours)1834 AD1546 AD (Jan 14 – stopped flow for two days)1534 AD1267 AD (December 8 – stopped flow for 10 hours)1160 AD

Was this the mechanism God used to “pile up the waters” at Adam while the Israelites crossed the Jordan miles downstream?

Some object, saying that such natural explanations rob God of the glory of a miracle. I disagree. Instead, I marvel at the precisely timed sequence of events that God would have had to execute to make it happen the way it did by natural processes. And He would have had to spend centuries, if not millennia, preparing the necessary conditions. You see, God was not just working upstream physically, but He was also working upstream in time.

A little geographical and geological background will help set the stage. The name “Jordan” means “descender”, alluding to the relatively steep gradient of the Jordan River valley in the region. That portion of the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee at an elevation of 682 feet below mean sea level (MSL). About 70 miles downstream it enters the Dead Sea (Salt Sea or Sea of Arabah) at an elevation of about 1300 feet below MSL, the lowest dry land on earth. That is a drop of 620 feet in 70 miles, or about 1 foot every 600 ft.

The Dead Sea basin formed because of regional-scale tectonic activity. The Jordan Valley lies along The Dead Sea Transform Fault Zone, (DSTFZ) where the African and Arabian tectonic plates move laterally with respect to each other in a motion very similar to that along the San Andreas Fault of California. When portions of a transform fault lock up, the surrounding terrain may be warped up or down by the stresses. In this case the Dead Sea has been warped down several thousand feet below the surrounding region into a “trans-tensional” or “pull-apart” basin. It remains tectonically active today, and history records at least 4000 years of earthquake activity.

Because of its steep gradient, the Jordan River cuts several gorges, including one in the vicinity of Adam. There the river is deeply incised into marls of the Lisan Formation, loosely consolidated rocks formed in an ancestral lake that filled the entire Jordan Valley during the last Ice Age. Lake Lisan’s water level would have been about 90 feet higher than the current Sea of Galilee. The marls are comprised of alternating layers of coarse and fine grained sediments. Steep gorge walls of such rocks are inherently unstable and may fail when rattled by even minor earthquakes. This story occurs when the Jordan River was at flood stage. So it was likely a period of increased rainfall that would have saturated the rocks, making them even less stable.

The steeper a river’s gradient, the higher is its flow velocity. This figures into the story in several ways. First, high velocity makes a river more likely to undercut steep valley walls, making them more prone to failure. Second, it makes crossing more difficult. Third, it determines the size of particles that make up the riverbed. And fourth, it affects the rate at which volume changes can propagate downstream (e.g. cut-off, and restoration of flow).

So, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that a landslide dam was the mechanism God used to “pile up the waters” near Adam. How could that have occurred at just the right time, in just the right manner, and lasted just the right amount of time to explain the phenomena recorded.

“… as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.”

In lower-gradient rivers, the decline of water flow following a sudden damming of the river upstream would be relatively gradual, maybe taking a few hours at least to completely stop. However, in a steep-gradient river, the cessation of flow can be rather rapid, because of the high velocity.

Steep-gradient rivers also tend to have rocky, or gravelly river beds, rather than muddy beds, because the high velocity water washes fine sediments downstream instead of depositing them on the river bed. In this story, twelve large stones were carried out of the river bed, on the shoulders of twelve men to make the memorial at Gilgal (Joshua 4:4-10). This implies a stony river bed, that would drain (dry) quickly once flow stopped.

God’s first miracle was the precise timing required to stop flow at the crossing point at the precise time the priests step out. There is a time lag between the damming event and the passage of the last water 15 to 20 miles downstream. It would take a fairly sophisticated hydraulic model to predict what that time lag should be. But surely the Creator of hydraulics knows enough to do that without the help of a computer.

For the flow-cessation to be so rapid, the dam would need to be emplaced almost instantaneously, and be of such tight construction that there were no significant leaks to leave a trickle in the channel. Therefore, the landslide or rock-fall would have to be large enough to fill the river channel well above the river’s flood stage, and be traveling at a high velocity. The mix of landslide materials would need to be evenly graded from large boulders (for structural stability) to fine clays (for low permeability), with just the right proportions of the various grain sizes to be structurally stable and hydraulically tight. The source materials would need to be carefully selected and transported in such a way as to provide the required mix at precisely the time of dam emplacement.

The source materials for the dam would all have to have come from the volume of failed valley-wall, in the proper proportions to be mixed within the landslide and emplaced in their proper places. That means the rock units forming the gorge walls would need to have been deposited in a particular sequence, and be of suitable thicknesses to contribute the proper mix.

Engineered landslides are sometimes used to construct dams, but not always with such predictable results. And they usually require months, if not years of engineering and preparatory excavation to ensure success. But surely the Engineer of the universe could design and build such a dam.

The dam would have to have a specific size and geometry to contain the flood-waters of the Jordan river for just the required period of time, and then fail in a predictable manner to restore the flood flow just as the priests step out of the river channel.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before. (Joshua 4:15-18)

The events recorded do not appear to describe a catastrophic dam failure. Rather, it appears to have been a controlled release of water (at flood flow), probably by overtopping. The overtopping would have had to occur over a portion of the dam, or surrounding wall rock, not prone to rapid erosion that would render the structure unstable. Again, there would be a specific time lag between overtopping and re-establishment of flood flow 15-20 miles downstream.

The dam would have to have an impoundment capacity equal to the Jordan River’s flood flow for the time required for all of the Israelites to cross, for the twelve men to collect the twelve large stones from the river bed, and for the priest to carry the ark up out of the river channel – minus the time required for the overtopped water to travel the distance from the dam to the crossing point. Surely the Creator of time itself would have no difficulty performing such a precise sequence of events.

To ensure that all of the conditions and materials were available at the right place and the right time and under the right conditions would require millennia of preparation, and would include:

Building the required tectonic stress patterns into the region to trigger release of the landslide at the proper time.Tectonic down-warping of the Dead Sea basin to provide the proper stream gradient, Setting the course of the Jordan River by sculpting the land surface and emplacing fracture zones in the rock to guide erosion of the channel,Laying down the required sequences and volumes of the various rock types,

Each of these, in turn would involve countless details to ensure the required conditions. Hopefully you are beginning to grasp the wonder of God using natural phenomena to do the miraculous!

I don’t know if God did use a landslide at Adam to “pile up the waters”, but if He did, it is no less wondrous than some supernatural method. I look forward to the “instant replays” in Heaven, so we can see how far off are our speculations and ruminations. I am sure my wife, Mary, is even now in heaven, chuckling at how wrong I had this or that scenario. But in the meantime I can rest assured that God does indeed “work upstream” in my life.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalms 139:13-16)

God exercises the same care and precision in preparing the circumstances of my life, so that when I come to those critical “crossings”, everything unfolds according to His plan. If I could but know His methods, I would see the many years and decades and even centuries He spends bringing me to such critical junctures, and preparing my heart to “cross over” at just the right time.

Only an eternal, omnipotent God, who stands above time, could do that.

Only a God who loves me unconditionally and desires the best for me would do that.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

The only question is, will I step out in faith like the priests carrying the arc, and witness the mighty hand of God?

References:

Ben-Menahem, A.; 1991

Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 96, pp. 20,195-20,216

Garfunkel, Z., and Ben-Avraham, Z.; 1996

Tectonophysics, vol. 266, pp. 155-176

Ken-Tor, R., et al.; 2001

Nur, A. 1991, And the walls came tumbling down: Old Testament writings of doom and destruction are now providing researchers with a record of earthquakes spanning 4000 years, NewScientist.com news service, 06 July 1991 , High-resolution geological record of historic earthquakes in the Dead Sea basin, Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 106, pp. 2221-2234, The structure of the Dead Sea basin,, Four Thousand Years of Seismicity Along the Dead Sea Rift,

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Articles

Nephilim? Were They Giants or Fallen Angels?

by Julia Blum
written by Julia Blum

Does Nephilim mean “Giants”?

The beginning of the sixth chapter of Genesis, where the word Nephilim comes from, is one of the most baffling passages of the Bible:

 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.[1]

Remarkably, some translations have here the word ‘giants’, instead of ‘Nephilim’:

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.[2]

As if to make this story even more complicated, scripture also mentions Nephilim after the flood: in the well-known story in Numbers 13, where Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the land, and all the spies, except Caleb and Joshua, brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched, saying:

 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.[3]

 Once again, King James Version translates the word “Nephilim” here as “giants”:

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.[4]

For centuries,  people have debated whether the “sons of God” expression refers to angels or to men, and just who these Nephilim/giants were. As in the case of Melchizedek, this story also gains much more clarity when read in Hebrew.

PARDES

However, before we delve into our story and use some Hebrew, I would like to introduce here four different levels of Biblical interpretation in Judaism: PARDES. The term PaRDeS is an acronym formed from the initials of these four levels, which are:

Peshat  “plain”, “straight” – the direct, literal meaning of Scripture;

Remez  “hint” – the deeper, symbolic meaning, beyond the literal sense;

Derash  “to inquire”, “to seek” – the comparative meaning: a deeper meaning obtained from a passage by comparing its words and content to similar passages;

Sod  “secret,” “mystery” – the deeper meaning, revealed only through inspiration or revelation.

Thus, Peshat means the literal interpretation; Remez is the non-literal, or allegorical meaning; Derash refers to the expanded comparative meaning; Sod represents the hidden, secret meaning of the text.

There is something I should add here: This word pardes that was chosen by our sages to symbolize the different levels of  interpretation of  scripture, means “garden” or “orchard” in Hebrew, and comes from the Song of Solomon:

Your plants are an orchard (pardes) of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard [5]

An orchard might be filled with the most fragrant scents and the most delectable tastes, but one has to walk through it and sample the fruit of the trees in order to appreciate the tastes and smells. Yes, even from outside you can peek in , even from outside, you can  try to recognize which trees grow there – however, it is only when you go inside, when you walk through the garden, when you really see and taste the fruits, that the garden also becomes for you an orchard, or pardes.

 SONS OF GOD

Now we have all the necessary tools to delve into our story. First of all, let us try to understand who “the sons of God” were. The Hebrew words translated “the sons of God” are b’nai ha Elohim. Does the Torah mean angels, or just “the sons of rulers”, or “the sons of the nobles”, as some Jewish translations translate b’nai ha Elohim here? We have “the sons of the princes” in Targumim, and “the sons of the Judges” in Midrashim[7] – in fact, the “angelic interpretation” (that they were angels, or some kind of divine beings) is almost non-existent in Judaism. Many of you probably know that the noun (Elohim) is in a plural form, and it can be read not only as “God”, but also as ‘gods” or even “lords, rulers”, and this is exactly how the Jewish commentaries choose to read this word in this particular verse.

However, if we study the use of this expression in Tanach, we will see a completely different picture. There is no better commentary to the Bible than the Bible itself, and for that reason, we will use the “derash” technique to compare our passage with other similar passages.

The expression “sons of God” doesn’t occur many times in Tanach. The next time we encounter this expression is in Job 1:6  

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. We have the same expression again in Job 2:1

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

 Nobody questions the meaning of “the sons of God” here: We all know that these verses describe the Divine Council – a meeting in Heaven – therefore, the “sons of God” here are obviously not humans, but angels, who are meeting with God.  Notice that the words in Hebrew translated as “the sons of God” here, are exactly the same as in Genesis 6:2– b’nai ha Elohim.

The next (and the last, at least in Hebrew[8]) reference to “the sons of God” in Tanach is again in the book of Job, in chapter 38. Speaking about the creation of the universe, God is saying: I laid the foundations of the earth… When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.[9]

From this verse[10],  we can see that the sons of God existed even before the earth itself was created.  This indicates that every use of the term: b’nai ha Elohim or b’nai Elohim in the Old Testament, is, in fact,  a reference to angelic beings. Thus, we can conclude that “the sons of God” in Genesis 6 also refers to angels.

Now, that we’ve established that “the sons of God” were angels, we can try to understand the story of Nephilim.

[1] Gen. 6:4, NIV

[2] Gen. 6:4, KJV

[3] Num 13:33, NIV 

[4] Num 13:33, KJV 

[5] Song of Solomon 4:13

 

“The fallen angels” view – the one that I advocated – is one of the most prevalent interpretations of this story. In the previous article, we used the Derash technique and saw that this view stemmed from angels being called “sons of God”, or interpreted as such in Job 1:6, 2:1, and 38:7.

I already mentioned that this “angelic interpretation” (the idea that the “sons of God” were angels, or some kind of divine beings) is almost non-existent in modern Judaism. It’s important to note, though, that for a long time, “the angel view” had been predominant in many extra-biblical Jewish writings (the book of Enoch for example: 1 Enoch 6-11, usually dated c. 200 B.C, clearly identifies the “sons of God” as angels). However, later Jewish commentators choose to read the noun (Elohim) as a plural form, and therefore b’nai ha Elohim here became “the sons of the rulers”, “the sons of the nobles”, “the sons of the princes” or “the sons of the Judges”.

We might note here that, if they were simply the sons of the rulers, or of the nobles, who took simple girls as their wives, their parents, the nobles and the rulers, might not have been happy with these unions – but why God? God doesn’t care about social differences and different statuses. As Dorothy Healy wrote in her comment here: “One thing does seem clear from the text: that ‘the sons of god’ are differentiated from ‘the daughters of men’ i.e. they came from a different sphere, and their procreation was certainly not according to the will of God”. Let us think logically: if “the sons of God” are opposed to “the daughters of men” – doesn’t that mean that they were not ‘sons of men’ and therefore not human: they were “angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode“.

WHO DID THE SPIES SEE?
In order to understand the nature of the Nephilim, let us turn again to our Derash technique and seek a comparative meaning – a deeper meaning obtained from a passage by comparing its words and content to similar passages elsewhere. We already know that the Torah also mentions Nephilim after the flood, in Numbers 13, when Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the land. All the spies, except Caleb and Joshua, brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched. They were absolutely frightened by what (or whom) they had seen. Who did they see, then?
“ We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. ”
The words in the brackets are very interesting: what does it mean that the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim? Once again, we will need some Hebrew here. The original text says: -bnei Anak min-haNephilim. The Hebrew word “Anak”– simply transliterated as “Anak” in the English text – means “giant”. So, our Hebrew text literally says: “We saw giants from the Nephilim”.

The response that Joshua and Caleb gave to the congregation of Israel is even more interesting: “… do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them”
First of all, it is quite remarkable that, even though several parts of the ”bad report” were challenged by Joshua and Caleb, they did not challenge the information about giants. They didn’t say: ‘what are you talking about? There were no giants there, we haven’t seen any giants!’ It seems that these “giants from the Nephilim” were indeed in the Land, if Joshua and Caleb didn’t dispute the fact.

But there is some additional, absolutely intriguing information that we discover in their answer in Hebrew. In English, we have this convenient, “normal” text: Their protection is gone, – but you wouldn’t believe what the original Hebrew text is saying here. Joshua and Caleb are saying about the people of the land: ?”Their shadow is gone!” The Hebrew text doesn’t speak of any protection, it speaks of shadow only: Their shadow is gone, and the Lord is with us!

Are you surprised by this expression? Trust me, I was also infinitely surprised when I made this discovery. And I am not claiming anything – I am just letting you know that the literal meaning (Peshat) of these words refers to Nephilim’s shadow: ‘their shadow is gone!” Definitely, we can still understand it at Remez (allegorical) level, as an implied meaning of “protection” – and to read it as “protection”, of course, would be much more convenient and traditional; we have to remember, though, that one of the main rules of the Jewish hermeneutic states that all the higher levels (starting from Remez/Allegory) should not contradict Peshat: As a general rule, the extended meaning never contradicts the base meaning.

This expression: ‘their shadow is gone!” – occurs only once in the whole Torah, only here, and I think you will agree that it is very peculiar remark. I don’t know about you, but it gives me chills. As Michael Heiser wrote in his wonderful book, “seeing the Bible through the eyes of an ancient reader requires shedding the filters of our traditions and presumptions”.

MORE ABOUT THE SHADOW

Once again, I would turn to my favorite technique, PARDES, in order to examine the meaning of the verse from the book of Numbers:

Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense (origin. shadow) is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.[1]

PESHAT: According to the Jewish tradition, the Peshat is the keystone to understanding scripture: If we discard the Peshat “the text loses its historical significance and meaning and becomes an empty cup to be filled with whatever the teacher/interpreter wants”.[2]  It is also true that within the Peshat, a passage can be figurative. However, there are certain rules to determine if a verse should be understood literally or figuratively. For example, when the expression cannot be understood literally – i.e. when an inanimate object describes a living thing or, vice versa, life and action are attributed to an inanimate object – then the statement is obviously figurative (for example, in our verse, the expression “they are bread for us” should be understood figuratively).  The opposite is also true: when a verse can be understood literally, it should be understood that way, and our verse can definitely be understood literally. As weird, uncomfortable and inconvenient as it may sound, the plain, simple meaning of these words refers to the Nephilim’s shadow: “their shadow is gone!”. As Dr. Michael Heiser writes, “if it’s weird, it’s important”[3].

REMEZ (“hint”), we will recall, “is the meaning at which the texts hint, although it is not stated obviously”.[4] Most translations render the word “shadow” here as “protection”, or “defense” thus ascribing the implied meaning of protection. However, we can also read this text differently at Remez level – not as “protection”, but as an “image” (tzelem) of God. Since the Hebrew words tzelem(image) and tzel (shadow) are connected, it might refer to the idea that, unlike men, the Nephilim don’t have the image (shadow) of God within them: the image (shadow) of God is gone!  Interestingly, this reading is also supported by the fact, that in these words: the word,  “their shadow” (tzel with plural suffix) – is spelled exactly the same as the word “image” in Gen 1:26-27 . I also believe that there is an actual connection between these two levels: between the implied profound thought that the image of God is gone from the Nephilim, and a traditional belief held by many cultures that creatures that don’t cast shadow are not human.

The DERASH method, may I remind you, “examines not only the main text that is being studied or expounded but also any other sacred texts that are associated with the main text”.[5] In fact, we arrived at our current text from Numbers, because we used DERASH while studying the verses from Genesis 6. If we compare these two scriptures (Genesis 6 and Numbers 13-14), we discover that they actually support one another – the verses from Numbers validate non-human heritage. I absolutely admire the faith of Joshua and Caleb, but I can also understand my people there in the wilderness – not only were the people of the Land giants, but if they didn’t cast a shadow, great courage and a very strong faith would have been required to fight these people!

 

MEN OF RENOWN?

The next step in our research will be connected to the word “ish”– “man”.  Genesis 6:4 tells us that Nephilim were “men of the name”, or “men of renown”. The Hebrew word “anashim” here is a plural form of the word “ish”.  The meaning of this word is: “man”, “person”, “husband”. An objection can be raised, therefore, based on the meaning of this word: if they are called “anashim” – men – doesn’t that mean that they were regular humans?

Once again, we will use Derash here. Of course, we have many places in Torah where the word “ish” is applied to a regular man – starting from Genesis 2:23 SHAPE  * MERGEFORMAT file://localhost/libronixdls/keylink%7Cref=%5Ben%5Dbible/Gen2.23%7Cres=LLS/ESV where this word occurs for the first time. Yet, surprisingly, we also find this word used in some special cases, referring to angels or some kind of divine beings. Let us look at examples:

Gen 18:22 the men (anashim) …went toward Sodom.

Gen 32:24 – a man (ish ) wrestled with Jacob.

Gen 37:15 file://localhost/libronixdls/keylink%7Cref=%5Ben%5Dbible/Gen37.15%7Cres=LLS/ESV– a man (ish) found Joseph wandering in the field.

We know that in all these cases the persons that the word anashim/ish refers to were not just men – they were divine beings. Therefore, we can conclude that in our case the word anashim doesn’t necessarily define them as humans either.

THE FALLEN ONES

By now, we know that the Nephilim were giants and not humans. But these giants were also evil.  How do we know that?  Let us use some Hebrew again. The word Nephilim comes from the word fall; a suffix ‘im’ simply adds plurality, hence they were “fallen ones”. Having been born of corrupted, fallen, satanic angels, Nephilim went on to fill the Earth with violence and wickedness and also to reproduce ‘after their own kind’.

 

I love the books of C.S. Lewis. For a while the only book I read, besides the Bible, were the Chronicles of Narnia. I find it absolutely incredible how Lewis was able to reveal profound spiritual truth in these children’s fairytales. However, there was one thing I couldn’t understand at that point: why would he use all these “mythological” elements in his stories – for example, why make the White Witch very  tall and explain it by her non-human origin? I didn’t understand it then, but I can see now, that even in this small detail, Lewis was still reflecting spiritual truths.

 

Next time, we are going to talk about the Story of the Flood: why God had to go to such extreme measures as a global flood to solve the problem. I have shown you the use of Peshat, and Remez and Derash, and all these levels are wonderful and very helpful, but it’s only when we move to the Sod – Secret/Mystery – that we will really have all the answers and be able to fully comprehend this story. The same is true about our story, so let us trust Him to reveal His secrets in the due time.

[1] Num. 14:9

[2] Hidden Treasures, Joseph Shulam, Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry, 2008, p. 24

[3] The Unseen Realm, Michael Heiser, Lexham Press, 2015

[4] I Hidden Treasures, Joseph Shulam, Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry, 2008, p. 24

[5] Ibid., p.22

www.eteacherbiblical.com. Used by permission.

 

 

 

 

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To Our Muslim Friends: The Missing Names of God

by Tom Terry
written by Tom Terry

If you are a Muslim, or have a muslim friend or relative, this post is for you.

“The Father’s Love: Islam’s Missing Names of God.”

What do parents and God have in common? Could it be that parents can do something that the Quran teaches God cannot do?

Did you read the news some years ago about the parents of American Taliban, John Walker? Did you ever see the TV interview with the father of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer? Or how about the parents of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who killed the students at Columbine High School? Do you know what they all have in common?

In spite of their children’s horrible acts, their parents still love them.

That is the wonderful thing about parents, isn’t it? When we go astray, or commit crimes, or wrongful acts, most normal parents will still love us. That’s because their love for us is not based upon what we do, or how good we are. It’s based upon their personal desire for us; and a heart to want the best for their children.

They still love them.

In the Injeel, Isa refers to God as “Father” over and over again. He even compares His love for us when we are guilty as a father loving His rebellious children.

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’

So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. `Your brother has come,’ he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

`My son,’ the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’” (Luke 15:11-32).

The point of His story is that God loves us like that Father loved His wayward sons.

Does Allah love you like that? Have you ever experienced that kind of love?

No matter how hard you search in the Quran, you will never find a passage that equates Allah’s relationship with you as a loving father to a son. In fact, the Quran tells us quite the opposite. For those who turn away from Him, Allah has these words:

“Shun those who turn away from Our Message, and desire nothing but the life in this world.” (53:29)

But isn’t that exactly what the father’s younger son did in Isa’s story? Didn’t he seek “nothing but the life in this world?” And yet, what was the father’s Response?

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

Did you notice that? His Father was looking out for him from a long distance. His hope for his son never died.

My Muslim friend, the God of the Injeel loves us even when we have turned away from Him. It says that while we were still God’s enemies, Isa died for us (Romans 5:8). The only difference is that when we live in our sin, we cannot experience His love. Just as the children of those mentioned at the top of this page don’t live in the full blessings of their parent’s love.

Perhaps the examples of the parents mentioned above is somewhat extreme. After all, their children committed horrible acts. Yet while the examples may seem extreme—their feelings and love for their children are normal. The fact is, most parents whose children go astray, regardless of how severe, still love them.

Those parents also have something else in common. Their hearts have been broken over the direction their children’s lives have taken. With all their hearts they wish things had been different. That was true with the Father in Isa’s parable. Most parents are like that even today.

Does Allah have less of an ability or desire to love as normal, imperfect, human parents do? Consider what the Quran doesn’t say about Allah. It doesn’t say that He loves us unconditionally (as our parents do) and draws us to Himself through His love. It doesn’t say that He earnestly desires to show us what His love is like. And in all of the 99 descriptive and beautiful names for God, none of them is…

Father.

And none of them is…

Love.

The Injeel says something very different. God loves you though you do not yet know Him personally, or experience His love in a personal way. But you can!

guywithabible.com

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When God Shows Up in the Middle of Nowhere (Jacob)

by Steven Furtick
written by Steven Furtick

We often get so caught up thinking about where we’d rather be and what we’d rather be doing, that we forget all the places God has already been with us. But there is a way we we can experience God’s presence wherever we are, wherever we go. Jacob’s story reminds us that the biggest obstacle to a fulfilling life is us!

Preached at Elevation Church. Used by permission.

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How to Believe God to Do Great Things!

by Steven Furtick
written by Steven Furtick

Have you settled for a mediocre faith? Is your prayer life mundane, expectations low. God is bigger than that. Steven Furtick preaches about childlike faith.

“Paul said to not let anyone look down on you because you are young.”

 

• I’m an expert on the idea of being dumb enough that God can do anything. Anything that is written in God’s Word is possible for anyone who believes.

Audacious faith is the hope, the passion of my life and ministry.

  

These words constantly inspire me:

“I despair at the thought that my life might slip by without God showing Himself mighty in my life.” – Jim Cymbala. 2 Kings 3:9-20 is an incident in the life of the prophet Elisha. Elisha is an under-rated prophet.

 

• Elisha did miracles everywhere he went. Fire from heaven, rain to heal a drought, defeating the host of prophets of Baal. There’s is nothing God can’t do.

 

We can position ourselves, learn and get training, but only God can make it rain. After we’ve done all that we can do, we have to remember that only God can send favor, mercy, salvation, and healing. Only God can make it rain.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 states that… “in ALL your ways acknowledge Him.” We can’t expect God to show up in our work unless we do our work God’s way. You can do it. You can make it. When you attend conferences, or come together with other believers and Christian leaders, in at atmosphere like this it’s easy to get fired up, be inspired, motivated to act, etc. But we have to praise God for inspiration.

 

But how will you get from inspiration to implementation?

 

Having good ideas doesn’t make you a visionary, it makes you a daydreamer. The difference is having the audacity and courage to act. God gives you the faith to get started. If the size of the vision you have isn’t intimidating to you there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God. Remember Elijah’s faith. If you want to see the land filled with water, dig some ditches. Dig ditches in preparation for how God wants to use your life. You may not see rain or even see clouds, but don’t wait to get to work until you seethe evidence of God’s blessing.

 

Faith believes it before it sees it. Pray for God to start a groundswell. Don’t let time talk you out of your dreams. Life can beat the audacity out of you. God is not done with you yet. Do it or die trying. True faith has a bit of ambiguity to it. No leader is ever 100% sure that they’ve heard from God.

 

Just like Elijah, keep digging ditches. One of the reasons we struggle with insecurity is because we are comparing our behind-the-scenes with others highlight reels. If you will dig the ditches God will send the rain. If you will do what you can do God will do what only He can do. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like anything is happening, but you don’t know what God is doing behind-the-scenes.

 

Hebrews 11:1 states that “Faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.” Expect God to do great things through your life. Don’t dig one ditch… make the valley full. Noah looked stupid building a boat until it started to rain. When the vision you see around you doesn’t match what God has spoken to you, you’ve got to close your eyes and hold on to what you’ve heard.

 

Be a ditch-digger. Believe for God to do great things.

 

Notes by timschraeder.com. Used by permission.

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Fighting Battles: I’d Rather Be David

by Craig Lounsbrough
written by Craig Lounsbrough

Battles are both the bane and the glory of our existence. We adamantly abhor them when they’re forced on us by vengeful adversaries who mean us all the harm they can muster up, or when they randomly befall us through indiscriminately cruel circumstances over which we have no control. On the other hand, we rather bask in them when there’s something gallantly heroic about them, or they serve to right a great wrong. Indeed, battles are both the bane and glory of our existence. 

 

Battles as Daily Challenges

 

The battles that we fight come in all shapes and sizes. Some are nothing more than things we would define as the day in and day out challenges of living out our lives. We’ve come to see these battles as a natural and acceptable element of life and living. It’s finding the right job, or working out the knotty kinks in a relationship, or tediously molding the mind of an entrenched teen, or wrestling with entirely opposing choices that will ultimately leave us with a loss no matter which choice we make. Although these kinds of battles can be acutely troubling and unduly painful, they become something less than battles and something more akin to the ordinary ebb and flow of life that swirls around each of us in either gentle rivulets or turbulent undertows.

 

Battles as Battles

 

But then there are those things that have little or nothing to do with the natural course of life and living. There are these acutely harrowing moments either forged on the anvil of our poor choices, or violently struck on the revengeful anvil of someone or something else. There are those things borne of us or borne far outside of us that force us into a maelstrom that we don’t have the speed or ingenuity to outrun. These are those events that are not about pressing through to the next thing, rather they are about surviving so that we can get to the next thing. These are those moments when the whole notion of progression is completely swallowed up in the far greater crisis of unadulterated survival.

 

Battles of Justice

 

Then there are also those battles that we choose to engage in. It may well be that nothing has advanced against us, or challenged us, or stands looming over us armed to the teeth with crushing intent. The cause of the current battle may have nothing to do with an external force as it may be prompted by an entirely internal one. It may be that we have witnessed a searing injustice, or that a line has been crossed that should never have been crossed. It may arise from something strong bullying something weak and thereby creating a litany of traumatized victims strewn along the road that we likewise trod. Any number of these things enflame our ire and prompt us to step into the fray. 

 

Battles of Calling

Or we may sense some innate calling that’s compelling beyond any of our best efforts to resist. There might be a compulsion borne of some deep inner essence that whispers that we were born for such a moment, or that the entire purpose of our existence is to wage the singular battle before us. It may well be that engulfing conviction that calls us to right a wrong that has been granted slothful permission to keep breathing, or to wage a single war in order to stop a hundred others that would otherwise follow. Of warrior stock or not, we may feel an irresistible call to a battle either large or small.

 

The Goliath’s

 

Superiority

 

Whatever the nature of the battle or the circumstances that set the various forces careening against each other, sooner or later we will all fight a battle. And it seems that in fighting these battles of ours, we’ve developed a mentality of superior warfare. There’s something in our construct that envisions what superiority is, whether that’s sheer numbers, or the extent of our resources, or timing, or any of an innumerable number of things. It seems that we tend to judge the value of the battle, the potential sacrifice in the battle, and the likely outcome based on how we’ve defined superiority. This is more akin to a Goliath mentality.

 

Clearly, wisdom would dictate inventorying such resources as held up against whatever foe we face. Yet, I would wonder if this idea of superiority elevates itself above our convictions, our calling, our sense of justice, and the whole notion that we were raised up to lay ourselves down. Could it be that the calculations that we’ve devised to determine what battles we will fight or not fight have entirely removed our convictions, our calling, our sense of justice, and the whole notion that we were raised up to lay ourselves down? It is possible that we’ve granted fear a place at the table and elevated personal safety in a manner that battles have become shrewd calculations rather than passionate crusades? 

 

And if that is so, is it possible that we’ve gutted the very heart the battle? Could it be that any resources that we have will always be secondary to the heart that we have to use those resources? Would it be reasonable to conjecture that any instrument of war, regardless of how devastating, only takes on life when those who hold those weapons are driven by deeply core convictions that bring them to the battlefield? Have we taken passion and conviction and calling, which are the most potent resources of war, off the battlefield? And if we are not driven by those things, is the battle really a battle or is it just a slug-fest?

 

The David’s

 

Battles of Conviction

 

In that sense, I would much prefer to be David. I would prefer to know my weapon well and be practiced in its use. Yet, I would want the heart behind the weapon so that the nature of the enemy and the weapons arrayed against me do not hold the power for me that they might otherwise hold. I certainly don’t want to be foolish or naïve and thoughtlessly take on an enemy without careful consideration. However, I don’t want to winch in fear when I need not be fearful. Neither do I want call a battle lost that is winnable when the core convictions that undergird the weapons that I possess are sufficient to overcome when others would think I could not. I much prefer to be David.

 

It would seem that the greatest victories and the glories that have stood the test of time came on the heels of battles fought of great conviction and deep passion. These are the battle from which stories are spun and heroes arise. It is the common man energized with uncommon conviction that has stood against superior enemies and brought the battle home. And it is not that men weren’t wounded and that many perished. It is that they won when the world said that they shouldn’t have. It is the singularly compelling fact that conviction prevailed over might and stunned those who knew nothing of conviction. I would much prefer to be David.

 

Admirable Convictions

 

Yet, many people purport convictions that appear rather dubious and often outright destructive. It would seem that admirable convictions are driven by a greater good, a willingness to lift up another at great cost to self, and to adamantly refuse to dress evil in the garb of good in order to justify one’s actions. It may be that in a world of convictions centered on the good of oneself, the gorging of one’s own appetite, the spinning of belief systems to serve personal agendas, and the shrewd pabulum spun from these that such agendas have been misinterpreted and embraced as convictions. And when these kinds of convictions are brought to the weapons of war, we are no longer David’s.

 

Our Battles

 

It may be wise to survey the landscape of our lives, as well as the far greater landscape of the lives around us and ask whether we’ve fought battles or run from them. And whether our choice has been to fight or flee, where were our convictions and what role did they play or not play in those decisions? For a life that has forsaken conviction is a life lived in hiding, deaf to purpose, and robbed of victory. And since that is the case, I would much prefer to be David. 

 

 

© 2015 Craig Lounsbrough, M.Div., Licensed Professional Counselor  Used by permission.

 

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Small Churches vs. Big Churches: What is Ideal?

by Trevin Wax
written by Trevin Wax

Andy Stanley dove into a pool of piping hot water last week, with remarks pitted small churches against big churches. His comments came within the context of his explaining why he believes churches should be big:

“We want churches to be large enough so that there are enough middle schoolers and high schoolers, that we don’t have one youth group with middle school and high school together.”

Stanley wants the next generation to grow up with a passion for the local church and to connect with church members as life-long friends. In his view, the best way to accomplish the goal of making the next generation excited about church is through targeted, effective environments where students get to know people their age.

But then, Stanley criticized churches that don’t have enough members to accomplish that kind of programming:

“When I hear adults say, ‘Well, I don’t like a big church. I like about 200, I want to be able to know everybody,’ I say, ‘You are so stinkin’ selfish. You care nothing about the next generation. All you care about is you and your five friends. You don’t care about your kids, anybody else’s kids…I’m saying if you don’t go to a church large enough where you can have enough Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers to separate them so they can have small groups and grow up the local church, you are a selfish adult. Get over it. Find yourself a big old church where your kids can connect with a bunch of people and grow up and love the local church.”

After the video circulated online, Stanley apologized via Twitter: “The negative reaction to the clip from last weekend’s message is entirely justified. Heck, even I was offended by what I said! I apologize.” (He followed up with a more detailed and extensive apology in an interview with Christianity Today here.)

Intentions and Assumptions

Passions run high when discussing local church dynamics and how church size impacts a church’s effectiveness. Stanley was visibly passionate in the video when he talked about the best way to engage the next generation.

But Stanley’s remarks were offensive, as he rightly admitted. He went after people in smaller churches by claiming their intentions and motivations are wrong.

But the question here is not about intention; it’s about methodology. Stanley assumes that highly targeted, age-segregated environments are the best way to engage the next generation. He didn’t question that assumption; instead he questioned the intentions of people who go to smaller churches. That’s what prompted the family feud.

Small Church Pastors against the Mega 

The criticisms of big and small churches often go both ways. Plenty of small church pastors despise the mega church and engage in the same sort of “attacking the intentions” of people who attend larger churches:

  • Those are just superficial Christians who like a watered-down gospel.
  • People at the big church just want to blend in and don’t want to serve.
  • They can’t possibly have true community in a church that big. They’re just impressed with “Six Flags Over Jesus.”
  • Pastors of large churches are self-centered and just want to build a kingdom or name for themselves.

As if, all small churches preach an undiluted gospel. Or small churches don’t have people who just sit and soak and never serve. Or small churches never have problems creating community. Or small churches never have authoritarian pastors who treat their congregation like their personal fiefdom.

It’s no secret that some small church pastors direct their own missives toward the megachurch. It’s just that they aren’t well-known enough for their rant to go viral online (like Stanley’s did). (Although, I must admit, King of the Hill’s famous “megachurch” parody was wildly popular.)

The Unfortunate Tension

Tension between smaller and larger churches is on the rise. There are more small churches than large churches in the United States, and yet more Americans are attending large churches than ever before. Many big churches are getting bigger, and many small churches are getting smaller.

As a result of the tension, silly stereotypes and bad assumptions abound. It’s simply not true that smaller churches are filled with selfish people who care only about their own personal needs. Neither is it true that big churches are filled with superficial Christians who are only attracted to “the big show” and don’t know anything of true community.

Small churches and large churches may face different challenges due to their size, but the biggest problem is the sinfulness and selfishness that is common to all humanity, no matter what type of church you belong to.

It’s fine to tailor messages for different ages, and larger churches may excel at providing great programming for children and students. But there’s also something beautiful about a senior in high school standing right next to a senior adult, singing the same worship song together – spanning generational divides in worship of Christ the Savior.

One Body, Many Members

The tension between larger and smaller churches is unfortunate, because the wrong assumptions and offensive stereotypes keep us from deeper questions:

  • What is the church?
  • What is the role of the church?
  • What is the mission of the church?
  • What methodologies are biblically faithful and contextually appropriate?

Instead of asking and answering these questions, we settle for cheap shots and broad-brush attacks on others.

The Apostle Paul’s words about the Church being one body with many members applies directly to the local church and the gifts of individual Christians. But can we not extend this application to the wider body of Christ?

Maybe, by God’s grace, we are better off when churches have different strengths and weaknesses. Maybe it’s a good thing to learn from this church about how to be known for serving the community, and to learn from that church’s vibrant international missions involvement. Maybe it’s good to learn from this church’s ability to foster accountability and community, and to learn from that church’s ability to connect the Word of God to people in powerful ways.

So, I’m making a commitment today. The next time I hear someone railing against the “megachurch” or mocking the “small church,” I’m going to speak up. I’m going to point out that we need all kinds of churches and that it’s slander to attack the intentions of brothers and sisters you don’t even know.

I’m not going to take sides against small churches or big churches. Not today. Not ever. Nominal Christianity hides in churches of all sizes. Church splits and factions happen in churches of all sizes. And the fragrance of Jesus Christ and the power of His kingdom is in churches of all sizes.

Methods shift and change, and we can debate those (and should). But we should always be quicker to question the assumptions in our own minds than the intentions in others’ hearts.

www.gospelcoalition.org. Used by permission.

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Articles

The Window of Adultery

by Julie Barrier
written by Julie Barrier

Adultery? Are you kidding me? What a time for the worship leader to betray his God, his family, and his church! The triumphal entry donkey was already booked, Jesus’ beard had been yanked from the costume closet and carefully combed. The choir knew their parts by heart, and Judas had his solo down cold. I played Mary that year, unaware that following Jesus’ donkey into Jerusalem involved toting a pooper-scooper to protect the church carpet. In the midst of our final preparations, the awful truth emerged. When God is moving like crazy, Satan gets busy.

 

Our worship pastor had been having a sordid affair with one of his pretty counselees in the confines of his office-a young lady he baptized only months before.I would love to say that this is the only time our church body has been broken over a fallen leader, but in thirty-five years of ministry-we have pretty much seen it all.

 

The joyous celebration of the upcoming season turned into a nightmare of pain and betrayal right before our eyes. I accompanied the poor music pastor’s wife to my husband’s study so we could support her as her husband revealed his indiscretion. Sermon commentaries flew across the room. She screamed in shock, threw commentaries at her unfaithful partner until she had no more strength and exhausted, slid into the study corner in the fetal position.

 

I felt so helpless. Watching her agony and humiliation broke my heart. I held her while she shook and sobbed. Shell-shocked myself, I later turned to my best friend, an elder’s wife in the church. I loved her like a sister and I needed her consolation and prayers. I knew I could trust her with such a heavy burden. She was comforting and sympathetic. Years later, I discovered that she was having an affair with a college student in the Sunday School group we taught together during the same time period. I still shudder at the thought, although I have learned God is faithful even when we are not.

 

At first, the unfaithful music pastor appeared more stunned than sorry. But as the months of angry grief rolled by, the couple was able to put their marriage back together because of the grace of God, the love of their church family and our amazing counseling staff. Although the errant leader was removed from his post, the couple remained in our church for awhile to get healed and well.

 

The Sunday after the affair was revealed, Roger was in a quandary about how to announce the sad news to his flock. He perused his seminary tomes to see if there was a chapter called “Adultery 101”, and no such chapter existed. But he did come upon these words from 2 Timothy 5:19-20: “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning, you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.”

 

My pastor-husband knew that integrity and obedience should also be coupled with grace. So Roger preached a team sermon with our head counselor. He talked about what church discipline was essential and how, though the errant leader would be removed from his position, we would continue to minister to him and help the couple get their lives back together. Our counselor explained how the congregation would grieve as well, and he gave them some scriptural guidelines for processing that hurt in a healthy way. We offered the services of our elders to comfort and counsel our people. They both explained that, as sinful people, we will always stumble and disappoint, but God never will. He is the rock we must cling to when catastrophe knocks upon our doors.

 

We were a young staff, unaware that the casualties of spiritual wars were devastating. Satan was a formidable foe, and only wise shepherds learned to be wary and to best him.

 

Our first line of defense was WINDOW PANES. You heard me-window panes. Every office door was fitted with glass panes to maintain transparency and purity among the ministers who inhabited the quarters and the counselees who passed through their doors. I remember my husband (who was a real hottie at the time) called his secretary in and told her that if a woman made a pass at him during a session, he would bring in his trusty assistant and ask the flirtatious woman to repeat her words. Well, that was the end of that!

 

Our staff mutually agreed that no one would have a meeting off-campus with someone of the opposite sex unless accompanied by a third party. A pastor would not ride alone in a car with someone of the opposite sex without another person present. Do these measures seem drastic? Legalistic? Paranoid? Perhaps. But they were effective. After thirty years of ministry, the church leader indiscretion accounts that I could share with you would blow you away. I could give Danyelle Steele a run for her money in soap-opera novel writing. Remember, however, that in the “real world” marital fidelity stats are worse. 

 

I find it intriguing that in our naivete, our staff figured out that window installation was a great first-line offense to ward off sexual misconduct. God was teaching us a powerful truth.

 

Windows can protect us from the elements and let in light from the outside. David got a gander at bare Bathsheba because she failed to close the bathroom blinds. (Did she leave them open on purpose? Hmmmm….). Millions of men and women open their “Microsoft and Mac Windows” to let in all sorts of prurient pornography. The television and movie screens provide loads of opportunities to gander at all that is lewd and lustful. We can close those curtains! Job said,“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” Job 31:1. Job closed the shades. Jesus was serious about closing those drapes in Matthew 6:23: “But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Yes, open windows can be dangerous and destructive.

 

Open windows can also protect us. Jesus said in John 3:20-21: “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

 

Close the blinds to beguiling temptations. Don’t become a voyeur into Satan’s dark dominions. Don’t let the media hook your seamy side.

 

Open the shades to your life and let God’s light shine inside. May your life be totally transparent, an open book. He can pierce the darkest corners of shady sin. He can keep you pure.

 

We need to have open windows, welcoming the light of Jesus. Jesus’ classic Sermon on the Mount statement describes our need for holiness so well in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The real reason we open the shades and choose to be pure is not some legalistic attempt to please God in our own strength.

 

The only reason we become pure is because we want God more than we want our sin. We pursue Him and the ugliness falls away. We become transparent, accountable and honorable. God’s gorgeous, glorious light will permeate the darkest corners of our hearts and set us free to love Him and others.

 

 

 

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Sermons

How Should Miracle Gifts Be Used in the Church?

by John Piper
written by John Piper

John Piper affirms the use of “the miracle gifts” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12-14, but believes that the most effective forum is in the context of a small group where there is accountability and a way to test the revelation or gift operation.

By John Piper. ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org. Used by permission.

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Articles

The Soldier, The Sandstorm and the Mine Field

by Keith Waggoner
written by Keith Waggoner

Tim’s head was pressed hard against a burning hot rock wall. It was so hot the skin on his check was sizzling. Gasping for breath behind the shemagh which barely kept out the blasting sand, Tim cried to God:  “Please, God… Please stop this storm”.

 

 Tim’s company of Marines had been called to gather reconnaissance at a remote location near Fallujah, Iraq when they discovered an outpost that housed enemy ammunition stores. As ordered, they blew up the ammo cash and the outpost which housed it. However, they then found themselves without shelter when the worst storm in a century struck. It is now known by the natives as “The Churning” and “The Airing of Grievances”.

 

Tim could not understand why God did not hear his pleas. He prayed and prayed, but the storm persisted. For three days the Marines were pinned down, barely surviving as the storm raged. Finally, on the morning of the third day, The Churning ceased.  Tim and his company of soldiers were badly battered, but alive. They could not understand why God let them suffer in such a grueling matter. That is until Tim stood atop a remaining wall and discovered a mine field which had been uncovered. The storm had moved so much sand that the mines, IED’s, and explosive traps which the enemy had planted were now in plain sight. Tim gasped, and began shouting out to his company the location of the death traps.

 

Despite our inability to comprehend God’s actions, He always has our good in mind. The Marines thought God turned a deaf ear to their suffering, when in fact He was saving their lives.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”  Proverbs 16:9

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”  Psalm 27:14

 

When you Believe God, more than just believe in Him… But actually BELIEVE He is the Almighty God who breathes out stars, holds the Universe in His hand, and controls the very movement of each and every atom of your body… Then you will also believe that when you are pinned down by the Churnings of life, despite the moment’s sizzling pain and blistering sand, God is actually in the process of delivering you from unseen destruction.

 

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” Ephesians 3:20.

“The eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” 2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB.

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Articles

Kiddie Manger Scene Goes Awry

by Julie Barrier
written by Julie Barrier

A child’s Christmas is always magical-twinkling lights, reindeer hooves, sugar cookies and snowy skies. On Christmas Eve of my fifth year, I was decked to the max. I donned my red velvet dress, lacy socks and black patent Mary Janes. Mommy scrubbed my face ‘til it was raw and brushed my teeth well for the first time since I polished off my Halloween candy.

 

Our family arrived at church shortly before the sun went down. Miraculously, Mom had kept me out of mud and mischief for a full hour. I stood in the cherub choir assembly line with thirty other wiggling, squiggling four-year-olds. In just a few short minutes, we would shuffle onstage and sing “Silent Night” in hushed tones around the manger.

 

However, backstage looked more like hell than heaven. Little demons tussled and scuffled with each other-pulling hair, whining and kicking each other in the shins. Undaunted, “…Use your inside voice” Mrs. Francie would say, but to no avail.

 

Meanwhile, the mother-helpers gingerly grabbed the bratty kids first and shoved square white tablecloths over their heads. The trick was to wedge the little singers between the chair and the table while pinning the bows on at the collar. Red bows, some vertical, some horizontal and some resembling Boy Scout knots were hastily attached to each caroler.

 

Before we went onstage, Mrs. Francie, our fearless leader, cleverly bribed us. She promised that any child who sang without hair-pulling, hand-waving or booger-picking would be rewarded with a block of Christmas fudge following the concert. Such a reward would definitely motivate us to behave, but some of the moms wondered if they really wanted to take their little charges home hopped up on sugar and caffeine. Finally, all conceded that the show must go on. We lumbered onstage holding each other at the waist like a mini-conga line. Then, upon the director’s cue, we made a sharp right face and looked the congregation members square in the eye.

 

Mrs. Dudley, the organist, eagerly awaited her cue to charge through the intro to “Joy to the World.” Most organists love this hymn because it only uses one organ foot pedal. It’s tough to mess it up. Though outwardly pious-looking, Mrs. Dudley had a seedy side. She had been known to moonlight Saturday nights playing the organ at Richie’s Roller Rink.

Occasionally folks would see her weave in traffic in her Chevy because she indulged in too much of her homemade Egg Nog and Rum Cake. But what would you expect? Our Baptist pastor stole her from the Lutheran Church down the street when our old organist kicked the bucket. No one expected her to be a tea-tottler. Sotted or not, Mrs. Dudley was the best in the business.

 

Before Mrs. Francie lifted her hand to give the first downbeat, I stopped to ponder. I glanced down at Freddie and Sara in their Mary and Joseph bathrobes. Ellen Stuffle claimed the Mary part because she still had all of her baby teeth. Always the prima donna, Ellen monopolized the toilet, constantly glopping on grown-up blush and lip gloss, and demanded a fresh towel headdress at every rehearsal. Freddie was the tallest tike in kindergarten, so he donned his paper beard with pride and tried to look fatherly. Unfortunately, Freddie had a short attention span, so he spent more time horsing around with Eddie the Donkey than paying attention to Baby Jesus.

 

My stocky shape made me a natural pick for livestock. Manger mammals were selected according to size: boys were camels and donkeys, girls were sheep and goats. Eddie, the class clown, was thrilled with his donkey role. He “hee-hawed” his way through the program in his most convincing Eeyore voice. My “baas” were bettwe than my “bleats” so I played a barnyard sheep. I didn’t realize at the time this this was the worst possible role to play. Our furry sheep costumes were hot and itchy. After three sweaty rehearsals, my wet hair was plastered to my head and I reeked like a cow patty. Tilly Tingle clawed her way to the top to assume the starring role of Christmas angel. Angel auditions were cutthroat, so Tilly brown-nosed the teacher by clapping erasers in Sunday School and bribing Mrs. Francie with Christmas saltwater taffy. All of her efforts paid off. In the end, Tilly floated atop her cotton-ball cloud and warbled “Away in a Manger.” Stars like Ellen and Tilly had their own paparazzi. I remained content to “baa” in the background and blend into the sea of angel wannabees.

 

Baby Jesus was always a hit because He was pinky plastic with glassy blue eyes that almost seemed real. This Baby Jesus never cried or missed his cue. Mrs. Francie picked Eddie and Dicky to be shepherds because neither could carry a tune in a bucket. Ralphie, Todd and Buddy, the three kings, were imported from the first grade class. Mrs. Francie observed that they exuded self-importance and dignity. The kindergartners knew the truth. The only reason they seemed self-assured was because they beat up unsuspecting five-year-olds on the playground. That didn’t seem like “wise” behavior to me!

 

We ended our manger scene with “Hark the Harold.” Who was Harold, and why did we hark him? You had to use your imagination, but when our choir started “harking” our chubby faces shone with Christmas glory. Some of us would squeak out the high notes and others would sing during the rests, but Jesus in His love didn’t seem to care. He was just glad we wished Him a happy birthday.

 

I saw Christ in the faces of my Mom and Dad as they swelled with pride. I wondered at His glory in the candlelit manger. I felt His hope warm my heart. That Christmas Eve was the first time I experienced what big words like “come and worship” really meant!

 

 

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Articles

Generational Tension: What I Want to Say to the Older Generation?

by Craig Groeschel
written by Craig Groeschel

Generational tension.  What I want to do for a few minutes is I want to talk to the older generation.  You may say, “Am I in the older generation?”  If you ask, enough said.  But I want to talk to the younger generation, and as a guy who’s kind of like maybe a little bit in between I want to try to speak to the older guys. 

 

So let’s talk first to the older generation, and I really have one say which I hope is helpful.  I would beg you not to resent, fear or judge the next generation of ministers but to believe in them.  Invest in them.  Find it as one of the greatest callings on your life to pour into the next generation.  Some people say, “Well, they are the future of the church.  They are the church of tomorrow.”  No.  They are the church of today.  They are not on deck; they are in the batter’s box today.  We’re not raising the future church.  They are the church of today.  I’m talking about 11-year-olds.  I’m telling you put them on the stage and let them lead worship.  Let them teach and lead.  They are not the church of the future.  They are the church of today and you can invest in them.  Don’t resent them.  They’re different, just like you were different.  They’re supposed to be different.  Spiky hair, and things, and candles and barefoot worship leaders, all going to hell!  Don’t get off on the style or the appearance.  Believe in them and invest in them. 

 

One of the reasons why the older generation finds it difficult to invest in the younger generation quite honestly because sometimes we feel very insecure.  We do.  In fact I’ll tell you, when I turned 40 — I’ll be 43 in a couple of months — when I turned 40, this odd thought entered my mind.  I started to think, “I wonder if my best days are behind me.”  I wondered, “Can I still connect?” This was at 40.  You know, imagine the person who’s 55, 65, 72, and you lead from the sense of insecurity, and when you lead from insecurity nothing works well because you start thinking you know it all or faking you know it all, and you start telling people what to do instead of empowering them as leaders.  You delegate completely in the wrong way.  You delegate tasks, but when you delegate tasks you create followers.  But what we should do with the next generation is we should delegate authority because when we delegate authority we create leaders.  We say to the next generation, “Don’t just do what I say, but I give you freedom to go and make some mistakes, to be aggressive.”  And we invest in them out of a position of security.

 

The big thing is many older people don’t feel cool enough.  You don’t have to be cool.  You have to be real.  It is much worse to be unreal than uncool.  You can be uncool all day long.  The younger generation, they want authenticity.  They want someone who believes in them.  They are absent of parental involvement in so many ways because both parents are working.  They’re craving someone who will sit down, listen, dialog, and be yourself.  There is nothing worse than a fat 50-year-old preacher wearing skinny jeans.  That is not of God.  Just say no!  Just — say — no!  You just be yourself, show up and listen.  You may feel insecure, “I don’t have much left to offer.”  I want to tell you right now, if you’re in the older generation, if you are not dead you are not done.  If you are not dead you are not done.  I believe the best days of ministry are here for you today.  Your age and your experience, it is not a liability.  It is your greatest asset.  You are veterans of ministry.

 

Lyle Schaller.  I don’t know if any of you know who Lyle Schaller is.  Lyle is a crazy man.  He is one of the best church leadership consultants in the world in my opinion.  People have written him off for years because his ideas are so crazy.  I met Lyle when he was 75 years old.  He’s 87.6 years of age today.  That’s what he told me the other day.  He told me he peaked in his early seventies.  That’s what he told me.  He said, “Now I just counts my bowel movements.”  That’s what he told me the other day.  That’s what he said.  He told me, and I believe him, he said he was writing his best books and doing his best thinking in his seventies. 

 

Here’s what Lyle did for me.  Back when I was starting the church in the early years we had three services and we were considering going to a fourth.  Back then we didn’t know a church in our country that did four services.  It was just unheard of.  And I bumped into Lyle at an airport.  I was like, “There’s Lyle The Man Schaller.”  I said, “Lyle, what do you think,” he was 75, “should we go from three to four, or is that too many services?”  Lyle was getting on the airplane at the age of 75; he said, “All you young guys are just alike.  You think too small.”  He said, “You should be thinking seven services at your first location, then you should be thinking your second, third, fourth location.”  He got on a plane and left me with a splitting headache.  Seventy-five years of age.  Here now some 12, 13 years later we’re doing church in 14 locations at 80-some-odd services.  Why?  Because there was a 75-year-old hero who was peaking and took the time to invest in the next generation. 

 

If you’re not dead you are not done.  I beg you, embrace the season that you’re in.  Embrace the season that you’re in.

 

Excerpt from Catalyst Conference West, 2010. Permission from Catalyst.http://www.catalystspace.com/

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Ask Roger

Molested Early: Marriage in Jeopardy-What Do I Do?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

I have a problem and don’t know how to help myself. When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I was sexually molested. For a long time, I did not think of it. It was like I blocked it out of my mind, but now it is affecting me and my marriage. I finally told my husband about it and he wants to help me with this, but doesn’t know how and neither do I. I just want it to go away before my marriage does. Can you help me, please?

Dear Name Withheld,

Tragically, your experience is all too common. I know that you’re scared. I know that you’re wondering whether or not you will ever find healing. You’re afraid that lingering evils may forever darken the days of your life. You’re afraid to face others for fear that they know your deepest-dark secret. Maybe, you’re even blaming yourself—in a twisted sort of way—for what happened. Be at peace. Quiet down. Please, don’t be overwhelmed. Many abuse victims are healed and enjoying healthy lives and marriages. There is every reason to believe that you also can find healing and wholeness with your marriage both safe and successful.

I can’t tell you how much I grieve for you. What happened is so unfair and ugly. I am not surprised that you banished the memories from your mind. Most abuse victims do the same. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—your hidden memories have finally surfaced. While threatening both your sanity and your marriage, their exposure finally allows you to address some the unknown-deep-seated pain you have experienced for far too long. Healing is essential and, let me encourage you, reaching out for help is the first step in becoming mentally, emotionally and spiritually well.

You may look back and see “mine fields” of feelings and emotions that quickly arise when your husband (or others) step into what I call “sexual abuse mine fields” and neither or you knew or understood why you exploded with anger or sank again into the prison of depression. In your case the land mines are just under the surface and easy for someone to step on. Fortunately, you can clear out the mine fields as you progress in your healing.

You are fortunate that your husband wants to understand and help. Your concerne about the threat to your marriage is not unusual. You are experiencing so many negative emotions and so much guilt. You are right when you say that neither you nor your husband knows what to do. Sexual abuse is one of what I call the “Big Three.” Sexual abuse, overwhelming childhood neglect, and parental abandonment need the care of a wise and experienced counselor. Healing is extra-hard to do on your own.

Therefore, I recommend that you turn to an experienced counselor who is well versed in leading the sexually abused—and their spouses—to healing and freedom.

If you can’t afford a counselor or if you are unable to locate one near you, then I encourage you to secure one of the many books on sexual abuse at a bookstore or at “Amazon.com” which specialize in helping abuse victims recover. Let me suggest several.

The first one is written by a Christian woman from a Biblically-Christian perspective. I recommend that you read hers first. “Healing Victims of Sexual Abuse,” by Paula Sandford carefully intertwines Biblical principles with the tools that allow victims to put the abuse behind them—and leave it there—as well as the tools for becoming whole again. I suppose that this book is the most widely read book on healing sexual abuse that has ever been written.

“Beginning to Heal: A First Book for Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse,” by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, is specifically designed for victims who are not quite ready for the intensity and scope of other sexual recovery books. “First Book” is a basic, easy to read, introduction to the recovery process.

“The Right To Innocence: Healing The Trauma Of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” written by Beverly Engel, is also a good starting place to initiate healing. Engel is a therapist who has suffered sexual abuse herself. She uses visualizations and exercises in her well written and practical book for restoration.

“The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse,” by Wendy Maltz and Carol Arian takes a sensitive and helpful practical approach you might find refreshing.

Spouses and family members can have a large part in promoting sexual abuse recovery. “Partners in Recovery: How Mates, Lovers & Other Survivors Can Learn to Support & Cope With Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” also by Beverly Engel, is a useful resource. Also helpful is “Allies In Healing: When The Person You Love Was Sexually Abused As A Child, A Support Book” by Laura Davis.

We usually think of sexual abuse victims as being female. Of course, boys and men can also be victims. They need healing, too. “Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims Of Sexual Abuse,” by Mic Hunter examines the physical and emotional impact of abuse and the factors affecting recovery. This study explains the ways in which boys are molested and the reasons why men remain silent about it later in life.

I think, Name Withheld, that the more your husband engages spiritually, emotionally and intellectually that he will have a special part in your recovery. His patience and understanding are critical. His willingness to learn the extent of your past emotional train wreck and his loving support will go a long way to facilitate your healing. Right now you are a wounded animal who needs sensitive care. He needs to handle you with soft lovingly gloves when you strike out at him. He needs to use the soft gloves of comfort and patience when you fall into depression.

Remember that you are not the only one who is hurt by your recent revelation of childhood molestation. Your husband is also devastated. He is like a wounded animal, too. Part of your healing is to help him with his. Cut him some slack; be patient with him as he sorts out his feelings about the emotional bomb which just landed in his marriage. He needs comfort and healing, too.

Let me encourage you to read some of my other “Ask Roger: answers dealing with sexual abuse. They go into more detail which you may well find helpful. I recommend you begin with “Where Was God When I Was Raped?” and “How Do I Cope If I Have Been Sexually Abused?”

Again, Name Withheld, I grieve with you for what others did to you when you were young. Only the abused have a taste of the pain that you’ve endured—and still suffer. I have already prayed for your healing—and will continue to do so.

Love, Roger

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Ask Roger

What About Physical Healing?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

Regarding physical healings—Does God gift people with the ability to heal physical ailments today? Thoughts on “healing”? Revivals? Thanks!

Question from Casas’ “What’s Next Class”

Dear Ms. WNC,

The gift of healing is one of the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12-14. I do believe that all of the spiritual gifts are still operational today; therefore , I am certain that there are people who have the gift of healing. The gift of healing is the ability to lay hands on these who are sick and they are healed from their illness. I have yet to meet someone who is to operate in that gift with 100% success. However, I have met some who feel that they have the gift of healing and I have noticed that their prayers seem more effective than others.
I often view the spiritual gifts as being like a toolbox. God allows us to pull out just the right tool for use when we need them. In other words, I many not have healing as a primary gift but at times God might want me to pull the healing tool out of the box and use it.

Let me share with you some healing observations from forty years of ministry regarding physical healings.

My first healing experience occurred early in my ministry. Sally had suffered for years with left over pain from radiation burns to her back and spine from the early days when using radiation to eradicate cancer was not yet a precise procedure.

She opened her Bible and read from James 5:14-15: “Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.”

“Would you please gather the elders and pray for me?” she asked. Unfortunately, it was not that simple.

I grew up in a denomination that ill-prepared me for her request. The unwritten, but strongly implied rule of our denominational culture, stated that pastors who ministered in the area of healing were “charismatic” at best, and deluded at worst. Also, our churches were organized around deacons; we had no elders. Furthermore, I was not sure what a “prayer of faith” was. Finally, I had never anointed anyone with oil and was not certain how to do it. Obviously, we never discussed the “how tos” of James 5:14-15 in seminary.

“Sally, you’re the first person to ask me to pray for healing according to James five. I am not certain what to do.” I explained my pastoral dilemma and then proposed a solution: “I suggest that we both pray and fast for five days.  I’ll meet you in my office next Friday afternoon, and if God tells us to proceed, we will.” She agreed to the proposal.

Five days later we both wrote on paper what we thought God told us and then exchanged papers. The conclusions were identical. We made plans for a healing service on Sunday afternoon. Since we had no elders I invited our deacons.

During the thirty minutes before Sally arrived, I explained to the deacons her request, the background to her pain, and what I knew of James 5:14-15. I asked if any one had participated in a healing service before. No hands rose.

When Sally arrived, we asked her to confess any known sins. When she finished I took the bottle from Lucky’s Supermarket and prepared to pour olive oil over her head. One of the deacons averted a mess when he shook his head and whispered that a drop on a finger applied lightly to her forehead might work better. We took turns passing the bottle, anointing her with oil, and praying for her.

I wondered if perhaps Sally would now leap up like on television and shout, “Glory to God! I’m healed!” But nothing happened. As she quietly departed, she thanked us for our prayers and left a room filled with emotions of disappointed confusion, mixed with some measure of hope.

Unknown to us, the healing service had moved to another time and place. In the early morning hours, Sally was awakened by a strange sensation and knew instantly that she was healed. By the time she was out of bed, the pain was gone—never to return. Later Sally shared what happened that night in her bedroom: “I think that the reason God did not heal me in front of the deacons was because they might get proud. I think God waited until I was alone so He would get all the glory.”

From that inauspicious beginning God integrated a physical healing ministry into our church fabric.  Since my encounter with Sally, God has spoken to me about a theology of healing which is fashioned upon a Biblical foundation, a solid dose of practical reality, and hours spent asking Him what to do in all sorts of complex situations.

1. Mistakes will happen in praying for healing, but the risks are worth it.

Healing prayers are personally risky. When my prayers were not answered, I dealt with feelings of failure and embarrassment. Some people got well, and some died. I was exhiliarted when some lived; I was embarrassed when some died.

Once I prayed something I knew in my inner spirit would not happen; but I prayed anyway because I wanted to give hope and encouragement.  Ten of us were praying for a young mother whose breast cancer was raging out of control.  When the cancer was discovered early in her pregnancy, the doctors recommended an immediate abortion because chemotherapy would kill the unborn baby. At great risk to herself, she delayed the treatments and carried her child to a successful, full-term birth.

Unfortunately, the delay proved costly.  Mom was dying as we gathered to pray the prayers of James 5. As I dipped my finger in the oil and placed it gently on her forehead, I knew deep in my spirit that she was going to die. Nevertheless, I prayed earnestly for God’s healing and thanked God in advance that all would be well. What came over me? Several months later I stood in deep snow in a lonely country cemetery in Northern Arizona with her widowed husband and three children as they lowered her casket into the grave.

That was not the first mistake I made praying healing prayers. Nor will it be the last. However, the risk of a few embarrassing incidents is small compared to the joys and benefits of God-honoring success. I am convinced that many people who would have remained sick got healed because we followed the explicit instructions of James five.

2. Intelligent praying for the sick requires an interactive understanding of God’s plan.

It is not always God’s will to heal. He sometimes has other things in mind. In John 9 Jesus healed a man born blind: His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God may be displayed in his life.”

The Apostle Paul accomplished some powerful healing and resurrection miracles; however, he did not do it every time. He could not help his sick friend Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-27). He left Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20). Instead of sending Timothy to the local faith healer, Paul told him to drink a little wine for his stomach troubles. When Paul was unable find relief from his thorn, God sent Dr. Luke as his companion.

Just because someone is sick does not mean it is God’s will to heal them. Some sickness to mature us to look like Jesus. Some are discipline for sin. Some are unto death. It is time to die. My first child, Jessie, was born to die. I believe that God used her short life to bring glory to God. God never guarantees anyone a set number of years. Some live to the ripe, old age of eighty-five. Others fulfill their life destiny by the age of two. The woman who told us that if we just had enough faith our daughter would be healed was clueless.

3. The James five prayer of faith can be exercised only with an understanding of God’s will and intentions.

After many experiences of praying for the sick, God demonstrated to me that the prayer of faith does not demand a leap into the unknown. It is not positive thinking. It does not mean to believe something so strongly that we make it come true—or that God must do what we believe.  The prayer of faith does not rest on human emotions, feelings or desires. It is based on a word from God. In every case the heroes of Hebrews eleven based their faith on a word they heard from God. The prayer of faith is no different.By definition, it is not possible to pray in faith when there has been no word from God. However, on those occasions when God makes His will clearly known, I find it exciting to pray—and watch God work.

My first attempt at praying a prayer of faith occurred when a young mother was rushed to the hospital with a brain aneurysm. As I walked down the hospital corridor, I contemplated what words of comfort to share with her and just how to pray about her situation. I paused outside her door and sought help from God. Several moments later I had a deep inner impression that she was going to be fine. In my innermost being I sensed God say that Rhonda’s sickness was not unto death. She would survive with no complications and live to raise her children. An intense mental struggled ensued: “Was God really speaking to me? Was I just making this up? What if I told her what I heard and she died, I would look like a fool.” However, I could not ignore that immediately after I asked God how to handle this situation, I got an instant response.

Rhonda was awake, alert and afraid.  “Surgery is scheduled for Monday,” she said. “The doctors want the swelling to subside before they operate. There is no guarantee that the artery will hold until then.” Fear filled her eyes.

With all the courage I had I looked into those eyes and said, “Rhonda, God told me that your sickness is not unto death. Whether the doctors will operate on Monday or not, I don’t know; but, you are going to be fine. Be at peace. All is well.”  Never had I said words as bold and direct these. The sense of embarrassment and risk diminished as I began praying for her healing with no “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts.” I reminded God that she had young children to raise, and there was no reason I could see why she should not be allowed to raise them. Besides, God told me she was going to be fine. My prayer of faith rested on hearing a word from God.

Rhonda’s surgery on Monday was a complete success. In the twenty years since we prayed together she has led a relatively normal life. Her daughters are grown and married. She is alive and well.

The truth is, I usually have no idea what God intends when I pray alone or with our elders (we have some now) for the sick. In those cases I pray a standard prayer based on James 4:2 (“You do not have because you do not ask God.”). I always ask God for a full recovery with no problems or long-term complications. I want no one to miss out on God’s blessing because we failed to ask: “Father, you told us we could ask, so we did.” Then, I pray for submission to God’s will: “Now, since we do not know Your will in this case, we submit to what You have in mind. Your will be done.” Finally, I ask God to pour in the power of Christ and strengthen the family for any situation.

4. Prayers for healing are not intended to replace medical attention.

Going to a doctor does not invalidate earnest faith.  Occasionally I encounter Christians who are afraid that seeking medical help symbolizes a lack of faith. These people need instruction.

Evangelicals seem divided as to the meaning of the anointing oil in James five. Some anoint with oil as a sacred symbol of the Holy Spirit. Others believe that the oil represented good, first century, medicine. James may well have had both meanings in mind. Two extremes are to be avoided.  One extreme is to pray with faith and refuse medical attention. The other extreme is to resort to medical help and never pray.

God taught me a hard lesson about this.  After suffering with an intestinal disease for almost a decade, I decided during seminary to pray in faith for God’s healing. As a young, idealistic student, searching for the boundaries of practical Christianity, I reasoned that taking cortisone and sulfa drugs was a sign of unbelief. I told God that I would stop taking my medicine and place my full faith in Him for my healing. In less than a month I was hospitalized, and shortly thereafter the surgeon removed my entire colon. My “faith” was sinful, misguided presumption: “Thou shalt not put the Lord your God to the test.” I encourage people to pray hard and seek the best medical help they can find. Faith plus modern medicine is often a good prescription for healing.

5. God heals in a variety of ways.

I wish someone had explained to me before we prayed for pain-racked Rhonda why “gifts of healings,” as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9, is a double plural. Then I would not have been disappointed when she did not jump up healed. After many prayers I have learned that God uses a variety of healing methods—some immediate and some resolving over time.

The Bible demonstrates that God’s healing hand moves with diversity.

Occasionally healing is spoken directly.

Peter said to the lame man, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6).

Sometimes hands are laid on the sick:

“His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went into see him and, after prayer, placed hands on him and healed him” (Acts 28:8).

Sometimes a healing occurs immediately, like with the man born blind (John 9:1-41).

Sometimes it takes a while, like when Jesus healed a blind man and the job was only half finished:

“I see men as trees walking” (Mark 8:24). Jesus then went on to finish the job.

My favorite unusual divine healing happened one Sunday evening after church. A medical student approached me in tears. Cancerous lesions were on her cervix and she was meeting with her doctor in the morning to plan a course of action. Judy stood with her husband and poured out to me her fears of pain, suffering and possible death. As a medical student she knew better than most the risks and complications involved. If she did live, she may never have children. She wanted prayer according to James five.

I invited several spiritual men and women to a corner of our now deserted church auditorium to pray for her healing. When we finished both she and her husband, Bill, thanked us and departed.

The next morning Bill called. “You’ll never guess what happened after we got home,” he said. “We were discussing the prayer time and Rhonda said, ‘I felt God’s power on me tonight. Wasn’t that exciting when the lighting crew turned that bright spotlight on me when Roger began to pray?’

“I said to her, ‘What spotlight? Nobody turned on any bright light.’

“She said to me, ‘Oh, yes, there was a light. You mean you did not see the light?’

‘”No,’ I replied. ‘I did not see any bright light.’ That’s when we realized the tech crew had gone home much earlier. The bright light had to be from God.”

The lesions were gone. She needed no surgery, no therapy, no treatment. She finished medical school, internship, and residency. Rhonda and Bill have two healthy children. She is a pediatrician and testifies to a living God who loves to heal.

6. Healing is a ministry tool to help hurting people.

A church that helps hurting people will always have a market. A large share of the market consists of people who are unhealthy or sick.

Healing is never put on ostentatious display in our church.  We treat it as one of the tools in our ministry toolbox. Our goal is not to be known in town as the local healing church. So we keep it in perspective.

A young couple approached me after a worship service. “I want to encourage you with how God is working,” the husband began. “My wife is pregnant and having numerous complications. She just developed gestational diabetes. It is questionable whether or not the baby has damage. We were sitting in church, waiting for the service to begin, when a woman came over and wanted to pray for my wife and the baby. We were delighted. Suddenly she paused in her prayer and said, ‘I have this strange impression that I need to pray for your blood.’ She knew nothing of the diabetes.” He then continued, “You don’t know how frightened we are—and how comforting it is to come to church and have someone we have never seen minister to us in such a manner. Thanks.”

Healing is a divine tool for helping people in need. God has much to say through the ministry of healing to those He heals, those He does not, and those who do the praying.

I hope this answer is helpful to you. I will try to answer your question on revivals very soon.

Love, Roger

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