This is the seventeenth lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
This will be said many times in the days to come: few Christians have had a larger impact on the world than evangelist Billy Graham—in all of history. He will be remembered for his character, his accomplishments, and his amazing connections with global leaders over many decades. We will also remember him for his words—and perhaps one phrase that he never tired of repeating: “The Bible says…”
In an age when people were suspicious of “Bible-thumpers,” most people never thought of Billy Graham in that way because Billy Graham did not use the Bible as a weapon or a tool of domination. He did not proffer an exotic personal interpretation. His explanations of the Bible were not cliché or elitist.
When Billy Graham said “the Bible says” it was like watching an eagle catching an updraft with outstretched wings. He invited us to be borne up and carried along by the truth of Scripture. He also brought the truth of Scripture to us as a healing ointment and as a stinging antiseptic.
Most important, when Billy Graham said “the Bible says” he was letting the world know: This is not about me. I am nothing but a desperate sinner like everyone else. I would have no hope without God’s promises.
This, of course, was what gave Billy Graham that rarest of qualities these days for leaders: trustworthiness. He was voted “most admired” man by many polls for many years because we are all looking so desperately for that person who really is without guile—who is genuinely humble, grateful, and reverent.
Though Billy Graham repeated “the Bible says” over and over, we always knew he did not worship the Book. People did not accuse him of “bibliolatry.” What came through was his reverence for God the Father, submission to Jesus, and a wide-eyed expectancy of what the Holy Spirit would do next in a stadium, or through television waves, or within a youth movement.
“The Bible says” means “God says.” Billy Graham knew there was nothing more important.
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Special Note: Easter is April 1. Available now, the Easter devotional, Knowing Him: Devotional Readings About the Cross and Resurrection by Mel Lawrenz. Get it now to start three weeks of daily readings on Sunday, March 11. The life and teachings of Jesus are worth a lifetime of study, contemplation, and application. So too his death and resurrection. Jesus made it very clear that he had a purpose in coming, and that this purpose would be fulfilled at the time when he was betrayed, handed over to the authorities, killed, and raised from the dead. And so for centuries in the spring of the year, around the time of the Passover, Christians have turned their attention to the accounts of the suffering of Jesus, and of his astonishing resurrection from the dead. The apostle Paul said: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).
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[If you believe this series will be helpful, this is the perfect time to forward this to a friend, a group, or a congregation, and tell them they too may sign up for the weekly emails here]
Mel Lawrenz (@MelLawrenz) trains an international network of Christian leaders, ministry pioneers, and thought-leaders. He served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for ten years and now serves as Elmbrook’s minister at large. He has a PhD in the history of Christian thought and is on the adjunct faculty of Trinity International University. Mel is the author of 18 books, including How to Understand the Bible—A Simple Guide and Spiritual Influence: the Hidden Power Behind Leadership (Zondervan, 2012). See more of Mel’s writing at WordWay.
Have you considered how radical the apostle Paul was in his life and teaching and the extreme unlikelihood of what he achieved? He was a fervent Jewish leader and yet he is central to any understanding of earliest Christianity. His effective legacy and intellectual influence cannot be complete without an understanding of his Jewish heritage.
Briefly describe who Paul was and the importance of his writings in the Bible.
N.T. Wright: Paul was a first-century Jew, slightly younger than Jesus. He became a follower of Jesus, believing him to be Messiah, after seeing Jesus alive after his death (Acts 9). Putting together his lifelong loyalty to the One God of Israel with his devotion to Jesus as Messiah and Lord, and blessed with an extraordinary energy and gift for words, he travelled through Turkey and Greece, and eventually to Rome and perhaps further still, telling Jews that Jesus was their Messiah and Gentiles that Jesus was their Lord. He urged them (and other unlikely groups too, such as women and men together and slaves and free) to worship as a single family and to live the newly-human way of life which Jesus launched in his resurrection and enabled by his spirit.
Paul’s writings are the earliest evidence we have for the Christian movement, and they’re vital not only because of what they teach but because of how they teach. Paul wanted people not just to think new thoughts, but to think (and pray and live) in a new way. That challenge is as vital today as ever.
What was the context of the time in which Paul lived?
N.T. Wright: The Roman Empire covered all the world which Paul traveled; Greek thinking and culture was likewise widespread; Jews had dispersed around the world (though still with a solid base in Jerusalem). Paul, a devout Jew, brought up in Tarsus (one of the main centers of ancient philosophy), a citizen of Rome, straddles the three cultures and exploits them to serve the message of Jesus.
How unusual is it that Paul, steeped in Jewishness, set the foundation for Christianity?
N.T. Wright: From one point of view, ‘unusual’ isn’t putting it strongly enough: as he says, Jews regard the gospel as scandalous (1 Corinthians 1:23). From another point of view, Christianity is simply ‘fulfilled Judaism’, since it’s based on Israel’s scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3) and claims that they’re fulfilled in Israel’s Messiah who is the world’s true Lord (Romans 1:1-5). That’s the paradox of Paul.
N.T. Wright: Paul had the energy, focus, and relentless determination that we associate with successful political campaigners (who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer) or people who set up non-profit organizations to work for some great cause. He must have been an exhausting companion; but at the same time he was obviously exhilarating. He could hold a crowd spellbound for hours. He was a loving and caring pastor to individuals. He set a great example (working with his own hands to support himself, and modeling the new way of being human).
But none of this would have had the effect it did had he not also had extraordinary intellectual gifts. Fluent in Greek as well as Hebrew and Aramaic, he knew his Bible inside-out, and had thought through in depth the ways in which the fact of Israel’s Messiah being crucified and raised from the dead had transformed the hope of Israel. He could face any question, any puzzle large or small, and bring to bear on it both a deep-rooted scriptural wisdom and a prayerful and loving pastoral heart. It’s a great combination.
How should 21st century readers of Paul’s writings understand his first century cultural outlook on spiritual matters?
N.T. Wright: The message of Jesus hasn’t changed; it challenged and shocked people in the first century as much as it does today. But our problem is that we often assume we know ‘what Christianity is,’ subtly ignoring all sorts of features of Paul’s message which were basic for him. For example, most western Christians still think their goal is ‘going to heaven,’ which Paul never says. For him, Jesus will come back to transform this world, and us with it. That’s one of the biggest challenges. But that’s not a clash between first and 21st century, but between the real biblical message and the distortions people have subtly introduced down the years.
What do you mean when you write that Paul was a contextual theologian?
N.T. Wright: Paul had a rich ‘home base’ of biblical knowledge and theological understanding. But none of his letters was written to say ‘here’s what I believe’ in a systematic way. Even Romans, which looks like that a bit, is in fact directed to a very specific situation in the Roman churches, as chapters 14 and 15 indicate. Ephesians is probably a ‘circular’ to various churches in western Turkey; but even there, there are particular issues to be faced, not least the question of hostile spiritual ‘powers.’
So, the context to which he’s writing (and obviously the context from which he’s writing) is really important. It doesn’t mean he changes his views to fit the audience, but he changes the way he says things for reasons to do with the different contexts.
Why was Paul arrested; how long was he imprisoned; and how did that experience influence his writings?
N.T. Wright: I think it’s clear that Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus, but we don’t know what the charge was or how long he spent ‘inside.’ He was thrown into jail other times – Philippi, for instance (Acts 16) and Caesarea (Acts 23-26, though the latter was as much protective custody as anything.
Paul would have said that he was bound to face punishment, since he was announcing Jesus as ‘Lord’ in a world where Caesar was ‘Lord;’ and people who didn’t understand how the gospel actually worked were constantly suspicious that he was destroying their culture. We can see in 2 Corinthians 1 that when he reflects on his time in Ephesus (including imprisonment and perhaps torture), it has changed him profoundly. I think that was a time when his life of constant prayer had to go much deeper than before, coming up with some of the astonishing insights and poetic expression that we find in, for instance, Philippians 2:6-11 and Colossians 1:15-20.
How should a person read your book in conjunction with reading the Bible?
N.T. Wright: I hope people will enjoy getting into Paul’s world—and indeed, inside his mind and heart—and then discovering the ways in which his letters are not just ‘essays’ or ‘treatises’ on this or that topic—detached from real life as it were—but are actually the vital things that he needed to say to this congregation at this particular moment. So I hope that readers will be able to shuttle to and fro between the picture I’m painting and their own reading and study of Paul’s letters—and of course the Acts of the Apostles where parts at least of his story are told.
What is the overriding challenge of Paul for Christians?
N.T. Wright: If Paul could see the Western church, the biggest shock for him would not just be the fact that we’re radically divided—tens of thousands of Christian ‘denominations’ in the USA alone, let alone around the world!—but that we don’t seem to think it matters! Every letter Paul wrote he stressed unity and/or reconciliation between different Christian individuals and groups. Within that, of course, there are plenty of other challenges, notably to holiness. But unity is massive—and massively—ignored today.
What do you hope to accomplish in the lives of the readers of your book?
N.T. Wright: My hope is that readers will find themselves understanding what it was really like to be an early Christian—not least to be a devout Jew who became a follower of Messiah Jesus. The more we feel that from the inside, the more our reading of the New Testament—and our love, our prayer, our following Jesus ourselves—will be enhanced.
What is a favorite Bible passage of yours and why?
N.T. Wright: I love 2 Corinthians 5:21: God made the Messiah to be sin for us, who knew no sin (that is the glorious truth of Jesus standing in our place)—so that we might become—that is, might embody and live out—the covenant faithfulness of God. Paul is writing here about his own apostolic ministry, though the words apply to all Christians as well. He goes on at once, at the start of chapter 6, to quote Isaiah 49, one of his favorite passages, in which the prophet says ‘I have given you as a covenant to the peoples’: Paul saw himself as an under-Servant—following and obeying Jesus as the Suffering Servant—entrusted with taking forward the covenant purposes of Israel’s God for the whole world.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?
N.T. Wright: Anything that gets people reading and studying the Bible has my vote.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
N.T. Wright: We’re always in danger of thinking of Paul as a ‘religious’ figure or teacher. That’s how modern western culture wants to pigeonhole him (and Jesus, too, for that matter). That is quite wrong.
Paul was a leading public intellectual, articulating a different vision of what life could and should be like, expounding the remarkable basis on which it stood firm (the unique achievement and person of Jesus himself), and founding and maintaining cells of people (‘churches’) loyal to Jesus ahead of all others; Caesar included.
Of course, what we think of as ‘religion’ (prayer, worship, etc.) were central. But for Paul it was a total way of life. And we must remember that when we think about Paul (over against, say, the other ‘religions’ of his day, including his native Jewish way of life) we’re not actually looking at ‘comparative religion.’ For Paul it was—to use technical language—about messianic eschatology. In other words, Jesus had been raised from the dead and thereby designated as Israel’s Messiah and the world’s true Lord. Either that was true or it wasn’t. Paul staked his life on the belief that it was.
Just as you would call 9-1-1 (in the USA) in a physical emergency, there may be crisis times in your life when you need to be able to quickly “dial” uplifting messages from the Bible to help keep you going.
Here’s a brief emergency list of Bible verses on Bible Gateway that may be just what you need. Share this with your friends and followers.
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Susie Larson: Bold prayer, I believe, is biblical prayer. We’re tethered to the faithfulness of God who makes promises and keeps his promises. We get into trouble when we equate our bold prayers with our very specific expectations of what the outcome should look like.
I’ve seen many people give up on prayer, utterly disappointed because God didn’t jump through their hoops or come through in the exact way they expected him to. He’s not bound by our dictates. He’s God. But he’s better than we know; kinder than we can fathom; and wiser than our minds can comprehend.
When we remember that he’s God and we’re not, and that he’s faithful to his Word, we can come boldly into his presence, assured of his glad welcome (see Ephesians 3:8-13). And from that place, we can pray big prayers and dream big dreams because he’s a miracle working God (see Ephesians 3:20-21).
How does understanding God’s love make a person bold in prayer?
Susie Larson: For the Christian, everything springs out of God’s great love for us. We love because he loved us first (1 John 4:10). We lose our way when we put more weight onto what we do than on what Christ has already done.
A thriving faith-life becomes rigid religion when we turn our get-to’s into ought-to’s and should-do’s. But when we live in response to God’s unchangeable, unfathomable love for us, we grow into the person God always intended us to be.
When we develop a holy confidence in who we are because of who Jesus is, we dare to pray like there’s a God in heaven who hears us when we pray, because there is, and he does, and it’s awesome. To know this love is to be filled with the fullness of God (see Ephesians 3:19).
What do you mean that the Bible and prayer are a person’s lifelines?
Susie Larson: The Bible is the living breathing word of God; it’s active, powerful, and life-changing (Hebrews 4:12). When we open the Word, we open God’s mouth; he speaks to us. If that were not enough, he invites us into his presence, and asks us to come with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
We don’t have to get in line, take a number, or know someone who knows someone. We know the star-breathing God and he knows us intimately. Nothing is more important or valuable than a thriving, intimate walk with the One who gives life to every step we take.
Someone once said, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” Exactly. That’s why we need to see the value of time with God, otherwise we’ll be swept up in the current of the culture and miss the treasure of what it means to dialogue with the Most High God.
How do you respond to people who say they’ve prayed for years for a specific need but it seems God isn’t listening?
Susie Larson: Many years ago my mentor said something to me that helped me sort through this dynamic. She said, “Susie, it’s important that you understand the difference between expectation and expectancy. Expectation is premeditated disappointment. It’s like creating a bullseye for God to hit and then getting offended when he doesn’t. Expectancy, on the other hand, is faith-filled prayers mixed with holy expectancy. There’s a mystery to God. We can’t explain everything he does. But we know he’s good. So we pray big prayers, and we live with an open-handed expectancy, knowing that he moves when we pray, and that he’ll show up and answer in his way, which is the best way. And our faith matters to him; it’s precious to him.”
I love that. If you’re in such a place, maybe it’s time for a different approach. If you’re offended with God, sort through that issue, and approach him with fresh humility and expectancy.
What stories from Scripture have helped you adjust your perspective to circumstances and pray with endurance?
Susie Larson: Someone once said that if there’s a story in Scripture you return to time and time again, then there’s something of your life-script hidden within that story. In other words, there are deeper truths God wants to show you from that story that will better help you to understand your own story.
I’ve returned to the Old Testament story of Joseph more times than I can count. I’ve walked through much hardship. I “watched” how Joseph handled heartbreak, delay, disappointment, and injustice with such a heart of honor. His response to hardship challenged and confronted me and helped me to persevere.
There’s even a little nuance that jumped off the page one day. He was unjustly imprisoned, unjustly accused, yet he stewarded his heartbreak to such a degree that he was available to encourage others when they needed it (think about that for a moment). In Genesis 40 we read how Joseph noticed that the chief baker and cupbearer looked troubled. In so many words, Joseph asked, “Why the long face?” That floors me!
If I want God to use me in every season, then I need to steward my perspective and guard my heart so I never get so wrapped up in my stuff that I miss those around me.
What do you mean Christians should focus on the bigger story?
Susie Larson: When we encounter life’s disappointments, we instinctively start to think small. We pull inward, focus on our hurts, and view our lives totally out of context. In Your Powerful Prayers I explore two women who faced their disappointments in different ways.
In the book of Ruth, for example, we read about Naomi. She, her husband, and two sons lived in Bethlehem when a famine hit the land. And instead of seeing themselves in the bigger story and seeking God to find out why their people were suffering (Bethlehem meant ‘house of bread’ after all), they kept themselves in the smaller story and traveled outside God’s protective boundaries for them. One scholar wrote that Elimelech traded one famine for three funerals. Read the story and you’ll see the consequences of such a devastating choice.
But if you stay with that story, you’ll see how God went ahead and made a plan to redeem the story. Ruth, a Moabite dared to step outside her small story and trust God with the unknown. And God grafted her into the lineage of Christ. This is a too-quick synopsis of this amazing story, but read it again, with fresh eyes.
Let’s apply it to us today. What does it look like to pull ourselves out of the smaller story so we can pray big prayers? Consider your own heartbreak. Step back and know that though you’re uniquely loved and understood by God, you’re not alone in your struggle, and you’re not the only one who’s walking through what you’re walking through.
For example, if you have a prodigal, what if you stepped into the bigger story and asked God to bring all of the prodigals home, and to use them in mighty ways in the days ahead? Or what if you prayed for every struggling marriage, and asked God for a revival of love in the church today?
Don’t let the enemy isolate you in your troubles or convince you that your story doesn’t matter. Because when you step into the bigger story, and pray on a bigger scale, that enemy will be sorry he ever messed with you.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?
Susie Larson: I’m on Bible Gateway multiple times a day. I work as a talk-radio host and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for Bible Gateway. I often do quick searches when callers wonder about certain passages. I have Bible Gateway open constantly whenever I’m writing a book. It’s a priceless tool for which I’m so very grateful!
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Susie Larson: Look around and you’ll notice how amped up the culture is; and what’s the default response? Fear. Anger. Self preservation. Yet, you know how would God have us live? With holy confidence and humble dependence.
My husband often says that things aren’t falling apart, they’re falling into place. We can trust God. And if we forget about his faithfulness, our default response to the times will be to either numb out on some faux comfort, or to shake our fists at the darkness as if that somehow makes things better.
But what if we prayed? What if we asked God to do the impossible in and through us? What if we dared to pray bold prayers and take faith risks in a way that not only changed the trajectory of our lives, but also hugely impacted the people in our midst?
I dare you to up your game. I dare you to boldly run into the presence of the Most High God and pray like you’ve never prayed before.
After nearly a century of living and preaching the Bible’s gospel message, Christian evangelist William Franklin “Billy” Graham (@BillyGraham and @BGEA) died February 21, 2018 at his home in the mountains of North Carolina. He was 99.
According to his official profile, Billy Graham took Jesus Christ literally when he said in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Mr. Graham preached the gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts.
In answering a question posed by Bible Gateway, The Billy Graham Library (@TheBGLibrary) said Mr. Graham did not officially share what his favorite Bible translation was, but “we know that he typically used the King James Version when preaching, the New International Version in his writings, and The Living Bible for personal devotions.
“One of Mr. Graham’s favorite verses was Philippians 1:6, ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.’”
“My favorite verse of Scripture was taught to me by my mother when I was just a little boy: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’
“This is the one Scripture that I always preach on in a crusade, usually on the opening night. I suppose it is the most familiar passage in the Bible. It has only twenty-five words in the English translation of it, but it is the gospel in a nutshell. Someone has called it a miniature Bible. The word “whosoever” in this verse means the whole world. Whatever the color of a person’s skin, whatever language he speaks, God loves him and God is willing to save him. To me that is marvelous. It also says that life doesn’t begin when you die, it begins here and now.”
Toward the end of his life, his son, Franklin Graham, said in a Facebook post (Oct. 10, 2017) that Billy Graham selected Galatians 6:14 as his life’s verse: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (KJV).
According to news reports, a Bible was placed inside Billy Graham’s simple pine plywood casket prior to its closing.
Before his death, Billy Graham stipulated the following to be on his grave marker:
BILLY GRAHAM
NOVEMBER 7, 1918 – FEBRUARY 21, 2018
PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST JOHN 14:6
In an interview with US News and World Report in 1988, Billy Graham was asked what his favorite Bible story or passage was.
“Well, of course, if you are in the New Testament, I would say the Gospels. The Gospel of John is what I have preached the most because it is filled with stories. You know Jesus taught by using stories and I like to use stories to illustrate what I am saying. The fifteenth chapter of Luke, which is the story of the prodigal son. The love of the father. How God loves us no matter what we do, where we go, how we live, He loves us. And I can’t get over the love and mercy and grace of God. Every day I marvel at it, that God could love me, Billy Graham, with all my failures and weaknesses.
“Then in the Old Testament, the Psalms. One half of all the quotes that Jesus made from the Old Testament came from the book of Psalms, because the psalmist lived every experience that we live. He was up one day and down the next. He had every kind of thought. Then he would talk to God about it.”
According to the Library, “Mr. Graham went on to share how he and his late wife Ruth would read five chapters of Psalms and one chapter of Proverbs a day. He explained that Psalms teaches you how to get along with God and Proverbs teaches you how to get along with man.”
Mr. Graham fervently believed in the power of the Bible’s message to transform lives. In the article he wrote for Christianity Today, “Biblical Authority in Evangelism,” he said, “I had many doubts about the Bible. Now I see Scripture as a flame that melts away unbelief.”
Throughout his life, Billy Graham said no other book is as important as the Bible and Christians need to make an effort to understand it. He suggested that a first-time reader not start with Genesis, but rather with one of the Gospels in the New Testament, adding that he often recommended the Gospel of John, “because the Gospels tell us about Jesus Christ—his life, his ministry, and especially his death and resurrection. All the Old Testament points forward to Christ, and he is the center of the Bible’s message. Put Christ at the center of your life, and once you do, you’ll understand the rest of the Bible more clearly.”
This is the sixteenth lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
Life is complicated. Every day we face decisions large and small that can be knotty and convoluted. Make a poor choice and we may suffer for it, or others may be hurt. If we’re smart we’ll realize we need wisdom that we can gain from trusted mature friends, and from the Scriptures, God’s deposit of wisdom for us.
God’s wisdom is not merely a collection of trustworthy principles for life, however. Wisdom includes a developed ability to make good judgments between what is right and wrong, or good, better, and best. It is what the Bible calls discernment, and it can save us from disaster.
Charles Spurgeon said discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right. Discernment, in other words, is refined perception. It is an ability to see, at a deep level, our own strengths and weaknesses and those of others. Discernment helps us know what our true motives are.
The New Testament word for discernment (diakrina) means to separate or distinguish. Discernment is the ability to cut carefully between what is good and bad. A surgeon takes a scalpel in hand in order to cut a line between healthy and diseased tissue. We want our surgeons to be skilled so that they don’t leave behind disease and they don’t cut away what is healthy. We want them to use good quality scalpels, not butter knives.
Discernment helps us to be discriminating without being discriminatory. To judge without being judgmental. To separate without dividing. Discernment is fine work.
When we are discerning we are less likely to make foolish decisions based on rash evaluations of our situation. We will not take a black-or-white view of things; a tendency in our society today that comes from simple laziness. Bias is the easy way. Discernment respects others and honors God.
Hebrews 4:12 describes how the Scriptures are the scalpel God has gifted us: “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Generally we should avoid judging the hearts of others because only God knows the heart. If we don’t want other people to assume they know our motives, we have to withhold from judging the motives of others. Jesus said: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:1–2).
On the other hand, we are called to exercise judgment. “Do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!” (1 Cor. 6:2-3).
So what is the difference between exercising judgment and being judgmental? We are being judgmental when our motive is to devalue or control others, or to be self-righteous about ourselves.
Note that Hebrews 4:12 speaks of God’s word as alive and active. The word of God penetrates even into the inner recesses of our hearts. Scalpels cut, but with the purpose of eventual healing. We are not to apply verses of the Bible, in other words, in mechanical and crude ways to our lives or in judgment of others. The word of God develops a living dynamic in our hearts whereby our instincts and perceptions are trained. We can see sin over the horizon when we are tempted. We are able to sense when someone is lying to us or to themselves. We can spot the difference between a counterfeit and the real thing.
Hebrews 5:14 speaks of mature believers “who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” The ability to discern comes by training, in other words. There is no substitute for accumulated experience. A surgeon gets better and better with the repetition of the same procedures, and by reading profession literature as a habit. In the same way we get better and better at discerning the complexities of life through experience and by a lifestyle of reading Scripture.
Living the Bible means that we exercise a kind of penetrating vision that helps us see through the dust and fog of life, to see things the way they really are, and to make conscious choices about the people we want to influence us. Discernment is perception, insight, and correct judgment about the people wanting to influence us.
And so we come back to this principle: Living the Bible means living in reality. The alternative—to live in some degree of self-deception or extreme naiveté—is not right and not safe.
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Coming Soon… A Book of Prayers for Kids
[If you believe this series will be helpful, this is the perfect time to forward this to a friend, a group, or a congregation, and tell them they too may sign up for the weekly emails here]
Mel Lawrenz (@MelLawrenz) trains an international network of Christian leaders, ministry pioneers, and thought-leaders. He served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for ten years and now serves as Elmbrook’s minister at large. He has a PhD in the history of Christian thought and is on the adjunct faculty of Trinity International University. Mel is the author of 18 books, including How to Understand the Bible—A Simple Guide and Spiritual Influence: the Hidden Power Behind Leadership (Zondervan, 2012). See more of Mel’s writing at WordWay.
My father was a strict disciplinarian, and I dreaded weekend visits with him, sometimes to the point of tears. He was hard on me, and I was afraid of him. It was in stark contrast to the love, nurture, and affirmation I experienced with my mom. I lived in fear of making simple mistakes in front of him, because of the scorn and the ridicule I would undoubtedly receive. I can still remember how angry he became one time when I spilled milk while trying to pour it into a bowl of cereal. He reacted as if I’d done it intentionally, as if there were no possible way a small child who was paying attention could ever miss the bowl.
I learned to walk on eggshells around him to avoid arousing his temper and the piercing words that would fly out of his mouth when he was displeased. The fear of upsetting him only increased my anxiety, as well as the odds that I would make even more mistakes that angered him. As I grew older, spilling milk wasn’t so much an issue anymore, but my father still found ways to call my life into question or to reiterate his vision of success for my life, regardless of how different it was from my own.
The older I got and the more accomplished I became, the more our relationship seemed to improve. As my success became more evident and undeniable, his critiques seemed to lessen. He still found occasions to throw darts of inadequacy my way, but I learned to disregard them. I had adopted this principle from the Ten Commandments: “Honor your father and your mother” (Deut. 5:16). I was counting on the corresponding promise that doing so meant things would go well with me. That verse helped me and called me to take the high road in our relationship, regardless of whether I thought my father’s actions deserved honor. I believed that I should honor him not because of how he treated me but simply because he was my father—imperfect and all. I was determined to think the highest thoughts concerning him and also sought to understand him better. I told myself that, considering the difficulties of his own upbringing, he was doing the best he could by me.
In anticipation of this particular Father’s Day, I decided to do something special for my dad. I knew he liked deep-sea fishing, so I decided to coordinate a trip to celebrate him on Father’s Day. This was a big step for me. I loved my father, but we hadn’t gotten past the awkwardness of spending any real length of time together. On this trip, we’d be on a boat together for several hours, miles away from shore—this should give you a good idea of how much I was really putting myself out there. Nevertheless, in the name of honor, I picked up the phone and extended the invitation.
Dad seemed a little surprised by my offer, but he accepted the invitation and told me to keep him posted with the details. His positive response was a huge relief to me, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. Just presenting an idea to him that was acceptable—without critique—was a victory. Having it be something that honored him and would ultimately please him gave me a sense that things were beginning to turn around in our relationship. I felt as if this part of my life was finally making the kind of positive turn I’d experienced in so many other areas.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. Things didn’t exactly work out as I had planned.
Two weeks later I phoned my father to give him the details of our trip. I was excited to have worked out the logistics, the trip was set, and all we needed to do was show up. However, I didn’t get the enthusiastic response I had expected. The response I got was jarringly familiar.
“I’ve made other plans for Father’s Day,” Dad said. “It’s your fault this isn’t going to work out, because you didn’t give me the details sooner.”
I was speechless. And yet I told myself I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, it wasn’t unlike my father to be erratic and critical. He didn’t have much of a filter for what he said, nor did he show his sensitive side very often. I told myself I should be perfectly okay with Dad just being Dad in this scenario, as he had been in so many others. I even told myself that I was okay. But I wasn’t okay, and the accumulated brokenness from our relationship was about to come crashing down on me.
As Father’s Day approached, my mother asked me how plans for the fishing trip were shaping up. I told her that Dad had backed out but that it was okay because I really didn’t want to go in the first place. Later, when a close friend asked about the trip, I was beginning to give a similar answer when I felt overcome by a deep emotion I had trouble identifying. The feeling was both unfamiliar and familiar. Something that had been buried within me was rising to the surface, and it was no longer going to be quiet.
To be honest, it felt like there was a screaming monster inside me that had suddenly been roused. This intruder beneath the surface was now setting off alarm bells that reverberated throughout every part of me. I tried to pray the intruder away and even tried to distract myself from it, but it wouldn’t leave. This unstoppable force was disrupting my life, and I could not shake it.
With Father’s Day just around the corner, I finally admitted that what was going on inside me would not simply go away. My peace was gone, my thoughts were fragmented, and to make matters worse, it was now Sunday morning, and in less than two hours I would stand before my congregation for the first of our two Sunday morning services with an enormous problem: I had nothing to say. Whatever this monster within me was, it cut off the flow of love and clarity I relied on week in and week out to prepare and deliver my messages to the congregation.
I felt overwhelmed with anxiety, but I was trying very hard to keep it all together. I was terrified to confront what was inside me. It was rage and pain and grief, and I didn’t want to deal with any of it. If I took a real look at it—if I truly locked eyes with this monster—I wasn’t sure I would come out of the encounter in one piece. I didn’t know who I would become or what my life would look like if I lost the fight. I reasoned it would be better for me to function through my dysfunction until I had the wherewithal to handle it, but now I was up against the clock. The weekend messages I gave to the church were built on personal openness and transparency, and I knew I couldn’t hide what I was going through beneath the surface. I was trapped.
As I stepped into the shower, I was exhausted, confused, and out of options. And yet somewhere in my heart I heard the whisper of a loving voice. It’s okay not to be okay. In that moment, everything seemed to shift into slow motion, and my heart began to shift as well. Those whispered words were the divine key that released me from the shackles of fear and numbness.
It’s okay not to be okay. As the warm water washed over me, those gentle healing words washed through me. I let go of my need to have it all together and surrendered to a process I knew would lead me toward wholeness. I also knew it would require facing the monster within. A newfound vulnerability came over me, and I began to sob uncontrollably. For the first time, I allowed myself to feel the emotion I’d buried when Dad told me he’d made other plans for Father’s Day. The monster that rose up in me that day was Hurt, and its name was well deserved. It’s okay not to be okay. I let it all go and gave myself permission to cry.
Standing in the shower that morning, I cried about the phone call with my dad, but it was actually a 30-year-old cry—and long overdue. Somewhere along the way, I learned to stuff my emotions and to anesthetize the pain of rejection by telling myself, “I’m okay,” even when I wasn’t. The monster within was an accumulation of all the unprocessed feelings I’d buried over the years every time I felt rejected by my father. As I cried, my hurt erupted like a slow-motion volcano, and yet as messy as it was, I felt a healing relief with each sob.
We are never okay when we pretend that hurt doesn’t hurt. Hurt always needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It doesn’t just disappear, no matter how deeply we bury it or how much we try to convince ourselves we’re okay in spite of it. When we fail to process our pain in a healthy way, it becomes ill-processed by default, deepening the damage of the original wound. That’s what happens when the unhealthy layers of denial under which we bury our hurt stand in the way of our wholeness. What I experienced that morning in the shower was a cracking open of those layers. As my defenses crumbled, the light and hope of wholeness illuminated my pain and began to heal a wound I had been avoiding and denying for decades.
Wholeness by international thought leader and pastor Touré Roberts is about removing invisible boundaries from our lives that keep us from realizing our highest potential. Roberts brilliantly lays forth the truth that in order to live an outer life without limits, we have to uncover and address the inner limitations that hide in our blindspots.
In the book, Roberts explains that we can’t always choose the experiences that keep us from being whole, but we can take control of our lives today and bring healing to any broken area. Wholeness is filled with wisdom garnered from Touré’s own life—raised by a single mom, narrowly escaping the trappings of inner city life, and finding success in corporate America. His insight is further broadened by his role as founder of one of the most influential churches in the nation, with over fourteen years pastoring thousands of millennials, couples, families, and a diverse group of individuals. Wholeness will take you on a transformational journey that won’t leave you the same. Concluding with a “Wholeness Test”, this book will help you track and maintain your progress while walking out your journey to your full potential. Learn more at www.AreYouWhole.com.
Touré Roberts is founding pastor of The Potter’s House at One LA, one of the fastest growing churches in Los Angeles, and senior pastor of The Potter’s House of Denver. In addition to Wholeness, he is the author of Purpose Awakening and is a sought-after international speaker. Roberts has established the Artist Resource Center, a not-for-profit organization that provides artists and marginalized youth with free tools, knowledge, and practical training. Roberts is the son-in-law of megachurch pastor and author T. D. Jakes. He and his wife, Sarah, live in both LA and Denver with their six children.
Photo of Touré Roberts by Bobby Quillard. Adapted from the original under a creative commons license.
How should you rely more fully on the power of the Holy Spirit for growth and satisfaction in your life? How can you avoid getting swept up in the routine of life and missing out on supernatural joy, contentment, and peace?
What do you mean, “apart from God’s power, there is no Christian life”?
Jared C. Wilson: I think many believers are under the mistaken impression that the gospel of Jesus Christ’s saving work is power enough for their conversion but not for their ongoing discipleship—for their sanctification. We tend to implicitly say “yes,” in other words, to Paul’s rhetorical question in Galatians 3:3: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
But the gospel is not just the power and grounds of our justification; it’s the power for our ongoing standing in Christ and following of him. This is something Paul states most directly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 but which he re-states and applies in all of his letters. The whole Christian life is reliant on the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we’re sunk. A life apart from the Spirit is no life at all.
How does looking for earthly solutions to our problems stifle ways to participate in the truly supernatural life?
Jared C. Wilson: It’s the same problem the children of Israel had: forgetfulness of God’s past faithfulness and doubt of his future promises. We rehearse these tendencies day-by-day and tend to walk by sight rather than faith. When we place our trust in anything but God, then, we can quench the Spirit’s work in our life, preventing ourselves from seeing how good and satisfying he really is because we’re opting for pale alternatives that seem shiny to us in the moment.
What is the problem of the inner life you describe in the book?
Jared C. Wilson: We’re prone to living in compartmentalized ways. We dedicate time and attention to certain areas of our lives as if we have different personas or identities. So most Westerners have their career self, their family self, their leisure self, etc. And many Western believers treat their faith as if it only belongs to their “religious self.” But what I propose in Supernatural Power for Everyday People is that all of us belongs to God. Jesus is King over our careers, families, leisure time, etc. So the problem, as I suggest, is that we must face the prospect that we’re living spiritually truncated lives and thus not experiencing more of what God has already given us in the gospel.
Why aren’t miracles today as prevalent as they seem to be in the Bible and should that be a concern?
Jared C. Wilson: Well, I’m not convinced they aren’t, for a couple of reasons: One is that we really only consider this question from our limited Western viewpoint. The wider church, the Christians in other parts of the world, may not see a problem here at all. But I also think we discern certain parts of the Bible as normative that even in biblical times were extraordinary, especially if we’re talking about the Old Testament miracles. We see the highlights and assume these things were happening every day or even every year. When you get to the Gospels, the miracles become much more interpersonal and much more about the kingdom’s in-breaking, and I suppose one reason we don’t see these signs as much in the developed world is because we have long had the truths of the gospel at our disposal.
You write that what the Bible says is “astounding” and “outrageous.” What do you mean?
Jared C. Wilson: I mean that no person could have made this stuff up. It makes too little of us and too much of God to be a fabrication like so many other religious texts. And the things we’re promised because of God’s work in Christ and through the Spirit are things that honestly ought to stagger us—if we really believe them. The Scripture that in many ways serves as the theme verse for my book, 2 Peter 1:3, is a great example: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” That’s astounding to me.
How is the Holy Spirit unlike The Force in the movie Star Wars?
Jared C. Wilson: There are lots of differences, but that unfortunately doesn’t stop some professing believers from thinking of the Spirit this way. I will admit I’m not exhaustively versed in the workings of The Force in the Star Wars universe, but the primary difference appears to be this: the Holy Spirit is a divine Person. He’s the third Person in the triune Godhead. This makes God’s Spirit, of course, imminently personal. The Force, as I understand it, is not a Person, but exactly that—an amorphous, ethereal force.
The most important implication of this distinction, and something we really need more Christians to remember today, is that while The Force can be manipulated, wielded, or exerted, the Holy Spirit cannot. We don’t control the Spirit, move the Spirit, activate the Spirit, or anything like that. Because we’re not sovereign over God. It’s the other way around.
What do you mean, “If you want to dwell daily in the supernatural realm of God’s kingdom and hear the very words of God, your Bible is where it’s at”?
Jared C. Wilson: I think too many Christians inwardly long to hear the voice of God while leaving his word neglected. In my book on the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, I want to stump hard for the sufficiency and the efficacy of Scripture. If you want to hear God, read your Bible! The Bible is proof that God has not left us in silence.
What is a favorite Bible passage of yours and why?
Jared C. Wilson: The theme verse for my writing and speaking ministry over the last several years has been 1 Corinthians 2:2 (CSB): “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” It’s a help in narrowing my focus to what matters most and a consolation when I’m tempted to think another subject more worthy than the gospel.
I’m also perennially partial to the whole of Romans 8 and think many believers would profit from regular re-reading of that masterful text.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?
Jared C. Wilson: I love Bible Gateway online and use it practically every day. For search functionality, it’s unmatched as a free resource.
What is the composition of the Bible? How was it created? Who decided which books should be included? Why do Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Bibles differ?
This video, produced by the Museum of the Bible, seeks to answer those questions.
The Bible Gateway Blog features the latest news, announcements, and reflections from Bible Gateway. We hope what you find here will add to your understanding of and appreciation for the Bible.
According to his 
by Touré Roberts
With Father’s Day just around the corner, I finally admitted that what was going on inside me would not simply go away. My peace was gone, my thoughts were fragmented, and to make matters worse, it was now Sunday morning, and in less than two hours I would stand before my congregation for the first of our two Sunday morning services with an enormous problem: I had nothing to say. Whatever this monster within me was, it cut off the flow of love and clarity I relied on week in and week out to prepare and deliver my messages to the congregation.
What is the composition of the Bible? How was it created? Who decided which books should be included? Why do Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Bibles differ? 
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