Kingdom Perspective
Listen to Pastor Don Willeman's latest podcasts below.
What’s the Point of the Bible?
May 9, 2024 • Don Willeman
Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. There’s a lot of things we can learn from science and other fields of study, but some things can only be learned from direct communication from God. Why is this the case? Well, it is one thing to study the works that someone creates, but it is quite another to have direct communication with the one who created it. So, by way of illustration, you might be able to learn a few things about a particular painter by studying one of their paintings, but we probably are not going to discern everything the artist intended without also consulting the artist directly. Likewise, we can learn a lot about an artist by studying their works, but we will never know the artist personally until we hear from them directly. This is why Christians put such emphasis on the Bible. Classical Christianity holds that the Bible gives us a message we cannot get anywhere else. In a profound sense, it comes from the very heart of God. As the Apostle Paul says: “All Scripture is God-breathed….” It’s the intimate breath of God Himself. And so, the Bible tells us God’s will for our lives—what we are to do and not do. It explains our sin—how we’ve failed to fulfill God’s will in our lives. But most significantly, it tells us of God’s heart of mercy. It reveals how God Himself has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ, to take our sin and to give us Himself. It shows the love of God. Let’s be clear, we would not know this apart from the Bible. That’s why we sing the simple truth of that children’s song: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” 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) *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 https://storage2.snappages.site/mv392j/assets/files/familydevotionalguide.pdf. Questions for Kids: A Basic Catechism for Children 4. How do we learn about God? God tells us about Himself. 5. Where does God tell us about Himself? In nature and in His Word. 6. What does God tell us about Himself in nature? His character, law, wrath and glory. 7. What special message does God tell us in His Word? The good news of God’s love and mercy toward His people. 8. Where can we find God’s Word today? In the Bible alone. An Advanced Catechism 5. What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify Him? The Word of God which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Titus 3:16) is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify God and enjoy him. (1 John 1:3) 6. What do the Scriptures principally teach? The Scriptures principally teach what God requires of His creatures and how Jesus Christ has fulfilled that requirement on behalf of all who trust Him. (Luke 24:44-49; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 1:15)
The King of Time and Space
May 7, 2024 • Don Willeman
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 https://storage2.snappages.site/mv392j/assets/files/familydevotionalguide.pdf. An Advanced Catechism 3. 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.
What's Your Purpose
May 2, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. To know the purpose of anything you must know what it was designed to do. For example, a smart phone is a great device for connecting you to the world; you can make a phone call, connect to the internet, text a friend, etc. That’s what it was designed to do. However, it is a terrible device for pounding a nail; that’s not what it’s made for. Likewise, a hammer is a great device for driving a nail, but a terrible device for “connecting” you to other people. Don’t try it! It’s not what it’s designed for. So, what were you made for? Well, the Bible tells us we were made for the glory and pleasure of God. We were made in the image and likeness of our Creator, to put His glory on display. That’s why we exist—to enjoy God by delighting in and showing off His glory. When God made you, He intended to put His own glory on display. And to the degree we refuse this purpose, to that degree we make a mess of our lives. It’s like using a smart phone to drive a nail or using a hammer to “connect” with our friends. However, when we trust God and obey His commandments, we experience His pleasure. We enjoy the purpose for which He created us. We live in harmony with our design, and His glory becomes our glory, and His pleasure becomes our pleasure. We were made to be filled with the eternal joy of God. And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” ~Psalm 116:1-11 (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 Children 1. 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 Catechism 1. 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)
Discovering Our Purpose
April 30, 2024 • Don Willeman
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 Children 1. 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 Catechism 1. 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)
Worry and Humility
April 24, 2024 • Don Willeman
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: 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5 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 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: "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." ~Isaiah 41:10 (NASB95) 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.
The Heart of the Problem
April 17, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. If what Jesus tells us is true, then the heart of our problem is the problem of the human heart. Jesus warns that our basic problem is not merely external or being in this group vs. that group. Rather, in Mark 7, he gathers all the people and tells them this: 20 … “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” This reminds me of that powerful statement by the great Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as he’s trying to make sense of his experience in the Soviet gulag, the labor camp he was unjustly condemned to: “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” ~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 Indeed, the heart of the problem is a problem of the heart. And to destroy a piece of our heart, indeed, to be given a whole new heart, is exactly what we need, and it is exactly what God has promised us in Jesus Christ. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”(Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” ~Mark 7:14-23 (ESV) “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” ~Ezekiel 36:24-28 (ESV)
Amusing Ourselves to Death
April 10, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. As modern people we are good at spotting external oppression. We can see a despot coming miles away. However, we often miss the more subtle oppression of our own desires manipulating us, and, unfortunately, in a techno-consumeristic society like our own, this is a far greater threat. As the late thinker Neil Postman put it: “Everything in our background has prepared us to know and resist a prison when the gates begin to close around us… But …[w]ho is prepared to take arms against a sea of amusements?” In his short but powerful book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman contrasts the competing dystopias of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell: “Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley [Brave New World] and Orwell [1984] did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required…. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. …Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance…. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny ‘failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions.’ In 1984…people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us. …Huxley, not Orwell, was right.” ~Neil Postman (1931-2003), in his classic Amusing Ourselves to Death And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” ~Ephesians 4:17-24 (ESV)
The Power of an Ordinary Life
April 3, 2024 • Don Willeman
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, and 2) 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)
A Different Kind of Community
March 20, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. The kind of community that the New Testament calls us to is radically different than what you may find in the world. Non-Christians create all sorts of different communities where people feel welcomed, and many times it’s really quite wonderful. But such community is based on affinities such as shared hobbies or interests, political alignments, racial, ethnic or other identities. The community that the gospel calls us to is not based on any of these but is rooted in a shared experience of the love of Jesus. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Now, the “problem” with the love of Jesus is that it is indiscriminate. It is a love that comes to us despite us. It comes to us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. Not because of our identity, but because of His! It assumes our unworthiness but rests in His worthiness. This means that the love of Jesus forces me together with those that have differing natural affinities – maybe even those that I struggle with. The Apostle Paul put it this way. Becoming a Christian is: “a renewal [i.e. a radical makeover of identity] in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:11) Today, we might say, there is neither Republican or Democrat, black or white, privileged or under-privileged, etc., etc., but Christ is all, and in all. The test of whether you have truly believed and received the grace of Jesus is not how strongly you demand that grace from others but how gladly you give it to them, especially those for whom you would have no natural affinity. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” ~ Colossians 3:9-11 (ESV)
Know Jesus. No Fear.
March 13, 2024 • Don Willeman
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 this world needs no more of, it’s harshness. However, here’s 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)
The Discipline of Being Driven by Truth
March 6, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. If we are going to thrive spiritually in troubled times, we must make it our aim to be driven by truth and not mere emotions. One of the primary commands of the Christian life is Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). This means much of the Christian life is a war that is waged from the neck up—a fight for the ideas that drive our deepest thoughts. The Scriptures command us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Now, winning this battle is more easily said than done. It doesn’t just happen with the flip of a switch. Rather, it requires the nurture of a whole new way of thinking and living. It is a day-by-day fight—a moment-by-moment discipline to reprogram the thoughts and intentions of our hearts according to the Word of God. The wise old saying goes: “Sow a thought and you reap an act; sow an action and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Said another way, you practice what you ponder, and then you perfect what you practice. Now, this is a path goes both directions—one way leads to life and other to death. And God promises that those who drive their thoughts toward the truth of the Gospel will be transformed into the character of Christ, which is the way of life. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~ Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)
Catechized by our Culture
February 29, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Traditionally, Christians have practiced what is known as catechesis, or catechetical training. Catechesis comes from a Greek word meaning “to teach/to instruct” (Galatians 6:6). It carries with it the idea of in-person training from a knowledgeable instructor. A catechumen in the early church was a person who was under the teaching and training ministry of the church, in process of becoming confirmed in the faith, and so be received into the church as a member. This catechetical training has taken various forms throughout the centuries and has been manifested in various ways in differing Christian traditions. However, historically, every Christian denomination has prioritized the catechetical process and has had some form of catechesis. Sadly, though, this is generally no longer the case. In most instances, emotions, experience, and “sincerity” have replaced this training. Being formed in doctrinal content (what we believe) and Christian practice (how we behave) has been downplayed in favor of a more emotive and consumer-oriented approach. But this does not mean that Christians are not being formed in their thinking and character. They are. It just means that they are not being formed in the gospel. To be formed in the gospel requires both truth and intentionality—on the part of the teacher and the one being taught. We must subject ourselves to a process of learning the faith with our whole being—head, heart, and hands. For weeds to grow requires no effort. However, a good crop of vegetables requires intentionality and care. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “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 4:11-16 (ESV)
What is Meditation?
February 27, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. What comes to mind when you think of meditation? Sitting silently with your legs crossed? Trying to think of the “sound of nothing”? Well, the irony is that as modern Western secular people, we tend to have an Eastern religious view of meditation. We tend to see meditation as emptying our minds—trying to get in touch with oneself or some impersonal force. However, biblically speaking, meditation is not emptying one’s mind but filling it with Scripture. The Psalmist tells us the blessed man is the one who meditates upon the Word of God, day and night (Psalm 1). The Hebrew word for meditate comes from the idea of murmuring—mumbling words under your breath. To meditate is to muse, to cogitate and consider God’s Word from every angle. Other places in the Bible connect meditation with the idea of chewing—like a cow chews his cud—repeatedly chomping, swallowing, regurgitating, over and over again, until all the nutrients are thoroughly extracted and absorbed. We are to savor every “bite” of God’s Word, so that our soul is nourished by it. In this sense, we are all meditators—our minds are chewing on something. The only question is what we’re chewing on? Even to “veg” in front of the television or to scroll through social media is a form of mediation. We are soaking in something, and so, being shaped by it. You are a meditator! The only question is what are you meditating on? And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” ~Psalm 119:9-16 (ESV)
Pornography, Then and Now
February 22, 2024 • Don Willeman
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 holy 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) Additional Resources: https://www.ccef.org/resources?mc_cid=7b95d926de&topic=sexual-purity
Media vs. our Maker
February 20, 2024 • Don Willeman
Transcript: Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Historically, the Christian church has been very serious about the issue of teaching and training. To be a Christian is not something to be dabbled in but is more akin to being on a sports team, even a Division I college team, requiring significant amounts of conditioning, training, and team practice. If we want to live as Christians, then we must subject ourselves to Jesus’s conditioning program—that’s the function of the church. If you want to be formed as a Christian, this is going to require a process. This process is what is known as “catechesis”, from the Greek word for teaching/instruction. Sadly, such a process of training has all but disappeared from the church. This does not mean that we are not being formed; it just means that we are not being formed in the gospel. So, what are we being formed in? Well, we become formed by whatever we give our lives to, particularly to whatever we give our “free time”. For example, studies suggest that the average American spends well over 6 hours a day on the television or internet. This is not unimportant to our spiritual formation. Who we become is a function of our habits. We make our habits, and then our habits make us. As it stands, the average American is being formed by the entertainment industry and big tech companies. Imagine, though, if you spent 6 hours a day reading the Bible and praying. How would your life be different? Imagine if you spent 6 hours a day serving and seeking to encourage your fellow Christians? How would the church be different? Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” ~Romans 6:12-19 (ESV) Further Resources: https://www.amazon.com/digital-liturgies-rediscovering-christian-wisdom/dp/1433587130/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3g5nm3pv7vqd4&keywords=samuel+james+digital+liturgies&qid=1693407470&sprefix=digital+litur%2caps%2c125&sr=8-1 by Samuel James