This week we rewind to when Chris took on an NPR article that asserts white supremacy finds its roots in American Christianity.
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Article:
Author: Chris Hohnholz (Page 14 of 38)
This week, Chris and Rich talk about God’s use of suffering in the sanctification in the Christian’s life and how it is His good and perfect gift in conforming us to Christ.
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In the first episode of 2022, Chris and Rich discuss the topics of the past year, what they want to talk about in the coming year, and why the doctrines of justification and sanctification will matter in those programs.
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Community Bible Church Sanctification Sermons
Prayer is a spiritual discipline I’ve struggled with for much of my walk in Christ. Like many others I’ve heard from, going to the Lord in prayer is usually the result of sickness, hardship or various trials.
Without daily prayer, the Christian is saying I can do this without Christ. Does prayer control your life or do you only seek the Lord in times of need, when nothing else works?
I admit prayer for me had been an add-on.
In 2019 I began to realize my own failure at making prayer a primary and prominent place in my life. I began to establish applications to make a habit of prayer. Taking from the Lord’s instruction and example of how to pray in
Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6: 9-13 I made this my morning prayer. The next step was not eating until I gave thanks and finally not going to bed until I had prayed. It took several weeks but praying at these moments became the habit I’d hoped to obtain. Prayer then became a more natural part of my day.
In 2020 I was studying the book of Matthew and chapter 6 verse 33 really struck at my heart. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (ESV) Even though prayer was now a daily habit, I realized much progress was still needed in this aspect of my life.
Searching through scripture I started putting together a list of passages that provided examples and statements in regards to seeking first the kingdom of God. The foundation became clear, it starts with a desire for the things of Christ. Building from there I began to write out a short outline for each daily prayer focusing on Matt 6:33.
Daily Bible reading plans have become popular and thankfully promoted by many churches and ministries. However look at what the Prince of Preachers had to say when asked, “What is more important: Prayer or Reading the Bible?” I ask, “What is more important: Breathing in or Breathing out?”Charles Spurgeon
With this in mind consider adding a daily prayer plan to your daily Bible reading plan. In creating your own plan there are a plethora of verses in the book of Psalm and Proverbs alone, or you can take from the outline I wrote for my mine. As Christians, we should desire to grow in sanctification, holiness, understanding, and to love what Christ loves. Prayer is the pathway God provides for us in growing in these things.
“Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to life. How a man can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too.” What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much.” JC Ryle
The following is meant as a topic guide in developing your own daily prayer plan.
Pray for the desire to walk in the following and for the brethren as well. Also, ask for growth in these areas:
Increase of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22,23)
The Spirit (Gal 5:16)
Love (Eph 5:2)
The light (Eph 5:8-9; 1 Jn 1:7)
Watchfulness: (Eph 6:18)
Christ: (Col 2:6-7; Cor 5:17)
Wisdom: (Col 4:5)
Honesty: (1 Thess 4:12)
What you have been saved from giving thanks for the grace granted to you. (Eph 2:11-12)
Those who suffer (Heb 13:3)
Those who lead you (Heb 13:7)
Your persecutors (Matt 5:44; Lk 6:28)
For laborers (Matt 9:38; Lk 10:2)
For one another (James 5:16)
Not to love the world (1 Jn 2:15)
Or the things in the world (1 Jn 2:15)
Desire for yourself and others to love;
Fervently (1 Pet 2:22)
With a pure heart (1 Pet 2:22)
As brethren (1 Pet 3:8)
your enemies (Matt 5:44; Lk 6:27,35)
your fellow Christians (Jn 13:34; Jn 15:12,17; Gal 5:14; 1.Pet 2:17; 1 Jn 3:23; 2 Jn 1:5)
your brother (1 Jn 4:21)
Ask the Lord for discernment and the strength to cast aside:
Wickedness (James 1:21)
Malice (1 Pet 2:1)
Deceit (1 Pet 2:1)
Hypocrisies (1 Pet 2:1)
Envies (1.PET 2:1)
All evil speakings (1.PET 2:1)
To give no place to Satan (Eph 4:27)
Works of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21)
Ask the Lord for desire, ability and be;
Exceeding glad (Matt 5:12)
Reconciled to a brother (Matt 5:24)
Perfect (Matt 5:48; 2 Cor 13:11)
Wise as serpents (Matt 10:16)
Harmless as doves (Matt 10:16)
Content with wages (LK 3:14)
Merciful as God (LK 6:36)
Faithful servants (Lk 12:36)
Thankful (Col 3:15)
Peace among selves (1 Thess 5:13)
Patient toward all people
(1 Thess 5:14; 2 Tim 2:24)
Sober and hope (1 Pet 1:13)
Sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith,
charity, and patience (Titus 2:2)
Fervent in spirit (Rom 12:11)
Patient in tribulation (Rom 12:12)
Hospitality (Rom 12:13)
Patience toward all people
(1 Thess 5:14; 2 Tim 2:24)
Taking the precepts from Matthew 6:33, the above-referenced scripture topics and other portions of scripture, I began developing my own prayer plan in 2021. Below are the ones I wrote for the first 100 days along with quotes in regards to prayer. My hope and prayer is the Lord will help and guide you as He increases your desire and ability in seeking the things from above.
Day 1: Thank the Lord for all the mercy, gifts, and blessings granted to you, both known and unknown.
Day 2: Ask the Lord to increase your desire for His word and open your heart for deeper understanding. Pray not only for yourself but also for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Day 3: Thank the Lord for the faith and grace He grants you daily.
Day 4: Give thanks to the Lord for the discipline He applies to you. Ask for learning and understanding during the course of difficulty. (Hebrews 12:6)
Day 5: Pray for our leaders at each level, from mayor to president. Ask they be blessed with wisdom, sound counsel, and most importantly, salvation.
(1 Tim 2:2 Romans 13:1)
Day 6: Give thanks for God’s Divine Grace upon the world. “Even while you were a slave to sin and ignorant of salvation, God cast His Grace to you and all those on Earth.”
Acts 17:24-31
Day 7: Ask the Lord to grant you the desire to live a life Holy and pleasing to Him.
Day 8: Give thanks for all His creation. All things seen and unseen, all things known and unknown, all to His praise, glory, and majesty.
Day 9: Give thanks for Christ, His Word, and The Holy Spirit.
Day 10: Give thanks for Christ granting you salvation and pray for the desire to proclaim the biblical way of salvation to others.
The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came. Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.
R. A. Torrey
Day 11: Ask the Lord to strengthen not only you but the brothers and sisters against sin, temptation, stress, anxiety, and fear.
Day 12: Ask the Lord to bless each family and home with salvation, hope, healing, peace, joy, and contentment. Christ only, knows what type of help is needed for each person.
Day 13: Forgiveness is the Fruit of Humility. Ask the Lord to grant you a forgiving heart against all those that wrong you. This is also a command given by our Lord so ask for the ability and desire to obey.
Day 14: Regardless of what is going on in our lives or the world around us pray for the trust and patience in God as Christ. Father not my will, but your will be done.
Day 15: Ask the Lord to guide you so deeply in the Holy Spirit where the Fruit of the Spirit comes like breathing in your life.
(Galatians 5:22,23)
Day 16: Seeking first things of the Kingdom does not come easily as our flesh is at war with the Spirit. Ask the Lord to grant you patience and perseverance in establishing Kingdom-minded prayers.
Day 17: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The flesh is at war with the Spirit. Pray for desire and ability to put Christ before anything or anyone.
Day 18: Ask the Lord to bless you with discernment and examine yourself in the faith. Search if you have wandered or if you be truly saved. Examine yourself against the fruit of the Spirit. Are you growing?
Day 19: Ask the Lord to strengthen you and your understanding of His Word. Strength not to be deceived or fall into temptation like Romans 1.
Day 20: Pray with utmost fervency Christ grant the President and every leader down to mayor the gift of salvation. Pray for our leaders.
“Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.” – E.M. Bounds
Day 21: Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to sin. Your sin, the sin of others and in the world. Pray for a heart that weeps over all sin and understands we are to fight against it with prayer and gospel proclamation. Both to ourselves and others.
Day 22: Ask the Lord to make you Tender-hearted – Having a heart disposed to pity and compassion, and especially disposed to show kindness to the faults of erring brethren.
Day 23: Ask the Lord to grant you the desire and ability.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”
Day 24: Ask the Lord to grant you the desire to walk in Eph 4:1-3 and have a heart for peace and humility.
Day 25: Ask the Lord to grant you the desire to read the Bible more, understand more, comprehend more, know Him more, grow in Him more and live for Him, more.
Day 26: Ask the Lord to make you more Kingdom-minded. Laying up not treasures on earth or accumulating more goods for rust and moths but focus on Him.
(Matt 6:33 Matthew 6:19-21)
Day 27: Ask the Lord to give you a compassionate heart. Pray for those you know who are suffering or mourning. Pray they receive hope, peace, and encouragement.
Day 28: Ask the Lord to grant you strength over temptation. Not just for yourself but also those you interact with. Strength not to be the one by whom temptation comes to others. (Luke 17:1)
Day 29: Lord it is impossible in my flesh to love you with all my heart, soul, and mind. Grant me the desire to do this and the perseverance to strive for holiness in my daily walk.
(Matt 22:37)
Day 30: Lord strip away anything I’ve made into an idol. Help me to understand your truth over my opinion. Grant me the strength and eyes to see what I put before your truth.
(Matt 22:37)
“To desire revival… and at the same time to neglect (personal) prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.” – A.W. Tozer
Day 31: Lord help me to always remember you are the Sabbath. I am to submit to your law of love and walk in you, not just one day but each day of my life.
Day 32: Lord help to live according to my possession of the faith and grant me wisdom to never be cause, for your name blasphemed. (Eph 4:26)
Day 33: Lord help me to not sin in my anger. Strengthen me against hatred for that is murder in the heart. Help me to forgive as you forgave me. (Eph 4:26)
Day 34: Lord my flesh is wicked and there is nothing good in me. Strengthen me against speaking anything that dishonors you. (Matt 15:8)
Day 35: Lord grant me the desire for this. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Matthew 5:6
Day 36: Lord grant me a mourning and weeping heart for the enemies of the cross. Even more for those who made a profession but now walk contrary. (Php 3:18)
Day 37: Lord grant me this discernment and ability. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16
Day 38: Lord grant me wisdom and discernment to truly know what is pleasing to you. Open my heart to understand your truth.
Day 39: Lord grant me the desire and means to abhor what is evil in your sight and cling to you and your word. Strengthen me against deceitful ways.
Day 40: Lord guide me and grant me a joyful heart through all things. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Romans 8:18
“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” – Oswald Chambers
Day 41: Lord grant and bless me with bold brothers and sisters that will hold me accountable.
Day 42: Lord grant me a forgiving heart. Bless me with the ability to forgive others even before they apologize for sinning against me.
Day 43: Prepare my mind for action, keep me sober in spirit, set my hope completely on the grace to be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)
Day 44: Lord grant me a loving and discerning heart. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Day 45: Lord grant me the desire and ability to do this. “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”
Psalm 119:15-16
Day 46: Lord help me obey this commandment. Grant me a joyful heart and spirit that I may rejoice in the hope and faith in you to sustain me through all circumstances and reveal to me my eternal home in your love.
Day 47: Lord help me to do this each day. “I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.”
Psalm 40:10
Day 48: Lord make My desire for you, your word, your Holiness, your gospel, and knowing you like a suffocating man underwater needs the breath for life.
“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!””
Psalm 40:16
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Psalm 42:1-2
“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!”
Psalm 43:3
Day 49: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
Day 50: But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
Psalm 40:16
Fear is also a result of a lack of preparation. A soldier does not wait until the day of battle to train. Prayer is your lifeline and the Holy Spirit the warrior. Bible study is the means. Matt 6:33 the key to all things.
We fear man so much because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. – G.K. Chesterton It is also part of a relationship. Prayer is our side of a conversation with our God and Savior. He speaks to us through his Holy Word and makes his understanding clear through His Holy Spirit. We respond in speaking to Him through prayer.
We not only tell Him our fears and desires, but we ask for guidance for both our self and others, praise and adore Him and in doing so our faith and trust grows.
Day 51: Lord please bless me with laughter and joy among trials and suffering. “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Proverbs 17:22
Day 52: Lord please bless me the heart to seek for this. “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”
Ephesians 4:2
Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!”
Psalm 43:3
Day 53: Lord please bless me the heart to seek for this. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
Psalm 42:1-2
Day 54: Lord please make my heart match my lips for you. “Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart. Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart;”
Proverbs 26:23-24
Day 55: Lord please bless me with a humble and loving heart. Grant me the ability to put my spouse and others before me. Help me not think too highly of myself but focus on helping others.
Day 56: Lord grant me the desire to forget myself. I need to make you known. Strip away my prideful desire for popularity and notoriety. Let me be forgotten and only you remembered. (John 3:30)
Day 57: Lord grant me the blessing to be restored and regenerated in you each day as Israel. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.””
Nehemiah 8:10
Day 58: Lord grant me wisdom and remembrance for you are omnipresent. You are with me at all times and places knowing my thoughts, words and deeds. Help me to glorify You in all areas of my life.
Day 59: Lord, please allow your word to saturate my inner being to the point your truth is so familiar, error is like a rotting carcass to my sight.
Day 60: Lord grant me the desire and heart to strive for sanctification “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:1 ESV
While the Word of God is breath and oxygen for the Christian, prayer is the lifeblood that sustains and grows a believer’s sanctification while visiting this land.
Day 61: Lord help me seek the things above “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 14:17 ESV
Day 62: Lord help me trust your sovereignty in answering my prayers. Especially when You answer I will but I reply, this isn’t what I had in mind. Your will be done, not my own.
Day 63: Lord help me put this before me each day. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14 ESV
Day 64: Lord grant me the strength, the Holy Spirit, and discernment to do this and know what is evil in your sight. “Abstain from every form of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5:22 ESV
Day 65: Lord help my actions glorify You. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:17 ESV
Day 66: Lord grant me joy resting in you being immutable. You’ll never change from the beginning of time until Christ returns. Grant me comfort knowing you are faithful.
Day 67: Lord grant me the heart, soul, and strength to praise you during both calm and stormy seas. Help show your possession of me to others no matter the circumstances.
Day 68: What is impossible with Christ on your side? Or more importantly when you submit to His Authority? “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26 ESV Help my unbelief.
Day 69: Lord help me both remember and strive for this in family, marriage, and job. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
Day 70: Lord please grant me this strength, understanding, and faith. “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
“The devil is aware that one hour of close fellowship, hearty converse with God in prayer, is able to pull down what he hath been contriving and building many a year.”
John Flavel
Day 71: Matt 6:33 is the example. If you approach the Throne of The Holy God as a divine wishing well James 4:3, instead of submissive humility, your plea will be answered, no. Lord, please help my growth
Day 72: Pray for all the solid Bible-believing faithful pastors as they prepare to teach God’s Word.
Day 73: Father, please bless me and those around me with a burning desire for your Word. Please grant us a heart to understand all you wrote and obey your commandments.
Day 74: Father, please help me not take for granted blessings others plead for; such as attending church, proclaiming your gospel, food, clothing, family, and health.
Day 75: Lord grant me a steadfast life. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life…”
James 1:12 ESV
Day 76: Lord grant me strength of the Holy Spirit. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Galatians 5:16 ESV
Day 77: Lord grant me strength, faith, and trust in you no matter the storm. Stars only shine in darkness, may I praise you no matter the circumstances.
Day 78: Lord help me be a person of prayer. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
Martin Luther
Day 79: Lord please help me grow in this. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming.
George Muller.
Day 80: Lord please guide my heart and understanding setting your will always before me. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:6 ESV
Day 81: Lord please strengthen me and increase my faith in remembering this. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 34:19 ESV
Day 82: Lord please grant me joy and thanksgiving not giving in to my flesh. “Do all things without grumbling or disputing,”
Philippians 2:14,15 ESV
Day 83: Lord please grant me a desire to live a life striving for your holiness and approval and not the approval or praise from others.
Day 84: The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the reverence held by the Bible in our life and thoughts. Help my focus remain on you, Lord.
Day 85: Lord help me make this my own. I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up.
Day 86: Lord strengthen me against my heart’s temptations. Allow me to see the sin in my life. Help me to hate that which you hate and is unholy.
Day 87: Lord grant me a heart of gratitude in all situations. Each breath and heartbeat is a gift from you. Help me desire and live my life glorifying you and your mercy, grace and faith.
Day 88: Lord grant me your joy. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!”
Psalm 22:24, 26 ESV
Day 89: Father help me see my sin as you view it. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”
Psalm 51:4 ESV
Day 90: Lord grant me wisdom. “saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.””
Luke 22:42 ESV
“A godly man is a praying man. As soon as grace is poured in, prayer is poured out. Prayer is the soul’s traffic with Heaven; God comes down to us by His Spirit, and we go up to Him by prayer.” – Thomas Watson
Day 91: Lord please grant me a life of continual praise and joy in you. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
Psalm 34 ESV
Day 92: Lord help me see the blessings you grant to me. Please open my eyes and heart to understand you bless us even when we only see the storm raging around us.
Day 93: Father help me to understand the truly important things in my life. Help me to understand the difference between need and want. Help me live to glorify you alone.
Day 94: Lord help me to remember trials and sufferings are meant to make me rely on you rather than myself. (Psalm 121)
Day 95: Lord help me to remember “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Day 96: Lord help me to remember “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”
Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV
Day 97: Lord help me to focus on this Colossians 3:1–4 (ESV) seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Day 98: Lord please grant me a thankful heart always remembering everything is a gift from you. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
Psalm 100:4 ESV
Day 99: Lord please grant me this courage each day. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 ESV
Day 100: Matt 6:33 Lord please grant me this heart and desire. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Quotes on Prayer
Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.
D. L. Moody
In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
John Bunyan
Prayer is not an attempt to get God to agree with you or provide for your selfish desires, but that it is both an affirmation of His sovereignty, righteousness, and majesty.
John MacArthur
When a man is speaking to God he is at his very acme. It is the highest activity of the human soul, and therefore it is at the same time the ultimate test of a man’s true spiritual condition. There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life. Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer.
Martin Lloyd Jones
The gospel is about much more than how we get saved and go to heaven. The gospel is about the work of Christ saturating every aspect of our lives.
Voddie Bauchman
Prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing it changes is us. As we engage in this communion with God more deeply and come to know the One with whom we are speaking more intimately, that growing knowledge of God reveals to us all the more brilliantly who we are and our need to change in conformity to Him. Prayer changes us profoundly.
R. C. Sproul
Let’s take a trip back to 2016 when Chris and Rich interviewed Pastor Nate Pickowiz about his book, “Reviving New England.” Pastor Nate reveals to the church that the key to reviving the land of which once birthed revival in America, and even in the nation itself, lies in the faithful preaching and exposition of Scripture. In a time of spiritual deadness, life comes only by the Word of God.
Looking back at last year when Chris and Rich discussed the incarnation of Christ, His sinless life, His sacrificial death, and the all-important topic of the resurrection. Christmas is meaningless without the resurrection, as there would be no forgiveness for sins.
This week, Chris and Rich discuss the recent Christmas service by First Baptist Dallas and former President Trump’s address from the pulpit. They also discuss the purpose of the church, why we should attend church, and the twisting of the gospel.
Show Links:
MacArthur Sermon – The Making Disciples of All Nations, Pt. 1
MacArthur Sermon – Your Responsibility to the Church, Pt. 1
MacArthur Sermon – Why Should I Attend Church?
Spurgeon – The Church as She Should Be
First Baptist Dallas – Trump’s Appearance at 31-minute mark
This week, Chris and Rich respond to objections raised to Chris’ article “Should We Platform Survivors to End Abuse in The Church?” Some readers questioned if the article sought to silence victims, if the Bible was truly the best source to treat trauma, and who is the church platforming? Chris and Rich seek to answer the objections biblically and with grace in a topic that can often be controversial.
Show Links:
Truth Be Known Episode: The Problem With Platforming Abuse Victims
This is an article that is not likely to be popular, but one that is necessary for our current climate. Before you respond to the title, before you assume the content, read all that I have said and give it consideration. You do not have to agree with me, but please think about what I am calling for. With that said, I’ve been chewing through this for a minute, but I really think evangelicalism needs to stop platforming persons who are identified as “abuse survivors.” Note that I did not say “stop caring about abuse survivors,” but to stop “platforming” them.
Here is my reasoning: abuse survivors have endured a traumatic, life-changing experience. There is much that must be done to care for and bring healing into their lives. In some cases, those traumas may even take a lifetime to heal from. As persons who care about such survivors, our first and most important priority is to bring these persons to the foot of the cross continually, helping them to find the peace and forgiveness (toward those to have hurt them) that only Christ can bring. This can absolutely mean that we not only hold accountable the abusers but also seek to identify the means by which the abusers took advantage and change what we can, biblically, to make such abuse more difficult, if not impossible.
But, where we often err is that in seeking to hold abusers accountable and closing the means or opportunities for abuse, we look to the victims as the experts, giving them the responsibility to find ways to end those cycles of abuse. After all, they endured the abuse, who else would we think would know it better?
Well, to be honest, that is incorrect thinking. God knows better than anyone the wicked heart, even the heart of an abuser. The most important resource we can go to is the Scriptures in dealing with those who have sinned against and hurt another. We must do so honestly, humbly, and with the willingness to be obedient to God in all matters, not seeking to cover up sin, but expose it and correct those who engage in such acts. But what we ought not to do is seek to take the hurting and vulnerable, putting them on a stage as an expert in abuse. We should not look to them, the persons we should be comforting and counseling to heal, to be the persons whom we listen to and learn from about how to handle abuse.
What The Church Needs to Be Doing
The role of the church in these matters is to come alongside the hurting and broken in these times and to lead them to the pure and undiluted Word of God which brings healing. Pastors and biblical counselors have the duty to guide the survivor to the all-sufficient Scriptures which not only identify the causes of the hurt but are the only true source for mental and spiritual healing. Where the world of psychology only keeps the survivor dwelling on the pain and never offering real solutions, the Word recognizes the wrong done, reveals that God alone can heal, and helps the hurting not identify themselves as a perpetual victim but a purchased and loved member of the family of God.
Likewise, it exposes the perpetrators of abuse as sinful rebels against God who, even if they escape justice in this life, will be held accountable for eternity by their almighty and righteous Judge. This works to not only assure the hurting that the crime committed against them will not be forgotten, but can also lead them to pray for the redemption of evil people that they may desire their forgiveness. The world does not offer such healing, in fact, it cannot. It can only leave us in perpetual fear and pain.
When we fail to rightly counsel the survivor in the Word, to bring them to the place where they see their identity in Christ, we leave them without the necessary tools to view what has happened rightly. We can end up leaving the survivor in a place of pain where they view the sin against them ought to be dealt with in a manner that is according to their own standards rather than God’s. No matter how much we think we are helping the abused by elevating them to a platform in this manner, we may be actually setting them up to lead themselves and others awry. We could find ourselves in a place where there is a debate between what the survivor believes is the right path against what the Word of God commands. Therefore, we ought not to be putting such persons in the spotlight to be leaders in this arena.
What Church Should Not Do (And Why)
Putting the abuse survivor in such a role can result in several problems: First, it solidifies their identity as a victim. Rather than being a Christian who has endured trauma, but is being counseled to be made whole again, the person remains in a perpetual state of victimhood. Their identity is wrapped up in this status and it is all they are seen to be. Can this truly bring healing in Christ? In truth, it causes them to hold tightly to their earthly category as a survivor rather than viewing themselves as a child of God. It puts them in the place of being their own avenger rather than seeking to trust vengeance to the hand of God. This is not healing, but slavery.
Second, rather than being a person seeking to rebuild their trust in Christ and the church, the body of believers with whom they are bound as family, the survivor becomes a watchdog against the church of sorts. Instead of seeing the abuser (and his or her accomplices which may have aided in the abuse – including hiding it) as persons within the walls of the church who have sinned gravely, but as exceptions, not the rule, the survivor can end up seeing the whole church as complicit. Where one person, or body of persons, may have been the problem, the survivor (now being held up in the spotlight) sees the whole of the church as guilty and needing correction. This places the survivor in an underserved position as judge and accuser of the church at large. This may seem magnanimous on our part to the survivor, empowering the abused to bring about change. But in reality, what we have done is take the hurting and vulnerable, who need our care, and burden them with a role they ought not to have. Now we task them to be our corrector and healer of the church when what they need most of all is Christ.
Finally, and most concerning, is that when we place the survivor in such a role, we don’t think what possible error they could bring into the church. We are consumed with platforming the survivor as a means of empowerment and for correcting what may lead to abuse in the church. But, do we stop to think that what the survivor is calling for may, or may not, be biblical? If our greatest concern is calling the people of God to obey His Word, then we need to ensure that those who are teaching His people are doing so according to the Word. Oftentimes, the hurting may intend well, but we don’t examine what they are saying with Scripture. In our desire to not “revictimize” the survivor, we don’t challenge what they are saying or commanding what should be done. We tend to give the person a blank check, believing that survivors know what abuse is and who the abusers are. We so fear sounding hurtful or insensitive that we dare not question their wisdom on the matter. This is fallacious and dangerous thinking.
There is no question that a survivor can give great insight into what happened to them, which in turn can inform how we act in conjunction with the commands of Scripture. However, this is something the church, its elders and leaders should be tasked with. Not the person who still may be healing and needing our greatest care. It is a disservice to the survivor to place them in such a high-profile role and it is a dereliction of the church’s duty to step up, acting in a biblical manner to bring teaching and correction in these matters itself.
With these thoughts in mind, I must again say that it is time we stop platforming survivors, placing them in the role of judge and corrector of the church. It is time we seek to care for their souls, to love and bring them into the healing only available in Christ. To lead them in the way that heals their heart and mind, while we then learn from what has happened and seek to protect the flock of Christ as the church. I think only in this way can we bring true healing and protection, while simultaneously loving the survivor and keeping error from entering the church. I will likely be called hateful, mean, or a protector of abusers for this, but I genuinely believe those who seek to leverage the abused, to make a name for themselves in the evangelical celebrity machine, do greater harm than anything I have suggested here.
UPDATE:
This article resulted in several online responses, some of which raised objections to the articles’ premises. In response to these objections, we recorded a podcast episode which can be found here: https://voiceofreasonradio.podbean.com/e/platforming-survivors-in-the-church/
In a podcast crossover event, Nathaniel Jolly and Ekkie Tepsupornchai of the Truth Be Known Podcast join Chris this week. Christian doctrine continues to come under attack under the guise of advocating for victims and survivors of abuse and oppression. But do these doctrines really lead to the abuse as is so often claimed? Are advocates throwing out Scripture in their efforts to draw concern to victimhood in evangelicalism? These two pastors encourage Christians to stand firm in the Word and not to be swayed by those whose identity can often be found more in trauma than in the Savior.
Show Notes:
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