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Bible Insights

Are You Spiritually Selfish?

Look to the Wellbeing of Others and Not Focus on Ourselves

In Isaiah 39 we read a prophecy given to King Hezekiah by Isaiah.

This occurs after Hezekiah does something foolish. He graciously receives envoys from the powerful behemoth, Babylon.

Not only does he show off his nation’s wealth, he also provides his enemies one more reason to invade his country. God is not pleased.

Though Hezekiah’s actions cause this prophecy, he will not suffer personally. His family will. He is spiritually selfish. When Babylon attacks, some of his descendants will be castrated and carted off to serve the king of Babylon.

While the predictions are horrific, Hezekiah’s reaction is pathetic.

Realizing he personally will not suffer, he accepts God’s decree. Hezekiah will enjoy peace. He will encounter no pain. True, others will not experience peace. Other people will undergo the consequences, including his own family.

But the king doesn’t care. He thinks only of himself. He will be fine, and that’s all that matters.

Hezekiah Is Self-absorbed

While peace and security are physical issues, there is a spiritual component at play here as well. Hezekiah does not confess his wrong actions.

He does not ask God to change his mind. He does not intercede for his descendants and the turmoil they will endure because of his folly.

He is spiritually selfish. 

It’s easy to be spiritually self-centered. We are content with our standing in God and lose sight of the struggles others face, both physically and spiritually. We fail to pray for them; we don’t seek ways to help.

Our life is good—or at least good enough—and we dismiss the suffering of others. And, like Hezekiah, we do this to our discredit and to their demise.

Following Jesus is not about our comfort. It’s about loving others in his name and pointing people to him.

Anything less is being spirituality selfish.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Isaiah 39-41, and today’s post is on Isaiah 39:7-8.]

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah 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.

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Peter DeHaan News

How Big is Your Tent? A Call for Christian Unity, Tolerance, and Love

How Big is Your Tent? A Call for Christian Unity, Tolerance, and Love

What’s It Take to Be Welcome in Jesus’s Tent?

The Bible gives us the answers, but most people miss them. And too many clergy spout manmade solutions that miss the mark.

Discover what Jesus said it takes to “go all in” for him. It’s really quite easy. In fact, it’s so simple that some people can’t accept it. Instead of cramming faith into an exclusive box, what we need is a bigger tent. A unity tent, where we accept all Christians.

How Big Is Your Tent?

However, Jesus was a Jew. What about them? And what about other faiths that consider the Bible part of their heritage? Can we invite them into our tent?

Last are the other world religions. Where do they fit? Can our tent hold them, too? Should we make room? The answers will surprise you.

How Big is Your Tent? calls for Christian unity, tolerance, and love. And that makes for a most ambitious tent.

Get your copy of How Big is Your Tent? today!

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

Did Jesus Lead a Spiritual Rebellion?

Jesus Sparked a Religious Revolution That We Must Continue to Pursue Today

As Jesus’s mission on earth winds down he celebrates Passover with his disciples and goes to the Mount of Olives to pray. Then a mob comes to capture him.

Jesus asks them, “Am I leading a rebellion that you must send an armed force to arrest me?” (See Luke 22:52.)

Not a Revolt Against a Government

The obvious answer is “no.” Jesus is not leading an uprising against his people or an insurrection to fight their Roman overlords.

Though we do see Jesus’s zeal when he makes a whip and drives the merchants from the temple, he doesn’t advocate a physical revolution.

During his ministry Jesus models acceptance and love. We see him as a strong but gentle man of peace, not a militant leader to overthrow an oppressive rule.

A Spiritual Rebellion Against Religiosity

But let’s look at this from a spiritual sense. Isn’t Jesus leading a spiritual rebellion? Though he doesn’t advocate doing away with Judaism, he does come to fulfill what the Old Testament promises and anticipates.

He promotes a new way of pursuing God, a relationship instead of rules.

This is a spiritual departure from what his people practiced for centuries. In its place he teaches them a new way of embracing God. In this sense, Jesus leads a rebellion, a spiritual revolution.

The Reformation

Five hundred years ago another spiritual rebellion took place. We politely call this the Reformation.

In this spiritual revolution, people begin to seek God as the Bible reveals, pushing aside centuries of misguided practices that religiously enslaved people instead of freeing them.

A Spiritual Rebellion Today

But what about now? Too many of our religious practices have diverged from what the Bible teaches and what God intends. Are we in need of another spiritual rebellion? The answer is “yes.” We need another Reformation.

But let’s not be militant or divisive in our reforms. Let’s be inclusive, loving, and accepting.

Let’s point to a fresh way of worshiping God in spirit and truth, of setting aside religious practices to embrace a truly biblical pursuit of Father God as taught by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Moving Forward

This isn’t to condemn today’s practices as wrong, but to have the audacity to claim that there’s a better way. This is a spiritual rebellion worth following.

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?

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Christian Living

God Blesses Us So That We Can Bless Others

God Told Abraham That He Would Bless Him and Through Him Bless All Nations

How often do we ask God to bless us? It’s a request I make most every day. Sometimes more than once. I suspect you may often ask for God’s blessings too.

What do we mean when we ask for God’s blessings? Are we asking for the intangible, more joy, peace, and clarity? Or do we desire tangible things, like money, possessions, and power?

We might ask for his blessings in a vague way, not really knowing what we’re requesting.

When God blesses us, is it simply to make our lives better? More enjoyable? Easier? Could be. He does love us, and he may bless us simply because he loves us and wants to do good things for us.

Be a Blessing

To father Abraham God promised that he would make Abraham into a great nation and bless him. In turn he would be a blessing to others. Everyone on earth would be blessed through Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3).

So, God blessed Abraham so that he could bless others. I think this goes beyond placing our hand on someone’s head and saying, “I bless you in God’s name.”

Later God reiterates his promise of blessing. He tells Abraham that he will bless him and his descendants. And through his descendants, God will bless all the nations. He will bless everyone through Abraham and his family through the ages (Genesis 22:17-18).

Like Abraham, we can bless others. Whether we have received many blessings from God or a few—though we certainly receive more than we realize—these blessings aren’t just for ourselves. God blesses us so that we can also bless others.

Is that what we’re doing with God’s blessings? Or are we hoarding them for ourselves?

If we give freely, we’ll receive more. If we cling to what we have, we’ll receive less (Matthew 25:29). Remember that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

God blesses us because he loves us, and God blesses us so we can bless others. Are we doing all we can to be a blessing to 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.

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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Christian Living

Is Your Church Inclusive? 

Jesus Welcomed and Embraced Everyone, Especially Those on the Fringes

Have you ever gone to a new place where people warmly welcomed and embraced you? A place where people warmly welcomed and embraced everyone? It’s not the location that matters. It’s the people. I’ve been in groups like this.

Everyone’s accepted as they are. They don’t need to prove themselves first. They don’t need to pass a screening process or fit an unstated list of expectations. There’s no judgment, condemnation, or rejection. There’s love. Acceptance. Harmony. Unity.

This should describe the church. It doesn’t.

Most of my experiences where everyone was welcomed and embraced didn’t happen in a church service or at a church building. It happened in spiritual groups outside the church. And it happened with groups that weren’t spiritual at all.

This is to our shame.

In the various churches I’ve attended in my life, only one warmly welcomed and embraced everyone. Even so, they held some underlying criteria of expectations and behavior.

Questions of Inclusivity for Your Church

Here are some items to consider for your church:

  • Do people at your church congregate with their friends and ignore others, especially visitors?
  • Do people at your church only hang out with those of their own age, race, and marital status? What about socioeconomic status?
  • Do people who visit your church need to meet some unspoken expectations of acceptable attire, worship, and language?

Consider this: someone walks into a traditional mainline church wearing jeans and a T-shirt, shouts “hallelujah” after the prelude, and talks about the Holy Spirit is if he’s their friend. It’s obvious they don’t fit in and won’t find acceptance.

Or what about the guy wearing a three-piece suit, sporting slicked back hair, and carrying a leather bound KJV showing up at a hipster millennial church? Yep. He doesn’t fit. And the chance of the church accepting him is slim.

Questions of Inclusivity for You

It’s easy to condemn the church for her lack of inclusivity, but what about you? Do you personally seek to include everyone? Ask yourself the same questions:

  • At church do you gather with your friends and ignore visitors?
  • At church do you hang out with people just like you, with the same age, race, and marital status?
  • At church do you expect people to look, talk, and act a certain way?

You Can Make a Difference

If your church is like most churches, it’s not inclusive. At least it’s not inclusive the way Jesus was inclusive. But you can make a difference, for both your church and for the kingdom of God.

You can be personally inclusive.

If you’re consistent and patient, given enough time, some people will follow your example—or maybe they won’t. Maybe they won’t appreciate your efforts to include everyone, and then they’ll exclude you. Then you might be at the wrong church.

But don’t worry how your church might react to your inclusivity efforts. Instead focus on the reaction of the people you include.

This will please Jesus.

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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Christian Living

What is Our Christian Witness?

Our Actions and Our Words Determine Our Reputation

In the post “They’ll know we are Christians by our love” we talked about the importance of our Christian witness. This is best accomplished by our love and our unity.

Unfortunately, the world rarely sees our love and unity. Instead we model hate and disagreement. That’s what the world sees and often what they think of when they hear the word Christian. As a result, we tarnish our witness for Jesus.

Instead we focus on our theology, our politics, and our opposition to what we deem as evil. And in our inability to get along, we segregate ourselves into divisive denominations.

But these items are not the foundation of our Christian witness.

To our discredit these are the foundation of our undoing as Christians, losing sight of what it means to follow Jesus and be his disciple.

Is Our Theology Our Witness?

In the last several hundred years, Christians have debated, argued, and even fought over theology. Yes, in the name of pursuing a right theology, we have even killed one another. And toward what end?

The result of pursuing a right theology has fractured the church of Jesus, resulting in 42,000 denominations, which is a powerful confirmation of our inability to get along.

Our Christian theology is an ineffective witness to the world in search of answers.

Is Our Politics Our Witness?

Another area where Christianity emerges is in the political arena.

We support candidates who we believe hold to a Christian worldview, espousing a biblically ethical mindset. And we oppose the other candidate, who we view as the antithesis to all that is right and godly.

Yet Christians end up sitting on opposite sides of the political table: some champion one candidate, while others support the opponent.

We’re missing the point. Arguing about politics will never point people to Jesus.

Is Our Opposition Our Witness?

Much of Christianity, especially the evangelicals and fundamentalists, take stands to oppose what they feel is wrong in the world. Two areas emerged in recent decades: opposing homosexuality and opposing abortion.

To make the point, well-meaning, but misguided, Christians loudly take a stand, spewing invective to anyone who listens. We come across as hate filled bigots and not the loving followers of Jesus that he desires.

Instead of talking about what we’re against, we should talk about Jesus, his love, and his power to save and to heal.

Is Our Denomination Our Witness?

As Christians argued and fought, we’ve divided ourselves over a minutia of details, most irrelevant and others perhaps with a bit of substance, but little that amounts to a faith-jeopardizing heresy.

What’s our reaction to this? Instead of promoting Christian unity and trying to get along, we turn our backs to one another, stomp off in anger, and make a new denomination.

As a result, we produced 42,000 examples that tell the world Christians can’t get along with each other. Our denominations stand as a powerful witness, not to Jesus, but to our selfish disunity.

Our Love and Unity is Our Christian Witness

Let’s sweep aside our theology—yes, I did say that—and our politics and our opposition and our denominations. When it comes to Jesus and his kingdom, these things don’t matter.

What matters most is that we love one another and work to get along. Our love and our unity form our best Christian witness.

Everything else just gets in the way and tarnishes the name of Jesus.

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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Christian Living

They’ll Know We’re Christians By Our Love

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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Christian Living

Don’t Be Tolerant; Love Others Instead

God Calls Us to Move Beyond Tolerance and to Love Others

Our culture today talks a lot about being tolerant. Our politically correct society upholds tolerance as a virtue. It’s a position held by so-called enlightened people that we are to tolerate others regardless of their belief, behaviors, or ethnicity.

It all seems so right, so worthy. Yet this falls far short of what God has in mind, of the attitude he wants us to have for others.

Being Tolerant Isn’t Enough

Jesus never commanded us to embrace tolerance or told us we must be tolerant of others. The Bible never even mentions these two words. I guess it’s not important to God that we be a tolerant people and offer tolerance to others.

Instead of being tolerant, God calls us to a higher standard. He wants us to love others. Loving others is much more significant than merely tolerating them.

In reality we can tolerate others and still dislike them, even hate them. But loving others truly changes our attitude towards them.

When we love others we embrace them, except them, and learn to understand them. This goes far beyond today’s inadequate attitude of tolerance.

Love Others

The word love appears hundreds of times in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. In Leviticus we’re told to love our neighbor as our self (Leviticus 19:18).

Later when Jesus summarizes the Old Testament law and prophets, he says we are to love God and love others.

These are the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40 and Mark 12:30-31).

Another time Jesus gives us a new command to love one another, for by loving one another we demonstrate we’re his disciples (John 13:34-35).

A final consideration is what Paul says about love. He writes that of the three essential, everlasting traits—faith, hope, and love—the greatest is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Tolerance is the world’s view of how we should treat others. God calls us to a higher standard of love.

Love trumps tolerance every time.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Leviticus 19-21 and today’s post is on Leviticus 19:18.]

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 Insights

God Loves Us and Keeps His Promises

There’s Nothing We Need to Do to Earn God’s Love

In the book of Deuteronomy, a book of the Bible that most people skip, God explains his relationship to his people. He starts by saying that he didn’t choose them because of their numbers or greatness as a nation.

In fact, they started out as the smallest of all peoples.

It was just Abraham and Sarah when God chose them.

Instead he chose them because he loved them. And he continues to choose them because he made a promise to them, and he keeps his promises.

His love lasts over the centuries, despite their unfaithfulness to him and in the many ways they reject him over and over.

We can take great comfort in this.

God Loves Us and There’s Nothing We Must Do to Earn It

The people of Israel didn’t need to earn God’s love and attention. He gave it to them freely. In the same way, there’s nothing we need to do to earn his affection.

We don’t need to do good things, love others, or even obey his commands to gain God’s love.

Instead, he loved us first, and in response we may opt to react to his love by doing things that please him.

Too often, we get this backwards. We don’t behave better to earn God’s love; we behave better because he loves us.

God Loves Us and There’s Nothing We Can Do to Lose It

God loved the people of Israel first and continued to love them despite their many missteps. In the same way, God doesn’t withhold his love for us when we screw up.

He maintains his love. It’s always there. There’s nothing we can do to push him away or cause him to withdraw his affection of us.

We often get this backwards, too. We assume that when we mess up, he will withhold his love and punish us.

Yes, sometimes there are consequences for what we do—punishment, if you will—but this is a result of his love and not the withdrawal of it.

God loves us unconditionally, even if this is hard for us to comprehend.

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Deuteronomy 7-9, and today’s post is on Deuteronomy 7:7-8.]

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

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

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Bible Insights

God Is Slow to Anger and It Only Lasts for a Moment

God Loves Us and His Favor Lasts a Lifetime

The book of Psalms gives us glimpses into God’s character and his love for us. Though some people view God, as portrayed in the Old Testament, as angry and vengeful, a more careful read gives us a different perspective.

We see his love and his patience; he is slow to anger. We realize his desire to enjoy community with us.

One such example of God’s character comes through with poetic elegance in Psalm 30:5. Here we read that God’s “anger lasts only for a moment.” Even better is what comes next, that God’s “favor lasts a lifetime.”

And now for the poetry part: “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NIV).

Yes, we may suffer through some dark times (nighttime), but light will always follow (daytime), just as surely as morning follows evening. And though each day is made up of half night and half light, God’s anger is not in equal proportion to his favor.

Remember that we sleep through most of the darkness and therefore experience mostly light. In this way, nighttime seems brief—at least most of the time.

Just as we experience mostly the light of each day, we will also mostly bask in God’s favor.

Nine times the Old Testament reminds us that God is “slow to anger.” This occurs three times in Psalms and twice in the Law of Moses, along with Nehemiah, Joel, Jonah, and Nahum.

That’s a lot of people reminding us that God is slow to anger.

If we view God as a good parent (recall that God is our father, and we are his children), we realize that there will be times of needed correction. But if we respond appropriately, our time of discipline will be short.

Then we emerge from it and return to right relationship with God, experiencing his favor and his love, just as every good parent wants for their children. So, too, God wants this for us.

God is slow to anger, but his favor lasts a lifetime. Praise God!

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Psalms 26-30, and today’s post is on Psalm 30:5.]

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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