Safe

The Bible has so much to say about human relationships and how we can seek to walk in God's
peace. James 1 states:
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

In Proverbs 19, we read:
11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression.

So, there are two Scriptures that address not being quick to get angry, and you could say that can be interpreted to mean not being easily offended.  That is not the methodology of today's culture - we allow small infractions to become large irritations.  We become polarized just simply because other people, sinful people just like you and me, do not act or speak in the way we think they should.  There is no "safe space" from offense - rather than run and hide, we can rely on the strength of the Lord and the foundation of His Word to direct us in our responses.

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In the 119th Psalm, we can read a passage that addresses love for God's Word and how that can shape our attitudes:
162 I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.
163 I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

That is from the New King James Version - the King James says in verse 165:
165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

On yesterday's program, I highlighted this "cry closet" that was in place at the University of Utah during final exams.  A Christian family therapist had told CBN News that this as an example of "coddling" today's college students.  In this case, it was an artistic attempt to provide a place to escape stress.

But, we know there has been much discussion of the notion of so-called "safe spaces" on college campuses, where people could go and be free of offense, even to the extent of being shielded from comments with which they disagree.  Last year, The Daily Signal published the findings of several surveys relative to this topic.  Here is some data from one of those:

Sixty-two percent of students did not agree with or felt indifferent to safe spaces, according to a poll of 1,659 current college students taken by LendEDU, a student loan consolidation and refinancing organization. Of those surveyed, 37 percent agreed that safe spaces “are completely out of touch with reality” and 25 percent said they were indifferent. Thirty-six percent said they felt safe spaces are “absolutely necessary.”

The article points out:

The phrase “safe space” has multiple definitions. When used to describe campus life and culture, it usually means protection from emotional discomfort, according to the Harvard Political Review.

That Daily Signal piece also relates:

...72 percent of college students believe colleges should not be allowed to restrict political expression or ideas, according to a 2016 Gallup poll conducted by the Knight Foundation and Newseum Institute, two First Amendment advocacy organizations.

Well, you won't find any "safe spaces" at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.  After receiving pushback from a student who was offended by his speech on 1st Corinthians 13, school president Dr. Everett Piper declared in an op-ed that the college was "not a day care."  That became the title of a book.  He told WORLD Magazine that the concept of safe spaces was:

...ideological fascism rather than academic freedom. Like fascism, the idea goes: If you don’t think like we think or believe what we believe, you’re unwelcome. Ironically, safe spaces exclude people under a banner of inclusion. The entire call for safe spaces is self-refuting at every turn. C.S. Lewis wrote that the great lion Aslan is not safe, but he is good. The great lion of the liberal arts, the great lion of the academic ivory tower, is not supposed to be safe, but he’s supposed to be good.

He also is quoted as saying:

We’re completely missing what our culture is begging for right now: The culture is begging for a solution, which is to confront everybody with the gospel of truth and grace. It’s a gospel that loves people enough to confront them. We the church have the living water of the gospel, but rather than giving the world what it wants, we are just parroting back the postmodern marsh with the message of tolerance, which people intuitively know is a lie.

You can access my conversation with Dr. Piper on The Meeting House at the Faith Radio website.

This is a very complex subject, but you are seeing this trend on a number of secular college campuses where people want to shut down speech just because they disagree with it - rather than allowing students to engage in a free (and civil) exchange of ideas, school administrators attempt to manipulate the conversation. 

School after school has been challenged on its restrictive policies allowing so-called "free speech zones," again attempting to shield students from ideas with which they disagree; and not only that, but claim to be offended by.  It is interesting - those who champion tolerance end up being intolerant of those with whom they disagree, there are those who claim to speak against injustice, it seems, are unjust and uncharitable to those who don't necessarily hold to their point of view.

For the Christian, we have to realize that we have to take the posture of not being easily offended.  People are going to say and do things that we don't like.  We are not going to agree with people all of the time.  Rather than draw lines in the sand and manufacture conflict, perhaps we can engage in discussion, and even create an atmosphere in which we can share truth.  But, this comes through conversation, not public confrontation.

And, the truth is, we live in an age of tolerance and we're simply not going to find a place where we are shielded from thoughts contrary to our own.  So, we respond by being grounded in our own beliefs and making sure that we offer carefully thought-out, Biblical positions of the issues that are being discussed.  Rather than seek to be "safe" and withdrawn, we should seek to be salt and light to a culture that needs to see truth lived out.

That's not to say that we should see how much worldliness we can incorporate into our lives - when Paul said that he adapted the ways of particular groups of people in order to win them, he certainly did not mean that we are to compromise our position.  We have make sure that we are sharing God's truth in the culture, rather than allowing the culture to determine or shape our ideas.  It's not a "safe" world, in many aspects, but we do have the goodness of God and the foundation of His truth on which we can rely.

Closet

In Psalm 32, we see where the Psalm refers to God as our "hiding place," and can read a passage that can direct us to confess our faults before the Lord.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.
7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Our lives are hidden in Christ, according to the book of Colossians.  He wants us to hide ourselves in Him.  And we can gain a fresh sense of His presence and His love as we commune with Him in secret, in private - confessing our sins, casting our cares, and releasing our burdens to Him.  Rather than parade our offenses before other humans, He wants us to humble ourselves and allow Him to release us from those things that would weigh us down.

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Jesus set an example for us in that He spent quality time alone in prayer with His Father.  And, He
taught us about taking our requests before Him in private. Matthew 6 says:
5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

We are in the midst of that season in which students are completing their school years and preparing for summer.  Some college students have already taken those important steps and walked through their graduation ceremony, having completed their final exams.  Others are perhaps in the midst of that challenging period.

Students at the University of Utah had a little help from a friend - according to USA Today:

The university's library has a "Cry Closet" now available for "stressed out students," a statement on the closet's door reads.

"The space is meant to provide a place for students studying for finals to take a short 10-minute break."

And, there are rules listed: Knock before entering, only one person inside at a time, limit time inside to 10 minutes and turn the lights out before leaving.

The closet, a free-standing woodshop project by senior Nemo Miller in collaboration with Tony Miller and David Meyer, was installed Sunday. It's lined with a black interior, and plush stuffed animals are inside.

How cozy!  Nemo stated: "One aspect of humanity that I am currently exploring is connections and missed connections through communication," adding, "It’s been interesting to watch the response to this piece about human emotions, and I’m proud to see the power of art in action."

The article said that this tiny, free-standing space had received praise and criticism.

So, it is artistic or functional, or both?  A CBN News story uses the word, "coddling," and refers to comments from a Christian family therapist, Dr. Linda Mintle, who is quoted as saying:

"In the work world, if they're stressed by a project, or they have a deadline, they have to take an exam, maybe a certifying exam, they're not going to have a safe space," she said, "They're going to be expected to show up, to do the work, to make the deadlines and they're going to have to face that stress."

The story relates that, "She said in order to fully prepare for life after college, students in the university setting should learn to face stress head-on, not learn to buckle under it."

Mintle said, "The biggest concern I have for this is we are seeing a generation of people who do not have stress inoculation," adding, "So the idea is you have to get a little bit of stress every once in a while as you're growing up, so you get inoculated, just like with a vaccination."

I agree - it seems on college campuses these days, there is a pervasive hypersensitivity - in which students are easily offended and express a desire to be accommodated.   

In the church, I think we have to guard against a mindset of being easily offended.  Just spend a few minutes on social media and you see people expressing their reactions to various issues, and not necessarily communicating a Christlike spirit.  Donna Gaines, the wife of Southern Baptist Convention President Steve Gaines, even tweeted out the other day:

Southern Baptists we should get off social media & into our Bibles & prayer closets; off our high horses & onto our knees. “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. 4 our sins are piled higher than our heads, & our guilt has reached 2 the heavens” Ez.9:6

There's a great course correction for you.  Rather be caught up in emotion or the tension we commonly find in the "unsafe space" of social media, we can advance in the Lord by retreating into our prayer closet.  And, oh, by the way, according to Matthew 18, Jesus taught about the protocol for confronting those whom we think have missed the mark; in Matthew 6, He prescribes how to approach that person with whom we have differences.

Back to that word again - closet.  While I think the "cry closet," which seems to be mainly an artistic expression, does represent a culture of overreaction, there is something to be said for Christians having a place to go in order to place our concerns, our burdens, before the Lord.  Jesus warned against praying in order to be seen of other people, rather, we are to go somewhere private and call upon Him.  Our prayer closet, or the place we go to meet with God can be seen as a place to express our dependence on Him, rather than to accommodate or authenticate an escapist mentality.  And, perhaps when we are feeling offended, we can go before the Lord in that secret place and have Him remove that feeling, rather than justify it.

When we are facing stress in our lives, we can practically open the pages of the Word of God and open our minds to allow His peace to permeate us.  God will comfort us, but we can't expect Him to coddle us.  We don't come to Him to get our feelings validated; rather, we identify sin in our heart and He desires to conform our desires with His own.

Panic?

Through the way we honor the Lord, as we are submissive to Him, we send a powerful message to
those around us about His presence in and through us. Psalm 96 says:
1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

As the Spirit equips and empowers us, we can proclaim the salvation of Christ, the gospel, the "good news:" that God has sent His Son to earth to redeem fallen humanity, to restore us to God's design, to repair the brokenness that is so prevalent.  He is our Savior, our healer, our restorer, who has come to unite us in fellowship with God the Father.  We can be motivated to reflect and relate what He has done in our lives!

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There is a passage in 2nd Corinthians 2 that can remind us of the impact that God will make on the
lives of people through our obedience:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

You may not find yourself in this situation, but Redlands, California preacher Michael Webber has a very unique pastime - delivering sermons in theatres...while the credits roll.

And, his most recent incident resulted in police being sent out and the preacher being arrested.  CBS Los Angeles reported:

Armed officers rushed to the Harkins Mountain Grove 16 theaters in Redlands, where people had just finished watching the latest installment of the “Avengers” franchise, fearing there might a gunman inside. Witnesses said when the movie was over, a man stood up and started yelling in what sounded like a preacher’s sermon.

A witness told CBS2 News, “I think when he said, ‘If you were to die tonight, would your passage to heaven be guaranteed?’ — something along those lines — I think that’s when people started panicking..."

Webber told the television station: “Last night was an anomaly,” adding, “The lights did not turn up for quite a few minutes, and so I really couldn’t see anyone’s reaction except those of the people just right around me.” The story also says, "He added he didn’t know the people in the theater couldn’t see he had his hands up, showing he did not have a weapon."  The article states, "Webber has been charged with a misdemeanor. He told CBS2 this will not deter his evangelizing, but he might reconsider his setting."

From Webber's perspective, according to the Hello Christian website, he told The Christian Post:

"The most unusual part about this particular night was that every other time that I have stood to preach in theaters, the lights would come up as the credits began," Webber continued. "But this night they did not. However, I did not perceive it to be a problem because my hands were up (evidencing that I was unarmed, and not a threat). And up until about mid-way through the salvation prayer, no one in the theater moved."

He said a few people had told him to sit down, but he completed his speech and viewed the post-credit scene.  People then began to ask who gave the speech and he was "shouted at and berated."
There were people waiting in the lobby to harass him, as well.  He was not aware of people "running for their lives," as media had reported.

The article includes these words:

As for Webber, you can expect him to continue diligently sharing the gospel to all who will hear it, in spite of the massive backlash from this incident: "The common thread I hear from people who disagreed with what I did is that it wasn't the right 'time and place' to stand up and preach."

"Christians need to realize that if we don't stand up now, there won't be ANY 'times or places' left. There was a period of time in America where standing up to preach the Gospel would have been met with applause. But even in past times when I've preached, the message has been met with cursing, objects being thrown, and so on."

Yes, one could argue that the context was wrong: a dark theater with a message that alluded to people dying that night.  This is certainly a story that could cause some discomfort, as we perhaps look at whether or not we would be in that situation.

So, let's move into some principles that we can all embrace, I would think.  For one thing, we are all called to share our faith.  Period.  Now, there are many methods regarding how that could be done.  There are those that engage in more public ministry; others struggle to share the gospel one-on-one. But, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to equip us to testify to who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

We can agree that we are commissioned to go.  And, Rev. Webber is right, if we don't take the opportunities we have, then those opportunities may decrease - legally.  We have seen court cases where people publicly proclaim the gospel and are arrested for it.  We see in the book of Acts where faithful proclaimers of truth faced prison for their faithfulness.  We pray that would not be the case in America, land of the free and home of the brave, but it does seem that hostility toward or lack of understanding of spiritual things is on the rise.  So, there is a greater sense of urgency.

Finally, we can become more adept in sharing the truth of Christ in various contexts. That may or may not involve public proclamation to a group of people, but it can be shared in a one-on-one encounter, in what is called a "gospel conversation."  There are numerous methods through which we can share His truth - of course, being able to relate our personal testimony is powerful.

There are also resources, such as the Southern Baptist tool incorporating the "Three Circles."  You can see more through the website LifeOnMissionBook.com/Conversation-Guide, which includes information on the basic flow, which is:  One circle represents God's Design, which is corrupted by sin, leading to Brokenness - that's the second circle.  The Gospel - the third circle - offers the answer to brokenness and compels one to repent and believe.  Through the Gospel, a person can recover and pursue God's design.   And, yes, there is an app for that.

Full Term Change

An encounter with God's love can produce the life change that He desires for us to have. Titus chapter 3 says:
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior...

Our response to God's kindness is to reach out to Him and allow Him to be in charge of our lives.  We can do nothing to save ourselves; human change efforts cannot produce the character of God in us. But, He promises to renew our lives, to give us a new heart, and to enable us to discover new power in order that we may walk in His freedom.  His resources are abundant; His love is unlimited; and He is reaching out to each of us to bring hope and the capacity for change in the way He would intend.

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The Bible proclaims to us that we can be made new through Christ - if we're in Him, we are new
creations, 2nd Corinthians says - the old is gone, the new has come! Colossians 3 states:
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him...

The power of the gospel has the potential to completely change lives.  That concept permeates the teachings of the Scriptures - we are incredibly sinful people, separated from God, but through the power of Christ, we can come to know God and experience true heart and life change.

We see that in so many ministries, and there was a spotlight shone recently on the Christianity Today website about a ministry that is reaching out to pregnant moms in crisis. It's called Carried to Full Term, and is located in Haymarket, VA. The article describes it as "a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing long-term residential support to pregnant mothers in crisis."

It's housed in a seven-bedroom home and there is a program, built on a number of "strict but often-personalized covenants," and it is described as "boot camps for moms." Frances Robin, or “Franie,” the executive director of CTFT, says, "The guidelines are there to facilitate change...”

The article states:

The guidelines that Robin enforces come from a similar shelter in Maryland and have been adjusted to fit CTFT. Since the average age of a resident is 27, and many have aged out of foster care or come from broken homes, abusive backgrounds, or families that lacked structure, implementing these guidelines is often difficult.

There are six categories in which goals are set: spiritual goals, financial goals, employment goals, volunteering in the community, living skills, parenting skills, and health and mental well-being goals.  Joanna Tang, the resident coordinator at CTFT, says: “...from day one, we help a resident set their goals for the first two weeks. They have to apply for jobs, take care of household chores, make their appointments with local health providers, sit with our in-house therapist, [and attend] our in-house classes.”  For the first month, they give up their phones.

The CT story highlighted a young lady from Ethiopia named Biru: "In October 2017, while pregnant with Fabia, Biru moved from Ethiopia to Virginia and was living in the US on asylum when she found herself homeless. She moved into CTFT before giving birth...Even if she’d been able to return to her native country, says Biru, she wouldn’t have gone. She wanted to stay in the US and build a new life."

Frances Robin says, "This house is God’s hand and feet,” adding, “We get to do the legwork. So he gets to do the hard work.” The story points out that, "CTFT was recently honored by local magazine Prince William Living with its Giving Back Award for positive contributions to the community."

This is a challenging story that can inspire us to consider what it is that we are known for.  In an age when you have many trying to define the Church in various ways and characterize it negatively, here is a positive story that can help restore our focus - we are, as the leader of this ministry underscores, to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

We can be known for the compassion that we demonstrate, obeying the Lord and showing people what He has done in our lives.  We can also display conviction to do what is right for those who are in need.  God will give us direction, and we can exhibit determination, fueled by the Spirit, to do what He calls.

Finally, we know that change is possible through the power of Christ and the principles of Scripture.  When a person has grown dissatisfied with his or her life and hopelessness has set in, the hope of the gospel is present - to communicate that Jesus came to earth, He became like we are, so that we might have His new life, so that we might become new creations in Him.  In that newness of life, we can discover the power to change.

Faith Far from Idle on Idol

We are part of God's plan - we have accepted the plan of salvation, and now He wants to perform His will and express His presence toward and through us.  He has wired is in certain ways so that we
might reflect Him. Romans 12 says:
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

The usage or expressions of God's gifts relates directly to His faithfulness, as well as to our faithfulness to Him.  He has been faithful to call us in to a relationship with Him through Christ, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to direct and empower us - He is faithful to walk with us.  And, we, in humility and a spirit of surrender, express our love and faithfulness to Him.  We commit ourselves to doing His will and share in the blessings of seeing His work come to pass through us.

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God, by His grace in His sovereignty, has granted to each of us one or more gifts to be used for His glory. 1st Peter 4 states:
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The reboot of American Idol on the ABC network has now entered the live program stage, with weekly performances and the elimination announcements being carried out on the same night.  This is in contrast with the 2-night format that Fox used in the previous version.

And, the ratings seem to show increasing interest.  Variety reported that, excluding West Coast viewership, the episode last Sunday, with a Disney theme was "the show’s highest-rated and most-watched in weeks, according to the Nielsen overnight ratings," adding, "The episode, the first time the show has aired live coast-to-coast, drew a 1.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 8 million viewers. That is up nearly 20% in the demo compared to last week and the show’s best numbers since the premiere back in March."

Last week, prior to Sunday night's show, CBN ran an article that stated:

Despite some extreme contrasts between characters in background and musicality, more than half of the contestants have one thing in common: Jesus.

Six of the 10 remaining singers on the show have declared Jesus as their savior and are using their platforms to glorify God.

Now, that's not to say that there aren't some contestants that provide some concern, such as the transvestite - a male dressing up as a woman, who has a male boyfriend - going by the name of Ada Vox, who, thankfully, was voted off the show this past Sunday.  There's also a young lady by the name of Jurnee who is "married" to another woman who serves in the military - the banter with host Ryan Seacrest about the lady's "wife" was a bit too uncomfortable for me.

Now, after the "nationwide vote" on Sunday, 4 out of those 6 contestants who had an apparent Christian connection are still around.  So, going in this weekend, that leaves 4 out of 7.

There always seems to be the rocker contestant in the Idol group of finalists - think Colton Dixon or Chris Daughtry.  This year, it's Cade Foehner, described by CBN  as "part-time rocker, part-time minister."  The article states:

After he soared through to the top 10, he posted, "I know for certain I do not deserve a single bit of this, yet our Lord did this. I am humbled and grateful."

Perhaps one of the memorable moments of the last episode was the confirmation of Cade's budding relationship with another contestant, Gabby Barrett, about whom it was written:

Barrett, also a country singer, shared a video during Easter weekend of her singing the lyrics, "Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?" And she reminds her followers to "count their blessings."

Then, there's the young man from Georgia named Caleb Hutchinson.  The CBN article stated about Cade and him:

The two are seen pictured together on Hutchinson's Instagram where he calls Foehner his brother in Christ.

Foehner replies to Hutchinson saying, "You make me want to serve Our Lord all the more. I see your good works and I glorify Him."

Caleb has also posted, "Thank the Lord for this amazing experience and the amazing friends I have made so far."

Finally, among the final 7 Idol contestants, there's Michael Woodard, who typed on Instagram, in capital letters:

TOO GOD BE THE GLORYY. TIME TOO VOTE! 🌫 I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL GLORY GOES TO THE KING OF KINGS. NOW TOO VOTE YALL SWIPE LEFT FOR DETAILS.

There's probably plenty more here about this foursome, and I will look forward to keeping you posted about these contestants who project a faith perspective throughout the season.

So, what do we take away?  Well, as I have been historically, I am thankful for contestants who are bringing their faith to the national stage.  American Idol throughout the years has brought us a number of Christians who are impacting Christian music today - think Mandisa, Danny Gokey, Colton Dixon, and the emerging Jasmine Murray.  But...you don't have to be a national singing sensation to impact lives - God calls some to be more visible than others, but it should be everyone's aim to make Christ visible. 

We also can think about how God will use the gifts that He has given to us.  He has called us to simply be faithful with what He has entrusted to us.  He is the One who is responsible for the results.  He doesn't call us to try to make something happen; rather, He wants to make Himself known to us personally and then through us.

Finally, I have to admit, for better or worse, I tend to watch these contestants and pay a little more attention to how they project themselves as believers.  You know, there are people who are watching you - we have to make sure our profession and practice line up, for we are representatives of the Most High King.

God Alone

We serve a God Who is faithful and true, Who calls us to come before Him, to pray to Him, and to see Him act in accordance with His will, in response to the prayers of His people.  Isaiah 44 can help
us to reflect on Who He is:
6 "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.' "

We serve a loving God who desires for His people to call upon His name.  We have a relationship with the one true, Most High God of the universe, Who is great and mighty, and will extend that might on behalf of those who have surrendered to Him.  If we choose to go our own way, He will allow that, but His love never diminishes and He will forgive and restore us when we humble ourselves before Him; but He offers us His love, wisdom, and power.

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In 1st Timothy chapter 3, Paul makes a bold declaration about the nature of God, the God of the Bible:
(15) I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

It's a rather simple question: Do you believe in God or not?

And, I think it's a good question to examine on this National Day of Prayer, a day on which we can be challenged to call out to that God on behalf of our nation.

A recently released Pew survey explored respondents' perception of God.  To the question: 80% responded a resounding "YES," or so it seems.  A Christianity Today analysis of the data points out that only 56% of those surveyed believe in the God of the Bible.  23% of the "yes"es and 9% of the "no"s believe in some other "higher power" or "spiritual force."  Only 10% believe in none of the above.

A few other nuggets of information here:

American Christians (80%) are most likely to believe in a biblical God, a minority position among Jews (33%). A majority of American Jews view God as a higher power or spiritual force instead.

Also, the summary story says: "Within Christianity, nearly all evangelicals (which Pew defined for this study by denominational affiliation, using a multiethnic sample that was 25% non-white) and Protestants attending historically black churches believe in the biblical God, more than any other religious affiliation."

95% of Protestants affirm that God (or the related higher power) is "all-loving."  91% of Protestants say He is "all-knowing," and 83% believe He is "all-powerful."  Put it all together, and 80% believe He is all three; a view embraced by only 61% of Catholics.

Also, regarding God's involvement in the world, 89% of Evangelicals and 96% of historically Black Protestants believe that He "has the power to direct or change everything that goes on in the world."

There is a also a gender gap regarding belief in a Biblical God: 61% of women and 50% of men. 

This data gives us the opportunity to reflect on different attributes of God.  The survey highlighted quite a few: His love, His knowledge, His power.  We can take the occasion of the National Day of Prayer to recognize we serve a God who loves us, who is all knowing AND is able to "direct or change everything."  Everything.  He knows, He understands, and He is great and mighty.  In our times of individual or collective hopelessness, we can turn to and call on God - in the name of Jesus -  Who hears and responds to our prayers.

And, as cold-case detective and Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace points out in a column for Townhall.com, there are reasons to consider our opportunities to speak truth about God.  He writes:

So, fellow Christian, before you throw up your hands over the bad news coming from the latest Pew Center Report, consider the good news: we live in a country filled with spiritual seekers who believe a higher power exists and is at work in their lives. For one reason or another, many have rejected the God of the Bible. Sadly, many may have done so without ever coming to know Him. Instead, they may only know us. Have we been able to answer their questions? Have we presented them with a reasonable, “forensic faith” capable of withstanding the scrutiny of our increasingly secular culture? Have we accurately embodied our Christian worldview? Have we shown them the love or power of God? As always, every challenge offers an opportunity. Let’s seize the moment and turn those who are seeking the Divine back toward the God of the Bible.

This is another of those "spiritually sensitive" days that I will speak of at Christmas and around Easter.  First thing this morning, #NationalDayOfPrayer was trending.  It has to be more than a trend for us and can present a challenge to renew our prayer lives and demonstrate to the world that we believe in the God of the Bible, who loves us and is interested in every detail of our lives.

Read It

The Bible tells a powerful story of a loving, creator God, the need of fallen humanity for a Savior, and how God has brought it all together in redeeming us and bringing us into a relationship with Himself.  We are called and chosen to be His representatives of this wonderful story.  2nd Corinthians 5 states:
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

We have been reconciled to God, and we can display that right relationship in the way that we live, allowing the Spirit to flow through us so that we reflect the glory of Christ in us.  We have been given the "word of reconciliation" - the good news of the Scriptures that God has, in His great love, come to redeem fallen humanity.  And, we demonstrate the love of God in the way that we relate to those around us, as He intervenes to make relationships right.

+++++

We can see ourselves through our exposure to the Bible, and we can see how God's story intersects with our own. James 1 says:
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The men's magazine, GQ has decided it wants to be some sort of book review digest or a petty online book club.  It has released a list of 21 Books You Don't Have to Read.  An article on the CNSNews.com website states that the list includes: Lonesome Dove, The Catcher in the Rye, The Old Man and the Sea, and...wait for it:

The Bible.

Yes, according to the article, GQ writes:

“[N]ot all the Great Books have aged well. Some are racist and some are sexist, but most are just really, really boring. So we—and a group of un-boring writers—give you permission to strike these books from the canon..."

The article also states:

As for the content of the holy book, GQ’s contempt is summed up by this one sentence:

“It is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned.”

Perhaps GQ should be on a list of publications that should not be read.  John Stonestreet at The Point contends:

Of course, dissing scripture is as old as the hills but with falling circulation and GQ becoming the magazine no one wants to read, their powers that be are trying to shock folks into becoming readers.

But he points out:

...as Shane Morris writes at BreakPoint.org, “Between the fourth and twentieth centuries, basically no movement, reform, revival, conflict, work or art, symphony, or piece of literature in the West came about independent of this grand dialogue with biblical faith . . . If you don’t understand the Bible, you can’t understand the West.”

 Todd Starnes relates at FoxNews.com:

The truth is the Bible documents the greatest story ever told – a story about agape love and sacrifice and redemption – everlasting life.

And it’s also the best-selling book of all time – more than 5 billion copies sold, according to Guinness World Records, which also reports that the whole Bible has been translated into 349 languages and says at least one book of the Bible has been translated into 2,123 languages. Statistics Brain estimates even more Bibles have been printed – just over 6 billion.

“The Holy Bible is God-breathed, it is living and active, and it is sharper than a double-edged sword,” the Rev. Franklin Graham wrote on Facebook. “There is nothing more powerful, and there’s nothing more needed by mankind than the Word of God.”

It's not surprising - we live in a culture that has developed a hostility to the Word and to Christianity. That can be discouraging, but it should also be motivational to try to love God's Word more and to live it more accurately.

There has been plenty of discussion in Christian circles about Bible illiteracy and our need to know the Word more.  A culture that is seeing the Bible in action is a culture that can experience the redemptive elements portrayed in Scriptures, as they are demonstrated by God's people.  We can take our role seriously as ambassadors of Christ.

It is unfortunate that there are those who misunderstand or are willfully ignorant of the Scriptures. Because in the Bible, we see ourselves - James talks about the Word as a mirror.  We can see how our story intersects with God's story: how our loving Father has provided salvation for fallen humanity, and how we have our own personal need for a Savior.  The Scriptures are alive, and God wants to bring them to light for every human being.