by R. Herbert | Aug 21, 2014 | Overcoming, Strategic Notes
The Bible gives us good advice on how to deal with feelings of anger – something that we all experience from time to time. However, perhaps the clearest and most detailed example of this strategy comes from an unexpected source which most people miss in their reading of the Bible: an example from the life of Christ himself. See the short article we have uploaded to our
Strategic Understanding page today: “
Not Rushing to Anger.”
by R. Herbert | Aug 18, 2014 | The Church & the World
As Christians it is easy to become desensitized to the bad and the not so good aspects of the world around us. We learn to look away from advertisements, images, words and media content that are clearly spiritually lacking, to say the least. But this can make us unnecessarily passive and accepting of things we might possibly be able to change. Now I’m the first to admit that we need balance in this – there is a balance between being constantly judgmental on the one hand, yet trying to make the world a better place where we can on the other.
An experience recently set me thinking about this. A website I utilize regularly redid its home page recently and the image on the new front page was in poor taste, to say the least – and bordering on the obscene from my own perspective. I need to use this site, and so I wrinkled my nose and tried to look past the image several times as I logged in. Then I decided I wasn’t going to do that any more, and I went looking for the “contact” link.
I sent an email to the site explaining that I was a regular customer, but that I was pretty much grossed-out by the image that greeted me every time I logged in. I made the point that just because most people don’t complain didn’t mean that there were not many others who were also offended by the new image. Finally, I stressed that I knew they were a professional company and that the image really did not fit the high standards they doubtless wanted to convey – so (especially if they wanted to keep my business) would they please find a better image for their welcome screen. Although I didn’t really expect them to change, and thought I would probably have to just go find another website, I got a message back from the site’s webmaster saying my complaint would be passed to management. To my surprise, when I returned to the site the next day the offensive image was gone and it has not returned.
This small experience reminded me that the more we speak out, the more we can make a difference in the world in which we and our kids live. Sometimes it may be in the smallest way, but it is still making a difference. I know culture is deteriorating all around us in all kinds of ways, and we can’t spend our lives focusing on the details of that slide; but there are also millions of Christians in the world and if we take a few moments to speak up, we may find many situations where speaking out will accomplish something.
So next time you are offended at something in advertising, television or wherever, if there is a way to contact the people behind the public offensiveness and you have opportunity, don’t hesitate to speak up – you just might be heard!
by R. Herbert | Aug 14, 2014 | Warriors of the Way
Sometimes military missions go wrong. It may be just a small mishap, or it may be a major problem that endangers the success of the mission and the lives of those involved. At other times the mission may be faced with the need for ongoing exertion that leads to a level of exhaustion almost at the limits of endurance. At times like these, the response from officers and from encouraging comrades alike is often “Charlie Mike!” – military speak for “C” “M” – the acronym for “Continue Mission!”
Every Christian knows that things can go wrong in the Christian life and in Christian missions, too. It’s not all a bed of blessings and roses as some might try to make it out to be. Sometimes the Christian fighter can also be exhausted to the extreme, just in different ways to what may be found in many military ops. It’s a slower, psychological exhaustion that can come from fighting the odds in an ongoing situation that doesn’t seem to let up.
Maybe that’s why the word of God exhorts us repeatedly to continue in the mission we have been given. Notice what the great ancient military commander Joshua told those fighting with him: “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left” (Joshua 23:6 Holman Bible). King Solomon put it another way: “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day” (Proverbs 23:17 ESV).
Sometimes the encouragement to continue is something we need to ask for – especially when things go wrong. When Peter and John and the early Christians came under persecution, help to continue the mission is precisely what they asked for: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29 ESV).
The Bible makes it clear that that is exactly the attitude God wants to see in us. Solomon, at the height of his wisdom, before his own downfall (1 Kings 11:11), recognized that God is with us to the degree that we continue: “… there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way” (2 Chronicles 6:14 NIV).
It’s a central fact about walking with God and striving to complete His mission for us that we must not forget. God will continue to equip us to persevere, but we have to discard any and all thoughts of discouragement and exercise faith in the One who sets the mission parameters, and who empowers those He calls to the mission. Ultimately it is continuing that defines the true warrior as opposed to the short-term soldier or follower who falls by the way. We have that on the authority of the greatest Commander in Chief, who said specifically: “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples” (John 8:31 Holman Bible). That’s the goal and encouragement we all need to focus on. That’s the ultimate “Charlie Mike!”
by R. Herbert | Aug 11, 2014 | Persecution, The Church & the World
The #WeAreN Campaign is bringing attention to persecuted Christians in Iraq. The campaign is named for the letter N or “Nun” in the Arabic alphabet (as shown in the illustration) which fanatical Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants have placed on the homes of Christians in areas of Iraq they now control.
The letter “Nun” is being used to signify the Arabic word for “Nazarene” (Christian) on Christian homes in much the same way that Jews were forced to wear Star of David armbands in Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
It is unclear what the final fate of many of the Iraqi Christians marked by this sign will be, but already hundreds of Christians have been killed, often in a brutally barbaric manner. If you haven’t already seen the reports, news services have confirmed the fact that ISIS is routinely beheading men, women and children and numbers have been crucified, while thousands of Christians are being driven from their homes and possessions. This is in addition to the desecration and destruction of Christian churches and tombs.
The #WeAreN campaign now underway has helped fuel protests across the United States and in many parts of the world against these horrendous crimes and in support of the multiple thousands of Christians being victimized by ISIS. World leaders are being urged, by means of active demonstrations in many cities around the globe, to stop the anti-Christian genocide, and we see increasing support for counteraction as tens of thousands of people change their social media photos to images of the Arabic “N” in identification and support.
US President Barack Obama has begun to act in regard to this situation. Although the response has been slow in coming and is still small, it is to be hoped that leaders of the US and countries around the world will quickly escalate support for the Christians and others in Iraq who are being targeted by ISIS.
In addition to participating in the #WeAreN campaign, Christians everywhere can pray for their brothers and sisters in Iraq. As Christians we should also pray for those who are committing this kind of persecution in Iraq and in other areas in the world. We need to pray that the eyes of these people might be opened to see the evil of what they are doing, and to turn from it.
by R. Herbert | Aug 7, 2014 | Fellowship, The Church & the World
A recent issue of
Christianity Today carried a very interesting interview with researcher and author Dr. Philip Jenkins on Global Christianity. Dr. Jenkins was asked: “What are some differences in global attitudes to the nature of the Bible and the Old Testament?” Here, in this short excerpt, is part of his answer: “When you are in Europe or the United States, if you are dealing with ordinary, secular people, the Old Testament can be almost an embarrassment. ‘We do not understand [it]. This is an ancient, primitive world. This is of no relevance to us.’
If you go to many parts of Africa there’s the opposite problem – which is that people can be tempted to read the Old Testament, see it as so relevant, so immediate that they don’t need anything else. The church in the Sudan, for example, tries very hard not to issue translations of the Book of Leviticus because the danger is the people will just read that and not want the New Testament, because Leviticus was so obviously written for their [kind of] society.
Think about that in terms of evangelism. If I am talking to an American or a European and I’m trying to explain a concept like atonement, that’s a very strange idea. Blood sacrifice is strange and alien. But now imagine trying to spread that same message in a society in Africa where they’re very used to the idea of animal sacrifice. They know the idea that blood pays the price of sin. All you have to get across is the idea that all these sacrifices are trivial. There is one sacrifice, which is Christ. They can understand that.” You can read the whole interview here (
Christianity Today: Mar 21, 2014, subscription required).
The article certainly makes one think about the many other differences in viewpoint that must apply to Christians in various cultures looking at the Bible from a primarily Old Testament perspective, or an almost wholly New Testament perspective. Moral of the story: being aware of this difference can help us in interacting and working with people of like mind – but different cultural perspectives – around the world.
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