Category: Hear From the President

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My Dad’s sister, Aunt Lil, was the youngest of my grandparents’ daughters and the wife of my Uncle Art. I was in Aunt Lil’s home when she died. It brings tears to my eyes as I remember Art, a World War II veteran, holding Lil in his arms, crying and declaring over and over, “My dear wife, darling, honey! I miss you!” In the years that followed, Art told me that Lil’s death was on his mind every day. In his last years (he lived to age 86), he told me that all his friends were dying and funerals seemed a weekly occurrence. He said it felt like “dying daily.” The apostle Paul said something similar concerning the perils he faced in serving Christ: “I die every day!” (1 Corinthians 15:31 ESV).

Dying with Jesus is probably not our first thought each morning. Instead, we likely think about living with him. But, according to Paul, the two concepts aren’t so different: “I am crucified with Christ,” he wrote, “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

Dying daily with Jesus

You likely know the Black-African spiritual, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? The answer, of course, is yes we were. In fact, we all were, for when Jesus died, we all died with him. Though that idea seems nonsensical at first, it makes sense when we consider that all humanity can be included in the life of the One who created us. The truth of the gospel is that all people are included in Jesus’ substitutionary, representative humanity (Romans 5:12-17). That means we have a share in what Jesus did through his death to cleanse us from sin and conquer the grave, and what he did (and continues to do) through his life to grant us new life and eventual glory (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:13; 3:1). Jesus’ story is our story, and as we embrace and live into that reality, we begin to experience all the benefits of what Jesus has done and is now doing on our behalf. Yes, we share the pain and sorrow of his crucifixion, but we also share the fruit of his faithful life leading to his resurrection and ascension to glory.

Several scriptures exhort us to take up our cross and die daily to self so we may live with Jesus and thus bear the fruit of his righteousness (see Mark 8:35; John 12:24; Romans 6:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24). Dying daily means putting to death the deeds of the flesh and plunging selfishness back into the grave. When I find myself taking offense, I try to remember that in Christ I died many years ago and thus words and individuals can’t hurt me anymore. Because Jesus died for me, I’m willing to die with him today and every day. That daily death to self and sin does not mean the end of my personality, but the beginning of becoming who God created me to be.

Living daily with Jesus: a journey of transformation

Only Christ has true life for us. Only his will for us leads to true freedom. Alive with Christ, we freely and gladly receive what he gives—no more and no less. Life in Christ means the transformation of the will and the heart that allows us to live and love as God intends for us. This transformation is a journey with Jesus by which, through the Spirit, we become more and more like Jesus. As I wrote last week, he gives us a new identity. Along the way, our old identity (in the first Adam) passes away while our new identity (in Christ, the last Adam), becomes more and more the defining reality of our lives.

These two identities (or natures) exist for a time side-by-side, competing for our time and affections. It’s often a struggle, but we have the responsibility to choose which nature we will follow: the old one with its lusts and pride that leads to destruction, or the new one with its self-sacrificial willingness to love and serve both God and people, leading to true, abundant life.

Christ promises to guide us on this journey, giving us strength to choose as he shares with us, through the Spirit, his own sanctification. We’ll find some sins easier to forsake than others (some are more enjoyable than others!). But all sin needs to go in order for us to enjoy fully the life that Jesus is sharing with us. Because he bought us with a price, our bodies are not our own—they belong to the One in whom and for whom we live.

Instead of doing what pleases us, in fellowship with Jesus we seek to do what pleases him. That leads us to discover that his way really is best. Amazingly, his way then becomes pleasing to us. This journey with Jesus involves thought and repentance, self-sacrifice and patience. It also involves yielding to Jesus who always is with us, living in us. As we do, we won’t instantly, or even gradually, become perfect. But we’ll journey forward, sharing Jesus’ abundant, new life as we go.

Notice this related instruction from Paul:

• We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4).
• Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body…. Offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:11-13).
• We are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

It boils down to knowing who Jesus is—the truth that points to our own identity as God’s dearly loved children. No longer are we the old person we once were—our sins have been forgiven; that old person has died with Jesus. Now we are a new creation. Alive with Christ, sin has no power to force us to do its will. With Christ in us, we can choose to do what is right—what fits who we really are becoming.

We embrace this new identity as “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18), obeying our Lord Jesus because we want to be with him and receive from him daily all he has to give us. We obey out of our trust or faith in him, and in his good purposes for us. No longer fearing condemnation (Romans 8:1), we aren’t afraid of God; we now see him as our perfect Father who loved us so much that he sent his Son to die for us. Because Christ now lives in us, his love for us and all people compels us to die daily so we can join him in his ongoing ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

Joining you in dying and living with Jesus,
Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and sisters,

Our increasingly secular, individualistic culture has lost sight of the truth that God gives us the precious gift of human identity. This loss leaves people to define their own identity. In doing so, instead of relying on widely agreed-upon values concerning life’s meaning, purpose and destiny, they rely on a secular “law” that values complete individual autonomy from God and people. Instead of producing freedom, this law produces slavery.

Because we are called to minister with Jesus within particular cultures, we must be aware of how culture shapes identity, and how the gospel testifies that the true identity of all people is found in Jesus. As Christians, we believe that the Son of God created us, became human, shared our life, died on our behalf, and now lives to help us, holding our future secure in his hands. This gospel truth is our primary frame of reference—our source of identity.

Sadly, the identity of many people is shaped not by the gospel but by such identity-forming cultural forces as media (including social media), advertising, education, entertainment, politics, technology and peer pressure. “Swimming” within this “cultural soup,” people come to believe they don’t need God—that they can be self-sufficient and make their own way. They learn to place their identity in their nationality, race, vocation, peer group, or hobby. And now many feel the need to place their identity in their sexual preferences (for more on that topic, click here or on the “LGBT issues” link above, left).

Into this “cultural soup” comes Jesus with a radical message of a new, transformed identity. That identity is not principally about human distinctions (Galatians 3:28), but who humans are, by grace, as God’s dearly loved children. Sadly, many people don’t know of this Christ-centered identity, largely because they hold false views about who God is. They’ve heard he’s like an angry, abusive parent out to punish his disobedient children. They’ve heard he’s so offended that he can’t stand to be in the presence of sinners and has plans to inflict pain on them forever and ever.

But all these views of God are wrong—they all suffer from a case of mistaken identity. God’s true identity is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus we see that God is willing to suffer for us, even die for us, so that we can live forever with him. In Jesus we see that though we all sin and fall short of perfection, God, in love, has done something about it.

People react to this truth about God in different ways. Some won’t accept it—they don’t think their sins are anywhere near bad enough to necessitate such sacrifice. Others know they’ve sinned, but believe the good they’ve done outweighs the bad. Others, painfully aware of their guilt, desperately try to earn their way back into God’s favor.

The good news is that God’s favor, as a loving Father, is already there for all people. Even when we were sinners (his enemies!) he loved us and sent his Son to die on our behalf and reconcile us to himself. That truth—the gospel—forms the basis for our true identity. Yes, we all are sinners, and no, we can’t change that, but God can and has. As his freely given gift, he sent his Son to live and die in our place so that we would be forgiven and raised with him to new life. And now in Jesus—in who he is, and what he has done—we are the dearly loved children of our heavenly Father. That is who we truly are. That is our true identity.

Over the centuries, followers of Jesus, embracing their true identity, have committed their lives to helping others come to know who they truly are in Christ. Paul described that gospel work this way: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…” (Galatians 4:19). Paul’s work in Galatia, as elsewhere, was to help people know Christ and to have Christ formed within them—to understand their true identity and then have their lives transformed as they live into that identity (see Galatians 2:20 KJV).

As a church, our primary goal is to participate, as did Paul, in what Jesus is doing to help people come to know him and then to be transformed as Christ is formed within them (Romans 12:2). That journey of transformation is about having our identity formed in Christ rather than in the “cultural soup” that surrounds us. It means yielding to the Spirit of Christ as he shapes us into what he wants us to be, using the gifts he gives us to join in the work he is doing, being instruments of his righteousness and peace for the benefit of people who desperately need to know him and know who they truly are in him.

This journey of transformation happens neither by accident nor by force. At times the journey seems slow, but it’s real and leading to our glorification—the time when we’ll be conformed perfectly to Christ and thus live fully into our true identity in him (see Romans 8:29 and 1 John 3:2). On this journey, the Spirit leads us to turn away from all other sources of identity and give our lives to Christ daily, as he continues to shape us to be more and more like he is. Note how Paul describes the process:

• “You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).
• “Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Out with the old identity—in with the new! Off with the way of sin—in with the way of Christ! As we surrender to Jesus, he gives us this new identity and way of being. It’s no pretense; no religious show—it’s reality, the gift of our true identity that gives us our meaning, our purpose, our security and our destiny. It’s a journey with daily challenges and joys. It’s about a life centered on Jesus, who not only shows us the Father, but shows us what we can become as we journey with him.

Our mission is to tell others this wonderful news—the simple (yet profound) truth that God who made us wants really good things for us. Even though we humans run from God, or act as if he’s not there, or refuse his help, God still loves us, still pursues us. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to become human with us, to speak our language, feel our pain, and take the sting of death upon himself removing all the barriers between us and God, giving us all our true identity as God’s dearly loved children.

Joined with you in living out our true identity in Christ,
Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As a young teen I was seated in a movie theater when the power went out. The murmuring of the audience grew louder as each second in the dark passed. I found myself squinting, trying to see a way out when someone opened a door to the outside. Light poured into the theater and the murmuring, and my squinting, quickly ended.

Until faced with darkness, most of us take light for granted. But without light there is no sight. We see because light upon an object moves through space, where reaching our eyes it stimulates our optic nerves, producing a signal that our brains interpret as an object in space having a particular appearance, location and movement. Understanding the nature of light has been a challenge—early theories posited light as a particle, then a wave. Today, most physicists view light as both—a wave-particle. Note what Einstein wrote:

It seems as though we must use sometimes the one theory and sometimes the other, while at times we may use either. We are faced with a new kind of difficulty. We have two contradictory pictures of reality; separately neither of them fully explains the phenomena of light, but together they do.

An interesting aspect about the nature of light is how darkness has no power over it. While light dispels darkness, the reverse is not true. This phenomenon plays prominently in Scripture in pointing out the nature of God (light) and evil (darkness). Note what the apostle John wrote:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7).

As noted by Thomas F. Torrance in his book The Trinitarian Faith, early church leader Athanasius, following the teachings of John and the other original apostles, used the metaphor of light and its radiance to speak about the nature of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ:

As light is never without its radiance, so the Father is never without his Son or without his Word. Moreover, just as light and radiance are one and are not alien to one another, so the Father and the Son are one and are not alien to one another but are of one and the same being. And just as God is eternal light, so the Son of God as eternal radiance of God is himself eternally light without beginning and without end (p. 121).

Athanasius was making a vital point that he and others codified in the Nicene Creed: Jesus Christ shares with the Father the one being (Greek=ousia) of God. Were that not so, it would have made no sense when Jesus proclaimed: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). As Torrance notes, if Jesus were not homoousios (of one ousia) with the Father (and thus fully God), we would not have in Jesus the full revelation of God. But as Jesus proclaimed, he truly is that revelation—to see him is to see the Father; to hear him is to hear the Father. Jesus Christ is the Son of the Father from his very being—that is, from his essential reality and nature. Torrance comments:

The Father/Son relation falls within the one being of God, the Father and the Son inhering and coexisting eternally, wholly and perfectly in one another. God is Father precisely as he is eternally the Father of the Son, and the Son is God of God precisely as he is eternally Son of the Father. There is perfect and eternal mutuality between the Father and the Son, without any “interval” in being, time or knowledge between them (The Trinitarian Faith, p. 119).

Because the Father and the Son are one in being, they also are one in doing (action). Notice what Torrance wrote about this in The Christian Doctrine of God:

There is an unbroken relation of Being and Action between the Son and the Father, and in Jesus Christ that relation has been embodied in our human existence once and for all. There is thus no God behind the back of Jesus Christ, but only this God whose face we see in the face of the Lord Jesus. There is no… dark inscrutable God, no arbitrary Deity of whom we can know nothing but before whom we can only tremble as our guilty conscience paints harsh streaks upon his face.

This understanding of the nature (being) of God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, played a critical role in the process of officially determining the New Testament canon. A book was not considered for inclusion in the New Testament if it did not uphold the essential oneness of the Father and the Son. Thus this truth and reality served as a key hermeneutical principle by which the content of the New Testament was determined for the church.

Understanding that the Father and the Son (with the Spirit) are one in being and doing helps us understand the nature of grace. Grace is not a substance created by God to stand between God and humanity but, as Torrance notes, “the self-giving of God to us in his incarnate Son in whom the Gift and the Giver are indivisibly one God himself.” The content of God’s saving grace is a person, Jesus Christ, for it is in, through and by him that salvation occurs.

The triune God, who is eternal light, is the source of all “illumination,” both physically and spiritually. The Father who called light into existence, sent his Son to be the light of the world, and the Father and the Son send the Spirit to bring illumination to all people. Though God “lives in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16), he has revealed himself to us by his Spirit in the “face” of his incarnate Son, Jesus Christ (see 2 Corinthians 4:6). Even if we must, at first, squint to “see” this stunning light, those who embrace it soon find the darkness has been driven far away.

Basking in the light,
Joseph Tkach

PS. If you’d like to learn more about the incarnational Trinitarian roots of the Nicene Creed, go to http://thesurprisinggodblog.gci.org/p/nicene-creed.html where you’ll find an excellent article by Ted Johnston summarizing key points about the Creed from Torrance’s book The Trinitarian Faith.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Perhaps you remember Wayne’s World from the TV show Saturday Night Live. Comedians Mike Myers (as Wayne Campbell) and Dana Carvey (as Garth Algar) gave tongue-in-cheek compliments by kneeling and waving their arms in mock worship, proclaiming, “We’re not worthy!” People today exclaim “I’m not worthy” upon witnessing a particularly amazing feat. When I think of some of the skilled folks I’ve been blessed to fish with, “I’m not worthy” comes to my mind as well.

Of course, some not-so-skilled people tell exaggerated stories about their “epic” fishing trips. But let me tell you two fishing stories that need no exaggeration. The first story is a personal one, about the time I took my son on his first fishing outing. As attested by the pictures above, it was a good day. I’ll never forget the look on my son’s face as he reeled in his first fish. Rather large for a less-than-four-year-old boy, it nearly pulled him out of the boat! When we met some people back on shore, and they realized it was my son’s first catch, several jokingly proclaimed, “We’re not worthy!” Quite a fishing story, don’t you think? But nothing compared to the second—one I’m sure you know. It’s the incident where Jesus directed Simon Peter to a location where he and his companions then hauled in a record catch. Though Simon was the professional fisherman, Jesus gave Simon these instructions:

“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:4-7)

Notice Simon Peter’s reaction (illustrated in the painting above):

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken…. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:8-11)

Peter’s response to Jesus was, in essence, “I’m not worthy.” Isn’t that how we often feel when encountering God’s love and grace? We know we’re sinners and there’s nothing we can do to make ourselves worthy in God’s sight. But Jesus’ intent is never to push us away, or to shame us, but to help us understand that our worthiness comes not from ourselves, but from him. Jesus makes us worthy.

“But,” some might object, “isn’t it true that God refuses to be in the presence of sinners?” Though this false idea is held by some, the truth, thank God, is that the Son of God came to live among sinners—to be in their presence, and through his presence to make them worthy. This doesn’t mean that Jesus ignores our sin; in fact, he hates it—he hates how it hurts us and distorts and denigrates God’s character and God’s purposes for us.

The fact that we are sinners does not deter Jesus from seeking us out and fellowshipping with us—drawing us to the Father, in the Spirit. And while it’s true that what is “dead in sin” cannot make itself holy, God is both willing and able to make that which is dead, fully alive—to make that which is unholy, truly holy.

Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus associated and fellowshipped with sinners, much to the dislike of the Jewish religious leaders of his day: “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them'” (Luke 15:2). Jesus, who is the ultimate “fisher of men” (and women), rubbed shoulders with the people (sinners all) he intended to “catch,” including the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-29), pictured at right.

The Bible describes more than one miracle of Jesus involving catching fish—you might say that Jesus is the author of the ultimate fishing stories! Unlike fishermen who are famous for exaggerated stories, Jesus has no need to exaggerate. He skillfully gathered in Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He took a group of men who normally would not associate with each other and soon had them “swimming” together. Jesus “caught” those who became his apostles: Peter, Paul and the others. Throughout history he has continued to make stellar catches including former atheists C.S. Lewis and Alister McGrath. And let us not forget how he caught you and me in his net for eternal life!

Though there is nothing you or I can do to make ourselves worthy, we rest assured knowing that God the Father, by his sheer grace, makes us worthy by sharing with us in Christ through the Spirit, his own holiness. Now that’s the ultimate fishing story, and it’s great good news!

Glad to be caught by God,
Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I saw a Peanuts cartoon recently in which Charlie Brown, talking with Lucy, wonders if God is pleased with him. When he asks Lucy if she ever wonders the same thing, she replies, “He just HAS to be!” Humorous? Yes, but touching on a profound issue we all relate to, for we all seek affirmation. At one level, that’s OK—God created us as relational beings and it’s natural to seek affirmation from others. But that desire becomes a problem when affirmation is sought not knowing that God, who knows who we truly are and are becoming, is pleased with us already.

For those not secure in this gospel truth, I recommend they read The Mediation of Christ, by Thomas F. Torrance. It powerfully proclaims a vital pastoral principle: Because the gospel is always Yet not I, but Christ, we must avoid casting people back on themselves. We work contrary to that principle when our preaching and teaching point people to their sinful nature, or impose long lists of things they must do to please God. Doing so tends to focus people on self rather than Christ. But the gospel truth is that we are who we are, and who we are becoming, not apart from Christ, but in Christ. In fact, we have no being apart from Christ. Everything that was ours he has made his own so that everything that is his, is now ours in him. Paul put it this way:

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

The Mediation of Christ helps us understand the good news that God really is pleased with us. That’s important to know in a world filled with so much bad news: the Chinese stock market imploding, Wall Street and United Airlines computer systems crashing, Greece on the brink of bankruptcy, ISIS executing thousands. Seeing all this bad news, some wrongly conclude that God is causing (or at least allowing) these things because of his hatred of sin. While it’s true that God hates sin, it’s not for the reason many assume. The truth is that God is not surprised by sin, and evil cannot thwart the plan he is working out in the universe. God hates sin because it damages and hurts his creation—it causes it pain and suffering, and that is not God’s will.

When God created the universe, he declared it good, even very good (Genesis 1:25, 27, 31). But how could God say that foreknowing that the creation would become so broken and diseased? Scripture (rightly understood) tells us that sin and evil entered the world as the absence of and defection away from what ought to be. Sin and evil are a corruption of God’s good creation and God is not the source—the creatures he created are, and we all are culpable. Yet God has good news for us—sin and evil do not change his love for his creatures, including humans who are created in his very image.

God was not caught off guard when in our pride and arrogance we rebelled against him. Along with his very good creation, God had a very good plan to assure his purpose for creation would survive even the greatest evil humans could devise. That is why John wrote about “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). God’s plan was no fourth-down punt (to use an American football analogy), nor an emergency contingency plan. God created humanity to be in relationship with him and our failures were not unanticipated, they are not a showstopper. The opposite is true: God’s plan is the showstopper!

Regardless of what we do, or how much evil is in the world, Jesus is sufficient. He is the Son of God who assumed all original sin in the incarnation, all without sinning. In his purity, especially on the cross, he condemned sin in the flesh for the salvation of all humanity. That, dear brothers and sisters, is the good news of the gospel, which, as Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, tells us of the supremacy of Jesus, who is the very center of God’s plan:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. (Colossians 1:15-23)

In explaining who God is, Torrance reminds us that God never repents of being love. His love is always and everywhere unconditional:

It is his loving of the sinner which resists his sin that is His judgment of the sinner.… The total self-giving of the self-affirming God in love is and cannot but be the judgment of His love upon the sinner. He does not hold back His love from the sinner, for He cannot cease to be the God who loves and loves unreservedly and unconditionally. (The Christian Doctrine of God, One Being Three Persons, p. 246)

Yes, God is implacably opposed to sin for he takes no delight in seeing his creation besmirched. Yet sin and evil do not decrease God’s love for us. Note what God says through Ezekiel: “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone… so turn, and live” (Ezekiel 18:32 ESV).

In saying God is pleased with us already, we are not being antinomian nor “light on sin.” In The Doctrine of Jesus Christ, Torrance teaches that sin is a contradiction in the heart and at the basis of human existence—a corruption of our existence and a disintegration of our very being in relation to God. God, who has guaranteed that evil has no future, in mercy cuts and burns away the sin in us, condemning it to hell, and rescuing us for eternal life with him. God made this possible in Jesus where we die with him under God’s judgment—his No against sin, including the sin within us. With Christ we are ransomed and raised to newness of life. God’s love for us, therefore, is not based upon our works (good or bad). No, God is infinitely pleased with us, not because of what we do but because of who we are as his children and what he can do in and through us in fellowship and communion with him.

Let me share one more quote from Tom Torrance in The Mediation of Christ:

God loves you so utterly and completely that he has given himself for you in Jesus Christ his beloved Son, and has thereby pledged his very being as God for your salvation. In Jesus Christ God has actualized his unconditional love for you in your human nature in such a once for all way, that he cannot go back upon it without undoing the Incarnation and the Cross and thereby denying himself. Jesus Christ died for you precisely because you are sinful and utterly unworthy of him, and has thereby already made you his own before and apart from your ever believing in him. He has bound you to himself by his love in a way that he will never let you go, for even if you refuse him and damn yourself in hell his love will never cease. Therefore, repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. (p. 94)

Even our individual repentance is flawed, and our Savior acts in our behalf on that too. Through his grace, we are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). That means when God looks at us, he doesn’t see our sin—he sees the perfection of his Son—a perfection he is building in us by the Holy Spirit and that will be completed on the other side of our death, in Christ Jesus. It pleases God to reveal his Son in us (Galatians 1:15-16). Moreover, God sees the beginning from the end and he loves a good ending more than we realize.

Yes, God is pleased with you already, for you belong to him in Jesus Christ.

Feeling his pleasure as we proclaim the good news!
Joseph Tkach

PS: For a short booklet (tract) that presents this gospel truth, including an invitation to receive Christ, see the post under the Church Development heading above, left (or click here). I encourage our congregations to print copies of this booklet for members to give to friends and family, and to give to visitors at church.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I watched a video recently that parodies a TV infomercial—in this case hawking a fictitious Christian worship CD entitled It’s All About Me. The songs on the CD include Lord I Lift My Name on High, I Exalt Me, and There is None Like Me. Funny? Yes, but illustrative of the sad truth that we humans tend to worship self rather than God. As I noted last week in my “Quaffing Grace” letter, this tendency short-circuits our spiritual formation, leading to reliance on self rather than on Jesus, “The author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV).

Sometimes preachers inadvertently help people embrace a wrong approach through messages on Christian living topics like overcoming sin, helping the poor, or sharing the gospel. These topics can be helpful, but not when they focus people on self rather than on Jesus—who he is, and what he has done and is doing on our behalf. It’s vital that we help people rely fully on Jesus for their identity, their life’s vocation and their ultimate destiny. With eyes fixed on Jesus, they will see what they do to serve God and humanity not as “pull-yourself-up-by-your bootstraps” self-effort, but as real participation, by grace, in what Jesus is doing in his union with the Father and the Spirit, and with all humanity.

Let me illustrate by sharing discussions I had with two dedicated Christians. The first was with a man concerning his struggle with giving. For a long time he strove to give more in offerings to the church than he had budgeted, based on the wrong concept that giving, to be generous, must cause some pain. But no matter how much he gave (and how much pain he experienced in doing so), he still felt guilty knowing he could give more. Thankfully, his approach to giving changed one day while writing a check for the week’s offering. He found himself focusing on what his generosity would do for others rather than on its effects on himself. As this shift in his thinking occurred, feelings of guilt turned to ones of joy. For the first time, he understood a scripture often quoted in offertories: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). He came to realize that God didn’t love him less when he wasn’t a cheerful giver, but God loved seeing him experience joy when he was.

The second discussion involved two conversations with a woman concerning her prayer life. In the first she shared that she set the clock when she prayed to be sure she prayed at least 30 minutes. She would cover everything she thought important, but would be dismayed when she looked at the clock and saw not even 10 minutes had passed. So she would pray more, but each time she looked at the clock, feelings of guilt and inadequacy would rise. My comment to her, said in jest, was that it seemed to me that she was “praying to the clock!” In our second conversation she told me that my comment had revolutionized her approach to prayer (for that, God gets the credit, not me). Apparently my off-the-cuff comment got her thinking and she began to just talk with God when she prayed, not worrying about how long she prayed. In a rather short time, she started feeling more deeply connected with God than ever before.

Christian living (including spiritual formation, discipleship and mission) is not about “shoulds” and “oughts” focused on our performance. Instead it’s about participation, by grace, in what Jesus is doing in, through and around us. A focus on self-effort tends to result in a self-righteousness that often compares with others or even condemns them, falsely concluding that we have done something to deserve God’s love. But the truth of the gospel is that God loves all people as much as an infinite God possibly can. That means he loves others as much as he loves us. God’s grace does away with any “us vs. them” approach that exalts self as righteous and condemns others as unworthy.

“But,” some might object, “what about people who commit great sins? Surely God doesn’t love them as much as he loves faithful believers!” To answer this objection we need only look at the heroes of faith profiled in Hebrews 11:1-40. These were not perfect people—many of them experienced times of colossal failure. The Bible tells more stories about people God rescued from failure than about people who lived righteous lives. Sometimes we misread the Bible as if the redeemed did the work instead of the Redeemer! When we fail to understand that our lives are disciplined by grace, not self-effort, we erroneously conclude that our standing with God is about our performance. Eugene Peterson addresses this mistake in his helpful book on discipleship, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction:

The central reality for Christians is the personal, unalterable, persevering commitment that God makes to us. Perseverance is not the result of our determination; it is the result of God’s faithfulness. We survive in the way of faith not because we have extraordinary stamina but because God is righteous. Christian discipleship is a process of paying more and more attention to God’s righteousness and less and less attention to our own; finding the meaning of our lives not by probing our moods and motives and morals but by believing in God’s will and purposes; making a map of the faithfulness of God, not charting the rise and fall of our enthusiasm.

God, who is ever-faithful to us, never condemns us when we are unfaithful to him. Yes, our sins grieve him because they hurt us and others, but our sins don’t determine whether or how much God loves us.

Our triune God is perfect, complete love—there is no lesser or greater measure of his love for any person. Because God loves us, he gives us his Word and Spirit to enable us to recognize our sin, to confess it (agree with God about it) and then repent—turn away from sin back to God and his grace. Ultimately, all sin is a rejection of grace. Anyone who dies to their (false, old) self, confessing and repenting of sin, rather than justifying themselves, does so because they have received the gracious, transforming work of God. In his grace, God accepts us where we are but never leaves us there.

When we focus on Jesus and not self, we see ourselves and others the way Jesus sees us—as God’s children, and that includes the many who do not yet know their heavenly Father. As we walk with Jesus, he invites and equips us to participate in what he is doing to reach out in love to those who don’t know him. As we participate, we see with greater clarity what God is doing to turn his beloved children toward him in repentance, helping them put their lives entirely into his care.

As we share with Jesus in this ministry of reconciliation, we learn more clearly what Paul meant when he said that the law condemns but God’s grace gives life (see Acts 13:39 and Romans 5:17-20). That is why it’s vital that all our ministry, including our teaching about Christian living, is done with Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, under the umbrella of the grace of God.

Staying focused on grace, Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week we noted that when it comes to the freedom that is ours in Christ, some can’t handle the truth. Jesus came to reveal the freedom that is ours under grace, not to give us rules and regulations to live by. Sadly, many Christians prefer legalism over grace. Some Christian leaders won’t preach grace, fearing it would encourage their people to sin. They worry that in teaching grace they would lose control over their members who would begin doing whatever they wanted.

For some, grace is scandalous. How can God forgive all unconditionally—aren’t some sins much worse than others? How can all people have opportunity for the same reward?

For others, grace is irrational because it offends their sense of fairness and justice. You’ll recall the parable where the workers in the vineyard didn’t like it that others were paid the same for doing much less work (Matthew 20:1-16).

For others, grace is risky. One well-meaning Christian woman told me not to preach grace because that would open wide the door to lawlessness and unrighteousness. If God already has pardoned us, she wondered, wouldn’t people naturally desire to get away with as much as they can? What she failed to understand is that someone who hears of God’s grace then uses it as an excuse to continue in disobedience has actually not received grace but is presuming upon it. God’s grace does not promote licentiousness and it’s not some “newfangled idea.” No, grace has been around since the beginning. Note what the apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy:

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8-10).

I can say from personal observation and experience that legalism produces far more lawlessness than grace. Like many of you reading this, I spent years hearing one sermon after another pleading with me to stiffen my upper lip, steel up my backbone, try harder, pray longer, read the Bible more, serve more diligently and stop every thought contrary to God’s law. All this was so I would become more holy—more like God. Over time, I realized I was actually developing a spiritual numbness. I was praying more, studying more and serving more, but it was more out of a sense of guilt or because it was expected of me, than out of a desire to know God and share his love with others.

While there is nothing wrong with praying or reading the Bible more, neither made me more holy. At times it might have made me more judgmental or pious, but not more holy. (As a side note, one of the most mature Christians I have known never read the Bible because she did not know how to read!)

Many of my favorite quotes about grace are from the colorful Christian author, Robert Farrar Capon (pictured at right). In his book Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus, he wrote this:

The Gospel of grace must not be turned into a bait-and-switch offer. It is not one of those airline supersavers in which you read of a $59.00 fare to Orlando only to find, when you try to buy a ticket, that the six seats per flight at that price are all taken and that the trip will now cost you $199.95. Jesus must not be read as having baited us with grace only to clobber us in the end with law. For as the death and resurrection of Jesus were accomplished once and for all, so the grace that reigns by those mysteries reigns eternally—even in the thick of judgment.

I wonder why we don’t hear more sermons about Jesus and his grace, and less sermons about Christian living and how to improve ourselves or our ministries. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not opposed to sermons about personal improvement, moral living and letting our lights shine. But if those sermons are not given under the umbrella of grace, we can lose sight of the Author of grace. Here’s an illustration: One popular preacher on television almost always has three to seven “to-do” points in his sermons about how to become a more successful Christian. After a year, listeners would have at least 150 points to live by, and nearly 500 after three years. It wouldn’t be long before they’d have more points to live by than the 613 commands of the old covenant! It would be impossible to even remember all these points, let alone consciously put them into practice.

Grace is different, even counter-intuitive. God’s Spirit living in us leads us to bear fruit as we live our lives in union with Christ. We don’t produce the fruit that comes forth—we share what our Lord gives us. It’s simple to remember—we can’t do God’s work in our own power. As we live the new life in Christ, grace wrestles control out of our hands and destroys our safe, conditional world. God’s grace doesn’t just cosmetically change us—it transforms us from the inside-out. Notice Paul’s comment:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14).

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon (pictured at right) put it this way:

When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I beat my breast to think I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so and sought my good.

This is the experience of many when they move away from legalism (where they strive diligently through their own efforts to live right and stop sinning) and, trusting in Christ, begin living under grace. In that regard, note this from Capon in Between Noon & Three: Romance, Law & the Outrage of Grace:

The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellar full of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred proof Grace—bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly. The word of the Gospel—after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into heaven by worrying about the perfection of your bootstraps—suddenly turned out to be a flat announcement that the saved were home before they started… Grace has to be drunk straight: no water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale; neither goodness, nor badness, not the flowers that bloom in the spring of super spirituality could be allowed to enter into the case.

Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more—no spiritual calisthenics, no renunciation, no knowledge gained from seminaries and divinity schools, no crusading on behalf of righteous causes. Grace also means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less—no racism, pride, pornography, adultery or even murder. Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God possibly can. Imbibing deeply of such grace forever changes us.

I’ll have more to say about grace next week when we look at how people short-circuit their spiritual formation by fixing their eyes on self rather than on Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith.

Quaffing grace from a large decanter,
Joseph Tkach

PS: Tammy and I recently visited our congregation in Fairfield, California, pastored by Steve and Karon Smith. We had a wonderful time there with 40 brothers and sisters in Christ. Fairfield is gorgeous—surrounded by orchards, groves and vineyards. In nearby Healdsburg we visited Mauritson Winery (pictured at right), owned and operated by Clay and Carrie Mauritson. Clay was an outside linebacker for the Oregon Ducks and Carrie is the daughter of Gordon and Marilys Green, one of our pastoral couples in South Africa. I recommend Mauritson’s Zinfandel and we’ll have to return to taste their Cabernet Savignons. Oh, and their Port is quite nice—just ask Mike Swaggerty who joined us for dinner!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In a key scene in the movie A Few Good Men, defense lawyer Lieutenant Lionel Kaffee (portrayed by Tom Cruise) in cross-examining defendant Colonel Nathan Jessup (portrayed by Jack Nicholson), cries out: “I want the truth!” Colonel Jessup famously replies, “You can’t handle the truth!” Though we say we desire “the unvarnished truth,” what we often really want (as illustrated in the following joke) is truth that has been sugar-coated.

A fellow arrived home from the office just in time to receive a call from his wife who was about to fly home from Europe. “How’s my cat?” she asked. “Dead, he answered.” “Oh, honey, don’t be so honest. Why didn’t you break the news to me slowly? You’ve ruined my trip.” The semi-clueless husband replied, “What do you mean?” His wife gave him a bit of a tutorial by saying, “You could have told me he was on the roof. And when I called you from Paris, you could have told me he was acting sluggish. Then when I called from London, you could have said he was sick, and when I called you from New York, you could have said he was at the vet. Then, when I arrived home, you could have said he was dead.” Though never exposed to such protocol, the husband was willing to learn. “OK,” he said, “I’ll do better next time.” “By the way,” she asked, “How’s Mom?” After a long silence he said, “Uh, she’s on the roof.”

The Gospel accounts in the New Testament give examples of the disciples struggling to handle unvarnished truth. On several occasions, Jesus explained to them who he was and what was going to happen to him. At the Last Supper Jesus told them flat out, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Earlier, he declared that if they would stay with him they would know the truth and this truth would set them free (John 8:32). Yet the disciples struggled to grasp what Jesus was telling them and to overcome their unbelief.

The struggle to understand and believe continues. Like the iconic scene in A Few Good Men, many people in our world can’t handle the truth, yet they want its benefits—particularly the freedom it provides. Unwilling to face the truth of God, they invent other “truths”—imagining other means, ways, rules and regulations they think will lead them to freedom. But Jesus declares that he is the truth; he alone sets us free. He tells us that there is no other way to true and free life except in right relationship with God and humankind in and through him.

Most of us have had our own struggles to “handle the truth.” But such struggles never deter Jesus. We may not be able to handle the truth, but the Truth knows how to handle us! Jesus not only sets us free, but promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He reassures us that no power or circumstance (not even our own doubts) can snatch us out of his protective hands (John 10:29).

Sometimes, seeking freedom, instead of paying attention to the authentic truth, people devise their own (erroneous) truths. Refusing to believe there are absolute truths that apply to everyone, all the time, they proclaim that truth is relative. Some even misconstrue the grace of God (and the true freedom it provides) as being without direction, boundaries, central norms and defining authority. For them, freedom is nothing more than freedom from any and all constraints—freedom to follow any inclination they may have at any particular moment. But such mistaken ideas grossly misrepresent what truth, freedom and grace are all about. Note what the apostle Peter wrote: “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16 ESV).

When Jesus declared that “the truth will set you free,” he was not talking about freedom to do whatever we want. He was declaring the mind of the God who, having designed and created us with a certain nature, gives us great purpose and the calling to live out that purpose throughout our lives. The triune God created us to live in a growing relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit by which we would be transformed into the fullness and stature of Jesus. God created us to be loved, and to love God and other people in ways that lead to an abundant life of true freedom—free to know God, to walk with God, to know the way, the truth and the life, to live the way that leads to peace and joy.

Yes, when the Son sets you free (and you live into that freedom), you are free indeed. The freedom God grants us in Christ, is freedom from and for specific things in accordance with God’s good design for us. That freedom runs in a particular direction. Whatever takes us off that path takes us away from the freedom God grants his children. Those other paths ultimately lead to slavery, not freedom.

Of course, there are times we fall from that narrow path—the way of eternal life that brings freedom—and we start walking down the broad and wide path that leads to destruction. But the good news is that Jesus brings us back. Not wanting us to be enslaved by our sinfulness; he reminds us that he is the truth, the one source of freedom. Note Paul’s words: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). God doesn’t want obedient slaves—he wants children who live with him in freedom, grace and truth. He wants children who know what true freedom is—the freedom God has provided for us in Jesus.

In reading Scripture, we must keep in mind that Jesus is the ultimate source of truth and freedom. The Bible is rightly understood only when read through the “lens” of the life and teachings of Jesus as explained by those he appointed as his interpreters. Thomas Torrance put it this way:

We have no speech or language with which to address God but the speech and language called Jesus Christ. In him our humanity, our human understanding, our human words are taken up, purified and sanctified, and addressed to God the Father for us as our very own—and that is the word of man with which God is pleased (The Mediation of Christ).

Jesus is the truth spoken from on high; he also is the perfect human response to that truth. As Torrance wrote in Theological Science, Jesus is the truth “actualized from within the ontological depths of the fallen humanity he assumed in the incarnation.” Jesus Christ is both the objective revelation of God and the appropriate response and conformation of man to divine revelation. Jesus is the one human being in whom the truth of God and human knowledge of the truth “are fully and faithfully correlated.”

Torrance’s point is that Jesus is both the revelation of God to us and the response of humanity to God. The knowledge of this reality dispels the dangerous half-truth that says we need Jesus to bring us to God, but then it’s up to us to get to Jesus. If that were true, we would never get to Jesus! In fact, people say “no” to Jesus all the time. But thanks be to God, Jesus says “no” to our “no.” He knows we don’t understand what we’re saying “no” to. Jesus, who is the way, makes the way for us. The Holy Spirit convicts us that Jesus truly is Lord and Savior. Through the Spirit, Jesus seeks us out when we are lost, helpless, alone and unbelieving.

We don’t come to Jesus through our own efforts. Jesus, through the Spirit, finds us. And when we respond by coming to Jesus, he says, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). As Jesus continues to say “no” to our “no,” he is reinforcing God’s big “yes” to humanity: Yes, you are forgiven. Yes, I accept you. Yes you are my dearly beloved child. God’s goal is that we will shout out our “yes” to him in response, understanding and embracing the truth that sets us free to be who we truly are in Christ.

It’s vital to understand that we can’t “handle” Jesus—he “handles” us! Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, welcomes and invites us to respond in a receptive way to him and to what he offers. Our triune God gives us the freedom we crave, but are incapable of achieving on our own. As C.S. Lewis notes, God grants this freedom by transforming us from the inside out:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.

Now that’s truth we can handle!

Loving the Truth,
Joseph Tkach

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.