Program 179: After Covid: The Church in the 21^st Century

Following the Covid lockdowns, many churches closed. This is an invitation to worship Yahuwah as He originally planned.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: While truth itself never changes, the churches that claim to have the truth are constantly changing. Hi, I’m Miles Robey and you’re listening to WLC Radio.

Late in 2019, news reports coming out of China spoke of a new and virulent virus called the “corona virus” or COVID-19. The first lockdown occurred in China’s Hubei Province. This was followed by an unprecedented national lockdown in Italy on March 9, 2020. Other countries quickly followed.

The impact of these lockdowns on the countries that imposed them was devastating. In September of 2020, CNN News reported that 60% of businesses closed during lockdowns would never reopen. Governments imposed different measures—with varying success—to ensure that no one would be left homeless even if they couldn’t pay rent from losing their jobs due to the lockdowns.

One area of society that experienced profound but unexpected change was the church. Organized religion. And that change—even now, a few years after it all first began—is still being felt. Things haven’t all gone back to normal. Today, I’ve asked Dave Wright to talk to us about the church in the 21^st century: the post-pandemic church. What it is, what the future looks like, and what believers can do in this new reality in which we all find ourselves.

Dave?

Dave Wright: Thank you, Miles. We definitely are in a “new reality,” as you put it. Things haven’t gone back to the way they were before and likely never will. Instead, we’ve simply achieved a “new normal.”

Miles: I don’t think most people are truly aware of just how much these government-imposed lockdowns impacted the spiritual life of everyone.

Dave: Certainly most lay members aren’t aware. In August of 2020, National Public Radio in the United States aired an interview with David Kinnaman. Kinnaman is president of the Brana Group, a well-known Christian research organization.

At the time, Kinnaman predicted that as many as 1 in 5 churches would permanently close due to the lockdowns.

Miles: Wow! Did he give a reason for that?

Dave: Well, he acknowledged that, at first, the churches handled things quite well. However, as the lockdowns continued, things changed.

Here’s a quote from Kinnaman I’d like you to read, explaining the impact on the organizational structure that the lockdowns had.

Miles: Uhh, it says: “The disruptions related to giving, and maybe even as important to all that, is that even for those churches that have reopened, they’re seeing much smaller numbers of people show up. So simply reopening a church doesn’t fix the underlying economic challenges that you might have.”

Dave: So even when lockdown orders began to be eased, churches found people simply weren’t returning to church. This obviously has a huge impact on the organization itself. He said, quote, “They’re recognizing that the relationships that they thought were much deeper with people were actually not as deep as they expected.”

Miles: Huh. That almost sounds … I don’t know. Accusatory? As though the people are failing the churches in the churches’ hour of need. You know what I mean?

Dave: I do. I would argue, however, that the failing was not on the part of church members, but on the part of church leaders. When the world is experiencing unprecedented developments is precisely when spiritual leaders need to step up and be leaders. And yet, what did we actually see happen, over and over again?

Miles: Silence from church leaders.

Dave: In an hour when people needed godly leadership, the leadership was silent. They conformed. At best, they did not understand the responsibility devolving upon them. At worst, they didn’t want to accept that responsibility. Instead, they stayed silent. They conformed.

Clifford Hill wrote a book on this very issue entitled The Post-Pandemic Church. I’d like you to read his assessment of the situation and I think it will explain just why, once the churches opened again, so many people quit attending. Here … just there where it’s marked.

Miles:

The protracted assault of the pandemic and the many weeks of lockdown were clearly taking an immense toll upon populations worldwide, and in Britain the closure of schools and the disruption of education was said to be causing widespread mental health problems among children of all ages from pre-school to university students. A whole generation was suffering, not only the disruption of their formal learning, but of their socialisation and ability to interact with others on a personal basis, the effect of which was likely to be long-lasting. A vast range of problems was placing incredible demands upon the nation’s leaders, requiring moral and spiritual values as well as political and economic skills. If ever there were a need for outstanding church leadership, it was surely today. The silence of church leaders of all denominations on the most important spiritual issues of the day was simply unbelievable! In former generations, seeking help from God would have been the first reaction to a plague. Surely, even in our secular humanist dominated society, there should be some voice from the church, as the institutional representative of God in the nation.

Dave: And did we witness that?

Miles: No!

Dave: The thing we tend to forget is that churches are big business. They may self-describe their mission as being in the business of “saving souls,” but for the vast majority, the bottom line—the bottom financial line—does have an influence.

Miles: Well, we’ve seen that repeatedly. Ministers, priests, rabbis—everyone who draws a pay cheque from a religious organization has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. That’s why it is very rare to find a church employee who is willing to take a public stand for new light.

Dave: And graft has been a known problem in the church since … well, if we’re being honest, it’s always been a problem.

In June of 2020, Stephen Cotterell was promoted to be the new Archbishop of York. This is a very important position in the Church of England. He is second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Miles: Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He’s quite well known for his environmental views and his rather liberal theology.

Dave: Well, in November of 2020, the lockdowns for most countries were easing, but the financial impact on the churches was already being felt. Cotterell announced that month what he called, quote, “A Vision for the Church of England in the 2020s.” He said it would be “Christ centered and Jesus shaped. Simpler, humbler, bolder.”

Miles: All right … doesn’t sound all that bad. That’s what all churches should be. What’s the catch?

Dave: You know there’s going to be one, don’t you?

Miles: Call me cynical, but yeah. So how did this transfer from lofty, noble ideals into the real world?

Dave: Well, in February of 2021, more details were released. Come to find out, this so-called “Christ-centered, Jesus-shaped, simpler, humbler bolder vision” translated into financial reforms that took subsidies away from poor parishes and reduced the number of clergy employed at the local level. At the same time, it funneled those newly available resources into management posts.

Miles: So, removing from the common believer while feathering the nest of the leaders. Why am I not surprised?

Dave: Well, again, “Churching” is big business. We shouldn’t be surprised when leadership focuses more on the preservation of the organization than it does on the genuine needs of their congregants. And I think many people are waking up to that, and that’s why, after the lockdowns, so many people refused to return to church.

Miles: Well, let’s be honest. We shouldn't be surprised that the churches failed to stand up to government dictates.

Even now, churches quote Romans 13 to support their adherence to government mandates, even when the government is wrong. Listen to this. It’s Romans 13 verses 1 and 2. It says: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from [Yahuwah], and the authorities that exist are appointed by [Yah]. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of [Yah], and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”

Dave: Yes, I’m aware that organizations will quote Romans 13 to pressure their members to comply with the government, but just because it’s quoted in that light does not mean that governmental mandates are to supersede the revealed will of Yahuwah. Look at the three worthies! Nebuchadnezzar had made it clear that, at the sound of the music, everyone was to bow down.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have argued that they were subject to the governing authorities, but they knew that the authority of human governments ends where they contradict the divine government.

We don’t have time to read this entire passage but go ahead and read the next verse. Romans 13:3.

Miles: Umm … “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.”

Dave: Basically, keep the law. Do what is good and you won’t get in trouble with the rulers … unless, of course, the rulers are trying to enforce a law that contradicts Yah’s law. It’s pretty common sense.

Miles: That’s true.

So, getting back on track: with the churches closing—so many never to reopen—where does that leave believers today?

Dave: Well, I seriously doubt that the majority of Christians who quit attending church are now suddenly atheists. Just because they haven’t returned to church does not mean they’re no longer believers.

Miles: Neither does it mean that some Big, Bad Person at church hurt their little feelings. I think too often church leaders like to blame people leaving on that. That way, it shifts the blame:

1. Onto the other members for not being Christlike; and,
2. Onto the believer who left for being soooo “weak” in the faith that he or she would leave over that.

Dave: When the reality is, very few people stop going to church just because they got their feelings hurt. It’s usually over a change in belief.

Or they quit attending because they’ve lost confidence in church leadership that appears to be more interested in its own survival than in the special work appointed them of Yah. That can certainly be seen in many of the churches who remained silent over the crises during the lockdowns.

Miles: Would you say that many people today are disillusioned with the Church? Certainly some churches stepped in and helped, but that’s on a local, individualized basis. By and large, during the crisis of the last few years, the Church on the whole remained silent and, if we’re willing to be brutally honest, impotent. Do you think many people are disillusioned with how this all played out in the various church organizations?

Dave: Oh, absolutely. If ever there was a time for solid, spiritual and practical leadership, it’s been during this crisis. Too often, however, the Church appeared more focused on its corporate survival than on the individuals that people its pews.

The message from the pulpit has always been “We’re here for you. The body of Christ is here for you and we, as the localized leaders representing the body of Christ, are here for you, too. You can trust us.” But when the pressure was applied, when the heat was turned up, so to speak, the leaders too often remained silent, the churches shut down, and their inner weakness was revealed. You can’t build trust on that when, in a crisis, your faith is betrayed.

Miles: Soooo … what are you seeing as the way forward? What does the future hold?

Dave: Well, I believe Yahuwah is raising up a new church, one that is going to circumnavigate the old institutions, one that will look to Him as her leader. This new church won’t be closed to the old, I guess you could call “professional” clergy, but very few of them are going to want to be associated with it.

Miles: Are you talking about an actual new denomination?

Dave: No. I’m talking about a community of believers that follows the Lamb withersoever he goes. They don’t look to humans to tell them what to believe because they have their own individual connection with Yah. They look to Him and to the Lamb for their guidance. And many of them, due to circumstances, will have to walk alone to human eyes. But they’ll all be part of this community of believers.

Miles: The Church of the First-born.

Dave: Remember that the word translated into English as “church” doesn’t really mean “church” by our modern definition of the word. What’s the modern definition for the word, “church”?

Miles: Well, typically today it refers to an organization. A denomination.

Dave: Right. But the original word is actually “ekklesia.” I printed out the definition here from Strong’s New Expanded Dictionary. Would you please read what it says?

Miles: All right, uh … it means, literally, “a calling out.” It says, quote: “This word stresses a group of people called out for a special purpose. It designated the new society of which [Yahushua] was the founder, being as it was a society knit together by the closest spiritual bonds and altogether independent of space.”

Dave: I believe that these believers who have not returned to the organizations that cling to error are precisely where Yahuwah wants them. He has a plan for this final generation of believers, and it’s not to be in the fallen churches that comprise Babylon.

Turn to Revelation 18, verses 1 to 5.

Miles:

And after these things, I saw another Angel come down from heaven, having great power, so that the earth was lightened with his glory,

And he cried out mightily with a loud voice, saying, It is fallen, it is fallen, Babylon that great city, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of all foul spirits, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all nations have drunken of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich of the abundance of her pleasures.

And I heard another voice from heaven say, Go out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues:

For her sins are come up into heaven, and [Yah] hath remembered her iniquities.

Dave: Babylon is all of the religious organizations that have rejected advancing light and chosen to cling to error. But the day is coming when Babylon will be punished. The divine command is to leave Babylon!

Now a lot of modern translations translate verse four as an invitation: “Come out of her My people,” but the translation you just read is more accurate. This isn’t an invitation to leave one fallen church and join another. This is a divine command, a royal decree: “Go out of her, My people!” And when we do, when we obey that divine command to leave behind the human institutions just to follow the voice of Yahuwah alone, He will guide and protect us.

* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: During the lockdowns, when so many people were stuck at home with nothing to do, there was a real boom of funny memes, mocking various aspects of our common experience. One that stuck with me was a very simple meme. No images. Just white letters on a black background. It said, quote: “May you live in precedented times.”

Dave: That’s great. When you’re struggling through unprecedented times, the predictability of normality is something you miss. And we’re definitely living in unprecedented times. And, fair warning: these “unprecedented times” are going to continue right up to Yahushua’s return. Yahuwah uses the chaos to wake people up to eternal realities.

Miles: It’s true. When things are normal, we tend to settle into our comfortable little ruts. It’s when life turns chaotic that we’re more open to new ideas and more inclined to turn to the Father for help. It doesn’t say much for our characters, that we have ulterior motives …

Dave: No, but even then, the Father can use that to draw us to Him.

So. Getting back to what we were discussing in our last segment: now is an excellent time to learn just what constitutes true worship. If your church never reopened, don’t just start shopping for a new one. Now is an excellent time to wean away from Babylon. And if you’re feeling disillusioned with how your church handled the crises of the last few years, that very well could be the Holy Spirit drawing you away from corrupt structures. You don’t need them to prop up your faith when you’ve got the Father Himself.

Miles: You’re talking about home churching. My family and I, as you know, home church now, but I will admit that when we first discussed it, I found the whole idea a bit overwhelming. With a church, you can go, sit in a pew, and listen to someone else preach. You can sit and listen to various leaders talk about the lesson, while your kids have their own age-appropriate lessons.

But when you decide to home church, all of that responsibility—keeping the kids’ attention engaged, teaching, making it interesting—falls on you and your spouse. You can’t just rest and pass the responsibility on to someone else. I suppose it’s easier if it’s just you, but if you’ve got a family, it can be really tough.

Dave: Welllll … I wouldn’t be too quick to assume it’s easier if you’re alone. True, you’re not responsible for teaching someone else, but part of what we have come to expect as the “Worship Experience” is worshipping in the presence of fellow believers. If you don’t have anyone else with whom to worship, it can feel—emotionally—like something is missing. Is it even worship if all you’re doing is sitting at your kitchen table by yourself reading the Bible?

Miles: That’s a good point. I suppose we’ve all come to rely on these externals—fellow worshippers, the soaring music, the impressive edifice, the beautiful windows and statuary, etc., etc.—to give us a feeling of worship. But that’s not really where it’s at, is it?

Dave: No. We don’t know if, prior to the tabernacle in the wilderness, Yah’s true believers ever had a building dedicated exclusively to worship. Certainly Adam and Eve and their immediate descendants—up to and including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—all home churched.

Miles: Well, and even when they had the tabernacle, the Children of Israel didn’t all squeeze in around it, straining to hear Moses give a sermon every week.

Dave: Can you just imagine? Millions of people crowding close enough to hear one man without a microphone or a bullhorn preach for an hour.

But you’re right. Even with the tabernacle, they all still home churched. We have a very clear command on that. Turn to Exodus 16. This is when Yahuwah gave them manna and told them to gather it for six days, but on the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much because none would be given on the Sabbath. This was to teach the people, in a very real way, to honor the Sabbath.

And what’s interesting here was that in addition to no work being done, they were to remain at home. Remaining home was implicit in the command to abstain from work.

We know the story. Some people went out on the Sabbath and tried to gather anyway. Let’s read what happened. Exodus 16 verses 27 to 30.

Miles:

Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And Yahuwah said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For Yahuwah has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.

Dave: Initially, it may not “feel” like the worship experience you’re used to, to stay at home rather than go to some fancy church structure, but it’s actually closer to Yahuwah’s original intent for worship, which was simply communication between the individual soul and Himself.

Miles: And not just in Old Testament times. In New Testament times, too! Listen to this. It’s Acts 16 verse 13: “And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.” Unquote. So, meeting in nature, down by the river, was a customary practice of early believers.

For most modern believers, though, it’s a completely new and even uncomfortable experience. It’s so different from what we’re used to that it can almost feel like it’s not true worship. Let’s talk about ways we can make worship special and meaningful even when we’re worshipping at home.

Dave: It’s interesting you said that home churching can be an “uncomfortable” experience at first and you’re right. That was certainly our experience, too. But then we realized that it was all the externals that we’d been relying on to make it feel “worshipful.”

Miles: Beautiful music, listening to someone preach a sermon?

Dave: That, but also, you know: getting dressed up, going somewhere we don’t go to on a daily basis. Uhhh … a special meal. Wearing clothes we don’t typically wear on a daily basis. But each of these things also made the day a burden, if we’re being strictly honest. After a long week’s work, getting the house all perfect, and the clothes all perfect and the food all ready before the sacred hours of the Sabbath, was stressful and difficult. Exhausting, even.

How many times did it not get done on time, so you found yourself working on the Sabbath anyway, trying to “finish up” what you couldn’t get done during the week?

Miles: You have to change your whole definition of what worship is, don’t you?

Dave: Well, I think it’s more accurate to say you have to return to the original definition of worship. After we started home churching and learned how to return to true worship, my wife confessed that, especially when our kids were little, Sabbaths had been so hard for her that she’d secretly dreaded them. Not because she didn’t love Yahuwah or the Sabbath, but because the traditional understanding of what constituted proper worship made the day so utterly exhausting for her.

Of course, I helped but the point is these artificial traditions of what we’ve come to equate with “worship” are far removed from true, pure, Biblical worship.

Miles: So, what is true worship? How can we achieve that at home, either with our families or by ourselves?

Dave: Well, grab your dictionary there and look up the word “worship.” And while you’re doing that, I’m going to look it up in the Bible dictionary. How is worship defined?

Miles: Uh, it says: “Chiefly and eminently the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the reverence and homage paid to him in religious exercises, consisting in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like.”

Dave: In Hebrew, the word is shachah. It says: Shachah portrays the act of bowing down in homage by an inferior before a superior ruler … It is the common term for coming before [Yahuwah] in worship.”

One of the Greek words that is translated into English as “worship” also means to prostrate oneself. Another Greek word means to reverence or show piety while still another means to serve or minister to Yah. In any of these is there even a hint of worship requiring:

• a group
• following a modern order of service
• in a particular building set apart for worship?

Miles: No!

Dave: So, there’s the first thing we need to remember: worship is paying homage to Yahuwah as our loving Father and Creator. This can occur in your living room, on your knees beside your bed, with your Bible at your kitchen table, or on a blanket in a park. The important point isn’t your surroundings but what’s going on in your heart.

That’s why I believe it’s important to use the sacred hours to build up our personal, individual relationship with Yahuwah. Yes, we try to have personal devotions during the week, but the Sabbath is special. It combines a command of no work with a command to actively worship.

Miles: But what does that look like? Say, you’ve a family, kids. What does that look like at home?

Dave: Well, traditionally, the way my wife and I were raised, we believed that to show reverence for Yahuwah, we were to put on our best clothes. But that requires upkeep, ironing, preparation, which can be exhausting at the end of a long week. So, for the Sabbath to be a true rest that allows you to focus on your time with Him, it’s all right to dress very simply.

Miles: Getting sufficient rest the night before so you can be well-rested during the sacred hours is more important than staying up late to iron a dress shirt or a dress.

Dave: Absolutely. Isn’t it interesting how, when we follow human traditions, our priorities get skewed?

When it comes to worship, you can certainly listen to a sermon if you wish. Or you can choose a theme in Scripture and look up the verses throughout the Bible. Choose something faith building, such as Yahuwah’s loving-kindness, or His willingness to help. Or even the topic of faith itself. You can weave in Bible stories for the children that illustrate these aspects of the divine character.

Miles: My kids really enjoy Bible quizzes. We ask them questions and, if they don’t know the answer, they have to look it up. It’s fun and they learn while having a good time.

Dave: And this doesn’t have to be sitting around in uncomfortable, straight-backed chairs in your living room. If the weather permits, take it outside! Take it into nature. Walks in nature, seeing Yahuwah’s mastery as an artist is always rejuvenating.

Miles: Yeah, you can feel a real connection with Yahuwah in nature that’s hard to feel surrounded by buildings, pavement, cement …

Dave: I guess what I want to emphasize to our listeners is that there is no one right way to worship at home or by yourself if you’re alone. I know at first it can be intimidating. It was to me and I’m an experienced public speaker! The point is communing with your Maker.

Miles: One thing my family really enjoys is taking time to remember and acknowledge blessings we’ve received during the week. And you can even do this if you’re alone! Get a notebook and write down answered prayers or the blessings you’ve experienced. It’s an incredible faith-boosting experience to keep track of such things.

Dave: That’s great! That’s beautiful.

Also, Sabbaths, especially for those who are older, are a wonderful time to dig deep for more light. There is such depth to Scripture! We’ll still be uncovering new truths throughout eternity. Spending the Sabbath hours in deep Bible study alone or with others is incredibly rewarding.

Miles: And you don’t need a pastor or a priest, a rabbi or an imam to “interpret” Scripture for you and tell you what to believe! I think this is one of the greatest and most harmful beliefs we’ve absorbed from organized religions.

Listen to this! It’s John 16 verses 12 and 13. It’s Christ, just before Gethsemane, speaking to the disciples. He says: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

It's the “spirit of truth,” Yahuwah’s own spirit that is to teach us. We don’t need humans to. Sure, they can present new ideas to us, but when it comes to actually convicting our hearts of truth versus error, that’s the job of the Holy Spirit, not any human.

Dave: Very true.

I’d like now to spend our closing minutes on a very important passage of Scripture. It’s in Isaiah 58. The whole chapter is very good. Verse 11 promises that Yahuwah will “guide you continually.” It’s all very encouraging but I’d like you to read the last two verses. It coalesces just what true worship is and contains a very beautiful promise for those who heed the call to flee Babylon. Isaiah 58:13 and 14.

Miles:

If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of Yahuwah honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in Yahuwah;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of Yahuwah has spoken.

Dave: We are living in a truly unprecedented time, but we don’t have to fear. Yahuwah knew of the chaos that would occur and He’s raising up a people that will follow His guidance. Not some human but follow Yah directly.

We have before us an opportunity to reassure people with a message of the love of Yahuwah for sinners and the coming kingdom like we’ve never had before. So, let’s do it! Let’s follow the Lamb wherever he leads because that’s where we’re safest and happiest, doing Yahuwah’s will.

* * *

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s question from our Daily Mailbag is coming from the country that developed the very first space suit for astronauts. In—get this—1935!

Dave: Wow. I didn’t know space exploration had reached such a point in the 30s. Uhhh … well, yes, actually, Germany was very interested in developing new forms of flight. I’m going to go with Germany.

Miles: Beeeeep! Thank you for playing. You do not win the free toothbrush!

Dave laughs: Free toothbrush? Surely you can come up with a better imaginary prize than that! Uhhh … Soviet Union?

Miles: Nope!

Dave: United States?

Miles: Now you’re just guessing.

Dave: Well … obviously! So which country developed the first space suit for astronauts?

Miles: Believe it or not, it was Spain!

Dave: Wow! I would never have guessed that.

Miles: Yeah, interesting, isn’t it? Well, anyway, Juan-Pablo from Malaga has this to say, “What do you make of the fact that some people seem to live a charmed life even though they’re sinners? Specifically, it seems like Yahuwah blesses them and they’re not even believers! My brother-in-law doesn’t even pretend to be a Christian and yet it seems as though everything in life always favors him. Why would Yahuwah bless someone like him?”

Dave: Hmm. Interesting question. I think all of us have wondered about that before. We may not all have the courage Juan-Pablo has to put it into words, but it’s a fair question. The answer, I believe, is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Would you please turn to Matthew 5 and read verses, uh … well, why don’t you start at verse 43 and read through the rest of the chapter?

Miles: All right, um …

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. [Matthew 5:43-48]

Dave: Here, Christ is linking perfection with doing good to others, friends and enemies alike.

Miles: You don’t think this suggests that Yahuwah condones sin?

Dave: Not at all! This is how we, as sinners, think. We reason, “I’ll show favor to my friends. I’ll help those I like. I’ll be accepting of those whose theology agrees with mine.” But think about it: if Yahuwah withheld His blessings from sinners, He’d have no one left to bless!

Miles startled laugh: I guess that’s true, isn’t it? We tend to rank sins, considering some as more offensive than others.

Dave: And, of course, my sins are never as egregious as your sins!

Miles laughs: Hey! I’d say it’s the other way round!

But seriously, I see what you’re saying. And just that fast we drop into spiritual pride, don’t we?

Dave: Yahuwah makes His general blessings available to everyone for the survival of the human race. But more than that, this point gets to the very heart of the gospel message.

Turn to Romans 5 and read verse … uh, verses 6 to 8. Romans 5, verses 6 to 8. What does that say?

Miles:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But [Yahuwah] demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Dave: We speak of divine grace but most people toss the word around without actually knowing the definition. “Grace” is defined as unmerited—or undeserved—favor. We all have been on the receiving end of Yahuwah’s blessings and, for every last one of us, those blessings have been undeserved.

Do you remember Christ’s parable of the wheat and the tares? There’s a lesson that addresses this issue in that parable. Let’s take a look at it. I think it’s in Matthew 12.

Miles: Uhhh … nope! Matthew 13.

You want the whole parable?

Dave: Sure. Let’s get it in context.

Miles: Um …

Another parable he put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” [Matthew 13:24-30]

Dave: Again, Yahuwah blesses everyone, or the human race wouldn’t survive! But as this parable reveals, the time is coming when a separation will take place. Until then, though, both are allowed to grow—and they’re allowed to “grow together”—until the harvest.

With the single exception of Yahushua, every human being who has ever lived has been the recipient of divine grace, of unmerited, undeserved favor. And if we, being the recipients of such rich, undeserved blessings, how can we begrudge when Yahuwah blesses others who are just as undeserving, although possibly in other areas?

Miles: That’s a good point.

Dave: This doesn’t mean that there often aren’t consequences for poor choices. For example, in Scripture, we have all these very accurate accounts of the lives of fallible human beings and the consequences of their poor choices.

Scripture wasn’t written to flatter anyone. We can see, for example, in the life of David the consequences of his wrong choices. Yes, he was a man after Yah’s own heart, but he also made lots of mistakes.

Miles: And he paid a high price for those mistakes!

Dave: He did. I said in another program that David had eight wives, but actually, Scripture only names eight of his wives. I looked it up. He actually had more and look what it did to his family. One of his sons raped a half-sister. That sister’s full-blood brother, Absalom, killed his half-brother who’d raped his sister and later led a coup in an attempt to wrest the throne from his father. Another son, likewise, fought against his half-brother, Solomen, for the throne. It was not a happy home and much of this unhappiness was the result of experiencing the consequences of David’s poor choices, one of which was polygamy.

But if Yahuwah reserved His blessings only for the sinless, none of us would ever be blessed!

Miles: That’s a good point. So let’s be grateful for divine grace and not begrudge someone else who is also the recipient of it.

All right, we’ve got time for one more question … if you can keep your answer rather brief.

Dave: All right. Then ask me a brief question.

Miles: Let’s see … Sundar from Kochi, India says, “Greetings, brothers, in the name of Yahushua! I am a member of a small Bible study group and we’ve been studying through the life of Christ for the purpose of emulating him. Our question is this: what do you see is the biggest difference between Christ and Christians today?”

Dave: Hmmm. What an insightful question! I’d have to say that the biggest difference between the Saviour and his followers today would have to be that Yahushua accepted sinners; Christians tend to judge sinners.

Miles: Wow. That’s a rather serious indictment, isn’t it?

Dave: Well, obviously I’m generalizing. Some of Christ’s followers are the most loving, kind people you’d ever wish to meet. However, there is a tendency amongst many Christians to judge and reject sinners—or those that are viewed as sinners—which is the exact opposite of how Yahushua acted.

Miles: Yeah, a main gripe the Pharisees had against him was that he accepted sinners. They wanted him to reject sinners like they did.

Dave: Sure. It’s just pride. It makes the fallen heart feel better about oneself if, in our own eyes, we can view ourselves as superior to … that poor slob over there!

Miles: It’s funny and sad at the same time. It’s true.

Dave: It is true. And you have to ask yourself how much harm has been done to the cause of truth because, say, parents disown a child that is gay. Or, maybe they don’t outright disown them, but they make a point of saying, “I love you. It’s your sin I can’t accept.” Is there any place in the gospels where Christ is recorded as saying that to the sinners who came to him?

Can’t you just see him saying to the woman caught in adultery, “I love you; it’s your sin I hate”? Or what about Zacheus? “I love you Zacheus, but no. I can’t come eat at your house today. If I did, it would give the impression that I approve of your profession. I do love you, but it’s your sin I reject.” Just how many sinners would have come to Christ if he'd gone around talking like that?

Miles: Well, what I’ve noticed is that often, Christians today will go out of their way to say that to someone they deem a sinner and call it “witnessing.” But it was Yahuwah’s love and acceptance, as seen in Yahushua’s love and acceptance, that drew sinners!

Dave: And it’s not even biggies like homosexuality. Christians tend to reject everyone who doesn’t agree with their individual set of beliefs. Maybe one couple is convicted that they should eat a vegan lifestyle. What’s a too-common by-product of choosing a vegan lifestyle?

Miles: Judging Christians who eat meat as “worldly.” If you’re conservative, everything that isn’t up to your “standards” is dismissed as “worldly.”

Dave: And it works the other way, too. Perhaps a Christian sees nothing wrong with wearing jewelry. Seeing another Christian that chooses to abstain from wearing jewelry too often leads to the dismissive assumption that the other Christian is legalistic and trying to work her way to heaven by refusing to wear jewelry.

The point is: don’t judge!

Miles: Yeah, that’s not our place. It’s not our job. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict. Not ours!

Dave: As Christians, we have the Yah-given privilege of following the Lamb wherever He leads but too often we forget that we all start at different points so the way I’m led may be quite different from the way you are led. But our destination is the same.

Miles: I think another Yahuwah-bestowed privilege is the freedom to follow our own personal convictions. For example, some very sincere and devout Christians believe that women should cover their hair. Others believe that both men and women should cover their hair, while many don’t believe it’s necessary at all.

Dave: And they’re all equally devout and equally committed to following the truth.

Miles: Right! True religious liberty, true freedom of conscience allows each of us to follow the Spirit as we are individually convicted. And, as you said, it may look different because we’re all starting at different points, but it’s the same Spirit leading all of us to the same end point.

Dave: None of us are infallible. As we study—or, I should say, particularly as we study—we’re all liable to change our views as more light comes to us. I remember one point of doctrine that, when it was first presented to me, I rejected it. The evidence supporting the change simply did not convince me.

About three years later, the same truth came to me again and this time I accepted it because the evidence presented was far more logical and compelling. Now what would have happened if, when I rejected it the first time, my fellow Christians had turned their backs on me, “shaken the dust from their shoes” as it were, and denounced me for rejecting “new light”? Do you think it would have inspired in me the desire to look at it more? Or accept it?

Miles: Hardly! I’d say chances would be good you’d never want to consider it again, if that’s how you were treated.

Dave: Precisely. Fortunately, the brother who shared this light with me had the wisdom to leave the convicting up to Yah’s spirit. He prayed for me, certainly, but he continued treating me with Christian kindness and respect. He didn’t dismiss me as lost for not accepting what he knew at the time to be truth.

If we leave the job of convicting up to the Holy Spirit, we will be free to be kind, loving, and accepting. And then, then, we will be like Yahushua. Not judging or denouncing sinners but accepting them and showering on them the love of the Father.

Miles: Well said. I like your perspective.

Keep sending in your questions, comments and prayer requests. We always enjoy hearing from you. Just go to WorldsLastChance.com and click on Contact Us. Up next is your daily promise with Elise O’Brien.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

On the evening of August 13, 2014, Zhao Zhihan received terrible news: her husband had been in a terrible car accident.

Zhao was frantic to get to the hospital, terrified her husband would die before she got to see him. In the midst of her panic, she suddenly thought of Job. No matter what happened to Job, he stayed faithful to Yahuwah. Zhao determined at that moment that she would remain faithful to Yahuwah, too, whether He gave or took away. Bowing her head, she prayed, “All things are in Your hands, and whether or not there is any hope that my husband will be healed, I ask that You keep my heart from blaming You. I wish to submit to Your orchestrations and arrangements, and entrust my husband into Your hands.”

After giving the matter over to Yahuwah, Zhao felt peace fill her heart. At the hospital, the doctor tried to prepare the family for the worst. “His injuries are just too severe,” the doctor explained. “If he’s lucky enough to survive, he has a 99% chance of being brain dead. Also, you’re going to have to come up with ¥200,000 to pay for his medical care here.”

Two hundred thousand yuan was an immense amount of money. That’s almost 30,000 US dollars or just over 25,000 pounds. Even if Zhao could come up with the money, there was no guarantee that her husband would live. Even if he did manage to survive, the odds were overwhelming that he would be brain dead. If he lived and yet remained brain dead, how would she be able to provide care for her husband and keep supporting her son?

Then, again, she thought of Yahuwah. When the Children of Israel ran out of food and water, Yahuwah provided for their needs. If Yah could do that for them, Zhao reasoned, He could take care of her family, too.

A week passed and Zhao’s husband still had not regained consciousness. A doctor said if her husband didn’t awaken within the next two days, he’d have to be transferred to another hospital in order to have surgery on his femur. Without the surgery, he would be permanently disabled. Moving him plus the surgery would cost another ¥400,000! That’s nearly $60,000 or 50,000 pounds! But there was still no guarantee that he would even live.

Again, Zhao felt overwhelmed. Friends and family, knowing there was very little chance of her ever being able to pay them back, refused to lend her any money. Zhao honestly didn’t know what to do or which way to turn. But, as had become her habit, she poured out her problems to Yahuwah. She felt that as long as she kept relying on Yahuwah, He would continue to guide her.

Zhao returned home to try and find a way to raise the money. Unexpectedly, her uncle agreed to lend her some money. Then, her son phoned her. “Dad’s awake!” He excitedly informed her. “The doctor says he doesn’t have to be transferred. They can do the surgery here!”

Another problem presented itself: after being in a coma for so long, there was a good chance that Zhao’s husband might die under general anesthesia. However, that was the only option. Again, Zhao was left in fear and anxiety, but again she committed her husband into Yahuwah’s care and keeping.

Zhao’s husband stayed in the hospital for three weeks. It took time, even after he was discharged, for him to recover. At first, he didn’t recognize even his own wife but gradually his memory returned. The doctor told Zhao, “It’s inconceivable. No one would have thought that he could recover so quickly. It really is a miracle! … You have truly been lucky!”

But Zhao knew it wasn’t luck. She knew Yahuwah was in control. Yahuwah had taken care of Job just as He’d taken care of Zhao and her family.

Job 19 verses 26 and 27 says: “And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see Elohim;
I myself will see Him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.”

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: You know, change is hard. When we’re used to a certain way of doing things, it can be intimidating to make a big change, even when we know it’s necessary.

Dave: You’re right about that! A few years ago, my wife and one of our kids discovered that they were allergic to eggs. Well, all of a sudden, we were faced with a choice: preparing two meals at once or learning a whole new way of cooking. And it was hard! It was really hard to learn new ways of doing things, but the result was worth it. And that’s how I see it with home churching. Obeying Yahuwah isn’t always easy.

Miles: That’s taking up the cross of obedience.

Dave: Exactly. And yet the blessings that come with obedience are immense! If we take the first steps forward in obedience, the path forward will always open. But you can’t expect the path to open while you’re standing still. It’s important to take that step forward in obedience.

So, make that commitment to worship Yahuwah at home. Sure. It may be challenging at first, but the Father will help you.

Miles: I know when my wife and I made the decision to start home churching, one promise that was really reassuring to us were Christ’s words in Matthew 18 where he said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” [Matthew 18:20]

Dave: And not everyone has family or friends that can worship with them. Some people are alone to human eyes, but even then, they’re not truly alone. Holy angels minister to such believers and Yah sends His spirit to bless them.

Miles: And, considering the reward that awaits, what a small price to pay!

We hope you can join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

* * *

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.