Month: July 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last month several GCI pastors participated in hands-on evangelism training called “Outside the Walls.” It was facilitated by Heber Ticas, national coordinator of GCI Church Multiplication Ministries in partnership with Pathways of Grace, one of our congregations near Dallas, Texas. Training began with classroom instruction on Friday and continued Saturday morning when the pastors joined members from the congregation in going door-to-door in neighborhoods surrounding the church meeting place to invite members of the community to participate in a children’s fun day held later that day.

Two of our pastors knocked on one door and told the man of the house they were representing the congregation, then mentioned the fun day. The man told them he didn’t believe in God because God wasn’t fixing the world’s problems. Rather than walking away, the pastors continued to talk with the man. They learned that he is a conspiracy theorist who believes religion is the cause of many of the world’s problems. The man was shocked when the pastors agreed that the man had a valid point and noted that Jesus wasn’t particularly fond of religion either. The man replied that he keeps asking questions and searching for answers. Another shock came when our pastors encouraged him to keep doing so. “No one has ever told me that before,” he replied. One pastor explained, “I believe as you ask questions, you will come to be open to some real answers—ones only God can give you.” After about 35 minutes, the man apologized for being so abrupt and confrontational and said he liked the way our pastors thought about God. The conversation ended with one of our pastors telling him: “The God I know and love, loves you and wants a relationship with you—he’s not all that concerned or worried about your conspiracy theories or your hatred of religion, and when the time is right, he will reach out to you and you will know it’s God and I believe you’ll respond accordingly.” The man looked at him and said, “That’s cool. Thanks for listening and thanks for taking time to talk with me.”

You can learn more about the Dallas-area Outside the Walls event in the article in this issue. I share this story from the event because it illustrates an important truth: people living in darkness are positively impacted when the light of Christ is openly shared with them. The contrast of light with darkness is a metaphor frequently used in Scripture to contrast good (or knowledge) with evil (or ignorance). Jesus used it to speak of judgment and sanctification:

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God (John 3:19-21 ESV).

The familiar saying, “Better to light a candle than curse the darkness,” was first spoken in public in 1961 by Peter Benenson, the British lawyer who founded Amnesty International. A candle encircled with barbed wire became the society’s emblem (see picture at right). The apostle Paul said something similar in Romans 13:12 (ESV): “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” This is what our two pastors, going door-to-door in a Dallas-area neighborhood did for one man who lives in darkness. In doing so they put into practice what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:14-16:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

I think we sometimes underestimate our ability to impact the world for good. We tend to forget that impacting just one person with the light of Christ can make a tremendous difference. Sadly, as shown in the cartoon above, some prefer to curse the darkness rather than shine that light; some prefer to point out sin rather than share God’s love and grace.

Though the darkness can overwhelm us at times, it never overwhelms God. We must never let our fear of evil in the world cause us to lose focus on who Jesus is and what he calls us to do. Remember that he reassures us that darkness cannot overcome the light. Even though we may feel like a very small candle in the midst of pervasive darkness, even a small candle offers life-giving light and warmth. Even the seemingly small ways we reflect Jesus, the light of the world, are never without positive benefit.

Jesus is the light of the whole cosmos, not just the church. He takes away the sin of the world—not just of believers. Through Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, the Father has taken us out of darkness and into the light of a life-giving relationship with the triune God who promises to never let us go. That is the good news (the gospel) about every person on the planet. Jesus is in union with all people, whether they know it or not. The two pastors talking to the atheist knew him to be a beloved child of God who, sadly, was still living in darkness. But instead of cursing that darkness (or the man!), the pastors chose to follow the lead of the Spirit to participate with Jesus in fulfilling the Father’s mission to a world living in darkness. As children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5), they were willing to be light-bearers.

The Outside the Walls event continued on Sunday when some of the people in the community responded positively to invitations to attend our church. Though several came, the man the two pastors spoke with did not. It’s not likely he’ll show up at church any time soon. But getting him to come to church was not the purpose of the conversation. The man was given something to think about—a seed was planted in his mind and heart; a relationship with the church was begun that hopefully will continue. Because that man is a child of God, we are assured that God will continue to bring Christ’s light to him, and Pathways of Grace will likely have a part in what God is doing in that man’s life.

Let each of us follow the Spirit in sharing Christ, the light of God, with others. As we grow deeper in our relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit, we glow more and more brightly with God’s life-giving light. This is true of us as individuals, and as congregations. I pray that our congregations will shine even brighter light by reaching outside their walls to let their life in Christ by the Spirit flow out to the community around their place of meeting. As we include others in our corporate life by offering them God’s love in little and big ways, the darkness begins to dissipate and our communities will reflect more and more of the light of Christ.

Shining the light of Christ with you,
Joseph Tkach

PS: I’m looking forward to participating in the “Good News Festival 2015” coming up this fall in Maryland. You can find information about it and other worship festivals on the GCI Events webpage at www.gci.org/events.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The issue of global warming (sometimes referred to as climate change) has had a prominent and often contentious place in public discourse for some time. Lawmakers in many nations continue debating whether or not to enact sweeping policy changes to address the issue. Some see huge catastrophes looming while others are convinced that global warming is not occurring. There are many positions between these two.

Forgive the pun, but climate change is a “hot topic.” Experts and pundits on all sides of the debate continue to make all sorts of claims, typically pointing to scientific reports that seem to bolster their position. A person can go crazy, or at least suffer some depression, watching these debates unfold!

Sadly, claims on all sides of the debate are often sensationalized, and doom and gloom predictions abound. In 2007, English scientist James Lovelock predicted that as a result of global warming, billions of people will die and the few breeding pairs that survive will live in the Arctic. In 2008, based on the work of U.S. climate scientist Wieslaw Maslowski, former U.S. vice president Al Gore predicted that the entire northern polar ice cap would disappear by 2013. In 2010, Australian microbiologist Frank Fenner predicted that humans likely will be extinct within 100 years due to overpopulation, environmental destruction and climate change.

Lovelock later partially recanted his prediction, declaring, “I was alarmist about climate change and so was Gore. The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing.” In a recent interview Lovelock noted that, “The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world by now.” I find Lovelock’s candor refreshing, though sensationalized claims continue unabated with the internet awash with articles predicting dire catastrophes resulting from global warming. For example, some scientific studies point to the recent drought in Southern California as evidence of global warming. Others note that the drought is the result of normal climate cycles.

Of course, studies like these are often sensationalized in the media, despite the fact that many of the predictions have not come true. The northern polar ice cap has not disappeared and the population of earth continues to grow at a rapid pace. I might note that the media includes religious types who, as would-be prophets, love to cite scientific studies predicting catastrophes as evidence that a cataclysmic end of the world is at hand. You’ve probably noted that their predictions also have not come true.

Given these factors, what is a Christian to believe? One thing we know for sure from the record of history in this fallen world is that our knowledge often is incomplete. Moreover, we often have been incapable of solving our most pressing problems. We also see that the predictions of science have not been perfect and that the predictions of religious self-proclaimed prophets have typically failed. My point is this: it’s difficult to know the objective truth when reading about complex issues like those of climate change and global warming. There are reputable scientists who support all sides of the debate, so there is need for caution and care. Sadly, the media often throw caution to the wind in promoting the sensational—seemingly more interested in dramatic stories that entertain than objective (often complex) facts that truly inform. We need to be careful and circumspect in our reading and our reactions.

There is no doubt that we face substantial environmental problems around the world. Through Adam and Eve, God gave humankind the sacred responsibility of being custodians of our planet. Yet history shows we have largely failed. Poor disposal of sewage and waste, deforestation and environmental pollution are rampant, and the consequences often are devastating. Though there certainly is a great deal of bad news, our calling as followers of Jesus is not to trumpet bad news but to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom. That news is not so much about what we believe as who we believe (for more about the nature of the kingdom and our calling to proclaim it, I urge you to read again Gary Deddo’s article at www.gci.org/god/kingdom).

Proclaiming the good news in the midst of sensationalized bad news takes wisdom as well as courage. As the saying goes, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” In the midst of sensational claims concerning pending doom, we look to God for ultimate answers, comforted knowing the truth that he, as proclaimed in the old song, truly does have “the whole world in his hands.” By the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, God is Lord and Savior over all time and space, over the whole universe and its history. As Jesus proclaimed: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In him we put our hope! God is wholly revealed to us in the person and work of Jesus. His incarnation and atonement is the point at which the world sees and knows the very nature and character of God. We know that by God’s grace we are connected to Christ so that our lives, our history, are caught up in his. His destiny is our destiny, and that is very good news!

We should be aware of and care about what is going on around us (including environmental disasters). We should contribute what we can for the common good as individuals and churches. But there is no need to make dire predictions, nor to cower in fear concerning what lies ahead. There is no need to buy into the sensationalized hype on either side of these issues. Instead, let us take responsible action as we place our trust in Jesus. Through our words and actions, let us point people to him and to his kingdom reign. Let us proclaim that he is the Center of the center—the only real, ultimate and lasting solution to what ails humanity. Let us show in deeds and in words that Jesus is here now, through the Spirit caring about the earth and working to transform humankind. One day, he will return bodily, and when he does he will bring with him a new (transformed) heaven and earth that is yielded fully to and thus blessed by his perfect rule and reign. In the power of the Spirit let us live now in that hope, and let us share it with others.

Knowing and loving the Center of the center,
Joseph Tkach

PS: Of course, global warming is not the only “hot topic” that is being sensationalized in the media. As you know, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that same-sex marriage is to be legal in all 50 states. Pundits (including Christians) on both sides of this issue are weighing in and, as we would expect, there are sensationalized claims on both sides. What are we to believe and do? Due to our biblical convictions concerning marriage, we don’t celebrate the decision, but we don’t throw up our hands in distress. Instead we live in hope, trusting in God, knowing he is sovereign. We live in a fallen world and it does not surprise us to see the world operate the way it does. I’m sure the apostle Paul was disappointed when he was sent to jail for proclaiming Christ, yet he wrote that Christians should rejoice in their trials. And so we don’t panic, we don’t despair, we don’t overreact. In the U.S., GCI is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and we embrace what the NAE has written in opposition to a radical redefinition of marriage at http://nae.net/the-defense-of-marriage-and-the-right-of-religious-freedom and http://nae.net/god-defined-marriage/. As we know, much of humanity rejects God since they do not see him for who he truly is—the God of holy (agape) love. As ministers of Jesus Christ, we are not called to be Old Testament prophets but to proclaim God’s holy love and grace for all people. Let’s be about our Father’s business even when events might tempt us to do otherwise.