WHAMM

Monday, December 25, 2023

Dreams of a White Christmas

The other day, we went to the lake for a picnic dressed in shorts and short sleeve shirts. On December 20. Five days before Christmas. The day before the winter solstice. It was 74 degrees. I’m still not used to the December winter in Arizona. Having spent most of my seven decades in Michigan, December means snow. Christmas is supposed to be white. Even though every horizontal surface and much of the vertical surface in our home is covered with Santas and elves and reindeer and angels and nativities, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas.

As I thought about this incongruity, it occurred to me that I had fallen prey to the ghost of Christmas present: the consumer driven marketing program of this age. It seems harmless on the surface, but even my favorite seasonal movie, White Christmas is about romance and revenue with a dash of philanthropy tossed in for good measure. Having watched it every Friday after Thanksgiving for fifty-some years, I can safely say that the words Jesus, Bethlehem, Savior, or God are not in the script. I’m ashamed to say that all our favorites score a zero on religious theme presentation: Miracle on 34^th Street, Scrooge, The Santa Clause, Yes Virginia; There is a Santa Clause. The only movie we watch every season that hints at a Scriptural meaning in Christmas is Scrooge, and although It’s a Wonderful Life implies that there is another dimension, I wouldn’t recommend getting your theology from Frank Capra.

Unless you tune in a Christian radio station, the same thing holds true in music of the season. Popular Christmas music has nothing to do with Christmas. “Deck the Halls,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silver Bells,” “The Christmas Song” aka “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” etcetera ad nauseum. It isn’t hard to imagine that in 336 A.D. when the Roman Catholic Church replaced a pagan holiday with the Christmas celebration, the drift from its true meaning began. Emperor Constantine may have thought he was doing Christianity a favor when he substituted it for emperor worship as the state religion, but it hasn’t worked out that way. For all but the devout few, Christmas is for all intents and purposes a pagan holiday today.

Many years ago, I attempted to counter the secularization of Christmas decorations by making a window display patterned after a drawing from the Bethel Bible Series. It showed a cradle sitting below a cross that was overshadowed by a crown. That is the true message of Christmas: cradle, cross, and crown. Believers have a perfect opportunity at this time of year to explain why Jesus came to earth. The cradle stories are warm and fuzzy, but the cross route to the crown gets messy. As I have written previously, most of our nonbelieving neighbors have no concept of sin, so they cannot fathom that a sacrificial, substitutional death is necessary. It’s actually worse than that; most don’t even believe that a Creator God exists, or if He does, they feel no responsibility toward Him.

The true meaning of Christmas is what makes Christianity unique among world religions. Only Christianity has a Creator God who makes the necessary sacrifice to bring people into a right relationship with Him. In every other religion, it is the people who must sacrifice to appease their god. The worst of these involve human sacrifice, but all require giving something of value to assuage the god’s wrath. Our God poured out His wrath on His one-and-only beloved Son on our behalf. That is unimaginable!

The prophet Isaiah was one of the earliest to detail how God’s righteous requirements would be met. The prophet foretold how God’s righteous Servant would suffer and die for His people. His message begins with this imagery: “Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow.” There it is. I am dreaming of a white Christmas – one in which the scarlet stain of sin is made snow white, one in which the Babe from the manger changes the swaddling cloths for the white robes of the King of the universe. I know that will not fully happen until the whole world is made new, but I can dream.

Monday, December 18, 2023

Why Did God Do That?

I have probably said dozens of times that when something bad happens we should not ask why; we should ask what, not looking for God’s reasons but for our response. I have written many times on this subject, and some of the articles are linked below. I am finishing the book of Acts in my daily reading, and Paul’s life and ministry is foremost in my mind. As far as we know from the biblical record, Paul had the greatest influence on church history of all the Apostles. It was through his efforts that the gospel was spread throughout the Roman Empire, and his writings comprise the lion’s share of the New Testament.

With such a prominent position, you might expect Paul to have been especially blessed: doing God’s work; getting God’s blessings. The biblical record says otherwise. For starters, he was on the wrong side of the new work God began with the introduction of Messiah. Paul was what we would call a staunch conservative when it came to Jewish law. Being a Pharisee, he was in Jesus’ crosshairs much of the time. Perhaps Paul was not among the hypocritical group Jesus criticized, but he was certainly mistaken about the true nature of Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God. Paul’s zealous persecution of the disciples of Jesus make him the seem like the least likely choice for the work God had planned.

But there it is. On his way to arrest the Christians in Damascus, Paul had a one-on-one encounter with the risen Messiah. Blinded and led by the hand into the city, he had three days to reconsider his position. When Ananias told him the plans God had for him, he was sufficiently humbled to take him at his word. After he began meeting with the church in Damascus, you might think his troubles were over. Not so. The Jews he had turned away from came to the city to do what he had been sent to do: arrest him as a blasphemer. He had to sneak out of the city by night.

At this point, Paul’s circumstances become a little unclear. We know from what he told various people in his letters that he travelled home to Tarsus and later to Jerusalem. During these “missing years,” he spent considerable time in the Arabian desert being taught by Jesus Himself. He also reports spending time in “heaven,” but he is unsure whether he was in or out of his body at the time. He was told things during that unique experience that he was not allowed to share with anyone. Imagine that!

When his missionary journeys began, Paul was already a well-respected member of the early church leadership. His supernatural call and his unique time with Jesus would seem to have placed him in a position of privilege. Again, not so. Throughout his journeys, Paul was imprisoned several times, beaten with rods, stoned to death (they thought), and shipwrecked while on his way to trial before Caesar himself. We are told he spent two years in prison in Caesarea, and we believe he spent as much as two years under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial. Yet he was not discouraged. He told the Philippians, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”

This was not the first time God used less than pleasant circumstances to further His plans. Consider that Joseph spent years in prison in Egypt before he was used by God to save His people. Moses spent 40 years in the desert tending his father-in-law’s sheep before God called him. Jeremiah was detained on more than one occasion for speaking God’s word to the Jewish leaders. One might also question why God left his people without a witness for four hundred years between the last prophet and the revelation of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah.

The most egregious slight of all would seem to be that God’s own Son was rejected and murdered by the people He came to save. Every Christian is familiar with Peter’s explanation of why that happened: “this man [Jesus], delivered up by the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing to a cross through the hand of lawless men. God raised Him up, having brought to an end the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” It was God’s “determined plan” to bring salvation to all who believe through the death and resurrection of His Son. Hallelujah!

Many years ago, I suffered ministry burnout and left my career as a Christian school teacher. I intended to take a short sabbatical but instead I spent twelve years driving a truck. Looking back, I can see that God used that time to reshape my thinking and my behavior. Satellite radio in the truck provided hours of Christian teaching and music, and I did some serious soul searching as well. I asked myself if God had put me “on the shelf” like He did with Paul’s prison time and Moses forty years in the desert. My wife will testify that I am a different person – a better person for having spent that time away from paid ministry. I think I am a better witness for Christ than I was before.

Paul encourages believers to examine themselves to be sure they are living appropriately. God can use every season of our lives for His purpose. We need to be sure we are getting the most out of our circumstances and doing the best we can to fulfill God’s will for our lives. If you are not completely happy with your circumstances, maybe you need to ask not why, but what is God doing that is for your benefit and for His perfect will in your life. One of Paul’s most surprising statements comes after having lived through his many trials and tribulations: “I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.” He could undoubtedly see why God had done all that He had done. We need to imitate Paul.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Comfort Ye My People

I have just spent the last few days in bed with a cold and fever that made me miserable. Coughing, sneezing, shivering, and aching all over got me down. Here on day seven, I still have a lingering cough, and my stamina isn’t what it should be, but at least I don’t hurt everywhere. If it sounds like I am whining, I am. If you ask my wife, she will confirm that I have been whining for the whole week.

A couple of days ago, I read about the Apostle Paul’s trials and afflictions during his missionary journeys. You probably know the ones I am talking about – the ones he called “light and momentary.” My immediate response to myself was, “MAN UP, wuss!” The fever may have left me feeling like I had been stoned and left for dead, but Paul actually was stoned to death (they thought), among other physical and verbal insults to his person. If he could call his light and momentary, mine were insignificant by comparison.

Paul puts a positive spin on his troubles by telling the Corinthians that “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in all affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Five times he uses “comfort” to explain what God has done so that we can imitate His comfort towards others. It’s my turn. My wife caught the bug I brought home (Isn’t that always the way?). Now I get to take Paul’s advice. (Pardon me. I have to get my wife another dose of Emergen-C.)

I can also think of a couple family issues I have had to suffer that helped me to comfort friends when they had problems with kin. It is good to have someone to come alongside and bolster your strength so that you can find a place of forgiveness that allows healing to begin. Had I not suffered indignity and found that God’s grace could bring me back to loving forgiveness, I think my advice to my friend would ring hollow. “Been there; done that” is the only qualification you need to offer genuine comfort.

This got me thinking about the level of comfort we take for granted in America today. Got a headache? Take a Tylenol. Got a stomachache? Take a Pepto. Got a muscle ache? Take some ibuprofen. Got a heart ache (the emotional kind – not the cardiac kind)? Take an antidepressant. We don’t want to put up with the tiniest discomfort; we want instant relief. We want comfort. That thought led me to the well-known passage in Isaiah, “Comfort ye, my people.” I realized that God's offer through Isaiah was not a Tylenol or a Band-Aid type of comfort. It was more along the lines of “My Servant is going to die, but He will rise from the dead on schedule.” Therefore, take comfort.

In other words, God did not want Isaiah to promise a bed of roses. Actually, He promised a bed of thorns, but His balm in Gilead would salve their wounds at the proper time. This was the conclusion Paul came to when faced with a “thorn in the flesh… from Satan.” He could glory in his discomfort because he knew where his ultimate comfort was coming from. That attitude also put credit where credit is due. He said, “Therefore I delight in weaknesses… for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

I am happy to have returned to the state of ridiculous comfort I am blessed with – what most of us in this country are blessed with. But I am reminded that discomfort is not necessarily a bad thing. I have written before that God is more concerned with our character than our comfort. If he allows discomfort, it is likely because He is molding our character into the perfect likeness of Christ. That’s what I want, whether it’s comfortable or not. Can you feel me?

Sunday, November 26, 2023

When in Rome, Do What the Bereans Do

I saw a Bible tie-in today I hadn’t noticed before. When studying the Scripture, it is interesting to know what Moses or Jesus or Paul did, but it is more valuable to know how their actions tie into our present lives as believers. When I read through Acts seventeen this morning, I noticed that the unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica used the Roman law to accuse Paul. In verses seven and thirteen, they said Paul was teaching what was contrary to the decrees of Caesar.

It is ironic that the Jews would use that approach since God’s first commandment was to have no other gods before Him. That would seem to put them in a position contrary to the decrees of Caesar as well. It is true that there were times in Roman/Jewish relations that Rome allowed the Jews to practice their religion, but it is disingenuous to try to use the Roman law to indict someone with whom they disagreed. The Jews in Corinth tried the same tactic, and the authority there saw through their hypocrisy and summarily dismissed them.

Here's the tie-in. There is a cult of secular humanism in America that is trying to use the law to squelch Christian beliefs and practices. Sometimes they twist an existing law to serve their purpose. They did this years ago when they banned Bible reading and prayer in public schools. They claimed such activities violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Ironically, their actions violated the free expression clause of the same Amendment. At our country’s beginning, the freedom to practice one’s religion in public or in private was one of the pillars of the Founding Fathers' beliefs. They were rebelling against the state sponsored religions in the countries many of them had fled. Allowing free expression is not the same as establishing a state religion.

When the secular humanists cannot use an existing law to promote their agenda, they write new ones. Much of the cancel culture we are forced to live under today is based on regulations that were invented to protect imaginary victims – victims who are practicing things that the Scripture forbids. For example, same sex marriage, transgenderism, and all sorts of sexual perversion is now protected by law. Worse, these things are being promoted in popular media and in the public schools at ridiculously young ages.

Sadly, secular humanists are not the only people using their brand of religion to promote an unbiblical agenda. Entire denominations of formerly orthodox Christians have come under the spell of the secular humanist teachings. They have chosen to abandon Scripture and ordain homosexual ministers and bless same sex marriages. Individuals from these apostate churches openly support politicians who lobby for free access to abortion and attack conservatives who attempt to limit or eliminate it.

Unbelievers everywhere are dictating what Christians can and cannot do by twisting or enacting laws that support their views. The media is full of stories of Christians being dragged to court just like the Jews did to Paul. Sometimes we get a judge who, like the proconsul in Athens, sees through their schemes. More often, Christians are forbidden to practice biblical behavior because of some new “offended” class of citizens. This is especially egregious when those who call themselves Christians support that kind of travesty.

We will find ourselves in disobedience to the Word if when in Rome we do as the Romans do. We need to adopt the stance of the Bereans in Acts 17. They listened to Paul, and despite the accusations of the unbelieving Jews, they searched the Scriptures to see what was true. When the Islamic radicals attacked in 2001, many Christians wondered if it was an act of judgment by God. I wondered similarly when I wrote “Today’s Chaldean Chastisement” about the COVID 19 pandemic. At the very least, we must keep our own behavior in line with Scripture. Whenever possible, I believe we do our fellow citizens a favor by attempting to stay true to the principles on which our country was founded. Remember: everyone in Judah suffered when God exiled them to Babylon. We could use a few people like Moses’ friend Phinehas. If we keep acting like Romans instead of Bereans, we will not escape the potential judgment that may be coming sooner rather than later.

Monday, November 20, 2023

Calvinist or Arminian

I have written previously about the controversy between Calvinists and Arminians. This month is the 405^th anniversary of the Synod of Dort which settled the controversy in the Netherlands: the Arminians were evicted from their pulpits. This explains why the Dutch Reformed Church is staunchly Calvinist as well as the many other denominations that sprang from the same Reformation soil. Most Baptist-type churches are Calvinist to varying degrees. Methodists, Wesleyans, Nazarenes, and Seventh-day Adventists are Arminian.

The controversy which takes its name from the Swiss reformer, John Calvin, and the Dutch theologian, Jacob Arminius, is actually centuries older than these men. Augustine debated with Pelagius over much the same subject in the Fifth century. As I see it, the central issue of the dispute is whether humans can come to faith and therefore salvation on their own, or whether God must do something first to draw them to Himself. This leads to the question of whether people can come to faith but later fall away and lose their salvation. This question is what most people today think of as the Calvinist/Arminian debate.

In “Understanding the TULIP Doctrine,” I briefly explained Calvinism. “The five basic tenets of Calvinism have long been summarized as the TULIP doctrines, an acronym taken from the major tenets: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of saints. There are those who consider themselves “five-point” Calvinists, meaning they hold firmly to each of the TULIP principles. Others pick and choose among the tenets of Calvinism to construct their own brand.” As I said, perseverance of the saints, commonly known as “once saved, always saved,” is the item over which most people debate. Unconditional election also bothers some people; I discussed this aspect of Calvinism in some depth in “Election: God’s Choice.”

It was election that bothered Arminius. It is possible to read Calvin and come away thinking God predestines some people to salvation and some to condemnation. Arminius couldn’t stomach that because he felt it made God the author of sin – an obvious contradiction to Scripture. There are those who do believe in what is called double predestination today and would have Arminius turning over in his grave. Calvin’s teachings have been shaded and shifted over the centuries since he lived making the term “Calvinism” almost irrelevant. You need to dig into what people mean by the label to know what they really believe.

If I haven’t bored you into scrolling on yet (bless your heart), I am going to explain the value of this history lesson – WHAMM. I believe with all my heart that there will be Calvinists and Arminians in Heaven. Like all of us who make it to our eternal home with God, there will be some adjustments and corrections to our theology. Perhaps some of the tears God will wipe away will be from people discovering that, sadly, they were wrong all their lives about some point of theology. The debate I have described that began in the early centuries of the church and continues today is not one that will keep anyone out of Heaven in my opinion. There are radicals in both camps who may disagree with me on that, but I think I have the truth of Scripture on my side.

The reason I plodded through all this is to make a point we all need to understand: Jesus didn’t say the world would know we are His because of our brilliant doctrine; He said our love for one another (and our neighbors) would show that we belong to Christ. I made the point in Lead a Horse to Water that Christians bickering over what seem to unbelievers to be arcane theological issues might be one of the biggest hinderances to faith. It also causes some to doubt our claim that the Word of God is true and infallible. When we air our differences publicly, it appears to outsiders that we are denying that claim.

As I have written previously, sometimes fellow believers must agree to disagree. The final disposition of that agreement must be to continue to behave in a loving manner toward those with whom we disagree. I should clarify this by saying that I am not talking about compromising on essentials. I will firmly disagree with anyone who says God is not the sovereign creator or Jesus is not the co-equal, co-eternal God/Son/Savior, or that the Word of God is not absolute truth, etc. Some things are beyond debate and are essential and necessary to a proper understanding of God.

If you have read this far, you may be asking what I believe. Since I covered that in “Understanding the TULIP Doctrine,” I will leave it to my readers to seek an answer there. I will say this much: I will strive to love all people whether I agree with them or not. As I said in Loving Biblically. “Christian, biblical love must abound in knowledge and discernment if we aim to be sincere and blameless. To know how God loves, we have to dig deeply into the Bible and ferret out the true measure of divine love; it is a mix of caring, compassion and judgment. The most difficult thing to grasp is that God’s love involves discernment – judgment.” I am not God; I do not get to condemn (judge) people. However, if I am sincere in my faith, I must use discernment. That may mean I will disagree with some people. I will still love them – biblically – Calvinists or Arminians.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Imitation of Christ

One of Christianity’s best-known thinkers and writers is read around the world, yet he never traveled far from his adoptive home in the Netherlands. Thomas Van Kempen, better known as Thomas `a Kempis, lived and died a few years before the Reformation which had strong supporters in his birthplace. He was a life-long member of a group called the Brethren of the Common Life, an early attempt to reform the Roman church. According to one source, “They believed that Christianity should be practiced not only in formal religious settings, but also in everyday life, and they sought to promote a practical spirituality that emphasized personal piety and devotion.”

That sounds strikingly similar to the teachings of the New Testament, one of Thomas’ most frequently quoted sources. Unlike many of his contemporaries in scholarship, he looked for wisdom from Scripture rather than the teachings of the Roman church leadership. Needless to say, that did not sit well with those in authority. Thomas was never granted sainthood by the Catholic Church, but they did erect a monument dedicated to his memory in Zwolle where he spent most of his adult life. That monument was placed there on this day, November 11, 1897, over 400 years after he died. Hmm.

Thomas once said, “"If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned." He balanced that with this, "At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done." (The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 3) There is a clear echo here of James 1:25. “But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts, this one will be blessed.” That is “practical spirituality.” That is living the way Jesus instructed in His last words before the crucifixion: “You are my friends if you do what I command you…. These things I command you: that you love one another.”

Enough history. Why does any of this matter beyond remembering a worthy follower of Christ? It is because Solomon’s wisdom is being proven true every day. “There is nothing new under the sun.” What Solomon saw in Old Testament Israel, and Thomas `a Kempis saw over six hundred years ago is still going on today. There are millions of people in America who claim to be Christians, yet the only thing they do differently than their worldly friends is attend church services – sometimes. According to one poll, people who attend church two or three times a year still consider themselves to be “regular attenders.” I am not suggesting that church attendance is the truest measure of one’s faith, but it surely is one measure.

I have often said that if going to church makes you a Christian, then going to the garage makes you a car. We need to revive the spirit of Thomas `a Kempis and the Brethren of the Common Life. Among believers, it should be “common life” to “Live Out Loud” as Merideth Andrews sings. (Song lyrics here.) Silent Christians, secret Christians are not true Christians. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another,” Jesus said. It is clear from the rest of the New Testament teaching that the love Jesus commanded was no secret. Hear the word of John: “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

If we truly believe that Jesus is our only hope, then that belief, that faith must show itself in works. James again: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” James is also the one who said that it is not enough to profess faith in Christ; the demons do that. True faith shows itself in its works. It’s not that the works save us: “not from works so that no one can boast.” However, the Bible is clear: saving faith is testified to by works.

Some people asked Jesus about the works that could save them. His answer: “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” Couple that with His statement that ^“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” The love we have for Jesus, the testimony to our faith in Him demands obedience. If you believe in Him, you will do what He commands. This is the imitation of Christ that Paul spoke of and which Thomas `a Kempis championed. Go thou and do likewise.

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Chasing the Almighty Dollar

The Gospels tell the story of rich young ruler who came to Jesus for advice. (Matthew 19; Mark 10; Luke 18). “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” he asked. Of course, Jesus knew the heart of the man, but anyone listening carefully might have detected a wrong motive. The young man used a word from the legal jargon of the day: inherit (κληρονομέω). The word refers to the legal right of someone to inherit their share. He might as well have asked Jesus, “How can I get what’s coming to me?”

When Jesus gave the young man a simple answer, “Obey the commandments,” the response was perhaps a little arrogant: “I have done that.” To that Jesus replied with a scalpel that cut to the man’s heart problem. “Go and sell all you have and give to the poor.” We know the end of that exchange; the man left disappointed “for he was one who owned much property.” As the rich young man left, Jesus turned to His followers and said, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were “amazed” at Jesus’ words. Their amazement revealed their faulty conception of God’s economy of blessing. The Jews of Jesus day believed that a person’s wealth represented blessing by God. Jesus corrected their misunderstanding by saying, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” He had just told them, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Adults in general would have difficulty stirring up the faith a child would have naturally. Rich adults have an even harder time because they have all their needs met, and abandoning their reliance on their wealth is hard. Hence Jesus’ analogy of the camel passing through the eye of a needle.

I notice that Jesus did not say it was impossible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom – just “hard.” Luke records the incident with Zacchaeus almost immediately after the tale of the rich young ruler. Perhaps the rich young ruler was from Jericho, and he went there after his encounter with Jesus. Maybe he shared his tale with his rich friend Zacchaeus. That might explain why Zacchaeus was so interested in seeing Jesus for himself. It might also explain why the rich tax collector immediately offered to give away his riches. This proves what Jesus said to his disciples on the heels of the rich young ruler’s disappointing behavior: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Zacchaeus heard God; the rich young ruler did not.

This helps to explain why the gospel is not being widely accepted in Western society. The gospel, the good news is that people can be saved from a disastrous future. Being comfortable and confident in their material prosperity, few people recognize any need to be saved. Couple this with the pervading opinion that humans are the highest order of being – there is no “higher power” – and you have a recipe for unconcerned unbelief. Compounding this attitude is the lack of belief in absolute truth; truth is whatever one wants to believe is true. The Christian claim to know the truth rings as hollow as the claim that people need to be saved.

My wife and I worked for several years in a ministry that served recovering addicts and persons returning to society after years of incarceration. Many of those individuals recognized the deep need in their lives and found satisfaction in the provision Jesus promised. One of the most compelling aspects of the gospel to these people was the unconditional love represented in the Cross of Christ. Many of them had never known what real love is, and the realization that God had sent His Son to die for their sin was extremely compelling. We saw lives changed, families reunited, new careers begun, and needs met in almost miraculous ways. Those folks came to realize that God loved them, and the love of the church community made it real to them.

The great challenge for evangelism in a prosperous country like America is to identify needs that are not being met and show how the gospel meets those needs. The best way to do that is found in the biblical command to love God and love your neighbor. You don’t have to be an addict or a felon to need love and acceptance. Even the rich can feel empty and without purpose as evidenced by the fact that many wealthy people have admitted that money has not bought them happiness. Solomon said that every person senses that something is missing. Those of us who hear God know what that missing thing is. Our job is to help people see what they are missing. We need to convince people to stop chasing the dollar and to go after what they really need.