Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

They’ll Know We’re Christians By Our Love

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 18, 2018

Followers of Jesus Should Carefully Consider the Message We Send to the World

A song from my youth carries the title, which repeats in the chorus, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” If you’re not familiar with this song, check out the lyrics or watch a video.

Though not the style of music I listened to then or prefer now, the haunting melody drew me in and served as a bridge to connect my growing, yet questioning, faith with the 60s Jesus movement, for which I was born a bit too late.

Christian love became my focus in all that I did.

Christian Love

This phrase, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love,” became my anthem then and persists today as a key guiding principle for life and living.

In Paul’s popular teaching on love in 1 Corinthians 13, he ends by saying that three things will last forever, faith, hope, and love.

In this trio, love stands above the other two. That means, love is the greatest thing (1 Corinthians 13:13).

The biblical basis for this song’s title and chorus is perhaps John 13:35, where Jesus says to his disciples that everyone will know they follow him if they love each other.

That is, “They’ll know you’re my followers by your love.” Of course, the Bible has many other verses about love and the importance of loving one another.

When we truly love one another, we point people to Jesus. Isn’t that our purpose?

Christianity Unity

A secondary theme in this song is unity, specifically Christian unity. It says we are one in the Holy Spirit and one through Jesus. It also prays for the restoration of unity and ends with an acknowledgment that the Holy Spirit unites us.

Jesus echoes this need for unity. In his final prayer before his execution, he asks his father that all his followers—both present and future—will be one—that is, united—just as he and Papa are (John 17:21).

Christian unity then, is another trait that points people to Jesus.

Christian Love and Unity

Sadly, our world today does not celebrate Christianity for our love or our unity. Instead too often society views Christians as purveyors of hate and the cause of division.

Our 42,000 Protestant denominations prove that we can’t get along and don’t care about unity.

The world hears these messages and rejects Jesus because of them—because of us.

Instead we must pursue Christian love and unity. And not just for the sake of love and unity, but for the sake of pointing people to Jesus.

May the world know we are Christians because we love one another, and may they know we are Christians because we all get along.

If we can master Christian love and unity, everything else will fall into place.

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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Tags Christianity, follower of Jesus, Jesus, love, unity

Bible Insights

Women in the Bible: Jochebed

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 15, 2018
3 Comments on Women in the Bible: Jochebed

A Good Mother Can Make All the Difference

The Egyptians fear the mushrooming population of the enslaved Israelites. They command all the Israelite baby boys be thrown into the Nile River.

However, one mother sees something special in her baby and hides him for several months.

When she can conceal him no longer, she does indeed put him in the Nile River, but not before protecting him in a watertight basket. Then she strategically places the basket where he might be found by a compassionate person.

Her daughter hides nearby to see what happens.

When Pharaoh’s daughter comes to the river to bathe, she discovers the baby and wants to keep him. The girl offers to find a woman to nurse the baby; she then goes and gets her mom.

Although the boy should have been killed, the Pharaoh’s daughter saves him and even pays his biological mother to care for him.

When the baby is weaned, his mother gives him back to Pharaoh’s daughter—who names him Moses.

This mother’s name is Jochebed and she has two other children, Aaron and Miriam.

Jochebed, like many moms, sees promise in her child and takes extraordinary measures to make sure he can reach his potential.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Exodus 4-7, and today’s post is on Exodus 6:20.]

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

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

Tags Aaron, Miriam, Moses, Women of the Bible

Christian Living

Should Christians Follow Jesus, Be His Disciple, or Go as a Missionary?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 11, 2018
4 Comments on Should Christians Follow Jesus, Be His Disciple, or Go as a Missionary?

Choose Labels With Care For They Reflect Our Identity and Theology

By definition I am a Christian, but I’ve always shied away from that word. It means different things to different people, not all of which are positive. For too many, Christian is a negative label implying narrow minded, bigoted, or hate-filled people.

Since these things make me cringe and don’t describe me, I typically avoid saying or writing the word Christian. Instead I say I’m a follower of Jesus.

I could also say I’m a disciple of Jesus, but I’m wary of that for fear that I too often fall short. Others say that they’re missionaries for Jesus, which implies following him and being his disciple. But that label never clicked with me either.

What insight does the Bible give us about which label we should use?

Christian

Interestingly, the word Christian only appears three times in the Bible, twice in Acts and once in 1 Peter. People who know Greek tell me it means “little Christs.”

It may have first been a derisive term (Acts 11:26 and Acts 26:28), which was later accepted by Jesus’s squad (1 Peter 4:16).

But the fact that the Bible rarely uses Christian is telling. I wonder if we should avoid it too, especially given how emotionally laden this word has become.

Follower of Jesus

In the Bible, the idea of following Jesus occurs a lot in its various forms. This includes, they “followed him” (27 times), “follow me” (22), “followed Jesus” (5), and “following Jesus” (2).

The command Jesus seems to give most often to people who approach him is to follow him. Though he sometimes says, “repent and follow me,” the idea of following implies a prior repentance. Think of repent as doing a U-turn; we must do a U-turn if we follow Jesus.

Disciple of Jesus

Disciple, which means an “active adherent” or “someone who embraces and spreads the teachings of another,” occurs in the Bible a lot.

t occurs nearly three hundred times in the New Testament, all in the four biographies of Jesus and the book of Acts.

Disciple emerges as the preferred descriptive term in the Bible for those who follow Jesus, a.k.a. Christians.

I suppose disciples refers to the early church, but church isn’t used nearly as often (114 times), mostly by Paul. Besides church is perhaps an even bigger misused and misunderstood term.

Missionary of Jesus

In last week’s post on the Great Commission, which many see as a call to be a missionary, the word go emerges as the first action step.

Missionary refers to someone who goes to persuade or convert others, but it doesn’t appear in the Bible at all. It’s a word we added after the Bible was written.

I wonder if we should likewise avoid using it. That doesn’t mean being a missionary of Jesus isn’t biblical or is wrong, but it does imply it might be the wrong label.

Let’s go back to the definition of disciple. A disciple is someone who embraces and spreads the teachings of another person, in our case Jesus. This means that as a disciple, we are by default a missionary—or at least we should be.

Frankly, that makes me squirm a bit. It’s easy for me to be a missionary for Jesus in the words I write, but it’s a much more challenging task to be a missionary with the words I say, at least to those opposed to Jesus.

Conclusion: Be a Disciple of Jesus

Though we can call ourselves Christians or identify as part of the church, being a disciple of Jesus emerges as the most accurate, biblical, and appropriate label to use.

Both following Jesus and being a missionary for Jesus are embedded in what it means to truly be a disciple of Jesus.

I’m going to start making that mental shift from being a follower of Jesus to being a disciple of Jesus.

Will you join me in this journey? It could change everything.

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Tags Christianity, disciples, early church, follower of Jesus, Great Commission, missionary

Personal Posts

The Cost of Daylight Saving Time

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 8, 2018

Did you change your clocks over the weekend? (About 70 countries currently observe Daylight Saving Time, though they may follow a different schedule than in the US.)

As I was adjusting clocks over the weekend, I contemplated the cost of switching to and from Daylight Saving Time (DST)—and the amount of time it takes, not saves!

First, doing some projections based on my personal clock setting experiences, I calculate that in the United States alone, about 150,000 hours is collectively spent adjusting clocks each fall and spring.

For businesses, there is direct labor cost associated with this effort.

In most cases they can address this on Monday morning, however, for some business clocks must be adjusted at 2:00 a.m., generally requiring overtime pay as well.

To determine the full cost, however, add in devices that are inadvertently broken while trying to set them and that are then replaced.

Next, consider all the commitments, appointments, and flights that are missed because people show up at the wrong time. In the fall, it’s not so bad, as you arrive early—and end up waiting. In the spring it’s a killer, because you arrive too late.

Altogether, this adds up to a huge cost, burden, and time waster—all for the delusion that we are saving time by doing so.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

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

Tags money, Sacred-Secular Divide, work

Bible Insights

Women in the Bible: Hannah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 8, 2018
2 Comments on Women in the Bible: Hannah

Hannah longs to have children but is childless. Adding to her misery, she’s harassed by everyone around her.

Though, she is her husband’s (Elkanah) favorite wife he dismisses her infertility and fails to protect her from verbal assaults from his other wife, Peninnah, who endlessly torments her.

Then, when she prays in earnest, Eli, the priest, accuses her of being drunk. Hannah’s life is in constant turmoil.

At her breaking point, Hannah cries out to God. She begs him for a son. In return, she promises to give him to God for a lifetime of service.

Unlike everyone else, God understands Hannah. He answers her plea, giving her a son, Samuel, just as she requested. She responds by singing to God: celebrating his power, the elevation of the oppressed, and the abasement of those overly confident.

A few lines of her ode may be digs at Peninnah, her chief tormentor.

After Samuel is weaned, Hannah presents him to Eli for a lifetime of service to God, just as she promised. Each year when she and her family make their pilgrimage to the temple, she sees young Samuel and gives him a new robe.

God then blesses Hannah with five more children.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Samuel 1-4 and today’s post is on 1 Samuel 1:19-20.]

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

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

Tags children, family, Hannah, Women of the Bible

Bible Insights

Women in the Bible: Athaliah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 1, 2018
2 Comments on Women in the Bible: Athaliah

Athaliah is an evil woman. She encourages her son, the king, to act wickedly. He does and is soon assassinated.

Then Athaliah seizes control and asserts herself as queen. Her lust for power is so great, she kills all the members of the royal family, including her own grandchildren.

One baby, however, is rescued by his aunt, Jehosheba. His name is Joash. Six years later, he, the rightful heir to the throne, is crowned king by the priest, with the support of the Levites and heads of the leading families.

Athaliah accuses them of treason and tears her clothes to express her outrage. But she can’t change what has happened. At the direction of the priest, the army kills her.

The country celebrates her death and calm returns.

Athaliah could have positively influenced her son and helped him rule wisely. She could have protected and groomed his successor. Had she done so, the people would have celebrated her life; instead they celebrated her death.

Is our life worthy of celebration?

[2 Kings 11 and 2 Chronicles 22-23]

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

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

Tags heir, Women of the Bible

Christian Living

Is Church a Haven for Saints or a Hospital for the Sick?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 28, 2018

Jesus Didn’t Come for the Righteous but for Sinners

As Jesus walks along he sees a tax collector, Levi. He says to Levi, “Follow me.”

Levi gets up, leaves everything, and follows Jesus. Then Levi throws a party for his tax-collector friends. Jesus is there hanging out with them.

As often the case, the religious leaders criticize Jesus. They don’t think he should eat with notorious tax collectors and “sinners.”

Like always, Jesus has a response that catches everyone off guard. He says, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, only the sick.” Then he makes his point, “I didn’t come to earth to call righteous people to repent.

Instead I came to encourage sinners to turn their lives around.” (See Luke 5:27-32, Mark 2:14-17.)

Shouldn’t we do the same?

Most Churches are a Haven for Saints

But most churches focus on the righteous, the people who appear to have their act together. These churches don’t care about sinners, not really.

Yes, they say they do, but who do they invite to church? It’s usually other Christians, not non-Christians.

Church folks are uncomfortable hanging out with the non-churched. So-called sinners make them uneasy. (Remember, we all sin. It’s just that some of us have been made right through the gift of God’s goodness, Ephesians 2:8-9.)

Instead, we Christians spend time with people like us, not the people who need Jesus the most. For most people, the longer we’ve been a Christian, the fewer non-Christian friends we have.

Yet Jesus does the opposite. He ignores religious insiders, the righteous people. Instead he spends a lot of time interacting with those on the outside, the people society dismisses as sinners and outcasts.

But they’re the ones he wants to help. They’re the ones who need him the most.

Make Church a Hospital for the Sick

People who need Jesus need a safe place where they can encounter him and learn about him. They need love, not judgment. They need to be able to come to Jesus as they are, not after they’ve changed their lifestyle to become “good.”

When Jesus calls Levi, he doesn’t call the tax collector to change his behaviors. Jesus calls Levi to simply, “Follow me.”

Shouldn’t we and our churches do the same? Shouldn’t we focus on encouraging people who need Jesus to follow him?

Instead we’ve turned our churches into a comfortable club where we sequester ourselves from the world and spend time with each other—ignoring the people who need Jesus.

Look Outward at People Who Need Jesus, Not Inward at Ourselves

When we make church a haven for saints, we have a selfish perspective. We hold an internal focus. However, when we view church as a hospital for the sick, we have a selfless perspective. We hold an external focus.

We need to put others ahead of ourselves (Philippians 2:3)—especially those who need Jesus.

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Tags church, follow Jesus, sin

Personal Posts

A Sad Situation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 24, 2018

Several years ago, locally, a 16-year-old girl was tragically killed in a house fire—because her parents had her chained to her bed.

After they were given appropriately long prison sentences for her death, the father vented to any who would listen. While he admitted a “possible error in judgment” over chaining her to her bed, he justified the action as being warranted and needed.

According to reports, he then said it wasn’t his—or his wife’s—fault, launching into a tirade of blame.

He accused the local school system, the children’s protective service, the local law enforcement agency, and the state, asserting that they either knew about—or should have known about—the situation and intervened.

These diverse and varied authorities should have stepped in, he claimed, to help them properly raise their daughter and prevent her unfortunate death.

I’m not sure what bothers me more, a child being chained up and dying in a fire or the people who caused her death claiming that it wasn’t their fault.

What were they thinking?

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

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

Tags education, Sacred-Secular Divide

Christian Living

Jesus’s Final Instructions as Found in the Four Gospels

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 21, 2018

Consider What Jesus Expects of His Followers—and Us

A while ago we looked at the final words in each book of the New Testament. This provides us with interesting information. However, more enlightening is to look at the final words of Jesus in each of the four biographies of him in the Bible.

While you may be most familiar with what Matthew records as Jesus’s final instructions, let’s start with what John says.

John Writes to “Follow Jesus”

The Gospel of John ends, not with any profound instructions, but instead Jesus focuses on reinstating Peter to the group. Twice Jesus reminds Peter to “follow me” (John 21:19, 22).

By extension we can apply this to us today. Jesus’s most essential instruction, the foundational starting point, is for us to follow him.

Luke Writes to “Wait for the Holy Spirit”

Now let’s move to the book of Luke. Dr. Luke writes that Jesus reminds his disciples that he will send them a gift (the Holy Spirit) from Papa and that they are to return to Jerusalem and wait for that gift (Luke 24:49).

Then Jesus ascends to heaven.

Dr. Luke picks up the story in Acts. There he writes that Jesus’s followers were in constant prayer as they waited for Jesus’s special gift (Acts 1:14).

As they paused and prayed, the Holy Spirit showed up in an awesome display of supernatural power (Acts 2:1-13).

Mark Writes to “Go and Preach”

Mark’s account of Jesus has three different endings. As a writer I get this. It’s sometimes difficult to know how to end a book. So I’m okay with a few different attempts to get it right.

The oldest of manuscripts of Mark ends without Jesus giving any final instructions. It stops abruptly at Luke 16:8 with the women standing at Jesus’s empty tomb and an angel instructing them to tell the disciples.

But they’re afraid and don’t. That’s not a good ending.

A few manuscripts of Mark, tack on an added passage after Luke 16:8: “After this, Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.”

This helps some, but it feels rushed and is an unsatisfying ending.

Other manuscripts of Mark don’t contain that extra passage, but they do include versus 9–20, which reads like an epilogue. In this text, we do hear Jesus’s final instructions.

He essentially says, “Go everywhere and tell everyone about me” (Mark 16:15).

Matthew Writes to “Go, Make Disciples, Baptize, and Teach”

Last, we get to Matthew’s more well-known account. In what’s often called The Great Commission, Jesus tells his followers, “Go everywhere, make disciples, baptize, and teach about me (Matthew 28:19-20).

Putting It All Together

Can we combine these four thoughts from John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew to provide one comprehensive instruction? How about a three-step procedure?

Jesus’s final instructions are to:

Follow Jesus.
Wait for Holy Spirit power.
Go, make disciples, and then baptize and teach them.

It starts with us following Jesus, but we need to make sure we don’t do anything without the Holy Spirit.

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

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Tags follow Jesus, gospel, Great Commission, missionary, supernatural

Personal Posts

Facts For the Fatherless

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 17, 2018

According to recent figures from the Census Bureau, over 27 percent of children (more than 1 in 4) in the U.S. lived without a father in their home in 2017.

That is sad, but even more shocking are the ramifications. Children without fathers are:

5 times more likely to live in poverty
5 times more likely to commit crimes
9 times more likely to drop out of school
20 times more likely to end up in prison

“The epidemic of fatherlessness causes a strain on young lives and leaves many young men with the burden of trying to figure out how to be a good man without any solid examples to look at,” writes Carl Kozlowski.

“Ninety-four percent of the prison population is male, 85 percent of which are without fathers,” cites Donald Miller.

This is a sobering reality to think about.

[To get involved, check out www.thementoringproject.org and www.bbbs.org ]

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

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

Tags family, fathers, poverty, Sacred-Secular Divide