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Christian Living

Seek First the Kingdom of God

Jesus Focused on the Kingdom of God, Not Church

Jesus talked about the kingdom of God, but we made a church instead. What if he never intended us to form a church? After all, Jesus did tell his followers to “seek first the kingdom of God,” (Matthew 6:33, ESV).

Let’s look at where else the Bible talks about the kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven and where it talks about church. (Mark and Luke write the kingdom of God, whereas Matthew prefers kingdom of heaven. The phrases are synonymous.)

Kingdom of God, kingdom of Heaven, and church are New Testament concepts. These terms don’t occur anywhere in the Old Testament. Jesus talks much about the kingdom of God/heaven and little about church: eighty-five times versus three (and then only in Matthew).

Clearly Jesus focuses his teaching on the kingdom of God. Since Jesus comes to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17), the kingdom of God must be how he intends to do so. If the call to seek first the kingdom of God is so important to Jesus, it should be important to us too.

Jesus’s Parables about His Kingdom

Today’s church should push aside her traditions and practices to replace them with what Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God. Jesus explains the Kingdom of God through parables:

We should use these parables to inform our view of God and grow our relationship with him and others.

The Kingdom Is Here

In addition, when Jesus talks about the kingdom of God, he mentions how close it is, saying that it’s near (Luke 10:9 and others). It’s within his disciple’s lifetimes (Mark 9:1), even present (Luke 17:21).

How do we understand this immediacy of the kingdom of God? Isn’t kingdom of God a euphemism for heaven? Doesn’t it mean eternal life? If so, how could it have been near 2,000 years ago but now something we anticipate in our future?

Though an aspect of the kingdom of God looks forward to our eternity with Jesus in heaven, there’s more to it. We must view the kingdom of God as both a present reality and a future promise.

Yes, the kingdom of God is about our hope for heaven when we die, but it’s also about our time on earth now. The kingdom of God is about Jesus and his salvation, along with the life we lead in response to his gift to us. The kingdom of God is about eternal life and that eternal life begins today.

Heaven is just phase two. We’re living in phase one—at least we should be.

We’ll do well to embrace Jesus’s teaching about the Kingdom of God to how we should act today. We should seek first the kingdom of God.

Check out the next post in this series addressing seminary.

Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Seek Wise Counsel and Then Follow It

Choose Advisors with Care

When king Solomon dies, his son Rehoboam assumes the throne over all of Israel, following his father, Solomon, and grandfather David. A delegation comes to him and asks him to lighten their load, to decrease the burden placed on them by his father.

Rehoboam doesn’t answer them right away. Instead, he seeks wise counsel.

Rehoboam first consults with his father’s advisors, who had faithfully served Solomon during his reign. They recommend he do as the delegation requested. Then the people would follow him as king and serve him.

Rehoboam doesn’t like their advice and chooses not to follow it.

Instead, he asks his friends, his buddies who he grew up with, to see what they would say. They give him the opposite answer. They tell him to make a bold statement of power, that he will demand much more than his father ever did.

From a human perspective they may have said this because they saw he already rejected the wise counsel of his father’s advisers. Or it could be they told him what they knew he wanted to hear. Or perhaps they were arrogant and out of touch with the people’s outlook.

But we’ll later learn that God brought about the bad advice from Rehoboam’s friends to accomplish his objective.

Rehoboam foolishly follows his friends’ advice. Most of the nation rejects him as their king, leaving him only the tribe of Judah to govern.

Today’s Lesson

When faced with important decisions or confronted with dilemmas that elude us, we’re wise to seek wise counsel from trusted advisors. Then we should follow it. To do anything else would be folly.

I often have people ask me for advice. I’m happy to share my opinion or impart what God has revealed to me. Most receive my words gladly, but for a few their eyes go glassy, and they stop listening.

For these folks, their minds were already made-up. They knew what they wanted to do and hoped I’d tell them what they wanted to hear. They didn’t seek wise counsel from me.

Instead, they hoped I’d confirm what they were going to do anyway as being the best choice.

It is good for us to seek wise counsel whenever we need advice. But it’s even better to follow the wise advice we receive.

This is why it’s important that we choose our advisors with care, selecting godly counselors who will tell us our Lord’s truth and nothing else.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Kings 12-14 and today’s post is on 1 Kings 12:8.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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Bible Study

John Bible Study, Day 22: Faith or Fear?

Today’s passage: John 12:37–50

Focus verse: Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. (John 12:42)

After John writes that many people believe in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead, John seems to flip-flop. Next, he says the opposite. He writes that despite the supernatural signs Jesus performed, the people still don’t believe in him.

John sites Isaiah, who asks, “Who will believe?” (see Isaiah 53:1). Another time Isaiah prophesies that unbelief will result from those who interact with Jesus (Isaiah 6:10).

After building a Scriptural case that no one will believe Jesus, John reverts to the outcome of Lazarus’s resurrection. He confirms that a few Jews believe in Jesus.

John explains this discrepancy. Yes, some Jews believe Jesus, but they keep quiet. They’re afraid to tell anyone. Their belief is secret. They keep their faith to themselves. Why?

They stay quiet because of threats from the Pharisees. Jesus’s growing popularity threatens these religious leaders. He’s taking their followers. They can’t tolerate that.

The people’s approval is more important to them than God’s. So, they oppose Jesus and his miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead. They pressure anyone who believes in Jesus. 

The Pharisees threaten to expel from the synagogue anyone who professes their faith in Jesus. This would block them from taking part in any religious practices. It would remove them from spiritual interactions with other Jews.

These are both key parts of Jewish society. In effect, the Pharisees will ostracize anyone who believes in Jesus.

This isn’t the first time the Jewish leaders make this threat. Recall Day 16, “Rule Follower,” when Jesus gave sight to the blind man.

When they interrogate the blind man’s parents, they cover two items. First, they confirm that the man was born blind. Then they ask how the man can now see.

The parents are afraid to give credit to Jesus. Instead, they defer to their son, saying “We’re not sure. Ask him. He’s an adult.”

They respond this way, not because they don’t know the answer, but because they fear the ramifications if they acknowledge Jesus as the source of their son’s healing.

Though these parents believe Jesus healed their son, they won’t say so out of fear.

In the same way, many of the people who put their faith in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead, give in to fear over retaliation from the Pharisees should they take a public stand.

Questions:

  1. How valuable is your faith if you won’t share it with others? 
  2. If you are a silent believer, what must change?
  3. How can you make sure you don’t elevate the approval of others over the approval of God?
  4. Have you ever ostracized or threatened another person because their theology was different than yours? How can you correct that mistake? 
  5. When have you let fear keep you from saying or doing what is right?

Discover more about the blind man’s parents in John 9:18–23. What insights can you glean from this passage?

Read the next lesson or start at the beginning of this study.

Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.


Read more in Peter’s new book, Living Water: 40 Reflections on Jesus’s Life and Love from the Gospel of John, available everywhere in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Christian Living

Confusing Words That Mean Different Things to Different People

We Must Be Careful with the Words We Use

We must exercise caution with using these confusing words. These terms are more likely to cause confusion than clarity.

Consider the word cleave. It can mean to split apart or to come together. If a couple decides to cleave, what does that mean? Are they breaking up or committing to one another. Without clarification, we can’t know. Even worse, two people could draw opposite conclusions about what’s happening.

Here are some confusing words that I try to avoid in my writing. And if I must use them, I strive to make my meaning clear.

Charismatic

The first of our confusing words is charismatic. Its primary, general meaning is a person full of charisma, signifying their charm, magnetism, or enthusiasm.

Its second meaning refers to a branch of Christianity which emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit’s power within people. This includes speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing.

If we say that a minister is charismatic, either definition applies. As a result, it’s unclear if we’re talking about a personal characteristic or a spiritual perspective.

Progressive

The second of our confusing words is progressive. In a general sense, it means moving forward, advancing, or open to new ideas. On the surface, these things seem positive.

Yet progressive often applies to politics, as well as education and economics.

If we say a church is progressive what does that mean? Is this a political statement or a spiritual mindset? Usually when I listen to progressive Christians, it’s a nice-sounding way to say they’re politically correct.

Modern

The word modern came up as a confusing word when I wrote my dissertation.

In a general sense, modern means relating to the present. Yet we also talk about the modern era, in contrast to the pre-modern era that preceded it or the postmodern era that follows it. Our world has largely left the modern era and moved into the postmodern one.

When we talk about a modern church, what does this mean? Is it a present-day church or one that’s stuck in the past—in the modern era—and resists postmodernity?

Contemporary

The word contemporary is another one of our confusing words. It’s used in the definition of modern. But contemporary is not without its own set of confusions.

When we talk about contemporary architecture, it refers to a style that started in the 1960s and continued into the 1990s. Though contemporary architecture still exists today, we primarily see it as dated, emanating from a prior era.

The same is true when the church talks about playing contemporary music. It’s more of a style than the music of our world’s present day.

Then there’s contemporary church services. At best this means they’re not traditional, yet these contemporary services often fall short of befitting present-day perspectives.

Liberal

Liberal is another word that often causes confusion. In one sense it means generous. In another sense it’s a political perspective. In the third sense it’s progressive (see above).

So what does it mean when we talk about a liberal church or a liberal Christian? Ideally, it should reflect generosity. Yet it seldom does. Instead, it carries with it the connotations of liberal politics or progressivism.

Conservative

For the penultimate word—another confusing word, which means second to last—we’ll talk about conservative. Conservative is the opposite of liberal. Or is it? The answer lies within how we define it.

Conservative can be in embrace of traditional values. From a Christian perspective this means embracing a biblical worldview.

Evangelical Christians—which we’ll cover in our final word—embrace a conservative perspective in studying, understanding, and applying scripture. Yet, for many the idea of a conservative Christian carries a political label and not a spiritual one.

Evangelical

The final one of our confusing words is evangelical. Evangelical is an embrace of the good news of Jesus and telling others about him. It’s that simple.

But to the world, many consider evangelical as a political label. And, indeed, it is increasingly that. In the past few decades well-meaning (and fearful) evangelicals took a stand against things, embracing politics to accomplish their goal.

As a result, evangelicals have become known for what they stand against, and not what they stand for: telling the world about Jesus and showing them his love.

Moving Forward

Our list of confusing words includes charismatic, progressive, modern, contemporary, liberal, conservative, and evangelical.

To communicate clearly, we must use these words with care. If we don’t, we’ll confuse the people we talk to. And what good is that?

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

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Peter DeHaan News

Shopping for Church Audiobook

New Format Now Available

The audiobook for Shopping for Church is now available. In addition to audio, it’s also available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats. The audiobook is auto-narrated by Maxwell.

Shopping for Church is an entertaining, poignant memoir for Christians and spiritual seekers to give fresh insight into the state of today’s churches in an ever-changing world.

Shopping for Church is the concluding installment in the celebrated “Visiting Churches Series.”

Audiobook Sample

The Shopping for Church audiobook is now available from GooglePlay, Apple Books, and Kobo, with more outlets being added.

Get your copy of Shopping for Church today.

Book Trailer

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Visiting Churches

Respected and Esteemed: Discussion Questions for Church #72

In addition to these three remaining churches on my spreadsheet is my mental list of four more. The first of these churches is the Salvation Army.

Most people know the Salvation Army for their red donation kettles at Christmastime. 

Consider these three discussion questions about Church 72.

1. The Salvation Army addresses the needs of the homeless and provides disaster relief and humanitarian aid. They’re also a church. Few people know this.

What would we think about being known as a service organization first and a church second?

2. I think highly of the Salvation Army. I suspect most everyone does. Though I’m sure they aren’t perfect, I’ve yet to hear anyone say a critical word.

What do people think about us? Our church? The Savior we represent?

3. The Salvation Army positively impacts their community and world. Helping one person at a time, they make a difference, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus.

How can we make our world better?

[Read about Church 72 or start at the beginning of our journey.]

If you feel it’s time to move from the sidelines and get into the game, The More Than 52 Churches Workbook provides the plan to get you there.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Christian Living

The Fallacy of Church Membership

Segregating Attendees into Members and Nonmembers Divides Jesus’s Church

In our look at things the church must change, we’ve already considered our buildings and facility, our paid clergy and staff, and our tithes and offerings, that is our charitable giving. Now we’ll turn our attention to some secondary issues, starting with church membership.

Membership is something that most everyone in church accepts without question. But we should question it.

Church membership is not biblical. Nowhere does Jesus tell us to go out and find members, make members, or sign up members. Increasing membership is simply not a biblical mandate. Jesus doesn’t command this, and biblical writers don’t order it.

In fact, the word membership doesn’t even occur in the Bible. It’s something well-meaning religious leaders made up. It may seem like a wise idea, but it’s not.

Membership establishes two levels within Jesus’s church. We must repent of making this distinction. Membership causes division among Jesus’s followers, segregating attendees into two classes of people, the insiders who are members from those on the periphery, the nonmembers.

Alternatives to Church Membership?

Some churches, attempting to correct the fallacy of membership, have come up with new labels. I’ve heard them use the term missionaries, and I’ve also heard of partners. I’m sure there are more.

But these perspectives, though well intended, are merely different names for the same membership problem. The result is that church membership still creates two classes of people in Jesus’s church: insiders and outsiders.

At some churches, baptism makes this membership distinction, as in a baptized member. Once a person undergoes the rite, or sacrament, of baptism—often by emersion—they automatically become a member. Though if they are underage at the time, they might not become a voting member until they reach adulthood.

This makes a third class of attendees, a third division in Jesus’s church: nonvoting members.

Instead, Jesus welcomes all (Romans 15:7, Galatians 3:28, and James 2:1–4). We should do the same, ditching membership as an ill-conceived, manmade tradition that has no scriptural basis.

We must resist the human tendency toward membership, which segregates people, and instead embrace God’s perspective of inclusion. Instead of encouraging church membership, we should promote Christian unity.

Check out the next post in this series addressing the Kingdom of God.

Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

The Proverbs 31 Woman

Discover More about the Remarkable Woman of Proverbs 31

The book of Proverbs ends with a poem about a woman of noble character. People often call her the Proverbs 31 Woman. Though she may be a real person, this passage reads more like an idealized ode to a wife of mythical proportions.

One Busy Lady

Regardless, she is one busy lady, and I get tired just reading about all she does.

She cares for her husband and provides for her family, she works hard with her hands and stays up late, she is an entrepreneur who turns a profit, and she even has time to help the poor. Because of her, her husband enjoys respect.

Her children bless her, and her husband praises her. She’s esteemed for her character, dignity, strength, and wisdom. She receives honor and praise. Besides all this, she’s beautiful and charming, but she doesn’t concern herself with these temporary traits.

Her Main Focus

Instead, she focuses on something lasting: her relationship with God. She reverences him, having a holy respect for who he is. Today we might understand this as a genuine love for God.

Despite being busier than I can imagine, she still has time for her Lord. Think about it.

While many people look in disbelief at what this woman does, they miss the main point. Our focus should be on who she is: a godly woman who makes God a priority.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Proverbs 29-31 and today’s post is on Proverbs 31:10–31.]

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Study

John Bible Study, Day 21: The Lazarus Problem

Today’s passage: John 12:1–36

Focus verse: So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (John 12:10–11)

Let’s recap. Lazarus gets sick. Lazarus dies. Jesus raises him from the dead in front of a host of witnesses. As a result, many believe in Jesus. 

This repeats in the book of Acts, where supernatural acts—healings, miracles, exorcisms, and resurrections—open the door for people to hear about and receive Jesus. 

Lazarus is living proof that Jesus has the power to bring people from death back to life. Though Jesus draws some people to him by what he says, even more give him their attention because of what he does. 

To make sure we don’t dismiss this as a mere resuscitation or misunderstanding of what happened, recall that people had preserved Lazarus’s corpse for burial. Once shrouded, they placed his physical shell in a tomb and sealed the entrance. He is four days dead. It’s final.

But when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he becomes the poster boy for Jesus’s healing power.

As for Jesus, he’s again hanging out with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Martha’s serving a dinner to honor Jesus. We can assume she does this because he brought her brother back to life. 

For sister Mary, she shows her appreciation to Jesus by pouring a pint of expensive perfume on his feet. This anoints him for his own death and burial, which will soon happen.

When the people hear Jesus is nearby, they flock to see him. They also want to see the once-dead-but-now-alive Lazarus.

The religious leaders are jealous of the attention Jesus receives from the people who used to give them their attention. They also blame Lazarus for rising from the dead and adding to the problem. Their solution? Kill Lazarus too.

They have agreed that Jesus must die—one man for the entire nation. Now they add Lazarus to their hit list. We don’t know if they follow through and end Lazarus’s life, but they do succeed in ending Jesus’s—at least for three days.

This happens with organized religions throughout history. Believers kill other believers in the name of God. Their disagreements over theology and doctrine result in persecution and death. 

But before we point an accusing finger at the religious leaders two millennia ago or in the 2,000 years since, we must remind ourselves that attacking what opposes our religious comforts is a common action.

We must be sure not to repeat this error, this sin. Though we wouldn’t kill in Jesus’s name, we sometimes do wrong in an ill-advised attempt to preserve practices that we think are important. 

The Pharisees conclude they’re not making progress in defending their religious traditions. They’re losing ground. More people flock to Jesus. The Pharisees’ base is slipping away.

They must do something before it’s too late.

Questions:

  1. How are people drawn to Jesus by what you say?
  2. How are people drawn to Jesus by what you do?
  3. What can you do to honor Jesus, like Martha? Like Mary?
  4. When something confronts your religious practices, do you oppose it or consider it with an open mind? 
  5. When have you hurt, or wanted to hurt, another person because of your religious fervor?

Discover more in a comparable story, albeit with a different outcome, in Acts 5:17–39. What insights can you glean from this passage?

Read the next lesson or start at the beginning of this study.

Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.


Read more in Peter’s new book, Living Water: 40 Reflections on Jesus’s Life and Love from the Gospel of John, available everywhere in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Christian Living

God Sends Us a Gift on Pentecost

On Pentecost God Gives Us the Holy Spirit as Our Guide to Replace the Law

Pentecost occurs fifty days after Resurrection Sunday (Easter). It’s a significant event in the early church. That’s when the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus’s followers in an extraordinary way.

The Holy Spirit empowers team Jesus to share his good news with others with amazing power. This is the gift Jesus promised to give them, which he told them to wait for in Jerusalem.

Pentecost

Interestingly, Pentecost only pops up three times in the Bible (Acts 2:1, Acts 20:16, and 1 Corinthians 16:8). This New Testament word doesn’t appear at all in the Old Testament. Where did it come from?

Pentecost is a Greek word. It means fifty days. Pentecost first occurred fifty days after Jesus’s death (Good Friday)—and after Jesus instituted the first Communion, which occurred on Passover.

Festival of Weeks (Shavuot)

Let’s go back to the Old Testament and look at the Festival of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-22). This occurs fifty days after Passover. Interestingly, the Festival of Weeks is an Old Testament term and doesn’t show up in the New Testament.

Though I prefer to use the Bible to study the Bible, in this case I needed to consult nonbiblical sources. Here’s what I learned:

The Festival of Weeks in the Bible is now known as the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Fifty Days. This may be better known as Shavuot, the day cited as when Moses descended from the mountain with the Ten Commandments and the Law of God, the Torah.

Connecting the Old and New Testaments

Think about it. In the Old Testament, fifty days after the first Passover, God gives his people the Law—the rules he expects them to follow.

In the New Testament, fifty days after the first Communion (which occurred on Passover), God gives his people the Holy Spirit—his indwelling presence to guide them in following him.

In the Old Testament, God gives his people the Law through Moses. In the New Testament, God gives his people the Holy Spirit through Jesus. So amazing! Thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Read more about the book of Acts in Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.