CHURCH OF GOD Evangel JANUARY 2014 remember israel • obey radically pray faithfully • speak up quit pretending • choose to worship january 2014 Contents volume 104 n issue 1 AS CHRISTIANS, what does Jesus Christ expect of us in 2014? • He expects us to “love God, and keep his commandments” (1 John 5:2). • He expects us “always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). • He expects us to “not be like the hypocrites” (Matt. 6:5 NIV), but instead to serve Him in humble sincerity. • He expects us to “not be ashamed to testify about our Lord” (2 Tim. 1:8 NIV), but instead to boldly speak up for Him. • He expects us to “admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:14 NASB). divine expectations 10 Radical Obedience by David White Sacrifice . trust . yield . persist 12 We Must Never Forget Israel by Michael Utterback “One flock, one Shepherd” 14 From Discipline to Delight by LaVoy Newton Leading a life of prayer 16 An Eagle Scout’s Courageous Decision by Victor Morris Standing for morality 17 Speak Up! by Dewayne Hamby We need holy boldness. 18 My Journey to Pro-Life Ministry by Sherry Ivy Reed Reaching the unborn and their parents columns 20 Quit Pretending! by Charlotte Gambill Join God’s great adventure. 5 In Covenant, Mark L. Williams 7 On My Mind, Lance Colkmire 22 Choose to Worship by Scott Rasco 30 Where Are They Now? David Roebuck Going beyond emotion departments 23 Gathering Sticks by Daniel Sylverston Do the small things. 4 Ministry Snapshot 6 By the Numbers features 8 Currents 24 Evangel Interview: The VITAL Initiative 26 Viewpoints A new focus on small churches 28 People and Events EVANGEL • jan 2014 3 PUBLICATIONS MINISTRIES DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR MINISTRY SNAPSHOT M. Thomas Propes DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS Participants in the Neighbor Project (sponsored by City Church of Chattanooga) Terry Hart serve Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School by updating the landscaping, adding ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT mulch to the playground, and painting. Raymond Hodge MANAGING EDITOR Lance Colkmire CENTRAL DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Robert McCall CFO Wayne Walston PRINTING DIRECTOR Mike Burnett EVANGEL STAFF EDITOR Lance Colkmire EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Elaine McDavid COPY EDITOR Esther Metaxas GRAPHIC DESIGNER Bob Fisher EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATIONS BOARD Stephen Darnell, Les Higgins, Ray E. Hurt, Cheryl Johns, David Nitz , Tony Cooper, Antonio Richardson If you have a ministry photo to be considered for this page, send it to [email protected]. INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE December Evangel Poll Mark L. Williams, David M. Griffis, J. David Stephens, What is your favorite way to celebrate the Christmas story? Wallace J. Sibley, M. Thomas Propes Read it from the Bible to my family - 44.4% CHURCH OF GOD congregations meet through- out the United States and in more than 180 other countries. To find a church and times of services near you, access the church website, www.churchofgod.org, or fax your request to 423-478-7616. Listen to a minister preach about it - 11.1% Publication of material in the Evangel does not nec- essarily imply endorsement of the Church of God. The Church of God Evangel (ISSN 0745-6778) is edited and published monthly. n Church of God Publish­ing House, 1080 Montgomery Ave., P.O. Visit a live Nativity display - 5.6% Box 2250, Cleveland, TN 37320-2250 n Subscrip- tion rates: Single subscription per year $17, Canada $24, Bundle of 15 per month $17, Canada $28, Bundle of 5 per month $7.50, Canada $11.25 n Single copy $1.50 n Periodical postage paid at Cleveland, TN 37311 and at additional mailing Watch a movie or play about Christ’s birth - 13.9% offices n ©2014 Church of God Publications n All rights reserved n POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Evangel, P.O. Box 2250, Cleveland, TN 37320-2250. (USPS 112-240) Sing hymns that tell the story - 25% MEMBER OF THE EVANGELICAL PRESS ASSOCIATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL PENTECOSTAL PRESS 4 EVANGELASSOCIATION • jan 2014 IN COVENANT mark l. williams general overseer 365 UNOPENED TOMORROWS HE NEW YEAR is a great time and “Do you get better gas mileage when Do not go for a new beginning. George driving with the air conditioner on or with Meredith called the anticipation the windows open?” But when it comes to into your Tof a new year “the rapture of finding an answer to questions about life’s the forward look.” One newspaper head- purpose, Adams is short on advice. tomorrows lined New Year’s Day with the caption The late author Henry Miller said, “Out Where the New Begins.” “Life has to be given a meaning because of with a sense Before us are 365 unopened tomor- the obvious fact that it has no meaning.” rows, each cloaked with mystery that only However, when we come to the Scrip- of foreboding time will reveal. tures, we see life does have meaning. Men In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy says to and women are not creatures of fate. We confusion that Charlie Brown, “Life is a mystery, Charlie are not products of random selection nor Brown. Do you know the answer?” are we simply the highest rung on the comes through Charlie Brown replies: “Be kind. Don’t evolutionary ladder. smoke. Be prompt. Smile a lot. Eat sen- The meaning of life is not found in exis- “feeling” your sibly. Avoid cavities, and mark your bal- tentialism, humanism, realism, stoicism, lot carefully. Avoid too much sun. Send or any other “ism.” The answer is found in way through the overseas packages early. Love all creatures Him who is “the bread of life” (John 6:35), above and below. Insure your belongings “the living water” (4:10), “the resurrection challenges of and try to keep the ball low.” and the life” (11:25), and “the way, the Before he can get out another plati- truth, and the life” (14:6)—Jesus Christ. contemporary tude, Lucy interrupts, “Hold real still, Do not face the future with fear. because I am going to hit you a very sharp Do not go into your tomorrows with living. blow on the nose!” a sense of foreboding confusion that Many of us can understand Lucy’s comes through “feeling” your way frustration. After all, we want to find the through the decisions and challenges of answer to life. We want to live to the full- contemporary living. Peace, assurance, est and meet our tomorrows with a sense and confidence are all available to you. of confidence, assurance, and peace. But You can begin this New Year with the where do we go to find the answers? Who sense of divine enablement that comes is wise enough to direct our path? Who is through an intimate relationship with discerning enough to see into the future God through His Son, Jesus Christ. With and get us on the right track, and then God, all things are still possible, and the keep us on the right track? future is as bright as His promises! Cecil Adams, who calls himself “the So, walk through the unopened days world’s smartest human,” writes a nation- of the New Year in the following way: ally syndicated column in which he • In happy moments, praise God. attempts to succinctly explain the myster- • In difficult moments, seek God. ies of the cosmos. He has answered ques- • In quiet moments, worship God. tions such as “Do turkeys really drown • In painful moments, trust God. when they look up during rainstorms?” • Every moment, thank God. EVANGEL • jan 2014 5 BY THE NUMBERS FIVE FACTS ABOUT ATHEISTS 1. The number of people who identify themselves as atheists in the United States has been rising, modestly but steadily, in recent years. A Pew Forum aggregated poll shows that 2.4% of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity, up from 1.6% in 2007. 2. Atheists, in general, are more likely to be male and younger than the overall population (67% are men; 38% are ages 18-29). About four in 10 atheists (43%) have a college degree, compared with 29% of the general public. TOP NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS 1. Lose weight. 2. Get organized. 3. Spend less, save more. 4. Enjoy life to the fullest. 5. Stay fit and healthy. 6. Learn something exciting. 7. Quit smoking. 8. Help others in their dreams. 9. Fall in love. 10. Spend more time with family. —Journal of Clinical Psychology (University of Scranton, Dec. 2012) 3. Although the literal definition of atheist is “a person State Laws Regulating Abortion Providers who believes that God does not exist,” 14% of those who call themselves atheists also say they believe in States that require abortion States that require abortion clinics to meet ambulatory doctors to have admitting God or a universal spirit. Alternatively, there are many surgical standards (26) privileges at a local hospital (12) people who fit the dictionary definition of atheist but do not call themselves atheists. More Americans say they do not believe in God or a universal spirit (7%) than say they are atheists (2.4%). 4. Not all atheists see a contradiction between atheism and spirituality. A quarter (26%) say they think of themselves as spiritual people, and 3% consider themselves religious people. Four in 10 atheists (41%) say they often think about the meaning and purpose of life. 5. Among atheists, 82% say they either often (52%) or sometimes (30%) feel a deep connection with nature and the earth; among all American adults, 85% either often (58%) or sometimes (26%) feel such a connection.