by Caleb Gordon | Jun 22, 2017
Lysa Terkeurst, popular women’s Bible study teacher and author filed for divorce from her husband of almost 25 years. So many emotions went through my mind. My heart hurts for her. My heart hurts for her family. And my heart hurts for her husband who made a really bad decision to follow after his sinful desires.
You see, 13 years ago I went through something very similar. I got a divorce. My first wife left me. She made a decision to pursue someone else. It really hurt. But I can tell you, after 13 years, God is faithful and has restored so much to me. More actually than I can even begin to tell you.
The thing I want to address is the subject of the church and divorce. This is something that I firmly believe the church needs to address, and not in some Sunday School room on a Tuesday night with five or six people in attendance. We all need to understand this. I firmly believe that divorce, in general, is a sin and should be avoided at all costs, but it’s not a sin that cannot be forgiven and redeemed, just like any other sin.
Here are some great resources from John Piper on the topic of divorce/remarriage. From what I have read, Lysa did all she could do to help her husband and attempted to avoid this at all costs, but in the long run, he chose his sin over his marriage. Like I said, my heart hurts! The major thing that I want to address is how we, as the church, should respond to someone who has been divorced or is going through a divorce.
Walk in love! We often take a hard stand on this topic. We should take a hard stand against sin, but we should do all of this in love! It can be hard for some to understand a couple who are going through a horrible spot in their lives. They might say they understand, but in all reality, they don’t. Divorce is so horrific and destructive to all parties involved. When I remarried, I remember one person telling my wife, “We don’t do second marriages.” That was their reason for not coming to our wedding. I’ll be honest, that hurt too. Being empathetic and compassionate is a good first step to helping them find redemption.
Pray for them! When I say pray for them, I mean to actually sit down and pray for them and with them. Send them messages through the day that you are praying for them. Let them know you are lifting them up before our great God and King. I can’t tell you how encouraging and amazing it felt when I would get a call from someone saying that they were praying for me, even if I did not let them know it was appreciated, it really was. Having people pray for me is honestly one of the biggest things that got me through some of the darkest moments in my life.
Invite/welcome divorced people in! Over the past 10 years, I’ve been able to minister to thousands of men on this very topic. I have been to multiple men’s events and shared my story with so many who are going through similar hurts. Just being present with people who have gone through divorce is so life changing. We’ve had dozens of men in our home at our dinner table and just talked, cried, prayed and laughed. It’s such an opportunity for healing when we invest in people. When we are willing to be present with someone during their hardest moments in life, it can truly be life transforming. I’m challenging the churches in our communities to welcome these broken people in and invest in them.
I want you to join me in praying for Lysa, her husband and all of the rest her family. These are the moments when she needs our love and prayer far more than she needs us to be an advice column.
by Caleb Gordon | May 25, 2017
I have been thinking over the past two years, and sometimes that is a dangerous thing to do. I’m trying to flesh this thing out. It’s been something that I’ve seen in my own life, and I’m struggling with it. So hang with me as I talk this out.
I know so many men and women who are a part of multiple Bible studies. They go to studies on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, and some even go to another midweek study. Women’s Bible studies, men’s Bible studies, couples Bible studies – the list goes on and on. There honestly is no shortage of Bible studies we can attend.
The thing that blows my mind is that you’d think that with all of those Bible studies that we all are involved in, and all of those hours we’ve spent together pouring over and talking about the Scriptures, we’d truly begin to see some type of really big change in our communities. Right? Well, why then are we not seeing anything different? Let me explain further.
A majority of people who attend church are just as angry and bitter as lost folks. We have husbands and wives who are not loving each other like Christ loves the church. We have children who are so disrespectful to any type of authority that it’s just sickening. But all the while we have so many of these people ‘plugged into’ a Bible study of some type. So what is the problem?
The problem is not that there are not enough Gospel-centered Bible studies…it’s that we are actively replacing action with consumption. We think that if we just sit for 30 minutes to an hour, listening to the truths of Scripture then that should be enough. Check this verse out:
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).
If you know that you as a husband should be loving your wife as Christ loves the church and you’re not, you are actively living in sin. If you know that loving your enemy is a mandate that was handed down from Jesus Himself, and you do not then, guess what? You guessed it. You’re living in sin.
What is happening is that we are living in a replacement mentality. We are actually replacing DOING what God has called us to do for just reading and studying about it and thinking that is good enough. We spend tons of time sitting in group Bible studies talking about how we should live as Christ followers. What would happen if we started to have Bible DOINGS and actually living out the mandates of Christ?
Let me give you an example.
What would it look like if we, instead of doing another Bible study over not being ashamed to share the Gospel, actually went out to the local public square and actually share the Gospel? Engaged people and talked to them one on one.
What would it look like instead of having another couple’s Bible study that you planned a couples mission trip in your city, to go do something together as a couple? You see, if you’re both as a couple focused on a common mission you don’t have time to fight. If you’re both living out the Gospel together, you won’t argue; you’ll find ways to help and encourage one another.
Now, don’t get me wrong...I’m NOT saying to NOT read or study your Bible, because you should! But what I am saying is that if you’re studying the Bible and you’re not doing what you are studying, then there is a problem. I’m saying that if you do the study, it should not just get a head nod, an amen and that’s it. Studying the Bible should push us to action, not just agreement. If we agree with what we are studying then it should result in action.
Stop just agreeing and start doing! Move in a direction and get out of your comfort zone!
Stop just HAVING BIBLE STUDY and start BIBLE DOING!
by Caleb Gordon | May 8, 2017
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).
When I was in junior high I got made fun of for the way I looked. What’s funny is that, looking back, I was not that different looking from so many of the kids who were in my class. Nevertheless, I was still ridiculed and insulted by so many classmates. I came home one day in tears and sat down to talk with my dad.
He is a Christian man, so his council was so helpful. He opened his Bible to the verses you just read above and he said, “It’s far more important what God says about you than what some silly junior high boy says about you.” I’ll never forget that.
I read those two verses over and over, then I decided I wanted to say something. I started to write my first message, and it was out of this text. I went to a Christian school at this time, and I asked my teacher if I could lead the morning Bible study.
Man you talk about afraid, I sure was. But I stood there ready to take whatever came my way because I trusted what this Word said about me. I am wonderfully made. I am not a mistake. I have God’s stamp of approval on me. He did not mess up with me. He created me just the way He wanted to, and that’s all that really matters.
So I got done talking, and my teacher sat in tears. She could barely speak. The whole class was silent. And then they began to clap. The message made it to their hearts, I think. At least from the outward appearance, it seemed too. But honestly, it did not matter. What David wrote was 100 percent true. I am not a mistake. And that applies to you. What God made inside of you is priceless. Never forget that.
So often what happens to us is we tend to try to gain men’s approval when what we should be striving for is God’s approval (Gal. 1:10). Our push should be into Christ, and our desire should be to please Jesus over our flesh and man’s approval.
Today, I challenge us all to listen to what Jesus says, rather than what the world says. Trust HIS word, not the world. Look at what He wants rather than what other people want. Follow God’s plan and instruction rather than chasing the approval of men around you.
by Caleb Gordon | Apr 26, 2017
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2).
We are so easily distracted by some of the simplest things. So many of us view this life as the end-all-be-all, when in reality, it’s really a super short.
In fact, the Bible tells us in James 4:14: “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
Did you catch that? A mist. Have you ever sprayed a spray bottle full of water and just watched it in the sunlight? It’s really mesmerizing, if you focus and really study it, but it’s gone fairly quickly.
The same thing applies to our own lives. We are only here for a short amount of time. We need to make the best use of our time. The Bible also tells us why it’s so important to make that a priority. “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16).
There is going to come a day when all that we’ve done is going to be reviewed, and honestly, if Christ has not forgiven you, has not covered your sin in His mercy and grace, it’s over for you. But the wonderful thing about the Gospel is that we have a chance at redemption. In order for that to become a reality, though, we must follow the admonition of the Scriptures. We must set our minds on things that are above and not on things that are here on earth.
So today, as you walk out through this day, I want to challenge and encourage you to seek Jesus while he may be found (Isaiah 55:6). I can promise you, everything will change when you do this.
by Caleb Gordon | Mar 15, 2017
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Heb. 10:35-39).
Have you ever had the chance to stand up for Christ in a public way, or have you had the opportunity to share your faith with a person, but you felt like you could not do it, so you just kept quiet? I know that I have. What’s really interesting is that we don’t have to live that way. Christ has given you and me confidence.
I remember when I was in Branson, Mo. several years back. I had been asked to speak to roughly 1,000 men about not being ashamed of their faith and Christian walk.
While we were there, we stopped at a shopping mall, and I got the chance to talk to a guy. I asked him about everything in his life – wife, kids, job, hobbies. Guess who I did not mention whatsoever? JESUS CHRIST! I did not even ask where he went to church.
This truly has haunted me as I have continued my journey in life. Why did I not ask him the most important questions? Why was I more interested in his favorite sports teams, rather than if he knew Jesus! I wish I had a time machine to go get my confidence back.
Sadly so many of us throw that confidence away because we are worried about what others will think about us! How sad, right?
When we are bold in our faith, we have a reward that is promised to us. God looks upon us and is pleased with us. The GOD of everything is PLEASED with us when we are faithful to HIM and His cause! Not only that, but when we are bold for Christ in our daily lives we make an impact on other people! We are helping gather. We are the hands and feet of Christ in this world.
You don’t have to be afraid.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9).
Today, rest in KNOWING who Jesus is and that He has your day. You don’t have to be worried. Be bold. Be courageous in your walk. Walk in confidence. Jesus has the answer! Rest in HIM today!