Recovering the Exclusivity of the Gospel

By / Jun 27

Editor’s note: This summer, we’re sharing articles aimed at encouraging pastors, ministry leaders, and church members in living and serving in light of Christ’s coming Kingdom. To hear more on this topic from Jason K. Allen and other key leaders, register to join us for the 2025 For the Church National Conference, “Kingdom Come: Ministry in Light of Glory.”

The following article was originally published at JasonKAllen.com and was republished at FTC.co on April 28, 2022.

__________

Known as the silent killer, each year colon cancer claims close to 50,000 American lives.[1] Though treatable if detected early, colon cancer is known as the silent killer because, if not screened for, it will grow unnoticed, undetected. By the time it is discovered symptomatically, it is often too late to be cured.

Like colon cancer, I’m convinced there is another slow, silent, growing malignancy within the church. The malignancy is particularly catastrophic, bringing with it ruinous consequences.

It hollows out the gospel message, undercuts the Great Commission, and undermines the entire logic of collaborative missions and ministry. The malignancy to which I am referring is the slow, subtle rejection of the exclusivity of the gospel.

By the Numbers

Recent research conducted jointly by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research makes clear this challenge. For example, 45% of Americans think that “there are many ways to get to heaven” and 71% agree that “an individual must contribute his/her own effort for personal salvation.”[2]

Defining Exclusivity

Historic Christianity, throughout its creedal formulations, has affirmed the exclusivity of the gospel. In fact, this was Jesus’s self-assessment when he unequivocally asserted, “’I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the father but through me.’”[3]

By exclusivity of the gospel, we mean that only those who personally, consciously, explicitly, and singularly confess Jesus Christ as Lord can possess eternal life. Let’s consider these qualifiers more closely.

Personally: Salvation comes to us individually, when one follows Christ. No one gains eternal life because of someone else’s faith, or by his or her affiliation with a family, church, or ethnic or national group. Each sinner must come to repent of his or her sins and believe the gospel personally.

Consciously: To inherit the Kingdom one must do more than reflect the ethic of Christ; one must consciously embrace him, knowingly and intentionally following Jesus. There are no anonymous Christians, regardless of Karl Rahner’s assertion otherwise. Authentic believers know whom they are following.

Explicitly: One’s faith must be placed in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, not just generically in God. As Peter declared in Acts 4:12, “’There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’”

Singularly: Faith in Jesus alone saves, and saving faith must be placed in him alone. The singularity of Christ as one’s faith object is especially important on the mission field, where missionaries encounter religions, such as Hinduism, where they are happy to add Jesus to their pantheon of gods. We do not add Jesus to our portfolio of faith objects. Christianity is not a both-and proposition; it is either-or.

Of course, when converted, one is not necessarily thinking through these categories, like boxes to check. Rather, the point is that one cannot reject or negate these gospel distinctives.

Challenges to Exclusivity

Why is the exclusivity of the gospel losing popularity? There seems to be a number of reasons. First, globalization has brought the nations near to us. This nearness should have increased our burden for the lost, but it seems to have done the opposite.

Second, the forward march of postmodernity continues to undermine absolute truth claims, especially one so audacious as the exclusivity of the gospel—that of the 7,000,000,000 inhabitants of Earth, only those that hear and believe the message of Christ can be saved.

Third, political correctness limits our willingness to offend, and asserting the full gospel message is the most offensive of truth claims. Political correctness finds the notion of a literal hell as insufferably backwards, and has re-envisioned it as a mythological—or nearly unoccupied—place.

Alternatives to Exclusivity

While universalism is often contrasted with exclusivity, it is actually not commonly accepted. There is just something disconcerting, even to thoroughgoing secularists, about the possibility of Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden spending eternity with Billy Graham. Even our most naturalistic instincts desire some sort of eternal reckoning.

More common alternatives are pluralism and inclusivism. Pluralism argues there are many ways to God, and one should earnestly follow the religious path revealed to you. Inclusivism maintains that Christ is the only Savior, but his provision can be accessed through other religions.

Ron Nash, in his Is Jesus the Only Savior?, helpfully summarizes pluralism, inclusivism, and exclusivity in two questions: Is Jesus the only savior? Must people believe in Jesus Christ to saved? Pluralism answers both questions “no”; inclusivism answers the first “yes” and the second “no.” Historic Christianity answers both “yes.”[4]

For the many who attend evangelical churches yet deny the exclusivity of the gospel, pluralism or inclusivism—though they may not know these terms—is probably their ideological home. While they may not intend to reject historic Christianity, operationally, many of our church members—and our churches—are there.

Conclusion

To be a preacher is to be a decision maker. Each week preachers determine what to include in a sermon and what to leave out. Time simply does not allow one to say everything that could be said about every passage. Preachers intuitively triage their text, their sermon, and their congregation, asking themselves, “What can I assume they know and affirm, and what must I assert and advocate?”

Perhaps this triage has led too many pastors to assume their church members understand and embrace the exclusivity of the gospel. We can no longer assume this. We must assert and advocate the exclusivity of the gospel.

__________

[1] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonandrectumcancer/detailedguide/colorectal-cancer-key-statistics.

[2] Ligonier Ministries, in partnership with LifeWay Research, “The State of Theology: Theological Awareness Benchmark Study,” 4. Available online at https://gpts.edu/resources/documents/TheStateOfTheology-Whitepaper.pdf.

[3] John 14:6.

[4] See Ron Nash, Is Jesus the Only Savior? (Zondervan, 1994).



Let the Little Children Come

By / Jun 11

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14; NIV). We have the opportunity to cultivate in children a joyful anticipation of Heaven. The Bible’s teaching about Heaven can help children endure a world filled with difficulties and sorrow. As children grow up, they begin to wonder about death. What will happen when I die? What happened to Grandma or Grandpa? To these questions, the gospel provides a rich source of comfort and hope.

Many pious descriptions of Heaven are simply unappealing—sitting on clouds, strumming harps, endless Sunday school lessons. In contrast, the Bible’s many descriptions of Heaven are exhilarating! The physical nature of Jesus’ Resurrection means believers will enjoy immortality in an embodied existence in a real place, not a ghostly existence in an ephemeral nether sphere. The Bible describes the coming Kingdom of Heaven in concrete terms—but of course, the concrete in Heaven is gold!

Once, when my son was little, he made an inference in line with biblical teaching. He said, “In Heaven, sharks don’t bite; they lick.” His comment is consistent with Isaiah’s prophecy, “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 65:25; NASB). While scholars debate whether or not this prophecy refers to the Millennial Kingdom, we can be confident that such descriptions find perfect consummation in the eternal New Heavens and New Earth.

Let’s encourage our children to look forward to the imminent return of the King of Heaven and to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Editor’s note: The above article is an excerpted from “A Word to Parents and Teachers” in Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: Heaven, by Joey Allen (published 2025 by New Leaf Press). Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers: Heaven, Jesus, and The Church are now available for purchase.



Christ Is an Unconquerable Savior

By / Jun 6

Editor’s note: This summer, we’re sharing articles aimed at encouraging pastors, ministry leaders, and church members in living and serving in light of Christ’s coming Kingdom. To hear more on this topic from Jared C. Wilson and other key leaders, register to join us for the 2025 For the Church National Conference, “Kingdom Come: Ministry in Light of Glory.”

The following article was originally published at ftc.co on March 7, 2022.

__________

Because Jesus is God, we can know that he is able to save. But we are encouraged not just that Christ is able to save, but in knowing that he has actually exercised his ability to save us.

In other words, to say that God is able to save isn’t exactly the good news, because God is able to do many things that he nevertheless chooses not to do. Whenever he says “no” to one of our prayers, for instance, we should not construe him to mean that he’s saying “I can’t” (unless we’re asking him to sin or otherwise act against his nature).

I’m thinking along the lines of the old Carl Henry saying: “It’s only good news if it gets there in time.”

That Christ is able to save is no benefit to those who do not find themselves taking refuge in him!

Well, Christ is an able Savior, and because he’s always on time—indeed, he has authored time itself—he’s an unconquerable Savior.

Look, for instance, at John 17:9–19, where in his “high priestly prayer,” Jesus turns from praying for himself to praying for his friends. Christ’s interceding on the sinner’s behalf is good news, and here it rises to the surface of his prayer in wonderful relief:

“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

He has given us the only kind of life he has within himself: eternal life.

The primary facet of eternal life on display in verses 9–18 is the eternality of it, the forever protection Christians have by Christ himself. Review from the passage, for instance:

v. 10 = “all mine are yours, and yours are mine,” meaning we belong to God

v. 11 = the Father is keeping us

v. 12 = he has guarded us, and not one of us has been lost

v. 15 = “keep them from the evil one”

vv. 16–17 = “sanctify them” (or set them apart)

All of this points to the safety we have in Jesus!

Even the loss of the “son of destruction,” a reference to Judas, in verse 12 is not an indication of Christ’s conquerability, since he notes that Judas’s destruction was according to the divine plan (“that the Scripture be fulfilled”). In other words, Judas didn’t slip through the cracks. Jesus isn’t a pretty good Savior, about to finish 11 out of 12. No, he kept all that were given to him. None of them was lost. Nobody slips through the cracks. If you are saved, you are unconquerably saved.

The obvious doctrinal connections here are to eternal security and the perseverance of the saints. But there are shades here of what’s more explicit in John 17:21–22, where we get a glimpse into the doctrine of mystical union with Christ.

“…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them…”

The gospel gem of union with Christ is perhaps the major facet of the gospel uniting the whole of the New Testament. It is implicitly proclaimed every time we see phrases like “in him” or “in Christ” or “with him”—to be found in Christ, to be raised with Christ, to move and live and have our being “in Christ,” to be crucified with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly places, to be hidden with Christ in God.

In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples that they are the branches and he is the vine, and that they must “remain in him” or “abide in him.” This is all doctrine of union talk.

And in John 17, the picture being displayed shows us that Christ doesn’t just advocate for us as a defense attorney—though he does that too—but he actually grafts us into himself. But further: by faith, the sinner saved by grace is spiritually inextricable from Jesus. His Spirit indwells us. And we are said to dwell in him.

How is this—that he would be, spiritually speaking, inside of us? And we would also be, spiritually speaking, inside of him?

Well, think of the temple in the ancient days. The holiest of holies was the place where God’s presence specially dwelled. But it would not be accurate to say God’s wholeness was solely located in that physical space. God is omnipresent. He can’t not be omnipresent. So God was outside the temple and everywhere. But also he dwelled specially in the temple. This is a corollary to the indwelling presence of Christ in believers. We are in him. But he is also specially in us.

Think of a Matryoshka doll. You know, those Russian nesting dolls, where you open it up and there’s an increasingly smaller doll inside? Well, picture just three. The middle one is us. We are inside Christ, so that when you open him up, you find us. And when you open us up, you find him again.

We belong to God. The Father is keeping us. He has guarded us, and not one of us will be lost. He is keeping us from the evil one. He has sanctified us.

Speaking of Russia: Recently, as Russian invaders entered Ukrainian soil, I saw a photo online said to be of a group of Ukrainian Christians in a circle in Kharviv Square joined in prayer. And I was struck by two things in contemplating that photo. The first thing I was struck by was the sheer vulnerability of them. For seven or eight human beings armed with nothing but winter coats are no match for small arms fire, much less heavy artillery. But the second thing I was struck by was the sheer power of them. For Christians, to be found in Christ, to be guarded and kept by him is—in all the ways that ultimately and eternally matter—to be unconquerable.

Richard Sibbes says, “The Christian is an impregnable fortress. The Christian is a man who cannot be conquered.”

Oh, we can be killed. But we cannot be conquered.

As Paul says in Colossians 3:3, “Our life is hidden with Christ in God.” If we are hidden with Christ in God, we are as secure as Christ is. Now, how secure do you think Christ is?

Jesus says, “I have guarded them”! (v. 12)

Now, of course, we need to be sober-minded. We will endure hardship in this life. In verse 15, Jesus plainly says, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world,” only that we be “kept from the evil one.”

Nobody gets out of here alive. Even the Christian must die. But dying isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you. Dying after you die is the worst thing that can happen to you. But for those who are united to Christ by faith—we have unconquerable, eternal life.



On Life and Doctrine

By / Jun 5

For every gospel minister, the New Testament letters of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus are to be lifelong companions. The Pastoral Epistles are letters we return to again and again, guiding us on our journey of life and ministry. Indeed, I know of no better way to ensure ministerial faithfulness than for the minister to live in these three books.

For a quarter century, these books have been just that for me. Over the years, I’ve read through the Pastoral Epistles once a month on average. And every time I do, my faith is strengthened, my ministry is sharpened, and my calling is renewed.

The Pastoral Epistles are the apostle Paul’s words of instruction and encouragement to his son-in-the-faith Timothy and his ministry colleague Titus. But these three letters speak beyond these two men—they speak to all, in every time and place, who’ve entered the ministerial ranks.

Most ministers are familiar with the broad contours of these three books, and many of us can point to key verses for inspiration and accountability. I presume that’s the case for you too. Like me, you likely resonate with Paul’s call to “preach the word in season and out of season,” to “fight the good fight of faith,” and to “finish the course” of ministry (2 Tim. 4:2–5; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7).

Similarly, we periodically return to the qualifications for pastoral ministry as found in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9, and well we should. In these passages, we find God’s enduring qualifications for ministers, qualifications that remain regardless of one’s generation or context of service.

Yet there’s one, often overlooked, verse that has captivated me more than any other. I reflect on it often, returning to it again and again as a compass for my life and ministry. I do so because of the stark warning and promising reward this verse contains. First Timothy 4:16 charges us to “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

This verse ties together an entire section of apostolic admonition that runs from 4:6 through 4:16. And it’s pregnant with ministerial promise. Let’s carefully reflect on this verse’s every word, and note its every component. As we do, we’ll see where we’re going in the chapters ahead.

First, notice the close link between the inward and the outward, the private and the public. The minister’s internal life validates and strengthens his external ministry. The sequence is essential.

“Pay close attention to” means to be mindful of or to be attentive to. It carries the idea of focus, of fixed concentration. It’s not that the minister thinks of nothing else; it’s that he thinks on what follows above all else. If he gets nothing else right, he gets his life and doctrine right.

Ours is an age preoccupied with self. One’s self-image, visible appearance, public identity, and one’s self-expression are all focal points of our time. But that’s not the point of this text. Our text refers to your inner person. Man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart.1

“Yourself” refers to one’s heart, one’s inner person, one’s true spiritual man. We can think of one’s personal holiness, one’s Christlikeness, one’s godliness. The importance of one’s inner person is a theme that runs throughout Scripture. And that’s because who one is inwardly is who one really is. That is why Proverbs 4:23 insists the reader “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (emphasis added).

“Your teaching” means one’s doctrine, that which one believes and espouses. Paul uses this word some nineteen times in his New Testament letters and fifteen times in the Pastoral Epistles. Doctrine is the lifeblood of the minister and of the church, thus it recurringly appears in the Pastoral Epistles.

By “your teaching” the apostle is not personalizing it to Timothy, nor to any other minister. It’s not our truth, it’s God’s truth. Thus, the minister’s goal is to be faithful to the full array of Christian truth as found in Holy Scripture. Indeed, the minister is a workman, studying so that he might rightly divide the Word of God.

“Persevere in these things” indicates the minister’s life and teaching must be of ongoing concern. It is not enough for the minister to have been found faithful in this regard. The minister is to be faithful. As the minister does so, he verifies his fitness for ministry. Not just in the future, but in the present. To borrow an example from the medical field, we aren’t to settle for an annual check-up. We need a daily evaluation.

As we persevere in these things, we “ensure,” or give evidence of, what is unseen—that our lives and ministries are approved by God. Though our calling to Christ and to the ministry—from start to finish—is from the Lord, Paul charges us to steward our lives and teachings as though our ministerial legitimacy depends on our faithfulness. Paul isn’t conflicted, rather he’s a compatibilist. The apostle sees no conflict between God’s sovereignty and the minister’s responsibility, both are compatible in the mind of God.

By “salvation” Paul gets to the heart of the matter. He does not mince words. To be saved means to be saved from God’s impending wrath. The goal for every Christ-follower is to be saved from that wrath, and for every minister to shield his congregation from that wrath. For those in Christ, God’s justice has been satisfied through Christ’s payment, thus no need for our own.

The way—the only way—to ensure this goal is through faithful gospel ministry, which is upheld by guarding your life and doctrine. This ensures salvation for “yourself” and “for those who hear you.” Note, it’s not one’s followers, but one’s hearers. This reminds us of the minister’s central task—to preach and teach the Word of God.

Gospel proclamation is God’s chosen means of converting the lost. As Paul argued elsewhere, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the “word of Christ.”2 Rightly knowing, believing, and proclaiming the gospel is essential for salvation, on both the teaching and receiving end.

Thus, you see how rich this one verse truly is. It is indeed pregnant with ministerial promise. It comes with a stark word of warning, but also a rich word of reward. It behooves every minister to guard his life and his doctrine. It behooves you to guard yours.

__________

  1. 1 Samuel 16:7: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, since a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

  2. Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hear- ing by the word of Christ.”

Editor’s note: This post is excerpted with permission from Letters to My Students, Volume 3: On Life and Doctrine, by Jason K. Allen. Copyright 2025, B&H Publishing.



Great Commission Direction

By / May 29

Why should Southern Baptist churches cooperate?

This is one question I ask students taking the required Baptist history class I teach. I ask it because every generation of students asks it, or will ask it, or needs to ask it, and I want them to know how I answer it and have arrived at my answer with cheerful conviction.

While many Protestant and Evangelical churches are like-minded and share the same core convictions about doctrine and missions as the Baptists, for those preparing to serve and lead Baptist churches, my course is designed to help them understand, develop, and defend their convictions about the ecclesial tradition to which their church is connected.

The Baptist movement began in England as small groups of men and women met to establish themselves in churches and then sought fellowship with other churches around common beliefs and practice. This early confessional cooperation grew out of, and centered on, the Reformation program of doctrinal renewal which emerged from the study of the Bible and led to the recovery of the biblical gospel message. As these Baptist churches gained strength, they crossed to the New World and grew into a fleet of churches sailing together, united in doctrine and headed in Great Commission direction.

A Fleet Sailing Together

The picture of churches as ships sailing is fitting for our understanding of the value of intercongregational cooperation as it conveys, first, that they are not the only ships at sea. There are many churches, of course, but not all have set sail, and not all are headed in the direction of global evangelism. Thus, it is helpful for churches to find partners who agree not only in their design and beliefs but also in their shared trajectory. Not all churches aiming to fulfill the Great Commission are Baptist churches, and wherever possible Baptist churches can and should sail with those with whom they can unite in evangelism and missions. Celebrating and encouraging other evangelical churches in this shared task is not something Baptist churches have always done well in their history, but when understood in these terms, they could find value in mutual encouragement. Likewise, as Baptist churches seek to start new churches to add to their fleet, they will find safe harbor and maximized mission when they work with other Baptist churches who not only are sailing in the same direction but also are united on the kinds of churches they are seeking to fund and start together at the ends of the earth.

Second, the picture conveys that these ships do need to tend to their own vessels to maximize speed and stay on course. To stay afloat in the world for gospel proclamation, Baptist churches have found the need to prioritize their own doctrinal and congregational health. These ships will, no doubt, encounter storms without and conflict within. A church that has lost its first love may also lose the Spirit’s enabling wind power behind it. Baptist churches at sea need to minimize any hindrance that would pull them off course.

Third, this picture conveys that individuals can serve and live on one ship at a time. While circumstance may dictate the need for believers to change churches, for most the norm is continuing to serve on the ship where one is placed. When a sailor is counting on the buoyancy of his ship for his life and safe travel, he is far more likely to look after the health and heading of the ship. It is the picture of foolishness to see sailors lounging on the top deck complaining about their ship, or envying another ship nearby, when their own is languishing due to their lack of effort. Thus, Baptist churches are more likely to be strengthened, revitalized, and steered back on course when their members are focused on thankfulness for the ship on which they have been placed, the fleet of which they are a part, and using their gifts to help keep that ship, and fleet, on course.

Why should Southern Baptist churches cooperate? This chapter aims to show that from their beginnings, Baptist churches found they needed other churches to maintain their own doctrinal health and to accomplish the shared mission given to all churches. Despite their faults and blind spots, from small groups in seventeenth-century England to the first national Baptist denomination in the United States in the nineteenth century, Baptist churches have persevered to hold intercongregational cooperation in doctrinal confession and missionary endeavor as a key distinctive. As I love to tell my students, this story is worthy of retelling to inspire ongoing renewal of Baptist churches of the present and future as they carry out the same mission. With that intent in view, in this chapter I will tell the story of Baptist beginnings.

__________

Editor’s note: This post is excerpted with permission from A Unity of Purpose, edited by Tony Wolfe and W. Madison Grace II; excerpt by Jason G. Duesing. Copyright 2025, B&H Publishing.



Living in Light of Jesus’s Return

By / May 23

Editor’s note: This summer, we’re sharing articles aimed at encouraging pastors, ministry leaders, and church members in living and serving in light of Christ’s coming Kingdom. To hear more on this topic from Jason K. Allen and other key leaders, register to join us for the 2025 For the Church National Conference, “Kingdom Come: Ministry in Light of Glory.”

The following article originally appeared in the May 2013 edition of SBC Life, and was originally published at ftc.co on November 30, 2016.

__________

“There are two days in my calendar: this day and that day,” quipped Martin Luther in reference to Christ’s second coming. We have come a long way since Luther’s statement, with most believers erring dramatically in one of two directions.

Second coming sensationalists are the most egregious, and widely lamented, offenders. They predict the timing of Jesus’ return; but, of course, they do so in vain. Jesus stated no man knows the day or hour of his return. The most infamous prognosticator in recent years has been Harold Camping, who on multiple occasions has predicted the specific date of Jesus’ return, thus embarrassing himself—and the name of Christ—before a watching world.

As irresponsible as Camping and his ilk are, one can argue the greater danger facing the church is not hyper-expectancy about Jesus’ return, but a slumbering church that acts as though Jesus isn’t returning at all. This seems especially to be the case in the year 2013. Twenty years ago, sermons and literature on the second coming were plentiful, but such interest seems to have gone the way of the el Camino car or the waterbed, an out of style fad from a previous generation.

This ought not be the case, for evangelicals are a second coming people. Though we hold differing positions on both the millennium and on the tribulation, we are unified on the literal and soon-coming return of Christ. For Christians, though, the most important questions to ask are not if Jesus will return—that is settled—and not when he will return, that is unknowable. The most helpful question to ask is: “So what?”

Jesus’ second coming is not an abstract doctrine with no bearing on the Christian life. Rather, the New Testament refers to Jesus’ return with applicability. The Bible is replete with references to Jesus’ second coming. These passages come not as an eschatological data dump, but as a forthcoming event that is to shape a Christian’s life. The Pauline corpus speaks with special relevance. Paul frequently references, and even elaborates on, the timing and circumstances of Christ’s return. In studying Paul’s many references to the second coming, one finds that the Apostle gives special emphasis not only to Jesus’ return, but to the church’s posture as the bride in waiting. What Jesus will do and when he will do it are not unimportant considerations, but they are not the most urgent. The most pressing consideration for believers is how we should live in light of his impending return.

An Expectant Hope

In Titus 2:13, Paul describes Jesus’ second coming as the church’s “blessed hope.” For most Christians throughout church history, expecting the second coming was more than the hope of moving from a good life to a more perfect eternal state. Rather, it was a yearning for deliverance from pestilence and war, a yearning for deliverance from death and destruction, and a yearning for deliverance from poverty and persecution, or even deliverance from martyrdom.

In the Western world, Christianity in the 21st century finds most believers enjoying life in relative comfort. Religious freedom, modern medicine, bourgeois lifestyle, and other modern-day conveniences have proven to bring not only earthly comfort but also spiritual complacency. This comfort often diminishes our yearning for Jesus’ return.

This complacency is frequently found in the local church as well. Many congregations act as though Christ’s return would interrupt their building program or contravene their long-range strategic plan. Too many young adults seem content for material pursuit, while senior adults are too busy enjoying retirement to long for Christ’s return. I sense that for many Christians today, heaven is too distant, eternity too abstract, and Jesus’ return too theoretical. In complete contrast, we need to live life on a first-century footing, yearning for something so beautiful and eternally satisfying—to see Jesus and be made like him—that it eclipses and transcends all other longings and expectations.

A Sanctified Life

In expounding upon Jesus’ return, Paul frequently references the church’s need to prepare individual’s lives to see Jesus. In fact, Paul calls the church to live as “sons of light and sons of the day, not as of the night or of darkness” (I Thessalonians 5:5), in anticipation of Jesus’ return. Truth be known, if our longing is not right, our living will not be right either.

Few things focus one’s life like impending judgment. This is why Jonathan Edwards resolved “never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trumpet” (Resolutions of a Saintly Scholar). Therefore, it is urgent that we recover a robust and expectant eschatology. As we do, we will find that a healthy anticipation of Jesus’ return infuses the Christian life with focus and urgency, proving to accelerate growth in the spiritual disciplines.

Cause and effect can be difficult to disentangle, but in the New Testament there is a clear correlation between anticipating Christ’s return and living a more sanctified Christian life. Expecting to meet Jesus occurs with a sober intention to purify one’s life, and the call to purify one’s life occurs in concert with anticipating Jesus’ return. This is why one preacher famously said we should live as though “Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow.”

A Renewed Witness

The more Christians contemplate Jesus’ return—and the final judgment associated with it—the more we will be renewed in our evangelistic witness. This is rooted in the gospel and the Great Commission itself. The lost urgently need to hear of Christ before they meet him. After all, as Peter reminds us, God has delayed Christ’s return and final judgment to allow time for a greater harvest of souls. Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The second coming of Jesus and the renewal of our personal witness is precisely where the inerrancy of Scripture and the exclusivity of the gospel intersect. To embrace the total truthfulness of God’s Word—including the soon-coming return of Christ and the corresponding truth that all must repent and believe in Jesus to be saved—should propel us into a renewed fervor for the Great Commission. The Christian who confesses Jesus is coming and that salvation is found only in his name must be dynamic, not static, in his witness.

Conclusion

The church’s attention to Jesus’ return seems to be seasonal, with interest rising and falling based upon a host of issues, most especially current geo-political events. The need of the hour is not for more end-times speculation or an unhealthy preoccupation with the sequence of eschatological events. Such interests should give way to an eschatological anticipation that impacts how we live the Christian life until he returns.

Perhaps there should be a touch of Harold Camping in us all: hoping, yearning, and even expecting Jesus’ return. Until he comes, we find ourselves with the saints of the ages, longing for the day when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and praying with the saints of the ages, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”



Five Keys to Applying for a Ministry Job

By / May 14

Over the last ten years or so, I have had the joy—and the burden—of taking the lead on hiring dozens of ministry staff members at churches I’ve served. That means I’ve also had the difficult responsibility of wading through hundreds upon hundreds of ministry resumes and cover letters in search of great candidates.

Not long ago, a candidate reached out and asked me for specifics as to why he wasn’t selected, as well as for advice as to how he could better position himself the next time he applied for a position. The young man is to be commended for his willingness to learn—I have a hunch that will serve him well in ministry. Below is an adaptation of what I shared with him:

  1. Trust God’s Timing and Be Faithful Where You Are

If you’re on the job hunt and not seeing much movement, don’t be discouraged. If we really believe that the Lord is sovereign and has a plan and purpose for our lives, we can trust Him with the timing of our next ministry assignment. Be sure to remain faithful right where you are until He moves you. Your current assignment is not wasted time—it’s preparation for what’s next.

  1. Understand That Fit Matters

One thing many candidates forget in their search is that qualifications often are not the differentiating factor between one candidate and the other. In this instance, for example, we hired someone who already attended our church. He understood our city, our culture, and our values. While other candidates had a stronger resume on paper, the relational fit and contextual familiarity tipped the scales. Remember that you don’t want to go somewhere you don’t fit, so take it as a kindness from the Lord when He keeps that from happening.

  1. Get Serious About Your Resume

Your resume is usually your first impression, so make it count.

  • Structure your resume strategically. Highlight your most relevant experience up front.
  • Be concise. Remember, the person hiring for the role may have dozens of these to read. Make it easy for them to get their head around your skills and experience.
  • Proofread everything. Then have someone else proofread it. Then proofread again. Attention to detail matters.
  • Avoid technical hiccups. A broken link in your email or an unreadable attachment can make a poor impression.

 

  1. Prepare Well for the Interview

If you’re able to land an interview, be sure you’re well prepared for it. Take the time to do your homework on the church. Make sure you’ve looked over the job description or the church’s website and listened to a sermon or two so that you have a good feel for what the church is like and what they prioritize. When you answer questions, be thorough but do not ramble. Be prepared to answer questions with stories from your ministry experience. These should be real-life examples of things you’re proud of in your ministry, challenges you’ve faced, obstacles you’ve overcome, and problems you’ve solved. Stories like these help the person interviewing you know you’re up for the challenge.

  1. Don’t Walk Alone

Finally, make sure you’ve got someone in your corner throughout your search. This could be a mentor, your pastor, or a professor who stays in the loop with you as you apply and interview. Ask them to pray with you, encourage you, and speak truth into your life. If you’re connected to a seminary, most of them have student success offices designed to help you. Take advantage of those resources.

Trust the Lord

Remember, you can trust the Lord with your future. In His timing, He’ll make His plan known. In the meantime, prepare well, be faithful where you are, and rest in Him.



The One Life Dream That Makes a Girl Blush

By / May 7

Editor’s note: We’re celebrating 10 years of FTC.co this spring. The article below is one of the most read articles in our history, originally published on March 22, 2019. We’re thankful for our readers and for the many authors who have contributed to our mission to provide gospel-centered resources for the Church.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Because of my work, I sit down regularly with single young women. Single young women who want nothing more than a wedding ring, the kids, the house, the whole lot. And mind you, their wishes are never wicked or wrong. What they desire is not evil. What they hope for isn’t silly. They are not glassy-eyed about their future. They are not sitting across from me wondering where Prince Charming is. They are faithful young women. Hard-working. Funny. Beautiful. Smart. And they have done well to steward what they have up to this point.

And yet, I see it. When the water is poured again and they lean back after a dish is served to their friends. When they take a breath and their shoulders slump a little. After they’ve told me all of they’ve said of their current life, their work, their time, their goals. They don’t want to say it, for fear that admitting it will make them look weak.

“I know it’s silly,” one girl said. “I know. But…” She hesitated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I really just want to be married. To raise some kids. To take care of a home.” She’s almost embarrassed by the time she’s finished saying the sentiment. As if admitting it has made any impressive strength and wit she had fade away into a pile of proverbial laundry and dishes. As if she’s ashamed for wanting something so “trivial” and simple. “Is that silly? I mean, it’s really all I really want to do.”

We’ve gone so far down the road of feminism that we’ve forgotten how to proudly be feminine. You want to carry a child in your bones and lay down your life for them for more than 18 years? You want to lay down your life and learn to die to self for the rest of your life? You want to serve someone with all your heart, body, and soul? You want to master the art of cooking for a crowd and have clean clothes and end each day knowing that there’s a group of people who look to you as one of their anchors and rocks? You want to work your tired body from dawn to dusk for love?

How silly it is not. How trivial is no way to describe it.

I wish we loved the strength it takes for a woman to become a wife and a mother. We marvel at her physical strength when she births a child. But we forget what invisible strength she shows when she lays down her life for her home every day after that. Social media spends all its energy telling women to remember who they are, to fight for their sacred spaces, to become the women they want to be. All things that feel confusing when you’re holding a newborn baby and learning to forget your self-centeredness, to allow others into your personal space, and to become the woman that you are becoming and not who you thought you’d be.

I wish that as a culture we understood what happens in those four walls when two adults decide to sacrifice for one another, be good stewards of their money, welcome in guests, and raise a generation to know the heritage of the Lord. I wish we called it more than a contract, an agreement, or even a commitment to vows. I wish we called it holy, beautiful, other-worldly.

We’ve tried to make it easy. We’ve updated our lives with gadgets and gizmos aplenty. We’ve made our machines smarter. We’ve made our cleaning supplies more time efficient. We’ve scrubbed the hard work right out the door. We don’t even need to meal plan or grocery shop anymore. Fresh groceries can show up at our door, pre-measured, pre-planned, ready to go to the table within 30 minutes.

We’ve turned our properties into museums. Instead of well-loved they are well-liked on social media and we’ve forgotten how to create a home; instead we curate a scene for those who will never step foot through our door. We’ve replaced hard conversations with texts.

We’ve told husbands and wives that the primary goal of their marriage is their own happiness. We’ve sold them the lie that once it gets hard, tired, menial, once it gets weary, someone raises their voice, or someone says something they regret, that we can get out with a white flag that says, “This just isn’t for me anymore.”

We’ve made love about sex. And sex about self.

When a woman says she wants to make dinner for her family, we crack a joke about June Cleaver and we laugh because who wants to waste their time with that? When a woman says she wants to stay home and raise children, we give a curt smile and say, “But what do you really want to do with your life?” And should she decide to pursue that, other women will be the first to look down their noses at her, tell her she’s not adding anything, that she’s slowing down progress.

As if giving up your life for others isn’t an incredible thing. We applaud heroes on the battlefield, social justice workers on the borderlines, desperate souls who risk everything for the ones they love.

But marriage? Motherhood? Small living? Psh. *eye roll* It’s 2019, right?

As if the woman who chooses such things has given up. As if her internal engine doesn’t weary. As if she’s not feeling incredibly alone because all of her 9–5 friends have opted for happy hours and bursting bank accounts while she empties herself for souls who need every ounce of her life.

Children have become the last resort. The final hurrah for a marriage that spends years “finding itself.” Career trumps caretaker. Independence is king. Personal happiness above that insane idea of laying it all down.

This is not to say that those who can’t have children, don’t have children, or aren’t married are inherently wrong. I’m just wondering if we have to speak so condescendingly about those who have said the hard “Yes” to the humbling and long-term work of marriage and family. Can we stop acting like they’ve chosen a simple and silly life? Can we stop talking about children like they’re soul-sucking, dream-killing, money-grabbing leeches on society? Can we stop treating wives and moms with the eye-rolling disdain that says, “Only the simple-minded woman would choose such an outdated path”?

We all buy into this narrative so much that when a 21-year-old girl sits across the table from me and tells me that she wants to be a mother, she blushes and gives a thousand caveats as to why she knows it’s not the optimal choice.

And yet—here’s what I know to be true. I’m nearly 36. I’ve carried two children in these bones and I’ve nursed them, held them, and wept over them, and because of them, I’ve planned meals for more than 10 years now for hungry bellies and bottomless pits. I’ve had seasons of scratching the bottom of empty bank accounts and seasons where I’ve forgotten to worry about money at all. I’ve forgotten myself entirely and sometimes thought of myself only and always too much.

Everyone in their 30s is talking about a rebirth and I’m still learning how to die.

But the souls that move in bodies in and around my home? They are a legacy and an investment that I do not ever regret giving it all for. When I’m weary and feeling empty, when my life goals feel lifetimes away and my body isn’t the one I hoped I’d have, I can promise you that I wouldn’t give them up for a thousand trips around the world, a perfect waistline, or a name linked to fame.

The world can forget me, but they will not.

Last summer, while the kids chased fireflies and the men smoked pipes, while the bonfire’s flames licked the edge of the summer sky, my friend turned to me and said: “Do you ever feel like you found the secret to happiness?” Her long legs crossed, a toddler tucked on her lap, she smiled. “You know—you see all these people out there chasing happiness? Adventure? Purpose? And do you think we’ve found it? Right here in our simple homes, good husbands, these kids…” she trailed off.

“I do think we’ve found it. It’s all right here,” I nodded back.

So, my dear friends, as the poet Wendell Berry said:

“…every day do something

that won’t compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it.”

And don’t blush for saying that’s all you really wanted anyway.



Student Ministry and Psalm 139

By / Apr 30

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

            Wonderful are your works;

                        my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)

Psalm 139 ought to impress the weight and wonder of God upon your soul. In light of this psalm, churches should in turn feel the weight and wonder of their ministry to students. Let us take just a slice of this glory and meditate on verse 14, answering three questions: What does this verse mean, why does it matter, and what does it look like in your church’s student ministry?

What Does Psalm 139:14 Mean? 

First, consider the whole psalm. This is a psalm about wondering and pondering the magnificence of God. Specifically, David is marveling at God’s knowledge, His presence, and His creation.

In verses 1–6, David marvels that God knows everything about him. God knows his comings and goings, his working and resting, his acting and thinking. It is too wonderful for David. In verses 7–12, our psalmist wonders at God’s presence. There is nowhere David has been, is, or will be where God is not. David is never alone. God is in heaven and in the grave, in the sky with the birds and in the sea with the fish. God leads and holds. Not even darkness stops His presence. Finally, in verses 13–16, David punctuates these observations by wondering at how the Lord created him. It is God who formed him. It is God who thought of David, brought his parents together, knitted him in the womb, and watched his growth.

This is not a psalm about the magnificence of man but the magnificence of his Creator. It is the Creator’s magnificence that David so memorably praises in verse 14: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

We are fearfully made. Fearfully is an interesting word to use. But it is the same word that we ascribe to our relation to the Lord. We fear the Lord. This is a weighty thing. We are in awe of Him, in the same way we awe at how we were created.

Wonderfully made speaks to the uniqueness of our design. David marvels at how he was made as one of the people of God. He has been set apart as one of God’s chosen people.

This verse points to the image of God in us. We are all created in the image of God. We have been given souls that can have affections, minds that can practice wisdom, and wills that can do righteous deeds. We’ve been created to reflect the glory of God to the rest of creation.

This image uniquely gives us inherent dignity. We are valuable and worthy of being treated with respect because we are all little images of the Creator. His image gives everyone value, from the youngest to the oldest. In this way, God loves all people. They all reflect Him, whether dimly or brightly. 

Why Does Psalm 139:14 Matter?

God is the Creator and sustainer of everything. Not a galaxy rotates in the universe without the instruction of the Lord. He spins the very universe on His finger and beholds all worlds and stars at once. He holds together the atoms that make up you and me. He sees every revolution of every electron that spins around every nucleus of every atom. He created the friendly dog and the majestic lion. He created the bustling trees and beautiful sunsets. He enjoys the sun setting continually on earth and on every other planet that exists with its sun. Yet of all these wonderful things, you and I are the crown of His creation. Humans. We bear His image, unlike everything else. You have intrinsic worth greater than any sunset or solar system. The students in your church have that same worth.

But at the same time, every other created thing in the universe obeys the voice of God. The only created things that rebel are the creatures that bear His image. We mar and distort the image with our sin. So, God in His wisdom, not desiring for us to stay that way, sent His Son. The perfect image. The radiance of His glory. The exact imprint of His nature.[1] His Son came and took on that image-bearing flesh. The true image takes on the reflection. He lived as we should and died as we should so that, through faith, our image might be restored to its true beauty.

So why does this psalm and the image of God matter for your student ministry? Because for the limited time that you have with them, you will have five or 500 broken image-bearers that need the image-restoring gospel. These students have worth that the world and even they themselves will try to blur and break. You have the gospel of life and light for them.

What Does Psalm 139:14 Look Like in Your Church’s Student Ministry?

I want to impress the weight and wonder of the task on you.

First, if you are in Christ, you bear a restored image of God, and your students need to see that. Let whatever you do be done in holiness, love, and wonder. When you sing, sing in awe and fear of the Lord. When you pray, pray like you know the Lord hears and answers you. When you eat stale chips, drink flat Cokes, and play cringy youth group games, do it to the glory of God. When you speak, let your words be seasoned with glory.

Second, these students need the image-restoring gospel. Make sure they hear that gospel—that God is holy, they are not, Christ came to be what we could not be, and we can have Christ’s righteousness and forgiveness of sin if we repent and place our trust in Him and His work. The Lord has been with these students since the beginning. He knitted them together. He knew their names before they were conceived. He has providentially placed them in your care to hear the good news of Jesus. Do not waste that.

Reflect the Lord’s holiness. Reflect the Lord’s love. Reflect the Lord’s gospel.

That was the weight of your task. Now let me lighten it. Let me show you the wonder.

You can trust in the providence, wisdom, mercy, and grace of God. He is the one who does the life changing and soul saving. He lets us be a part of this process when we proclaim the gospel and build up the saints. So at the end of every Wednesday, school year, and church camp, you can sleep.

The Lord will care for these students after they leave your care. You are being entrusted with them for just a little bit. It is your privilege and responsibility. Be faithful and entrust the fruit to the Lord. His love is greater than your love. His grace is greater. His mercy is greater. I pray you minister this week with wonder and awe at God. Minister knowing that these students have been fearfully and wonderfully made. I pray you end each youth group gathering saying to the Lord, “Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

__________

[1] Hebrews 1:3.



Know Jesus Like the Disciples Did

By / Apr 23

How can you love Jesus when you don’t see Him? How can you have a “personal relationship” with someone who is not physically present?

When I was younger, I would pray that God would give me a dream where I was a disciple with Jesus. I wanted, just for a night, to be able to walk with Him, talk with Him, and experience what it would have been like. I think this is part of why shows like The Chosen (despite their flaws) are so popular. They give people a vision of what friendship and fellowship with Jesus could have been like.

But I never got the answer to my prayer, and we don’t live in a TV series.

Jesus is not physically here anymore.

On Easter, we celebrate the good news that Jesus is alive. But He is not physically present. Are we missing out, or can we still know Jesus like the disciples did?

What Was It Like to Fellowship with Jesus?

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1–4 CSB)

John says that during Jesus’s time on earth the disciples experienced direct fellowship with Him.

Imagine how awesome that would be! You would never have to pray for wisdom when facing a difficult decision; you just walk up to Jesus and ask Him your question. You wouldn’t have to ask for God’s comfort; you just go on a walk with Jesus, eat a meal with Him, and receive His hug. You wouldn’t have to ask for His peace; He may literally calm the storm. You wouldn’t have to pray for God to help you; you could just ask Jesus to come over to your house and physically help you with your kids, or guest preach at your church, or join the prayer team. You would never have to wonder why God is silent or feel that He’s distant. You would have living fellowship with Him. You would listen, talk, and enjoy.

John says this fellowship was complete joy. All other joys are incomplete shadows of this joy. They have shape and form but miss the color, detail, and fullness of what they point to.

The death of Jesus could have crushed His disciples for many reasons. But one easily forgotten aspect is they lost their friend. They enjoyed being with Him. However great your best friend is, he or she is not perfect. No matter how kind or wise the most mature saints in your church may be, they don’t compare with Jesus. Whatever qualities you enjoy in your close circle of friends that make you eager to spend time with them are but degrees and reflections of the fulfillment found in Jesus.

Jesus is called the word of life, the source of all goodness, fulfillment, and satisfaction. To know Him is to know true life. This must have been one reason the resurrection was such good news. The disciples’ joyful fellowship was restored!

This is what they had. But what about us?

Can We Have This Joyful Fellowship?

John is not trying to make us jealous. He invites us, saying, “What we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us.” The resurrection means Jesus is still alive; He still offers this fellowship.

This is one aspect that sets Christianity apart from all the other major world religions. They don’t claim that after the death of their leader you can still have fellowship with them. No one says they have a personal relationship with Buddha or Mohammad or Moses. Those were teachers who brought a message. But after their death, they were gone.

But the resurrection means Jesus brought more than a message. He brought even more than forgiveness. He brought fellowship with Himself. And John, writing to believers like us, who never met Jesus in the flesh, says we can still have this.

How Do We Experience This Fellowship?

John says, “What we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

This means the purpose of his letter (and by extension, what we know to be true of all God’s Word) is that we would have fellowship with Jesus, which fulfills and completes our joy.

The word of life came to the disciples in the incarnation, and it comes to us through declaration. We are able to experience the joy of fellowship that they had as we read and interact with the living Word of God.

Sometimes when we read a good book or watch a movie, we begin to feel like we know the characters, like we are a part of the story. We may cry at the death of Dumbledore, be inspired by the speeches on horseback, or clap at the victory shot in Hoosiers. Though our emotion is real, our presence with the characters is not. But the Bible is more.

The Bible isn’t just a book to be studied and applied. It’s the voice of the living God. We don’t just read; we relate. God speaks to us, actively, today. We listen as God speaks (His promises, correction, revealing His character and work), and we respond back in prayer (worship, thanksgiving, confession, supplication).

Jesus is not physically present, but by His Spirit, He leads us into real fellowship with Him through His Word.

One day we will see Him face to face; we will experience the fullness of uninhibited communion. But right now, we are not settling for second best. The resurrection means the best person to ever live, the only God-man to ever live, is still alive, and we can enjoy fellowship with Him today. Don’t settle for watching on TV or dreaming about what is available to you today.