1 Peter 2:13a (NKJV) - Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake…

The middle letter of sin is “I”, and our own rebellion and stubbornness is the problem keeping us from biblical submission. Right after prophetically describing how Jesus would be punished for our sins (Isaiah 53:3-5), verse 6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." In other words, we've all done our own thing and what we want to do. We've wandered and strayed, and our waywardness is why we need Jesus.

The Bible continually refers to people as sheep (Psalm 23:1-4 and John 21:15-16), and it’s not a compliment. Sheep wander. If they stayed in line, you wouldn't need a shepherd. A shepherd's always bringing the sheep back together and back to safety. If they stayed where they needed to be, they wouldn’t need a shepherd. Jesus is our Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-4).  

This sinful stubbornness, pride and rebellion has been around since before humanity existed. Isaiah 14:12-15 records an encounter between God and Lucifer, a created angelic being who would become Satan:

Isaiah 14:12–15 (NKJV)
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
 
God had entrusted Lucifer (who would later be called Satan) with a certain authority and domain. Instead of being content with that status in heaven, Satan overstepped his bounds. He made five bold declarations, essentially saying, “I will rise to the highest heights, I will be just like God, and I will elevate my throne.” But God responded by saying, “No, you will actually fall to the earth.”

Jesus describes what He saw during this moment when He says in Luke 10:18, “…I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Jesus then tells His disciples that He is giving them authority over Satan and the forces of darkness in the next verse: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Submission to God is related to victory over the devil. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee.” Christians love to talk about the authority that we have over Satan. “Greater is He that's in us than he that's in the world” (see 1 John 4:4). It is true that Satan has no power nor dominion over the life of the child of God. We, as Christians, do not have to fear the devil. We have power and authority over Satan in the name of Jesus and through the power of His blood. We have the angels of heaven who are fighting our battles. We don't have to be afraid of the devil, that's for sure. However, we cannot separate “resist the devil and he will flee” from “submit therefore to God” We must first submit ourselves to God, then we're in a position to resist the devil and he will flee. Submission paves the way to victory.

Even in a society that made it difficult to be a Christian, Peter said to "submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (or, because we are Christians). Often, we think we're submitting when we're just in agreement. We say, "I usually submit, but this time I can't go along with what my boss is telling me" or "I can't follow this new speed limit." What we're really saying is that all those other times, we've just been agreeing. But now, when we have a real chance to submit to authority, we're rejecting it. That's the stubbornness of our pride and sinfulness.

There's another example of this with King Saul. God anointed Saul as king through Samuel the prophet. However, even as king, Saul was expected to follow God's commands as delivered by Samuel.

In 1 Samuel 15, God instructed Samuel to tell Saul to attack a group offensive to God and destroy everything, including animals. But Saul disobeyed, deciding to keep some animals, claiming he intended to sacrifice them to God. This disobedience led God to reject Saul as king.

Samuel confronted Saul, saying, "What is this bleating of sheep that I hear?" Saul's partial obedience was unacceptable. Samuel stated, "To obey is better than sacrifice." In 1 Samuel 15:23, Samuel tells Saul, "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being king."

We would never touch witchcraft as Christians, and we shouldn’t because it’s satanic. Samuel says that Saul’s rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and his stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. He does not say that Saul rejected Samuel’s directive, but rather God’s. He says, “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord…” The principle here is that God has established human institutions, and we are to submit to them. Samuel was the prophet, and God spoke to Saul through Samuel. Therefore, Saul did not disobey Samuel – he disobeyed God.

This same kind of stubbornness and rebellion prevails in today’s society. Teachers are striving to manage their classrooms while children and parents refuse to submit to them. The kids and parents are telling the teachers how to lead or manage their classes. When a teacher tries to correct an unruly child and sends him or her to the principal’s office, soon parents are demanding their child not be treated that way. Generally speaking, these types of parents have no respect for the authority. They are rebellious parents raising rebellious children.

Another example can be seen when coaches are working with kids and parents in youth sports. A congregant of mine witnessed a coach teaching 8-year-old ballplayers. He said to one of them,

“You understand that even if you perform well, if the team loses, we’ve all lost, right?”
“Yes, coach, I understand.”
The coach continued, "You understand this isn't an individual sport; it's a team sport."
"Yes, coach, I do."
"You understand that sometimes I'll need to pull you out and put someone else in?"
"Yes, coach."
"And you know it's important to support the team and not act like a brat if you're on the bench, right?"
"Yes, coach."
The coach finished by saying, “Now, I need you to explain all that to your grandma, who’s right over there.”

This kind of rebelliousness towards all forms of human authority starts with parents (or maybe grandparents, too), and goes down to the children. God’s Word teaches that believers are to have a spirit of submissiveness toward parents, teachers, coaches, employers, pastors and government. Sinful stubbornness is the problem with society, but God’s children should be different as we "submit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Peter 2:13). Submission paves the way to victory.

“Dear God, You ordered our world to have structures of authority. I may not always agree with them, but I pray that I will show Jesus to others by how I submit to those who are over me – at home, at work, at school, or in society. I trust You that You know best. Thank You for conforming me into the likeness of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 — "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Before we look at Paul's requests, see this. Paul says in verse 16 that God gives "according to the riches of His glory." Not out of His riches. That distinction matters. Say a millionaire walks into a campaign to build a building for the glory of God. He pulls out his checkbook and writes a check for $100. He has given out of his riches. But he has not given according to his riches. $100 dollars to a millionaire is pocket change. God never gives out of His riches. God gives according to His riches. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. When He answers your prayer, He reaches into an inexhaustible supply.

On the basis of those resources, Paul makes three bold requests.

First, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Let me ask you a pointed question. Is your heart a home or a hotel for Jesus? A hotel is temporary. It is on your terms. Check-in and check-out times are set. But a home is where someone lives permanently, with access to every room.

Adrian Rogers told a story about inviting a friend over and saying, "Just make yourself at home." When he came back, he found his guest in his private bedroom, thumbing through a drawer that held his bills, his private papers, and his checkbook. And he said, "What are you doing?" The guest said, "Well, you told me to make yourself at home." The person didn't really mean to make yourself "at home" because that would mean entering every part of the home.

That is exactly what Jesus demands when He wants to make His home in your heart. He wants access to every crevice. Every closet. Every room. For most of us, there is that one closet, that one door we keep locked, where we say, "Jesus, You can have everything else, but this one is mine." But Jesus demands Lordship over all, or He is not Lord at all.

Second, Paul prays we would know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. That word "know" refers to experiential knowledge, not just intellectual. It does not mean your regular Sunday school answers. We can talk in all the right terms about how high and wide and deep and long God's love is, but never actually experience it. Paul says, "I want you to experience it. I want you to feel it." The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It is already inside every believer.

My father talked about his own experience of getting saved and giving his life to Jesus in his thirties. About two weeks later, he was driving in his pickup, and the love of God came over him and overwhelmed him. He loved so much he just wanted to get out and hug a tree, because he loved everything he saw. Charles Finney, whom God used during the second Great Awakening in the 1800's, described his own spiritual experience (which I would call "being filled with the Holy Spirit") as "waves of liquid love" pouring over him like honey.

When the love of God comes into your life, you have the strength to forgive. You have the strength to overcome temptation. First comes love, then comes obedience.

Third, and finally, Paul prays you would be filled with all the fullness of God. A newborn baby breathes in as deeply as those little lungs allow, and they are full. A grown man breathes in, and he is full too. Both are filled. But the capacity is different. As you grow in your walk, your capacity grows. He wants you filled, right where you are, to the full. Spiritual newborns can be filled with the fullness of God, and spiritually mature believers can, too. Praise the Lord! Jesus Christ does not want to play some small part in your life. He wants to fill it.

Reflection Question: Is your heart a home or a hotel for Jesus, and what room are you still keeping locked from Him?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, come into every room of my heart and make Your home there. Let me not just know about Your love but feel it, and fill me with Your fullness. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21

Ephesians 3:14 - "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

Notice Who Paul is bowing his knee to. He does not just say God, even though He is God. He says to Abba. To Daddy. Do you have that relationship with your Heavenly Father?

Now I know that when I mention the Fatherhood of God, it can produce a very mixed response in people. Some have had troubled relationships with their earthly fathers. Some never have had a father present in their homes. Some have unfortunately experienced abuse from their father. And when I say "God wants to be your Father," it can be a real hurdle to overcome.

But Paul says he bows his knees to the Father, "from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Eph. 3:15). He is saying that our very concept of family, our earthly understanding of what a father is, comes from the idea God Himself first defined. He is our Father. He is the one from Whom fatherhood itself is derived. So it is not that you should understand your heavenly Father through the lens of your earthly father. It is exactly the opposite. You should understand what an earthly father is supposed to be through the lens of the heavenly Father. He is the standard. Not the other way around.

I teach my three sons, "Some people call me pastor, but there are only three boys in the whole world who can call me one particular name, and it is the most special name of all. And that is daddy. Only three people can call me that." And guess what? The God Who created the universe looks at you and me and says, "Do not just call Me God, even though I am." He says, "Call Me Daddy. Call Me Abba. Come to Me as Father."

Now what does this Father do for us? Jesus said, in Matthew 7:7-11, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

"How much more..."  Now He is not calling me an evil father. He is saying that, in comparison to the goodness of God, the best I can ever be as a father is evil in comparison. And He says, "If you, human and broken as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give to you?"

An earthly father would not take a smooth stone that looks like a loaf of bread and hand it to your hungry child and say, "Try to chew on that." He would not throw a serpent at a child asking for a fish. He is not playing games with us. He is not trying to trick us. He is not going to abuse us. He is not going to disappear when we need Him. That is the Abba relationship we are invited to enter. He comes to us, not as a distant king, but as a Father. He wants to meet our needs, even before we express our needs to Him. He is our heavenly Father. Hallelujah!

Reflection Question: What emotion does it stir in you to know that the God of the universe invites you to call Him Daddy?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are not distant or cruel, but a good Father Who gives good gifts. Heal the personal wounds from my earthly relationship, and teach me to come to You as a child to You, my heavenly Father. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21

Ephesians 3:14 — "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Notice Paul's posture in this prayer. Paul is actually in prison when he writes this. He may not have been physically able to kneel. Yet he says that he is going to pray by getting on his knees. It's as if he is making a statement of humility and submission with this posture.

There have been definite times in my life when I have bowed my knee in prayer. Those moments were always intense, when I have been overcome with powerful emotions. It wasn't something I did out of habit or routine. Instead, I found myself overwhelmed by the weight of my feelings. Perhaps you have felt overwhelming loss, leaving you devastated or burdened. Perhaps you have felt exhilarated and joyful, which caused you to lose the ability to stand. I just connect powerful emotions with this posture of prayer.

Sometimes, because we see phrases like this in the Bible, we get the mistaken idea that the only way to pray is on our knees. That is not what you find in the Bible. The Jews prayed standing up (Mark 11:25). The tax collector who cried out for mercy was beating his breast, his head was bowed, but he was standing (Luke 18:13). And Jesus said that man went away forgiven (Luke 18:14). You find Abraham standing and talking to God (Genesis 18:22). You find Solomon standing (1 Kings 8:22) and also kneeling (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chronicles 6:13). There is no required physical posture. Some walk and pray. Some sit and pray. Some drive and pray.

The posture of the body is not the point. It is the posture of the heart that matters. And yet there is something significant in what Paul is saying. He is approaching the living God, and he says, "I bow my knee." There is humble reverence. There is a holy weightiness. He is not approaching God casually, the way we sometimes do when prayer is just a spiritual formality we check off before a meal.

Adrian Rogers described the moment he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was a senior in high school out on the football field by himself. He was seeking God and prayed, "God, I want You to use me." That did not seem good enough. So he got on his knees and said it again. That still did not seem enough. So he laid prostrate and said it again. That still was not enough. So he dug out a little hole in the ground, stuck his nose down into it, and said, "God, I am as low as I can go. I want You to use me." And he believed that was the moment the Holy Spirit filled his life.

Here is the question for each of us. Has there ever been a moment in your relationship with God where you have humbled yourself completely? Where you have gotten alone, where no one is watching, and you have simply bowed before God? God says that He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Reflection Question: Has there ever been a moment where you got alone with God, where no one was watching, and humbled yourself completely before Him?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I bow my heart before You. You are the God of the universe, and I come to You with reverence. Forgive me for the times prayer has become a formality. I humble myself and acknowledge that I need You. Thank You for filling me with Your Holy Spirit. I want You to use me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21

Ephesians 3:16-19 — "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Now, I am a boxing fan, but I realize some may not be. It goes back to my childhood. I started watching boxing because my dad used to box a little. Dad didn't watch much basketball, baseball, or football, but he did watch boxing. I guess that is what began to attract me to the sport. Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson. Lydia and the boys once gave me a picture of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston, and I have it hung at my house.

Well, I was also raised to love the Rocky movies. In Rocky II, Rocky's wife, Adrian, does not want him to box Apollo Creed again because of how badly he was injured in the first bout (Rocky I). Rocky is trying to train and prepare, and his trainer, Mickey, is watching him. Rocky is not into his training. He does not have the grit. He does not have the determination. He does not have whatever it takes to push forward and train to beat Apollo. The reason is simple: He knows Adrian does not want him to fight. He knows she is not pleased with his decision. Rocky tells his brother-in-law, Paulie, to talk with her. He tells his sister that he can't train because his mind is all messed up.

Under stress, Adrian goes to the hospital and is in a coma for a few weeks. In a climatic moment in the movie, when she comes out of the coma, Rocky is there. He hasn't been training at all. Ultimately, Adrian looks at Rocky and says, "There's one thing I want you to do for me... Win!"

That statement changes everything. Now, the training music comes up in the background. All of a sudden, Rocky is doing one-arm pushups. He is running up the stairs. He is training the way he was always supposed to train. What happened? Nothing changed physically. Nothing changed circumstantially. What changed was the heart behind the training. He needed to know Adrian was with him. He needed to know her acceptance and her support for what he was doing.

I don't know if this is true about women, but I believe most men would agree with this observation. Many ambitious men, who can accomplish anything they set their minds to, are ready and able to tackle the world... as long as they have a supportive wife and their relationships at home are going well. They want (and need) to know that their wife is proud of them. This is an example of how love and power often go together.

Spiritually, the same principle applies to the Christian life. In Ephesians 3, Paul is not praying for physical strength. He is not praying for outward circumstances to change. He is praying for strength deep in the inner person, where the real battles are fought. The prayer for spiritual strength is connected with knowing the love of Christ experientially!

Sometimes we are asking God for strength. "God, I need more strength. I need more strength to love. I need more strength to forgive. I need more strength to live the Christian life..." However, God's answer for us can be found in the concept from Ephesians 3. When your heart is bathed in the love of Jesus, the power to live the Christian life is unsuppressible. You will have the strength when you need it. Love empowers you to live the Christian life. Love for God and the love of God.

If Christians have the spiritual strength that God offers, they can take on anything this world brings their way. Remember Rocky? Knowing Adrian's love strengthened him. Nothing changed physically. Nothing changed circumstantially. What changed was the love.

When the love was felt, the power came. Where does the strength come from to live the Christian life? It comes from understanding and feeling God's love for us and through us.

Reflection Question: Are you asking God to change your circumstances when what you really need is His strength in your inner man?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I do not just need an easier situation. I need Your strength on the inside. Strengthen me with might by Your Spirit in my inner man, and help me fully appreciate and understand Your great love for me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21

Galatians 5:16 — "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

Is the answer to temptation more guardrails? I once had the chance to teach a group of young men about purity. We were wrestling with how a young man keeps his way pure. One guy stopped me in my tracks. He told me flatly that he could not conquer his addictions. So I began offering practical solutions. He had a problem with the internet, going to places he should not go. I said, "Why not set up some guardrails? Why not put a blocker on certain websites?" He said he tried that, and he could get around it. I suggested an accountability partner, somebody who would know exactly where he was going and what he was doing. He said he tried that too, but he could find a hidden way around it.

We went through five or six different ideas or solutions. And every single time he looked at me and said, "I can get around that." Finally, I simply asked him, "Do you really want to be free? Do you really want victory?"

That conversation stayed with me because we do the same thing in the church. When someone is struggling, we say, "You need this guardrail, you need somebody asking you hard questions." None of that is wrong. But maybe, instead of adding more guardrails, we ought to help that person fall more in love with Jesus.

Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

Galatians 5:16 contains an emphatic double negative in the ancient Greek text, which means you will "by no means" or "certainly not" fulfill the lust of the flesh. The rule in ancient Greek is that stacking negatives amplifies the negation rather than canceling it out.

"You will not, no never, fulfill the lust of the flesh."

The answer is not simply to resist more. The answer is to walk more in the Spirit - that's a positive command. The answer is to love more. When we cool off in our love for the Lord, the world begins to crowd in little by little. It squeezes us into its mold. How do we resist that pressure? By falling more in love with Jesus.

One man described it this way. Suppose I described your favorite meal - maybe a steak, cooked exactly the way you like it. You sit down and eat that entire steak until you are completely full. Then someone rummages through the garbage and finds a two-week-old bologna sandwich, half-eaten, a little mold on it, and holds it out and says, "Would you like this?" You know exactly what your response would be... "No thank you. I am satisfied."

In the same way, when the devil offers the children of God what tempts them, he is offering you that moldy, half-eaten sandwich. No one in their right mind would take it, unless they are starving. So what is the answer? To keep saying no to the old bread? Or to realize you have a juicy, made-to-order steak and fill up on it?

You cannot guardrail your way into holiness. But you can fall in love with Jesus. And when you are full, you can say, "No thank you. I am satisfied."

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

Reflection Question: Where in your life are you relying on guardrails instead of positively growing in your love for Jesus?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I want to have victory over temptation. Help me see that the answer is not more willpower but more love for You. Fill me with that which will ultimately satisfy - You, Your Holy Spirit, Your Word, the people of God, serving others by Your power. Oh Lord, help me walk in the Spirit, so that the temptations of this world lose their appeal. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "More Love, More Power": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/98862zy/12-more-love-more-power-eph-3-14-21

Ephesians 3:4 (NKJV) "By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ."

Paul describes the mystery of Christ. Jesus came, and He was a mystery to those who saw Him in the first century. He comes to us today from the pages of the written Word, and we still do not quite know what to make of Him, Who He is, what He means to us.

Remember, when Paul uses the word "mystery", he does not mean something unexplainable or something with no real answer. In the New Testament, a mystery is a secret. It is something God knew from the beginning of time. He kept it concealed, and at the right moment, He began to pull back the curtain and reveal it. There is an answer. There always was. God knew it, Paul knew it, and now the Holy Spirit is sharing it with us.

If you were there in the first century, you would be looking for a savior to save you from Roman or political oppression. Even in the Gospel accounts, you see the people trying to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, but they mean for Him to dethrone Rome and take the throne of David, just as the Old Testament prophesied. And yet Jesus, at that time, was not that kind of Messiah. Those prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. When Jesus came the first time, He was fulfilling many Old Testament prophecies. When Jesus comes again, He will fulfill the rest of those prophecies. This is part of the reason they rejected Jesus. He didn't fit everything they expected from their Messiah.

Jesus was not a Messiah who was seeking to break off Roman political oppression. He would break off oppression, though. He would break off sin's oppression. Jesus was not a Messiah coming to establish a physical kingdom (like He one day will do). He came to set up a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men and women. This is the mystery Paul alludes to here.

He comes to our hearts today, and the question remains the same. Do you receive Him as He actually is, or do you keep looking for the version you wanted? The version that fixes your problems, removes your difficulties, and makes your life go more smoothly. People have been walking away from the real Jesus for two thousand years because He refuses to be the Messiah they wanted.

But for those of us who receive Jesus as He is - the Savior Who breaks the power of sin, Who takes the punishment we deserved and absorbs it Himself, Who offers us a righteousness we could never earn - for us, the "mystery" becomes the most precious secret we have ever been let in on.

This is where real life begins. The grace of God is not something you add to your life. It is not one more item on the list. When this "mystery" hits you, it reorders everything. Paul's whole life was reshaped. He went from persecuting the church to being imprisoned for it. That is not a small shift. And it will do the same thing to you. Once hidden, now revealed. Concealed for ages, and now brought into the light through the gospel.

So here is the question you need to consider: Have you experienced this gospel? Has it been applied to your own soul through the Person and work of Jesus Christ? Everything else flows from this one question. Has it hit you personally? Has it reordered your life?

Reflection Question: Are you receiving Jesus as He truly is, the Savior from sin, or still waiting on a savior who simply smooths out your circumstances?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for pulling back the curtain on the mystery of Christ, the Savior who breaks the power of sin. Forgive me for the times I have wanted a Jesus who only fixes my problems. I receive Him as He truly is, and I ask that His grace would reorder my entire life. In Jesus' Name, amen.
 
Check out: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

Ephesians 3:1-2 (NKJV) "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you."

Paul knew he was called and equipped to share the gospel. But notice, it was not a general calling. It was specific. He says in 3:1, "the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles." In 3:2, "given to me for you." In 3:13, "my tribulations for you." Paul knew who he was called to.

 Sometimes we begin to serve out of guilt or out of negative emotions. We think we are such sinners that we just need to serve and get rid of our guilty conscience. But Paul does not say that. He says that first this grace was applied to my own soul, then through me to someone else, and finally to a specific group.

 When I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I was 14-years-old at a summer camp. The next year, at 15, God called me into the ministry. He spoke to my heart in a way so unique that I have not really shared it much. It is too personal. But I'll never forget, with tears streaming down my face, knowing that I know that I know that I know God had called me into ministry. I did not know what it would look like, but I knew God wanted me to serve Him with my gifts and talents.

 Then, from age 18-20, after high school, God was working on my heart. I had no real opportunities, just a little Bible study here and there. Then God, by His grace, spoke to my heart, not an audible voice, but a voice so strong in my heart it was as if it were audible. Not just to preach, not just to be a minister, but to be a minister to a particular group, to be a youth pastor at a particular church. And I said "yes". My gift and calling was to a particular group and place.

 God gifts us with certain spiritual gifts, but He also applies them to a particular people. I remember when my wife, Lydia, and I both worked with teenagers. I was asked to preach the Sunday sermon to the congregation during the worship service, so I asked her to fill in for me with the teenagers' Sunday school class. She is certainly gifted to teach. At that point, she had taught children for years, so she said, "Okay." I remember after Sunday School, Lydia came to me and said, "Don't ask me to do that again." I said, "But you're a teacher; this is your spiritual gift." You know what I recognized? You may be gifted as a teacher, but there is also a particular group (for Lydia, it is kids; for me, at the time, it was teenagers). God not only gives us gifts, but He also directs those gifts to a specific people. God had called Paul to a people. He said, "For you."

 So, who has God called you to? You say, "That's just for preachers." No. In Romans 12:3-5 says, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

God's grace has been given to each of us. We all belong to each other, and all of us have been given a spiritual gift by which we serve other people. The Living Bible of verses 4-5 reads, "Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others."

The question isn’t if God has called you - He has. The real questions are: where? to whom? And are you willing to go there?

 Find that niche group, that specific corner of the harvest field with your name on it. And then go further, all the way to where it can be said of you that you are a prisoner of the Lord for someone else.

 Reflection Question: Who is the specific group God has shaped you to reach, and are you willing to go there?

 Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for applying Your grace to my own soul and then calling me to serve. Free me from serving out of guilt, and help me serve out of the joy of being Yours. Show me the specific group You have shaped me to reach. I'm willing to be Your prisoner so someone else can come into the kingdom of God. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Check out: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

Ephesians 3:1, 13 (NKJV) "For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles... Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory."

Paul writes Ephesians from prison, not from an ivory tower somewhere. He is in a hard place... I can imagine him being kind of confused in prison, asking, "Why am I still locked up? There is a hunger inside of me to go plant churches and make an impact, and yet God has me isolated, chained to a Roman centurion." Can you see how great a sacrifice it was for him to stay in jail?

It was also a significant sacrifice as he established churches and preached the gospel. Jewish people told him, "Paul, stop claiming you don't need to be a good Jew to be a Christian. Just say people must become Jews first, then they can become Christians." Paul replied, "I will not do that. That is not the gospel. It is either a gospel of grace or a gospel of works - there's no in-between."

Paul accepted the punishment for it, facing constant pressure from Judaizers—those who followed him and added their conditions after his teachings. The core message remains that salvation comes solely through Jesus Christ's grace. God looks at us and asks, "Are we righteous enough?" But none of us can answer yes, because the standard is absolute perfection, which no one meets. Yet, Jesus achieved it. Our confidence doesn't stem from our goodness - no matter how virtuous we think we are, we fall short of perfection. Instead, we rely on the cross of Jesus Christ. He was perfect, the sacrifice for our flaws. He was punished in our place.

Do you know why Paul was locked up? He was in Jerusalem. There was a man named Trophimus, a Gentile, and the crowd assumed Paul had taken him past the barrier into a court where no Gentile should go (Acts 21:27-29). They were in an uproar. Paul turned around and gave them his testimony. "I was on the road to Damascus, persecuting the church. I realized Jesus was the Son of God, and He gave me a mission (see Acts 22:1-21)." But the moment he said, "I was given a mission to preach the gospel among the Gentiles," everybody went into an absolute frenzy (Acts 22:21-22). A riot. They had to take him into custody.

That is how it all connects. He was a Roman citizen who should never have been treated that way, so he appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:11). Little by little, he takes this journey, and he is still in jail. For what? For nothing. But Paul sees the sovereignty of God in all of it. He says, "I am a prisoner of the Lord, not a prisoner of Rome. I am a prisoner of the Lord for you Gentiles. I was placed in this prison by God, for you."

Could you say that? "I am a prisoner of the Lord for someone." Could you fill in that blank? God calls not just to the ministry. God calls to a people. And when that calling is real, you will suffer for it. Paul knew that. He did not run from it.

Reflection Question: Whose name could you write in the blank: "I am willing to suffer as a prisoner of the Lord for _______"?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, teach me to see my hard circumstances the way Paul saw his chains, not as the work of my enemies but as Your sovereign hand. Help me hold to a gospel of grace alone and never water it down to make life easier. Give me the courage to suffer for the people You have called me to reach. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Check out: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

"Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." (Ephesians 3:13)

Paul finishes this section by telling the Ephesians not to lose heart over his tribulations, difficulties, pressure, and pain. But when he says "for you, Gentiles" in Ephesians 3:1 and again in Ephesians 3:13, he isn't trying to guilt them into feeling sorry for him. He's actually saying something tender. Do you ever wonder if you're worth anything? Do you ever wonder if you're valuable to God? Well, Paul says, "I am suffering because of the message of God's love to you." That's how much God loves you. If you ever wonder about your value, look at the cross. In Romans 5:8, Paul puts it this way: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God sent His Son to die for you while you were still a sinner, still an enemy, still far off. That's how valuable you are to Him.

Being positive doesn't mean you stick your head in the sand and pretend the tribulations aren't there. Paul never denied his suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11, he lays it all out. Beaten with rods three times. Stoned once. Shipwrecked three times, a night and a day in the deep. In perils of waters, robbers, his own countrymen, the Gentiles, the city, the wilderness, the sea, and false brethren. Weariness, sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, cold, and nakedness. You want to talk about tribulations? Paul could write the book. And still he tells those Gentiles, "Don't you lose heart."

How? Because he saw God's perspective. He knew whatever pain was in front of him was temporary. This light affliction, set against an eternity of bliss, joy, and God's presence, was lasting only a moment. In Philippians 4:10-13, Paul says he has learned to be content in any circumstance, whether full or hungry, whether he has much or little, because he can do all things through Christ Who strengthens him.

There's a story that gripped me shortly after Israel was attacked on October 7, 2023 and suffered casualties of over 1,300. An article came out titled, "95-Year-Old Israeli Reservist Joins the War Effort." His name is Ezra Yakhin. He was just nineteen when he first went to war during Israel's 1948 War of Independence. Though 95 years old, when asked why he was signing up to defend his country, he said, "I need to be here, because any day I'm not here is one less day I can teach the youth about this land and what we need to do." He could have sat back, but he knew the battle was worth it.

That's not denying reality. That's recognizing the battle is worth it. It's almost like the spirit of Caleb came upon him, who, in his old age, looked at the mountain full of giants and said, "Give me that mountain." Being positive doesn't mean pretending the giants aren't there. It means knowing God's power can match any circumstance, any tribulation, any difficulty in front of you.

So don't lose heart. While other people around you are negative, you can lift them up. You can see what they can't see, and you can point them to the only hope there is, which is Jesus Christ. The pressure is real, but it's temporary. Eternity is right around the corner.

Reflection: What tribulation are you tempted to lose heart over today, and how does eternity change the way you carry it?

Dear Heavenly Father, I don't want to lose heart. Give me Your perspective, so I can see that this pressure is temporary and Your joy is forever. Help me be someone who lifts others up and points them to Jesus. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

"To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." (Ephesians 3:8)

Paul was in prison, and anybody could have looked at him and said, "He's wasting his life in there." But Paul knew not only who he was, he knew his purpose, and that gave him confidence. Not arrogance, but confidence that God was using him even behind bars.

Notice in Ephesians 3:1, he doesn't say, "I am a prisoner of Rome." He says, "I am the prisoner of Christ Jesus." Jesus has allowed me to be where I am. I don't fully understand it, but if He's okay with it, I'm okay with it. Then, in verse seven, he says he became a minister according to the gift of God's grace. Paul says, "I know God is using me. Even here in prison, my mission is still the same."

But watch what happens in verse eight, because this is where it gets beautiful. He calls himself "less than the least of all the saints." Did you know that in Greek, Paul could have chosen from several words for "least"? Instead, he combined words and invented one. He calls himself "the leaster." One translation even adds a footnote explaining that Paul has made up a word here. It's as if he could not get any lower, so he had to create a new word to describe how small he was.

And this wasn't the only time. In 1 Corinthians 15:9, he calls himself the least of the apostles. In 1 Timothy 1:15, he goes one step further and calls himself the chief of sinners. Notice he doesn't say he was the chief. He says he is. Perhaps he remembered holding the coats of the men who stoned Stephen. Perhaps he remembered the road to Damascus, where he was hunting down believers to lock them up, until Jesus knocked him down and said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" In that moment, Paul realized he hadn't just been persecuting people. He had been persecuting Jesus.

John Newton wrote the wonderful hymn "Amazing Grace". Before Christ saved him after the age of forty, he had been a slave-trader living a reckless life. He preached the gospel for decades, but he never forgot who he was. Near the end of his life, his eyesight failed, and his mind would go in and out. Sometimes, while preaching, he would pause and say, "Where was I?" and someone in the congregation would call out his last point. But toward the end of his life, he said: "I know two things: Jesus Christ is a great Savior, and I am a great sinner."

That's where real confidence comes from. Not from thinking highly of yourself, but from knowing that the grace of God reached all the way down to the leaster and still gave him a mission. In Galatians 1:10, Paul says if he were still pleasing people, he wouldn't be a servant of Christ. So let the outside voices come. Let them say you're not measuring up. All that matters is hearing from Jesus, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Reflection: Who are you trying to please, and would Jesus call you faithful in the mission He gave you to do?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your grace reached even the leaster, the chief of sinners. Keep me humble enough to remember who I am, and confident enough to do what You have called me to do. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Ephesians 3:1-13 actually reads like an unplanned detour. He was headed somewhere else entirely in chapter two, and you can see where he picks back up in Ephesians 3:14. However, here he pulls back the curtain on something that had been hidden for ages.

In Ephesians 3:3-4, Paul uses the word "mystery" to describe our salvation. He says, "how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),"

That word "mystery" in the New Testament does not mean the same thing it does today. A mystery today is almost something unexplainable. It is almost something with no real answer, something that often remains unresolved. But that is not what Paul means at all. In the New Testament, a mystery is a secret. It is something God knew from the beginning of time, but He kept it concealed. And at the right moment, He began to pull back the curtain to reveal it. There is an answer. There always was. God knew it. Paul knew it. And now the Holy Spirit is sharing it with us. It is "inside information".

What was this mystery? It's what Paul talked about back in Ephesians 2, that Gentiles have just as much opportunity to give their lives to Christ as Jews do. The gospel is for everybody. This would have shocked the first-century Jew. It even shook other Christian leaders. In Galatians 2, Paul had to oppose Peter and Barnabas because they compromised with the Judaizers who were excluding Gentiles from their fellowship. In Acts 15, the Jerusalem council of Christian leaders came together to declare that Jesus Christ brings salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike. Jesus can save anybody.

Notice how far this mystery reached. Ephesians 3:9-10 says, "and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,"

In verse 10, Paul says the manifold wisdom of God is now made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. Even angelic beings and demons didn't fully understand God's plan of salvation. 1 Corinthians 2:8 says that if the rulers of this age had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Jesus was crucified by opponents who didn't fully realize what was happening.

Many of you have read The Count of Monte Cristo or seen the movie. Edmund Dantès is mistreated and locked away in prison. There's an old, wise man in prison with him who keeps talking about hidden riches, and everyone thinks he's lost his mind. But he befriends Edmund and teaches him. On his deathbed, he says, "Here is the location of the treasure." Everyone thought the treasure was just the ramblings of a lunatic. When Edmund finally breaks free, he searches, finds the spot, breaks the lock, and there it is. Bars of gold. Diamonds. Pearls. Treasure enough for five kings.

The nonbeliever doesn't understand the riches found in Christ Jesus. They look at the news and see one perspective. They hear from their friends and neighbors, and they're convinced the world is falling apart. But the child of God who has read his Bible knows what's really going on. Christians know about spiritual warfare and know there's a real enemy behind what is seen in the news. However, Christians also know the real riches they have in Christ. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."

Christians have "inside information". We've read to the end of the Book. We know who ultimately wins. We know we're on the winning team and that Jesus Christ will prevail. That's why, in the middle of all the negativity in this world, we can be positive. The treasure is real, and we know exactly where it is. It is in Christ Jesus! Hallelujah!

Reflection: Are you living like someone who knows the "mystery" of your salvation, or like someone who only sees the bad news of this world?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You have not hidden Your plan from me but revealed it in Your Word. Help me remember the riches I have in Christ when the world around me seems so negative and dark. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

I don't have to remind you that ours is a negative, pessimistic society. We live with negativity all around us. All you have to do is turn on the news and you see negative programming, negative journalism, negative events taking place. You see acts of terror and it makes you fearful. You think things are falling apart. Then you look at our country and you ask, "Will inflation ever get under control?" The economy doesn't look as good as it once did. Politicians don't even seem able to get along or function as the legislative branch of government, and then there's the out-of-control spending. You have movies and television that go against your conscience as a Christian, and you wonder, "When are they going to get back to creating movies or shows that are wholesome, instead of pandering to immoral behavior?"

Do you feel the pull toward negativity, even as a Christian?

You may say, "A positive mindset is just pie-in-the-sky thinking. You're not dealing with the harsh reality of this world."

I like what Warren Wiersbe once wrote. He said "Realism is idealism that has been through the fire and is purified, but cynicism is idealism that has been through the fire and gotten burned." 

Here's the temptation for you and me. We look at what is going on today and think, "It's never been as bad as it is today." But there has always been some form of negative environment. The world is the way the world is. Even in New Testament days, the Christian community was the minority, a group of outsiders in culture. That's why Jesus said in John 17:13-19 that we would be in the world but not of the world. Jesus wants us to be world changers, but we should not be changed by this culture.

Imagine water flowing in a single direction. Dead fish are carried downstream, while a living fish can swim upstream. As Christians, we are called to be alive and to shine in dark places, not simply to follow the crowd. Instead of conforming to the world, be transformed through the renewal of your mind. God doesn't want His people swimming downstream with everything that's already dead. He wants us alive, moving against the current, proving to a watching world what His good, acceptable, and perfect will really looks like.

The negativity isn't going anywhere. The question is whether you and I will let the current carry us along, or whether we'll let God renew our minds and empower us to swim against this negative world, showing a watching world a different way of living.

Reflection: Where in your life have you been drifting downstream with the culture instead of letting God transform your thinking?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that it is so easy to be negative when I look at the world around me. Renew my mind today. Help me see that as a child of God, I am alive by Your Spirit. Empower me to swim against this current. Help me to be light in a dark place. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

You might think being positive or negative is just built into you. "Well, I'm just a negative person." Or, "I'm just a positive person." There was a set of twin boys. One was super negative, always looking at the dark side of life, and the other was super positive. Their parents didn't know what to do with them, so they took them to a child psychiatrist.

The doctor said, "Let's try something for their next birthday. Put their gifts in two different rooms so they can't see each other's. For the boy who's always negative, fill his room with all kinds of wonderful presents. For the boy who's always positive, put a pile of manure in his room. Then write down your observations."

The birthday comes. They open the door for the negative boy, and he walks into a room full of great toys. And what does he say? "I don't even like the color of this one. I know a kid who's got a bigger car than this. This little gadget is already out of date, there's a new one out now. And if I play with this too much, it's just going to break." Negative, negative, negative. They couldn't believe he couldn't see the good right in front of him.

Then they open the door for the positive boy, the one with the pile of manure. And there he is, jumping up and down, throwing it everywhere, hollering, "Whoopee!" They say, "Son, what in the world are you doing?" And he said, "With all this manure, there's got to be a pony in here somewhere!"

So is it just in you? Are you simply wired to be positive or negative?

Here's the truth. As a child of God, Christians ought to be the most positive people on the earth. We ought to be more positive than anybody, because we've read our Bibles. We have a future hope in heaven. We understand what's really going on in the world when other people don't have a clue. The reason Paul could say "Rejoice in the Lord always" and then turn around and say it again is not because his circumstances were good. He wrote those words from a prison cell.

That's the difference the gospel makes. The negative man in the room full of blessings still found a way to complain. The believer with every reason to despair still finds a reason to rejoice, because his joy isn't anchored to what's in the room. It's anchored to the Lord.

Reflection: When you walk into your circumstances tomorrow, will you complain about the toys or dig for the pony?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I've stood in a room full of Your blessings and only seen what was wrong. Teach me to rejoice in You always, no matter what room I find myself in. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Staying Positive in a Negative World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/d6xvd3t/11-staying-positive-in-a-negative-world-eph-3-1-13

1 Peter 2:13a (NKJV) - Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake…

There was a Christian businessman in North Carolina who told me something I will never forget. He was in retirement at the time and had managed all kinds of people in his life. He had been a great church leader as well for decades. He said, "Followers are simply leaders who have chosen to let someone else lead." We might think, “Some are followers, and some are leaders,” but he would disagree. He explained, "We're all leaders, but followers are simply leaders who have chosen to let someone else lead."

We see this exemplified in the life of Christ as a 12-year-old at the temple. Jesus was talking to the religious leaders - asking and answering questions. They were amazed because here was a 12-year-old boy. Afterwards, Luke 2:51 says, “Then He [Jesus] went down with them [Joseph and Mary] and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.” Though He astounded the religious leaders, Jesus lived in subjection to His parents. No one would ever say that Jesus was of any lower class of individual than Mary and Joseph, but yet it says that Jesus Christ was subject to his parents. Why? Well, He served here as an example to His followers. He would be telling us as children to be subject to our own parents and that there is order in the home.

Jesus was up in heaven and he condescended as an example to us. Philippians 2:5–8 says, “5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” He did not have to come down, but He condescended. He came down to rescue humanity on the cross, and it says that He became obedient even unto death, the death of the cross.

Jesus taught this to His disciples. Matthew 20:25–28 says, “25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’”

Jesus sought to teach a leadership model to His disciples that could be called “servant leadership.” He exemplified this servant leader when He took a towel and basin, knelt before His disciples and washed their feet.  John 13:3–5, 14-16 says, “3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. … 14 ‘If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.’”

Think about the fact that when we get to heaven and see Jesus, we are going to fall on our face and worship Him. However, here, we see Jesus kneeling before His disciples washing their feet as an act of humble servant leadership. Jesus is our model of not just servant leadership, but he's also our model for humility and submissiveness.

Remember the garden of Gethsemane? Jesus knows the stripes, the crown of thorns, and the cross are before Him. Jesus is praying to the Father in Matthew 26:39, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” He knew what was ahead, and if there's any other way to rescue humanity, He says, “let this cup pass for Me.” Then He ends that with a prayer of consecration, “yet not My will, but Your will be done.” Jesus shows submission to the Father’s will.

First Corinthians 11:3 describes order in the Trinitarian Godhead: “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” Imagine God the Father saying, “This is My plan. This is My purpose.” Jesus then listens and submits to the plan of the Father. All of these examples in the life of Jesus show that He lived a life of submission, and He is our model. Do we call ourselves Christians? The word “Christian” simply means “like Christ”.

Peter commends the followers of Christ in 1 Peter 2:13 to “submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.” He did not say, “because the ordinances are worthy of submission.” He did not say, “submit to some ordinances of man.” He said Christians are to submit to every ordinance of man because of Jesus.

Americans often coil against the idea of submitting to any kind of authority. In a democracy, the citizens certainly can speak into unjust laws and take an active approach in government. However, submission should be the posture of every Christian in society once those laws are in place. Americans are often too quick to say, “Well, I’ll submit when I like the government that’s in place. I'll be submissive when the ones I voted for are in charge. But I won’t follow them if I didn’t vote for them. I won’t honor them.” This reasoning is to our shame. God's people are to exemplify the same submission that Jesus Christ exemplified when He came to this earth and humbled Himself. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind [attitude] be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

“Dear God, thank You for showing me the life of humility and submission to authority in the life of my Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray that as I continue to learn from You, I will follow in Your footsteps. I will submit to those who are in positions of authority over me. Thank You for sovereignly placing me in America. I pray that righteousness would reign in our great country. I pray that my respect and honor for laws of my country would be an example to others. I love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
 

1 Peter 2:11–12 (NKJV)  
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,  
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.  

We will never do anything great for the Lord until we decide, once and for all, that we are going to live a disciplined life for Him. The word “Christian” means Christ-like. God has put His Spirit inside of us, and we are to live our lives before others in such a way that we reflect Him. You may teach a Sunday School class or a Bible study. Your class may listen to your words, but they are watching your life. Does your walk match your talk?
 
When I was in my early 20s, I was in youth ministry and held a part-time job at a local gym for extra income. Monday through Friday, I had the responsibility of unlocking the doors, opening up the gym, and making sure all of the other employees were there for work. I was also in charge of the wellness floor where people worked out as early as 5:00 AM. Every morning, I came to work hungry. So, I got into the habit of stopping by the donut shop or a fast-food place to get a big combo each morning. You can imagine the scene: fifty or sixty men and women are working out with weights, using machines, or doing cardio on the treadmills or other activities. You must be serious to exercise at that time of day. Here I am, stuffing my face with donuts, sugary drinks, and enough calories for the day. That became a season where I was unhealthy and put on extra weight. People would often ask me questions about fitness and health. They would say, “I'm really trying to lose some weight—what do I need to do?” Among other things, I would tell them, “You need to avoid certain types of foods.” Now, the next day, they would watch me as I walked in with my bag of fast food or my unhealthy sugary drink. Sometimes, I felt so ashamed I would go into my office and turn off the light so they couldn’t see me while I ate! My walk didn’t match my talk. As a young man, I had to learn that in order to teach others how to live healthy lives, I myself had to be healthy. It didn’t mean that I never ate another donut or something that was fried, but I needed to learn self-control. Praise the Lord, I learned a valuable lesson during that season of my life.

Spiritually speaking, Christians can sometimes talk a big talk, but their walk doesn’t match their talk. They speak of the power of the Holy Spirit. They shout about how Jesus changed them. They sing about how they are no longer bound in sin. Yet, they are not living the way they are talking, and the world takes notice.
 
In "Power Through Prayer," Robert Murray McCheyne is quoted as saying, “Your sermons last but an hour or two; your life preaches all the week.” [1] Christians should be living what we are saying. Our walk should match our talk. This will only happen through discipline, which is a fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22, it says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Self-control is synonymous with discipline. We should strive toward discipline in our daily lives.

Why? 1 Timothy 4:7 says, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” (NASB) The purpose of discipline for a Christian is to express godliness. The Phillips paraphrases this verse, “Take the time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.” Spiritual growth or godliness comes through discipline and self-control.

When I use the word “godliness,” people often think of a list of do’s and don’ts. One pastor was concerned that some of his church members were smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. He decided that he would dramatically convince them one Sunday, but it backfired. He chose to illustrate his lesson like this.
 
He came to the pulpit with three jars with lids. The first jar was filled with cigarette smoke. The second jar was filled with alcohol. The third jar was filled with healthy soil. During the introduction of his sermon, he explained the three different jars, held up some worms, and said, “You're kind of like this worm.” He took the lids off, placed some of the worms in each jar, and closed the lids. In his sermon, he pointed out different verses of Scripture that would highlight the dangers of smoking and drinking alcohol. At the conclusion of his sermon, he drew their attention back to the jars to see how the worms fared in each environment. He pointed out the jar filled with cigarette smoke that was full of dead worms. Next, he pointed out the jar filled with alcohol that was also full of dead worms. Then he said, “Notice the worms that are in the healthy soil. Notice how they are just moving around. They are healthy, and all of them are alive.” He finished with this question, “Can any of you tell me what the moral of this lesson is?” A sweet, older lady stood up and said, “Pastor, I know that if I don’t want to deal with a case of the worms, I need to smoke a lot of cigarettes and drink plenty of alcohol!” This pastor would have to try a different approach next time.

Godliness should include saying “no” to lifestyle habits that would hinder our witness before others. Godliness should include avoiding certain music or television programs. Godliness should include removing certain words from our vocabulary. If we have given our lives to Christ, people know that we are Christians, and they are watching us. You are on a stage, and you have the spotlight on you. We do not need to be afraid of the spotlight. We do not need to be afraid of the stage. We need to say, “Come watch my life. I'm not perfect, but I'm living my life under the lordship of Jesus Christ. I have been changed by the power of God. Sin no longer has its hold on me.”

What is the motivation or reason for the disciplined life? Peter says in verse eleven that Christians are “sojourners” and “pilgrims.” Peter uses these words to show a parallel between their earthly citizenship and their spiritual citizenship. They were Roman citizens who used to live in Rome. They had been displaced and now lived in Roman colonies in Asia Minor (or modern-day Turkey). Their primary citizenship was Rome, but they lived elsewhere.

Peter’s audience would recognize this parallel and hear Peter saying, “You are a Christian. Your spiritual citizenship is with God in heaven. But you live here in this world among Gentiles and pagans who are lost. Your primary loyalty is to the Lord Jesus Christ. You are temporary residents here.” The words “sojourner” and “pilgrim” mean “a displaced person” or “a temporary resident.” These words imply that this place is not your home. Christians are in this world but not of this world.

John 17:14–16 (NKJV):
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Because the Christian’s permanent home is heaven, our primary loyalty should be to God. Our time in this life is so brief. Time passes so fast, and then we go out into eternity. Christians will spend forever in the presence of God. Therefore, while living in this world, whenever the loyalties of this world and heaven conflict, the Christian’s primary loyalty should be to Jesus Christ. One motivation for holy living or for living a disciplined life is our loyalty to Jesus.

However, the primary motivation to live a disciplined life should be love. Peter uses the word “beloved” in 1 Peter 2:11. He is not simply calling the Christian beloved by God, though that is true. He is identifying you with Jesus, Who was the first to be called “Beloved” by God the Father when He was baptized by John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:16–17 (NKJV):  
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

When you, as a Christian, said, “Jesus, be my Lord” (Romans 10:9-10, 13), God put His Spirit inside of you, and now you are in Christ, and Christ is in you. Galatians 2:20 says, “Christ lives in me.” Ephesians 3:17 says, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Colossians 1:27 says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Romans 8:1 says those who are “in Christ” do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says new believers are “in Christ,” where old things have passed away, and all things have become new.

The primary reason we live a disciplined life is that we love God. He has transformed us, and His love motivates us to live a disciplined life. John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

“Dear God, I pray that my walk before others matches my talk! As a child of God, You have set me free from sin. You are my Lord. I pray that I will be an example to others and draw people to You. I love You, and I pray that I will live a more disciplined life because of my loyalty to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
 
[1] Edward M. Bounds, Power through Prayer (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999), chapter 1.

Whose image do we bear? How should that impact our lives?

God said in Genesis 1:26 that He uniquely made men and women “in His image.” He didn’t say that about the plant life or the animal kingdom. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and we reflect on the goodness of God when we look around and the splendor of His creation. However, men and women are uniquely made in God’s image. We will find our purpose as we celebrate the image of God in each person. We have seen how we are created in God's image in our design, our differences, and our discernment. Today, we will look at our dominion and our destiny. We will finish with our response to these truths.

Our Dominion
 
Fourth, we can see God’s image in our dominion. We are responsible beings, and we have been given the authority to rule the earth, the animals and the plants. God told mankind in Genesis 1:28 to “subdue the earth” and “have dominion.” Genesis 1:26 says, “Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every creeping thing.” John Macarthur explains, “Man’s very posture, standing upright, distinguishes him from four–footed beasts and creeping things. The animals’ natural posture directs their gaze downward, toward the earth. Man, on the other hand, is naturally positioned to look upward, toward the heavens, where he can contemplate the glory of God displayed there.”[1]
 
Genesis 2:15 describes how God gave Adam the job to “tend” and “keep” the Garden of Eden. Adam was also tasked with naming the animals in Genesis 2:19. When people move to a place that is desolate or underdeveloped, and they begin to cultivate the area, this is accomplishing our responsibility to “tend” and “keep” this world. Our dominion involves placing farms where there was once undeveloped land. “One young man complained to his pastor about the things going on in the world. ‘I could make a better world than this,’ claimed the young man. The pastor responded, ‘That’s just what God wants you to do.’ God has placed us in an unfinished world, a universe in the making. We are responsible to control, protect, and develop it.”[2]
 
It includes domesticating animals and training them for our benefit. Proverbs 12:10 (NLT) reads, “The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.”  We should never be cruel to the animals under our care, but we should recognize them as gifts from God.
 
When Jesus walked this earth, He exercised dominion over the animals, which may give us some insight into how God originally intended man to demonstrate dominion in the Garden of Eden. In Mark 11:2, Jesus demonstrated dominion over a wild donkey, one that had never been ridden. He rode this untamed animal into Jerusalem. In Matthew 26:34, Jesus predicted Peter's denial three times before the rooster crowed, showing dominion over the actions of the birds. In Matthew 17:27, Jesus directed Peter to find a coin in a fish's mouth to pay their taxes, exercising dominion over the fish.
 
Sin distorted everything, including man’s original dominion over this earth. Martin Luther observed, “I am fully convinced that before Adam’s sin his eyes were so sharp and clear that they surpassed those of the lynx and eagle. He was stronger than the lions and the bears, whose strength is very great; and he handled them the way we handle puppies.” Luther states about Adam’s intellectual powers, “If … we are looking for an outstanding philosopher, let us not overlook our first parents while they were still free from sin.”[3] Our capacity may be different today, but the image of God is still seen in our dominion.
 
Our Destiny
 
Fifth, we can see God’s image in our destiny. We are eternal beings, just as God is an eternal Being. God has no beginning and no end. Mankind had a beginning but will have no end. Our eternal destiny is a fundamental part of being made in God's image. Hebrews 9:27 states, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Animals, as much as we may love them, do not have an eternal destiny. They have life, they have personality, but they do not have eternal spirits that will go out into eternity like humanity.
 
Our Response
 
Understanding the value of every human life should impact every person in life-altering ways. First, because all mankind is made in the image of God, both males and females have equal value and worth. Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
 
Second, each ethnicity has equal value and worth.  Acts 17:26 declares, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth…” We often wonder what the answer can be to racial strife and division in our country and around the world. Paul states that Jesus is the answer:
 
Ephesians 2:13–15
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
 
When people give their lives to Jesus Christ, He not only tears down the wall of separation between holy God and sinful man but also between two people surrendered to Jesus as well. Our hearts toward our fellow man become right where we begin to see the value that God has placed in every life. We should see the value of other people and treat them with dignity, honor, and respect.
 
Third, because human life begins at conception, and those babies are made in the image of God, they should be given the same chance to live that each of us has had. Exodus 20:13 says plainly, “You shall not murder.” This means only God has the right to number our days.
 
We are infinitely valuable to God, not because of what we can do for society, but because of who we are. Notice how the Psalmist describes life in the womb:
 
Psalm 139:13–16 (NKJV)
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
 
Luke’s Gospel describes the story of when Mary, who was carrying Jesus in her womb came to the home of Elizabeth, who was carrying John the Baptist in her womb. Luke 1:41 says, “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Elizabeth tells Mary “…the babe leaped in my womb for joy” in Luke 1:44.
 
These verses help me to see that it is right to protect the lives of the unborn. Christians should be unashamedly pro-life, from the womb to the end of life. Proverbs 31:8 says, “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.” Each is made in the image of God and infinitely valuable to God.
 
Lastly, because we bear God’s image, we belong to God. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:19-21). That answer was not just to pay your taxes. Included in that answer was the truth that you and I bear the image of God. Jesus said give your taxes to Caesar but give your heart to God. You belong to Him. You are made in his image.
 
“Dear God, thank You for creating me in Your image. I am infinitely valuable to You. I pray that I would see every human being in light of Your Word. Help me value every person the way You do. I also pray that I would see that I belong to You. I give myself to You. Thank You for loving me and saving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
 
* This is part 3 in the series “We are Made in the Image of God”.


[1] John MacArthur, The Battle for the Beginning (Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group, 2001), 165–166.
[2] Brian L. Harbour, Notable Harbour Doctrine Collection, vol. 5 (WORDsearch, 2009).
[3] Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis Chapters 1–5, vol. 1 of Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis: Concordia, 1958), 62, 66.

Check out my book "Celebrating God's Design: God's Word on Marriage, Gender and Sexuality."

God said in Genesis 1:26 that He uniquely made men and women “in His image.” He didn’t say that about the plant life or the animal kingdom. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and we reflect on the goodness of God when we look around and the splendor of His creation. However, men and women are uniquely made in God’s image. We will find our purpose as we celebrate the image of God in each person. It's crucial to appreciate how we are created in God's image in our design, our differences, our discernment, our dominion, and our destiny.

Our Design

First, we can see God’s image in our design. John 4:24 states, “God is a Spirit and those who worship Him will worship him in spirit and in truth.” God is a spiritual being, and we are made in His image. We, too, are spiritual beings.

Notice the three-part nature of man in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, which says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” While Christians sometimes use the terms "spirit" and "soul" interchangeably, the Bible describes humans as three-part beings: spirit, soul, and body.

Hebrews 4:12 distinguishes between spirit and soul when it states, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Though some Christians and theologians would like to say the spirit and soul are the same, and though they are difficult to divide, the Bible says they can be divided.

The spirit and soul make up the inner part of who we are, the invisible but genuine aspects of our existence. Our spirits reflect God's image, as God Himself is a spirit, and it's this aspect that allows us to communicate with Him. The word “soul” in Greek is psuche, from which we get the word psychology. Our soul is the part that gives us our unique personality – it involves our mind, will, and emotions. This individuality distinguishes us from one another.

Take a look at a litter of kittens, and you can observe these personality differences. These kittens are raised in the same environment, but some of them are shy, some of them are aggressive, and some of them are tender. They just have different personalities. However, they do not possess a spirit. What distinguishes us from animals is our spirit, which allows us to communicate with God.

James Montgomery Boice once wrote, “One thing it means is that men and women possess the attributes of personality, as God himself does, but as the animals, plants, and matter do not. To have personality one must possess knowledge, feelings (including religious feelings), and a will. This God has, and so do we. We can say that animals possess a certain kind of personality. But an animal does not reason as men do; it only reacts to certain problems or stimuli. It does not create; it only conforms to certain behavior patterns, even in as elaborate a pattern as constructing a nest, hive, or dam. … It does not worship. Personality, in the sense we are speaking of it here, is something that links man to God but does not link either man or God to the rest of creation.”[1]

We are a spirit, we have a soul (a mind, a will, and emotions), and we live in a physical body. This body gives us the ability to walk, talk, work, and communicate. We can live in this world if our body is working the way it needs to work. As a person gets older, some may experience their body breaking down. Their mind may still be sharp, but their body is not functioning like it once did.

God warned the original couple in the Garden of Eden that if they chose to disobey God, they would surely die. However, the original Hebrew of Genesis 2:17 reads, “In dying you shall surely die.” It is plural. If they chose to sin against God, they would immediately die spiritually which would lead to eventually dying physically. We know that Adam and Eve didn’t immediately die physically, but they did experience spiritual death. In the end, spiritual death is separation from God (see Isaiah 59:1-2). We all experienced that separation from God, which is why Jesus Christ came. He died on the cross for our sins so we could experience new life spiritually. Now, though our bodies will still die, our spirits are alive with God and can be in a relationship with Him.

Romans 5:11, in the Living Bible, reads, “Now we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done in dying for our sins—making us friends of God.“ Boice continues, “[M]an is made for communion with God, who is Spirit (John 4:24), and that this communion is intended to be eternal as God is eternal. Although man shares a body with such forms of life as plants or flowers and a soul with animals, only he possesses a spirit. It is on the level of the spirit that he is aware of God and communes with him.”[2]

God is eternal, with no beginning and no end. Mankind had a beginning but will have no end. When the body is dead, the spiritual part of man will live on throughout eternity. All of this distinguishes mankind from everything else in God’s creation. We are designed as spiritual beings who can commune with God and live with Him through eternity.

Our Differences

Second, we can see God’s image in our differences as men and women. God says in Genesis 1:27, “male and female He created them.” We, as human beings, are different from the animal kingdom, and not simply evolved animals.

We, as male or female, are different biologically from one another. The Bible portrays God in male imagery and terms, such as Father. Jesus, God’s Son (male), came to this earth as a man. However, this does not mean that we all, men and women alike, do not reflect the image of God as we live out who He created us to be. James Montgomery Boice wrote, “Men are not women. Women are not men. One of the saddest things in the universe is a man who tries to be a woman or a woman who tries to be a man. ‘But who is superior?’ someone asks. I answer: A man is absolutely superior to a woman—at being a man; a woman is absolutely superior to a man—at being a woman. But let a woman try to be a man or a man try to be a woman, and you have a monstrosity.”[3]

John Macarthur explains, “Genetic research has shown that one pair of human chromosomes, labeled X and Y, determine the gender of our offspring. All males have both X and Y chromosomes; all females have only a pair of X chromosomes. From a purely biological point of view, therefore, the Y chromosome is what determines maleness. If the offspring inherits an X chromosome from the father, it will be female. If the chromosome is Y, the offspring will be male. The father’s seed is the determining factor.”[4]

It is important that we believe and understand that there are God-given differences between men and women, but we should never argue that those differences create a rank in God’s system. After God said in Genesis 1:26 that He would give “them” (referring to both men and women) dominion, he refers to mankind as man in Genesis 1:27, which says, “So God created  man… male and female He created them.” Men and women are both equally made in the image of God. Every single person on planet Earth has the stamp of God on his or her life, male and female.

Our Discernment

Third, we can see God’s image in our discernment. We are moral beings, and we internally know right from wrong. This is another difference between humans and animals. Animals have instincts, but they do not know right from wrong.

Tom Holladay and Kay Warren write, “We know right from wrong. A dog doesn’t know right from wrong. You can train a dog to do what you tell it, but it has no moral conscience that causes it to think, “I shouldn’t be eating out of garbage cans, I need to get into a recovery program.” “Hi, my name is Spot and I eat garbage.” A mouse that invades your house doesn’t have a conscience. It doesn’t lay awake at night wondering if it was right to steal that piece of cheese, agonizing over its place in the world. When Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately felt shame. God created us to be moral beings. (Genesis 3:7; Acts 24:16).”[5]

A lion does not have the slightest guilt over chasing, killing, and devouring his prey, though he will usually catch of the weakest in the herd. He never thinks back, saying, “I’ve got to stop doing this. This is bad. I know right from wrong.”

John Phillips writes, “Man is in no way related to the beasts. What animal can transmit accumulated achievements from one generation to another? What animal experiences a true sense of guilt when it does wrong or has a developed consciousness of judgment to come? What animal shows any desire to worship? What animal has hope of immortality beyond the grave? What beast can exercise abstract moral judgment or show appreciation of the beauties of nature? (When did we ever see a dog admiring a sunset or a horse standing breathless before the rugged grandeur of a mountain range?) What animal ever learned to read and write, to act with deliberate purpose, and set goals and achieve long-range objectives? What animal ever learned to cook its food, to cut cloth and make clothes, or invent elaborate tools? What animal ever enjoyed a hearty laugh? What animal has the gift for speech? Even the most primitive human tribe possesses linguistics of a subtle, complex, and eloquent nature. Man stands alone. Physically, he alone of all the creatures on the globe, walks upright; mentally, he alone has the ability to communicate in a sophisticated manner; spiritually, he alone has the capacity to know the mind and will of God.”[6]

Mankind has been given these moral faculties by God. God has placed His law on our hearts so that we are without excuse. If you go to primitive cultures throughout history that are not as civilized, with courts or written laws, you will still find people who would have distinct codes of conduct.

Romans 2:14–15 (NLT)
14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
 
Most of the 10 commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-17 can be seen in these contexts. Why? Because God has placed them on man’s heart. We are moral beings, as God’s image bearers, and distinct from the animal kingdom.

"Dear God, thank You that I am made in Your image. I can see it in my design. I can see it in the special differences between men and women. I can see it in my discernment. Lord, I pray that as I appreciate all of Your creation, I realize that my greatest fulfillment and purpose will only be found in a relationship with You. Thank You for showing me that from Your Word. I love You. In Jesus' name, amen."

*This is part 2 in a 3-part series on the subject of being made in the image of God.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 90.
[2] Boice, 91.
[3] Boice, 96.
[4] John MacArthur, The Battle for the Beginning (Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group, 2001), 169.
[5] Holladay and Warren, Foundations church curriculum (Saddleback Resources, Lake Forest, CA), under “Creation”.
[6] John Phillips, Exploring Genesis: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Ge 1:26–31.

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God said in Genesis 1:26 that He uniquely made men and women “in His image.” He didn’t say that about the plant life or the animal kingdom. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and we reflect on the goodness of God when we look around and the splendor of His creation. However, men and women are uniquely made in God’s image. We will find our purpose as we celebrate the image of God in each person.
 
When we look at the world today, we often see people trying to understand their identity and express themselves in various ways. But we need to realize that God has intentionally created us in His image, setting us apart from the rest of creation.
 
Howard Hughes, a famous aviator, filmmaker, and business tycoon, flew a prototype aircraft called the Hughes XF-11 in 1946. He had received warnings from the aircraft's designer, Richard Palmer, who informed him that the aircraft wasn't built to withstand severe storms. However, Hughes ignored the warning, believing he could do as he pleased. In doing so, he put himself in danger and ultimately crashed the plane in a Beverly Hills neighborhood. Despite surviving, he suffered severe injuries.
 
Had Hughes heeded the designer's advice, he could have avoided the pain and damage he endured. Similarly, God looks at us and says, "I made you; I created you." He's not only aware of our being but has a purpose for our lives. He has revealed in His Word how we should live and relate to one another. It would be unwise for us to disregard His design and wisdom.
 
In a world that often seeks to redefine human identity and deviate from God's design, the message is clear: we must not just tolerate God's design but celebrate it. Understanding that we are created in God's image and that He has declared us "very good" (Genesis 1:31) allows us to live by His divine purpose. We should revel in the unique beauty and significance of every individual, recognizing that we are masterfully crafted by the Creator of all.
 
A generation ago, our children were being taught the idea that they originated from animals—this narrative went from "the goo to the zoo to me and you," emphasizing the evolutionary theory that all life came from animals and a primordial soup. This theory led to the belief that there's nothing truly unique about humanity; we're just slightly more evolved animals. The flaw in this philosophy lies in how it affects our children, making them believe they're nothing more than slightly evolved animals.
 
Adrian Rogers once said, “When you believe that men sprang from animals, it’s much easier to treat them like animals rather than people made in the image of God. Do you want me to tell you why we have so much difficulty with young people today and … [the] philosophy, ‘If it feels good, do it’? Because we’ve finally gotten across the idea that man is an animal, … [and] an animal lives for three things: self-preservation, self-propagation, and self-gratification. That’s … what we’ve taught our generation. They have been taught that they are not made in the image of God—that they just happened, that they’re an accident—out of spontaneous generation. God forbid.”[1]
 
Two decades ago, certain biological realities existed, and as adults, we didn't have to address some of the philosophies our children face today. The confusion surrounding gender is a prime example—there's a modern belief that gender is distinct from one's physical body and must be discovered. Just a few years ago, an ultrasound could confirm a baby's sex, but today there is considerable confusion. Why? It's because people are rejecting God's Word, thinking they can figure things out on their own. The Designer has spoken, but His guidance is being ignored.
 
A better approach is to return to Genesis, back to what God revealed. God made humanity differently from the rest of the animal kingdom and plant life. Even amid the chaos and confusion in the world, we can anchor our hope in God's infallible, unchanging Word.
 
Genesis 1:26-28 emphasizes the unique status of men and women, which stands in contrast to the secular humanism that is advocated today by those who seek to omit God from the narrative of creation.
 
Genesis 1:26–28
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
 
This passage challenges prevailing assumptions, particularly those ingrained in our educational system, attempting to segregate church and state, and religion from education. However, can we truly separate what God has joined together? When someone inquires about their origin, exploring various theories becomes challenging due to the education system’s reluctance to incorporate what the Bible teaches. The theory of evolution claims that mankind evolved over millions of years. Yet our education system seems content to present this theory as absolute fact, rejecting all other ideas.
 
Where the secularist sees chaos that has changed over time, the Christian sees order, complexity, and design which points toward an Intelligent Designer. Suggesting this Intelligent Design parallels the God described in the Bible is met with resistance from secularists, hindering the open exploration of an alternative theory.
 
Michael Behe, a former biochemistry professor at Rutgers University, wrote Darwin's Black Box. In essence, Behe challenges Darwin's assertion that anything irreducibly complex would undermine the theory of evolution. According to Darwin, for evolution to hold, all components must function simultaneously. However, Behe contends that if any aspect is truly irreducibly complex, the entire theory collapses, as evolution is based on the progression from simplicity to complexity and from chaos to order.
 
Behe uses the example of the cell to illustrate his point. He suggests that if Darwin had possessed knowledge of genetics and understood the intricacies of a human gene, he would not have formulated his theory of evolution. Behe argues that the human cell's complexity is so profound that it defies the possibility of a random assembly of atoms leading to its existence. The level of sophistication in genetics and cellular structures implies an intelligent design, a concept absent in Darwin's era. Even elements as seemingly simple and imperceptible as cells and genetics reveal an astonishing complexity, suggesting the involvement of an intelligent designer—illustrating, according to Behe, the actions of the God depicted in the Bible.
 
Young people will continue to grapple with misconceptions about their identity and value as they listen to secularists who explain humanity’s existence as a cosmic accident, unless we align with God's word, affirming our worth as unique creations. Romans 12:2 instructs us not to conform to the world but to be transformed by renewing our minds to understand the perfect will of God. It's crucial to appreciate how we are created in God's image in our design, our differences, our discernment, our dominion, and our destiny.

"Dear God, thank You for creating me in Your image. I pray that I would understand my uniqueness in light of Your Word. Help me to build my life on Your Word and discover Your plan for my life. In Jesus' Name, amen."

[This is the first in a series on this subject. Read future blogposts to see God's image in our design, our differences, our discernment, our dominion and our destiny.]

[1] Adrian Rogers, “The World in a Week,” in Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Ge 1:1–5.

Relationships can be messy and complicated, even among God's people. There was a young man who I met when I first started in seminary many years ago. Lydia and I were married, and this other young man was also married. We became friends because we had both started seminary at the same time and were student pastors serving the Lord. We bonded over the ministry and had wonderful fellowship together. We were like iron sharpening iron, as described in Proverbs 27:17.

However, the relationship started to change. We would plan to meet up, but he would not show up. This happened multiple times. I would wait and wait for him, not knowing what happened. So, our friendship grew strained. I couldn't understand why he didn't value our friendship the way I did, and I didn't know how to express my feelings. Eventually, we grew apart, and I was sad and confused about what happened.

Later, I found out that he and his wife had just had a child, and I didn't understand the complexity that this would bring to his life and his other relationships. When I had young children of my own, I realized how distracting and overwhelming it could be. I felt bad for not understanding his perspective and for cooling off our friendship. So I reached out to him and apologized for not understanding his side of things. Maybe he could have told me how complex life had gotten. I could have been more understanding and supportive as he was a new dad. I certainly understood when I had our first son.

There may be times of tension or conflict, but we should value those relationships. It's important to not give up on our relationships with others, especially as Christians. Instead of walking away from them, we should make an effort to build and keep those relationships intact. Acts 15:36-41 describes a time of conflict between Paul and Barnabas. Even these great men of God experienced conflict and tension, and we can learn from their example.

Acts 15:36–41 (NKJV)
36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” 
37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. 
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Have you ever had a relationship where you didn't understand why things grew tense? Well, in this passage, we understand exactly what happened in this relationship. The conflict arose because of a difference of opinion about John Mark. John Mark is the cousin of Barnabas, according to Colossians 4:10. His mother was Mary - not Jesus’ mother, but another Mary. Acts 12:12 tells the story of Peter in prison, and there were prayers being offered at Mary's house, and it says John Mark was there as well.

John Mark is a young believer when Barnabas and Saul, who is also named Paul decided to go on their first missionary journey. Acts 13:4-13 tells the story, and John Mark is their assistant. At some point during the trip, John Mark left them. Although what happened is unclear, Acts 13:13 says, “Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John [which is John Mark], departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.”

Here was the bottom line of the conflict that occurs in chapter 15. Here was the disagreement, the desertion of John Mark. We don't know why he deserted, but we can speculate. One idea is that he got sick. We read in Galatians that Paul experienced sickness at times. Another idea is that maybe it was a matter of cold feet where he just didn't like the persecution that was taking place. We can read about the stories of Paul being left for dead and being persecuted by the religious zealots of the day. Maybe John Mark saw that and said, “Man, I didn't sign up for this.” John Chrysostom, that golden-tongued orator of the 300s, said, “Maybe John Mark just missed his mama.” One idea that commentators suggest is the fact that their names shift from “Barnabas and Saul” at the beginning of their ministries to “Saul and Barnabas” later on.

Even Acts 13:13 reads “Paul and his party”, which may signal a change in leadership from Barnabas to Paul. Who was the cousin of Barnabas? John Mark. Maybe John Mark saw this change of leadership and felt a loyalty to Barnabas. For whatever reason, he deserted them.
In Acts 15:36-41, we see the disagreement between Barnabas and Paul becoming so intense that they decide to part ways.

These two giants of the faith refused to budge. Acts 15:37 says “Barnabas was determined to take John called Mark with them.” The verb in Greek implies that he continued to insist that John Mark was coming. He's coming. He's coming. But in verse 38, it says that Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed. The Greek implies that he insisted and insisted and insisted. Paul was not budging.

Why did they have such different perspectives? Perhaps Barnabas’ perspective was that John Mark was still a good young man and they needed to believe in him. However, Paul's perspective was that John Mark had deserted them once and he'll desert them again. The mission was not John Mark. The mission was the churches that they were going out to encourage. Paul's priority was the mission, while Barnabas's priority was John Mark and the people.

Barnabas could have looked at Paul and said, "Hey, Paul, don't you remember who it was who stuck his neck out for you when everybody thought you were going to persecute them and kill them? I came on the scene and said, ‘No, you can trust Saul. You can trust Paul. He's a believer now. He's here to share God's Word with us.’ Who was it who did that, Paul?” I imagine Paul sheepishly responding, “Um, you did." We know Barnabas dug in his heels and insisted on taking John Mark with them. On the other hand, Paul could have easily said, "God has called me to lead our group, and if I'm leading, then he's not going." Therefore, they parted ways.

I see a few applications that can help us as we work through our own relationships as God’s people:

First, in our humanity, we are imperfect people. Whether we're Christians or not, we make mistakes, and we let people down. Have you ever let someone down? Have you ever disappointed someone? Have you ever tried to go back and apologize for something you did? John Mark let his companions down. It's very possible and probable in between the first and second missionary journeys that John Mark went to Barnabas and perhaps to Paul as well and said, "Man, I'm sorry I let you down. I won't do it again.” John 2:23–24 says, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.” Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew that people can be fickle. Just because they believed in Him at that moment, it did not guarantee that they would continue to believe in Him in the future. Similarly, we need to acknowledge that as humans, we are not perfect. Jesus is the only perfect Person. We should be gracious to one another because of this reality.

Second, in our humanity, our perspectives are flawed. We don't see perfectly. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” Paul admits, "Right now, I see in part, but then (in heaven one day), I'll see perfectly. Right now I see through a glass darkly or dimly, but then I will really see." Because our perspectives are flawed, conflict is inevitable. Paul values the mission. Barnabas values the person. Paul is saying, “He's not coming because he's going to let us down again,” while Barnabas is saying, “No, we've got to believe in this guy. God's hand is on his life.”

Third, relationships can be restored. The Bible teaches us that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we don't have to be identical. Christian unity doesn't mean uniformity. We don't have to speak, look, or think alike. We may not always understand each other's perspectives, but we do need to recognize that we only see part of the picture now, and one day we will see perfectly.

We do know that forgiveness and restoration occurred between Paul, Barnabas and John Mark. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 9:3-7, Paul speaks highly of Barnabas. In Colossians 4:10, Paul mentions John Mark, calling him "Mark, the cousin of Barnabas" and instructing the church to welcome him if he comes. In 2 Timothy 4:11, at the end of his life, Paul asks Luke to bring John Mark with him, saying that “he is useful to me for ministry.” It is also worth noting that the Gospel of Mark was penned by this same John Mark. So, perhaps as hindsight is 20/20, we should side with Barnabas in the conflict. John Mark was worth being given another chance. All of these passages should help us hold on to, cultivate, show grace, and even restore (if possible) our Christian friendships and relationships. We need grace at times, so we should be ready to show grace. Relationships can be messy, but they are worth it. God made us for community.

“Dear God, thank You for this passage of Scripture. I see that even Your servants can disagree. You Alone have the right perspective. As I build friendships with my Christian brothers and sisters, please help me extend grace when I don’t see as they see. Grow us closer to You and to one another as we walk through this life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Check out: Reconnect with Others (Acts 15:36-51): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/4kj6ycz/reconnect-with-others-acts-15-36-51

Before I entered the ministry, I worked in Christian bookstores. I started working in them at the age of 16 and even managed three of them once I turned 18. I enjoyed every minute of it and thought that was going to be my career. In general, I love bookstores so much that when Lydia and I were first married, a great date for us was to eat out somewhere, and then she would drop me off at a used bookstore or a regular bookstore, while she shopped somewhere else. Several hours later, she would pick me up, and we would go get ice cream or dessert.

I remember working as a bookstore manager and later on shopping as a customer; I always enjoyed helping people find Bibles and Christian resources. In a bookstore, there would be a variety of Bibles available, and I would often hear customers express what they were looking for, but no one was available to help them. So, I would step in as a customer and offer my help. The employees would be surprised, but I just wanted to help. It's nice to be able to touch and see a book before you buy it.

However, online shopping has taken over the book industry so much that many brick-and-mortar bookstores have had to close. They simply weren't getting the same level of customer engagement and financial returns as before. Why do consumers prefer online shopping? When shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, customers might find what they're looking for, but they may also find that the prices are too high.

For instance, a few weeks ago, I was at a bookstore, and I saw a book that I wanted to buy, but the price was pretty high. So, I looked it up online and found it for half the price with free shipping. What did I do? I purchased it online and walked out of the store.

Online shopping has become increasingly popular in the last fifteen years, and it has pushed traditional shopping to the side. However, you just don’t get the same experience when you shop online. For instance, when you go to the mall or a physical store, you can try clothes on and immediately see if something fits or how it looks. Shopping online, you take a risk that something might not fit or look good on you. Often, you have to return the product because it wasn’t quite right.

The point is that we can see bookstores and other brick-and-mortar stores struggling to stay afloat. We've all seen it – you just go to a mall and notice certain areas that are empty instead of bustling with activity like they used to be.

Even though we have online shopping, people still want to experience what they once had in brick-and-mortar stores. One national online retailer that put many brick-and-mortar businesses out of business has now decided to start up brick-and-mortar bookstores. Why? Because people want to experience the same thing they did before.

It was a sad day when I realized that I was part of the problem. I would go to a store, look at a book, and then search for it online to get a better deal. I would also take pictures of items with my phone, intending to purchase them later. If everybody treated bookstores the way I did, then they would inevitably go out of business. But that's capitalism 101, and this is what progress looks like.

Relating this to God’s church, here’s a good question we should ask ourselves: If everyone treated the church the way I treat the church, will it survive?

The online church is a great option for keeping you connected during times of sickness (even long-term illness) or vacation, but believers should want to physically be in the church. Christians should desire to be back with the people of God. The online church will never replace the experience of gathering together, worshipping together, giving together, serving together and hearing God’s Word and responding together.

Nationally, around 4,000 churches across the country close their doors every year, including many that were once thriving. Rather than simply criticizing this trend, we should ask ourselves if we contribute to the church’s demise.

I was thinking of this one guy, he called up a pastor and he said, "Pastor, I want to join your church." And the pastor said, "Okay, great. This is exciting." And he said, "However, I want to tell you, Pastor, that even though I'm going to join your church, I don't want you to ask me to give any money. I don't want you to look and see if I'm attending on a regular basis. I don't want to be asked to serve on any committees. I don't want to be asked to go to Sunday school. I don't want to serve. I don't want to teach, but I want to be a member of your church." And the pastor said, "You know what? I don't think our church is the right place for you, but I do have a church that you would like to be a member of."

The man was interested, so the pastor said, "Write this address down." He wrote down the address. He said, "Thank you for your time." When the man drove to that location, he found an abandoned church building – no longer in use. The truth is, if everybody treated the church the way that man wanted to treat the church, there would be nothing but abandoned church buildings everywhere.

There was a large church that had to sell its property and purchase a smaller building because the attendance was so low.  The online chatter exploded, locally and nationally because of the church’s prominence. People criticized the leadership of that church. "How dare that church sell their beautiful building to go to a smaller location. Now it will be turned into something else. The leaders are making a terrible decision,” The online responses were heartbreaking, because they went something like this:  "That's the church I used to attend. That's the church I used to serve in the Sunday school. That's the church I was baptized at back in the day. That's the church I grew up in and loved." The phrase that was common was "I used to" or something in the past tense. Every generation has to make the decision of how they're going to handle God's church.

In 722 BC, the Assyrian armies dispersed the northern tribes of Israel, but the southern tribes, where the house of God still stood, were untouched. The faithful tribes there held on until 586 BC when the Babylonians destroyed everything in Jerusalem, including the temple. The Babylonians took the people into captivity, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

God's message to His people was that they would return to their homes after 70 years. And just as God had promised, King Cyrus of Persia sent a letter allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Fifty thousand Jews led by folks like Zerubbabel and the governor repopulated the area of Jerusalem and began to rebuild the temple. They laid the foundation, but fear of outsiders caused them to pause the work. They were, however, still able to rebuild their own houses during this time. After 15 years of no progress, God sent the prophet Haggai with a message. Haggai 1-2 records four messages from September to December of 520 BC, urging the Jews to resume the work on the temple. The people had become apathetic and were making excuses that it was not the right time to rebuild the temple. However, Haggai reminded them that it was time to rebuild the Lord's house.

Haggai 1:1–9 (NKJV)
1 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ”
3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.
9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 

In the fourth verse, God is questioning His people’s priorities. In essence, He is saying, “You build luxurious homes for yourselves, but My House lies in ruins.” They justified their apathy, saying it wasn’t yet the right time to rebuild the temple. But Haggai is reporting that God wants them to prioritize His house. The temple was where God’s presence would remain and where the people could offer sacrifices. In verse five and verse seven, God says, “Consider your ways.”

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." While it is true that Jesus is responsible for building His church, it is equally true that every generation will decide how they will treat God's house, which today is His church. We must do our part to ensure its survival for future generations. We must faithfully attend, give, serve, love, and support God’s church. We must see the church as an essential part of our spiritual walk.

“Dear Lord, thank You for Your church. I pray that You find me faithful in taking care of Your church, so it may be a beacon of hope, love, and truth in my community for future generations. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Check out "Reconnect with Church": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/npx3v6b/reconnect-with-church-haggai-1

Adrian Rogers once saw a picture and an article that caught his attention from The Houston Chronicle. This picture, which was on the front page, showed a woman who had her ear on a man’s chest. The man was not her husband, nor was he her son, nor was he related to her in any way, and yet she had her ear on his chest. The reason was because the man that she had her ear up to his chest was a man who’d received a heart transplant, and the heart transplant that he had received was the heart of this woman’s son. She was listening to the heartbeat of her own son. Rogers shared this application with his audience, “When I saw that, I thought, ‘O my God, could You put Your ear to my chest and hear the heartbeat of Your Son?’”[1]

Matthew 9:36-38 shows the heartbeat of Jesus. It reads, “36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”
 
When Jesus looks at this world, He has compassion for us. Men, women, boys, and girls need to hear about Jesus. Many churches and Christian organizations are striving to reach them. The real question is: What are you, personally, doing to be a part of God’s work in the world? I once heard a preacher share a simple but pointed statement: “Do something, lest you do nothing.” We all can do something.

I remember seeing my own dad’s heart for God’s work when I returned from a short-term international mission opportunity. When he was younger, he, too, had been on short-term mission trips. At this point, physical challenges caused him to need to stay close to medical care in the US. He couldn’t travel like he once did. I wanted to share with him some of the things that we did while we were there. I told him how we were distributing Bibles. We were sharing the Gospel. We encouraged the believers and churches. After I was done talking, he was lying on his back and he sincerely asked me, “Josh, next time you go, would you take me with you?”

I told him that I couldn't take him overseas because hospitals were not close by. He pressed further, “I won’t get in the way. Take me with you next time. I just want to help.” I told him that he just physically couldn’t right then. However, I told him that his passion and heart to be a part of God’s work in the world were a testimony to me and everyone who knew him. If he COULD go, he WOULD go.

What about those of us who can go or can take part in ministry opportunities. Some can teach the Bible. Some can love on babies, while their parents are in worship service. Some can tell boys and girls about Jesus. I know some cannot, and I would not want to heap guilt upon them. That’s part of the reason I wanted to share that story about my dad’s heart on full display.

However, there are those who can be engaged in God’s work but choose not to participate. We can list many reasons why we can’t right now:

• “This is not the right time. Maybe in a few months, but not right now.”
• “Maybe if it was a different opportunity, but not that one.”
• “Maybe if someone else had asked me, but not that person.”

There are local opportunities through your church's programs. Many can give financially to help spread God’s Word throughout the world. Some can go to different parts of the world, while others may not be able to. Perhaps you’re like my dad, who once did more, but now cannot. God understands, and yet, we can all pray for those who are in the work.

The real question we should ask ourselves is when God sees the laborers, and the great harvest – does He count you as one of His laborers? Let God’s compassion for lost humanity move us to the point where we say, “I can’t do everything, but I can do something.”

“Dear God, I want You to be able to hear the heartbeat of Your Son in my heart. I pray I see the lostness of humanity the same way Jesus does. I pray You can count me as one of Your laborers. I pray that You help me see the part I can play in getting Your mission done in this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  [1] Adrian Rogers, “When God Cleans House,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Matthew 21:12–13.

We really resent the idea when someone says, “Do as I say, but not as I do.” Our walk should match our talk. I’ve come to conclude that our beliefs and doctrines are what we say we believe. But our actions are proving what we actually believe. Our doctrines may be what we say we believe, but our actions reveal what we truly believe. Galatians 2 tells the story of when Paul had to confront Peter because his actions didn’t line up with his stated beliefs.

Galatians 2:11–14 (NLT)
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 
12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 
13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 
14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
 
Galatians is written very early in the history of the church. It's one of the oldest books in the New Testament. Acts 10 records the story of how God used Peter to get the message of the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile. Peter has a vision where God lowers a sheet with unclean animals that Jews would not dare eat and tells Peter to eat. Peter responds, "Nothing unclean has touched my mouth." God says, "Don't call unclean what I have cleansed." He leads Cornelius's people to find Peter, and God leads Peter to go talk to Cornelius's household about Jesus. Cornelius is a Gentile, not a Jew.

Before this time, virtually everyone who was a Christian was first Jewish. They thought that in order to be a Christian, you had to be a good Jew first. You had to follow the Jewish Old Testament, the laws, and the commands. For instance, the Sabbath laws, the food dietary laws, and the laws related to the circumcision of males.

Peter was struggling with this. He was supposed to lead this Gentile to faith in Jesus, and then he finds out that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He realizes that the same gospel is for both Jew and Gentile. The Holy Spirit filled the Gentiles, and Peter said, "We've got to baptize them." They don't have to be Jews, they don't have to be circumcised, and they don't have to follow the laws and the codes and the conduct of the Jewish people.

Ultimately, Peter would recognize that his ministry was primarily to the Jews and Paul's ministry was primarily to the Gentiles. So, Peter already wrestled with this and already received it from the Lord. This is the context in which we find Paul and Peter in Galatians 2. Peter visited Antioch, where he met some of the Gentile believers. He had no problem associating and eating with these Gentiles until some men from the Jerusalem church came.

Galatians 2:12 says, "But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore." James was the half-brother of Jesus and the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, where there were a lot of Jewish-grounded believers. Verse 13 says, “[E]ven Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” The word "hypocrite" refers to someone putting on a mask. We think of actors who present themselves one way on stage, behind a mask, but are another way off the stage. Peter knew that Jews and Gentiles come to faith in Christ the same way and are saved from their sins in the same way, yet he became a hypocrite. He was afraid of these Jewish Christians who would think that eating together with Gentiles would be a violation of God’s law.

This fear caused him to slowly back away from his fellowship with the Gentile Christians, and he began to eat only with the Jews. Paul reminded Peter that Jesus had created one family in Christ and tore down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles. There was no separation between them, and yet Peter was drawing a distinction between them. Peter was, in fact, ostracizing an entire group of God's family because he was intimidated by the crowd. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man is a snare,” and Peter had been caught in that trap.

Well, we may not have problems like these, but we can still apply this passage. Today, there are people who say that they are Christians and they know the truth of God's word, and yet then they pull back from those convictions that they once held dear. Parents are vulnerable to this when their child grows up and begins to believe things that are different from what they were taught in the home. The parents were teaching God’s Word, but now the children are “enlightened”. The parents taught right from wrong, but now the child says, “Mom, Dad, I don’t think that’s important anymore. Don’t you know that there are different perspectives on those Bible verses?” Or, they may say, “I went to this church in college, and they taught something very different than what you taught me.” They may go on to quote their professors in psychology, sociology, or world religions.

The parents, though they know their Bibles, are tempted to soften their convictions or try to find a compromise in their own minds because they are afraid of being ostracized by the people that they love. Remember, “the fear of man is a snare.” Instead, their discussions should include, “I love you too much to stay silent about this. The Bible has not changed. God has not changed His mind.” Then they can proceed to quote Bible verses and help their adult children with the questions that their professors have asked. When God’s Word is clear, God’s people should be clear. When thinking about this story, there are three challenges to consider:

First, build your faith and your doctrine on the Word of God. You would think this sounds simple enough, yet most believers can recount a story of someone who claims to be a Christian backing away from plain, easy-to-comprehend doctrinal ideas from God’s Word. This happens simply because it is no longer socially acceptable. It’s not because God’s Word has changed or that it is now difficult to understand. We should not retreat from what we know to be right.

Second, this truth will not make you popular with the world, but it will make you pleasing to God. God’s Word often goes against the grain of this world system (2 Corinthians 4:4), which makes it unpopular with this world, maybe family members, or maybe friends. But staying faithful to God’s Word will make you pleasing to God. Who do we want to please - others or God?

Galatians 1:10, just one chapter earlier from where we’ve been reading, says, "I am no longer trying to please people. I am trying to please God. If I were still pleasing men, then I would not be the servant of God." Paul might have added, “If I were trying to please men, I wouldn't confront Peter to his face over this hypocrisy that he knew better.” The truth will make us unpopular with this world, but it will make us pleasing to God. One verse of scripture to hold on to or pray over yourself and your children is 3 John 1:4, which says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." God's greatest joy is when his children walk in truth, not when everyone thinks well of us. Jesus says, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:46).

Third, you are not alone when you stand on God's word. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah was depressed. He was running for his life, when God asked him, “Where are you?” Elijah says, “I've been serving You, but I'm alone. I'm by myself. No one else is standing for you like me.” God’s Word to Elijah is what God wants to tell us as well. God says in 1 Kings 19:18, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal.” He’s encouraging Elijah to keep standing. He is telling Elijah about the 7,000 who are faithful to Him. Elijah doesn’t see them. Perhaps they are the silent group in Israel, but they still have a backbone and have not bowed to the prominent pagan idols in the land.

Do you feel alone when you are standing faithful to God at work, at school, or in your everyday lives? The devil wants to isolate you. He wants you to think that if you stand for God's Word, you'll be all by yourself. The devil would love to convince you that you are in the minority and that you are fighting a lost cause, but Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” One day in glory, may God say to us, “Well done, you good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Do we want the popularity of the crowd, or do we want to be well pleasing to God? Are you building your faith on God’s Word or the lies of this world? Imagine Paul telling Peter, “It doesn’t matter if people that you love tell you that you shouldn’t be eating with the Gentiles. God showed you that He shows no partiality. He taught you that we are all one big family in Christ. Live your convictions and allow the chips to fall where they may.”

“Dear God, give me the grace to stand in today’s world with Your Word in my heart and Your Spirit directing my steps. I love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Lydia and I once had the opportunity to visit Yerevan, Armenia. While we were there, we visited a monastery named “Khor Virap” (which means “deep dungeon”), which is located on the border with Turkey overlooking Mount Ararat. The site is so beautiful that you can see the two mountains when the sky is clear. It's an incredible view from that position. Merchants in Yerevan, which is close to the location, will try to sell you something related to Noah's Ark, as they, too, believe that the ark is there on Mount Ararat. Genesis 8:4 says Noah’s Ark “came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The monastery has a whole description of the Genesis account of Noah's Ark, signifying its biblical significance for those who might visit. The monastery was built over a pit, which holds great importance for the Armenians beyond the Genesis account. The man connected with the pit and the monastery was Gregory, who became a saint and also is referred to as Gregory the Illuminator. He was a strong Christian who served in the army of Armenia.
 
Gregory’s father, Anak, was believed to have assassinated King Khosrov II, who was the father of King Tiridates III. During a time when Armenia had a pluralistic society and Christianity was not yet a widely accepted religion, King Tiridates III asked Gregory to burn incense to a pagan idol. However, Gregory refused to do so because of his Christian beliefs. The king was outraged by Gregory's refusal and by his father’s assassination, so he decided to punish Gregory by imprisoning him in a dungeon to rot and die. He would have died if it were not for a kind lady who would visit him every day for fourteen years and give him a loaf of bread.
 
In 297 AD, the king wanted to marry a Christian nun, but she had already taken vows of chastity and refused to marry him. In his fury, he killed a group of Christian nuns who were fleeing from Roman persecution. As a result, he lost his senses, experiencing lycanthropy, a condition in which the person behaves like a wild animal. He would roam the forest like a wild boar. After a period of time, those close to him had lost hope that he would ever improve.
 
However, Tiridates’ sister had a dream that revealed the only man who could help the king was Gregory. She believed that Gregory could free the king from his affliction and pray to his God for healing. The problem was that since Gregory had been put into exile in a cave many years ago, it was believed that he had already died.
 
Nevertheless, they sent for Gregory anyway. When they found him in the cave, he was barely alive and emaciated. They brought him to the king. They asked Gregory to pray for the king's healing, which he did. To everyone's amazement, the king regained his senses almost immediately. He was healed of his affliction and was able to reason and think clearly once again. The king then acknowledged that Gregory's God was the one true God. In 301 AD, the king proclaimed Armenia a Christian nation and thus made Armenia the first Christian nation officially.
 
Daniel 4:1-37 is the account of how King Nebuchadnezzar came to acknowledge Daniel’s God as the one, true God. This is the same man, who one chapter earlier had thrown Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace for not bowing to his idolatrous statue.
 
Daniel 4:1–3 (NKJV)
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.
2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
3 How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.
 
I imagine Nebuchadnezzar went to Daniel and said, “Daniel, I can see that you're writing the court stories. I can see that you're writing about the things that have happened while your people have been in exile in Babylon. You must include this story in your book.” Here you have the powerful testimony of a once-pagan king coming to faith in the one true God.
 
We may not be the king of an empire like Nebuchadnezzar nor the king of a country like Tiridates. But, if God has proven Himself in your life, you have a story to proclaim. If Nebuchadnezzar was alive today, he would pass out a gospel tract to every one he could, which would be Daniel chapter four - how God proved He alone is the One True and Living God.

Reflection Question: Who needs to hear your story today?

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for how You have transformed my life because of Jesus Christ. May I never be ashamed to share Your gospel with others and testify to how You have saved me. I pray others will come to know You, in part, because I have been bold in my witness. In Jesus' Name, amen.

In Jesus Skeptic, award-winning journalist John Dickerson shares how Christianity has benefited society through the arts, through the scientific revolution, through developing hospitals and universities and much more. He writes, “We say that a fish doesn’t know what water is because water is all they have ever known. In a similar way, we who have been born into American or European cultures have a difficult time understanding what society without Christian influence would actually look like.” [1]
 
He noticed a correlation between women’s rights and societies influenced by Christianity. He continues, “To my surprise, the countries with the best women’s rights all have predominately Christian populations. And the countries with the worst women’s rights are where Christianity has been outlawed or is socially punished. … On average, Christians make up 75 percent of the populations in the nations that lead the world with the best women’s rights, including matters such as equal pay, the right to vote, the right not to be sold into marriage, and a striving toward equal rights in all areas.” [2]
 
In each of the ten worst countries for women’s rights, according to the non-Christian World Economic Forum, none of them are Christian dominant societies and eight out of ten have less than five percent Christian populations. Most of these nations have outlawed Christianity. In these nations, women are not allowed to vote, nor go to school. Often they will be denied the ability to drive a car. “In some [countries], girls are still sold into marriage. Even worse, in some of these cultures, a woman gets physically punished if she is found ‘guilty’ of being raped by a man.” [3]
 
I agree with Dickerson’s final analysis when he says, “No matter how much you may respect other global cultures, if you have a daughter, sister, or mother, you do not want her living in one of these societies.” [4]
 
It is so easy to take it for granted when you are living in a Christian-influenced society, which lifts the status of women. God’s Word is clear that men and women are both equally made in the image of God.

Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (NKJV)

Men and women both have equal dignity before God. Though we should appreciate the differences that exist, it should always be within the context of recognizing the equal standing men and women both have in the eyes of God.

Dear God, thank You for the freedoms that I enjoy living in America. Thank You for how Jesus has lifted women in society. I pray we never take it for granted. In Jesus' name, amen.

[1] John Dickerson, Jesus Skeptic (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book, 2019), 40.
[2] Ibid., 40-42.
[3] Ibid., 42.
[4] Ibid.