Throw ya banners in the sky
Give it up for my superhero show love for my superhero
Gonna hold em real high
You know that's my superhero you know that's my superhero
Just throw ya banner in the sky
Give it up for my superhero show love for my superhero
Gonna let his light shine
You know that's my superhero

Now check the sky it ain't a bird a plane
It's the God man it ain't no Lois Lane
You need to know this fam now just why he came
Cause you can know his plan and you can know his name
You see I'm not the same since I got Christ
Right off the bat man I was in a dark night
And like a cat scan I'm in the dark right
I couldn't last man lost up in a dark life
I picked the wrong fights and I was stupid fam
Sin was the kryptonite and I was superman
I couldn't get it right but you came through and bam
See I'm renewed in life and cause of you I can
Now for you I stand just where I used to fall
You brought the hammer down but you ain't Thor
You're the truest God and now I see it all
Cause its to you I call right there just through it all

You found me right there just in my toughest need
You are a holy and your true that's the Justice League
All I need is my faith like a mustard seed
Cause you're the air in my lungs when its tough to breathe
It was tough to see just how they took ya hands
And drove the nails through that junk that's the Iron Man
wasn't nails it was love held you high up then
caused you to shed ya blood that's quite a plan
you're the Great I am plus you're the Super Friend
you take my junk gave me life and help me break the trend
you made me right gave us sight helped us comprehend
you took my sin x it out I'm the X-Men
no need to guess man you know just who I mean
his light shines now w/out the Lantern that's Green
the one who pierced his skin open like its Wolverine
the one to put your hope in here's who he be

– KJ-52

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WHAT MEANEST THOU, O SLEEPER?

“Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping,
Christian man, Christian man,
Judgment bells are ringing,
Judgment bells are ringing,
Ding, ding, dong;
Ding, ding, dong.”

Jonah 1:6 – “So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What
meanest thou. O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will
think upon us, that we perish not.”

It is as if the shipmasters of the world are crying out to the Church of
the Lord Jesus Christ to “arise, call upon thy God” because of the things
are happening all around us.

Jonah 1:7 – In light of the events that have been going on in America as
well as in the nations of the world over the past few months, it is as if
the heathen are saying, “Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for
whose cause this evil is upon us.”

The sad commentary of it all is that while storms, tragedies, terrorism,
and wars are taking place, the church -generally speaking – is like the
Prophet Jonah – asleep and running from God. She has been given a Divine
Mandate to PREACH THE WORD to a lost and dying world – to call this
nation and all the other nations to repentance like the Prophet Jonah
called Ninevah to repentance. Instead, we find her asleep in the midst of
it all, going in the opposite direction, and doing her own will rather
than God’s Will.

1 Corinthians 15:34 – “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have
not the knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame.”

God is calling His Church to arouse herself. He is calling her to shake
off her slumber, wake-up from the deep sleep that she presently finds
herself in, and awake fully and earnestly to her duty and call from Him.
He is calling her to be alarmed by the dangers that surround her from
those who would lead her into error and sin. He is calling her to “sin
not” – break off all sin by righteousness. Renounce and forsake every
evil and demonic way. Correct whatever is amiss in your life. “Go and sin
no more.” “Do not err, my beloved brethren.” Run from all error and
embrace the Truth. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!

There are two main reasons for her much needed vigilance at this hour.
The Apostle Peter tells us what these two reasons are –

1 Peter 4:7 – “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore
sober, and watch unto prayer.”

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

First of all, human affairs on a global scale are winding down. We are
nearing the end of all times. On a national scale, we don’t know how much
longer our nation will continue on in her sin without experiencing the
wrath and judgment of Almighty God as Sodom and Gomorrah and other
nations which failed to repent and change their ways. On a personal
basis, none of us knows the day nor the hour when we will leave this
world and stand before God in judgment. Therefore, “the end” is near to
all of us in one way or another.

Besides the time of the hour, Peter urgently reminds us that we are in a
spiritual warfare where we are faced with a ferocious enemy who is set on
our physical and spiritual destruction. He is likened unto a “roaring
lion.” Why this particular description? A “roaring lion” roars when he is
roused with hunger. This is when he is the most fierce and dead-set on
seeking his prey. The “roaring lion” – Satan – is hungry for the souls of
men, fierce, strong, walking about, “seeking whom he may devour” –
especially those who are unaware of his tactics and negligent in their
Christian duties.

We will notice in both Scriptures that the Apostle Peter calls us to
Soberness and Vigilance. “Be sober, be vigilant…” “Watch unto prayer.”

It seems, more than ever, that there is such a spirit of frivolity,
levity, and vanity in our midst. Hollywood is set on having it so.
Through the various TV shows, people are encouraged to laugh at SIN and
the serious and tragic things happening all around us. Every thing is
turned into a joke of some sort. But we see that the Scriptures are
calling us as God’s people to seriousness, circumspection, prayerfulness,
temperance, and discretion. We cannot afford to grow careless,
complacent, or secure at this time. We must give strict attention to all
the danger signs that are surrounding us. We must at all times and in
every place be on guard against the wiles and treacherous ways of our
adversary – the devil. We cannot afford to enter into the spirit of the
age in which we live. We must keep ourselves separated from it all and
consecrated unto God.

Mark 13:37 – Here we find a general command given to the Body of Christ –
“And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” “Watch.” This is the
Word of the Lord to us today. It entails the following –

Be cautious.

Give strict attention to what is taking place in your midst.
Stay awake.

Don’t get lazy or drunk on the pleasures of sin.
Don’t become indifferent to your salvation or careless and unconcerned
about your duty.

Don’t allow SIN of any kind to stupefy, blind, and harden your heart and
mind.

Don’t be idle.

Be on the alert at all times.

Be on guard.

Be calm and collected in your spirit.
Be moderate in your use of things.
Be temperate in your appetites and desires, keeping them within
God-ordained bounds.

Romans 13:11 – “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to
awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed.”

There is never an excuse for the Church of the Living God to be caught in
a state of slumber. If anyone should know the times, she should!

We are to always and evermore keep the concept of the nearness of
eternity with us. It must be a deep conviction of ours, stirring us on to
virtue and holiness of living. We must constantly remind ourselves of the
brevity of our life and the lives of others as well as the shortness of
our time to get our work finished.

It is “high time to awake out of sleep.” The world lives in a state of
“sleep” or Darkness. But we have been called out of Darkness into God’s
Marvelous Light.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 – We are “the children of light, and the children of
the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”
1 Thessalonians 5:6 – “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let
us watch and be sober.”

“Sleep” is a state of inactivity, insensibility, ignorance, stupidity,
and false security. A person who is asleep is unconscious of his
surroundings. He is not aware of any danger that may be near. He is
totally oblivious to the voices all around him that may be warning him of
danger or death. He is not mindful of his real condition.

Ephesians 5:15 – As the Body of Christ, we are called to “walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” It is utter foolishness to
continue in a certain direction and not adhere to the warning signs that
are in our midst. Those who are “fools” continue in their own way. The
Scriptures warn us to “walk” diligently, carefully, correctly,
accurately, consistently, perfectly, and exactly in the right way. We are
to constantly look round about us, always being watchful, wary, and
cautious. We are to guard against any forms of temptation or danger to
our souls. We should be able to discern our enemies before they ever draw
near to us.

Ephesians 5:16 – The times in which we live are “evil.” It is the “wise”
who are alert and “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” There
are many allurements, attractions, and temptations that continuously and
feverishly vie for our attention. So many are wasting their time on the
pleasures of this world. We who are “wise” are called upon to improve our
opportunities. We are called to “redeem the time.” We are to cease every
moment for God. We are to embrace every occasion for God’s purpose and
glory.

Ephesians 5:17 – The Scriptures admonish us – “Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” We are not to be
like the world which is asleep and foolishly wasting their lives away
with frivolous pleasures and enticements in the midst of great danger and
death. As God’s people, we are to be filled with Wisdom and Understanding
of the times in which we live.

Proverbs 28:5 tells us – “Evil men understand not judgment: but they that
seek the LORD understand all things.” The “evil men” of this world are
asleep. They are not aware of the hour in which we are living. They are
not aware of the judgments that are on the horizon for this wicked and
adulterous generation. On the other hand, the Christians – those who are
seeking the LORD – are fully aware of the times in which they live. They
are aware of what the future holds for those who live in rebellion
against God and His Word.

The sad thing about it is that the overall Church for the most part has
fallen into that same stupor and spirit of slumber that the ungodly world
is under. Because of SIN and compromise, she has become dull and
oblivious to her surroundings and the warning signs from God Who is
calling all nations back to Himself.

What should she do?

Revelation 3:2 instructs her to “Be watchful, and strengthen the things
which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works
perfect before God.”

How about you? Do you feel as though you have fallen asleep, intoxicated
on the pleasures of this life? Have you become careless in your walk with
the Lord? Have you let up on your prayer life and the study of God’s
Word? Have you allowed other things to come into your life to draw you
away from your consecration to Jesus? Have you lost ground to the devil
through your negligence, slothfulness, and inattention?

If so, then it it time like never before to “strengthen the things which
remain, that are ready to die.” Thank God that there is still time for
you to get things right with the Lord. Thank God that He is still calling
you, offering you hope, a better way, and a way out of your dangerous
position of slumber.

WAKE UP, O SLEEPER! Arise and call upon your God!

If you obey the Lord by repenting and doing works meet for repentance –
coming back to your first love and doing the first works of prayer, Bible
Study, and fellowshipping with consecrated believers – then He will think
upon you and you will not perish.

Hurry! Time is running out!

May God Bless His Word.

Connie Giordano

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Thoughts on Governmental Authority

by Susan Renier

Since I am an employee of the federal government, and one of the most (if not
the most) despised departments thereof, I probably find it a little easier
to obey its authority — even in my mind — than some other Americans.
However, when the government funds abortions and backs homosexual and
anti-family agendas my heart grieves. There was a time when we considered
withholding a certain amount of our taxes in protest against these things,
however, the Lord called us on it. The word that He spoke to us was this:
“You are only responsible for obedience to my word. Those who delegate the
spending of the money will be held responsible for their decisions.” We
serve an awesome, holy, and just God. Our God will not be mocked. However,
He also has charged His children with obedience to His word. His word tells
us that we must “submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord�s sake,
whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by
Him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do
good.” If we, His children, do what is right according to man�s law, God
will honor us because we have not hidden behind our Christianity or used it
as an excuse to get out of doing things that every other citizen must do.
(1Peter 2:13-17) We must be ethical, even if the governmental authorities
are not.

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The Life of Jesus

Craig Wasson writes:

In assembling The Life of Jesus, I researched the chronology of all the events surrounding Jesus’
life, death, and resurrection as described in the four Gospels (and the appropriate passages from
Acts and 1st Corinthians); then, I combined all of the above into a single story, being careful not to
add anything or take away anything from the original — I have simply set all the incidents in
chronological order and combined the details from all six sources so as to have each incident more
fully explained as it appears in the course of the narrative. It is the whole Gospel Story from
beginning to end! Set in this modern format, there is no longer a reason for anyone not to read — in
its entirety — the single most important biography in the history of the world.

My sincere hope is that, particularly for secular readers, it may be a first step toward knowing
God’s GOOD NEWS; and, even for believers, a help for those who’ve found the Bible “too
difficult to read”; more people reading the Gospel; a second Reformation.

Read about The Life of Jesus

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THE FOCUS OF OUR WORSHIP

It is clear that I need to continue this series on worship a little longer, today addressing the “Focus Of Our Worship”. For those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, our heads clearly tell us that God is to be the Object of our worship, and Jesus is the One who brings Focus to that worship. Knowing this should hopefully save us the disappointment, dullness, and disillusionment of experiencing unfulfilled worship.

However, sometimes our hearts don’t comprehend that truth, and our actions certainly give no hint that we understand either its reality or its vitality. Even at seasons of the year such as Easter or Christmas which is now upon us, we still struggle with bringing our minds, hearts, and wills into a divine alignment that will enable us to fully enter into such intimate depths.

It is not coincidental that the Holy Spirit brings you and me today to this challenge . . . . to make the focus of our worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday as Jo Ann and I traveled with our oldest daughter and her family to a church in their denomination about 60 miles from where we live, I had some time to think about the Christmas season and all it offers us. Immediately I was reminded that, whatever else it may offer us, it certainly gives us a chance to express unbridled worship to our Savior . . . . except for one thing.

We can’t seem to get Him out of the manger. It’s as if, for many believers, He’s in a time warp that keeps Him stuck in “sweet baby Jesus” mode, and subsequently irrelevant to the challenges of life. During the mid 1960′s while I was serving on church staff, my pastor, Jim Hylton, wrote a penetrating article about the Jesus of Christmas. His point was simple . . . . it’s easy to worship a baby Jesus in the manger, because He makes no demands. He’s cute and cuddly and innocent. We can “ooh!” and “ahh!” over Him without being threatened in our lifestyle. Basically, it’s a no-brainer. It requires no spiritual soul searching, it demands no sacrifice on our part, and it doesn’t challenge us regarding the sinfulness of man that caused Him to come in the first place.

To be sure, we know all of this intellectually, but, caught up in the emotions of the moment, those dark realities are lost in the tinsel and sounds of contemporary Christmas celebrations which are basically void of any reference to Him outside the use of His Name in identifying the holiday itself. Our focus is on the holiday, and not the Holy One.

How sad.

How sinful.

So, yesterday, as we drove along the highway already beginning to fill with Christmas travelers, I thought about how worship and Christmas might relate . . . . how they might be connected together. Obviously they are clearly linked, no matter the level of one’s spiritual perceptions. Even the most calloused and worldly-minded person has connected the two —- Christmas is the supreme worship occasion of the year for just about everyone. It’s just a matter of the focus of that worship . . . . Traditions, . . . presents, . . . family, . . . Bowl games, . . .

. . . . or Jesus Christ.

And . . . . Which Jesus Christ.

We can gain some valuable insight from the accounts of Christmas and how the shepherds, angels, wise men, Anna, Simeon, and others responded to this unique little baby. They clearly knew something that most of us have tragically forgotten. In every Biblical situation, even before He was born, the characters of the Bible worshipped the Christ.

The prophets predicted worship as the outcome, the Gospels recorded it, the Apostles proclaimed it, and the epistles teach it. The Revelation portrays the splendor and glory of that day in the future when the whole world will worship Him . . . . either by enforcement or with enthrallment.

Recently the Lord helped me understand the connection between certain passages that pertain to the coming of Christ. The traditional records in the Gospels give us a “blow by blow” account of how this all happened and how people then related to it. However, unless I delve into some of the epistles, I will never understand the awesome application and impact that event has on human kind. So, after reading Matthew and Luke, I love to go to John chapter one where “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .” Then I like to review Paul’s great commentary about “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a virgin . . .”

However, the real clincher for me is Paul’s great apologetic in Philippians. Listen to this: “Have this attitude in which yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or held on to, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the Name which is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:6-11

COMPREHENDING THE FOCUS:

So, yesterday as we accompanied our daughter and her family to that church service, I was profoundly blessed through the ministry of pastor John Lindell when he opened to that passage and began to talk about the attitude of Jesus when He voluntarily chose to abandon heaven and come to earth in the form of a newborn baby over whom people would giggle and coo. I wonder what must have been going through that divine mind embodied in a tiny head.

Rev. Lindell pointed out four profound truths that blessed me and drew me to a deeper and more grateful expression of humble worship. The price Jesus paid was much more than His suffering and death. It began long before that historical eternity splitting event. It began prior to His birth. Back somewhere in the halls of eternity past, He made a conscious decision based on His willingness to do the will of the Father. The key to the redemptive work of Christ is wrapped up in one word . . . . Willingness.

First, . . .

1. Jesus was willing to Relinquish His Place. Phil 2:6 reminds us that “. . . He existed in the form of God”. II Cor 4:4 says that Jesus “. . . is the image of God”. The writer of Hebrews paints an incredible portrait of Jesus as being “. . . the exact representation of [God's] nature” (1:3). John 1:14 to which I referred earlier says, “. . . the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father . . .”

Perhaps one of the most powerful passages is found in Colossians 1:15-20. “He is the [visible] image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities —- all things have been created through Him AND For Him. He is before all things [were], and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the Church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

We should be speechless, my friend, when we finally realize that Jesus was willing to relinquish His own rightful place of Deity, with all the regal worship, the royal honor, and the revered authority that it held. And yet, He was willing to move from the rights of Deity to the absolute helplessness of infancy. Surely He deserves more than singing Christmas carols, exchanging presents, and attending Christmas programs, no matter how religious and inspiring they may be.

Second, . . .

2. He was willing to Refuse His Privileges. Phil 2:6-7 says, “. . . [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, . . .” As the Son of God, Jesus had privileges that no created being has ever enjoyed . . . or endured. According to scripture, He was equal with God because He was God. He openly confessed that during His trial prior to His execution.

The Greek word for equality is “Isos”. From it we have words like “Isometric” . . . equal force. And “Isomagnetic” . . . . equal drawing and repelling power. And “Isomeric” . . . the same chemical elements in the same proportion and weight. Or “Isonomic” . . . . having equal rights and law.

In other words, Jesus was the Exact Equal with the Father in every respect. Why? Because He was and is God.

And yet, He was willing to Refuse the privileges of that Divine Equality.

What are some of the privileges He chose to abandon during His stay here on this earth? From the very moment He was conceived in the womb of Mary, He turned His back on . . .

1. His Heavenly Glory. John 17:5 says, that after Jesus had served His purpose of some thirty-three years on earth and just prior to His death, He prays to His Father in saying, . . . glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” It is clear that when Jesus came to earth in the form of that baby, He willingly refused His privilege of heavenly glory.

2. His Independent Authority. Hebrews 5:8 tells us, “Although He was a son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” He didn’t have to do that. He had all the authority He needed and, yet, from His earliest days as a child, He chose not to use it. That choice is epitomized both at the beginning and at the end of His earthly ministry. When tempted by the devil in the wilderness He never seriously considered bowing down in subjection. In the crucifixion, He was never tempted to call on the ten thousand angels which the devil had suggested to Him some three years earlier.

   Instead, He chose the role of bond-servant . . . . slave . . . . as the means of drawing mankind to the Father.

3. His Divine Nature. In verses 7-9 of Philippians 2, Paul declares that Jesus was “. . . made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” As God, that was certainly not necessary.

   And, yet it was. Especially if He loved us as much as John 3:16 indicates.

   With those privileges He enjoyed as God came certain prerogatives . . . things He had the right and authority to have and to do. He didn’t have to ask for our permission. He could have chosen to reject the assignment to be born, to live out a life demonstrating Lordship, to suffer and die. He made it clear that “no man takes My life from Me, for I lay it down of My own accord.”

   And yet, Jesus turned His back on all his rights and privileges of Deity.

   We usually don’t think much about what all Jesus willingly forfeited before He gave up His own right to live. However, when you search the Gospels you realize that He never owned one single thing all His life. He was born in a borrowed stable. He lived for a period in another land that was not His own. He borrowed a boat from which to preach. He used someone else’s bread and fish to feed the multitude. He ate and slept in the homes of others. He, by His own testimony, “. . . had no place to lay His head. . .”, so He often retreated to the Mount of Olives where He found secluded places to sleep. He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey. He died on a cross belonging to another. And, He was buried in a borrowed tomb.

   Why all of this inconvenience and sacrifice? Because of the love of a Father’s heart.

   Then, . . .

   3. He was willing to Renounce His Position. Again Phil 2:8-9 reminds us that He chose to renounce heavenly citizenship and even royal rule in order to come as the baby born to die. Luke 22:27 says, “. . . I am among you as the One who serves.” Matt 20:28 clearly states, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

   In some strange and mysterious way, Jesus renounced His position of ruler and king, and became, as Isaiah prophesied, the “Suffering Servant”. Not just a servant, but The One and Only Suffering servant. When Paul says, “. . . taking the form of a bond-servant . . .”, the word for “Form” is critical to our understanding. It simply means “Essential Component and Character”. In other words, Jesus not only Acted like a servant, but He Became a servant . . . . a bond-servant.

   How could He do that? Why would He do that? Because He chose to do that.

   Finally, . . .

   4. He was willing to Realize His Purpose. Verse eight shows us He came to die. That was His purpose. He was born to die. It wasn’t that someday He would automatically die because everyone dies. He said, “No man takes my life from me; I give it up of My own free will.” He didn’t have to die; He chose to die.

   You see, the whole purpose of Jesus was not to be born in a stable, lie in a manger and have shepherds marvel and animals keep Him company. He didn’t come to gain the honor and respect of distant magi. He didn’t come to astound the priests in the temple. He didn’t come to lead a political insurrection against a foreign dominating army. He didn’t come to amaze people with miracles.

   Plain and simple, . . . He came to Die . . . and be raised again victorious over sin, death, hell, and Satan. He came to give life in abundance . . . . Eternal life. He came to quench the thirsty soul, to calm the troubled mind, to heal the broken body, to set captives free, to declare the Year of Restoration.

   And if it meant being born as a baby, living in a sinful world, limiting Himself to the restraints of humanity, and dying a death He didn’t deserves for sins He didn’t commit, . . . . then He was willing.

   IN CONCLUSION:

   So, what does that have to do with Christmas? With worship? With you and me?

   EVERYTHING! That’s what it’s all about, friend. And if we forget that about Christmas, . . . if we forget that about worship, . . . we’ve forgotten the one essential ingredient that makes Christmas what it really is.

   And, if we ever get that settled in our hearts, then we’ll understand that Jesus is truly the Focus of our worship because it is what He did, and still does, that directs our worship toward the Father. And, when that happens, we’ll join the shepherds running to bow before Him. We’ll join the angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace and good will on earth to all men.” We’ll even sweep out the cattle stalls just so we can be in His presence. And if we’re not willing to sweep out the cattle stalls, we have no right to stand in the pulpits of churches.

   God is giving us a chance, dear friend, to learn what it means to worship Him with pure hearts, clean hands, and humble spirits. Life’s struggles are designed for that purpose. Don’t miss the opportunity to be well prepared for the great worship celebration when people from all tribes, nations, and tongues gather around His throne and declare, “Worthy Is The Lamb! Worthy Is The Lamb! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

   Always be sure there is ample time for uninterrupted and unobstructed worship of the Lamb.

   In His Bond and For His Glory,

   Bob Tolliver — Rom 1:11-12
   Copyright December, 2002
   Life Unlimited Ministries
   lifeunlimited@pobox.com

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The Bottom Line

“Is it possible to truly fulfill the Great Commission using contemporary paradigms and approaches that are so totally foreign to what we see in the New Testament?”

To begin with, you may not even agree with the fundamental content of the question, much less its intent. You may not feel that contemporary Christianity is all that far removed in practice from the New Testament record. Or, you my not feel that makes any difference . . . . and, in a way, that’s true because the Gospel message is all encompassing enough to embrace every culture, eternal enough to span all time, and thorough enough to meet every need. For that reason, it may be that our variations of approach and methods are not all that critical, at least in terms of getting the job done.

I do believe, however, that they are crucial to the speed and the depth to which it gets done.

What do you think? Do you believe we can reach the world with the Gospel in our generation if we continue using the formats, models, and methods we are currently using?

Frankly, I don’t believe it can be done. WHY IT CAN’T BE DONE:

Why do I believe that? For these reasons:

1. The current model of the church is too cumbersome and unwieldy. We might as well face it . . . . our current Constantinian model of church life which is built on the Roman structure of society requires “bigness” in order to measure success. To be sure, you and I have essentially (as have other believers of this generation) inherited a system of church life, and we really don’t know any other. It was not our doing, but we are saddled with it.

Tragically, most of us don’t know what to do with it. And, even though the New Testament illustrates and instructs another paradigm, most of us don’t or won’t take the time to search the scriptures to see just how the early Church did church. And, if we were to actually discover the answer, many of us wouldn’t pay the price to change.

Consequently, we end up, as I’ve said so frequently before, expending enormous amounts of time, effort, money, and manpower trying to keep “that old ship of Zion” moving, even-keeled, and on course. All such expenditure subsequently can no longer be used for the actual propagation of the Gospel. Whatever it takes to maintain machinery and polish image, is not available for the very act itself of sharing the Gospel.

What can you and I do about that? Well, I suppose the starting place would be to take inventory and simply evaluate two areas . . . .

1. First decide what is essential and what is not, and . . .

2. Second decide what is productive and what is not.

   Jesus did that with the fig tree; maybe we should do it with our model of the church. Even if you found nothing that needed to be changed or eliminated, it would be a good exercise in stewardship.

   In doing so, a good check list I have found to be helpful is to use the “SAFE” approach to church life. Ask these questions:

3. “S” . . . . Is it as “S”imple as possible and only as detailed as necessary?
4. “A” . . . . Is it “A”pplicable and “A”ppropriate? Does it have a legitimate reason for being? Does it fit for this setting at this time?
5. “F” . . . . Is it “F”lexible and “F”unctional? Can it be improved, simplified, or adjusted? Does it have a true function with genuine eternal values and consequences?
6. “E” . . . . Is it “E”xpendable? Absolutely no sacred cows and no untouchable traditions.

   There is little doubt that western Christianity has become known by its bigness, its marketability, and its techniques. Tragically, even churches in non-western countries are copying that model. A pastor friend in Bosnia told me once that they didn’t want an American version of Christianity, but that’s exactly what they have because we got it from western Europe centuries ago.

   2. Today’s citizen uses a different standard of measurement and has a different appetite for success than the New Testament has. Jesus taught His disciples standards of measurement that many believers have forgotten. For example, the value of a life because of who it is rather than how it behaves or what it can do. In spite of the fact that He focused on little things, today’s church usually focuses on bigness. The bigger the better . . . . the more the merrier. We judge the worth of a pastor’s ministry by how good his sermons are, how many members have been added to the church role, or whether or not the finances have improved.

   Jesus, instead, talked about intimacy, honesty, love, compassion, faithfulness, giving, encouraging, burden bearing . . . . Since, therefore, we often use differing standards of measurement and have an appetite for more earthly (and earthy) things, it’s very hard to motivate some Christians to a discipleship that is void of temporal reward.

   Likewise, unbelievers are often obsessed with gaining their sense of identity by what they do, what they have, or who they know, instead of recognizing they are precious in God’s eyes and that He sees them for who they are and who they can become by His grace. So, when the church tries to communicate their true sense of worth, they neither understand it about themselves, nor understand the seeming hypocrisy they feel the church demonstrates between what it says and how it actually behaves.

   3. It is too costly. When you realize that you and I have inherited a system that is exceptionally Romanesque, and that we really don’t know any other way, you begin to see just how great a price may have to be paid to change things. After all, imagine the denominational job positions that might have to be cut, the prestige that might be lost, the building programs that might have to be cancelled, and the big league productions that might have to be scrapped. Have you ever wondered how much money might be released for evangelization if churches had no building payments and had five nights a week free for their members to spend with neighbors, unsaved co-workers, and relatives? Churches of one major denomination spend over $2 million per day in just the interest on building payments.

   I actually had one pastor tell me that to lead his church to change some things would require a cost he just wasn’t prepared to pay. He’d rather keep things as they were than go through the hassle of making changes he readily admitted were needed in his congregation. It was simply too costly.

   4. It is too difficult to duplicate. Even though most of us want, as our goal, our people to reproduce what we do in evangelism and discipleship, few of us recognize that our very methods and ministries cannot be quickly or simply duplicated by others. Jesus clearly taught us that the way in which we minister to people and proclaim the Gospel should be reproducible. Paul instructed in II Timothy 2:2, “The things which you have learned from me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men who will, in turn, teach others also.”

   When you think about it, most of our strategies and plans cannot easily be duplicated. For example, we want to begin a new church in a neighborhood, so we go about the task of trying. First we look for as many faithful workers as we can. Next we do a survey. Then we try to locate some property, secure financing, and construct a building. Of course we have to have people to pay for the building. None of this was taught by Jesus, not because it was a different culture, and not because any one of them is wrong, but because He fully knew that wasn’t the way to get the job done. Such things may be appropriate and may come in due time, but those are peripheral rather than fundamental.

   One of the most amazing phenomena of the Twenty First Century Church is the church planting movement. It has been going on for a number of years and people are being converted by the hundreds of thousands. Virtually none of it, however, is being done using the means I grew up with. It is being done in a duplicatable way by following simple Biblical principles that focus on people, needs, and the Good News rather than on surveys, property, events, staff, and buildings. Almost weekly I get reports of amazing breakthroughs where a church planting movement reached critical mass and explosive growth took over an entire city or country.

   When we use “house to house” and “eyeball to eyeball” connections with people, I believe our success level will dramatically increase. As long as we continue using methods that are contrary to New Testament patterns, as appealing, workable, and logical as they may appear, we will continue failing at reaching the people on a large territorial or global measure. If we want to continue reaching just a few, then we should continue doing it the way we have been. But, since it’s not easily duplicatable, the population growth will continue to push global evangelization beyond our reach. As far as I can tell, the only truly duplicatable means of evangelism and church growth is one person involving himself in the life of another.

   5. Our basic philosophy of church life is built on an erroneous premise. This is really where our Saturday conversation with our friend led us. The western church by and large has a philosophy that is built on a false assumption. That assumption is that the Church is built on and held together by programs, activities, buildings, and budgets, is a totally false and arrogant opinion. The Church is bigger than that, and it is more than that. Though certainly, in my opinion, never intended, that is still where we have ended up in most cases.

   As we talked, I became more and more convinced that debating about church polity, organizational structures, which program works best, and other similar subjects was simply hiding the one basic truth about the Church . . . . that the Church is built solely on relationship. So, when we build our church life on anything else, we are building with straw on shifting sands.

   Think about it, my friend. Where will you in your church have the biggest attendance —- at a concert or at a personal witnessing workshop? Where will you get the biggest response —- at a Fourth of July celebration or an evening of prayer? Where will you find the largest crowd —- at a Sunday morning worship service or a Tuesday evening of personal witnessing in homes?

   We can talk all we want about loyalty, priorities, spiritual maturity, and all the rest which are certainly needed, but the bottom line is that very few people in your congregation have a clue about true Christian relationships. Their concept of the church remains as activities, a building, events, possessions, and money. As a result, few of them have any meaningful life changing relationships with other believers, much less with unbelieving neighbors and work associates. And the majority of them maintain their status as spectators watching the hired hands do the work.

   And many of these members are afraid of relationships. That’s why they prefer to fill their lives with activities and events . . . . lots of busy stuff . . . . because it helps them avoid intimate loving relationships, and yet they can still appear to be spiritual minded. The average person fills his life with things and activities as a means of overcoming boredom and meaninglessness in life, he is not secure in facing vulnerability found in meaningful relationships, and he doesn’t know how to gain fulfillment through relationships. Because he doesn’t know how to act when he knows about who a person is, he can only ask questions regarding what a person does or what a person has. He fails to realize that man’s basic need is for meaningful relationships . . . . between himself an others, and between himself and the God who created him. Most heartbreaking is the fact that many Christian’s don’t even see the connection.

   Isn’t it tragic that the fundamental ingredient of the Gospel . . . . a loving relationship between a Holy God and a sinful man or woman . . . . has often been somehow lost in the life of the average church. In reality, the Gospel is totally about relationships . . . . “God so loved the world that He gave His Son that whoever believes . . . will have eternal life.” “God proved His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” “Whoever is thirsty, let him come.” “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

   The Bottom Line is “Relationships”.

   EXAMPLE:

   This past week I received an e-mail from Tom, a young man who has been with us on three previous trips to the Balkans and who is presently ministering in a small village in Russia for the Summer. He described how they went to an apartment complex and offered to do a “Bible study group” where the people could ask any question about God and religion. He was overwhelmed by the response . . . . the first night more than 50 people attended. Keep in mind this is a culture steeped in the Russian Orthodox Church, and yet most of their questions pertained to relationship issues between God and man. They were religious but lonely people.

   Now what would you do with a situation like that . . . . try to organize the group, begin scouting out for property, or schedule a Sunday worship service? Many of us would.

   On the other hand, how about our just spending time with those folks, loving them unconditionally, ministering to them in every way appropriate, and continue nurturing that new relationship until it began to give birth to curious hearts that were hungry to know Jesus.

   Just yesterday my associate evangelist in our ministry, Kenny, described the church in the Puget Sound area of Washington state where he is now ministering. His first words revealed that it is a church where the pastor focuses on helping people build loving relationships as the foundation of church life.

   What is it that makes the current church planting movement work? Frankly, I believe it is because the entire concept is built on relationships. When Jo Ann and I move to Kiev, Ukraine next January, I will be pastoring a church called out to be a model of church planting using the house church or home group concept. Now, if I were to try to start a new church in Kiev using the traditional way we’ve been accustomed to, I’d have to survey a community, see if there was an interest in starting a new church, if there was then try to locate workers, begin looking for property, and then conduct a schedule of regular activities.

   On the other hand, I could sit down with a handful of interested and willing believers in the church I’ll be pastoring, train them in the basics of their relationship with Christ, lead them to begin asking God to open doors of relationships with unbelievers in their apartment building or neighborhood, and then as those groups began to emerge simply begin to teach them a few things that they in turn would go and teach to that little group.

   Some of the apartment buildings in Kiev are occupied by as many as 5,000 people or more. How many of them do you think I could get to come to the International Church when it meets on Sunday afternoon? If, however, there were some believing couples in that apartment building who were willing to start developing relationships with people on their floor, it is conceivable you could have a dozen or more “churches” meeting regularly for the purpose of discipleship, evangelism, and ministry. In any given week you could have 100 or more people learning and growing without ever leaving that apartment building while, if we tried to get them down to the church building, we wouldn’t get a handful.

   What’s the difference?

   Relationships.

   The tragedy is that far too many Christians are so set in their ways that they will not make the changes necessary to really reach people in such a way, simply because it is more costly, it doesn’t have the fanfare of big crowds and glitsy entertainment, and one cannot remain a spectator with a consumer mentality that focuses only on his own personal needs being met instead of being an evangel who knows he has been sent by God to deliver a message of unconditional love and unquenchable hope to desperate people clamoring for a sense of purpose.

   Author Bill Fay is a business man who somehow learned early in his Christian life that the most exciting thing that could ever happen to a human being was to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and King, and that the second most exciting that that could ever happen was to be able to share that truth with another person. As the president and CEO of a multimillion-dollar international corporation, Fay was “in touch” with virtually every facet of society from the legitimate to the criminal. He had everything that spelled success, and had it in abundance.

   In his book, Sharing Jesus Without Fear, Fay shares his own story about how he came to a personal awareness of God’s unconditional love for him because of simple relationships that were developed between him and another couple. Over a period of time, as the walls came down and his belligerence diminished, he committed himself to Christ. All the programs, concerts, and sermons he had previously heard only repulsed him because he saw no genuineness and personal interest in who he was.

   However, when he did commit himself to Christ, he immediately began to duplicate what he had learned. And he quickly learned the art of asking questions as a means of developing relationships with others. Bill Fay has literally shared Jesus with multiplied tens of thousands of people, and has introduced thousands upon thousands to personal faith in Christ. He has literally led more people to Christ annually than probably 90% of the churches in America.

   How can one man personally introduce more people into the kingdom than some of the largest churches in the world?

   Because of one simple reason . . . . he discovered the secret.

   It’s all about relationships.

   WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

   If the Church of our generation is going to fulfill the Great Commission in our day, things must change. The activity and program mentality must go, and a commitment to building relationships must become the lifestyle of the Church. Otherwise, we will continue fighting a losing battle.

   What does it take to be a “Bottom Line” Christian?

   First, it takes unconditional love. And that love must be unconditional first toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you love Him? How much do you love Him? Do you love Him so completely that He has free access to love others . . . . All others . . . . through you? You will never love people enough on your own. You can only be a conduit for a love greater than yours. People will see through the facade of human love, because they know that human love at its best still has in itself somewhere a love built on how it will be personally benefited. People must know you love them unconditionally. They already know (they’ve heard it enough times from Christians) that God loves them unconditionally; now they want to see if you do.

   It takes corrected priorities. Becoming a “Bottom Line” Christian with a life built in relationships rather than possessions, activities, or events will force you to correct priorities. If you try to hang onto present priorities while attempting to change your lifestyle into one of building relationships for the purpose of evangelization and discipleship, you’ll soon find yourself at a cross road that requires a decision. That decision cannot be properly made without your priorities being affected.

   It takes time. If it takes time to deepen a love relationship with your Heavenly Father Who is perfect and has longed for that relationship since before you were born, then how much more time will it take for you to develop a love relationship with those around you at work, in your neighborhood, and in your family? I mean the type of love relationship that draws them not to you, but to Jesus. In the hectic lifestyle most of us experience, it’s not likely that you can build relationships with people if you allow only as much time for them as you have in the past. You must take time to get to really know them, to allow the Holy Spirit to generate in you a genuine interest in them, to give the Holy Spirit time to build their trust in you, . . .

   It takes time . . . . a life time.

   It takes intimacy with God. Our relationship with God will affect our relationship with others. If He is distant, they will be. If He is a secondary influence, they will be a secondary interest. So, intimacy with God is essential to a strong relationship with others. You need to have such a walk with Him that you begin to see what He sees, hear what He hears, feel what He feels. Take a look at Isaiah 6. Isaiah’s closeness to God is what determined his compassion for the people. The same will be true with you.

   Developing relationships of any kind for any reason is hard work. When it comes to doing so in order to lead them to Christ, it’s even harder. The only thing that will sustain you through the hopeless times and the helpless moments is your personal walk with Him. If you’re not prepared to develop an intimacy with God, then don’t bother trying to reach people for Christ . . . . you’ll soon burn out and quit.

   FINALLY:

   Well, friend, I’ve done it again, and I’ve come to the end of my thoughts still wondering if I really said what I wanted to say . . . . what I needed to say.

   But, I do hope you’ve been encouraged and blessed. At times like this I feel like a totally inadequate and unqualified follower of Jesus. But, the bottom line is I want to be more of a “hands on” and “personal” believer than I’ve ever been, and I want to be more free from the traps and restrictions of institutionalized Christianity than I’ve ever wanted in my life. One of my greatest fears is to find myself stuck somewhere behind the lines doing maintenance duty rather than being out on the cutting edge of the Great Commission.

   I hope you feel the same way.

   Have an incredible week, dear friend. Why not be a “Bottom Line” believer this week?

   In His Bond,

   Bob Tolliver — Rom 1:11-12
   Copyright July, 2002
   Life Unlimited Ministries
   lifeunlimited@myexcel.com

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The Battle for the Bible

By Susan Olasky, 1997 worldmag.com

Zondervan Publishing House has come a long way from its founding in 1931, when two brothers, Bernie and Pat Zondervan, decided to sell books from their mother’s farmhouse in western Michigan. Now Zondervan is the largest publisher of Christian media products in the world.

The company’s $13 million glass-enclosed headquarters is built on 20 scenic acres in Grand Rapids, Mich. Visitors to the 350,000-square-foot building are greeted by a life-size bronze sculpture in the building’s lobby, depicting Jesus washing the apostle Peter’s feet. Soaring two-story windows and skylights infuse the building’s atrium and concourses with natural light. Zondervan says its sprawling headquarters required more than 16,000 square feet of windows, 10,000 square yards of carpet, and two miles of modular office partition walls.

Zondervan’s 300 headquarters employees began enjoying the new facilities in 1992, 19 years after the company began publishing the New International Version Bible (NIV). A steady cash flow provided in part by that Bible made Zondervan an attractive takeover target. In 1988 HarperCollins bought Zondervan; HarperCollins is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s The News Corporation, which owns Fox Television, Twentieth Century Fox, TV Guide, and other media properties worldwide.

And the NIV is not the only Bible Zondervan publishes. Many mainline churches prize Zondervan’s New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), even though theological conservatives have expressed concern about both the translation of key passages concerning Christ’s divinity and the NRSV’s unisex language.

Appealing to both evangelicals and theological liberals, Zondervan has licked the platter clean: Zondervan notes that its NIV dominates the “top 10″ best-selling list of Bibles–and that doesn’t include sales of the NRSV.

Clearly Zondervan is proud of, and committed to defending, the reputation of the name NIV. When WORLD reported in its March 29 issue that the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT)–the committee with exclusive authority over the NIV, and the group to which Zondervan is contractually bound–had decided to change the NIV to a unisex version, leading theologians and Zondervan both took notice.

Author J.I. Packer, after examining specific changes made by the CBT, stated that the “adjustments made by what I call the feminist edition are not made in the interests of legitimate translation procedure. These changes have been made to pander to a cultural prejudice that I hope will be short-lived.”

Zondervan issued a statement that did not note any factual inaccuracies in WORLD’s article but emphasized Zondervan’s distinguished history, criticized WORLD’s tone and methodology, and stated that “we intend in no way to advance a particular social agenda or stray from the original biblical texts” (see page 17).

WORLD called Jonathan Petersen, Zondervan’s director of corporate affairs, to give him the opportunity to be specific about Zondervan’s concerns:

When asked to choose Zondervan’s own name for the new version of the NIV–since Zondervan charged that the terms “inclusive,” “unisex,” and “gender-neutral” were unfair–Mr. Petersen said, “We would characterize it as the ‘gender-accurate version.’” When asked whether calling the new version “gender-accurate” indicates that Zondervan’s current translation is gender-inaccurate, Mr. Petersen said, “It’s unfortunate that the English language is not as pinpoint as we’d like it to be.”

When asked whether publication of the new version was a done deal, Mr. Petersen said, “We don’t have it in our production pipeline that we are coming out with a gender-accurate Bible.” Generally, publishing industry production pipelines reflect books that are within a year of publication; the CBT doesn’t expect its revision to be out for another three to four years.

When asked whether that long-range decision had been made, Mr. Petersen said, “If the Bible scholars recommend that this whole gender issue needs to go in this direction, we will make a decision at that time.” CBT members, however, have already made that recommendation–in 1992.

Although Zondervan has chosen not to say so publicly, at least three pieces of evidence suggest the company is philosophically committed to unisex language:

The first is Zondervan’s editorial style sheet, part of which shows book authors how the publisher expects them to deal with language describing the sexes. When WORLD requested the style sheet, Mr. Petersen sent this one-sentence response: “Generally, masculine pronouns used by authors as generic placemarkers are suggested to be avoided whenever they are not specifically needed or germane to the author’s content.”

Yet, the section of the style sheet that deals with sex-specific language, which WORLD obtained from another source, begins with a statement about “the growing awareness of subtle sexist messages in language” and goes into three pages of dos and don’ts; for example, Zondervan writers are to use humanity, people, human beings, or humankind in place of man or mankind.

A second sign that Zondervan approves of “inclusive-language” Bibles: The company not only already publishes the NRSV but also puts out an easy-reader, unisex variant of the NIV, the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV), which CBT secretary Kenneth Barker and other committee members helped to produce. Publicity for the NIrV, published last year, also provides evidence that Zondervan doesn’t like to draw attention to the changes it has made.

The NIrV is described on Zondervan’s website merely as “a simplification of the NIV.” In a two-page press release announcing that David C. Cook was adopting the NIrV for use in its Bible-in-Life Sunday School materials for younger children beginning in September of 1997, Zondervan made no mention of the version’s “gender-accurate” revisions. Nor is there any indication of the changes on the cover, title page, or introductory pages of the NIrV itself. “That was not the purpose of it, so why would we put it on the cover?” Zondervan spokesman Judy Waggoner argued.

The third piece of evidence, of course, involves Zondervan’s contractual relation with the CBT, which is committed to what J.I. Packer calls the “feminist edition.” The publisher is in an awkward position. The CBT, according to Dean Merrill, vice president and publisher at the International Bible Society (IBS), “created and continues to maintain the text of the NIV.” The responsibility for revisions to the text is “their decision to make all the way.” As the CBT’s Larry Walker says, Zondervan must “take what we give them,” a statement that Zondervan’s Ms. Waggoner admits “in essence is true.”

CBT made the decision to go with “inclusive language” in 1992. By 1995 the CBT had finished work on the British version of an inclusive-language New Testament, and in 1996 the group signed off on the whole Bible. Both are now available in Great Britain, where they are published by Hodder & Stoughton under the name NIV Inclusive Language Version.

If Zondervan had a problem with the direction that CBT was going, the company could have made it known. But in 1995, after the “inclusive-language” revision was well under way, Zondervan extended its contract with the International Bible Society to publish the NIV for another 28 years. That contract commits Zondervan to its publishing partnership with the International Bible Society and CBT.

Zondervan now has to find a way to market the feminist edition in a way that will not alienate conservative evangelicals. John Stek, chairman of the CBT, and one of two remaining members who have served from the very beginning, said Zondervan is “hesitant about making [the "inclusive-language" version] widely known.” According to Mr. Stek, Zondervan has been getting “one signal from one source, and one from another” about the acceptability of the changes.

Walking the tightrope between the desire of the CBT for a version “that speaks to the 21st century” and the desire of conservative evangelicals for an accurate Bible translation is a public-relations problem for the publisher more than it is for the scholars at CBT: “Scholars are not PR people,” the CBT’s Larry Walker said.

Zondervan continues to say, “No decision has been made to publish a gender-accurate version, or to publish two. We are in the process of doing market research.” At the same time, fans of the feminist edition have pushed Zondervan to make its commitment explicit. The journal Priscilla Papers, put out by Christians for Biblical Equality, complained last fall, “There is in the United States a ‘deafening silence’ about [the British] edition of the NIV from both Zondervan Publishing House and also the copyright holder, the International Bible Society. Why?”

The controversy has rocked Zondervan–but CBT chairman John Stek says, “I’m not aware of it being controversial on the committee.”

But George Knight III, a retired professor of New Testament hired by the CBT to respond to some of the proposed changes in Paul’s pastoral epistles, argued in a letter to the committee, “We moderns tend to say that to translate without using inclusive language is to be insensitive … virtually sinful…. Are we sensitive enough to what an insistence on inclusive language implies about the inspired text? Was God inspiring an insensitive use of language that borders on sinfulness? Surely we don’t want to suggest that we are more sensitive than God is.”

The committee overruled Mr. Knight’s objections.

Why would the CBT, along with its publishing partners, IBS and Zondervan, risk the NIV’s popularity? Why jeopardize the Bible that since 1986 has been the top-selling version?

According to the CBT’s John Stek, there is only one reason: “Within our committee we’re just concerned that we have a version that reflects the current state of the language.” But when asked how the committee knows that the language has changed, he says, “That’s a judgment that is made. It’s a judgment based on all kinds of evidence.”

Some of the evidence offered to the committee included examples of current English usage in modern literature. But as George Knight points out, many publishers have an “absolute and ironclad policy” requiring the use of unisex language. Usage in books put out by those publishers “gives the impression of a trend,” he says, “but it is power brokers who are forcing a trend.”

Mr. Knight says the change is driven by something other than concern for English style: “It’s choosing an idiom that’s politically acceptable,” he says. The duty of a translator is “to be sensitive to the nuance the writer wants to maintain,” and not merely to find a “word that communicates without reaction or distaste.”

In its preface to the British “inclusive-language” NIV, the CBT lays out its translating principles. One of those principles suggests that Mr. Knight’s depiction is accurate: “It was recognized that it was often appropriate to mute the patriarchalism of the culture of the biblical writers through gender-inclusive language when this could be done without compromising the message of the Spirit.”

Despite the marketing hazards, the CBT is going ahead with its language revisions in general. One CBT member said, however, that any particular changes made in the American edition are still revokable because the whole Bible has not been accepted by the committee yet. That means that individual verses may still be changed in response to criticism.

But deeper questions are raised in a thoughtful letter from Dean Merrill, the new vice president of the NIV copyright-holding International Bible Society. Mr. Merrill, hit by this controversy only two weeks after assuming his position with the IBS, said WORLD concerns were overstated, for the CBT had merely “decided there was little use arguing with the dictionary inside some readers’ heads here in the late 1990s. If they were going to balk at the generic use of the word men, then the translators would find a different word to convey what Paul (and the Holy Spirit) had in mind.”

Mr. Merrill continued, “Does such editing bring grave peril to the faith? Has the integrity of God’s holy and authoritative Word been compromised? Has the grim shadow of a stealth bomber begun to steal over the evangelical countryside? Hardly…. But the slowly turning kaleidoscope of language means we have to keep adjusting the text of God’s unchanging revelation, or modern readers will lose the trail. A translator’s work, like a mother’s, is never done.”

Mr. Merrill asserts that great care is being taken in the translation and that “WORLD’s fear that ‘the result … may be to cloud the uniqueness of men and women’ or that the adjusted version ‘is likely to transform understandings of how God views the sexes he created’ is, frankly, a false alarm.”

That is exactly the right question to ask: Is this a false alarm? Although both Zondervan and the International Bible Society downplay the significance of the CBT’s proposed changes, John Piper, senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, says he has two concerns: “If you believe in the verbal inspiration of Scripture you really can’t play fast and loose with the words the Holy Spirit chose to inspire.” He adds a question: “Is there something about the leadership that God intends for men to have in the church and in the home that is reflected in that language?”

Wayne Grudem, a professor at Trinity Evangelical University, echoes Mr. Piper’s concern about tampering with Scripture. “No one can foresee all the different understandings and applications that people will derive from any one of these changes. But what we can say is this: These revisions are not the words God originally caused to be written, and thus they are not the words of God. They are human words that men have substituted for the words of God, and they have no place in the Bible.”

Regent College professor J.I. Packer concluded that the revisions are “blurring rather than clarifying the sense of the original. The loss is real and the gain is nil.” Readers should examine the chart that compares texts and see for themselves whether Mr. Merrill or Mr. Packer is correct.

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Stand Up for America Rally Speech By: Beth Chapman

I’m here tonight because men and women of the United States military have
given their lives for my freedom. I am not here tonight because Sheryl
Crowe, Rosie O’Donnell, Martin Sheen, George Clooney, Jane Fonda or Phil
Donahue, sacrificed their lives for me.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was not movie stars or musicians, but
the United States Military who fought on the shores of Iwo Jima, the
jungles of Vietnam, and the beaches of Normandy. Tonight, I say we should
support the President of the United States and the U.S. Military and tell
the liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippy, tie-dyed liberals to
go make their movies and music and whine somewhere else.

After all, if they lived in Iraq, they wouldn’t be allowed the freedom of
speech they’re being given here today. Ironically, they would be put to
death at the hands of Sadam Husssein or Osama Bin Laden. I want to know how
the very people who are against war because of the loss of life, can
possibly be the same people who are for abortion?
They are the same people who are for animal rights but against the rights
of the unborn. The movie stars say they want to go to Iraq and serve as
“human shields” for the Iraqis. I say let them buy a one-way ticket and go. No one likes war. I hate war! But the one thing I hate more is the fact
that this country has been forced into war-innocent people have lost their
lives – - and there but for the grace of God, it could have been my
brother, my husband, or even worse my own son.

On December 7, 1941, there are no records of movie stars treading the
blazing waters of Pearl Harbor.

On September 11, 2001; there are no photos of movie stars standing as
“human shields” against the debris and falling bodies ascending from the
World Trade Center. There were only policemen and firemen – -underpaid
civil servants who gave their all with nothing expected in return.

When the USS Cole was bombed, there were no movie stars guarding the ship -
* where were the human shields then?

If America’s movie stars want to be human shields, let them shield the
gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles, or New York City, let them shield the
lives of the children of North Birmingham whose mothers lay them down to
sleep on the floor each night to shelter them from stray bullets.

If they want to be human shields, I say let them shield the men and women
of honesty and integrity that epitomizes courage and embody the spirit of
freedom by wearing the proud uniforms of the United States Military. Those
are the people who have earned and deserve shielding!

Throughout the course of history, this country has remained free, not
because of movie stars and liberal activists, but because of brave men and
women who hated war too. However, they lay down their lives so that we all
may live in freedom. After all – “What greater love hath no man, that he
lay down his life for his friend,” or in this case a country.

We should give our military honor and acknowledgement and not let their
lives be in vain. If you want to see true human shields, walk through
Arlington Cemetery. There lie human shields, heroes, and the BRAVE
Americans who didn’t get on television and talk about being a human shield
* they were human shields.

I thank God tonight for freedom – - those who bought and paid for it with
their lives in the past – - those who will protect it in the present and
defend it in the future.

America has remained silent too long! God-fearing people have remained
silent too long!

We must lift our voices united in a humble prayer to God for guidance and
the strength and courage to sustain us throughout whatever the future may
hold.

After the tragic events of Sept. 11th, my then eleven -year-old son said
terrorism is a war against them and us and if you’re not one of us, then
you’re one of them.

So in closing tonight, let us be of one accord, let us stand proud, and let
us be the human shields of prayer, encouragement and support for the
President, our troops and their families and our country.

May God bless America, the land of the free, the home of the brave and the
greatest country on the face of this earth.

glen on Google+

Shepherds! Bah!

I suppose being a shepherd in Christmas pageants of yore has conditioned me to associate burlap with the Christmas story. You know, that unbleached burlap you buy in craft stores that gives off a sweet “new burlap” smell. Mothers sew it into simple, pullover garments that cover boys’ blue jeans and striped T-shirts. Girls get to be angels in white satin dresses, with wings and halos. But boys in their burlap tell the story of Christmas far better than girls in their satin. Let me tell you why.

Angels are clean. Angels are beautiful. They seem almost otherworldly, since girl angels always seem to know their parts better than do boy shepherds. The angelic satin stuff goes pretty well in most Christmas pageants. The problems come with the burlap part.

Do you know what real-life shepherds were like? Townspeople looked down on them. “Herdsmen!” they’d huff derisively. Shepherds would work with sheep all day, sleep outside with the animals at night, and then come into town dirty, sweaty, and smelly. Like boys. Tradesmen in the marketplace would be polite enough. Shopkeepers would wait on them, but everybody was happy when they moved along. Burlap fits the part. It really does. Angels get clouds and the Hallelujah Chorus for props. Shepherds get a stable. Maybe cattle lowing has a bit of romance. But conjure up the smells and the filth. No stainless steel dairy palace this, but a crude barn, with good reason for straw on the floor. Not exactly the setting you’d choose for a birth if you had the luxury of planning ahead.

But Mary and Joseph have no such luxury. They lumber into Bethlehem as the winter sun is making long afternoon shadows, bone tired after a four-day journey from Nazareth, wet with perspiration under the wool wraps that shield them against the chill wind. No cellular phones to call ahead for a reservation or wangle an invitation from some distant relative. Just overwhelming weariness.

“Innkeeper,” says the taller boy playing Joseph, “do you have any vacancies? My wife is going into labor. We’ve got to find a place to stay the night out of this wind.”

The innkeeper shakes his head.

“Nothing?” says Joseph, his voice husky. “We’ve got to find a place. Anyplace!”

The innkeeper gestures and mumbles something.

“A stable?” Joseph looks over at the Mary, whose robe is distended with padding to simulate pregnancy. Mary nods, but you can see the pain in her face.

And so the innkeeper leads the pair to the stable, moves a few things out of the corner and reaches for the coins Joseph gives him.

This isn’t exactly picturesque and the pageant director is struggling as satin gives way to broken tools hanging from the walls. Large gaps under the stable door tease the wind into blowing tiny bits of straw into faces and hair.

Christmas plays always skip over the actual birth, so the next scene opens with scroungy shepherds peering in the door. The satin angel has told them to look for a newborn, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a feeding trough, so they have checked all the stables in town.

And here they find what they have sought: young couple, reclining exhausted in a barn, and a precious little baby, all wrapped up and lying in a manger, just as the angel said.

They push open the stable door to get a better look, and Joseph, hearing the squeak of dry hinges, stirs. “What do you want,” he calls.

“The baby, we’ve come to see the baby,” they reply, and then file one-by-one into the barn and kneel on the floor before the manger. The older shepherd removes his headdress in reverence, and other shepherds fumble to do the same.

In the silence and flickering light you can see tears of joy coursing down their cheeks. No Christmas pageant ever shows that part, but it happened, I’m sure.

“How did you know to come?” Joseph asks after a moment.

“Angels told us,” is the reply. “They said that tonight in Bethlehem-town would be born a Savior, who is Messiah, the Lord.”

“There was thousands … millions of them angels,” recites a young shepherd, whose mother spent all afternoon coaching him on his single line.

Angels seem appropriate to the birth of God’s son. But straw and sweat and burlap do not. Why, I ask, would the Son of God Most High enter life amidst the rubble of human existence, at the lowest rung of society, in obscurity and at the stable-edge of rejection even before he is born?

And as hard as I think about it, I come back to one truth. God wanted to make it explicitly clear that He came to save each of us. He comes to the slimy, dark corners of our existence, the desperateness, the loneliness, the rejection, the pain. He comes to unswept barns and cold nights of despair. He comes because he understands them. He knows them intimately and came for the very purpose of delivering us from those raw stables to real Life.

Life that angels proclaim and humans long for. To be loved, actually loved by God in spite of ourselves. God reaches out to us in our misery, not just at an occasional moment of high spirituality. God, who sees us at our worst, offers us His best.

Curtains close, and the crowd stands and applauds. Backstage, Sally is removing her white satin costume while Billy yanks off his headdress and burlap as fast as he can.

“Don’t tear it,” says the harried pageant director. “We’ll need it next year.”

Yes, you will need that burlap again, for without it the watchers may just miss the true lesson of Christmas.

Dave Sumner

God is good !

glen on Google+

SEASONS OF LIFE

Kathy writes:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven :.” Ecc. 3:1

Have you ever had a bad day that turned into a bad couple of
days that turned into a bad week, etc.? I already know your answer.
The truth is, we have all experienced these times. What appears to be
the beginning of a normal day can drastically changed in a matter of
moments.

Here’s an example: A Monday started out fairly normal until Monday
evening when I received a phone call that Donivan’s mother had passed
away suddenly. This was the beginning of a strange and unusual week.
On Tuesday, Donivan and I went to the funeral home to discuss the
arrangements-never a pleasant thing. Because of strained and distant
relationships, it was incredibly strange and difficult. A whole array
of feelings were present. Feelings of wishing we could have done more,
knowing that our hands were tied, others not understanding this, and
relief that this chapter was coming to a close. Sorry that someone was
dead, but hopeless in knowing what could be accomplished now.

On Wednesday, I left work and went to the parking lot and realized my
car had been broken into and attempted stolen. As I looked at the glass
all over my passenger seat and my steering column torn apart, the
realization that my car had almost been stolen hit home. My car is my
one cherished material possession. I get upset if even a small scratch
appears. I sat in the car, trying to decide what to do. A rational
person knows what to do. I was not rational. Finally, I decided I
should probably call the police and did so. Of course, that was a
hopeless thought because I know the attempted theft of my car would be
low priority, if priority at all. The person I spoke to said I could
have a police report done at home, so I elected to leave and take Joshua
to his last drama class where a pizza party was in progress. I guess
you don’t realize until you are a parent how important it is to get your
child to a pizza party! I dropped Joshua off and went home, intending
to get our other car and return to pick him up, but I didn’t have a key
to the other car. So, I decided to drive my car back over there and
then it started to rain. My windshield wipers would not work, so I
turned around and went back home and made arrangements for Joshua to be
brought home. Then I called the police. It took them over an hour to
arrive and when they did arrive, they gave me no hope of catching the
thief.

Then came the day of the service for Donivan’s mom. What a day!
Everything went fine as far as the service, but all kinds of thoughts
and feelings surfaced. It was as if the events of the day, the week,
and my whole life were at the forefront of my mind, especially after
also traveling to the cemetery where several of my family members are
buried.

And then my best friend from junior high/high school called to say her
mom passed away. I was asked to participate as a close friend of the
family. Ruth was a great person and was a great second mom to me when I
was a teenager. She was so much fun to be around and I could really
talk to her. She was my confidant and gave me so much enthusiasm for
life. Even though we had lost touch over the years, I will never forget
her. When I was 16, my uncle on my father’s side passed away. He was
the only sibling of my father and he had no wife or children. Even
though I barely knew that side of the family, I had a desire to go.
Ruth made it possible. She loaned her station wagon to me and her
daughter (my best friend), Cheryl, and let us go BY OURSELVES all the
way to Minco, Oklahoma, a 2BD hour drive from Tulsa. We had no idea
how to get around Tulsa, let alone half way across the state! But we
made it. Every time we made a right turn, we threw our hands in the air
and cheered. That was one of the most meaningful days of my life.
Ruth, I’ll always be grateful!

And here I am now reminiscing about my life and those that touch it or
have touched it.

God has a marvelous plan. I don’t really understand it, but I know it
will be revealed. Paul says in this life we look through a dark glass,
but some day we will see God face to face. Sometimes the waters of life
get muddy or foggy, but God has perfect vision and a perfect plan. We
just have to let go and trust Him with our very lives and future.
There’s an old saying that there is a silver lining behind every dark
cloud. That silver lining is Jesus, and He is preparing every step of
the way for you. Whatever you are going through today, know that God
will turn your sorrow into joy and you will see the benefit of the
journey.

Donivan and I have seen God moving among family members and bringing
healing for them and us as a result of his mother’s death. I think all
of us will see more clearly now. Miracles are happening as I write.
Things too personal to write, but it’s happening.

My car is just a car, and I was reminded with that spiritual thump
several times that I could have lost my whole car! All of the damage
can be repaired, and the car will probably be better than it was before.
We had an extra car, so I was still able to get everywhere I needed to
go. God is so faithful, He always provides! The truth is, I don’t like
Donivan’s car which I ended up driving, so there’s a lesson to learn,
even in that. It’s a long story . . .

As for Ruth, she is now deceased at 53 years old, but God has moved and
brought so much healing between Ruth and her daughter Cheryl, daughter
Chris, and son Kenny. Relationships that had been strained for years
have all been forgiven and love has been restored. Even Ruth’s
ex-husband and father of her children made things right with Ruth and
they forgave each other for the many years of unhappiness. True to form
(I was not surprised in the least), Ruth planned her own funeral. Right
down to the order of service, flowers, and asked her to children to
perform for a tape recording played at the funeral. Ruth listened to
the tape with great approval. My heart was touched when she asked
Cheryl to contact two of her high school friends, one of them being me
and the other Jessica, because we were special to her.

I visited the graves of my own relatives, one being our former pastor
and my dear aunt. I remembered with a tear in my eye how wonderful she
really was and how I hope I can only live up to at least half of the
wonderful woman she was. Knowing that the reason I’m here today doing
what I do is her. She gave me hope and confidence and taught me to love
people and minister to them.

God has a plan! Wait for it with great anticipation!

In His love,

Kathy

glen on Google+