Category: Hear From the President

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the millions of people still struggling in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. Reports from GCI pastors in affected areas in the Eastern US and the Caribbean region indicate that our members were largely spared the worst (see the update linked at left). For that we are most grateful, though our hearts ache for the thousands who lost loved ones and property.

This week the US presidential election was held and President Barack Obama was re-elected in a bitterly-contested, often divisive election. Isn’t it ironic how elections can bring out the worst in people, while natural disasters like Sandy can bring out the best? It seems that when confronted with catastrophe, we set aside partisan politics to come to the aid of others. In the wake of Sandy, there were many heartwarming stories of selflessness, generosity and genuine heroism (though, sadly, there were also stories of looting and other selfish acts).

These positive reactions give us hope in the midst of appalling loss—pointing us to the time when loving one’s neighbor as oneself will not make news because it will be the way lived by all. Acts of selflessness and reconciliation are the heartbeat—the agenda—of Jesus’ Kingdom of love. And Jesus has commissioned us as his followers to share now, through the Spirit, in his Kingdom way of being and living. As we do, we give to the world powerful testimony to the way things can be.

I’m reminded of a letter written in the second century to a man named Diognetus. Though we don’t know who wrote it, or who Diognetus was, it is a powerful example of the testimony of the Christian life—in this case during a time when Christians were being terribly persecuted. Here is an excerpt:

Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.

They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.

[From The Apostolic Fathers, ed. Michael Holmes, p. 541]

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. Last week, following the GCI conference in the UK, I visited our French church’s Festival of the Kingdom held in Evian on the shores of Lake Geneva. European mission director James Henderson and his wife, Shirley accompanied me. As usual it was an encouraging and uplifting experience. Just before the festival, Gerard Stevenin retired from his various official roles in the church. We thank Gerard and his wife, Francoise, for many years of selfless service. The members of the church met in a special assembly while in Evian and unanimously nominated Dominique Alcindor to serve as president of Eglise Universelle de Dieuthe, the GCI association in France; and Marie-Angelique Picard to serve as president of Prudentielle, the business arm of the association. Just before we left, James and I offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the new leadership and for GCI in the nation of France.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As I write this letter from France (where I’m attending an annual GCI worship celebration), my thoughts and prayers are with the many people who have been devastated by what is being called “monster storm Sandy, which traveled through the Caribbean, then up the US East coast with landfall in New Jersey. Dozens of lives have been lost, millions are without power and the property damage is unimaginable.

Please pray for all those suffering in Sandy’s wake, likely including some GCI members and pastors. As reports come in, we’ll update you on their circumstances and any needs for help (watch the comments section).

Before traveling to France, I was with Gary Deddo in England. We attended a European ministry leaders’ meeting, an Elders’ conference and services in area GCI congregations (see pictures below). We thoroughly enjoyed our time with our brothers and sisters in jolly olde England!

Pastor appreciation

As you probably know, October is Pastor Appreciation Month in the US and Canada. I hope all of you reading this who are pastors know that you are deeply appreciated—every month of the year!

Peter Drucker, who spent much of his life studying leadership, once said that the four hardest jobs in America are the US President, a university president, a hospital CEO, and a church pastor. Though some might disagree with Drucker’s assessment, I doubt that many of our pastors would.

Being a pastor is a high calling. However, it is often a great challenge—one that is sometimes made even greater by unrealistic expectations placed upon them (as humorously illustrated in the cartoons at left and below).

According to the Barna organization, about 85% of the churches in the US have less than 200 people, 60% have less than 100 and the average size is 89. But even in small congregations, the demands placed on pastors are experienced 24/7.

It seems that pastors are expected to be theologians, Bible teachers, accountants, vision-setters, counselors, public speakers, worship directors, prayer warriors, leadership developers and fundraisers. Given these expectations, I’m sure that those serving as pastors closely identify with what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:

Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken…While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!… So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us (2 Corinthians 4:5-17, The Message Bible).

I don’t know whose idea it was to designate October as Pastor Appreciation Month. Some say in jest that it was the apostle Paul or Hallmark Cards! Maybe it was Focus on the Family. In any case, I think it’s a good idea, and before the month is over, I want to express to all our pastors my deep appreciation and thanks for all that they do in service to our Lord and his children. My feelings about our pastors are expressed eloquently by Paul in his letter to his coworkers in the church in Philippi:

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now (Philippians 1:3-5, NLT).

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Do you ever play Monopoly? This board game has two stacks of cards from which to draw when your token lands on the right space. One of the cards is the “get out of jail, free” card shown below. In Monopoly, an unlucky roll of the dice lands you in jail and this card is your pass to freedom.

I often think of this card when reading certain Bible verses, perhaps because I used to have a stack of similar size cards that helped me memorize scriptures. Looking back, this approach may have been less helpful than intended. Many of the scriptures that became embedded in my memory gave me a wrong understanding, because the scripture cards isolated these verses from their context. When we do this, we run the risk of proof-texting – using a particular verse to support a predetermined conclusion or belief.

Many of the verses that I committed to memory now make a much greater emotional impact on me. For example, today when I read 2 Corinthians 5:17 I feel both joy and sadness. It says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (ESV). In union with Jesus Christ as Lord, the Christian has been made into something new.

I feel joy reading this verse, reassured that before we have even tried to live well, before we became one of his disciples, Jesus extended his life and forgiveness to us. The author of life, who we killed, was resurrected and gave us new life. The Father handed us the masterpiece of his Son and told us that when he looks at us he sees perfection. By the grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit we are given the gift of participating in the relationship between Father and the Son.

As the apostle Paul explained, all things have life, breath and movement in Jesus. He also explained that when Jesus died, all died. Now he is resurrected and we all have new life. He has reconciled us and we can now share actively in a relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus has freed all humanity, even though not all know it or live it out yet. Knowing that anyone can walk out of that prison gives me great joy.

When Jesus redeemed us, he returned us to our original and rightful owner. Salvation is sharing in the life—the communion—that Jesus has with the Father. We miss out on the peace, joy, love and other benefits of our salvation if we resist or deny that reality. And a fact that should not be overlooked is that we cannot reflect the relationship with God that Jesus has with the Father if we don’t live in that relationship. Jesus’ whole saving ministry is to take us to the Father and send us the Holy Spirit so that we might live in the fullness of life and fellowship with God that he gives to us.

But my joy in this is mixed with sadness. I remember how I used to understand scriptures like 2 Corinthians 5:17, having learned them as proof-texts used to reinforce legalism. Sadly, many do this—teaching that our relationship with God is like a business transaction that must be negotiated and then constantly maintained by our good behavior. People who embrace this false idea are like the poor guy in the cartoon above—sitting in jail, not realizing that Jesus has given them a “get out of jail, free” card. As a result, they remain in a prison of ignorance, disbelief and, at times, rebellion against their own freedom.

As it says in the book of Revelation, Jesus stands at the door and knocks. But he is knocking at a door that he has already unlocked. Our mission is to join the Holy Spirit who is with people in prison and help them see that the door is open so that they might walk out into the light and life that is theirs in union and communion with our Triune God.

Your brother in Christ,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you may know, Grace Communion International in the United States is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). I serve on its board of directors. Some have asked about this organization. Since I will be attending the NAE board meeting this week in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this is a good opportunity to explain what the organization does, and the advantages that NAE membership brings to GCI.

Through NAE membership, we join with other evangelical denominations to have a larger impact than any single denomination could have by itself. The NAE serves a constituency of millions of people and represents more than 45,000 local churches and 40 denominations.

The NAE includes Reformed, Holiness, Anabaptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic and other evangelical Christian traditions. This diverse and vibrant group is united by NAE’s core theological convictions, while acknowledging and respecting the diversity of its membership. Together, NAE members stand on God’s revelation in Scripture of redemption only in Jesus Christ the Son of God, by grace through faith. Found within NAE member denominations and churches is a commitment to dynamic unity that works toward a vision of all things made new, of all God’s people reconciled and of a lost world saved.

The NAE provides a forum where evangelicals work together to preserve religious liberty, nurture families and children, protect the sanctity of human life, seek justice for the poor, promote human rights, work for peace and care for God’s creation. Evangelical Christians do not always agree on the details of policy proposals or on the best strategies for reform. However, in a spirit of humility, we seek to learn from one another — and indeed from those of other faiths and those with no faith. Where possible, we seek common ground while remaining true to our own denominational beliefs and convictions.

The NAE writes position papers on a variety of issues, in order to represent the evangelical perspective accurately to the media. At times, this perspective has been hijacked by some megachurch personalities, who may have high profiles, but do not represent the views of most of us. Thankfully, the NAE has become the more respected and representative voice from within the evangelical community.

The Christian humanitarian arm of the NAE is the World Relief Organization, which provides churches a platform to engage the great causes of our day. From refugees fleeing to our shores, to the sudden onset of disasters, to the global health crises of HIV/AIDS and malaria, World Relief exists to help the church fulfill its mandate to serve those in need.

Here are a few announcements from a recent NAE Update. They illustrate the kind of work and extended reach that we have through our NAE membership.

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Release of Pastor Nadarkhani from Iranian Prison

Nadarkhani, the head of a network of Christian house churches in Iran, was sentenced to death by hanging in September 2010 for apostasy. The Iranian Supreme Court upheld Nadarkhani’s conviction in July 2011, while offering to rescind the conviction if Nadarkhani would deny his Christian faith. A lesser conviction remains on the books. International pressure for Nadarkhani’s release has been strong with condemnation of his conviction from U.S. political leaders, as well as many human rights and religious freedom advocacy organizations. The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) welcomes the announcement that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been acquitted and freed after nearly three years in an Iranian prison on charges of apostasy. The NAE continues to advocate for increased religious freedom in Iran and around the world. “We are relieved for Pastor Nadarkhani, and pleased with this good decision of the Iranian government,” said Leith Anderson, NAE president. “We watch as laws are increasingly being used by governments against religious minorities, and we pray and press for more outcomes like this.”

Humanitarian Relief for Sudan

Directed to members of the United Nations Security Council, the NAE joined with over 120 human rights, faith-based, public interest and ethnic organizations in calling for decisive U.N. action to press Sudan to allow humanitarian access to the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur.

Human Trafficking

As the world’s second-largest, fastest-growing criminal industry, human trafficking has led to the enslavement of more than 20 million people around the world. To meet the demand in the United States, a person is trafficked over U.S. borders every ten minutes. World Relief has been active in the fight against human trafficking in the United States since 2004 in the areas of partnership building, victim service provision and community outreach and awareness support. In 2008, World Relief launched an initiative to reduce and prevent the exploitation and abuse of women and children in Cambodia. This program is designed to address the root causes of trafficking of vulnerable adults, adolescents and children through community-level training.

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I feel privileged to represent all of us in Grace Communion International as a member of the NAE board. It is a reminder that God’s work is larger than any one group or denomination. Please join me in praying for a useful board meeting and the continued success of the NAE in its mission.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. You might be interested in viewing the Microsoft advertisement currently playing on TV—it was filmed on the former Ambassador College campus in Pasadena. Click on the picture below or go to http://youtu.be/8mSckyoAMHg.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Learning more about the nature of God has dominated my Bible study for the last decade and I find it to be more and more fascinating. Having the correct perspective of who God is cannot be overestimated. Viewing his sovereignty over eternity and the nature of his being orders all of our doctrinal understandings.

I love the following quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, England’s best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century:

The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity.

I am sometimes asked, “What’s so special about Trinitarian theology—don’t most orthodox churches believe in the Trinity?” Yes, they do. In fact, belief in the Trinity is considered the hallmark of authentic Christian doctrine. It was our acceptance of the Trinity that brought our denomination “in out of the cold,” allowing us to break free from being considered a cult.

As I studied what various churches believe about the Trinity, I observed that while most consent to the doctrine, it does not have a central role in their faith. Many consider the Trinity to be an abstract idea, of interest to theologians but not really of much use to the rest of us. This is sad because when the Trinity is not at the center, shaping all other doctrines, strange ideas and distortions arise. For example, those who proclaim a health/wealth/prosperity gospel tend to view God as a divine “vending machine.” Others tend to view God as a mechanistic version of fate who has determined everything from before creation—including who will be saved and who will be damned. I find it particularly hard to accept a God who creates billions of people just for the purpose of condemning and damning them for eternity!

Trinitarian theology puts the Trinity at the center of all doctrinal understanding, influencing everything we believe and understand about God. As theologian Catherine LaCugna wrote in her book God for Us:

The doctrine of the Trinity is, ultimately…a teaching not about the abstract nature of God, nor about God in isolation from everything other than God, but a teaching about God’s life with us and our life with each other. Trinitarian theology could be described as par excellence a theology of relationship, which explores the mysteries of love, relationship, personhood and communion within the framework of God’s self-revelation in the person of Christ and the activity of the Spirit. [Note: While I appreciate much of what is in this book, I don’t agree with all of it.]

We know of this triune life of God from Jesus who is God’s self-revelation in person. It should be our rule that anything we say about the Trinity must come from Jesus’ life, teaching, death, resurrection, ascension and promised return.

I have seen many diagrams that attempt to explain the Trinity. The best of them fall short and some are confusing. It is, of course, impossible to explain the nature of God in a diagram. However, a good one can help us grasp some aspects of the doctrine. You may find helpful the diagram shown at right. It summarizes early church teaching, pointing out that correct biblical understanding concerning the nature of God upholds three essential beliefs about God. It also indicates that we end up denying that God is Triune when even one of these beliefs is rejected.

The three sides of the triangle in the diagram represent these three essential beliefs, and the point of the triangle across from each side represents the corresponding error when that particular belief is denied:

• Denial of the Three Persons results in Modalism (sometimes referred to as the Oneness teaching), the erroneous belief that God appears to us in three ways or modes, wears three hats, acts in three different roles or just has three different names.
• Denial of the Equality of Persons results in Subordinationism, the erroneous belief that one of the divine Persons is less than fully and truly God.
• Denial of Monotheism (the idea of the Unity of God) results in Polytheism, the erroneous belief in two or more separate gods (including the error of tri-theism—a belief in three gods).

When we are careful to uphold all three of these essential beliefs about God, we avoid the corresponding false teachings and thus bear faithful witness to the glorious mystery of the Trinity.

I thank God daily for answering our many prayers to reveal to us greater truth. His revealing himself to each of us as the Triune God was a miraculous moment for each one of us.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. Last week the computer servers that host this blog crashed. We apologize for this inconvenience. As you can see, the system is now back online. If you missed reading some of the posts from last week, click on “archives” above and there you will find listed all past Update articles, including those you might have been unable to read last week.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Commenting on the differences between men and women, comedian Pam Stone noted that, “Men and women have always had problems relating. As children, men were told, ‘Be a man; don’t cry!’ And women were told, ‘Let it out. Cry; you’ll feel better!’” Then she concluded, “And that is why women become emotional and men become snipers!”

Funny, yes; but also a reminder of a growing “Wild Wild West” culture within America where violence is rampant.

As an officer in the U.S. Army and a professor of psychology at West Point, Dr. David Grossman spent nearly a quarter of a century teaching soldiers how to kill. In his book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, he noted that most soldiers have a built-in inhibition against killing and thus must be taught to kill. Following the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, 90% of the guns retrieved had not been fired. Soldiers on both sides were willing to die for their beliefs but not kill for them. Dr. Grossman’s job was to break down such inhibitions. Today, U.S. troops have a 90% kill rate. However, Dr. Grossman pointed out that if you use these psychological techniques to train men and women to kill, you must also build in internal restraints.

Sadly, such restraints are often lacking in our world, where violence reflects a shocking lack of respect for others. What is needed is an internal moral compass based on an understanding that human existence is contingent upon the life that flows to us from God through Christ. That truth leads us to understand that we are answerable to God who created us. As the Bible teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10 NKJV).

Nevertheless, “macho-man” voices within some Christian circles decry what they see as the “feminization” of our culture. One such teacher, who is famous for proclaiming, “God hates you!” fears that both the dominant culture and the church are becoming feminized. He calls for macho, “manly men” to rise up and assert leadership.

It seems that some evangelical Christians like to think of Jesus as the ultimate “alpha male.” They ridicule images of Jesus that show any hint of “wimpiness.” But Jesus was not afraid to show compassion. On one occasion, he said that he felt like a “mother hen” in his desire to gather sinners to himself (Luke 13:34).

We must be careful not to build a one-dimensional picture of Jesus. He had a godly sensitivity that the church should exemplify. The church is, after all, pictured as the bride of Christ—not his hunting companion or golf partner.

Jesus was clear concerning the approach to leadership that he expected from his followers: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you…” (Matthew 20:25-26 NKJV).

Bullying, fighting and killing are not among the spiritual gifts listed in Scripture. If compassion, gentleness and concern for others are perceived as feminization, then let’s have more of it! Of course, these characteristics are neither exclusively masculine nor feminine, but come from God and so are expressed in the life of the man Jesus.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will help us follow our Lord in this area.

I am reminded of my mom’s favorite proverb, “A soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1 NKJV). She taught me this at an early age, and I was a firsthand witness to her ability to deliver soft answers. I confess that I have not always followed her example, but I have learned that it is a blessing to interact with humility, consideration, grace and gratitude. The way of Jesus gives tremendous peace of mind.

This reminds me of the story of Abigail. Her ungracious, inconsiderate and vain husband, Nabal, had refused food for David and his men and sent them away (1 Samuel 25:4-12). One of Nabal’s assistants reported this incident to Abigail. He said that Nabal had “reviled them” (verse 14 NKJV). Apparently, David was not in a gracious mood either because he gathered 400 of his men, and set out to “persuade” Nabal to rethink his response. Abigail must have known the wisdom of the proverb, because she went to intercept David. Her soft answer turned away the wrath that David had toward Nabal (verses 18-35).

I don’t think anyone could have accused Paul of being a wimp. He lived, as we do, in a time when aggression and violence were part of daily life. Thus we who serve as elders need to give careful heed to Paul’s instruction that church overseers be “not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy” (1 Timothy 3:3, HCSB). This strength of character comes from our Lord Jesus Christ, who in loving compassion gave his life for us and continues to serve us.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In Clean Jokes and Inspirational Stories, Rod Dykstra tells about a successful young executive who was driving through the neighborhood in his new Jaguar. Suddenly a brick smashed into the side of his car. He slammed on his brakes, and jumped out to confront a guilty-looking small boy standing nearby.

“Who are you and what is going on here?” yelled the executive. “This is a new car and what you just did is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw that brick?”

The boy was apologetic and said, “Please mister, I am sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. I threw the brick because no one else would stop. With tears streaming down his face, he pointed to a person lying on the ground by the parked car. “It’s my brother,” he said, “and he rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. He is hurt and is too heavy for me. Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?”

Now moved beyond words, the driver lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair. He took out his handkerchief and dabbed gently at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him that everything was going to be okay. He never did get the dent in his car repaired. He left it there to remind himself that he should not journey through life without helping others.

We have just completed the 2012 round of U.S. Regional Conferences. The theme was our participation in mission with Jesus. I was asked a few times, why are we so concerned about mission? If God has already reconciled all people to himself in and through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-19), why are we so concerned with “reaching” them? Though these questions are logical, they imply that the mission of reaching people with the gospel is merely one option on a menu that God has given to the church from which to choose. But mission is not an option for us, and if we think it is, we need to reorient our thinking. In fact, doing so was the over-arching theme of this year’s conferences.

In his conference presentations, Gary Deddo reminded us that we first must ask the question, who is God? The Bible answers that the one God exists as a triune communion of love. In his being (nature) he is love (1 John 4:8), and this explains everything that he does and how he does it. In love, God created the cosmos as a time and place in which to share his triune love and life with his creation. Because his love never ceases or diminishes, he became Redeemer to rescue his creation from its inability to live in communion with him. Before the beginning of time and space, as we experience them, God our Creator and Redeemer has been “on mission.” God the Father sent his Son Jesus to accomplish that mission and Jesus trained others, who in turn trained others. We are part of a long line of those who are called to receive this training.

This, then, is how we should see ourselves. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to call, form and equip the church to share in his ongoing ministry, which is fulfilling the Father’s mission to the world. In other words, the church exists because of, and for, God’s mission. God has not given us a choice of spiritual “busy work” just to keep us occupied. We are called by God to participate as partners and co-workers in his mission. The Christian life is not a spectator sport. We are following Jesus as he continues by the Holy Spirit to seek true worshipers of his Father.

In her conference presentations, Cathy Deddo spoke about understanding our participation in God’s mission. Since the Ascension and Pentecost, what God is doing in the world in and through the church has principally to do with discipleship—becoming followers of Jesus in daily communion with him. This aspect of God’s mission is not so much about “getting people saved,” because God has accomplished that already. Rather, the mission is about illumination, education and application, all of which involve repentance and living trust in our living Lord. Jesus is working in people’s lives in all three of these areas through the Holy Spirit. The church is called to bear witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8) by proclaiming who he is and what he has done for us, sharing as we do in his ongoing acts of healing, mercy and forgiveness. This is why we proclaim the stunning truth of the gospel, and invite others to join us as disciples who are being transformed into his likeness day by day.

In my conference presentation, I illustrated how many of our members around the world are already doing this. Dan Rogers showed how Jesus commissioned people to participate in his ministry in the New Testament church. The other presenters further reinforced how we, as congregations and individuals, can be involved with Jesus in ministering to others.

Do you see the difference between choosing what kinds of things to do as ministry, and actually participating in the already ongoing ministry of Jesus? It does require a shift in our thinking, which in turn leads to reordering our priorities. It is not our job to make something happen that is not happening. Rather, we are called to discern where and how to “get with the program” that Jesus by the Holy Spirit is actively working out and equipping us to share in. We get to go to work with God as he directs and enables us. Cathy pointed out how Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 with the disciples’ few loaves and fish is a great example of how Jesus gets us involved in what he’s doing, using what we have.

Participating in mission with Jesus involves being in the world, even though we are also cautioned to be not of it. We cannot remain aloof from the world’s problems, and we must be responsive even when the world “heaves a brick at us” to gain our attention. As Karl Barth once pointed out, the church cannot say “yes” to the world, if it cannot also say “no.” Jesus was a friend of sinners, yet without sin of his own. Today, Jesus is doing this ministry principally through his human presence in the world, in and through his body, the church. We are called to stand with Jesus in solidarity with the world, sharing its plight, proclaiming and demonstrating to our fellow human beings our one and sure hope.

This, then, is the answer to the question, Why should the church be concerned about mission? The answer is simply this: mission is what we are for. So let us be among our Lord’s devoted disciples—those who not only hear his voice, but actively join with him as he, in the power of the Holy Spirit, helps people live into the reconciliation with God that forever is their’s in and with him.

I am delighted that most of us do not need a brick thrown at us to awaken us to what we can be doing with Jesus. It is with great thanks that I can say, surely the Spirit of the Lord is graciously and vitally at work among us!

With love in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One of the more enigmatic questions posed by our understanding of the cosmos is this: Why is there something instead of nothing?

Some people might think this is a dumb question, but to many scientists, it is of major importance, along with two related questions: Why does matter exist at all? And given that it does exist, where did it come from?

The Bible’s first words inform us that God created the heavens and the earth. This fundamental revelation guided the children of Israel away from Egypt’s false gods toward the true Lord God of all creation. Through prophetic revelation, God taught Israel foundational truths in language they could understand. Those truths concerned his identity and the nature of his relationship with all of creation.

Genesis was not intended to be the last word about the inner workings of the cosmos. Modern scientific methods and tools help us research such details. However, the biblical revelation has not been superseded as a first word and starting point for this research. The biblical revelation presents theological/philosophical presuppositions that science cannot provide on its own. Grounded upon these presuppositions, scientific research concerning the cosmos can proceed in fruitful ways.

Of course, many scientists scoff at the biblical and Christian answer as to why there is a cosmos at all, considering it to be science fiction (with an emphasis on fiction). Now, I enjoy good science fiction, particularly the Star Trek series. Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway tackled all kinds of social and moral issues with a backdrop of all kinds of imaginative devices to beam them from one place to another, travel at warp-speed, eat and drink items synthesized from a machine and explore all kinds of life forms.

What makes Star Trek so good is that it has a real basis in science. You can read about it in the book The Physics of Star Trek, by theoretical physicist Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss. Krauss also wrote A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather Than Nothing. Krauss is one of several scientists who try to prove that every particle and force in the universe sprang into being from nothing, without God being part of the process. To reach this conclusion, Krauss theorizes three kinds of nothingness.

The first kind is a concept inherited from Greek thought, which Krauss refers to it as The nothingness of empty space. Today we know that this “nothingness” is not empty — rather it is teeming with energy and particles. We currently have the ability to detect about 6% of what is there. The remaining 94% we refer to as “dark matter” and “dark energy,” which are beyond the reach of our physical senses and scientific instruments. We can’t explain exactly what these features of the cosmos are or how they work. However, we know that they exist, based on their effect on what we can directly detect.

Krauss then refers to a second kind of nothingness, which he calls The nothing without space and time. His conjecture is that whole universes bubble up out of this kind of nothingness. Each bubble has its own space-time and simply pops into existence. But even if this is true, as Krauss notes, we are left wondering, where did this bubbling something come from?

Krauss’s third kind of nothingness is a more profound kind in which even the laws of physics are absent. He attempts to explain how this happens by saying that an infinite assembly of universes (what he calls the multiverse) exists in this nothingness. Each universe has its own randomly determined rules, particles and forces. For Krauss, this is where the story ends. But does it? If the multiverse contains an infinite assembly, we still must ask, “Where did that infinite assembly come from?” And furthermore, what empirical scientific research has provided any evidence for the multiverse?

Science fiction author Theodore Beale addresses a fatal flaw in Krauss’s thinking:

There is, of course, a fourth type of “nothingness.” And that is the amount of scientific validity contained in Krauss’s desperate attempt to use a fraudulent veneer of science to avoid the obvious conclusions driven by the relevant philosophic logic. This isn’t even science fiction; it’s just purely evasive fantasy. If I were to seriously propose that full-grown unicorns, little rainbow-colored horned equines, could simply pop into existence, like bubbles in boiling water, ex nihilo, people would rightly dismiss me as a fantasist and a possibly insane one at that. But substitute “universes” for “unicorns” and suddenly, we’re talking science!

As Beale notes, Krauss’s position is not the result of scientific experiment, but rather of philosophical speculation. His theory amounts to saying nothing more than that there has always been something of some sort, and that the universe we currently know came from other stuff that simply existed in a different form. Krauss is unable to answer the question, Why is there something rather than nothing?

The biblical and Christian approach to the question is entirely different. Its answer is theological, based on God’s revelation to particular people — a revelation preserved in Scripture that begins with Genesis 1, but does not end there. In the Gospel of John we read that, “all things came into being through him [the Word of God], and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:3, NRSV).

Speaking of Jesus, Paul notes: “for from him and through him and to him are all things (Romans 11:36), and “in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17, NRSV). Paul also proclaims that, “for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6, NRSV).

The author of Hebrews states that, “by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, NKJV).

Considering this scriptural testimony (and more), a consensus of theological understanding has developed throughout the church that all that has ever existed was created by God from nothing (theologians refer to this as creation ex nihilo). Other biblical authors speak of all that is by using words such as “all things,” “worlds,” “creation,” “heaven and earth,” “cosmos” and “the universe.” The point is that all created “things” (including any “bubbles,” “multiverses,” and time and space itself!) did not exist prior to God beginning to create. God did not make the universe from anything that preexisted nor did he make things out of himself. So we say, God made it from nothing.

The sum of biblical revelation is that there was a time when the cosmos was not. There was only God and nothing else in any form. This means that creation has not existed eternally along with God. God does not exist alongside or within the time and space of any universe or multiverse. Time and space are created things that came into being by the agency and act of God. So the Christian answer is neither that the cosmos existed eternally, nor that it was generated by nothing. God, who alone is eternal, gave existence itself to all that exists, and in fact, continues to hold everything in existence. If God forgot about the universe even for a nanosecond, all that is not God would cease to exist! Now there is an answer to the question of why there is something instead of nothing!

We continue to make astounding scientific discoveries that increase our understanding of the cosmos and its history. But those working at the leading edges of these investigations — at both the macro and micro scales — admit that they are just scratching the surface. Each breakthrough seems to open up new phenomena to investigate. In describing their work, quantum physicists must resort to language that is more metaphysical than scientific. Some admit that, scientifically, there may be a limit to “knowability.” And it is widely acknowledged, especially by philosophers of science, that the entire scientific enterprise is based on philosophical (or theological) assumptions that the scientific method itself cannot provide.

That is why those first words of Genesis should be taken seriously. God told us something we cannot discover for ourselves, and cannot disprove. Why is there something rather than nothing? Because, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, making a cosmos that we can touch, feel and measure — all out of, well, nothing.

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. I am pleased to note that we have released our new online version of Christian Odyssey magazine. I encourage you to take a look by going to www.christianodyssey.org. After this next issue, the magazine will be available only through the website. While this opens up a whole new audience that printing the magazine didn’t let us reach, some people in your congregations and church areas may not be able to access it now that it is online. We offer a PDF version on the website that can be easily printed and given out to those without access. Questions? Email info@gci.org.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Recently, in an interview given a few days before he died, the former archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martin, said the Catholic Church is “200 years out of date.” The 85-year-old cardinal, who was once considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, accused his church of being pompous, bureaucratic and failing to move with the times. “Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty… our rituals and our cassocks are pompous,” Martini said, adding, “The Church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops.”

As you can imagine, this made headlines in the Catholic world. Some cheered while others were horrified. Thankfully, it is not for me to judge the issues, or even express an opinion. But it does highlight a problem that all of us who are interested in the Christian message must face.

Martin Luther once observed that if you are not preaching the gospel in the context of your times, you are not really preaching the gospel. However, it is hard for us to change what has been called our worldview —the most fundamental assumptions we live by to make sense of our lives. Our worldview shapes the way we view all things, including theology. When others view a biblical passage from a perspective different than our own, it is easy for us to become judgmental. If we’re not careful, our worldview can prevent us from seeing things from the other person’s perspective, and even from God’s.

I am reminded of a brilliant little book by C.S. Lewis titled The Great Divorce. The book is an allegory, not a doctrinal exposition (in that way it is like The Shack by William P. Young). Lewis imaginatively describes a day-long bus trip that people in hell are given to heaven as an opportunity to change their perspective. The narrator, who is on the bus, meets a number of individuals along the way. He observes several conversations and discovers that some people are so sure that they know what God’s love looks like that their deeply held worldview prevents them from recognizing the reality of heaven. It is as if they are attached to a ball and chain that holds them back from embracing the reality that stands right in front of them and is being offered to them.

Those opposing change in the church often use tradition as their reason, citing as authority the writings of the early church fathers. Though we should respect such tradition, we need to understand the worldview that shaped it. Consider Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential church fathers. In 354, he was born into a world quite different than the one encountered by the first Christians. As a theologian and philosopher, he engaged Judeo-Christian religious and scriptural traditions together with a dominant worldview in his day–the Greek philosophical tradition. His thinking is set forth in his widely read autobiographical book Confessions–one of the most celebrated conversion accounts in all of Christian literature.

Several years ago, I decided to read Confessions. It is not easy reading, and frankly, I don’t remember much of it. But what did lodge in my memory is how Augustine used his life to illustrate how a person can be saved from a mistaken worldview. He came out of a cult–the Manicheans–and rejoiced in his change of perspective. I really identify with that, and I think many of you are with me in this. While Augustine may not have gotten everything right when he left the cult and became a Christian, I celebrate that he was on a journey similar to our own.

Augustine was not a “flaming liberal,” bent on undermining the truth. He had a deep respect for tradition, but he also realized that the church must adapt to changing times. In his day, the Roman Empire was beginning to fall apart, a fact that would have a major impact on the church. Like Paul, three centuries before, Augustine was able to look at the situation from more than one perspective. The challenge then–as now–was to move with the times so that the church did not stagnate or disintegrate. But this must be done carefully, so that the integrity of the gospel message is not compromised.

The church in every age and in every “branch” is presented with the same challenge: to discern the social-cultural-intellectual soup we swim in and see if our faith and life as the church has been compromised by our surrounding worldview. Then we need to figure out how to get free of our captivity, leaving it behind, while holding onto what was good and faithful in the past even while making changes to move forward in even deeper faithfulness. This will mean that the church will always need to be ready to repent as well as to grow in faith and hope and love for God in Christ.

In the midst of our repenting and being renewed in faith, differences, even among Christians, will arise. Some will be minor, while others may be major. Some will, unfortunately even result in division within the Christian church. While we cannot give up on the need to be discerning about what to let go of and what to cling to, we need not be self-righteous about our own convictions. We can offer them trusting that others will one day see what we see, or that we’ll come to a better understanding ourselves. We can be patient and kind, recognizing that these conflicts and differences are relatively minor when compared to the majesty of the glorious message of hope that is the gospel and the reality of the grace of God in Jesus Christ continually offered to all–not to just a select few.

And we can count on Jesus’ promise that God will not leave us on our own to figure it out by ourselves. At the Last Supper, he told his first disciples, “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” (John 16:12-13).

God has led us on a wonderful journey, out of the maze of legalism and even self-righteousness, into a clearer understanding of what the Christian life is all about. I pray that all of us in Grace Communion International will continue to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit as he continues to guide us into all the truth. But let’s also remember that does not make us superior, or in any way better than others.

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach

P.S. We have just commemorated the 11th anniversary of 9/11–the terrorist attacks on the U.S. that occurred on September 11, 2001. We were reminded that the events of that day rocked the entire world, shaping the worldview of generations born in the U.S. and abroad, both before and after that tragic day. As we know, many families continue to suffer the consequences of 9/11 and its aftermath (which includes two wars). Our prayers are with them as they grieve loss and recover from injury and illness.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Grace is the first word in our name. We did not choose it because it sounds “religious.” Each word identifies our experience as a fellowship and grace is an integral part of our identity – especially our identity in Christ.

As a denomination, we have always understood grace to be God’s unconditional and unmerited pardon. But we tended to think of it as a component of salvation that needed to be “stirred into the mix” because of our inability to keep the law. We now see God’s grace as much more than that.

Grace is not some sort of passive concept of forgiveness. It is not a principle, a proposition, or a product. Grace is the love and freedom-producing action of God to reconstitute humanity into what the apostles, Peter and Paul, refer to as being made into God’s own people (2 Corinthians 5:17–20; Galatians 6:15; 1 Peter 2:9–10). It is not just a spiritual supplement that God provides because we can’t keep his law, like a whiff of oxygen to help a sick person breathe a bit easier.

Grace is an entirely new atmosphere that transforms us and gives us a new kind of life – life that no amount of law keeping could sustain. Note Paul’s explanation: “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: 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 2:19-20 KJV). Grace is the environment that allows us, God’s new creation, to not just survive, but to grow and flourish.

At the risk of over-simplification (a danger inherent in all analogies) we might think of grace as God’s “operating system.” The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been giving, receiving and sharing love for all eternity. When they extend that sharing of love to us, it is their gift of grace. This grace of God is not the exception to a rule–his rule is a gracious one, all the time, to give us life and to bless us, even if obstacles to our receiving it have to be removed at his own cost.

We see God’s grace most clearly in the person of Jesus, who as Paul said, loved us and gave himself for us. As the early church leader Irenaeus taught, the Son and the Spirit are the “two arms” of the Father lovingly embracing us back to himself. The Gospel of John gives us Jesus’ own encouraging words: “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23 NRSV).

As recipients of the grace of God in Christ, we not only share in the love and life of the Father through his Son in the Spirit, but we also share in the mission of God to the world. That mission is the complete restoration and renewal of all creation in Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, into a state of perfect glory.

God’s grace in the person of Jesus Christ is for all humanity without distinction to race, status or gender. And that is why the vision of Grace Communion International is for “all kinds of churches for all kinds of people in all kinds of places.”

With love, in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach