When ancient Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, they were told that God would drive out the Canaanites before them and that the Israelites were to destroy any who remained.
The Bible tells us that this judgment was delivered on the Canaanite people because of their extreme depravity. The Canaanites would sacrifice their children – putting them to death in order to gain some advantage for themselves, to make their lives better. The Israelites were warned time and again not to follow that way (Leviticus 18:21, 24 and Deuteronomy 18:9-13).
In the past, some skeptics challenged whether such a horrible practice could actually have existed in ancient Canaan; yet actual evidence of child sacrifice by the Canaanites does exist. Several ancient Egyptian wall reliefs carved in the temples of Karnak and Luxor, actually depict the abominable practice (A. Spalinger, “A Canaanite Ritual Found in Egyptian Reliefs,” Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities 8 [1978]:47-60.).
If we fast forward to today’s world it is sad that so many cultures have chosen to go that same way in what has become a genocide without borders – the abortion of countless unborn babies. Today abortion is viewed as an acceptable sacrifice – for some, even up to the time of the birth of a child – to personal convenience. The usual rationale, of course, is that before birth babies are not people. Biblically, however, it is clear that life begins before birth, and the Bible gave clear laws to protect the life of the unborn (Jeremiah 1:5, 20:17; Exodus 21:22-23, etc.).
But even though many people do not know or accept the biblical view of life before birth, it may be surprising to learn that widespread abortion is something that a majority of people do not accept or want. According to a recent national public opinion poll conducted in the United States by the highly respected Marist Institute for Public Opinion, eight in ten Americans support “substantial restrictions” on abortion. In fact, a majority would limit abortion to cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother – or would prefer not to allow it at all. In fact, only one in ten Americans say they would prefer no restrictions on abortion while most Americans – feel abortion is “morally wrong.”
So if most people in our democratic society feel they would like to limit widespread abortion, why is nothing done to restrict it? The answer may lie in the fact that many people say they feel afraid to speak out on the topic because people who do so are so mercilessly attacked by the minority of people who want unrestricted abortion. It has become not politically correct to even mention abortion, but fine to practice it. So, we have a tragic disconnect in our society – between what many people believe deep down and the fact that they feel unwilling or unable to do anything about stopping what they believe is wrong.
Whatever nation we live in, whenever we have an election it is our choice that will determine whether we begin to limit abortion or reinforce and expand the practice. It is a choice we cannot sidestep by not voting, and the words of famed theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died in the Nazi Holocaust, are relevant: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil … Not to act is to act.” Choosing one way takes us along the path of humane love for the vulnerable and defenseless unborn – the way of parental acceptance or adoption. Choosing the other path takes us yet further into the ways of the Canaanites who sacrificed their children in order to gain some selfish advantage or convenience for themselves. We vote with our hands – and the lives of millions of unborn children are in our hands.
Jesus said his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and the New Testament stresses that his followers are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). But does this mean that as Christians we should not love and identify with our individual countries? Some feel that honoring a physical country is contrary to the understanding of Christian “citizenship” – what does the Bible teach on this?
It is certainly true that every Christian is called to a universal family in which there is no distinction between Jew or Gentile, male or female (Galatians 3:28 ) – or for that matter, Americans, English, French, Nigerians or citizens of any nation. But many scriptures show that as members of the family of God, we can still appreciate and celebrate our own individual cultural heritage or nationality.
A verse often used to help show that our identity with our own nation is acceptable is Jeremiah 29:7, where God’s people were encouraged to pray for their city (which was, at that time, Babylon!) and country. In a similar manner, we find Psalm 122:6 urging us to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and many other psalms praying for, or encouraging others to pray for, the land and people of Israel.
So identity with and support of one’s nation is certainly found in the Old Testament, but what about the New Testament – did Christ’s teaching and the establishment of the Christian faith do away with love and concern for one’s country?
When we remember that Jesus wept over the fate of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-39, Luke 19:41-44) and the apostle Paul wrote that one of his chief desires was for his fellow Jews to be saved (Romans 10:1), we see the expression of a specific attitude. That attitude does not view the Israelites as being more important than other peoples (John 10:16; 1 Timothy 2:4), but it shows the importance of the welfare of one’s country and fellow citizens for both Jesus and Paul.
At the most basic level, the question “Is love of country biblical?” revolves around the concept of nations within the Bible. Are the nations themselves purely human constructs that somehow are in opposition to God’s will? The Scriptures give overwhelming evidence that this is not so. Abraham was told by God that all the nations of the world – not just the peoples – would be blessed through him (Genesis 22:18). Deuteronomy 32:8 tells us that God himself gave the nations their inheritance and set their boundaries, and we see the continuation of the individual nations in God’s plan for humanity throughout the books of the Bible.
Consider the many verses that show this in the Bible’s final book. The Book of Revelation tells us that those who overcome will rule over the nations (Revelation 2:26), and that all nations will eventually worship before God (Revelation 15:4). At its conclusion, in its description of the New Earth, Revelation stresses that the nations will walk according to God’s light (Revelation 21:24), that the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:26), and that the tree of life will be there for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).
So the Bible does not show that human nations are simply part of human government that will be superseded by the government of God – nations are clearly in existence in the Kingdom of God itself. We should never place our physical nation, like anything else, before our allegiance to God (Acts 5:29), but we are free to appreciate and support our individual nations and, like Jesus and Paul, to love them.
As Christians we know and understand that the Church is the “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27) – that it is a body of individual people who have become spiritually fused in him. Yet we must sometimes remind ourselves of what the Church is not.
Church is not a building you go to
William “Billy” Sunday’s famous line that “Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile” is still as true now as it was back in the early part of the Twentieth Century, and it is a principle with deep scriptural support. The Church is not the physical building, but the spiritual one.
The apostle Peter affirmed this in writing: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…” (1 Peter 2:5), and the author of the book of Hebrews likewise tells us: “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (Hebrews 3:6).
Confusing the physical building with the spiritual building and its mission can lead to problems when resources and time are focused on the physical place we worship rather than the job the worship calls us to do. A church building may be a nice structure, with beautiful stained glass windows, but the Spirit of God does not work through buildings. A way to test our own relationship with that truth is to ask ourselves, rather than saying “Today is the day we go to church,” how natural is it to say “Today is the day the Church goes to our building.”
Church is not a denomination you join
The famous pastor and writer A. W. Tozer was fond of saying that “One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.” We can apply this truth to the understanding that the Church of God is not a denomination – no matter how large (or exclusively small). We must frequently remind ourselves that not all Christians are in any one denomination, and not everyone in any denomination is a Christian.
We have only to read the book of Acts to see that even the earliest Church had “denominations” – we read of factions which required circumcision and those who did not, groups that taught all aspects of the law of Moses and those who did not – yet they are all said to have been part of the Church.
For most of us this may not be an issue. But many Christians do shy away from fellowship with those who do not agree with them on all points of doctrine. And sometimes the division is even within denominations. It is not entirely uncommon for congregations to sometimes focus on their own needs and programs rather than on the bigger picture of what is being done nationally and worldwide. In either case, it can be helpful for us all to think of the Church more broadly.
Church is not a social activity you participate in
In the famous words of American basketball player and coach John Wooden, we should “Never mistake activity for achievement,” and unless we see the Church as something very distinct from church activities, we can faithfully participate in socials, campouts, sing-alongs, movie nights and all kinds of other activities without ever having fulfilled the purpose of the Church in our lives. As Christian writer Thom Rainer puts it in an article discussing activity-driven churches: “Many churches are busy, probably too busy. Church calendars fill quickly with a myriad of programs and activities. While no individual activity may be problematic, the presence of so many options can be” (Seven Problems with an Activity Driven Church).
We all understand that fellowship is an integral part of what the Church is all about, but an endless stream of activities replaces real fellowship with activities having their own focus, and that can be self-defeating for any congregation. Among his seven points Rainer reminds us that activity is not biblical purpose, that busyness can take us away from connecting with other believers and non-believers. A congregation that is too busy can hurt families, and an activity-driven church often has no real presence in the community.
These are all things we should think about at times. It is vital that every Christian understand that activities are not really church any more than buildings or individual denominations are. We are called to a community that far exceeds any and all of these things.
Global warming continues to be a topic provoking concern, debate and cries for action among many. We are used to meteorologists making accurate forecasts of the temperature even many days in advance – often to the precise degree – and so many may be concerned when climatologists forecast dangerous temperature changes for the coming decades.
But what would you think about a forecast that predicted temperatures several thousand years in advance?
Some two thousand years ago Jesus of Nazareth made such a forecast regarding moral and ethical temperature declines at the end of the present age, saying: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).
Perhaps there has always been evil in this world and a resulting coldness in human hearts and interactions, but Christ clearly stated that there would come a time when the love of most would grow cold. The Greek expression (ton pollon) translated “of many” in some Bibles is better translated – as in the NIV – “of most” or “of the majority,” showing that this coldness was something that would eventually be widespread and would be the norm rather than the exception.
Spiritually, the problem our world faces is not global warming, but global cooling. We see this moral chill every day in news reports not only of atrocities committed by religious and political fanatics, but also hate crimes against total strangers, and even violence by parents against their own children and spouses against each other. Just as frightening is the fact that the immediate context of Christ’s forecast is not necessarily only talking about the unconverted of the world – it seems to apply to religious people as well.
If you or I heard a forecast of impending unbelievably cold physical temperatures, we would doubtless take action to do what we could to survive the situation and help offset the cold as best we could. But do we take Christ’s moral forecast seriously enough to take action in that regard? And what, if anything, can we do to offset the growing lack of love this world seems even now to be experiencing – and which also unavoidably affects Christians?
Fortunately, the same book that forecasts the cooling of love indicates things we can do to turn that climate change around, even if only in our own lives. Consider these four Christian climate warmers:
1) Forgiveness: The Gospel of John tells us the story of the woman who anointed Christ in the home of a disapproving Pharisee. Jesus told the Pharisee that although the woman had sinned much in her life, those who are forgiven much, love much (John 7:46-47). We can apply that principle to ourselves in terms of looking at those around us in the moral wilderness in which we live. As society worsens around us, it’s easy to become judgmental – like the Pharisee – if we are not careful. But reminding ourselves of how much we have been forgiven can help us feel and show more love to those whose lives are still in the grip of sin.
2) Prayer: We can and should be praying for God’s love, of course, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves to break that prayer down. Something that can help in this regard is to put names to the prayer. Praying for help to love person X and Person Y can be far more effective than praying for the “idea” of love. Try it and see for yourself.
3) Study: Regularly studying the life of Christ may be one of the most valuable climate warmers at our disposal. Actually seeing God’s love in living everyday action through the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus shows us love in a way in which we don’t usually see it. It can help us by providing both a model and an inspiration. Notice these words of the apostle Paul: “… the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5 CSB). Frequently focusing our study of God’s word on the topic of love becomes more important the colder society becomes around us.
4) Encouragement: The book of Hebrews contains these important words: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds … encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25). These verses make it clear that encouraging one another is directly related to spurring one another to love. The fact that this is said to be all the more vital as we see the end of the age approaching ties directly to Christ’s warning of the love of the majority growing cold in the last days.
In some ways these pointers seem so very basic, yet they are so very true. The Bible is clear that love is increased, fanned like a flame, by these specific things – and each one is something we can do personally if we are determined to do so. The important thing for us in the cooling world in which we live is to be sure to utilize these principles – to increase the love in our lives – and not to become numbed by the cold around us.
From “10 Reasons Christians Should Vote in the Election” by Dr. Krish Kandiah.
1. Voting publicly recognizes that we submit to the authority of the political system in our nation as established by God. (Romans 13:1-7)
2. Voting recognizes the equality of all people and their right to speak and be heard. (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)
3. It is one way that we can obey God’s command to seek the good of those around us and our nation as a whole. (Jeremiah 29:5-6)
4. It shows that we care deeply about who our leaders are as we are urged to offer prayer and intercession on their behalf. (1 Timothy 2:1,2)
5. It is a simple yet significant way we can do something about politics in our nation. “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing,” Edmund Burke. (Psalms 34:14)
6. It makes a difference the way a grain of salt makes a difference, and that is how we are to influence our society for good. (Matthew 5:13)
7. It is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the benefits of living in a democracy should play a part in upholding democracy.
8. Not voting is a form of voting, as it will influence the outcome. We need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as our lack of actions. (Luke 10:25-37)
9. Voting has biblical precedence, for example Acts 14:23 describes that the early Christians elected elders by voting.
10. Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been given in ways that honor God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift.
MannaBooks – the free mobile phone application that offers the ability to both read and publish Christian books and devotionals. Launched in 2018, MannaBooks is a relatively new ministry based in Abuja, Nigeria. Founded by Anthony Joseph and Gideon Oyediran, it is a non-denominational Christian ministry aiming to serve the whole Christian community.
What makes MannaBooks different, and the reason you need to know about them, is the unique approach they have taken to publishing the gospel. As their website explains, “Our mission is to make great Christian books available to the world.” This goal is being accomplished in both established and novel ways. First, MannaBooks produces a free app that works on any recent android smartphone (4.4 and up). The app not only allows searching their catalog for Christian books and downloading and reading them, but also provides access to tools and help for Christian writers to publish their work through the MannaBooks platform.
Looking at these aspects individually, the MannaBooks app functions smoothly and with most of the “bells and whistles” that can be found on the best e-book readers. It is a cleanly designed program and very straightforward to use. Rather than just being lumped together in a jumbled “catalog,” titles can be selected from a number of useful categories. The reader uses the ePub e-book format and displays books flexibly for comfortable reading, so font size, layout, and background color can all be customized.
Although selection is not yet extensive on this new platform, there are a number of good books already available (including all of our LivingBelief and TacticalBelief e-books) and more titles are being added all the time. Current titles include classics like The Pilgrim’s Progress as well as works by selected modern Christian writers. All the books in the current selection are free, and although selected titles will be added for purchase as time goes on, free Christian books will always be featured. Audiobooks are also planned, as is an iOS application for iPhones.
The second aspect of the MannaBooks app is equally impressive, and perhaps unique. The free services available through the app and website help Christian authors to prepare and publish their works. In an area of publishing already crowded with established authors, MannaBooks publication services can be a tremendous help for new authors trying to get their work out who may find it difficult to meet the costs associated with self-publication.
Once written and prepared for publication, the app also gives authors a platform to share their books with a focused audience that will be interested in them. Basic publishing services are offered free, and premium services like book distribution and editing, ePub conversion, cover designs, and ISBN registration are also offered to authors. A book publishing arm of MannaBooks, where new titles that do exceptionally well on the app can be published physically, is also planned.
For those not involved in Christian writing themselves, the MannaBooks app is still worthwhile in giving readers access to a growing array of Christian books and devotionals on the go. The app is great for use during commutes or at any time and is an excellent way to be able to have a Christian library with you without having to carry a bulky laptop or e-book reader. There is no cost for the application or for downloading any of its free books, which may be a blessing for many people around the world.
So this is an app that deserves to succeed in its goal of making Christian books available to people everywhere, and we might think about ways in which we can help bring that success about. MannaBooks staff members are working as volunteers to make the project possible, so consider contributing to MannaBooks to aid its development. Even by simply downloading and using the free app you can help support this worthwhile ministry. By doing so you will have a dedicated Christian e-book reader on your phone with access to many free titles, and you will also be helping to provide an audience for Christian writers everywhere.
You can download the free MannaBooks e-book app directly to your phone from the Google Play Store, here, and from the Apple App store soon.
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