Podcasts about pastor don willeman

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Arguably, the Bible speaks of the church more as an organism than an organization. The Church is the very life of Christ—His breath, His Spirit, His Word giving the church its being and vibrancy. To the degree that the church is filled with Jesus's Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18 and Galatians 5:16-24), to that degree it is fulfilling its purpose and bearing fruit. However, this is not to say Christ has given no organizational structure for the church. Of course, He has. Christ gave “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:9 ESV). But even the responsibility of these leaders is often given in organic (“body of Christ”) or agricultural terms. The church leaders are workers in God's field or vineyard—sowing the seed of the gospel, watering and tending its growth as hard-working farmers (2 Timothy 2:6). They are not so much manufacturing disciples, as they are applying good farming techniques and trusting God to cause the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). Similarly, church leaders are to shepherd the flock of God (another agricultural reference), following the manner of the Good Shepherd, laying down their lives for the sheep (John 10; 1 Peter 5). The upshot of all this is that we must be serious-minded about submitting ourselves to those God has appointed for our care. God never intended the church to be a “free-range farm.” No! We need to be present when the church meets, submitting ourselves to one another (Ephesians 5:21), not wandering like lost sheep, doing our own thing. We need to do our best to remain firmly planted in the structures God has provided through our local churches, not uprooting ourselves with every wind of change. God has appointed the structure of the church and its leaders for our good. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.”~1 Corinthians 3:5-17 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Arguably the most basic thing to a church culture is the shared mindset or attitude of its members. It is not so much the stated mission or strategy of a church that matters as much as the vibe its members give off, especially as they gather. This vibe flows from the shared mindset—the deep often subtle beliefs and feelings that each person has toward themselves, others, and ultimately God. Now, the gospel calls us to have a peculiar mindset. Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi saying “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5). And what is that mindset? To do “nothing out of selfish ambition (politicking for status) or vain conceit (self-glory). Rather, in humility value others above yourselves….” (Philippians 2:3 NIV). We are to understand and value the perspectives and preferences of others above our own. Now, this is deeply counterintuitive and fraught with the challenge of self-justification. We tend to flatter ourselves we are doing the “others-centeredness thing” better than our neighbor—that our self-sacrifice in loving others is greater than their self-sacrifice in having to love us. But, of course, this is the very opposite of the gospel mindset. This is why our minds must be saturated and shaped by Jesus's shocking sacrificial love for us. We need to be daily struck in the gut by this truth (gut could be another possible translation for “mindset”). If Jesus, who is in very nature God, did not think highly of Himself, how in the world can I? And that's something to think about, daily, from The Kingdom Perspective. “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!   Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”~Philippians 2:1-11 (NIV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Someone has well said: “Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch”. By culture we mean those shared values, truths, and ways of operating that define a group of people. Culture is something “organic”, not merely organizational. Like the “culture” in a petri dish, it has a life of its own. It's alive! It is not only a matter of structures, strategies, etc.—as important as those are—but the “feel” or “vibe” that exudes from it. CRC is a culture. We belong to Christ and are nourished by His life dwelling in us and flowing through us. But cultures are made up of individual members—giving and taking in this shared life. We are not only influenced by the culture of the church, but also contributing to it. Every thought, word, and deed that is done—or left undone—matters! In a culture, how every individual member operates plays a part in making the whole. This forces the question: If everyone in the church thought, felt, spoke, and operated the way you do (or don't do), what would the resulting culture be? 1 Corinthians 12 uses the metaphor of the human body, with of each individual member playing its peculiar part. But each member is not operating for itself, but for the “common good” of the body (1 Corinthians 12:7). How are you operating? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.~1 Corinthians 12:4-27 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The church is an adaptable institution because the gospel can work its redemptive magic in any and every situation. It's a culture not merely a strategy. By culture we mean a shared way of thinking, feeling, and living that is driven by the very life of Jesus. At the heart of the church is a culture, shaped by the model, mandate, and magnetism of the Jesus Christ. Through our union with Him, we share in His Spirit—the Holy Spirit, which is the very love of God dwelling eternally in the unity of the Trinity. It's supernatural! It's not something we create, but something that creates us. It is an organism and not merely an organization. From its inception, Christ Redeemer Church and its culture has been driven by three governing and interconnected principles that flow from this supernatural reality: 1) Gospel-centeredness—the Gospel of God's sovereign grace 2) Gospel Relationships & Community, and 3) Gospel Mission/Vision/Vocation. There is a flow to these principles: 1) the Gospel-centeredness nourishes 2) Gospel Community, which in turn sends us out on 3) Gospel Mission. In everything we do, we seek to embody and be driven by these three cultural values. CRC is most basically not a strategy or structure (methodology) but a culture—a way/mindset of being and doing (deep meaning). And our culture as a church is thick, deep, and adaptable—it can flourish in whatever circumstance. Culture eats strategy lunch. And that's something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “(In saying, ‘He ascended,' what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”~Ephesians 4:9-16 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello! This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective! According to the Bible government authority is not a necessary evil. It was established by God to facilitate a safe, functioning, and flourishing society. However, just because government is good and necessary does not make it the most basic and important social institution. There are some things that are more foundational to human flourishing than governmental authority. Biblically speaking, the home (i.e., marriage and family—the husband-wife and parent-child relationship), the church (i.e., obligation to worship and obey God in communion with fellow believers), and the neighborhood (i.e., our responsibility to love our neighbor) all have higher importance than government. Without the flourishing of the mediating institutions of home, church and neighborhood, we are left with sheer governmental force. When homes and neighborhoods are in chaos, governmental coercion becomes the sole ground of social cohesion, and this is not good. Rather, God intended love and trust nurtured in the home, church, and neighborhood to be building blocks to a free and flourishing society. A government that does not respect and support these institutions, or worse seeks to destroy them, is a government sowing seeds of social disintegration or totalitarianism. And a people that does not pursue the good ordering of these basic building blocks in their own lives is asking for tyranny. The Law of the God, not the law of the state, must always be primary. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.'”~ Matthew 22:35-40 (NASB95) “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.' Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'”~Genesis 2:15-18 (NASB95) “To discipline a child produces wisdom,but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes,but the godly will live to see their downfall.Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mindand will make your heart glad.When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”~ Proverbs 29:15-18 (NLT)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. In ancient Rome, Christians suffered persecution precisely because they did not find their hope and ultimate allegiance in the kingdoms of this world. They refused to say that the political realm of Rome was supreme, and that Caesar was “Lord”. To them, they had only one supreme political realm, the Kingdom of God, and only one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this they were seen by many as a danger to civil order and therefore a threat to the state. However, nothing could have been further from the truth. It was precisely because these early Christians were anchored in an eternal political reality—their citizenship in heaven—that allowed them to engage in the kingdom of this world in such a non-divisive and redemptive manner. If you believe this world is all there is, and the political issues of the moment are make-or-break issues, then your political engagement will be desperate. And desperate people do desperately dumb things! You will be reactionary to your opponents, vindictive when attacked, cynical in the face of corruption, and hopeless in the face of setbacks. But if your hope goes beyond the kingdoms of this world, then you will be like the early Christians, who, though maligned as troublemakers, lit the path for a new way of engaging. Listen to this 2nd century tribute: “Christians are no different from the rest in their nationality, language or customs…. They fulfill all their duties as citizens, but they suffer as foreigners…. They obey all laws, but they live at a level higher than that required by the law. They love all, but all persecute them…. In a word, what the soul is in the body, that is what Christians are in the world.” (Epistle to Diognetus, c. A.D. 150) Could this describe you? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”~ Acts 2:42-47 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Aside from the foundational influence of the Apostles, in the first thousand years of the Church, St. Augustine's influence is hard to match. However, St. Augustine was not always “Saint” Augustine. Although exposed to the gospel at an early age, he did not become a Christian until much later, in his early 30s (A.D. 386), just a few years after the Roman Empire became officially Christian (A.D. 380). Although he was born into a Roman family in what today is Algeria, Aurelius Augustinus was probably not of European/Roman decent, but rather of the indigenous North African Berber tribes. As a matter of fact, his ancestors were probably slaves of the Romans until about 140 years before he was born. Nonetheless, as a Roman citizen, Augustine was proud of his adopted empire and its influence in the world. As a child his home exclusively spoke Latin, the language of the Empire. His Romanized life afforded him many benefits and privileges. However, when immersed in the culture and privileges of an empire, it is easy to confuse that empire with the kingdom of God. Amazingly, Augustine, as a Christian, largely avoided this confusion. We have Augustine to thank for clarifying the biblical truth that the empires of this world—whether the Roman Empire or the American—are not to be equated with the “empire” of God. Jesus said that my kingdom is not of this world (John 19). The kingdoms of this world rise and fall. But the kingdom of God is forever. That's where the Augustine anchored his hope. Where have you anchored yours? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.”~ Daniel 2:44-45 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the long haul. Sprints require a short burst of energy; marathons require endurance. Endurance is something in short supply in modern America. We want quick fixes. We easily give up on relationships, commitments, our church, etc., especially when things are too hard or take too long. This inability to endure should concern us, severely. The Scriptures everywhere commend an endurance mentality. Biblically, perseverance is essential to our faith. Consider these passages: In Romans 5 we are told to “exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope….” In Colossians Paul prays that we would be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). Jesus himself warns us: “…many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:10-13 ESV) It is not surprising then that the writer of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a marathon: “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB). In all your ups and downs, the Lord has one big goal: to grow you in endurance.  Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”~ Romans 8:18-25 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. It is said that the first casualty of war is truth. Whoever manages to get the upper hand in framing the conflict has a clear advantage over the one who does not. This is as true in our disagreements around the kitchen table, as it is in our cultural debates. It's as true in the bedroom, as it is on the battlefield. Now, the Bible tells us that we are in a spiritual battle, and the chief strategy of our enemy is to get the upper hand by getting us to believe lies. The devil loves to twist the truth and trick us into trusting him as opposed to God. As Jesus put it, “When [the devil] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NIV). Therefore, in our fight, we are warned to be vigilant (1 Peter 4)—to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are told to be aware of the devil's schemes, and so, not fall prey to His strategy (2 Corinthians 2:11). But how do we do that? Enter C.S. Lewis's masterful classic The Screwtape Letters. Like nothing I've ever read, it does an excellent job exposing many twisted, hellish, and insidious lies. I highly recommend it! Whether you read it or listen to it (why not do both!!!), you will find yourself awakened to the many ways our enemy trips us up. Go to our podcast to find links to free resources for this work. I hope by seeing the way the devil tricks us, you might learn to walk in greater wisdom, and avoid many traps. But watch out! The devil doesn't want his secrets exposed. Perhaps that's why Lewis said that it was the most difficult piece he ever wrote. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.'”~ Ephesians 6:10-20 (ESV) Free Online Resources*: Audio Book of The Screwtape Letters read by John Cleese:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L6lCeXF8D4 Digital Copy of The Screwtape Letters:https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86985/page/n69/mode/1up *Originally, written during during WW2 in Britain, some material in The Screwtape Letters will be a bit dated, but let that not dissuade you. As a matter of fact, being written during the greatest war to ever engulf our planet, makes it even more viscerally compelling.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. I don't know about you, but I tend to have interesting conversations on airplanes. A few years ago, I sat next to a researcher who has traveled the world over detailing what people do when something goes wrong in their life. What are the universal patterns of response we all have regardless of culture, age or socio-economic circumstances? He found that immediately after something goes wrong, we begin to tell ourselves a “justification story”. We try to find a cause, so that we can pin blame, often to exonerate ourselves and cast the guilt onto someone or something else. This researcher's “discovery” shouldn't surprise us. If we just reflect on our everyday relationships with our closest family members and co-workers, we will see this pattern again and again. We always try to justify ourselves relative to others. Now, why? Why are we so driven toward such justification narratives? Why is it that our knee-jerk response is to justify ourselves and our actions, as if we are on trial, living our lives in a courtroom before a judge? Well, if you are familiar with the Bible the answer shouldn't surprise you. It is because we are. The New Testament book of Romans tells us that we intuitively know our lives are being lived before the ultimate Judge of the universe before whom we will have to give an account. We will be judged by our Creator for our every thought, word, and deed, and on that final judgment day God will render to everyone exactly what they deserve. He alone will settle the score. Thus, deep in our hearts our consciences are constantly either accusing or defending our every action. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."~Romans 1:18-20 (ESV) “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”~ Romans 2:6-15 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. No philosophy or religion has a higher and more dignified view of human nature than what we find in the Bible. Yet, despite this, I find that many Christians, thinking that they are being faithful to Holy Scripture, have a very negative view of human nature. This negativity is wrong headed. The Bible tells us that God created us in His own image, fully righteous and holy—to be rulers over all God has made. We were not created sinful but good. In the words of Genesis 1:31, all creation was “very good”!  As God declares at the creation of mankind:26 …“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…. Likewise, the great King David echoes this exulted status in Psalm 8:5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet… What other creature has been given such significance! Men and women were designed to function like kings and queens over the whole kingdom of God's creation. Secularism teaches that humans are merely the latest in a series of cosmic accidents. The Bible teaches that humans are the pinnacle of all creation. And that's something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Psalm 8 (ESV) 1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes,  to still the enemy and the avenger.3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! *Below, we are appending some basic catechism questions that go along with this Kingdom Perspective. A catechism is a classical Christian teaching device, helping both children and adults better understand the unique claims of the Bible. Below, you will find questions taken from both a children's catechism and a more advanced catechism. For the full catechisms, you may go to our website by clicking here. Questions for Kids: A Basic Catechism for Children18. How are people different from the rest of creation?We alone are made in God's image. 19. Who were the first people that God created?Adam and Eve were our first parents. 20. What were Adam and Eve like when God made them?They were very good. An Advanced Catechism14. How did God create man? God created man, male and female, after His own image, (Genesis 1:27) in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness (Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24) with dominion over the creation. (Genesis 1:28)

Transcript:Hello this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The Bible tells us that God is a king. But not just any king. A king who is totally sovereign! Now, what do we mean by “sovereign”? All rulers have varying degrees of sovereignty. The greater the sovereignty the more freely that ruler can do as they please. Well, God is a sovereign ruler like no other. Why? The opening line of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, tells us that God created the heavens and the earth…out of nothing. He spoke everything into existence! From bats to butterflies, stars to galaxies, even time and space itself is all an act of unimaginable sovereignty. There have been a lot of powerful kings in the history of the world, but none that had the power to call entire universes into existence. But this is exactly what God, the Creator, has done! He is a ruler like no other. Now, this fact has some incredible implications. For example, this means that whatever God decrees or wills—whatever He chooses to accomplish—will happen. He doesn't need to get permission from some higher authority. He doesn't even need to work around the laws of nature. He made the laws of the nature!!! And He certainly doesn't need to get your permission. He made you! This means that every act of creation (calling into existence that which does not exist) and every act of God guiding and providing for His creation (what the theologians call “providence”) will work to accomplish exactly what He wills. It is for this reason that we can be assured that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Psalm 33 (ESV) 1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!   Praise befits the upright.2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;   make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!3 Sing to him a new song;   play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the Lord is upright,   and all his work is done in faithfulness.5 He loves righteousness and justice;   the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,   and by the breath of his mouth all their host.7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;   he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;   let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!9 For he spoke, and it came to be;   he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;   he frustrates the plans of the peoples.11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,   the plans of his heart to all generations.12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,   the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! *Below, we are appending some basic catechism questions that go along with this Kingdom Perspective. A catechism is a classical Christian teaching device, helping both children and adults better understand the unique claims of the Bible. Below, you will find questions taken from both a children's catechism and a more advanced catechism. For the full catechisms, you may go to our website by clicking here. An Advanced Catechism3. What are the decrees of God? The decrees of God are His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His own will, in which for His own glory He has foreordained whatever comes to pass. (Eph 1:11,12) 4. How does God execute His decrees? God executes His decrees in the works of creation, (Re 4:11) and providence (Da 4:35) to teach His creatures the good news of Jesus Christ.

Transcript:Hello this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Imagine walking into a room and finding a device you've never seen before. Though you've never come across anything like it, it's obvious it's made by someone for some specific purpose. But for what purpose? How are you to know what it is, and what it's for? Well, the simplest and most straightforward way of knowing would be to find its inventor, the creator of this device. Or perhaps you could look to see if the inventor left any instructions, perhaps some manual or directions on how to use it. Now, let me ask you: What's your purpose? What have you been made for? Any deep consideration of our humanity, both body and soul, will lead one to conclude we are quite amazing inventions. Whoever created us designed something incredibly unique, and incredibly impressive! Human beings are standout creatures! This thought made King David cry out: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). But again, how I am I to know what I am created for? What's my purpose? Well, the best way to know is to hear from the One who made me; and the good news is He is not silent on this subject. He's given us His instruction manual, the Bible, and in its opening pages He tells us that we are made to display His glory in the world. We are created in His very image and likeness! No purpose could be higher! And no calling more intense! Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”     So God created man in his own image,     in the image of God he created him;     male and female he created them.And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”~Genesis 1:26-28 (ESV) *Below, we are appending some basic catechism questions that go along with this Kingdom Perspective. A catechism is a classical Christian teaching device, helping both children and adults better understand the unique claims of the Bible. Below, you will find questions taken from both a children's catechism and a more advanced catechism. For the full catechisms, you may go to our "CRC Family Devotional Guide" under the resources menu on the church website.A Basic Catechism for Children1.    Who made you? God. 2.   What else did God make?      God made all things. 3.   Why did God make all things?       For His own pleasure and glory.An Advanced Catechism1.    What is the chief purpose of man?  Man's chief purpose is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31) and to enjoy him forever. (Ps. 73:25, 26)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. How should we engage in a world that's confused and sometimes even hostile to our faith? Should we make it our ambition to malign them, patting ourselves on the back about how good we are and how bad they are? No, rather, we should just be ordinary people, living ordinary lives, loving our neighbors. The church in Thessalonica had experienced intense opposition (1 Thess. 1:6-7; Acts 17:1-15), and so they provide a great backdrop of how to live in a difficult context. So, what do we learn from them? Essentially two things. First, according the 1 Thessalonians 4 we should “excel” in modeling genuine loving community in our relations within the church. How we live together as God's people—how we love and care for one another—is most critical. But then, secondly, Paul directs us to: 11 … make it [our] ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to [our] own business and work with [our] hands… 12 so that [we] will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. You see, God doesn't call us to be extraordinary—to be “great for God!” And He certainly doesn't call us to be extraordinarily difficult people. Rather, He calls us to be extraordinary in our ordinariness.  How do you live as a Christian in the world? Well, if you are a doctor, be the best doctor you can be. If you are a mechanic, be the best mechanic you can be. If you are a teacher, be the best teacher you can be. If you are an engineer, be the best engineer you can be. And do all of it, for the sake of Jesus. Why? Paul gives two reasons:1) so that you can be of service to your neighbors and co-workers, and2) so that you can provide for your own family, so as not to be a burden to others. So, how are you doing with this? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own bodyin holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”~ 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. We tend to be fearful of difficult circumstances. Often, underneath this fear is not merely a revulsion to hard things, but a faulty belief system that equates suffering and pain with God's lack of care and concern. But such thinking is categorically false. Trouble is no sign that God doesn't love me. The Bible teaches the exact opposite. “Those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines” (Hebrews 12). God “trains” and “disciples” (note the root connection with “discipline”) the children He loves. Trials are not contrary to God's love but are how He works that love in us. What is the goal of life? What is God intending to produce in me? Through all our trials, God's goal is that we might share in His character, and so be filled with His joy. We are to become like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). Thus, we are not saved from trouble; we're saved through it. We are not saved from suffering; we are saved through suffering. The cross of Christ teaches us this; it was through His suffering, He saved us. Now, Jesus calls us on the same path of suffering He Himself has overcame. Jesus put it this way, “Here on earth, you will have trials and troubles. But take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). You see, our fear makes us run from suffering. Looking at Jesus drives us to embrace it. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”~1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome the Kingdom Perspective. Sometimes, you see things better as an outsider than an insider. For example, when you first move to a new community, certain cultural distinctions about that community stand out. One of the things that struck me when I first moved to the Dartmouth College area was how hesitant, even insecure, many parents were to exercise authority, even over their own children. These were otherwise intelligent, well-educated people. Why did they not see the wisdom and necessity of parental authority? Well, the assumption seemed to be that exercising authority might somehow squelch their child's individuality. Saying “no” ran the risk of damaging the child's little ego, and so not allowing them to develop into their “true self”. Now, certainly, there is such a thing as misapplication of authority, but it doesn't come merely in the form of abusing your authority; it can also come in the form of abandoning it. Just as children need physical boundaries (the walls and roof of a house, the fence around the yard or playground), they also need emotional and social boundaries to protect their inner develop. Just as a vine needs a trellis to direct its growth, so also, children need parental authority and structure. Letting your kids do or believe whatever condemns them to wander and flounder, never reaching their full potential. Years ago, I asked a longtime and celebrated Hanover High School teacher what kids today need the most. The response was quick and unequivocal: “Kids today don't need more friends. They don't need more therapists. Kids today need parents to be parents.” And that's something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. ‘Honor your father and mother.' This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.' Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”~ Ephesians 6:1-4 (NLT)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Do you really know God or are you just busy doing a lot of things for Him?  What does God want from you? Does He want your busyness or a relationship? Does He want what you can do for Him, or do you think He wants you?  Well, the more fundamental question is, not what you think, but what God thinks? In Hosea 6:6 God corrects the Israelites for their false and perfunctory worship of Him. They were doing many things “for God”, but there was no heartfelt knowledge of God. Listen to the words of God through the prophet Hosea: “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” True religion does not boil down to a divine “honey-do list,” rather it boils down to a change of heart that desires to know God above all else.  You find a similar misunderstanding in the famous Mary and Martha scene from Luke 10. Personally, I can relate to Martha because she is so busy and distracted. But it is Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, just listening and learning, who is commended by our Lord. Jesus corrects Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). What's the “good part”? Being in relationship with Jesus. How about you? Have you chosen the “good part”? Are you merely checking your list, or are you seeking to know Him and be known by Him? These are two very different things. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Come, let's return to the Lord.For He has torn us, but He will heal us;He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.He will revive us after two days;He will raise us up on the third day,That we may live before Him.So let's learn, let's press on to know the Lord.His appearance is as sure as the dawn;And He will come to us like the rain,As the spring rain waters the earth.” What shall I do with you, Ephraim?What shall I do with you, Judah?For your loyalty is like a morning cloud,And like the dew which goes away early.Therefore I have cut them in pieces by the prophets;I have slain them by the words of My mouth;And the judgments on you are like the light that shines.For I desire loyalty rather than sacrifice,And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”~ Hosea 1:1-6 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. What is the most important thing in your life? What is the one thing that you possess that would bring you the most sorrow if lost? If you were forced to give up everything in your life except one thing, what would it be? Think hard. What would you say? For the Apostle Paul there was no question. It was “knowing Christ.” Being in relationship with Jesus mattered more to him than anything else. Listen to what he says of himself in Philippians 3:7-8: But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ… Paul considered knowing Jesus Christ not merely a necessity, though it is, but also the most desirable of all pursuits. Why wouldn't this be the case? Jesus is the fullness of God come to us for our good—for our salvation (Colossians 2:9-10). In Jesus are hidden all the riches of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Jesus is all the goodness of heaven poured out for us and on us. Can you say with the Apostle Paul that knowing Christ is the most valuable, the most desirable thing in life? If not, perhaps, you need to take another look at Jesus? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”~Philippians 3:4-11 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Does God want us to know Him? Is God deeply desirous that we would be in a personal relationship with Him? Well, the Apostle Paul told the philosophers in Athens that God created all people on the earth “so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for him and find him….” In other words, God created all the nations of the earth, so that they would come to know Him. God created the world and cares for the world, in such a way, that all the different people would seek to know Him and find Him. The same idea of knowing God is seen in God's interaction with the Israelites of long ago. They were commanded again and again to KNOW the LORD. Likewise, all throughout the Old Testament every time God did a great and miraculous sign, such as the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt, God's purpose was that His people might KNOW Him. In the words of Exodus 10:2 “…that you may know that I am the LORD.” God wants His people to know Him. He wants us to seek Him and find Him. In John 4, Jesus gets into a very interesting—and quite personal—conversation with a Samaritan woman. Jesus tells her that God's purpose in the world is to seek worshippers who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. The same is true for us today. God is seeking worshippers who will know Him and love Him. Jesus's words and the rest of the Bible make this crystal clear. The only question is are we returning the favor. Are you seeking to know, worship, and love Him? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”~ Acts 17:22-27 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. With all the changes in Western culture's view on sex, we often miss the fact that there is nothing new under the sun. Many of the changes we see all about us are really not so “new”, but something quite old. Much of the contemporary sexual ethic is simply a return to pagan Rome. This is clearly seen in the increasing acceptability and ubiquity of pornography. Pornography is not new. In ancient Rome, pornography was everywhere. It was mainstream. Pornographic art was prominently displayed, maybe especially in respectable upper-class households. Over the past 70 years or so, as the prevalence of pornography has risen, many saw it as progress. It was believed that, for the first time in history, we were finally ridding ourselves of the regressive ethic of tradition and religion. What we failed to see is that this was not progress but regress. It was a return to Rome. We were not “back to the future”, but back to the past. This push toward sensuality, just like in ancient Rome, drives us to see one another as mere objects to fulfill our sordid fantasies, instead of bearers of God's image to be cherished and honored. Sexual desire without limits trains our hearts to see one another as mere commodities to be used for selfish ends. This is not the biblical view of sex, and, I don't think it's the sort of world we should want to live in. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”~Galatians 5:16-24 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Here's a question for you:Is God guilty of not speaking clearly or is humanity guilty of not listening well? This may be a difficult question to answer off-the-cuff, so let's look at some of the things God says in the Bible about our aptitude for listening to Him. When we turn to the Bible, we find that God repeatedly chides us for the stubbornness of our hearts and the dullness of our hearing. God says of His people in Jeremiah 9:6: “Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me” (emphasis added). In another place in Jeremiah, God notes, “…they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks so as not to listen…” (Jeremiah 17:23). Elsewhere in the book of Romans, Paul says that people “suppress the truth [about God] by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain…because God has made it plain to them.” From these and many other passages, it seems clear enough. God is speaking, but in general we're not listening. It is quite impossible to speak to someone who refuses to listen and therefore impossible to have a relationship with someone who refuses to connect. God has spoken to us clearly through His creation, through His Word (the Bible) and most importantly through His Son Jesus Christ. The only question is whether or not we are listening. How about you? Are you listening to God and His Word? When and where do you do this? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”~Romans 1:18-20 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. An atheist once said to me, if God is real, why doesn't He reveal Himself? Why doesn't He say something? If He really wants us to know Him, why doesn't He just say so? Good question, right? Well, maybe not. Maybe there is a false assumption underlying this. For true communication to take place, you must have both a sender and a receiver. You need someone sending a clear message, but you also need someone willing to receive that message on the other end. Both are necessary.In relationships, this is no mere academic question. Lack of listening is often at the very heart of relational breakdown in many marriages and friendships. Listening is critical! Now, allow me to propose a question. Could it be that God is sending a clear message, but for whatever reason we are not truly listening? God says of Himself in Isaiah 45:19 (emphasis added) “I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness….” In Psalm 19, the poet says that the heavens are declaring the glory of God, that the whole universe is pouring forth the speech of God. In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul suggests that human beings have a bad tendency of “suppressing the truth” of God, despite God having made Himself quite evident, quite obvious! So, is God guilty of not speaking clearly or is humanity guilty of not listening well? As for myself, I'd hate to lay the blame at the feet of God. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “For this is what the Lord says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited): I am the Lord, and there is no one else.I have not spoken in secret,In some dark land;I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,‘Seek Me in a wasteland';I, the Lord, speak righteousness,Declaring things that are right.”~Isaiah 45:18-19 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. In the frenetic pace of modern life, rest is often the first casualty. However, biblically speaking, rest is a good and necessary thing. God instituted a Sabbath in the very created order. He commanded the children of Israel to “Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy”. In other words, the nation of Israel was to cease from their labors, one day in seven, and reflect upon the fact that God provides for His people even when they are helpless. Indeed, it was in their helplessness that He delivered them from 24/7 slavery in Egypt. You see, God is not like the pagan deities or rulers, that demand round the clock toil. Human beings were not created for subservience but to experience the glory of God. Even God himself shared His rule with human beings when He gave them dominion over the creation. Indeed, even our destiny in the kingdom of Heaven is spoken of as a sabbath rest where we will reign with King Jesus. Now, good Christians can debate about the proper application of the Sabbath command in the life of the church. However, what we cannot debate about is the heart of that command: God is a god who gives rest. Neither can we debate about the propriety of the command: we are mere creatures which God in His grace has made kings of His creation, and so we need rest and deserve it. Slaves have to work 24/7. Kings are free to enjoy the pleasure of their dominion. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'    So God created man in his own image,   in the image of God he created him;   male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”~Genesis 1:26-31 (ESV) “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”~Genesis 2:1-3 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Knowledge precedes action. Our beliefs drive our behavior. What we know to be true works itself out in what we do. The Old Testament prophet Daniel tells us that in confronting forces of evil “the people who know their God will display strength and take action” (Daniel 11:23, emphasis added). This is precisely what is played out in the book of Daniel. When Daniel's friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were asked to bow down in worship to a false god, they refused to give in. Why? The answer is simple: they knew the true God. Their belief drove their behavior. What they knew to be true drove what they chose to do. Knowing the true God gave them the courage to go against the cultural pressure of their day. It allowed them to do what was right and leave the consequences with God. The fact that they really knew God pushed them to courageous action.  Now, many observers of the church today lament its impotence. Why is the church so weak? Well, arguably the church's impotence stems from its lack of engagement with God—its ignorance of the Almighty. Now, what a boost it would be to the church today if it were revived in its knowledge of God! What courage it would bring in our fight to see the gospel flourish in every area of our lives and every sector of our society. How it would motivate us to take the gospel to our friends and neighbors, and even to the ends of the earth!  What the church needs today is what it needs in every era, that is to truly know God.  Are you seeking to know Him? Are you seeking to know Him…today? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.”~ Daniel 11:32 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. If a stranger were to approach you on the street and ask you to describe yourself, what would you say? What is the most important thing about you? What is your most defining characteristic? Well, the late author and pastor A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) suggested that the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. I think he is right. Your view, your conception, your idea about your Creator is more critical to who you are than anything else. In other words, how you answer the questions: “What do you think about God? Who do you think God is? And what do you think God is like?” says more about you than anything else. It reveals more of your soul, who you really are, than any other factor. In similar fashion, it was the great theologian John Calvin who suggested in the opening lines of his most famous work (The Institutes of the Christian Religion) that truly knowing ourselves and truly knowing God are totally intertwined. We cannot know ourselves without knowing God and we cannot know God without having an accurate knowledge of ourselves. This only stands to reason, for, after all, we are made in the divine image. So, have you thought lately about your understanding of God? Upon what do you base your ideas of Him? How well do you understand the One who made you and the One you claim to worship? Do you really know God? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters…. Then God said, ‘Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.' So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”~ Genesis 1:1-2, 26-28 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Nobody likes someone who boasts. We've all been at that dinner party where one of the other guests can't stop talking about themselves and all their accomplishments. What a bore! Yet, if the truth were known we're all private boasters in some way. It may be our good looks. Maybe it's our superior education or intellect. It may be our money or social status. Perhaps we feel that we have fared better than others in raising our kids the “right way”. Then again, maybe we flatter ourselves that we've attained a higher standard of ethics or morality than most. Maybe even, it's that we pat ourselves on the back for our “spirituality” or religious pursuits. Whatever it is, we all tend to be closet boasters. But what does this boast gain us in our status before God? Well, the Prophet Jeremiah records these penetrating words. “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD….” (Jeremiah 9). From God's perspective nothing else really matters except knowing Him. Being in a loving and obedient relationship with your Creator is the very point of life. So, what about you? What's your private boast? Do you have God's perspective on what really matters? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “This is what the Lord says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”~ Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Have you ever heard that old expression: “It's not what you know, it's who you know”? Well, there is a mountain of spiritual truth in this little pebble of worldly wisdom. Absolutely nothing is more important in life than knowing the One who made you. Of all the relationships in your life, your relationship with your Creator is most critical.  Look, this only stands to reason. If God is the very One who designed you and sustains you, then knowing Him is necessary to truly understanding yourself and your purpose in the world. Who am I? Why am I here? What's the purpose of my life? What's my destiny? Jesus at the end of his earthly life had this to say, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). The implication is clear. If you want to have eternal life, then you must KNOW God and therefore KNOW Jesus. Life is about God. Indeed “eternal life” is synonymous with knowing Him. Being in relationship with Him is eternal life. So, have you ever thought much about the state of your relationship with God? Do you know whether you know God at all? Nothing could be more critical if you desire the reality of true life. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Jesus spoke these things; and raising His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, so that the Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do. And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.'”~ John 17:1-5 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello. This is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. “Life stinks and then you die,” so says a very cynical bumper sticker I saw one time. It makes me ask the question: Why is life in the modern world characterized by such hopelessness and meaninglessness? Does life have a purpose, and if so, what is it? A statement by some Christians from another era I think is helpful at this point. When asked what the meaning or purpose of life was, they said, “To glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever” (Question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, AD 1647). Much could be said regarding the richness of this statement, but at least one thing must be emphasized. To them meaning or purpose in life is found in relation to God. Our purpose as human beings is to maximize our relationship with the Supreme Being—to glorify Him, to know Him, indeed, to ENJOY Him! We were made to enjoy God. You can't enjoy someone you don't know. Maybe the reason you don't enjoy your relationship with God is because you don't really know Him, or you don't know much about Him. All relationships require investment. They require you to put in time. Only to the degree you put in time getting to know someone are you able to grow in that relationship. And if knowing God is the purpose of life, then only to the degree that you put in the time listening to His Word and talking to Him in prayer will you be able to know and experience your ultimate meaning and purpose. Now that's worth thinking about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord';I have nothing good besides You.”As for the saints who are on the earth,They are the majestic ones; all my delight is in them.The pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,Nor will I take their names upon my lips.The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;You support my lot.The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;Indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me.I will bless the Lord who has advised me;Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.I have set the Lord continually before me;Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;My flesh also will dwell securely.For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.You will make known to me the way of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy;In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”~Psalm 16:1-11 (NASB)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.What drives our sinful pride and inability to humble ourselves before God and others? The Bible suggests that what drives our sinful pride is worry. We are anxious for our lives and so we worry. And in worrying we are implicitly worshipping ourselves. This is the very opposite of humility. Anxiety leads to pride, which lead to further anxiety. A vicious cycle.This subterranean sin is what Jesus goes after in Matthew 6:25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?Jesus is suggesting that our worry about “worldly things” reveals that we are not worshipping God but ourselves. We are not seeking “first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).Surprisingly, this suggests that the most impressive of us are often the most prideful—and therefore, actually, under the surface, the most anxious.And so, every area of our lives becomes warped:·      Material possessions – I need to have more and nicer things than others.·      Social status – I want to be powerful. I want to have an impact. I want to leave a legacy.·      Spirituality– I want to be the impressive Christian that everyone looks to for wisdom and insight. I want to have all my spiritual and theological ducks in a row.·      Happiness – I want to feel good all the time—especially about me.Now, none of these things are bad things in and of themselves. But none of these are first things. God is the first thing, and so the sun around which all the planets of our other priorities must orbit. What twists them is our anxious pride—putting ourselves in the place of God. When we make any of these things the first thing, it inevitably leads to disordered relationships, especially a disordered relationship with God.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Matthew 6 (NASB95)24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?' or ‘What will we drink?' or ‘What will we wear for clothing?' 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Why do we resist humbling ourselves? Well, the Bible would suggest to us that there is a connection between our pride and our anxious worry.Peter writes to us:Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB95, emphasis added)Notice that a part of the command to humble oneself is to cast all our anxieties, that is, our fretful worries, onto God. Why? Well, what is worry? Worry is our feeble attempt, as sinful and finite creatures, to rule the universe. We are anxious because we think we should control this or control that. We want to be in charge. We think we know what's best, and so we want things to go our way. Such thinking exposes a deity-complex that is at the very root of sin.When we forget God, we tend to take His place. This sinful pride leads to worry. And worry leads us to double down on trying to take God's place. It's a vicious cycle.Now, God doesn't respond to our sinful anxiety by shaming us, but by assuring us. “Cast all your anxieties upon him!” Why? “Because He cares for you!”We see the same thing from God through the prophet Isaiah:Isaiah 41:10 (NASB95) ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'God doesn't just say, “Don't worry!” Rather, He says, “I am with you.”Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Isaiah 41 (NASB95)8 “But you, Israel, My servant,  Jacob whom I have chosen,  Descendant of Abraham My friend,9  You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,  And called from its remotest parts  And said to you, ‘You are My servant,  I have chosen you and not rejected you.10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you;   Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.   I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,   Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'11 “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;   Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.12 “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,   Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.13 “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,   Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;   I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.At times of civil unrest and deep cultural division, people tend to be on edge. They feel threatened and under attack. They assume a lot about their opponents and tend to attribute evil motives. Every little gesture, every little word, is scrutinized in the most negative light.Now, in such an environment, Christians are called not to return fire but to turn the other cheek. We are called to be “shock absorbers”. In the words of the New Testament book of James, we are to follow the “wisdom from above” which is “peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy…impartial and sincere” (James 3:16-17). However, if you've ever tried to do this, you will find that it feels like being a shock absorber. And here's the rub. To be a shock absorber means you have to absorb shock. You absorb the insults, bitterness, misunderstanding, anger, irrational rage, and the heat that others are feeling. This is painful! Outrageously painful! How in the world are we to find the strength to do this? Only one way.We look to Jesus. We are reminded that our Lord Christ came into this world to absorb all our sin. He took all the pressure and insults we could throw at Him. He absorbed the shock of our judgment and took it down to the grave.Knowing and living in the reality of this gives us, in principle, an unlimited ability to be shock absorbers in our world.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Matthew 5 (ESV)38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.An argument could be made that the most critical quality of a truly Christian life is humility. Jesus said that the kingdom of God belonged only to those who were “poor in spirit.” The kingdom of God belongs to those that mourn over their sin. By Jesus's estimation, only the meek shall be able to inherit, and so, rule the earth.Humility is not some ancillary attribute for the Christian. It is not the icing on the cake, but the quality that characterizes every aspect of the “cake.” This is why you see the repeated commands to humble oneself.“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10)“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5)“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7)“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21)“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)Why does God make such a big deal out of humility? The reason for this is simple:“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).In God's kingdom there is room for only one deity, and you are not Him.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.1 Peter 5 (ESV)5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Leadership is critical to any organization and there are three qualities necessary for any leader. What are these qualities? Well, the first quality is humility. The second quality is… humility. And the third quality is… (you guessed it) humility. Like real estate is all about location, location, location. So too, leadership is all about humility; humility; humility.If a person is not humble – if they cannot listen and be a follower themselves – then they cannot lead.This is not to say that a good leader is passive or a push-over. Quite the opposite! It doesn't mean that they must accept and submit to any critique or suggestion thrown at them. Actually, this just emphasizes the issue of why humility is so important in leadership. Anyone in a position of leadership will be bombarded with countless critiques and suggestions. Without a basic and pervasive posture of humility, they will not be able to process this bombardment without becoming insecure or prideful – or swinging wildly between these two opposite poles. Having a soul rooted in humility makes one stable in the storm, allowing one to keep their head and not become subject to “public opinion” nor their own pride.A leader leads and the most essential leadership is modeling for those who follow the critical quality of humility. Humility is the foundation for all good leadership.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.1 Peter 5 (NASB95)1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.The scandal of the gospel is that it's for the burn out, drop out and left out. It is not a gospel for those that deserve it but precisely for those who don't.Why? Well, the gospel is not about our achievement but about God's acceptance. It is not about our performance but Jesus's performance for us. In other words, it is grace.This is very good news not only for the outsider but also for the overachiever. Overachieving is often an addiction, an obsession to prove one's self—indeed, to save one's self. It stems from a deep idolatry—a drive to worship one's self and one's own achievements. In this way, it can often be the most secular of us that are the most “religious”—constantly trying to prove ourselves by our accomplishments and accolades.Now, into this context the gospel comes and says something shocking. Jesus in His dying breath on the cross declared: “It is finished.” The gospel spells the end of all attempts to prove or justify oneself. It is the end to both religious and secular ladder climbing. As the writer Brennan Manning (1934-2013) put it:“Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat out denial of the gospel of grace.”Now, to be clear, there is nothing wrong with striving and working hard. It's a question of motivation. What's driving your drive? Does it flow from God's acceptance of you in Christ or does it flow from an attempt to earn that acceptance by your efforts?Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Matthew 11 (NASB)25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”References:The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (Multnomah Books, 1990).

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.The notion of the rule of law is not something that just happened in the history of Western civilization. It was not accidental. Rather, just as ideas have consequences, so ideas also have antecedents. There's always something that comes before.Most clearly, this notion can be traced to writings of Scottish thinker Samuel Rutherford (c. 1600-1661). In his famous book Lex Rex (1644), as the Latin title would suggest, Rutherford was proposing that nations be ruled by law and not merely by kings. This means that the power of the governing authorities should be limited by something objective, something outside themselves—by a law or constitution. In other words, a government should not be a pure monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship or even a pure democracy. Rather, we should be governed by objective law that restrains both master and mob, limiting both the prince and the people from having all the power.Now, where did he get this idea? Well, he got it from the Bible. He was, after all, a Presbyterian minister. The Bible teaches that human beings and human society were designed to operate best under the dictates of God's Eternal Law. For example, all throughout the Old Testament books of Kings and Chronicles, the peace and stability of the nation of Judah is correlated to their faithfulness to the Law of God. When the Law of God is revered, the king and the people flourish. But when the Law of God is ignored, evil and chaos ensue.Now, as Christians, we ought not sit back and say, “Yeah, that's what's wrong with the world! People aren't obeying God!” Rather, we should be more self-reflective. Are we and our churches marked by obedience to God's Law?Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.2 Chronicles 12 (NASB)1 When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the Law of the Lord….13 So King Rehoboam became powerful in Jerusalem and reigned there. For Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 But he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.2 Chronicles 15 (NASB)1 Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. 3 For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the Law. 4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.2 Chronicles 17 (ESV)3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Freedom is a byproduct of virtue. And virtue is a byproduct of objective moral restraint. In other words, the only way you can be truly free is not by doing what you want, but by being the kind of person who does what's right. This is why the late Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), the former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, spoke of “freedom” as a “moral achievement”.1 The Framers of our constitution understood this well. They knew the precarious position they had placed this new country in by not having a king or pope to restrain or rule over the moral behavior of the people. They understood that if the people did not voluntarily govern themselves before God, then this experiment in self-government would inevitably fail. As the great Benjamin Franklin put it:“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”2This is why Rabbi Sacks spoke out against what he identified as the “idols” of our age: “self-esteem without achievement, sex without consequences, wealth without responsibility, pleasure without struggle and experience without commitment.” He correctly noted that such “relativism that tells us there is no [objective] right or wrong” leads only to nihilism, to meaninglessness. “A world without values quickly becomes a world without value” (Rabbi Jonathan Sacks). As the book of Proverbs suggests, where there is no object/divine moral law, the people become unrestrained (Proverbs 29:18). A world without objective moral truth is not a world of freedom; it is a world of chaos.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Proverbs 29 (ESV)16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases,   but the righteous will look upon their downfall.17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;   he will give delight to your heart.18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,   but blessed is he who keeps the law.19 By mere words a servant is not disciplined,   for though he understands, he will not respond.References:1 Speech delivered at 2016 Bradley Prize by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (2016). Accessed online at https://rabbisacks.org/free-society-moral-achievement-read-rabbi-sacks-acceptance-speech-receiving-bradley-prize/).2 “Letter to Messrs, the Abbes Chault, and Arnaud” by Benjamin Franklin (17 April 1787).

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.The Christian knows that this world will never be perfected until Jesus returns. Nonetheless, we do believe that the church should have a positive and redemptive effect on society in the here-and-now.But how exactly are we to do this? Well, we do this by being the church—by demonstrating a new society, a new way of living together.Jesus put it this way,“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, [Jesus goes on to say] let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)Jesus tells us that we are to be a city on a hill—to demonstrate a new social arrangement visible for all to see. Note well, that He does not say we are to be a “chump on a stump”. We are not to be an individual moral prude merely spouting our religious opinions and moral platitudes. Rather, we are to be a city—that is a community. We are to be an alternative society that is redemptive in the midst of an otherwise rancorous culture. We are to be the church.Thus, the way we live in community as the church is the key element. The most distinctive and attractive thing about us is not merely our individual lives or families, but our corporate life as the church—the family of God. How we treat one another makes us shine like a lighthouse, guiding others to safe harbor.So, here's the question: Does your interaction within the church shine like a thing of beauty? Does your attitude toward your fellow believers exude a positivity, fostering greater trust and community?Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Matthew 5 (NASB)13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.It has been my observation that the moment anyone begins to speak of sin and our deep, pervasive rebellion against God, the average American begins to tune out. Why? Well, I think, in part, it's because it seems harsh. And, if there is anything in this world we don't need any more of, it's harshness.However, here's the problem. There is no way to be faithful to the restorative message of the Bible without acknowledging the fact of our sin. No book speaks more profoundly to the problem of human evil than the Bible. And I think we find there the deeper reason why we tend to bristle at the accusation that we are sinners and that God is our rightful judge. We do this because our sin leaves our souls fearful and fragile. As the Gospel of John puts it, we are afraid to come into the light for fear that our sin will be exposed and we will be judged (John 3:20-21). Look, if this notion rings true for you, I have some really good news. Jesus, our rightful judge, loves sinners just like you and me. Jesus was Himself judged for sinners. And so, you have nothing to fear in coming to Him. Jesus will gladly welcome you, and His love has the power not only to drive out any fear but also to transform any life.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”~ John 3:16-21 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.We sometimes have a thin and petty understanding of sin. But sin is anything but thin and petty.The 5th century Christian leader Augustine (354-430) along with the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) used a Latin phrase to explain the profoundly problematic nature of sin. They called sin “incurvatus in se”. Sin by its very nature is “deeply curved in on itself…. [Under the corruption of sin, our soul] wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things…for its own sake” (Luther in his Lectures on Romans, emphasis added). This means that sin is a radical self-addiction—a deep and abiding self-obsession. It is the very opposite of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Thus…Sin is not patient. It wants what it wants when it wants it.Sin is not kind. It is cruel, using and running over others.Sin is jealous. It always feels very insecure.Sin is arrogant. It's always full of itself—puffed up with its own perspective and convinced of its own rightness; it is ready to explode at the slightest injustice or irritation.Sin is self-seeking.Sin is bitter, keeping track and nurturing every hurt and wrong. It is in a constant state of self-pity.Sin is easily provoked. It takes everything very personally.Sin rejoices in unrighteousness. It finds its pleasure in the pursuit of raw desire and refuses to be restrained with consideration of others, especially God. It says, “No one's gonna tell me what to do. I live by my own rules.”Sin refuses to endure suffering. The sinful self is far too precious to be spent on anyone but itself, especially anyone who it deems to be “wrong”.Sin is obsessed with self; it's curved in on itself. But Love is willing to suffer for others; it is willing to liquidate its life for the good of others. Indeed, this is what the embodiment of love—Jesus Christ—did for us on the cross.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.One of the most difficult things in life is having an accurate self-assessment. Knowing who you are (and who you are not) is foundational to everything in your life. However, achieving this is very difficult because we tend to have a high view of ourselves. We play a game of puffing up and polishing up our image. We do this on Facebook, and we do this face-to-face. Then, in order to maintain this image, we are in constant scramble-mode to make sure no one finds out the truth. It's really quite miserable.Now, in his day, John the Baptist was a very popular figure. We would say, “He had a lot of followers on social media”. He was the hottest ticket in all the Jordan River valley, and people were coming from miles around. But what's interesting is how John responded to this fame. He did not draw attention to himself but directed it to Jesus. John knew who he was; and he knew who he was not. As a matter of fact, when the religious leaders came to John and asked, “Who are you?” John basically replied, “I am not who people think I am…. I am just a voice directing people to Jesus.” In so many words, John was saying, “I'm not called to impress you with myself. I'm called to point you to Christ. Don't look at me. Look at Him. Behold Him, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” My friends, what a relief not to have to bear the miserable burden of keeping up a false (and idolatrous!) image of oneself. John found his identity not by looking at himself but by looking at his Savior.Where do you find yours?Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'”~ John 1:19-29 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.The Framers of our constitution knew that they were proposing something quite unique in the history of the world. They were proposing a free Republic, where people would not be ruled by the whims of a king or the dictates of a pope, but by the will of the people. It was to be as Abraham Lincoln would later say a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Today, we take such notions for granted and are quite intoxicated with our “right to freedom”. We pride ourselves at being able to sniff out threats to that freedom from ten miles away.However, the Framers were not so giddy about how easy or stable such a government ruled by the people would be. They were just as suspicious of the tyranny of the people, as they were about the tyranny of any prince.1 Because they knew history and their Bibles, they were quite aware that a system of self-government required the people to be able to govern themselves. This meant that the people must willingly restrain their baser instincts by voluntarily submitting themselves to the rule of a moral law outside themselves. Though many of them were not personally Christian, they largely saw this voluntary restraining instinct to be the function of voluntary religious practice, particularly Christian practice. Listen to John Adams:“We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled from…morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition…Revenge or Gallantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” ~John Adams to the Massachusetts Militia on October 11, 1798 (sic)Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective”.“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.”~ Proverbs 2:1-22 (ESV)References: 1. See Federalist Papers No. 51, paragraph 6 (https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/federalist-no-51).

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Truth is absolutely critical to any functioning society. Once lies become the public and political norm, then society becomes a game of thrones. It is power bloc vs. power bloc. Cynicism rules. Truth is DOA. So, what's the answer? Well, the answer cannot be more political power—merely more human laws, or, God help us, more power to Washington. If truth is dead, that only feeds the beast.So, what is the soil in which Truth is able to flourish? What keeps the weeds of corrupt power plays from entangling and overtaking the seedlings of truth?It is the fear of Almighty God. We were made for accountability to our Creator. One day, we will all stand and give an account to Him for our every word, our every thought, our every deed. Every motive of our heart will be revealed. When we deny this fundamental truth, we poison the soil and truth cannot grow. When we manipulate God and His Word to our selfish or tribal ends, we uproot the seedlings of truth. When we no longer fear God, then we no longer fear harming and manipulating those made in His image (Luke 18:2). The celebrated Russian author and Soviet dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) knew the effects of a society in which truth was completely DOA. He had spent many years in a Soviet gulag simply for telling the truth. At the end of his life, reflecting on why atheistic communism had destroyed so many millions of innocent lives in His beloved Russia (and beyond), he simply said: “Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.”Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”~ John 18:1-8 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The early church was distinctive for many reasons, but one of the most powerful was the quality of loving community found among in it. Tertullian, the 3rd century church leader, wrote a number of works defending the gospel in the face of persecution (see, To the Gentiles and Apology). In one of his more famous statements, he directs his pagan detractors to look at the quality of love among Christians, as compared to its lack among the pagans. He writes:“Look . . . how they love one another (for they themselves [pagans] hate one another); and how they are ready to die for each other (for they themselves [pagans] are readier to kill each other).”Tertullian knew that the love of Christians for one another was incredibly powerful and persuasive. Not surprising, since this is exactly what Jesus taught.In His famous prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus not once but twice says that it is this unifying love among Christians, in spite of their many differences, that shows to the world the truthfulness of the gospel. Jesus prays:…that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. [And again a few verses later, Jesus prays…] The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. (John 17:21-23 NASB, emphasis added)The quality of our relationships as followers of Jesus Christ is our strongest and clearest witness. Twentieth century thinker Francis Schaeffer called this love, “the final apologetic”—that is, the final proof of the veracity of the gospel. The kindness, mercy and grace of genuine love may be in short supply in the world, but it must not be in the church. Is your life dripping with love toward your fellow Christians?Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; 26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”~ John 17:17-26 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The only way you can come to Jesus is as a sinner. As a matter of fact, if you come to Jesus as anything other than the Savior of your sins, you will not find the true Jesus. Rather, you will find at best a grotesque caricature of Him. Jesus is not the mascot for your favorite political or social cause. He is not your guru, your personal life coach, giving you advice on how to have a happier, more fulfilled middle-class life. He is not your divine barista, serving up personal happiness at the McJesus Café. No, Jesus is the creator God come to save you, giving up His life for your sin on a bloody Roman cross. Jesus is the exalted one who has dominion over all things. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Creator and Redeemer of all things. All things were made by him, through Him and for him (Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 21:1-4). He is the eternal judge of heaven and earth, who Himself was judged for His people. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Certainly, any caricature we make of Jesus will speak to something of His nature—after all this is how caricatures work. Nonetheless, Jesus is not defined by our culture-bound distortions. Jesus did not come to take your side. He came to take over. Jesus did not come to help you with “your life.” He came to give you His life. He did not come to conquer your problems or your enemies. He came to conquer you with His love. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate click here or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. Where do you find confidence when trouble surrounds you on every side? Remember that scene in The Lord of the Rings where Frodo is lamenting to Gandalf about the trouble caused by the Ring. Frodo: “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened” Gandalf replies: “So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.” Tolkien's point, though subtle, is brilliant. Evil shall not have the final say, because there is an intention at work in our world that is higher than the intention of evil. Though the devil has the power to twist creation to our destruction, God has the power turn evil to our salvation. How do we know this? Look to the cross. On the cross, the evil of our sin, the malice of humanity and the wickedness of the devil conspired to bring about the most twisted act of all time—the unjust murder of the Holy Son of God. But this was not the final word. The gospel is always the final word. The cross was not merely a conspiracy of evil; it was the conspiracy of God's love. Listen to Scripture: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Such hope out of despair (good out of evil!) inherent in the gospel gives those who trust it undying confidence. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~ Romans 5:1-8 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. Life is full of fears and anxieties. What should we do with them? We should take our cues from the brave Christians that have gone before us. Consider St. Patrick. He was not always St. Patrick, nor was he even Irish. He was an ordinary youth from Romanized Britain. However, at age 16 he was kidnapped by the Irish. At the time the Irish were notorious pagan tribal warriors, famous for stringing around their belts the skulls of their conquered foes. After six years of slavery, Patrick finally escaped. But then God gave him a vision that he should return to the land of his captors, not in order to bring them justice, but rather to bring them Jesus. He did. And the rest, as they say, is history. He bravely went back and faced his captors, not with fear but with faith. By the sovereign grace of God, the Irish became Christians at an astounding rate. However, this did not happen without significant danger and threats to Patrick's life. And where did he turn with his fears? To the promise of Christ's presence. The spirit of his faith-filled courage is preserved in a famous prayer, “The Shield of St. Patrick”. Here's a bit of it: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. Indeed, like Patrick of old, how can we today live in faith and not in fear? The key is calling on the presence of Christ with us, moment by moment. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” ~ Psalm 91:1-6 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. What should we do in the face of evil and suffering? We should take comfort in God's providential care. Evil and suffering do not catch God by surprise. There is not a single atom, not a single virus or cancer cell, that escapes his notice or power. He is Lord of all creation and he loves us dearly. God governs all things by the wisdom of his good providence. Listen as the Heidelberg Catechism explains this in simple question/answer format: Q: What do you understand by the providence of God? A: Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty— all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand. Q: How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us? A: We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing will separate us from his love. All creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved. Indeed, in troubled times like ours, we can find comfort in a God that both holds our lives in his hand and has our best interest at heart. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.” ~ Psalm 104:1-9 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. What a privilege we have as Christians! There is no greater comfort than the fact that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth is our Heavenly Father for Jesus's sake. The Heidelberg Catechism, a doctrinal teaching device developed in 1563 and still used by many churches around the world, nails this fact very succinctly. Listen to question-and-answer number 26: Question 26: What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? Answer: That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Because of Jesus, God is not only the Sovereign King of Creation, but also my faithful Father. Remember, Jesus said that not a sparrow can fall to the ground without the will of your Father in heaven (Matthew 10:29-31). Are you not of more value to him than a sparrow? (Matthew 6:26). Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. ““So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven..” ~ Matthew 10:26-33 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. What is prayer? Prayer is the cry of desperation, a final resort when there is nowhere else to turn. It is the instinct of every human heart to look up to heaven for help when all else has failed. As the saying goes, there are no atheists in foxholes. However, for those who know God as their Father through Jesus Christ, prayer is not merely the final resort, but more so the first response. When anxiety and fear arise, as a matter of first order, we can turn to our God in prayer. The Bible commands us to! Listen to Philippians 4: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). In your care for one another and in your ministry to your unbelieving neighbors, prayer is powerful and irreplaceable. Pray for your neighborhood. Pray for your school. Pray for your workplace. Ask God to give you opportunities to serve those that are anxious or in need. Offering to pray for a friend or co-worker who is sick or fearful is a great way to minister to them and to help direct them to God. We have a God who hears! Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” ~ Matthew 6:25-33 (ESV)

Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective. Who is in control of your life? You may think you are, but it only takes one moment of crisis to reveal you are ultimately not. God is in control. Not you. Your life is not your own. You belong to Him. Your life is in His hands. And, for those who know God as their loving heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, this is a very good thing. The New Testament writer Jude speaks of God as the One “who is able to keep you”. “Keep” means "to guard and protect." We see similar sentiment in Romans 8 where we are told that “if God is for us who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). And so, God is in the business of keeping His people safe in His grace. God has promised to complete the salvation He has begun in us, namely that through all the trial and trouble of this world we shall be transformed into the very likeness of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). This is God's good and sure plan. Thus, there is no reason ever to react in fear. History shows that fearful people do foolish things. Desperate people make dumb moves. However, we have no reason to feel desperate. We are, thus, free to act in faith-filled wisdom, for we know that in whatever comes our way we are more than conquerors through him who loves us, and that nothing shall be separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39). Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” ~ Jude 24-25 (ESV)