Move toward a Biblical Approach of Speaking the Truth in Love
In a world as divisive as ours, can Christians ever find middle ground on LGBTQ+ issues?
Perhaps, if you’re willing to marry Biblical truths with grace and love in a nonjudgmental way that the extremes on both sides of the aisles have failed to do in the past.
Peter DeHaan, a lifelong student of the Bible, does just that in The Christian Church’s LGBTQ Failure. He won’t be politically correct, but he will be Biblically correct. And he certainly isn’t afraid to speak hard truths even if it makes people uncomfortable.
His goal is to see Christians like you push past the status quo and reconsider how you practice your faith in every area of your life, including how you handle LGBTQ+ issues.
If you’re looking for a dozen reasons why churches should judge and shun LGBTQ+ people, this book isn’t for you.
But it also isn’t for readers who want to embrace a progressive stance that places secular ideals over entire passages of Scripture to be more palatable for today’s politically correct society.
In a world marked by so much division, The Christian Church’s LGBTQ Failure forces conservative Christians to examine their history of judgmentalism while still upholding Biblical standards of sexual purity and marital sanctity.
And the book urges liberal Christians to reclaim the Bible as their ultimate guide instead of elevating worldly ideals.
In this thought-provoking, insightful book, Peter DeHaan encourages Christians to speak hard truths in love.
With sensitivity and empathy, Peter combines Biblical doctrine as well as Christian grace in a volume that’s critical reading for thoughtful believers on both sides of this debate.
For a reasonable, grace-filled conversation about how loving, Bible-believing Christians should respond to LGBTQ+ people and their allies, read The Christian Church’s LGBTQ Failure.
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.
After a year or so of attending The Nonconventional Church, we receive a series of captivating postcards about a new church that will soon launch in our community. I soon call them the Postcard Church.
I’m intrigued and want to learn more. My wife doesn’t.
Though they’re part of a denomination, I’m willing to overlook that fact if they deliver what they promise. But their denominational affiliation is a sticking point for Candy. I get that.
So, we continue to attend The Nonconventional Church. I like everything about it and what they do—except for their music and their message. Neither draws me. Yet the allure of post-service community calls me.
I especially like the monthly potluck. I most anticipate sharing a meal with other believers and sharing life with them around the table. It’s the highlight of my month. Seriously.
Yet the food prep falls to my bride, and she wearies of it, which I comprehend. When she complains, I offer to handle it, but we both know that’s a bad idea. It’s her kitchen, and I need to stay out of it when she’s around.
Though I ably make meals when she isn’t present, the outcome is never good if she’s there to watch what I do. And the only time I could prepare for our Sunday potluck is when she’s home.
So, she continues to handle it, but it becomes a growing point of contention. The part I like best about our church is the part she likes the least.
Change in Plans
One week our daughter-in-law says she wants to visit The Postcard Church. She invites us to go with them. I know how hard it is to visit a new church, and I sense she’s looking for some support on their first visit.
With the pressures of work, life, and a growing family, their church attendance has become sporadic. Though they call The Rural Church their church home, they seldom go anymore. I think it’s been months.
The Postcard Church is in our community, meeting in the local middle school. Based entirely on their marketing materials, I’m excited to see what we’ll encounter.
Our daughter-in-law’s invitation is an excuse to visit this church and an opportunity for us to encourage our kids to plug back into a faith community.
We gladly take a one-week break from our church to help our kids find a spiritual place where they can belong.
Interestingly, The Postcard Church is a site plant of the parent church behind The Multisite Church. This is another location.
This is also the church that approached The Traditional Denominational Church seeking to work with them to expand their outreach to the community. In the end, that church turned them down, opting to continue pursuing their own path.
The Postcard Church is three-quarters of a mile from our home. Though we could walk, we opt to drive. We’ll meet our children and grandchildren there.
The church is a satellite location of an established church in the area. Unlike most satellite churches, they offer the music and message live. Their parent church provides centralized governance and financial oversight.
They meet at the local middle school, an arrangement I applaud.
Instead of investing money in a building that’s only fully used a few hours each week and only fractionally used during business hours, they free up money to invest in outreach and ministry.
Though they pay a rental fee, that’s much less than the cost to own and maintain a building. Besides the cost element, this arrangement provides flexibility if they outgrow the space.
As we drive up, the church’s trailer sits alongside the driveway, smartly doubling as a sign for the church and signaling the proper entrance. Renting space from a school means they need to set up and tear down each Sunday.
The large trailer doubles as a transportation unit on Sunday and storage space throughout the week for their equipment and supplies.
We drive past the trailer. A large vertical welcome banner shows us where to park and which entrance to use, staffed with two smiling greeters.
We talk a bit. Once inside there’s no question about where to go.
A portable sign tells us to turn right for the service, though the nursery and some children’s programs are to the left. We veer right and find ourselves in a large open space, with people mingling about.
As we move forward, two men interrupt their conversation to talk to us, something I seldom witness at the churches we visit.
They share their names, and we give ours, connecting with them as we do. After a while we thank them for their time and move into the worship space, a typical middle school gym.
In the middle are folding chairs set in three sections, with one hundred chairs per section. We sit as we wait for the rest of our family to arrive, which they soon do.
With the overhead lights off, we rely on indirect lighting. The subdued ambiance pleases but makes it hard to read the literature they gave us.
People and excitement fill the space. All age groups show up, but most are younger than us. It’s likely many of the tweens and younger teenagers also attend this school during the week, while their younger siblings will in a few years.
As we wait, soft music plays in the background. People talk with friends. The atmosphere strikes a pleasing balance between churches whose members sit in stoic silence waiting for the service to start and those where frenzied activity overwhelms.
A worship team of five gathers in front. There is a drummer, two on guitars, one on keys, and one backup vocalist. They have no one for bass. The keyboardist doubles as the worship leader.
Four-fifths of their ensemble fit within the millennial generation, with a lone baby boomer.
After the first song, the teaching pastor welcomes us and gives announcements. One is a chance to get to know others in the church.
The idea is simple: three individuals or families get together three times over three months around a shared meal, dessert, or coffee.
This helps people get to know others and form connections. It’s a short-term commitment with a long-term benefit.
The pastor moves us into the greeting time. I interact with four people, but no one else makes any effort. I fidget, longing for this time to end. As church greetings go, this one is neither memorable nor haunting.
Our space is now over half full, which is good for a holiday weekend. We sing some more. I don’t know any of the songs, but I pick up the chorus on most and the verses on a few.
Next is the offering. There’s an information card to fill out and drop in the offering basket, but Candy’s still working on it when the offering gets to us. We’ll turn it in later.
After the collection they slide smoothly into a final song before the sermon.
Despite some empty spaces in the front, they’ve stealthily added more chairs in the back, which are now mostly full. I suspect the attendance pushes three hundred, with a hundred or more kids and their leaders elsewhere in the facility.
Belong, Believe, Become
It’s week three of a three-part series: “Belong, Believe, Become.” Today is about becoming. As I contemplate his teaching, I jot down a profound phrase: “Know your community.”
This makes sense. If we’re going to reach our neighbors, we need to better understand them.
He gives us a simple three-point process to engage people: Step one is to talk to them. Step two is to ask them a question. Step three is to invite them for a meal, an outing, or a service opportunity. Most people are open to an invitation to do something.
He concludes with an encouragement to build church where we are.
The service ends. Many people pick up their chair, collapse it, and stow it on a nearby rack. Others come up to us to talk. We enjoy these conversations, which are friendly and engaging.
After doing my part to pick up our family’s chairs, we move back into the lobby. There we turn in our information cards to the visitor center and enjoy an extended time of conversation with a most engaging woman.
She tells us about the church. I ask how next Sunday’s service will compare to this holiday weekend experience. The woman says the service will be the same format, but there will be many more people. I wonder how many more.
We could return next week to find out. In two weeks, they’ll have an after-church event for people who want to learn more about their gathering.
I long to go to church in my community and attend with my neighbors. This church meets the first criteria, but I don’t spot any neighbors.
The four of us debrief at lunch. We all had a positive experience at the Postcard Church.
Our grandson, however, struggled in nursery, with the director of children’s programming holding him the entire time. The two of them bonded, which so touched his mother’s heart.
“We’re coming back next week,” she announces. “Do you want to come with us?”
We agree.
Takeaway
Giving first-time visitors a positive experience is key to having them come back.
This book picks up the mantle from 52 Churches, their year-long sabbatical of visiting churches.
Here’s what happens:
My wife and I move. Now we need to find a new church. It’s not as easy as it sounds. She wants two things; I seek three others.
But this time the stakes are higher. I’ll write about the churches we visit, and my wife will pick which one we’ll call home. It sounds simple. What could possibly go wrong?
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.
As the book of 2 Samuel winds down, so does David’s life. In the penultimate chapter, we read David’s final recorded words. In this short psalm of praise, David recites the words God spoke to him, affirming David’s godly character and righteous reign.
“Yahweh’s Spirit spoke by me. His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, ‘One who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through clear shining after rain.’ Isn’t my house so with God? Yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, for it is all my salvation and all my desire, although he doesn’t make it grow. But all the ungodly will be as thorns to be thrust away, because they can’t be taken with the hand. The man who touches them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear. They will be utterly burned with fire in their place.”
The last words we say in our life here on earth may be recorded for others to read.
In doing so, we can talk about ourselves, or we can talk about God. Or we can do both, reminding others of our relationship with the Almighty and the lifetime of blessings he provided.
What can we do to make sure our final words matter the most for those closest to us? Should we write them down so that future generations can read them and praise God?
May our last words celebrate Yahweh and point others to him.
Explore the other psalms—sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament—scattered throughout the Bible in Peter’s book Beyond Psalm 150.
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.
With the Pharaoh out to get him, Moses flees for his life. He marries the shepherdess Zipporah, daughter of the priest of Midian (Exodus 2:21-22). They have two sons: Gershom and Eliezer.q
Years later when Moses and his family travel to Egypt, God afflicts Moses. This is apparently because Moses had not circumcised his son Gershom, as God commanded the Israelites to do through Abraham.
Just as God is about to kill Moses, Zipporah takes decisive action, circumcises Gershom, and touches Moses with the removed skin. This appeases God and Moses is spared.
Zipporah does what her husband did not do, she obeys God’s command, and saves her husband’s life.
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.
Focus verse:But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. (1 John 3:5)
John reminds us that anyone who sins breaks the law. He’s talking about the law of Moses. Sin is something we all do. We’re all guilty of breaking God’s law.
The Old Testament of the Bible—especially the first five books—tells us in immense detail what to do and what not to do.
A failure to follow these rules is a sin, be it a sin of commission (doing the wrong thing) or a sin of omission (not doing the right thing).
No one can obey every one of these Old Testament rules. This means that everyone has sinned and falls short of meeting God’s expectations (Romans 3:22–24).
To address this, God gave them an annual rite, a ceremony to symbolically take away the people’s sins. This solution was temporary; it needed to be repeated each year.
As such, the annual animal sacrifice gave only a partial response to take away the people’s sins—to make atonement (amends) for their mistakes (Leviticus 16:34).
Each year the people sinned—every one of them—whether in big ways or small. Even the tiniest slipup made them guilty of breaking the entire law (James 2:10).
Each year, everyone fell short of what the law decreed. Each year the annual sacrifice would cleanse them from their sins for the prior twelve months.
Then they’d repeat the process one year later. This continued year after year, throughout their entire lives, giving them only brief reprieves from the guilt of their sins.
This is why Jesus arrived here on our planet over two thousand years ago. Our Savior lowered himself to come to earth and walk among us, his creation. He became God in flesh and lived among us (John 1:14).
He did this to offer a permanent solution to the problem of our sins. He died as the ultimate sin sacrifice—not an animal sacrifice, but a far pricier human one.
In this way Jesus permanently took away our sins. It served as a final act, a conclusive sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus came to earth so that he could die in our place to take away our sins. His once-and-for-all sacrifice removes all our guilt, both past and present—the mistakes we have committed and the mistakes we will commit.
Questions
What is your attitude toward sin?
When we see someone else sin, how well do we do at offering them the grace and mercy that Jesus gives us?
How should we act, knowing that Jesus took away our sins?
Although Jesus freed us from our sins, in what ways do we let them continue to weigh us down?
How can we better thank Jesus for taking away our sins?
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.
Discover practical, insightful, and encouraging truths in Love One Another, a devotional Bible study to foster a deeper appreciation for the two greatest commandments: To love God and to love others.
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.
Discover How We Can Best Show the Almighty How Much We Love Him
The word worship occurs hundreds of times in the Bible. We know we’re supposed to worship God, but what does this mean? How can we best worship our Almighty Lord?
Here are some considerations:
Worship Service
Many churches call their Sunday morning gathering a worship service. I’ve always struggled with this label. In part, this is because most church services don’t seem very worshipful to me.
My bigger concern, however, is that by going to church for one hour on Sunday morning for a worship service, implies that the other 167 hours in a week are non-worship time. But this conclusion is wrong—even if that’s how many people act.
Worship Music
In most churches, about half of the worship service is devoted to music. We spend this time singing songs to God, for God, and about our relationship with him. Many churches call this worship music.
In fact, the music leader often says, “Let’s stand to worship God.”
Yet the style of music in most church services doesn’t connect with me. As a result, I find it most challenging to connect with God through their music.
Worship With Our Tithes and Offerings
Another phrase I hear from time to time is “Let’s worship God with our tithes and offerings.” This strikes me as little more than a spiritual sounding way to say, “Give us your money.”
Yes, churches need money to operate and most struggle to have enough. But the command to tithe, however, is an Old Testament one. In the New Testament we see the tithe replaced with a concept of generosity.
Yet this isn’t generosity to our local church. Its generosity to all who are in need.
Under this New Testament perspective, we don’t owe 10 percent of our income to God. It all belongs to him, and we’re responsible for how we spend 100 percent of it. This is how we can best worship God with our finances.
Bow in Worship
Most of the times we see the word worship in the Bible, it’s in bowing down in reverence.
When confronted with an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present Deity, we fall on our faces in awe. We bow low. We prostrate ourselves before our sovereign Lord. We give him our gifts (Revelation 4:9-11).
If ever we were in his physical presence, this is exactly what we would do. The same should occur when we’re in his spiritual presence too. But does it? This can happen at a church service, as well as apart from it.
In Spirit and Truth
Jesus says that true worshippers must worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
Though this may take us a lifetime to fully unpack, as a starting point I blogged that, “Real worship is about connecting with God. Doing so honestly (“in truth”) means to follow his leading (“in spirit”).
Living Sacrifices
Paul says that true and proper worship is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). A parallel thought is when Peter says that we’re built into his spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:4-5).
Worship God in All That We Do
As we consider worshipping God with our generosity, by bowing before him, in spirit and in truth, and as a living sacrifice, the idea of worship as a holistic activity emerges. This gets at the truth of how we can best worship the Almighty.
We don’t just worship him during a Sunday church service. We worship God in all that we do in every minute of our lives. Or at least we should.
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.
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I’m excited about visiting the last church on our list—or at least the final church we intend to visit. Our plans could change, and with God, they often do. I’m not sure if this church is charismatic or evangelical.
An Independent Charismatic Fellowship
Unlike last week, this church’s website provides a lot of useful information. On their About page, they call themselves “an independent, charismatic fellowship.”
After visiting too many area churches that minimize the role of the Holy Spirit, I look forward to a church that doesn’t. I’m also encouraged that they’re independent, with no denominational baggage to slow them down or siphon off funds.
But their next line contradicts their claim of independence by stating they belong to a network alliance of churches. Either they’re independent, or they aren’t. My enthusiasm dims.
They post plenty of pictures on their website, photos of people smiling and having fun.
The adults featured are mostly younger and with lots of kids, not all with white skin. For an area with little racial diversity, a church with some cultural variation encourages me.
They offer all the programs common in church: Sunday school, nursery, youth groups, a college group, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, and small groups (albeit with a different label).
Sunday school is concurrent with the church service, forcing both the kids and their teachers to miss the experience of community worship. Though they don’t have a Sunday evening service, they do have a Wednesday night prayer meeting.
I don’t want a church that does what every other church does. I yearn for something different, something fresh and rooted in the mindset of the early church.
As I page through their website, I notice one conspicuous absence: the Holy Spirit. After a careful study, I see him only on the What We Believe page and the Senior High page.
Once a month high school students get together for “radical worship and times of contemplation where we wait, listen, pursue Jesus, and minister to each other in the Holy Spirit.” Junior high and up may join them.
Why just once a month? Shouldn’t we embrace the Holy Spirit every day?
Heading for Church
I wonder what the Sunday service will be like. Like last week, I hope for the best while braced for disappointment, though expectation prevails. Soon I’ll find out.
As we head for the church, I pray for our time there. The route is easy, but the entrance isn’t marked well, and I drive past it. A long drive reveals a parking lot that is filling up and a building larger than I expected.
The church is sixteen years old and has been meeting here for the past eleven. I assume they built the building, so it must be just over a decade old. The exterior is metal, and Candy calls it a pole barn. Though harsh, she’s essentially correct.
As we head to the door, we enjoy a nice spring day with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze. Unlike last week, when I felt anxious on my approach, today I feel peace.
Initial Interactions
Greeters, one outside the door and the other just inside, compete to offer us bulletins. Both are pleasant, but neither offers more than their brochure.
Inside is a bustle of people. Some give us wary smiles, but most ignore us. We weave our way through the masses toward the sanctuary. One man, smiling broadly, approaches us with intention. “Hi,” he beams as we shake hands. “People call me Doc.”
I share our names and ask the obvious question. “Why do people call you Doc?”
His eyes sparkle. “I used to be a doctor, but if you call me Doctor, I’ll need to send you a bill.”
“Well, we don’t want that, Doc.”
As we talk, a woman tries unsuccessfully to get his attention. Though I see this, Doc doesn’t.
It’s not until we’re walking away that I learn her mission: she wants to make sure we sign their visitor card. Eventually, she gives one to Candy, along with a pen and some brief instructions.
We sit off the middle aisle, a third of the way up. The padded chairs are comfortable, pleasing enough that I never give them another thought.
There are four sections, capable of seating 280. In addition, there are a few high tables and chairs behind us.
The space is simple, but nicely finished, giving no hint on the inside of what the outside suggests. Centered in the front, positioned as high as permitted by the gently sloped ceiling, hangs a large screen. Below it is a stage, elevated by three steps.
A traditional wooden pulpit sits in the center, the only dated accessory in the place. Lining the back of the stage is a series of curtains, hanging from metal rods supported by metal posts. Behind them is the hint of what might be a baptistery.
The place quickly fills, as people buzz with excitement. Kids abound, a few of them with darker skin, just as their website shows. However, I don’t see any adults with the same skin color. Curious.
Evangelical or Charismatic?
I also check out the bulletin. Here they call themselves evangelical, with no mention of charismatic.
Though rare in my experience, it’s possible to be both evangelical and charismatic, but one trait always predominates. Which one is it for this church?
I scan their list of elders and deacons. All the elders are male, as are all but one deacon. I wonder if this is by design and doubt it’s by coincidence.
I’m discouraged when churches place limits on how women can serve. Last, I see that the “youth band” will lead the service next Sunday.
My experiences with youth leading worship have all been positive, and I wish it were happening today. Their normal worship team, however, might also be good. Soon we’ll find out.
Seven people open the service, leading us in song. The worship leader also plays keyboard. Other musicians play guitar, bass guitar, drums, and piano. Two more sing backup vocals.
The music feels alive. I sense God’s presence. Though the song is unfamiliar to me, its message clicks.
Next is a greeting and prayer. The minister reminds us that it’s Memorial Day weekend, and some members are gone. Since they’re at about 75 percent capacity today, they surely fill the place when everyone is in town.
Pentecost Sunday
The pastor also informs us it’s Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Jesus’s resurrection. Today we celebrate God sending the Holy Spirit to the early church. It’s fitting we’re here on such an important day, even if I didn’t realize it.
The service will be different this Sunday, with extended music and a shorter teaching.
They’ll also celebrate Holy Communion, with the suggestion that through Communion we’ll finish the message—whatever that means. Sunday school is on hold today.
Next is a lengthy music set, contemporary songs that resonate with me. Along the side and in the opposite front corner, kids wave flags. One is so exuberant that his flag flies off the pole.
Though some kids appear to do it just for the fun of it, others connect their flags’ movements with the music, worshiping God through motion.
One woman also waves a flag, although stealthily. I wonder how many other adults would like to worship God in this way but are too self-conscious. I wonder the same about me.
Many adults raise their arms as we sing, physically worshiping God. For the first time in eighteen churches, this is the accepted norm.
Most of the churches we visited were stoic in their worship and for those who weren’t, raising hands was an anomaly. Today, it feels natural. I join them, happy to do so.
A lengthy list of announcements follows. The pastor says they don’t meet for Wednesday prayer in the summer. I’m dismayed. Does this imply it’s okay to take a break from prayer when other activities are more pressing?
I’m so preoccupied by this that I miss the rest of the announcements.
Taking Communion with Your Family
The minister starts his “short message,” again saying we will finish it when we take the Lord’s Supper. This perplexes me.
Is he speaking figuratively, or will this Communion celebration differ from my other experiences, allowing us the opportunity to complete his message verbally as we partake? I’m excited at the prospect and worried over the unknown.
He reads John 12:27–33 but starts teaching at verse 20. I jot down several thoughts:
Greeks are present, which is most unusual; they approach Philip, not Jesus; Philip goes to Andrew and, together, they bring the Greeks to Jesus; the door opens to Gentiles, but some people will never believe.
Though these are interesting, the teaching ends without me grasping a main point or takeaway.
“By taking Communion with your family,” he says, “we take a stand and complete the message.” I’m still confused.
Though he makes no invitation for nonmembers to partake, Doc was thoughtful enough to tell us we could. Without his approval, I would have sat in isolation while everyone else took part. Thanks, Doc.
With seven stations, each one staffed by an elder or deacon, we have options. People go forward as families. Most linger after they take the Communion elements, sometimes in conversation, other times in prayer.
After observing the process, we get in line. As it works out, we’re among the last to reach the front. The man holds out a plate with broken crackers.
We each take one, and he says something. Candy and I look at each other, wondering what to do. As he reaches for the tray with small cups of juice, we shove the pieces of cracker in our mouths. With a nod, we pick up the juice and drink it.
Without another word, he accepts our empty cups, and we sit down. Did I miss something? Were we supposed to interact with him? Was he supposed to interact with us?
Not only did we miss the community others enjoyed, but the process so distracted me that I missed the meaning of Communion. Forgive me, Lord Jesus.
Offering
After this, the minister recognizes a deacon and elder whose terms are ending; we applaud their service. He begins to offer the benediction when someone stops him. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot the offering—again. You’d think we didn’t need money.”
He launches into a lengthy discourse on giving, their budget shortfall, their plans, and the need to give. He claims he never talks this long about money, but I wonder who he’s trying to convince. Then he talks about it some more.
During this time, people wait patiently at the front of each of the five aisles, holding offering baskets. He forgets they’re standing there and finally notices them, permitting them to collect the offering.
As the basket goes by, I spot only a few bills in the bottom. Candy drops in our visitor card, with the pen clipped to it.
As another addendum, the minister asks some church leaders to come up after the service to pray for him and his upcoming trip to Africa. Then the service ends.
Interactions
We gather our things with intentional deliberation, giving time for the people sitting nearby to talk to us. But no one does. No one looks our way. I hope for someone to approach us, but no one does.
As we file out, one deacon asks if this is our first time there. When we confirm it is, he asks if we have questions. I do, but none come to mind until later.
I tell him “No.”
The conversation ends.
Doc makes his way to us, thanking us for visiting and inviting us back. He introduces us to some nearby people, but our interaction is nothing more than a handshake or head nod.
Then we repeat the process in how we entered, weaving our way between people who barely know we’re there.
We return to our car, ninety minutes after we arrived. Before I can ask, Candy shares her opinion. “The music was safe, and they were off-key sometimes.”
I groan. “I liked the music and thought it was some of the best we’ve encountered.” Though a handful of other churches are better, I ignore that fact for now. “I felt God’s presence, like I haven’t felt it at church for a long time.”
“That could be,” my wife responds, “but the music was still safe and off-key.” She’s probably right.
What we agree on is the pastor’s awkwardness. The congregation seems to accept his quirky communication traits, but I know they would grate on me. And aside from Doc, they weren’t at all friendly.
Making meaningful connections there would be hard. I don’t feel up to the challenge.
Despite some elements I really liked and an imperative desire for this church to click with me, they fell short. As I feared, I’m disappointed. Candy eliminates them from further consideration, so I do too.
We’ll get home around noon. I wonder what’s for lunch.
Takeaway
Make sure your church website sends a clear and consistent message about who you are and what you value.
I later emailed the church asking if adults are welcome at the monthly time when high schoolers radically worship God and listen to the Holy Spirit. I’d like to join them. No one responds. I could try calling them, but by now I’ve given up on the idea.
This book picks up the mantle from 52 Churches, their year-long sabbatical of visiting churches.
Here’s what happens:
My wife and I move. Now we need to find a new church. It’s not as easy as it sounds. She wants two things; I seek three others.
But this time the stakes are higher. I’ll write about the churches we visit, and my wife will pick which one we’ll call home. It sounds simple. What could possibly go wrong?
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.
Second Samuel 22 looks back at one of the times when God delivered David from King Saul’s attempt to kill him. If this scenario sounds familiar and this passage from 2 Samuel looks just like a Psalm, you are correct.
This song of praise from 2 Samuel 22 is quite similar to Psalm 18. Many verses are an exact match, while others contain parallel thoughts. It’s as if one passage is a first draft and the other, a final version. But if so, we can only speculate which one came first.
Here is the version of David’s psalm of praise as recorded in 2 Samuel 22.
“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine; God is my rock in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence. I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught me. In my distress, I called on Yahweh. Yes, I called to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry came into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because he was angry. Smoke went up out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind. He made darkness a shelter around himself: gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness before him, coals of fire were kindled. Yahweh thundered from heaven. The Most High uttered his voice. He sent out arrows and scattered them, lightning and confused them. Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by Yahweh’s rebuke, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They came on me in the day of my calamity, but Yahweh was my support. He also brought me out into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me. Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands. For I have kept Yahweh’s ways, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his ordinances were before me. As for his statutes, I didn’t depart from them. I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his eyesight. With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect. With the pure you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd. You will save the afflicted people, But your eyes are on the arrogant, that you may bring them down. For you are my lamp, Yahweh. Yahweh will light up my darkness. For by you, I run against a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh’s word is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, besides Yahweh? Who is a rock, besides our God? God is my strong fortress. He makes my way perfect. He makes his feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your gentleness has made me great. You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped. I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I didn’t turn again until they were consumed. I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can’t arise. Yes, they have fallen under my feet. For you have armed me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me. They looked, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them. Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth. I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad. You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people. You have kept me to be the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me. The foreigners will submit themselves to me. As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me. The foreigners will fade away, and will come trembling out of their close places. Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation, even the God who executes vengeance for me, who brings down peoples under me, who brings me away from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name. He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.”
The placement of this psalm in 2 Samuel seems out of chronological order.
Though the event immortalized by this psalm happened earlier in David’s life, it might not be until much later that he writes his words of appreciation to Yahweh.
But it doesn’t really matter when David wrote his song of praise to God, only that he did.
Thinking back on our lives, when have we forgotten to thank the Almighty for his provisions, for his blessings? It’s not too late.
Praise him now. Do it in prayer, in song, or in a psalm of your own. May we remember to praise Yahweh.
Explore the other psalms—sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament—scattered throughout the Bible in Peter’s book Beyond Psalm 150.
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.
In one of the Bible’s more horrific stories, Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, is taken by force and raped by the outsider, Shechem. When Jacob hears of this he does nothing.
Perhaps he fears for his life should he complain or maybe it’s because all his boys are in the fields tending their livestock and he is alone.
Then, despite his barbaric act, Shechem decides he loves Dinah and wants to marry her. He demands his father bring this about. The two dads talk about a wedding.
Dinah’s brothers are furious when they hear what Shechem did to their sister. They pretend to go along with the marriage talks but insist the men in Shechem’s village all be circumcised first.
As the men recover from this painful procedure, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah’s brothers, massacre the city, killing every man there to avenge their sister’s mistreatment.
Though they are right in responding to Dinah’s defilement, they overreact. While the rape of one girl is terrible, wiping out an entire town is a disproportionate punishment. It is excessive.
Moses Tells Us to Take an Eye for an Eye
This is the type of thing Moses seeks to stop when he says an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Leviticus 24:19-20). In this Moses does not give permission to seek unrestringed revenge.
Instead he seeks to curtail excessive retaliation, taking a response unequal to the crime. An eye for an eye is a command of moderation not the authorization to pursue vengeance.
Jesus later takes this principle one step further. He says “do not resist an evil person” and then “go the extra mile” (Matthew 5:38-42). This is even more countercultural than Moses’s original eye-for-eye command to make the punishment fit the crime.
May we learn from Moses’s words and follow Jesus’s.
What do you think of Moses’s eye-for-an-eye command? What about Jesus’s instruction to go the extra mile?
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.
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However, God also calls us his children. How can we be God’s children if he has only one Son?
The Bible is full of paradoxes, but this isn’t one of them.
Scripture gives us two explanations for this seeming contradiction.
The first is adoption.
In another letter, Paul writes that, through the Holy Spirit living in us, we’re adopted as children into God’s family. We can call him Father, Abba, or even Papa (Romans 8:15).
Parents of biological children accept whatever God blesses them with.
Parents of adopted children make a conscious decision to accept them and bring them into their family. They are children by the choice of their adoptive parents. They are chosen.
In the same way, God chooses us to be his children. He adopts us into his family.
Another truth builds on this, giving us a second way to understand how God can have only one Son yet many children.
The other metaphor to aid us in our understanding of our relationship with God is that of a bride and groom, with Jesus being the groom and we, the church, being his bride.
By virtue of this holy, spiritual union, Jesus, the only Son of God, brings the church into his family through marriage. This makes us, his church, the children of God through our union with the Lamb of God, that is, the Son of God.
As such, we are indeed God’s children. Scripture confirms it.
This first occurs when God adopts us into his family through the Holy Spirit. The second will occur when we, as God’s church, marry his Son. Our marriage to the Son makes us children of the Father.
We are first adopted into God’s family and will later marry into it, doubly confirming us as children of God.
Questions:
How can we find comfort knowing that Father God chose us and adopted us to be his sons and daughters?
What are the similarities between your earthly father and your Heavenly Father?
What are the differences between your earthly father and your Heavenly Father?
How has your earthly father helped you to better understand God?
What are the implications that we will one day spiritually marry God’s Son?
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.
Discover practical, insightful, and encouraging truths in Love One Another, a devotional Bible study to foster a deeper appreciation for the two greatest commandments: To love God and to love others.
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.
