This is an adapted article from Lysa TerKeurst’s book I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t.  “So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai.” (Esther 7:10a, NIV)  In Esther 7, we read an account of Haman’s downfall, the man who was planning to kill the Jewish people. Haman’s pride backfired, and his evil intentions led to his own humiliation. Ultimately Haman, the one who had been scheming to kill others, became the one begging for his own life. The very gallows he built to kill Esther’s beloved relative and guardian, Mordecai, became the place his own death took place: “So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai” (Esther 7:10, NIV). He ate the fruit of his own wicked schemes.  No human could have possibly arranged for all this to happen… but God could. Even though God’s name is not specifically mentioned in the book of Esther, here we learn that sometimes, God does incredible moves without calling any attention to Himself at all. Esther certainly did her part, as did many others. But they didn’t do the wrong things to try and bring about the right things. Doing things God’s way and in God’s timing is the right way and the right timing.  This isn’t the only time in scripture where an evil plan looked like it was going to win. In the life of Jesus, his enemies (King Herod, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Pontius Pilate to name a few) all believed they had created a foolproof plan to get rid of the Messiah and to overthrow His reign.  But the men who came against Jesus weren’t the only villains in the story. The ultimate villain was the enemy, Satan. But the irony is that the very plan of the enemy led to the redemptive story of Jesus’ resurrection. Evil forces set Jesus on the journey to the cross, but with every step Jesus takes, evil was closer to defeat.  In a similar reversal, the agenda and strategy of Haman brought about his own demise. In both Esther and Jesus’ story: There was an evil plan.  There was an enemy.  Innocent people were going to be destroyed if someone didn’t step in to save them.  A hero came from humble beginnings and looked nothing like what the people expected.  The heroes remained humble and honored God in their approach to handling the dire situation. The heroes were uniquely positioned by God to fulfill the plan of God. The heroes set aside what was best for them for a greater purpose. In the case of Haman’s death, it was the guilty dying in place of the innocent. In the case of Jesus, the innocent died in the place of the guilty. Oh friend, I pray we cling to this truth today: Darkness, sin and hopelessness have been overcome. Jesus did it for me. And He did it for you. Jesus loves you. Jesus sees you. The battle you’re facing, no matter how dark it feels, isn’t hopeless. We may not be able to see victory right now, but because of Jesus, evil is in the process of being ultimately defeated. The world as we know it now, plagued with sin and pain, is not our home. The new heaven and new earth are closer than we think (Revelation 21:3-8). But for now, our assignment is to keep following God and keep trusting Him. I know that’s not easy, especially when so much of what we are facing feels incredibly unfair. Sometimes I think I hold on to the burden of unfairness because I don’t see tangible evidence of God doing anything. But this is what I’m reminding myself of: we don’t serve a do-nothing God. Even in the silence, the unknown, and the places where it looks like evil is winning, He is working. We may experience evil in this world, but even still, God reigns over evil. There is a Savior of the world who will right all the wrongs. Even if it takes a really long time and even if I don’t see it in my lifetime. Victorious Jesus will have victory in the wrongs done to you and the evil committed against you. This doesn’t mean we give up. It means we’re giving over to God what was never ours to carry. In the meantime, we simply have to have room for what we don’t understand … for the mystery of God. Romans 11:33-36 reminds us of this: “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” (CSB) Prayer Heavenly Father, purify my heart today. I trust You to handle any and all outcomes that I feel unsure of or overwhelmed by. I lay down situations that are worrying me. Help me to be obedient to You. I want to walk in step with You, Your ways, and Your timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.   Have you ever thought, how can I trust God when I don’t understand what He’s allowing to happen right now? Lysa TerKeurst has been there. In her new book, I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t, Lysa will help you release the heavy mental and emotional weight of what you don’t understand by learning how God’s justice will always prevail. To grab a copy of Lysa TerKeurst’s book I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t, click here.         In this episode of The Grove Podcast, Shelley Giglio and Lysa TerKeurst unpack practical ways to move forward from places of hurt and how to invite life-giving community back into your life when fear feels overwhelming.

Imagine we were sitting down at a local coffee shop, getting to know each other for the first time. As I sip my coffee with steamed oat milk, I begin to share about my family, my wife Brittany, and our four kids. I start by talking about how much I love my wife and how we met, but before I can finish, someone overhearing our conversation gets agitated and comes over and starts to accuse me of hating my children. Confused, I reply, “How did you come to that conclusion?” They respond, “Because you kept talking about your wife and never said anything about your kids!”  I know what you’re probably thinking right now. This is absurd. How could someone make that assumption? While this is an exaggerated example, it highlights the cultural context we find ourselves in—an age of polarization. Polarization can be defined as “the act of dividing something, especially something that contains different people or opinions, into two completely opposing groups.” The outcome of polarization is division. We have truly found ourselves in an age of polarization, and this does not exclude the household of God. Polarization is taking place on the public forums of Instagram, TikTok, CNN, and Fox. You may have even found yourself engulfed in a fierce debate on a Facebook post. It’s even happening around the dinner table when families come together to celebrate holidays. What is creating this polarization? Take your pick from politics, issues of justice, questions and concerns about gender, and the list goes on and on. We’re left wondering if there is a way to overcome the disunity of polarization and experience unity amid a diversity of opinions and views.  The good news is that the Bible has an answer for this. It requires us to reclaim an ancient virtue that was foundational to the Christian life and has been severely neglected today: the virtue of humility.  In an age of polarization that divides, Christ-like humility has the power to unite.  The initial response to humility may range from skepticism to flat-out rejection. In fact, this was likely how the first-century church viewed humility within a Greco-Roman cultural context. One of the prominent Greek words we translate as “humble” (tapeinophrosynē) could also be translated as “self-abasement” or “lowliness.” In Greek, there are words that are related to each other that convey the concept of humility, and this type of thing is referred to as “word groups.”  Markus Barth, a renowned Swiss New Testament scholar who lived during the second half of the 1900s, shared this insight about the humility word group, “The entire word group which belongs with tapeinophrosynē, according to its usage in common Greek, is used in a negative sense and means a low slavish orientation.” The culture at the time of the first-century church was highly competitive and focused on self-exaltation (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). So anyone who had a low social status, who was weak or lowly, was considered “humble,” and it almost always had a negative connotation.  Given this cultural climate, imagine how shocking and disruptive it was when Paul told the church in Rome, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble [tapeinos]. Do not be wise in your own estimation” (Romans 12:16). There had to have been some jaws on the floor. I can picture people sliding out the door of that house church thinking, These people have lost their minds. Ain’t nobody got time for dat. This isn’t the only time Paul said something like this. It was a consistent theme throughout his letters—he taught it to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae. When we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast [tapeinos], comforted us by the arrival of Titus. 2 Corinthians 7:5–6 I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility [tapeinophrosynē] and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1–3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility [tapeinophrosynē] consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3–4 As God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility [tapeinophrosynē], gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 He will transform the body of our humble [tapeinōseōs] condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself. Philippians 3:21 Why would the apostle Paul call the church back then and today into a life of humility? Because it was humility that Jesus Himself modeled for us in the incarnation and exemplified on the cross. It was the invitation of the humble Christ that moved an ancient society polarized and disunified into unity within the family of God (Ephesians 2:18-22). The payoff of Christ-like humility is a type of resilience that isn’t dependent on our ability but finds its power in the infinite ability of Jesus. The more we look to Christ, the more we fight against the polarizing way of the world as we become conformed to the likeness of Jesus. This is the power of humility in a polarized world. Humility is simply a three-part movement, and the order matters.  First, Humility is an awareness of God. Second, If we know who God is, we can know who we are. Third, if we are fully aware of God and ourselves, we will be equipped to rightly relate to others. Humility moves us away from the disunity that comes with self-absorption and into the unity that is possible only with self-awareness. When this happens, we can recognize the extremes within our culture that polarize us into divisive positions at odds with one another. With the self-awareness of humility, we can learn to find common ground. In areas where we remain in disagreement, we can still learn to honor, cherish, and respect the image of God within those we are at odds with. For the Christian, this means humility teaches us how to be: Confident in our convictions. Compassionate in our communication. Committed to the Kingdom of Christ above all else. We stand against our society’s polarization by modeling our unity around Christ, even in the midst of disagreement. We find ourselves prompted into a posture of compassion even in the midst of various disagreements.  And above all, we are reminded that we are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God.  In a culture full of polarization leading to separation and division, reclaiming the ancient virtue of humility can lead us into unification as we remember who we are, whose we are, and how we are to live in the world as a winsome witness of Christ and His coming Kingdom.        To learn more about the ancient virtue of humility check out Dr. Joel’s book, Hidden Peace: Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence Through Humility  

This is an excerpt from John Mark Comer’s book, Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did. The word Christian is used only three times in the New Testament. To put that in perspective, the word disciple (or apprentice) is used 269 times, which comes as no surprise since the New Testament was written by apprentices of Jesus, for apprentices of Jesus.¹ Just to make it crystal clear… Christian: 3x Apprentice: 269x The word Christian literally means “little Christ” (or “mini Messiah”), which is beautiful. It was originally used as a religious epithet to mock followers of the Way. But over time, our spiritual ancestors embraced the slur and used it to self-identify as those devoted to the imitation of Christ.  Here’s the problem: That is no longer what the word conveys to many people today. To many in the West, a Christian is just someone who mentally ascribes to the bare bones of Christianity (a word never used in Scripture) and may or may not occasionally attend church. In Michael Burkhimer’s book Lincoln’s Christianity, he wrote about the long-running debate over whether President Lincoln was a Christian. (The spiritual writer John Ortberg referenced this and noted how Lincoln has become a kind of Rorschach test that says more about what we believe than what he believed.² Touché.) Burkhimer said that before you can decide about Lincoln’s Christianity, you must first confront “the essential question of what it means to be a Christian.” He went on to define a Christian as one who believes that “Jesus Christ was divine and part of a Trinity, that Christ died for the sins of the world, and that faith in this doctrine is necessary for one to gain salvation”; and then said, this “is a foundation almost all are familiar with.”³ Now, I believe all of the above, as do pretty much all followers of Jesus everywhere. But what’s striking about this “foundation” that “almost all are familiar with” is that it includes absolutely nothing about following Jesus and intending to obey him. Hence the rub. The thing is, the label Christian is one Jesus never used. He said, “Whoever wants to be my apprentice…” not “Whoever wants to put your hand up to become a Christian…” Now, stay with me; happy thoughts are coming soon. Let’s frame this problem as it pertains to my country, the United States of America. Around 63 percent of Americans self-identify as Christians, though this number continues to decline.⁴ Trying to measure a person’s level of spirituality is tricky, but quite a few surveys put the number of Americans who are following Jesus at around 4 percent.⁵” So… Christians: 63 percent Apprentices: 4 percent My Catholic friends distinguish between Catholics and “practicing Catholics.” The former is more of a cultural or ethnic category, akin to being from Italy or Boston, and the latter is a measure of spiritual devotion. Could it be time for Protestants to lovingly delineate between Christians and “practicing Christians”? As Saint Maximus said in the seventh century, a time not all that different from our own, “A person who is simply a man of faith is [not] a disciple.”?⁶ If an apprentice is simply anyone whose ultimate aim is to be with Jesus in order to become like him and live the way Jesus would live if he were in their shoes, then a non-apprentice (whether they identify as an atheist, a devotee of another religion, or even as a Christian) is simply anyone whose ultimate aim in life is anything else. The problem is, in the West, we have created a cultural milieu where you can be a Christian but not an apprentice of Jesus. Much preaching of the gospel today does not call people to a life of discipleship. Following Jesus is seen as optional—a post-conversion “second track” for those who want to go further. Tragically, this has created a two-tier church, where a large swath of people who believe in God and even regularly attend church have not re-architected their daily lives on the foundation of apprenticeship to Jesus. This is an alien idea in the writings of the New Testament. For example, in the literary design of the Gospels, you have two recurring groups: the apprentices and the crowds. The apprentices included all Jesus’ followers the twelve apostles, but also many others, including women. The crowds were simply everyone else. There is no third category of “Christians” who generally agree with most of what Jesus was saying but don’t follow him or make a serious attempt to obey his teachings (but it’s all good ’cause they will “go to heaven when they die”). This sharp divide between the apprentices and the crowds is a rhetorical device used by all four of Jesus’ biographers. The ambiguity of the term crowds is intentional. It’s a way of saying to the reader, “Which group are you in?” Are you a face in the crowd? Or an apprentice of Jesus? Two millennia later, especially in the West, this question is more important than ever. As Dallas Willard said, “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who … are identified as “Christians” will become disciples-students, apprentices, practitioners of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”⁷ I could not agree more: The greatest issue facing the world today is not climate change, surveillance capitalism, human rights, or the specter of nuclear war, as utterly crucial as all these are. But can you imagine how many of those problems would effectively be solved overnight if the billions of living humans who identify as Christians all became apprentices of Jesus? If their driving aim was to approach every challenge as Jesus would? You see, Jesus is not looking for converts to Christianity; he’s looking for apprentices in the kingdom of God.     Adapted from Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become Like Him. Do as He Did. Copyright © 2024 by John Mark Comer. Published by WaterBrook, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. To keep reading, click here to grab a copy of John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did.       ¹Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006), 3. ²John Ortberg, Eternity is Now in Session: A Radical Rediscovery of What Jesus Really Taught About Salvation, Eternity, and Getting to the Good Place (Carol Stream, I11.: Tyndale, 2018), 49. ³Michael Burkhimer, Lincoln’s Christianity (Yardley, Pa.: Westholme, 2007) xi. ⁴Gregory A. Smith, “About Three in Ten US Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated,” Pew Research Center, December 14, 2021, www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated.  ⁵“American Worldview Inventory 2023,” Barna, February 28, 2023, www.arizonachristian.edu.wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CRC_AWVI2023_Release1.pdf. ⁶“Maximus the Confessor: Two Hundred Texts on Theology and the Incarnate Dispensation of the Son of God,” Orthodox Church Fathers, https://orthodoxchurchfathers.com/fathers/philokalia/maximus-the-confessor-two-hudred-texts-on-theology-and-the-incarnate-dispensati.html.  ⁷Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006).

Have you ever wondered how things will transpire at the culmination of history? When the end comes, what will it be like? What will happen to those we love who have already passed away? What will happen to us? For centuries, humanity has wrestled with these and many other important questions surrounding the last days. This resource provides a short, clear breakdown of the different positions and views surrounding the end times. There are three main positions throughout the generations of the Church. This indicates to us that while it is important to study and research the different positions, adhering to one exact view is not a central tenant of orthodox faith, meaning that there is not one particular view that has been believed everywhere, at all times, and by all believers. Rather, as followers of Jesus, we are invited to study the Scripture and decide how we, in accordance with wisdom and the Spirit, interpret these verses, and, as a result, aim to embrace a tangible way of living that trusts God, shares His gospel, and endures hardship and suffering with faith and steadfastness. Regardless of your final position, we who follow Christ are all exiles in this fallen world, and we are all saved by grace through faith for the glory of God.    Key Terms: Eschatology: from the Greek word eschatos, which means ‘last’. Eschatology is the term used to describe the study of the end times or last things.  Millennium: the 1,000-year period (literal or symbolic) where Christ will reign and rule on the earth as described in Revelation 20. Tribulation: The term generally describes the suffering and anguish of the people of God throughout history. In eschatology, it refers to a specific and intense seven-year period of suffering in the last days, often known as the Great Tribulation. Rapture: Refers to the event where believers will be “caught up” or rise into the sky to join Christ as He returns to earth. Three Views Of The Millenium The millennium is a 1,000 period where Christ will reign and rule and reign on earth as described in Revelation 20:1-6. These verses describe an event that will take place in the last days. In verse 2, we read about the 1,000-year reign known as the Millennium. This is the only place in the Scripture where there is a reference to this 1,000-year reign. For centuries, Theologians have worked to interpret and understand the meaning behind the Millennium. While many minor positions have developed over time, we will focus on the three leading views that have developed throughout Church history. While there are some things that all positions must agree on (listed below), each of these positions has been or is currently held by smart and respectable bible believing Christians. The three leading positions we will discuss are premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. The essential common ground among differing views: Jesus will bodily return to earth as a conquering King. [Acts 1:11] Jesus will cast out Satan forever. [Rev 20:10] Jesus will right all wrongs and is making all things new. [Rev 21:5] God will judge the living and the dead. [2 Tim 4:1] Believers/saints will live with God forever in the new heaven and new earth. [Rev 21:3] The unrighteousness will be eternally separated from God in everlasting suffering. [Rev 20:15]    View 1 – Premillennialism   The premillennialist perspective believes that Christ will return prior to (pre-) the millennium. This position takes a literal reading of Revelation 20:1-6 and believes that Christ will physically and bodily return to earth, ushering in a literal 1000-year reign on earth by binding Satan, gathering and saving all Israel, and reigning with the resurrected saints. This reign will begin with the binding of Satan (Rev 20:4). Christ will then usher in the literal 1000-year earthly reign and completely fulfill all promises, specifically regarding the land (Gen 17:8). The literal thousand-year kingdom on earth will enable the completion of the Davidic (2 Sam 7:11-16), Abrahamic (Gen 15:7-21), and New Covenant promises (Jer 31:31-40; Eze 36:24-30).   Supporting Scripture Genesis 15:7-21, 17:8; 2 Samuel 7:11-16; Jeremiah 31:31-40; Ezekiel 36:24-30; Acts 1:6-7, 3:19-21; Revelation 20:4.   Scriptural Tensions Luke 17:20-21 speaks of the kingdom of God as something that is not observable but already in our midst.  John 18:36 – Jesus states that His kingdom is not of this world, making the literal establishment of his kingdom on earth problematic.  1 Corinthians 15:24-26 – Some take this verse to support the coming kingdom as a symbolic reign as opposed to literal, while premillennialists point to verse 23 as great support for a physical kingdom.  Some interpret the first resurrection in Revelation 20:1-6 as speaking of salvation, which would shift the interpretation of the millennium.  Finally, many will point to Matthew 24:34 as the reason why passages of Scripture often taken to support the premillennial perspective should be understood as being immediately fulfilled in AD 70. View 2 – Amillennialism   Amillennialism treats the 1,000-year reign of Christ as symbolic, happening now, or taking place exclusively in heaven, and certainly happening before the second coming of Jesus. This view is built around the idea that Christ, during His earthly ministry and following death and resurrection, ushered in His kingdom and authority over Satan, effectively welcoming a type of “Church age” or “millennium,” where Satan is bound, no longer able to deceive the nations, and therefore, the gospel can and will be spread to the gentile nations of the world.  Amillennialism does not believe that the Church will progressively redeem the earth until a final tipping point where Christ returns (as is popular in the postmillennial view), but rather believes that even though Satan is bound, sin is still present and active on Earth, therefore resulting in current tribulation and a call for the saints to endure. Amillennialism also allows for a greater, more intense tribulation in the future before the second coming of Christ. At that second coming, Amillennialists believe that sin is fully defeated, evangelism is finished, the final judgment occurs, and a new heaven and new earth are ushered in. There is no rapture of God’s selected people before the tribulation, nor is there a coming, literal 1,000-year reign after the second coming of Jesus and before the final judgment.   Supporting Scripture  Matthew 4:17, 12:29, 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; Romans 8:18-23; 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, 50-57; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2;  2 Thess. 1:5-10; Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:8-13; Revelation 20:3    Scriptural Tensions How to interpret 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, which seems to speak to a physical, bodily “rapture” or a calling up into the air before the Day of the Lord. How do we determine that the 1,000-year reign in Revelation 20:1-6 is symbolic? How to interpret Old Testament prophecy texts like Daniel 7 or Jeremiah 23. An Amillennial viewpoint would conclude that these texts were spiritually fulfilled during the life and ministry of Christ and are not prophetic of a future tribulation or time to come. One primary tension with amillennialism is that it leads to an over spiritualization of the Old Testament prophecies, leaning heavily away from a future, literal interpretation and claiming either a spiritual application or an eternity-specific application. View 3 – Postmillennialism Postmillennialism takes an optimistic view of the future in which the world will successfully be evangelized, and Christ’s kingdom will reign amongst the nations. This golden age will usher in the second coming of Christ and final judgment. Post Millennials believe the millennium is a spiritual reality in which Christ is reigning in heaven spiritually, while the earth is slowly coming under the reign of Christ through the spread of the gospel and the kingdom of God on earth. Once all the nations are “made a footstool,” Christ will return and “deliver the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” (1 Corinthians 15). They take spiritually the 1000-year reign of Christ in heaven, yet they take literally the fulfillment of the promise that the kingdom of God has come and the nations will literally be made a footstool by the success of the gospel throughout the world.   Supporting Scripture  Isaiah 2:2-4; Habakkuk 2:14; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Revelation 20:1-6   Scriptural Tensions Matthew 24:21-22 – These verses seem to paint a picture that is very different from the golden age era that postmillennialists believe will precede Christ’s second coming.  2 Timothy 3:1-5 – The description of the last days in these verses suggests that they will be filled with moral decline and godlessness, which is the opposite of what post millennials believe.  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – This scripture seems to paint a picture of decline and opposition to the gospel in the end times rather than the postmillennialists’ optimistic view. Revelation 20:7-10 – Some see this text as being in tension with the postmillennial view due to the ongoing conflict and final judgment described.  Luke 17:26-30 – Another text that describes a decline in morality at the end rather than a gradual and optimistic evangelization of the world.   The Rapture Many noteworthy Christian scholars believe the Bible teaches that there will be a ‘Rapture’ of the Church, where God will remove His people from the earth to meet Jesus, the coming King, in the clouds. The idea is based primarily on a text in the New Testament, where the Apostle Paul describes a day when the Church will be “caught up” to “meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). While a rapture of the Church may seem obvious from reading this one text, there are many Bible verses that complicate this prediction by indicating that followers of Jesus will remain on the earth through the duration of the Second Coming of Jesus.  There is another layer to the argument in determining whether this ‘rapture’ will take place before or after a tribulation period (known as the Pre-Tribulation and Post-Tribulation views). While there are multiple verses in Scripture suggesting that the Church will be rescued before a time of tribulation (Revelation 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; John 14:2-3), there are also a variety of verses suggesting the Church will be present during the infamous tribulation period (Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 7:13-14; 2 Peter 3:10-13).  Whether or not the Church will be ‘raptured’ is a matter of debate. Determining if this event occurs before or after the “tribulation period” of Revelation 6-19 adds an additional layer to the dispute. When the dust of the debate settles, what is certain is that followers of Jesus will be protected from the impending judgment of God that will come at the end of time. Thanks be to God for sending Jesus to rescue us from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10)!  Origin: The term ‘Rapture’ was coined, and the argument was kindled in the 19th century by John Nelson Darby and other premillennialist thinkers. However, it is worth noting that rapture-esque ideation was present as early as AD 90 (Shepherd of Hermas) and present in third and fourth century commentary (Commentary on the Apocalypse).    Supporting Scripture  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, John 14:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Revelation 3:10, Philippians 3:20-21, Titus 2:13.   Scriptural  Tensions Matthew 24:29-31 – This passage seems to suggest that the gathering of believers (which some equate with the rapture) happens after the tribulation. It begs the question, is there a ‘rapture’ in this picture that Jesus gave? If so, what is the purpose if the tribulation has already passed? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 – This text suggests believers will be “gathered” after the tribulation period and the arrival of the “man of lawlessness.” Unless this is a post- or mid-trib rapture, this text seems to contradict the idea of a Pre-Tribulation rapture, and it supports views against belief in rapture. Revelation 7:13-14 – This text suggests there are Christians present during the tribulation period. Either people convert during the tribulation or the Church is present during the tribulation, according to this passage. Luke 17:34-27 – If Jesus is saying that the “dead” person is the one taken, then this text suggests that it is the unbeliever who is removed, not the believer who is ‘raptured’. Revelation 20:4-5 – This text is problematic for rapture views because:  It appears Christians are alive during the tribulation (beast) period. It appears that the resurrection of the dead takes place after the Tribulation and after the Millennium. Those holding to a pre-trib rapture suggest this ‘first resurrection’ is of tribulation saints (people who come to faith during the tribulation), and the ‘second resurrection’ is of the lost (who resurrect after the Millennium). Matthew 13:24-30, 13:36-43 –  In this analogy, Jesus suggests believers (wheat) will remain on earth until the time of the judgment (when the weeds will be removed). This is problematic for the rapture theory because it does not appear as though the “wheat” is removed before the “weeds.”

Jesus presents anxiety as one of the biggest impediments to seeking the Kingdom of God. For many of us, worries and anxiety in life keep us from all we are meant to be under God. In this six-day track, Ben Stuart reminds us that there is an invitation to cast our cares on Him. Our anxieties are not too heavy for God — He is there waiting for us to release them. Let’s get started.

This seven-day devotional is derived from Louie Giglio’s 365-day devotional, Grace & Glory. As we spend the next few days diving deep into the topic of gratitude, we are expectant that this intentional heart posture toward thankfulness will lead us closer to Jesus and His love for us.

Jesus, you are the Lord of everything, The heir to the cattle on a thousand hills, and yet, when you broke five loaves and two fish, the first thing you did was give thanks.  Teach me how to thank the Father as you did.   Everything won’t always go my way. My plans won’t always pan out, my ideas won’t always win, my efforts will not always succeed, but I know yours will, so teach me how to thank you and trust that your way is better.    When I am anxious, may I thank you for my breath. When I am tired, may I thank you for my rest. When I do not like myself, may I thank you for how you made me. When I do not love my neighbor, may I thank you for how you made them.   Whatever I do,  may I glorify you. Whatever I say,  may I honor you. Wherever I go, may I tell others of you.   May the overflow of my gratitude lead me to make more of you.   Whether I am surrounded by family or I am alone, teach me how to love the people you’ve given me to love, how to be grateful for you giving them to me, how to wear my gratitude like a blanket I can give to those who need the warmth.   May my thanks be immediate and lavish– generously given and never expected in return– may it be the light by which those people who look at me see you.   Amen.

Thanksgiving is coming, and I can picture it now—the table is set, the candles are lit, and our favorite dishes filled with nostalgia are sitting on the table. I can already smell my Aunt Nancy’s sweet potato casserole baking with roasted marshmallows on top, and my mom’s cranberry sauce simmering on the stove with brown sugar and freshly squeezed lemon. Just as that special meal is created with care and purpose, we as parents also have an opportunity to intentionally orient the heartbeat of our homes towards thankfulness. The muscles we strengthen as we curate a culture of gratitude in our families have the potential to inform the rhythms of our hearts all year long. Jesus created us to be the parents entrusted to our particular children and the primary influence in their lives. Our children are watching us and absorbing family culture all the time. As we look at the ages, stages, and schedules of our families, we may wonder when we will have opportunities to be intentional influencers and how we can infuse a culture of thanksgiving amid our daily rhythms. God’s Word elevates the importance and beauty of small everyday moments in Deuteronomy 6:7 when God, through Moses, says, “Impress [these commandments] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” We, as parents, can take the everyday moments God gives us with our children, and be faithful where we’re at. Whether that takes place at the breakfast table, in the school carline, or while we’re pushing our child on the swing, there are pockets of opportunities to practice thankfulness. Cultivating a culture of thankfulness in our homes begins with looking for the gifts of God all around us, then making connections from those gifts to who God is and who we are in Him. “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.” [emphasis added] 1 Samuel 14:24 When our girls were in elementary school, their Bible study had a tradition every November that postured their hearts toward thankfulness. We talked about always wanting to have eyes to see and savor the gifts of God in our lives, so the girls would pass around silly sunglasses we called “gratitude glasses” and take turns wearing them and saying something they were grateful for. Whether your family passes around your own “gratitude glasses” or incorporates a different gratitude practice, here are a few practical suggestions to get you thinking about how you might cultivate thankfulness into your family rhythms: As you play outside, remind your children to thank God for the fall leaves and how they remind us that God loves us so much that He created this beautiful world. As you drive to school or baseball or ballet, you can encourage them to thank God for the opportunity to play and learn something new. On the way to the park, you can talk about thanking God for good friends and the kindness of Jesus in giving us buddies to play with. When you’re getting ready for the day, you can invite them to thank God for His faithfulness, that He would allow the sun to rise again. In the hard moments, you can teach them to thank God that He never leaves us and always takes care of us. When our children (or us, as parents) begin to lean towards entitlement or discontent, we can take those teachable moments to re-root our children in the truth of Who God is and who we are in Him. Studies show that the most joyful people are not those with a life devoid of trials or even those more naturally inclined to positivity. The people who experience the most joy in their lives are those who choose to look for opportunities for thankfulness. As parents of older children, we’ve seen that it’s not the big moments of life that cultivate the most joy, but often it’s the infusing of thankfulness and gratitude into the everyday moments of life through which God produces joyfulness in our daughters. Ultimately, we as parents have the privilege of pointing our children’s hearts to Jesus over and over. When we have a glimpse of the abounding love and grace of Jesus, of who He is and who we are as His children, our response is worship and thanksgiving. As we anticipate the coming holiday season, let’s create a culture of thankfulness and join with the psalmist as he says, “The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7