Today’s post is written by Mark Clark. Mark is Senior Pastor of Village Church in Vancouver, a close friend, and co-creator of our courses The Art of Better Reaching and The Art of Better Preaching.

By Mark Clark

Religious people live, on average, seven years longer than non-religious people.

“Hold on, what?” you might be saying.

Fair enough. Let’s back up.

In his book Think Again organizational psychologist Adam Grant says that we can’t be afraid to be influenced by actual data in forming ideas versus what we thought was the case, or what we feel is the case or what we would rather be the case, in any given scenario.

For example, would we be open to changing our views on something we really believe in if data arose that said our prior conclusions had been wrong? Oftentimes we reject such data for a plethora of reasons, the most powerful of which is that we have become comfortable in our beliefs about things, and contrary data messes with that.

“When it comes to our knowledge and opinions,” Grant says, “we often favor feeling right over being right… we favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt.”

This is a scary thought, but is proven over and over again in the realm of psychology, and as a pastor, I have seen it over and over again in ministry – whether that be people who hold hard against a theological conclusion that the Bible is clearly laying out because they have prior ideas, or behaviors that don’t line up, or people who have an interpretation of a passage and can’t stand the thought that maybe that isn’t saying what they thought it was.

We see this right now in our political debates online, whether they be about actual politics or the downstream discussions popular right now about vaccines, COVID orders, church and state debates, etc.

People have their views and they believe and promote data and ‘facts’ that support those views and ignore contrary data. It’s true about all of us.

People have their views and they believe and promote data and ‘facts’ that support those views and ignore contrary data. – @markaclarkClick To Tweet

The lack of humility on one side or the other should be your first clue that maybe the person you are staring at isn’t open to think again or look at an issue from a different angle at all.

You know what they say: to a hammer everything is a nail.

To some people right now every idea, news story, piece of information they receive is only meant to fit into the narrative they have decided is true already, and that’s that. There is no convincing them otherwise. It’s a scary place to be, to be honest.

Jesus warned against people who aren’t so much deceived by others, though of course that is a part of this kind of person’s situation as well most times, but those who are self-deceived. And therein lies part of the problem: we don’t know what we don’t know.

Thus, I would say humility and open-mindedness to data and ideas is central to us as we find our way through this new world.

Which brings us to my point:

I want to turn this idea of ‘thinking again’ and aim it at an idea so rooted in the post-Christian west that I am sure it will mess with our brain a little. It is the idea that religion is good, indeed, great for society as a whole.

Of course the popular narrative of the western world over the last one hundred years or so, and especially the last 30 or 40 has been that religion is ‘poison’ as the famous atheist Christopher Hitchens used to argue. That religion creates war and atrocity, judgmentalism and racism, intolerance and ignorance, across the populace. Images of people denying science, hating others, doing violence against people, rule the day.

I grew up with this narrative. Not explicitly told me by people of course, but by osmosis. Through my education, reading, movies, television, the news, general conversations with friends.

This is the assumed truth of our western story. Atheism, or at least agnosticism, produces a better, more progressive society. Religion, a stunted or even backward trending society. So much so that in Universities and in the public square today it is just part of the unspoken story, and because it is thus, it also in some ways, goes unchallenged too.

This is the assumed truth of our western story. Atheism, or at least agnosticism, produces a better, more progressive society. – @markaclarkClick To Tweet

But what if the data said otherwise?

What if your anecdotal story of that one religious uncle you know, or that one group on Facebook that time, was all called into question by the facts? Would you be willing to change your mind?

I don’t imagine a short blog post like this will do that, but let’s at least start the conversation. I would like to think you are open to ‘think again’ when it comes to this question, and I think you should, and here’s why.

The data tells us we’ve been wrong all along, and that story of the triumph of secularization is just plain false when we ask the question: how religion impacts and affects the cities, neighborhoods, communities, nations and individuals it exists within.

More pointedly, when the question is: does it have a positive or a negative impact on culture, the overwhelming reality is that it has a positive, not a negative one. In fact, it isn’t even close. The atheists are wrong. And by a long shot.

A STARK CONTRAST (see what I did there?)

Rodney Stark is one of the most celebrated and respected sociologists of religion in the world. “He has written over 30 books, and more than 140 articles on subjects as diverse as prejudice, crime, suicide, and city life in ancient Rome, and has twice won the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.”

In one of his books which I read recently he sketched out some fascinating conclusions based on detailed sociological data that are so contrary to popular opinion and the assumed narrative of the post-christian west that most will greet them with a filter of suspicion, or outright disbelief, but as we said above, that doesn’t mean they aren’t true – only that we may be victims of our own self-selected confirmation biases, fooled by our own carefully curated news, opinions and information, if not about a number of things in our lives, certainly in regard to the areas Stark explores using America as a microcosm example of the west at large.

So what areas does he explore and what are his conclusions? And what does it mean for us?

HIS CONCLUSIONS

There are a hundred and one things his data concludes which you can read for yourself in more detail, but here are some of the more interesting ones. And again, let’s remind ourselves, his conclusions are based on actual research done by an actual sociologist and his colleagues, not what passes today as research – i.e. a google search, and a scroll of your Facebook feed, and that website which has those Youtube videos by that doctor.

In his rigorous and pointed style Stark shows that the academic literature routinely ignores evidence of religion’s beneficial social effects. He demonstrates that religious people:

Are the primary source of secular charitable funds that benefit victims of misfortune whatever their beliefs
Dominate the ranks of blood donors and other prosocial behaviors
Are much less likely to commit crimes
Far more likely to donate their money and time to socially beneficial programs and to be active in civic affairs. (The impact of religious people on volunteering alone is an estimated $47 billion annually in the United States alone!)
Enjoy superior mental health – are deemed happier, less neurotic, and far less likely to commit suicide
Enjoy superior physical health – have an average life expectancy more than seven years longer than that of the irreligious
Read more than their irreligious friends and neighbors
Are less likely to believe in the occult, UFO’s, Bigfoot, etc.
More apt to marry, less likely to divorce, and report higher degrees of satisfaction with their spouse.
Religious husbands are far less likely to abuse their wives or children. This is of course contrary to the story that religions create systems of oppression in the home because of ‘male patriarchy’.
Religious fathers are more likely to be involved in youth-related activities such as coaching sports teams or leading Scout troops, etc.
Religious couples enjoy their sex lives more, women are more likely to have regular orgasms, and sex happens more often.They are also far less likely to have an affair.
Religious students perform better on standardized achievement tests, are far less likely to drop out of school, obtain better jobs upon graduation, and are far less likely to be on unemployment (the studies for all of these and especially this one and all surrounding crime stats, etc., factor in races/geographies across the U.S.)
In 247 studies done between 1944 and 2010: religion has a positive effect on society in regard to crime, deviance and delinquency.
Crime rates in the US compared to the decidedly less religious countries of Western Europe are glaringly less in many categories, with the exception of homicide rates: Denmark has nearly two-and-a-half times as many burglaries per 100,000 people, and is exceeded by Austria, Switzerland, the U.K., Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. The same is true for theft, and assault rates.
Urban stats going from present-day back to the 1920s shows that the higher a city’s church membership rate, the lower its burglary, larceny, robbery, assault and homicide rates.

Stats going from present-day back to the 1920s shows that the higher a city’s church membership rate, the lower its burglary, larceny, robbery, assault and homicide rates. – @markaclarkClick To Tweet

I point all of this out to not only because it plays a fascinating role in forcing us as individuals to constantly be open to re-thinking what we thought was true and why we thought it was so (a much-needed posture of humility is needed in this regard on both sides of the political aisle), but also to challenge the powerful, overarching narrative of our time – that God and religion have no place in society and that the real hope for us is fill in the blank: education, technology, the arts, science – as if those are antithetical to religion.

Not only is that a simplistic, reductionist narrative to sell the public, it is blatantly wrong.

The data not only doesn’t back it up, it actually draws the opposite picture.

That without religious people and groups, society as a whole, including most importantly, the marginalized, would be far worse off.

Without religious people and groups, society as a whole, including most importantly, the marginalized, would be far worse off. – @markaclarkClick To Tweet

We see this reality play out over and over again. Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times wrote an article years ago wherein he explored the work of an unknown evangelical Christian doctor who ran a hospital in Angola, where the child mortality rate was the highest in the world. He raised his family in one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Kristof writes:

“Most evangelicals are not, of course, following such a harrowing path, and it’s also true that there are plenty of secular doctors doing heroic work… But I must say that a disproportionate share of the aid workers I’ve met in the wildest places over the years, long after anyone sensible had evacuated, have been evangelicals, nuns or priests.”

That of course doesn’t mean that religion is true, that is for another day – but it is to say, importantly, that skeptics need to be careful in their argument against Christianity and religion based on a purely social argument.

They need to tread far more carefully when they want to argue that somehow religion is toxic to a culture. It is not. See even the latest arguments from thinkers like David Berlinski, in his The Devil’s Delusion, a secular philosopher /scientist who sees a connection between many of our social ills and atheism, especially in the realm of the question of meaning, and how people absorb suffering.

Sure, ‘this’ or ‘that’ version of religion could be toxic, admittedly, it could lead to racism, or oppressive attitudes toward women, or minorities, etc. That is still true, and something we need to always be fighting, especially given that the central story of Christianity in particular is its central figure, Jesus, dying and serving to raise others up, not being opposed to any, but loving all.

Bad versions and applications of religion are everywhere, and we need to be weary of them.

Stark’s point is not that we should ignore those proclivities, but that we do need to get a far clearer and fuller picture of the positives of religious impact on the west in a cultural moment when the narrative around it is almost exclusively negative.

Bad versions and applications of religion are everywhere, and we need to be weary of them. – @markaclarkClick To Tweet

CONCLUSION

I am not a sociologist, but I am a pastor which means I have a lot of conversations with people who are opposed to Christianity. A lot of them over the years point out how bad the idea of God is for the world.

That story is popular and well-told over and over again so much so that it lives in our consciousness as a fact.

I share this data to simply ask the skeptic to be willing to stop doing what they ask religious people to stop doing on the daily: spreading false-hood.

The idea that religion is bad for society simply isn’t true and it isn’t true in a hundred different ways. Are you willing to adjust your framework of the world and the question of God and the church around data versus what you have heard, or want to be true?

We all have to be willing to doubt our doubts and at least take a second or third look at the question of God as it relates to the experience of individuals, societies, cities, nations, towns, which of course, include your own communities, and be open to the idea that in the end the God hypothesis may prove to be harder to leave behind than we once thought, or, in the spirit of today’s arguments, we may not want to leave it behind at all, because it may be our only way to accomplish socially what we all desire.

You ever wonder why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., cited the prophets of the Bible in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, versus an atheist manifesto?

Because his larger vision, his dream, could only be accomplished by it being built on a foundation of transcendence.

That is what gave humankind it’s equality. The fact that it was made in the image of God. Not the state, or reasons of the social class, or because it was a more enlightened primate, or whatever other reasons for equality and justice we construct.

His argument, like Wilberforce and so many others before him, was that social good and flourishing was rooted in God. As others have pointed out, it wasn’t that America needed less religion, but better religion.

If we are going to reach the post-Christian west, we need to hold tightly to idea not that individuals alone need to come to know God, but that in knowing him there will be a horizontal impact on the world around it.

A good and flourishing impact that brings shalom even to people who don’t agree with it. Life-giving, not toxic. Serving, not taking. Loving, not judging.

Facts don’t adjust because we feel they should.

We are better to adjust in light of them instead of burying them beneath bias. The truth will set us free, Jesus said. Seems like it is setting others free as well.

Whether they appreciate it or not.

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Is Your Church Ready For Future Evangelism? Take The Free Church Outreach Assessment To Find Out.

Almost every church leader wants to grow their church by reaching more people.

As culture continues to change rapidly into a post-Christian era, though, itu2019s left many leaders feeling like theyu2019re not accomplishing their mission. For too many churches, things arenu2019t going as hoped.

After you complete the assessment, youu2019ll receive a detailed breakdown of your results and get access to a free teaching series that will help you take practical steps forward in each of the five areas.

When youu2019re done, youu2019ll be far more equipped to accomplish your mission.

Donu2019t be discouraged. You can still reach people.

Take the Church Outreach Assessment now!”,”container_class”:””,”element_class”:””,”wrap_styles_border”:0,”wrap_styles_width”:””,”wrap_styles_margin”:””,”wrap_styles_padding”:””,”wrap_styles_float”:””,”wrap_styles_show_advanced_css”:0,”label_styles_border”:””,”label_styles_width”:””,”label_styles_font-size”:””,”label_styles_margin”:””,”label_styles_padding”:””,”label_styles_float”:””,”label_styles_show_advanced_css”:0,”element_styles_border”:””,”element_styles_width”:””,”element_styles_font-size”:””,”element_styles_margin”:””,”element_styles_padding”:””,”element_styles_float”:””,”element_styles_show_advanced_css”:0,”cellcid”:”c8551″,”key”:”the_pivot_ready_cheat_sheet_1602862985838″,”drawerDisabled”:false,”wrap_styles_background-color”:””,”wrap_styles_border-style”:””,”wrap_styles_border-color”:””,”wrap_styles_display”:”block”,”field_label”:””,”field_key”:”the_pivot_ready_cheat_sheet_1602862985838″,”id”:”1023_1″,”beforeField”:””,”afterField”:””,”value”:”

Is Your Church Ready For Future Evangelism? Take The Free Church Outreach Assessment To Find Out.

Almost every church leader wants to grow their church by reaching more people.

As culture continues to change rapidly into a post-Christian era, though, itu2019s left many leaders feeling like theyu2019re not accomplishing their mission. For too many churches, things arenu2019t going as hoped.

After you complete the assessment, youu2019ll receive a detailed breakdown of your results and get access to a free teaching series that will help you take practical steps forward in each of the five areas.

When youu2019re done, youu2019ll be far more equipped to accomplish your mission.

Donu2019t be discouraged. You can still reach people.

Take the Church Outreach Assessment now!”,”label_pos”:”above”,”parentType”:”html”,”element_templates”:[“html”,”input”],”old_classname”:””,”wrap_template”:”wrap”}];nfForms.push(form);

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Want more?

For more on how to interact with the post-Christian west as a Christian leader see our upcoming course The Art of Better Reaching.

If you want more help responding to the skeptics, check out my book, The Problem of God: Answering a Skeptics Challenges to Christianity.

I’d love to hear about 1 thing you’ve had to ‘think again’ about in the last year. While you’re responding below, please be kind. This is no place for outrage or toxic behavior.

The post Think Again: Why Religion is Good for Us appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Think Again: Why Religion is Good for Us

The post Think Again: Why Religion is Good for Us appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Craig Etheredge

Jesus left no room for confusion.

Jesus clearly said that He is the only way to salvation and reconciliation with God. In (John 14:6 ESV) He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” on another occasion Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins,” (John 8:24 NLT).

Followers of Jesus hold steadfastly that Jesus is the only way. That exclusivity is what often gets pushback from people. The reason, “There are lots of religions in the world and many good, well-meaning people. How can Jesus be the only way?”

I remember sharing this truth with a woman several years ago. Growing up as a diplomat’s daughter, she had traveled all around the world and lived in several cultures. When I told her that Jesus was the only way, she retorted, “such a statement was hubris and arrogant.”

Why do followers of Jesus believe that He is the only way?

Jesus claimed to be God.

In John 10, Jesus is engaged in a heated exchange with the religious leaders of His day. Jesus had just healed a man who was born blind, but He did it on the Sabbath day of rest when work was prohibited. Thus, these leaders were concerned more with Jesus breaking a Sabbath law than the incredible miracle of this man’s healing.

During this discussion, Jesus said these words: “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly,” (John 10:7-10 ESV). Jesus was making a claim that He (and He alone) was the doorway, the pathway to God.

Jesus went on to say, “I am the good shepherd,” (John 10:11 ESV), “I give them eternal life and they will never perish,” (John 10:28 ESV), and “I and the Father are one,” (John 10:30 ESV). Jesus repeatedly claimed to be one with the Father and the exclusive giver of salvation and eternal life. And His enemies got the picture. They quickly picked up stones to kill Jesus on the spot. When Jesus asked why they were doing this, they said, “because you, being a man, make yourself God,” (John 10:33 ESV).

This wasn’t the first time Jesus had claimed to be the messiah, God in the flesh, and the only way to salvation. Jesus claimed to live before Abraham (John 8:58 ESV). Jesus claimed to exist with the Father in eternity past (John 17:5 ESV). Jesus claimed to be the First and the Last — a name for God (Revelation 1:17 ESV). Jesus claimed to be the judge of all the people(Matthew 25:31 ESV). Jesus claimed to forgive sin (Matthew 9:2-7 ESV). All the while, the religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus because he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5:18 ESV).

They wanted Jesus dead because He claimed to be God. But probably His most shocking claim came at His trial. When the high priest asked Jesus if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, Jesus replied, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven,” (Mark 14:62 ESV). With that, they charged Jesus with blasphemy and sent Him to the cross.

Let me make this very clear… Jesus never claimed to be a good teacher, a moral leader, or a spiritual guru. Jesus made the audacious claim to be God in the flesh. That is why they killed Him! You might say, “Well, there have been many men who have made audacious claims to be God in the past. That doesn’t make it true!” And you would be right. So, is there any reason for us to believe what Jesus said is true?

Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecy.

In 1966, Barry Leventhal was on top of the world. As team captain, he led the UCLA football team to its first-ever Rose Bowl championship. He had it all — popularity, fame, success. Soon after the Rose Bowl victory, one of his closest friends became a follower of Jesus and introduced Barry to Hal, the director of Campus Crusade on the UCLA campus. Hal talked to Barry about the claim of Jesus to be the messiah. He even showed Barry prophecies about the coming messiah that Jesus fulfilled. In one of those discussions, Barry got angry! “You rewrote the Bible to make it look like Jesus fulfilled those prophecies. This can’t be true!” But several days later, Barry opened up his copy of the Scriptures and turned to Isaiah 53. He began to read about the messiah to come.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV)

It seemed so clear that these verses were speaking about Jesus. But were these verses tampered with, to make it look like Jesus had fulfilled them?

In 1947, a young Arab boy playing around a cave just west of the dead Sea made the discovery of a lifetime — the “Dead Sea Scrolls.” Contained in the find was one complete copy of the book of Isaiah. This copy dated back before the life of Jesus. While the original is kept secure in Israel, a copy is on display at the “Shrine of the Book” wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Do you know what they discovered? That copy of Isaiah 53 reads just like the one in your Bible. Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would be anointed by the Spirit, be driven by justice, have an international ministry, and be a gifted teacher. Coming from humble beginnings, He would be discouraged and rejected, suffer, die a substitutionary death, and later come back to life. That sounds a lot like Jesus!

But that is not the only prophecy that points to Jesus. Prophecies about the Messiah said that He would be of Jewish linage (Genesis 12:3 ESV), from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10 ESV), of the house of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6 ESV), born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 ESV), and born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 ESV). He would come out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1 ESV), live in Nazareth (Isaiah 11:1 ESV), and minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2 ESV). He would speak in parables (Psalm 78:2-4 ESV), be praised (Psalm8:2), and called King (Psalm 2:6 ESV). He would be betrayed by a friend and sold for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13 ESV), His hands and side would be pierced (Psalm 22:16 ESV), no bones would be broken (Psalm 22:17 ESV), and He would be forsaken by God (Psalm 22:1 ESV).

Throughout His life, Jesus fulfilled approximately 353 ancient prophecies written hundreds of years before His birth, identifying Him as the messiah.

Jesus died for our sin.

Jesus fulfilled prophecy and claimed to be the messiah for one reason: so He could suffer on the cross as a once and for all sacrifice for your sin and mine. Aside from Jesus, there is no such thing as a perfect person. We are all guilty of sin. No one is innocent, (1 John 1:8; Romans 3:10-18 ESV).

According to God’s law, our sin must be punished. No matter how good you try to be, you can never be good enough to erase the sins of your past, any more than your efforts to be a good parent can erase a speeding ticket. We are sinful! We are guilty! And the punishment is death and separation from God.

(Romans 6:23 ESV) says, “For the wages of sin is death…” What we need is forgiveness, but forgiveness isn’t possible unless someone pays sin’s penalty.

(Hebrews 9:22 ESV) states, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” This is what Jesus came to do. on the cross, Jesus absorbed the punishment for your sin so that you could be forgiven and made clean again.

(1 Peter 3:18 NLT) says, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time.” He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. If there was another way to have our sins forgiven, then Jesus’ death would have been meaningless. He would have suffered for no reason, and He would have lied by telling people that He was the only way back to God.

The real question is not, “Why is Jesus the only way?” The real question is, “Why is there any way at all?” It is only by God’s mercy and grace that He has made a way for us to be right with Him, and that act of mercy is found in Jesus alone.

Jesus rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus was also prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures. King David wrote under the leading of the Holy Spirit, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol [place of the dead], or let your holy one see corruption,” (Psalm 16:10 ESV).

Even the scroll of Isaiah predicts that the messiah, the Holy one, will be brought back to life (Isaiah 53:10-12, 52:13-15 ESV).

Jesus also said this would happen. “For this reason, the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again,” (John 10:17-18 ESV).

The facts concerning Jesus’ resurrection are irrevocable. Jesus died on the cross. Jesus’ body was placed under guard in a tomb. Three days later, Jesus’ body was missing and as many as 500 people at one time gave corroborated eyewitness testimony that they saw Jesus alive over a forty-day period. These facts were written down in some of the most ancient creeds we have that date back to just a few years after the death of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-7 ESV). The early Christians were so committed to the truth of these facts that they willingly gave up their lives rather than saying it wasn’t true. How do you explain that?

Jesus changed history.

Jesus has forever changed the world. millions of lives have been transformed by the power of the message of Jesus. Peter Kreeft, professor of philosophy at Boston College, wrote: “Why did thousands suffer torture and death for this lie if they knew it was a lie? What force sent Christians to the lions’ den with hymns on their lips? What lie ever transformed the world like that?”

Millions of people have been radically changed by Jesus Christ. These people have been willing to live for Jesus, to share what Jesus has done for them with others, and even to suffer and die for His name. C.S. Lewis, the Oxford scholar, wrote:

“You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

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Used with permission.

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Fear can hold you back, but the Spirit can make you bold.

Probably the biggest excuse that keeps us from talking about Jesus is fear. We are afraid to talk to someone we don’t know. We are afraid of how they will respond. We are afraid of looking foolish or saying the wrong thing. We are afraid of getting into a conversation that will go over our heads. Fear paralyzes.

While most experts say each of us when threatened, has a fight or flight instinct, the reality is we also have another instinct — freeze. It’s a fascinating study of why people freeze up and don’t respond even when facing a life-threatening situation. That’s because fear makes us freeze. It renders us powerless to move or even react appropriately.

Most of the time, we are afraid of sharing our faith because we think that means we are going to be forced to knock on doors, or preach on the street corners. Confrontational styles of evangelism may not fit your personality or gifting. That’s OK. But we can’t let fear keep us from sharing what Jesus has done for us. So how can we move past fear? Let me answer that question with a story.

In Acts 3-4, Peter and john were headed to the temple in Jerusalem to worship when they encountered a man who couldn’t walk. Sensing the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit, Peter reached out his hand to this man and miraculously healed him. While everyone saw this miracle as a mighty movement of God, the religious leaders were not so excited. Peter and John were quickly called before the high court and interrogated by the very men that had plotted the death of Jesus. You would think that in this intense and intimidating situation Peter and john would cower in fear — but they didn’t.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4.8-13 NIV)

Far from being fearful or quiet, Peter and john became bold. They boldly spoke the name of Jesus. They declared that Jesus died and rose from the dead. They even radically proclaimed that Jesus is the only way to salvation. And their boldness was shockingly noticeable! Look again at verse 13:

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John … they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John were common, ordinary men standing before the most learned and religious men of their day. They certainly didn’t have the education and knowledge that the Pharisees and religious leaders had, but they did have one thing — boldness. They were courageous and unafraid. That is what God wants from you and me — a courageous boldness to step into any situation and declare the hope we have in Jesus.

Afterward, Peter and John were warned and released. They quickly ran back to the other disciples and they all began to pray.

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness,” (acts 4.29 NIV).

Notice they didn’t pray, “Lord, protect us from these leaders,” or, “Lord, help us be wise in how we react to these threats.” They prayed for boldness to speak unashamedly and fearlessly.

What was the secret to their boldness? What made them step forward in courage instead of shrinking back in cowardice? The secret is found in verse 8:

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said…,”

Did you see that? It was the Holy Spirit who gave them boldness in that moment to speak what needed to be said.

In fact, all through this chapter you see both “boldness” and the “Holy Spirit” mentioned repeatedly. After the disciples prayed for boldness, look what happened…

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly,” (Acts 4.31 NIV).

When you are filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, you will speak boldly for Jesus. He will empower you. He will give you the words to speak. Jesus promised His disciples,

“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say,” (Luke 12.11-12 NIV).

That is exactly what happened! Peter and John stood before the rulers of Israel, and the Holy Spirit gave them the words and the boldness they needed. The same is true with you. If you will be faithful to make your “Top Five” list, look for opportunities to move conversations toward God, pray for your lost friends and intentionally speak about what Jesus has done for you, the Holy Spirit will give you the boldness and the words in the moment you need them. Don’t let fear hold you back anymore! Ask God to fill you with His Spirit and with great boldness!

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By Craig Etheredge. Used with permission.

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Source: Prioritize Sharing the Gospel in Times of Crisis

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By Justin Gravitt: I was wrong.

Four years ago, I wrote that the biggest barrier to discipleship was busyness, but it’s not true now, and honestly, it doesn’t look like it was true then either.

At the time, I quoted from Barna’s recently published “The State of Discipleship” study in which pastors, laity, and “exemplars” (seminary professors, discipleship leaders, academics, etc.) all agreed that “general busyness of life” was the biggest barrier to discipleship—and It wasn’t even close! The study confirmed what we all “knew” about discipleship—in sum, “ain’t nobody got time for that!” We believed that if only we weren’t so busy, then we would be more devoted to being and making disciples.

It turns out that was a lie. Don’t get me wrong, in the pre-COVID world, we were busy. We tried to juggle work, family, and social commitments. We packed each day to the brim as we ran from one activity to another; work, practices, studies, and small groups. Margin was foreign and slowness was best kept to small doses.

Truth, like music, is drowned out by noise. COVID showed us that busyness was the noise drowning out the signal. When the pandemic hit, life slowed down to a crawl. For months our favorite distractions were deactivated. We stopped going out. Parents didn’t run their kids to and from practice, fans couldn’t watch or follow live sports, and clubs of all kinds stopped gathering. We were given a time refund and instead of investing it towards the kingdom, we witnessed people everywhere—and in the mirror—spending it on distraction.

We learned that our schedules were the symptom, not the problem. So if busyness wasn’t (and isn’t) the problem, what was? What is the biggest obstacle to discipleship?

The biggest obstacle to making disciples is the disease of indifference. It turns out that collectively, we just don’t care much about knowing Christ or making Him known. We are far more interested in Netflix, sports, Candy Crush, and TikTok than in God and our Kingdom calling.

Our disease of indifference is far scarier than the distraction of busyness. Distraction contaminates us from the outside in, but diseases are in us. They are part of us and the cure is more complicated than tuning out or turning away. Diseases require invasive cures that come with side effects and significant costs.

The disease of indifference demands our attention because it threatens the very existence of the church. The church will continue to decline until we develop cultures of disciples who are dedicated, not distracted and not diseased.

The first step in treating the disease of indifference is to admit it.

Four years ago we were too busy to engage disciple making. Today, most pastors and church leaders say they are too tired. It’s true. We’re collectively tired. We are dealing with a pandemic. We are fighting to understand and appropriately fight against systematic racism inside and outside the church. But to believe that these are keeping us from making disciples is simply replacing one excuse with another. We weren’t too tired before COVID and we aren’t too busy now, yet our misaligned priorities remain.

Second, we need collective repentance.

As we admit the reality of what’s true within us, we must repent. This requires a movement away from the idols and towards Jesus and the full life He offers. We can’t embrace just the life-giving relationship He offers, but we must also embrace the mission to which He’s called us.

Third, we need to learn how to rest.

If you lie to yourself long enough, then that lie becomes your “truth.” We are tired. Everyone gets tired and taking time to rest is part of a disciple’s life, but if you’re always too tired to engage the mission, then something else is happening. Lately, pastors are struggling to find disciples who aren’t too tired to engage the mission.

American culture is designed to distract, to keep our attention shifting from one thing to another. Not only is it unhealthy for our brains, but it hinders our ability to relax and recharge. Vibrant disciples have learned to disconnect from technology and distraction in order to plug into disciplines such as silence, prayer, and face to face relationships can restore reserves that distraction depletes.

Lastly, we need to walk by faith, not by sight (or feeling).

Reproducing disciples refuel and then move out in faith that God will provide (Is. 41:10). There’s an expectant quality to their faith. They live into what they know God has already called them to, rather than pulling back from a commitment because they feel tired, unprepared, or unable. In this way, they can minister out of weakness and weariness. On the other hand, “almost disciple makers” commit to training or discipling but pull out when they feel stretched. Little do they know that the stretch is where the strength of Christ is. The stretch is where the growth happens!

The lenses of a pandemic help us see what’s really true. What’s truly life-giving? Where do we turn in times of stress and uncertainty? Most of us don’t have time for discipleship because we don’t want to have time for it. Most are distracted by choice. Frenetic movement prevents a sober judgment.

To put it bluntly, we must move from diseased, distracted disciples to dedicated disciples. If we don’t then we can expect more of the same.

Our churches will continue to decline.

Our children will continue to see no difference in the lives of Christians and the lives of skeptics.

Our lives will continue to be marked by a lack of depth and purpose.

And worst of all, we will lose the witness and the wholeness of all that Jesus offers at the cross.

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By Justin Gravitt. Used with permission.

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Source: The Biggest Obstacle of Disciple Making

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By Doug Holliday

Indignant – adjective

feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base. 

What makes me indignant? Do my feelings mirror those of Christ?

There are only two times in the gospels (NIV translation) where it speaks of Jesus being indignant. Certainly there were more than two occasions where Jesus felt this emotion. Wasn’t it indignation He felt when He turned the tables of the money changers over and chased them out of the temple… twice? Wasn’t it indignation He felt when He rebuked the Pharisees with seven woes? Yet only twice do the gospel writers say Jesus was indignant.

While Matthew and Luke use the word to describe the feelings of the disciples, Pharisees and synagogue leaders, only Mark records Jesus being indignant.

“Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!‘”

Mark 1:41

“When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.‘”

Mark 10:14

Two times we read of Jesus being indignant. Both times it is because people were being prevented from coming to Him.

The man with leprosy was a social outcast. He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near Jesus. Timidly, but desperately, he asked, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” It says Jesus was indignant. Who was He indignant with? The man with leprosy? I don’t think so. The onlookers who stood there with disgust on their faces? Probably. The injustice of a system that would treat a person in need of grace and compassion with fear and rejection instead? Definitely!

Indignation drove Jesus to action. He reached out His hand and touched the untouchable. “I am willing. Be clean!“

Passover week was fast approaching. Thousands were making their way to Jerusalem for the festivities with family in tow. Parents were bringing their little children to Jesus for Him to bless. The disciples chased them away. In their minds, Jesus shouldn’t be bothered with little children, he had important Messiah stuff to be doing, right?

Jesus again was indignant. Don’t stop anyone from coming to me, especially the little children!

Indignation drove Jesus to action. He took the little children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus became indignant when religious types shut out those who needed Him. When grace and compassion are needed, but instead fear, rejection or ambivalence are given, indignation is in order.

And when indignation is in order, it’s not meant to be bottled up. What’s bottled up turns sour. Indignation is meant to be a fuel for righteousness. Indignation must ignite action, or it will burn us up inside.

What makes me indignant?

Does my indignation drive me to action? Does yours? If we’re going to be indignant, let it be about those things that thwart the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His kingdom mission in this world.

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By Doug Holliday. Used with permission.

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By Carey Nieuwhof: Rick Warren opens up about the personal tragedy he’s experienced with the loss of his son, Matthew, the loss our culture has experienced and what he predicts will be a coming tsunami of grief as a result of everything people have been through.

Rick also explains how and why 2020 and 2021 have been the biggest and best years Saddleback has ever had and the opportunity the current moment presents to the church.

Note: Some of the details in this episode surrounding the death of Rick Warren’s son are deeply personal and listener discretion is advised with young audiences.

Welcome to Episode 409 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey talks about how you know when it’s time to leave.

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You or a team member can work day and night to keep up with social media strategy that constantly changes.
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As a listener of our podcast, you receive 10% off at promediafire.com/carey.

Barna Cities – with Barna Group and Gloo

I know many church leaders, like you, are navigating massive shifts in culture and technology. It’s exhausting, but there’s hope.

Our friends at Barna and Gloo have been working hard to support pastors and church leaders like you.

Last year, Barna and Gloo launched an effort to equip the Church through the “State of the Church” research and toolkits. Over 25,000 churches benefited.

This year, Barna and Gloo are launching Barna Cities. It’s a year-long journey, and it’s uniquely local. With Barna Cities, you will have access to new local research from Barna, monthly forums and the City Toolkit which includes a full membership to Barna Access Plus with on-demand reports, insights and tools.

And, you’ll get GlooConnect—cooperative, always on ads that run across your city and make it easier for more people to discover your church and programs.

Barna and Gloo want you to know and move every person you serve—to connect people with your church and program that provides help and transformation.

Learn more at BarnaCities.com.

Conversation Links

Books by Rick Warren

The ChurchPulse Weekly Podcast

A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis

Choose Joy by Kay Warren

Pastors.com

7 Signs It’s Time to Leave by Carey Nieuwhof

Carey’s Daily Email

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Insights From Rick

1. In America, Christians no longer get their primary identity from either Jesus or the church but, rather, through politics

The politicization of American Christians is a terrible problem. Rick points out, “If you know anything about church history, you know that every time the church has gotten in bed with government, it got pregnant. And it was a bad situation.”

Rick cautions pastors and churches against taking a partisan stance as a church. Just don’t do it.

2. If you’re afraid to talk about race in your church, start building trust with your congregation first

So many pastors have avoided the conversation about racism in America out of fear of the backlash that they will receive from the members of their church. It’s understandable, but Rick recommends you start by building trust with your people. Everything in leadership is built on trust, and if you have enough trust with those people, they will follow you into difficult spaces, even where they might initially disagree.

Once you build that trust, Rick recommends you start asking minorities to regularly share their stories of racism with your people.

3. Grief will be a huge door to evangelism over the next few years

Rick is convinced that we’re going to go through a tsunami of grief over the next couple of years.

Many people have lost many things—loved ones, the prom, their graduation, the birth of their first grandchild and many even missed important funerals. There’s so many things that people have lost that, when it finally catches up and they realize what they’ve lost, there will be a lot of grief.

This grief is going to be a front door for evangelism in the next few years, because so many people are dealing with this. As a pastor, you need to find a way to prepare your church to reach the grieving people around them.

Quotes from Episode 409

There is no success without growth. There is no growth without change. There is no change without loss. And there is no loss without pain. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Every time the church has gotten in bed with government, it got pregnant. And it was a bad situation. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Racism is a discipleship issue. Financial overspending is a discipleship issue. Political stereotyping bias is a discipleship issue. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

In God’s garden of grace, even broken trees bear fruit. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Sometimes getting up and putting one foot in front of the other is a successful day for a pastor. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Ministry is received not achieved. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Before you can give people the truth, you’ve got to show them that you love them. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

All leadership is built on trust. If people don’t trust you, they’re not going to follow you. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

You don’t change people by laws. There’s no law that’s going to turn a bigot, a racist into a lover. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Many Christians started putting their faith in government to change society rather than the church. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

You refill your cup by connecting with people you love. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

You need to start treating yourself the way God does. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

Routine develops resilience, and predictability creates stability. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

The church has survived every dictator, every war, every pandemic. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

We have to really remember that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that we are to be peacemakers. @RickWarrenClick To Tweet

A passionless leader is an ineffective leader.Click To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 409

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DIDN’T SEE IT COMING WILL HELP YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEMS MOST LEADERS MISS

If you want practical help overcoming some of the biggest challenges leaders face, my book Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges That Nobody Expects and Everyone Experiences tackles the seven core issues that take people out: cynicism, compromise, disconnectedness, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and the emptiness of success and provides strategies on how to combat each.

I wrote the book because no 18 year old sets out to be cynical, jaded and disconnected by age 35. Yet it happens all the time.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here’s what top leaders are saying about Didn’t See It Coming:

“Seriously, this may be the most important book you read this year.” Jud Wilhite, Lead Pastor, Central Church

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“Whatever challenge you’re facing, whatever obstacle you’re hoping to overcome, whatever future you dream or imagine, there is something powerful for you here.” Andy Stanley, Founder, North Point Ministries

“Uncommonly perceptive and generous…You have to read this book.” Ann Voskamp, NYT bestselling author

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“Deep biblical insight, straightforward truth, and practical wisdom to help you grow.” Craig Groeschel, Pastor and NYT bestselling author

“This book is sure to help you.” Daniel H. Pink, NYT bestselling author

Over the years, one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being a public speaker is having opportunities to hang out with Carey…It’s not a matter of if you’ll run into these challenges; it’s a matter of when. Be prepared by spending a little time with a leader who has already been there.” Jon Acuff, NYT best-selling author

“Nieuwhof’s book provides expert guidance…with an accuracy that pierces the heart.” Nancy Duarte, CEO Duarte Inc.

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You can learn more and get your copy of Didn’t See It Coming here.

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Next Episode: John Ramstead

John Ramstead shares leadership skills drawn from flight school and from the cockpit of F-14A Tomcat fighter jet and shares principles that apply to all crisis leadership. After suffering three life-altering injuries, John also talks about how to be resilient in the face of suffering and setbacks.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 410.

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Source: CNLP 409: Rick Warren Opens Up About the Coming Tsunami of Grief, Handling Personal Tragedy, and How Saddleback Grew During the Pandemic

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Source: Getting Our Priorities Straight

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Source: PODCAST 124: Disciples Making Disciples in a Multimodal Church

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Source: Getting Our Language Right

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