Jake Daghe

This is part two of “How to Know If You’re Called to Work for the Church.” To read part one first, click here. Key Point #3 – Must-Have Characteristics of Church Workers The third key point to consider if you are prayerfully discerning a call to vocational ministry is to ask and truly answer if you are willing and wanting to embrace the characteristics necessary of any man or woman who holds such a role. I do want and need to be careful with this key point because while the characteristics to follow are consistently lauded throughout the Scriptures, I will be the first to admit that there is no Biblical “spiritual checklist” that any person who desires to work for the Church must complete.  Neither is there, as was already said above, a demand for perfection in these following characteristics as a precursor to vocational ministry. One of the most humbling and challenging aspects of working for the local Church is that you are actively participating in strengthening and supporting the body of Christ alongside people who are similarly still undergoing sanctification—people who are still daily, or minute-by-minute, fighting to be more truly conformed with the image of Christ. In this vein, we will see that a conviction to fight for personal godliness and growth in each characteristic is vastly more desirable and necessary than a type of self-proclaimed perfectionism. The four characteristics I want to focus specifically on are unity, maturity, humility, and a serious commitment to living above reproach—that is, living a life worthy of the calling that you have received. You may look at the following characteristics and think, “Aren’t these necessary for any believer in any role or any job?” and the answer would be yes, to a degree. I believe there are specific and pointed attacks of the enemy for those who work within vocational ministry, attacks by which the enemy not only causes us to stumble but damages the reputation of our corporate and collective witness. You need only ask someone who has been hurt by the church to share their story, and you quickly begin to see the implications of our personal compromises in these characteristics spilling out into our corporate wounding of other’s hearts and souls.  While the bank, gym, or classroom suffers when believers fail to align their hearts with the Spirit, the one who sits in vocational ministry threatens to damage the perceived credibility of the entire body of Christ. Praise God that we are not the primary agents in the defense and proclamation of His glory, nor are we the sole agents of His salvation. This responsibility belongs to him and him alone. Therefore, our shortcomings are not the eternal nails in the proverbial coffin. However, I do think it is befitting for someone who is seeking a vocational position within the Church to weigh and consider their commitment to these particular characteristics. So, for those who are discerning a call to vocational ministry, I would encourage you to ask yourself these questions: Am I highly committed to the unity of the saints (Eph. 4:3-7), particularly those who would be working alongside me in the scope of ministry? Am I committed to their good and their growth, not utilizing gossip or slander, but using my words to build others up, using my hands to lift others, using my mind and intellect to serve others, all for the glory of God? Am I committed to rooting out comparison, jealousy, and selfish ambition?Am I highly committed to maturing up into the fullness of Christ, realizing that I am no longer able to simply settle for a lower common denominator of Christianity, but that I must press on to make the resurrection my own (Phil. 3:12), seeking continuously to be transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18)?Am I highly committed to the humility necessary of those who seek to strengthen and support the body of Christ, knowing that I am not the head and that every part of the body has a role to play (1 Cor. 12:14-25) in growing up in love into Christ, who is the head (Eph. 4:15)?Am I highly committed to living my life in a manner worthy of the calling that I have received (Phil. 1:27)? Am I willing to not just meet the line of “Christian” standard or ethic, but will I joyfully and consistently go beyond what is expected in purity, accountability, and personal holiness, not to, through legalism, achieve a type of works-based righteousness, but to live in such a way that even those who criticize and condemn Christianity would be moved to reflection by your character (1 Pet. 2:12)? These are essential characteristics of anyone who would serve and labor in the local Church for an extended period of time. If you are unwilling to grow in, or even further, are unwilling to entertain the ideas that you must be growing in these characteristics, then I would implore you not to work for the local Church. The body of Christ is not well served by divisive, immature, prideful, and ethically ambiguous men and women.  Lastly, a final characteristic that is necessary for someone who wants to work for the Church vocationally is a willingness to embrace the cost of such work. By this, I mean that it is a wild fantasy concocted by a Western world obsessed with self-power and self-image that we can choose to work for the Church and suffer no material or personal cost. We should not be tricked into believing that it is a sign of success for those who build the church to also have the West Elm living room staples; that Church work must afford the luxury of international vacations and the highest quality goods. Christ was clear in his Sermon on the Mount that for those who prioritize the kingdom of God, seeking God and his character first, that which they need would be added to them.  Likewise, embracing the cost of working for the church vocationally means that you put to death any desire that seeks to implant in your heart for fame, recognition, and societal praise and notoriety. There are many careers through which a person could seek to reach a certain level of prestige and cultural awareness. The Church should not be one of those callings. Throughout the Scriptures, the call inherent to all believers is to prioritize being last, lowest, and in most ways, hidden in Christ. That does not mean that those in other professions who excel and are well-known are sinning. But it does mean that within the context of the vocational Church, there is no room for ambition that aims at celebrity, fame, or worldly recognition. There is a reason that one of the three temptations the devil put before Christ in the wilderness was the fame and “rule” of the kingdoms of the world. In light of this “costliness” here and now, those who desire to work for the Church should be confident and compelled in their assurance of a coming, future reward. Paul often wrote of how he was looking forward to the coming reward, the crown of righteousness (and Paul didn’t technically work for the Church vocationally, or at the very least, he was bi-vocational). A deep confidence in the coming treasure of Christ will help embolden the Church worker to pass over the lesser trinkets of this world in favor of that great and coming glory. Next Steps and Encouragement My goal in writing these points is not to severely discourage the spirit of someone wrestling with a calling to Ministry, but I hope to share a glimpse into the gravity of the calling to build the Church. Too often, men and women accept a vocational role within the Church out of naive excitement, out of a desire to find Christian community, or out of a compulsion to do “holy” work. None of these are intrinsically wrong—working for the Church should be exciting, it should be a place of rich and fruitful community, and the work should be sanctified unto the Lord as your hands are daily and often directly serving those who are finding or growing in salvation. But left alone, these reasons are too shallow to support a call into vocational ministry. The call to work for the Church should ring deep and true in your Spirit. It’s been said by many church leaders that “if you can see yourself doing anything else other than working for the Church, go and do that.” I think this is a bit too obtuse and limiting; many talented Church workers could apply their skills to a wide variety of different avenues. However, there is some truth beneath the words in that being called to the Church vocationally should be distinctive and marking. There will come a time when you will be faced with the reality of your decision to build the Church, and instead of fleeing from those temptations, you must be so convinced of your calling that you double down and stay. So, these words are meant to communicate some of this gravity and weightiness, lest you step too quickly into this. And yet, with all things discovered, there will always be a journey to navigate, and some will start further ahead than others. Exploring and evaluating the realities of working for the Church is not sinful, nor should you be shamed if you think you are meant to work for the Church and then later come to find out that God has you moving in a different direction. There is a reason that the Scripture says in James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” This is the posture each of us should seek to emulate. Ultimately, how can you know if you are called to work for the Church? Walk with Jesus. Stay in step with the Spirit. Ask the Father for wisdom and guidance, and believe that he will show up and lead you where he would have you go. Practically, start serving in your local Church. It doesn’t matter what ministry, but pick one and get involved. Show up regularly. Get to know the people in your orbit and give yourself to the Christian Community. If the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few, the best hire a Church can make is to bring someone on who is already laboring for the sake of the Gospel in the seams of the day-to-day rhythms of the Church. No Church needs to hire people that they then have to convince to be laborers. So if you’re feeling stuck in the wrestling, start serving. If you are serving, keep serving, and look for opportunities to talk with the leaders of your ministry or to take on more responsibilities with joy and excellence. Ultimately, trust God with the timing. There is no model life for the Church worker to follow and emulate outside of Christ. You don’t have to start when you’re twenty-two, and you don’t have to end when you’re sixty-five. You don’t have to have gone to seminary, although seminary is, in my opinion, extremely helpful when done with wisdom. You don’t have to be single. You don’t have to be married. Remember 1 Corinthians 1 as quoted above—God calls the foolish, the weak, and the low and despised. He calls you and me, even when we had no merit of our own, to support and strengthen his body. But that is his grace in motion, and it’s the gift known to those who devote a portion or all of their lives to building the Church vocationally.

If you have ever wrestled with the question, “Is God calling me to work for the Church?” you’re not alone. From the birth of the Church and throughout every century since, people, young and old, who have felt the tug of ministry on their hearts have struggled to find clarity in discerning this assignment. So, while this is not a unique tension to today, there are distinctive characteristics of our Western culture and Church structure that tend to muddy the process of determining a call to ministry. This article, therefore, aims to speak to these unique characteristics while providing a clear and simple framework for approaching and eventually making this weighty decision. It will be said repeatedly throughout this article, but, to my knowledge, there are no silver bullets for determining a call to ministry. This framework is not the script for an infomercial promising a guaranteed solution. Because the assignment of vocationally building the Church is ignited and sustained via the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is God and is both intimate and unsearchable, a level of holy mystery accompanies this decision, similar to anything related to walking with God. Because of that, this article should be treated less like a GPS giving you turn-by-turn instructions and more like a survival guide, which outlines key equipment, addresses critical tensions, and points you to key resources.  For some, this framework will help bring confidence, as it will help even further illuminate the stirring of the Spirit in your heart to build Christ’s Church vocationally. For others, this might begin the process of finding further clarity, but the answers you are looking for may still be a good distance coming. This isn’t a loss. From the Scripture, we see that, while a teenager, David was anointed as the future King of Israel. Yet, it took years and a whole host of complicated, discouraging, and difficult circumstances until he stepped into that position. Wrestling with and waiting on God is never wasted; He is always doing something in us that He will later bring out and bear through us.  Lastly, for some others, this article may help shed light on the reality that working vocationally for the Church is not the next step in your professional journey. That is also not a loss. We have all been given different measures of grace and gifts for building up the body of Christ, some of which some of us will use in a professional, vocational context. However, the Scripture does not equate faithful service to Jesus with a particular vocation or calling. Consider that Jesus called some fishermen to follow him as his disciples and left others on their boats. He invited some tax collectors to leave their stations but left others to collect revenue for Rome. He brought in one zealot but not all the zealots; this is still his pattern today. The Spirit will draw some to carry that same mantle of the early Church builders in providing a communal space for worship, edification, community, and prayer. Others, just as equally important, will be invited to stay or step into all spheres of work and life carrying the mantle of the Christian commission to go and make disciples of all nations. So, I pray this is helpful to you wherever you land and that through these words, the God who searches hearts and knows what is the mind of the Spirit would intercede on your behalf in accordance with the will of God. When done properly, it is a a true honor to participate in such a weighty and joyous wrestling. Key Point #1 – Understanding the Nature of Calling In attempting to discern and wrestle with this question of being called to work for the Church, it is important first to take a step back and look at the idea of calling. The Scriptures provide us with numerous examples of someone being called by God, some more dramatic and vivid than others. We’ve already referenced the way that Jesus called many of his disciples. Andrew and Simon, known as Peter, were fishermen and were actively tending their nets when Jesus walked by and invited them to become fishers of men. Moses was a runaway, exiled prince of Egypt who had a face-to-face encounter with the presence of God in a bush that burned but was not consumed. As discussed earlier, David was brought in from tending his father’s sheep in a field to be anointed as the future king of Israel. Paul had a revelation of seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus. Joshua was commissioned by Moses, Elisha was commissioned by Elijah, and Timothy was commissioned by Paul.  Many of these leaders had a direct, God-initiated moment of calling into the work of ministry. Yet few of these people actually exclusively worked in a vocation of ministry, and even fewer still worked for what we now call the “local Church.”  So, we must first be careful to separate and distinguish the very real differences between the general calling of all believers to follow Jesus and the vocational calling for some to work within a local church context. This first and more general calling for all believers includes our mandate to make disciples, love the body of Christ, and grow up in maturity and sanctification, becoming more conformed to the image of Jesus as we begin to look more like him and less like this world. There should be no Christian on Earth who releases their responsibility for these Scriptural markers of the faith simply because they do not work professionally for a local church. In fact, Paul would write to the Colossians in chapter 3, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” It is quite possible that the will of God for your life can be boiled down to that one word, “whatever,” and that, for many, it is not a particular vocation that underlines God’s path but the invitation to abide and reside in the root of Christ.   If you find yourself waiting to practice the responsibilities of your general calling of believing in Christ until you are effectually working in a spiritually vocational setting, you are likely diluting the effectiveness of the ministry of the Church you work at. This can lead to a dangerous struggle of misplacing your identity in your vocation rather than your secured and established position in Christ—as a son or daughter of God. For those who know Christ, deepen your pursuit of your general calling to love him with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love others as yourself first. The Church doesn’t need more hard workers looking to build their identities. It needs more healthy followers of Jesus looking to lay their lives down for the advancement and deepening of the Gospel. The brief counter to this is that no man or woman called to work for the local Church will be perfect in their pursuit of Jesus at the time of their calling. There is no exact spiritual bar or standard that must be met to “qualify” for Church work. I’ve heard it said that if the men and women in the Scriptures submitted their resumes to a local church today, many of them would not be hired. Moses was a murderer. David was an adulterer. Paul, as Saul, was a persecutor of the Church. This is why Paul would go on to write to the Church in Corinth this encouragement: “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) There is no boasting in our spiritual position (or lack thereof) before we are called. This is wonderful news because it means that the roles for working for the Church aren’t reserved for the Spiritual giants of the faith, but that everyday, ordinary people like you and me can be used by God, vocationally, to build his Church and to carry his kingdom forward. We must first aim to live a life worthy of our general calling. Then, if and as the Spirit prompts, often through means such as Scripture, prayer, and community (we’ll discuss this further down), prayerfully consider the invitation to step into the local Church vocationally.  Are you actively embracing the general calling of faith in your life? If so, do you also feel a tug in your heart towards a vocational ministry? Where and how have you most strongly felt this tug? Key Point #2 – Indicators You’re Being Drawn to Church Work If, after wading through key point #1, you still feel compelled to press into the possibility of working vocationally for your local church, I want to help identify a few indicators that may illuminate your metaphorical dashboard as you continue down this path. The first is that of a deepening and lingering desire to spend your working efforts engaged in this domain. Both adverbs are intentional and should be weighed with purpose in your processing. For many who were raised in Christian or faith environments or who know a family member or close family friend who worked in a church ministry context, a type of desire by association may find root in your heart. For some, this proximity to ministry actually acts as a repellent of any such desire, but for others, there is almost an unintentional acceptance of a way of thinking that says, “This (vocational church work) is just what ‘we’ do.” There can be a particular reverence in these circles for the office of the ministry, often at the expense of the One around whom the whole ministry is meant to orbit. And so, be guarded against such desires by association or any similar desires which have shallow roots. If you feel the Spirit guiding your heart to weigh this matter of vocational Church work, ask Him for a deepening of that desire in that it becomes more fervent, more pressing, and more vivid.  Ask that this desire also linger and not diminish with the passing of time or the opinions of others. There will very likely be some who do not understand your fascination with and eagerness to explore this avenue of vocational work; you must, with a humble unconcern, outlast their confusion. The enemy also will sense if you are seriously pondering spending your life, energy and talents to advance the mission of the Gospel through the structure of the local Church, and he will aim to derail this pursuit by putting all manner of questions before you. “Couldn’t you make more money elsewhere?” “Wouldn’t you be better off without seeing behind the curtain?” “Are you qualified to even truly consider this?” These, too, you must outlast, and you will, if the invitation to pursue ministry is truly instigated and sustained by the Spirit of God. The second indicator of being drawn to work vocationally for the Church is the affirmation of your spiritual community. Note that I said your spiritual community because, as stated above, for those who do not follow Christ (and even some who do), a vocation of Church ministry likely seems, at best, foolish and, at worst, irresponsible. But take heed of the words spoken by Godly mentors or Godly community. Look at 2 Timothy 1 as an example of this affirmation. Paul says of Timothy in verses 5-6, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Do not be afraid to ask, within the right context, for the opinions or discernment of your spiritual community if you do not feel that you are organically receiving that counsel.  Be wise and discerning in this process, however, to not put so much stock in the words of one or a few human beings when the words of God are meant to carry a far greater weight in our souls. Affirmation is beneficial as an indicator, but it is not the only indicator, nor is man’s opinion the barometer for truth.  The third indicator of being drawn to work vocationally for the Church is a wide door for effective ministry. This concept comes from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9, when he said, “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” This indicator is perhaps the most mysterious of the three as there are no real identifiers of what these wide doors are or when they open, but we do know how they open, exclusively through the power of the Spirit. We know that a “wide door” is a particular favoring by the Spirit on a particular expression or moment of gospel advancement, but this “wide door” has very little to do with numbers, converts, or attendance.  Rather, a wide door for effective ministry could be a particularly rich and fruitful small group that you lead that the Spirit’s favor is on. It could be a particular project you take on within the area of your Church where you volunteer that is aligning supernaturally well with your talents and gifts. It could be a persistent conversation with an acquaintance who continually, and almost strangely, advocates on your behalf to the local church staff. Aiming to determine the exact application of your “wide door” could be a fruitless exercise; however, it is not unproductive to ask the Spirit to help you see and then step through the unique doors He is putting in your life. Lastly, when considering indicators that you are being drawn to vocational work within the Church, it is beneficial to summarize the categorical “types” of work that most often accompanied the local church in the early years surrounding Christ’s resurrection. These “types” of work, when compared to your respective passions and giftings, may give the most general guardrails for determining if a role in vocational ministry is your best next step. While there are likely far more than three categorical types of work, the three that I see most often represented in the Scriptures are preaching, pastoring/caring, and supporting.  Today, our local church structures have grown so much and have become so enmeshed with business ideologies that it is difficult to overlay the first-century church with the current Western Church. I do believe that while these categorical types are still present in today’s structures, there are now many more expressions of vocational ministry within the local church context. So, if you feel as if your strongest giftings are not in line with any of these three primary categories, know that that does not disqualify you from vocational ministry. Click here to read part two of  “How to Know If You’re Called to Work for the Church.”

How intentional would you be with your time if you knew you only had a few days left to live? How purposeful would you be with your words? Who you spent time with? What activities or experiences you do? The thought of an impending loss naturally heightens the importance of the minutes and moments that come before. That’s why most of us who have lost someone can still recall, likely in vivid detail, a last conversation or a last experience; loss tends to imprint memories in the deepest part of our souls. Knowing this, I want to challenge us not to skip over Holy Tuesday as we’re often prone to do. In our effort to get to the intimacy of the Passover meal, the utter chaos and despondency of the Crucifixion, the tension of Saturday, and the celebration of Easter Sunday, we often leave very little room to sit and reflect on what happened between the Triumphant Entry on Sunday and the Last Supper on Thursday. But it’s here, in these oft-forgotten moments, where Jesus shared some of his last words before He was crucified. Make no mistake, he knew the timeline perfectly. He knew that the triumphant entry into Jerusalem would be one of his last rides into the city, that while his miracles and power were reaching a critical mass of influence (he had just raised Lazarus from the dead with nothing but the power of his voice, leading to a fervor of praise and worship that we call Palm Sunday), that even at the seeming height of his earthly ministry, it would all come to a head by the end of the week. He knew the stakes, that a devastating betrayal was coming, that the torture and agony and unfathomable pain was drawing closer. He knew it all, and what did he choose to do on those last days before his crucifixion? He did what he’d been doing for years. He taught. He loved. He ministered, answered questions, and asked some of his own. He didn’t demand an audience or clamor for a platform. He spoke to the people who wanted to listen, and he didn’t hold back any punches. After all, how could he? These were his last days, his last words. They were intentionally selected to fall in these early days of Holy Week, weighty and important messages, and if we’re willing to see them as such, we’ll likely have a new appreciation for these parables and truths. If you go back and look at all four gospels, you’ll realize a startling truth: 29 of the 89 chapters (nearly one-third of the recorded life and journey of Jesus) take place during the Holy Week or the days leading up to his resurrection. In particular, if you look at the gospel of Matthew, we note that Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is recorded in chapter 21, and his resurrection ends the book in chapter 28. The Passover meal is eaten in Matthew 26, so that means it’s likely that everything that happens from Matthew 21:12 all the way to Matthew 26:5 happens between Monday and Wednesday of this special week, with Holy Tuesday being the center of that timing. In these days between Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday, Jesus taught on the parable of the two sons, the parable of the tenants, and the parable of the wedding feast. He shared his well-known response to the question of paying taxes to Rome when he said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” He talked with the Sadducees about the resurrection and the Pharisees about the Greatest Commandment. He exposited on Psalm 110, warned the Jewish leaders of the consequences of their wrongful actions, lamented over Jerusalem, foretold the destruction of the temple (both his body and the physical temple), and spoke about the end of the age and the times to come. He spoke about preparedness in that no one knows the day nor the hour of his returning and second coming, and he backed up his teaching with a parable of the ten virgins, five of whom carried extra oil for their lamps and therefore were ready when the bridegroom came. He told a stunning story about four servants whose master gave them each talents and a responsibility to be good stewards. It’s this parable from which we draw the often-spoken words: “Well done my good and faithful servant.” He talked about the final judgment and how it’s not just the outward perception of our faith and Christianity that saves us. True and saving faith moves in action towards the least, the last, and the lost. All of this and more took place somewhere between Monday and Wednesday of Holy Week. These were the last public teachings of Jesus before his crucifixion (the gospel of John records what is known as the Upper Room Discourse from John 13-17, but that was a private teaching made to the select few disciples with him, not public teaching). We don’t actually know exactly which parables or teachings fell on which days, which is actually pretty beautiful in its own way. In the absence of the exact timing of the teachings, the gospel writers are letting us know that the location or the day wasn’t what was most important; the words and the messages were the main points. If there is one main takeaway from Holy Tuesday, it’s that Jesus is faithful to the work of shepherding the people whom God had entrusted him, even as the more dire of circumstances threatened to crash into his life. Knowing his days were limited, he chose to equip. To steer hearts once again to the love and generosity of the Father and to the responsibility and invitation of the saints to obey, eagerly working and waiting for the ultimate victory over every expression of darkness. His actions on Holy Tuesday should give you great confidence that no matter what is on your horizon, no matter what circumstances may come up tomorrow, Jesus isn’t backing down from loving and leading you. He isn’t hiding or simply looking out for his best interests. In fact, had he “laid low” during Holy Week, the vitriol and malice of the religious elite may have never crescendoed into crucifixion. He is faithful, steady, sure, and true. He is the model of obedience, putting his Father’s words and plans before whatever human temptations arose in the face of his impending death. As such, he can strengthen our resolve to be likewise obedient no matter the cost because, as we now know the full story, we believe that if we live like him on Tuesday, we will eventually be raised with him in victory on that last and final Sunday.

Do you immediately picture a large, white steeple? Maybe you hear the familiar ring of bells signaling the start of another Sunday service. Or perhaps you imagine the more recent expression of the warehouse, artistic, tangibly creative local church? The word “Church” has many connotations, some good, some bad, but most of which fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. For many in our society, the Church has become another aspect of culture, a building that at one point was found on most street corners and a place where people occasionally gather to find hope and an escape from the daily pressures of this world. For most, the Church has become common. As we dive into the Scriptures, particularly how Jesus viewed the Church, we see that His definition is anything but common. He viewed the Church globally and its local expressions as an undefeatable (Matthew 16:18), glory-radiating, community-deepening, truth-seeking epitome of God’s love and rule on this Earth. His view of the Church included a diverse collection of men and women who were distinguishable, marked by the fact that they had been resurrected from spiritual death to a new and profound reality of being spiritually alive. Jesus saw the Church as a source of overflowing goodness and generosity, regardless of material wealth or personal comfortability. Even in the hardest of external circumstances, the Church has always been rooted in an unshakeable and sure foundation, and therefore, it triumphs. Jesus had a high and magnificent view of the Church that the Holy Spirit would later reveal through the apostles. In their writings, we see the Church described most intimately and beautifully: as Christ’s Bride. This description, which started in the Old Testament in places like Ezekiel and Isaiah, continued through the New Testament in Ephesians and ultimately culminated in Revelation, with the marriage supper of the Lamb to come. The more Scripture we read, the more we discover how highly Jesus valued and viewed the Church. But why is this important for us today? One writer and scholar says, “How we think and feel about the church reveals how much we know the heart of Christ.” Not only that, but I would argue that how we think and feel about the Church reveals how we view ourselves in light of our role as the Bride of Christ. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he writes, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” As the Church, we have a new identity. Rooted in Christ and because of His work, we can live confident and empowered, knowing that we are chosen, royal, holy, and treasured by God. We can know, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, that Christ gave himself up through death on a cross for you and for me, that he might sanctify us, cleansing us from our stain of sin so that He may once and for all present us as spotless and blameless before the throne of God the Father. As people of the Church, this is who we are. But as Paul wrote to Timothy, we aren’t just meant to understand our identity in Christ through His Church. We are meant to live from this right identity through wondrous worship and proclamation. Because we are knit together and joined to Him who is the Head of all things (Colossians 2), we are called to exaltation, to proclaim the excellencies of the only one who could ever quell our darkness and breathe new life into our lungs. This is why understanding how Jesus views the Church is critical to our faith. Without this meditation, we are quick to minimize the gravity of what we get to be a part of. We are inclined to forget the miracle of this God-empowered assembly, and we begin to see the Church and our involvement through the eyes of everyday culture.

We’re busy people with saturated lives and crammed schedules. While our souls yearn for that depth and relationship with our Creator, we often settle for the quick and convenient. But that’s not nourishing, and now many of us feel the side effects of an impoverished spiritual diet. Those small bites of rushed theology don’t always lead to deep and steadfast roots. Whether you’re a grandparent and nearing retirement or a young 22-year-old about to graduate and step into the world, what connects us all, personally and practically, is a spiritual hunger for intimacy with our Creator God. To know and be known by Jesus. We want more. I believe there is no greater calling for the life of a man or woman following Jesus Christ than to fall ever more in love with His person and work and to find our fullest satisfaction in Him. When we do this, we foster a deeper understanding of theology, which translates to an enriched and more consistent lifestyle of worship. As we grow in this knowledge, we begin to more practically live out our affections for Jesus, which brings Him more glory. In the book of Job, after experiencing devastation on a titanic level, Job cries out in anguish as he thinks of the holiness and purity of an undefiled and righteous God. How can we, as sinful and impure people, ever stand before this God? At the height of his desperation, Job says in chapter 9, verse 33, that “there is no arbiter between us (God and man), who might lay his hand on us both.”  Today, there is such an arbiter. What Job once longed for has become a reality in the person of Jesus. As such, Jesus is infinitely worthy of our affection, our intellect, and our labor. The Son of Man and the Son of God, our faithful high priest forever, the propitiation for our very record of sin, Jesus has changed everything. He has put his hands on our brokenness and God’s wholeness, and He has rectified in his unique person the shortcomings of a sinful people and a perfect God. This is why in Him, the fullness of deity is pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19). If our greatest calling is to deepen our love and satisfaction in the person of Jesus,  we must be intentional in our pursuit of being conformed to His image. Though saved by no merit of our own, we are, each individually, “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15). Therefore, we would do well to aim our entire lives towards the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13) As the Apostle Paul makes clear in Ephesians 4:11-16, we choose to press on, to train for such godliness for two distinct reasons, one personal and one collective. First, we should aim to deepen our affection for Jesus because there are real, deceitful schemes that work to steal our glory from Jesus. If we truly see Jesus as all-deserving, and if we genuinely believe that our greatest satisfaction comes the more we glorify in Christ, we must be incited by any such attempt of thievery. We, therefore, aim to become more like Jesus because it gives Him more glory and, consequently, it gives us more goodness.  The second reason we aim to grow into the full measure of the stature of Christ, becoming like Him through the transformation of our mind and spirit, is for the sake of the collective body of Christ. We see in Ephesians 4:16 that the body of Christ is meant to build itself up in love. However, that outcome of a thriving, blossoming Jesus-loving Church is only possible “when each part is working properly.” We are the parts of the body, the joints, and ligaments, as Paul repeats in Colossians 2:19. Our individual proper functioning is implicitly related to the collective purpose and assignment of the Church as a whole. When we are mature, we work properly, through which Christ builds the church up in love.  Like Paul taught the Ephesians, we believe fully in the value of the glory of Jesus. We believe all glory should go to Christ for his work of putting his hands on both humanity and God. But we also believe fully in maximizing your satisfaction and helping you find your truest and most fulfilling joy in this life. A deep, soul-abiding walk with God isn’t cheap or lightweight. It’s an anchor, a ballast, a source of great peace and security in every season. And then, lastly, we believe in the purpose and success of the local Church that we are meant to, through the love of Jesus, build the body up and out into our neighborhoods, into our cities, and into our nations.

When you surrender, admit your brokenness, and believe in His sacrifice for your sins, you receive new life. A spiritual resurrection occurs, and from that point forward, the Bible says you are a new creation.  We spend a lot of time thinking about, reflecting on, and celebrating our salvation. Rightly so. There is no more radical and powerful story than the perfect God leaving His throne to provide a way back home to lost and hurting sons and daughters. It is the miracle of all miracles. We’re meant to never get over it, keeping the truth of our transformation close as we go about our lives. Because we are made new through the blood of Jesus, we have new power to live differently. Purposefully. Joyfully.  When we’re saved, and our sin’s penalty is paid, we are clean. And because of that cleansing, our redeemed hearts can now welcome and host the Holy Spirit. Sin no longer reigns in our earthly bodies, so the Spirit moves in and takes up residence within us, giving us intimate and daily access to God the Father. And not only access but help, motivation, guidance, and counsel. He is the seal, guaranteeing our heavenly inheritance and new bloodline (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit comes in and coaxes the spark of faith set alight in our hearts and slowly feeds the fire, day by day. If our salvation is a new seed planted in our hearts, the Holy Spirit is the Master Gardener as He waters, prunes, and brings forth new fruit from a holy and righteous vine. For many of us, this process that we call sanctification can feel shrouded and mysterious. It can feel hard to define and even more difficult to measure. How does the Holy Spirit live within us? How does He work, both in us and through us? What does He do, and what are we responsible for? If we’re saved and have the Holy Spirit living within us, why do we still sin?  If you’ve ever felt yourself asking questions like this, you’re not alone. While the Bible says there is only one way to God, one truth, one name by which all men and women must be saved, once we’re saved, the path of sanctification (or becoming more like Jesus) looks slightly different for each of us. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:29 and 2 Corinthians 3:18  that we all share the same goal: being transformed into the image, or likeness, of Jesus. But the way we do that is by moving from one degree of glory to another, or put another way, at our own pace. If salvation is the start of our spiritual life and eternity is the culmination and perfection of the process of becoming more like Jesus, then what are the mile markers along the path that are consistent for each of us, whether our journey is 3 hours or 30 years? How can we come alongside the Holy Spirit and aid, not grieve or hinder, His progress? The answers to these questions will help us craft a working definition of what it means when it says in Galatians to “walk by the Spirit” or to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:25). First, let’s address the mile-markers of Spirit-driven, grace-fueled living. Remember that while the call to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12) will likely result in a personal and unique journey toward godliness, there are elements of the Spiritual Life that we all share in common. When we are led by the Spirit, attuned to His guidance, and familiar with His methods, we find a common commitment to confront temptation and battle against our former way of living that was contrary to God’s law. We’re called to play both defense and offense, blocking potential attacks that could come our way while also actively working to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2) and stop our sinful tendencies. This is serious and important work, so much so that the Scripture writers often refer to this offensive attack as “putting to death the deeds of the body.” But before this raises the alarm bells of legalism or rule-following, we see another common mile marker in our Spiritual Life—the call to measure our “success” by grace instead of the law (Romans 6:14). Since we have been saved once and for all, we have nothing to prove. We are already seen as righteous in the eyes of God, who is never changing, and therefore, neither is our spiritual legal status. Praise God! We are sons and daughters, now and forevermore. Armed with that truth, we fight against sin, not to impress, accumulate favor, or earn a particular spiritual pedigree. We fight because we trust that if God calls us to it, the work is in our best interest, both now and in Eternity. Confronting temptation, battling against our former way of living, and measuring our growth with grace are consistent markers of every person’s journey and Spiritual Life. While we keep these truths as guideposts, we also work to stay in step with the Spirit. He leads and empowers us to become like Jesus one step at a time.  How do you take a step? You pray. You practice generosity. You confess when you sin. You prioritize community. You read the Scriptures. You rest and cease striving. You love selflessly. You choose joy. You quiet anxiety by speaking Scripture over your worries. You trust in the promises of our all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful God. Each thought, word, or action that looks like Jesus is a step on your journey toward becoming more like Him.  When you spend time with anyone that you respect, you unconsciously begin to emulate that person. It might be small at first, but spend enough time, and you’ll notice that you start to talk like them, walk like them, and even think like them. It’s the same way with the Spiritual Life. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we become what we behold. It might be slow going at first. You might not feel like a saint, but there will still be a struggle. But over time, with concentration and intentionality, you’ll bear what Paul calls “the fruit of the Spirit.” You’ll see your life less defined by the former things and more defined by the things of God. You’ve likely heard it said that the Spiritual Life isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. This is an apt metaphor, but if I may, I want to change this picture just slightly. For you and me, the greatest wonder of the Spirit led-life is that we even get to run at all. It’s not as much about the distance because while you might have 50 years, the thief on the cross next to Jesus only had 5 minutes. It’s not about your running gear because you’ve already been given everything you need for life and Godliness. It’s not even really about how in shape you are because we’re all learning to become more spiritually in shape the longer and further that we run.  What is most amazing, breathtaking, and mind-blowing is that we’ve been given the chance to run. When you think about the graves from which we started, the fact that we are spiritually alive, with worship in our lungs and Scripture in our minds, is unfathomable. You, son or daughter of God, are held up, sustained, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit, the same God who put you on this course. So let’s run until we all become like Jesus.

“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.”—Martin Luther When we think about the word ‘idolatry,’ it’s hard not to bring to mind thoughts of the Old Testament, the Law, or maybe even the golden calf that Aaron and the people of Israel forged from their Egyptian gold at the foot of Mount Sinai. After all, idolatry was largely introduced through the Mosaic Law and the 10 Commandments. Though idolatry had been present from the moment sin entered the world, it was codified as the second commandment in Exodus 20:4-5, You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God… If you’ve grown up in or even around Church, you likely have a vague sense that idolatry is wrong. But like most of the other 10 Commandments, idolatry can feel distant and far off, an ancient word for an old-fashioned practice that doesn’t really apply to our advanced and more educated society. After all, we aren’t smelting ores or carving wooden statues in the likeness of otherwise invisible gods, right? Idolatry, by all biblical definitions, is certainly the practice of making and worshipping physical images and icons. But it’s also more than that. It’s the very misdirection of our worship.  It’s our hearts clinging and confiding in that which does not or cannot bring us peace or security. It is the elevation and glorification of anything other than God, which eventually leads to personal emptiness and separation from true life.  Idolatry is the raising to ultimate authority and value that which is not capable or worthy of holding that position. It is giving more credence and affection to something that is created as opposed to the Creator. What Are Our Modern-Day Idols? Idolatry may be an ancient word, but it is still a temptation and tactic that is very much at work in the hearts and minds of people today. As followers of Jesus, we must be vigilant to recognize our modern-day forms of idolatry and then quickly and decisively move to root out or “lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely.”  Our faith and very lives might depend on this vigilance. John Piper defines an idol as “anything that we come to rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance in the place of a wholehearted reliance on the true and living God.” Less like a graven image or a golden calf, our idols today are often that which most capture our heart’s affection instead of God. This means the possibilities are rather wide and the specificity is rather personal. Often, our affections are aimed at good things. Our jobs. Our marriages or friendships. Our impact and significance in the world. It’s okay to enjoy or even love things like these, but where we go off track or wander into error is when our love for these things starts to climb above our love for God.  If our theology of idolatry and modern-day idols is truly built on a Biblical foundation centering around the worship of God, then counter to what culture would have us believe, there are no socially-acceptable idols. You can’t align with God’s view of worship if you’re living with a Jesus + __________ lifestyle. Jesus + enough money to make me comfortable. Jesus + my political party so I fit in with my peers. Jesus + a high enough title at work to where I feel significant.  That’s what Paul means when he wrote in Philippians 3:8-9:  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… We are invited to enjoy the things around us, soak in the laughter and intimacy of good friendships, cheer for our favorite teams, and be good parents, spouses, sons, or daughters. We’re invited to love what we get to do with our skills or talents and to love things that are random, eccentric, or eclectically you.  Recognizing our idols doesn’t mean we have to immediately diminish and destroy anything that brings us joy. We just need to be wise and willing to accurately (by the Spirit and by the Scripture) define where our true affections are being directed. We don’t need to get rid of every rock that has found a place in our hearts. Instead, we should aim to take those rocks, your passions, your desires, your joys, and your loves, and build altars of worship to the God who is worthy of every affection.  How Do We Identify Our Idols? Because idolatry is misguided worship and an idol is a faulty ordering of ultimate affection, there are a thousand different nuances of what idols take priority for each of us personally. Which means you have to do the intentional work of recognizing what you may be idolizing. You’ll be hard-pressed to remove what you don’t recognize, so identifying and naming your idols is crucial to your fight for freedom. How do we identify and know when an idol is taking up vast real estate in our hearts and minds? We spend time gauging how we are interacting with our passions and desires. We ask intentional questions and surround ourselves with Godly community that can walk with us and know our hearts. To see three practical ways to identify your idols as outlined in Scripture, turn to 1 John 2:15-17: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Take note that the passage begins with a mandate to guard our affections. If we want to walk free from idolatry, we’ll need to not give our affections to the world or its things. John then goes on to describe what some of these worldly things, or idols, are: The desires of the flesh. The desires of the eyes. The pride of life. Let’s take these three phrases out of the general and move each into the specific. What are the desires of the flesh? We can read Paul’s description of this in Galatians 5:16-21. It’s the words, actions, or behaviors that gratify our sinful nature more than our Spirit-led nature. Said another way, what are you doing physically that isn’t aligned with the worship of God?  What are the desires of the eyes? Namely, those things that you don’t currently possess but are wanting or wishing to. Maybe it’s comparison. Jealousy or covetousness. Maybe it’s the judgment we enjoy passing on others or the fears and anxieties we assume when we feel our sense of control slipping away. What are you looking at and what is consuming your field of vision? Lastly, John mentions the pride of life. This is fairly self-evident, but these idols are connected to our thinking we are _____ -er than others and even God. Stronger. Smarter. Better Holier. One of the most common modern-day idols is our elevation of self and our own merits and abilities. If we are not careful, we’ll spend our short window on this earth trying to protect and promote a version of our lives that Jesus has already died for. These idols, the desires of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life, are not from the Father, but from the world. But the hope and truth of the gospel is that we do not have to live like we are of this world. We can stand assured on the words and prayers of Jesus, as we read in John 17:15-16, I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  We don’t find our ultimate victory over idolatry by removing ourselves from all things that are of this world. The good things we love aren’t bad things, they just were never meant to be ultimate things. Rather, we are meant to find our ultimate victory through the protection of the Father and the provision of the Son, King Jesus. Read part two of our The Idols In Our Lives series, How to Dethrone Our Idols and Live Free.

Read part one of our The Idols In Our Lives series, What is Idolatry in Our Modern-Day Society? “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior. ” Martin Luther We ended our first piece on this topic of idolatry by looking at a passage from 1 John 2:15-17.  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. We noted that John opens this text by giving us a short command that sums up the scope of idolatry: misguided worship and the elevation of our affections for things that aren’t of or from God. He tells us not to love the world or the things in the world. It’s okay to love things, it’s just not healthy or helpful for our spiritual walk with Jesus to place our affections in what can’t truly satisfy us. There are serious consequences of letting idolatry infiltrate our hearts and remain in our souls. That’s what John ends this text by reminding us. Our idols, the things we are tempted to find such significance and hope in, are fading away. And if our lives mirror what we worship, then a heart full of idols is in danger of fading away as well.  The Dangers of Idolatry and the Rewards of True Worship Idolatry, or the worship of idols, has become so familiar and entrenched in the background of our society that we rarely stop to consider the danger of this heart practice we have let occupy a central position in our lives. It’s as if we have brought a lion into our bedroom but insist on treating it like a kitten.  In Colossians 3:5-6, Paul writes: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In chapter 44 of Isaiah, the prophet provides a fantastic examination of the folly of idolatry.  He concludes in verse 20 that for the man who worships idols… He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” What’s the danger of idolatry? Not only do we not give God the glory He rightfully deserves. But we also run the risk of deluding our hearts, being led astray by false promises and false hopes, and ultimately, failing to find deliverance in that which we trusted could save us.  When we think about idolatry through this lens and understand that our misdirected worship has devastating consequences, it can be difficult to imagine how we get pulled into this narrative time and time again. However, idolatry is steeped in deception and saturated with false promises. Commentator and author David Brooks highlights this idea well when he writes: “At first, idols give you everything and ask nothing. But at the end, idols ask everything and give you nothing.” Like Spurgeon said above, the earth and all its treasures, the riches, glories, or pleasures of this world are all fleeting. They might initially look golden and glitzy as an alluring light, but all are built upon an eventual emptiness. All are lacking the ability to truly satisfy a heart that longs for eternal joy.  Perhaps the most detrimental aspect of idolatry is this slow deterioration of fulfilling joy. When we anchor our affections in those things which were never meant to truly delight us, we exchange the eternal riches of God with a facsimile, a lie, a piece of fool’s gold. This is what Paul recognized as being true of the Romans when he wrote in chapter 1:21-23 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” When this exchange is made, when idolatry becomes the leading practice of our hearts, our thoughts become futile and our hearts become darkened. We become unaware of the joy and light that abounds through Jesus, as the Apostle John tells us that “in him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4).  These dangers are real, but they don’t need to become a reality for you or for me. For those who have been saved and adopted into the family of God, who have the first fruits of the Holy Spirit, these sons and daughters can do what Paul writes and “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13).  If we do this, we will live. More than that, we will be positioned to offer God our very lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12), a spiritual worship that aligns with the invitation from Jesus in John 4 to the Samaritan woman at the well to “worship God in spirit and in truth.” You have a unique and specific invitation to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But if you spend your limited time here on planet Earth crafting and calling out to your idols, you’ll run the risk of missing your opportunities to glorify what truly matters as your voice will get weaker, your eyes more clouded, your ears more dimmed, until one day, you become like what you worship. This isn’t a matter of preference or particulars. This is a battle for the very thriving of your faith and your followership of Jesus. Dethroning our Idols by Savoring the Savior God commanded Israel to have no other gods before Him and to make no images (both with physical materials and imitating things of earth, including ourselves) not to be tyrannical, but because He knows that He is the best thing we could ever pursue. He knows that in Him dwells all life, all joy, all satisfaction, all hope, all goodness. He wants us to experience that, but in order to do so, we must treasure Him above all other counterfeit gods that claim to be likewise fulfilling. Instead of forcing our obedience, in love, He provided a way of adoption to sonship and daughtership. Instead of neglecting our needs the first time we rebelled against Him, He gave up His greatest treasure. Himself. He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. How marvelous. How wonderful. How convincing of His character and worthiness? By His Spirit and through His blood, we can dethrone our idols and shift our affections from the passions and desires of our former ways that only lead toward empty and abandoned hopes. We can move our loves towards the arms of the One who taught us the greatest truths about love, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. All that sounds nice in theory, but theory alone doesn’t dethrone idols from the center of our hearts. We need to couple our theology with tangible, practical steps that help us recenter our affections on our King. If you want to dethrone your idols, here are five steps toward finding new freedom: Confess and repent from lesser worship.Safeguard against slippery slopes.Prioritize a pure and personal relationship with Jesus.Pray short prayers consistently throughout your day.Implement a habit of reflection on and gratitude for God’s goodness. How can you move something off the throne of your heart if you aren’t willing to acknowledge and confess that there is an imposter currently seated where Christ should be ruling? So tell God that you know and are grieved by the idols you’ve let become too comfortable in your heart. Then once you confess and repent, think of practical safeguards that you can establish that will help you not fall back into those easy-to-desire traps. Maybe you set up an accountability partner. Maybe you remove a physical item from your room or house. Put up safeguards. With safeguards up, you can concentrate on cultivating a pure and personal relationship with Jesus. He wants to walk with us. Not ahead of us. Not behind us. With us. He wants to be right by our side in the fire and in the fight. But He also wants us to prioritize purity. He inhabits the praises of His people, but He doesn’t want to inhabit idolatrous praise. He desires pure and holy praise. Getting very practical, begin to pray short prayers consistently throughout your day. Many people think prayer has to happen only in the morning or the evening, or maybe around mealtime. Instead, shift into praying nonstop. It doesn’t have to be much—a few words, a sentence here or there. It’s more about alignment than about paragraphs of right-sounding words. Again, God wants to be with you and there are few better practices to safeguard against your idols than being with God. Lastly, if you truly want to dethrone your idols, you’re going to need to replace them with something greater. We mentally know that only God deserves to be on the throne of our hearts and is worthy of our total worship. But how do we convince our hearts of that truth? We reflect on and are grateful for His goodness. Idolatry has not disappeared from the human heart and the opportunity to misdirect our worship will always tempt the souls of mankind. But we have something more precious than all the idols of the world could ever supply. A real and tangible relationship with the God of all things, all times, and all glories. And when we strive, through His Spirit, to savor that relationship, our affections will surely follow.

It’s the word used in the text 1 Peter 3:15, a verse that has become increasingly correlated with this expression of ministry when the Apostle Peter wrote: but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15 Although Peter is writing this letter to the saints of the Church, specifically to the “elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” (1 Peter 1:1), we today have often blurred the lines in making apologetics more of a vocational profession and less of an imperative responsibility for every believer. Simply put, being prepared to “give a defense” is not the responsibility of a select few but the necessity of each person who calls Jesus Lord. In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul gives a list of ministerial offices that are purposed for building up the body of believers, and “apologist” is not included. In Romans 12, Paul describes different measures of grace given to those who follow Christ, and once again, “apologist” is left off the list. From the earliest days of the 1st century Church, Jesus’ followers have been encouraged to know what they believe and why they believe it. We have been given a great commandment and a great commission—to love God and to make disciples—both tasks that will require us to have a deeper and more mature understanding of our beliefs and those truths that drive our faith. Apologetics can come off as a daunting or, for some, debilitating word. It’s no secret that men and women, living in the spirit of the flesh, have often abused the call to “give a defense” by graceless and guilt-laden accusations masquerading as convictions. But at its core, apologetics and the defense of the Christian faith is not something that should drum up fear,  anger, or apathy. Apologetics should help remind us that Christianity is not a blind leap of faith; it’s the most rational, logical, and beneficial worldview that someone could hold. Faith in Jesus provides deep, rich, and satisfying answers to life’s hardest questions. Many of the tensions we get hung up on within Christianity are terrifyingly worse if the resulting conclusion is the absence of a great and holy God who loves His people even though they didn’t deserve it. Because apologetics is not something that can be avoided, you have a few ways of moving forward. You can neglect the call to be ready or you can prepare. If you follow Jesus and worship His name above all other names, I pray you choose the latter. The world is desperately looking for men and women who can provide a logical, well-thought-out reason, not for the pride and condemnation they hold, but for the hope that can only be found through the resurrection of the Son of God.  If you’d like to refresh how you approach apologetics, here are six things to be mindful of as you begin your journey. 1.Apologetics is for everyone. We’ve already covered this in part, but the bottom line is that you are an apologist. Maybe you’ve never thought of yourself with that reality before, but not only do you have beliefs, it’s common for you to defend what you believe. You have faith in something, whether it’s as small and practical as a faith that the chair you’re sitting in will hold you or the light switch you flip will be followed by an illumination of the room. Or maybe it’s faith in something bigger—that you’ll wake up tomorrow morning from your sleep, that you’ll likely reach your 50th birthday, or that the pieces of your car will all hold together as you barrel down the interstate at 75 miles per hour. Every person has and expresses faith, and as such, we spend a large amount of our time on planet Earth either consciously or subconsciously affirming and defending our beliefs. If this is true, it’s not your job to convince someone to have faith, they already have faith! It’s our job instead to show people what to put their faith in. As you approach this topic, remember that apologetics is for everyone which means it is for you! 2.Apologetics is a call to see people. As marketing and media outlets have become more of a staple of everyday life, it’s become easier to reduce the preparation of apologetics to the answering of a few crucial questions. You’ve probably heard them or asked them yourself. “If God is good, why does he allow evil to exist?” “How did everything come from nothing?” “How do we know what is right and what is wrong?” While it’s encouraged and even important to step into questions like these and to study the biblical, historical, and orthodoxical approaches and answers, if we stop on the surface and let the questions just remain as questions, we’ll miss the point of apologetics. Questions come from people and people have stories. Maybe the question of how a good God interacts with evil is coming from someone who recently lost a family member to a difficult medical situation. Or the question of morality and right or wrong is coming from someone facing a hard decision that seems to have no clear path forward. An approach to apologetics rooted in answering questions will always fall short of an approach to apologetics that is rooted in seeing and loving people. It is true that loving people well often requires answering questions, but in this context, the answers are the fruit and not the root of a healthy approach to apologetics. 3.You aren’t meant to go at Apologetics alone. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived on planet Earth, wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes that “there is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Have you ever wondered how that works? Clearly, before the middle of the 20th century, the internet wasn’t a thing. And before 2008, the general public had never held an iPhone in their hands. There are new things all the time, so what did Solomon mean? He wasn’t necessarily talking about the material things of life, but about the innate, central elements and aspects of life on earth. Think about it—everything that is under the sun has been under the sun since the beginning. Said another way, nothing has been spontaneously created out of thin air. We might not have had an iPhone before, but the raw components that make up the iPhone and the components of all the machines that went into building that device have always been on planet earth. Similarly, we might be experiencing unique combinations of emotions and societal circumstances, but the underlying characteristics of who we are—our desire to be known, our fears, our hopes, and our imaginations—those things aren’t new. So when it comes to Apologetics, we can look back to the people who have come before us and who have asked a lot of the same questions we’re asking today. You can be sure that any question or doubt you may have towards Christianity or that you may hear from someone else has almost certainly been asked, debated, and in many ways answered before. So don’t go on the journey alone. 4.As you approach Apologetics, it’s okay to acknowledge the complexity. If there were 100%, clear-cut answers for every one of life’s hardest questions, we wouldn’t need faith. Christianity would be overwhelmingly obvious, so much so that the only rational response to such absurd assurance would be to ubiquitously obey.  However, dozens of Scriptures point to the necessity of faith and its importance in the pursuit of following Christ. Romans 8:24-25 says, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” The writer of the book of Hebrews recorded, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  We won’t always get the full picture right now, and that can be difficult. It’s okay to acknowledge that. It’s okay to take a short step back and just recognize that God is good and life can still be hard. Both can co-exist. Approaching apologetics in a God-honoring way doesn’t mean eliminating all complexity. Rather, when the complexity comes or when a topic seems too daunting to understand, we allow that tension to turn us towards God and not away from Him.  There are things in life that our human minds will not be able to comprehend. But if God is who He says He is (all-knowing and all-understanding) He is our best hope for gaining any semblance of clarity within the complexity. 5.Apologetics, done correctly, will be costly (from a worldly standpoint). Sean Covey once said, “saying yes to one thing means saying no to another.” It sounds simple, but as you parse this out, you’ll begin to notice a healthy approach Apologetics means making decisions about what you believe and standing behind those choices. Many people want to be firm in what they believe, but they don’t always count the cost of what that firmness demands. Saying yes requires that you also say “no.” If you believe that Jesus is the only way to true life, then you are effectively saying “no” to money being the way, “no” to reputation being the way, “no” to your friends, family, spouse, workplace, and a thousand other avenues that could fight to be the way towards true life. A good approach to Apologetics will cost you your ignorance. It will cost you your comfort. It could cost you your perceived status or worldly affection. People may call you close-minded. They may disassociate with you, or even in more extreme circumstances, persecute you.  You’re likely thinking – “That’s great. So why would I ever approach Apologetics?” Because no matter what it might cost you on this Earth, what you gain from a deeper and more intimate theology is abundantly more valuable in eternity than what you lose here. That’s what Paul means in Romans 8:18-19 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Even Jesus himself said, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:33) There is a reason why the most infamous verse geared towards Apologetics (remember 1 Peter 3:15?) is right in the middle of a section of Scripture that starts with “suffering for righteousness’ sake” and ends with a call to steward God’s grace. If we are to approach Apologetics well, we’ll need to be ready to suffer graciously. 6.Apologetics should always begin with humility and continue with grace. No matter what, Apologetics should begin with humility. Later in 1 Peter, we read in chapter 5 these words:  Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:5-7 Humility is the starting point for increased intimacy with Christ. Humility is the mechanism that unlocks abundant grace to flow freely in our lives. Humility is the precursor to exaltation, the antidote to God’s opposition, and the funnel by which we pour our concerns, doubts, and fears onto the shoulders of Christ. Through humility, we understand that the God of the universe cares for us. He cares for you. But just as starting with humility is important to your journey into apologetics, so too is the next step: continuing with grace. A popular verse tossed out by aspiring Apologists is John 1:14 which culminates by saying that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” That text is often used to justify sharing a conviction respectably, and certainly, Christ did this to perfection. However, there’s more to these words than we often realize.  Being full of grace doesn’t just mean being well-intentioned. It means being fully surrendered and dead to yourself. If you are full of grace, you are not able to have any sliver of self-interest, self-promotion, or self-protection. You are emptied of your pursuits and filled by the one thing that is sufficient for your every need: the truth of God’s grace. This is the reality we see of Jesus as detailed in Philippians 2. This is why Paul after pleading with God in 2 Corinthians 12 hears the beautiful words, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  Approaching Apologetics is not about you. It’s not about your knowledge, your pride, or your ability to convince someone to trust in God. That’s the work of the Spirit. Apologetics is not about getting you closer to heaven, it’s about getting heaven closer to you. It’s about seeing more of who God is and what makes Him so uniquely special, wonderful, mighty, and beautiful. It’s about emptying yourself and taking on more of Christ, of being crucified with Him, buried in a baptism like His, that you may one day be so fully and freely resurrected to a perfected and eternal life of joy. Start with humility and continue with grace.  Now that we’ve covered the 6 ways to approach Apologetics, you’re ready to begin. You’ve already started. Each step you take from here on is an opportunity to lean more towards God and the Son that He chose not to spare, but to give up for you and me.  Towards the end of Romans in Chapter 15, Paul, knowing he is winding down this letter to the Church in Rome writes these words, May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6 A few verses later he concludes this train of thought by writing,  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 That’s the prayer for you as you step into this journey. Endurance. Encouragement. Harmony together with Christ results in one voice glorifying God. All wrapped in an abundance of hope, rooted in joy and peace.

The fields were quiet, save for the softened, constant bleating of the herds of sheep on the ranging hillside. Outside of a small town that would likely be left off the maps of the day, a group of shepherds huddled together. They may have been cold. They may have been content. But one thing is certain. They had no idea that a heavenly celebration would erupt over their heads. “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’” Originally written by Charles Wesley in the early 18th century, this hymn was inspired by what happened on that night on a field outside of Bethlehem. Drawn almost directly from Chapter 2 of Luke’s gospel, this hymn reflects the moment when a heavenly host appeared to the least-suspecting and arguably the least-likely group of men to proclaim in exaltation that glory be to God, and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests. The hymn may start in Luke 2, but as it progresses from line to line, it moves and weaves throughout the Scripture, capturing a thread of praise and proclamation that still moves hearts and souls today. Christ, by highest heaven adored (Philippians 2). Christ, the everlasting Lord (Psalm 90). Pleased, as man, with men to dwell (Colossians 1), Jesus, our Emmanuel (Matthew 1).  This Prince of Peace, this son of Righteousness, this person of the eternal and triune God, was now veiled in flesh as the incarnate deity. Born of Mary, and yet fully God. Born that man no more may die, and yet even then, on that night, while the triumph of the God-man was spread throughout the skies, the Cross loomed in the foreground. The hill of Calvary is just a dozen miles away from the manger.  Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!” Although Charles Wesley originally penned this now-famous carol, the hymn was slightly adjusted by another famous pastor and preacher, George Whitefield. Keeping the original inspiration from Luke 2, Whitefield tweaked some lines, most notably helping create the opening lyric we all know and from which the song derives its title. “Hark! The herald angels sing.”  It wasn’t until roughly halfway through the 19th century that an English musician, William Hayman Cummings, would set this adapted hymn to music, matching the deep and moving words with a beautiful melody from one of the greatest composers of the time: Felix Mendelssohn. By melding the tune and the lyrics, Cummings helped craft what has since been sung hundreds of thousands of times worldwide and will certainly be sung this Advent season again. The words help lift our spirits as they point towards a great and glorious God worth celebrating. It is a song of excitement, awe, and wonder. It is a declaration of goodness; the manifestation of the gospel come to life and now in flesh and blood.  The long-awaited Savior and Messiah of God’s people has finally arrived and is brought forth into the world to the roar of Heaven’s chorus, as men and angels alike looked upon this swaddled infant with reverent curiosity.  But even more than this, we glimpse in this song the truth that this glorious God has been working out a greater plan than any one of us could have ever imagined. Like the song, which bears the fingerprints of Wesley, Whitefield, Cummings, and Mendelssohn (and that was intertwined over nearly two centuries), the plan of God had been in motion long before the night’s interruption outside of Bethlehem. That’s what the Gospel writer Luke was referencing just verses before he recorded the divine heralding that inspired this hymn. He wrote in chapter two, verses 10-11, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” This text is one of many examples throughout the Scripture that tell us that the birth of Jesus wasn’t happenstance. It wasn’t just a random act of a bored God with nothing better to do. The birth of Jesus and the heavenly proclamation resulted from a purposed and sure plan God had worked out for all of history. It spanned back even before the foundation of the world. “For he chose us in him before the world’s creation to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love…” (Ephesians 1:4). Can you see the blueprint fragments revealed in these verses? The angel claims to bring “good news,” or the Greek word euangelizō, often used throughout the Old Testament to communicate “the joyful tidings of God’s kindness, in particular, of the Messianic blessings.” For generations, God had sown seeds of messianic expectation (Micah 5:1-2) and promise throughout his people, and now, the angel declares, this is that blessing.  This is the good news you’ve been waiting for.  The angel goes on to say that the good news is “for all the people,” which doesn’t sound strange to our ears but would have been slightly concerning to the 1st-century Jew. Historically, the messianic blessings were thought to be only for the Jews. But suppose you look back at God’s original promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. In that case, we see that within the first unconditional covenant of Scripture, God promises that through Abraham, and eventually through Israel, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Again, the angel is saying that Jesus will fulfill that plan.  Lastly, the angel references the “city of David” and a “Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Not only do we get the thread tied back to David, thus the culmination of the Davidic Covenant from 2 Samuel 7 and the many texts that refer to the eternal Davidic king (Jeremiah 33:17), but the angel uses three distinct and significant words to refer to Jesus: Savior, Christ, and Lord. To the Jewish audience of that day, this trifecta of titles would have been mind-blowing. This Jesus was to be the Savior (sōtēr), a title often associated with God throughout the Old Testament (Psalm 25:5, Isaiah 62:11, Micah 7:7). This Jesus was to be the Christ (Christos), a term that in the Old Testament often meant “anointed one” and would be used 529 times in the New Testament.  Christ wasn’t Jesus’ last name; it was his God-planned and God-ordained title. And finally, the angel uses the title Lord (Kyrios). This term would have been shocking, as it was used over 7,000 times in nearly 6,000 scriptures throughout the Old Testament. It is a title that is practically on every page of the Scripture, and the angel says to these Shepherds, “For unto you, a child is born, and he is the LORD.” “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king!’” Why is this important to you today?  Because the same God who formed and followed through on his plan of salvation through his son Jesus Christ is the same God who is actively ordering and fulfilling his plan for your life today. We know that the holidays are busy and can often be a hectic time of year. For many, advent is a season of mourning and grieving just as much as a time of celebration. It can feel like in a season meant to focus on the life and work of Jesus, He is the furthest thing from our minds. But even here, in this very moment, God is working out his plan of redemption and salvation, making you more like Jesus.  He’s very good at following through on his plans. He has never dropped the ball or missed the window of opportunity. He has always shown up right on time, and he has always done what he has promised he would do. On that night, with the shepherds keeping watch of their flocks outside of Bethlehem, God showed up and did what only he could do. He made a way back home for everyone. God is still doing that today.  As we step into this Advent season, may we, with new gratitude, sing out these words and join our hearts to that heavenly declaration made some two thousand years ago, “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king.’”

Through our initiation and institution of the CORE theological ministry, I have witnessed an increased hunger and thirst for that good theology that has enriched and fulfilled the soul. I have been encouraged by the collective curiosity, the pursuit of deeper maturity, and the collective desire for the truth that satisfies both the heart and mind of the Christ-Follower. I am delighted to say that there is an eagerness for holiness that is palpable and exciting. And yet, if our desire for knowledge continues to increase without an accompanying revelation of the gravity and necessity of righteous obedience, we risk diluting the very theology we have so eagerly pursued. Let me say it another way. Consider a scenario where you find yourself in a new relationship with someone, a new friend, a romantic partner, or perhaps even a new child welcomed into your family. If your new love and admiration for that person were not coupled with a desire to act on that same love and affection tangibly, your relationship might never flourish. This is the reality we see in 1 Corinthians 13:2-4. We understand this truth in many areas of our lives: simply knowing something is not the same as allowing that knowledge to change you. If we genuinely want to grow and deepen in maturity, we must pair what we learn with what we do. In life, we often call this maturity. In our spiritual journey with Jesus, we know it by another name—sanctification. In many of our churches, we spend a lot of time talking about salvation, and rightfully so. It is the main thrust of the gospel, this transformational power of God to deliver us from the domain of darkness and transfer us to the kingdom of the beloved Christ (Colossians 1:13). Still, if the conversation surrounding salvation never leads to a deeper and richer understanding of sanctification, we stunt the believer’s intended spiritual maturity. The resurrected life is a call to both put to death the deeds (or desires) of the body (Romans 8:13) and to keep in step, or right relationship, with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25.) In other words, a life following Jesus without the resultant pursuit of holy obedience may result in a dimly lit torch, still shining but not as luminescent as is available. Throughout the last few decades, the rise of self-moralism and the assault on objective truth has, in many ways, attached very real emotional or spiritual baggage to the idea of obedience. When we hear that word or are encouraged to practice obedience, there is something visceral that tends to arise from within us that yells: “Legalism! Perfectionism! Works-based righteousness!” And while these are pitfalls to be cautious of, they are not the necessary consequence of a life lived in holy obedience to Christ. It is possible and scriptural to pursue a life of holy obedience saturated in grace and resultant in glorifying God’s goodness. It is the call of every believer, not just those elevated and considered “pastoral” within spiritual circles or churches, to grow in Godliness and take advancing steps towards becoming more and more into the image and life of our Savior. Being in human flesh, Jesus modeled for us the way and the wisdom of the grace-lined, obedience-driven life, and with the aid of His Spirit, we can imitate His example. But how do we offset the religiosity too often associated with obedience in pursuit of a rich and sanctified life? We must uncouple the idea of obedience from the notion of a heavy burden. To begin, let’s look at the book of 1 John. This text is often used to hold up some of the most seminal concepts around the love of God. We see in 1 John 4 the widespread and often quoted Scriptures such as “God is love” and the reminder that “we love because he first loved us.” These chapters are brimming with rich theological content and consequences involving our identity and our relationship, through Christ, with our heavenly Father. Through John, look at how the Spirit concludes this letter in Chapter 5, verses 2-3. He writes, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” If you are reading critically and have followed the overarching meta-narrative of the Scriptures, this will raise a question. How are the commandments not burdensome? Paul, in Romans 8, describes the righteous requirement of the law and our inability to fulfill that requirement, thus pointing to our dependency on God’s intervention. In Romans 5, we see this idea taken even further when Paul writes that “the law (commandments) came in to increase the trespass (or sins)…” which results in what he would write in Romans 3, that “None is righteous, no, not one.” How, then, are his commandments not burdensome? To answer this, we turn once more to the person and work of Jesus. At the end of Matthew 11, we read an often-quoted passage about rest and releasing our cares onto Jesus. But look at this particular text in verses 29-30, where Jesus concludes: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This answer is brilliant because it shows us the method by which we are to grow in grace-saturated sanctification while not minimizing the importance of the work of obedience. We are to take on the yoke of Jesus, exchanging our heavy-laden hearts for his gentleness and our striving and self-sufficiency for his lowliness in heart. This Holy exchange is the culmination of our spiritual pursuit towards maturity – the easy yoke. Pay close attention to his last words, “My burden is light.” Jesus doesn’t eliminate the “burden” of holy obedience, but he clarifies that when we seek Him and find our identity, purpose, and desire in line with His, His burden becomes light. As Paul would write in 2 Corinthians 4, the light burden is one that will not crush, drive us to despair, leave us forsaken, or destroy us. It is a burden of holiness inspired by the Father, initiated by the Son, and continued by the Spirit. It is a commitment to the commandment of loving God and loving His children. If we shy away from the pursuit of holiness in fear of self-moralism, we will avoid the necessary work of pruning and cultivating the things in our lives that help aid the full growth and maturation of the fruit of the Spirit. The words of Paul in Romans 4 and Galatians 3 are not contradictory to those of James as he writes that “faith without works is dead.” The power of salvation comes by grace, through faith, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2), and that salvation seed will bear fruit in accordance with the Spirit (Galatians 5). However, nowhere in the text do we see the correlation that because the fruit will be brought forth by Christ’s work, we are absolved of any pursuit of cultivating that growth. The Scriptures are abundantly clear that we do not stumble into holiness accidentally. We do not drift into maturation simply because we have tasted and seen the goodness of God through His salvation work. Salvation primes us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, but we are to partner with the Spirit in the course of sanctification as we keep our hearts and minds in step with what He desires. This is the central idea we see in Philippians 3, where Paul writes, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it (resurrection from the dead) my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own…I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way,..” Should you be convinced of the necessity and urgency of this call, what then does this mean for you? How are you to prioritize your pursuit of the sanctified life? There are many answers, but I’ll share a few. We are to put on the armor of light and cast off the works of darkness (Romans 13:12). We are to care about what Christ cares about and to pursue holiness because the one who called us and saved us and set us apart is holy, and so shall we then be as well (1 Peter 3:15). We are to not be conformed to this world and its passions but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). Why? Because as we are sanctified, our thoughts, affections, and actions begin to emulate those of Jesus more closely, ensuring His joy is in us and our joy becomes full (John 15:11). The more transformed we become by keeping his commandments, the more we begin to understand that obedience is not a heavy chain or a legalistic form of bondage. It is the very key that unlocks the kind of joy that permeates every fiber of our heart and that stays with us, creating deep roots and marking our life in any and every circumstance. When we begin to prioritize and desire holiness, we yearn for the taste of Godliness, and our appetites change. As such, we become available and prepared to grow up into maturity, into Christ, “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

These gatherings have been ingrained in our minds and hearts as being crucial to the story of faith; everything we believe is built around the recognition that Jesus died on a Friday and was raised three days later on a Sunday. But in our traditional approach to Easter, we often skip over Saturday. We mourn on Good Friday. We rejoice on Easter Sunday. But what about Saturday? What does the Scripture say about this most Holy Saturday?   To understand this Holy Saturday, we need to look at what was happening both outside and inside the tomb. Matthew 27:62-63 tells us that the “next day” (which Matthew then clarifies after the day of preparation), the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate with a specific request. The day of preparation would have been Friday (John 10:38-42). That means that the Jewish leaders would be gathering before Pilate on Saturday, which was their Sabbath day. These leaders are breaking their own laws and rules that they consistently tried to condemn Jesus with in order to try to disprove his claim of Godship. They had accomplished their goal: Jesus Christ was dead. He was buried. Now, they just needed to stop the claim of his impending resurrection. Whenever you see the word “therefore” in Scripture, you should be prodded to look back and see what two ideas the author is trying to connect. In this case, Matthew wants us to see that because Jesus claimed resurrection, the Pharisees wanted to secure the tomb at least until the third day. Like when they killed Jesus, the religious leaders went to Pilate, the Roman ruler, to seek the means and authority to execute their plans. While Jesus was defeating the powers of darkness (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) and claiming the keys of Death and Hell (Revelation 1:18), the religious leaders were doing what they could to stop this salvation work of God. They were afraid that the disciples would steal Jesus away, not knowing that Jesus was actively robbing the grave of its power and grip on humanity. So, how does this translate for you and me? As we said, many of us have grown up around Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We know to feel remorseful for our sins, the fact that our depravity and brokenness sent Jesus to the cross. And we know to feel exuberant and gleeful at the potential of the empty tomb—the reality of grace and freedom and redemption that becomes available with that rolled stone.  And yet, when we skip over Holy Saturday, we miss an important part of the journey. It was our sin and God’s plan that led Jesus to the cross, and it was his power and his authority that ruptured the darkness and resurrected Him to everlasting life. But on Saturday, we must pause and reflect on this question: “How are we working to secure the tomb and keep the power of resurrection inside?” At first glance, that might seem hard. Of course, we want new life. Of course, we want new hope. But for many of us, the reality of the resurrection calls into clear focus those areas of our lives that need to be repented, corrected, and submitted to the Lord. You see, if Jesus did rise from the dead, then the Pharisees were wrong. And they wanted to do everything in their limited power to avoid that possibility. Pilate gave them what they wanted. A guard of soldiers. They went away, singularly focused on this goal: secure the tomb.  I’m always struck by how often I try to secure things God is actively working to loosen. Through his resurrection, he has secured me an eternal weight of glory. He has secured for me a blessed inheritance and a life-altering power. I couldn’t do it alone; that’s why we celebrate Good Friday. Despite my efforts to the contrary, he has taken away the sting of death by conquering death, hell, and the grave. Here’s the biggest takeaway of Holy Saturday: nothing will stop God’s salvation and resurrection. You can seal the tomb. You can stand a guard outside. You can leverage the full might of Rome and the world’s power. But what God is doing in the darkness, He will bring into the light, and when he does, you and I will have reason to celebrate.  Easter Sunday is coming, and with it, every promise, every ounce of love and redemption and hope for those who believe. Scripture says that “at the right time, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6). I like to think that at the right time, he rose for us.  Even though we tried to keep him in, he broke through and changed everything for you and me. That is Holy Saturday.