Wrongfully Accused

There's a passage in Romans 5 that can help shape our attitude toward the trials we face, recognizing
that there is a greater purpose which we are pursuing, or that God has ordained for us:
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

So, in our trials, we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, knowing that He is doing a work in our lives. When we encounter difficulty, perhaps even when we face false accusations or manifold conflicts, we can trust in God and ask Him for wisdom and power to walk according to His direction.  He can heal our hearts and repair our relationships, so that He might be glorified in and through our lives.  Our adversity is just part of His refining process, so that we might more effectively display the character of Christ.

+++++

In the section of the Sermon on the Mount called the Beatitudes, in Matthew 5, Jesus said:
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There is a new Netflix series that was released in December, and it has attracted attention to a Wisconsin man named Steven Avery.  The series is "Making A Murderer,” and it focused on Avery's exoneration in a sexual assault case and later conviction for murder.  According to Fox6Now.com,
he was convicted in 1985 in the assault case and, after serving 18 years in prison, he was exonerated based on DNA evidence connecting the attack to another man. He filed a lawsuit against Manitowoc County for wrongful conviction and imprisonment.

Two years later, he was arrested in the death of Teresa Halbach, a young photographer whose charred remains were found on his family’s auto salvage yard.

Avery's twin sons recently did an interview, in which they admitted they were not sure their father had committed the murder of Halbach.

He has a new attorney, Kathleen Zellner, who told WBAY-TV that she’s been following Avery’s case for years, and after questioning him for hours she decided it was a case she had to take.

“When someone wants every possible test done that could be done that would prove their guilt or innocence, that’s when you know they’re innocent,” she said.

The same year Mr. Avery was convicted, Daryl Burton also went to prison.  According to a Christian Today piece, he was convicted in 1985 for murder for the 1984 shooting of Donald Ball at a gas station in St. Louis. Burton said it took over 15 years in prison before he opened his heart to God.

He is quoted as saying:

"For the first 15 years or so I was just trying to do everything in my own abilities. Of course, I was really angry and upset and really frustrated about my situation and being wrongfully imprisoned," he said. "I said, 'Well, I have tried everything but God, what do I have to lose.' I just challenged Jesus — 'If you're real, show me. If you help me, I will serve you and tell the world about you.'"

He was found guilty based on the accounts of two prosecution witnesses who lied in their testimonies. Burton wrote 700 letters to lawmakers, attorneys and activities who were known to helping wrongly convicted prisoners. New Jersey-based Centurion Ministries, which takes cases of the wrongly convicted, helped him in his eight-year legal battle that resulted in his conviction being reversed by a judge in 2008 as his trial was deemed constitutionally flawed.

Burton said he never blamed God, even though he was in prison for over two decades. He says, "I think God used the situation the same way with Joseph when Joseph was thrown in the prison and treated by his brothers in a way that was not right. I never blamed God." Daryl sensed the call of God on his life and now serves on the staff of a large church in Kansas, where one of his areas of interest is prison ministry.

I thought about these witnesses in Mr. Burton's trial lying.  That reminds me of a situation in a trial about which we're told in the Bible - our Savior, when He was being tried, had people who made up stories about Him, but His "conviction" became a necessary step on His way to the cross to purchase redemption for humanity.  Daryl Burton referred to the story of Joseph, who was also falsely accused, but even his time in prison was a step in God's story of his life.

There will be times when we face trials, perhaps being misunderstood, or spoken about unkindly or falsely as Matthew 5:11 says.  When we face the scourge of words said against us, still we can trust in God's unchanging hand and rely on His faithfulness.   We can seek, with the help of the Spirit, to have our reputation restored, to display Godly character, and to live a life that is so concentrated on Christ that our character will be reinforced.    

And, we recognize that God's prescribed journey for our lives is not necessarily the path that we would choose or the path of least resistance.  In order for God to accomplish His purpose in our lives, there will be times of testing, so that we might develop endurance and Christian character. So, we can gladly accept those times of difficulty, recognizing that He is at work.

We also realize that there is a spiritual enemy who we face who will falsely accuse us.  And, we can know that we overcome him by, as Revelation 12 tells us, the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.  That Word is God's Word, and when Satan distorts the picture of our true identity in Christ, we can speak the Word of God, just as Jesus did when He was tempted in the wilderness. The enemy will remind us of forgiven sin, of our forsaken past, and when condemnation comes, we can gain a greater sense of our new identity in Jesus Christ.

Character and Wisdom

God desires for us to radiate His character in our lives, to allow the presence of Christ to flow from
our hearts. Colossians 1:27 says:
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

(The "them" here is the saints, those who belong to Christ.)

Reading on:
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Christ in us - what an amazing concept!   God sent His Son, Jesus, so that we might accept Him and allow His resurrection power to raise us up to new life.  And, He has filled us with His Holy Spirit and we can have the assurance of His indwelling presence each day.  His presence will cleanse us and produce in our lives Godly character.  He will lead us according to His truth and grant us wisdom as we depend on Him.

+++++

God is calling us to a surrendered life, and Jesus paints a powerful picture in John chapter 15:
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Maybe you caught Bryce Johnson's recent interview with the Panthers' Jerricho Cotchery on Unpackin' It, which is heard Saturdays at 11:00am on Faith Radio.  The Christian Post published a transcript of the interview.  Bryce asked Cotchery: "...What has God been personally teaching you throughout this season? What's something that's been on your heart throughout the year?"

Cotchery responded:

That as a Christian everything is always about grace. Not only when you are first saved, but throughout the entirety of your life — your growth as a man, as a husband, as a father, and even as a football player. It's all about grace.

Being undeserving is an understatement, but I am truly thankful for it and appreciate every moment. I thank God for everything that He is doing.

In a piece on the Baptist Press website, Brandon Marshall of the Broncos is described as seeking to prioritize his life by faith, family and football.

"I thank God every day for where I'm at ... for blessing me with these abilities," he said. "I'm thankful for Him because He blessed me with this. I feel like I'm anointed to do this. That's why I play the game, also for my family."

And, then you have Denver Broncos chaplain Luther Elliss, who offers some insight on pro football players and traps they might fall into.  Because he fell into them himself.

In a USA Today story, you can read this:

He didn't blow his $12 million in earnings as a pro football player on the high life of drugs and drink; he just made bad business decisions.

Elliss, who also serves as a transition coach for the NFL and speaks at the league's rookie symposiums, brings firsthand knowledge into the job of convincing players they'll one day lose their Midas touch.

"Everything they touch turns to gold. And usually they're pretty creative, hard workers, so they've been able to overcome things, any obstacle that comes to mind," Elliss said. "And even for myself, we had guys come over and talk to us about finances and gave us the statistics, it was like over 60 percent of the guys end up broke, divorced, homeless, without a job after you leave the game within three years. And I'm like, 'No, that's not me.'"

Elliss calls it the Superman Syndrome, which serves athletes well, but not in life away from the game.

Elliss had been involved in a Christian church plant in Salt Lake City and said about his opportunity with Denver: "I've always had a heart for ministry...And I just thought if I could go back to the NFL, I would want to go back to minister, to love on these guys, and I can also share my experience and help them shape their future."

So, it's good to know that behind the scenes, even in a spectacle like the Super Bowl, you have people of faith who are dedicated to exalting Christ in their lives - on and off the football field.

Just a couple of notes in reflecting on the Big Game:

Character counts.  And, a proven way to developing strong character is to have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.  His principles produce His fruit, and a person can have peace and order in his or her life through trusting in Christ daily.  The expression of the presence of Christ can provide a compelling narrative for these guys who have been given such a powerful platform.

And, we can depend on the Lord to give us the wisdom to make good decisions.  Luther Elliss made bad one, he was a victim of the Superman Syndrome.  And, we can all fall into that - thinking that we know more than the One who made us.  God knows who we are, what we are made of, and will lead us into the places where He desires for us to go in Him.   He will position our lives, but we have to be willing to do according to His will.

Cynicism With a Chance of Empathy

In 1st Peter 4, the writer encourages us to have a "fervent" love for one another. He instructs us:
9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
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.

There is a part of human nature, I believe, that tends to skew toward "grumbling."  We are quick to let people know what is wrong, rather than focus on what is good, perfect and godly.  We speak out our troubles and disappointments - and there is a place for that - but, I think that perhaps we can reject our natural tendencies and refresh our spirits and the hearts of others by offering praise to God. We have to guard against spending time in complaining, when we could be calling attention to the grace and goodness of God in our lives.

+++++

In Philippians 2, we find the exhortation to, basically, watch our words:
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Cynicism with a chance of empathy.

I'm not sure that's the point of a recent Twitter hashtag, #realclergybios, which was really a vent-fest that was started by two ladies, who wrote on The Salt Collective website:

Like any professional bio the clergy bios found on church websites include the glossy and shiny. But what would happen if we took away the polish? Besides getting a glimpse into the “odd and wondrous,” the sad, but true hilarity of clergy life, we got an inkling of the varied ways the clergy vocation is lived out...

The article, as well as a piece on the Religion News Service website didn't necessarily reflect a whole lot of "hilarity," rather some deep-seated struggles that would perhaps best be shared in a counseling room or a closed ministerial association meeting.  Making light of the frustrations of the life of a pastor is one thing, but I felt that some of the vents in 140 characters or less that were reflected in these pieces went beyond just poking fun at the profession.

Examples:

"I have 2 Masters degrees but still not sure what I believe."

I'm pretty sure that every extemporaneous prayer I offer comes across as incoherent rambling.

Why does almost every "contemporary" service I've ever seen feel like a time machine to 1984? One word: Boomers. LET IT GO

Interestingly enough, my sampling of tweets yielded what I would regard as a feminist thread and even some references to sexual orientation.

One particular user of the hashtag, who is rather prevalent and with whom I disagree, well, most of the time, tweeted out:  "Check out #RealClergyBios. Then tell your pastors/friends in ministry you love them!"

These short bursts, or outbursts, can definitely remind us about the struggles of those who labor among us.   And, I think it illustrates the insufficiency of social media to express legitimate concerns in a substantive way.   Sometimes there are things that are posted that, while seeming like a good idea at the time, reflect poorly on the person who posted them.  A post on Facebook cannot sufficiently produce the healing that may be needed by the one posting.  And, I don't think our heartfelt needs are adequately addressed in 140 characters on Twitter.

There is a place to express our struggles, but should our unsettledness really be on display where all the world can see it?   Should Christians', especially leaders', "dirty laundry" be hung out there for everyone, including those whom we want to come to know Christ, to see?

I believe the beauty of the gospel includes the elements of brokenness and struggle, but our expression to the world ideally shouldn't end there - we can communicate the message that God has met us in our brokenness and provide hope and healing through Jesus Christ.   

Let's get the social media element out of the conversation. I think society skews toward the negative in general, and we have to guard against being people who have a tendency to complain and be people who reflect grace and peace.  That's not to say we should cover up or internalize our struggles or our pain - definitely not.  But, we can find forums and friends with whom we can walk who can provide us with the insight, empathy, or just a listening ear.   And, we have to search our own hearts to make sure we are reflecting contentment, even when we may face discouragement, and we will.  And, hopefully, we as the body of Christ, will be there for one another, shepherds and sheep.

Relationship, Revision, Response

Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and in Ephesians 1, we are reminded that He is risen from the dead, seated at the right hand of God the Father, far above any other principality and power.  Picking up in verse
22, we read:
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Because Jesus is our Lord and King, we have placed ourselves under submission to His supremacy. That means we trust Him completely with our lives - because He loves us, we can be confident that He wants the best for us, and will bring that to pass in us.  We can completely surrender our lives - following the direction we find in His Word and yielding to the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He fills us, empowering us to walk in God's ways.

+++++

In Colossians 1, we can see a wonderful word picture about Who Jesus is:
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

God will use His people - in community - surrendered to Jesus, the Head of the body of Christ, to do amazing things.  And, He will work in large congregations and in small ones.

There was a report released about a month ago about a study conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research - it's the Faith Communities Today report, which, according to a USA Today article, showed that the number of congregations with fewer than 100 in weekend attendance, which are the most vulnerable to collapse, rose to 58% in 2015, up from 49% five years ago.

The story noted that the report is optimistically titled: “American Congregations 2015: Thriving and Surviving.”  The institute's director, David Roozen, who authored the report, wanted to highlight signs of hope that were found in the research.  He asked about innovation, growth and positive change, particularly in the small churches included among the over 4,400 U.S. congregations whose data he analyzed.

Among the congregations with under 100 people in weekend worship, only about 18% described themselves as thriving; 29% declared themselves OK.

Willingness to change is obviously an important factor, and Roozen found that congregations willing to “change to meet new challenges” fell to 62% in 2015, down from 74% a decade ago. He is quoted as saying, "Thriving congregations are nearly 10 times more likely to have changed themselves than are struggling congregations."

There were several innovations mentioned in the article, which spotlighted a few churches from a variety of theological backgrounds, it seems.  I thought that an emphasis on relationship was a key factor in some of the small churches spotlighted.  One pastor took over at a church and began to cold-call past attendees and nurture the people he contacted.  Another church went into the community and did prayer walks, asking people how they could pray for them.  One pastor cited a motto from Disney's The Little Mermaid: “I want to be where the people are … ”

So, relationship is a key word in developing healthy congregations, no matter what the number may be.  In fact, I would submit that the willingness to follow the Spirit of God into relationship - with God and with our fellow believers, as well as the community - is more important than numerical growth.  

I would also submit that the word, revision, could be another key term.  We must be willing to go where God leads us, and that will likely involve change.  The words, "We've never done it this way before," should be used as a positive determinant to propel us to explore new avenues of ministry, rather than a negative barrier that can hold us back.

Finally, we have to have an appropriate response to the call of the Spirit.  It's important to know God's Word and discern His voice as He speaks.  We can respond willingly to His direction and allow Him to fill us with a passion to do His work.

And, these three words: relationship, revision, and response, can be applied in the corporate context, as well as our individual lives, so that we might reflect the glory and the desire of our Lord.

A Perilous Path

There is a passage in 1st Timothy 6 that can challenge us regarding our attitude toward financial
resources:
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

I want to concentrate on verse 7 - the sum total of our lives is not the financial resources that we possess.  I would contend that the way we use the material possessions with which God has blessed us is a component of true spiritual success.  Sure, we may make some money and hopefully provide an inheritance for our children, but the truth is, God gives us resources in order to use for His glory during our time on earth.  It's not the accumulation, but the appropriation of the accumulation, that is important to God.

+++++

The Bible warns us against empty pursuits - the thirst for cash, to gain more material resources, to make more money, and perhaps "hit the jackpot" in life. Proverbs 13 offers this:
7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

Later in the chapter, the Bible says:
11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.

In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 13:11 says:
11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.

Today, I want to continue my series on the perils of gambling, which is a clearly unscriptural practice.  There is evidence that even those who "win" become losers.  An NBC News story about the lottery quotes Paul Golden, a spokesman for the Denver-based non-profit National Endowment for Financial Education: "The perception is that you're never going to worry about money again. In fact, you're going to have to worry about it more than you ever, ever have before."

Ron Riggio, a Claremont McKenna professor of leadership and organizational psychology who has studied past lottery winners, said: "Everyone believes that money is going to bring them happiness, but there's no real evidence of that." The story also points to research from the University of British Columbia, which found that when people prioritize to have more time at the expense of having less money, they're happier.

The story also quotes Gary Buffone, a psychologist and expert on happiness and money, told the TODAY show in response to those findings: "People who prioritize time over money make more effort to invest in activities that are expected to generate a more stable sense of happiness or enjoyment, such as developing strong social relationships, finding enjoyable hobbies and exercising."

And yes, the article highlighted a winner who had carefully managed her finances and things went OK, but it also focused on a winner who became a loser, who is quoted as saying five years after his win, "Everybody dreams of winning money, but nobody realizes the nightmares that come out of the woodwork, or the problems."

Financial expert Dave Ramsey says on his website:

Perhaps the quickest way to ruin your life is to win the lottery.

Don't laugh. Lots of people think that instantly coming into a few million dollars means life on easy street, money that will be around forever, and no need for responsibility or work.

The truth is very rarely does it work out like that for a lottery winner. Unfortunately, a new study published in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making finds that people who feel poor are more eager to spend money in an attempt to get rich (this is a good "duh" moment). One recent report found that families who make under $12,400 spend about $645 a year on lottery tickets.

Dave says that, "When you are feeling the money crunch, the last thing you want to do is spend what little money you have on a super-long shot for money. The odds of winning a lottery are literally about one in 125 million.  He points out:

• You are 66 times more likely to die from a snake bite.
• You are 2,001 times more likely to die in the electric chair!
• You are 2,201 times more likely to die from a hornet, wasp or bee sting.
• You are 1,488,095 times more likely to die in a car wreck on the way to the gas station to buy the lottery ticket.

He adds, "Banking on winning the lottery is about as ridiculous as it gets!"  Ramsey also says, "Forget the lotto. Working hard and saving money is the only surefire way to make money.  It works every time unlike the lotto."

So, there's one of our takeaways right there.  The Bible has a prescription for sound financial well-being, and it doesn't involve the "get rich quick" approach that the lottery and casino gambling offer.  

The Bible also teaches that the accumulation of wealth does not purchase happiness.   We are taught to seek Christ as our sufficiency, to set our desires on the things of His Kingdom.  We are instructed not to love money, but to be content in Him.  As it's been said, God doesn't want us not to have things, but He does not want things to have us.  

Finally, it is unconscionable that there are certain lawmakers in our state that would want to use this type of scheme as a fundraising measure for a cash-strapped state government.  As people of faith, it is important that we continue to speak out - you can pray and encourage state legislators to resist the temptation to abandon sound monetary principles and embrace an unstable revenue source.  

Identity

It is important to know how God sees us, the identity that He has given to us in Christ.  Ephesians 1
contains one of the passages in Scripture that can reinforce these ideas about who we really are:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

We are created in the image of God, intended for His glory - think about that: who you are and how you represent Christ are intended to bring honor to God.  We can do this!  That is part of our spiritual nature, as new creations in Him. When we are confused about our own identity and settle for less than who God made us, we can reflect on what the Bible tells us and how we are described.  The more we know about God's special work in our hearts, the more freedom we can experience to live that out!

+++++

In Genesis 1, we read the breathtaking story of creation and we can gain insight about the creation and ordination of humanity:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

We are hearing story after story of people who have become discontent with their biological makeup, for whatever reason.  In the name of so-called "gender identity," individuals are seeking special consideration based on their own perception of their gender, rather than the way that God has made them.

This gender deception has been expressed in the public policy realm.  As Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council writes,

Various localities, states, and the federal government are being urged to expand the protected categories under existing civil rights laws to bar "discrimination" in employment, housing, and/or public accommodations on the basis of "gender identity." "Gender identity" is typically described as "a gender-related identity, appearance, expression, or behavior of an individual regardless of the individual's assigned sex at birth."

Sprigg adds that, "To suggest that the identification of a human being's sex at birth represents merely an 'assignment,' as though it were entirely a social construct agreed upon by the child's parents and physician, is absurd."  He warns against the negative policy consequences of the adoption of such legislation, including public safety, saying that, "The government should never purposefully threaten the public safety of women and children by creating the legitimized access that sexual predators tend to seek."

Lawmakers in Washington state are seeking to undo a rule allowing transgender individuals in the state to use public bathrooms based on their gender identity.  The Daily Signal reported that the state’s Human Rights Commission approved the rule, which requires such access to sex-specific facilities including bathrooms and locker rooms.  Last week, it reported that a bill to repeal the rule has cleared a state Senate committee.

And, the website has reported that the New York City Commission on Human Rightshas updated a policy to specifically protect transgender and gender non-conforming individuals from discrimination in areas of employment, public accommodation, and housing.

According to the city, gender non-conforming individuals is a term “used to describe someone whose gender expression differs from traditional gender-based stereotypes.”

Under the new policy, landlords, employers, and businesses can face civil penalties up to $125,000 per violation and up to $250,000 “for violations that are the result of willful, wanton, or malicious conduct.”  That would include, "Failing to use an individual’s preferred name, pronoun, or title," "Refusing to allow individuals to use single-sex facilities, such as bathrooms or locker rooms, and participate in single-sex programs, consistent with their gender identity," and other regulations.

What a deceived world we live in!  And according to a story on the ChristianNews.net website, there's a woman in Norway who claims that she was “born in the wrong species” and asserts that she is really a cat trapped in a human body. She recently appeared in a news broadcast wearing fake cat ears and a tail as she asserted, “I’ve been a cat all my life.”

She said, "I realized I was a cat when I was 16 when doctors and psychologists found out what was ‘the thing’ with me,” adding, “Under my birth there was a genetic defect.”  She is also quoted as saying, "Yes, I’m born like this ... Born in the wrong species. … It’s obvious I’m a cat when I start purring and meowing and walking around on four legs and stuff like that.” The woman is shown crawling on her hands and knees on the floor and scratching at the door as she looks out the window.

OK, enough already!  You already have people who believe that their bodies, fearfully and wonderfully designed by God, are ill-suited for their true perceived identity.  Now, you have someone who believes, presumably, that she is a cat in a human body.

How far we've come.  Now, I will say, we need to be compassionate upon those who are having legitimate struggles with such topics as sexuality or who are experienced confusion surrounding their gender.  I believe you do have people who are confused, and we should be in a position to point people to their Creator God, who brings peace and clarity.

But, now those who are confused and those who support them want to extrapolate personal confusion to society at large.  News media reporting on stories related to gender identity is just one of the factors that can lead to the normalization of gender confusion - as that is normalized, it can result in the types of public policy accommodations that I was just mentioning.  We have to reject these dangerous narratives that contradict the beauty of God's design.

And, we have to correct our own personal narratives.  We may not have struggles over gender identity, but there may be confusion over who we are in Christ.  And, our lack of knowledge about or acceptance of what the Bible says about us can place us in a less-than-optimal spiritual position.  The Bible tells us who we are in Jesus, who He has made us to be, and there are numerous passages that reinforce our true nature, recreated in the image of God through Christ.  As we embrace our true identity, we become free to live according to that new nature - as new creations in Christ!

In Jesus' Name

Jesus is teaching His disciples in John 14 about the power that they would possess in His name.  We
read, beginning in verse 12:
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

We come before the Father in the name of Jesus, and we are told that we can pray in His name. When we call on the name of Jesus, we activate the riches of heaven and release His power and authority. In the name of Jesus, we can walk in victory, and the powers of evil are rendered inferior to the overcoming power of God.   When we face challenges, we can remember to call upon His name and recognize that by speaking and praying in the name of Jesus, we touch God's supernatural power source.

+++++

In Philippians 2, we are instructed about the power in the name of Jesus, the name by which we are to call upon God and expect His resources to be released for His glory. We read this passage, referring to Christ:
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Chris Quimby is a news anchor in Maine.  He is also a Christian comedian, speaker, and writer. Recently, he was wrapping up a news segment on VStv when he began to say, "In Jesus name," according to a Charisma News story reported on at Christian Headlines.com.  He didn't finish, and then he tried to correct himself by adding, "Amen."  He and his co-host erupted in laughter.

The mistake was featured on a blooper reel which then went viral.

I found out a little bit more about Chris Quimby - he has released a book called, Spokes and Jokes, subtitled, One Comedian's Faith Journey from Maine to Texas in Search of God's Will.   On his Facebook page, you can read that:

In 2012, a discouraged 39-year old Chris Quimby struggled to determine which direction in life he should head. Suffering a mixture of unemployment and underemployment, the husband and father of two prayed sincerely for God’s direction.

Not at peace to trade in his individuality for a cubicle and good benefits, the local comedian reached for something more.

Encouraged by a recent reading at a local seminary, Quimby embarked on a plan to blend his unique talents, desires and opportunities into an adventure for the whole family.

Spokes & Jokes chronicles the eight-week bicycle journey from Maine to Texas that captured the imagination and survived on the support and prayers of hundreds of others.

Over 2100 miles. Lodging at the homes of 29 different strangers. 8 comedy performances.

So, apparently, Chris has had quite a journey - in prayer and in pedalling!  Ans as he was praying - sincerely - he must've prayed in Jesus' name a few times.  And, that came out on the news.

But, what a way to close out a news segment - even though he caught himself, that can really cause us to think about the best news of all!  Jesus has called us into relationship with Him and we can pray in His name.

I was thinking about what it means to do something "in the name of" somebody else.  Well, that means that we are representing a person, and that a person has sent us in his or her stead, with that person's approval or blessing.  Perhaps we are a carrier of information or of an item or items.

Now, think about what happens when we pray "in Jesus' name" - that is the name above all names! We can use His name when we come before the Father in prayer.  But, it should be more than just a few simple words to complete a prayer; more than a formulaic expression - no, we are calling on the God of the universe, clothed in Christ, representing Christ our Advocate, who represents us before the Father and grants us access.   He says to God that you are His child and He has given you the right and authority to pray in that name.

And, there is power in the name of Jesus.  When we pray in His name, we invoke the authority of heaven as we engage in spiritual warfare against the dark forces that oppose the living God. We do not fight the enemy using human resources, but we engage in combat against him using the power that we have in the Spirit of God.  We are called to victory in the name of Jesus Christ.