In Leviticus 8, we get a whole chapter 36 verses, around a thousand words, about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as the priests in Israel. We see offerings, blood, sacred meals, washings, and all the sorts of things we see regularly in Leviticus. But before we shut off our brains and let it all slide by, we ought to see the words that Moses spoke to his brother as the process was coming to a conclusion, because those words teach us about our own need.
Leviticus 8:34-35 – 34 As has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. 35 At the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the Lord has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded.”
The process spelled out took a week. And Aaron had to do it all. Why? Why was this so important to Aaron? He needed to do this stuff, and do it rightly, to be protected. If Aaron was going to minister in the presence of God, touching the holy things of God, he had to be under God’s protection. If not, he and his sons would die. This is why Aaron had to take this so seriously. A mistake here led to death.
In that truth is a picture of the gospel for you and me. We must remember that none of us qualify to enter the presence of God. That means, dear friends, that because of our sin, none of us qualify for heaven. Not one of us could survive the presence of God, at least not in our natural state.
God made Aaron go through a week long ordination process full of sacrifices and other ceremonies to show how big the gap is between Aaron’s goodness and the cleanness required to enter the presence of God. And in truth, God let Aaron off easy. The gap between Aaron’s goodness and that of God is infinite. In truth, Aaron could have washed for a million years and still not made up for his sin against God in the past. But God was gracious, allowing the sacrifices to atone for Aaron’s guilt. God chose to grant Aaron a grace that would allow him to be in God’s presence.
Do you see the gospel here? You and I need to be able to be in the presence of God if we are to go to heaven. If we want to live, we must be covered by the grace of God. But God has also made it clear that we cannot make any animal sacrifice to pay for our sins. Nor can we do enough good in our lives to make up for even one sin against God in his holiness.
But God made the way. God sent Jesus, God the Son, to be our sacrifice for sins. God also grants righteousness to his people, not for their doing good, but in response to faith in Christ. The good news is that, though we could never cover over our sins or make ourselves good enough to live in the presence of God, Jesus, through his life, death, and resurrection, covers all our need. Turning from sin and entrusting our souls to the care of Jesus in faith leads to our being fully forgiven by God. Turning to Jesus leads to God counting us as righteous because of the righteousness of Christ. This is the only way for us to be saved.
Aaron had to go through the bloody ordination process so as not to die when he got near the presence of God. We have a bloody sacrifice that was made on our behalf too, a sacrifice of infinitely more worth than that which allowed Aaron to serve. The Son of God has died to save the souls of all who will come to him. May we not fail to see how great such a sacrifice is. May we see, even in the priestly office of Aaron and his ordination a glimpse of our desperate need for Jesus.
A Reminder of the Image of God
What makes any human being valuable? That question is at the heart of any person’s actual worldview. Depending on how you view the world, your answer to that question will be vastly different. If you believe that all we are is matter that has fallen together and developed by chance, where is the value in a human life? If you believe that the universe is in itself an organism, and humans are merely cells in the body, why would they be worth any more than a kitten or a rock?
But the Bible has always shown us an answer to the question of the value of life that is far clearer, far more consistent with morality, far more helpful as we look at the world. The Bible reminds us that every person in the world has value, high value, simply by being human.
Now, before even looking at a verse of Scripture, think about this question: Why is it wrong to oppress the poor? If you are an atheist, what reason do you have that it is a moral wrong to enslave or abuse people for your personal benefit? You might say that it harms society as a whole by shredding the understood social contract. You might say that it is counter-productive in the long run to us as individuals to hurt others. But what makes it wrong? What makes it more than just unhelpful, bad business strategy? What makes it wrong to abuse other human beings if you have the strength to do it and get away with it?
Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
In this little proverb, we see the Bible stand in opposition to the oppression of the poor. And The reason that the Bible shows us that it is wrong to oppress the weak and needy has nothing to do with social contracts or pragmatism. It is wrong to oppress other human beings because other human beings have been made by God. To intentionally hurt or use people is to attack the Lord God who made them.
Remember that in Genesis 1:27, we saw that God made mankind in his image. We exist to display the glory of God. WE are here on earth as little pictures of the fact that there is a God who made us. For us to attack and do harm to humans, then, is for us to attack the very image of God. For us to use and oppress other humans is for us to attempt to do harm to the image of God. When we attack people, we attack God. This is not because people are divine, but because people exist in the divine image.
The point here is not to say that all soldiers and police officers cannot use force to protect. In fact, the Bible is clear that such people have been authorized by God to use force to protect the innocent who are created in God’s image. In Genesis 9, God told Noah that murderers would receive death for attempting to destroy the image of God.
The point is that God values his image. To intentionally oppress or abuse people is wrong because people exist in the image of God. WE protect human life and move to increase human flourishing because people exist in the image of the Creator. We act to limit cruelty and atrocities because all human life has value. We strive to move people away from immorality and toward obedience to the Lord because we desire their good, their protection, and their salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ. WE value people, all people—old people, young people, rich people, poor people, white people, black people, brown people, any color of people, people with accents, people who talk like us, people who love us, people who oppose us—we value all people because all people exist in the image of God. That worldview truth gives true and consistent rationale for why we protect people, it is for the glory of God.
Do Something
I’ve never been a fan of those books that try to develop leadership lessons from the bible. A book that tells me that I can uncover the secret management strategies of Jesus is not going to be one that impresses me. God’s word is about far more serious things than all that.
At the same time, the book of Proverbs has for us some of those timeless life lessons that we need to know to survive. There are things in that book that people three thousand years later think they have come up with about living a meaningful and productive life.
Proverbs 14:23
In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.
Look at the antithetical, the opposite-looking, parallel lines of that verse for a major and simple life lesson. There is value in work. There is value that comes from taking action. Good leaders know this. Good leaders know that movement in a life or in an organization is often what is needed. Movement in any direction, even a failure or two, is far better than stagnation.
The second line contrasts to show us the point of the first. Toil is compared to mere talk. Just talking about a problem or a strategy does nothing. Eventually, talking without work leads to poverty. Multiple meetings, multiple strategy session, developing new plans, new mission statements, and new goals is useless if not accompanied by actual action.
Of course Solomon is not against planning. Other proverbs are clear about that. But Solomon is against talking yourself to death without doing something. Planning is good. But nothing happens if nothing happens. We do nothing unless we do something.
Think about your life and things that need to happen. Do you need to develop a plan for family worship and devotions? Do you need to reach out to neighbors with the gospel? Do you need to get physically healthier? Do you need to find a job. Plan a little. Think a little. Talk about it a little with someone. But the key in most of those kinds of things is doing something. Do something, even if it is the wrong thing. Risk failing. Just fail forward.
You know, of course, that you as an individual are not likely to be strong enough to move a thousand pound automobile. If you want a car’s direction to change, you do not turn it while it is sitting still. But when it is moving, you can steer. That is true in life too. Talking and talking with no action may change nothing. Sometimes the best thing to do is start rolling, see where your action is carrying you, and then steer.
Perhaps what would be good for you here is to stop and talk to God for a moment. Ask the Lord where you need to stop worrying, stop planning, stop talking, and start acting. Ask the Lord where in your life it is time to move instead of being paralyzed by indecision. Ask that about yourself, your family, and your church. Let’s be a people who think well, who plan well, and who discuss well. But let’s not be a people who only plan and never act.
Willing to Believe – A Review
R. C. Sproul. Willing to Believe: Understanding the Role of the Human Will in Salvation. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, (1997) 2018. 240 pp. $12.18.
What is the role of man’s will in his salvation? How fallen is fallen man? Has the fall ruined our ability to respond to God, or has the fall merely damaged that ability greatly? These questions have been asked throughout theological history, and the debate still carries on.
In Willing to Believe, R. C. Sproul does the scholar’s work of gathering for his readers the arguments of a set of theologians throughout the history of the church regarding the issue of the human will. Each chapter of this work summarizes the view of a different important figure in the development of theology. Some names are more familiar and some less so. But all the men mentioned in this work have brought something new to the table, for good or for ill.
Where this work is valuable is in the summary of the development of Christian doctrine. If a reader wants to see how people from as early as the 4th century or as late as the 20th century have thought about the issue of man’s will and the impact of the fall, this work is very helpful. Students needing to write about the issue of free will could not have a much more helpful volume. And any Christian who hears a name such as Edwards, Calvin, Augustine, or Pelagius, could quickly turn to the appropriate chapter in this book to find out how each figure contributed to the development or confusion regarding the issue of God’s sovereignty and our salvation.
This work could, however, leave readers disappointed. If a student wants to see how Sproul would interact with each scholar, she might find the treatments thin. While Sproul points out errors from time-to-time, he does not thoroughly critique each man’s view in such a way that the critique is simple, clear, and powerful. Other works by Sproul offer his own take on the issue of man’s will. And, yes, this book will let you in on Sproul’s view, but there is not, as one might have wanted, a nice summary chapter from Sproul to help his readers wade through the controversy to a simple and clear conclusion.
** I received a free copy of this work from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Responding to Insults
We live in an insulting culture. Social media is full of people sniping at one another from anonymous accounts. Politicians hurl invective after invective at one another. Even the news media is quick to insult or to publish insults. And the atrocity that is daytime television has thrived for decades on letting people watch foolish people snap at each other.
But what is a wise response to the insult-driven culture we live in? How are we to react? It is not hard to understand.
Proverbs 12:16
The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
It’s not hard to understand, but it is hard to do. A fool shows his or her annoyance at an insult at once. Anger flairs. A retort flies. But the word of God tells us that the wise course is not to allow offense at the first moment of insult. Instead, wisdom is what people’s moms used to tell them all the time: Just ignore it.
The wise person lets an insult go. Why? There is nothing to be gained for us by jumping into the fray. When we are insulted, what do we think to accomplish by engaging the insult? Do we think we will give back a better insult? That is not honoring to the Lord or helpful in society. Do we think we will show the one insulting us the error of their ways? If we are angry or offended, our response will not be effective. Do we think we are going to call those nasty anonymous Twitter folks to account? If they cared about righteousness, they would not be tweeting insults from behind the safe cover of a keyboard and a fake screen name.
In truth, we respond to insults most often because of personal pride. How dare you say that about me? How dare you not see me as great as I see myself? How dare you besmirch my reputation? But the truth is, we have no reason to let this be an issue. Insulting words are just that, words. To allow words to stoke a fire in you that requires you to react is a mistake on your part. It is unwise. It is damaging. The far more mature response is to see the insulting words of many as the hollow things they are.
Now, I understand that there may be times when you face the wounds of someone who is a friend. In those situations, you may have to go to them, talk it through, and come to a point of reconciliation. That makes sense. There is nothing wrong with sitting down with a friend and telling them, “I was hurt by what you said.” Maybe you will find they meant it a different way. Maybe you will find that there are real things in your life you need to work on. Maybe you will find that they simply got carried away. Maybe you will find that they are not as close a friend as you think.
But sitting down with a friend and calmly talking through how their words affected you is not nearly the same as showing your vexation from the beginning. Nor is it the same as screaming out a demand for an apology or trying to return insult for insult. May we be wise enough to know that jumping into the insult game will make us look foolish. Learning to ignore words that do not matter used to be a part of growing up in a mature society. Perhaps our culture has not learned this lesson, but we who know the Lord should learn it for ourselves.
50 Core Truths – A Review
Gregg R. Allison. 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith: A Guide to Understanding and Teaching Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2018. 448 pp. $19.36.
We do not often find a book that does something that other books are not also doing. This is especially true in the world of systematic theology. But Gregg Allison has given us something fairly unique in 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith.
What makes this book different is not that it covers a variety of important theological truths. What makes it unique is that it prepares us to teach these truths to people in our churches. Allison did not intend to give us another twelve-hundred-page theology textbook or another abridged version of such a work. Instead, Allison gives us a teaching tool that is designed to prepare pastors, Sunday School teachers, and small group leaders to help learners make their way through the key truths of the Christian faith. This book is a springboard for teaching, not an attempt to be the end of any discussion.
In each chapter of the book, Allison introduces an important doctrine and gives a brief explanation of the concept. If there are differing views on the doctrine among orthodox believers, Allison offers explanations from each point of view. The author also gives his readers examples of major errors that Christians and cults sometimes fall into. He shares with readers ways to live out important truths of the doctrine in their lives, giving us practical implications of some pretty big truths. And Allison presents, in each chapter, an outline of how to teach the doctrine to others along with resources for further study.
What is best about this book is its potential to be useful to a great variety of folks. If you want to get a basic understanding of the issues being discussed in a particular doctrine, this book is for you. If you want to know how to communicate the components of a particular doctrine to others in an understandable way, this book is for you.
If you are looking for a book that solves for you the debated topics among evangelicals, this book is not for you. Allison will help you to see how different Christians make cases for issues such as baptism, charismatic gifts, election, or end times. But the author will, in the end, instruct you to teach the doctrine in accord with your church’s official stance.
I believe that Gregg Allison has done the church a service by writing50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith. This book is easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, easy-to-use, and sure to be helpful to those who want to learn or teach doctrine. I would recommend this to pastors, small group leaders, and students. It is a useful resource to pull off your shelf if you need a quick summary of a doctrine, arguments surrounding that doctrine, and further resources. The fact that Allison has given useful teaching outlines for each doctrine means that this book contains at least 50 solid small group sessions or discipleship classes.
** I received a free copy of this work from the publisher in exchange for writing an posting an honest review.
Sovereignty and Evangelism II
If you have wrestled with the issue of God’s sovereignty in salvation, election, reformed theology, or whatever else you may want to call it, you have surely run across different objections to the concept. Some struggle with the issue of why God might do things this way. Some struggle with the way that some verses in the Bible seem very clear on the topic while other verses do not. Some struggle with the fact that teachers they love or the denominations to which they belong oppose this teaching. And some wrestle with the question of how a belief in election will impact one’s view of evangelism.
That last objection crossed my mind as I read through Acts 16. Watch, and see if you can see with me how God’s word points to his sovereignty in salvation on the one hand while still making a global call to faith in Christ on the other.
Acts 16:14-15 – – 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
This account is the salvation story of Lydia. She had been a worshipper of God in the Old Covenant context. But any reader should see that she needed the gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. Lydia heard, believed, and responded to her new faith with believer’s baptism. Lydia here is saved.
But notice the detail of the sovereignty of God. Why did Lydia believe? The word tells us, “The Lord opened her heart.” This is why Lydia believed, God did a work first in her heart to enable her to do so. God opened her heart so that she would pay attention to Paul, so that she would believe, so that she would be saved. Thus, the ultimate credit for her salvation is the Lord’s.
Now, the big question comes. Does such a view then make Scripture put the brakes on evangelism? Well, first we see that it does not, because Paul was openly proclaiming the gospel. Though Luke, with Paul at this point, saw that the salvation of Lydia was due to God opening her heart, that did not stop Paul from sharing with all he could.
And then notice what happens later, once Paul is in jail for preaching.
Acts 16:30-31 – 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Assuming we accept that verse 14 speaks to us of the sovereign hand of God at work in Lydia’s salvation, it is then instructive to see how Paul speaks to the Jailer. When the man asked how to be saved, Paul’s answer was very direct and very simple. Believe in the Lord Jesus. That is how we are saved. Paul does not make any extra qualifications that the Lord chose to record for us. Paul does not tell the man that this belief requires the hidden hand of God to cause. I think Paul knew that God must do a work in the heart of anyone who is saved. But Paul, when speaking to the man, simply told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
There is one gospel. The good news is that if we believe, we will be saved. Genuine faith in Christ, faith that changes us and leads us to repentance, is saving faith. Yes, we believe that God causes such faith. But we also honestly and boldly tell the world, everyone we can, that God commands the world, all people, to repent and believe. And we tell everyone that all people who repent and believe will be saved.
I believe that these 2 passages show us that there simply is no way that there is a biblical case that the sovereignty of God prevents evangelism. Verse 14 shows us that God’s sovereign hand opens hearts. Verse 31 shows us that all who believe are saved. The actions of Paul and his companions show us that the call of God is to take the message of Christ to all people, indiscriminately, to call them to faith.
Sovereignty and Evangelism I
In Acts 13, we see a beautiful scene. Paul preaches the gospel with clarity. People become curious. Some rebel against the word of God. But some believe and are saved.
In the middle of that scene, we have the biblical explanation of what happened, and the wording of the text is significant.
Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
There are many questions that must be answered from that verse which will help us to consider the sovereignty of God in our salvation, human responsibility, and evangelism.
Who believed? The answer is that as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. Who appointed them? There is nothing that indicates that these people appointed themselves to eternal life; that would make no sense. The ones who were saved are the ones God appointed to eternal life. There is a clear claim of the sovereign election of the Lord here. The chosen were saved.
How were they saved? People were saved when they believed. That is still true and still significant. The command of God is for people to believe in Christ for salvation. The word of God tells us that all who believe will be saved. All who do not believe do so by their free choice. All who do believe also believe freely, but they have been granted that ability by the Lord who appointed them to eternal life.
So, is God sovereign here, or is man responsible? The answer is both. God sovereignly elects, appointing people to eternal life. But the people are fully responsible for their choices. God did not prevent anyone from believing in this passage. It was the sinfulness of the individual that prevented many from believing. But those who did believe did so by the grace of God. God is sovereign. Man is responsible.
Does this doctrine prevent evangelism? Did it prevent evangelism for Paul? Of course not. The apostles boldly declare the gospel. The gospel is the call of God that tells us all that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus will be saved. The gospel includes the command to all people to turn to Jesus in faith and repentance for salvation. That call is genuine and important. And, any person who loves the Lord and loves the word of God will obey God’s call to share this gospel with others. The idea of election has never been a genuine reason to avoid being evangelistic. If you love God, you share. If you love people, you share. If you obey the word of God, you share. You do not have any insight as to whom God has elected, so you share. You know, however, that God has the ability to grant faith to people, even people you would never expect to believe, so you share with all the people you can.
Isn’t this an unimportant doctrine that just causes conflicts? I do not think so. I think the question of who gets the glory for salvation is extremely significant. And I think the question of glory in salvation is the question we answered earlier: Who appointed people to eternal life? Ultimately, you either have to say that people appointed themselves to eternal life by their own choice to believe or you must say that God appointed people to eternal life by his sovereign election. You must either give the final bit of credit for salvation to the one who believes or to the Lord who elects. I think it is clear that giving the final glory to God magnifies him more. Thus, I think this doctrine is important, as I do not desire to take to myself any glory that rightly belongs to the Lord.
What if we disagree? I hope that, if we disagree on this doctrine, we can do so graciously. There are many mysteries here. There are many parts of election that are not easy to explain. At the end of the day, God still calls us to love him, follow his word, share the gospel, and make disciples. So, if this doctrine is not something you love, I would happily talk with you about it if we could do so in a kind way—that means in person, not on Facebook. And if you do not embrace this doctrine, I will not be nasty to you or put you down. I would ask the same of you as we all seek to honor the Lord according to his word.
Counterintuitive Salvation
The way of salvation is counterintuitive. When we look at certain people who perform certain actions, we are likely to assume salvation. Most people in the world believe that salvation, being right with God, is something that comes to those who do the right religious things. But that is not God’s way, nor has it ever been.
Acts 10:1-2 – 1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
Cornelius looks saved. He believes in God. He prays and gives. By all measures that any person would come up with, Cornelius looks like he is in.
But if you read this chapter of Acts, you find that God tells Cornelius to fetch the apostle Peter to his house. Peter comes and preaches, and that preaching, the message Peter brings, is what opens the door for the family to actually be saved. It is not their belief in God, prayers, or social kindness that leads them to salvation. It is something else.
What does Peter preach that God uses to give Cornelius and his household the faith needed for salvation?
Acts 10:39-43 – 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Peter comes and preaches Jesus. And only after the people hear the message of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, only after they hear of salvation by God’s grace through faith alone, do we see Cornelius and his family actually saved.
Now wait, is Scripture really saying that Cornelius was not saved before this encounter? Is Scripture really saying that a man who believed in God, prayed all the time, and gave to the poor was outside of the kingdom? Look at Peter’s words as he explains to others what God had told Cornelius.
Acts 11:13-14 – 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
Peter is absolutely clear that God told Cornelius that the message Peter would bring to his house is the message by which they would be saved. They were not already saved, but needed additional light. God was moving Peter to bring Cornelius what he needed to be saved. And what Cornelius needed was the message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. What Cornelius needed was the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Wait a moment. Cornelius believed in God. Is that not saving faith? No, it is not. To believe that there is a God is a good thing, for sure. To see that we are created by God is right. To pray to God is good. To give to the poor is good. But that is not enough to save you. We are saved, not by believing in God in general, but by faith in Jesus Christ and his finished work. We are saved when we believe that Jesus came to earth to save us, died as a sacrifice to pay for our sins, and rose from the grave to complete the process. WE are saved when we put all of our trust for all of our eternity in the work of Jesus alone to bring about our forgiveness. We are saved when we let go of a belief that we can lead our own lives and we surrender all authority over our lives to Jesus and his word.
That story is counterintuitive to many people. Many people think that doing good should make you OK with God. Many people think that doing religious things should make you OK with God. Many people think that people are just automatically OK with God. But the word of God shows us that we are only made right when we place our faith and our lives in the care of Jesus Christ and his finished work through his life, death, and resurrection.
Suffering for the Name
How do you respond to hardships? Do you hide from them? Do you complain about them? Do they break your spirit?
Think about the pains that the disciples of Jesus faced in the early days of the church. After Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the disciples were in a weird spot. God’s Spirit came and empowered them. But they were still a huge minority in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders still hated them. It was a matter of just months earlier that the Jewish leaders had put Jesus to death. And the men who told others about Jesus faced legitimate persecution.
Acts 5:40-42 – 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
This story always amazes me. The disciples took a beating. This is no small thing. They were hit hard. They were left bloody and bruised. There is just no way this was nice at all.
But what did they do? The disciples rejoiced. They praised God. They celebrated. Why did they celebrate? Did they celebrate because God gave them riches and ease? No way. They celebrated because God had counted them as worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus.
We could learn from this, Christian friends. It is an honor to suffer for the name of Jesus. We should not wine and complain when somebody looks down on us. We should not moan and lose courage if someone calls us names on social media, mocks us on a campus, or even tries to change laws to make our lives difficult. Of course we will try to protect the rights of Christians in our nation so that the gospel can be easily spread. But the truth is, we need to stop grumbling if life gets hard. If God allows us to suffer, then we are privileged believers who have been honored to suffer for the name of Jesus. If we do not suffer, we should thank God for his mercy on us.
What suffering have you faced for the gospel? If you are in the U.S., you have not had your house burned down or your family arrested for gospel causes. If you are an American, you probably have not once felt any physical pain, any at all, because you communicated the gospel. I’m pretty sure that the worst things that have ever happened to me for my faith in this country is that I have had a drink thrown on me on the street and been made fun of by family for my commitment to Christ. But neither of those is anything compared to the single beating the disciples took.
Let us be bold. Let us embrace the fact that we might suffer for the gospel. Let us see that, if the Lord allows us to suffer for his name, he is counting us as special. Let us be so confident in the resurrection of Jesus that we willingly face hardships in the here and now for the joys of eternity. May we love the lost enough to keep witnessing. May we love the Lord enough to spread his fame even if it is costly.
Pastor Travis Peterson 