Submit Your Dream to God

Article by Lara D'entremont

I held my rounded belly as I walked up the wooden, uneven stairs. We delayed their renovation until after the baby’s room was done. Almost everything was unfinished on the second floor of our house. The walls still had floral and striped wallpaper (and who knows what other colours underneath), the floors were chipboard, and there were boxes we still had no place for after living here almost a year. Some days I liked my dreams coming true: the walls having fresh paint, my bare feet walking on clean hardwood, and bright sunlight filling the spaces. But I knew that was still a number of months down the road.

If you asked me what I envisioned for my life, this was far from it. I would have told you about my plans to live in the city, work in a church, and use my Master’s in Biblical Counselling. Maybe I’d tell you about our cute house in the cul-de-sac with a modern farmhouse feeling. I would have told you children were in the picture, but not until I was 28.

And yet, here I was—21 years old, working as a babysitter and “Mommy Helper,” without a degree, and pregnant with my first. The only common denominator was my faithful husband. There were days I felt like my dreams were crushed by the sovereign hand of God.

Has life not turned out the way you dreamed? Maybe you thought you would have a growing family with babies and toddlers in tow—but your arms still remain empty. Perhaps you saw yourself going out on double dates with your married friends by now—yet, you are the only one who is still single. Maybe you saw yourself with a nicer and better-paying job at this point—but you still push grocery items on a conveyor belt.

Worshiping Our Dreams

Do you worship your dreams? I know I did. I held my dreams higher than God at times, and pursued my dreams more than I pursued holiness. There were times I was willing to sin to get my dreams. In my heart, I had pushed God aside and placed my dreams in his place.

Have you ever considered that these dreams you have might be an idol? Even if your dreams are good—like having a godly husband—our hearts can still worship them.

Since the lines can at times become fuzzy, here are a few ways to see if your dream has become an idol. You…

• are willing to or have sinned in attempt to achieve it.

• become sinfully angry when you can’t have it.

• are willing to hurt others to get it.

• put off obedience to God in the ways he has already called you in order to achieve it.

• often think, “Without [insert your dream], I will never be happy.”

Before you can find hope again from your unrealized dreams, you need to first let go of this idolatry. God needs to be the One you delight in most. In recognizing this idolatry in your heart, start by repenting and asking God for forgiveness. Confess to him how you have placed this dream over him and the ways you have disobeyed him in order to get it. Then seek to know God more. As you grow in the knowledge of God, you will see how he is much better than your dream and how inferior your dream is to him.

Finding Hope In God’s Sovereignty and Wisdom

We know that God is sovereign. All of our plans and dreams pass through his hands first. If they are realized, then we know it was in his will for them to be fulfilled. But if they do not, we know that it was him who sovereignly chose to keep them from us.

This should give us great comfort. We are sinful and unwise people—if our plans and dreams always turned out the way we wanted, our lives would be a mess. When things go wrong, we would have no hope of them turning out for the better. Since God is sovereign, we can have hope even when our plans and dreams aren’t realized. We know God works together all things for good (Romans 8:28-30).

What is that ultimate good? When our dreams are crushed and we can’t see the goodness in it, we can know that the true goodness began with our salvation. When God rescued us sinners from the condemnation to hell our sin had sentenced us to, he began a good work in us that he promises to see to completion: Our sanctification—being made more like Christ.

We know that God is also much wiser than us. He knows what will make us more like Christ, which should be our ultimate goal (or dream). Isaiah declares:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

In God’s greater wisdom, he decides which way our lives turn. Even though our way may seem like the best way at the time, we can trust that God’s is better. His ways are higher in his great wisdom. Rather than questioning his choices, we need to learn to accept what he gives and what he withholds.

In our pain, and when what we want is good and right, this isn’t always easy to do. But we must preach the truth to our hearts in those times and remind ourselves of his perfect character. Take hope today in your crushed dreams that every “gift”—whether it is something given or something withheld—is perfect when it is from God.

We can also cling to a better and certain dream. Because we bear Christ’s mark of salvation, we can trust that we will one day meet Christ, face-to-face, fully redeemed from sin and taken from this sinful work  wrecked with heartache, disappointment, death, and pain, and enter into eternal life where all is perfect and at peace. We will enter eternity with Christ, and spend all of time with him in the most perfect place. When our dreams are dashed, this is a much greater hope.

A New Dream

I had specific dreams for my life. Thankfully, God doesn’t work according to my desires. He works according to his, which are beyond my wisdom. And by his greater wisdom, he gave me something better.

I wanted to live in a big city where opportunities and people abound. But God had different plans for us. He began by softening our hearts for the people in the small town around us through youth group and our church. From there, he provided the perfect house for us.

Rather than pursuing a degree, God led me to ACBC certification, through which I’ve grown immensely. Rather than waiting to have children, God has blessed us with a healthy baby boy. And, rather than having a fancy office job in a church, I got the opportunity to work for two mothers in our community—who help me learn about being a godly wife and mom. Working for these two mothers has also blessed me with the ability to provide for my household and invest time into my writing.

Some days it’s hard to see the “better” in this dream, and some days I struggle to be thankful when I see others living out my previous dream. But God is working on my heart, and I am growing in contentment and joy for this new life God has graciously given us.

You may not be able to see it now, but God has a better dream for you. I’m not saying all will turn out well according to the world’s standards, or even your standards, but I do know that it all will turn out according to God’s will, which is the best thing that could ever happen for your life.

Lara D'entremont

Lara d’Entremont is a biblical counsellor in training, youth leader, and writer. She is a wife to Daniel and they serve at Clark’s Harbour United Baptist ‘Stone’ Church. You can read more of her writing on her blog, Renewed In Truth, where she teaches women about God’s Word and helps them make theology practical.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2018/10/submitting-our-dreams-god/

This is What Intimacy with God Looks Like

Tim Chester

It was not enough for God to make us his children. He wants us to know that we’re his children. He wants us to experience his love. And that’s why he sent the Holy Spirit. Galatians 4:6 says, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.”

The reason why God sent the Spirit is so that we can experience what it is to be sons and daughters loved by our Father. And notice how the Spirit is described. Most of the time in Galatians Paul simply refers to “the Spirit.” Often in the New Testament he’s described as “the Holy Spirit.” But here Paul calls him “the Spirit of his Son.”

Our experience of the Spirit is the experience of the Son, for the Spirit is the Spirit of the Son. The Spirit enables us to experience what Jesus experiences.

God Sent the Spirit of His Son So That We Might Know That We Are Sons

So the Father has given us the Spirit of his Son so that we can enjoy the experience of his Son, so that we know what it is to be sons like the Son, so that we can enjoy the love the Son experiences from the Father.

God gave his Son up to the whip, the thorns, the nails, the darkness, and the experience of forsakenness so that you could be his child. No wonder he sends the Spirit of his Son. He doesn’t want you to miss out on all that the Son has secured for you. This is his eternal plan: that you should enjoy his fatherly love.

The world is full of people searching for love and intimacy. Many sexual encounters and affairs are a desperate attempt to numb a sense of loneliness. Many people who seem to have it all feel empty inside. The actor and director Liv Ullmann once said, “Hollywood is loneliness beside the swimming pool.” We were made for more. The reason why we yearn for intimacy is that we were made for intimacy: we were made to love God and be loved by him. And this is what the Father gives us by sending his Son and by sending the Spirit of his Son.

WHAT DOES THIS INTIMACY LOOK LIKE?

We Can Talk to God Like Children Talk to Their Father

“The Spirit . . . [cries], ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6). The Spirit gives us the confidence to address God as our Father. A number of our friends have adopted children. And it’s always a special moment when the adopted child starts calling them “Mom” and “Dad.” God is infinite, holy, majestic. He’s a consuming fire before whom angels cover their faces. He made all things and controls all things.

Can you imagine calling him “Father”? Of course you can! You do it every day when you pray—most of the time without even thinking about it. How is that possible? Step back and think about it for a moment, and you’ll realize what an amazing miracle it is that any of us should call God “Father.” But we do so every time we pray, through the Spirit of the Son. This is how John Calvin puts it:

With what confidence would anyone address God as “Father”? Who would break forth into such rashness as to claim for himself the honour of a son of God unless we had been adopted as children of grace in Christ? . . . But because the narrowness of our hearts cannot comprehend God’s boundless favour, not only is Christ the pledge and guarantee of our adoption, but he moves the Spirit as witness to us of the same adoption, through whom with free and full voice we may cry, “Abba, Father.”[1]

Think of those adopted children saying “Mom” and “Dad” for the first time. What must that feel like for them? Perhaps they do so tentatively at first. They’re still feeling their way in the relationship. And that’s often what it’s like for new Christians, feeling their way in this new relationship.

But think, too, what it means for the parents. It’s a joyful moment. It’s a sign that their children are beginning to feel like children. It’s a moment of pleasure. And so it is for God every time you call him “Father.” Remember, he planned our adoption “in accordance with his pleasure” (Eph. 1:5 NIV).

We Can Think of God Like Children Think of Their Father

“So you are no longer a slave, but a son” (Gal. 4:7). Slaves are always worried about doing what they’re told or doing the right thing. They fear the disapproval of their master because there’s always the possibility that they might be punished or sacked. Children never have to fear being sacked. They may sometimes be disciplined, but as with any good parent, it’s always for their good. God is the best of parents. And we never have to fear being sacked. You can’t stop being a child of God—you’re not fostered. You’re adopted for life, and life for you is eternal!

The cry “Abba! Father!” is not just for moments of intimacy. It was actually the cry that a child shouted when in need. One of the joys of my life is that I’m good friends with lots of children. Charis always cries out, “Tim!” when she sees me. Tayden wants me to read his Where’s Wally? book with him. Again. Tyler wants me to throw him over my shoulder and swing him around. Josie wants to tell me everything in her head all at once in her lisping voice. They all enjoy having me around. But here’s what I’ve noticed.

Whenever any of them falls over or gets knocked, my parental instinct kicks in, and I rush to help. But it’s not me they want in those moments. They run past me looking for Mom or Dad. They cry out, “Dad!” and Tim won’t do. That’s what “Abba! Father!” means. When we’re in need, we cry out to God because the Spirit assures us that God is our Father and that our Father cares about what’s happening to his children.

We Can Depend on God Like Children Depend on Their Father

“And if [you are] a son, then [you are] an heir through God” (Gal. 4:7). When Paul talks about “sonship,” he’s not being sexist. Quite the opposite. In the Roman world only male children could inherit. So when Paul says “we” (“male and female,” 3:28) are “sons,” he’s saying that in God’s family, men and women inherit. Everyone is included. And what we inherit is God’s glorious new world. But more than that, we inherit God himself. In all the uncertainties of this life, we can depend on him. He will lead us home, and our home is his glory.

What could be better than sharing in the infinite love and infinite joy of the eternal Father with the eternal Son? Think of what you might aspire to in life—your greatest hopes and dreams. And then multiply them by a hundred. Think of winning Olympic gold or lifting the World Cup. Think of being a billionaire and owning a Caribbean island. Think of your love life playing out like the most heartwarming romantic movie. Good. But not as good as enjoying God.

Or let’s do it in reverse. Think of your worst fears and nightmares: losing a loved one, never finding someone to marry, losing your health, not having children. Bad! But Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). The only time Jesus is quoted as saying, “Abba, Father,” is in the Garden of Gethsemane as he sweats blood at the prospect of the cross (Mark 14:36). Even when you feel crushed by your pain, God is still your Abba, Father.

Where does joy come from? It comes from being children of God. How can we enjoy God? By living as his children. How can we please God? By believing he loves us as he loves his Son.

[1]John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill,  trans. Ford Lewis Battles, Library of Christian Classics 20–21 (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 3.20.36–37.

Content taken from Reforming Joy: A Conversation between Paul, the Reformers, and the Church Today by Tim Chester, ©2018. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org. 

Tim Chester is a pastor of Grace Church in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, and a faculty member with the Acts 29 Oak Hill Academy. He was previously research and policy director for Tearfund and tutor in missiology at Cliff College. Tim is the author of over thirty books, including The Message of Prayer, Closing the Window, Good News to the Poor, and A Meal with Jesus. Visit Tim’s website and read his blog or follow him on Twitter.

Posted at: http://gcdiscipleship.com/2018/10/11/this-is-what-intimacy-with-god-looks-like/

Help My Unbelief

Article by Zach Barnhart

Have you experienced it before?

The ever-irksome foe named Doubt darkens your door of faith, casting a shadow over everything you have believed for much of your life. Paralyzed by the fear of what this might do to your relationship with God, and to top it off, your reputation with those who have always identified you as “Christian,” this existential crisis brings you to your knees.

You wonder, How did I get here? I didn’t want this to happen. I thought I knew what I believed.

You may not readily admit it, but you’ve probably been there. Maybe you were hurt by someone you loved within the Church and thought following Christ was supposed to look different. Maybe you read some works of Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens and their arguments became compelling to you. Or maybe it was your inability to shake a recurring sin or a lack of feeling the presence of God in your life.

Whatever the case may be, that hideous Doubt has a way about him. He sneaks into your soul to try and woo you away from the everlasting source of hope and strength.

Doubt can be a discouraging and debilitating opponent in the Christian life. We don’t like to talk about it because it feels humiliating. It’s something we’re not proud of. It feels dirty to doubt.

WHEN DOUBT CAME TO MY DOOR

I remember my crisis moment. I was sitting in a stadium seat at a conference, stunned at what John Piper was unpacking in Scripture right before my eyes. That NIV with my name etched on the cover had been in my possession for years, but I had never noticed in it the things this preacher was saying.

I thought I knew who God was, but was he really this? I had professed Christ as my Lord and Savior, but is this what I meant by that? I had to do some serious searching in the days and months that followed to determine how I answered those questions.

This came at a time when I was fresh into college, and as you might have guessed, surrounded by new obstacles to faith: a philosophy professor who assigned me William James to read, and laughed out loud at my theological answers to real-world problems. A speech professor who flunked my speech defending Creationism as a viable explanation of the universe and gave an A to the girl in the class who presented a speech on evolution. Stump preachers setting up on campus to yell at the LGBT students. Varying campus ministries who put “doing life together” at the top of their values but made little room for gospel transformation. A roommate who said he was a Christian but could not have been classified as a “follower of Jesus.” And now this Piper guy wrecking my understanding of righteousness, the glory of God, and the atonement.

I had to answer for myself the question, “Who is this Son of Man?” (Jn. 12:34).

I decided to remove all the outside opinions and instead seek answers in the Word of God. I was determined to be illumined by the Spirit or find it all a ruse. I had to start from square one. “And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight” (Acts 9:18).

THE SPIRITUAL GIANT WHO DOUBTED

There was another man who wrestled with Doubt, a man with a far more gifted mind and compassionate heart than my own. His name was Francis Schaeffer.

In his exploration into the life and thought of Schaeffer, William Edgar, a friend to Schaeffer himself, outlines the crisis moment of Schaeffer’s life. It was early 1951, and during a season of everyday walking and meditation, Francis said he had to rethink “the whole matter of Christianity.”

This was coming from a man who was well-versed in nearly every world religion, every philosophical system. He could tie anyone up in their own logical fallacies like he was tying his shoes. But he was also human like the rest of us.

I imagine Schaeffer going for a walk, crying out with me in my dorm room, and the father of the child in Mark 9, “I believe. Help my unbelief!” I find great comfort in the fact that Schaeffer doubted. If he had to work out his salvation with fear and trembling, what of me? It’s not something that is wrong with me but something that is wrong with us.

As sinful fallen humans we are often tempted to disbelieve the truths about God. We are prone to forget what we know to be true about the Gospel. I share a piece of my own story and of Schaeffer’s story to demonstrate that Doubt pays us all a visit at different times and in different degrees. Even a man as “qualified” and esteemed as Francis Schaeffer faced doubts. The important thing, though, is that he didn’t allow himself to stay in his doubt. He did what was necessary to seek answers and reach a conclusion.

The solution to a struggle with doubt is first to devote yourself to prayer. In the famous “help my unbelief” passage, Jesus seems to imply in Mark 9:29 that finding growth in faith is spearheaded by a commitment to prayer. If we truly believe that Christ is our intercessor and great high priest, and that the Spirit is working to illuminate the Word of God to us, then let’s ask the Lord to reveal himself.

FIGHTING DOUBT WITH THE WORD

If you find yourself struggling with the lures of Doubt, remember these additional comforts.

Our doubt is not the fault of God, but the fault of sin. In Eden, God was present with humanity. His existence was undeniable. He was so near that it would have been impossible to doubt his presence. But since man was driven out from his presence due to sin (Gen. 3:24), we now see through a mirror dimly (1 Cor. 13:12). Sin, ultimately, is a rejection of (to borrow Schaeffer’s famous quip) “the God who is there” (see Rom. 1:19-20). Doubt happens not because God himself is doubtable, but because our minds need to be reminded of the light of the gospel.

Though we see in a mirror dimly now, there will come a day when we will see Christ face to face. Faith says, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Even a faith the size of a mustard seed can bring us hope in his coming (Mt. 17:20). Not only will our doubts be erased one day, but the doubts of all mankind will be as well. “Every knee will bow” is a wonderful refrain in Scripture (Isa. 45:23; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10). All doubts will cease to exist one day.

Jesus never doubted, but he was tempted to. How did he respond to Satan in those moments? With memorized Scripture. There is something to this practice, especially in waging war against doubt. Remembering and rehearsing Scripture to yourself proves to be a strong weapon in the war against doubt.

When we call upon the Lord to help us in our unbelief, we should not expect “magic 8-ball confirmation.” In other words, it may not be as clear-cut and discernible an “act of God” as we may hope, but this should not drive us into despair. It should only drive us further into communion with God, time spent reading his Word, conversation with other believers, prayer, fasting, journaling, and more. This is the make-up of faith.

Don’t let Doubt isolate you from others, and most of all, from God. Leap into this glorious opportunity to grow your faith on the sword of the Spirit and the truth of Christ. Allow God to mold and shape you like clay as you seek him more through your doubts. Search for the truth in the Scriptures. His Word always has purpose and never returns void, even on you.

Zach Barnhart currently serves as Student Pastor of Northlake Church in Lago Vista, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University and is currently studying at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, seeking a Master of Theological Studies degree. He is married to his wife, Hannah. You can follow Zach on Twitter @zachbarnhart or check out his personal blog, Cultivated.

Article posted at: http://gcdiscipleship.com/2018/10/14/help-my-unbelief/

Six Biblical Responses to Halloween

Article by Rick Thomas

Halloween, from a degree of difficulty perspective, is the most challenging of all our holidays. A few days out of each October we are asked to give mental energy to this tradition.

The good news is that this makes Halloween no different from any other thing in your life. It is just another discipleship opportunity–a privilege the Lord gives you to bring a right response to this annual interruption. And God does not leave you alone.

1. The Spirit of God gives you clarity on all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

2. His authoritative and sufficient Word comes alongside you to guide your thoughts (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

3. You have others to bounce off your ideas (Proverbs 11:14).

This inter-connectedness of God, Scripture, and community provide you with unassailable wisdom to formulate a biblical response to Halloween, which is great news because like every other secondary issue in life, collective perspectives and approaches can be all over the map.

What Shall I Do?

Here are six of those approaches:

#1 – Flight Approach – Howard leads his family by declaring Halloween as movie night. He herds his family upstairs. The lights are turned off, and the family is huddled around the TV watching The Sound of Music…for the 14th time.

#2 –  Engage Approach – David calls Howard a legalist. David allows his kids to dress in costumes for a night of harmless fun. “You only live once; let them enjoy it. Besides, they can share Christ with the other kids.”

#3 – Ignore Approach – Luann pretends it does not exist. She is a single mom, multitasking at a level that few of us can comprehend. She does not need another battlefield to walk onto with her children.

#4 – Succumb Approach – The Smiths struggle with the fear of man: “What do others think of us?” (Proverbs 29:25). Though they do not care for Halloween, they typically succumb to their nagging children, as well as the pressure they perceive from their friends.

#5 – Passive Approach – Then there is George. He is your stereotypical lazy, passive dad. He does not care. As long as it does not interfere with his life, he’s good. “What’s the big deal? When I was a kid…(blah, blah, blah).”

He then goes off on a rant about how hard he had it as a kid and then ends with, “…look at me. I turned out okay.” Leah (wife) has never been courageous enough to honestly tell him what “turned out okay” looks like from her perspective.

#6 – Arrogant Approach – In the men’s group, Paul is waiting for the discussion to turn to him. He loves throwing down the Reformation Day card because he is pretty sure most of his friends have not thought about it.

Though his answer is logical, the self-righteousness that flows out of him, and the disdain he has for those who do not see things his way, is stifling.

Little Bit of Halloween In All of Us

Here is a short test for you: What did you think about when you read the brief stories regarding the different responses to Halloween? I am asking you this question for two reasons:

1. You probably have friends who represent most, if not all, of those people.

2. How you think about them will affect how you engage them.

Emoting about Halloween in non-constructive ways is easy. Passion is fantastic, but humble self-awareness–an awareness that reminds you of who you were without Christ in your life–should temper enthusiasm.

• Who were you before Christ found you (Ephesians 2:1)? Dead in sin.

• What are you apart from His persevering grace (1 Timothy 1:15)? The biggest sinner you know.

Without humility, passion will create disunity, which is why it’s helpful to consider that even if you are categorically opposed to Halloween, you need to remind yourself that you have a little bit of Halloween in your heart.

We all do.

You should not speak about evil as though you do not participate in evil…in some way. The darkness of Satan impacts your life throughout the year, not just on October thirty-one.

My appeal is for you to guard your heart before you pontificate about Halloween. If you do not sprinkle your mind with grace, your communication can be harsh and non-redemptive.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29

Halloween should not be about winning arguments, splitting hairs, or flaunting theological knowledge. Your primary goal is to position yourself to be used by God to redeem lives, which makes Halloween an opportunity to put Christ on display by your attitude, words, and actions.

Dear Lord – I have an opinion about Halloween, but you know me. Will you guard my heart and control my tongue as I speak on this subject? I want the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to be acceptable in your sight (Psalm 19:14). I also want to help, not hurt people.

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Different Strokes

With humility ruling your heart, God will give the grace and wisdom you need to redemptively engage your culture and friends regarding Halloween (James 1:5-8, 4:6). As you know, you cannot cookie-cutter your responses to your friends. You interact with each one differently. Individualized care is how the Savior engaged people (John 2:24-25). He discerned the person and situation and then customized His approach accordingly.

If I were close friends with Howard, David, Luann, the Smiths, George, or Paul, and had the context, time, and relationship to speak with them, here are a few things I would want them to consider:

#1 – Flight Approach – Howard is going to have to deal with Halloween. He cannot bury his head in the sand and pretend it does not exist. While his kids are young, he can herd them upstairs, but his children will not be young forever. And they will eventually tire of The Sound of Music.

He needs to be wiser in his parenting approach, which includes incrementally introducing his children to the world. Howard needs to lead his children by teaching them about life and culture. Halloween is an excellent opportunity for him to do this.

If he does not do this, the culture will not only teach his children their ways, but the culture will put pressure on his kids to follow them in their ways. It could be that some of his children may not be able to withstand the pressures placed on them by their culture, mainly if they have not received teaching, encouragement, and discipleship, or if they are susceptible to fear of man (Proverbs 29:25).

Though they may be able to recite and even act out The Sound of Music, they will be at a loss when it comes to cultural engagement.

#2 – Engage Approach – Immaturity is not a good answer for the Halloween dilemma. David is over-reacting to Howard’s unwillingness to engage by letting his children become the anti-legalist poster children.

I have encountered many David’s in my life. They usually come out of legalistic environments and are easily tempted to over-correct their practices through misuses of grace. This problem is a “grace mistake” where grace becomes an excuse to live how you want to.

Sometimes people like David are saved later in life and have not had enough Christian training to reflect on Halloween wisely. In cases like this, it would be wrong to expect him to be mature about Christian perspectives (2 Peter 1:3).

You should not expect the things you have learned from walking with the Lord for several decades to be the preferences of those who are just beginning their faith walk. This perspective does not mean you should leave David just as he is. A close friend should come alongside him to help him work through some of his comments.

• Harmless fun – It is not benign in that he is teaching a worldview to his kids. Halloween, like all things, comes with a worldview–a presupposition. Van Til taught us how there are no neutral facts. He is right. Halloween is not neutral.

• You only live once, let them enjoy it – This statement is tied to the former, in that David has a fun worldview, which could stand a little God-centered reshaping.

• They can share Christ with other kids – Unless his kids are little apostles, I am pretty sure their fixation will be on the candy they receive, rather than the Christ they could share. Even if they were going to do evangelism, surely David could find a better venue and time for them to do it. The “hit and run” shove a Bible tract at someone and leave has seen better days.

His overly spiritualized, fun-centered worldview is more of a justification that releases him from the hard work of parenting.

#3 – Ignore Approach – Being all alone in this world is asking too much from anyone. This problem is part of the reason there is a local church. Luann needs the body of Christ surrounding her, helping her to parent her children.

She is too overwhelmed to think about Halloween while hoping it will not be a big deal this year. Her local body needs to perceive her struggle and come alongside her to care for her family.

#4 – Succumb Approach – Somebody needs to come alongside the Smiths too, and carefully walk them through the underlying issues in their collective lives.

How to respond to Halloween is not their primary problem. Halloween is a temporary seasonal litmus test they fail each year. But this failure points to the broader issue of insecurity, which leads to their frail relationship with God.

Like Luann, they need friends–biblical friends who love them enough to help them mature in Christ. You can bet if they cave to the cultural expectations and pressures surrounding Halloween, they are failing in other areas too.

#5 – Passive Approach – George is slowly losing his family, and he does not see it. He may not care. George will be difficult to help because he needs a compassionate kick in the seat of the pants.

Motivating a passive person is hard. George is the anti-gospel man. The gospel is about going, giving, intruding, impressing upon, and getting to the heart of the problem, while seeking to transform lives. George is not doing any of those things. George is about George.

#6 – Arrogant Approach – Paul is George’s opposite. He loves being right, being in control, and coming across as impressive. Pursuing, creating, and sustaining redemptive relationships are not his strengths.

From the outside looking in, he appears to have the best answer, but his heart is in dire need of gospel-centered transformation. The apostle Paul spoke to people like this in 1 Corinthians–those who were more about being right than being redemptive (1 Corinthians 8:1-3).

Some people in Corinth knew it was not a big deal to eat meat, but their attitudes were wrong. Having the right answer is only part of the solution. Having the right attitude is essential.

Knowledge can puff up the inflatable mind, while love can build up the needy soul. Our friend Paul should be more careful, more engaging, more involved, and most definitely more humble.

Call to Action

Trick or Treat Questions

1. Do you see Halloween more as a point to be right or as an opportunity to be redemptive?

2. Are you willing to engage your friends redemptively or are you tempted to refrain because of fear?

3. How does your self-awareness govern your perspective?

Halloween Is a Discipleship Issue

Like all things in our lives, Halloween is a discipleship issue. It should not be a divisive issue. We are to divide over the gospel when there is an error as Paul taught in Galatians 1:8-9.

A few years ago one of our small group members humbly asked us about our views on Halloween. We had different opinions than them, which they were aware. Rather than making them feel dumb, unusual, or wrong, it was an opportunity to walk through what we believe, why we think what we believe, and how we practice it while anticipating the Lord to work in their hearts in whatever way He wanted to.

Addendum

I chose a different approach for this Halloween article. There are many arguments circulated during this time of the year about how Halloween is of the devil and why you should steer clear of it.

I could have done a piece from that angle, but it would have been rehash-ad-infinitum. That information is public domain and easily accessible. I typed in “Christian perspective on Halloween” and got over 3.5 million possibilities in 0.17 seconds.

If you want to gain a Christian perspective on Halloween, please take the time to do the research. It will benefit you. My point in writing this article is to talk about how your attitude toward others who differ from you find submission to the mind of Christ.

If you are living out humility, you should be redemptively positioned to compassionately and competently enter into church and cultural engagement on any issue.

Posted at: https://rickthomas.net/a-biblical-response-to-halloween/

Questions For Discerning a Child's Profession of Faith

Article by Jill Nelson

Children are amazing sponges and excellent mimics. They have the God-given ability to soak up and recall an enormous amount of information. They also are, to a lesser or greater extent, attentive observers who will act out and imitate our words, demeanor, and actions.

This provides Christian parents and teachers with a great opportunity, challenge, and caution when it comes to nurturing our children and students toward genuine faith in Christ. During their young years, we should take the opportunity to pour biblical truth into their lives — acquainting them with the Scriptures which are able to make them wise for salvation in Christ (2 Tim. 3:15). We must gently challenge and implore them to respond to these truths with heart-felt trust and devotion. But we must also be discerning in how they respond: are they simply affirming truths or embracing Christ as Savior and Lord? Are they simply mimicking Christian responses that they have seen and heard? Are they simply trying to please their parents and teachers? Therein lies the caution.

One thing that is sure and unshakable: God is ultimate in a child’s salvation. His sovereign grace will have the final say, not our efforts nor a child’s immature mind and heart. But we can better serve our children and students by applying wise discernment when we share the gospel with them.

In his excellent book, The Faith of a Child: A Step-By-Step Guide to Salvation for Your Child, pastor Art Murphy gives some questions for helping us discern a child’s profession of faith. Here are a few of them,

Can the child explain in his or her own words the basics of becoming a Christian? When explaining how one becomes a Christian, does the child use “good works” answers such as “going to church, reading the Bible, getting baptized, praying, being good,” etc.? Or do his answers mention his need for forgiveness?

Does the child have an affection for Jesus or a strong desire to be close to Him? Does he show a passion to follow Jesus or just a basic knowledge of the facts about Him?

Does the child demonstrate a personal need or desire to repent of his sin? Is the child ashamed of the sin in his life? Knowing what sin is, is not the same as being ashamed of sin. If a child is not repentant but goes ahead and makes a decision to become a Christian, then his decision is premature and incomplete.

Listen to how he talks about salvation. Is there an urgency on his part? Does he have a personal desire to talk about salvation?

Does the child demonstrate a personal desire to make this commitment with his life, or is he just being agreeable with those around him who want him to become a Christian?

Is this a way of getting some undivided attention or public recognition?

What influenced him most to make this choice?

Has his decision come after realizing how much he needs and wants Jesus in his life? (pp. 73-78)

Again, our child’s or student’s ability to fully communicate or articulate conversion is not ultimate in salvation — God is. But these questions are helpful reminders for parents and teachers to pray for and apply great wisdom when our children and students express a desire to repent and believe the good news of the gospel.

Parents, we’ve developed Helping Children to Understand the Gospel, a concise, helpful booklet to use with your children. It includes a 10-week family devotional to help you explain the Gospel to your children, and explores the following topics: preparing the hearts of children to hear the Gospel, discerning stages of spiritual growth, communicating the essential truths of the Gospel, and presenting the Gospel in an accurate and child-friendly manner.

The Joy of Overlooking an Offense

Article by Scotty Smith Pastor, Franklin, Tennessee

My wife and I just returned from an awesome eight-night holiday in one of our favorite spots in the world — the little village of Iseltwald, nestled on the Lake of Brienz, ten kilometers from Interlaken, Switzerland. No place makes me happier and hungrier for the life we’ll enjoy in the new heaven and new earth.

But as wonderful as it was to celebrate my wife’s “39th birthday” in Switzerland (we’ve been married 46 years), there were moments when the brokenness of my attitude contradicted the beauty of the Alps.

When Life Gets Very Irritating

My capacity for aggravation and irritability and resentment followed me onto our flight to Zurich and then into different scenarios in the land of yodeling and chocolate. What does a follower of Jesus do when:

• Fellow travelers put their oversized carry-on luggage in the overhead bin directly over your assigned seat?

• Flight attendants seem to enjoy attending to the needs of those all around you, but treat you as invisible passengers?

• Free Wi-Fi on your flight faithfully delivers “feedback” emails including “constructive criticism” about your last sermon and preaching attire, your “redneck” sounding accent, and your lack of late-night accessibility?

• Robust young men on a packed bus don’t offer your back-pained wife a seat?

• By happenstance, you run into an old friend in the high-elevation village of Mürren, who mentions the name of another college friend — a friend who has caused you the yet-to-be-healed pain of betrayal?

• A hotel reservation you made months ago, for your last night in Switzerland, suddenly disappears, though you have four confirmation letters, and you have to scramble to rebook in a region of sold-out hotels?

Indeed, what should a follower of Jesus do in response to everything from normal life-in-a-fallen-world brokenness, to encounters with irritating people and provoking circumstances, to intentional insults and mean-spirited slights?

The good news is that the gospel doesn’t make us less human, but more human. As followers of Jesus, we experience the full range of disappointments and emotions common to all image bearers of God. But, by God’s grace, we can learn to steward them rather than live as slaves to them. We can learn to respond as redemptively as possible, as opposed to reacting selfishly and self-righteously. And we can actually find joy when we “overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11).

Five Happy Reasons to Overlook an Offense

Joy in overlooking offenses? Yes. Joy from what? Let’s look at five things the Bible says can give us joy if we’re willing to receive them.

But first, let’s be clear: overlooking an offense must not be confused with submitting to abusive people or morally and ethically unacceptable circumstances. Jesus calls us to be foot washers, not doormats.

However, there are at least five reasons that joy is found in overlooking an offense.

1. Gospel Sensibilities

When we overlook an offense, we can rejoice that we’re growing gospel sensibilities and tasting true glory. The Bible says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11). The shorter our anger-fuse, the quicker we’ll take offense at anything and anyone. “Good sense” is gospel sense.

The more the truth of the gospel renews our minds and shapes our perspective, the quicker and easier we’ll overlook stuff. We’ll care more about honoring Jesus by our reactions to irritating people and aggravating circumstances and give up on the illusion of having a hassle-free, painless life. There is tremendous joy in caring more about God’s glory than our own reputation, convenience, and rights. God will always be most glorified in us when we are most satisfied, joyful, at peace, and free in him.

2. Owning Our Sin

When we overlook an offense, we can rejoice that we’re starting to acknowledge our own sin. We begin to believe that the log in our eye is a bigger issue than the speck in anyone else’s eye (Matthew 5:38–42). The freest, most joyful Christians I know are the quickest repenters. It’s not that they have less to repent of; they’re just faster at owning their sin, humbling themselves, and resting in Jesus.

As the gospel moves us from Satan’s condemnation into the Spirit’s conviction, we become more aware that we need the grace of God as much as anyone who sins against us, and there’s tremendous joy associated with that kind of humility. We take less offense and extend more grace; we are more patient and less petty; we are getting better at waiting than whining. We’re more realistic about life among ordinary sinners who, like us, love poorly — and wiser about what to take seriously, and what to completely ignore.

3. God’s Spirit at Work

When we overlook an offense, we can rejoice that God’s grace and Spirit are becoming more operative, transforming powers in our lives. As Christians, we are called to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Growth in grace results in our getting to know Jesus better, who desires that we will have the fullness of his joy in us (John 15:11).

And as we surrender to the work of the Spirit in our lives, he grows a vibrant crop of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” — the very anti-fruit of an easily offended spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). The Holy Spirit also leads us into a greater experience of our sonship (Romans 8:15–17), which gives us even greater joy in seeing our Father at work in all things for our good — even in the most off-putting, irritating, and offensive scenarios (Romans 8:28). God never promised to do all things easy but all things well.

4. Freedom from Approval Seeking

When we overlook an offense, we can rejoice that we’re gaining freedom from living as approval seekers. Christians are a people whose joy need not be connected to what others think and say about us, or how they relate and react to us. As Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

To fear people isn’t so much to be afraid of them, but to esteem their approval too much. We look either to God or to people as the fountain and fuel of our joy. People always make poor saviors. We can’t freely or joyfully love anyone whom we’ve given the power to either shame us or exalt us.

5. Forgiving as the Forgiven

When we overlook an offense, we can rejoice that we’re getting better at forgiving others as we’ve been forgiven in Christ. There is no greater non sequitur in the entire universe, or the history of mankind, than for those of us who have been forgiven all our sins — every sinful thought, word, and deed — to withhold forgiveness from others (Matthew 18:21–35).

It was our Father’s kindness that led (and still leads) us to repentance (Romans 2:4). So where do we think our rigid, easily offended, keeping-record-of-wrongs attitudes will lead people? As Paul wrote, we are to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Our joy in forgiving others is directly connected to the unspeakable, glorious joy of God’s forgiveness of us and his great delight in us.

Scotty Smith (@ScottyWardSmith) is the founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-joy-of-overlooking-an-offense?fbclid=IwAR0oYxyt8JPzAxL94lZDTjFAGVqB-yGmpJDW1cbkjah4YgGNndjACq898Qo

Joy Can Be Yours - Today

Article by Kevin Carson

Regardless of your circumstances today, joy can be yours. Many Christians struggle daily with discontentment, discouragement, disappointment, and some depression. If you are in that group, joy seems like an empty, distant promise with no hope of every experiencing it. This is simply not true. You can begin to have joy today.

Joy is found in Christ.

Notice how Peter reminded his readers of joy:

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Peter explains that the Christian should greatly rejoice or experience joy. When? Now – even though you are experiencing various trials. The reason? Because you rejoice with deep and glorious joy since you will ultimately experience the salvation of your soul.

What about being in Christ brings joy?

Peter stresses (1 Pet 1:3-5) that the joy comes from this confidence as an in Christ person: you are born again which means you will experience salvation. As a born again person, you have a living hope since Jesus arose from the grave. As a born again person, you have an inheritance kept by God that is reserved in heaven for you. And, your salvation by God will be revealed in the last time.

This is the reason for joy. Even though your circumstances may not be what you want them to be, God guarantees you something of much, much greater worth – your salvation. So today, begin making your way toward joy by focusing on what God provides you in Christ rather than focusing on your circumstances.

Posted at: https://kevincarson.com/2018/10/15/joy-can-be-yours-today-1-minute-mondays/

Safety

Article by Jay Younts, Shepherds Press

“Be safe!”

This is frequently the last thing you say to your children when they leave the house. Often the plan for their safety doesn’t go much beyond theses words. Yes, you have taught them to be good drivers, you have told them which situations they should avoid, and you may have even encouraged them to pray for God’s protection. But in your heart, if you think too long about it, there is a nagging fear for your children’s safety, a fear that goes beyond just physical safety. You hope they will be make safe choices in selecting friends and in the activities they do. 

However, you know the true dangers your children face. They are the same ones that you face. And you remember that your parents said the same thing to you, “be safe.” Internally, you hope your words will be more effective than your parents’ words were to you. 

What can you do to help your children be really safe, safe from themselves. safe from the snares of life? The Holy Spirit calls to you from Psalm 31 to petition God, to cry out to him for protection. Hear these words of petition:

“O Lord, I have come to you for protection;

don’t let me be disgraced.

Save me, for you do what is right.

Turn your ear to listen to me;

rescue me quickly.

Be my rock of protection,

a fortress where I will be safe.

You are my rock and my fortress.

For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.

Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,

for I find protection in you alone.

I entrust my spirit into your hand.

Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.”

“Save me, listen to me, rescue me, be my rock, my fortress, for the honor of your name, lead me out of danger.” These are powerful words of petition. I can hear the question, how do these personal petitions protect my children? The answer is that learning to trust God is the path of safety. This is something that Deuteronomy teaches that is to be passed on from parents’ hearts to the hearts of their children. This is what it means to impress the wonders of God upon the hearts of your children. 

Safety has to do with honoring God. If he is honored then he can be trusted for safety no  matter what circumstances may occur. If you learn this and practice the power of petition you will be able to model it for your children. Seeing it lived out in you will lead them to petition God for their safety.  From your heart to their heart – this is true safety!

Lay Aside the Weight of Irritability

Jon Bloom

Sunday morning. The Bloom family is bustling to the van for church and a debate arises between two or three about who’s going to sit where. We’re cutting it close for time as it is. Out of my mouth come firm words in a sharp tone, “Stop the bickering! Get in and sit down!”

Saturday, early afternoon. The Saturday family chore list is still long and my anxiety rises when I think that we won’t get done what needs to get done. I move into sergeant mode and start barking brusque orders. Things get done, but the family tone has turned surly.

Weekday night, about 9pm. I enter the children’s bedroom to give the occupants their bedtime blessing and find clothes and toys still on the floor. With a clap of my hands I tersely say, “Get up and get these things put away — now! You were told to do this earlier!” Nothing like a peaceful bedtime blessing.

Irritability. I give in to it too often. It’s time to take this sin more seriously and lay it aside (Hebrews 12:1). Every time I’m irritable I burden myself with the detrimental weights of prideful selfishness and relational conflict. And as my irritation overflows on others, it burdens them too because my harsh words stir up anger in them (Proverbs 15:1).

Does God Get Irritated?

We like to blame our irritability on someone or something else. We try to convince ourselves (and them) that they make us irritated. If they were different, we wouldn’t be irritated. Or we blame it on being tired, ill, or stressed. But Paul diagnoses irritability as a heart disease; a failure to love: “Love . . . is not irritable” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5).

But we need to press on this a bit, because the Greek word that Paul uses here, paroxynō, which the ESV translates as “irritable,” can also be translated as “provoked” or “kindled,” or “incited.” It’s the same Greek word (paroxynō) that the Greek Old Testament uses in Isaiah 5:25 when the prophet said that God was provoked or kindled to anger by Israel. So if love (agape) is not provoked (1 Corinthians 13:5), and God is love (agape) (1 John 4:8), how can it be okay for God to be provoked to anger?

“There are just, righteous, loving, and therefore necessary reasons to be provoked to anger.”TweetShare on Facebook

The answer is that being provoked to anger in general isn’t the issue Paul is addressing. He (and we) knows there are just, righteous, loving, and therefore necessary reasons to be provoked to anger. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:5is addressing the short fuse, our becoming too quickly or too easily provoked to anger. That’s why the ESV chose “irritable” and why the KJV translators chose “easily provoked.”

When God gets angry, he takes a remarkably slow time to get there (Exodus 34:6). God is provoked to anger, but he is never irritable. He only gets angry for very good reasons, when the glory of his holy righteousness and justice is despised and violated. And his anger, though when unleashed is the most devastating and terrifying thing any conscious being can experience, is always thoughtful, faultlessly appropriate, and perfectly measured. And like God, we too are to be “slow to anger” (James 1:19). We are to be angry, but not sin (Ephesians 4:26).

The Selfishness of Irritation

Our irritability never has its roots in the soils of righteousness. It springs out of the soil of selfishness and springs up fast, like the sin-weed that it is. We get irritated or easily provoked, not when God’s righteousness or justice is scorned, but when something we want is being denied, delayed, or disrupted. It works like this:

• When I’m weary I want rest, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m sick or in pain I want relief, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m preoccupied I want uninterrupted focus, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m running late I want to avoid appearing negligent, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m disappointed I want my desire fulfilled, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m fearful I want escape from a threat, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m uncertain I want certainty, preferably reassuring, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

• When I’m enjoying something I want to continue until I wish to be done, but if it’s denied/delayed/disrupted I get irritated.

The reason irritability is unloving, unrighteous anger is that it is a selfish response to an obstacle to our desire. What we desire may not be sinful, but a selfish response to its denial, delay, or disruption is a failure to trust God at all times (Psalm 62:8) — and often a failure to value, love, and serve another human soul.

“There is never a right time for irritability. Love is not irritable.”TweetShare on Facebook

Jesus didn’t die for our punctuality, earthly reputation, convenience, or our leisure. But he did die for souls. It is likely that the worth of the soul(s) we’re irritable with is infinitely more precious to God than the thing we desire. We must not dishonor God, whose image that person bears, by being irritable with them. There are necessary times for considered, thoughtful, measured, righteous, loving anger at priceless but sinful souls. But there is never a right time for irritability. Love is not irritable.

S.T.O.P. Being Irritable

If you’re like me and have cultivated over the course of your life a habitual indulgence in selfish irritation, it’s going to take some hard work to retrain ourselves in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). We need something simple to call to mind when the oft-pulled irritation trigger is squeezed. This might be helpful:

• S. — Stop, repent, and ask. We must awkwardly stop immediately — even mid-rant — to repent of our sin, and ask, “What am I desiring that is being denied, delayed or disrupted?”

• T. — Trust a promise. Collect promises like 2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 4:19, and Philippians 4:11–13 to trust that combat your areas of temptation to irritation.

• O. — Obey. Remember that your emotions are gauges, not guides. Don’t let irritation reign in you (Romans 6:12). As you obey 1 Corinthians 13:5in faith you will find that your emotions will, however reluctantly at first, follow. Love obeys (John 14:15).

• P. — Plan. Yes, plan. More forethought and intention can be a spiritual discipline, an act of love, and a weapon against sin by avoiding temptations to irritability. Ask yourself, “When am I frequently irritable?” To test your self-understanding, ask this question of those who know you best (and often may be the recipients of your irritation). And based on the answers, seek to put into place some systems and habits that will remove irritable stumbling blocks from your path. Pursue the escape from temptation offered by the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:13) by taking advantage of the grace of planning.

Don’t be discouraged by the fact that this is hard going at first. Changing ingrained habits is hard work. But it is possible through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Keep working at it. Faithful effort to lay aside this weight will result in lighter, more loving, and more joyful faith-running down the road.

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) serves as author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God. He is author of three books, Not by Sight, Things Not Seen, and Don’t Follow Your Heart. He and his wife live in the Twin Cities with their five children.

Article posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lay-aside-the-weight-of-irritability?utm_campaign=Daily+Email&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66595519&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OYEzvfP0bRbvnKosKkFprg5vZ1d6BJivUgHq-r4ywLBd_8lqs1yK38CvM2efAV_aS6MPvUl1Iozk-EjHXhthpKgL5Zw&_hsmi=66595519

How Should Christians Think about the Legalization of Cannabis?

Article by Jake LaFave

On October 17, recreational cannabis use will become legal across Canada to those old enough to buy alcohol in a given province. In doing so, Canada will become only the second country in the world to legalize recreational weed nationwide. (Uruguay is the other.)

This legislative move has been applauded as “progressive” and “historic” by politicians,[1]and even a “good news announcement” by marijuana producers and distributors.[2] But what are followers of Jesus across the country to think of the legalization of marijuana? Recently, some have made the dubious claim that the ministries of Moses and Jesus were fuelled by THC-laced oil.[3] The High Times even published an article on a “Bible Study,” where instead of passing around Bundt cake participants pass around bongs as they open the Scriptures.[4] In light of the growing positive reception marijuana is receiving both in and outside the church, the question is worth asking, how should we think about this?

Distinguishing Medical from Recreational

First, it is both helpful and necessary for Christians to distinguish between the medicinal use of marijuana and its recreational usage. To help make this distinction we can look at the use of morphine (an opiate just like heroin) for pain. Few if any Christians would argue that heroin is a suitable alternative to marijuana, yet nearly identical drugs are widely accepted and used in our Canadian medical system. The effectiveness of prescription cannabinoids (the active chemical compound in marijuana) to reduce pain, nausea, and vomiting has been widely acknowledged by the medical community.[5] But using marijuana for medical purposes isn’t the same as using it simply to get high, and make no mistake about it, that is the point of recreational use.

Recreational Marijuana Use as Sin

For some Christians the argument to use marijuana recreationally is as simple as equating it with having a beer. This just isn’t the case. While a person can enjoy alcohol responsibly without necessarily feeling the effects of intoxication, the point of smoking marijuana recreationally is to feel the effects of intoxication. One study showed that intoxication occurs with the ingestion of about 7 mg of THC,[6] or about four puffs of a joint. No one lights a joint looking for a nuanced flavour profile, but rather for a nuanced and specific high. On the topic of the importance of sober-mindedness, both the Old and New Testament are overflowing with not-so-subtle commands.[7] Both Galatians 5:21 and 1 Corinthians 6:10 tell us that those who persist in seeking their comfort in some sort of intoxication will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Recreational Marijuana Use as Opposed to the Flourishing Life

Not only will marijuana most likely lead to a violation of the biblical commands for sobriety, but prolonged recreational marijuana use will ultimately render us unable to enjoy a flourishing life which is rightly ours in Christ. In other words, the commands to be “sober-minded” are for a reason:

• In Ephesians 5 we learn that it is the sober-minded in Christ who will be filled with the Spirit.

• Proverbs tells us that a lack of sober-mindedness can lead to poverty and a whole host of worldly anxiety.

• Hosea 4 reminds us that much wine leads to a lack of understanding.

• Isaiah 28 says it leads to a lack of judgment.

Recreational Marijuana Use as a Failure to Love Thy Neighbour

The Apostle Paul tells us that in Christ we have been given “a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Paul is reminding Timothy of this in a passage centred around Timothy’s pastoral and evangelistic work, meaning not only is recreational marijuana and the inevitable intoxication opposed to a flourishing life, it is also a way in which we fail to love our neighbour. Self-control isn’t something the Spirit gives us for our own sake; he gives us self-control that we might be beacons of stability in a volatile world. Philip Towner writes about Paul’s use of self-control here:

When everything is coming unglued, this quality of “levelheadedness” will keep the Christian focused calmly on the power and love that the Spirit provides, and so it makes perseverance in life and ministry possible.[8]

To Towner’s description I would add: Spirit-granted “levelheadedness” not only makes persevering in life and ministry possible, it makes it powerful. In a medicated age where days are scheduled according to happy hours and dispensary hours, the “self-controlled” Christian tells their neighbour that there is a better and more excellent way. In this age, is there anything more strange (and thus question-inviting) than a person who is able to withstand the storms of life without the aid of substances?

The Gospel Opportunity

So then, how should we respond? Ultimately, the legalization of marijuana across our country provides us a tremendous opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. In years past, congregations and pastors could quickly dismiss marijuana as illegal, rightly citing Romans 13 and Paul’s command therein to “be subject to the governing authorities.” But those days are gone—and with their departure comes a new opportunity to speak to the heart: “What are you lacking that you’d turn to marijuana instead of Christ?”

[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cannabis-pot-legalization-bill-1.4713839

[2] Ibid. See embedded video in article

[3] https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/bn5z7v/did-jesus-perform-his-miracles-with-cannabis-oil

[4] https://hightimes.com/culture/onward-christian-stoners/

[5] https://cowardoncology.thrivex.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/NEJM-medicinal-use-of-marijuana.pdf

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2668079/pdf/bcp0067-0005.pdf

[7] Eph.5:18; Gal. 5:21; 1 Pet. 5:8; 1 Cor. 6:10; Prov. 23:20-21, 23:39-35; Isa. 5:11; Hos. 4:11; 1 Cor. 5:11; Isa. 28:7; Matt. 24:48-49

[8] Towner, 1-2 Timothy and Titus, p. 161

Jake LeFave is a church planter with Christ City Church in Vancouver, BC. He and his wife Maisie have three sons, Harvey, Theodore, and Markus. 

Article posted at: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-should-christians-think-about-the-legalization-of-cannabis/