The Elders Blog https://www.canyonprescott.org Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:14:47 -0600 http://churchplantmedia.com/ Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 3 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ-part-3 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ-part-3#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2020 13:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ-part-3 Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 3

by Dave Lutz

When opinions and convictions contradict.

  Even after seeking advice, we can end up with differing opinions as to the best course of treatment for a particular physical problem, and those differing opinions can become strong convictions.  This can happen among members of one’s family, as well as in a church family; in both cases this may involve people who love and care a lot about the well-being of someone going through severe physical trial.  In such a time, we can become emotional about a conviction we hold, perhaps because we love the person involved and deeply want to see them get better.

  We noted earlier that we are to take care of our physical bodies, to be good stewards of our health.  So, let’s say I’ve prayed for God’s help and guidance to address my problem, and obtained advice from what I believe to be good and reputable sources.  I’ve come to a conviction as to how God would have me proceed.  But then I find that someone close to me has come to a different conviction, one that opposes mine, and they are feeling a need to press that with me.  How are we Christians to respond in that situation?  This is where the fourteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans can be most helpful. 

  Romans chapter 14 is all about differing opinions, on “disputable matters”--issues or questions not explicitly addressed in Scripture.  These are areas in which faithful Christians can come to different convictions. For example, should it matter what foods a person eats? (of importance especially in Paul’s day for Christians coming from a Jewish background), or which if any special days should be recognized?  The Apostle Paul isn’t writing here about essential truths of the Christian faith, or questions clearly answered in Scripture.  Rather he’s addressing issues in which Christians may come to different convictions (sometimes based on levels of Christian maturity) and remain in fellowship with each other. 

  In our time, we run into a number of issues we could put into this category.  Questions such as, should Christians ever drink alcohol?, should we have our kids in home school or private school or public school?, and which candidate should get my vote for President?  Again, these and other questions are not explicitly addressed in Scripture, and faithful Christians may disagree and still remain in close fellowship.

  As Paul unfolds this teaching, we see that when we think of convictions, we’re getting into matters of conscience. My conscience tells me that this is how God would have me proceed.  Romans 14 and other places make it clear that we should never violate our conscience.  Conscience is a wonderful gift from God; it guides us and warns us when we get near to sin (as pain protects us physically), and it affirms us when we’re on the right path.  

  Romans 14 also tells us that we should never lead another Christian to violate their conscience (see verses 13-15).  That holds true in cases when we think their conscience is less than fully mature, or when we think their conscience is just wrong.  Patience and love would have us want the best for that person.  To lead, or pressure, another Christian toward violating their conscience is to bring them harm; it’s clearly not the loving thing to do.  Instead, Romans 14:19 exhorts us to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

  It’s not wrong to have convictions (we’re supposed to), but Romans 14 is all about how we hold our convictions.  How does this relate to healthcare? If a person going through a medical problem has prayed, sought good advice, and comes to a conviction that a certain option is what God would have them do, then other Christians should respect their conviction, and lovingly support them through it.

  In such a case, it would be wrong for a person to actively bring pressure on someone to adopt their differing conviction, as if it’s their personal campaign to see that happen.  Christians also might be tempted to justify such an approach by seeing their conviction as more spiritual, such as a person claiming (with no way to verify), “God told me to tell you that you should pursue this treatment”.  That’s generally NOT how God works.  

  We have special revelation provided for us in the written word of God, and it is sufficient for our salvation and everything He wants us to know for life in this world, “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3; also 2 Tim. 3:16-17).   Beware of anyone claiming to have received special revelation from God to direct your medical care.

  This doesn’t mean that there’s never a right time and place to provide differing thoughts to someone about their healthcare.  Such times may arise, and expressing those thoughts may be very helpful to the person, perhaps even causing them to change their conviction.  What counts is the manner in which those thoughts are presented.  Romans 14 would have us engage people with sensitivity, respect, humility, and a non-judgmental spirit.  We’re to love the person even when we disagree with them, understanding that ultimately God is sovereign over taking them through the trial they are in.  That takes us to some concluding thoughts.

    Final thoughts on navigating physical trial, and facing death: rest, hope, pray, and lean hard on the Sovereignty and Providence of God! 

  A few final thoughts might be helpful to us as we consider how God would have us navigate through times of physical trial.

  Christians are to be a restful people (see especially Matt. 11:28-30, Hebrews 4 and many of the Psalms).  We rest in what we know about God, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We rest in the knowledge that we’ve been redeemed out of our condition in sin by the work of Christ, and we look forward to our full redemption after this life, with the absence of sin and its consequences--including physical problems and death itself.  We are united to the One who conquered death, not only for Himself but for all who’ve put their trust in Him. We take great comfort in the fact that the tomb of Jesus Christ is empty.

  We Christians have an unimaginably bright future, as we have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, as part of the family of God.  Looking to these truths has often brought great comfort for those in the midst of various trials, including those trials that lead to death. 

  The New Testament speaks of Christians encouraged to “hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).  That’s a great way to live, isn’t it?  It’s also a great way to die. 

  The biblical meaning of “hope” is not like we commonly think of today.  Our hope is not what we would call wishful thinking, but rather a confident expectation of something certain. Hebrews 6:19 continues with this: “We have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,...”  An anchor keeps one stable, secure, even in the midst of a storm.  So we are to hold onto our hope as an anchor.   

  Another way to rest in God is to remember His goodness.  He is good, and is working all things together, even our difficult trials, for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28, etc).  Even in times when we have a hard time seeing that, we can trust that it’s true. 

  Through times of difficult physical trial, including that which will lead to our departure from this life, we rest in God as we lean hard on His sovereignty.  All we can do is all we can do; after that (and through that), we trust in Him.  God does call us to care for our bodies, to allow their function according to His will for His glory (and remembering as we’ve seen that God may be glorified even in the absence of function).  So, as we have prayed, sought advice, and pursued appropriate care, we can rest with the knowledge that God is fully in control of all that happens, including what transpires with our physical condition, and how long he will have us live in this world.  We can take comfort in the fact that we belong to Him, and He will not leave us or forsake us.

  And we rest in God as we trust in His Providence.  Even in the midst of severe physical trial, God will provide for us, as a shepherd takes care of his sheep: He is our good Shepherd (see Psalm 23 and John 10).  As believers in Jesus Christ, we know God as our Father, who provides for His children.  We have his promise on that. One of the first designations or names for God we find in the Bible is found in Genesis 22:14, “Yahwey Yireh”--the LORD will Provide.

  God provides for us in so many ways; food, shelter, families, churches, and...medical care.  Even as one nears death, medical services such as Hospice can be such a gift to us and those around us.

  How should we pray when we or someone we know is in the midst of some serious physical trial?  Looking at the model prayer that Jesus gave to us through His disciples (see Matt. 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4), we see several elements to include.  We can pray that God’s name is glorified even in the midst and outcome of what we’re going through, and we can ask that His kingdom presence is brought to bear in the situation (perhaps as a witness to others who need to embrace the gospel for salvation).  We ask for our daily needs to be met, and ask for God to bring us to a place of close fellowship with Him and people around us.  We ask that He would protect us from temptation in our response to the trial we’re in, and we can ask him to deliver us from evil, including an ultimate deliverance from the physical trial we’re in. 

  It’s right to bring our needs and requests to Him, including the request to be healed of a physical condition.  God may choose to heal us of that problem in this life, or he may choose to heal us of it in taking us to heaven.  If it is not His plan to heal us now, in this life, we pray for grace to make it to a healing in the next. (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-10).

  Ultimately, God will heal His children completely, even though we might not know when, and how.  So we pray, “Your will be done”.  We rest in that, knowing and trusting that He will take care of us all the way through.  The LORD will provide. 

  So, after we’ve done all we know to do, we rest, and continue to pray, knowing that our good Shepherd is with us and caring for us, even in times when we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.  Prayer is a wonderful way to manage our fear and anxiety in the midst of trial (see Phil. 4:4-7).

   Some takeaways:

  1. Sin is the ultimate cause for our medical problems, and our physical death.  Christians look forward to the absence of sin after this life, and resurrection bodies fit for eternity.
  1. Our physical health is a stewardship given to us by God; as His image-bearers, we are to function in a way that brings glory to Him and blesses those around us.
  1. How we respond to our health problems matters: we need to avoid neglect, wrong expectations, and idolatry.
  1. God would have us pursue a right care for our physical bodies.
  1. We need to exercise wisdom and discernment when we need to pursue a remedy.
  1. Medical care is part of God’s common grace; we need to see it as a gift, and be thankful.
  1. We need to show grace and respect toward those who hold differing opinions when it comes to diagnosis and treatment options.
  1. Beyond pursuing medical options, Chistians are to rest, pray, and be anchored by hope.
  1. Christians need to lean on God’s sovereignty and providence, especially through physical trial and when considering death.

  One of the great things about being part of a local church is that we find examples to follow, responses to emulate.  Christian practice is not an academic exercise; it’s real life.  Right thinking (orthodoxy) leads to right practice (orthopraxy).

  I’ve recently been close to two situations of people going through rather severe physical trial.  In the case of one woman, a neurosurgical team brought correction to a serious, rapidly deteriorating spinal condition; she’s already showing signs of improvement, and her rehabilitation team is now optimistic that she will have a good recovery, but it’s been a very tough road and there’s more to go.

  In the other case, a man with widespread cancer has with treatment survived years beyond the original projection of his doctors, but has now needed to transition to Hospice care, and it appears he will not be with us much longer.  

  Both of these people are currently serving as good examples for us, in the manner in which they’re navigating their physical trial.  Both have been helped and are being helped by medical care; both are trusting in God as their ultimate help; both are praying much, with others and when they are alone; both are looking forward to heaven when there will be no more physical hardship; both have trusted in Christ for salvation and are looking forward to their full redemption after this life, whenever their life here is to end.  Both of them are leaning hard on God’s sovereignty, and His providence.  Both are resting in God, even as they’re pursuing the wise thing to do, day by day.  Thank God for good examples.

   May God help us to go through the difficulties of this life, including our physical trials, in a way that brings glory to Him.

 

 

 

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Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 3

by Dave Lutz

When opinions and convictions contradict.

  Even after seeking advice, we can end up with differing opinions as to the best course of treatment for a particular physical problem, and those differing opinions can become strong convictions.  This can happen among members of one’s family, as well as in a church family; in both cases this may involve people who love and care a lot about the well-being of someone going through severe physical trial.  In such a time, we can become emotional about a conviction we hold, perhaps because we love the person involved and deeply want to see them get better.

  We noted earlier that we are to take care of our physical bodies, to be good stewards of our health.  So, let’s say I’ve prayed for God’s help and guidance to address my problem, and obtained advice from what I believe to be good and reputable sources.  I’ve come to a conviction as to how God would have me proceed.  But then I find that someone close to me has come to a different conviction, one that opposes mine, and they are feeling a need to press that with me.  How are we Christians to respond in that situation?  This is where the fourteenth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans can be most helpful. 

  Romans chapter 14 is all about differing opinions, on “disputable matters”--issues or questions not explicitly addressed in Scripture.  These are areas in which faithful Christians can come to different convictions. For example, should it matter what foods a person eats? (of importance especially in Paul’s day for Christians coming from a Jewish background), or which if any special days should be recognized?  The Apostle Paul isn’t writing here about essential truths of the Christian faith, or questions clearly answered in Scripture.  Rather he’s addressing issues in which Christians may come to different convictions (sometimes based on levels of Christian maturity) and remain in fellowship with each other. 

  In our time, we run into a number of issues we could put into this category.  Questions such as, should Christians ever drink alcohol?, should we have our kids in home school or private school or public school?, and which candidate should get my vote for President?  Again, these and other questions are not explicitly addressed in Scripture, and faithful Christians may disagree and still remain in close fellowship.

  As Paul unfolds this teaching, we see that when we think of convictions, we’re getting into matters of conscience. My conscience tells me that this is how God would have me proceed.  Romans 14 and other places make it clear that we should never violate our conscience.  Conscience is a wonderful gift from God; it guides us and warns us when we get near to sin (as pain protects us physically), and it affirms us when we’re on the right path.  

  Romans 14 also tells us that we should never lead another Christian to violate their conscience (see verses 13-15).  That holds true in cases when we think their conscience is less than fully mature, or when we think their conscience is just wrong.  Patience and love would have us want the best for that person.  To lead, or pressure, another Christian toward violating their conscience is to bring them harm; it’s clearly not the loving thing to do.  Instead, Romans 14:19 exhorts us to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

  It’s not wrong to have convictions (we’re supposed to), but Romans 14 is all about how we hold our convictions.  How does this relate to healthcare? If a person going through a medical problem has prayed, sought good advice, and comes to a conviction that a certain option is what God would have them do, then other Christians should respect their conviction, and lovingly support them through it.

  In such a case, it would be wrong for a person to actively bring pressure on someone to adopt their differing conviction, as if it’s their personal campaign to see that happen.  Christians also might be tempted to justify such an approach by seeing their conviction as more spiritual, such as a person claiming (with no way to verify), “God told me to tell you that you should pursue this treatment”.  That’s generally NOT how God works.  

  We have special revelation provided for us in the written word of God, and it is sufficient for our salvation and everything He wants us to know for life in this world, “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3; also 2 Tim. 3:16-17).   Beware of anyone claiming to have received special revelation from God to direct your medical care.

  This doesn’t mean that there’s never a right time and place to provide differing thoughts to someone about their healthcare.  Such times may arise, and expressing those thoughts may be very helpful to the person, perhaps even causing them to change their conviction.  What counts is the manner in which those thoughts are presented.  Romans 14 would have us engage people with sensitivity, respect, humility, and a non-judgmental spirit.  We’re to love the person even when we disagree with them, understanding that ultimately God is sovereign over taking them through the trial they are in.  That takes us to some concluding thoughts.

    Final thoughts on navigating physical trial, and facing death: rest, hope, pray, and lean hard on the Sovereignty and Providence of God! 

  A few final thoughts might be helpful to us as we consider how God would have us navigate through times of physical trial.

  Christians are to be a restful people (see especially Matt. 11:28-30, Hebrews 4 and many of the Psalms).  We rest in what we know about God, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We rest in the knowledge that we’ve been redeemed out of our condition in sin by the work of Christ, and we look forward to our full redemption after this life, with the absence of sin and its consequences--including physical problems and death itself.  We are united to the One who conquered death, not only for Himself but for all who’ve put their trust in Him. We take great comfort in the fact that the tomb of Jesus Christ is empty.

  We Christians have an unimaginably bright future, as we have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, as part of the family of God.  Looking to these truths has often brought great comfort for those in the midst of various trials, including those trials that lead to death. 

  The New Testament speaks of Christians encouraged to “hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).  That’s a great way to live, isn’t it?  It’s also a great way to die. 

  The biblical meaning of “hope” is not like we commonly think of today.  Our hope is not what we would call wishful thinking, but rather a confident expectation of something certain. Hebrews 6:19 continues with this: “We have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,...”  An anchor keeps one stable, secure, even in the midst of a storm.  So we are to hold onto our hope as an anchor.   

  Another way to rest in God is to remember His goodness.  He is good, and is working all things together, even our difficult trials, for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28, etc).  Even in times when we have a hard time seeing that, we can trust that it’s true. 

  Through times of difficult physical trial, including that which will lead to our departure from this life, we rest in God as we lean hard on His sovereignty.  All we can do is all we can do; after that (and through that), we trust in Him.  God does call us to care for our bodies, to allow their function according to His will for His glory (and remembering as we’ve seen that God may be glorified even in the absence of function).  So, as we have prayed, sought advice, and pursued appropriate care, we can rest with the knowledge that God is fully in control of all that happens, including what transpires with our physical condition, and how long he will have us live in this world.  We can take comfort in the fact that we belong to Him, and He will not leave us or forsake us.

  And we rest in God as we trust in His Providence.  Even in the midst of severe physical trial, God will provide for us, as a shepherd takes care of his sheep: He is our good Shepherd (see Psalm 23 and John 10).  As believers in Jesus Christ, we know God as our Father, who provides for His children.  We have his promise on that. One of the first designations or names for God we find in the Bible is found in Genesis 22:14, “Yahwey Yireh”--the LORD will Provide.

  God provides for us in so many ways; food, shelter, families, churches, and...medical care.  Even as one nears death, medical services such as Hospice can be such a gift to us and those around us.

  How should we pray when we or someone we know is in the midst of some serious physical trial?  Looking at the model prayer that Jesus gave to us through His disciples (see Matt. 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4), we see several elements to include.  We can pray that God’s name is glorified even in the midst and outcome of what we’re going through, and we can ask that His kingdom presence is brought to bear in the situation (perhaps as a witness to others who need to embrace the gospel for salvation).  We ask for our daily needs to be met, and ask for God to bring us to a place of close fellowship with Him and people around us.  We ask that He would protect us from temptation in our response to the trial we’re in, and we can ask him to deliver us from evil, including an ultimate deliverance from the physical trial we’re in. 

  It’s right to bring our needs and requests to Him, including the request to be healed of a physical condition.  God may choose to heal us of that problem in this life, or he may choose to heal us of it in taking us to heaven.  If it is not His plan to heal us now, in this life, we pray for grace to make it to a healing in the next. (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-10).

  Ultimately, God will heal His children completely, even though we might not know when, and how.  So we pray, “Your will be done”.  We rest in that, knowing and trusting that He will take care of us all the way through.  The LORD will provide. 

  So, after we’ve done all we know to do, we rest, and continue to pray, knowing that our good Shepherd is with us and caring for us, even in times when we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.  Prayer is a wonderful way to manage our fear and anxiety in the midst of trial (see Phil. 4:4-7).

   Some takeaways:

  1. Sin is the ultimate cause for our medical problems, and our physical death.  Christians look forward to the absence of sin after this life, and resurrection bodies fit for eternity.
  1. Our physical health is a stewardship given to us by God; as His image-bearers, we are to function in a way that brings glory to Him and blesses those around us.
  1. How we respond to our health problems matters: we need to avoid neglect, wrong expectations, and idolatry.
  1. God would have us pursue a right care for our physical bodies.
  1. We need to exercise wisdom and discernment when we need to pursue a remedy.
  1. Medical care is part of God’s common grace; we need to see it as a gift, and be thankful.
  1. We need to show grace and respect toward those who hold differing opinions when it comes to diagnosis and treatment options.
  1. Beyond pursuing medical options, Chistians are to rest, pray, and be anchored by hope.
  1. Christians need to lean on God’s sovereignty and providence, especially through physical trial and when considering death.

  One of the great things about being part of a local church is that we find examples to follow, responses to emulate.  Christian practice is not an academic exercise; it’s real life.  Right thinking (orthodoxy) leads to right practice (orthopraxy).

  I’ve recently been close to two situations of people going through rather severe physical trial.  In the case of one woman, a neurosurgical team brought correction to a serious, rapidly deteriorating spinal condition; she’s already showing signs of improvement, and her rehabilitation team is now optimistic that she will have a good recovery, but it’s been a very tough road and there’s more to go.

  In the other case, a man with widespread cancer has with treatment survived years beyond the original projection of his doctors, but has now needed to transition to Hospice care, and it appears he will not be with us much longer.  

  Both of these people are currently serving as good examples for us, in the manner in which they’re navigating their physical trial.  Both have been helped and are being helped by medical care; both are trusting in God as their ultimate help; both are praying much, with others and when they are alone; both are looking forward to heaven when there will be no more physical hardship; both have trusted in Christ for salvation and are looking forward to their full redemption after this life, whenever their life here is to end.  Both of them are leaning hard on God’s sovereignty, and His providence.  Both are resting in God, even as they’re pursuing the wise thing to do, day by day.  Thank God for good examples.

   May God help us to go through the difficulties of this life, including our physical trials, in a way that brings glory to Him.

 

 

 

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Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 2 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ-part-2 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ-part-2#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ-part-2 Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 2

by Dave Lutz

Some basic elements of caring for our bodies.

  There are a few basic ways we are to take care of our bodies.  These would include making wise choices concerning nutrition, activity and rest.  What we eat, how much and when.  What activities we pursue, how much and when.  The body is designed by God to function best when it’s regularly active; it responds well to healthy activity, and a healthy amount of it.  Prolonged inactivity causes us to become debilitated with all sorts of consequences (hence the expression, “use it or lose it”). 

  And clearly our bodies need rest.  Obviously, there’s also a right and healthy dosage of rest; too little or too much will create problems for us.  Sleep itself is a good gift from God (Ps. 127:2; 4:8), but Scripture also warns of the excessive sleep or rest of laziness (Proverbs 20:13; 24:30-34). Over our lifetime, we seem to get plenty of practice figuring this out, and we also get practice making modifications to different seasons of life.  

  There’s also an issue of timing when we think of rest.  God may have things for us to do with an urgency, when physical rest won’t be a priority for a certain time (see 2 Cor. 11:27).  Other times, we may need to emphasize rest with some intention for a while (think of someone taking a “sabbatical”).

   So, nutrition, activity and rest. Tending to these basic ways of caring for our bodies (and tending to our spiritual health, remembering the connection between physical and spiritual) goes a long way in helping us to function well and carry out the work that God has for us to do.  But even if we are in the habit of caring well for our bodies, in this fallen world we can still find ourselves entering into any number of physical health problems.  When such times occur, how do we proceed?

  Do we need a remedy?

  Some, perhaps most, of our health problems will be fairly inconsequential and temporary; others will be more consequential and longer lasting.  Some may lead to physical death.  Some problems have a significant effect on our ability to function, and some problems if not addressed will likely become worse over time.  Those two factors are typically when we sense a need to pursue a remedy, some treatment to bring correction.

  Wisdom and discernment.

  When we do experience a physical health problem, we need wisdom as to how to proceed.  As we just noted, often the first question becomes, “Do I need to do anything about this?”.  Many problems, like a simple cold or a scrape on the knee, resolve clearly over time without much in the way of treatment.  

  Any parent deals with this on a regular basis.  It seems that the more mobile a young child becomes, the more he or she becomes subject to a slew of injuries.  Bumps, bruises, scrapes. Tears flow, ice often helps (and maybe a favorite toy).  Thankfully, it seems that God makes children both cute AND durable. Most of their bodily issues will not require a trip to an emergency department.

  Such is also the case for us adults.  God has made us in such a way that our bodies have built-in mechanisms for healing and repair.  We have circulatory and immune systems designed especially for that purpose, interacting with our brain and other bodily systems in a complex array of healing mechanisms.  Many of our physical problems simply heal on their own over time, some requiring extra rest, good nutrition, and perhaps activity modification.  

  But we may find ourselves having some physical problems that clearly need some type of medical care beyond what we can do ourselves.  Some symptoms set off alarms for us, suggesting an urgency to take some action. Sometimes the remedy is clear, such as when a fall causes a fractured femur near the hip, requiring surgery to stabilize.  Other times, the problem is not so clear.

  Indeed, some medical problems are difficult to diagnose, or may take a long time to diagnose with accuracy.  Sometimes a precise diagnosis remains elusive.  Medicine is not an exact science--it’s not like math (even though it uses math); that’s why it’s called a “practice”.  This is in part because the body is so very complex.  Even with all our current knowledge, we haven’t gotten to the bottom of how everything in our body works and interacts. We are indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

  But with what we DO know, from millenia of human experience and learning, we need wisdom as to how to apply when a remedy is needed.

  Before going further, it needs to be pointed out that not every medical problem can be resolved; some problems just will not be subject to being fixed or cured.  The best medical providers know that.  As difficult as that is to think about, that’s where we as Christians need to lean hard on the sovereignty and goodness of God.  More on that later; for now let’s go back to thinking about wisdom.

  The Bible speaks of the high value of wisdom, and encourages us to seek it, not only for medical care but for all of life. The book of Proverbs in particular has a lot to say about how we are to pursue wisdom. Consider the following:

  Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”

  12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

  19:20, “LIsten to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future”.

  11:14b, “...in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

  These and other passages teach us the value of looking to others for wisdom and help when we need advice and guidance.  Certainly that relates to times when we or people we care for are in need of help to deal with various physical problems.  That brings up the question, who do we go to?

  Assessing our options.

  We start with prayer, and wisdom itself is a great thing to ask God for.  Consider James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

  We need wisdom even when thinking about who to go to for advice and help.

  Discernment is a term related to wisdom. Discernment is needed to exercise good judgment as we look to select among alternatives; we discern that this is better than that. Related to medical care, we may talk with others, look at the options available to us  and discern that care from this person or institution, or perhaps this product, is the best way to alleviate our problem.  Or we might decide to pursue one option, and later if needed go to a second option. Wisdom may generate a plan with contingencies.

  Several factors will affect the options we have to consider for healthcare.  These include our past experience or the experience of others we know, healthcare providers that we have available to us (and their training and experience), information and facilities available to us, our financial status, etc.  Normally in time a good option makes itself known. 

  Medical care is part of God’s “common” grace. 

  As we’ve noted before, we live in a time when we’ve seen huge advances in medical care.  We may take for granted the fact that we don’t need to think a lot about diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox, or polio, and we don’t consider it a big news story when someone receives a major organ transplant. It’s not uncommon today to see a person successfully treated for a condition that just 20 years ago was considered not treatable.  

  Effective medical care, with the progression of medical expertise over time,  is part of what theologians refer to as God’s “common grace”; called “common” because of its availability to people generally, believers and unbelievers.  God created us human beings with minds that are able to discover things about His creation, including our bodies; and over time we’ve come to understand how a lot of things work.  It’s not an accident that people over the centuries have come up with effective ways to treat various bodily problems and diseases. In His providence God has brought that about as a gracious gift to people. And just as God sends sunshine and rain on people who reject Him as well as people who love Him, so too medical care has progressed and is available to people generally. It’s part of His common grace.

  It’s probably also good to point out that although medical care has progressed over time, by no means do medical professionals have all of the answers to the problems they’re asked to address.  There are times when even the best providers get it wrong, and there are occasions when mistakes are made.  Medical care, provided by fallible human beings with finite minds, is by no means infallible.  Still, it’s not hard to find plenty of reasons to thank God for medical care. 

  Searching for answers; where do we go?

  As we noted, medical care is in some respects not an exact science, and some problems prove difficult to diagnose and treat.  A person may obtain advice from different people,  perhaps including some highly trained medical providers, and end up with some highly educated best guesses or opinions, without a lot of certainty. 

  We often consider it wise to obtain a “second opinion”, especially in situations where the problem or the solution is not clear, or where a proposed remedy carries a risk for further or even more serious problems (like death).  Again, we think of Proverbs and safety in an abundance of counselors.

  For problems that don’t appear urgent, It may help to take more time, pray, and perhaps seek further advice as to where to go to address the problem.  When problems are urgent, we may not have that luxury. Again, wisdom is needed. 

  It is interesting how our options for treating our physical problems have progressed over time, as well as how they have multiplied.  In recent decades we’ve seen the rise of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (or “CAM”) as well as Naturopathic Medicine.

  Within CAM we find care that is meant to complement, or provide an alternative to, traditional medical care.  Examples include aromatherapy, acupuncture, some chiropractic care, meditation (with a recent focus on “mindfulness”), herbalism and reflexology (involving pressure to specific points on the feet or hands).  Some might distinguish complementary medicine from alternative medicine, in that one is intended as a compliment to traditional medical care whereas the other is intended to be a totally separate alternative (for example, a special diet to treat cancer instead of a recommended surgery).

  Some might consider naturopathic medicine in the category of CAM, or it may be viewed as its own entity. Naturopathy aims to use natural remedies to facilitate the body’s own processes to heal itself (hence the name). Some within this field recommend against traditional medical care, even care that is supported by high quality research.

  Some of the remedies from CAM and naturopathy can be highly effective to treat a number of physical ailments.  Some have been used for a long time and some are fairly new (it might help to remember that at one time, every medical treatment was new).

   Unfortunately we may also find from these areas certain fads that don’t end up lasting over time because their outcomes don’t match their claims, as well as sometimes bizarre treatments based on testimonials that do not have the benefit of high quality research (which requires an adequate sample size, and controls to factor out a “placebo” effect).  It is beyond the scope of this article to assess all of the treatments one may find in CAM and Naturopathy.  Suffice it to say again, wisdom and discernment are needed as we consider options.

  It may help to think for a moment about wisdom as it applies to gathering information about healthcare in our information-rich age. 

  Our digital information technology is in many ways a great gift.  I’m writing this article on a computer, and I’ve done several internet searches to find information to include. I’ve found that I don’t need a Bible concordance anymore (the physical book version), as I can quickly speak a few words of a Bible verse into my phone and obtain the correct reference instantly.  Pick a topic, and it seems we have access to all sorts of wonderful information.

  Unfortunately, not all of that information is accurate.  The truth is, there is a LOT of bad information available to us on the internet.  And the false, inaccurate information does not come with a label identifying it as such.

  For example, if we find someone stating categorically that people should never seek traditional medical care from a medical provider, we can discern that that’s bad information.  It will not take a long look into such a pronouncement to see that it is based on faulty reasoning; it is simply not sound.  Nor is it safe.  Unfortunately there have been a number of cases where people have purposely avoided medical care despite all indications that it would have been helpful, resulting in very sad endings.  So if someone tells you to stay away from any hospital or any medical provider, watch out. Be discerning.  Beware of such absolute, categorical statements typically made by someone lacking any true expertise.  

  Or again, if we come across someone on the internet making the claim that all you need to do to cure any of your physical problems is to add more blueberries to your diet, well that’s just bad information (no offense to blueberries), and we don’t have to buy it.

  So, as we go online to consider ways to care for our particular problem, we need to be discerning.  Earlier we mentioned Proverbs 14:15, “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”  And again, wisdom would have us enlist the help of others (including and especially people who have been trained to understand and successfully treat problems like we’re experiencing) who can bring their experience to bear on the situation.   

 

 

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Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 2

by Dave Lutz

Some basic elements of caring for our bodies.

  There are a few basic ways we are to take care of our bodies.  These would include making wise choices concerning nutrition, activity and rest.  What we eat, how much and when.  What activities we pursue, how much and when.  The body is designed by God to function best when it’s regularly active; it responds well to healthy activity, and a healthy amount of it.  Prolonged inactivity causes us to become debilitated with all sorts of consequences (hence the expression, “use it or lose it”). 

  And clearly our bodies need rest.  Obviously, there’s also a right and healthy dosage of rest; too little or too much will create problems for us.  Sleep itself is a good gift from God (Ps. 127:2; 4:8), but Scripture also warns of the excessive sleep or rest of laziness (Proverbs 20:13; 24:30-34). Over our lifetime, we seem to get plenty of practice figuring this out, and we also get practice making modifications to different seasons of life.  

  There’s also an issue of timing when we think of rest.  God may have things for us to do with an urgency, when physical rest won’t be a priority for a certain time (see 2 Cor. 11:27).  Other times, we may need to emphasize rest with some intention for a while (think of someone taking a “sabbatical”).

   So, nutrition, activity and rest. Tending to these basic ways of caring for our bodies (and tending to our spiritual health, remembering the connection between physical and spiritual) goes a long way in helping us to function well and carry out the work that God has for us to do.  But even if we are in the habit of caring well for our bodies, in this fallen world we can still find ourselves entering into any number of physical health problems.  When such times occur, how do we proceed?

  Do we need a remedy?

  Some, perhaps most, of our health problems will be fairly inconsequential and temporary; others will be more consequential and longer lasting.  Some may lead to physical death.  Some problems have a significant effect on our ability to function, and some problems if not addressed will likely become worse over time.  Those two factors are typically when we sense a need to pursue a remedy, some treatment to bring correction.

  Wisdom and discernment.

  When we do experience a physical health problem, we need wisdom as to how to proceed.  As we just noted, often the first question becomes, “Do I need to do anything about this?”.  Many problems, like a simple cold or a scrape on the knee, resolve clearly over time without much in the way of treatment.  

  Any parent deals with this on a regular basis.  It seems that the more mobile a young child becomes, the more he or she becomes subject to a slew of injuries.  Bumps, bruises, scrapes. Tears flow, ice often helps (and maybe a favorite toy).  Thankfully, it seems that God makes children both cute AND durable. Most of their bodily issues will not require a trip to an emergency department.

  Such is also the case for us adults.  God has made us in such a way that our bodies have built-in mechanisms for healing and repair.  We have circulatory and immune systems designed especially for that purpose, interacting with our brain and other bodily systems in a complex array of healing mechanisms.  Many of our physical problems simply heal on their own over time, some requiring extra rest, good nutrition, and perhaps activity modification.  

  But we may find ourselves having some physical problems that clearly need some type of medical care beyond what we can do ourselves.  Some symptoms set off alarms for us, suggesting an urgency to take some action. Sometimes the remedy is clear, such as when a fall causes a fractured femur near the hip, requiring surgery to stabilize.  Other times, the problem is not so clear.

  Indeed, some medical problems are difficult to diagnose, or may take a long time to diagnose with accuracy.  Sometimes a precise diagnosis remains elusive.  Medicine is not an exact science--it’s not like math (even though it uses math); that’s why it’s called a “practice”.  This is in part because the body is so very complex.  Even with all our current knowledge, we haven’t gotten to the bottom of how everything in our body works and interacts. We are indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

  But with what we DO know, from millenia of human experience and learning, we need wisdom as to how to apply when a remedy is needed.

  Before going further, it needs to be pointed out that not every medical problem can be resolved; some problems just will not be subject to being fixed or cured.  The best medical providers know that.  As difficult as that is to think about, that’s where we as Christians need to lean hard on the sovereignty and goodness of God.  More on that later; for now let’s go back to thinking about wisdom.

  The Bible speaks of the high value of wisdom, and encourages us to seek it, not only for medical care but for all of life. The book of Proverbs in particular has a lot to say about how we are to pursue wisdom. Consider the following:

  Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”

  12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

  19:20, “LIsten to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future”.

  11:14b, “...in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

  These and other passages teach us the value of looking to others for wisdom and help when we need advice and guidance.  Certainly that relates to times when we or people we care for are in need of help to deal with various physical problems.  That brings up the question, who do we go to?

  Assessing our options.

  We start with prayer, and wisdom itself is a great thing to ask God for.  Consider James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

  We need wisdom even when thinking about who to go to for advice and help.

  Discernment is a term related to wisdom. Discernment is needed to exercise good judgment as we look to select among alternatives; we discern that this is better than that. Related to medical care, we may talk with others, look at the options available to us  and discern that care from this person or institution, or perhaps this product, is the best way to alleviate our problem.  Or we might decide to pursue one option, and later if needed go to a second option. Wisdom may generate a plan with contingencies.

  Several factors will affect the options we have to consider for healthcare.  These include our past experience or the experience of others we know, healthcare providers that we have available to us (and their training and experience), information and facilities available to us, our financial status, etc.  Normally in time a good option makes itself known. 

  Medical care is part of God’s “common” grace. 

  As we’ve noted before, we live in a time when we’ve seen huge advances in medical care.  We may take for granted the fact that we don’t need to think a lot about diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox, or polio, and we don’t consider it a big news story when someone receives a major organ transplant. It’s not uncommon today to see a person successfully treated for a condition that just 20 years ago was considered not treatable.  

  Effective medical care, with the progression of medical expertise over time,  is part of what theologians refer to as God’s “common grace”; called “common” because of its availability to people generally, believers and unbelievers.  God created us human beings with minds that are able to discover things about His creation, including our bodies; and over time we’ve come to understand how a lot of things work.  It’s not an accident that people over the centuries have come up with effective ways to treat various bodily problems and diseases. In His providence God has brought that about as a gracious gift to people. And just as God sends sunshine and rain on people who reject Him as well as people who love Him, so too medical care has progressed and is available to people generally. It’s part of His common grace.

  It’s probably also good to point out that although medical care has progressed over time, by no means do medical professionals have all of the answers to the problems they’re asked to address.  There are times when even the best providers get it wrong, and there are occasions when mistakes are made.  Medical care, provided by fallible human beings with finite minds, is by no means infallible.  Still, it’s not hard to find plenty of reasons to thank God for medical care. 

  Searching for answers; where do we go?

  As we noted, medical care is in some respects not an exact science, and some problems prove difficult to diagnose and treat.  A person may obtain advice from different people,  perhaps including some highly trained medical providers, and end up with some highly educated best guesses or opinions, without a lot of certainty. 

  We often consider it wise to obtain a “second opinion”, especially in situations where the problem or the solution is not clear, or where a proposed remedy carries a risk for further or even more serious problems (like death).  Again, we think of Proverbs and safety in an abundance of counselors.

  For problems that don’t appear urgent, It may help to take more time, pray, and perhaps seek further advice as to where to go to address the problem.  When problems are urgent, we may not have that luxury. Again, wisdom is needed. 

  It is interesting how our options for treating our physical problems have progressed over time, as well as how they have multiplied.  In recent decades we’ve seen the rise of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (or “CAM”) as well as Naturopathic Medicine.

  Within CAM we find care that is meant to complement, or provide an alternative to, traditional medical care.  Examples include aromatherapy, acupuncture, some chiropractic care, meditation (with a recent focus on “mindfulness”), herbalism and reflexology (involving pressure to specific points on the feet or hands).  Some might distinguish complementary medicine from alternative medicine, in that one is intended as a compliment to traditional medical care whereas the other is intended to be a totally separate alternative (for example, a special diet to treat cancer instead of a recommended surgery).

  Some might consider naturopathic medicine in the category of CAM, or it may be viewed as its own entity. Naturopathy aims to use natural remedies to facilitate the body’s own processes to heal itself (hence the name). Some within this field recommend against traditional medical care, even care that is supported by high quality research.

  Some of the remedies from CAM and naturopathy can be highly effective to treat a number of physical ailments.  Some have been used for a long time and some are fairly new (it might help to remember that at one time, every medical treatment was new).

   Unfortunately we may also find from these areas certain fads that don’t end up lasting over time because their outcomes don’t match their claims, as well as sometimes bizarre treatments based on testimonials that do not have the benefit of high quality research (which requires an adequate sample size, and controls to factor out a “placebo” effect).  It is beyond the scope of this article to assess all of the treatments one may find in CAM and Naturopathy.  Suffice it to say again, wisdom and discernment are needed as we consider options.

  It may help to think for a moment about wisdom as it applies to gathering information about healthcare in our information-rich age. 

  Our digital information technology is in many ways a great gift.  I’m writing this article on a computer, and I’ve done several internet searches to find information to include. I’ve found that I don’t need a Bible concordance anymore (the physical book version), as I can quickly speak a few words of a Bible verse into my phone and obtain the correct reference instantly.  Pick a topic, and it seems we have access to all sorts of wonderful information.

  Unfortunately, not all of that information is accurate.  The truth is, there is a LOT of bad information available to us on the internet.  And the false, inaccurate information does not come with a label identifying it as such.

  For example, if we find someone stating categorically that people should never seek traditional medical care from a medical provider, we can discern that that’s bad information.  It will not take a long look into such a pronouncement to see that it is based on faulty reasoning; it is simply not sound.  Nor is it safe.  Unfortunately there have been a number of cases where people have purposely avoided medical care despite all indications that it would have been helpful, resulting in very sad endings.  So if someone tells you to stay away from any hospital or any medical provider, watch out. Be discerning.  Beware of such absolute, categorical statements typically made by someone lacking any true expertise.  

  Or again, if we come across someone on the internet making the claim that all you need to do to cure any of your physical problems is to add more blueberries to your diet, well that’s just bad information (no offense to blueberries), and we don’t have to buy it.

  So, as we go online to consider ways to care for our particular problem, we need to be discerning.  Earlier we mentioned Proverbs 14:15, “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”  And again, wisdom would have us enlist the help of others (including and especially people who have been trained to understand and successfully treat problems like we’re experiencing) who can bring their experience to bear on the situation.   

 

 

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Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 1 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/christian-thinking-regarding-medical-care-and-the-need-for-respect-when-opinions-differ Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 1

 by Dave Lutz

   How are we Christians to think about problems with our physical bodies?  And how are we to navigate through those times when there is a clear need to pursue some type of treatment?

  And further, given the multiplicity of treatment options available for so many of our physical problems, how are Christians to interact when differences of opinion arise as to what treatment(s) to pursue? 

  The Bible clearly exhorts Christians to care for one another.  We’re exhorted to “bear one another’s burdens”, and help meet the needs of others, especially for those going through various trials, including physical illness or injury.  In a healthy church, such physical difficulties, especially if prolonged or more severe, will become known to other members; that actually can be helpful in mobilizing people to pray and offer tangible support for the person or family in need.

  On occasion, as a person’s condition becomes known, opinions may arise as to what type of treatment may be most effective.  Such opinions may be based upon someone’s personal experience with a similar problem or knowledge of someone else who has gone through something similar.  Opinions may be expressed by trained health care providers, as well as those who have no formal medical training.

  Sometimes opinions as to the right course of medical treatment can become strong convictions, and if we have people with opposing strong convictions coming together, we find the potential for Christians mistreating one another.  How are we to handle that?  That is one of the issues this article means to address. First, let’s consider some elements of a biblical view of healthcare.

  Why do we have medical problems?

  The ultimate cause for all of our medical problems is not hard to find; it is human sin.  Scripture is clear on that.

  Genesis 2:15-17 says, “The LORD took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it [notice the physical function here, man using his body for work before the fall into sin].  And the Lord commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” (ESV)

  Influenced by Satan’s temptation to doubt God’s word, Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by violating this command. The consequence of sin was physical and spiritual death and alienation from their Creator. God was gracious to our first parents in that they did not physically die that day, and God made provision to redeem them out of their condition in sin and death.  

  However, as a consequence of sin, the process of physical decay and death was introduced in them and would be passed on to their descendants, such that in time death is inevitable for us all.  The death rate is 100%. That’s clear. As our pastor, Andrew has said, “there are no 137 year-olds”.

  So, even though there are a myriad of secondary causes for our physical health problems (various germs and viruses, diseases, accidents, inherited genetic dispositions, choices we make, the aging process itself, etc.), the ultimate, primary cause for all of them is sin.  And Scripture is clear that sin affects not only our physical bodies, but all parts of us, including our mind, will, and emotions.  Thankfully for the Christian, the dominating power of sin has been broken in us, and we are in the process of life change growing into the image of Christ (the process of sanctification).  We hold onto the good news that Jesus Christ came to redeem a people and the creation itself out of sin and its effects.  The Bible tells us that after this life, for all those united to Christ by faith, we will be free from the corruption and consequences of sin, including sickness and death.

  Indeed, we look forward in time to resurrection bodies that will be free from physical decay, bodies that will be fit for eternity in the glorious presence of God in a renewed creation.  We long for that to become reality, don’t we?  Think about it; if you are currently a Christian healthcare professional, you’re going to have a different job in heaven.

  But, in the meantime, our physical problems, be they minor or severe or somewhere in between, are a normal part of this life.  Despite its incredible design and beauty, the world under the curse of sin is indeed a dangerous place to live, and the bodies we now have are subject to a number of problems and certain decay. 

  Our physical health as a stewardship.

  The Bible tells us that God is sovereign over His creation.  Being sovereign means that He is ultimately in charge of everything that happens, including the course of the lives of His people. He has determined the various activities that he would have us do. Ephesians 2:19 puts it this way: “...we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

  God is also in charge of exactly how long we will live in this world.  Some will depart from us seemingly very early while others may live a very long time. We all have an appointment for the time this life will come to an end, and it’s one appointment that none of us will be late for.  

  How easy is it for us to presume that we’re going to be here next week, next month, next year.  We may plan a future event as if we know for certain what will happen, and that we’ll be there to see it. James 4:13-15 brings some correction to that thinking:

  “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” God is sovereign; we are not."

  God is also sovereign over our physical difficulties. Often we will not fully understand His purposes in allowing us to go through these or other trials, though we can rest assured that He is good, and that He works all things together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 

  God has created us in His image, for a purpose.  We might find that we have many different purposes in the course of our life, but we human beings were created for one overarching purpose.  The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it this way: “Question: What is the chief end of man?  Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever”. (1 Cor. 10:31; Romans 11:36; Psalm 73:25-28)

  Part of glorifying God is to live in a manner that God intended for us.  God gave Adam and Eve a mandate to fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing.  In a sense, that mandate has not ended, and it involves work done with our minds and our physical bodies.  Our bodies were created by God to take us through life in this world, and allow us to carry out the work that He has called us to do.

  So we could say that our bodies, with the physical function they provide, are a stewardship that God has given us, for a duration of time that He has determined. Being good stewards of our bodies involves taking care of them for as long as we reside in them.  Even as our bodies and their capacities change over time, they remain a stewardship given to us, to be taken care of and used in a manner that blesses others and brings glory to God.

  For Christians, the importance of stewarding our bodies well is clearly seen when we consider Who it is we belong to, and Who resides within us spiritually.  A great place to see that is 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20:

  “...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.”  

  Next, let’s consider a few ways that we can fail to be good stewards of our physical bodies.  

We might think of these as 3 paths to avoid.

  Paths to avoid: 1. Neglect.

  One path to avoid here is neglect.  We have been created by God in His image, with a body, a mind, and a soul or spirit.  We recognize that we have a physical body, and an immaterial or non-physical part to us.   These are good gifts from our Creator, and as we’ve said can be seen as a stewardship, things to be taken care of.  

  So, clearly it’s wrong to neglect taking care of our body.  Such neglect might include not giving our bodies the rest or nutrition they need, substance abuse, poor hygiene, choosing to be chronically inactive or engaging in reckless activity--putting our bodies in situations that involve undue strain or high risk for injury, avoiding available preventive measures, or choosing not to treat a problem when treatment is clearly needed.  

  There are many ways we can neglect our physical health.  It’s also true that neglecting our spiritual health can affect our physical health; consider Psalm 32:3, speaking of David before he confessed and was cleansed of grievous sin: “...when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groanings all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”  Neglecting to deal with our sin can have physical consequences, as our spiritual health is connected to our physical health (see Prov. 17:22; 14:30, etc.).

  1. Expecting ongoing perfect physical health.

  Over the course of human history, and especially over the last few centuries, healthcare has advanced quite a bit.  Couple this with a digital information explosion that would have been unimaginable 50 years ago, along with economic prosperity, and you’ve got a recipe for some pretty high expectations when it comes to our physical well-being.

  We can be tempted to buy into the idea that we can have, indeed should have, perfect physical health as long as we want it, and we’ve got all sorts of means to achieve it.

  It doesn’t take a long look into the entertainment and advertising worlds to see this idea.  Buy this product, get this surgery, take this supplement, and you too can look and feel this way (says the near perfect model making the endorsement).  Use this product and it will make you look and feel younger.  Think of how many times you’ve seen a product that claims to have an “anti-aging” effect (as if in some way it will cause you not to age).

  Our culture certainly tends to foster an aversion to aging, and especially the destination aging takes us to, death.  We tend to not want to think about death.  We’d rather avoid it, or deny it (one group, “Christian Science”, actually teaches that death is an illusion).  In recent years some have put their hope in something called “Cryonics”, a process of freezing the body at death with the thought that someone in the future will come up with a way to bring it back to life.  According to Scripture, that won’t work (and what Christian would want to come back to a fallen world anyway).  Instead, Christians look forward to their soul departing from the body at death to be with the Lord; and then in time to a resurrection body, one dominated by the Holy Spirit and fit for eternity.

  Unfortunately, a promise of perfect health can also be heard from within some churches who hold a distorted view of the gospel. Some false teachers claim you can have perpetual perfect health in this life if you just have enough faith, or if you direct enough of your money to the one teaching (this part of the “prosperity” gospel).  This view says you can rid your life of all sickness and disease by the power of your faith.  That’s ascribing a lot of power to human faith. On the contrary, Scripture teaches that God is sovereign over all of reality, including sickness and disease.  We’re not sovereign over such things; we don’t create our own reality.

  Related to the view that Christians can avoid any and all physical problems, we find in the 9th chapter of John’s gospel some faulty theology on the part of the Jews of Jesus’ day.  Apparently they tended to automatically link physical impairment with sin, as if personal or family sin was always the underlying direct cause.  Consider John 9:1-3:

  “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.  And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

  We find a similar faulty theology expressed in the Old Testament book of Job, in the responses of Job’s friends to the severe trials (including physical) that he was going through.  Surely, they thought, a truly righteous man would not suffer this way.  If you are a super spiritual person, God will prosper you with continual good health, right?  As we read on through the book of Job to its conclusion, we find that faulty thinking corrected.

  To be clear, sometimes physical problems and even death can be the result of personal sin (see 1 Cor. 11:27-30), but not always.  Therefore we need to not be quick to judge.

  An expectation of perfect physical health, besides not corresponding to reality, also misses the point that God often works through physical trials to bring about changes in us or people around us, or for some other purpose.  Scripture tells us that trials are often a means that God uses to bring us near to Him (in some cases, unbelievers coming to saving faith), develop a greater dependence on Him, cause us to be humble, more sensitive to others, and pray more.  Physical trials also cause us to yearn for our full redemption in the next life.  In a number of ways, God uses physical trials to shape His people and bring glory to Himself.  Consider these  representative passages:

  James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

  Psalm 119:92, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”

  Psalm 119:71, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”

  Certainly, for a person going through severe physical trial, it is helpful to know that God is working His good purposes through it, even if we don’t fully see or understand all that that involves.  For believers in Christ, we could say that God redeems those trials for His purpose in us and through us, to His glory.  May God help us to have that perspective more and more.

  1. Idolatry 

  We human beings have been created to worship; that is hard-wired into us.  Worship involves ascribing supreme worth to something or someone.

  We’re used to the idea of worshipping God, but perhaps less used to the idea of worshipping something other than God.  The fact is, certain things in our lives can become so important to us, so supremely valuable, that we can come to see them worthy of our worship.

  It is the nature of sin to keep us from a right worship of our Creator and instead bring us to worship something else, something that He’s created (see Romans 1:23-25).

  We’re aware of examples throughout history of people worshipping the sun, or some earthly ruler, or an image of some person or animal, or perhaps the entire creation itself.  We might think of an idol as some image like the golden calf Israel made in the wilderness, or a decorative figure made to represent some man-made god.  That’s a literal “idol”.  But we know that there are also figurative “idols” we can create for ourselves.

  We human beings can come to worship things like financial success, pleasure, some cherished sin, or even another person.  Those things might not be represented by statues we physically bow down to, but if we serve them with supreme devotion above everything else including God, they are indeed idols for us. 

  Even good gifts from God, such as a spouse, a career, a home, even a church ministry, can become idols we serve.  Interestingly, we human beings are actually pretty good at creating idols in our life.  One notable theologian said it this way, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory”.  Again, we were created to worship, but sin corrupts that in us.  And anything that takes us away from our supreme devotion to God dishonors Him and brings us harm.

  As mentioned earlier, we Christians, with hearts regenerated by the Spirit of God, have had the power of sin in us broken; sin no longer has the dominion over us it once had.  We’re now free not to sin.  However, in this life we continue to struggle with remaining sin, remaining corruption. We don’t reach moral perfection in this life, and we can fall into the sin of idolatry.

   If we buy into the idea that we can achieve lasting perfect physical health, fed by our culture’s message that that’s how life should be, our health itself can become an idol for us, something we worship.  

  Now here’s where it can get tricky.  We ARE supposed to see some things as valuable, even very valuable, and we ARE supposed to be highly devoted to certain things in this life. Our family, our church, our neighbor down the street, the job that God has placed us in.  And yes we ARE supposed to value our bodies and our health. 

  The key issue is one of relative importance, or priority.  The point at which we move anything in this life up to a place of higher value, higher priority than God, is where we cross over into idolatry.

  So Christian, while it’s true that your body is a temple, that’s because of Who resides in it spiritually (see again 1 Cor. 6:19).  We’re not to worship the body itself, despite what our culture might tell us.

  How can we value things in this present life (including our physical health) in a way that they don’t become idols to us?  One way is to hold such things loosely, with an understanding that this life is temporary.  God is sovereign over the good gifts that we are to steward, and how long we are to have those gifts.  He does intend for us to enjoy the many good things we find in this life (1 Timothy 6:17; Ecclesiastes 2:24), but we need to rightly see them as gifts given from His hand. As someone has said, we must not value the gift more than the Giver of the gift.  Only God is to be the object of our supreme devotion and worship.  Keeping that perspective, cultivating our right worship of Him, will help to keep us from the sin of idolatry.

  So, we’ve considered a few paths to avoid when it comes to our physical health: neglect, an unrealistic expectation that denies we’ll have physical problems, and idolatry.  Next, let’s look at some considerations as we look to steward our physical health in a manner pleasing to God.   

  

 

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Christian Thinking Regarding Medical Care and the Need for Respect when Opinions Differ: Part 1

 by Dave Lutz

   How are we Christians to think about problems with our physical bodies?  And how are we to navigate through those times when there is a clear need to pursue some type of treatment?

  And further, given the multiplicity of treatment options available for so many of our physical problems, how are Christians to interact when differences of opinion arise as to what treatment(s) to pursue? 

  The Bible clearly exhorts Christians to care for one another.  We’re exhorted to “bear one another’s burdens”, and help meet the needs of others, especially for those going through various trials, including physical illness or injury.  In a healthy church, such physical difficulties, especially if prolonged or more severe, will become known to other members; that actually can be helpful in mobilizing people to pray and offer tangible support for the person or family in need.

  On occasion, as a person’s condition becomes known, opinions may arise as to what type of treatment may be most effective.  Such opinions may be based upon someone’s personal experience with a similar problem or knowledge of someone else who has gone through something similar.  Opinions may be expressed by trained health care providers, as well as those who have no formal medical training.

  Sometimes opinions as to the right course of medical treatment can become strong convictions, and if we have people with opposing strong convictions coming together, we find the potential for Christians mistreating one another.  How are we to handle that?  That is one of the issues this article means to address. First, let’s consider some elements of a biblical view of healthcare.

  Why do we have medical problems?

  The ultimate cause for all of our medical problems is not hard to find; it is human sin.  Scripture is clear on that.

  Genesis 2:15-17 says, “The LORD took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it [notice the physical function here, man using his body for work before the fall into sin].  And the Lord commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” (ESV)

  Influenced by Satan’s temptation to doubt God’s word, Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by violating this command. The consequence of sin was physical and spiritual death and alienation from their Creator. God was gracious to our first parents in that they did not physically die that day, and God made provision to redeem them out of their condition in sin and death.  

  However, as a consequence of sin, the process of physical decay and death was introduced in them and would be passed on to their descendants, such that in time death is inevitable for us all.  The death rate is 100%. That’s clear. As our pastor, Andrew has said, “there are no 137 year-olds”.

  So, even though there are a myriad of secondary causes for our physical health problems (various germs and viruses, diseases, accidents, inherited genetic dispositions, choices we make, the aging process itself, etc.), the ultimate, primary cause for all of them is sin.  And Scripture is clear that sin affects not only our physical bodies, but all parts of us, including our mind, will, and emotions.  Thankfully for the Christian, the dominating power of sin has been broken in us, and we are in the process of life change growing into the image of Christ (the process of sanctification).  We hold onto the good news that Jesus Christ came to redeem a people and the creation itself out of sin and its effects.  The Bible tells us that after this life, for all those united to Christ by faith, we will be free from the corruption and consequences of sin, including sickness and death.

  Indeed, we look forward in time to resurrection bodies that will be free from physical decay, bodies that will be fit for eternity in the glorious presence of God in a renewed creation.  We long for that to become reality, don’t we?  Think about it; if you are currently a Christian healthcare professional, you’re going to have a different job in heaven.

  But, in the meantime, our physical problems, be they minor or severe or somewhere in between, are a normal part of this life.  Despite its incredible design and beauty, the world under the curse of sin is indeed a dangerous place to live, and the bodies we now have are subject to a number of problems and certain decay. 

  Our physical health as a stewardship.

  The Bible tells us that God is sovereign over His creation.  Being sovereign means that He is ultimately in charge of everything that happens, including the course of the lives of His people. He has determined the various activities that he would have us do. Ephesians 2:19 puts it this way: “...we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

  God is also in charge of exactly how long we will live in this world.  Some will depart from us seemingly very early while others may live a very long time. We all have an appointment for the time this life will come to an end, and it’s one appointment that none of us will be late for.  

  How easy is it for us to presume that we’re going to be here next week, next month, next year.  We may plan a future event as if we know for certain what will happen, and that we’ll be there to see it. James 4:13-15 brings some correction to that thinking:

  “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” God is sovereign; we are not."

  God is also sovereign over our physical difficulties. Often we will not fully understand His purposes in allowing us to go through these or other trials, though we can rest assured that He is good, and that He works all things together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 

  God has created us in His image, for a purpose.  We might find that we have many different purposes in the course of our life, but we human beings were created for one overarching purpose.  The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it this way: “Question: What is the chief end of man?  Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever”. (1 Cor. 10:31; Romans 11:36; Psalm 73:25-28)

  Part of glorifying God is to live in a manner that God intended for us.  God gave Adam and Eve a mandate to fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing.  In a sense, that mandate has not ended, and it involves work done with our minds and our physical bodies.  Our bodies were created by God to take us through life in this world, and allow us to carry out the work that He has called us to do.

  So we could say that our bodies, with the physical function they provide, are a stewardship that God has given us, for a duration of time that He has determined. Being good stewards of our bodies involves taking care of them for as long as we reside in them.  Even as our bodies and their capacities change over time, they remain a stewardship given to us, to be taken care of and used in a manner that blesses others and brings glory to God.

  For Christians, the importance of stewarding our bodies well is clearly seen when we consider Who it is we belong to, and Who resides within us spiritually.  A great place to see that is 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20:

  “...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.”  

  Next, let’s consider a few ways that we can fail to be good stewards of our physical bodies.  

We might think of these as 3 paths to avoid.

  Paths to avoid: 1. Neglect.

  One path to avoid here is neglect.  We have been created by God in His image, with a body, a mind, and a soul or spirit.  We recognize that we have a physical body, and an immaterial or non-physical part to us.   These are good gifts from our Creator, and as we’ve said can be seen as a stewardship, things to be taken care of.  

  So, clearly it’s wrong to neglect taking care of our body.  Such neglect might include not giving our bodies the rest or nutrition they need, substance abuse, poor hygiene, choosing to be chronically inactive or engaging in reckless activity--putting our bodies in situations that involve undue strain or high risk for injury, avoiding available preventive measures, or choosing not to treat a problem when treatment is clearly needed.  

  There are many ways we can neglect our physical health.  It’s also true that neglecting our spiritual health can affect our physical health; consider Psalm 32:3, speaking of David before he confessed and was cleansed of grievous sin: “...when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groanings all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”  Neglecting to deal with our sin can have physical consequences, as our spiritual health is connected to our physical health (see Prov. 17:22; 14:30, etc.).

  1. Expecting ongoing perfect physical health.

  Over the course of human history, and especially over the last few centuries, healthcare has advanced quite a bit.  Couple this with a digital information explosion that would have been unimaginable 50 years ago, along with economic prosperity, and you’ve got a recipe for some pretty high expectations when it comes to our physical well-being.

  We can be tempted to buy into the idea that we can have, indeed should have, perfect physical health as long as we want it, and we’ve got all sorts of means to achieve it.

  It doesn’t take a long look into the entertainment and advertising worlds to see this idea.  Buy this product, get this surgery, take this supplement, and you too can look and feel this way (says the near perfect model making the endorsement).  Use this product and it will make you look and feel younger.  Think of how many times you’ve seen a product that claims to have an “anti-aging” effect (as if in some way it will cause you not to age).

  Our culture certainly tends to foster an aversion to aging, and especially the destination aging takes us to, death.  We tend to not want to think about death.  We’d rather avoid it, or deny it (one group, “Christian Science”, actually teaches that death is an illusion).  In recent years some have put their hope in something called “Cryonics”, a process of freezing the body at death with the thought that someone in the future will come up with a way to bring it back to life.  According to Scripture, that won’t work (and what Christian would want to come back to a fallen world anyway).  Instead, Christians look forward to their soul departing from the body at death to be with the Lord; and then in time to a resurrection body, one dominated by the Holy Spirit and fit for eternity.

  Unfortunately, a promise of perfect health can also be heard from within some churches who hold a distorted view of the gospel. Some false teachers claim you can have perpetual perfect health in this life if you just have enough faith, or if you direct enough of your money to the one teaching (this part of the “prosperity” gospel).  This view says you can rid your life of all sickness and disease by the power of your faith.  That’s ascribing a lot of power to human faith. On the contrary, Scripture teaches that God is sovereign over all of reality, including sickness and disease.  We’re not sovereign over such things; we don’t create our own reality.

  Related to the view that Christians can avoid any and all physical problems, we find in the 9th chapter of John’s gospel some faulty theology on the part of the Jews of Jesus’ day.  Apparently they tended to automatically link physical impairment with sin, as if personal or family sin was always the underlying direct cause.  Consider John 9:1-3:

  “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.  And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

  We find a similar faulty theology expressed in the Old Testament book of Job, in the responses of Job’s friends to the severe trials (including physical) that he was going through.  Surely, they thought, a truly righteous man would not suffer this way.  If you are a super spiritual person, God will prosper you with continual good health, right?  As we read on through the book of Job to its conclusion, we find that faulty thinking corrected.

  To be clear, sometimes physical problems and even death can be the result of personal sin (see 1 Cor. 11:27-30), but not always.  Therefore we need to not be quick to judge.

  An expectation of perfect physical health, besides not corresponding to reality, also misses the point that God often works through physical trials to bring about changes in us or people around us, or for some other purpose.  Scripture tells us that trials are often a means that God uses to bring us near to Him (in some cases, unbelievers coming to saving faith), develop a greater dependence on Him, cause us to be humble, more sensitive to others, and pray more.  Physical trials also cause us to yearn for our full redemption in the next life.  In a number of ways, God uses physical trials to shape His people and bring glory to Himself.  Consider these  representative passages:

  James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

  Psalm 119:92, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”

  Psalm 119:71, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”

  Certainly, for a person going through severe physical trial, it is helpful to know that God is working His good purposes through it, even if we don’t fully see or understand all that that involves.  For believers in Christ, we could say that God redeems those trials for His purpose in us and through us, to His glory.  May God help us to have that perspective more and more.

  1. Idolatry 

  We human beings have been created to worship; that is hard-wired into us.  Worship involves ascribing supreme worth to something or someone.

  We’re used to the idea of worshipping God, but perhaps less used to the idea of worshipping something other than God.  The fact is, certain things in our lives can become so important to us, so supremely valuable, that we can come to see them worthy of our worship.

  It is the nature of sin to keep us from a right worship of our Creator and instead bring us to worship something else, something that He’s created (see Romans 1:23-25).

  We’re aware of examples throughout history of people worshipping the sun, or some earthly ruler, or an image of some person or animal, or perhaps the entire creation itself.  We might think of an idol as some image like the golden calf Israel made in the wilderness, or a decorative figure made to represent some man-made god.  That’s a literal “idol”.  But we know that there are also figurative “idols” we can create for ourselves.

  We human beings can come to worship things like financial success, pleasure, some cherished sin, or even another person.  Those things might not be represented by statues we physically bow down to, but if we serve them with supreme devotion above everything else including God, they are indeed idols for us. 

  Even good gifts from God, such as a spouse, a career, a home, even a church ministry, can become idols we serve.  Interestingly, we human beings are actually pretty good at creating idols in our life.  One notable theologian said it this way, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory”.  Again, we were created to worship, but sin corrupts that in us.  And anything that takes us away from our supreme devotion to God dishonors Him and brings us harm.

  As mentioned earlier, we Christians, with hearts regenerated by the Spirit of God, have had the power of sin in us broken; sin no longer has the dominion over us it once had.  We’re now free not to sin.  However, in this life we continue to struggle with remaining sin, remaining corruption. We don’t reach moral perfection in this life, and we can fall into the sin of idolatry.

   If we buy into the idea that we can achieve lasting perfect physical health, fed by our culture’s message that that’s how life should be, our health itself can become an idol for us, something we worship.  

  Now here’s where it can get tricky.  We ARE supposed to see some things as valuable, even very valuable, and we ARE supposed to be highly devoted to certain things in this life. Our family, our church, our neighbor down the street, the job that God has placed us in.  And yes we ARE supposed to value our bodies and our health. 

  The key issue is one of relative importance, or priority.  The point at which we move anything in this life up to a place of higher value, higher priority than God, is where we cross over into idolatry.

  So Christian, while it’s true that your body is a temple, that’s because of Who resides in it spiritually (see again 1 Cor. 6:19).  We’re not to worship the body itself, despite what our culture might tell us.

  How can we value things in this present life (including our physical health) in a way that they don’t become idols to us?  One way is to hold such things loosely, with an understanding that this life is temporary.  God is sovereign over the good gifts that we are to steward, and how long we are to have those gifts.  He does intend for us to enjoy the many good things we find in this life (1 Timothy 6:17; Ecclesiastes 2:24), but we need to rightly see them as gifts given from His hand. As someone has said, we must not value the gift more than the Giver of the gift.  Only God is to be the object of our supreme devotion and worship.  Keeping that perspective, cultivating our right worship of Him, will help to keep us from the sin of idolatry.

  So, we’ve considered a few paths to avoid when it comes to our physical health: neglect, an unrealistic expectation that denies we’ll have physical problems, and idolatry.  Next, let’s look at some considerations as we look to steward our physical health in a manner pleasing to God.   

  

 

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Don't Let Your Friends Climb Everest Alone https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/dont-let-your-friends-climb-everest-alone https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/dont-let-your-friends-climb-everest-alone#comments Thu, 13 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/dont-let-your-friends-climb-everest-alone
Did you know that it’s illegal to climb Mount Everest alone? After countless deaths of people trying to scale to the top, the government of Nepal has declared it against the law to make the attempt on your own. You are now required to go as part of a team. Why? Because it’s just too dangerous to do it without being tied to others. This past year, over 300 people died trying to reach the top. Doing it as part of a team is the only way to ensure safety and survival for people making the journey to the top of Everest. You must be tied to other people, have capable leaders, and tackle the challenges together.
That’s true on Mount Everest, and it’s true in life. There are a lot of people trying to do it alone, but that doesn’t make it smart. The dangers along the way are too serious to ignore, and the only way to ensure safety and survival is to do it as part of a team. That team is the church, and that’s why we strategically plan our ministries to be fellowship together around the Word of God. It provides the safety and security of being tied to other believers, having capable leaders, and tackling the challenges together. 
Here’s the thing. This blog post in not about how much you need other Christians in your life. That’s true, but this blog post is about this fact — they need you. The other Christians in your church, in your small group, and in your bible study. They need you and your encouragement, and that’s a huge responsibility of souls that each of us share together. Your role in all of this is huge. You may not think that you have much to offer the other Christians around you, but according to the Lord, they need you as much as you need them. 
The Lord constantly tells ordinary people to “care for one another” and to “encourage one another” and to “bear one another's burdens” and to "comfort one another” and plenty of other "one another’s” (don’t believe me? Those came from these verses: 1 Cor 12:25, 1 Thess 5:11, Gal 6:2, 1 Thess 4:18). Not the pastors; the ordinary normal Christians. Part of what it means to be a Christian is to help other people be a Christian. You need the help of other Christians tied to you on the way up the mountain, and they need your help too. We’re all responsible for one another’s spiritual lives. 
“If you’re not helping others follow Jesus, I don’t know what you mean when you say you follow Jesus.” – Mark Dever
Everest Together
As we speak God's Word to one another, we pray that his Spirit would cause that truth to flourish in our lives. The Bible's vision of "ministry" is quite different from what we typically mean when we use the word. We imagine pastors doing all the ministry while all the saints benefit from the ministry. However, according to Ephesians 4:11-16, Pastors are there to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry." That puts every saint (every Christian) in the drivers seat for ministry to other beleivers, responsible to care for the spiritual well-being of others.
  • All Christians should teach each other (Col 3:16).
  • All Christians should minister to one another (1 Pet 4:10-11).
  • All Chrsitians should abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58).
  • All Christians should work towards growth of the church (Eph 4:15-16).
  • All Christians should make disciples and teach them (Matt 28:19-20).

Thankfully, the Bible also teaches us that all Christians are able to instruct one another (Romans 15:14). That's good news: you can do this — but think about this — do you consider the spiritual growth of other Christians to be a priority in your life? According to the above verses, and plenty of others, God wants to use you to pray for, speak the word to, and encourage other Christians. How will you do that this week? Who might God want you to pray with? How will you plan to do that this month? Who might he want you to encourage? What ways might he want to use you this Sunday? What would the journey ahead look like for you if you were diligently committed to helping your fellow believers up the mountain?

May God use you greatly. 
]]>
Did you know that it’s illegal to climb Mount Everest alone? After countless deaths of people trying to scale to the top, the government of Nepal has declared it against the law to make the attempt on your own. You are now required to go as part of a team. Why? Because it’s just too dangerous to do it without being tied to others. This past year, over 300 people died trying to reach the top. Doing it as part of a team is the only way to ensure safety and survival for people making the journey to the top of Everest. You must be tied to other people, have capable leaders, and tackle the challenges together.
That’s true on Mount Everest, and it’s true in life. There are a lot of people trying to do it alone, but that doesn’t make it smart. The dangers along the way are too serious to ignore, and the only way to ensure safety and survival is to do it as part of a team. That team is the church, and that’s why we strategically plan our ministries to be fellowship together around the Word of God. It provides the safety and security of being tied to other believers, having capable leaders, and tackling the challenges together. 
Here’s the thing. This blog post in not about how much you need other Christians in your life. That’s true, but this blog post is about this fact — they need you. The other Christians in your church, in your small group, and in your bible study. They need you and your encouragement, and that’s a huge responsibility of souls that each of us share together. Your role in all of this is huge. You may not think that you have much to offer the other Christians around you, but according to the Lord, they need you as much as you need them. 
The Lord constantly tells ordinary people to “care for one another” and to “encourage one another” and to “bear one another's burdens” and to "comfort one another” and plenty of other "one another’s” (don’t believe me? Those came from these verses: 1 Cor 12:25, 1 Thess 5:11, Gal 6:2, 1 Thess 4:18). Not the pastors; the ordinary normal Christians. Part of what it means to be a Christian is to help other people be a Christian. You need the help of other Christians tied to you on the way up the mountain, and they need your help too. We’re all responsible for one another’s spiritual lives. 
“If you’re not helping others follow Jesus, I don’t know what you mean when you say you follow Jesus.” – Mark Dever
Everest Together
As we speak God's Word to one another, we pray that his Spirit would cause that truth to flourish in our lives. The Bible's vision of "ministry" is quite different from what we typically mean when we use the word. We imagine pastors doing all the ministry while all the saints benefit from the ministry. However, according to Ephesians 4:11-16, Pastors are there to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry." That puts every saint (every Christian) in the drivers seat for ministry to other beleivers, responsible to care for the spiritual well-being of others.
  • All Christians should teach each other (Col 3:16).
  • All Christians should minister to one another (1 Pet 4:10-11).
  • All Chrsitians should abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58).
  • All Christians should work towards growth of the church (Eph 4:15-16).
  • All Christians should make disciples and teach them (Matt 28:19-20).

Thankfully, the Bible also teaches us that all Christians are able to instruct one another (Romans 15:14). That's good news: you can do this — but think about this — do you consider the spiritual growth of other Christians to be a priority in your life? According to the above verses, and plenty of others, God wants to use you to pray for, speak the word to, and encourage other Christians. How will you do that this week? Who might God want you to pray with? How will you plan to do that this month? Who might he want you to encourage? What ways might he want to use you this Sunday? What would the journey ahead look like for you if you were diligently committed to helping your fellow believers up the mountain?

May God use you greatly. 
]]>
How to Talk with Your Kids About the Sermon https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/how-to-talk-with-your-kids-about-the-sermon https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/how-to-talk-with-your-kids-about-the-sermon#comments Fri, 20 Sep 2019 16:00:00 -0600 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/how-to-talk-with-your-kids-about-the-sermon

 

BEFORE THE SERVICE

Talk to them about what a sermon is. A sermon is when a man of God the Word of God to the people of God.

You can say to your children on Saturday night or Sunday morning:

  • “I wonder what God will teach us in the sermon on Sunday?”
  • “Let’s pray that we will understand the sermon."
  • "Let's pray together for our pastor's study in the Word this week.”
  • “Let’s thank God that we have His Word to guide us.”

Perhaps at some point during the week, or on Sunday mrning over breakfast, read the passage with your kids. 

 

DURING THE SERVICE,

Give them a journal to draw images or write words from the stories they hear. 

Make notes to talk with your kids about.

Especially write down the stories or vivid illustrations and remember what truth they connect to.

 

AFTER THE SERVICE

Ask them to show you their drawing or notes, and ask questions about what they drew or wrote down. 

Ask them about what they learned

            About God

            About us

            About sin

            About the gospel

Tell your kids how the sermon helped you… confess ways that you were convicted. Share ways that you were encouraged. Explain how God used the sermon in your life. 

 

Remember the Long-term approach

Anything is better than nothing. You don’t have to be a pastor and re-preach the sermon every week. You don't have to have long conversations. Simple is good. Sometimes you will have deep and meaningful conversations. Some weeks your conversation about the sermon will end abruptly in hysterical laughter because your son thinks the pastor said something about a fart.

The important thing is that your kids will learn from these conversations over the long haul that the sermon on Sunday is not just helpful and meaningful, but wonderful.

 

This video is not meant to be exhaustive. I would love to hear from you about some of the things you do. Email me at jdrumm@canyonprescott.org or call our church office anytime if there is any way I can serve you. 

 

 

]]>

 

BEFORE THE SERVICE

Talk to them about what a sermon is. A sermon is when a man of God the Word of God to the people of God.

You can say to your children on Saturday night or Sunday morning:

  • “I wonder what God will teach us in the sermon on Sunday?”
  • “Let’s pray that we will understand the sermon."
  • "Let's pray together for our pastor's study in the Word this week.”
  • “Let’s thank God that we have His Word to guide us.”

Perhaps at some point during the week, or on Sunday mrning over breakfast, read the passage with your kids. 

 

DURING THE SERVICE,

Give them a journal to draw images or write words from the stories they hear. 

Make notes to talk with your kids about.

Especially write down the stories or vivid illustrations and remember what truth they connect to.

 

AFTER THE SERVICE

Ask them to show you their drawing or notes, and ask questions about what they drew or wrote down. 

Ask them about what they learned

            About God

            About us

            About sin

            About the gospel

Tell your kids how the sermon helped you… confess ways that you were convicted. Share ways that you were encouraged. Explain how God used the sermon in your life. 

 

Remember the Long-term approach

Anything is better than nothing. You don’t have to be a pastor and re-preach the sermon every week. You don't have to have long conversations. Simple is good. Sometimes you will have deep and meaningful conversations. Some weeks your conversation about the sermon will end abruptly in hysterical laughter because your son thinks the pastor said something about a fart.

The important thing is that your kids will learn from these conversations over the long haul that the sermon on Sunday is not just helpful and meaningful, but wonderful.

 

This video is not meant to be exhaustive. I would love to hear from you about some of the things you do. Email me at jdrumm@canyonprescott.org or call our church office anytime if there is any way I can serve you. 

 

 

]]>
Ladies, Maximize Your Summer https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/ladies-maximize-your-summer https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/ladies-maximize-your-summer#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2019 09:00:00 -0600 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/ladies-maximize-your-summer Ladies,

Spring semester has been wonderful, and I’ve been deeply encouraged by the many stories you’ve shared about how the Lord has used Women’s Bible Study in your life these past few months. It’s hard to believe the semester is over so quickly.

During the summer, we won’t have any formal or official programs, studies, or events in Women’s Ministry until we kickoff the Fall semester in a few months, so I wanted to email you to ask that you pray about how the Lord would have you maximize your summer. I want to challenge you to be intentional with the only Summer of this year you will ever get, and there are 3 ways I am praying you will do this: books, relationships, and evangelism.

First, use the extra time you may have to read a good book that will contribute to your spiritual growth. Better yet, don’t just read a book alone. I’ve heard of several groups of ladies planning to read and discuss together informally this summer. Ask around, or just invite some ladies to read a book with you. Here are some books suggestions that would be great to read together:

  • The Gospel Comes with a Housekey, by Rosaria Butterfield
  • New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp
  • Counter Culture, by David Platt
  • Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin
  • Habits of Grace, Tony Reinke
  • Awe, by Paul David Tripp
  • A Gospel Primer for Christians, by Milton Vincent

Second, use the extra time you may have this summer to invest in relationships with other women. The Christian life is meant to be lived together, so don’t wait for official ministry events. Schedule play dates with some of the other moms, grab coffee together with another woman while your husband has some “dad time” with the kids, schedule a time to catch up over the phone with a friend and pray for each other, and use the wonderful gift of text messaging to encourage one another regularly.

Finally, invest your summer in praying for opportunities to reach unbelieving souls around you with the gospel. Whether it is new strategies to reach your neighbors through hospitality or praying for people you meet on vacation, this summer represents a season of your life that could be used in powerful ways to advance the kingdom of God.

I have prayed for you by name, and I will be praying for you this summer to maximize your spiritual growth and gospel impact through a book or books, through relationships, and through evangelism. I pray that God will use Summer 2018 in powerful ways in your life, and I would love to hear about your plans so I can continue to pray for your spiritual endeavors together with one another. 

Your Brother in Christ,

Jason

]]>
Ladies,

Spring semester has been wonderful, and I’ve been deeply encouraged by the many stories you’ve shared about how the Lord has used Women’s Bible Study in your life these past few months. It’s hard to believe the semester is over so quickly.

During the summer, we won’t have any formal or official programs, studies, or events in Women’s Ministry until we kickoff the Fall semester in a few months, so I wanted to email you to ask that you pray about how the Lord would have you maximize your summer. I want to challenge you to be intentional with the only Summer of this year you will ever get, and there are 3 ways I am praying you will do this: books, relationships, and evangelism.

First, use the extra time you may have to read a good book that will contribute to your spiritual growth. Better yet, don’t just read a book alone. I’ve heard of several groups of ladies planning to read and discuss together informally this summer. Ask around, or just invite some ladies to read a book with you. Here are some books suggestions that would be great to read together:

  • The Gospel Comes with a Housekey, by Rosaria Butterfield
  • New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp
  • Counter Culture, by David Platt
  • Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin
  • Habits of Grace, Tony Reinke
  • Awe, by Paul David Tripp
  • A Gospel Primer for Christians, by Milton Vincent

Second, use the extra time you may have this summer to invest in relationships with other women. The Christian life is meant to be lived together, so don’t wait for official ministry events. Schedule play dates with some of the other moms, grab coffee together with another woman while your husband has some “dad time” with the kids, schedule a time to catch up over the phone with a friend and pray for each other, and use the wonderful gift of text messaging to encourage one another regularly.

Finally, invest your summer in praying for opportunities to reach unbelieving souls around you with the gospel. Whether it is new strategies to reach your neighbors through hospitality or praying for people you meet on vacation, this summer represents a season of your life that could be used in powerful ways to advance the kingdom of God.

I have prayed for you by name, and I will be praying for you this summer to maximize your spiritual growth and gospel impact through a book or books, through relationships, and through evangelism. I pray that God will use Summer 2018 in powerful ways in your life, and I would love to hear about your plans so I can continue to pray for your spiritual endeavors together with one another. 

Your Brother in Christ,

Jason

]]>
Resolved to be Devoted to God https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/resolved-to-be-devoted-to-god https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/resolved-to-be-devoted-to-god#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2019 14:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/resolved-to-be-devoted-to-god Resolved to be Devoted to God

January 30, 2019

 

            This past Sunday I preached Psalm 76. At the end of the Psalm we were reminded to commit ourselves to God based on the salvation that He gives to us. I read a quote from Jonathan Edwards on his desire to be completely devoted to God. This quote has motivated me throughout my Christian life. I wanted to share the quote with you in written form. As you reflect more and more on the salvation that you’ve been given, may you increasingly devote yourself to your faithful God. -Pastor Andrew

“I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me. Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own.

“I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him, I have given every power so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness.

“His law is the constant rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the gospel however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be. I pray God for the sake of others to look on this as self-dedication.

“Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God or to fail to make the glorifying of Him my whole and entire business. If I murmur in the least at affliction, if I am in any way uncharitable, if I revenge my own case, if I do anything purely to please myself or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust myself, if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me, or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God’s.

“But I purpose to be absolutely His.”

]]>
Resolved to be Devoted to God

January 30, 2019

 

            This past Sunday I preached Psalm 76. At the end of the Psalm we were reminded to commit ourselves to God based on the salvation that He gives to us. I read a quote from Jonathan Edwards on his desire to be completely devoted to God. This quote has motivated me throughout my Christian life. I wanted to share the quote with you in written form. As you reflect more and more on the salvation that you’ve been given, may you increasingly devote yourself to your faithful God. -Pastor Andrew

“I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me. Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own.

“I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him, I have given every power so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness.

“His law is the constant rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the gospel however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be. I pray God for the sake of others to look on this as self-dedication.

“Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God or to fail to make the glorifying of Him my whole and entire business. If I murmur in the least at affliction, if I am in any way uncharitable, if I revenge my own case, if I do anything purely to please myself or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust myself, if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me, or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God’s.

“But I purpose to be absolutely His.”

]]>
The Gospel and 6 Acres of Bare Dirt https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/the-gospel-and-6-acres-of-bare-dirt https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/the-gospel-and-6-acres-of-bare-dirt#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2019 09:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/the-gospel-and-6-acres-of-bare-dirt By Brad Penner

If you’ve noticed over the few years Canyon Prescott has been around; a theme is often repeated. 

Not much time passes without some reference to our initial study when the church started. We reviewed the mission of the Church; what are we to be all about. The short version: Make Jesus known to those who don’t know Him and, second, become more like Him. Matthew 28. Simple. These scriptures provide a God-ordained grid for a wide variety of decisions in both the church and our lives.

We know Biblically that the good is the enemy of the best. Knowing what is important by definition, tells us what isn’t. Faced with the less important, we are freed from the temptation to spend much time and energy on it, leaving more for what is important. Again, simple. This mission and this grid will be applied to all the varied decisions necessitated by the new campus, just like every other ministry decision we face. Specifically, with the new campus, it is good, but it is not the most important aspect of Canyon Bible Church of Prescott. We will work to keep it where it belongs in terms of importance.

As we step off into the new “adventure” of taking some raw dirt and making it into a tool for the Gospel, I thought it wise to refresh some of these old lessons and prepare us for some new impacts and so, to match each acre, we have six fundamentals to hold onto during the process:

  1. The Church is not a building and does not need to have a building, to be a church. If we never had our own roof over our heads, it would not change our mission. Jesus made the point that he never had a “place to lay his head” and that is sufficient teaching in itself to move any focus from real estate to real ministry. We don’t need a building to serve Him.
  1. We have purposed; that is, made the decision in advance, that the costs of the building, whatever they are, will not impinge on the ministry we have been given now to do. In other words, if a ministry need is to be filled, it will take precedence over the sticks and bricks. We will not sacrifice the greater obedience to the lesser convenience. Whatever debt we may have, it will not be allowed to overarch our mission.
  1. The process will take longer and cost more than we would prefer. Just saying…patience is a superb virtue for us all, and we will likely get a chance to test ours.
  1. Whatever the new campus ends up to be, it will not be perfect and will not likely have everything you and I might like it to have. It will, however, have the Word preached faithfully, all your brothers and sisters in Christ beside you and as a bonus, it will be cool in the summer, warm in the winter and will keep the rain and snow off your head. Those features you can count on.
  1. We will likely experience all the normal bureaucratic travails of any entity putting up a large commercial structure. It is a great time for us to pray for and honor those in authority over us. All of these permits and requirements and “hoops” are properly classified as “First World Problems” which means they are really not problems at all. They will likely allow us an opportunity to put into practice a recent sermon on Titus 3. (See verses 1-7 if you want to get a head start.)
  1. When we finish and move in, despite our best efforts, there will be some growing pains and some aspects that don’t work perfectly. See item 3 above regarding patience. It is all going to work out for the best. See Romans 8.

We, as finite creatures, live on a continent-sized tapestry of God’s sovereignty. We can see a couple threads of His work under our feet but don’t see the underside of the tapestry beneath our own feet, and we surely don’t see the extended weaving beyond the horizon. So it is with this dirt we have. God has woven a thousand acts to bring this about. Some we know and rejoice in and others we will learn of in heaven and rejoice there, but the whole nine yards is His work and not ours. 

If God grants completion of this process, every time you come there, remember it as a gift He gave for His kingdom, and a tool for His advancement and it all will eventually rot or burn. Until then, we can make it into an effective tool of ministry and enjoy it immensely. If you have a place to rest and refresh and pray and commune, remember Who it was who carved it out for you and grant Him the adulation he deserves for that gift.

Here is to the one who created the six acres from nothing and who holds all our tomorrows…

]]>
By Brad Penner

If you’ve noticed over the few years Canyon Prescott has been around; a theme is often repeated. 

Not much time passes without some reference to our initial study when the church started. We reviewed the mission of the Church; what are we to be all about. The short version: Make Jesus known to those who don’t know Him and, second, become more like Him. Matthew 28. Simple. These scriptures provide a God-ordained grid for a wide variety of decisions in both the church and our lives.

We know Biblically that the good is the enemy of the best. Knowing what is important by definition, tells us what isn’t. Faced with the less important, we are freed from the temptation to spend much time and energy on it, leaving more for what is important. Again, simple. This mission and this grid will be applied to all the varied decisions necessitated by the new campus, just like every other ministry decision we face. Specifically, with the new campus, it is good, but it is not the most important aspect of Canyon Bible Church of Prescott. We will work to keep it where it belongs in terms of importance.

As we step off into the new “adventure” of taking some raw dirt and making it into a tool for the Gospel, I thought it wise to refresh some of these old lessons and prepare us for some new impacts and so, to match each acre, we have six fundamentals to hold onto during the process:

  1. The Church is not a building and does not need to have a building, to be a church. If we never had our own roof over our heads, it would not change our mission. Jesus made the point that he never had a “place to lay his head” and that is sufficient teaching in itself to move any focus from real estate to real ministry. We don’t need a building to serve Him.
  1. We have purposed; that is, made the decision in advance, that the costs of the building, whatever they are, will not impinge on the ministry we have been given now to do. In other words, if a ministry need is to be filled, it will take precedence over the sticks and bricks. We will not sacrifice the greater obedience to the lesser convenience. Whatever debt we may have, it will not be allowed to overarch our mission.
  1. The process will take longer and cost more than we would prefer. Just saying…patience is a superb virtue for us all, and we will likely get a chance to test ours.
  1. Whatever the new campus ends up to be, it will not be perfect and will not likely have everything you and I might like it to have. It will, however, have the Word preached faithfully, all your brothers and sisters in Christ beside you and as a bonus, it will be cool in the summer, warm in the winter and will keep the rain and snow off your head. Those features you can count on.
  1. We will likely experience all the normal bureaucratic travails of any entity putting up a large commercial structure. It is a great time for us to pray for and honor those in authority over us. All of these permits and requirements and “hoops” are properly classified as “First World Problems” which means they are really not problems at all. They will likely allow us an opportunity to put into practice a recent sermon on Titus 3. (See verses 1-7 if you want to get a head start.)
  1. When we finish and move in, despite our best efforts, there will be some growing pains and some aspects that don’t work perfectly. See item 3 above regarding patience. It is all going to work out for the best. See Romans 8.

We, as finite creatures, live on a continent-sized tapestry of God’s sovereignty. We can see a couple threads of His work under our feet but don’t see the underside of the tapestry beneath our own feet, and we surely don’t see the extended weaving beyond the horizon. So it is with this dirt we have. God has woven a thousand acts to bring this about. Some we know and rejoice in and others we will learn of in heaven and rejoice there, but the whole nine yards is His work and not ours. 

If God grants completion of this process, every time you come there, remember it as a gift He gave for His kingdom, and a tool for His advancement and it all will eventually rot or burn. Until then, we can make it into an effective tool of ministry and enjoy it immensely. If you have a place to rest and refresh and pray and commune, remember Who it was who carved it out for you and grant Him the adulation he deserves for that gift.

Here is to the one who created the six acres from nothing and who holds all our tomorrows…

]]>
Top 10 Books We Read in 2018 (from your leaders) https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/top-10-books-we-read-in-2018 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/top-10-books-we-read-in-2018#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2018 12:00:00 -0700 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/top-10-books-we-read-in-2018 From Your Leaders in the Canyon Offices

In one of our last office meetings of the year, we had a conversation about some of the best books we’ve each read this year, and thought we’d offer it to you as a list of recommended reads for the year ahead. As you begin to think and pray about 2019, consider these books as some that may be worth your time. Here are the top 10 books we read in 2018, from those of us in the offices at Canyon. Enjoy.

 51ACpD2vnqL._AC_US218_

The Storm-Tossed Family
by Russell Moore

“More and more I’m convinced that the strongest families in the kingdom of God are the ones who deeply understand their need for God on a moment by moment basis. My prayer is that by regularly embracing all that Jesus did for us on the cross, we can lead our families with hearts of gratitude and eager expectation rather than by fear and the pursuit of perfectionism. Moore’s book will be a great tool to that end” -Pastor Andrew

 518UBK2yp1L

DAWS: A Man Who Trusted God

By Betty Skinner

“Dawson Trotman was the founder of the Navigators ministry. Trotman and the Navigators were committed to Scripture memory, evangelism, and discipleship. This book was a good reminder for me that influencing others for Christ starts with my own Scripture intake and prayer. In Daws you will find an ordinary Christian doing extraordinary things by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
-Pastor Andrew

 41dyWgX1z4L._AC_US218_

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You

By Tony Reinke

“Drawing from the insights of numerous thinkers, published studies, and his own research, writer Tony Reinke identifies twelve potent ways our smartphones have changed us — for good and bad. Reinke calls us to cultivate wise thinking and healthy habits in the digital age, encouraging us to maximize the many blessings, to avoid the various pitfalls, and to wisely wield the most powerful gadget of human connection ever unleashed.”

Speaking of ways your phone is changing you, here’s a video about this book:

 John-Paton-PB-682x1024

John Patton: Missionary to the Cannibals of the South Seas

“Few books are more inspiring to the Christian reader than a compelling missionary biography. This book is no exception.” – Steven Lawson

“This story was a stunning account of dedication, desperation, sacrifice at the most extreme level, and selfless love to Christ. I was marked for life by the amazing missionary adventure and the far reaching and lasting gospel impact of that one man empowered and protected by the Holy Spirit.” – John MacArthur

4148a8YRS8L

By Michael Reeves

Why is God love? Because God is a Trinity. Why can we be saved? Because God is a Trinity. How are we able to live the Christian life? Through the Trinity. In this lively book, we find an introduction to Christianity and the Christian life that is from start to finish rooted in our triune God―Father, Son and Spirit. Not only do we understand the person and work of Christ through the Trinity, but also prayer, the church and every aspect of our faith. 

41CBPjVn+XL._AC_US218_

By Rosaria Butterfield

What did God use to draw a radical, committed unbeliever to himself? Did God take her to an evangelistic rally? Or, since she had her doctorate in literature, did he use something in print? No, God used an invitation to dinner in a modest home, from a humble couple who lived out the gospel daily, simply, and authentically.

With this story of her conversion as a backdrop, Rosaria Butterfield invites us into her home to show us how God can use this same “radical, ordinary hospitality” to bring the gospel to our lost friends and neighbors. Such hospitality sees our homes as not our own, but as God’s tools for the furtherance of his kingdom as we welcome those who look, think, believe, and act differently from us into our everyday, sometimes messy lives―helping them see what true Christian faith really looks like.

 517VwBheTdL._AC_US218_

True Worshipers

by Bob Kauflin

In True Worshipers, Bob Kauflin, a seasoned pastor and musician, opens our eyes to the massive significance of being the type of worshiper God is seeking. Rooted in the gospel of grace and filled with practical application, this book aims to connect Sunday morning to the rest of your life―helping you fulfill your calling to be a true worshiper each and every day.

511GctaXCKL._AC_US218_

Love or Die

By Alexander Strauch

In this book, Alexander Strauch basically just walks through Revelation 2:2-6, examining the incredible words of Jesus to his church. We can be doctrinally accurate church members and upstanding citizens, and still be displeasing Christ if we are not walking in love. Furthermore, our love can grow cold and we need this reminder. This book is not only a great short-read for any Christian, but also has an included study guide that can be helpful for group discussion.

 514TAP5E8tL._AC_US218_

David Brainard: A Love for the Lost

Trail Blazers Series

This book is geared for 9-12 year old readers, but is also a fantastic book for the family to read together out loud. It is one of the many fantastic books in the Trailblazers Series. If you like this one, you should look into the others as well.

David Brainerd arose as a compassionate and fearless missionary to the various Indian tribes in America. Riding on his horse across rivers, over mountains, and through towns, Brainerd carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, the hurting, and the broken.

 41JXG7UasSL._AC_US160_

A Small Book About A Big Problem

By Ed Welch

Biblical counselor and psychologist Ed Welch invites readers to take a 50-day journey that unpacks anger and encourages readers to become more skillful at responding with patience to life s difficulties. Along the way, readers will be introduced to Jesus, the Prince of Peace the only one who can empower his people to grow in patience, peace, and wholeness.

 4146jfkbm0L._AC_US218_

Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive

By Mark Dever

God’s people are called to a togetherness and commitment that transcends all-natural boundaries―whether ethnic, generational, or economic. But such a community can be enjoyed only when it relies on the power of God in the gospel.

]]>
From Your Leaders in the Canyon Offices

In one of our last office meetings of the year, we had a conversation about some of the best books we’ve each read this year, and thought we’d offer it to you as a list of recommended reads for the year ahead. As you begin to think and pray about 2019, consider these books as some that may be worth your time. Here are the top 10 books we read in 2018, from those of us in the offices at Canyon. Enjoy.

 51ACpD2vnqL._AC_US218_

The Storm-Tossed Family
by Russell Moore

“More and more I’m convinced that the strongest families in the kingdom of God are the ones who deeply understand their need for God on a moment by moment basis. My prayer is that by regularly embracing all that Jesus did for us on the cross, we can lead our families with hearts of gratitude and eager expectation rather than by fear and the pursuit of perfectionism. Moore’s book will be a great tool to that end” -Pastor Andrew

 518UBK2yp1L

DAWS: A Man Who Trusted God

By Betty Skinner

“Dawson Trotman was the founder of the Navigators ministry. Trotman and the Navigators were committed to Scripture memory, evangelism, and discipleship. This book was a good reminder for me that influencing others for Christ starts with my own Scripture intake and prayer. In Daws you will find an ordinary Christian doing extraordinary things by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
-Pastor Andrew

 41dyWgX1z4L._AC_US218_

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You

By Tony Reinke

“Drawing from the insights of numerous thinkers, published studies, and his own research, writer Tony Reinke identifies twelve potent ways our smartphones have changed us — for good and bad. Reinke calls us to cultivate wise thinking and healthy habits in the digital age, encouraging us to maximize the many blessings, to avoid the various pitfalls, and to wisely wield the most powerful gadget of human connection ever unleashed.”

Speaking of ways your phone is changing you, here’s a video about this book:

 John-Paton-PB-682x1024

John Patton: Missionary to the Cannibals of the South Seas

“Few books are more inspiring to the Christian reader than a compelling missionary biography. This book is no exception.” – Steven Lawson

“This story was a stunning account of dedication, desperation, sacrifice at the most extreme level, and selfless love to Christ. I was marked for life by the amazing missionary adventure and the far reaching and lasting gospel impact of that one man empowered and protected by the Holy Spirit.” – John MacArthur

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By Michael Reeves

Why is God love? Because God is a Trinity. Why can we be saved? Because God is a Trinity. How are we able to live the Christian life? Through the Trinity. In this lively book, we find an introduction to Christianity and the Christian life that is from start to finish rooted in our triune God―Father, Son and Spirit. Not only do we understand the person and work of Christ through the Trinity, but also prayer, the church and every aspect of our faith. 

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By Rosaria Butterfield

What did God use to draw a radical, committed unbeliever to himself? Did God take her to an evangelistic rally? Or, since she had her doctorate in literature, did he use something in print? No, God used an invitation to dinner in a modest home, from a humble couple who lived out the gospel daily, simply, and authentically.

With this story of her conversion as a backdrop, Rosaria Butterfield invites us into her home to show us how God can use this same “radical, ordinary hospitality” to bring the gospel to our lost friends and neighbors. Such hospitality sees our homes as not our own, but as God’s tools for the furtherance of his kingdom as we welcome those who look, think, believe, and act differently from us into our everyday, sometimes messy lives―helping them see what true Christian faith really looks like.

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True Worshipers

by Bob Kauflin

In True Worshipers, Bob Kauflin, a seasoned pastor and musician, opens our eyes to the massive significance of being the type of worshiper God is seeking. Rooted in the gospel of grace and filled with practical application, this book aims to connect Sunday morning to the rest of your life―helping you fulfill your calling to be a true worshiper each and every day.

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Love or Die

By Alexander Strauch

In this book, Alexander Strauch basically just walks through Revelation 2:2-6, examining the incredible words of Jesus to his church. We can be doctrinally accurate church members and upstanding citizens, and still be displeasing Christ if we are not walking in love. Furthermore, our love can grow cold and we need this reminder. This book is not only a great short-read for any Christian, but also has an included study guide that can be helpful for group discussion.

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David Brainard: A Love for the Lost

Trail Blazers Series

This book is geared for 9-12 year old readers, but is also a fantastic book for the family to read together out loud. It is one of the many fantastic books in the Trailblazers Series. If you like this one, you should look into the others as well.

David Brainerd arose as a compassionate and fearless missionary to the various Indian tribes in America. Riding on his horse across rivers, over mountains, and through towns, Brainerd carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, the hurting, and the broken.

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A Small Book About A Big Problem

By Ed Welch

Biblical counselor and psychologist Ed Welch invites readers to take a 50-day journey that unpacks anger and encourages readers to become more skillful at responding with patience to life s difficulties. Along the way, readers will be introduced to Jesus, the Prince of Peace the only one who can empower his people to grow in patience, peace, and wholeness.

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Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive

By Mark Dever

God’s people are called to a togetherness and commitment that transcends all-natural boundaries―whether ethnic, generational, or economic. But such a community can be enjoyed only when it relies on the power of God in the gospel.

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Book Synopsis: Made For Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/book-synopsis https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/book-synopsis#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2018 13:00:00 -0600 https://www.canyonprescott.org/blog/post/book-synopsis Synopsis:

Made For Friendship. The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

            Author:  Drew Hunter

            Crossway Publishers

            Published 2018

Have you experienced the joy of good friendship in your life?  Have you wondered how to enter the on ramp of devoted, deep, soul-satisfying friendship?  Or… have you felt the void of friendship in your life?

Drew Hunter writes to help the believer come to a deeper understanding of the need for deep, abiding friendship relationships in our lives and how God has wired us for such a need. 

“You and I were made for friendship and for fullness of joy.  These two purposes belong together.  And God gave us the first in order to experience the second, because friendship is a primary way that we tap into the true joy we’re all searching for.  Friendship is not something we made up; it’s something we were made for.  It’s a gift from above.  So let’s enjoy it together.” 

Drew helpfully divides this work into three parts:

            Part 1. The Necessity of Friendship

            Part 2  The Gift of Friendship

            Part 3. The Redemption of Friendship

Part One describes how God in His great wisdom, created us for relationship and helpfully notes how this was impacted by The Fall.  This idea is explored in a helpful way in the first part where he describes the Edenic Ache that is universal to man’s experience.

Part Two describes our friendships as the greatest of worldly goods and describes not only a “how to” but a “why to” cultivate lasting friendships.

In Part Three, Drew treats the reader to an examination of A Biblical Theology of Friendship, tracing this theme from Genesis through Revelation.

The book draws to a close examining The Great Friend, an examination of that greatest of all friends, Jesus.  Drew addresses the issue of should we…dare we, even-call Him friend?  In other words, does this bring us to a Christianity-lite—frothy, or perhaps even irreverent point in our Christian walk.  His last chapter unpacks this in a very helpful, scripturally-based rebuttal of this premise.  He goes one step further and helps the reader with compelling thoughts on cultivating a deep, abiding relationship with our Savior which will leave us changed as we grow in our love and affection for Jesus.

Each chapter ends with discussion questions to further prompt thought and discussion with a friend or a group.  I hope you will enjoy and be helped by this read.  May the Lord be glorified as we come to a richer understanding of friendship.

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Synopsis:

Made For Friendship. The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

            Author:  Drew Hunter

            Crossway Publishers

            Published 2018

Have you experienced the joy of good friendship in your life?  Have you wondered how to enter the on ramp of devoted, deep, soul-satisfying friendship?  Or… have you felt the void of friendship in your life?

Drew Hunter writes to help the believer come to a deeper understanding of the need for deep, abiding friendship relationships in our lives and how God has wired us for such a need. 

“You and I were made for friendship and for fullness of joy.  These two purposes belong together.  And God gave us the first in order to experience the second, because friendship is a primary way that we tap into the true joy we’re all searching for.  Friendship is not something we made up; it’s something we were made for.  It’s a gift from above.  So let’s enjoy it together.” 

Drew helpfully divides this work into three parts:

            Part 1. The Necessity of Friendship

            Part 2  The Gift of Friendship

            Part 3. The Redemption of Friendship

Part One describes how God in His great wisdom, created us for relationship and helpfully notes how this was impacted by The Fall.  This idea is explored in a helpful way in the first part where he describes the Edenic Ache that is universal to man’s experience.

Part Two describes our friendships as the greatest of worldly goods and describes not only a “how to” but a “why to” cultivate lasting friendships.

In Part Three, Drew treats the reader to an examination of A Biblical Theology of Friendship, tracing this theme from Genesis through Revelation.

The book draws to a close examining The Great Friend, an examination of that greatest of all friends, Jesus.  Drew addresses the issue of should we…dare we, even-call Him friend?  In other words, does this bring us to a Christianity-lite—frothy, or perhaps even irreverent point in our Christian walk.  His last chapter unpacks this in a very helpful, scripturally-based rebuttal of this premise.  He goes one step further and helps the reader with compelling thoughts on cultivating a deep, abiding relationship with our Savior which will leave us changed as we grow in our love and affection for Jesus.

Each chapter ends with discussion questions to further prompt thought and discussion with a friend or a group.  I hope you will enjoy and be helped by this read.  May the Lord be glorified as we come to a richer understanding of friendship.

]]>