I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. —Jeremiah 31:3

There have been those of us who felt we had done something so wonderful because we totally forgave somebody who did something bad to us. We did it once, and we were so proud of it. It was such an unusual thing, you can never forget it! But that is not resilient love; resilient love is when love is not an ordeal but a habit, so that when they lie about you next week, you just bounce back and you do not try to clear your name or try to set the record straight. It is when you are not even aware anymore that you do it.

In his first letter, John states a truth about resilient love. He says, “There is no fear in love” (1 John 4:18). In this instance the NIV translation improves on the King James Version, for it goes on to say, “But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” It means you want to punish somebody who has hurt you; you want to make them look bad; you want to give them the cold shoulder; you want to tell them what they did to you. And do you see why is it that we are afraid? We are insecure.

The best illustration is the story of how Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in Egypt. He spoke to them in private, with no one listening, so nobody would know who had hurt him or what had been done to him. He wanted to protect his brothers. This was resilient love.

It is when there is such absence of fear that you do not want anybody to know what they did to you. I want to ask you a question: Has somebody hurt you, and have you told anybody that the person hurt you? Why did you tell them? You wanted to punish the one who hurt you; you wanted to make the person look bad. But there is no fear in love.

Another thing about Joseph was that he did not want his brothers to be afraid of him. If you want to keep somebody afraid of you, it is because you are afraid and insecure, and you want to be able to control them. But fear has no place here.

Excerpted from When God Says “Well Done!” (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1993).

Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say. —Luke 12:11-12

Do you know what it is to take your stand in a particular situation and have nobody agree with you? Unvindicated righteousness occurs when a righteous deed was criticized or misunderstood. Now it could be you were wrong. You may not know. At the end of the day the righteous Judge will do the vindicating.

However, perhaps you were right. Let us say you have taken your stand because you were honoring God and following the Holy Spirit, and there was not a vestige of ego or pride in it. You were just doing it for the honor of God alone, and as a result you were lied about and people believed those lies. You made no attempt to put the record straight. You could have cleared your name, but you did not. That is what God likes. Had you cleared your name, you would have built a superstructure of straw, but you kept quiet, and God’s heart was moved. Your silence was golden—pure gold in fact. In 2 Thessalonians 1:6, in the very same paragraph when Paul talks about the Second Coming of Jesus in blazing fire, he also said, “It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you” (KJV).

But we want to know when this will happen. The NIV is very clear: this will happen when Jesus comes in fire, in glory. There is no promise of vindication this side of heaven. You may get it, but there is no promise of it. Maybe you were tempted to speak out and clear your own name, but on that day you will be glad you kept your mouth shut, because God loves to clear the name of those who have been mistreated.

Excerpted from When God Says “Well Done!” (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1993).

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. —John 12:25

As long as others are looking over our shoulders to see what we are doing or saying, we will cling to our reputation. But we will not see God’s best fulfilled in us.

What will be the consequences if we do live like this? First, the other side of emptying yourself is really trusting God for the outcome. When we let go of ourselves, we affirm God’s manner of working things out. As long as you hold on to yourself, you may not be impoverished, but you lose the fruitful outcome. Indeed, this verse says that you do not even aspire to it. But when you let it go, surprise, surprise, you get it back a hundredfold! It means, therefore, that you trust God for the outcome. It may not be the way you would have done it, but remember that, as Christians, we have a loving heavenly Father who is all powerful and able to give what is best.

He still speaks to us. Give up your Isaac; give up your valued possession . . .your uncertain future . . .your ego . . .your reputation . . .and trust God for the outcome. It will be fun to see what He does!

Second, having looked to God for the outcome, what is that outcome going to be? In the short term there is peace and the presence of God. Peter advocated that we “cast all [our] anxiety on him, because he cares for [us]” (1 Pet. 5:7). That is what will give you such a release within. In the long term, there is a reward worth waiting for—to hear from the lips of God Himself, “Well done.”

Let go of yourself, empty yourself, and be filled with all the fullness of God. Leave the outcome to God, and you will know joy beyond compare.

Excerpted from Meekness and Majesty (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1992, 2000).

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . —Matthew 6:20

Even the weakest Christian can build a lasting superstructure. You may say, “Well now, look here, I am not able to do this or that, and I just feel I must be the weakest Christian that ever lived.” It is worth remembering the Old Testament character Barak.

Barak was the equivalent of an Israeli general in the days of Judges. Deborah, a judge in Israel during that period, was told by the Lord that the time had come to defeat the enemy. So she turned to Barak and said, “Take ten thousand of your men and meet on Mount Nebo, and the Lord is going to deliver the enemy into your hand.”

Barak said, “No, I just do not think I want to do that. I’m not ready.” But then he said, “Deborah, if you’ll go with me, I’ll go.”

She said, “Well, now, just a minute; if I go, you are not going to get any glory; it will go to a woman.”

He said, “It’s all right.”

Now why did Barak do that? He did that because he wanted to see Israel win, but he was afraid they would not win by himself, and he asked for Deborah to go with him. And a woman, Jael, in fact, got the glory, and we have the song of Deborah in Judges 5:24; it is not about Barak. He felt like he was a nobody; nevertheless, in Hebrews 11, when the writer comes down the Old Testament, whom does he choose to mention as having faith? Barak. And I find that so encouraging—that the weakest Christian can do it. The reason Barak was given that glory was that he did not want the glory then.

Excerpted from When God Says “Well Done!” (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1993).

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” —John 4:34-35

Jesus drew His strength from His obedience; it was His sustenance. That is what excited Him, just being obedient.

Similarly, what makes a Christian a consistently committed person is that he gets his joy in doing what he knows pleases the Father. When he is obedient, that is his joy.

When we are obedient, too often it is because we say, “Well, later on I’ll get something out of this.” But what happens when this is our motivation is that we give up when the going is rough; we give up if things do not work out. We want some evidence that this obedience counts for something. We must come to the place where we get our joy from obedience. Joy is the unlooked-for reward that Jesus certainly knew was the outcome of His humility.

Although we know that Jesus is God, He allowed Himself to be considered as other than God: He allowed Himself to have another identity in peoples’ eyes.

We will sometimes use the expression projecting an image. Everyone has an image. Sometimes it is an image we want; sometimes it is one we dislike. What image did Jesus project? There was one identity, and it was one that if they said it, He considered it a compliment. Do you know what it was? It was the identification as a prophet. In truth, Jesus is said to be prophet, priest, and king.

Jesus embraced the role of a prophet, and this is the image He conveyed. It is interesting that the one undoubted characteristic of a prophet is that vindication always comes later, after death, when they get to heaven.

This is the problem. Jesus was a prophet, and to be a prophet means no vindication until you are dead, and then, when you are safely out of the way, the next generation will praise you. My fellow Christians, we are called today to become prophets. Expect no recognition; do not even expect a decent burial. But great will your reward be in heaven!

Excerpted from Meekness and Majesty (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1992, 2000).

Can divine truth and prophetic insight come through a Christian novel? Frank Peretti thinks so. In this exclusive interview, the genre-changing author explains why believers should pay more attention to today’s “stories.”

interview with Marcus yoars

CHARISMA: Many of our readers may not know that you actually have an Assemblies of God ministry background. Tell us about your Pentecostal roots.

PERETTI: I grew up in the Assemblies of God church. I was a licensed minister with the Northwest district of the AG until my mid-30s but stepped down because God had called me to be a writer and speaker. I tried pastoring for five years, and that showed me I wasn’t really cut out to be a pastor. My family is all still AG; I’m just off on my own now. I’ve been to a lot of different churches since then, but I still have a Pentecostal basis in my doctrine.

CHARISMA: How did your upbringing shape your early writing, particularly as you wrote This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness?

PERETTI: It provided a broad base for my perspective of things. I draw upon every aspect of life, each spiritual experience in God’s Word as I grow in the Lord—it’s a pretty broad spectrum. So now I have a much wider view of things than just strictly an Assemblies of God view.

CHARISMA: Those books helped re-establish for much of the American church the reality of spiritual warfare, demonic strongholds and everyday angelic involvement—which had mostly been emphasized in charismatic circles. What prompted you to write about such things?

PERETTI: I wrote those books when New Age occultism was picking up steam in the West. You can view them as almost an evangelical reaction to the cultural shift we were going through at that time. This is what the church was thinking and feeling, and this is the perspective they had when witchcraft and occultism were becoming mainstream belief systems in our culture.

CHARISMA: We recently highlighted Jonathan Cahn’s The Harbinger, which, like your books, blends a narrative story with a prophetic message. What role do you think Christian fiction can play in presenting God’s message to His church and to the world?

PERETTI: It’s like any form of art—it should convey truth. Francis Schaeffer pointed out that it seems like it’s the artist who gets wind of something before the collective culture does in terms of political or philosophical change. I think the Lord just grants artists and creative people insight. It’s in the arts that you first see ideas taking root in a culture, and I think that’s the role that Christian fiction is playing. Writers of Christian fiction most certainly have something to say—I always have. If someone were to examine my life, they could trace the books I’ve written and see the things that I was dealing with, what the Lord was talking to me about. 

Each of my books reflects a truth at a heart level. You can buy a nonfiction book that spells it out with bullet points, or you can read a fiction book that flows deeper than you can sometimes articulate in a nonfiction work. It’s a matter of the human experience that goes deeper than nonfiction. 

Books touch people at a heart level. It’s great to be able to read a book, to vicariously experience your struggle in a character’s struggle and identify with how the Lord brings them through a situation. It sheds light on your own situation. Every good story is that way.

CHARISMA: How do to hear from God, and how does that affect your writing?

PERETTI: I try to keep my life quiet. I take my time because usually the Lord takes awhile to help me get the full idea. I think about things and I write; then I think about them some more, and I always glean from the Word what I can find out about them. I talk to the Lord all the time and I write down the ideas, and then He brings other ideas to me—sometimes through people, just sharing ideas with friends. It’s part of my Christian growth process. I try to make sure that whatever I’m writing reflects genuine lessons, growth and information that I’ve gotten from the Lord.

For my latest book, Illusion, I reflected on my 40 years of marriage and how that plays out as an allegory for Christ and His bride. I reflected on how I want to be like Christ, love my wife and give myself for her. I know the loyalty and the steadfastness of my bride is such a good reflection of how the church ought to be. Again, it’s at a heart level. You write about something you experience that other people can relate to.

I want to hear from the Lord and write what I hear. I don’t want to be concerned about what the market’s buying today. People are always asking me, “When is there going to be another Darkness book?” There will be another Darkness book when God tells me to write another one. Why else should I write another one? Because people really want one? Because the market would be great? Because I could sell zillions of them? The only reason would be because God has laid the message upon my heart. I’ve got to stay in that world or I’ve lost my validity as a writer. 

CHARISMA: Sounds a bit prophetic, doesn’t it, in the purest sense of God delivering a message through someone?

PERETTI: It’s not like a spontaneous sort of prophecy like you get a word from the Lord or something. I’m just walking with the Lord and keeping my ears open. He’s called me to be an exhorter. I get a picture sometimes of Ezekiel. The Lord picks him up by his hair, dangles him between heaven and earth and says, “Son of man, come here. I want to show you something.” 

Sometimes I feel like the Lord’s picking me up by my hair and saying, “OK, Frank, I’m going to show you something. Take a look at this.” It’s no big, heavy, spontaneous occurrence. It’s just a slow, steady learning process, but I’m always asking the Lord, “What’s this all about?” And then He shows me more. It’s a drawn out, step-by-step sort of prophetic ministry. I don’t see myself as a prophet, but I do want to speak from the Lord to spread His truth and speak to His body.

© Russ Harrington

Dutch Sheets

Bethany House Publishers

From conception to refinement and fulfillment, Dutch Sheets, speaker and author of Intercessory Prayer, explores the many aspects of a dream or vision. He demonstrates from Scripture that humanity was created to be creative, joining its Creator in making the world a better place. Sheets maintains that within our dreams God has a dream, if we listen and submit our vision to Him. He recounts those who have made advancements in industry and technology who have been benefactors to others. 

The book challenges readers to dream big with God, encouraging those who need to persevere to see fulfillment, and cautioning those who have let their dream become all about self. Sheets’ insights into Abraham’s pilgrimage and each altar he built show a progression in the character’s relationship with God. And his thoughts on Jacob’s life illustrate the refinement the vision must go through. 

Ultimately, the process of receiving and pursuing a dream is about more than the dream itself; it’s about growing in a relationship and partnership with God, who uses the process to build and refine godly character. The author’s use of humor and illustrations makes for an enjoyable, inspirational read, and the questions at the end of each chapter make it suitable for a group study. —Deborah Delk Grady

Matt Chandler with Jared Wilson

Crossway

Acknowledging sociologist Christian Smith’s comparison of contemporary Christianity to “moral therapeutic deism,” Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, has penned this treatise to clearly expound the biblical meaning of the gospel. 

The author traces the grand themes of the Bible: God, Man, Christ, and focuses on personal salvation and transformation. In addition, he emphasizes that the gospel is “cosmic”—it focuses on the larger scheme of the restoration and redemption of a fallen universe (see Rev. 21:5). 

Chandler emphasizes the necessity of a balanced approach to the gospel; in so doing, he warns believers of the pitfalls of a “Christless Christianity” and syncretism, in which the gospel becomes indistinguishable from other belief systems and solely stresses “making the world a better place.” 

In sum, Chandler challenges readers to re-examine what it means to be a Christian in this brief, provocative work endorsed by the likes of Rick Warren. —Brian Smith McCallum

The Handbook of Pentecostal Christianity (University of Chicago Press) is an easy-to-read guide to studying the fastest-growing Christian religious segment in the world. With content from 24 scholars from five continents, the collection provides an understanding of the origins, development, beliefs and practices of Pentecostalism worldwide.

Dubbed as the largest gathering of church planters in the world, Exponential 2012: Sifted, held April 24-26 in Orlando Fla., will emphasize the church planter’s spiritual, physical and emotional health as the very foundation for reproducing. Speakers include Mark Batterson, Wayne Cordeiro and Bill Hybels.