What is the Gospel of Jesus?

One of the tracts I used to hand out in front of churches in 1993-94. Before I was Mennonite.

As Christians, it is our privilege, commitment and responsibility to follow Jesus as our Lord and Christ. Thus, we want to commit our ways to the teachings of Christ. Because of this, these words have special significance for us: “Repent for the kingdom is heaven is near.” (Matt. 4:17) Why should this statement have special significance? Because this phrase is Matthew’s way of summarizing the gospel that Jesus taught. As followers of Christ, the gospel of Christ is of the highest importance.

But what is the kingdom of heaven? Is it some far off place where everyone sits playing harps all day with wings on their backs? I don’t think so. For Jesus said it is near. And the rest of Jesus’ teachings don’t say much about one’s musical talent, either.

At times, Jesus calls this realm something different than “the kingdom of heaven” or the “Kingdom of God” (Mark 10: 17-23. Notice the different names for the same idea!) There are many titles that he uses for the kingdom: eternal life, salvation, and the “age to come.” But perhaps the best way to understand the kingdom is by looking at its opposite, the world, or “this age.”

We all know about the world. It is society, civilization as we know it. This world is how we make our living and remain comfortable. This world consists of our friends, our family, and our co-workers. And this world gives us a structure to live our lives by. Frankly, although there are many things we dislike about this world, it is what we are comfortable surrounding ourselves with--the TV, music, movies and newspapers.

Jesus’ aim is to destroy the structure of this world and replace it with a new world, namely, the kingdom of God. In fact, when he returns, he will destroy the governments and other structures completely and establish his own rule on the ruins of the present civilization (Daniel 2:44). When he came 2000 years ago, his goal was the same (Luke 12: 49-53) But at that time he was working secretly and quietly with one man at a time to bring them into alignment with his kingdom (Luke 19:10)

What did he say his New Kingdom would be like? Very different from this world.
For example,
-In this world, you are convicted and thrown into prison for murdering someone. In the nest, even if you call someone “stupid” you’re thrown into hell (Matt. 5: 21-22).

-In this world, we give when it is convenient. In the next, we must give whenever someone asks us (Matt. 5:42).

-In this world, we prepare for our retirement and for potential calamities with insurance. In the next, we never worry about tomorrow but entrust God with our security (Matt. 6: 25-34).

-In this world, we fill our homes with treasures like TVs, VCRs, stereo systems, computers, nice furniture, mini-blinds, and piles and piles of sentimental trinkets. In the next, we build up treasures in heaven by selling what we have and giving to the poor (Luke 12: 33-34).

-In this world, we help someone out if it is not going out of our way--e.g. picking up a hitchhiker if he is going our direction. In the next, we help whoever is in need no matter what our schedule or direction (Luke 10: 25-37).

What a wonderful world to look forward to! There will be few needs because everyone will be selling, giving, helping, and trusting in God.

But Jesus wasn’t just giving a polite look t what is to come. To go into this wonderful kingdom, we need to do something. “Repent,” Jesus says (Luke 13: 1-5)

What is repenting? Biblically it is not feeling sorry or apologetic about what wrong we have done. Nor is it confessing your sins, although it might include that. Simply put, it is stopping whatever sin you are doing and then doing what is right before God. In the Old Testament, it is often called, “turning to the Lord.” It isn’t the change of attitude so much as the change of action.

So what is Jesus calling us to do? He wants us to change, to repent from our evil deeds. Which evil deeds are those? The deeds of this world! God wants us not to be concerned about tomorrow, concerned about what is “wise” in the eyes of those that look at one life alone (Matt. 11:25). Instead, we are to turn to the ways of the coming kingdom. We are to give to whoever asks, sell our possessions and give to the poor, seek the lower position to become slave to all (Luke 22: 26-27), we are to entrust everything to God and depend on him for our future. In essence, We are to live in this age as if we are in the age to come.

“Whoa,” you say. “This isn’t just a change in action. It is a whole new way of thinking!” That’s right! When Jesus was talking about being “born again,” he wasn’t just speaking of a mystical experience, or praying some prayer (John 3: 5-8). No, he was saying that to enter the kingdom you must turn your fundamental thoughts up side down.

Instead of thinking about yourself first, we think of others first. Instead of being concerned with what is wise, you focus on what is God’s will.

How To Sell Your Possessions And Give To The Poor

Lord, have mercy on the suffering:
Give food to those who are hungry;
Give clothing to those who lack it;
Give shelter to those who shiver in cold;
Give love to children without parents;
Give comfort to abused women;
Give redemption to the oppressed;
Give assistance to those ravaged by war.
May you teach them to grow toward you in light of the hardships they suffer.
And to all of these may you give your gospel that they might attain your kingdom where their sufferings will be exchanged for the joy of your loving presence.

What Resources Do We Have?
For those of us who are wealthy, if we wish to live the life of Christ before God, we must sell our possessions and give to the poor. There is no getting around it-- Christ's command is clear. But that command brings up our fears of losing security and our anxieties of having nothing left for ourselves and our family. To overcome that anxiety, let's discuss what the Lord wants us to do, translating that command into simple, practical steps.

The first step we take to selling our possessions is determining what we have. What resources does the Lord require us to give? In this command, Jesus mentions our possessions. In I John, we are told to give our worldly goods. In the gospels, our family is mentioned, our occupations, our livelihood, and even our very lives. What is it we are to surrender? Not just a tithe, not just a portion, not just a good part-- but all of us, all of who we are and every aspect of our being is to be laid down before God to be used at his disposal. Our primary responsibility is not to provide, but to surrender. Our first priority should not be to control but to sacrifice. Everything, all we have and are, is to be placed under our love for God. The primary command is: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength." In Semitic languages you repeat something you want to emphasize. Sometimes you might repeat things twice, but if you want to speak of ultimate emphasis, you repeat it three times, like "Holy, holy, holy." Yet our Lord had the "all" repeated 4 times-- the greatest emphasis placed on anything in Scripture in one sentence. Thus if we live before God, absolutely everything is at God's disposal-- and at God's command, it is at the disposal of the poor as well.

That's the sticking point, isn't it. You see, if we surrender everything to God, then we still have a certain amount of real control and we can still feel good about being submitted to God. But God didn't tell us to lay our possessions and lives and resources upon some imaginary altar. Instead, he told us to give it to the poor. That is real, tangible and easy to check on. Did we do it? Or didn't we? Are we giving? Or aren't we? All we need to do is to check on our account books.

Now, what is this "all" that we have that we surrender to God and to the poor? We have what we own in our home or garage or property. We have our relationships which can be used for good or evil. We have our time with which we do all things. We have our energy which is used to provide action. We have our bodies which we use to communicate, transport and work. And, of course, we have money. All these we must give up to God, surrendering every aspect of our lives. The fundamental act of every Christian is this: We acknowledge that all these things are not to be used for our own interest-- not anymore-- rather we are to give our lives for God's interest and for the needy. God help us to live this way!

Evaluating Our Resources
Okay, to follow the command to sell our possessions and give to the needy, we first acknowledge that all we have and are, every aspect of our lives is at God's disposal and because of God's command they are to be used for the needy.

Yet in this surrendering of all, we must admit that now we too are impoverished and have nothing-- as do our family. And so God assists us in how we determine hat to do with God's possessions-- his life which you surrendered. God says, first of all, provide for the needs of your family.

Whoops! We've run into our first big snag-- what are our needs? How do we determine our needs from our wants? Are social obligations needs?

First of all, we recognize that Paul said that there are a couple needs that are basic: food and clothing. To this we want to add shelter-- especially during the winter months. Food, clothing and shelter-- these three items themselves uses up many people's income in the world. But we must remember that we are speaking of needs-- not the most extravagant versions of these three basics. We need food, but simple, nutritious food is sufficient, not junk food or expensively made dinners. We need clothing, but not closets full of the latest fashions bought at the "right" stores. Simply made clothes, even second hand is sufficient. We need shelter, but not large home twice the size of our need with plenty of storage and rooms that we feel obligated to fill and remodel. Let us conserve our resources, so that others might share in God's gift besides our own family.

There is so much else we must evaluate-- transportation, insurance, education for our children and many other issues. For these we must seek out the Spirit and the world-wide community of Christ to see what we need and what is unnecessary.

After determining our familiy's needs, we must then remember all the others we are responsible to provide for. The Lord commands us to care for our church leaders, for our brothers and sisters in need and for everyone we meet who happens to be in need-- we are responsible to share our resources with all of these. While our family is our first priority, they are not our only responsibility. Thus we must take utmost care-- how can we share our time, possessions, money and lives with all of these needy, not just our family. Oh Lord, give us wisdom!

Transferring Resources
Now that we have determined what resources we have, and we have whittled down what we give to our family to simply what we need. Yet we have not finished living our Christ's command: All these were simply preliminary steps: now we get to the heart of the matter-- selling our possessions and giving to the poor.

We have so much in our homes that are unnecessary. We have trinkets and books, videos and music, entertainments and worldly pursuits. We use so much of our time and our energy pursuing things that have nothing to do with God's love. What Christ calls us to do is to take all of these "extras"-- all the areas in our lives that do not assist the needy, and re-create them in a way that directly meets the needs of people.

The obvious thing to do is to transfer objects or time into money. Money is a medium that can be transferred to assist many needs. With money, one can buy food or clothes or shelter to meet people's needs. Some items you have may not need to be transferred at all-- if you have extra food, it can be given directly to the poor. Clothes can be given to community services who distribute clothes. Perhaps you have an extra room that can be used for a needy person on the street.

Sometimes, though, the Lord causes us to enact a creative transfer of resources that allows us to help the needy. Perhaps we can reduce our work hours in order to volunteer for the needy. Perhaps we can take some free time we have and spend it listening to those who have no companions-- such as the elderly or the homeless. We can send newspaper articles to missionaries or invite our pastor's family to dinner one night.

Primarily, however, we must be open to meet the needs we see. These needs can pop up anywhere, anytime. When they come, we must be ready. We must be ready to listen to the Spirit as we ask for wisdom. We must be ready to respond with compassion and not condemnation. And we must be ready to be open and generous with the resources that are not ours, but are God's to command, to use and to dispose of. In this life of mercy and justice, we will see God at work in us and through us.

Jesus' Class on Financial Accountability for Ministries

This is a fully accepted statement: Those of us who are involved in the ministry of Jesus need to be careful with money. Some misuse of funds over the last years by ministers, pastors and church groups -- and their punishments by various church boards and governments -- has only served to increase our realization that this is so.

In response, many churches and ministries have been setting up financial accountability programs, based on accounting and governmental principles of the world. While using such guidelines is good and will help us avoid being punished by our current government, what about abiding by the principles that Jesus set up for His disciples to follow? Shouldn't we, as believers, church workers, pastors, and ministry leaders be just as concerned – in fact, more so— with Jesus' instructions on the subject, to say nothing of the punishments that await those who fail to obey His Word?

Below are five Biblical principles of financial responsibility for disciples. All of these are given to disciples in general, two of them specifically to disciples involved in ministry. Yet, if we as individuals are commanded by Jesus to follow these principles, how much more so should groups of believers, be they congregations or ministries, apply these principles as well!

A. "Beware of all forms of greed!" (Luke 12:15)
Jesus warns that no disciple should focus on greed. The word "greed" in the original Greek has a number of different forms that it takes, and Jesus mentions this in his statement. A disciple, He tells us, is not to take part in any of these forms. They include:

• Keeping excess for oneself (Matthew 6:19)
• Keeping for yourself when another has greater need (Luke 3: 11; I John 3:17)
• Seeking to gain what another has (Luke 12:13-15)
• Increasing wealth for one's future enjoyment (Luke 12:16-21)
• Focusing on the wealth of this world, as opposed to the wealth of God's kingdom (Luke 12:15, 21, 33-34)

For a ministry or church, this means that the gathering of wealth or possessions for the sake of the wealth itself is unacceptable. That means a ministry needs to avoid seeking to make a profit geared only to be spent on itself or its leaders. Paul and Peter both agree that any teacher who is seeking wealth for his own gain is a false teacher (I Timothy 6:5; II Peter 2:3). Only receiving money for the sake of assisting others -- as the apostles did in Acts 4:34-35 -- is permissible. Instead of constantly seeking wealth, we should be content with what God has given us (I Timothy 6:6).

B. "Seek God's kingdom and all this will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
A disciple of Jesus should seek God, rather than the strength of their own arm, for provision of their daily needs and that of their family. If we try to meet our needs any other way than through God, Jesus says, we are acting like an unbeliever (Matthew 6:32).

The focus of every disciple should be to build God's authority and will into his life and the lives of those around him, and trust the provision of their basic needs to Him. To do so will likely mean great sacrifice --economically and otherwise. Sometimes we might lose our jobs, our friends. Even our family may turn against us. Yet there are times when God asks us to give up what wealth and security we have for the sake of others. Should any of this happen, we must look to God to gain what we need to live, rather than struggle and strain in our flesh to obtain financial and material wealth. We must ask God and trust that he will give us what we need.
Moreover, the sole focus of every church and ministry should be to establish God's kingdom, and leave the meeting of needs to Him. If we are low on funds, our first response should not be to send out a letter pleading for financial support, but to set our needs and the needs of those among us before God.

We need to trust that God will provide our every need (Philippians 4:19). Our first response to need should not be to put our hand out, but our hands up.

C. "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." (Luke 12:33)
A disciple of Jesus should give those in need. Any excess we have, beyond our own personal needs, should be given to the poor. If we have possessions we do not need -- excess clothes, food, books, CD's, whatever -- we should make them available to those who truly need them.
Moreover, at least one part of every church or ministry s work should include meeting the needs of the needy among them. This could be done in various ways: through a generous benevolence ministry, working hands on with the poor, or assisting organizations or churches who work in impoverished areas.

Finally, if a church or ministry has finances which exceed their basic needs, they should think of ways they can use those funds to meet the needs of the poor (Acts 4:32-37), not on building bigger churches or office complexes (Luke 12:16-21). The poor will always be with us, so we will always have an opportunity to help them.

D. "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)
A declarer of God's message should give God's word without charge. Jesus' message was, and is, free. He gave it away to anyone who followed him. Moreover, we can still obtain the word of God without cost, if necessary. The Spirit of God is free -- healings and exorcisms cost us no money. For the same reason, the one who declares God's word, heals, casts out demons or does any kind of ministry using the power and authority of God should not charge for it.

If you wish to grant the gospel to people, do not sell it, but offer it freely. If you wish people to have a book, tape or video of what you learned from the Lord, offer it without charge, do not sell it. Christian publishers, bookstores and ministries act in opposition to Jesus' word anytime they take money for giving out His Word or life. Jesus said that those who take money from the poor for the sake of ministry will receive greater condemnation than other sinners (Mark 12:40). And again, if any minister is out for their own profit, the Scripture calls them false teachers (I Timothy 6:5; II Peter 2:3). A true profit in ministry is a false prophet!

E. "The laborer is worthy of his wages." (Luke 10:7)
This is a principle given to those who minister, but really it applies for those who receive the message of God. A declarer of God's message should be given their basic needs by those who receive the message. Although the minister does not ask for money, they can expect that their basic needs would be met by those who hear his message. Jesus established that a messenger of His Word would declare His message and do healings and, while he was doing the work, he would be housed and fed by a local believer. Even so, the basic needs of ministers and their families should be met by those who are growing through their message. In fact, Jesus said, whoever provides for a minister of Jesus in even the smallest way will gain their reward in heaven (Matthew 10:42)! Paul also applies this principle in different church contexts (Galatians 6:6; I Timothy 5: 17-18).

These principles are not given us to condemn each other with, but to allow our ministries to grow in faith and love and holiness, without which no one will see God (Galatians 5:6; Hebrews 12:14). I pray that the Lord will grant us wisdom to apply these principles to our homes, our churches and to everything we do in the Lord's name.

The "E" Word

In the deep, dark shadows of Christian practice it is rarely spoken of. Private prayer is praised and quiet service is rejoiced in, but who dares speak in this 21st century of… evangelism. Evangelism is sometimes hated, often feared, and certainly not spoken of in polite society. And yet it is as necessary as peacemaking and offering mercy to those in need. Why is evangelism such a nasty word?

Lack of tolerance and humility
Evangelism is often regarded as offensive. This is sometimes because evangelism has an implied arrogance—“I am completely right and you are completely wrong and you need me to teach you the truth.” Tolerance and humility seems to be absent from evangelism. This kind of evangelism is similar to placing a gospel of John in the centerfold of a porno mag. Sure, the gospel is there, but the context is so offensive, that the truth cannot be seen

Yes, we want to be welcoming. No, of course we do not want to punish someone for believing something different than we do. Nevertheless, it is important that we all believe in something. And if we believe, then we are saying that others’ are wrong about their beliefs that are different. If I believe I am in the bathroom, then those who hold to the opinion that I am in the garage are wrong (at least I hope they are!). If God is in heaven, those who hold the opinion that God is not in heaven are wrong. If Jesus is Lord, those who hold the opinion that Jesus is not Lord is wrong. Tolerance has its place, but once we place tolerance above our conviction about Jesus, then we are no longer Christians, but pluralists.

But evangelism does not have to be done arrogantly. Many people evangelize by speaking of their personal views or personal experience—there is nothing arrogant in just sharing what we experienced ourselves. Evangelism can certainly be done in the midst of teaching—a sermon for instance—but it is more often effective in a context of humility. The formerly blind man in John 9 had this kind of humble evangelism—“Of Jesus’ origins I know nothing, all I know is that I was blind, but now I see.” Later he asks the Pharisees, “Do you want to follow him too?” Although one might question this man’s wisdom, certainly his humility could not be questioned. And yet he was clearly evangelizing.

Nor does evangelism have to be done without gentleness. Evangelism has gotten some bad press by some who do street preaching and knock on doors to evangelize. Many of these people are offensive, rude and obnoxious. However, evangelism does not need to be offensive. It can quietly be done by expressing one’s personal beliefs with a friend. Evangelism can be simply inviting someone to an event at church. Evangelism can be telling your Muslim friend why you do not agree with Christians who want to kill Muslims.

What is evangelism?
Part of the problem with evangelism is its association with crusades or long monologues. But we must not confuse a manner of doing evangelism with the act itself. Evangelism is no more or less than speaking about Jesus or Jesus’ teaching to those who do not believe. It does not require an altar call or an organ. It is simply calling Jesus our Lord, and his ways are our ways. This means that if we believe in peace because Jesus did, and we are telling others’ about Jesus’ view of peace, then we are evangelizing. It means that if we believe in Jesus’ life, in his teaching, in his lordship over the earth, in the benefits we gain from him—then we cannot fail to tell others about what we know about and have received from Jesus.

Why should we evangelize?
So what reason should we evangelize. Let’s get a word from our Sponsor—Jesus:
• Because Jesus told us to—“Preach the gospel to all creation” Mark 16:15

• Because we must talk about Jesus to enter God’s kingdom, and to receive of his blessings—“If anyone confesses me before men, I will confess them before my Father in heaven. Whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33

• Because we love people too much to let them live without a chance at Jesus— “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.” Luke 18:16

• Because everyone needs Jesus— “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19

Jesus told us to tell people about him, about his kingdom, about his teaching and about his abundant life. Our speech may be simple or subtle. Our approach does need to take into account the culture and understanding of the person we are speaking to. We need to be as clear as possible. But most of all, we need to speak the word and life of Jesus. No one can receive from God unless they first know about Jesus from someone who knows him.

Let’s get out there and tell ‘em!

How Can The Church Transform Society?

In his book, Christ and Culture, H. Richard Niebuhr wrote about how the church influences the world. He was right, that Jesus asks us—even demands—that we transform the world. However, he set up a false dichotomy between passivism and activism. As if those who do not act in the political manner in which he was used to, then they were not acting at all. Jesus, on the other hand, presented a kind of transformationalism that is not necessarily politically active, but is powerfully active, nevertheless.

He established the following principles:
a. Creating alternative communities
b. Being welcoming to all who desire transformation
c. Gently, patiently influencing without force
d. Attacking the forces behind the evil

1. The church as salt
You are salt—essential for the world. But if you lose the basic qualities that make you important, you cannot regain them. You will be useless, cast out of God’s kingdom and trampled.
You are light—God’s glory and truth in the world. You are the kingdom of God to come, and you cannot be hidden. Nor should you be hidden—God’s glory should be displayed, not hidden. So display the true righteousness of God before everyone, so that people will see your acts of God and so glorify the Father. Matthew 5:13-15

The church is not a building, an organization or a political force. Rather, the church is, according to Jesus, an alternative society, a unique people, a separate nation which lives by God’s law of love. The church, in the form Jesus established it, is a group of people who are living according to Jesus’ principles of love. The church is made up of the outcast of society, engaged in community not to just improve ourselves, but to love all of those in need. And we strive to live out the principles of love found in Jesus’ law—we do not insult, we do good to those who persecute us, we do not look with lust, we keep our promises, we do our religious deeds before God, not for people’s being impressed, we do not judge others, but we are constantly repenting of our sin and forgiving those who repent. And we will strive not to be put in a situation—like the military or addiction to drugs—that will cause us to act in opposition to this way of life.

We will look and act different for all this. The world will see us as strange, as ignorant, as naïve or even as hateful because we will stand with Jesus, no matter what anyone else says or does to try to promote us or to try to oppose us. At times, we will act different from that which the world calls “the church” or “Christianity.” “And this is because a majority of the church is caught up in the ways of the world, and has become a part of the world—focusing on education, on politics, on judging, on intellectualism, on power and the manipulation of it. And so they, the façade church, looks at the church of Jesus, and thinks that they’ve missed the point.

The church of Jesus is a community, not a political party. It doesn’t seek to compromise its ideals so it can fit better into the world. It doesn’t seek to give a message less than the love of Jesus, ever. If it changes it’s ideal of love and mercy and hope in God’s future, then it is no longer the community of Jesus, but a part of the very empire it seeks so hopelessly to transform. The compromised church is in a place to be transformed, not to create transformation.

2. The church as welcoming
Jesus told the disciples another story: "God's utopia is like a mustard seed, a tiny seed compared to most other seeds. But a man took that insignificant thing and planted it in his land and he let it grow. And when it grew up fully, it became a sturdy tree so strong that the birds rested in the branches. Even so, you, my disciples, are insignificant and the least. But when the Father and the Spirit are done with you, you shall be strong enough that the nations of heaven will rest comfortably within you." Matthew 13:31-32

This alternative society of Jesus is not to be a separatist society, but an evangelistic one. In other words, the church doesn’t protect its purity, but opens up its purity to all the world. All are to be welcome to be a part of the church, no matter how corrupt, no matter what they have done in the past, no matter how far from the ideal they are. The great task of the church is welcoming all who desire to be transformed into God’s people, and then to help them to become part of that.

We accept people as they are, but we are not content with who they are. All of us, should we be a part of Jesus, must be transformed into the image of Jesus. This is not something that happens overnight, nor does it happen before conversion. Rather, this is the process we go through that conversion begins. We assist each other, allowing the Spirit to create diamonds out of coal.

Thus, the church does not remain completely separate from the church. Jesus places parts of the church within the world, commanding them to welcome the world into the church. Within the world, the church holds onto its unique purity, a purity based on love of God and neighbor, and opens itself up to be understood by the world. More and more people become a part of this community, embracing Jesus’ ideals.

In this way, the world becomes the church. Individual by individual, family by family, soon tribes and even nations become a part of the community of Jesus’ love. People flock to be a part of the alternative community because it works better than other communities, and it is led by Jesus, our example of patience, faithfulness and endurance.

3. The church will slowly transform society
God's utopia is like a small pinch of yeast which a woman carefully places into four gallons of dough. Then she mixes it all together so that the yeast cannot be seen anymore, yet it has permeated the whole of the flour, so that it has all been transformed. Matthew 13: 33

The church is within the broader society, yet being distinct from it. In that way, the church changes society as a whole. Just in being steadfast to Jesus’ way, to Jesus’ life, we will, step by step, person by person, change the world. We will never—until Jesus’ return—control the world politically. It may look as if the church ran the world in the Middle Ages, but that was not the true church, the church of humility, the church of love, the church of mercy, the church without judgment. That was the façade church. The real church will transform society, not by force, but by lifestyle.

The church speaks to the world in two ways—by gently communicating the truth of Jesus and by living out the life of Jesus. This is the prophetic model of transformation. We are the light, we are to show them the love of Jesus, not just send out tracts. The true church never forces the world to accept the ethics of Jesus. They never manipulate them politically to accept the morality of the Bible. Rather, the church gently tries to change people’s hearts, and sees the world transformed that way.

This is how the Amish influenced society to forgive those who murdered their children. This is how William Wilberforce convinced the British Parliament to abolish slavery. Not by political force or by armies—rather by persistent influence. Yes, this is the long path, but this is the only way we can remain gentle and humble but still influential.

In this way, we can influence despite persecution. If those with clear eyes see that we are not manipulators, not the political strongman, not the philosophy behind the armies, then when we are attacked, we will be seen as those of a pure, loving heart, welcome to all, even our enemies. In this manner did the Anabaptists change the world for freedom of religion—by allowing themselves to be attacked and killed without attacking back.

4. The church is a spiritual army
When a powerful warrior, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder
Luke 11:21-22

And as you go, preach, saying, 'God’s utopia is close at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8


Transformation does not have to be instant. Or even within our lifetime. The change of human hearts happens through centuries, not years or even decades. This is why, ultimately, prayer is the greatest tool the church has. Prayer hands over the world to God and His will and to His timing. Prayer is trust in God. And while humanity has control over the world, Satan, more often than not, holds the strings of humanity. And God can restrict and limit Satan’s power.
The more we give over to God’s control, the less power Satan has. The more prayer we offer to those who are enthralled by Satan’s ways of judgment and prejudice, the less control Satan has. Our real enemies are not governments or human at all. Our real enemy is in the spiritual realm and our real tools are prayer and the rejection of Satan’s work.

The question is: can we limit ourselves to these methods? Can we surrender completely to God’s ways and not our own, or the world’s? This requires more faith than the church has had for 1700 years. Can our church do what the church historically could not?

Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayer?

Have you ever had a time when you were praying, but it seemed as if God was distant? Perhaps this was your own feeling, or perhaps you had something to really base that feeling on. If we pray at all, there will be times that we know that God isn’t answering our prayer. Doesn’t he promise to deliver us from our troubles, doesn’t he look at our sorrows and wipe them away? Then why are we still living in them?

When we are going through difficulties, and we cry out to God, but God doesn’t seem to be answering, then we could be looking for blame. And either we will blame God or blame ourselves. If we blame God, we may think that He doesn’t really care about us. Or perhaps he doesn’t understand what we are going through. Or perhaps He isn’t as strong as we were led to believe. Maybe God doesn’t actually exist at all, but we are just praying to thin air.

At other times, we might look at ourselves and think that we are not good enough for God. Maybe we don’t belong to the right church, or something in the past is displeasing to God. Perhaps God doesn’t like our family or the community in which we live. Maybe we didn’t pray the right words or in the right manner.

Be confident
According to God’s word, all of these tracks are the wrong way to look at it. God doesn’t care about whether we pray correctly, our past or our community. And God DOES care about us and our troubles. He will listen to us, no matter what we’ve done or how separated from Him we were. God is also powerful enough to do whatever He wants.

And yet, still, God often will not answer our prayers. He listens, but does not act. He pays attention, but we do not receive what we want. Why is this? Why doesn’t prayer just work when we want it to? According to the Bible, there are a number of different reasons why our prayers may not be answered—why God may ignore our requests. Not all of them are easy to hear, but we should look at them carefully, to see if any of them apply to us:

Prayer requires a relationship with God
Maybe, for some reason, our prayers really are blocked. Maybe God knows our requests, but He isn’t going to answer us now. This would be because something is blocking our relationship with God. God is attentive to everyone, but some people have issues that God cannot see, for He is a pure God and cannot abide impurity. There are certain things that people do that will stop any communication between them and God. Some of the things that are mentioned is: Not meeting the needs of those under one’s authority (such as children, wives or employees); living a sexually immoral lifestyle; to cheat in business; those who cause strife between people; and those who tell lies in God’s name. As well, God will reject those who refuse to listen to his Son, Jesus, who is Lord over the earth. God does not listen to these people, nor will listen to their prayers.

If we are caught up in any of these lifestyles or if we refuse to listen to Jesus, then the answer is simple—we need to repent and change our ways. God will listen to our prayer, but only if our prayer is: “Father, I was wrong, please forgive me.” We need to admit that we were in a bad place, and we want to be different people, people to whom God will listen. We need to ask God for help to change our lives and to focus on His ways. If we do, then God will listen to our prayers and answer them. This is devotion, this is faith in God and trust in his ways.
(I Peter 3:7; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Proverbs 6:16-19; Deuteronomy 25:13-16; John 15:7; John 5:38; Acts 2:38)

Prayer requires the right motive
Another thing we look at when we pray is the reason we pray. James says: “You ask and you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives—You ask in order that you may obtain your own pleasures.” (James 4:3). Many of us pray because of our own needs, our own wants. We don’t pray because of what is really right, but because we feel a certain way and think that only one thing will help us, and so we see God as a wishing well, who will give us whatever we desire.

However, Scripture is clear that when we pray it is not our own desires or motivation that we need to be looking at, but God’s. The Lord’s prayer is unique in that the first three requests are prayers for God, not for humans. Psalm 37:4 says that if we put God’s desires first in our heart, then God will give us whatever we want—not because we want it, but because we are reflecting God’s will. Prayer is not about getting what we want, but about God establishing his justice and mercy on the world for everyone.

Prayer is about Giving God Sovereignty
At the creation of the world, God gave each human rule over the earth and over themselves. However, He made it clear that we are to remain under His authority and listen to His choices. The truth is, however, that usually we make our own choices, apart from God’s recommendations and so we establish our own control over our lives. God loves us and wants to help us, but He also respects our choices and will not stand against them. Sometimes we are praying for God to deliver us from ourselves, from our own choices that we are still making. But God will not do this, for to do this is to make Him unfaithful to His promise that we are in charge of our lives.

If we wish to have God’s help, despite ourselves, we need to turn ourselves over to Him. We can pray, but it is a prayer of surrender to God’s control and a desire to reject our past choices. If we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, and make him Lord over our lives, then God will begin to change our own wills, our own choices to make us a better ruler over ourselves, with His help. (Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 8; Judges 10:10-16)

Prayer Sometimes Takes Time
But perhaps we are in a good relationship with God. Perhaps, as far as the Bible says, God really is listening and we are praying prayers that He agrees with—maybe even prayers that He commanded us to pray! Why, then, are there many prayers that aren’t answered. If God wants them prayed for, shouldn’t he answer them quickly?

Of course he should. But some prayers just take time to answer. God often is not rejecting our request, but is waiting for the right time to answer it with action. Prayers are not microwave popcorn—put it in the oven and four minutes later, boom, there it is. Prayer is about God’s timing and what is best for everyone. Sometimes our timing is not God’s timing, but it doesn’t mean that He’s forgotten.

So what can we do? Many just stop praying because “God knows what I need and I don’t want to bug him about it.” Yes, God knows what we need, but he wants us to keep bugging him about it. If we don’t stop praying about something—once an hour, once a day, or once a week, depending on the request—but keep on praying, it shows that we haven’t forgotten about the issue and we still trust that God will resolve it. (Luke 11:5-10; II Peter 3:8-9)

Prayer Sometimes Isn’t Answered How We Like
God always sees our need. God always wants to answer prayer. But sometimes God doesn’t answer us in the way we expect. Perhaps we expect God to just take away our suffering and pain. Perhaps we expect God to give us the certain thing we need to meet our needs. And then it doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t.

Does this mean that he didn’t answer our prayer? Suppose my child comes up to me and says, “Daddy, I’m really hungry—could you go out and get me some candy to eat?” Of course, I know that a rock isn’t what my child needs, so I get him good food instead. Maybe she will cry because I didn’t give her what she wanted, but I know a little better about what kind of food is best for her. This is how God acts with us. He knows better what we need. Sometimes we think that God is ridiculous, and God just needs to listen to what we want—but He refuses to give us what is bad for us.

If we are in difficulties and it seems that God isn’t answering our prayer, then we need to just trust in God. God is the one who knows what is best for us, and will give us what is best. Sometimes what is best for us comes in the form of difficulties or problems or temptations that we just want to go away. But God is the one who loves us more than we love ourselves, and so will help us in accord with what we need, not according to our childish requests. (Luke 11:11-13: Hebrews 12:5-11; James 1:13-17; II Corinthians 12:7-9)

Trust in God and He will give us what is good—always.