Wednesday Worship:

Should We Pray for ISIS To Be Defeated or Converted?

Original Post: Should We Pray for ISIS To Be Defeated or Converted?
Original Post Date: November 18, 2015
Original Author: Russel Moore

Over the weekend many of us watched with horror and heartbreak as reports of terrorism came from Paris. At least 120 people were killed in what appears to be a coordinated operation by the Islamic State (ISIS), a terror organization that has murdered thousands of innocent people over the last year, including many Christians.

ISIS is one of the clearest embodiments of persecution and evil that we in the West have seen in many years. Their very existence is a commitment to wiping out political and cultural opposition through violence. They prey relentlessly on the innocent, including children. There’s no question that ISIS is a menace that must be engaged through just war.

But is justice the only thing that Christians should pray for when it comes to ISIS? Should we pray that our military, in the words of singer Toby Keith, “light up their world like the Fourth of July”? Or should we pray that, as a friend of mine posted on social media, there would be a Saul among those ISIS militants, whose salvation might turn the Arab world upside down with the gospel?

These are not contradictory prayers, and to each of them I say, “Amen.”

Justice and Justification

Jesus says to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). The Spirit of Jesus in the prophets and in the apostles also tells us that those who turn a blind eye to the killing of others are wrong. The reason we feel contradictory praying for both justice against ISIS and salvation among ISIS is partly because we fail to distinguish between the mission of the state in the use of the temporal sword against evildoers (Rom. 13:4) and the mission of the church in the use of the sword of the Spirit against sin and death and the devil (Eph. 6). But that’s not, I think, the main problem.

The main problem is that we sometimes forget we are called to be a people of both justice and justification—and that these two aren’t contradictory.

It sounds awfully spiritual, at first blush, to say we shouldn’t pray for the defeat of our enemies on the field of battle. But that’s only the case if the enemies aren’t actually doing anything. This terrorist group is raping, enslaving, beheading, and crucifying our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as other innocent people. To not pray for swift action against them is to not care about what Jesus said we should seek, what we should hunger and thirst for, for justice. A world in which murderous gangs commit genocide without penalty is not a “merciful” world but an unjust horror show.

As Christians we ought to be, above all people, concerned with such justice. We don’t just have the common grace motivation, rooted in the image of God and the law written on the heart, to care about stopping murder and injustice. We also have the personal implication. It’s our household being wiped out in the Middle East, the very place where our church started. For us, this isn’t a matter of “they”; it’s a matter of “us.”

Gospel and Punishment

At the same time, praying for the salvation of our enemies, even those committing the most horrific of crimes, isn’t a call to stop praying for justice against them. The cross, after all, is not forgiveness in a contemporary therapeutic sense—in which one is merely absolved of wrongdoing as though it were all a misunderstanding.

The gospel does not say, “Don’t worry about it; it’s okay.” The gospel points us to the cross where sin is absorbed in a substitute. God’s righteous condemnation of sin is there—he does not, and cannot, enable wickedness. And God’s mercy is also there in that he is the One who sends his Son as the propitiation for sin. He is both “just and the justifier of the One who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). The gospel doesn’t leave sin unpunished. Every sin is punished—either at the Place of the Skull, in Christ, or in the judgment of hell, on one’s own.

The repentant thief on the cross—a Middle Eastern terrorist by Rome’s standards—did not believe his salvation exempted him from justice. He confessed that his sentence was just, that he was receiving “the due reward for [his] deeds” (Luke 23:41) even as he cried out to Jesus for merciful entrance into his kingdom (Luke 23:42).

We ought, indeed, to pray for the gospel to go forward, and that there might be a new Saul of Tarsus transformed from murdering to gospel witness. At the same time we ought to pray, with the martyrs in heaven, for justice against those who perpetrate such wickedness. Praying for the military defeat of our enemies—and that they might turn to Christ—aren’t contradictory prayers, because salvation doesn’t mean turning an eye away from justice. We can pray for gospel rootedness in the Middle East, and we can pray to light up their world like the Fourth of July, at the same time.

We are, after all, the people of the cross.

Refugees, America & God's Heart:

My heart is heavy today and my brain is confused as I scroll through social media, listen to the news and talk with people about refugees. I have been staring at my computer screen and wondering what to say about this incredibly  complex situation (that's probably the understatement of the year).

On one hand I want to say we should accept all refugees and love them but on the other hand I know the situation isn't that easy and I can understand the reality that ISIS could use the refugee situation to spread their troops around the world.

On one hand I want to say we should love our neighbor and that means we should have compassion on refugees and welcome them but on the other hand loving our neighbor also means loving the people around us and not wanting to see them suffer a terrorist attack.

The situation with refugees is very very complex. I wrote a lot this morning but in the end I hit delete grabbed my Bible, conducted a word study on the word refugee, strangers, poor, aliens and sojourners and discovered seven truths from Scripture.

Seven key principles describe God's abiding concern for refugees:

1. God loves, protects, and provides for refugees.
• He watches over them. Ps. 146:9.
• He provides refuge for them, a shelter from the storm, and
shade from the heat. Ps. 9:9, Is.25:4.
• He shows no partiality to natives of a country. Refugees and
natives have equal status is His sight. Deut. 10:16-19, Num.15:16.
• He defends their cause, providing food and clothing for them.
Deut. 10:16-19.
• Jesus announced that the essence of his ministry was to help and serve people in refugee-like situations. Luke 4:16-2

2. God expects his people to love refugees and to give freely of their resources to help them.
• Love refugees as you love yourselves. Lev. 19:34, Deut 10:16-19.
• Treat refugees fairly and stand up for them when others mistreat them. Ps. 82:4, Ex. 22:21, Lev. 19:33, Zech. 7:9-10, Deut. 23:15.
• Share your food, clothing, and shelter with them. Is. 58:6-11, Lk. 3:10, Mt. 25:31-46.
• Invite them into your homes. Heb. 13:2. Is. 58:6-11, Luke 14:12-13.
• Set aside part of your income to help them. Lev. 19:10, 23:22, Deut. 24:19-21, 14:28-29, 26:12, Gal. 2:10, Ja. 1:27.
• Sell your possessions to help them if need be. Lk. 12:33, Mt.19:21.
• Encourage them. Is. 1:17.

3. God views our compassionate treatment of refugees as a fundamental indicator of true Christianity.
• When believers stand before Him on judgment day He will ask them how they treated refugees. Luke 14:12-13, Matthew 25:31- 46.

4. God expects the nations to rescue refugees, to take them in, and to treat them just like her native born.
• Rescue refugees from persecuting nations. Is. 16:3-5.
• Give shelter to them from their destroyers. Is. 16:3-5.
• Never return refugees to their oppressors. Let them live with you. Deut. 23:15.
• Give them a choice as to where they can live among you. Deut. 23:15.
• Treat refugees just like you do your own citizens through your laws and regulations. Treat them fairly. Lev. 19:34, 24:22, Num. 15:16.
• Set aside part of your income to help them. Deut. 14:28-29, 26:12

5. God promises to bless the family and nation who take care of refugees.
• He blesses them and the work of their hands. Deut. 24:19-21.
• He answers their prayer. Is. 58:6-11.
• His glory is their rear guard. Ps. 41:1-3, Is. 58:6-11.
• He strengthens them physically. Is. 58:6-11, Ps. 41:1-3.
• He satisfies their needs. Prov. 28:27, Is. 58:6-11.
• He protects them. Ps. 41:1-3.
• He will repay them at the resurrection of the righteous. Lk. 14:12-13, Mt. 25:31-46

6. God promises to purse the nation and people who mistreat refugees.
• The judgment and curse of the Lord is on a nation that withholds justice from the refugee. Deut. 27:19, 24:17, Ez.22:9f, Mal 3:5, Ez. 16:49f
• The Lord will not answer their prayers. Pr. 21:13
• He who closes his/hers ears to refugees will receive many curses. Pr. 28:27
• You show contempt toward God if you oppress the poor. Pr. 10:31.
• A nation's right to its land is predicated upon treating refugees well. Jer. 5:5-7

7. God views our care for refugees as a concrete expression of love and service to him.
• When we take care of refugees, we take care of the Lord.  Mt. 25.

I don't know what to say to end this blog post or what to say to even add anything of substance to the noise except maybe just more noise I should probably just hit delete..... In the end here's all I know; whatever you think in terms of policy there is one inescapable reality: God loves refugees.

Tough Question: Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?

First, the term Christian must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer or walked down an aisle or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what makes a Christian. A Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and therefore possesses the Holy Spirit (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8–9).

So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? It’s a crucially important question. Perhaps the best way to answer it is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation and to study what losing salvation would entail:

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A Christian is not simply an “improved” version of a person; a Christian is an entirely new creature. He is “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be destroyed.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The word redeemed refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. We were purchased at the cost of Christ’s death. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase of the individual for whom He paid with the precious blood of Christ.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To justify is to declare righteous. All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared. Those absolved of guilt would have to be tried again and found guilty. God would have to reverse the sentence handed down from the divine bench.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is the promise of spending forever in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be redefined. The Christian is promised to live forever. Does eternal not mean “eternal”?

A Christian is marked by God and sealed by the Spirit. “You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14). At the moment of faith, the new Christian is marked and sealed with the Spirit, who was promised to act as a deposit to guarantee the heavenly inheritance. The end result is that God’s glory is praised. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to erase the mark, withdraw the Spirit, cancel the deposit, break His promise, revoke the guarantee, keep the inheritance, forego the praise, and lessen His glory.

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “Those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). According to Romans 5:1, justification is ours at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification comes with justification. All those whom God justifies are promised to be glorified. This promise will be fulfilled when Christians receive their perfect resurrection bodies in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.

A Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Christ would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation is the gift of God, and God’s gifts are “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). A Christian cannot be un-newly created. The redeemed cannot be unpurchased. Eternal life cannot be temporary. God cannot renege on His Word. Scripture says that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Two common objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation concern these experiential issues: 1) What about Christians who live in a sinful, unrepentant lifestyle? 2) What about Christians who reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these objections is the assumption that everyone who calls himself a “Christian” has actually been born again. The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a state of continual, unrepentant sin (1 John 3:6). The Bible also says that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he was never truly a Christian (1 John 2:19). He may have been religious, he may have put on a good show, but he was never born again by the power of God. “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). The redeemed of God belong “to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4).

Nothing can separate a child of God from the Father’s love (Romans 8:38–39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28–29). God guarantees eternal life and maintains the salvation He has given us. The Good Shepherd searches for the lost sheep, and, “when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (Luke 15:5–6). The lamb is found, and the Shepherd gladly bears the burden; our Lord takes full responsibility for bringing the lost one safely home.

Jude 24–25 further emphasizes the goodness and faithfulness of our Savior: “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

The Story of God

Teens Talk About Family:

Daddy's Little Girl?

I spend a lot of time with Piper— around the house, at the playground, running errands, etc. People (especially women of a certain age) sometimes see us together and smile, heads cocked just so. What a wonderful thing to see a dad with his daughter, the smile says. I appreciate it, even as I recognize the double standard — my wife gets no such heartwarming looks. But sometimes someone will say, “Oh, she’s daddy’s little girl, isn’t she?”

Um, no, she’s not. And God forbid that she ever becomes one. Just as I wouldn’t want to raise a sniveling, wimpy “Mama’s boy,” I have no intention of raising a spoiled, dependent “Daddy’s little girl.”

The “Daddy’s little girl” idea is a powerful one – it is embedded in our language, it is written into our stories and movies, it’s emblazoned on our t-shirts and tutus. As fathers, we see ourselves as the Protector, our girl’s shield from the big, bad world. We love being the hero, the one to save the day with a bottle of milk or a comforting word or a helping hand when she needs it. That desire comes from a deep and wonderful place, but we dads have to resist it whenever possible. Because when we step in to protect our daughters from danger, we are undermining their ability to build their own defenses. When we swoop in to solve the problem, we short-circuit their learning process. When I play the hero, she becomes the damsel in distress.

But don’t we dads have an “instinct” to protect our children, especially our daughters, from all harm? Maybe, but the emphasis on a dad’s “instinct” to “protect” his daughters is just too simple and convenient. Too often, “instinct” is just an excuse we use to justify all sorts of behavior that ultimately cripples our girls’ ability to develop into tough, resilient human beings. “Instinct” often really means “I love being the hero.”

There may have been a time in a previous century when the budding “damsel in distress” model of girlhood fit the reality of the lives that girls would grow up to lead. Before the long women’s rights movement in this country – I’m talking about going back to the 1830s, not the 1960s – girls and women really were dependent on the men in their lives. They often could not vote or own their own land or file for divorce or even get an education. They worked only menial or subservient jobs, and they needed (and often longed for) the protection of a good man. It was the fathers, and later the husbands, who were culturally and legally responsible for the women in their household, so it made sense, perhaps, for fathers to act as the “protectors” of their daughters.

Those days are long gone, thanks to a century and a half of persistent pushing by women’s rights advocates. Our daughters are not growing up in a world that expects them to be dependent. When they come of age, their opportunities are limitless – they can seek and explore and discover any number of different careers and destinies. In this world, a girl needs to be adventurous and tough. She needs to be able to stand up for herself and assert herself and rely on herself. It does her little good for her to be dependent on some benevolent male to help her out whenever she needs it. We need to consistently challenge our daughters in a variety of ways – physically, intellectually, emotionally – to prepare them for this wonderful kind of world. Twenty-first century America does not need damsels in distress or “daddy’s little girls”; we need courageous, thoughtful, bold, tough, adventurous women. It’s our job as fathers to raise those girls.

November Parent Newsletter:

For Parents on the Go:

1. Wednesday, November 4th 7:00-8:00 pm: Fill Operation Christmas Child Shoe boxes. We will be going to the Family Dollar and purchasing supplies to fill shoe boxes. We will than return to the church and fill our shoe boxes. Cost: Money to fill a shoe box.
2. Friday, November 20th at 6:00 pm-Saturday, November 21st at 5:00 pm: YouthGIVING. Teenagers will have a lock-in at our house on Friday night where we will make home made pizza, play games, watch movies and share what we are thankful for. On Saturday, November 21st we will wake up early and travel to several church families to serve them with various yard work and other small repairs. Cost: $10.
3. Saturday, December 5th 7:00-9:00 pm: Christmas Party. Annual Christmas Party in the Welch's basement. Cost: FREE.
4. Saturday, January 16th: 8:00 am-4:00 pm: Snow Tubing in Seven Hills, NC. We will be going snow tubing in the mountains of NC. I only have 12 tickets so the first 12 who let me know and pay the amount will receive a ticket. Cost: $35 plus money for lunch. 

Dear Parents,

Did you know that there are days when I wish I was an African American Preacher? I wish I was an African American preacher because then I could stand before a group of people and in a loud booming voice say, "Never Underestimate the Power of Thanksgiving!"

However,

I am not an African American preacher but rather a "slightly" over-weight white boy who dreams to tell people to "never underestimate the power of Thanksgiving!" Giving thanks is an important concept in the Bible and is used over 40 times by the Apostle Paul, alone. From these uses we learn that thankfulness is a mental and/or verbal expression of one’s acknowledgement and appreciation of God’s person, His grace, blessings, and sovereign work in one’s life and the world.

The power of thanksgiving is important because it focuses our attention from all that we do not have to all that we do have. I repeat, the power of thanksgiving is important because it focuses our attention from all that we do not have to all that we do have. What are you thankful for this year? 

God has blessed Julia and I in numerous ways this year. This Thanksgiving season, I wanted to take a few lines and just say thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for all of your hard work raising your sons and daughters. Everyone in CREW is well-behaved and has manners and shows respect to Julia and I. I know it may not always seem that your job as a parent is having an effect but now that it is and Julia and I can see it. I want to remind you that I am praying for everyone in CREW along with their parents by name daily. You are prayed for! Continue to parent your child and know that Julia and I are right beside you to assist and cheer you on. You are doing a terrific job. I am thankful for your investment in the life of your child and because of your investment it makes my job easier. Thank you.  

Thank you for supporting Julia and I. Thank you for driving your teenager to the church for events and for bringing them on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Thank you for the emails of support and encouragement. Thank you for being flexible when we do not arrive preciously when we said we were going to arrive. Thank you for being patient with me as I learn how to communicate with each of you and better minister to your son or daughter and also minister to you. Thank you for supporting my vision of reaching, teaching and releasing 7th-12th grade students. Thank you for volunteering and always willing to lend a helping hand. 

Each of you has been an encouragement and a joy. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for entrusting your son or daughter to CREW Youth Ministry and I look forward to many more years of partnership together in the Gospel. Thank you!

Reaching, Teaching and Releasing,

T Welch