I was first introduced to C.S. Lewis not by reading the Chronicles of Narnia, but by reading Mere Christianity as a college student. I received a copy of Mere Christianity from a friend who loved Lewis and was flabbergasted that I was ignorant of this great literary giant. You may be thinking how I could go so long without reading Lewis. I know, I can’t believe it myself either! I didn’t know the riches that would come through reading Lewis. Yes, there are some of his writings that I must take great pains to read and re-read and contemplate over and honestly some still goes over my head. I believe this shows the vastness of Lewis’ abilities as a writer. Though Lewis and his intellect far surpassed anything that I was familiar with at the time, I was intrigued with his use of words to convey deep truths. Lewis, who is so influential today, has had many people look to him for insight and inspiration. His accomplishments cover children’s literature, satire, poetry, apologetics, and Christian living. He is probably one of the most quoted authors today. He is well-read and well-known in so many circles that even secular universities have C. S. Lewis classes where they discuss his writings.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945)
The Gate is Narrow and the Road is Hard
Pastor and spy. One who walked by faith and was part of a conspiracy. A theologian and a martyr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived during one of the darkest periods in history, was influential to many and is a world changer.
I first was introduced to Bonhoeffer in my “Jesus and the Gospels” class. One of the books used in that class was The Cost of Discipleship, written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A quote that I remember from that book still is, “Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”[1]
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A Good Conversation
The other day I met a gentleman for coffee who was interested in serving in ministry. I wanted to hear a little about himself and his heart in ministry. I left that conversation excited about ministry, desiring to reach the next generation, and realizing that time is precious. It was one of those conversations that I walked away thankful for men like the one I just talked with.
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Jim Elliot (1927-1956)
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose,” wrote Jim Elliot as a college student in his journal in 1949. These words were deeply seated in his heart. He did not just write a pithy phrase; he believed what he wrote and was willing to live and die by these words. These same words have also encouraged and inspired so many other men and women for the cause of Christ.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot lived to be 28 years old, a life the world would call short-lived and wasted. That would be farthest from the truth. Jim Elliot’s life, though short, was not wasted. God, who directed Jim every step of the way, would direct him to serve the people in Ecuador. God directed Jim and fellow missionaries in taking the dangerous journey to a native Indian tribe that had the potential to be violent. They boarded a plane and landed on a beach head to make contact with this Indian group. It was the end of Jim’s life as he and the fellow missionaries, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian, were killed at the hands of the Huaorani people of Ecuador, whom they went to win for Christ. It may have been the end of their life on earth but it was the beginning of God’s grace and outpouring on that people group.
The world called it a nightmare, a tragedy, wasted life, but what the world did not know was that through tragedy, God does great and mighty things. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, who would share Jim’s story with the world, said, “To the world at large this was a sad waste of five young lives. But…the Auca story…during all the years since as I have recounted it…has pointed to one thing: God is God. If He is God, He is worthy of my worship and my service. I will find rest nowhere but in His will, and that will is infinitely, immeasurably, unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.” Through Jim’s death and Elisabeth’s faithfulness despite tragedy, God would use Elisabeth Elliot to minister to the same tribe that killed her husband. The murderous tribe would become a tribe of forgiven men and women who looked to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Jim Elliot is a world changer as he shows us God uses those who are willing to be spent for Him. Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life, for my sake will find it (Matthew 16:25 ESV).” He was willing to lose it.
Jim Elliot was born in 1927 in Portland, Oregon, in a God-fearing family. He, at a young age, desired to follow Christ and live for Him. Where we see a lot of spiritual development is when he went to college.
Within the first two years at Wheaton College is when he realized that he was called to be a missionary. The Great Commission was directed at him. His black journal that he would carry around in college, which later would be found on the beach of the Curaray River where his body was found, was filled with sermon notes in different languages such as Spanish, English, and Quechua. He had notes on the Auca language, and several pages of mission statistics. It contained several hundred names of people that Jim was praying for and he even had a recipe on how to make a bar of soap as if he was preparing for the pioneer life of mission work.[1]
This was a commitment that he was willing to stick with. He was so passionate about mission work that he hitchhiked during one of his summers to Mexico to visit a friend’s parents who were missionaries. There he was amazed and in love with mission work. This confirmed his calling by the Lord.
Jim would graduate from college, where he took the time to prepare for the mission field of Ecuador. He was not idle and spent his time preparing properly.
The story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot is quite remarkable and could be another article in and of itself. They met in college and were quite good friends. Yes, Jim was interested in her but he took his time to know what exactly was the will of the Lord for their relationship. They both had the same desire: to reach the lost in Ecuador. They would eventually be married in Ecuador where the Lord directed both of them serve.
He had a strong focus on his calling.
Jim Elliot was very mature for his age and what helped in his maturity was his focus and confidence in his calling. Jim would write in his journal,
“Men who live and never understand what they were created for may be said indeed to be ‘dead,’ As the Scriptures say, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’”[2]
This means the decisions of what classes and even his extracurricular classes were made with this objective view in mind. He would have this single-focus vision as he spent his free time and studied Scripture and prepared his body for mission work.
We can learn how important it is to have a strong focus in our lives. We can easily get distracted from the things of this world. He wrote how important it is to have quietness to help with determined focus.
“‘And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17).’ ‘In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.’ I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds.…But he will not allow quietness. For he believes Isaiah where we do not. Satan is quite aware of the power of silence. The voice of God, though persistent, is soft.”[3]
It is easy to get distracted with the busyness of this world. If the devil can’t have you, he will distract you. Christians should have a singular focus, and that is making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
Obedience is costly.
At age 20, he said somewhat prophetically, “I seek not a long life but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”[4] He may not have known that the Lord would call him home at the age of 28, but he did desire to live a full and faithful life to the Lord.
He knew in Scripture it shares that obedience to follow after Christ can be costly, but it is worth it. He would write out 2 Timothy 2:4: “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”[5]
Jim Elliot is a world changer as he was willing to count the cost and take the risk, which cost him his life, to seek the lost and share Jesus with them. Through his death and the death of his fellow missionaries, we see that God did not waste their deaths. Many were saved by faith through God’s grace. We may not even know the extent of their impact as their story continues to be shared to the world. May we be like Jim and say, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
[1] Elliot, Elisabeth. Shadow of the Almighty. Pg. 54
[2] IBID. Pg. 182
[3] IBID. Pg. 112-113
[4] IBID. Pg. 68.
[5] IBID. Pg. 44
David Brainerd (1718-1747)
A Life Pursuing Holiness
What our world needs today is not to see more gimmicks or even a good production to appease the masses. They need to see a sincere desire of the pursuit of God. This is the pursuit of holiness and it is attractive when it is genuine. We need more men and women who desire to please God and let that be their example instead of something flashy or what looks good on the screen, such as celebrity Christianity. We need the example of men and women who desire purity and who are displaying what it looks like to be the bride of Christ, to be set apart from the world. We need the example of what it looks like to hate sin and to love God.
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Why are Family Devotions so Hard?
It’s a new year with some new goals that you may have as a family. What are they? Maybe it is eating better as a family. Or, being a better steward of all that God gave you. Maybe one of those New Year Resolutions would be being better at doing family devotions. Maybe last year you wanted to do it and you had all of the best intentions but it just never happened. All resolutions are tough to keep going but I would argue the spiritual ones seem to be even harder because we have an enemy, the devil, that wants to distract you and destroy you. You may start out strong but stuff happens throughout the year and you find yourself asking, “we didn’t really keep it up, what happened?” Why are family devotions so hard? Here are a few reasons why.
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World Changer Recap
As of today, I have been able to recap nine different men and woman who have made an impact in our world. They have been Martin Luther, John G. Paton, George Whitefield, Corrie Ten Boom, J. C. Ryle, John Bunyan, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, and George Muller. I have enjoyed the process of reading and learning more about Christians who have loved Jesus more than anyone or anything and who were willing to risk it all for him. I have enjoyed the challenge of trying to do it weekly in the process. I have grown in appreciation for those who are disciplined in writing consistently. Is there something to learn from church history? Yes, and I would like to share a few thoughts on what I learned so far.
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The Joy of Reading
It’s a new year and it’s time to start thinking of all those challenges you try to accomplish within the next year. I try to set a goal on how many books that I would like get through in a year. I didn’t come close to my goal for 2016 but I will still shoot for a similar goal just for 2017. I view a reading plan as a way I can have direction and encouragement without feeling obliged to stick to it knowing that there are some things that can happen in the year that may hinder reading. One area that I am always wanting to grow in is not only the quantity of books but the quality of books.
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Being Thankful in All Circumstances
We have much to be thankful for. If we just take a moment, there are several blessings that we can be grateful to God for. But what about those moments when life is hard?
In the list of one-liners that Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we find that we are called to be thankful in all circumstances, for this is the will of God.
Paul uses the inclusive word all. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be thankful in all circumstances. John MacArthur says, “Thankfulness should be the fabric of your life as a Christian.”
Being thankful to God is more than just saying thank you with your words; it is the attitude behind it. David wrote in the Psalms, “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart” (Psalm 138:1).
Really, there is no excuse for the believer to be ungrateful. Yes, we will face hardships and trials. Yes, there are the realities of sin which we are not thankful for. What Paul is saying in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is that we as believers are called to be thankful in all circumstances, and even in tough circumstances we can be thankful.
How can we be thankful in all circumstances?
1) A heart that has been impacted by the gospel is a heart that gives thanks.
Being thankful is not just one for Thanksgiving once a year. Thankfulness is a reflection of a heart that has been transformed by Jesus Christ.
The gospel changes us. We are not the same. We are a new creation and the old has gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have received a new heart; the heart of stone has been removed and we’ve received a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). You were dead in your trespasses but as a believer you are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2). Because of Jesus Christ, we do not stand condemned for our sin but forgiven (Romans 8:1).
No matter what happens, no matter what circumstance we are facing, we can always be thankful because of the work done on the cross through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
2) We need to reflect and remember God’s goodness and sovereignty.
Paul writes that we have this special relationship with God because of what Jesus has done for us. He says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15).
The word Abba is endearing. It is equivalent to us saying Daddy. I love being a father and I love when I come home and my children run out screaming, “Daddy’s home!” There is this closeness; they are my children and I am their father. They can run up to me and say, “Daddy!”
Because of Jesus we are adopted into the family of God, sons and daughters, co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16). As sons and daughters, we see God as our Father (Daddy) and we know He is good and in charge.
Paul speaks of what Christ has done, how we are set free from the bondage of slavery (sin), and are free in Christ. We don’t understand what is going on in the world but we do know this: we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
In this statement Paul points us to two things: God is good and He does good. What does good mean? Is it just the blessings and fruit when life is going well? No, even in the bad, God is still good. Even in the hardships, we know God is good. Even at the hands of evil, God can use all things for good and His glory.
I love the reminder that Corrie ten Boom shares in her book The Hiding Place. She and her sister Betsie were placed in Ravensbruck, the notorious concentration camp in northern Germany, because they were arrested for helping the Jews flee Holland during World War II. Eric Metaxes, in his book 7 Women, retells the story of when Corrie and her sister Betsie were placed in the horrific living conditions and barracks:
In the list of one-liners that Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we find that we are called to be thankful in all circumstances, for this is the will of God.
Paul uses the inclusive word all. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be thankful in all circumstances. John MacArthur says, “Thankfulness should be the fabric of your life as a Christian.”
Being thankful to God is more than just saying thank you with your words; it is the attitude behind it. David wrote in the Psalms, “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart” (Psalm 138:1).
Really, there is no excuse for the believer to be ungrateful. Yes, we will face hardships and trials. Yes, there are the realities of sin which we are not thankful for. What Paul is saying in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is that we as believers are called to be thankful in all circumstances, and even in tough circumstances we can be thankful.
How can we be thankful in all circumstances?
1) A heart that has been impacted by the gospel is a heart that gives thanks.
Being thankful is not just one for Thanksgiving once a year. Thankfulness is a reflection of a heart that has been transformed by Jesus Christ.
The gospel changes us. We are not the same. We are a new creation and the old has gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have received a new heart; the heart of stone has been removed and we’ve received a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). You were dead in your trespasses but as a believer you are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2). Because of Jesus Christ, we do not stand condemned for our sin but forgiven (Romans 8:1).
No matter what happens, no matter what circumstance we are facing, we can always be thankful because of the work done on the cross through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
2) We need to reflect and remember God’s goodness and sovereignty.
Paul writes that we have this special relationship with God because of what Jesus has done for us. He says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15).
The word Abba is endearing. It is equivalent to us saying Daddy. I love being a father and I love when I come home and my children run out screaming, “Daddy’s home!” There is this closeness; they are my children and I am their father. They can run up to me and say, “Daddy!”
Because of Jesus we are adopted into the family of God, sons and daughters, co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16). As sons and daughters, we see God as our Father (Daddy) and we know He is good and in charge.
Paul speaks of what Christ has done, how we are set free from the bondage of slavery (sin), and are free in Christ. We don’t understand what is going on in the world but we do know this: we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
In this statement Paul points us to two things: God is good and He does good. What does good mean? Is it just the blessings and fruit when life is going well? No, even in the bad, God is still good. Even in the hardships, we know God is good. Even at the hands of evil, God can use all things for good and His glory.
I love the reminder that Corrie ten Boom shares in her book The Hiding Place. She and her sister Betsie were placed in Ravensbruck, the notorious concentration camp in northern Germany, because they were arrested for helping the Jews flee Holland during World War II. Eric Metaxes, in his book 7 Women, retells the story of when Corrie and her sister Betsie were placed in the horrific living conditions and barracks:
It was a foul-smelling barracks with overflowing toilets and no beds—just wooden structures on which they slept. The straw that was atop these structures was rancid and swarming with fleas.
Corrie was horrified but Betsie, as usual, responded with patience. She reminded Corrie of the Scripture they just read that morning, which was 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18. Betsie urged Corrie to do what the Bible says and to give thanks to God for everything in the barrack, their secret Bible, for the fact that they were hemmed into a building that was designed for four hundred people but now housed 1400 and to even thank God for the fleas.
Corrie’s response to Betsie was, there is no way even God can make me grateful for a flea. As Betsie insisted, Corrie relented and they thanked God even for the fleas.
After their hard day at the concentration camp they would always hold worship service in their barracks. The guards were present but never came in to stop them from their worship service. Corrie and Betsie always wondered why they never got in trouble for having a worship service and it turns out the guards would never enter into the barracks because of the fleas.
Even the fleas were used for good despite the tough situation. God does show His love and goodness to us because He is a good Father who is in charge of every situation.
3) No matter how bad things may get, God’s love is everlasting.
At the end of Romans 8, Paul gives us the reminder that nothing will be able to separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. He writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35; 37–39).
What a great truth which motivates our gratitude; God’s love will never be separated from us. I can always be thankful because no one and nothing can rob me of His love that is found in Christ Jesus.
When we think about these truths, we can be thankful in all circumstances.
World Changer Wednesday: George Muller (1805-1898)
God’s Faithfulness on Display
I am always amazed at the type of people God uses to accomplish His will. He uses people you would not always choose. If you were picking people for a team to be used by God, George Muller would probably be the last one picked, yet God, who is sovereign, makes beautiful things out of the mud and knew that Muller would be the man that God would use to save upwards of 10,000 children abandoned in England.
George Muller was born in Prussia, modern-day Germany, in 1805. He was a student of divinity. Though he knew about God, he did not know the things of God. He may have known somewhat of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, but the gospel did not permeate his heart. He knew nothing of the saving grace of God.
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