Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

There is a truism that if you ever found the perfect church, you’d ruin it by joining.  But it is crucial to find one that is theological sound, has a good leadership structure, and offers a solid Christian community in which to live and grow. 

We love our current church even though we don’t view baptism as they do.  But that isn’t something we will divide over because there are many other strong positives and a rock-solid core.

Most people reading this will be close enough to various churches to choose the best one — which can be good or bad.  You don’t want to church shop to find a place to make you feel comfortable with your sins or entertain you. Instead, you want to find one with sound theology and good practices.  As John MacArthur once said in a Podcast, if you can’t find a good church, go to the least bad one you can find.

I used to think that most churches were pretty much the same, but as I grew in my faith, I discovered that many denominations are train wrecks of bad, God-mocking theology.  They actively deny the essential beliefs of the faith.  They are indistinguishable from the world.  They are enemies of the cross.

Chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation describe common ways churches can get off track.  That’s a good place to review, for starters.  In addition, here are a few simple tests to see if a church is legitimate and a place where you want to commit.  As you might expect, these tie into the False teacher section below.

The Internet makes it easier to screen churches, as you can usually get information online and watch some sermons.  For starters, you should review their mission statement or statement of faith. They should not only believe that the Bible is God’s inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word, but they should use it accurately.  Some churches claim to believe it but abuse Scripture to justify all sorts of weirdness.  I strongly prefer verse-by-verse preaching through books of the Bible rather than topical sermons or messages from other books. 

Ask the leaders if Jesus is the only way to salvation.  The Bible teaches this over 100 times, so if they can’t affirm that simple truth, Christianity may not be their forte, and they are highly likely to fail on many other issues.  Denying Jesus’ exclusivity for salvation is almost always accompanied by other heresies and world-loving views.  You should immediately leave. 

You should move on if you see a rainbow flag on their site. Some churches seem bold about calling out sins, but only if they are unpopular.  Racism is a sin, but it is hardly bold or daring to say so.  Ask them if homosexual behavior is a sin.  If they can’t give a clear response, then leave.  They shouldn’t be mean-spirited against gays or single them out as if they are the only sinners, but neither should they pretend the behavior isn’t a sin.  I’ve known countless LGBTQ+ people and have always been kind to them.  I’ve worked with them, played on volleyball teams with them, had hundreds of ballroom dance lessons from them, and more.  But the Bible is spectacularly clear:

• 100% of the verses addressing homosexual behavior denounce it as a sin in the strongest possible terms.
• 100% of the verses referencing God’s ideal for marriage involve one man and one woman.
• 100% of the verses referencing parenting involve moms and dads with unique roles (or at least a set of male and female parents guiding the children).
• 0% of verses refer to homosexual behavior positively or even benignly, or hint at the acceptability of homosexual unions. 

People may not like what God says in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  If you love your neighbors, you won’t lie to them and say such behavior isn’t sinful. If churches compromise on this, they’ll compromise on other things.  Again, love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  You don’t have to convert people’s sexuality before sharing the gospel with them, but you should never affirm wrong behaviors.  That is unloving to both God and neighbor.

Do elders have the authority to monitor and hold the lead pastor accountable?  If not, then go somewhere else. Unfortunately, some pastors lack accountability, which can result in abusive, cult-like, or false teaching situations.  Their elders have no real power or are “yes men.”

Does their worship honor God, or is it man-focused and more entertainment than worship?   Do they focus on preaching to believers, or is every service an altar call?  Of course, you should be kind and welcoming to visitors, but church is supposed to be believers gathering together for worship and learning. 

Do they welcome sinners?  Of course, everyone is a sinner, but would they accept someone who is an ex-con, has had an abortion, or is tempted by same-sex attraction?  If such people were trying to infiltrate the church to change its teachings, that would be one thing.  But they should be welcomed if they are authentically seeking or already saved.  Sadly, I’ve heard of churches that do prison ministry but don’t want ex-prisoners as members.  You might not want to tempt an ex-thief with handling the collection plate, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a member.  I pray regularly that my church will accept anyone attending for the right reasons. 

Do they exercise church discipline?  It may seem odd, but exercising it is a sign of a healthy church.  It acts as a deterrent, honors God, helps victims, and helps reconcile people.  We’ve seen two churches do biblical church discipline, as outlined in Matthew 18.  It was a great example to the congregation and a blessing to those directly involved.  Side note: When Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” in Matthew 18:20, he spoke about those who exercised church discipline according to his guidance.  It wasn’t that he leaves the room when only one Christian is there and rejoins when someone returns. 

Churches shouldn’t be shy about calling out sin for what it is.  While it isn’t productive when pastors push particular candidates from the pulpit, we shouldn’t let the world dictate what topics we can discuss in church.  For example, abortion kills children, so whether or not the government is involved, we should not be shy in saying it is a sin.  And Progressive churches are all politics, all the time with their pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-illegal immigration, pro-forced wealth redistribution, etc.  Do not let non-believers silence you.  Politics is about the ethical use of power and a significant way to love your neighbor.  How could Christians not want to weigh in on that?  I want my neighbors to be protected from being killed, to be able to speak freely, to be able to defend themselves, to have schools that don’t try to pervert children’s minds, and more. 

I have nothing against effective youth groups, but the Bible says nothing about them.  When our kids were teens, the youth group mainly focused on entertainment, and the youth leader had weak theology. So, we were glad our kids wanted to opt out of it, as we liked having the family together on Sunday nights.  But if your children participate, you’ll want to monitor their theology and practices. 

And while Sunday school classes can be great for youth and adults, I’ve seen too many times when they’d let anyone teach the classes, regardless of training, knowledge, or worldview.  Ensure uneducated Christians, or even wolves in sheep’s clothing, aren’t teaching your children.  And even if the lessons aren’t false, they are often weak and watered down.  If we expect youth to learn chemistry, algebra, Shakespeare, etc., we should be able to teach them theological and apologetic arguments.  We challenge them in every other area of life, such as academics and sports, so why not with their faith? 

When I did some substitute teaching for high school kids at church, I would teach the same lessons as adults: verse-by-verse Bible studies, decision making and God’s will, evangelism, apologetics, and other theological topics.  The problem is when churches tailor the teaching to the lowest common denominator, but those kids are probably unsaved.  They need to hear the gospel.  You want to live life with fellow believers, so take your church home very seriously. Again, there will always be room for compromise, but consider these suggestions carefully.

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible

Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

Ephesians 6:10–12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Satan and his demons are real. They manifest themselves differently depending on the culture but are still present.  Yes, we can sin on our own without help from demons and are completely responsible for the consequences of our actions.  But make no mistake: they are the real enemy.

A good friend, who is as sober-minded and rational a guy as you could imagine, shared a chilling story from his younger days.  He was dabbling in the occult and heard a message that said, “If you go any further, I can’t help you.”  I won’t offer an opinion on exactly what happened there, but I don’t doubt it a bit.

I had a conversation with a New Age lady at work where I used a Bible verse without noting that it was a Bible verse.  We had been having a normal conversation, but she had a visceral reaction when she heard the verse and immediately pulled back.  It was eerie.  Oh, and she was the lady who worked on a suicide hotline and encouraged a lady to commit suicide.  Yes, evil is real, and so is Satan.

Whatever you do, don’t get involved with the occult.  As noted earlier, do not pray to the dead.  I’m not sure how it all works, but it opens the door for truly evil things to enter your life.  Christians can’t be possessed because they are filled with the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t avoid the occult.

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible

Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

“Though it always comes as a surprise to intellectuals, there are some forms of stupidity that you must be highly intelligent and educated to commit. God keeps them in His arsenal to pull down mulish pride, and I discovered them all.” —  J. Budziszewski, an atheist-turned-Christian philosophy professor from the University of Texas

Discernment is a crucial characteristic of wise and abundant living.  Note how Paul ties knowledge and discernment to abounding love and holy and righteous behavior. 

Philippians 1:9–11 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The world and the church desperately need more discernment. So please don’t be part of the problem.  Both sides love accusing the other of “fake news,” but it isn’t hard to get to the truth. 

To trust the mainstream media would be foolish.  They have lied far too many times and in such egregious ways.  Even on non-controversial topics, you have to have your guard up. For example, I remember an article in the Houston Chronicle newspaper in the nineties when I was the Controller for the Portable Division of Compaq Computer.  The article had many misstatements on names, titles, and product descriptions.  At first, I just filtered them out as minor issues because they weren’t malicious.  But the totality of them struck me as very sloppy.  So, you can imagine what the media can do if they want to push a particular narrative.  You can cover some topics in depth while ignoring others, take things out of context, use unflattering pictures of your political enemies, edit videos, etc. 

When videos showed Planned Parenthood selling the parts of aborted children for significant profits, their defenders quickly said they were “highly edited,” as if everything ever recorded didn’t fit that description.  Merely deciding to film one thing versus another would be considered editing.  (And there was no deceptive editing; that was just the narrative put forth until judges could block them from being shared.  If you watched them, the key points were unmistakable.) 

The Internet has given us many more options for our news, both good and bad.  The key is to determine the credibility of a source, and it isn’t that hard.  I’ve had my blog (eternity-matters.com) since 2006 and read others before that, so I’ve come across hundreds of blogs and news sites.  I stop following sites or people if they exaggerate matters or won’t make corrections when needed, even if their views align with mine.  So, I can curate my blog reader only to have trustworthy sites.  That doesn’t mean I’m perfectly informed, but I’m less likely to believe or pass on false information.  With just a little effort, you can craft a reliable news feed.

The same applies in churches, as the section on false teachers discussed.  People tend to let their guard down in religious settings, especially if they want to believe lies.  Read the book of Proverbs regularly, seek input from others, and pray for God to give you wisdom.  

2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

If you are a believer, then you are an ambassador for Christ. The question is whether you are intentional and effective at it.  Acquiring knowledge and discernment is a key success factor. So keep growing in your understanding, and don’t be like those chastised in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 5:12–14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

You constantly try to influence others at work, at home, online, etc. So, making sound arguments is vital for wise living and positively impacting others.  Identifying flawed reasoning, often called logical fallacies, is a skill you can learn to keep you from making poor decisions and arguments.  And one lousy argument can undermine ten good ones, so you don’t want to commit logical fallacies yourself. 

Besides reading the Bible, the best thing I’ve ever done to improve my discernment and critical thinking skills was to follow the Stand to Reason ministry and their President, Greg Koukl.  I encourage you to check their podcasts, articles, and books in the Suggested reading section.  I’ve learned countless things about decision making and God’s will, how to read the Bible more accurately, pro-life reasoning, tactics for navigating conversations persuasively, etc. As a result, I reason much better and have significantly increased my confidence when addressing challenging topics. 

And discernment is a significant issue with Christian media.  The bestseller lists are stuffed with terrible theology and false teachers. So, be very careful in what you read.  It is a good rule to read at least some old books because they have stood the test. 

I’m embarrassed by some things I read as a newer Christian.  My discernment was low, and I trusted that Christian bookstores only sold items with sound theology.  How wrong I was.  And pastors are often reluctant to call out any popular bad books. 

A clear example of why you need discernment in selecting Christian media is the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.  This book and the dozens of offshoot works (Jesus Calling for Moms, Jesus Calling: Teen Edition, Jesus Calling for Your Labrador Retriever, etc.) have sold over 40,000,000 copies.  That’s a ton of money.  But the book makes bold and unfounded claims, and the publishers and sellers are either ignorant or malicious in peddling it.  The author claims to have direct revelation from Jesus (conveniently in daily, devotional-sized pieces).  It sounds like a romance novel, not the Jesus of Scripture.  There are other issues, such as the New Age foundations that have been scrubbed from the original publication, but the main problem is that she claims to hear directly from Jesus.  So, we should either add those words to the Bible or ignore them.  I’ll let you guess which one I choose.

I know many committed Christians who have read that book and enjoyed it.  But my challenge to them is to ask if they think it contains the words of the real Jesus.  If so, why don’t they sound like the Bible?  Remember, Jesus is divine and agrees with all of the Bible, not just the “red letters” (direct quotes of Jesus are sometimes published in red fonts).  And even in the red letters, Jesus said to read all the letters (Matthew 4:4).  Sarah Young created a god in her image. So, even if parts sound like him, you should not let her writings pollute your understanding of the real Jesus. 

Once confronted with evidence that we weren’t using good discernment, we can double down and make no changes or humbly learn from the experience.  That’s what I’ve sought to do throughout my Christian life, and it will serve you well to do the same.

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible

Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

Forgiveness is such a splendid and crucial part of Christianity.  Not just that you get it from God but that you are better equipped to offer it to others and to ask for it from others.  That can give freedom and joy to you and the other person.

Romans 12:18–19 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Forgiveness frees you. It is how you repair the past — for what you’ve done or what others have done to you.  With unforgiveness, one action against you can consume your life — if you let it. It harms your relationship with God. (Matthew 6:14–15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.)  It destroys relationships. It gives opportunities to Satan.

It is easy for me to forgive if others repent. But it is harder if people don’t repent or realize they sinned against me. So I work to put those things in the “let it go” category.  But God forgave me of sins that I didn’t specifically repent of — too many sins to count, too many forgotten, and too many I didn’t realize were sins.  So I need to try and be gracious in the same way. 

Letting go of past hurts is crucial to mental and physical health.  God knows we can’t be joyful and productive if we can’t forgive others.  As the saying goes, “Hate is like taking poison and hoping it hurts your enemy.”  We must endeavor to forgive human sins, which pale in comparison to our countless and much more serious sins against a perfect and holy God. 

That said, don’t confuse forgiveness with reconciliation.  While you are called to forgive abusive people who genuinely seek it, you don’t need to maintain relationships with them.

Forgiveness is a two-way street, so there are many times when you need to ask for forgiveness.  Most people are glad to restore the relationships and offer forgiveness.  But what if the other person won’t accept your apology?  You are off the hook.  You can’t control their reaction.  Some people might do a power play and say they don’t forgive you.  Just smile and remind them that your apology was sincere, but that is all you can do.  Then move on. 

And when you seek forgiveness, use biblical language and do not water down your request.  Say, “I sinned against you; please forgive me.”

Forgiveness is a key success factor in healthy living, especially with spouses, family, and friends.  You will spend countless hours with them and do thousands of things together.  Conflict is inevitable.  If you think otherwise, you’ve watched too many Disney movies.  So, keep short accounts.  Ask forgiveness when necessary, and quickly offer it yourself.  Otherwise, the bag you carry around will get heavier and heavier. 

Luke 17:3–4 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, “I repent,” you must forgive him.

Whether at home, work, church, or anywhere else, try to give people a dignified surrender.  If you’ve won an argument or a game, or they’ve admitted they were wrong, don’t gloat.  Let them keep their dignity, and don’t rub it in.  You’ll be glad you did. 

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible

Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

I once received an email with this provocative subject line: “Why do you believe in Jesus, and how can I?”  Are you equipped to answer those questions in a clear, winsome, and biblical way?  Because that is as easy as they come.  The sender was a guy from a Sunday school class I was teaching.  He was a skeptic who attended with his wife, a committed believer. We had a great conversation about the real gospel and the importance of reading the Bible.  I also shared some apologetics resources (more on those in the next section).  We eventually left that church, so I’m unsure of his current beliefs.  But I trust the process.

Those are the ultimate softball questions for Christians.  Someone recognizes that you trust in Jesus and is interested in the reasons, so he might also believe.  Not all encounters will be that tailor-made, but are you ready to answer those questions effectively?  If you aren’t, then you need to equip yourself starting now.

I like to remind people that we’re on the Great Commission, not the Paid Commission.  We don’t profit when people repent and believe, but we rejoice in it and love telling anyone the truth about Jesus.  We shouldn’t take it personally if they reject the gospel because they are rejecting God, not us (Luke 10:16). The following verses are essential reminders.  It is ultimately up to God concerning whom he makes spiritually alive, and some people will continue to rebel even though they know God exists.

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Revelation 16:9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

That takes some pressure off you.  And even if people reject the gospel, it is always a great day when you can tell people about the greatness of Jesus and what he did. So go forth and be as winsome as possible, knowing you have been a faithful ambassador whenever you have shared the truth in love.

Always ensure that people know they need Jesus.  Deep down, they know they are sinners.  They may try to repress that, but there is a reason that great works of fiction such as Crime and Punishment, Macbeth, and The Telltale Heart explore the theme of people trying in vain to rationalize their sins. 

While there are so many great things to say about God’s love, be precise when talking about it, especially with evangelism.  I learned from Greg Koukl at Stand to Reason that the word love isn’t mentioned once in the book of Acts, the early church’s history that includes thirteen gospel presentations.  Of course, you can see God’s love throughout the book, but you don’t want to tell people that “God loves you and has a great plan for your life” when sharing the gospel.  He does love everyone in the sense of his common grace, where he “makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), but he will also send people to Hell for eternity if they don’t repent and believe.  That doesn’t comport with most people’s definition of love, so telling someone God loves them while withholding that truth would be disingenuous. 

We attended a weak church when I became a Christian. (Once I knew better, we left.)  The pastor spoke of God’s unconditional love each week, and the church even paid for a billboard that said, “God loves you unconditionally.”  Uh, perhaps in a sense he does, but he’ll also send you to Hell unconditionally if you don’t repent and trust in Jesus.  Anyone getting a false sense of security from that message is in for an eternity of regret.  Imagine agnostics or atheists seeing that billboard and thinking, “That’s great!  God loves me just as I am, and I don’t need to change!  And it must be true because a church said so.”  Such unbiblical theology ignores the holiness of God, among other things. 

You may have some people close to you — especially family members — who do not want to hear from you about Jesus.  So think about this passage and pray that God would send other people to your loved ones to whom they will listen. And be the answer to that prayer for someone else by being equipped to share the good news with one of their loved ones. 

Matthew 9:37–38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Don’t let your fear of being unable to answer every question stop you from sharing the truth about Jesus.  Remember these seven simple words and be humble enough to use them: I don’t know, but I’ll find out.  Then tell them what you know about Jesus and follow up on their questions later.  If people have sincere questions you can’t answer, never fake it.  I’ve seen too many people do that, which is counterproductive and does not honor God.  But if you tell people you don’t know something and then research it, you will accomplish several important things.  You will demonstrate humility, learn something yourself, show the person you care, and have a great reason to bring the topic of Jesus back up to them. And after telling them you don’t know something, you can shift back to what you know about Jesus and encourage them to read the Bible with you.  My goal is always to address legitimate barriers as best I can and get them to read the Bible for themselves.

You might have people — even Christians — who discourage you from evangelism or criticize your methods.  While you should always maintain humility and try to improve your approach, remember that D.L. Moody responded to a critic by saying, “I like my way of doing evangelism better than your way of not doing evangelism.”  And if you make mistakes, don’t be too hard on yourself.  Despite sharing the gospel countless times, I can only remember one time when I wouldn’t have done anything differently.  Ordinarily, I’ll reflect and realize there were things I should or shouldn’t have said or could have said differently.  So be kind to yourself and enjoy that you got to proclaim some truths about God.  Remember that he is sovereign over the process and that you can try to do things differently next time.  There have been times when I prayed, “Lord, I didn’t do a great job sharing the gospel there, so please send several other people to witness to that person this week.”  God knows where all the good Christians are and can send them where he likes.  So regardless of the type of encounter, I trust the process. 

Whatever you do, make sure you are sharing the real gospel.  Do not give people the impression that becoming a Christian will solve all their problems because it will often create new problems.  As Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  But becoming a Christian will solve their greatest problem, namely that they have sinned mightily against a perfect and holy God, and they need to repent and believe in Jesus to be saved.  Hell is real and eternal, and you want to spare people from that.  You do them an injustice if you don’t warn them.  Some people think it is a scare tactic, but those are only illegitimate if the threat isn’t real.  And Hell is real and eternal.

Ensure people realize Jesus is a “have to have,” not a “nice to have.”  It helps to take people through some of the Ten Commandments to make them realize how much they’ve sinned against God.  Ray Comfort is an outstanding evangelist who asks people if they’ve ever stolen anything, lied, lusted, used God’s name in vain, etc.  Most people are honest enough to admit they’ve done all those things.  Then he points out that in their own words, they are thieving, lying, adulterous blasphemers and will have to answer to God (Ray does it in an authentically humble way).  People need to know that they need Jesus, and convicting them of sin is part of that.  It helps the dialog when you concede that you are just as much of a sinner in need of a Savior as they are.  I like to point out that everyone will bow before Jesus (Philippians 3).  He will be either a Savior or a judge, depending on whether they repented and believed in him. 

Be patient once you’ve shared the gospel with people.  When I first converted, I irrationally thought that since I had finally figured out the basics of the faith, others should repent and believe as soon as I explained the gospel to them.  But that’s not how it works.  Always think about the gardening metaphor, where you scatter the seeds of the gospel, and God is responsible for making it grow (Matthew 13:1–23).  We have different roles, and you may be part of a long process.  Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6 — “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”  But you can still warn people that they could die at any time.

Some may never convert, some may take decades before they convert, and some may be like a young lady who heard the gospel for the first time at a Care Net Pregnancy Center location and exclaimed, “I’ve been waiting for someone to tell me this!”

Try to offer a friendly challenge to non-believers.  Ask them this: If you meet the one true God, who will set the terms and conditions for the relationship?  Many people envision themselves sitting in judgment of God. Still, when you consider the power of a being who can create everything from billions of planets in the universe down to the exquisite structure of our DNA, it is obvious who sets the real terms. Pick an example of an earthly relationship that applies to them, such as a teacher assigning them grades, a supervisor assessing their employment, a police officer who pulled them over for speeding, or even a McDonald’s cashier.  Does the person think they’ll dictate the terms and conditions to those authority figures?  If they can’t dictate the terms to a fellow human who is only slightly and temporarily above them in the cosmic organization chart, what makes them think they can do so with God?  It is ridiculous hubris to believe that you get to judge the Creator of the universe. 

I’m pretty sure I’m on the “Do not call” list for Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) because we haven’t had them visit for years.  I realize they are cults and are a tough sell for conversion, but I also know that it never hurts to plant seeds, especially with the more junior member of the pair who is typically being trained and might be less indoctrinated.  In the worst-case scenario, you get some practice defending your faith without leaving the house. 

Some people are experts at witnessing to people of specific religions.  I am more of a generalist who knows enough about the fatal flaws of Mormon and JW logic to make some key points.  My main tactic is not letting them change the subject, as they are skilled at deflecting core criticisms and shifting to more comfortable topics. 

Here’s an example from when we lived in Houston, Texas, and some JWs came to the door.  Through the course of our conversation, I made the following points to them:

• They weren’t telling the truth when they said they weren’t trying to convert me
• They are worshiping the wrong Jesus because they deny his deity
• They are in a false religion
• Their religion has characteristics of a cult in that they give out written materials all day long but aren’t allowed to consider anything contrary to their views
• Their New World Bible has some deliberate mistranslations
• Hell is real

They must have thought I was a big meanie, right?  Just another one of those jerky, know-it-all, judgmental Christians.  Nope.  I made all those points quite clearly, yet the way I navigated the conversation resulted in the lead guy sincerely telling me three times what a nice guy I was.  I’m often too direct and curt in online debates (one reason I got off Twitter).  But in person, I’m usually as friendly as a basketful of puppies (side note: I got that line from a convicted murderer who had become a sincere Christian.  Presumably, he had grown significantly in his friendliness over the years).  You usually wouldn’t expect that reaction after I made all those points about their religion. 

So, what made the difference?  They initially lied and said they weren’t trying to convert me, but I just smiled and explained how it doesn’t bother me that they think I’m wrong and are trying to convert me.  I thought they were wrong, and I hoped to convert them.  We could have a friendly discussion on where we differ.  The question was the content of our arguments.  The lead guy admitted that they were indeed trying to convert me, and he relaxed after that. 

Then I focused on the Bible because we both claim it is God’s Word.  I stuck to a few key points, such as how their Bible misinterprets John 1:1.  It should say, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” but their version ends with “was a God” instead of “was God.”  I explained how many manuscripts have been discovered from different centuries and countries and that none support their translation.  They knew that argument and said that we both trust the Word of God, but then they shifted to another falsehood.  I was a friendly pitbull and said, “I don’t think we’ve closed out on the misinterpretation of John 1:1.  Let’s return to that.”  I did that a few times to make the point that they had no answer.  I didn’t have to refute all of their messages, just the foundation. 

I also pointed out how John 1:3 (“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made”) refutes their theology by showing that Jesus isn’t a created being, and they had no answer for that (you can use that argument with Mormons as well).  JWs insist that Jesus was a created being.  But this passage says that nothing was made except by him, and he couldn’t have created himself. 

I continually referred to the real Jesus — the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Creator in Genesis 1 and John 1, whose descriptions are used synonymously with those of God in the Old Testament.  I told them I appreciated how they cared enough to go out and share what they thought was true.  Before addressing the JW theological errors, I used common ideological foes (Mormonism, Islam) as examples.  I realized I had said “JWs” to them instead of their religion’s full name, then sincerely apologized if they found that nickname offensive.  They didn’t, noting that they use it themselves, but my desire to avoid unnecessary offense resonated with them.  I listened carefully when they made their points.  It was a hot day (August in Texas), so I gave each bottle of cold water as they left.  I gave them a card with my church information, email address, and blog site.  I knew they were unlikely to visit, but I smiled and encouraged them to come spy on what the Protestants were doing.

Whether these guys convert is between them and God, but I was pleased with the interaction.  Regardless of how people respond, it always glorifies God when you speak the truth about him.  And it planted some seeds.  The lead guy was going to take the John 1:3 objections back to one of their experts to try and respond to me, though he never returned.  And my comments on the John 1:1 issue seemed to stick with them.

So, learn a little about these cults, and you’ll be ready when they appear at your door.  At least you’ll get some practice in.  Just don’t let them convert you.

That was a thorough but single conversation.  I’ve had other relationships where I’ve shared the gospel for years before seeing the Holy Spirit work and many others where nothing seems to have happened.  Again, I trust the process.

I did a “drive-by evangelism” once, which lasted less than a minute but was thorough and direct.  A Hare Krishna cult member approached me at an airport when I had no time to visit.  But I told him in no uncertain terms that he was in a cult, that he could be forgiven through Jesus, and that I’d pray for him.  With a somewhat shocked look, he said, “Yes, please pray for me.”  I have no idea what happened to him, but I pray for him whenever I think of the encounter.

And with theology in particular and other things in general, heed this advice from 2 Timothy 2:23: Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.  Keep your focus on Jesus. Someone was pushing some weird theology once, and I graciously said, “So what do you want me to do with that?”  He looked surprised that I’d asked that.  It was his pet theology, but he couldn’t explain what he expected others to do with it. 

You will probably not be a professional evangelist.  But you can look for opportunities to share what Jesus has done for you.  You can also support others with the gift of evangelism and help fund missionary organizations.  You can pray for others.  Whatever you do, think about how your faith priority will involve getting the gospel out to a world that desperately needs it.  At a minimum, will you be prepared to answer if someone asks you, “Why do you believe in Jesus, and how can I?”

The early church “turned the world upside down” and declared a new king, Jesus.  Oh, that we would do the same!

Acts 17:6–7 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” The study of apologetics can help evangelism and strengthen your faith, so we’ll look at it next.

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible

Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” ― Jim Elliott, missionary/martyr

My views on giving have something to offend everyone.  I don’t think tithing (i.e., giving 10% of your income) is required for Christians, but I also believe that 10% is a nice number for some of the wealthiest people in history ― though more of a floor than a ceiling.  Some of us may want to go well beyond 10%.  I won’t address that debate here, as my focus is on the joy and benefits of giving.  Giving overlaps with the Finances category, but it is such a key element of faith that I’ll cover it here.

I realize that when pastors encourage you to give, there may be a suspicion that they somehow benefit personally from it. If they misused the story of the widow who gave all she had to live on (Luke 20:45 – 21:4), I’d be tempted to respond, “You go first,” as I’ve noticed that those using that emotional appeal have never given their last pennies. Jesus had just denounced the scribes for “devouring widows’ houses” before he commented on the widow’s giving, so I don’t think the point was to give 100% of what you have.  It was a further denunciation of the scribes. 

But I’m not a televangelist asking you to donate to me; I’m just a guy telling you to carefully consider that Jesus gave you everything you have and how and why you might respond to him with gratitude, generosity, and cheerfulness.

Before I became a believer, I went to church to make my wife happy and because it was an enjoyable social outlet.  I gave the church 1–2% of my salary out of obligation.  When I became a believer, I realized I should give more and wanted to give more.  Giving became fun.  I give because I can, not because I have to.  God could accomplish all he wants without my help, but he lets me be part of his plan.  And giving is a big part of that.

But note how Jesus appeals to your self-interest.  He gives you great financial advice by encouraging you to invest in something more permanent and valuable, and with the mindset of doing it for his glory and not your own.  People spend lots of time trying to find investment tips, but here is the Author of life and Creator of everything telling you what is wise. 

Matthew 6:19–21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We are so used to being bombarded with manipulative and often misleading advertisements that we may need to remind ourselves that the Creator and King of the universe is giving this advice.  When he says to lay up treasures in Heaven, you can trust that they will be great. Do you know precisely what those treasures will be?  No, but I guarantee you won’t be in Heaven saying, “Well, these treasures are kind of nice, but I wish I would have spent the money on a better TV or car or vacation rather than investing it in the Kingdom.” 

Giving generously and cheerfully does more for us than it does for God.  When you give to God first, you remind yourself that you believe in him, trust him to provide for you, and that he is the top priority in your life.  It strengthens your faith.  Generous giving symbolizes our understanding that everything we have belongs to God and that we trust his promises to provide for us.

Give with a plan and give to God first.  Please don’t give him your leftovers (Hint: Nothing will probably be left).  Whatever you decide to offer, make it your first expenditure. 

Proverbs 3:9–10 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Be sure to give with discernment.  While our largest donation is to our local church, we have a handful of other ministries we like to support.  Just as with your financial investments, it is essential to determine whether the organizations you support are worthwhile.  Sites like Charity Navigator can help you assess an organization’s trustworthiness and efficiency. Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many organizations with weak Boards of Directors that were more about profiting the leaders than serving the Kingdom.  We never wanted to start a new ministry; we just wanted to plug into existing ministries that effectively advanced the Kingdom.  We didn’t just do short-term missions to Kenya for the service aspect, though we enjoyed that.  We know we aren’t the most cost-effective home builders for AIDS orphans and their caregivers.  But our relationships with the leaders there and our in-depth knowledge of how effective the charities are (local hospital, AIDS orphan programs, etc.) provide us with the confidence to keep giving.

I don’t give to the street corner panhandlers, as I know they are most likely frauds.  We saw a local beggar buying beer after beer at a nearby restaurant bar with his “earnings.” If only his donors knew.  And even if the beggars aren’t frauds, I have no idea how they’ll spend the money or if they are the neediest in the area.  I’d rather give to local missions with the resources and discernment to know who is truly needy.  Supporting the phonies means you could have given the money to someone with a more legitimate need.  It also can make people cynical when they discover that the panhandlers are fakes, as they may think that no one is genuinely needy.  We like giving to the Deacon’s Fund at our church, as they have a reliable model to ensure the money goes to the most needy. 

Never give to TV prosperity gospel preachers.  As noted later in the False teacher section, they are almost always sitting at the top of a Ponzi scheme, and you are just enriching them by being foolish with the blessings you have from God. 

It is also helpful to limit how many organizations you support.  Many years ago, we made a nominal “in lieu of flowers” donation when someone died.  Yet despite moving at least four times and never donating to the organization again, we still get mail from the charity several times per year.  The postal service notifies these mass marketers when you move.  That organization has spent whatever we donated on postage.  It is better to give to fewer organizations and more per charity. 

Pray for those to whom you give.  You may never meet them in this life, but in Heaven, you’ll meet the believers whose churches you planted, those who heard and believed the gospel, the unborn you saved, the widows and orphans you fed, and more.  Giving can and should be a joyful experience.  I encourage you to be intentional, wise, and cheerful in your giving.  It does please God.  He said so himself.

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible

Please enjoy this excerpt from Manage Your Mission – Living wisely and abundantly for today and eternity.  This book will help craft your life mission, establish its priorities, and succeed in each area: Faith – Family – Fitness – Field – Friends – Fun – Finances. 

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

From the “Hey, Jesus was right — again!” category, giving is better than receiving.  God wired us to have the most joy and contentment when loving and serving others.  It also takes our minds off ourselves and our problems and often puts them in a better perspective.  For example, there have been many times when I wasn’t in the mood to get up and go to prison ministry, but afterward, I was so glad that I did. 

But whatever you do, don’t get it backward and think or teach that works save you.  Faith always comes first, but works are crucial.  This passage couldn’t be more precise, yet many people don’t apply it.  God can save you through his grace by giving you faith; after that, he has prepared good works for you. 

Ephesians 2:8–10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Emphasis in the original. Just kidding! I’m always amused when people say “emphasis added” when altering fonts on Bible verses. I thought everyone knew the original authors and scribes didn’t use Times New Roman bold italic underlined fonts.  But I digress.

Some people get caught up waiting for signs from God on where to serve, though, as outlined in The Basics section, that isn’t how he typically works. Instead, use wisdom in analyzing what charitable organizations are effective and if your schedule and skills would be a good match for them.  Do what you like.  No one needs the Spiritual Gift of Cleaning Up After a Church Lunch to be able to pitch in and lend a hand, but you should consider your gifts, talents, and preferences as you find service opportunities.  Without exaggeration, I’d rather be hanging out with a bunch of felons than leading high school kids who don’t want to be there.  I’ve done both, and I have a preference for the former.  It doesn’t mean one is better than the other, as I deeply appreciate those who work with the youth. 

So find ways to serve that honor God and show love to your neighbors.  But don’t overcommit.  I joke that I have the spiritual gift of saying no.  I’ve learned that if I do one too many things, then everything starts to unravel.  It is hard to say no when someone has a need, but once I say it, I’m always glad I did.  So do something, but don’t try to do everything.  You aren’t Jesus. Sadly, I’ve known people who got so caught up in volunteering that they wrecked marriages or neglected relationships with children.  Their priorities were obviously out of place.  I found ministries that fit in well with our family schedules.  When my daughters were in junior high and high school, they spent many weeknights and Saturday mornings at ballet lessons and rehearsals, so I could do most of my volunteer work without missing time with them.  Prison ministry, for example, is a very Saturday-intensive volunteer activity.  I knew guys with young kids involved in soccer or other weekend activities who would have missed too much family time had they volunteered for prison ministry, so I cautioned them against it.  But for me, it was perfect.  I also did most of my Bible study in the morning or while commuting, and I would meet with my small group partners in the morning. 

I enjoyed volunteering as a board member, counselor (to the fathers), and trainer of pro-life reasoning at Care Net Pregnancy Center.  Those commitments were on weeknights when the kids had activities, which rarely cut into family time. 

I didn’t start doing prison and pregnancy center ministries because of this, but both offer continuous examples of God saving the people that society is most likely to have discarded as hopeless. I never get tired of that.

We found one ministry to do as a family, taking our dogs (Italian Greyhounds) to a nursing home to visit the residents.  We are all primarily introverts, so it was out of our comfort zones.  But it was something we could do together.  The residents, most of whom had Alzheimer’s, loved seeing both the dogs and the girls. 

I also went on a mission trip to Honduras with my youngest daughter.  She spoke Spanish well and helped other trip members communicate with their sponsor children.  It was a great trip.  My oldest daughter and I planned to go to Kenya, but it got canceled due to political turmoil.  My wife and youngest daughter joined me for a couple of my mission trips to Kenya.  If you have an opportunity to go on a mission trip with your family, I recommend it.  Only make sure it is well planned.  I’ve heard of short-term missions where little good was done and lots of time and money were wasted. 

I used to be more guarded with my time than my money, but I’ve learned to enjoy the blessings of serving.  But before that, I was stingy with my giving, so we’ll cover that topic next. 

Copyright 2022

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible