(The following account is taken from 1 Samuel, chapters 13 and 14. At some points, I paraphrased the dialogue and added some elements that were not explicit in the original account. My purpose was to make the story easier to read and to highlight certain things, while trying to retain the meaning and context of the historical account.)
The Young Commander
Jonathan, the young prince of Israel, was only a teenager when his father, King Saul, made him a commander in the army.
1 Though the law required only men 20 years and older to enlist2, Jonathan wasn't looking for an excuse. He was the kind of man who went above and beyond minimum requirements because he wanted his life to count for God.
During this time Israel was virtually ruled by the Philistines -- a rich and warlike nation. They controlled the production of iron, and made sure
that Israel
couldn't produce their own weapons. But the LORD wanted his people to take back the Promised Land, and He commissioned King Saul to do it. So Jonathan took his poorly armed, poorly trained men, and defeated a Philistine garrison at Geba.
Crisis at Michmash!
When the Philistine lords heard of it, they were livid! How dare these pathetic Israelites rise up against them! They amassed an army that covered the land like the desert sands, with thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen. They marched confidently into Israel and encamped at Michmash.
When the Israelites realized what they were up against, their hearts melted, and many ran! Some hid in the hills, others in caves, some in tombs or cisterns, hoping to escape the slaughter that now seemed inevitable! Others fled to the lands across the Jordan River. It was every man for himself!
Soon, Saul and Jonathan were left with only six hundred men whose loyalty and courage hung by a thread! What's more, Saul and Jonathan were the only ones with proper weapons. The rest had only farming tools like plows and axes.
Young Jonathan had every reason to be afraid. But he was angry, too. He couldn't stand that these ungodly Philistines were terrorizing God's people! He wanted to see the God of Moses, who drowned Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea; the God of Joshua, who made the sun stand still! Who were these Philistines to mock the LORD?
So, as his father and the other commanders worried and argued over what to do next, Jonathan came to a resolution...
A God Tougher than Steel; A Faith Stronger than Fear
One morning, he gathered his courage and told his armor bearer3, "Come with me to the Philistine garrison."4 It was a crazy suggestion. But Jonathan had always been a good judge of character, and he had chosen his comrade well. The armor bearer hesitated for a moment. But the look in Jonathan's eye was enough to convince him.
The pass to Michmash
They slipped out of the camp and made their way up the pass. Rocky crags towered over them on both sides, and up ahead loomed the Philistine garrison. This would not be like Geba. Now, it was just the two young men against the largest army Israel had ever seen!
As they approached, Jonathan paused, and turned to his armor bearer. "Let's go. The LORD doesn't need a big army to save Israel. If He wants to, He can do it just as easily through us."5
"Lead on. I'm with you all the way!" came the trembling but firm reply.6 When the Philistine sentries spotted the two youths approaching, they smiled. Hoho! We're going to have fun with those two idiots! they thought. Minutes later, they were dead. Jonathan and his armor bearer mowed through twenty of them like grass! The other Philistines quickly went from shock, to horror, then to sheer panic as they fled into the camp. The two Israelites had the strength of gods!
The earth began to shake violently, and the army was thrown into chaos. The commanders tried to keep everyone in line, while others fought their way out! Some of the men were ethnic Hebrews, and they decided that the only way to save themselves was to turn on the Philistines.
Through Jonathan's faith and courage, God made the proud Philistine army collapse in on itself!The men who had marched so haughtily into Israel, expecting to squash God's people like a fly, ended up fleeing with their tails between their legs! When Saul and the other Israelites saw what was happening, they rallied and drove the Philistines clear out of Israel's territory. God had done the impossible! And He did it with two trembling young men, whose zeal and faith were greater than their fear.
Footnotes
1 In some Greek manuscripts, 1 Samuel 13:1 reads, “Saul was 30 years old when he became king” (cf. NASB). That would put Saul at 32 or 33 years old at the Battle of Michmash, which indicates that he fathered Jonathan at a very young age (early teens).
3 An "officer selected by kings and generals because of his bravery, not only to bear their armour, but also to stand by them in the time of danger." Easton's Bible Dictionary.
4 1 Sam. 14:1 - "Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side." (ESV)
5 1 Samuel 14:6 - "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many of by few." (ESV)
6 1 Sam. 14:7 - "“Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul."(ESV)
It's great to be back after a long hiatus! One of the things that loaded up my schedule was preparing to speak to my church's youth about homosexuality. That's what I'm sharing in this post.
It was an hour-and-a-half message, which I subdivided into five segments, as follows:
I hope you'll be as encouraged listening to these, as I was preparing them.
1. INTRODUCTION
We can’t ignore the LGBT issue. The question isn’t whether we will respond, but whether our response will be biblical or unbiblical.
Christian groups have adopted very different stands on this. But what is the right response? As we think about the answer to that, there are two things that we need to be concerned about.
Our first concern is the truth. Homosexuality is part of much larger issues, like sin, purity, and God’s glory. We want to avoid isolating homosexuality from these bigger concerns
Our second concern is the heart – our hearts. God wants us to glorify Him in how we think, how we talk, and how we act. We need to love LGBTs and faithfully share the gospel with them.
This is our goal: to have a biblical attitude toward homosexuality and LGBTs.
The LGBT movement has ballooned in our generation. We should be concerned, but not too much. The church has been in similar situations before.
LGBT IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Homosexuality and similar blurring of the sexes isn’t new or recent. It was practiced during Abraham’s time, about 2,000 B.C., in the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century B.C.), by the ancient Greeks and Romans, in New Testament Times, and even in Pre-Hispanic Philippines! So, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s an issue today.
But why is the LGBT movement of today is so aggressive and hostile toward biblical Christianity?
LGBT IN THE WAKE OF MORAL RELATIVISM
During the Enlightenment Period in Europe (17th-18th centuries), many great scientists like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton pursued science from a Christian worldview. But others wanted to use science as a weapon against God, the Bible and the institutional Church. They claimed that reason and science could explain everything, so people didn’t need God or the Bible.
Of course, if human reason is the standard for morality, then morality is just human beings finding reasons to do what they want. This is the essence of moral relativism.
Fast forward to the present day, and we see that moral relativism has taken over Europe and America, and it’s becoming more and more prevalent here in the Philippines. More and more, people are embracing the lie that you can create your own truth.
One of the reasons that the LGBT movement has become very strong in recent decades is that society has lost the ability to look at homosexuality and say, “that’s wrong.”
In fact, people have devoted a lot of money and expertise to explain homosexuality in purely naturalistic terms.
WHAT ARE THE CULTURAL ELITES SAYING ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY TODAY?
“Homosexuality is GENETIC.” In 1995, Time Magazine published an article entitled, “Search for a Gay Gene”, about scientists’ search for genetic causes for homosexuality. These studies, however, far from proved that homosexuality was predetermined by one's DNA.
“Homosexuality is caused by the environment.” Others have focused on how a person’s environment can influence homosexual behavior. But these studies often don’t distinguish between causation and indirect relation. To put it simply, they misinterpret the data, or make the data say more than it actually says.
Despite the limitations of these studies, they've have been sensationalized by the mass media, so that nowadays, people just assume that science has “proven” that homosexuality is completely natural, and therefore ok. This has allowed the movement to grow rapidly, even in the Philippines.
In light of all these developments, we as Bible-believing Christians might be tempted to worry. But homosexuality and cultural support for homosexuality aren’t new. The Church has faced this before. The reason we don’t know that is because for a long time, Christianity was the biggest moral influence on modern civilization. We’ve gotten used to that, but things are changing back to the way things were before Christianity became dominant. We have to be ready: ready to obey God on this matter; ready to accept whatever consequence society may impose on us; and ready to do it all, not out of hate, but out of love: love for God, love for the truth, and love for people who need Christ just as much as we do.
Does the Bible really say that homosexuality is a sin?
Some professing Christians would answer that question with a resounding No! They claim that the common proof-texts against homosexuality are either misinterpreted or mistranslated because of prejudice. This is the revisionist view. Are they right?
GENESIS 19 – SODOM AND GOMORRHA
Revisionist View: Sin of gang rape. This is not a universal condemnation of gay sex, but a bad form of gay sex. Sin of inhospitality.
Biblical Response: Sodom was condemned for a whole bunch of sins, not just homosexuality. But homosexuality was definitely included in that list. (Compare Ez. 16:50 and Lev. 18:22)
DAVID AND JONATHAN
Revisionist View: David and Jonathan were lovers. (2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Sam. 18:1,4; 20:41)
Biblical Response: We read these texts with hyper-sexualized lenses. Cf. Jacob's soul was “knit to” Benjamin his son = favoritism, not sexual (Gen 44:30). David and Jonathan not said to lie together. And if you know David's life, his issue was women.
JESUS’ TESTIMONY
Revisionist View: Jesus never said anything about homosexuality!
Biblical Response: Jesus came to correct false teaching, so if the traditional view of homosexuality was wrong, He would have addressed it when we spoke about sexuality. Rather, He affirmed the traditional view. (Mark 10:6-9)
“ARSENOKOITAI” - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Tim 1:9-10
Revisionist View: Arsenokoitai appears for the first time in NT, so we have to figure out what it means. Therefore, it refers to sexual and economic exploitation (pedophilia).
Traditional View: Paul didn't pull this word out of nowhere. He pulled a word from the LXX of Lev 20:13 where we find arsen and koite, right beside each other. There's no other place where these two words occur together, beside each other. Any Hellenistic Jewish convert who came across this word would have recognized the reference. Moreover, if Paul had wanted to refer to pedophilia, there was a specific word for it: paiderastes.
In conclusion, the Bible does say that homosexuality is a sin in God’s eyes.
Isn’t homosexuality natural to homosexuals? How can it be wrong to be yourself?
The answer to that is simple: we’re all sinful and God calls all of us to be completely changed. Everyone – heterosexual or homosexual – is a sinner, and more specifically, sexually impure. We are sinful by nature, and that's why we need a new nature. Without that new nature, we’re spiritually dead – we’re cut off from God who is the source of all spiritual life. (John 3:3; Eph. 2:1-6; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Many believe that whatever is natural is good. But the Bible says that we live in a world that has been distorted by sin. So nature is a bad standard for deciding what’s good or bad. The only truly reliable standard we have is God’s Word. And it tells us to reject our sinful nature, to seek God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and to be transformed into new creatures.
4. How Can I Minister to Those Who Struggle with Homosexual Desires?
RESOLVE TO DO IT! ... or you probably never will.
PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. We have a natural tendency to excuse the sins that we struggle with, even while we condemn sins that we don’t see in ourselves. But let’s be humbled over our own brokenness. Let’s be consistent in addressing all kinds of sins.
FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. We have to clearly and consistently communicate that God’s first concern for people struggling with homosexual desire isn’t that they become heterosexual. His first concern for them is that they have a living relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, so that they surrender all of their lives to Him, including their sexuality.
SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. On the one hand, let him know that he’s not struggling alone. We all struggle. It’s just that most people struggle with heterosexual impurity, while a few struggle with homosexual impurity. But we’re all in this together (1 Cor. 10:13). On the other hand, don’t give false promises, like “Read the Bible, pray more and your homosexuality will go away.”
ENCOURAGE SAME-SEX FRIENDSHIPS WITH MATURE BELIEVERS. This will help the person see and experience for themselves God’s beautiful plan for same-sex relationships.
Should Christians support LGBT “rights”? Before answering that question, there’s a more basic question that needs to be addressed. As Christians, what is our place in society?
We're called to be salt & light. (Mat. 5:13-16)
We're called to serve society. (Eph. 4:28)
We're called to love our neighbors... even our enemies. (Mat. 22:39; Mat. 5:43)
We should be particularly concerned for the poor and helpless. (Luke 14:12-14)
We're called to submit to the government. (Rom. 13:1)
In light of these points, I think we can rephrase our question this way: Is it loving to support pro-LGBT laws?
The simple answer is NO, because we must “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph. 5:11). To support any law that supports homosexuality is to support homosexuality itself.
Another reason we shouldn’t support pro-LGBT laws is that they would do more harm than good. Let's look at the pending Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), for example.
THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW
At first glance, the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) sounds good. According to him, it’s about equality for all. He talks about LGBTs as if they’re victims of society. But the evidence doesn’t support that. Just look around you. Are LGBTs under attack in our country? Just the opposite, actually. If, by and large, LGBTs aren’t being victimized in our society, why would we need the ADB?
In fact, the ADB in its current form would do more harm than good, because it would suppress freedom of speech and religion. We see this in the way the bill defines "discrimination". The danger has already been realized in other countries that have passed their own versions of the ADB (ex. Canada, England, US).
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
We can't support this bill for many reasons.
It will require government to redefine, not only marriage, but sexuality and family as well. That’s more than an administrative adjustment. That’s a social revolution, right there.
For government to approve such changes in the law would mean that it supports the LGBT lifestyle, which has proven to be extremely harmful to people. The damage it has caused to people’s health and social relationships is staggering.
The typical pro-LGBT argument is, “We’re not hurting anyone, so just let us do what we want.” But they are hurting people, just not in an obvious way. To redefine sexuality, marriage, and family is to attack the institutions that have made civilization possible. It is also to deprive children of the stability provided by a household with a real father and a real mother.
And which sector of society will be affected the most? It will be the poor -- the ones who can least afford to play around, who don't have social and economic safety nets. If we destroy the institutions of marriage and the family, we can only guess how much harm it will cause to the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.
We as Christians should be very clear on where we stand with regard to the LGBT rights movement. We stand against it, not because we hate LGBTs, but because we love them and we love our neighbors.
August has been a very interesting month as far as news and the Briefing are concerned. You'll notice there are more than the usual amount of articles in this volume, and from a wide range of topics.
Here are some of the most salient points in these articles:
The pro-LGBT movement has argued for the complete separation of gender from biological sex. Now, in light of the recently concluded Olympics, they're even beginning deny the biological distinction between male and female. This shows that the pro-LGBT ideology has become so radical that it is now willing to deny one of the most obvious facts of everyday human existence.
The success of the Moral Revolution is leading to escalating discrimination against Christians and Christian Institutions for holding to historic,Christian convictions. As things are going now, it might not be long before historic Christian Institutions (such as schools and hospitals) will be forced to either waive all support from the government or give in to its demands regarding issues like LGBT rights and abortion.
We may not be feeling the direct effects of these developments in the Philippines (yet), but let's not kid ourselves. The political and cultural elites here aren't far behind their Western counterparts. And as the elites go, usually, so goes the culture.
The purpose of the Best of the Briefing series is to help you stay updated on important
realities confronting modern Christians -- LGBT rights, Christianity & politics, secular materialism, abortion, Roman Catholicism, and the like. The articles included in these volumes say particularly important things in particularly helpful ways (in my opinion, at least). I hope that you find them useful.
If you prefer the audio podcast to the transcripted articles, you can find them arranged by date on Mohler's website.
If you're a Logos user, you'll be glad to know that the documents are in .docx format, which you can use to create a personal book in your Logos library.
Below is the list of articles included in this volume.
Business
The gender revolution arrives at the clothing store—but it's still organized male-female (August 22, 201)
The power of consumers: After dim sales report, Target announces new bathroom initiative (August 23, 2016)
Family & Education
Pending SB 1146 would mean the end of comprehensive Christian education in California (August 3, 2016)
Schools that refuse federal aid or request Title IX exemption blacklisted by secular left (August 3, 2016)
Good news for Christian higher education in California as lawmaker drops proposal—for now (August 11, 2016)
The "Good Parent" vs. the "Get-Real Parent": Deep moral insight for parents from an unexpected source (August 24, 2016)
Politics & Society
The fall of Roger Ailes can serve warning for Christians to avoid a media echo chamber (August 4, 2016)
When liberal policies outpace liberal preferences: San Francisco liberals don't want affordable housing (August 9, 2016)
Obama administration's transgender bathroom guidelines blocked by federal judge — for now (August 23, 2016)
From the French Revolution to 'burkini' bans: France's radical commitment to secularism (August 29, 2016)
Religion
Transgender deity in the Old Testament? Nonsense from a rabbi in The New York Times (August 15, 2016)
Science & Medicine
Will our brave new world include human-animal chimeras? NIH proposal erases ethical lines (August 8, 2016)
The misplaced trust of Scientism and the dangers of Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Rationalia" (August 8, 2016)
American College of Pediatricians: gender dysphoria debate is primarily about worldview, not science (August 11, 2016)
The moral behind the medical stat: 1 in 5 babies born in Indiana are addicted to drugs (August 17, 2016)
Sports
The NBA, creator of the WNBA, spurns North Carolina for codifying gender distinction (August 4, 2016)
The transgender revolution hits the Olympics … but not consistently (August 10, 2016)
No such thing as a "male body"? Transgenderism and the eclipse of biological sex (August 11, 2016)
Margaret and Agnes Wilson stood before their judge. They had been found guilty of rebellion, and were about to receive their ‘just’ sentences. But what wrong had they done?
Rebels & Fugitives
Margaret, at eighteen years of age, was the eldest of three siblings, and Agnes was the youngest at thirteen. They, along with their brother, Tom, committed the great crime of denying that the king was the Head of the Church, because they were convinced from Scripture that the Church had only one Head, one King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were soon forced to escape to the mountains, to live in bogs and caves.
Caught!
In February, 1665, the sisters slipped into the town to meet some friends. Someone there asked them to drink to the king’s health, but they refused, saying that it was against Scripture and Christian moderation. Their cover was blown! They were seized and thrown into prison, where they suffered bitter cold and squalid conditions until their trial.
Thus they found themselves standing before Lord Grierson of Lag, a man who would be remembered for his savage persecution of the Scottish Covenanters. He commanded them to kneel, and when they refused, his men forced them to the ground. Satisfied, Grierson proceeded with the pronouncements. Agnes, being so young, would be released as soon as her father paid the stiff fine of 100 pounds. Margaret, on the other hand, was to be drowned alongside a fellow Covenanter, the elderly widow, Mrs. MacLachlan.
"Think Ye That We Are Sufferers?"
On the day of the execution, guards led Margaret and Mrs. MacLachlan out of their prison and onto the banks where the Blednoch River ran into the sea. Two stakes were planted in the sand, one for each woman. Mrs. MacLachlan, whose stake was planted lower down the banks, was the first to be enveloped by the cold waters.
As sea water filled the elderly lungs, the persecutors asked Margaret, “What do you think of her now?”
“Think ye that we are sufferers?” She replied, “No; it is Christ in us, for He sends none a warfare at their own charges.”
As the waters rose around her, she sang from the Psalter,
My sins and faults of youth Do thou, O Lord, forget: After thy mercy think on me, And for thy goodness great. God good and upright is: The way he’ll sinners show; The meek in judgment he will guide And make his path to know.
Then, taking her greatest treasure, her Bible, she opened it up for the last time and read from the eighth chapter of Romans.
whom he justified, them he also glorified.
And,
we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Just before she drowned, the soldiers pulled her out, and Grierson demanded that she pray for the king. She sputtered that she wished the salvation of all men, and the damnation of none.
For this, they dashed her under the water, and pulled her out again. Some of the townspeople pleaded with her, “Oh Margaret, say it!”
She whispered, “Lord, give him repentance, forgiveness and salvation, if it be Thy holy will.”
Infuriated, Grierson screamed, “Damned bitch, we do not want such prayers!”
They threw her back into the waters and watched her drown. Afterwards, she was buried in an old churchyard alongside several others who had been martyred for the sake of the gospel.
Sources:
Jock Purves, Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters.
I like this entry, because it's as challenging for the 20-somethings like me as it is for teenagers. It's about a young man named Hugh.
Evil Times
For more than a hundred years, Scottish believers had been contending for the ideals of the Protestant Reformation in their country. When the kingdom adopted the Reformed faith as the national religion in 1560, it was a moment of victory for the gospel cause. But in 1618, the king imposed English Anglicanism on the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Reformed believers couldn't accept this, however, because many of the doctrines and practices of the Anglican Church contradicted the gospel. And so, they decided to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29; John 19:11).
Several wars and many years later, in 1660, King Charles II began to systematically persecute the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
From Pastor to Soldier
At this time, Hugh was a twenty-one year old pastor, and he preached against Charles' oppressive policies, declaring, "The Scripture doth abundantly evidence that the people of God have been persecuted sometimes by a Pharaoh on the throne, sometimes by a Haman in the state, and sometimes by a Judas in the Church."
Soon, he was forced to run for his life from the authorities. He joined a small band of men that had taken up arms in defense of the gospel. One author tells us,
They were of the school who know the permitted power of the devil, and in adversity rebel not against God, but bless the name of the Lord, as Job of old, neither sinning nor charging God foolishly. They believed that their sufferings were as blood-washed as their sins. 'Brother, die
well, it is the last act of faith you will ever be able to do,' was the advice of one Covenanter to another, sick and dying.
In the bleak winter of 1666, this haggard and homeless band of nine hundred rebels was hunted down and crushed by four thousand government troops. Those who died had the easier lot. At least they died quickly.
Twenty-five year old Hugh wasn't so fortunate. He was captured, interrogated and tortured. His leg was put into a device called “The Boot”.
The executioner enclosed the leg and knee within the tight iron case, and then placing a wedge of the same metal between the knee and edge of the machine, took a mallet in his hand and stood waiting for further orders. … [the executioner's] mallet instantly descended on the wedge, and forcing it between the knee and the iron boot, occasioned the most exquisite pain….
Hugh's leg was turned into a pulp of blood, flesh and shattered bone. Thankfully, God enabled him to endure, and he refused to say anything that would betray his brethren.
A Good Confession
On the day of his execution, he prayed, “Lord, we come to thy throne, a place we hitherto have not been acquainted with. … Our prayer this day is not to be free from death, but that we may witness before many witnesses a good confession.”
His prayer was answered abundantly. As he climbed up the hangman's ladder, he cried, “I care no more to go up this ladder, and over it, than if I were going home to my father's house,” and “Every step is a degree nearer heaven.” At the top, he took out his pocket Bible and read to the crowds from Revelation 22. Then, full of the Spirit, he cried,
Now, I leave off to speak any more to creatures, and turn my speech to thee, O Lord. Now I begin my intercourse with God which shall never be broken off. Farewell, father and mother, friends and relations! Farewell, the world and all delights! ... Welcome, God and Father! Welcome, sweet Lord Jesus, Mediator of the New Covenant! Welcome blessed Spirit of grace, God of all consolation! Welcome, glory! Welcome eternal life! Welcome, death!
The noose tightened around his neck, and this young man of proven faith was ushered into the Lord's presence to receive his eternal reward.
Sources:
Jock Purves, Fair Sunshine: Character Studies of the Scottish Covenanters.
Only seventeen, Jane was deeply devoted to the Lord and His Word. But it had gotten her into very serious trouble.
A Privileged Upbringing
Jane was born into one of the most powerful families of England (in stark contrast to our previous hall-of-famer, John Brown). She was the grand-daughter of Princess Mary Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII.
But she was privileged in another way. Her father, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, was a strong supporter of the Protestant Reformation in England. He made sure that Jane learned the Scriptures, and by God's grace she developed a deep love for Christ and strong biblical convictions.
In Over Her Head
Noble-born and strong in faith, young Jane was sure to be a great help to the Reformation in England. But before she had the chance, crisis struck.
Her uncle, King Edward VI, was dying. He and Jane were about the same age, and shared the same love for the gospel. During his reign he had championed the Reformation in England. Now, he wanted to secure its future even after his death.
But he had to act quickly. His half-sister, Mary, was next-in-line to the throne, and she was a staunch enemy of the gospel. So, on his deathbed, Edward nominated Jane as his successor.
Though this caught Jane completely off guard, she bravely accepted her duty. The people, however, rejected her in favor of Mary. After only nine days of being queen, Jane was dethroned and Mary crowned the new queen. Poor Jane was convicted of treason and sentenced to death.
Standing Firm in the Faith
While Jane awaited execution, Mary sent a priest to convert her. She stood firm, however, in a way that would have made the Apostle Peter proud (1 Peter 3:15) When the priest insisted that she ought
to believe in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, she replied,
No, I ground my faith upon God’s word, and not upon the church:
for if the church be a good church, the faith of the church must be
tried by God’s word, and not God’s word by the church....
She writes, "my faith had armed my resolution to withstand any
assault that words could then use against me."
A Brave Death
Soon, execution day came. Jane testified to the people gathered in front of the scaffold, saying,
I pray you all, good Christian people, to bear me witness, that I die a good Christian woman, and that I do look to be saved by no other mean, but only by the mercy of God in the blood of his only Son Jesus Christ: and I confess, that when I did know the word of God, I neglected the same, loved myself and the world, and therefore this plague and punishment is happily and worthily happened unto me for my sins; and yet I thank God, that of his goodness he hath thus given me a time and a respite to repent and now, good people, while I am alive, I pray you assist me with your prayers.
Then she recited a Psalm and prepared for the end. The executioner kneeled down and asked for her forgiveness, which she gladly gave. She had only one request: "I pray you, despatch me quickly." She leaned over the executioner's block, and seconds before the blade fell, she said, "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
Lady Jane died when she was only seventeen years old, but her steadfast love for the Lord and strong convictions were a breathtaking testimony to everyone who witnessed them.
Young John had a tough childhood. He was born into a poor family that couldn't even afford to send him to public school. He had less than a year of formal education, though he did learn to read. Then, when he was only 10, his father died of illness. Two years later, the same illness made him a full orphan.
Instead of drowning in his difficulties, though, John looked to God for answers, and at the age of 12, he earnestly began his walk with the Lord.
Plodding On
He was eventually hired by John Ogilvie, a shepherd, and an elder of the town church.The two developed a strong friendship. Ogilvie was godly and smart, but even less educated than John was. So while they were out in the mountains tending the sheep, Ogilvie would ask John to read the Bible to him, and they would pray and worship together.
John enjoyed working for Ogilvie, but he had a passion for learning that he longed to satisfy. There were huge obstacles in his path, though. Aside from his poverty and lack of education, his work took him into the mountains, far from any school. The town didn't have a public library, either.
Many boys would have given up at this point, but not John. He borrowed books wherever he could find them. During his lunch breaks, he would walk five kilometers to be tutored by the local pastors. Through sheer determination and ingenuity, he learned Latin, Greek, and even some Hebrew!
By the time he was 16, he had finally saved enough to buy a Greek New Testament. Excitedly, he set out for the nearest book store, about forty kilometers away.
When he arrived and tried to buy the book, the store attendant skeptically replied, "What will you do with that book? You can't read it!" Young John answered with characteristic humility, "I'll try to read it." They were suddenly interrupted by a professor from the nearby seminary, who had overheard the conversation. He took a copy of the Greek New Testament, threw it down on the counter, and said, "Boy, if you can read that book, you'll have it for free."
The professor probably thought he was calling young John's bluff, but John wasn't bluffing! He opened the book and read a passage. After recovering from shock, the professor made good on his word. The attendant had never seen a happier lad leave the store!
John Brown of Haddington (1722-87)
God may have placed many obstacles in young John's path, but He also gave him the grace to overcome them. The boy eventually grew to become the renowned John Brown of Haddington, beloved pastor and one of the greatest scholars of the Presbyterian Church in the 18th century. The Lord used him in amazing ways not only because he was brilliant, but also because he was a man of character -- humble, gentle, compassionate, and above all, godly.
The 4:12 Series presents biographical sketches of godly young people throughout history. The purpose? To encourage myself and other Filipino evangelicals to keep setting the bar high for our youth. Spiritual maturity and fruitful ministry aren't just for "older people".
It's true that biblical maturity takes time and experience to acquire. I don't want to endorse brashness, overconfidence, or delusions of grandeur among those whose primary posture should be that of a learner. But even as young people need to recognize their immaturity, they also need to passionately pursue maturity. Sadly, modern culture has no understanding whatsoever of what biblical maturity looks like, and can offer little help (and a ton of hindrances) to young believers.
Hopefully, this series of posts will serve to kindle the imaginations and stir up the passions of our youth and those who minister to them.
Every
year my church holds a baptismal ceremony as part of its membership
process, and one of the things I look forward to most are the testimonies. They're are always diverse – a wonderful reminder of God's manifold
grace in His church.
This
year, it was especially encouraging to listen to Sarah (not her real name). We
often look for God's grace in the dramatic and extravagant. But her
testimony reminded me that God's grace is just as amazing even when
it comes in ordinary wrapping.
“My
main priority in life,” she said, “was to receive praise for
being a 'good girl.' I was already acing my classes at school, so I
wanted to 'ace' Sunday school, too. I figured that the way to do that
was to become saved.”
Despite
her constant prayer and Bible reading, however, she knew in her heart
that she was not saved.
“Compared to my friends, I was
an angel. But I absolutely hated going to Youth Fellowship;
especially because sometimes our pastor would ask about our
salvation.”
Frustrated
at her failure, she eventually stopped trying. Although she continued
to attend church activities, she was no longer seeking God.
But
God was seeking her.
One
Saturday, she was in church, waiting to be picked up, when one of the
ates
in the Youth Fellowship came and talked with her.
“She
asked me about my conversion testimony. I shrugged and said I'd
practically been born in Higher Rock, so I didn't really know. She
told me that she‟d grown up in a Christian home, too, and she
understood my confusion. But she also told me that there was a day
when she finally understood her state before God and truly came to
salvation.”
God used that conversation to get Sarah
thinking again about her salvation. What would her testimony be?“I
didn‟t want to tell the story of a goody-two-shoes Sunday school
girl who was sort-of bad in high school; it wasn‟t dramatic.”
One
day, she had a nearly fatal anaphylactic attack. It seemed her moment
had finally come. This was to be her dramatic testimony, and she
wallowed in the attention of family and friends.
But
as things returned to normal, she became acutely aware that she was
no closer to finding God. “I
realized that my dramatic moment had passed me by and still left me
unsaved. It became clear to me, finally, that all these years I had
been seeking a self-centered salvation. That night I surrendered my life and my desire for
salvation to the Lord.”
From
that time onward, Sarah began showing evidences of genuine salvation.
She developed a passion for God's word, fellowship, ministry, and
holiness. Although she committed some very serious sins even after
her conversion, God led her to repentance and an even greater
appreciation of His grace.
“My sinfulness in the light
of His love is humbling and I have come to understand the dynamic of
His justice and grace,” she explained as she drew her testimony to
a close. “Today, I am excited to be formally joining this church. I
praise my Father for He has not only raised me in His church, but for
His church. I pray that He will continue to use me for His glory.”
To
me, Sarah's testimony is encouraging because it could be the
testimony of the 'good kids' that populate evangelical churches
across our country. Conversion for them won't mean leaving behind a
life of drugs, fornication, crime, or anything of that sort because
they have been spared from those things to begin with. Their sins are
of the respectable type. Respectable, but just as damning. And to see
themselves for what they are – great sinners who need a great
Savior – they need just as much grace as the addict, the
fornicator, or the criminal. And as Sarah's testimony reminds us, God
is heartily willing to extend that grace.
Joel Stein's essay “The New Greatest Generation: Why Millennials Will Save Us All” first got my attention because it was the feature article of TIME's May 20 issue, entitled, The Me, Me, Me Generation. As the two paradoxical titles imply, Stein attempts a balanced assessment of the problems and promise of the millennial generation in America (and, to a lesser degree, their modernized peers in other countries - which is why I'll be using the pronoun "we").
Stein starts by calling millennials “lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow,” and provides lots of data and anecdotes to prove his point. For example,
"Narcissistic personality disorder" is nearly thrice as high for 20-somethings than in the generation that's now 65 or older.
We are fame-obsessed.
We're so self-confident that 60% of us don't think we need a well-thought-out value system, but just need to "feel what's right".
We have an unparalleled sense of entitlement.
We are stunted, partly because we spend so much time with peers instead of adults.
We're so anxious about missing out on something good that 70% of us check our phones every hour.
We have a drastically reduced ability to understand other people's point of view, let alone empathize with them.
What made Millennials what we are today? According to Stein, it was the attempt of the baby boomers (also known as the Me Generation) to improve kids' chances of success by raising their self-esteem. But it was “an honest mistake,” says one of Stein's sources. “The early findings showed that, indeed, kids with high self-esteem did better in school and were less likely to be in various kinds of trouble. It's just that we've learned later that self-esteem is a result, not a cause.”
However, Stein asserts that "none of these traits are new to millennials; they've been around at lest since the Reformation, when Martin Luther told Christians they didn't need the church to talk to God, and became more pronounced at the end of the 18th century in the Romantic period, when artists stopped using their work to celebrate God and started using it to express themselves." This is a strong statement with a big hole. It's true that there's nothing new under the sun. Selfishness isn't a generational thing - it's a human thing, dating back to the fall of our first parents. Stein makes the mistake of equating Luther's recovery of the biblical doctrine of individual conscience and personal responsibility as narcissism, but it's not an unexpected misinterpretation.
Now to the second half of the article, where Stein attempts to balance his criticism of millennials by discussing our redeeming qualities (if I may use the term very loosely).
We put off making life choices because there are so many options available today, and we want to take the best ones. (Is this really a good thing?)
Millennials are not as rebellious and sullen as the teenagers of yester-years.
We're nicer, more accepting of differences among individuals (read "less judgmental")
We challenge convention and look for new and better ways of doing things.
Are these really redeeming qualities? The answer is more debatable than Stein suggests.
What's Really At Stake?
What do people really need more of? More niceness? This might be good for polite chats, superficial acquaintances, and friendly advice that goes no deeper than "do what feels right," but it cannot deal with the harshness of life and death that everyone in every society has to face (though people living in luxury, isolated from poverty might be able to ignore this fact). Telling a friend who's going through a crisis to do what feels right is actually saying, "I don't know what's good for you, and I don't care to know. Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you because that would be arrogant of me. You're on your own." But when you really love a person, and you really believe you know what's good for him/her, then you'll toss niceness out the window and say what you think. But if Stein is correct, then my generation is alarmingly incapable of doing just that. "Not only do millennials lack the kind of empathy that allows them to feel concerned for others, but they also have trouble even intellectually understanding others' points of view."
Thankfully, I've been blessed with better examples: a church that loves me enough to push me to be what I can only be by God's enabling grace; friends who are concerned enough about me to confront me when I do something wrong; pastors who, by faith and diligent study of Scripture and a shepherd's heart are willing to show me "the way I should go" with the authority of God's word. God has used these dear people to save me from countless pitfalls.
And just to belabor the sheer foolishness of the "do what's right for you" mentality, is it so hard to see that this impoverishes the very notion of "right"? Call it convenient. Call it pragmatic. Call it expedient. But please, out of respect for those of us who actually try to have a clearly defined, thoughtful, and systematic worldview, don't misuse the word "right". The notion of right has to accompany the notion of wrong.
Another point where Christians must diverge with Stein is the importance of parenting. Personally, I don't think it's a coincidence or even surprising that the Me, Me, Me Generation (that's us) are the children of the Me Generation. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," the wise man points out in Proverbs 22:6. That works out negatively, as well as positively. While Stein seems to encourage "peer-enting," God calls for wise, responsible, and loving exercise of authority by parents.
To conclude, Stein's article has a feel of authenticity and optimism, which aren't bad at all. The information he makes available may help us quantify where our generation "is". But I believe his hopefulness for millennials is misplaced, especially since he can offer no solution to the problem of narcissism. The apostle Paul gives a much more sobering assessment of self-worship in his Epistle to the Romans. But he also proposes a much more realistic and ultimately more satisfying solution than sheer optimism.
During this time Israel was virtually ruled by the Philistines -- a rich and warlike nation. They controlled the production of iron, and made sure
that Israel
couldn't produce their own weapons. But the LORD wanted his people to take back the Promised Land, and He commissioned King Saul to do it. So Jonathan took his poorly armed, poorly trained men, and defeated a Philistine garrison at Geba.
Crisis at Michmash!
When the Israelites realized what they were up against, their hearts melted, and many ran! Some hid in the hills, others in caves, some in tombs or cisterns, hoping to escape the slaughter that now seemed inevitable! Others fled to the lands across the Jordan River. It was every man for himself!
Young Jonathan had every reason to be afraid. But he was angry, too. He couldn't stand that these ungodly Philistines were terrorizing God's people! He wanted to see the God of Moses, who drowned Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea; the God of Joshua, who made the sun stand still! Who were these Philistines to mock the LORD?
