1. Pray for Those Affected
Prayer is a powerful way to support those impacted by these devastating fires. Lift up the families who have lost homes, the communities grappling with uncertainty, and the first responders working tirelessly to contain the flames. Pray for safety, strength, and for the fires to be extinguished swiftly.

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We’re committed to providing updates as the situation unfolds. Thank you for standing with us in prayer and action during this critical time.

“And she covered herself with a veil, and she wrapped herself, and she sat at the opening of eyes…” — Gen. 38:14

The tale of Judah and Tamar has stimulated readers for millennia. The narrative includes grief, family loss, sexual intrigue, the threat of death, chilling suspense, and, underlying it all, deep irony. Irony occurs in a story when a character’s expected action or circumstance is juxtaposed with a different, often opposite action or circumstance. For instance, it would be ironic if a fire station burned down. This is ironic because what we expect — that a fire station would be the most equipped to put out a fire — is met with a different or opposite reality.

The use of irony can serve a number of non-exclusive purposes. These include humor, criticism, or even condemnation. We shall examine the story of Judah and Tamar and note how it uses irony to criticize Judah’s behavior in a quite amusing way. We will first introduce the story, then we will consider the ironic dynamic between its two main characters.

Genesis 38 opens with Judah’s departure from his brothers. After settling in a Canaanite town, Judah married a woman, had three sons, and found a wife named Tamar for his firstborn. Due to the wickedness of Judah’s firstborn, the Lord put him to death, leaving Tamar a childless widow. As was customary at the time for widows without children, Tamar was married off to Judah’s second born in order to bear a child in the name of her deceased husband. However, Judah’s second born was likewise wicked and, as a consequence, he died too.

Fearing the boys’ death was in some way due to Tamar, Judah was reluctant to give her in marriage to his third son. He sent her to her father’s house to live as a widow with the promise to give her in marriage at a later time. That time never came.

The Use of Narrative Irony

“The entrance of Enaim”

Some time later, Judah went on a trip to Timnah to visit his sheep shearers. It is at this point in the narrative that we begin to encounter some highly ironic events. When Tamar heard about her father-in-law’s travels, she does three things. First, she “took off her widow’s clothing” (Gen. 38:14). Why does she take off the clothing that signals her status as a widow? The narrator is silent with regard to motive, leaving the reader to search for Tamar’s intention as the story progresses. At this point we might assume she took off her widow’s clothing because she intends to present herself as marriageable for Judah’s third son. However, we must keep reading to see if this possibility plays out.

Second, Tamar “covered herself with a veil (Heb: ṣāꜥiyp̱)” (Gen. 38:14). The only other story in the Bible to feature a veilis when Rebekah meets her husband Isaac for the first time: “and she took the veil (Heb: ṣāꜥiyp̱) and she covered herself” (Gen. 24:65). This reinforces our previous hypothesis that Tamar is getting ready to meet her new husband. Third, “she wrapped herself up (Heb: ꜥālap̱)” (Gen. 34:14). This is a difficult word which has been variously understood by interpreters as “covering oneself” or, perhaps, “disguising oneself” (see BDB, עָלַף). While covering oneself could simply imply the use of a traveling cloak, the possibility of a disguise should raise questions: Is Tamar preparing herself to meet her new husband, or is she up to something else?

Finally, “she sat at the entrance (Heb: peṯaḥ) of Enaim (Heb: ꜥēynayim)” (Gen. 38:14). The “entrance of Enaim” has been translated both as “an open place” (e.g., KJV, NKJV) and “the gate/opening/entrance of [a place called] Enaim” (e.g., NLT, NIV, ESV, NASB, etc.). However, since Enaim (Heb: ꜥēynayim) means “eyes,” and the Hebrew word “peṯaḥ” means “opening,” the underlying Hebrew phrase can literally be rendered, “she sat at the opening of eyes.”

What is the significance of a place named “the opening of eyes?” The concept of eyes being opened is a common figure of speech for discovery — just think of the hymn Amazing Grace: “I once was blind, but now I see.” So the fact that Tamar would cover herself, maybe even disguise herself, at a place called “the opening of eyes” is highly ironic. We must keep reading to see how this line of irony develops.

“She covered her face”

When Judah came by the “opening of eyes,” he saw his daughter-in-law. Unfortunately for him, he did not recognize her. Rather, “He thought she was a prostitute, since she covered her face” (Gen. 38:15). Here we find a brilliant contrast between action and setting: “covered” vs. “opening;” “face” vs. “eyes.” While Judah might have encountered Tamar at the opening of eyes, Judah’s eyes, thanks to Tamar, were indeed shut.

Since he thought she was a prostitute, Judah propositioned his unrecognizable daughter-in-law for sex. It is left ambiguous whether this was intended by Tamar or if this was a surprise. Regardless, once the offer was made, Tamar took advantage of the blinded Judah. Since Judah’s payment for sex would be delayed, she asked for a pledge in the form of his signet ring, cord, and staff. Once securing the pledge, Tamar let Judah come into her, and she conceived.

“Please Recognize!”

When Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant, he was (ironically) indignant. He then sent for her to be brought out and burned to death. However, as she was brought to her accuser, she made a request that would result in her vindication. She sent a message to Judah saying, “By the man who owns these, I am pregnant … please recognize whose these are, the signet ring, the cord, and the staff” (Gen. 28:25). Immediately, “Judah recognized” that these items belonged to him and that he in fact was the father of Tamar’s unborn child.

Amusingly, the man who previously failed to recognize his daughter-in-law’s identity recognizes the items that lead to both her vindication and his condemnation. But beyond mere amusement, this ironic turn of events is a perfect example of measure-for-measure justice in biblical narrative. We might remember from Genesis 37 that both Judah and his brothers plotted the death of their younger brother, Joseph. In a turn of events, Judah suggested that, rather than kill their brother, they ought to sell him into slavery. Needing an explanation to give their father for their brother’s sudden absence, the brothers spun a story about Joseph being killed by a wild animal. In order to make this believable, they took Joseph’s robe, dipped it in blood, and asked Jacob to “recognize whether it is [Joseph’s] robe or not” (Gen. 37:32). As Judah urged his father to “recognize” the robe of his son, resulting in deception, now Tamar urges Judah to “recognize” his own possessions, resulting in his condemnation.

As we have seen, Genesis 38 is filled with narrative irony. From the location of certain events (Enaim) to the function of clothing in the drama (Tamar’s veil, Judah’s signet ring, etc.), the story, which in many ways strikes a serious tone, is laced with humor aimed at criticizing and, ultimately, condemning Judah. Of the many things we could conclude in light of this brief survey, one fact is inescapable: our God, the divine author of Scripture, has a creative, often ironic, sense of justice.

We all know that Joy is one of the great themes of Christmas, and perhaps you’ve recently (this past Christmas season) heard a sermon or even engaged in singing a song about joy. The one that comes most naturally to my mind (probably because I’ve heard it my whole life) is “Joy to the World.” You probably know the lyrics by heart: “Joy to the world; The Lord has come; / Let Earth receive her King; / Let ev’ry heart prepare him room, / and heav’n and nature sing …” The funny thing about that song is that it wasn’t written for Christmas, which, of course, celebrates the first coming of Christ, but rather, the song anticipates the second coming of Christ when “He rules the world with truth and grace …” Then, perpetual joy will be the air we breathe, and it’s for that day we long. But until then, are we limited to just a few days out of the year to expect joy? No. As God’s people, joy is an aspect of our inheritance. As a Christian, you’re born of the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, and a partaker of the fruit of the Spirit, which is, among other things, Joy. What a blessing to know that joy is available to us continually through the presence of the Spirit in our lives.

But what is joy? It seems that joy is one of those things you know when you’re experiencing it, but it’s difficult to define. In the New Testament, the Greek word chara is translated as joy; that word is also translated as gladness, cheerfulness, and delight. An English dictionary defines joy as a feeling of “peace, contentment, happiness, and delight.” That sounds about right, but some would argue that happiness and joy are different. Happiness, they say, is a more conscious appraisal of how we feel over time, dependent on a range of external factors. I do agree that happiness is generally contingent upon circumstances. In reading up on joy, I found, believe it or not, a scientific definition. Here it is. “Joy has been described as an intense, internal experience of positive emotion accessed in small moments: smiling, laughing, jumping for joy.” Funny enough, the scientific definition resonated with me most.

Lately, there are two things in my life that have resulted in the experience described in the scientific definition of joy: my four-year-old grandson (who’s living with us right now) and his cat — Batman, whom he named. Remi, my grandson who has to be one of the brightest four-year-olds ever, will come up with questions or comments or even sayings that will instantly put the biggest smile on my face and fill me with feelings of delight. A couple of weeks ago, Cheryl and I drove him through some of the neighborhoods near our house to look at the Christmas lights; kids love to look at Christmas lights. As we drove along one block, Remi suddenly commented that the people in that neighborhood weren’t very creative. I felt the joy rising within as I wondered how in the world a four-year-old could even come up with a thought like that.

Then, there’s Batman. Our dog, Barnabas, lives to take a daily walk. When he sees us getting dressed in our walking clothes or shoes, or we happen to say the word “walk,” he goes completely nuts with excitement. At that, the cat will casually walk up and smack him on the snout, as if to say, “You’re out of control; get it together,” and then casually walk away. Between the hilarious things Remi says and the cool cat attitude of Batman, I’ve had lots of those moments of smiling and laughing lately. Lots of joy in the scientific sense and lots of thankfulness to God for such wonderful little moments.

But surely the Bible is talking about something far deeper than that when it talks about joy, isn’t it? I think so. C.S. Lewis, who used the term joy to describe his own spiritual experiences, gave his autobiography the title Surprised by Joy. In a letter to a friend, Lewis wrote: “… Joy … must be sharply distinguished from Happiness and Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again.”

Lewis believed that joy, although similar, was distinct from happiness and pleasure. I think he was right, especially when we associate joy with God, which is what the Bible bids us to do. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!” says Paul the Apostle (Philippians 4:4). Nehemiah reminded the people of his day, “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The biblical understanding of joy is rooted in God and His eternal goodness, which is always present toward those who believe, and this is how joy and happiness are distinguished. Joy is not contingent upon outward circumstances, as is happiness, but is always available because God is, and He is always good.

As we leave behind the joyful season and enter a new year filled with uncertainties and temptations toward worry and fear, let’s remember joy can be ours all year long. Our first and greatest cause for joy is Jesus himself, who loves us with an everlasting love, who has an eternal plan and purpose for our lives, and who has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. As we believe that and continue to press deeper and deeper into our relationship with Him through His word and fellowship with His people, our forever family, as we worship and serve Him and live more intentionally into His story, joy will mark our path, and the joy of the Lord will be our daily strength. “For the kingdom of God is … righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

This life will have unavoidable pain, sorrow and grief. In light of this universal truth, it is an interesting philosophical, ethical, moral, and existential matter to contemplate whether bringing a child into the world is “right, just, or good” in light of the relevant balance of happiness and heartache. Nevertheless, there is a reality that can tip the scales towards a conclusion that it is right, just, and good. The transcendent hope of the universe that provides true comfort despite the hardships of life in our world is found in Jesus’ resurrection and return. These comforting words are found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and are intended to be shared. So, I would like to share them with you, and we can share them with many.

The Hope of The Resurrection

In the midst of exhortations to rejoice always (1Th. 5:16-18), Paul affirmed that believers also grieve and sorrow (1Th. 4:13). Jesus’ followers are not insulated from the universal experience of pain, suffering, loss, grief, and sorrow. Jesus’ followers have a hope that provides comfort for the grieving that unbelievers do not have (4:13), but that doesn’t eliminate the reality of pain or despair.

Most of us have attended a funeral, memorial service, or celebration of life where someone made the comment regarding the departed, “They’re in a better place …” The great deception is that you do not need Jesus to get to heaven, or that there is no heaven. According to Pew Research (Dec. 2023), 71% of American adults believe in heaven. Is there some reasonable basis for why they believe the departed is in a better place? God does not want people to be ignorant or uninformed about what happens upon the death of a body.

What makes the hope of heaven different for a follower of Jesus is the truth that Jesus died and rose again (14). The gospel message, that you can be restored in your relationship with God through faith in Christ, rests on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection (1Cor. 15). The evidence of Christ’s resurrection is beyond a reasonable doubt. His followers can have confidence that they too will be resurrected. Whether we have passed from this earth before His return or whether we are alive when He comes, his followers have nothing to fear. Jesus will return with us or for us, and bring believers who passed before His return (14).

I do not fear death. Some methods of dying appear more attractive than others, but death itself does not worry me. When I leave this earth, I know that I will be in the presence of Jesus; and I will be more alive than ever before. To live is Christ and to die is gain (Ph. 1:21-24). It is not a “death wish” in some nihilistic view that nothing matters, but an awareness of heaven.

The hope of the resurrection, and His gospel, is that when you leave this earth, you can spend eternity in the very presence of God with no more heartache, suffering, or despair, only pure contentment in Christ’s presence.

Share The Hope of The Resurrection (1Th. 4:18)

“Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Comfort the grieving.

Paul understood, God understands, and we need to be aware that people in our midst are grieving the loss of loved ones.
As a follower of Jesus, you should be comforted by the truth that any loved one who responded to the gospel with faith in Jesus will be in God’s presence when they leave this earth; and you will be united with them for eternity in perfection.

Holidays can exacerbate the sense of loss, grief, or mourning. The hope of the resurrection should flow from our lips to comfort others not as a trite expression to silence the grieving, but as the true hope that it is. This hope does not stop grief or mourning, but completely reshapes the experience. So, listen well and then comfort.

What we learn from the saved thief on the cross (Matt. 27:44) is that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, and no matter what we have done, it is not too late to repent and accept the free gift of salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). So, we may be surprised that some who we suspect never received Jesus will in fact be with Him.

Strengthen the weary.

We are to encourage which means to strengthen, comfort, instruct, and exhort about the reality of the resurrection. My greatest comfort lies not in the hope that everything will work out the way I want in this life, but that everything will be perfect in the life to come; and compared to glory with Christ, these present struggles seem like light affliction (2Cor. 4:17-18). That does not minimize the intensity of our struggles in this life, but relative to glory, they are light. That hope strengthens the weary. Since we know that our struggles are temporary, but glory in heaven is eternal, it should lighten our perception of the struggle(s). When you are living for Christ, you are living for eternity and know the comfort of Christ’s hope, and share that hope with others.

Focus on eternity in heaven.

Our hope is to be firmly rooted in the reality of life with Christ, today and forever. This hope comforts me in the challenges that I have experienced, the struggles of today, and the certain hardships of tomorrow. The reality of heaven tips the scales towards a conclusion that it is right, just, and good to bring a child into this world because it is the only way to enter into Christ’s world. The transcendent hope of the universe that provides true comfort despite the hardships of life in our world is found in Jesus’ resurrection, return, and eternity with Him in heavenly perfection. Jesus has not delayed His return because He is slack, but because He is longsuffering and does not want any to perish, but all to repent and receive eternal life (2 Pet.3:9). Today, we are all invited to receive and share the comfort of Christ’s hope.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go.

Actually, not really for me. I live in Florida, and it was eighty degrees last week. We don’t get snow here, and baby, it’s cold outside looks like about sixty. But Santa does make an appearance on the beach from time to time, and people are generally in a festive mood. At least the weather does cool down a little bit in the “winter.” A few years ago, we lived in New Zealand. Christmas was right in the middle of summer. “Jingle Bells” doesn’t hit as hard when you’re in shorts and a T-shirt. Nevertheless, there are certain indicators that let us know Christmas is right around the corner.

We have expectations for Christmas. We expect stores to start playing Christmas music, people to decorate their homes with lights, and kids to start talking about the presents they want to see under the tree. We make plans for the relatives to come over, and many people get to take some time off work for the holidays. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

But what did Christmas look like in the beginning? Not the Genesis beginning, but the beginning of Christmas. You know … the time when Jesus was born? In Matthew Chapter One, we have some great insight into the events leading up to Christmas. Joseph and Mary are going to get married, the angel Gabriel announces the pregnancy (yikes!), and the couple takes a step of faith to follow God’s command. Then Jesus is born! The original Christmas.

I’d like to give you five takeaways from Matthew Chapter One about what Christmas looks like. This will help us prepare our hearts spiritually as we rush headlong into this holiday season.

Christmas looks like unexpected surprises.

Mary and Joseph were minding their own business, doing what every other Jewish family was doing, and returning home for the census. And then … SURPRISE! The powerful angel Gabriel appears — surprise! He tells Mary she is pregnant — surprise! Her child is going to be the savior of the world and is the Son of The Most High — surprise!

Now, I’ve had a few surprises in my life but nothing compared to that.

When Lynne and I had been married just over a year, she visited me at the job site I was working at. I was high up on an extension ladder, working on the top corner of the house. She shouted up at me, “I’m pregnant!” I was already slightly off balance, and that wonderful surprise nearly cost me my life. Ladies, if your man is twenty feet up on an extension ladder, wait until he gets down to share the good news. Thankfully, I survived, and now we have a twenty-four-year-old son who’s starting his own family.

It’s helpful to remember that surprises to us aren’t surprises to God. He’s in control of our surprises! Find comfort in this verse from Proverbs: “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Or even better, “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?”^[1]

Christmas looks like disappointing problems.

Joseph was a good man. He was going to put Mary away privately so she wouldn’t be hurt by the scandal of having a child out of wedlock. Talk about problems. How could this be covered up? What would they do with their lives now? It seemed hopeless. Thankfully, Christmas is all about hope! God turned a problem into a promise, and Mary received the greatest blessing a woman could have.^[2]

This Christmas season, we need to remember that not everyone is having a merry Christmas. Problems happen, and difficulties don’t wait for us to get through the holidays before they start hammering us. When we interact with friends and family this Christmas, remember that they may not all be as excited as we are. Elvis said it best as he was thinking about Christmas without his sweetheart: “You’ll be doing alright / With your Christmas of white / But I’ll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas.”

Christmas looks like new opportunities.

When Gabriel told this young couple that they were going to be the parents of Immanuel, their lives changed forever. Never in a million years could they’ve planned this. There was no way they could’ve come up with a strategy to make this happen. It was the opportunity of a lifetime — from God — and they accepted it obediently. Of course, there was fear, and an awful lot of change, but when God is orchestrating events, His opportunities can make our lives dramatically better. I think what I like most about this “opportunity” is that they didn’t try to force it, make it happen, or manipulate God’s will. It just fell in their lap, and they accepted. They weren’t like the little boy who tried to bargain with God for Christmas presents. In a pre-Christmas letter to God, he wrote, “I’ve been good for six months,” but after thinking about it, he crossed it out and wrote “three months.” Then, “two weeks.” Finally, he gave up, went to the nativity scene, took the figure of Mary, wrapped it in a cloth, and hid it. He returned to his letter: “Dear God, if you ever want to see your mother again, you better get me those presents!”

Christmas looks like special visitors.

“You surprised to see us, Clark?”
“Oh, Eddie … If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now.”^[3]

We all love the holidays because we get to see friends and family and spend time with the ones we love. This year, my daughter Liana flew home early from Bible College to surprise my parents, who were coming from New Mexico. What a happy visitation! Now, I know that some people (none of us of course) have family they’d prefer not to visit, or at least not stay too long. Thankfully, unlike cousin Eddie or some of our own dear family members, God has visited us and filled our hearts with “joy to the world!”

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” – Matthew 1:23

Christmas looks like Jesus.

With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, let this serve as a reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season! When life surprises you with new opportunities, use those to honor Jesus. When you buy those gifts for the unexpected visitors, remember the wonderful gift that God has given us in Jesus. When you walk into the grocery store to pick up the pumpkin pie and hear “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” playing on the PA, lift your heart in worship to Jesus. When you hang up your Christmas lights, may your heart be merry and bright because Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the reason for the season, and HE is what Christmas looks like.

Footnotes

^[1] Proverbs 20:24 (NLT) — I love the translation of this verse. It makes it sound so good, like we’re abandoning all stress and worry because God is in control. We don’t have to have it all figured out!
^[2] Luke 1:42 (NKJV) — Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
^[3] Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, reacting to his Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid) showing up unexpectedly at Christmas in the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” 1989.

While reflecting on Romans 6:1-14—a passage worth revisiting regularly—I found a profound answer to the problem of sin: the transforming power of grace. Paul begins with a rhetorical question, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1). He immediately refutes this misunderstanding: “By no means!” (6:2). For Paul, grace isn’t a license to sin; it’s a call to a transformed life.

Paul explains that those in Christ have “died to sin” through baptism, symbolizing an end to the old life. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead … we too may live a new life” (6:4). This new life is a rebirth—freed from sin’s bondage and empowered to live for God. Paul emphasizes that “our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (6:6). This crucifixion breaks sin’s hold, allowing believers to live under grace’s reign.

The passage culminates in a powerful declaration of freedom: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (6:14). Living under grace enables us to overcome sin, not indulge in it, as God’s Spirit transforms our hearts and actions.

This transformation by the Spirit underscores that a nominal, “in name only” Christianity, is impossible. True Christianity demands a life that reflects Christ’s teachings. Paul’s words in Romans 6:6, “that we should no longer be slaves to sin,” echo Jesus’ call to authentic discipleship, seen when He spoke of bearing one’s cross (Luke 9:23) and condemned lukewarm faith (Revelation 3:15-16). Faith here isn’t a label but a transformative relationship with Christ—“… sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (6:14).

Nominal Christianity, which only engages with faith superficially, misses this transformation and the depth of life in Christ. In essence, the concept of “nominal Christianity” contradicts the very heart of the gospel, which calls for an active, committed life in Christ affecting every aspect of our being. Anything less fails to capture the fullness of genuine faith.

“Thou that hast giv’n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a gratefull heart:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Not thankfull when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy praise.“
(George Herbert, “Gratefulnesse,” 1633)

There is a tendency I have noticed in myself: I am quick to pray and ask God for things that I need. In fact, if I were to categorize my prayers, the majority are requests. There is nothing inherently wrong with this; Jesus encouraged us to ask the Father for what we need (e.g., Matthew 7:7-11). When we ask God to do things that are beyond our capabilities, we honor Him because it shows that we believe in his power and ability, and it expresses our reliance on Him. I often encourage our church to honor the Lord by praying for big and great things rather than assuming that such things are “too big” for Him.

However, the tendency I have noticed in myself is that I often fail to stop, reflect, and thank God for the things that He has done, and the prayers He has answered. I am quick to move on to the next need or the next task without stopping to praise God for His provision and His faithfulness.

A Lesson from the Lepers (Luke 17:11-12)

In the Gospel of Luke, we read about a time when Jesus passed between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a certain village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and cried out to Jesus, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

These lepers were helpless, and they were hopeless. Their incurable disease not only destroyed their bodies but also made them outcasts from society. Cut off from their families, communities, and places of worship, their lives were characterized by isolation and suffering.

Leprosy is often recognized as a type, or a picture, of sin and what sin does in our lives. Like leprosy, sin leads to a hardening of the heart, a loss of feeling; it causes a person to lose parts of themselves, and it ultimately ruins them and leads to death. Because there was no cure for leprosy, the fact that Jesus healed lepers was a sign that He was the Messiah (Matthew 11:2-5).

Hearing their cries for help, Jesus had mercy on these ten lepers, and He healed them. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests so that the priests could inspect them according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 13-14), to verify that they had been healed and pronounce them as clean so they could be restored to society.

Quickly, the ten lepers ran off, overjoyed and eager to have their cleansing verified by the priests — but one of them stopped and turned back. While the others ran off ahead, this one returned and “praising God in a loud voice, he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks” (Luke 17:15-16).

To make the story even more surprising, Jesus points out that the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, a group whom many Jews considered themselves superior to. Jesus then expressed His consternation that, whereas ten were healed, only one returned to give thanks and praise God for what he had received.

Pausing to Praise and Give Thanks

This story challenges us to consider our own actions: When God hears your prayers, how do you respond?

Like those lepers, those whose faith is in Jesus have been cleansed from an incurable condition; we have been saved from death and destruction and given a new destiny. Additionally, we have experienced God’s faithfulness through His provision. God hears our prayers and has provided for our needs. How ought we to respond to this?

There is nothing wrong with making requests of God; not only does He invite us to do it, but we honor Him by doing so. However, what we see from this passage is the importance of returning to the Lord, acknowledging what He has done, and thanking Him and praising Him for His faithfulness and goodness.

For those who are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, we have the opportunity to do just that. May this Thanksgiving holiday be a reminder to us to stop and give thanks, and may it spark a habit of thanksgiving in our hearts that lasts throughout the year.

I’m finally getting around to reading one of those books I’ve heard quoted by a ton of authors and podcasters, “A Secular Age” by Charles Taylor. Although I’m far from finishing this massive book, I highly recommend it to anyone in ministry because it describes how Western Culture became post-Christian. Honestly, what I’ve read still occupies my thoughts, even months later! He spoke about the role of the Church in ushering in a secular society. Yes, our role in the current secular society!

In speaking about how Protestantism, notably Calvinism and Puritanism, tended toward the disciplined life and removing superstition in worship, something else was lost. Taylor observed that emptying Churches of Sacred Art and eliminating the feasts and beliefs that stemmed from a more “magical” past, opened the door to the Enlightenment thinkers who used the same arguments to remove God from the public scene.

He writes, “Now both their action in expelling the sacred from worship and social life, and the instrumental stance they take to things and to society in the course of building their order, tends to drive out the enchantment from the world. This becomes progressively voided of its spirits and meaningful forces, and more and more the disenchanted world we are familiar with.”^[1] Among other practices, Taylor is suggesting that our Protestant heritage and demystifying worship hasn’t just led to “dead orthodoxy” but has played into the hand of atheist thinkers. Now, that’s when I began to wonder, is this true?

We must not oversimplify what took Charles Taylor hundreds of pages to write. He also carefully admits that Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans preached and lived dependent on the Spirit of God. They were in no way promoting a doctrine of spiritless Christianity. But, there was no mistake in the slow progression towards a secular society. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to us in Calvary Chapel. Taylor’s idea goes with the same critique of the church we’ve been known to make. A church out of step with the Spirit and missing the culture, from which God sent a revival that birthed our church movement.

Here is how it applies to us: have our screens, controversies, and continued status quo emptied us of our spark? All the while, Gen Z and the Millennials turn toward a newer version of an ancient spirituality as Esmé Partridge describes in her article.^[2] These past years have been complicated by any measure, and a pervasive heaviness can be felt. Sure, we live by the Spirit and see God moving, but is the holy awe of His presence still there?

Thinking about the loss of the spiritual in favor of the secular, it can also be said differently. Herein, I turn to GK Chesterton in Orthodoxy writing about insanity. “Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity is reason. Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom … And though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators. The general fact is simple. Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite.”^[3]

Sometimes, we keep things reasonable in ministry, look for formulas that provide success, and organize like mathematicians rather than prophets listening to the Spirit. We become like the commentators of Revelation he describes. This is the insanity Chesterton sets as a philosophical groundwork for Taylor. He opened the window for us to see the healthy Spirit-filled “magic” in the works of Narnia and Middle Earth — not to mention the poets and artists who have brought life and beauty into our gospel communities. Losing the spark of a holy enchantement, an awe inspired longing for the Holy and His faithful loving working in our lives, might be our undoing.

There’s another aspect of this. It’s the tired, humdrum life of routine. It follows the same plan every Sunday because that’s how we do it. It’s making each church body a homogenized replica of an idea from the headquarters. It’s toeing the line. This is also a loss of the “magic” because we no longer follow a conviction, a leading of the Spirit, as much as an external concept. This isn’t to say that every movement has its distinctives and philosophies of ministry, which are healthy and necessary in their own right. But we know when things have gone mechanical, and this is Chesterton’s mathematician resurfacing again. This place can be tiring. The only place to find released relief is in the words of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30).

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (ESV).

“Come to me,” the Lord says because He knows, because He would exchange secular-minded mathematician with the poet or prophet, or the one He’s created us to be. We can find it only as we rest in Jesus, taking His yoke on ourselves.

Oddly enough, the non-Christian world hasn’t become less spiritual as some of the older new atheists like Richard Dawkins would have us think. Recently, a friend shared a podcast with me, “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God” by Justin Brierley, chronicling how they lost public favor to religious thinking. Spiritual thinking seems to be growing, like paganism in the US, as seen in this surprising Cambridge^[4] study, in France as philosopher Chantal Delsol’s “La fin de la chrétienté” (The End of Christianity) shows the social progression from a culture dominated by Catholicism to one reminiscent of Roman Paganism or on a more worldwide scene with WitchTok.

Though spiritism, metaphysical exploration, and similar philosophies are alive and well in our Western society, some might relent and say they are just part of the gods of the secular age. A sign of the times. But I don’t see that as much as an obstacle as a new open door. Our Gospel transforms and brings life to all who will come. If the world around us is looking for life in the spiritual, then our Gospel has as much, if not more, to say to them than it did in the pagan era Paul preached in.

With this in mind, I believe Taylor’s observation should lead us to Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11. He is the One who carries us. His burden is indeed light, as He restores our soul. In so doing, I believe the mathematician will melt away to the awe-inspired lover of God, filled with the spark of joy in the Spirit.

Footnotes

^[1] Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007), 83.
^[2] Esmé Partridge, “Disenchantment, or Dark Enchantment?”, https://www.esmelkpartridge.com/post/disenchantment-or-dark-enchantment
^[3] G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (Christian Classics Ethereal Library), 9.
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/c/chesterton/orthodoxy/cache/orthodoxy.pdf
^[4] Here’s an interesting study from Cambridge on the subject: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-religion/article/abs/political-profile-of-us-pagans/5EBF4A0BCFCB4B96FDC235505F5A9A16

Jesus commands us to make disciples. That is true of all Christians, in all lines of work, of all giftings, in all cultures throughout all the ages. Even though Jesus sandwiches this command between a promise of his authority and his presence (Matthew 28:18-20), where do we begin? There is an unspoken but underlying step in making disciples that is easily neglected: making a disciple always begins with making a relationship. You cannot disciple someone you do not know. Making a relationship is always the first step.

This command that embraces all of life should also be active when we gather on Sundays. I know we usually think about the Sunday gatherings as a place for Christians, and you may even have one of those “you are now entering the mission field” signs above the exit of the building, but I hope that your church regularly has visitors, and I want to talk about turning those visitors into disciples in four simple steps: initiate, investigate, invest, invite.

Initiate:

We are the missionaries. We are the ones commanded to make disciples. We cannot expect newcomers to come to us; we need to go to them, and that (for most of us) does not happen naturally. We need to follow God’s example. He did not wait for Adam in the garden, nor did He wait for us, but sent His son to reach His wayward creatures. So, what does this look like on Sundays? Intentionally show up in time to park and be there 15 minutes before service starts. Intentionally notice newcomers. Deliberately introduce yourself and welcome them to church. Purposely pursue a relationship. Discipleship begins with an extended hand, an introduction, and a welcome.

Investigate:

We need to investigate because we are interested in making disciples, not just conversions. We should be interested in hearing stories. Ask questions that allow them to talk about who they are, what they think, what they are looking for, etc. A friend likes to say that we need to be a church with big ears: a church of good listeners. If people are lost, crazy, confused, unsure, broken, prideful, or content in their sins, that is great! That is exactly who God wants to work in. Although Jesus is the answer to everyone’s questions, we need to hear the questions first so we can show how Jesus is the answer. Making disciples is not some mechanical, cookie-cutter methodology. We make disciples, starting with who people are and where they are at. That means getting to know them.

Invest:

Find a way to sacrificially move the relationship forward. Invite them over for dinner or out to coffee. Commit to seeing their punk-metal fusion band. Volunteer to go with them to visit their friend at the hospital. All these things quite simply are summed up in one word: Love. We need to love people just as Jesus did by spending time with them. That is where the opportunities to speak into their lives come from, and it is also what makes those speaking times valuable and valid to the hearers. It may be cliché, but it is true, “They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” [Note: This is the step that is most often skipped, jumping right from the initial conversation to the invitation, but it is vital, and Christlike (Luke 19:5).] One of my favorite memories from pastoral ministry in Seattle is when we met a first-time visitor at our church who was part of a community theater. She had mentioned having a show on Wednesday, and a bunch of the church members decided to go together. More than half the audience was people she just met at church. That was touching not just to her but to her whole theater troupe. This simple act of love became an open door.

Invite:

Discipleship begins when we ask those we are in a relationship with to “follow me as I follow Christ.” Whether we invite them into a discipleship community like a homegroup or a one-on-one Bible study, discipleship requires intentional rhythms with the goal of growing in Christ. Please remember these are not just places or maneuvers for believers; faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Inviting them to join you in your growth is only one possibility. You can also come alongside them in their growth. What do they want to understand? Where do they have questions or doubts? The goal is to move the relationship from casual friendship to purposeful discipleship.

To fulfill the great commission, we have to move the people we encounter from strangers to friends, and then from friends to disciples. We can do this with those we meet on Sundays through the four “I’s”: Initiate, Investigate, Invest, and Invite. When this becomes not just a personal mission but a church culture, you will be amazed to find yourselves in a season like the book of Acts where “the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied” (Acts 6:7).

Editor’s Note: Click here to access Part 1 of this article, published on October 29, 2024.

3. We look to Jesus because he looked ahead to the joy set before him.

For Jesus, the end was always in mind. He didn’t set his eyes like a flint merely to Calvary — no, all along he had his eyes fixed to what was beyond Calvary, beyond the cross. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21 He who knew no sin became sin. Jesus didn’t just interact with sinners, go play in the sandbox for a few minutes, and get his hands a little messy. He became sin. He wore our shame. Anyone who has ever been scandalously caught, embarrassingly exposed, or sexually abused can identify with this concept of despising the shame. Sin that causes shame is disgraceful. It’s dirty-ing. That’s why most people who are raped feel the unprovoked urge to shower — they need cleansing. Jesus despised the shame of sin and sinners — how? By looking ahead at the joy set before him.

What was that joy? Some would say, “Being resurrected and back in fellowship with the Father.” Maybe. Others would argue, “The joy set before Jesus was going back to Heaven glorified.”

Doubtful. I think the joy that was set before Jesus, beyond the cross, was a pure and spotless Bride who would be arrayed in glory and grace! A people who once were not a people, brought near through his blood! Sinners who had been saved from the wrath of God, set free from their sin, no longer fearing death or judgment!

What was the joy set before Jesus? You, and me. A restored creation, a restored fellowship, a true union of Christ with his people. That’s what gave him hupomone (endurance) with every lash, every accusation, every agonizing breath. In our own race, we too get to enter into the joy of our Master, into a resurrection joy that no one can take from us.

Paul told the Ephesian elders that “none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy.” If our eyes are fixed on our failures, our pain, our despair, we will falter. We (like Peter) will find ourselves enamored with the wind and waves and find our feet slipping. We will one day be with our Lord, and no light or momentary trouble will compare in weight to the glory of that joyful bliss. So, we look to Jesus, who all along had the end in mind.

4. We look to Jesus because he’s now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Where’s Jesus now? He’s not hanging on the cross; he’s seated in glory. We, like the Hebrew Christians in the first century, might be going through trouble, but it isn’t the last chapter!

Ephesians 2 actually says those who are in Christ are already seated with him in the heavenly realms. We are already there! Romans 8 describes our salvation, and it almost seems like Paul is describing our glorification as “past tense,” as already happened!

Even today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, making intercession for us. Cross exchanged for crown. Have you forgotten, weary Christian, that that Day is coming? There are days when the Celestial City looks imminent, and other days when the finish line seems like it will never come. But we look to Jesus.

Verse 3 tells us why: “so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

This was a particularly encouraging word for the struggling Hebrew Christians who received this letter in the first century, but this verse isn’t just for them. Does fainthearted or weary describe your race as of late? You may even be wondering how you’re going to even finish this race?

You’re heavy laden, you’re weary, you’re discouraged, or you may even be in the darkest place of your spiritual life yet.

May I encourage you with something the Lord has shown me in the past year? In the last 12 months, I’ve had some of the toughest, if not darkest, moments of my entire life. Yet, even in the chasm of agony, the Lord has proven himself faithful. There were times I was tempted to drop out of the race, or say “Lord, I can’t go on,” but the Lord proved he is indeed near to the brokenhearted.

The Summer Games of 1992 in Barcelona had all the highlights we expect from the Olympics, with the skill and stamina of the human body on full display. However, it was that year’s 400-meter race that held one of Olympic history’s most shocking moments. Derek Redmond, the lightning-fast Brit who had won the 4×400 meter relay in the European and World Championships that year, was the favorite to win the 400-meter individual race. The men lined up, the gun sounded, and Redmond shot off from the starting line, quickly finding himself in the obvious lead. Rounding the turn into the backstretch, Redmond suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot up the back of his leg, causing him to fall face first onto the track. What happened next was nothing short of unpredictable and astonishing.

The pain Derek felt was his right hamstring tearing. As medical attendants began approaching, Redmond fought to his feet. “It was animal instinct,” he would say later. He tried to keep running, but could only resort to hopping, in a crazed attempt to finish his race. When he reached the final stretch, suddenly a large man in a T-shirt erupted down from the stands, hurling aside a security guard as he ran to Redmond, embracing him. Who was this determined fan? It was none other than Jim Redmond, Derek’s father. He told his weeping son, “You don’t have to finish the race,” to which Derek replied, “Yes, I do, Dad.”

With compassion, Jim looked at him and said, “Well, then, son, we’re going to finish this race together.” That’s exactly what they did. (You can Google this. It was captured on video, and it’s emotional and powerful!) Fighting off security men, Derek’s head sometimes deep into his father’s shoulder, they slowly approached the finish line all the way to the end. The crowd watched — first perplexed — then, rising to their feet, they began to cheer, with some weeping. Derek didn’t walk away with the gold medal, but he walked away with an incredible memory of a father who, when he saw his son in pain, left his seat in the stands to help him finish the race.

That’s what our God has done for us. He didn’t yell from the stands for us to “get to work” or “do better; try harder”! That’s not the Gospel. He stepped down, and picked up broken, weary sinners, and completed the work he promised to begin. Since we’re surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let’s also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let’s run with endurance the race that’s set before us, looking to Jesus.

Beloved, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. So, keep running. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. One day, your eyes will meet his face to face, and you and I will hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.” Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Editor’s Note: This is a republication of Phil Metzger’s October 31, 2019 article.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

IT’S HALLOWEEN!

On this day, kids will be hurrying home from school, dressing up and heading out to get candy from their neighbors. I grew up doing this, and I loved it every year.

When I got saved, I became aware of some of the other elements of Halloween — its history and some of the pagan practices. I realized that many Christians have strong views against this holiday and what it represents for some. This is my feeble attempt at helping us see this from a different perspective.

Try and see this holiday for what it is today: The one day of the year when many of the families in your neighborhood take their little ones and come up to your door.

It’s the one day of the year when it’s not creepy to slowly meander through your neighborhood while your kids beg for candy from everyone. It’s community.

TRY AND SEE THIS FROM A MISSIONAL PERSPECTIVE.

It’s an opportunity to engage in our community rather than oppose it.

You do not have to compromise the gospel to be kind and friendly on Halloween. And compromise is what this is all about isn’t it? It’s the concern that, by celebrating Halloween, we are promoting evil and paganism.

Consider this: Instead of becoming overly agitated with the fringe elements of Halloween, let’s see it for what it is today for the large majority of people — a day for communities to come together and show some love to our kids (and give away candy, lots of candy!)

CONSIDER HALLOWEEN FROM SOLOMON AND JESUS’ PERSPECTIVE.

“Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil” (Ecclesiastes 9:7-8).

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT).

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon encourages his readers to consider this one fact: We’re all going to die. This will either depress you or motivate you to listen to God’s wisdom on how to live. If death is a reality, then what’s this life all about?

And Solomon exhorts us to GO. It’s a command. Get off the couch, eat, drink and put on a nice outfit, maybe even some cologne! Why? Because God wants you to live while we’re here on earth.

In Matthew, Jesus also commands us to GO. Go and make disciples of all nations. Go live out your faith in this world.

In both passages, we see the Trinity at work in our lives. I believe it’s symbolized in Ecclesiastes and made plain in Matthew.

The symbols are these:

Bread/wine = symbols of Jesus’ body and blood
Oil = symbol of the Holy Spirit

Solomon says partake of the bread and the wine and put on the Holy Spirit for God approves of this. Jesus says partake of My death and resurrection and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And as I am transforming you, GO make disciples of all nations.

This Halloween, GO — eat and drink, put on some cologne (and maybe a fun costume) and make disciples of all nations by living out the life of God in you.

The Bible often likens our Christian life to running a race, and it’s a great metaphor for a few reasons. First, running, like the Christian life, is grueling! Running our race as Christians may be simple, but it’s not easy. The race metaphor is also helpful because it’s step by step. It’s moving somewhere. It’s progressive. Something’s wrong if our Christian life looks like running endlessly on a treadmill in some random garage, living the same year thirty times over and over.

Thankfully, we’re going somewhere! We’re being sanctified, we’re (hopefully) gaining ground, moving toward Christlikeness, becoming more like Jesus — and there’s a finish line! Also, Paul loved to use this race metaphor to remind us we’re not running someone else’s race. What a good reminder — I don’t need to be someone else — I can run my race. The race metaphor is so instructive for those starting their life pursuing Jesus and seeking to live wholeheartedly for him.

Which brings us to Hebrews chapter 12. The book of Hebrews addresses Jewish believers (hence the name, Hebrews) who were likely facing persecution and social pressure to abandon their faith in Jesus and return to the comfort of their traditional Jewish religious practices. In many ways, Hebrews reads like a sermon, which in my opinion was most likely an actual sermon preached by Paul and written down/recorded by Barnabas. (But if you disagree, I won’t die on that hill — please don’t @me!)

If Hebrews was a sermon, it would be a sermon all about the supremacy of Christ, how Jesus is greater, Jesus is better:

• He’s better than a written word of prophecy or the angels (ch 1).
• Jesus is better than man’s dominion over creation (ch. 2).
• Jesus is better than Moses or Joshua (ch. 3-4).
• Jesus is better than the high priests (ch. 5), the old covenant (ch.8), the tabernacle or sacrifices (ch. 9-10).
• He’s better than any of our heroes of the faith, because he’s the pioneer and perfecter of faith itself, bringing to completion what they all longed for and pointed toward (ch. 11).

Then we come to chapter 12 verse 1, which gives us a “therefore.” Therefore, in light of all of these truths, these proofs of how Jesus is superior to the promises and types of the Old Testament, the practical application is for us as believers to look to Jesus, to Christ alone. Look at verses 1-4:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founderand perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and isseated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Notice that even though there’s a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on, we’re not looking at them. There may be a finish line, but we’re not looking at that. According to verse 2, where are we looking? To Jesus!

There are four reasons that the Hebrews (and all believers) should look to Jesus as we run our race of faith:

1. We look to Jesus because he’s the founder and perfecter of our faith.

The Greek word “founder” in verse 2 could very well be translated the trailblazer, the pioneer, or the forerunner. Jesus is the founder, but he’s also the perfecter. He not only inaugurated (past-tense), but he also will complete (future tense) our faith — not just in a universal sense (i.e., that our faith as Christians is in Jesus) but also in a personal sense. Philippians 1:6 says he who began a good work in us will complete it!

Think about those in the hall of faith, just one chapter prior. Abraham’s faith, filled with lapses of lying and Hagar, is now perfected. Samson’s faith, marred by sinfulness and selfishness and childish riddles and bad haircuts, is now perfected. David’s faith, strong in his youth but marred by scandal in his later years, is now perfected. Let’s not even get started with Jacob, Gideon, Solomon, or Jesus’ disciples!

We look not to ourselves to run this race but to the One who founded and will perfect it in us. So many Christians act like Jesus’ three final words from the cross were not “It Has Finished,” but instead, “It Has Started.” In other words, they live as though Jesus merely kicked off the Christian faith with his substitutionary death — but now the real work, the deepwork, the behind-the-scenes grit and grind are up to us!

Isn’t it an incredible encouragement that the One who has the power to rise again and promises to come again is the same One who promises to also be with us to the very end of the age? That same resurrected King Jesus is the One perfecting your faith.

Growing up, I was a tall kid, so my mom and dad felt that should translate to being good at basketball. Haha, the joke was on them — I was terrible! But as I stood in the driveway taking shot after shot, which (let’s be honest) was brick after brick, my mom would say those three annoying words no kid wants to hear: “Practice makes perfect!” Not in the Christian life!

Practice doesn’t make perfect — Jesus makes perfect! Your final glorification isn’t dependent upon you. Isn’t that wildly wonderful, good news? Jesus began it, and Jesus will complete it. So we look to Jesus because he’s both the origin as well as the outcome of our faith.

2. We look to Jesus because he endured the cross.

Did you notice a few variants of the word “endure” throughout verses 1-3? Look again:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

The root Greek word we translate here as “endured” or “endurance” is hupomone (ὑπομονή). It means “to remain under” — but not in the sense where the believer is just muscling through turmoil by lying down to be willingly trampled. No, hupomone is a patient endurance that meets adversity head-on and overcomes obstacles with hope and joy. It’s neither unprepared nor surprised by trials, but rather expects them. David Guzik says, “A runner must be stressed to gain endurance. Sailors must go to sea. Soldiers go to battle. For the Christian, tribulation is just part of our Christian life.”

What exactly did Jesus endure, compared to what we must endure? Let’s not forget, or only talk about this around Easter: Jesus endured the cross — a Roman crucifixion — which was so devastatingly brutal that the word excruciating was itself derived from the word crucify. What Jesus endured included the entire hour described in John’s Gospel as soon as Jesus left the upper room. In the garden, in agony, as Jesus prayed for the Father’s will to be done, his facial sweat glands began rupturing blood, a medical condition known as hematohidrosis which is caused by intense stress. Jesus endured the betraying kiss of a close friend who sold him out, then watched his dearest friends abandon him as he was arrested by the temple guard. Jesus then endured false accusations, beatings, having his beard plucked out, being struck in the face, being stripped naked, being subjected to 39 lashings by leather whips most likely embedded with bone and glass, causing his back, legs, stomach, upper chest, and face to become disfigured.

As he was mocked by Herod, and later by Roman executioners, Jesus was clothed in purple robes and then stripped of them again, after his blood would have congealed and stuck to the fabric. Jesus endured a crown of spiked thorns which would have been pummeled into the soft tissue of his skull, and Jesus then endured being nailed to the exposed cross timbers of a tree, where over the course of many hours he would have bled out and eventually asphyxiated. Jesus’ cause of death was a ruptured pericardium after six hours of enduring brutal torture and execution.

The philosopher Seneca asked, “Would any human being willingly choose to be fastened to that cursed tree, especially after the beating that left him deathly weak, deformed, swelling with vicious welts on shoulders and chest, and struggling to draw every last, agonizing breath? Anyone facing such a death would plead to die rather than mount the cross.”

As if all of that physical torture wasn’t enough, it was the fearsome wrath of God that Jesus faced spiritually, as it was poured out upon him to its very dregs. We know the hymn:

It was my sin that held him there / Until it was accomplished!
His dying breath has brought me life / I know that it isfinished!

This is what Jesus endured. This is what he ‘hupomone-d’, what he “remained under.” But notice verse 3 also says, Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. So Jesus not only endured the cross, but he also endured such hostility from sinners. It wasn’t enough that Jesus went willingly to such a horrific death, but it was all for hostile sinners! He endured hostility from the religious leaders who were jealous and wanted him killed. He endured hostility from his own people, who wagged their heads at him as they passed by Golgotha. He endured hostility from the Romans, who mocked him as King, yet also witnessed his death as truly the Son of God. He endured hostility from a punk teenager named Pilgrim, who, in his stupidity, kept rejecting the God who graciously allowed him to be raised in a Christian home and was obstinate in his teenage rebellion.

That’s what Jesus endured. What are we to endure? Does anything compare with what Jesus endured? Forgive my indifference when our prayer requests are that we are getting impatient in traffic! Verse 1 tells us what we endure: the race set before us. We lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. We look to Jesus who endured so that we may not grow weary or fainthearted. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in verse 4 that it hasn’t gotten too extreme yet in our race: “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Is that true? You may have had to endure some insane tribulation (and I don’t in any way intend to make light of that), but you haven’t shed your blood yet, have you? Then keep running! Keep looking to Jesus! He’s the One who endured the cross. So we look to him, especially when we face hostility from sinners.

We discovered a tiny little lemon tree when we first moved into our Huntington Beach, California home. It produced lemons year-round regardless of how I cared for it. They weren’t your average lemons, either. They were the coveted Meyer lemons, more sweet than sour. I couldn’t keep up with all the fruit this tree would regularly pop out. I’d often pile all the lemons into a cardboard box, write “free lemons” in Sharpie on the side, and plop it on the curb for the neighbors to share in our bounty. I was amazed that no matter how much I ignored this tree (which was quite often), it would continue to produce fruit. Eventually, I ran into a problem with this prolific tree. I found it was infested with snails who were getting to the fruit much faster than I could. It was time to take action.

Surrounding the bottom of the tree with salt, I hoped to get rid of the snails without putting my dog at risk by using snail bait. Eventually, the snails left. But then I noticed many branches that looked a bit like petrified wood. I’d never claimed to have a green thumb, but after a quick Google search, I learned I should get rid of all the dead wood I could find. Now, I rarely attack a job using the proper tools, usually just grabbing what I can find and getting to work. I entered the garage, knowing I didn’t have the ideal trimmers. Instead, I grabbed a saw with a handle and went to work on my sad little lemon tree.

The work was so satisfying that I kept checking each branch and removing the dead wood. Once I was finished removing all the useless branches, I stood back to admire my work and thought, “Well, I may have gone a little too far.” My tree looked like a kid who’d tried to cut their own hair. Off-center, haphazard, and close to bald. I figured I’d probably killed the poor thing.

If you have a green thumb (unlike me), you already know where this story is going. Not only did my lemon tree survive, but it came back more fruitful than I’d ever seen before. The tree thrived because all the dead parts had been removed. As a result, all its energy could be directed toward growing new leaves—and, most importantly—producing new blossoms that would become fruit. Without the intense pruning I gave it, the tree wouldn’t have been able to create such an abundance of good fruit the following season.

This is how God works in our lives. Sometimes, we may look like my lemon tree: barren. We can feel as if God has stripped absolutely everything away, leaving us dead inside.

But, when my tree was pruned to the nth degree, it was far from dead. Beyond what my human eyes could see, the tree was repositioning and adapting. It focused on the essential things, such as deeper roots, which would support all the new fruit. When you’ve been pruned so much that you feel dead, you can know that growth is happening under the surface beyond what you can see. God’s drawing you to put down deep roots with Him, to seek after Him for the nourishment you need to grow. And He’s growing you in humility, so when that beautiful fruit comes, there will be no pride in yourself because you’ll recognize that growth as a work only God could do.

We simply surrender and allow God to do His holy work of pruning. He’s the one who brings the increase. Through every season, we’re growing. We must trust God’s careful pruning and rely on His nourishment to make us more fruitful than we could imagine.

“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit
so they will produce even more.”
John 15:2 NLT

Editor’s Note: The above is an excerpt from God Isn’t Hiding: Volume One — The Spaces and Places I’ve Found Him, available at shannonquintana.com or your favorite bookseller.

“So I will praise You on the mountain / And I will praise You when the mountain’s in my way
You’re the summit where my feet are / So I will praise You in the valleys all the same …”

This past summer I had the privilege of leading a team of students to Ireland to partner with Calvary Cork in putting on a Vacation Bible School. During the dusk hours of evening, one of the leaders happened to hear some singing in the back of the house we were staying at. Upon investigation, the words from the worship song “Highlands” could be heard ringing out over Irish fields in the cool night air. No instruments, no band, no adults, just a group of our teenagers singing in heartfelt worship. None of the adults on the trip had initiated this worship session and none of the students had announced it. It was not planned at all. It was just a spontaneous act of worship by a group of young people from this current generation.

A lot has been said and written about the youth of this generation. Some of it good, some of it bad; some of it justified, some of it not. What often gets overlooked though is the work God is doing amongst them. Where I live in California, in the past few months alone, there have been multiple collaborative worship nights for area youth where hundreds of students turn out to publicly praise Jesus. I realize this might be more the exception than the rule, but either way I think it speaks to something bigger. It is my conviction that God has not forsaken His redemptive work in our youth. Gen Z is no different from every generation before us in that God will always maintain a remnant that seeks after Him. And as history has proven repeatedly, the more the enemy resists Christians, the more the testimony of Christ goes forth. The more this generation is offered empty and vapid solutions to the identity crisis they face, the more the solid truth of Christ stands out as something tangible they can hold on to.

My trip to Ireland initiated several conversations about what it means to minister to this current generation. It reaffirmed the conviction that God has reserved for Himself a countless multitude of youth who have not bowed the knee to the gods of this world. Recently I was asked to share any advice I might have regarding ministering to youth. I in no way consider myself an expert in the field or a scholar of the varying approaches to youth ministry, but what follows are a few honest thoughts on the topic.

Regarding Discipling

I think one of the temptations those ministering to youth face is the temptation of trying to be something they are not. I suppose this temptation exists for anyone in any ministry, but you tend to see it a lot in youth ministry. As a result of wanting to disciple and build friendship and trust with students, adults can tend to act like kids in an effort to relate to them. But in a social media driven world where everyone pretends to be something they are not, people crave authenticity. Those who are simply authentic tend to garner respect. Being relatable does not mean we pretend to be like the person we are ministering to; it means we love them where they are at without compromising who we are. In my experience, students respond more positively to someone who allows them to be teenagers, not someone who tries to be a teenager themselves. Childlike and childish are vastly different. Childlike hallows the innocence and wonder of childhood while simultaneously accepting the godly process of maturation. Childish refuses the maturing process. But it is maturity that those who are immature need to have modeled to them. Be young at heart, but do not compromise maturity in the process.

Regarding Teaching

In our technologically stimulated world, it is not uncommon to hear talk about the low attention spans of our current culture, and not just with the youth. But I do not believe that means we change the material. It will always be the Word of God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, that changes lives. It is never the person who is delivering the message (or how entertaining that person is) that has the power to change someone. So, we continue to teach His Word and allow His Spirit to move in people’s lives.

A Couple Tools

One practical tool I have found to be useful is the art of asking questions. If you see the attention of your students fading, ask a question. It engages them and allows them to be a part of the lesson. Literally no matter where you are at in your lesson, you can always stop to ask questions like, “How is this applicable to us?” or “What do you think this verse means?”

Another practical tool I have found to be useful is storytelling. This might seem like an easy and obvious one, but it does take some forethought. Ideally stories relate to the section of Scripture you are teaching. I have too often found myself telling stories that might be entertaining but do not have a tie-in. Ultimately you want something that will connect listeners to the passage you are studying.

Final Thoughts

We often overthink it. At least I know I do. When I think about my own life, the people who have impacted my faith journey the most are those who were simply there for me when I needed someone to talk to. Many of them impacted my faith not by words they said but by how they lived their lives. Anyone willing to take the time to show up for our youth and willing to honor the Lord in how they live their life, will find themselves having an impact far greater than they realize.

To read more from Daniel visit www.danielhamlin.org