Christ and Common Sense

Thoughts from a Central Valley Pastor

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Train Up A Child

April 1, 2022 /

One of the most quoted verses about parenting is found in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” (English Standard Version). The reason it is so well known is because the proverb is often misunderstood as a promise that guarantees a good outcome for children who are raised in the church. 

That is how I understood the verse for most of my life. I grew up thinking there was a special blessing guaranteed to families who were faithful to read the Bible and go to church. It wasn’t until I took a class taught by Dr. John Street at the Master’s Seminary that I realized I had misunderstood the passage. 

The original language of the verse is Hebrew and it contains an idiom that is difficult to translate into English. The verse literally says, “Dedicate a child in the way of his mouth and when he is old he will not turn aside from it.” Hebrew speakers liked to use human illustrations to describe action and emotion. We have all heard how God brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” (Deuteronomy 4:34) Job cried out against his oppressors by saying, “My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.” (19:20) That last saying was brought directly into our English translations of the Bible and since it is such a vivid illustration we still use it today! 

The same cannot be said about Proverbs 22:6. We do not talk about raising up a child “in the way of his mouth.” That is a foreign idea to us, but if we take the time to understand what it means we can gain a better grasp of Scripture and have clearer expectations about raising children according to God’s word. 

The phrase “way of his mouth” is used throughout the Old Testament. It usually refers to what someone has said, but in Leviticus 24:12 it is translated as “the will of the Lord.” This is helpful for understanding Proverbs 22:6 because the emphasis is on the will of the child. The author is saying “Train up a child according to his own will and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Understanding Proverbs 22:6 in its original context reveals that it is a warning, not a promise. It is a warning to parents that if they allow their children to have their own way, they will not depart from that foolishness when they are older. As professor Edward Wilde has written, “When we look at the surrounding proverbs (which may give a hint) we have warnings of what NOT to do:  V. 5: keep away or suffer the consequence. V. 7: Don’t borrow, or suffer the consequence. V. 8, don’t be unjust, or suffer the consequence.” Professor Wilde offers his own translation, “Dedicate your child to his desire and he’ll be happy to go there – and stay there.” 

Proverbs 22:6 should not be understood as a promise that Christian children will make good decisions their entire life. No, it should be understood as a warning. If parents don’t discipline their children in a wise way, then their kids are going to make foolish choices and continue to do so when they grow up. The discerning parent is aware of this and carefully considers how to guide the child to become self-aware and self-controlled so that he will learn to make wise decisions in his youth and continue to do so the rest of his life. 

The Paradox of Life in Christ

March 25, 2022 /

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Believe it or not, that was basically what the church of the city of Corinth told the Apostle Paul in the spring of A.D. 56. This was tragic because this was a church that Paul himself had founded just six years earlier. What got them to that point? Basically, Paul called some of the members out on sexual sin that was going unchecked in the church, and in multiple ways, they did not respond well. He visited them, they rejected him, and they sent him on his way. He wrote them a letter confronting this sin once again in love. And this time, he had to wait to find out what happened. His co-worker, Titus, had been sent to ascertain how the church was doing and was supposed to meet Paul in the city of Troas. But when Paul arrived in Troas, Titus wasn’t there (Acts 20; 2 Corinthians 2). 

So, 2 Corinthians 2:12–13 indicates that Paul was upset and anxious when he could not find out the result of his confrontational letter. Now, to avoid any suspense, I’ll just tell you up front that in chapter 7, Paul indicates that he did catch up with Titus who gave him a great report that all was well between Paul and the Corinthian church. But the big question is: What did Paul do in the meantime? While he was anxious and awaiting word from Titus? He gave thanks, and for a very surprising reason. Paul describes this giving of thanks: “But thanks by to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

“Oh, I get it,” you might say to yourself, “Paul was having victory in the Lord even while he was in this anxious state. And he was acting as the ‘fragrance of Christ,’ a victorious Christian life of confidence and triumph.” And this would be a reasonable assumption given the phrase “triumphal procession.” But his posture or attitude is not one of victory but of surrender. Let me get to that shortly . . . 

Paul was referring to the ancient Roman practice of a victory parade called a triumph. It was a celebration in the city of Rome for a conquering general to parade himself, his army, and the spoils of war before the people of Rome. For weeks before the triumph—which could last as long as three days—scaffolding was erected on the streets of Rome to made “grandstands” of a sort and rolling stages were constructed. On these rolling stages, actors would reenact key battles in the war as the stages were rolled through the streets. Artists worked tirelessly to paint pictures of cities that were conquered to be paraded as well. But the climactic portion of the triumph was the leading of captives from the conquered land. 

In that context, some might say that Paul is asserting his “triumph,” that in Christ, Paul is a winner so to speak. He is like the conquering general or part of the winning army of Christ. But the phrase, “leads us in triumphal procession” is one long word in the Greek text of the New Testament and in this particular form it always refers to the captive, not the conquering army. Paul is not representing himself as a conquering victorious general or soldier in the “army” of Christ. Rather, he pictures himself as a conquered prisoner of Christ. Romans 5:10 says that the Christian was formerly the enemy of God. Ephesians 4:8 says that Christ has led a “host of captives.” But what was the weapon of Christ to take these captives? Second Corinthians 5:14 says the Christian was captured by the love of God. And this love was expressed most fully in the sacrificial death of Christ to make payment for sin.

So, Paul is motivated and eager—even in the midst of pain and suffering—to be the “fragrance of Christ”—to live a life filled with obedience to God and the Bible precisely because he is a captive of Christ Himself. The paradox of the Christian life is that you are dead to yourself and alive to Christ (Galatians 2:20). And your new life in Christ is your greatest motivation to holiness and obedience to the Lord. He is your Master and you have been conquered by His love.

By Dr. Steve Swartz, Senior Teaching Pastor of Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield and featured speaker on Steadfast in the Faith (www.steadfastinthefaith.org).

Fighting Through the Fog: Reclaiming Biblical Missiology for the Modern Church

March 9, 2022 /

That was the theme of the Missions conference Bud Haskell and I attended yesterday in Santa Clarita, CA. The symposium was hosted by The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) at Grace Baptist Church and included missionaries, pastors, and elders from all over the world. We were joined by a group of CVF pastors from Grace Bible in Visalia, including Will Costello, Dale Payne, and Josiah Busenitz. 

The TMAI missions conference is unique because it is focused on challenging seasoned pastors and active missionaries to think correctly about the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). This is quite different from other conferences that are geared towards recruiting college students to do mission work.

This year’s TMAI conference started with a message by Mark Tatlock, the acting director of TMAI. He gave a call for discernment in the spiritual battle of missions. This discernment is needed by missionaries overseas and by the leaders of churches that are supporting them. It was thought provoking to hear him talk about missions as a war that can be clouded by imprecise thinking regarding theology, soteriology, and ecclesiology. He warned against the popular trend on the mission field of replacing precise theology with pragmatic methodology. He gave a compelling comparison between the dangers of integrationist psychology and integrationist missiology. 

Having spent five years doing church planting work in a Muslim-majority country I can agree with his cause for concern. I met missionaries who wanted to change the wording of Scripture so it would be easier for Muslims to accept. I saw confusion on leadership teams and churches in how to boldly proclaim the word of God. Thankfully, there were some local pastors who were preaching the truth, but by and large the missionary community was much more open to adopting an integrationist and pragmatic methodology than they should have been. 

The next messages we heard were from E. D. Burns, Scott Callahan, and Brooks Buser. E. D. Burns is a missionary who directs the MA in Global Leadership at Western Seminary. He has written several books including The Missionary-Theologian, which he told us has caused him to lose many friends. This is a sad result of standing by the belief that missionaries need to stand on theological convictions. Unfortunately, many missionaries today are encouraged to replace biblical conviction with cutting-edge theories like Church Planting Movements (CPM). 

Scott Callahan’s talk was surprising because he spent the entire hour preaching about baptism. The title of his talk was “Jesus Commands You to Immerse” and he gave a strong case for all missionaries to teach the need for disciple’s baptism. I thought this was a helpful distinction from “believer’s baptism” because “disciple’s baptism” implies the need for converts to be tested before being baptized. 

My experience on the mission field proved that missionaries are often tempted to weaken the Bible’s command for baptism by immersion. Many missionaries working with Muslims are tempted to postpone baptism or adapt it to a hidden event out of fear for the life of the Muslim convert. Instead of being afraid missionaries need to be confident of the need for believers to publicly declare their allegiance to Christ. One of the most profound experiences I had was when I witnessed several Kosovar Christians get baptized in a pool outside of Prishtina, Kosovo. They were not cowering in fear of what might happen to them. They were courageous in their allegiance to Christ and everyone who witnessed the baptism was encouraged by their rejection of the fear of man. 

Brooks Buser’s talk was informative because of his teaching on “Biblical Missiology and the Primacy of the Local Church.” It was exciting to hear him describe working with a unreached tribe in Papau New Guinea. They made it clear that they were not watering down the message to make it easier for the people to digest. They started teaching in Genesis and taught through the entire Old Testament before introducing people to Jesus. Thousands of people heard the messages, but only 40 or so people responded and came to Christ. That was enough for Brooks and his team. They started a church and told the people they would not be staying indefinitely. They would be training up the men to be pastors and elders because that is the Biblical model. 

Brooks returned to the states after thirteen years working there and now he is the director of a mission agency called Radius that trains pastors who are going to unreached linguistic groups. All of their training centers are outside of the U.S. and they are seeing an increase in churches that want to send their missionaries to be trained there. If you have time you can check out their website at https://www.radiusinternational.org. 

Shepherd’s Conference

March 4, 2022 /

Since 2006 I have been attending an annual pastors’ conference called the Shepherds Conference. It is hosted by an 800+ volunteer staff at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. I’ve heard it called the Disneyland for pastors. I object. Its even better! It is the best kept secret in California. The fabulous fellowship, the finest preaching, and the best books are just a few of the reasons the staff of our church return year after year.

I could give forty-four reasons why I recommend this conference, but I’ll content myself with the top four.

Great Encouragement. Shepherds Conference reminds me (in a big way) that I am not alone.In ministry it is easy to feel isolated. The conference brings more than three thousand pastors/elders together from all over the globe. The camaraderie we share forces us to see we are to serve the Lord in fellowship with other believers. We need to “stir one another up to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:25).

Great Preaching. Shepherds Conference (SC) allows my soul to be stuffed with great preaching.In ministry the pastor does most of the preaching. At SC we are to hear from pastors (young and old), gorging our souls on a veritable feast of both passionate and accurate exposition. The preaching we hear is a powerful reminder how the soul can be transformed by the Word of God (Ps 19:7).

Great Care. Pastors and elders are in a mode of almost constant service. Shepherds Conference is unique because of how the love of God is shown to those who attend. The volunteers are not hired from an outside company. They are members of Grace Community Church who have given up their time to come serve pastors. Some of them use their vacation time to help with the conference. It is not done out obligation, but out of a sincere desire to show the love of God to 

Pastors from around the world. 

You might see a weary pastor receive urgent prayer from a barista at the coffee shop. You might witness a district court judge shine a pastor’s shoes while asking about his church. You might be impressed with the smiles on the pastors’ faces as they go to the Shepherd Shoppe and spend the complimentary gift card they were given on gifts specifically chosen for pastors.

Great Books. In ministry one is constantly reading. Our books are our tools; our book-bag our toolbox. At SC each registered attendant receives 15-20 books free and book vendors are on-hand to supply you with even more books at discounted prices. There is a huge tent set up in the parking lot and it seems like every English-language Christian book publisher is present with classics and modern books alike. 

Pastor, if you are serious about growing in your faith and serving your church better, Shepherds Conference is for you. There are scholarships available if it is cost-prohibitive. It is simply one of the best kept secrets in California! As I tell my own father, “You have never seen what a lighthouse of love a church can become until you have experienced the grace-filled people at Grace Community Church.” But don’t take my word for it. Come and see for yourself.

Dr. Will Costello is the senior pastor at Grace Bible Church Visalia. 

Five Questions to Ask at Outdoor Revivals

February 25, 2022 /

Mario Murillo recently hosted his “Living Proof” revival campaign at a vacant lot on the 198 highway here in Kings County. Many people were curious about what was happening underneath the big tent. I did some research and decided to write an article about how to be discerning at revivals like this one.

Outdoor revivals are a unique part of American church history. They were a common practice during the Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th centuries when pastors, like Jonathan Edwards, would preach for many hours and see people impacted in powerful ways. In his work Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England Edwards made it clear that his guiding principle was “to take the Scriptures as our guide.” This means always testing what takes place during a revival with what is described in God’s word. 

Some people don’t like to ask questions about revivals. They think questions will “quench the spirit” and put a damper on what is taking place. This mentality goes against the Bible’s emphasis on biblical discernment. 1 John 4:1 says this, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (English Standard Version) 

People are often offended by the thought of their favorite Bible teacher being questioned. Instead of being ignored, these types of questions should be encouraged. All Christians should seek to be like the believers in the ancient city of Berea. Acts 17:11 describes them like this, “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” They were examining the teaching of the apostle Paul! If it is appropriate to examine Paul’s teaching, then surely Christians should be ready to examine the teaching of modern day teachers, especially those who come from out of town and set up a tent where they promise to display the miraculous work of God. 

Below you will find a list of questions and Bible passages that will help you be discerning: 

1) Is the speaker willing to submit to the leadership of a local church? Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” If the person is the autonomous leader of their own church or para-church organization, then it is difficult to know who they are accountable to. 

2) Does the speaker take the word of God out of context? A classic example of this is when someone makes the claim that the spirit of God is present in a special way at the revival by quoting from Matthew 18, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” The diligent student of Scripture knows that Matthew 18 is referring to church discipline, not revival meetings. Church discipline is very difficult and involves removing someone from a local church. Jesus promised he would be present in a special way because church discipline is a uniquely holy and delicate matter. 

3) Does the speaker use any manipulation to bring people to the front of the revival meeting? 2 Corinthians 4:2 says, “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” 

Open air revivals often recruit hundreds of volunteers from out of state to come to the meetings so it will look like there is a miraculous movement of God in a community. This encourages those genuinely seeking God to be impressed with the number of people present and they are more willing to come to the front of the tent because it is packed with people. 

Revival speakers often ask for involvement from the crowd to stimulate interest. Beware of raising your hand because the speaker may then ask you to stand up. Once you are standing he may ask you to come to the front and before you know it you may be asked to recite a prayer of repentance. He will be bound to have photographers at the front who will take pictures and later claim that hundreds of people came to Christ, when in fact they originally raised their hand outside the tent because they “wanted to see God at work in a special way.” 

4) Does the speaker encourage the crowd to give an interpretation of what they are saying when someone speaks in tongues? 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 says, “If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.” This passage is often ignored at revival meetings, but it needs to be given as a warning to everyone present. The Bible makes it clear that the worship of God needs to be done “decently and in order.” (1 Cor. 14:40) There is no disclaimer that says this can be ignored at open air meetings. 

5) Does the speaker follow the apostle Paul’s example of “presenting the gospel free of charge?” In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul wrote that it is fine for teachers of God’s word to be supported by their work, but he was careful to not ask for money because he wanted to make sure no one could accuse him of impure motives. He wrote, “That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” (1 Cor. 9:18). 

Many of the ministries that accept money from revival meetings do not disclose their finances to the public. This is a cause for concern because unlike churches, these groups do not give annual reports to their followers and thus people never know how much the speaker and his organization makes. This leads to many questions. If the speaker has pure motives then he should be open about the finances of the organization and be willing to disclose the information when asked. 

This list of questions is not an exhaustive list. There are many questions that discerning Christians need to ask of any teaching they hear. This type of questioning should be a common practice for believers because we are called to constantly compare what is taught with what the Bible teaches. My prayer is that we would be discerning and honor God in our desire to “rightly handle the word of God.” (2 Timothy 2:15) 

The War on Guilt

February 18, 2022 /

There is a war going on in our society against the Biblical understanding of guilt. Many of the most prominent voices in our culture teach that guilt is an emotion that needs to be managed with careful analysis and psychological remedies. This mindset rebels against the idea of guilt as a healthy warning mechanism that lets people know when they are not living the way God intended.

Dr. John Street, a Professor of Biblical counseling at The Master’s University, in Santa Clarita, CA recently told a disturbing story about this unbiblical mindset in a podcast titled “The War on Guilt.” Dr. Street’s relative was working as a nurse at a hospital where she was required to accompany a young woman to a counseling session. The young woman had become pregnant out of wedlock and had decided to keep the baby. Her doctor required her to attend counseling sessions to deal with her guilt and Dr. Street’s relative was assigned to accompany the woman to the counseling sessions. 

During the second session, the psychologist told the young woman that her problem was guilt. His advice was for her to go out and have as many illicit relationships as needed until she didn’t feel guilty about it anymore. 

The idea behind that advice comes from a behaviorist approach to psychology. The idea is that emotions come from behavior and one way to change the emotion is by modifying the behavior. If someone is experiencing excessive guilt then one way to address it is for the person to believe they don’t need to feel guilty about the action. There is a risk involved in giving that advice.The risk is that the person will damage their conscience to the extent that they don’t feel guilt even though they are taking part in self-destructive behavior. 

The Bible addresses guilt very differently. The Bible speaks of guilt as a burden that only God can alleviate. Psalm 32:2 gives a description of the feelings that can come when someone sins against their conscience, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.” The guilt that David described was not something to be ignored. It was a natural warning telling David he needed to confess his sin and seek forgiveness from God. 

Once David confessed his sin to God, his guilt was removed by God. Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” 

This remarkable cure for guilt can only be found in God because he is the one who defines right and wrong and he is the one who will judge humanity. By the grace of God, he has provided a means by which every human being can have their sin forgiven and their guilt removed. This was made possible by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross he paid for the sin of all those who confess their sin, believe in the saving work of Christ, and commit their lives to live for God and his glory. 

The saving work of God is the best solution to alleviating guilt because it is dependent on the work of God and not the behavior modification of a human being. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The emphasis is not on the work of man. It is on the saving work of God. Those who discover this truth are able to be set free from the depression of guilt. They are able to recognize that their hope is not found in themselves, but in God. 

Of Masks and Mandates

February 11, 2022 /

The pandemic has been a trial that has lasted for the last two years. There has been a temptation to put our trust in masks and mandates, but the Bible always calls us to put our trust in God. 

Next week, on February 15th, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will lift the mask mandates that have been in place since December 15, 2021. Governor Newsom has promised to update the state’s strategy of dealing with Covid-19 from a “pandemic” approach, which seeks to eliminate the virus, to an “endemic” approach, which seeks to treat Covid-19 like any other virus. 

This update comes just two weeks after the governor and the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, were seen maskless at the Rams-49ers playoff game. The mayor gave the following explanation for why he wasn’t wearing a mask, “When people ask for a photograph, I hold my breath.” This is a far cry from Garcetti’s words in July of last year, “Wearing a mask is critical to helping us stop the spread of this virus, safely reopen our city and save lives.” If wearing a mask can make the difference between life and death, then Garcetti is playing a dangerous game by removing it at a public event.

Fans at the 49ers-Rams game

It is also interesting to note that the guidelines on large events will be changing soon. Indoor events can have up to 1,000 in attendance, while outdoor attendance can be up to 10,000. SoFi stadium, where the governor and mayor were recently seen holding their breath, had 74,447 people in attendance. That is seven times higher than what the state mandates, but no one from the CDPH was there trying to stop them. After all, Sofi stadium is technically an outdoor venue so the thousands of unmasked fans didn’t have to worry about holding their breath.

Christians gathering in churches across California will not see much of a change from the February 15th rule change. The mandate on indoor church attendance has been the same since April 12, 2021, when the capacity limit was completely lifted, due to “recent judicial rulings.” Technically speaking, the CDPH mandates were downgraded to “recommendations” for churches. This was applied to singing restrictions, mask guidelines, social distancing, and indoor capacity. 

It has been interesting to visit churches during the last six months. Wherever I have entered the doors of churches it has felt like I am entering a pre-pandemic sanctuary, where people are not living in fear of government mandates. They have been wise and reasonable about the virus and by the grace of God they have seen God sustain them through the pandemic. 

This does not mean that churches have been unaffected by the pandemic. Of course people have become sick and some have been called home to be with our Heavenly Father. This is never easy, but God’s word gives us the right perspective to deal with the trial. James 1:2 says, “Consider it all joy my brothers when you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect result, so you can be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.” (English Standard Version) 

The churches who saw the pandemic as a trial were able to keep the right mindset during the last two years. They did not give in to the temptation to put their trust in man or masks, mandates or medicine. No, the Christian puts his trust in God. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (ESV) 

Look to the Mountains

February 6, 2022 /

One of the greatest things about going up to the mountains is that it brings perspective to the troubles we face in the valley. When you are looking down at Yosemite valley or looking up at the giant redwoods in Kings canyon you immediately get a sense of perspective. You begin to wonder, “‘Why was I so worried about the price of gas this week?’ ‘Do I really need to be anxious about the problems of the day?’” Just last weekend I was looking over the beautiful vista of Shaver Lake and I had a deep sense of peace,  “Why worry? I know God is in control.” 

It certainly helps to go up to the mountains to get perspective on life, but I have found the more I study the Bible the less I need to go somewhere to find peace and renewal for my soul. Psalm 121 says, “I lift my eyes up to the hills, from where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber… The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more.” (English Standard Version) 

What a powerful principle! If you know how to study God’s word you can save some gas money and renew your mind from the comfort of your own home. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The difficult part of discerning the will of God is comparing your thoughts and feelings to what God’s word says. You may be tempted to worry about what will happen tomorrow. But the Bible repeatedly tells us, “Don’t worry. Trust God.” 

Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mt. 6:34) It is that simple. Christians do not need to be consumed with worry about anything that is happening tomorrow because God has everything under control. 

Even when bad things happen the Christian can be at ease. Romans 8:28 reminds us that the Christian’s sense of peace is undergirded by the sovereignty of God, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Those who deny God can never experience this kind of peace until they submit their lives to God. If you are the “god” of your own life then you will never find lasting peace because you can never guarantee that bad things will turn out good for you. The God of the Bible is able to guarantee a positive outcome. He is able to turn even the worst situation (the death of Christ) into the best situation (the glory of God and the salvation of sinners). 

The perspective of the Bible goes even further than turning a negative situation to a neutral situation. The Bible actually makes it possible for the Christian to have joy in the midst of difficulties. That is why James 1:3 says, “Consider it all joy my brothers when you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and endurance when it has it’s full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” God is able to use the most difficult problems in life help believers to grow in Godliness. 

Where else can you go to have your perspective genuinely changed from negative to positive? I have found that it can only be done with the supernatural help of God’s word. That is the only place we can learn that our sins are paid for. It is the only place we can have “the peace that surpasses understanding that will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) The deeper we dig into the goldmine of God’s word, the more richly we will strengthen ourselves with the supernatural perspective of our creator God. 

No Need for Confusion

January 29, 2022 /

Recently there has been a desire by some to change the pronouns that are used to describe the gender of individuals. The idea is that someone’s preferred pronouns can be different than their biological gender. This has caused some confusion in certain English speaking countries as certain institutions have tried to legislate the use of pronouns in professional and academic settings. 

To get a sense of how confusing this gender gerrymandering can be just consider this partial list of first person singular pronouns: he, she, ve, xe, ze/zie, ae, fae, per, they, and e/ey. As you might imagine, this can cause considerable confusion because an individual can request to be called by any of these terms and the person can change their preference at will. One day a coworker may ask to be called “xe.” The next day the pronoun preference may be “fae.”

Thankfully, the Christian has no need to be confused by this trend. The Bible makes it clear that Christians do not need to wonder about this issue because God’s word gives two options for the gender of a human being, male or female. All the pronouns in the Bible work around this understanding because they have been revealed to humanity by God himself. The very first chapter of the Bible makes this abundantly clear, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 –  English Standard Version) 

There are 31,102 verses in the sixty-six books of the English Bible. Of those verses, there are 7,220 references to a biological male using the word “he” and “737” references to a woman using the word “she.” The amount of gender specific references to male and female words increases dramatically as soon as the search turns from English to the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. 

The original languages of the Bible are gendered languages. This means that the subject, object, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions are either masculine, feminine, or neuter. This means that every sentence repeatedly clarifies that the people mentioned are masculine or feminine. Trying to read a genderless Bible would be incredibly confusing because the original meaning is tied to the concept of two genders. 

The gender clarity of the Bible is so helpful for the Christian because he knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that his gender is the same as his biological sex. There is no confusion about the gender of the historical figures mentioned in the Bible. There is no confusion about how the Bible instructs men to interact with women, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:25) Christian men know they are to treat older men as fathers and younger men as brothers, “older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (1 Tim. 5:2) This creates a strong foundation for Christian men, women, boys and girls because they know their gender and they know how God wants them to live and function as a result. Instead of being restrictive, this is actually incredibly freeing to know who you are as a child of God. Instead of being confused about gender the Christian is confident and is able to seek to live in the way God intended him to live. 

As a side note, I have been curious to see how the trend for pronoun preference has impacted modern gendered languages like Spanish. I found one article that describes “Lenguaje Inclusivo” and it describes how Spanish can be changed from using the gendered endings of “o” and “a” and replacing them with “e”. For instance, “mis hijos son lindos” would need to become “mis hijes son lindes.” Can you imagine how confusing this would be for the Spanish speaker? The reason it would be difficult is because a non-gendered version of Spanish is actually a completely different language that would have to be written, read, and spoken differently than modern Spanish. 

One study found that 38% of the 4,000 languages studied are gendered languages. If this desire to change pronoun preference were to take place world-wide it would mean that hundreds of languages would have to die out in order to become non-gendered languages! 

It is no surprise to me that the movement towards non-gendered language has come from English speakers. If people would read the Bible in the original languages they would quickly see the folly of their attempt to change language as we know it! Personally, I am glad I have the rock-solid foundation of God’s word undergirding my worldview. The Christian has no need for gender confusion. We know we were created in God’s image and that gives us the wonderful simplicity of a world with biological men and women who can discover God and live in a way that is pleasing to him. 

Things to Look for in a Biblical Counselor

January 15, 2022 /

There is a growing desire here in the valley for Christians to find biblical counselors to help them navigate the difficulties of life. As people look for advice on different issues they will need to know the right questions to ask as they look for a counselor. Here is a list of distinctive to consider in a biblical counselor. This list has been adapted from pastor Paul Tautges’ article “Ten Distinctives of Biblical Counseling.” 

  1. The Sufficiency of Scripture. This is the foundation of good biblical counsel. You will need a counselor who firmly believes, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
  2. The Depravity of Man. It is important to understand the counselor’s philosophy of human nature. If he or she thinks you can “live your best life now” without addressing the reality of sin and the need for salvation and sanctification then you are wasting your time. 
  3. The Need to be like Christ. Biblical counselors need to set their sights on being like Christ. This is true of the counselor and of the person being counseled. “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) 
  4. The Work of the Holy Spirit. Trying to work spiritual change without the work of the Holy Spirit is a fool’s errand. He is the one who does the work of conviction and helps bring lasting change through the power of God’s word (John 16:8).
  5. The Need for Heart Work. God is ultimately responsible for a Christian’s salvation and sanctification, but each person needs to be obedient to God’s word and that means you want a counselor who will expect you to work hard to make changes where needed (Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13)
  6. Motivated by God’s love. Finding a counselor who is connected with a loving local church will help you understand the context that they are working in. You will be able to see that their desire to counsel comes from God’s everlasting love that was manifested perfectly in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). 
  7. The Body and Soul. It is important to find a counselor who understands the connection between the body and soul. There are physical realities that affect us spiritually and vice versa. The counselor must listen carefully to each situation and seek to apply God’s word carefully and appropriately (Hebrews 4:12.
  8. The Local Church. You will want to make sure that the counselor is a member of a local church. This provides accountability to the counselor and it lets you know he or she is counseling in a biblical context (Hebrews 10:24-25, Ephesians 4:11-13).  

There are several excellent resources available online that can help you in the search for biblical counselors. The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) has a counselor finder on their website (biblicalcounseling.com). The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship has some excellent resources for helping to bring biblical counseling to your church (ibdc.org). The Biblical Counseling Coalition is another helpful organization to check out (biblicalcounselingcoalition.org). 

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