The Boat Has Drifted: Why I Am Openly Partisan For The Sake Of The Gospel And My Neighbor, Part 2

An older definition of the noun, “partisan,” is, “An adherent to a party” (Webster’s 1828). The adjective, then, would describe someone as being united in opinion or conviction with others. In that sense of the word, I am very committed to the worldview known as orthodox, confessing Christianity. In other words, I am “partisan” when it comes to: 

• The belief that there is absolute truth (John 8:32;14:6).

 

• The belief that the one God in three persons, as revealed in the Scriptures, is the God who is there (Mt. 28:19). 

 

• The belief there is only way to be forgiven, reconciled to, and thus to know God, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). 

 

• The belief that we are created in the image of God, as male and female (Gen. 1:26-28). 

 

• The belief that the Bible is from God, always true, and the only ultimate binding source of divine authority (John 10:35; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

 

I could add more but the point is sufficiently made. Any Christian who stands upon the foundation of biblical truth adheres to clear convictions that are opposite what many in our culture currently believe. What Scripture calls me to do in regard to such people is to love them (e.g. Mt. 22:27-40). It is not to agree with them or to be unified with them. 

 

In fact, if I love them, the Bible teaches that I will not only speak the truth to them (Mark 6:34), I will also seek to address their physical or material needs even when they are not favorable toward me (Luke 10:25-37; James 1:27). You might say that I am partisan about loving others in biblical ways, even those who differ from me. 

 

The Bible teaches we are to speak truth to others, help those who have been attacked, hurt, and left for dead (Luke 10:25-37); meet the needs of widows and orphans (James 1:27); seek to prevent babies from being killed (Ex. 20:13); and feed people when they are hungry (Mt. 25:31-46). Since this is the case, would it not stand to reason that if we can have influence upon our government such that we encourage them to do their job of protecting law abiding citizens and punishing those who are breaking the law and hurting others (Rom. 13:1-7), if we can encourage our government to order things such that more jobs are created and so people can provide for the needs of self and family—a situation that provides greater dignity than having to rely on handouts (Gen. 2:15; Prov. 16:26; Eph. 4:28), and if we can influence our government to preserve and view life as sacred, should we not do this? And if we should do all this, how can we not be partisan? How can we stay in the middle? Or even more, how can we be unified with those who believe the opposite? 

 

I am not arguing for being unloving in how we go about what we do. But I do believe that the Church has been silenced in letting our light shine to God’s glory (Matthew 5:16) and to the benefit of others, all because we have bought the lie, “We must stay in the middle, we must be non-partisan, and we must just preach Jesus and not worry about these other things.” 

 

I would agree that our priority is preaching Jesus and making disciples. But disciples do what Jesus commanded (Mt. 28:20), that is, they keep and obey God’s Word (Luke 11:28). In fact, the very reason we need the gospel Paul defines so well in Romans 3:21-5:21 is that we are sinners who fall short of God’s will and of glorifying him (Romans 1:18-3:20). And, when we have responded to the true gospel of the true Savior in faith and repentance, it results in our obeying our Savior and Lord (Rom. 6:1-8:39; 12:1-15:33). 

 

When we advocate for truth (and do it in love) in our culture we are laying ground for people to see why they need Jesus, we are laying ground for people being able to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5), and we are practicing love like Christ. And, when we advocate for good public policy, we are practicing the good works that flow from true salvation (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14). 

 

So, is it sub-Christian to adhere to and advocate for those in government or running for government office who hold to these same convictions?  I argue it is sub-Christian to remain in the middle, uncommitted, and quiet. 

 

The reality is that though neither one of the two major parties in this country is perfect (they are far from it!), there is one party whose platform comes the closest to what I have outlined above. There is also one party that agrees with virtually nothing I have outlined above. 

 

I end up voting for those in the political arena whom I believe come the closest to those positions that honor God and help people most. These are expressions of the gospel of Christ in me that lead me to love God with all I have and other people as myself. 

 

So yes, I am unashamedly partisan and will advocate such partisanship for the good and future of this country, the benefit of its citizens, and for the glory of God. 

 

Joyfully Following Our Lord Who Is The Truth,

 

Tom Barnes

The Boat Has Drifted: Why I Am Openly Partisan For The Sake Of The Gospel And My Neighbor, Part 1

Imagine that you are on a large boat that was tied to a dock. You have been on it for days, enjoying the company of family and friends. Yet, what you are unaware of is the fact that the boat came untethered two days ago and slowly but surely you have floated out to sea. To make matters worse a storm is gathering that will put everyone on the boat at risk. 

 

This is a good picture of where we are at in the United States. We are acting like it is still the 1960’s or 70’s and we are in a place in which the Church can still say, “We must not take sides in political issues. There are good debates to be had between two parties, we don’t want to make it look like we side with one or the other, lest we make it seem like a person is not welcome just because they are part of a certain political party, and besides there is virtually no difference between the two parties.” 

 

Yet, the reality is that the boat of our culture has come untethered, has drifted out to sea, and though many of us might feel like we are still in a place at the dock that allows us to say those kinds of things, the reality is that due primarily to one party in our country we have drifted out to sea and face destruction if something doesn’t change. 

 

It was true at one time that members of that party (think John F. Kennedy and Patrick Moynihan) were such that both parties could have legitimate and good debates on issues. Those days are gone. Consider that party now stands for: 

1. As many abortions (aka murders of unborn children) in our nation as they can make happen. No longer do they stand just for legal, safe, rare abortions.

 

2. Judging people in the opposite way that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. argued for. He longed for the day that people can be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. This party now stands for the opposite!

 

3. Rewarding people with bad credit to purchase a house through an FHA loan by having those with good credit scores pay more for their loans.

 

4. Rewarding college students for not paying their loans and rewarding people for entering our country illegally.

 

5. Lawlessness in our cities.

 

6. Human trafficking that has taken place due to this administration inviting people by word and action to travel weeks to the border of the United States and to enter illegally.

 

7. Sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as a massive increase of Fentanyl deaths also due to their open border policy. 

 

8. That males can become females and vice versa, and that children and youth can  make such changes without informing their parents. 

 

9. That the mutilation of perfectly healthy bodies, along with the amputation of perfectly healthy organs, is fine and something to be pursued as people “transition”.

 

10. Truth is unimportant. All that matters is “spinning the truth” for the purpose of political gain.  

 

11. Energy and economic policies that have blatantly disregarded not only the wisdom of biblical law, but that of natural law and, as a result, have hurt the most vulnerable among us and have stressed the majority of families financially throughout the country. 

 

What the Democrat party in general and this administration in particular stand for are stances that are no longer viable options for debate, or at least they should not be—at least in the eyes of Christians who believe in the authority and truthfulness of the Bible, or even those who believe in the validity of natural law. 

 

It is because of these realities that I will no longer be quiet about the church’s silence. I will no longer stand by as Christian after Christian argues they cannot be involved or take sides for the sake of the gospel. 

 

Let me be clear. A person does not have to be part of a particular party to be a Christian. There are genuine Christians who still vote as Democrats. All people are welcome at our church no matter what your political affiliation is. Be all that as it may, I can no longer, through silence, act as if Christians ought to be in the middle, act like both political parties are equally bad or equally good, nor can I act like the loving thing to do is to be quiet and just “preach Jesus” while we act as if nothing else matter! 

 

The current Democrat party in general and this administration in particular are morally bankrupt and make it impossible to stand for either one as a true Christian who desires to stand consistenly with the Bible in any way. 

 

Church, we must stop trying to act as if we are “woke” and we must truly be awakened, through a spiritual awakening. We must return to believing in and teaching truth. We must stop just trying to get along with everyone and must begin speaking truth no matter the cost. The time is past and has drifted out to sea when we can act as if we can have nice discussions about benign differences. The differences do matter, Christians!  They matter for our mission. They matter for the gospel, they matter when it comes to loving other people. 

 

In my next post I will share more specifically why  I am encouraging the church to be partisan, to be unified in Christ with one another, but not to be unified with a morally bankrupt political party and administration. 

 

Concerned About The Health Of The Church And the Country,

Tom Barnes

THE GOSPEL'S EFFECTS IN ONE WORD

In 1 Peter 5:6, after telling readers to submit to elders, the Apostle Peter then commands them, “Humble yourselves….” In other words, have an accurate view of self that recognizes weaknesses and that does not act arrogantly toward others. The command has only one word, which is a form of the verb tapeinoō. The way Peter writes the verb communicates much about the effects that emerge from one’s embrace of the gospel and the subsequent transformation. In the following I show how.

 

1. Humble Yourselves As Needed

The verb is in the aorist tense. Sometimes, as most likely here, this tense communicates an axiom. It is something that a person should do as needed, as for example when one has forgotten the need of humility and needs to come back to it. 

 

2. Humble Yourselves By God’s Grace

The verb is in the passive voice. Voice, in Greek reveals the relationship of the person under consideration to the action. The passive suggests action that comes from outside the person or we could put it this way, action that is empowered by someone else. That someone is God (see the foundation Peter lays in 1 Peter 1:1-2:25). A literal translation would be, “Be humbled.” It is only by God’s grace that comes through the gospel that a person can be humble.

 

3. Be Responsible To Humble Yourselves

Even though we have already seen that a person can be humble only by God’s grace and empowerment, nevertheless, they are commanded to be humble. The verb is in the imperative mood. Mood in Greek communicates the relationship of the verb to reality. Here it is not something that was happening, is in the process of happening, or might happen. It is something that is commanded to happen. 

 

The way God works is to provide commands to us like this one and the way he empowers us is to work on the will to give the desire to respond (see Phil. 2:12-13). This, then is the heart of the gospel’s effects on believers. Whatever ethical action is under consideration, we ought to obey, but can obey only because we have been transformed and empowered by Christ’s Saving work and the indwelling of the Spirit. We are to be what Christ has already made us to be and do.

 

Conclusion

What we see in this one word is a synopsis of what the New Testament teaches from beginning to end: The Christian life is about what Christ has done for us and our living out the new life he commands of us as a result of his gracious, empowering, saving work. 

 

Joyfully Living Out The Effects Of The Gospel With You,

 

Tom

The Sufficiency Of Scripture

The sufficiency of Scripture means “the Bible contains all that we need to know God’s will and live a life pleasing to him.”[1] This is a doctrine that is clearly found in God’s Word (Ps. 119:1; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). More specifically, the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture affirms that the amount of special revelation God’s people have at any time in history is all they need at that time (e.g. Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 1:1-4; 8-10); the complete accomplishment of redemption by God leads to the completion of Scripture, so the Bible we now have is all we need (Eph. 2:20; Rev. 22:18-19; 2 Tim. 3:16-217; Heb. 1:1-4); the Bible has within its pages all that is absolutely necessary for its own interpretation (e.g. Mt. 15:1-9; Lk. 24:27; 2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pt. 1:20-21); and that the Bible contains all we need to know from God about any topic (e.g. John 17:17; Acts 20:32; Rom. 1:16; 16:25; Gal. 1:8-10; Col. 3:16-17; James 1:18).[2] Finally, the closer we get to heart or inner person matters (2 Cor. 4:16), the more the Bible is all we need (Ps. 19:7-10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pt. 1:3-4). So, the Bible should be the source for and the authority in all counseling.

 Not every Christian agrees with all that was just affirmed. Many integrationist counselors would deny the final point made, that the Bible contains all we need to know from God about any topic. Most integrationists who believe in the authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible have concluded that there are many issues dealt with in counseling that do not have sufficient answers in the Bible. For example, Stanton L. Jones and Richard E. Butman argue that depression is an example of something that does not have a fully biblical solution. They compare it to what one believes about thermodynamics.[3] In other words, in the same way that the Bible does not explain thermodynamics and so it is not a source for what a person believes about it and how to interact with this topic, so also the Bible is not a sufficient guide for many topics dealt with by counselors. 

Behind this approach are the convictions that all truth (even extra-biblical assertions made by researchers) is God’s truth, so we can apply assertions from other disciplines to help alleviate people’s suffering (which Jones and Butman affirm is their motivation for counseling, page 17); though the Bible is sufficient for the salvation of a person’s soul, it is not sufficient to address personal counseling problems, since many such problems deal with an aspect of humans (their body and soul) that Scripture does not adequately address; and so we need the wisdom from extra-biblical sources, if we are to be competent and helpful counselors. 

This integrationist approach is flawed for the following reasons: (1) As noted above, Scripture affirms it is sufficient in all the ways stated; (2) the Bible is crucial in addressing issues that are not explicitly mentioned (e.g. though the word “depression” is not in the Bible, it sufficiently provides the truth needed to deal with it); (3) the integrationist position assumes the Bible lacks help in many counseling areas without doing the homework to see how the Bible is rich in wisdom for all areas of life (Col. 2:3); (4) the ultimate standard for what is true is God’s Word, not research (Mt. 4:1-11; 15:1-9; 2 Tim. 3:16-17); (5) it often starts with the wrong ultimate purpose for counseling (the immediate alleviation of suffering, rather than sanctification for God’s glory, 2 Cor. 7:1; Heb. 2:5-18); (6) it most often holds to a trichotomist view of humans rather than the biblical dichotomist position (2 Cor. 4:16); (7) it leads people astray, i.e. from seeing that even in outer man issues such as physical suffering, there is much essential wisdom to be gained from Christ and his Word (Col. 2:3) and that God calls us ultimately to trust in him, not merely human physicians or agents (2 Chron. 16:12; Ps. 20:7; Prov. 21:31); (8) and finally it denies the very promise that God has made to his people, namely that he has given all that is needed for a life of godliness, flourishing, and spiritual protection (Mt. 5:3-10; Eph. 6:10-20; 2 Pt. 1:3-4).

---

[1] Heath Lambert, A Theology Of Biblical Counseling, 36. 

[2] I am dependent upon Heath Lambert, A Theology Of Biblical Counseling, 44-48, for these four further implications.

[3] Stanton L. Jones, Richard E. Butman, Modern Psychotherapies, 19. I also have been helped by Douglas Bookman, “The Scriptures And Biblical Counseling,” in John F. MacArthur, Jr., Wayne A. Mack, Eds., Introduction To Biblical Counseling, 68-94.  

CHRISTMAS AND THE "[DIS]RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT"

In the November 30, 2022 “The Sift” at wng.org we read the following:

Twelve Republicans voted with Democrats in the Senate on Tuesday to pass the so-called Respect for Marriage Act. The bill would enshrine a right to same-sex marriage into federal law. Religious liberty advocates say the bill could infringe on the rights of individuals, churches, and organizations to express their religious views on marriage. Some religious liberty amendments were earlier added to gain Republican votes. But the Senate struck down three other amendments seeking more protections for religious liberty before 61 senators voted to pass the bill and 36 opposed it. The House must approve the measure once more before it heads to President Joe Biden’s desk.

 

If the House of Representatives would vote in favor of this bill and if President Biden would sign it, then they will have codified into U.S. law that marriage is defined as something other than procreative in kind (between a man and a woman), a truth that all previous cultures in history have affirmed.

 

Less than a month from Christmas this senate action provides a sharp contrast to the purpose of Christmas. Let me explain. 

 

Hebrews 2:14-15 reveals to us that one of the key purposes for which the Son of God became man (the story of Christmas) was to destroy the devil and deliver those who, because of him, were subject to life-long slavery. Elsewhere Paul clarifies that this involves delivering a person from the domain of sin, Satan, death, and of darkness, and transferring them to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son through the forgiveness of sins in redemption (Col. 1:13-14). When sins are forgiven in Christ, a key tool Satan uses against us—accusation—is removed and he is therefore defeated (Col. 2:13-15; Rev. 12:11). As such, when this work is applied to the person, they are made alive together with Christ (Col. 2:13). This means that they can now function as God originally intended them to, namely to trust in and obey him, the very best life to live (Dt. 10:12-13). 

 

Simply put, the Word of God became flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14) so that he might live, die, and be raised in the place of sinners so that we can be forgiven, saved, and transformed into the kind of persons who obey and glorify God (John 3:16, 36; Rom. 5:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 2:20; 5:17-25; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:4-10, 24; 3:18). 

 

The way the Apostle Paul words this in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is that because of Christ our very identity is changed through our being justified, cleansed, and sanctified so that we are no longer chiefly characterized by our sins (and he lists adultery and homosexuality as examples), but we are now new people! We should not be surprised by what Paul writes here. After all, elsewhere, he makes it clear that he believes God created humans with binary sexuality, as man and woman, that marriage consists of a man and woman entering into covenant union before God, and that any deviation from this is sin—the very thing from which Jesus came to save humans (1 Cor. 7:1-2; Eph. 5:21-33; Col. 3:18-19). Paul even asserts that marriage is necessarily between a male and female since from the beginning of time God intended it to give a picture of the gospel in Christ’s saving of and love for his bride, the church (Eph. 5:32). 

 

Jesus is in agreement with Paul. We know this because he affirmed that God created humans with binary sexuality, that marriage is between a man and woman, and any deviation from this is sin—the very thing from which he came to earth to save humans (Mt. 5:27-32; 19:4-6; Mk. 10:5-9). 

 

What we celebrate at Christmas, then, is that Jesus came to save humans from the destruction of sin, i.e. deviation from God’s moral will, which is given to us for our good (Dt. 10:12-13). 

 

This reality has a number of ramifications in regard to the bill the senate just passed.

 

1. Anyone who affirms same-sex marriage, transgenderism, and/or the “rightness” of same sex practice holds to a worldview that cannot be accurately labeled Christian. It is not a liberal or postmodern version of Christianity. As J. Gresham Machen said almost a century ago in his book Christianity And Liberalism about the Liberalism of his day, it is not a version of Christianity, for it is an altogether different worldview, religion, or system of thought.

 

2. The Church across the United States should take a number of steps to counter what will most likely become the law of the land.

a. Pray both for the destruction to adults and children that such a law will engender and for those fellow Christ followers who will not be protected from religious persecution under the law. Though right now Churches (but not individuals, schools, or businesses) would be protected from affirming same-sex unions through the language of the law, it is by no means guaranteed this will continue—especially since same sex marriage will be codified into law and opposing it will likely be seen as a civil rights violation. 

 

b. Move to make a distinction between the true Church and those who profess Christianity but have compromised. Two ways I plan to do this are as follows: First, I will cease using the mere words “evangelical” or “Christian” to define myself. I will be intentional in adding descriptive words, such as this: I am a confessional (I hold to the ecumenical and Reformed creeds of Christendom), Reformed (I hold to the theology of the Reformers, especially the London Baptist Confession of 1689) evangelical. Second, I will no longer perform wedding ceremonies but instead will require couples not only to acquire their license at the courthouse but also to be officially married there. Then, what we will do in our church building is to join them in holy matrimony through a covenant ceremony before God, the church, and their friends. 

 

c. Preach the biblical gospel which makes clear that all are lost sinners who can be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone, and for the glory of God alone. Though the preaching of the biblical gospel makes clear that we are not saved by works, true salvation results in works consistent with God’s righteous will. This means that a truly saved person will want to do what God commands (even in the areas of sex and marriage) and they will be grieved when they fall short of his will. To preach a lesser gospel is potentially to set people up to think they are Christians when they are not and someday to see that they are grievously and eternally mistaken (Mt. 7:21-23). 

 

3. The Church across the United States must not give up on praying for and working toward putting lawmakers in office that advocate for laws to reflect the wisdom of God. This would mean those that affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman. Such is part of the good works for which any saved person is zealous to perform (Titus 2:11-14; 3:14). 

 

4. Finally, though Christians should hold accountable politicians who voted for this bill, they should not do so in anger or bitterness. They should speak the truth firmly and in love (Eph. 4:15). 

 

It is a sad day in the United States due to the devastation that will continue to be wrought by laws such as this. It is not a day to celebrate an act that purports to respect marriage but a day to mourn a bill that disrespects marriage. Yet, at the same time, it is not a day for despair. Throughout history people, apart from God’s gracious work in their lives, have opposed him, his will, and his people—hating all three. This time in history is no different. Our Lord and Savior calls us to take light into the darkness of this world and to show them the way to truth and how to flourish (Mt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-15). And while we do this, we can be assured he will continue to be for us, give us all we need to persevere and enter into our eternal joy, and he will continue to show to us a love from which nothing or no one can separate us (Romans 8:28-39). 

 

Therefore, may we be faithful!

 

Joyfully Following Our Lord With You,

 

Tom

Christianity And Women

Here in what follows is the full transcript of the August 9, 2022 podcast by John Stonestreet and Glen Sunshine that I referenced in Sunday's sermon. It counters the false narrative that Christianity is bad for women. 

Also, for another study that comes to the same conclusions see Alvin J. Schmidt, ch. 4 (“Women Receive Freedom and Dignty”), in How Christianity Changed The World. 

Throughout Church history, church attendance and overall religiosity have been higher among women than among men. That seems to be changing, especially for younger generations. According to new data, the long-existent church gender gap, which shows up in both religious affiliation and church attendance, has now flipped.  

However, the headline is not that more men are connecting with the Church. The story is that more women are disconnecting from the Church. 

 A number of factors have contributed to this demographic shift, not least of which are recent scandals of sexual impropriety and abusive leadership among prominent pastors and Christian leaders. Also, education and ethnicity seem to play a significant role in the religious identification of millennial women. “Among white respondents,” a recent Christianity Today article summarized, “women are 9 percentage points more likely to say that they have no religious affiliation compared to white men,” but “there’s no real difference in the share of male and female nones among Black, Asian, and other racial groups.” 

…In ancient Rome…the vast majority of women were seen as not much better than slaves. 

 Twelve was the legal age for girls to marry in Rome. If not married by 20, women were generally marginalized. Though divorce was available to both men and women, husbands caused most divorces since women rarely had other financial means. Ex-wives and widows were often left destitute.  

 In contrast, Christianity saw women as the spiritual and moral equal of men. Women and men shared the same created dignity, the same problem (sin), and the same solution, Jesus. As result, women in the Christian community had a higher status and more freedom than women in the broader Roman world. 

 The Christian rejection of divorce and sexual double standards, and its insistence on strict monogamy reflected this. Further, women were given more choice about whom and whether to marry and tended to marry later than their Roman counterparts. While widows were encouraged to remarry, the Church provided aid for those who did not or could not. 

 The Church also rejected abortion and infanticide as murder, meaning that women were not subjected to dangerous surgical procedures, and girls were not “discarded.” Thus, there were proportionately more women in the Christian community than in Roman society as a whole. 

Because of Christian attitudes and behavior toward women, more women converted to Christianity than men, and many men who converted did so under the influence of their wives. Eventually, Christianity transformed the status of women in the Roman world….

 Nonetheless, Christianity did more to improve the status of women than any other historical force. Even today, as the Gospel spreads around the Global South, the status and freedoms enjoyed by women are being raised. The treatment of women is just one example of how the Church has been an essential force for good in the world.  

ENCOURAGEMENT TO PARENTS WHO DISCIPLE THEIR CHILDREN

God’s covenantal faithfulness (i.e. his vow to be committed to his people and to fulfill his promises to them) stands underneath the call that parents have to disciple their children. The following is how. He has vowed to bless the nations through the seed of Abraham, the Christ (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:13; Gal. 3:16), and this involves God’s people possessing the nations (Is. 54) and thus causing the fear-inspiring city of nations to fear God and come to him (Is. 25:3), which is part of the New Covenant in which God will reach the nations through his people (Is. 54; 60:1-3ff.). The promise to reach and possess the nations as offspring also includes God’s New Covenant promise to teach these children of God’s people and to give them great peace (Is. 54:13), which is part of the New Covenant promises of God (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-27; John 6:45). Thus, as the Church is called to tell the next generation of the great works and salvation of God (cf. Dt. 6:6-9; Ps. 78), which is a subset of the mission to make disciples by teaching them to observe all Jesus commanded (Mt. 28:19-20), there is a promise that this will be successful and fruitful and this promise stands upon the power and authority of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:18). So, parents can be encouraged that God is going to do much in their discipling of their sons and daughters. What a joy that it does not ultimately depend upon us. Additionally, this should encourage any disciple of Jesus Christ who is discipling others (pastors and non-pastors). God will accomplish this mission and there will be the redeemed someday standing before him from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group worshiping him in heaven (Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9-13). This will include many children of faithful discipling parents. So disciple, disciple, disciple. God will bring forth much fruit (one of the reasons Jesus chooses us as his disciples (John 15:16)!