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1. “The thesis advanced in this book is that New Testament theology is God-focused, Christ-centered, and Spirit-saturated, but the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit must be understood along salvation-historical timeline; that is, God's promises are already fulfilled but not yet consummated in Christ Jesus.” (23) 2. “One must act decisively and give up all to enter the kingdom. The blessings of the kingdom will pass by those who put something else above the kingdom, for Jesus demanded that the kingdom be preeminent in the lives of those who claim to be people of the Lord (Matt 6:33).” (59) 3. “Thus He deliberately downplayed what was considered to be a matter of great political importance in his day. Jesus did not focus on the structures of evil that needed to be dismantled, though certainly he recognized that evil permeated society. What will change society is individuals turning from their sin and committing themselves wholly to God. Even more striking, Jesus was convinced that he would transform the world by suffering and dying instead of leading a revolt and triumphing over political enemies.” (52) 4. “Because the word has become flesh, the last day has become the present moment.” (86) 5. “Paul compared the work of conversion to that of creation, in which the same God who summoned light out of darkness shines his light and human hearts so that they perceive God's glory in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).” (102) 6. “Herod’s slaying of the children reminds the reader that Israel is still in exile, that the salvation promised in the new covenant has not yet arrived. At the same time, Matthew draws on the very chapter in which the new covenant promise is contained (Jer. 31:31-34), indicating that hope survives, for the new-covenant promises of Jeremiah will be realized in Jesus.” (172) 7. “Jesus’ invitation to come to him recalls wisdom's public invitation to come to her for instruction (Prov. 1:20-33). The long invitation from wisdom in Proverbs 8 is particularly important. She that was with God from the creation of the world invites human beings to come to her, to gain understanding, and to find life. She has built her house and prepared a feast to which all those who are foolish are invited (Prov. 9:1-12).” (176) 8. “The response to Jesus is the central question of all of history.” (184) 9. “As the suffering one, he reigned.” (279) 10. Jesus’ death represents not his humiliation but rather his glorification (John 13:31-32; 17:4-5), for it represents his undying love for his disciples (John 13:1). What is humiliating in human eyes is beautiful in the eyes of God, for the self-giving and atoning love of Jesus displays the character of God.” (284) 11. “Justification and life in the Spirit are not at loggerheads for Paul. The former is the foundation for the latter, and the joy of being right with God frees believers to obey God (Gal 5:13-15)…Those who emphasize that righteousness is always relational tend to minimize the external standards to which a relationship must conform.” (352) “Slavery to righteousness is no burden, for a constant desire to do what is right is actually beautiful freedom (Gal 5:13).” (367) 12. “True freedom expresses itself in servant love for others (Gal 5:13-14)…Paul acknowledged the fierce struggle waged in believers between the Spirit and the flesh (Gal 5:17). Life in the Spirit is not somnolent or a constant experience of spiritual ecstasy…His point is not that those who live in the Spirit are free from all moral norms or moral constraints, as if those who live in the Spirit enjoy unbridled freedom. Instead, those who yield to the Spirit conquer sin and live in love.” (483) 13. “But the deepest secret of this love which characterizes realized discipleship is that they have learned how to forgive. They extend to others the divine forgiveness which they have experienced, a forgiveness which passes all understanding.” (552) 14. “The Christian life is comparable to a race, and believers must run to win the prize. They must live in a disciplined way, as athletes do in training. They must conduct their lives purposefully, as boxers do when they strike opponents. They must rule over sinful desires and conquer them so that they will not be “disqualified” at the final judgment….he strains to grasp the prize because he has already been grasped by Jesus Christ.” (581) 15. “Only those who follow Jesus in radical discipleship will be saved on the last day.” (552) 16. “There is continuity in that the coming of Christ brings to fruition the OT promises of salvation and the righteousness demanded by God; There is discontinuity in that the covenant under which the Jewish believers lived is no longer in force, and believers are not members of ethnic Israel.” (617) 17. “What John communicates is that God poured out his grace in giving the OT law, but the grace of the law is now surpassed by the grace of the gospel. The grace of the law is akin to the brightness of the moon, but now it has been eclipsed by the grace given through the sun—the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (642) 18. “Those who have drunk deeply at the well of God's love in Christ long to pass on that same love to others. Such love in their lives is an indication that God indeed dwells in them, for the mark of God's presence is the impulse to love.” (644) 19. “They do not paper over the wickedness of the world or even the evil that still inhabits their lives, as if they were out of touch with the world as it really is. However, believers also are animated by unfazed optimism.” (755) 20. “Those who give generously and refuse to cave in to worry demonstrate that their treasure is found in God rather than in possessions…Freedom from the tyranny of money belongs only to those who have experienced the miracle of God saving power (Luke 18:27).” (761)

Below are twenty key statements and/or quotes from John Dickerson’s book, The Great Evangelical Recession. This work depicts the recession of American Evangelical Christianity and emphasizes that the solution is to refocus on the one thing that Jesus commissioned us to do: make and train disciples. Aim 1. “Leaders who do not position themselves as part of the advance will be victims of the evangelical recession.” (14) “Wise leaders must be aware of what is changing, why it's changing, and how to prepare.” (17) Part One - Six Trends of Decline 2. “The precise evangelical focus on the gospel has been lost in the muddy waters of politics, culture wars, and progressive theology.” (65) “With good intentions, many evangelicals have elevated political positions to the level of spiritual and theological orthodoxy.” (68) John MacArthur is quoted as stating, “Above all, the believer’s political involvement should never displace the priority of preaching and teaching the gospel because the morality and righteousness that God seeks is the result of salvation and sanctification.” (70) 3. "The “professional” Christians who are best trained to do the works of evangelism and discipleship will be scrambling to make a living. At the same time, the “sending” class of American evangelicals remains largely untrained in serious evangelism and discipleship.” (87) 4. “Somewhere along the way, unofficially and probably with good intentions, our ministry leaders began counting dollars instead of disciples . . . whether intentional or not, dollar dependence in our host culture has led to an assumed dependence on the dollar to fulfill a commission that originally had nothing to do with material wealth.” (85) 5. “The vast majority of ministry leaders would never subscribe to a prosperity gospel ideology, but they are deeply infused with an American capitalist cultural understanding of the gospel—that God measures success by the numbers, that more money means more ministry, which means more success for God's Kingdom…American Christians are material creatures.” (86) 6. “Barna estimates that from every five young evangelicals, four will “disengage” from the church by age 29.” (99) 7. “Jesus did not call his church to build buildings or websites or worship services. He called his followers to ‘make disciples’ . . . The culprit likely varies across ministries, but the national trend is indisputable. We are failing to disciple our people into transformed thinking or living.” (106-107) “By Christ’s own words, this is the simplest gauge we use to measure success or failure. Are we making disciples? . . . A church that isn't making disciples is—at that moment—a declining, dying, or failing church. At the very least, its engine installed.” (110-111) 8. “The most important issue we will face today is the same the church has faced in every century: Will we reach our world for Christ? The central issues of our time are moral and spiritual in nature, and our calling is to declare Christ's forgiveness and hope and transforming power to a world that does not know him or follow him. May we never forget this.” (Billy Graham quoted from page 119) Part Two: Six Solutions for Recovery 9. “A. W. Tozer summarized well the second half of our journey. ‘It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages, while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run, and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that.’” (132) 10. “Resurrecting God's mandate for good living among the pagans does not require a particular political position. But it requires that regardless of political conviction or doctrinal system, we re-elevate the goodness of our lives lived out “among” the pagans in our local communities—no matter what tribe those pagans belong to…We give the impression of insecurity, self-protectiveness, and hate on the outside, even as we secretly conduct good deeds in the safety and shade of the bushel.” (139) “God didn't wait for us to make our way to him. He saw us, in the person of Jesus Christ. If we love any tribe in the vicinity where God plants us, we will go to them, as Christ came to us.” (141) 11. “It was the balance of tenacious outer boundaries and gracious inner disagreements that made United States evangelicalism so globally powerful and unique.” (161) 12. “In short, the solution is disciples. Not dollars. This alternative energy source was the primary engine of the early church. It is, to this day, the engine of radically growing churches on other continents . . . Will we spend the next decade working harder and harder at fundraising—or working harder and harder at disciple making? Leaders with an eye on the long-term will, I believe, choose to depend less on dollars and more on disciples.” (173-74) 13. “If Jesus’ claim is true, then the heart of the typical American evangelical is not in Christ’s Kingdom. Our hearts are in our cars, credit cards, mortgages, and retirement savings . . . As we disciple our people into biblical stewardship, we're actually helping them place their hearts in Christ’s Kingdom. And once their hearts are in Christ’s Kingdom, their thoughts and actions, their marriages and families, will follow. As their hearts take root in Christ’s Kingdom, they will become more committed, more radical disciples . . . We have so few disciples because we have a shortage of disciple making leaders in our ministries.” (179) 14. “Disciples cannot be mass produced. Disciples are handmade, one relationship at a time . . . We are shouldering the business and programs of a late 20th century church model, wondering when we or anyone else will have time to do some discipleship or shepherding. It has not been our motive, but our outcome has been to neglect Christ’s primary and most practical command—to “make disciples.” (184-85) 15. “A new century insists that we shift our philosophy, out of 20th century mass-driven measurement models, into 21st century individual-focused models.” (186) 16. “We are running Christ’s mightiest weapon like a Walmart.” (187) 17. “Every spiritual leader of every century has but three callings: Love God, Love God's Word, and Love God's People…The Vine grows through the yielding cracks in our self-dependence, and he bears the fruit…A missing pastoral love for our individual people is the highest, most gaping wound of our bleeding body . . . More and more, the most successful of our leaders won't touch actual shepherding—won't get their hands in the mud, their fingers in the wounds, their hearts in the lives of the people. That priority trickles down through staff and lay leaders to parents and kids.” (192-94) 18. “We have settled for the majority of our people being silent supporters but not proclaimers, not witnesses in the sense that the New Testament used the word—ones who testify to what we have seen Christ do . . . As Charles Spurgeon once said, “every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.” (210-11) 19. “A lifestyle of evangelism grows out of a mature understanding of life in Christ…it can't be taught in a classroom or sermon alone. It has to be seen, tasted, and experienced . . . Meaningful evangelism training is not a stand-alone program. It is just another part of holistic disciple making.” (212) 20. “More than anything else, 21st-Century Evangelicalism depends on making disciples—who then make disciples. It requires a values exchange that trades macro from micro, numbers for individuals, production for transformation—in our micro churches as well as our mega churches. This values exchange will—in time—make ministries much larger, as well as much deeper . . . When it comes to sustained numeric growth across generations, institutional stability, financial viability, and cultural influence, our best insurance is not deep pockets or corporate planning but individual disciple making.” (220) Dickerson, John. The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That Will Crash the American Church and How to Prepare Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2013.

Michael Haykin’s renown as a distinguished scholar of the patristic era is clear in his work Rediscovering the Church Fathers. Haykin serves as the professor of church history and biblical spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is the director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, and is the prolific author or editor of over twenty-five books. His passion for the patristic fathers is pronounced in this work. In Rediscovering the Church Fathers, Haykin aims to give evangelical Christians reasons to re-embrace the patristic era. He considers this a “vital need for evangelicals” (9). He hopes that this work will help rescue the church from the Zeitgeist of the twenty-first century, give necessary guidance in understanding the basic witness of the New Testament, refute the bad history that is often given, and provide spiritual nurture to believers today (25). To complete this tall order, Haykin shares the story of seven key figures within their historical contexts. Summary Chapter one presents the road map for the rest of the book. Haykin chooses his figures on the importance of the issues that they grappled with as believers. He separates these issues into four categories: (1) martyrdom, monasticism, and discipleship; (2) witness to unbelievers and the mission of the early church; (3) the interpretation of Scripture and the assembly of the canon; (4) the “supreme issue of this era,” the Trinity and how to worship God (25). Haykin begins with Ignatius (c. 35–c. 107/110) in chapter two. Ignatius was one of the most prominent martyrs executed by the Romans (37). Ignatius was primarily concerned about three areas: (1) unity in the local church, (2) faithfulness to Scripture amidst heretical attacks, and (3) martyrdom. Haykin’s focus in this chapter, however, was on Ignatius’s letter to the Romans that expressed his desire to be martyred. Ignatius saw the “passionate engagement of the entire person, even to the point of physical death” as a witness to Christ and His church (33). He asks influential Roman believers not to interfere with his execution. Ignatius speaks “for himself and about himself” as he does not “see martyrdom as being essential to discipleship” (40, 46). Haykin depicts Ignatius’s martyrdom as a “powerful defense of the saving reality of the incarnation and crucifixion” (48). In chapter three, Haykin provides a historical commentary on the Letter to Diognetus (c. 175 - 200). This letter reads more like a treaty and is hailed as the “pearl of early Christian apologetics.” This work is noteworthy as it conveys the shift that has taken place by the latter quarter of the second century in responding to three main objections to Christianity: (1) who the Christian God was; (2) why Christians loved one another so well; and (3) how the claims of Christianity could be true if ancient cultures seemed to know nothing of them (61). Haykin points out a principal tenant of patristic doctrine that is identified in the letter: “Only God can reveal God, and we can know nothing about God unless he reveals himself” (65). The letter highlights two of Christianity’s strongest apologetics, the remarkable love that existed between members of the community and the unshakeable confidence of those who gave up their lives for the faith, recognizing “there are some things more important than life itself” (76). Haykin discusses the life, work, and exegetical methods of Origen (c. 184 - c. 253) in chapter four. He demonstrates how Origen’s memorization of much of the Greek Bible as well as his father’s martyrdom when he was young served him well in developing into the “foremost biblical exegete of his day” (82). Origen crafted nearly three hundred scriptural commentaries and pioneered the “Christian study of the Old Testament” (90). He was “renowned for his holiness,” concerned “with a Christological exegesis of the scriptures,” and emphasized the importance of engaging his culture (89). In chapter five, Haykin portrays the shift in Eucharistic thought that developed in the fourth century through a study of Cyprian (c. 210 - 258) and Ambrose (c. 340 - 397). Cyprian required the mixture of water (representing the unity of the people of God with each other and their Lord) and wine (representing the shed blood of Jesus; 117). Cyprian’s appointment of the “priest” as the one to preside over the communion table furnished a foundation for stronger sacerdotal interpretations of the Lord’s Supper in the future. Haykin describes Ambrose as a “pioneer of new ways of thinking about the Lord’s Supper” (119). Ambrose concluded that when the words of Christ “have been added [to the communion elements], it is the body of Christ” (120). His stress on the transformation of the communion elements into the physical body and blood of Christ—which he describes as a “glorious inebriation”—marked a dramatic deviation in the celebration of communion. What had been a place of “community celebration” became a place of “adoration, reverent awe, and fear lest something be done wrong” (122). The life of Basil of Caesarea (330 - 379) is described in chapter six. Depicted as reserved and shy, Basil provides several substantial contributions to Christianity. First, he establishes coenobitic monasticism, which focuses on life with, rather than apart from, other like-minded believers. Second, he articulates the need for humility. Derived from his “constant reflection and meditation” on the life of Christ—the “paradigm of what humility looks like”— Haykin shows the beauty of Basil’s orthodoxy driving him to an orthopraxy that was wholeheartedly Christ-centered (139). Basil articulates that this humility is a God given gift that can break people’s innate inclination to “save ourselves by our own good works” (138-139). Last, Haykin expresses the impact of Basil’s work, On the Holy Spirit, in laying the foundation for the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (381). In chapter seven, Haykin gives the story of the great missionary to the Irish, Patrick (c. 389 - 461). Patrick was from a wealthy family who lived in the northernmost province of a Roman Empire in decline. Pirates violently tore Patrick from his home when he was sixteen. He became a slave in northeastern Ireland. It was this experience that caused Patrick to “be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God” (171). He escaped Ireland six years later to find his family back in Britain. Following a remarkable dream, Patrick returned to Ireland to share the gospel with the Irish, never to return to his homeland. There are several reasons Haykin gives for the high repute of Patrick. First was Patrick’s great passion was to take the gospel to Ireland, a place that he regarded as “literally the last nation to be evangelized” (174). Second was his evangelistic zeal that led to the conversion of thousands. Third, his fervor for missions—at a time when missions was unpopular—inspired other notable missionaries like Columba, Columbanus, and Aidan with “a reservoir of spiritual vigor, which would . . . fructify the parched lands of western Europe” (178). Last, others recognized Patrick as a “man of one book” (172). Patrick’s missionary success because of his high view of Scripture became a major catalyst for improved literacy rates in the largely illiterate country of Ireland (180). Haykin shares several personal stories that drew him to “walking with” the patristic fathers, as well as the personal lessons that he has picked up along the way, in his final chapter. He notes how he became hooked on this era following his early reading of Novatian’s On the Trinity. His doctoral thesis then led him to see ways in which Scripture shaped Athanasius and Basil’s response to the Pneumatomachian controversy (193). Based on his study of Athanasius and Basil, he advises exegetes today to ask the biblical text “questions that will yield a truer interpretation” while warning against allowing one’s “own context to ask questions that distort the message” (193). He encourages the reader interested in the patristics to (1) read primary sources, (2) interact with other patristic scholarship, and (3) seek to gain a better understanding of the history of the ancient world (195). Haykin concludes that his “lifelong love” has helped shape his theology, refresh him spiritually, and help him understand what it means to be a Christian (195). Critical Evaluation Haykin provides several reasons for evangelical Christians to re-engage with the patristic era. First, the vivid historical contexts into which he places each of these figures plays as valuable a role as the figures themselves. It comes as no surprise in appendix two that Haykin’s main contention with Jaroslav Pelikan’s historical methodology is his isolation of the people and doctrine from their surrounding contexts. Haykin packs his work with background detail as he contends that patristic doctrine and writing were almost always “embedded in personal contexts” (206). In this light, Haykin makes excellent use of his seven figures to show who “produced the themes for the chorus” (204). For instance, in the chapter on The Letter to Diognetus, he records the “noticeable shift” in the orientation of Christian literature to rightly responding to the ridicule and objections of unbelievers (58). Haykin portrays what were most likely the thoughts of the unknown Diognetus by sharing the thoughts of another pagan, Lucian of Samosata (c. 125–after 180). Lucian notes how Christians were “always incredibly quick off the mark” in helping others, ignoring “their own interests completely” because they worship “that crucified sage of theirs . . . they are all each other’s brothers and sisters” (71). Such detail provides the reader with the necessary information to understand the beauties of Christianity from the background of an unbeliever of this era. Second, Haykin infuses his work with practical wisdom for today’s believer in every chapter. Like a rich tapestry, Haykin’s work has power because the implications are so well embedded into the stories themselves. For example, in discussing the passion that bursts forth in the letter to Diognetus, he notes that Christian apologetics need not be “dry and lifeless” but must “speak to the heart as well as to the mind” (70). A chapter on what Patrick’s missionary zeal in returning to Ireland as a “man of one book” to share Christ with the unreached at a time when missions was nearly unheard of would only cheapen the raw effect of the story. Haykin writes on Basil that it was from his position of humility that one could truly “know what is great and to cleave to it, and to seek after the glory from the Lord of glory” (138). The chapter on Basil has no need for additional commentary as the biography itself will stir many to long for a deeper walk with Christ. Thus, the critique that this book could use a summary chapter that provides lessons for today’s church is unfounded.[1] Finally, another strength of this work is Haykin’s kindness in looking upon each of these historical figures charitably. For example, Haykin writes with sympathy for the historically embattled Origen. Haykin sympathizes with Origen’s place in history coming before the doctrines on the Trinity were ironed out. He also illustrates how Origen was “broken on the rack” and would later die from the injuries he suffered for his “devotion to Christ, to his Word, and to his people” (91). While his defense of Origen is admirable, Origen’s inclusion in this particular work is also a liability to Haykin’s main aim. The selection of the controversial figure Origen to the exclusion of others is perhaps the greatest weakness of this work. Origen’s inclusion within this work does not fit the first parameter Haykin gives for “those meriting the title of church father: their orthodoxy of doctrine” (12). Origen is often scrutinized for his (1) allegorical methods of exegesis, (2) lack of emphasis on Scripture’s historicity, (3) imprecise terminology of the Trinity that held God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as subordinate to God the Father (which the Arian heresy would spring from soon thereafter), (4) speculation concerning the salvation of the Devil, and (5) his contention that “created souls have an eternal existence before embodiment” (88). While Origen’s location on the spectrum of orthodoxy is beyond the scope of this review, his inclusion within this work is problematic for the reasons noted above. The inclusion of this controversial figure works directly against Haykin’s aim of giving reasons to re-engage the patristics. The other weakness of this work is the lack of key figures. While Haykin gives seven figures from a time-span of seven-hundred-years, it is the omission of the most significant individuals of this era that is perplexing. Timothy Scott remarks, “it is hard to imagine a patristic introduction that does not include discussions of Tertullian, Athanasius, Augustine of Hippo, Clement of Alexandria, or John Chrysostom.”[2] While the lack of chapters on these men is unfortunate, it is the absence of a chapter on Augustine, one of the most influential theologians since the apostles, that is most striking. Conclusion While the inclusion of some (Origen) to the exclusion of others (Augustine) is the biggest critique of this work, Haykin is superb in inspiring evangelical Christians to re-embrace the patristic fathers. His affections for these men that he has “listened to and walked with now for more than three decades” stir one’s affections to do the same. Haykin’s research, contextual development, and ability to tell the stories of the patristic fathers make this work an inspiration to read. Rediscovering the Church Fathers will be a great encouragement to those interested in history and long to grow in Christlikeness. It will be particularly motivating for ministry leaders, preachers, teachers, and missionaries who long to play their part in God’s mission. It is the delight in the glories of God that exude both from the patristics studied as well as the author himself that leave the audience yearning for more. AmazonSmile: Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church eBook: Haykin, Michael A. G.: Kindle Store [1]Deron J. Biles, “Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church,” Southwestern Journal of Theology, January 1, 2014, 294. [2]Timothy Scott, “Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church,” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 16 (2011): 117–18.

Lewis, Clive Staples. The Problem of Pain. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996. Clive Staples Lewis’s ability to connect with the individual reader, regardless of their station in life, is on full display in his classic work, The Problem of Pain. Lewis began his career at Oxford University prior to finishing his career at Cambridge University. As one of the most prolific and distinguished authors of the past century, his impact on the world has been immense. He has written many other well-known titles such as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia. In The Problem of Pain, Lewis aims to “solve the intellectual problem raised by suffering” (2). He acknowledges his position as “a layman” under the authority of the Church of England, and desires to communicate the challenges of suffering to the common person (2). While he acknowledges his desire but inability to convey “fortitude and patience,” he writes with the hope that his work will convey a “little courage . . . a little human sympathy . . . and the least tincture of the love of God more than all” (2). Summary The Problem of Pain can be divided into three parts. The first part focuses on God’s omnipotence and his goodness. Lewis begins his work by sharing his own testimony as an atheist coming to understand the “unexpectedness . . . rough, male taste of reality” that Christianity presents (12). He contends that Christianity “creates, rather than solves, the problem of pain” (12). He also suggests that the most significant hurdle to this problem is the belief that an omnipotent God would seem to lack either goodness, power, or both if he was unwilling to make His creatures inexorably happy (13). Yet, he displays the fallacy of this view in arguing that God’s omnipotence goes far beyond common reductionistic view of reducing his love to the mere kindness of a “heavenly grandfather.” Lewis shows how God’s love entails the longing for a much deeper happiness for his creatures, which causes him to labor on their behalf to make them more lovable (28). Pain, when understood in this light, becomes an integral part of this process. The second part of his work focuses on humanity’s wickedness, fall, and experience of pain. Lewis explains that those who he has come to know as the holiest of men are those who have come to acknowledge the horrors that lie within themselves and their tendencies to abuse God’s gracious gift of their free will for their own pleasures (42-43). Having lost the goodness of God’s original design from the evil that arose from within, Lewis contends that what humanity now calls good must be “primarily remedial or corrective good” (52-53, 56). Pain is what God uses as a “megaphone to rouse a deaf world” that provides sinful men and women their only chance at amendment by removing the veil of their unrepented rebellion (60). Understood in this sense, Lewis illustrates how pain is an amazing grace from God that awakens sinners to the reality of their condition. He helpfully outlines in four points the goodness of God and the redemptive purposes of pain that have resulted from human sin: “(1) the simple good descending from God, (2) the simple evil produced by rebellious creatures, and (3) the exploitation of that evil by God for His redemptive purpose, which produces (4) the complex good to which accepted suffering and repented sin contribute” (71). While pain is obviously painful, the good that pain has led to as it drives one to submit to the will of God is an argument for—rather than against—the omnipotence of God that is both good and powerful. In part three, Lewis focuses on heaven and hell. He explains that Jesus described hell as a place of punishment, a place of destruction, and a place of exclusion (81). He argues that hell is the expulsion from the fullness of the good life that God intended, and that God gives people what they most want, even when those desires are “utterly centred in itself” and their “passions utterly uncontrolled by the will” (81). Lewis elaborates on a concept he calls the humility of God who, through the provision of His own Son, will accept even those who receive Him because their other option is hell (83). Lewis concludes his work by contending that what every person most innately longs for is heaven, and argues that heaven “summons you away from the self” (98). In summary, those who endure God’s discipline will in the end be far more satisfied both now and in heaven because of the pain rather than in spite of it (97). Critical Evaluation Lewis’s ability to communicate challenging material in an understandable way gives his work substantial sticking power. His work shines in explaining the intellectual cause of suffering in two specific ways. First is his unique ability to illustrate complicated concepts in simple terms that enable the reader to get a firm grasp on challenging truth. He describes the necessity of the fixed laws and order that life requires as a game of chess governed by a set of rules that not only allow the game to be played, but to be enjoyed (19). Rather than begrudging the one who has made the laws, people should appreciate the omniscience of God’s good commands so that life can not only be lived, but enjoyed. Lewis illustrates God’s love for people with several different motifs. The first is that of an artist who will not be satisfied until his painting has “a certain character” (25). Second, it is like a man whose love for his dog causes him to use significant resources to train his dog, who in the end will be “more lovable than it was in mere nature” (25). Third, the love of God is like that of a father for a son who, in his superior wisdom, disciplines him into the “sort of human being he, rightly . . . wants him to be” (26). These illustrations provide helpful pictures for the good that God is allowing pain to produce. Lewis also excels in describing heaven as a place that every person most deeply longs for and hell as a place that is void of the humanity that people were designed to enjoy. He describes heaven in the following terms: “All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of it—tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear” (96). His depictions of this innate understanding that humanity was made for something more resonates deeply. "Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world" (59) Second, Lewis’s clarity and poetic use of language is also highly effective and memorable in providing intellectual reasons for the problem of pain. Lewis contends that God will allow pain to occur to rouse people from their sinful state. He writes, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (59). In light of Lewis’s assertion that “four-fifths of the sufferings of men” is a result of “human avarice or human stupidity,” he points out the “humility of God” in explaining, “It is hardly complimentary to God that we should choose Him as an alternative to hell: yet even this He accepts” (56, 62). The profundity of this notion is moving. Lewis warns, “We want, in fact, not so much a Father in heaven as a grandfather in heaven—a senile benevolence . . . whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, ‘a good time was had by all’” (23). Therefore, suffering is a problem only when viewed from an anthropocentric as opposed to a theocentric perspective (28). “It is hardly complimentary to God that we should choose Him as an alternative to hell: yet even this He accepts” (62) While Lewis does an excellent job overall in articulating the intellectual problem of suffering, there are three statements that he makes that significantly detract from his main purpose. For instance, Lewis challenges the notion of total depravity, “partly on the logical ground that if our depravity were total, we should not know ourselves to be depraved, and partly because experience shows us much goodness in human nature” (41). The concept of total depravity does not mean that every person is as bad as they possibly could be, but that original sin affects the total person. Thus, they are totally depraved. Second, Lewis highlights Jesus’s emphasis on the finality of hell as “the end of the story” rather than the “beginning of a new story” (82). His comment alludes to an annihilationist perspective that veers from the Bible’s indication that hell is a place of eternal torment (Matt 25:46; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:10). Softening the longevity of the agonies of hell undermines the horrific backdrop that has driven many to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness as their only option. Third, Lewis contends, “I certainly think that Christ, in the flesh, was not omniscient” (87). The Council of Chalcedon, in an effort to stamp out the heretical teaching that diminished an aspect of the incarnate of Christ as both God and man, asserted in no uncertain terms that Jesus possessed two natures within one person. Jesus saw Philip under the fig tree, knew people’s thoughts, and knew all things (John 1:48; Mark 2:8; John 16:30). While Jesus’s omniscience as the incarnate Son of God may be difficult to understand, Lewis’s statement crosses the line of orthodox teaching and significantly detracts from his central aim. Conclusion Lewis effectively communicates the “intellectual problem raised by suffering” (2). Lewis’s illustrations, captivating language, and ability to communicate heavy concepts in simple terms is inspiring. His work also provides good answers to those who desire to have a better response to the question “Why would a good God allow evil?” This work has been incredibly helpful in evangelist and apologetic conversations. While there is much to commend, I could not in good conscience recommend this work without significant disclaimers. Lewis’s presentation of doctrine that fall on the fringes or even outside of the bounds of orthodoxy are unfortunate, unnerving, and unnecessary. Disappointingly, these unorthodox theories permeate Lewis’s works. Anyone who reads Lewis’s writing needs to proceed with great caution. Despite these devastating critique’s, Lewis does provide a “little courage . . . sympathy . . . and the least tincture of the love of God” in his work, The Problem of Pain (2). He provides good answers to the intellectual problem of pain to a world that is hurting.

Richard Bauckham and Trevor Hart. Hope Against Hope: Christian Eschatology at the Turn of the Millennium. Grand Rapids. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999. 20 Quotes 1. “Hope is among those capacities or activities which mark off the territory of the distinctively human within our world…Hope comes close to being the very heart and center of a human being…Hope is, in this sense, an activity of imaginative faith” (52-53) 2. “Fear and hope are not necessary opposites. Hope is not rooted in an air-brushing of difficulty out of the picture, but in an imagining of the future which envisages ways of flourishing in spite of genuine dangers and threats” (52-54). 3. “All things will not become new through some natural process or human program of works, but must be made new: made new, that is to say, by the same creator God who made them in the beginning and graciously holds them in existence from moment to moment” (69). 4. “Genuine hope has the capacity to transfigure our perception and experience of the present, and to transform our ways of being in the world…To be a Christian might be defined as living in the light cast by the resurrection; living, that is to say, as those who insist on interpreting this world in terms of its (surprising and unexpected) future as made known to us in the resurrection of Jesus by his Father and the power of the Holy Spirit” (70). 5. On “Easter Saturday”: “If the crucifixion-resurrection of Jesus is the paradigm for the Christians eschatological expectation, then in some sense we must suppose ourselves as people of hope to be located on that day of which Scripture tells us nothing whatsoever: Easter Saturday. This day is bounded on the one side by all the horror of history symbolically concluded in the events of Good Friday, and on the other by the open future of God who raises the dead to life on the dawn of Easter Sunday. In the meanwhile we live and travel in hope, able to face squarely and in all their awfulness the horrific aspects of that history within whose temporal boundaries we actually still live precisely and only because the terror of history no longer haunts us” (71). 6. “Faith is a way of being in the world which refuses to submit to the lordship of the here and now, which recognizes a different set of values and goals…It appears as an oddity in history’s midst, therefore, seemingly unable to be accounted for, and apparently singing from a different hymn sheet from the rest of humankind…To be a Christian, a person of faith, we might suggest is precisely to live as a person for whom God’s future shapes the present” (82-83). 7. “To sum up, eschatological statements are, due to their deliberate and inherent ‘other-worldly’ reference, both like and unlike fantasy. They are more like fantasy than anything else in their handling of the basic components of our experience of this world, precisely because what they are trying to show us in language drawn from this world is that our expectations of the new creation must not be constrained by our experience of this world” (107). 8. “Resurrection…the restoration of the whole bodily person to life. It is more than that—since the life given to the dead surpasses mortal life—but it is not less than that…Christian resurrection hope is radical faith in the God who raised Jesus from death, thereby pledging himself to raise also those who believe in Jesus” (124). 9. “Just as, according to Jesus’ saying, we can find ourselves only by losing ourselves, so the world, the whole of created reality, will find itself, its own true identity given back to it and fully realized for the very first time, through losing itself in God” (128). 10. On Heaven and Hell: “One is the destiny for which God has created humanity, the other is the consequence of refusing that destiny and making an irrevocable choice of evil” (141). 11. “Precisely because it cannot change people at the end, the last judgment, with its prospect of a time when it will be too late to repent, changes people now…The Christ who is coming in judgement himself bore the judgement in love for us on the cross. To live in the light of final judgement means to remember that our lives are lived under God’s scrutiny, to realize that we shall never cease to need God’s mercy in Christ, and trust in that love that casts out fear” (145). 12. “Adam and Eve before the fall were innocent of evil, not morally perfect. They could and did sin, whereas humanity in the resurrection will be secure in their goodness, as God is, unable to sin” (149). 13. C. S. Lewis: “Joy is the serious business of heaven” (156). 14. “We need not banish from our images of the world to come the kind of pleasure in creativity or reflection or service to others that work at its best provides. Rather, we should think of them as like the dance, the music making, the laughter, the entertaining of each other that are suggested by the image of the eternal Sabbath feast” (156). 15. “Modern people do not want to come to rest and to enjoy the fruits of their labors, because it is the struggle to achieve and the vision of further progress that really give pleasure. Modern people do not wish, like Augustinian’s humanity, to find in God the rest for their restless hearts; they want ever new worlds for their restless spirits to conquer…Christian eschatology maintains that God himself is the goal for which we were created and which, once attained, will prove endlessly satisfying. If God is really God, it must be better to find God than eternally to seek God…In the worship whose only purpose is to please God and to enjoy God, we shall eternally lose ourselves in the beauty and love of God and eternally enjoy the surprise of finding ourselves in God” (157-158). 16. “Most of the annual festival’s in Israel’s calendar were occasions for celebration and feasting in the temple. Our own vocabulary reminds us of the time on holidays were also holy-days” (156). 17. “His [Jesus’s] concern is for the impact the coming kingdom has in the present. Often this is quite unspectacular, but, just as in Jesus’ parables the ordinary often turns unexpectedly extraordinary, so in his expectations of human life lived in the light of the kingdom Jesus expects the ordinary to turn extraordinary. The presence of the Kingdom is for the most part occasional, small scale, everyday, but it makes a considerable difference to the everyday” (163). 18. “Ironically, it seems to be the case that the more we have the more fervently we submit to this impulse (those who have little are often the most generous in sharing it) and the more we think we need and are prepared to grab for ourselves…We struggle for more because we are afraid that this is all there is, and there is not enough of it however to satisfy our own boundless appetites, let alone to go around” (204-205). 19. “Greed for life is what love for life becomes when it is limited by the fear of death. But once this fear is removed, we are set free from the security blanket which our earthly possessions become, and then we can give away what we have for the common good (even our life itself) without fearing that we shall lose out in doing so. For to have these things without this hope is to be haunted by an appetite which can never be satisfied” (206). 20. “We shall be a place in the world which is not properly of the world, the people who live up to the hilt in this life but with their sights set firmly on a horizon lying beyond it, and who therefore model for society how this life may be lived in hope even when hope seems hopeless. In so doing we shall not, of course, save the world. Only God can do that. But we shall be faithful to our primary calling to bear witness, and to call the world back to a belief in the God with whom alone there is genuine hope for its future” (210).

1. This is a book about the heart of Christ. Who is he? Who is he really? what is most natural to him? What ignites within him most immediately as he moves toward sinners and sufferers? What flows out most freely, most instinctively? Who is he? (13) 2. Meek. Humble. Gentle. Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms … You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come. (19-20) 3. What helium does to a balloon, Jesus’s yoke does to his followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness. He doesn’t simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need. (23) 4. Looking inside ourselves, we can anticipate only harshness from heaven. Looking out to Christ, we can anticipate only gentleness. (57) 5. “No, wait” – we say, cautiously approaching Jesus – “you don’t understand. I’ve really messed up, in all kinds of ways.” “I know,” he responds. “You know most of it, sure. Certainly more than what others see. But there’s perversity down inside me that is hidden from everyone.” I know it all. “Well – the thing is, it isn’t just my past. It’s my present, too.” I understand. “But I don’t know if I can break free of this any time soon.” That’s the only kind of person I’m here to help. “The burden is heavy – and heavier all the time.” Then let me carry it. “It’s too much to bear.” Not for me. “You don’t get it! My offenses aren’t directed toward others. They’re against you.” Then I am the one most suited to forgive them. ”But the more of the ugliness in me you discover, the sooner you’ll get fed up with me.” Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (63-64) 6. If you are part of Christ’s own body, your sins evoke his deepest heart, his compassion and pity. He “takes part with you”—that is, he’s on your side. He sides with you against your sin, not against you because of your sin. He hates sin. But he loves you. We understand this, says Goodwin, when we consider the hatred a father has against a terrible disease afflicting his child—the father hates the disease while loving the child. Indeed, at some level the presence of the disease draws out his heart to his child all the more. (71) 7. It is the most counterintuitive aspect of Christianity, that we are declared right with God not once we begin to get our act together but once we collapse into honest acknowledgement that we never will. (78) 8. Jesus is our paraclete, are comforting defender, the one nearer than we know, and his heart is such that he stands and speaks in our defense when we sin, not after we get over it in that sense his advocacy is itself our conquering of it. (92) 9. Human beings are created with a built-in pull toward beauty. We are arrested by it. [Jonathan] Edwards understood this deeply and saw that this magnetic pull toward beauty also occurs in spiritual things — in fact, Edwards would say that it is spiritual beauty of which every other beauty is a shadow or echo. (97) 10. God does not reveal his glory as, “The LORD, exacting and precise,” or, “The LORD, the LORD, disappointed and frustrated.” His highest priority and deepest delight and first reaction—his heart—is merciful and gracious. He gently accommodates himself to our terms rather than overwhelming us with his. (148) 11. “There is nothing that troubles our consciences more,” said John Calvin on this passage [Isaiah 55], “than when we think that God is like ourselves . . . . He isn’t like you. Even the most intense of human love is but the faintest echo of heaven’s cascading abundance. His heartful thoughts for you outstrip what you can conceive. He intends to restore you into the radiant resplendence for which you were created. And that is dependent not on you keeping yourself clean but on you taking your mess to him.” (155; 160) 12. His saving of us is not cool and calculating. It is a matter of yearning—not yearning for the Facebook you, the you that you project to everyone around you. Not the you that you wish you were. Yearning for the real you. The you underneath everything you present to others. (166) 13. He is a billionaire in the currency of mercy, and the withdrawals we make as we sin our way through life cause his fortune to grow greater, not less. (173) 14. Beneath our smiles at the grocery store and cheerful greetings to the mailman we were quietly enthroning Self and eviscerating our souls of the beauty and dignity and worship for which they were made. Sin was not something we lapsed into; it defined our moment-by-moment existence at the level of deed, word, thought, and, yes, even desire—“carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.” We not only lived in sin; we enjoyed living in sin. We wanted to live in sin. It was our coddled treasure, our Gollum’s ring, our settled delight. In short, we were dead. Utterly helpless. That’s what his mercy healed. (176) 15. That God is rich in mercy means that your regions of deepest shame and regret are not hotels through which Divine Mercy passes but homes in which Divine Mercy abides. It means the things about you that make you cringe most, make him hug hardest. It means his mercy is not calculating and cautious, like ours. It is unrestrained, flood like, sweeping, magnanimous. It means our hunting shame is not a problem for him, but the very thing he loves most to work with. It means our sins do not cause his love to take a hit. Our sins cause his love to surge forward all the more. It means on that day when we stand before him, quietly, unhurriedly, we will weep with relief, shocked at how impoverished a view of his mercy-rich heart we had. (179-180) 16. The battle of the Christian life is to bring your own heart into alignment with Christ’s, that is, getting up each morning and replacing your natural orphan mindset with the mindset of full and free adoption into the family of God through the work of Christ your older brother, who loved you and gave himself for you out of the overflowing fullness of his gracious heart. (181) 17. Law-ish-ness, of-works-ness, is by its very nature undetectable because it’s natural, not unnatural, to us. It feels normal. “Of works” to fallen people is what water is to a fish. (186) 18. His heart for his own is not like an arrow, shot quickly but soon falling to the ground; or a runner, quick out of the gate, soon slowing and faltering. His heart is an avalanche, gathering momentum with time; a wildfire, growing in intensity as it spreads. (203) 19. When we live to glorify God, we step into the only truly humanizing way of living. We function properly, like a car running on gasoline rather than orange juice. And on top of that, what more enjoyable kind of life is there? How exhausting is the misery of self. How energizing are the joys of living for another. (205) 20. Go to him. All that means is, open yourself up to him. Let him love you. The Christian life boils down to two steps: 1. Go to Jesus. 2. See #1. (216) Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers: Ortlund, Dane C.: 9781433566134: AmazonSmile: Books

What matters most — whether we are beginning our conversations with Adam and the origins of humanity, with America and the birthing of a nation, or with the civil rights movement and the history of the fight for racial justice — is that we bring Christ into every moment of human history and every point of human concern. 30 Our willingness to embrace the realities of our neighbor’s difficulty is what empowers our witness and makes our testimony of Christ effective and hearable. 34 Far too many of our churches have become hideouts instead of training centers designed to equip Christians so that they can face the world. Apathy is defeated and believers are inspired whenever they live on the front lines for their faith. 41 Most people enjoy discussing their opinions, interests, and convictions when asked in a respectful and inquisitive manner. 48 Christians must reject any system of morality that is built upon the false assumption that people are basically good . . . . There is an optical effect to sin: it causes us to be farsighted when it comes to our own selfish desires and nearsighted when it comes to the delayed gratification associated with obeying God. Only in Christ can we see our situations accurately. 56-57 By objectively following the Lord’s judgments, humanity is freed from the moral conflicts that arise as a result of our self - centeredness. 60 They have successfully pitted the protection of babies against the liberation of women and a woman’s right to choose, creating what is perhaps the greatest moral tension our nation has seen since slavery. 64 Love that does not include the mother falls short of the Christian vision and is dangerously hypocritical. 73 To summarize Jesus’ view, biblically defined marriage is the only permissible format for sexual expression. Anything outside of this construct is sinful and unacceptable to God. 89 Regnerus discovered that children of gay parents are nearly 4 times more likely to receive public assistance, 2 times less likely to have a full - time job, 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed, over 3 times more likely to have had an affair while married, 12 times more likely to have been sexually abused by a parent or adult, and nearly 4 times more likely to have been raped than the children raised in heterosexual, intact, biological families. 92 Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish. Discipleship and multi - generational faithfulness begins and ends at home . . . . They need to see parents who are so committed to raising championship children that they put themselves into strict training on how to disciple good and godly kids. 100, 104 In a time when biblical preaching is shunned by many and lifestyle evangelism apart from gospel proclamation is the preferred evangelistic methodology, we are in danger of trying to win people through kind acts and social service alone. But the example of the apostles and earliest followers of Jesus contradicts this sort of approach. 105 There are four major uncertainties about life that the various faiths strive to address: Is there a God, and if so, what is He like? What does it mean to be human — what is the nature of a human being? What is the problem with the world — why are things so messed up? What is the solution? 112 The NT is by far the best - attested work of Greek and Latin literature from the ancient world.”117 Either God exists and, therefore, good and bad can be defined objectively, or He doesn’t exist and we have no way of claiming anything is bad or wrong. But they can’t have it both ways. 125 The other central fault with the problem of evil argument is that it assumes that human beings have full knowledge of all the outcomes of a particular act. In other words, the only way for us to know if something is truly evil is if we can know with certainty that no greater good came from the act. If a greater good did come from the act, though painful, then it can no longer be viewed as evil. 125 The real question that we must wrestle with is, why are human beings moral in the first place? 128 When one examines how the world looks whenever Christian ethics are properly applied, the evidence is clear that divine imperatives are far superior to social contracts and subjective emotionalism. 128 In his commentary on Isaiah 58, Calvin writes,” Uprightness and righteousness are divided into two parts; first, that we should injure nobody; and secondly, that we should bestow our wealth and abundance on the poor and needy. And these two ought to be joined together; for it is not enough to abstain from acts of injustice, if thou refuse thy assistance to the needy.”132 Apologists should have calluses on their brains from thinking, on their hands from serving, and on their knees from praying. 150 DEFINITIONS A practical definition of ethics is the study of how we determine good from bad as well as how to apply our knowledge of the good to our daily actions. 52 Relativism, for example, is mostly defined by its stance against the concepts of absolute truth and universal morality, which is the belief that there are certain actions that are always right and certain behaviors that are always wrong. 54 Postmodernism, on the other hand, is a rebuke against the Enlightenment’s (1700 to 1850) belief that there is an overarching narrative that governs all reality (i.e., science or religion). 55 Our cosmology is our belief on how the world has been created and the practical principles that should impact the way we live as a result of these beliefs. 141

The content below is taken from Dr. Paul Akin’s “Introduction to Missiology” lectures at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Winter 2020-2021). The aim of this course was to better understand the missionary impulse of God as revealed in the Bible, the history of Christian mission since Christ, and the role that we as Christians have in global missions today. Missions Begins with a High View of God 1. A high view of God fuels a high view of global mission. The God of the Bible is a Missionary God. The Bible is a missionary book. “God’s mission is what fills the gap between the scattering of the nations in Genesis 11 and the healing of the nations in Revelation 22. It is God’s mission in relation to the nations arguably more than any other theme that unlocks the key that unlocks the grand biblical narrative.” Christopher Wright 2. Missions is the mother of theology. The first theologizing of the early church came as it was trying to explain the Scriptures. Ripping theology out of its great commission setting pulls it out of focus. An intellectual exercise that fails to bring glory to God and confuses its listeners. Our theology and our missiology are informing each other . . . bound together. Theology is only healthy in the context of mission. Theology ceases to be theology if it loses its missionary character. 3. Christians who believe that God is sovereign over all things will give their lives to missions. Every Christian should have the nations in their sights. What drives passion for unreached people is not guilt—it’s glory. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing . . . that is why we’ve been saved. The Great Commission is for Every Born Again Christian 4. Having a desire to lead people to Christ and see disciples made in all nations does not make someone a missionary. Having a desire to lead people to Christ and see disciples made in all nations . . . that makes someone a Christian. A call to salvation always involves a call to mission in some form or fashion. 5. There is no such thing as a Christian who is not sharing the gospel. A call to salvation includes a call to mission (Matthew 4:19; Matthew 28; Luke 24; Acts 1). Every person who responds to God’s call as a disciple of Jesus receives Christ command to make disciples of Jesus. The Great Commission is not optional . . . it is a command given to every follower of Jesus . . . Disciple-making is thus the God-given Christ-centered Spirit-empowered duty of every disciple of Jesus regardless of stage or vocation in life. 6. Everyone is called to engage in the Great Commission in some capacity. While I do not believe that God calls everybody to be a missionary, I believe God is calling more people to engage in cross-culturally ministry than are responding to go. The question should not be ‘why should I go?’ but ‘why should I stay . . . If you give me a good and compelling reason to stay here, I will.’ More people aren’t going to the mission field for five reasons: (1) Fear, (2) Comfort, (3) Pressure, (4) Inconvenience, (5) Pride, (6) not ready or not healthy. 7. While every genuine Christian is missional, every Christian is not a missionary. There is a missional dimension to all of life. All of life has a missional component. All of life is an act of worship to God. a. Missionary Intension: Intentionally missionary . . . proclaiming the gospel, planting churches, sending out cross-cultural missionaries. Specific activities have a missional intention. b. Missionary Dimension: All of life has a missionary dimension . . . but these are not intentionally missionary . . . serving my spouse . . . the poor . . . speaking in ways that are encouraging. These have a missionary dimension but are not specifically missionary. 8. “How are we to know when the mission is completed. God alone knows the definition of terms . . . Christ has not yet returned therefore the task is not yet done . . . when it is done, Christ will come. Our responsibility is not to insist on defining the terms of our task . . . our responsibility is to complete it. So long as Christ is not yet returned, our task is incomplete.” George Elden Ladd 9. The Kingdom is coming not by destroying our enemies but by loving them . . . not by force but by suffering . . . not by revenge but forgiveness . . . Jesus does not meet the expectations of His contemporaries for what the coming Kingdom would look like. The Consequences of Sin 10. The casual way that we talk about hell today shows that we really have no idea what we are talking about. three billion people stand condemned before God . . . a sobering/ haunting reality. If there are three billion people who have not heard the gospel, then we have missed the point of our salvation. We cannot take Jesus seriously without also taking seriously what He said about eternal punishment, that “They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). 11. God has revealed Himself to men and women throughout the world, but they don’t yet have the special revelation piece. This is where you and I come in. Paul says that they spend eternity separated from Him in Hell. This puts the urgency on us. The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Church 12. Mission is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit supernaturally convicts unbelievers and draws them to faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit empowers and emboldens the church for ministry in the world. The Holy Spirit calls believers into specific missionary service and guides those he has called. 13. Why and how did the church first grow? It was attractive. “The most characteristic element of mission in the early church of the first three centuries was the attractive power of the local congregation” (Goheen). The early Christians saw themselves as alien residents, strangers, and sojourners in the world. When the church moved from its nominal position to a dominant one, the alien resident notion drastically changed quickly. As Christianity was thrust to the center of the Roman Empire, the church lost its purpose in this new culture as its shift in focus moved away from the margins to the center. “Through the loving service rendered to strangers and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is scandal that there is not a single [one] who is a beggar and that [they] care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for help that we should render to them.” Julian “The word that early Christians repeatedly adopted for themselves was a socio- legal term: paroikoi—‘resident aliens.’ At home everywhere; fully at home nowhere: the Christians believed that, because of their life in Christ, they were living a distinctive way that had global and salvation-historical import. There was something universal about the life that they shared with others throughout the empire and beyond.” Kreider 14. The church is central to the Mission of God. The church is the sender of missionaries. Involvement in a local church is vital and essential for every Christian (even missionaries!). Biblical mission always involves church planting. World evangelization requires the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. Parachurch organizations must seek to serve the church rather than replace the church. 15. The point of contextualization is not comfort but clarity . . . we do our best to make the gospel clear not comfortable. Scripture, Definitions, History, Task, and Statistics 16. Ten Key Biblical Texts on the Mission of God 1. Genesis 3:15 “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 2. Genesis 12:2 I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3. Exodus 19:6 . . . and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ 4. Isaiah 49:5-6 I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 5. Psalm 67:1-4 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. 6. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 7. Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 8. John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 9. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 serves as a table of contents for the book of Acts. 1-7 Jerusalem | 8 Judea and Samaria | 9 Conversion of Saul (Paul) | 10 forward to the Gentile nations 10. Revelation 5:9 By your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 17. Key Definitions 1. Missiology - Missiology is the study of God’s mission. 2. Mission - The overarching mission of God (Missio Dei) to redeem and reconcile those created in His image. 3. Missions - The specific activity of the church to carry out the task of mission in the world, specifically the spread of the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches. 4. Missionary - A disciple of Jesus set apart by the Holy Spirit, affirmed and sent out from the church to cross geographic, cultural, and/or linguistic barriers as part of a missionary team focused on making disciples and multiplying churches among unreached people and places. 5. Missional - To see the world with the eyes of a missionary, to interpret everyday activities through the lens of the Missio Dei, and to understand that under the Lordship of Christ, everything in life can be a witness and testimony to God’s mission in the world. 18. Missions History 1. Apostolic Missions (Years 0-100) 2. Early Church (Years 100-500) 3. Middle Ages and Reformation (500-1800) 4. Modern Missions Movement (1800-1974) 5. History of SBC Missions (1845-2019) 6. 20-21st Century Mission Developments (1974-2019) 19. The Missionary Task: (1) Entry, (2) Evangelism, (3) Discipleship, (4) Healthy Church Formation, (5) Leadership Development, (6) Exit. The goal of missionaries working among the unreached should be to eventually exit and entrust the work to local leadership and churches… Stay too long and you develop an unhealthy dependence 2) Stay too short, and you leave new believers and churches as prey for the wolves. 20. Statistics: 1. Joshua Project Map of Unreached Peoples: progress-scale-map-plain.pdf (joshuaproject.net) 2. There are more people living inside of this circle than there are outside of it: CK6aONG.jpg (2048×1252) (imgur.com) 3. There is approximately 1 missionary for every 150,000 unreached people. 4. For every 1 new follower of Christ in the US & Europe…There are 16 in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. 5. Evangelicals makeup about 4% of the population around the world. 6. The first American missionary was George Liele, an African-American slave who was set free by his master so that he could go and preach the gospel. He would take the gospel to Jamaica in 1782. Missionaries You Should Know: George Liele - IMB

The hands that formed the cosmos were nailed to a cross by men He had created in His own image. His closest companions had denied Him and deserted Him. Those who had only a few days earlier praised Him as King now called for His crucifixion as an imposter. As He lifted His body on a piece of metal driven through His feet, gasping for air, His fleeting words were not those of anger, bitterness, or retribution, but those of mercy, forgiveness, and compassion: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). What kind of love is this that forgives one's vilest enemies at the apex of their contempt? This is the greatest love that the world has ever known. “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our capacity to love God and others is directly proportional to our ability to grasp the depths of God's forgiveness and mercy for our sins at the cross (Luke 7:47). We remember this week that the just and righteous wrath of God for our sin was passed over because the perfect and spotless Lamb, Jesus Christ, received the punishment that we deserved. The consequences of sin will be passed over for any and all who submit to Jesus Christ as Lord in repentance and faith. God's invitation to the vilest offender and those who view themselves as 'good people' but have not seen Christ as their greatest treasure in life is the same: repent and be saved from the just and righteous consequences of sin. As illustrated at the cross, our most vilest offenses are no match for the depth of Christ's love, forgiveness, and mercy for sinners. "You don't need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come." [1] While His invitation is open to all, the claims of Christ are exclusive: no one is saved outside of trusting in Christ alone for salvation (John 14:6). If there has never been a moment where the trajectory of your life was radically altered from pursuing your will to God’s will for you in Christ, we pray that you would turn from whatever it is that is distracting you today and come to know the love, forgiveness, and the mercy of Christ (John 3:3). Do not delay. The Devil’s favorite word is ‘tomorrow,’ today “is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). See the gift we have in Christ Jesus who satisfied the righteous requirements of the law on our behalf. Come and enjoy the abundant life that Christ promises both now and in eternity. If you have questions about your relationship with God, the Bible, or where you will be 10,000 years from now, we would love to hear from you.

The following nuggets are taken from Zane Pratt’s “Spiritual Warfare in Evangelism and Missions” class from Southern Seminary. The World, the Flesh, and the Devil 1. A spiritual battle: “If once the curtain were pulled back, and the spiritual world behind it came to view, it would expose to our spiritual vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, sweeping everything within its range, that the fiercest battle fought on earth would seem, by comparison, a mere game. Not here, but up there–that is where the real conflict is engaged. Our earthly struggle drones in its backlash.” -Abraham Kuyper 2. We can never look at the world, flesh, or devil in isolation from each other. They weave in and out of each other in ways that are difficult to distinguish. We must engage in prayers of deliverance and biblical pastoral counseling at the same time. Specifically, the prayer “In the name of Jesus, come out of him/her” is simply the model that we are given in Scripture. World 3. On Worldview: By and large, people are unaware of worldview. Worldview is like a skeleton is to a body. The skeleton gives it shape and structure and enables it to move, though we don’t really ever think about it. The four primary worldviews of the spiritual realm from around the world: A. Western Worldview: explain everything from the perspective of scientific research of the physical realm only. PHYSICAL ONLY (No God or Spirits) B. Animist Non-Western (virtually every other part of the world outside of the west): sees a small connection between God and the spirits and a big connection between the activity of the spirits and the physical World. They regard God as distant and far away. GOD ____________________ SPIRITS …………………………. PHYSICAL C. Western Christians: Western Christians function largely with the worldview that there is a God that is separated by and large from His creation yet with little itty-bitty gaps where He intervenes once in a while. In general, He lets the world run on its own. It’s similar to a two-story house with very few connections between the two stories. The average Christian is a functional deist, believing that God created the world, wound it up like a clock, and let it run. GOD --------------------------------- PHYSICAL D. Biblical Worldview of the Spiritual Realm: Sees a three-tier universe where God reigns supreme over everything. The world and the spirits are thoroughly under the kingship and authority of God. God is not distant but intimately and consistently involved in all things. ↓ GOD ↓ ↓ …………………………………………… ↓ ↓ ↓ spirits …………………………………………… ↓ ↓ Physical 4. Friendship with the world equals enmity with God: Rather than pursuing acceptability with the world … we must pursue what is right. The pursuit of the world’s approval will inevitably get us in trouble. “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Biblical contextualization must refer to clarity, not comfortability. A comfortable gospel is not a biblical gospel. When the church became a bastion of respectability, it lost its edge. It compromised on basic Christianity to become attractive to the world. Those in friendship with the world don’t need anyone to tell them “you do you.” Their nature is already bent that way and they don’t need to waste their time going to a church on Sunday morning to have that affirmed. This is why liberal churches eventually die. 5. The cultural influence of safety on the American church: Society has given us a value of safety that constrains every decision we make. This culture has profoundly influenced the church. There are great celebrations within many churches when a son or daughter chooses to join the military to go to war … yet but when someone seeks to go and share the gospel as a missionary seeking to fulfill the mission of God, many in the church will warn them that it is not safe. This conflation of American-ness with Christianity is not biblical. The Flesh 6. The advance of the gospel most often comes through opposition: The advance of the gospel involved—and involves today—continual spiritual warfare that involves demons, sickness and death, human opposition, and sin even within the camp (Ananias and Saphira, etc.). These are the normal settings of Christian ministry. The Christian life is essentially a form of invasion … we are soldiers behind enemy lines … insurrectionists inside a supressionist regime … the god of this world is in opposition to us … and our own flesh is in opposition to us. As long as we are here, we are in a combat zone. We are not really doing any good when our enemy doesn’t really care. In many ways, it is good to find ourselves in conflict. The greatest believers throughout history have been marked by resistance. The people of God are a minority and “otherworldly” people surrounded by potentially hostile forces. We rarely appreciate the sovereignty of God when everything is rosy. All alliances with the world are only temporary and partial. Our alliance with anything other than with the people of God will never be permanent. 7. Grumbling is a spiritual threat. Grumbling is a form of spiritual warfare (of the flesh) that we must combat. Grumbling and disobedience unveil an idol of safety and a profound distrust of the promises and goodness of God. 1 Corinthians speaks of idolatry as a front for the demonic. Along these lines, one missionary has argued that there are two types of Christians: those marked by a sense of entitlement (grumbling) who are largely ineffective, and those who have a sense of gratitude and become largely effective. 8. People are NEVER our enemies: Ephesians 6:10-12 transforms the nature of spiritual warfare. People are never our enemies. We don’t call people enemies … the spiritual forces of darkness are our enemies. Every fleshly instinct is to react to those who our flesh may regard as our enemies. Spiritual warfare is the very act of fighting to love the people who hate us. The only people you have to love are the body of Christ, your neighbor, and your enemy (i.e. everybody). The Devil 9. Satan takes advantage: Satan can take advantage of our unwillingness to forgive (this is a big one)! He has grounds to work within our propensities to lean in these directions (bitterness, anger, anxiety). We give Satan an opportunity when we get angry, make a harsh remark, and/or allow it to fester and drive a wedge. This is especially true in marriage. 10. The demon-possessed are profoundly orthodox: The most orthodox people in the NT besides Jesus are those who are demon-possessed. Their posture is one of groveling knowing that, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He could—and would—cast them into the abyss. 11. Real demons? While the concept of demonic spiritual activity is not particularly popular in evangelical circles, there are countless examples from credible sources involving interactions with the spiritual forces of evil. The devil and demons are real. The primary reason for not believing in demons/supernatural beings is our own naturalistic worldview. A word of warning: It is just as mistaken to ascribe everything to demons as it is not to assign anything to demons. 12. What’s the biblical answer to dealing with the demonic or a person who has been demonized? Demons are cast out by prayer. It’s that simple. Jesus and the disciples pray. It’s not any more or less complicated than this. There are no elaborate rituals. Corporate prayer has a special place. Doing this with the elders is altogether appropriate. Application 13. Our greatest joy: Holiness turns out to be our greatest joy. Our greatest pleasure is to know Him and be like Him. We must cultivate holiness in a way that is attractive … not in a way that is obnoxious, legalistic, or moralistic. An amazing sense of fervor for and delight in the Lord. 14. Holiness, godliness, and proclamation: There are two things that I see that are outcomes that we are to pursue. First, we ourselves need to grow in conformity to the image of Christ. Personal holiness and godliness flow from an infinite relationship with Christ. Second, advancing the knowledge of Jesus in the world both quantitatively and qualitatively. We are to advance the agenda of God. The more you are acting to advance the gospel the more obstacles you will experience. 70 or 80 years is nothing compared to eternity. The more afflicted people are in life, the more they think about heaven. The liabilities of prosperity and comfort is that we think that we’ve got it pretty good right now. 15. Should we seek to Christianize our nation? Christianizing the world will never alleviate the world as our enemy. Constantine’s Christendom (merging church and state and baptizing everyone into the church) had devastating effects on the church. Corruption and nominalism became issues on levels that the church had not had to deal with previously. We are not interested in Christianizing a country but evangelizing a culture. Those who aim to transform culture end up with the wrong foundation and never achieve their goal. If you aim at new disciples and discipleship that is embedded with the Kingdom of God (i.e. incorporates all of life), the culture will change. Syncretism (the merging of two different sets of beliefs) is prominent in every culture, it’s just that in America it’s Christianity plus a consumeristic, self-help, individualistic worldview than another named religion. Many who call themselves Christians go to church on Sunday while functioning from the worldview of the surrounding culture that this life is all there is. They merge two religions that are antithetical to one another (Mark 9:34-35). True discipleship never has an adjunct purpose (e.g. making the American dream even better). He (Jesus) is better than life. The greatest thing in the world I have is Him! I am now living to serve His glory. This is the vision for the Christian life. It is amazingly and pervasively radical. 16. Sanctification always follows regeneration: When God gives us a new heart, our new nature reveals’ itself in a way that is radical, visual, and lasts. The process of transformation into the image of Christ is called sanctification. Sanctification has two parts: (1) Mortification, or putting sin to death, and (2) vivification, breathing life into the fruit of the Spirit. The breathing of life into the character of Christ in us is a beautiful and attractive thing. The struggle of putting sin to death is the evidence of life. Asking God to put my sin to death is part of God’s will. Those who are content in their sin show signs of not having been born again. Sin is serious business. A casual attitude toward sin should prompt compassion in us to ask serious questions about our own salvation and the salvation of others. Scripture over and over tells us to put sin to death … to flee from it … to crucify it. Killing sin is critical to our spiritual health. Complacency or a casualness regarding sin (not putting it to death) may be an indication that we have not yet been born again. 17. How we do battle? We do battle through very ordinary means: (1) the intake and meditation of God’s Word, (2) serious prayer (and regular fasting), (3) and fellowship with our brothers and sisters within the local church. Fasting is a biblical discipline that enhances our prayer life and serves as a good way to express and deepen our commitment in the fight against sin. Fasting is the most un-American of all spiritual disciplines because we are taught that we are entitled to self-entitlement … taught and trained to indulge ourselves. Fasting is a demonstration of foregoing lesser things for greater things … fasting serves as an intensifier for prayer. Get specific about your besetting sins in prayer and fasting. We’ve got to chase God on our knees. God is more prone to heal people where people really believe that God is going to heal. In areas where people pray but don’t really believe that something is going to pray 18. Does a Christian ever have to sin? Does Romans 6 really imply that I never have to sin? YES! I never have to sin. Does temptation also present itself to us as inescapable? Yes. Is it lying? YES. Scripture is clear: we never have to give in … EVER! When I lived in sin, I was free from righteousness. I was free to live according to my nature—a nature enslaved to sin. When my nature changed, I became alive where I once was dead. I am now free. That which once intrigued me now disgusts me! Galatians 5:13-14 states: “13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” You were called to freedom … free to love God and love others. Verses 13 and 14 go together. 19. Cultivate a sense of being foreign: My citizenship is in heaven and my ultimate allegiance is to God Almighty. We must cultivate a sense of being foreign. If we don’t, we will be less mobilizable to the mission of God. Think often about home … not our earthly home, but the one that lies ahead. Meditate on the new heavens and the new earth. We must place our hopes in going forward to where we ultimately belong. We must maintain a willingness to lose everything. It is harder to stay zealous for the Lord the older you get. Don’t let the world get its claws on us. Our goal at all times is to maintain our distinctiveness as citizens of another country. 20. Jesus’s victory is our victory: Jesus conquered death, transcended the consequences of the fall, and was resurrected in a resurrection body that is the hope that we have of one day being resurrected with resurrection bodies like His. We have been clothed in Jesus Christ. This is not only our shield but our power as well. The victories of Jesus are now shared with us.

When the word fear—as in “the fear of the LORD”—is translated into respect, we dishonor the glory of God. Proverbs 1:7 states that the “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (ESV). The word fear that is used here is the Hebrew word יִרְאָה (yir.ah), which translates fear, terror, or fearing. The word respect is to tame of a translation of what happens when God reveals Himself to a person. Respect is a sentiment that can be given without being felt. It comes too short of the full meaning of fear. Fear implies an emotion that one cannot escape. Everything that could have ever given us a sense of pride is deconstructed in the light of God’s holiness. A new desire in light of this fear is born. This new desire seeks to obey Him. I define the Fear of the Lord as: the understanding that comes from the humbling experience of one’s sinfulness in the presence of God’s awe-inspiring holiness. This experience is the beginning of wisdom. It berths an all-consuming passion to bring glorify God through worship and obedience to His will. This short essay will look at three aspects of the Fear of the Lord: 1) the beginning of wisdom; 2) salvation through fear and trembling; and 3) the end of wisdom. The Beginning of Wisdom Those who have experienced a moment of the Lord’s presence know the experience of trembling as a sinner in presence of a holy God. Isaiah fell before the Lord as a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6). Moses took his shoes off (Exodus 3). Peter fell to his knees and asked the Lord to go away because he was “such a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Paul fell off his horse and was blinded (Acts 9). John fainted (Revelation 1:17). John Newton stated “tis grace that taught my heart to fear.” Douglas O’Donnell contends that “It is not merely trust, but a trust that trembles before God. Those who want to neuter the word fear in the sense of removing terror before God miss just how terr-ific our God is!”[1] Scripture gives us a picture of fear—not respect—when God makes His presence known. Jesus says that one must be “born again” to enter the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3). The experience a baby has when he or she is brought out of the darkness and is first exposed to the light is how Jesus illustrated the new life. It is a fitting picture of what happens when one first experiences the “fear of the LORD.” Fear is appropriate. The one who is born again is now spiritually alive. They will experience new things they had never seen or felt or heard or smelled previously. They give up great comforts because of the surpassing worth of this new world. The knowledge of this world—and God’s glory—begins with the “fear of the LORD.” Salvation through “Fear and Trembling” Believers are saved in three tenses: 1) they have been saved through regeneration; 2) they are being saved; 3) and they ultimately will be saved. Those “born again” through the “fear of the LORD” will continue to continue to work out their salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Like a baby taking milk from their mother, they first yearn for the warmth and the nutrients of the One who gave them new life. The initial fear that was experienced begins to grow into greater trust. Obedience is always a part of this process. Trust is strengthened as the appetite for the things of God grows. Those who know this fear will embrace whatever it takes to have more of God. Though one might not enjoy the process, the trust that has been formed will allow them to embrace the discipline of God as they know that it is for their good. The author of Hebrews warns that those “left without discipline” are “illegitimate children and not sons” (Hebrews 12:8). Therefore, we embrace God’s discipline. John Piper contends that “The fear of God is what is left of the storm when you have a safe place to watch right in the middle of it….Oh, the thrill of being here in the center of the awful power of God, yet protected by God himself!”[2] This hints at what it means to be in Christ. Proverbs 14:27 says that “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life that one may turn away from the snares of death.” As the early church walked “in the fear of the LORD and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31). Those in Christ drink from the ever flowing fountain of God’s mercy and grace that stills their fears. The End of Fear We can be discouraged if we don’t recognize that our trials—specifically our fears—have a purpose. Those in Christ walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Fear is a part of our lives until our faith becomes sight one day in Heaven. Our fears have a purpose. They point us to trust Christ. The fear of the LORD teaches us that we are not in control. He saved us, is saving us, and will save us from the ultimate storm. Fear continues to be a part of our journey. It is the catalyst for more faith. The work He began He will finish as we work out with “fear and trembling” what He has worked in. What we now know in part we will one day know in full (1 Cor 13:12). If the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” perhaps the end is beholding the glory of the One we place our faith in now. [1] Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Ecclesiastes, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, New Jersery: P&R Publishing, 2014), 79. [2] John Piper, The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God, Rev. and expanded (Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), 186–87.

The prophet Jonah provides a clear example of one who honors God with his lips while his heart is far from Him (Matt 15:8; Isaiah 29:13). He makes it clear that God’s blessing is meant to be shared with others…not hoarded for oneself. Those who reject God’s mission—and the purpose of His blessing—will experience God’s divine rebuke. Jonah provides us with the warning of hoarding the Gospel to ourselves. This short essay will look at three aspects of the book of Jonah: 1) a life worthy of the calling; 2) the mission of God throughout the Bible; 3) applications for today. A Life Worthy of the Calling Jonah provides several insights into a life that is worthy—and unworthy—of the Christians call. The first is that believers must trust and, because of that trust, obey God. This book juxtaposes the believer, Jonah, against unbelievers. It is the unbelievers, however, who exhibit trust in God (Jonah 1:6), fear the LORD (1:16), repent (3:5, 8), and spread the word (3:6) while Jonah, on the other hand, runs away from God (1:3), lists his special position as a Hebrew (1:9), and compares himself with others who “forsake their hope” (2:8). Despite the LORD’s continued prodding—Jonah never repents (4:10). The second insight that Jonah teaches is that believers must repent of their self-centeredness and live a life worthy of their calling. God’s anger was brought about by two primary sins: the failure to love Him above all else (idolatry) and their failure to love their neighbors (social-justice). God will accomplish his purposes. He offers us the privilege of getting to be a part of this glorious work. Jonah seems to do whatever he can to sabotage the message that God has given him to deliver. God uses this half-hearted—even resentful—attempt to accomplish His sovereign purposes anyway! The “word reach the king of Nineveh” (Jonah 3:5) and the king tells everyone to repent (3:8)…and the LORD relents (3:10)! The believer must turn away from the love of themselves to love God and their neighbor wholeheartedly. The third insight is that believers must develop a heart that has compassion on their enemies. Jonah was called by God and given multiple chances. For God to ask Jonah to share the blessing with others—that wasn’t his to begin with—wasn’t unreasonable. Those who are called by God are humbled by their call and will develop a heart of gratitude and compassion for others who are in the same lost position they once were. The Mission of God throughout the Bible The Old and New Testaments are replete with God’s purposes of salvation. Anyone who is saved has been saved to glorify God. They glorify God by doing what He says. Jesus sums up what God says by giving two commands: Love God and love your neighbor (Matt 22:36-37). This is the twin-love of God. These two can’t be separated. In a culture where the term “social-justice” is polarizing, Christians can give the example of Christ…and proclaim Christ. Christ loved even His enemies! One of the best ways that we love our neighbor—and our enemy—is by sharing the good news with them (Eph 2:8-10). God tells Abram in Genesis 12 that he will be blessed so that he will bless all other nations (Gen 12:3). Psalm 67 tells us that God’s favor upon us is so that “your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (Psalm 67:1-3). It is remarkable how consistent this message is across the Bible. In Luke 18, Jesus tells us the story of the Pharisee thanking God that he’s not like the tax collector, while the tax collector cries out for mercy and is saved. Jesus condemns the man to “outer darkness” who buries what he has been given rather than investing it in other people (Matt 25:25-30). In Revelation 3, Jesus says that those who are lukewarm—who receive the blessing but don’t reciprocate the heart of the One that blesses—will be spewed out of His mouth (or in Jonah’s case, the fish’s mouth). The mission of God is clear: Believers are blessed so that they will “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Applications for Today The question God asks Jonah at the end of the book is why he valued his own temporary comfort more than the lives of other people. Do we value the eternity of our enemies more than we value our temporary comforts? When we find ourselves filled with gratitude for God’s blessing, we must ask ourselves for what purpose His blessing this has come to us. We must recognize that we are not the termination point of His blessing. The blessing is for His glory, not our comfort. Conclusion Jonah is an example of the divine mission and divine rebuke of those who acknowledge God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him…and far from their neighbors. God blesses us so that we can love Him and love our neighbor with what we have received from Him. We are to be heralds, not hoarders. He is the One who is to receive the glory. He receives glory when we obey. John tells us that “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This is the message of Jonah. This is the message of the Bible. This is the message of God.