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

Today, the 10th of October, is World Mental Health Day.

A recent international study found the following:

“One out of every two people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime…”
(Harvard.edu)

One out of every two means that as you read and I write, either you or I will experience mental health problems in our lifetimes (and, very possibly, both of us).

When people are physically ill, we cook for them, we pray for them, and we might even offer to go over to their home and clean. When a family has a baby and needs the support of a community, we make schedules to visit, take meals, and offer childcare for any older siblings. But, when there is a problem that begins in the mind, many do not know what to do. This is even true, sadly, within the church. Why is it, when our Bibles have so much to offer in terms of caring for others in a vast and varied range of situations, that this kind of struggle can find us lacking?

Here are some important things to remember:

The brain can get ill just like any other organ in the body; read Brains Get Sick Too by Rebecca Slack, PhD.

I recently learned the following:

“Just as diabetes has to do with a body’s failure to regulate blood sugar, mood disorders result from the brain’s failure to regulate the chemicals that control mood. Specifically, nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other by releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. Norepinephrine and serotonin are the two neurotransmitters involved in depression. When there is an ample supply of these neurotransmitters available to stimulate other nerve cells, one typically feels “normal.” You can still have your regular ups and downs, but you aren’t fighting the illness of depression. But in clinical depression, fewer of these neurotransmitters are released because the first nerve cell reabsorbs them before they’ve adequately stimulated other nerve cells.”

Illness is illness, in whatever part of the body it is found. Neither visible or invisible illness were part of God’s plan for humanity and their presence reflects the fallen world we live in (Genesis 2.9, Revelation 22.1-4). Our frail and fallible bodies will one day be raised to newness of life and be without sickness of any kind (1 Corinthians 15.51-55) but until then, things will go wrong.

Mental (and physical) health problems are not rooted in sin.

Challenge this false assumption with John 9.1-3:

“Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.”

I love what Edwin Blum wrote about those verses:

“The disciples faced a theological problem. Believing that sin directly caused all suffering, how could a person be born with a handicap?… [John 9.1-3) does not contradict the universal sinfulness of man (cf. Rom. 3:9-20, 23). Instead Jesus meant that this man’s blindness was not caused by some specific sin. Instead the problem existed so that … God could display His glory in the midst of seeming tragedy.”
(emphasis added)

It is ok to ask for help.

Physical struggles that need medical intervention are not looked down upon, neither is your mental health.

It is self-evident that when we are sick, we need a doctor to make us well (Jeremiah 8.22, Luke 5.31). Sometimes that doctor prescribes a cautious and minimal treatment plan, other times that doctor will offer a more definite intervention. We trust their judgement and never look down upon someone who leaves the hospital with medication.

We would never, ever think to chastise or criticise someone seeking an oncologist if they have cancer or someone visiting an orthopaedic surgeon if they have a broken leg. As we have said, the brain can malfunction just like any other organ, so, logically, there is no stigma attached to seeking treatment. Sometimes that will be cautious, sometimes more definite. Both are ok, and the fear of criticism for seeking help should not stop you doing so.

You are not alone.

There is likely someone in your life who knows exactly what you are going through.

“… within the Christian community, where openness and grace should flow the richest and deepest, where the masks are meant to come off and safety offered to all, owning depression [and other mental health struggles] is virtually taboo. There is an unwritten rule that people of faith should not be depressed. The prevailing idea is that the Christian faith is to be a faith of joy, making depression a sin, which means there is no excuse for a depressed spirit. As a result, depressed people have been riddled with guilt, have hidden in shame, and have been afraid to surface in order to get the help they need.”
(Church and Culture)

It might shock you to hear that giants of yesteryear — such as the great reformer and hymn writer Martin Luther, the prince of preachers and ever quotable Charles Spurgeon, and one of the best known missionaries of the nineteenth century Hudson Taylor — all suffered with what we would call depression today. We would never, ever think of criticising these men, their faith, or their impact on modern Christianity. It was, perhaps, even more courageous for them to admit difficulty in a time when, generally, difficulties were not admitted. We would never say that they were not a ‘strong enough believer’ because they struggled with issues that were not as visible as a broken leg or a cancerous growth.

All of that to say, there are people all around us who have experiential knowledge of what we are dealing with and would, I am sure, love to help you. Many of us, however, are not mind readers and do not want to seem like a nosey-Nigel by being overly full of questions, so if you would appreciate help, confide in someone you trust.

Beyond heroes of the faith and those in our lives now, the Psalmist records in Psalm 42:

“Why are you depressed, O my soul?
Why are you upset?
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.
I am depressed,
so I will pray to you while in the region of the upper Jordan,
from Hermon, from Mount Mizar.”
(vv.5-6)

Depression, mental health struggles, openly talked about in the Bible?!

In his struggles, the Psalmist is met with, literally, overwhelming grace. God does not look down on those who come to Him with problems, and yes, that includes those that find their origin in our minds, thoughts, or emotions:

“One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls;
all your billows and waves overwhelm me.
By day the LORD decrees his loyal love,
and by night he gives me a song,
a prayer to the God of my life.”
(vv.7-8)

The Psalmist has taken his struggle to God (v.6) and has found grace, love, and care (vv.7-8). On this reception and provision, F.B. Meyer wrote the following:

“…whatever the depths of our sorrow, desire, or necessity, there are correspondences in God from which full supplies may be obtained.”

Conclusion

Stated as simply as possible: If this is how God treats those who come to Him with struggles that begin in our minds, thoughts, or emotions, should we not do all we can to do the same?

From this day forward, when someone we know takes the courageous step to voice their struggles, let us all treat them with the same grace with which the Lord so freely gives us (cf. Ephesians 4.32, 1 John 4.19).

Further Reading

The American Bible Society, Healing The Wounds Of Trauma: How The Church Can Help.
Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., The Body Keeps The Score.
Gaby Galvin, “The U.S. Suicide Rate Has Soared Since 1999,” U.S. News and World Report, April 8, 2020, read online.
Brianna Abbott, “U.S. Suicide Rates Rose in 2021 After Two Years of Decline,” The Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2022, read online.
Charles Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life.
Dwight L. Carlson, “Exposing the Myth that Christians Should Not Have Emotional Problems,” Christianity Today, February 9, 1998, read online.
Samuel H. Chao, “Remarkable or Little-Known Facts About Hudson Taylor and Missions to China,” Christian History15, no. 4.
Larry Crabb, Connecting: Healing Ourselves and Our Relationships.
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/half-worlds-population-will-experience-mental-health-disorder?_ga=2.240407427.1432749876.1728282009-550650552.1728282009#:~:text=Massive%20burden%20of%20disease,by%20the%20age%20of%2075.
https://theconversation.com/how-neuroscience-can-teach-children-about-mental-health-31713
https://www.churchandculture.org/blog/2022/10/10/suicide-and-the-church

As many of you know, the recent hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina have caused widespread devastation, leaving countless individuals without homes, food, and basic necessities.

The latest hurricane, Milton, is projected to make landfall near Tampa Bay Wednesday evening. While the storm has weakened slightly, it remains a powerful Category 5 hurricane, posing threats of destructive winds, significant storm surges, and heavy rainfall.

Here are ways you can help those affected by these disasters:

Prayer

• Lift up those in need: Pray that many find their hope and strength in Christ during these challenging times.
• Seek God’s provision: Pray for the thousands impacted by these disasters.
• Support spiritual leaders: Pray for strength and encouragement for pastors and ministers working tirelessly to bring Christ to those in need.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
— Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

Donate to the Relief Fund

Financial contributions are essential in providing support for those affected by recent disasters. Every donation brings hope and assistance to those in need. 

Donate Supplies

Consider donating supplies to your local church or center that is collecting items for those impacted by the hurricanes.

We will be updating this article as things progress.

Calvary Nexus just hosted a luncheon called a Connection Gathering attended by 89 leaders from Calvary Chapel and other like-minded evangelical churches from Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties. The purposes were bridge building and learning how to better create a disciple-making culture. I would like to share the nature of the event as a potential model to others and to offer hope for a better way regarding both purposes.

Bridge Building

We invited the Calvary Chapels and other evangelical churches to bring their ministry leaders (Kids, Students/Next Gen, Administration, Small Groups, Care, Women’s Ministry, Executive Pastors, Worship, Tech, Lead/Sr. Pastors). The idea was to connect these leaders from different churches with others who do the same ministry. This would connect them as well as develop better-connected leaders who can share ideas, resources, best practices, and potential pitfalls. During dessert, we invited people to move to another table since many of our team members wear multiple hats. Thus, in one sense, bridges were built between these ministry leaders who share a calling, but in different local contexts.

Yet, in another very refreshing sense, there was beautiful bridge building that was perhaps more subtle. We had a panel Q+A featuring pastors David Guzik, Lance Ralston, Tommy Schneider, and myself. Lance and Tommy are the CCA reps for Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, respectively. I have the privilege of being the CGN representative for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Here, a bridge was being built to connect two forks in the Calvary Chapel stream. Here, a large group of evangelical leaders, from various local churches in three counties, came together to encourage, support, and learn from one another because there is no good reason, nor any biblical basis, not to.

Creating a Disciple-Making Culture

Pastor David and the panel offered some practical insights on how to create a disciple-making culture.

1. We tend to be better at making converts but are called to make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20):

Disciples are lifetime learners of God’s word, students and followers of Jesus. Unfortunately, a relatively small percentage of people in our local churches are actually making disciples of others. Jesus’ model of mentoring His disciples was relational and intentional. Similarly, our approach to making disciples who make disciples of others should be relational and intentional. Bible learning, small groups, books and podcasts, and mentor/coach relationships are extremely helpful. Be aware of obstacles such as busyness, lack of margin, and inconsistent church attendance.

2. Some practical steps to shift toward in making disciples:

The mentor should be a growing disciple. Like Paul, we are pressing on to be conformed to the image of Christ (Phil. 3:12). The mentor should provide instruction in the Basics of Christian Living. Focus initially on foundational spiritual disciplines. Instruct and be an example: this is how to pray, this is how to learn the word of God, this is how I serve, here is how I share the faith with others, here is how I support the gospel financially. The mentor is modeling in the sense of I do, you watch; I do, you help; you do, I help; you do, I watch; and you do, someone else watches.

Whether the mentoring relationship is one-on-one, or one with a few, the mentor seeks to help the disciple learn how to live as a follower of Jesus in their home, neighborhood, and school as well as where they work and recreate. So, the mentor wants to instruct, be an example, and create a high degree of trust so that questions are encouraged without reproach and meaningful answers are provided with humility and gentleness.

Some potential pitfalls include assuming that people are becoming disciples simply because the Bible is being taught on Sundays. Another is parents tending to abdicate their responsibility to the church to be the primary disciple makers of their children. Equip and train mentors to disciple others to limit unhealthy practices (aka weirdness).

3. How to create a disciple-making culture among your team:

First, talk about it frequently. Do not assume that it is happening. Second, talk with other members of your team about what you are learning. Third, acknowledge those who are making disciples of others well. What you affirm reflects what you value. Fourth, and perhaps most important, pray that you and your team are making disciples who are making disciples.

Some recommended resources and best practices to consider include the following: small groups, especially sermon-based, with trained leaders who have coaches available to them; A School of Discipleship curriculum (https://calvarynexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/School-of-Discipleship.pdf); and RightNow Media’s sound, age-appropriate resources for young children, adolescents, and adults. The Bible Project and Enduring Word provide abundant biblical resources to help create disciples who love God supremely, love neighbors as self, and can make other disciples who do likewise.

Bridges Crossed

Leaders developed relationships with other evangelical leaders who share their calling. For example, Children’s Ministry leaders with varying levels of experience became friends. They exchanged contact information. They talked about curriculum, ideas for recruiting volunteers, and ways to train volunteers. They discussed best practices and potential pitfalls related to equipping and encouraging parents to be the primary disciple-makers of their children.

Similarly, every area (Kids, Students/Next Gen, Administration, Small Groups, Care, Women’s Ministry, Executive Pastors, Worship, Tech, Lead/Sr. Pastors) shared an identical experience of being encouraged, cared for, equipped, and empowered as they were connected to others in the Calvary Chapel family and other like-minded evangelical leaders.

The Calvary Chapel family is best and healthiest when we are together rather than divided without biblical cause. We are best when we are building bridges and actually crossing them, rather than blowing up bridges and building walls. The Calvary Chapel family is best when we, in humility, recognize that we do not have a monopoly on evangelical wisdom, insight, and effectiveness; and we can learn from other like-minded evangelicals.

At the end of the day, literally and figuratively, every single person in attendance declared their gratitude for the gathering, how blessed they were to participate, how excited they are for the next occasion, and how good and pleasant it is for the family to dwell together in unity.

To all whose world was turned upside down October 7, 2023, there is Hope.

Who Is the Messiah?

While traveling in Israel awhile back, I had an interesting conversation with one of our tour guides. As with many guides in Israel, this man’s knowledge of the land and biblical history was phenomenal (he actually knew the New Testament better than many Christians).

At one point in the conversation, I opened my Bible and read Isaiah 53 without telling him the reference. When I finished, I asked him who he thought the writer was talking about. He replied, “He was talking about Jesus, of course. Anybody would know that.” I then asked where he thought I was reading from. He answered, “From Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, certainly.” When I told him that I had read from Isaiah the prophet, he was astounded and said, “No! Show me that!” He couldn’t believe it.

The majority of Jews today, like my tour guide, are unaware of what their own Scriptures say concerning the Messiah. This lack of knowledge has led many to reject Jesus. In the next few pages, I want to lay out the case for Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah of Israel in hope that some, having weighed the evidence, will embrace Him as the only One in history who faithfully fulfills the Messianic description given in the Scriptures.

Hanukkah 2,000 Years Ago

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the [Messiah], tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe …”
–John 10:22–25

The question posed by the Jewish leaders is the question for seekers of all ages: Is Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah? To answer this, we will need to look at several things. First, the meaning of the word Messiah; second, the scriptural expectation of the Messiah, concentrating specifically on the Jews’ anticipation of the Messiah during Jesus’ time, as well as the Messianic expectation among Jews today; and finally, the scriptural portrait of the Messiah.

The Anointed One

“Messiah.” What does this word mean? Most people have heard the term even though they might not know the exact definition. Perhaps you’ve heard of someone having a “messiah complex,” or of longings from certain people for a “Messianic age” to come. If nowhere else, maybe you’ve heard portions of the great musical composition, Handel’s Messiah, performed each year at Christmastime. Anyway, the basic meaning of the word Messiah is “an anointed one.” In the Hebrew Scriptures, the term was used to describe three different categories of people. First, it described priests and kings because they were anointed with oil at God’s command. Second, it referred to the prophets because they were anointed with God’s Spirit as His chosen messengers. The third and primary reference is to the One who would come in the fullness of God’s power to deliver the people of Israel from their enemies and to establish the universal reign of righteousness from Jerusalem.

When we read the New Testament, we generally find the word Christ instead of Messiah to describe the Anointed One because the New Testament was translated from Greek, not from Hebrew. Had it been translated from Hebrew, we would read Joshua Messiah rather than Jesus Christ.

Scriptural Expectations

Throughout history, the Jews anticipated that the Messiah would come, according to God’s promise, as their deliverer. God used the Hebrew prophets to paint a picture of the Messiah so that people would be able to identify Him when He arrived.

Here’s the picture. First, the Messiah is to be a descendant of Abraham. God told him in Genesis 22:18, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

As time passed, the revelation became more detailed, and we learn that the Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah. Abraham had a son named Isaac; Isaac had a son named Jacob; and Jacob had twelve sons. Jacob’s fourth son was named Judah, and according to Genesis 49:10, Shiloh (Messiah) comes from Judah, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

As we delve deeper into the Scriptures, we learn that the Messiah was to be a descendant of King David. In 2 Samuel 7:12–13, God, speaking to David, says, “I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, … and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Later the exact location of the Messiah’s birth was given by the prophet Micah: “But you, Bethlehem … out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel …” (Micah 5:2). Prophesying about the same time as Micah, Isaiah declared the Messiah would be miraculously born of a virgin. He wrote, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

In Daniel’s prophecy, we are told that the Messiah would be cut off—literally, that He would be executed—and that this would occur before the destruction of the second temple. We read in Daniel 9:26, “Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” We learn from Isaiah 53 that the Messiah would suffer and die as a sacrifice for the sins of Israel and the world. Verses 8 and 10 of Isaiah 53 read: “For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people, He was stricken … Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin. …”

We are told in Hosea 13:14 that the Messiah would rise from the dead, “O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” Finally, Isaiah 9:7 says that He will reign in righteousness forever, and that “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”

These and many other passages give a detailed portrait of the Messiah. If this is the case, why did the Jewish leaders reject Jesus? Tragically, at the time of Jesus, Judaism had undergone a major transformation and was no longer the religious system that God had given to Moses. Instead, it had been greatly altered through the influence of the rabbis. In fact, because of the rabbinical revision of Judaism, certain aspects of the Messiah’s ministry were no longer seen as necessary. For example, under the rabbinical system the sacrifices were seen as more cosmetic than actually expiating sin. With this new understanding, Messiah dying as a sacrifice for sins would be completely senseless. Therefore, the rabbis overlooked this aspect of the Messiah’s mission and emphasized the only thing they believed they needed the Messiah to do: kick out the Romans and set them up as rulers!

According to ^[1]Rabbi David Rosen, the Jews of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to bring an end to foreign oppression, to gather the Jewish exiles, and to establish an era of universal peace. In other words, they were looking for a political leader who would free them from their long history of oppression and bondage and fulfill God’s promises to the nation.

The rabbis who questioned Jesus in John 10 also envisioned the Messiah as the embodiment of all they held sacred. According to their view, the Messiah would meticulously uphold the written law and their oral tradition. As custodians of the law, they perceived themselves—as did many of the people—to be the most righteous and holy men of the nation. So in their minds, the Messiah would have been a glorified version of themselves.

Among all these misperceptions are scriptural passages that, at first glance, appear to be inconsistent with the more common Jewish concepts of the day. Some of the rabbis wrestled with these things, trying to make sense of them, and their confusion comes out in many of the rabbinic commentaries. For example, we read in Zechariah 9 about the Messiah coming humbly upon a donkey, but in Daniel chapter 7 it is declared that the Son of Man will come in the clouds of heaven. The rabbis read these different passages and thought, “What does this mean, and how could it say this here and say something different there?” One rabbi concluded that God was saying, if the people were undeserving, the Messiah would come in humiliation upon a donkey, but if they were deserving and righteous, He would come in power and glory.

The Scriptures seemed to reveal that Messiah would suffer, experience affliction, and possibly even die. But how could this be reconciled with the promise of an everlasting kingdom? As a result, one rabbi developed a two-Messiah theory: ^[2]One they referred to as Messiah ben [son of] Joseph, the other, Messiah ben [son of] David.

Messiah ben Joseph was also known as the Suffering Messiah. Yet he would not suffer in the way predicted by Isaiah—rejected by Israel and dying as an atonement for their sins—but rather He would be slain in battle fighting Israel’s physical enemies. The [later] second Messiah, Son of David, would come, and as some rabbis suggested, resurrect the Messiah, the son of Joseph. Regardless of whether or not He raised Messiah ben Joseph, Messiah, Son of David, would establish the worldwide kingdom of God.

To further complicate matters, many biblical passages that the ancient rabbis considered to be messianic have not been considered so since around the 11^th century AD. If you ask today’s rabbis, “How do you reconcile that some of your ancient and most revered rabbis understood certain portions of Scripture as messianic, but you no longer accept that interpretation today?” They will simply answer, “We base our final conclusion on majority consensus.” In other words, their logic is that the majority of rabbis do not believe those passages to be messianic, so they dismiss the fact that previous generations of rabbis did consider them so.

Which brings us to the next question: What is the messianic expectation among the Jewish people today?

Branches of Judaism

Out of the three branches of Judaism—Reformed, Conservative, and Orthodox—only Orthodox Jews believe in an actual Messiah who is to come in the future. The others look for a messianic age (an age of universal peace and prosperity) that will come through the collective efforts of humanity.

Orthodox Jews (including the ultra-Orthodox), are still awaiting a Messiah and hold to very distinct beliefs about who He is and what He will do. First, the Messiah will be a man like Moses—not the Son of God. In Deuteronomy 18, Moses said to the children of Israel, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.” Based upon this statement, Orthodox Jews are looking for a Messiah who is a man like Moses. He is not supernatural, not born of a virgin, not connected to God in any special way, and He’s definitely not God incarnate. Yet, they expect this man to bring peace and prosperity to Israel and ultimately to the whole world.

Second, if you ask an Orthodox Israeli Jew, “How will you identify the Messiah?” many will answer, “We will know the Messiah because He will help us to rebuild our temple.” I have personally been given this answer when speaking to Jews in Israel. As for scriptural criteria—the biblical description of the Messiah—it is largely dismissed as irrelevant.

Because Jews throughout the ages have consistently refused to use scriptural criteria to identify the Messiah, they have, on many occasions over the centuries, put their hope in false messiahs.

Let me give just two quick examples. Around AD 132–135, approximately one hundred years after the time of Jesus, there arose a man in Israel whom the people hailed as Messiah, believing he would finally liberate them from Roman oppression. He was given the name Bar Kochba (son of a Star); his rebellion is known historically as the Bar Kochba revolt. Of course, those who believed in Jesus knew Bar Kochba was not the Messiah and did not follow him, but most of the Jews inhabiting the land at the time embraced him and followed in his revolt against Rome. Ultimately, the Roman Emperor Hadrian crushed the revolt, leveled Jerusalem, and expelled the Jews from the land. The city was renamed Aelia Capitolina, and the land renamed Palestine, in honor of the Philistines, Israel’s ancient foes.

In 1993, as I was driving through Jerusalem, all throughout the city I saw banners that proclaimed: “Messiah is coming.” The expectation was that ninety-one-year-old Rabbi Schneerson would publicly announce that he was the Messiah. Schneerson died the next year, to the dismay of his followers. Ironically, some of them claimed that he would rise from the dead! On a more recent trip to Israel, I noticed banners announcing the expected return of Rabbi Schneerson. Astonishing! These are just two examples among many, in a long history of would-be messiahs that have come and gone over the past two thousand years. Having rejected the full picture of the Messiah found in Scripture and focusing on only one aspect of his purpose—ushering in universal peace—the nation of Israel has set itself up for deception and fallen victim to false messiahs again and again. All the while, One from among them has been embraced by untold millions globally as the true Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.

Is Jesus the Messiah?

The first thing we must ask is: does Jesus meet the scriptural criteria?

The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, He’s the only One who did, and He met it in a way that would be impossible to do today. This is another reason why the scriptural criteria are largely ignored by present-day Jews.

According to the Scriptures, the Messiah must be a descendent of David.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”
–Jeremiah 23:5

Even today, orthodox Jews agree that the Messiah must be a descendant of David. But the reality is nobody on earth can prove that they are descended from David. They might claim to be descended from David, but there is no way to prove whether or not those claims are true.

Second, the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.”
–Micah 5:2

A Messiah born in Bethlehem is a massive problem today since Bethlehem is no longer a Jewish city. Bethlehem is presently an Arab city under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

There is also the prophecy of Messiah’s entrance into Jerusalem upon a donkey.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
–Zechariah 9:9

This prophecy tells us that this would have had to occur at a time in history when people rode on donkeys or horseback and when riding into a city as a king on a donkey would be considered an act of humiliation. In King David’s time, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey or mule (which was the case with Solomon) was not shameful; by the time of the Roman occupation, however, a king riding on a donkey would have been considered utterly degrading.

The one point that finalizes the Jewish dilemma and reveals that Jesus is the only One who meets the scriptural criteria for Messiah is that Messiah had to come before the dispersion of Judah and before the destruction of the second temple. In Genesis 49:10, as Jacob prophesied over his sons, he said regarding Judah, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah … until Shiloh comes.” The ancient rabbis agreed that Shiloh refers to the Messiah. Jacob specifically prophesied that Judah would still exist as an identifiable nation when the Messiah arrived. During the days of Jesus, Judah was all that remained of the once-great kingdom of Israel. The rest of the nation had been dispersed in 721 BC when the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom and led Israel into captivity to Assyria, from which they never formally returned.

Later, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah was taken in captivity to Babylon, but a remnant returned seventy years later, and Judah again became an identifiable nation and remained so until the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. It is important to note that Daniel prophesied during the Babylonian exile that Messiah would come, that He would be cut off, and “the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:24–26).

Amazingly, the ancient rabbis believed the Messiah would come at the very time that Jesus came. You would think at some point someone would connect the dots and realize that the Messiah did come exactly when He was prophesied to come.

Jesus not only met the scriptural criteria, but He said He was the Messiah, and He said it numerous times. When the Samaritan woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming … He will tell us all things.” Jesus answered her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:25–26). When the Pharisees said, “How long do You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe” (John 10:24–25). Jesus responded to the messianic title “Son of David,” as well as affirming to John the Baptist that He was the “Coming One.”

The point that stands out above all else is that He testified under oath before the high priest that He was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. I find it absolutely amazing that Jesus stood before the Jewish high priest and the Sanhedrin and declared himself to be the Messiah, something no other person had or has ever done!

As the high priest questioned Him, Jesus stood silently while false accusations were made against Him. Finally, to compel Jesus to answer, the high priest said, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matthew 26:63). Jesus answered, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). (Note, the Son of Man is another messianic title found in Daniel 7.)

Everlasting Righteousness and Peace

As has been said, one of the major reasons Jews reject Jesus as Messiah is because of their belief that Messiah will usher in an everlasting kingdom of peace. According to the rabbis, Jesus didn’t do that, therefore He cannot possibly be the Messiah. Jesus did, however, usher in an era of righteousness and peace for people on a personal level and will in the future bring about an everlasting universal peace. Down through the ages, millions upon millions have known the righteousness and peace that comes through faith in the Lord Jesus, many of them Jews.

I was recently skimming through a book written by a Jewish believer in Jesus. In the book, the author told the story of being at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park (where you can literally stand on your soapbox and preach anything you want) sometime in the late sixties or early seventies. He related that while he was passing through the park, there was a man at Speakers’ Corner who was standing on a ladder boldly proclaiming his atheism. The atheist was mocking and ridiculing the Christian faith, and he said that it was a “fact” that even the Jews had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Essentially, his argument was that if the Jews had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, then nobody else should believe He is the Messiah. He also claimed that no Jews had ever believed in Jesus.

The author was standing in the crowd listening to this man when he suddenly interrupted and said, “Sir, excuse me, can I come up on your ladder?” The atheist said, “What? What do you mean ‘come up on my ladder?’” The Jewish man answered, “Yes, I’d like to climb up on your ladder.” The atheist said, “There’s no room up here. Why do you want to come up here?” The Jewish man answered, “I want to come up there to show that you’re mistaken, because I am a Jew, I believe in Jesus, and I believe that He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. I just thought that other people ought to see someone that you say doesn’t exist.”

The atheist came down from his ladder, and the Jewish man climbed up, and as he was speaking with the crowd, another man in the crowd spoke up and asked, “Sir, do you have another ladder?” The atheist responded, “No, why do you need another ladder?” The man said, “Because I’m also a Jew who believes in Jesus, and so is my wife, and we’d like to come up there with our friend and show you that you’re not only mistaken once, but twice.” The point is that even though much of the Jewish nation rejected the messianic claims of Jesus, many Jews have received Him—especially in the early days of the church—and many are receiving Him today.

The Suffering Servant

Every year, the Scriptures are read, in their entirety, in the synagogue. Yet one chapter of Scripture the rabbis will not allow—Isaiah 53. The reason Isaiah 53 is excluded from the annual reading is the rabbis fear that someone hearing it might be inclined to believe that it is speaking of Jesus. Of course, the New Testament applies Isaiah 53 to Jesus several times, and even the ancient rabbis believed Isaiah 53 to be messianic. It wasn’t until the 11^th century that the famous rabbinical scholar ^[3]Rashi developed a new perspective, which has held sway ever since and is the standard rabbinic interpretation. That new perspective essentially states that Isaiah 53 was not a messianic prophecy but a prophecy of the Jewish people and their suffering.

Jewish people certainly have suffered. It’s one of the great tragedies of history. Sadly, they have suffered mercilessly at the hands of so-called Christians. Nevertheless, Isaiah 53 is not speaking of the sufferings of the Jewish people and can only be misconstrued if one completely ignores the details of the text. Rashi’s justification for this new interpretation was based on chapter 53 being a continuation of the Servant Song that begins in Isaiah 49. In that passage, the prophet speaks of the servant as Israel, hence, the interpretation of Isaiah 53 being Israel. Yet, if you read Isaiah 49 carefully, you will discover that while the servant is named Israel, the task of the servant who is named Israel is to bring Israel back to God.

“Israel” was the name given to Jacob, which literally means “God prevails or governed by God.” In Isaiah 49, the person who embodies the ideal of what Israel was intended to be can only be the Messiah because He was truly the only Israelite ever completely governed by God.

To reiterate, the ancient rabbis saw these passages as messianic, but modern rabbis reject the messianic implications. Anyone who is willing to take them at face value, however, will conclude that the modern rabbis are mistaken. For those who are willing to believe, the evidence is clear, and it is available to everyone in the pages of the Gospels.

Embracing the evidence for Jesus as Messiah is not all there is to it though. You can believe something to be true yet not commit yourself to the full implications of that truth. All the time, people are coming from atheism and agnosticism to belief in God—believing that God exists—yet they are still unwilling to surrender their lives to Him. This, in many ways, is the real issue. If you become convinced that Jesus is Messiah, are you willing to surrender your life to Him? That is the question. Even as I write this, I’m thinking of the fascinating story of ^[4]Arthur Catz and his coming to faith in Jesus from a Jewish background. His experience perfectly illustrates my point. In his book, Ben Israel: Odyssey of a Modern Jew, Katz describes how after a long journey and much research, he came to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah of Israel. It was while reading the story of the woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus by the religious leaders for stoning; as he read the response of Jesus, ^[5]“he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone,” Katz knew beyond any doubt that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world. Although this was an earthshaking moment for Katz, which he records so powerfully in the book, yet this was not the end of the struggle. There was still the issue of relinquishing the control of his life over to God, of receiving Jesus as Lord, and surrendering his will to the will of God. The ancient Rabbi’s said, ^[6]“The world was not created but only for the Messiah.” We are part of that world, and we were created to know, love, and serve Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Conclusion

As we look at the big picture, Jesus of Nazareth is the only man in history who meets the criteria given in the Scriptures to be the Messiah. Since there are no other candidates from the past and no possibility in the future for anyone to meet those criteria, we can honestly conclude that if Jesus is not the Messiah, there is no Messiah, and any Jew waiting for the Messiah is waiting in vain.

I conclude with the question sent by John ben Zacharias to Jesus and the response he received:

“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” … “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
–Luke 7:20, 22–23

^[1] Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
^[2] Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai, 11^th Century.
^[3] Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, 1040–1105.
^[4] Jewish Marxist/Atheist turned Christian Evangelist and Author.
^[5] Gospel of John 8:1–11.
^[6] SANH 98 b.

Editor’s Note: This is from Messiah, Copyright © 2024 by Brian Brodersen.

Editor’s Note: This year, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Friday, October 11th, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 12th.

The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is the most solemn day in Israel’s religious calendar, a time for comprehensive purification and renewal of the covenantal relationship between God and the people. This annual observance, described in Leviticus 16, provided a way for Israel to address the accumulated sins and impurities that threatened their standing before a holy God. Central to this ritual is the high priest, who alone enters the Holy of Holies to make atonement for himself, his household, and all of Israel.

On this sacred day, the high priest first bathes, clothes himself in linen garments, then offers a bull as a sin offering for his own sins, ensuring he is cleansed before entering the holy presence of God. Afterward, the two goats described in Leviticus 16 are presented to the people. The first goat, chosen by lot, is sacrificed as a sin offering for the people. Its blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, purifying the sanctuary itself from the defilement caused by the people’s sins throughout the year. This act symbolizes the cleansing of both the people and the holy space, allowing God’s presence to remain among them.

The second goat, known as the scapegoat, is defined as the Azazel. The Hebrew word Azazel is only used in the 16th chapter of Leviticus. It is a mysterious word that can mean “off a cliff,” “desert place,” or even “demon.” After the high priest lays his hands on this goat and confesses all the sins of Israel, essentially transferring the guilt of the people onto the Azazel, the goat is then sent into the wilderness, bearing the people’s sins. There was a visible presentation of the complete removal of sin from the people of Israel, demonstrating that sin is not only atoned for through blood but also taken away, never to return. The use of the two goats highlights the dual nature of atonement: the need for both expiation (the cleansing of sin) and propitiation (the substitution of the animal’s life in exchange for the forgiveness and new life granted by God, as explained in Leviticus 17:11 through the significance of blood).

In this way, the Day of Atonement emphasizes the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God. It is a day of fasting, self-denial, and repentance, where the people reflect on their need for God’s forgiveness. This observance was performed once every year — to recognize the need for sacrificial atonement to cover the sins of the people and restore fellowship with God.

Hebrews 9 draws a direct connection between the Day of Atonement and the ultimate atonement made by Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the high priest had to enter the earthly sanctuary every year with the blood of animals, but these sacrifices could never fully remove sin. They served as a temporary covering, pointing forward to something greater. In contrast, Christ, as the true High Priest, entered not an earthly sanctuary but the heavenly Holy of Holies. He did not offer the blood of goats and bulls but His own blood, securing eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). Jesus, through His death and resurrection, became sin, so that we can become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21) — Jesus fulfills the entire purpose of Yom Kippur. Like the first goat, His sacrifice cleanses from sin. Like the Azazel scapegoat, He took away our sins completely, offering perfect and final atonement for all humanity. Thus, the ritual of the Day of Atonement foreshadows the complete and eternal work of Jesus Christ, who removes sin once and for all.

A few summers ago, our family drove across the country and ended up visiting Yosemite National Park for a few days. On the final day, we parked at Tunnel View (which gives you the best views of the entire park; seriously, Google it!) which is literally just a stop on the side of the highway. Many people were coming and going, and a few stopped to jump out of their cars — which happened to still be running — only to snap a quick picture and keep moving on to the next stop. It was quite shocking to me how quickly people came and went, believing that twelve seconds was sufficient to take in one of the most stunning portraits of God’s creation on the planet. Some things are so astounding, breathtaking, and beautiful that they need more than just a quick glance or a fading Instagram story!

As Christ followers, many of us can manage to read through the entire book of Acts, or Romans chapter 8, or other significant passages where the Holy Spirit is mentioned throughout the Scriptures and commit the same error as those rushed tourists at Yosemite. However, a longer, second look is needed. Let’s investigate four realities of the Holy Spirit every believer must understand:

1. The Holy Spirit was Promised.

Acts chapter 2 takes place after the resurrection of Jesus, after his multiple public sightings for at least forty days, as well as after his ascension. There are 120 or so believers who were told by Jesus himself to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had said they would be baptized with not many days from now. He explained that the Holy Spirit would bestow the church with the necessary power to be his witnesses in both the city of Jerusalem, the greater area of Judea, and even to those outside of their racial or ethnic comfort zone (Samaria). This would not be a merely localizedreligion — this would extend beyond Jew to Gentile, and beyond Jerusalem to even the farthest corners of the earth.

Acts 2:1 says, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.”

This is the Feast of Pentecost, exactly fifty days after the Passover when Jesus died at Calvary. This feast was an occasion when the Israelite farmers brought their first fruit offerings of grain to Jerusalem, where there would be much festivity, as well as the reading of the book of Ruth. So there are about 120 believers all in one place, and notice what happens next:

2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We get the “firstfruits” of the Spirit’s empowering witness right in the next few verses:

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

This was not gibberish; these were literal, recognizable, uttered languages. This was astounding because the ones who were precisely speaking other languages and dialects were simple Galileans — not necessarily the university grads in the community!

7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians — we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

The misunderstanding that they may be drunk came from those who heard multiple languages being spoken that they couldn’t understand. But as James and John begin speaking of the mighty works of God, the Elamite and Libyan both perk their heads up and say, “Oh wait — they’re not babbling like a bunch of drunks — I can understand them!” So Peter stands up and begins to share the Gospel, saying (verse 15):

For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”

Peter says this isn’t from the influence of too many mimosas; this is a fulfillment of that verse in Joel which we all know: God has promised to pour out his Spirit in the last days, and we’re seeing that promise come to pass!

This isn’t the only place the Spirit was promised by God. Jesus promised the Spirit in John 7:37-38 when he described living water flowing from the heart of the one who believed in him — a reference to the Spirit who hadn’t yet been given. In John 16, Jesus promised the Spirit would come and that he would guide us into all truth. There are many more that time won’t permit, but we praise and thank the Father and the Son not only for promising the Spirit, but being faithful to sendthe Spirit to the church.

2. The Holy Spirit is a Person.

John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

We refer to the Holy Spirit as the third “person” of the Trinity. When we refer to people, we use personal pronouns, therefore the Holy Spirit should never be referred to as “it.” Some call him the “Holy Ghost,” but I think even that terminology can imply an impersonal force, or wind. Part of what was called ‘the Arian heresy’ was to imply that only the Father was truly God and that Jesus was a created being, thus the Holy Spirit was merely an essence. The Jehovah’s Witnesses propagate this false teaching, but Scripture is pretty clear: the Holy Spirit of God has knowledge (1 Cor 2:10-11), a will (1 Cor 12:11), a mind (Rom 8:27), he loves (Rom 15:30), reveals (Acts 13:2), intercedes (Romans 8:26), teaches (John 14:26), guides (Acts 16:6-7), can be grieved (Eph 4:30), insulted (Heb 10:29), lied to (Acts 5:3), and blasphemed (Matt 12:31-32). These can only be referring to a person.

God didn’t leave us as orphans; Jesus would ask the Father for another Helper — a Person like himself. This means that the Spirit is a distinct and co-equal person of the Trinity. The Scriptures tells us that the Holy Spirit is:

• Involved in creation (Genesis 1:2)
• Involved in the incarnation (Luke 1:35)
• Involved in salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14)
• Involved in the resurrection of Christ (Romans 8:11)
• Involved in judgment (Acts 5 — Ananias & Sapphira)

How did the person of the Holy Spirit work in your salvation? Titus 3 says:

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Paul tells Titus that this was their state prior to salvation: mentally and morally corrupt, lacking both sense as well as sensibility. Before we were in Christ, we were empty-headed, empty-hearted, deceived, enslaved, oppressed, and subjugated to malevolence and hostility. Though Paul and Titus use the pronoun “we,” he wasn’t referring only to them! This is the natural state of all unbelievers. Then we come to a radical breakthrough in verses 4-5:

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy,

In stark contrast to the envy and hatred espoused by the unbelieving world, the good, loving, kind God — whom Paul emphasizes is our Savior — broke into our lawless, rebellious state of confusion. God didn’t measure our good works on one side of the scale hoping to outweigh our wickedness — NO! He didn’t tell us to look within ourselves for the answers, as if meditation, self-realization, or the enneagram would save us. God isn’t a cheerleader on the sidelines motivating us to save ourselves, because that’s impossible. We need something more than a motivator — we need a Mediator — someone to look upon our sad state of spiritual plight and come to our rescue. Paul says God appeared, and he saved us — and it wasn’t because of our works but according to his own mercy. Then notice what Paul tells Titus:

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

There’s a radical, new beginning in the life of the previously dead-and-disobedient when Jesus Christ justifies us (which means to declare us righteous before a holy God). Notice Paul uses the same term for Jesus that he just did for God — “our Savior.” We can’t save ourselves; we must yield completely to Jesus our Savior: He has justified us by his grace and has made us inheritors of the hope of eternal life. But how did this new life begin? Paul explains to Titus that this spiritual birth happens when the Holy Spirit has been given to us. Notice we have the person of God the Father in verse 4, the person of Jesus the Son in verse 6 — and the person of the Holy Spirit here in verse 5.

Paul tells Titus the washing of regeneration and renewal came to us through the person of the Holy Spirit, whom God poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ. ‘Washing’ describes our baptism into Jesus Christ — our identification with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection — which is spiritual, but we commemorate this with the outward, visible sign of water baptism which speaks of an inward cleansing from the old flesh. All who are saved in Christ have been renewed and regenerated by the person of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit is a Provider.

There are many activities or ministries that the Holy Spirit provides to our spiritual life — but here are eight:

• Convicts (John 16:8-15)
• Regenerates (John 3:1-8; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:23-25; James 1:18)
• Seals (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30)
• Indwells / baptizes believers (I Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9; John 14:16; I Corinthians 12:13)
• Gifts (I Corinthians 12:7-11)
• Guides (John 16:13-15)
• Produces fruit (Galatians 5:22-23)
• Fills (Ephesians 5:15-21; Galatians 5:16)

Notice the progression here: the Son proceeded from the Father, and the Holy Spirit of God proceeded from both the Father and Son to be poured out on God’s people — convicting us before we were saved, but then regenerating us, sealing us, dwelling within us and baptizing us into Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts which allow us to minister to his people, and guides us to be effective for his kingdom. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of Christ’s character as we abide in him, and fills us with the strength to walk in a manner pleasing to him.

In the fourth and fifth stanza of Come, Holy Spirit, Come! (Joseph Hart, 1759), we sing these words:

‘Tis Thine to cleanse the heart,
To sanctify the soul,
To pour fresh life into each part,
And new-create the whole.
Dwell, therefore, in our hearts;
Our minds from bondage free;
Then shall we know and praise and love
The Father, Son, and Thee.

God has been faithful to give his church the Promise of the Holy Spirit, which has nothing to do with unbiblical experiences, or feelings, or fluff — but has everything to do with the Person of the Holy Spirit, so that we would receive the Provision of the Holy Spirit — resulting in us experiencing the Power of the Holy Spirit.

4. The Holy Spirit gives Power

Jesus told his disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would receive “power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” Apart from the Holy Spirit’s power, the disciples would never have been empowered nor emboldened to share the triumph of Christ’s resurrection with those who had never heard. But the empowering doesn’t only involve the Christian’s mission. The Spirit’s empowerment begins much sooner, and closer to home. Romans 8:1-9 walks us through this transformative enabling in our sanctification.

Just as every Christian is “in Christ,” the Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian! 1 Corinthians 6 and other passages teach us that our bodies are the Spirit’s temple. God’s Holy Spirit dwells within us, giving us renewal, and when we set our mind on the Spirit we experience life and peace. This is how we live and walk — with the presence of the Holy Spirit residing within us. He has been poured out upon us and now indwells all believers. The word for a person who doesn’t have the Holy Spirit is ‘unbeliever‘! Every Christian may not speak in tongues (1 Cor 12:30 makes that easily clear), but every Christian — every single one — has the Holy Spirit. That’s both indisputable as well as comforting.

Doesn’t it strike you that the defining attribute of the Spirit of God is his holiness? Of all the adjectives to put in front of “Spirit” — it’s HOLY that God wanted us to truly grasp. He is set apart, and when we submit our lives to the work of the Holy Spirit, he produces renewal and enables us to walk in fruitful obedience.

What else does the power of the Spirit give us? In the midst of a corrupted, confusing, groaning creation, we have at least two important things:

Assurance

The Holy Spirit assures us of our sonship by adoption, testifying for us and to us that we are indeed God’s children. He has indeed not left us as orphans; God’s Spirit settles the debate in our hearts when our conscience condemns us. Like the new believers at Pentecost, we too have the firstfruits of the Spirit — the deposit given at the beginning of the harvest which guarantees that there’s much more to come. One day, we will exchange cross for crown, suffering for glory, and the not yet will merge with the already as we see the final redemption and restoration of the new heavens and new earth, with Christ consummating his glorious kingdom. For this, we have a sure hope, even though we don’t see it.

The Holy Spirit also gives the believer: Assistance

The word Jesus uses to describe the Spirit is “Paraklete,” our alongside-Helper. He helps us in our human, limited frailties to pray for God’s will even when we can’t find the right words. He picks up where human words and human knowledge fail, and he prays for us! We aren’t left to ourselves to pray, and thankfully, we aren’t left to ourselves to save ourselves. He has already foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified us.

So we have assurance and assistance in our sanctification — available to us as the Holy Spirit takes up his rightful residence within us.

J.I. Packer said, “All who are realistic about themselves are from time to time overwhelmed with a sense of inadequacy. All Christians time and again are forced to cry, “Lord, help me, strengthen me, enable me, give me power to speak and act in the way that pleases You, make me equal to the demands and pressures which I face!”

Within Romans 8, we learn that belonging to Christ means to have the Spirit, but being in Christ isn’t to escape pain, pressure, or suffering. Some preach that message, “Come to Jesus and you will stop suffering!” But we know the truth of the Gospel is an invitation to “come and suffer with Christ.” In this broken and fallen creation, we will suffer. But even in the suffering, the Holy Spirit assures us of our sonship and assists us in our weakness — so in the battle we’re enabled to become more than conquerors.

Amy Carmichael once penned these thoughts:

“Sometimes when we read the words of those who have been more than conquerors, we feel almost despondent. I feel that I shall never be like that. But they won through step-by-step by little bits of wills, little denials of self, little inward victories by faithfulness in very little things. They became what they are. No one sees these little hidden steps. They only see the accomplishment, but even so, those small steps were taken. There is no sudden triumph … That is the work of the moment.”

I would add — that’s the work of the Spirit! In the small moments, when no one is around, we must yield to the Spirit’s work, the Spirit’s help, the Spirit’s guidance, the Spirit’s power. He is our divine Helper, given to the church to make us more like Jesus.

After taking a longer, second look, are you experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, believer? Are you working out your salvation in your own strength, or relying on the holy provision God has given us in the person of his Spirit? May we echo the same prayer Robert Hawker prayed:

“Blessed promise! Holy Spirit, make it happen in and upon my soul, day by day. Bring me under the continued baptisms of your sovereign influence, and cause me to feel all the sweet anointings of the Spirit sent down upon the hearts and minds of your redeemed. These are the fruits and effects of Jesus, the promise of God the Father. Yes, blessed Spirit, cause me to know you in your person, work, and power:

“I need you day by day as my Comforter.
I need you as the Spirit of truth, to guide me into all truth.
I need you as the one who reminds me of the Lord Jesus, to bring to my forgetful heart all the blessed things he has revealed to me.
I need you, as the witness of my Jesus, to testify of my wants, and of his fullness to supply.I need you as my advocate and helper, in all my infirmities in prayer.
I need you as the deposit of the promised inheritance, that I may not faint or lack faith to hold on and hold out in every dark season.
I need you, Lord. I cannot do a moment without you, nor act in faith, nor believe a promise, nor exercise a grace, without your constant hand on my poor soul.
Come then, Lord, I beg you, and let me be brought under your unceasing baptisms. Shed abroad the love of God my Father in my heart, and direct me into the patient waiting for Jesus Christ. Amen.”

References

https://hymnary.org/text/come_holy_spirit_come_let_thy_bright_bea
https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/keep-in-step-with-the-spirit/
Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, p. 130

When Paul addresses the crowd gathered at the Areopagus in Acts 17, he opens his appeal with a reference to a local altar to the unknown God and quotes their poets in his appeal for Christianity. His speech is undergirded by two critical assumptions: all can see signs of God’s existence, and Christians should recognize and utilize cultural opportunities to proclaim the gospel.

This cultural appeal can sometimes make Christians uncomfortable because they are concerned about the false, which mingles with the truth. But Paul assumes the world’s ignorance: Their limited knowledge is a starting place, incomplete and incorrect, but enough to warrant hearing what Paul has to say. We should be listening to when artists get it right: when they see that God has not left himself without a witness (Acts 14:17).

So what are our culture’s poets saying? I want to cite just one recent example. William Shatner, primarily known for his role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek, has also engaged in spoken word poetry for decades. This spring, in collaboration with musician Ben Folds and the National Symphony Orchestra, Shatner performed “The Meaning,” chronicling his experience shooting a recent nature documentary in the context of his lifelong wrestling with the meaning of life. As the poem progresses, after being dissatisfied with science and mysticism, he has an epiphany to which Paul (and we) should add our amen. It’s worth listening to his performance, as the delivery is some of the best of his career, but here are the concluding stanzas.

I was searching for the meaning
A proof of greater plans
Some elevated vision
Beyond the reach of man

Searching for the meaning
Before it was too late
To save myself or anyone
From cruel or random fate

On the final morning
I still had found no peace
So I packed up my belongings
To head back down the crease

But by a twist of fate
It landed in my hand
Falling off my backpack
Some simple grains of sand

It struck me dumb with wonder
Like sun after the rain
I saw the entire universe
In each and every grain

Yes each grain was a diamond
Unique, precious, and rare
And countless years and miracles
Conspired to bring them there

The wholeness of the planet
Like a flash it came
We all were grains of sand
All different, yet the same

Yes every human soul
Every atom that persists
Bound up in the journey
The journey to exist

There was no separation
There were no prison walls
The meaning of the meaning
Lived inside it all

I didn’t need a mantra
Or set of magic prayers
I just needed open eyes
To notice what was there

Holy are the mountains
Holy is the sand
Holy are the human beings
Trying to understand

Holy are the whispers
Holy are the screams
Holy are the nightmares
Holy are the dreams

Holy is the seedcake
Holy is the rot
Holy are the written words
Holy those forgot

Holy is the order
Holy is the mess
Holy are the modest ones
Holy the undressed

Holy is the garbage
Holy is the gold
Holy are the infants
Holy are the old

Holy is the poverty
Holy is the wealth
Holy are the unions
Holy is the self

Holy are the unions
Holy is the self

Holy are the unions
Holy is the self

William Shatner may not know the Holy One who created and sustains our world (he often identifies as spiritual but not religious), but he sees the holy fingerprints across every atom of the universe. We could critique his semi-pantheistic conclusions, but his use of the word holy provides an opportunity for dialogue: maybe that sacredness has a reason for being, maybe they display the invisible attributes of the Creator God (Rom 1:20). We know what Paul would do. He would proclaim to Shatner and our world, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” ( Acts 17:23).

“Thick skin, soft heart.“

A good friend who pastors a church in a very different context and culture said this to me recently. In full he said,
“How are we [as Christians] supposed to keep a thick skin to pushback and criticism but also maintain a soft heart towards others?“

For those who claim Christ as Lord and Saviour this is a real and ongoing struggle.

So, how do we not wilt and fall away in the face of negativity but persistently pursue the best for other people?

First, we need to acknowledge our human limitations. You’re just a person, and I’m just a person. This means that we have limits. We have a limit to how thick our skin can be and how much criticism can be ignored and risen above. Words hurt (Proverbs 12.18). Words said in anger or upset, actions taken with a critical spirit, take a second to say or do and often far, far longer to forget.

We also have a limit to the compassion we can show. You’re just a person, and I’m just a person. We’re fallen, we’re fallible, and we’re not a source of inexhaustible compassion: Compare Jeremiah 17.9 with 2 Corinthians 1.3 and see that we’re not Him.

I recently read of compassion fatigue. Simply, if you’re constantly pouring out for others and bearing their burdens with little or no regard for yourself, this will catch up with you and you then become the person in need. Dr. Charles Figley writes on the destructive nature of this state and says that it …

“… refers to the emotional and physical exhaustion that can affect helping … over time. It has been associated with a gradual desensitization to [people’s] stories … [and ultimately] a decrease in quality care …”

So, how do we avoid falling away at every criticism and burning out through compassion? There’s inherent tension between the call to care and carry burdens but not carry to the inevitable negative emotions and interactions that fallen and fallible people bring. In both scenarios, the solution, I believe, is the same:

We take both to Jesus.

Perhaps it sounds too simple. Perhaps it is. The care we offer people should flow from who God is, revealed in the person of Jesus:

“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.”
(2 Corinthians 1.3-5)

“…if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.”
(Philippians 2.1-2)

The compassion and the care we offer others, the soft heart, flow from who God is and what He has done for us in the person and work of Jesus. We care for others with the care we receive, not that which we manufacture ourselves. Your ultimate goal in caring for others is to take them to Jesus, not to be their Saviour. Compassion fatigue is much quicker to come when we try to take on ourselves those burdens that only He can carry.

The same is true for the criticisms:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”
(John 15.18-21)

Criticism for the Christian is, sadly, par for the course. In the same discourse, Jesus goes on to say that He will send an Advocate, a Helper, who will guide us through these kinds of situations (John 16.1-11). The ability to not let the weight of negativity crush you is a Spirit-given gift.

Jesus knows, experientially, what you’re working through when the criticisms and disappointments have pierced your skin and threaten to harden your heart and has provided all you need to maintain a thick skin yet a soft heart. Take them to Him in prayer. Read His Word and see His actions and reactions. The key to having thick skin and a soft heart, simply, is to root yourself in Jesus.

This summer, I was blessed to attend the Refresh Europe Conference. Over the years, it’s changed, with more time given to friendships and teaching aimed at renewal. As a person in full-time ministry, I enjoy these times more and more, as well as the encouragement they give my family. They’re a reminder of rest and grace.

On one of the days, I was lazing through the library and found an older copy of a book that was such a game changer for me: Why Grace Changes Everything. Looking at it brought back many warm memories of a simpler time in my ministry and walk with the Lord. With chapters like “The Door is Never Closed,” “No Favorites in the Kingdom,” or “Won’t They Go Wild,” I realize how much I need to remember. With time, we know that though people and situations are complex, this can leave us worn and tired until we rest on an everlasting Gospel of Grace. I’d like to remember a few of the foundational tenets of the Gospel, inspired by Galatians 1:3-5.

There’s no better place to begin than Paul’s usual greeting, Grace and Peace — the heart of the Gospel. We know this is a standard greeting, and digging into the origin of the words in their historical context brings out a rich study, but I don’t want to take it too far. This is also the heart of everything we hope to see happen in our lives. We want to know God’s unlimited and unmerited favor in every aspect of our lives. I want to experience more of that holistic life-encompassing peace meant by the Hebrew word Shalom. The Galatians had forgotten that grace is not something to be earned. Even though expectations flow from grace as understood in Romans 12:1, a reasonable worship of a life submitted to the Savior—there’s a fine line between thanking and earning. We can live in thankfulness as we seek to live in a way we know pleases God. For example, I can preach to my congregation with a heart of thankfulness as I show through a text how excellent Jesus is. Or, I can seek to earn or impress the people I preach to as if I were trying to earn their approval, as if they were my boss or some distant family member. This is the opposite of grace, leaving the pastor and congregation empty.

God’s grace isn’t like that; it’s more of a rich, eternal banquet of all that’s good. His heart was shown in the Father sending the Son, the only One who truly deserves His approval, and substituting Him for us in His sinless perfection. This brings us deep peace that doesn’t fear being found out for who we really are because we are now God’s son or daughter. All anyone could hope to have earned is already accomplished in Jesus. This requires resting, accepting, and trusting. Nor does this grace lend itself to criticism, thinking it’s all too good to be true. It’s like the cooling effects of a pool or lake on a scorching summer’s day that brings the body temperature down to more liveable levels. The body of water is greater than the person who needs cooling and welcomes all who will come. This is God’s heart toward us; Paul shares it with his readership, us, even 2000 years later. Grace and Peace to each one of you!

Next, we turn to our only hope — Redemption through Jesus. When I think about this summer living in Paris, we began with surprise parliamentary elections, something the government is still trying to recover from as I write these words. We’re still trying to navigate the special Olympic Inflation and the Open Paganism Controversy that the entire world was privileged to watch on TV. In all this uncertainty, people seem to be looking out for themselves. It’s a natural part of a society that often debates truth, knowledge, and justice. For example, every year in France, high school-aged students (Lycéens) take a nationwide Baccalaureate test to continue their university education. Part of it is a four-hour philosophy test. This year’s questions were: Can science satisfy our need for truth? Or Does the State owe (us) anything? Through these questions, we can read into what people are struggling with, and it seems there might not be a lot of hope.

The Galatians looked to the law to make them right in God’s sight because false teachers were seeking to use their adhesion to their teaching for their glory. I imagine it like head-counting, as if to say the guys with the most clout and prestige had the most followers or congregations. This goes back to trying to earn a special place of prominence, like Pastor Chuck’s chapter on being “God’s Favorite.” In Jesus, we have everything opposite. He gave Himself, the only innocent One, to buy back with what was precious (Himself), what was lost to the dishonor and shame of our sin. Martin Luther said, “The Gospel is a doctrine that condemns all sorts of human righteousness and preaches the sole righteousness of Christ. To those who accept this, it brings peace of conscience and all good things, yet the world hates and persecutes it bitterly.”^[1] If we step back, it seems almost too strange to be true. Why be hateful to the one who has made such a personal investment to save us? Jesus isn’t the distanced investor who analyzes and calmly decides where to act. He has already accomplished all that was ever necessary. Yes, this age we live in is still evil, but we have hope that it’s alive and can never be taken away from us; Jesus redeemed us, and He gave His life to secure it!

Lastly, at the risk of sounding too much like a line from Star Wars, I want to remember what brings perfect balance, unity, and renewal — giving glory to God. Here’s the danger of an “everyone looking out for themselves, fighting to prove their merit in the world” society: it makes people into their idols through covetousness. Dallas Willard puts it this way: “To allow lust (or strong desires) to govern our lives is to exalt our will over God’s. That is why Paul called covetousness “idolatry” (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5). We are the idols, in that case, prepared to sacrifice the well-being and possessions of others to ourselves.”^[2] When one person’s glory interferes with another, a struggle must ensue, or someone must back down. In this way, glory-seekers are, by nature, absolute monarchs, which is why glory-seeking allows only one winner. What happens when the only one who deserves to win isn’t present? What happens when an underserving, ambitious person succeeds? Our world is teeming with such tragic tales.

Here’s a better story that gives a weary soul life and proper rest. Jesus is worthy of glory, but He didn’t choose to seek it. He decided to pursue His Father’s glory and lose all. His glory was His cross. Therefore, His life brings glory to the Father, who in turn gives glory to the Son. He made His name so great that every knee would bow. One day we’ll see it. Then, when all glory goes to the right place, genuine balance returns because the struggle for glory is over. In as much as it’s possible today, giving glory to God opens the door to authentic renewal. It’s a celebration of grace and to borrow a favorite author’s title—that’s what changes everything.

References

^[1] Luther, Martin. Galatians. Crossway. Kindle Edition. p. 21.
^[2] Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ – 20th Anniversary Edition. The Navigators. Kindle Edition. pp. 219-220.