Category: Hear From the President

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

June 16 is Father’s Day in the USA. As it approaches, I find myself reminiscing about both my dad, Joseph Tkach, Sr. and my wife’s dad, Don Hall. I look at pictures of them as well as my grandfathers, all of whom have joined with God in eternity.

Though I have visited Greece where my mother’s father was born, I have not yet visited Eastern Europe or Russia from where my dad’s folks immigrated. Doing so is on my “bucket list.” I want especially to visit the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum to view Rembrandt’s famous painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son. This masterpiece (pictured below) is over eight and a half feet tall and six and a half feet wide. Apparently, this gives the viewer an experience similar to a Cinemax movie—you are invited into the action rather than just watching from outside. Some people spend hours looking at the painting.

Rembrandt’s painting captures, in a remarkable way, the essence of Jesus’ well-known parable recorded in Luke 15. While the wayward son in the parable was “still a long way off,” his father saw him and “was filled with compassion” (verse 20). The Greek conveys the idea of an inward movement of concern and mercy. This moved the father to run to his son where he “threw his arms around him.” Rembrandt’s picture vividly portrays this warm embrace, which was extended to the son before any words of repentance could be spoken.

The God portrayed by Jesus in the parable and by Rembrandt in the painting has a heart that is quite different from that shown by many religious folk. They are like the older son in the parable who was jealous of the gracious affection showered on his returning brother.

Rembrandt depicts this “unprodigal” older son as a drab, almost ghostly figure, lurking in the background, almost out of the picture. He is upset at the extravagant outpouring of love and grace on someone who surely does not deserve it. He feels alienated, not only from his brother, but from his father too.

My dad had a favorite saying, “If you don’t feel close to God, you must ask yourself—who moved?” Our Father in heaven is one who is always working to close the distance—in fact, he runs to close the distance. This is the Father who Jesus came to reveal.

Jesus taught us to think that way. Peter, reflecting an attitude like the older son once asked Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 NASB). This is forgiveness without limits.

God’s grace challenges our sense of righteousness and calls us all to respond, whether we think of ourselves as the repentant sinner or his (self) righteous brother. God’s incomparable, limitless grace obliterates our need to judge who is more worthy to enjoy the benefits of God’s kingdom. We all need mercy and grace rather than the justice of rewards and punishment.

Please receive this painting by Rembrandt as my Father’s Day card to you. May it help you appreciate more deeply the love between a father and his children. May it also encourage us to seek to repair any damaged relationships. In doing so, we will come to understand even more the deep love our Father in heaven has for us. All of us.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

PS: In next week’s Update, we’ll publish the final installment in Gary Deddo’s helpful series on interpreting Scripture. I hope this series is a blessing to you. I know that many pastors make copies to share with their members.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As ancient Israel approached her darkest hour, Isaiah warned that there would be a crisis in leadership—or rather, a crisis because no one was willing to lead. He wrote:

One brother will grab another and say, “You look like you’ve got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.” And he’ll say, “Me? Not me! I don’t have a clue. Don’t put me in charge of anything” (Isaiah 3:6-7 MSG).

When I see the mess our world is in, I marvel that anyone would want to lead. I am presently in Australia, attending a GCI ministerial conference. Though Australia was recently voted “the happiest nation” in the developed world, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard faces difficult situations and constant challenges to her leadership. In the US, President Barack Obama faces difficulties with the economy, terrorism, winding down two foreign wars, etc. It seems that his every decision is disputed and each mistake exploited by the opposition.

Leaders in less developed nations face many difficulties too—not the least being the struggle their citizens have in merely surviving each day.

Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that behind the trappings of power that come with leadership, there is a frail human being facing often insurmountable problems. Not all leaders are egomaniacs who in clinging to power risk ruining their nations. Some seek a better life for their people, yet their sincere efforts are thwarted by the petty ambitions of those who want to share their power but not their dreams. I think many leaders of nations today can identify with Shakespeare’s observation that “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

Today we see disenchanted and frustrated people using religion, including Christianity, to further their political agendas. The gospel becomes just another weapon in their arsenal of protest. Sometimes literally. It was reported in the news recently that a 57-year-old woman in South Carolina was arrested and charged with inflicting serious injury when she allegedly used her fists and a Bible to assault another woman.

Clearly, using the gospel as an excuse to promote violence is the antithesis of what Jesus taught. So what is the responsibility of a Christian in regard to those who wield power over us? The apostle Paul, writing to the early Christians in Rome gives us the answer:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God…. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (Romans 13:1, 7 NKJV).

Paul wrote this during the reign of the corrupt and probably deranged Emperor Nero. During his reign, Christians suffered relentless and cruel persecution. I’ve always thought it interesting that Paul did not say to pray for revenge or to get even, or to work to overthrow the evil regime. Rather, he instructed the Roman Christians to respect their rulers and submit to them as far as was possible. To obey God is our highest priority. However, we must not make the mistake of assuming our own political preferences represent the will of God.

Paul not only teaches us to submit to our leaders but also to pray for them:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV).

I do not just pray for our leaders to get things right. I pray that they respond to the lead of the Holy Spirit in their thinking. It can be challenging to pray this way because of the temptation to take matters into our own hands. But our calling is to show the world the way of peace, which the Bible says we do not know of ourselves (Romans 3:17). No human regime can bring ultimate peace. It can only come from the Prince of Peace and the way of life of his peaceable kingdom.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

PS: I recently received a moving report from The Mountaintop—one of our Generations Ministries’ camps—held recently in Georgia. To read the report, go to www.genmin.gci.org/pictures/baptism.pdf. The ministry we are providing to our young people through our camps and short-term mission events impacts lives both now and forever. Thanks to all who are involved!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tammy and I have just returned from a quick visit to Europe where I attended our UK Board meeting. I also spoke in one of our London churches where over 100 were in attendance. It was a delight to fellowship with them.

From London, Tammy and I accompanied James and Shirley Henderson to a conference with our French-speaking members. It was held in Alsace, a beautiful part of France known for picturesque villages and fine wines. We spent time there with over 100 of our French brothers and sisters (see picture below). Several asked me to convey warm regards and love for all our churches.

Our visit to Alsace also gave us the opportunity to renew our friendship with Gerard and Claire Claude. Gerard has faithfully served in the French ministry for many years. He also takes care of our congregations in the French-speaking part of Belgium. As Gerard drove us to the meeting place, we passed through the town of Colmar, where, to my surprise, I saw a familiar sight. I am sure you will recognize it (see picture at right). Colmar is the birthplace of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty. This replica was dedicated in 2004 to mark the 100th anniversary of his death. As you probably know, the original statue in New York City was presented to the US by France to mark the friendship of the two nations. The iconic statue has become more than that. She has become a beacon of hope for all who desire to live in freedom and friendship.

Sadly, that is still a dream for most people. In this dog-eat-dog world of ours, relationships at all levels, international, local and personal, are often based on convenience and self-interest rather than genuine love. That is one reason why I appreciate our small, but truly international denomination. I am privileged to count among my close friends people from so many different backgrounds and cultures.

As you read this, Tammy and I, along with Gary and Cathy Deddo, are in Australia, attending some conferences. I can remember when international travel was an exciting part of my job. Now, as I have gotten older, and travel has become less and less glamorous, I do not look forward to the “getting there” part like I used to. However “being there” makes it worthwhile.

Gary has remarked that our conferences tend to be more like “class reunions.” Dustin and Rachel Lampe, who recently became part of the pastoral team serving one of our congregations in Cincinnati Ohio, were astonished to see how long our members stay around long after the formal part of services is over. That kind of fellowship has always been a part of our tradition, but perhaps we do not realize how unusual it is.

Never underestimate the value of our relationships. The apostle John, above all the other writers of the Bible, tells us that within the oneness of God, there is a relationship. John explains the nature of God by teaching that God is love. Jesus explicitly told his disciples that those who have seen him have seen God. In other words, that Father and Son have a relationship that is that intimate—one in the other and vice versa. We apprehend this intimacy even though our limited human minds can’t fully comprehend it. As Paul reminds us, the mystery of godliness is great.

However, we can begin to appreciate this mystery as we learn to live the way of genuine, outgoing love. This is why Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” Then he added, “Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34, 35). The best beacon of hope is not a statue in New York harbor—however magnificent. It is men and women, from all nations and all walks of life, who strive to live their lives guided by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate genuine, unselfish and Christ-like love.

1 John 4:20-21 tells us, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also” (NRSV). When we realize the length and breadth of what this is saying, it is revolutionary. This is no mere teaching of a simple universal and general truth and we must not allow familiarity with these words to blunt their impact.

Jesus embodied a love in his own life that does not follow the patterns of love as we might conceive of them. Jesus brings together love with truth, love with repentance, love with acceptance and transformation, love with discipline yet exuberant generosity, love with unity and difference. Jesus links love with faith and hope in the living God. The love of God seen in Jesus is no ordinary or simply ideal form of love, but a particular love that sanctifies and transforms all other types of love. Receiving this love and then passing it on, in all its distinctness, will stand out not only from denials of love but also from other notions of love.

If we Christians would more fully embrace this love and then share it with others, the world would have a more vital witness to Jesus, its Lord and Savior. Jesus did not say, “You will be known as my disciples because of the day you gather for worship,” -or- “Because of the name of your church,” -or- “Because you think you have figured out picky points of prophecy.” Rather, he said, “Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This is why I thank God for our international fellowship, and the many friends I have around the world.

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We continue to receive heart-rending reports of the devastation caused by the tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area earlier this week. Our prayers are with all who grieve the loss of life, and all who were injured and lost property. We thank God that no GCI members were injured or experienced property damage (see the prayer update in this issue). However, we were saddened to learn that the campground we use for our Crosswalk Camp was badly damaged. As a result, we have cancelled the camp session scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend.

I am reminded of how grateful I am for our young people and for the GCI camps that serve them. We sponsor dozens of such camps in the US and abroad, where hundreds of volunteer staffers serve thousands of children and teen campers.

Thinking about these camps reminds me of when I was a camper at S.E.P. in Orr, Minnesota in 1965. “Survival course” might have been a better designation than “camp.” We have learned a thing or two since then. Even so, my appetite for roughing it is not what it used to be.

Perhaps you’ve noticed that as we grow old, some are tempted to sit on the sidelines and let the world go by. Sadly, as neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s take hold, some withdraw completely. A friend sent me the following moving account of his mother’s retreat from the world:

My family lived in a big two-story house when I was growing up. My mom was the one who made it a home…cleaning, washing, cooking, decorating, dusting, working in the yard mowing and tending flower beds, etc. She was a whirlwind of activity, sometimes seeming to be everywhere at once. She was so strong, vibrant and full of life.

But, as she got older…my dad died, we kids moved out and started our own homes and she was left to tend the house alone. For many years it looked the same. Grandkids came along and they too had the same wonderful experience I had as a child. But, in time they too grew up and moved on…and things began to slip.

In my visits home I noticed that she was retreating more and more. Dust, which before was never allowed to settle got thicker and thicker. Arthritis was her constant unwelcome companion. She told me once that it forced her to start sleeping with two men. She’d go to bed with Arthur Ritis…and get up with Ben Gay (she always had a sense of humor).

She nailed the windows shut (because she thought she heard someone trying to get in one night) and closed heavy drapes over them. She no longer went upstairs for she could not climb the steps. Eventually she retreated to just a small part of the house. When we came home for visits, she would force herself to go into other rooms. She would notice things and talk about them as if she hadn’t seen them in a long time. The truth was…she hadn’t.

Finally, she was reduced to her kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Then the bathroom and bedroom. Then the bedroom… then only the bed… until she had to go to a nursing home. Now, she is 97… bedridden… unable to care for herself in any way. It was sad to see my mother going down to that. She was full of life and loved it.

Stories like this remind us of the unpleasant fact that our physical bodies do wear out. The same thing can happen to a congregation as its members and pastor age. The focus can turn inward, and we can become preoccupied with ourselves and our own needs. Have you ever asked yourself, “Could we as a congregation get spiritual Alzheimer’s?” Well, we don’t have to. Research has shown that some of the neurodegenerative effects of aging can be diminished if we stay active and involved.

So here’s a suggestion. Although many of our congregations are made up of older people, when we look at the big picture, GCI is by no means an old people’s church. We have thousands of children and teens who are looking forward to attending one of our camps in the months ahead. So my suggestion to our older congregations is this: Why not get involved? Though many of our camp staffers are older adults, your direct physical involvement may not be possible. But why not adopt one of our camps spiritually?

Below is a list of the camps we will be holding in 2013 in the US and links to some of the camps outside the US. Why not pick one of these and contact the camp director (see the camp’s website for information), or email our US camp ministry director, Anthony Mullins (anthony.mullins@gci.org) and ask him to suggest a camp. Then you can contact the camp director and let him or her know that your congregation will be praying, as a group and individually, for the success of the camp. Ask for any special needs or concerns. In this way, even our oldest members can participate in our camp ministry, which is making a huge impact in the lives of our young people.

In the US, our Generations Ministries’ camps and mission trips partner with Church Multiplication Ministries and our Pastoral Internship Program under the banner of GCnext. This mission initiative is focused on our vision to multiply all kinds of churches for all kinds of people in all kinds of places. I encourage you to learn more about GCnext at http://mindev.gci.org/GCnext.htm.

Though we are not a large denomination, we certainly have a compelling story. Some of us have had the privilege of taking part in that story for many decades. Let’s not allow our world to close in on us and our perspective to shrink. Though our arteries may harden, our hearts don’t have to. We have been through some fascinating experiences together and the present continues to be interesting and even surprising. Indeed, God’s mercies are new every morning! So let’s be renewed in hope and focus our attention on helping the next generation lay the foundation for what lies ahead.

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach

Here is a list of our the youth camps that will be held this year in the US. Links are provided to each camp’s website. Below that are links to some of the GCI camps held outside the US.

For a map showing the US camps, see http://genmin.gci.org/Pictures/camp%20map.jpg (the dates on the map are for 2012; the 2013 dates are shown in the list above). Here are links to some of the GCI-sponsored camps held outside the United States:

• Camp Connections (Eastern Canada)
• SEP Silver Meadows (Western Canada)
• SEP UK (Scotland)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Day of Pentecost celebrates the coming of the promised Spirit and the day the church began to preach the gospel to the world. As the disciples spoke, the large crowd from all over the region were astonished to hear the message of “God’s deeds of power” in their native languages.

This was a remarkable miracle—a reverse of the confusion of tongues that happened at the tower of Babel. However, it might not seem quite so miraculous today. The technology exists for simultaneous translation, even taking into account regional accents and dialects. This is just one of the remarkable advances in communications technology.

How should we use these advances to spread the gospel?

I’m certainly not opposed to the use of media. The development of the Internet and the rapid progress in all forms of communications technology makes it possible to reach out in ways that we could not have imagined even two decades ago. What once needed dozens of employees working in large departments now can be accomplished by a handful of people, working out of their own homes. I can have frequent and almost instant contact with the people who work with me producing the church’s media, even though we live thousands of miles apart.

This is the trend of the future and we can follow it intelligently.

There is nothing wrong with using mass media, providing we remain true to the gospel message. Sadly, in order to attract attention in the competitive world of advertising, it can be tempting to present the gospel as something it is not. In the past, when we had a very different focus, we spent millions of dollars every year on television and print media. But it became obvious that, as production became more sophisticated and expensive, and as cable and satellite expanded the choice of TV channels, this was a bottomless pit of expense. So we now distribute our video productions through the Internet, allowing us to produce quality programming at a much lower cost.

We must be careful not to become so bedazzled with the potential of new media that we overlook the fact that the most effective advertising method for preaching the gospel is one of the oldest. In the nineteenth century, if you wanted to make your product or business known, you would hire a “sandwich board man.” He would walk the streets, wearing boards that had your advertising information written on them. This is what my dad had in mind when he used to say we should be “walking, talking advertisements for the kingdom of God.”

My “business,” and yours, is representing the kingdom of God. Suppose God asked you to walk around for a few hours each week wearing a big sign saying something like “Be kind, be loving, be graceful, be forgiving, be generous, seek truth, be a Christian.” You’d be pretty careful how you behaved while doing that, wouldn’t you? Thankfully, God does not expect us to literally do this. However, he does expect us, through our behavior, to show there is an alternative to the vanity, selfishness, lust and greed that is the way of life in this world.

After the impressive “launch” of the church in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, it does not appear to have been God’s plan to spread the gospel through huge media campaigns. Research into early church history shows that the gospel spread through the example of the believers who were moved by the Holy Spirit. The gentle, unselfish way of life of the first Christians was a striking contrast to the harsh realities of Roman rule. And it is the same today. The same Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to send his disciples then, enables us now to proclaim with our lives the good news of the renewing power of God. That same Spirit also prepares and enables others to hear and receive the message of God’s grace at work within us.

The best advertisement we can be for God’s gospel of grace is to let the love of God flow through us and reach out to others in the power of the Spirit of Jesus. This is why I pray daily that my life’s advertisement be a positive message. I believe we all want to follow the apostle Paul’s words:

For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:19-20).

On the Day of Pentecost this year , let’s count on the Holy Spirit to be at work among us and encourage those we serve to launch their own “media campaign,” showing by the way we live the hope that we have in Jesus (1 Peter 3:15).

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Television scriptwriters know that if you want a successful family sitcom, Mom had better play a prominent role. Perhaps you remember June Cleaver, the all-together Mom in the TV show Leave it to Beaver. Then there was Claire Huxtable, the have-it-all Mom in the The Cosby Show. There was Ann Romano the divorced-ad-exec Mom with her hands full rearing two teenage daughters in One Day at a Time and Angela Bauer, the-wealthy-divorced-single-mom-trying-to-fill-the-Daddy-void-for-her-impressionable-young-son in Who’s The Boss. Livia was the unflappable Mafia-Mom in The Sopranos and Carol was the stay-at-home-trying-to-blend-children-from-two-families Mom in The Brady Bunch.

Mothers, real or imaginary, have a vital role in shaping the destiny of their family. Well has it been said that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Though no human mother is perfect, most love their children in a profoundly deep and unconditional way. A mother’s love comes as close to unconditional love as we humans are able. It is therefore a beautiful reflection of God’s unconditional love for us.

The most prominent personal characteristic of God shown in the Bible is that of being fatherly, but God’s relationship with us is also described as being like a mother. In Isaiah 66:13, God says, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” In Luke 13:34 Jesus likened himself to a mother hen in lamenting Jerusalem’s rejection of him, “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

One of the last things Jesus did before he died on the cross was ask a friend to look after his mother. “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:25-27 NIV 1984).

In spite of his own agony, Jesus was concerned for his mother. So as Mother’s Day draws near, let me encourage you to follow his example.

Mother’s Day, or something similar, is celebrated in many countries around the world. This year, in the US, it falls on Sunday, May 12. It isn’t an official Christian celebration, but you’d think it was. LifeWay Research conducted a survey of 1000 Protestant pastors and discovered from them that Mother’s Day was the third most attended church service in the year (after Easter and Christmas).

I’d like to share a good story that I recently heard about honoring our mothers. A woman had stopped to order flowers to be wired to her mother who lived 200 miles away. As she left her car to enter the shop, she noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. She asked what was wrong and the girl replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have 75 cents and a rose costs $2.00.” The woman smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.” She bought the girl her rose and then ordered flowers for her own mother. As they were leaving, she offered to take the girl home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.” The girl directed the woman to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave. The woman returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove 200 miles to her mother’s home.

The role of Mother is one of the greatest gifts that God has given to us. Let’s think about how we can show our appreciation—to God—and to our Moms—on Mother’s Day.

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach

PS: From time to time we hear of GCI elders/pastors who are celebrating milestone wedding anniversaries (20th, 25th, etc.). If you will email us the details and include a digital picture of the celebrating couple, we’ll be pleased to include an announcement here in GCI Weekly Update.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Next week, many Christians will celebrate the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some will celebrate exactly 40 days after Easter (May 9); others will celebrate the following Sunday (May 12).

The Ascension does not have quite the same prominence in the Christian calendar as the “big three”—Christmas, Good Friday and Easter. Perhaps this is because we underestimate the importance of this event. We may even think of it as rather anticlimactic, after the trauma of the Crucifixion and the triumph of the Resurrection.

This is a mistake. The resurrected Jesus did not just stick around for 40 days and then retreat to the safety of heaven, his work on earth now done. The ascended Jesus remains forever fully human, as well as fully divine and fully involved. This revelation helps us to understand the nature of his High Priesthood. Jesus is eternally our Intercessor. The nature of the atonement itself is not merely about what Jesus has done, but who he is and forever will be.

The Bible records the Ascension as the next step or event in Jesus’ work. In Acts 1:9-12, we are told:

After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.

These verses make two basic points: that Jesus ascended into heaven and that he will return.

But there is more to ponder. In Ephesians 2:6, which is one of my favorite verses, Paul adds a perspective not to be missed:

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Here Paul explains the implication of the new life we have in union with Jesus Christ. He often used the phrase “in Christ” in his letters to help us understand our new identity. To be “in Christ” is to share not only in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, but also in his ascension by which we, in some sense, even now live with him in “the heavenly realms.” Being “in Christ” means that when God looks at us he does not see us alone in our sins. He sees us with and in Christ, for that is now who we are.

In the book The Message of Ephesians, the late John Stott comments on Ephesians 2:6:

What excites our amazement…is that now Paul is not writing about Christ but about us. He is affirming not that God quickened, raised and seated Christ, but that he quickened, raised and seated us with Christ…. Fundamental to New Testament Christianity is this concept of the union of God’s people with Christ (emphasis added).

Paul further emphasized this truth in Colossians 3:1-4:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

After Jesus was resurrected, he was recognizable by those who knew him, but he was not quite the same. He was able to move at will in and out of the dimensions that we experience as human beings.

Being “in Christ” means that as Christians we live in two realms—the physical world of everyday reality and the “unseen world” of spiritual reality. We do not yet experience the full glory of our resurrection and ascension with Christ, but Paul tells us that it is no less real. The day is coming, he says, when Christ will appear, and in that day we will experience fully the reality of who we have become.

God did not merely forgive our sins and then leave us on our own to try to be righteous. God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. He then raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms. That is what being “in Christ” means. We are no longer who we are alone, but who we are in union with Christ, sharing in all he has accomplished for us, in our place and on our behalf. We belong to Jesus Christ!

This is the foundation of our faith and hope. God has made us one with Christ so that in him we can share in the relationship of love that he has with the Father and the Spirit. In Christ, the eternal Son of God, we are the Father’s beloved children in whom he is well pleased.

Ascension Sunday is a good time to remind ourselves of this life-changing good news.

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach

PS: Go to http://thesurprisinggodblog.gci.org/2013/04/jesus-ascension.html for a Surprising God post that highlights an article from Gerrit Scott Dawson on the meaning and importance of Jesus’ Ascension (and continuing Incarnation). Gerrit will be a featured speaker at our denominational conference in early August in Orlando, Florida. For conference information and registration go to http://2013.gci.org/.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Although I have written hundreds of articles, I have written only one book, Transformed by Truth. I wanted to chronicle, from our denominational perspective, the transformation God led us through.

Writing that book was hard work. I made an overall outline, and then dictated my thoughts and ideas. Using a transcription of my dictation, I then reorganized the material, eliminating repetition while maintaining the story flow. It took me months of hard work. Even so, I didn’t do a perfect job. I tried to be fair and accurate, explaining why and how our church went through what some have called an unprecedented change in doctrine. With the wisdom of hindsight, I look back over what I wrote and see places where I could have explained things more clearly.

That is the problem with the written word. It is a conversation where one party is absent. The writer and the reader are separated by distance, time, language or culture—sometimes all four. I wish I could sit with each person reading my book and explain what I was trying to communicate. I can’t do that, but the Bible’s ultimate author does, as I’ll explain.

The Bible has rightly been called the greatest story ever told. It is about the greatest person who ever lived, who had the greatest message possible and made the greatest offer ever made. As you know, the Bible was written over a 1,500 year span of time by over 40 authors from every walk of life, including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, shepherds, soldiers, poets, statesmen, scholars and more. From beginning to end, these authors wrote on many topics, from many different perspectives. The challenge was to present these testimonies in a way that was coherent and consistent, building up a written record that conveyed the unfolding story of God’s love for all humanity in all times—not just those who lived in “Bible times.”

The Bible has been read by more people than any other book—it has out-sold every book that has ever been written and still sells more copies every year than any other book. The Bible has been translated and published in more languages than any other book in existence. The story had to be told in a way that would be accessible to all these people, whenever they lived and whatever their cultural background.

Some authors offer revised editions of their work, updating their writing as times change or more facts become available. Some have wanted to do that with the Bible, altering the text to make it more “relevant” to their particular culture. We can do that to some extent, but we had better be careful, for we have no authority to alter the meaning of the inspired words of God.

However, the Bible has a significant advantage that no other ancient book can claim: its ultimate author and editor is still alive! Not only that, but he promises to come and be with each reader, guiding his or her understanding. As Gary Deddo explained in the first of his articles on Interpreting the Scriptures, God stands behind his word, helping us, no matter who we are or where we are in time and space, to grasp more deeply what those uniquely inspired words hold for us.

While Jesus was with his disciples, he could teach them personally, at times giving one-on-one instruction. It was like having the Word of God living among them. Actually, it was not like that—it was that. However, at the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, who had relied so much on his presence:

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you” (John 16:12-15).

Today, we can trust that same Spirit to be at work among us, helping us hear just what he spoke to those authorized first apostles.

A recent survey from the Barna Group, commissioned by the American Bible Society, revealed that most Americans esteem the Bible and have access to it. There is a healthy cultural respect for and fascination with Scripture, which helps explain why millions tuned into the recently broadcast television series, The Bible. People seem to be open to experiencing ancient scriptures in new ways. However, many are not sure how to apply the lessons of the Bible to their own lives and to society at large. I believe that Gary’s ongoing series of articles will help us not only maintain a proper respect for the Holy Scriptures but also apply their timeless wisdom to our lives. The third installment in his series will be posted in the next issue of GCI Weekly Update; for the first installment, click here; for the second installment, click here.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Monday, three people died and nearly 200 were injured by bombs detonated near the finish line of the famed Boston Marathon. Dishon Mills, who is planting a GCI church in nearby Randolph, Massachusetts and works near the location of the bomb blasts, wrote this on his Facebook page:

It was a tragic day for our city. I work six doors from the site of the first explosion. My family and I were going to go down to my job to watch the race, but I was tired from traveling so we stayed home. Not only that, for the first time in at least five years, no one from my staff was in the building watching the Marathon. Otherwise, we would have been right in the center of the devastation. Some will ask, “Where was God when bombs ripped through the Boston Marathon?” My reply is that he was working through the first responders who worked to minimize the casualties. He was working through the police who found additional explosive devices before they detonated. He was working to keep me, my family and my colleagues safe on a terrible day. I am confident that this same God will comfort the families of the victims and help my city heal from this tragedy.

Dishon’s heartfelt words remind me that we are called to join with Jesus in his concern for suffering people near and far. I was also reminded of this when I visited our Stratford and Cromwell, Connecticut churches pastored by Larry Wooldridge. One of the opening prayers included intercession for the people of North Korea and the surrounding region, asking God that peace and cooler heads prevail. This prayer reflected the apostle Paul’s admonition to intercede for all people everywhere by praying for the leaders of their governments (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I hope we’ll all take this admonition to heart. Though we no longer examine current events searching for “where we are in prophecy” clues, world events should still be a concern of ours and a focus for our prayers.

When disasters, like the recent floods in Mozambique, directly affect our members, we naturally respond with prayer. But what about the people in the Korean peninsula? Though we don’t have many members there and though most commentators expect things to return to normal (if “normal” is a word that can be used to describe anything about North Korea!), I still feel that we should join in prayer for the people of both South and North Korea and for their leaders. The same can be said for people in many parts of our world, who suffer through troubles like those shown in the cartoon below.

North Korea has become one of the strangest countries on earth. If it was not for the fact that they are developing nuclear weapons, we could dismiss them as a comic sideshow on the world scene. They live in isolation, obsessed with an incredible personality cult around their leaders. Their first President, Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994, is still considered the Head of State. Nebuchadnezzar, who liked to be addressed as “O King, live forever,” could have learned from the North Korean propaganda machine. Kim Jong-il, his son, and now his grandson Kim Jong-un, are worshiped almost as gods in North Korea’s peculiar blend of communism and state idolatry.

One of the strategies of war is to dehumanize your enemy. My father, who fought in the Pacific during World War II, was told that there was no word for “love” in the Japanese language. That is nonsense, of course, but if you can demonize your enemies in this way, it makes it easier to destroy them. The seventeen million people of North Korea are fed a steady diet of hate propaganda, designed to prepare every man, woman and child to be ready to fight to the death to defend their homeland against “the American aggressors and their South Korean puppets.” We must not allow ourselves to return the hate. Let’s remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

You’re familiar with the old written law, “Love your friend,” and its unwritten companion, “Hate your enemy.” I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty (Matthew 5:43-45 The Message).

When I see the news reports of North Koreans rallying in massive displays of adoration for their leader, I identify with Paul’s feelings on his visit to Athens. “The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols” (Acts 17:16). As I see them marching in lockstep in endless military parades, I have to remind myself that each one of those sadly deluded people are nevertheless children of God. I try to see them as he sees them—not as depersonalized automatons, but as individuals whom he loves, sending his own eternal Son to save them from sin, death and the power of evil deceit.

Christianity is thriving in South Korea, but North Korea is officially atheist, and ruthlessly suppresses all religion except their state idolatry. A small and incredibly courageous underground church exists there, but it is safe to say that outside of that there is hardly any “knowledge of God.” It has not always been that way. Did you know that about a hundred years ago, North Korea was once one of the world’s most fruitful fields for Christian missions? There was a massive revival, and for a time, Pyongyang was known as “The Jerusalem of the East.”

God has not written off North Korea and neither should we. I was glad to hear our congregation’s prayer last weekend. Let’s not just pray about North Korea. Let’s remember to pray for them—a sadly confused and deceived people who nevertheless are included in God’s great purpose for humankind.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“If at first you don’t succeed; fail, fail and fail again” seems to be the mantra of those who make it their business to predict the end of the world. You’d think they would learn.

Sadly, they never do. They have convinced themselves and their followers that the Bible is a kind of crystal ball, through which they can predict the course of world events and the date of the Second Coming. Although they never get it right, they keep going. Incredibly, some people keep believing them.

Do you remember Harold Camping, the Christian radio broadcaster who predicted that Christ would return on May 21, 2011? His prophecy made national news. Many of his followers paid for billboards, took out full-page ads in newspapers. When May 21 came and went as normal, Harold Camping revised his prediction to October 21, 2011. Of course, that prediction failed too.

Another wannabe prophet, currently serving a jail term for tax fraud and hiding money in a Swiss bank account, is still predicting when Christ will return. His latest speculation is for Pentecost of this year. Don’t hold your breath.

How many times will these folks get it wrong before they realize there is something more than just faulty calculations that they are missing? As you know, our own founder also made the mistake of setting dates for the end. In 1939, in the August Plain Truth magazine, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, “But this you MAY KNOW! This war will be ended by CHRIST’S RETURN! And MAY start within six weeks! We are just THAT NEAR Christ’s coming!”

Thankfully, GCI learned the lesson. We no longer indulge in speculative prophecy. Our focus is to preach the good news of the gospel. I wish I could say the same for our many splinters and off-shoot groups, but most of them still seem to think that predicting the end of the world is the gospel. One of our former pastors, who now leads his own group, said in a sermon eight years ago: “Take a good look—study it carefully—scrutinize all that is going on, because this Pope [Benedict XVI] is the last one you’ll ever see on this earth ever! You can go to the bank with that statement.” I hope no one did!

He also predicted that something of dramatic significance would happen on January 16, 2010, the day which, according to him, ended “one more 19-year time cycle in the Elijah work.” Out of interest, I checked the news archives. January 16, 2010 seems to have been a rather quiet day. Wrong again.

Predicting the end of the world is a sure way to get attention. If all it did was provide some religious comic relief, I suppose no harm would be done. Unfortunately, it does influence impressionable people and divert their attention away from the real message of hope that is in the scriptures. The Bible does not tell us the date of the end of the world, but it is clear about how we should regard those who think it does: ^“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:22).

Our modern false prophets have not failed because they haven’t figured out how to break the code they think is hidden in the scriptures. They have failed because that information is just not there. It is not for me to judge the sincerity (or sanity) of these purveyors of gloom. After all, certain prophecies are a part of the Bible, and they must mean something. And of course, they do.

As Jesus told the Pharisees, another group who tried to use the scriptures to shore up a false premise, the prophecies pointed to him. Studying prophecy should lead to an understanding of who Jesus is and what God has done through him. Knowing Christ now is the focus of the Christian life, not knowing exactly when he is coming back.

“Eschatology” is a term that refers to the study of the teaching of Scripture concerning “last things” and the “age to come.” Though it is a legitimate area of study, we must scrupulously avoid using it for any purpose other than that intended by the biblical authors, which is hope, not prediction. In the Greek New Testament, Jesus is called the Eschatos (Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13), meaning the “Last One.” It is from this title for Jesus that we get the term eschatology. Jesus himself is the fulfillment of all history—he is our ultimate hope. That is what we need to know; that is the focus of Bible prophecy. How sad that many of our former colleagues still are obsessed with predicting the end times: “Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).

It’s vital that we orient our study around the Bible’s real message. I believe you will find Gary Deddo’s series on interpreting scripture to be of great help for this. The first installment is posted at https://update.gci.org/2013/04/scripture-gods-gift/. I hope you will read it and share it with others. The second installment will be posted next week.

With love in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

PS: After seven years as editor of Christian Odyssey, John Halford has asked if he can step aside. John will continue to write and be involved with media projects, but he feels that since Christian Odyssey is now an online publication, it needs an editor who is more familiar with electronic publishing. I have appointed Rick Shallenberger to take his place. Rick worked in our editorial department and was editor of Youth magazine for several years before being hired into the field ministry. Rick will now join our media team on a part-time basis, while continuing to pastor one of our congregations in Cincinnati and serving as a district pastor.