<![CDATA[Pursuing the Pursuer

<![CDATA[Pursuing the Pursuer - Blog]]>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 07:10:44 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[When the Culture Calls Christianity Evil]]>Mon, 30 Nov 2020 05:00:00 GMThttps://www.pursuingthepursuer.org/blog/when-the-culture-calls-christianity-evil

American Christians are starting to get little uncomfortable.

No, we aren't suffering intense persecution like our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. We aren't being driven from our homes or exiled from our communities. We aren't martyrs, and we shouldn't pretend that we are. We're just getting a little uncomfortable, which just might be a good thing.

As we watch our culture rapidly and radically shift, it’s clear that holding to the historical teachings of Christianity is going to become increasingly difficult.

Holding to biblical convictions regarding human sexuality and gender, the sanctity of preborn life, and even sharing our faith with others, is no longer considered to be simply unpopular, backward, narrow-minded, or intolerant--it’s considered morally wrong.

To be anti-abortion is to hate women. Holding to a biblical definition of gender and sexuality is as twisted and bigoted as racism itself. To many in our culture, the Christian faith is an oppressor group designed to maintain power for the privileged.

To be a Christian is to be a bigot.
To be a Christian is to be an oppressor.

These ideas are already present and growing in our culture. And if it continues in its current direction, your next-door neighbor might see you, not simply as weird or religious, but evil at worst and delusional at best.

Don’t Panic, It’s All Part of the Plan

American Christians aren’t used to this. We’ve enjoyed the privileges of living in a country where freedom of religion is revered and protected. And while we may naturally panic when we see these rights jeopardized, we really shouldn't.

What we have enjoyed in America, when viewed through the lens of world history, is the exception, not the norm. So, from a broader perspective, Christians aren’t experiencing a “crisis” in this country; we’re experiencing a return to normalcy. Christians all around the globe experience persecution and hardship far worse than anything we experience here in America. And while we shouldn't adopt a martyr complex or consider ourselves to be victims of intense persecution, it's important for us to know how to biblically navigate the increasing level of opposition against Christianity in our culture.

Scripture clearly tells us that we can fully expect the culture to label us as evil for what we believe:

Luke 6:22 - Jesus himself said that we are blessed “when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!”
1 Peter 2:12 - Those outside the church will “speak against you as evildoers”
1 Peter 3:16 - Christians can expect to be “slandered” and experience unbelievers “revile your good behavior”

The world will consider Christians to be “evildoers” who should be spurned, hated, excluded, slandered, reviled.

It’s normal for us to wonder, “How am I supposed to be a witness when everyone thinks I’m on the wrong side of history,” or, “How will anyone be drawn to Jesus if they think I’m a hateful bigot,” but at the very least, we must acknowledge that God knew this was coming and assured us that it would.

Leap for Joy and Stay Faithful

How should Christians respond?

Jesus’s instruction in Luke 6:23 is unexpected: “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy.” Really? Shouldn’t we fight back? Shouldn’t we stand up for our rights? Yes, as US citizens we have the privilege of voting for policies and politicians who protect our values. And we have the liberty to legally speak up against opposition, as all citizens do. But the right to oppose policies as an American citizen does not negate the Scriptural command to “rejoice in that day, and leap for joy.”

I don’t see many leap-for-joy Christians right now. What I do see is a lot of worry, fear, uncertainty, and even anger. Yes, it’s appropriate for us to be concerned about what’s happening in our country, but not to the point of wallowing or worrying.

Rejoice in what is happening! Leap for joy when you are excluded and called “evil on account of the Son of Man”! Why? Jesus tells us: “For behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:23).

When they “speak against you as evildoers” (1 Peter 2:12) and when they “revile your good behavior in Christ” (1 Peter 3:16), here is how we called to respond as Christians:

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience…” (1 Peter 3:14-16a)

Our response during cultural shift is clear from this passage:

Honor Christ in your heart - Prioritize your own personal walk with Christ. Revere him and honor him in your heart.
Make your hope conspicuous - Amid opposition, leap for joy. Make your hope obvious. It just might make one of your slanderers curious.
Interact with gentleness and respect - Don’t give your opponents another reason to slander you by being abrasive or harsh. Show gentleness and respect to the ones who call your worldview evil.
Value your conscience over compromise - Stand firm on the truth of God’s Word. Don’t waver in your convictions. Comfort in this world is not worth a damaged conscience. Make sure that if you’re going to suffer, you’re suffering for good, not evil (v. 17)

What lies ahead might be uncharted waters for American Christians, but it’s familiar territory for Christianity. If your rights are threatened, if your business is closed, if your reputation is maligned online, don’t panic, don’t get angry, don’t be afraid--it's normal.

Leap for joy, honor Christ, love others, stand firm.

Aaron Berry earned both his undergraduate and MA in Bible at Bob Jones University and most recently completed his MDiv at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in Allen Park, MI, where He and his wife Hanna, currently live with their two children, Brooklyn and Joshua. He also serves as the Director of Recruitment at DBTS and is a pastoral assistant at Inter-City Baptist Church.

]]><![CDATA[My Heart Rejoices in the Lord]]>Tue, 29 Sep 2020 14:12:02 GMThttps://www.pursuingthepursuer.org/blog/my-heart-rejoices-in-the-lord

Nothing prepares you to hear your wife say the words “something’s wrong.” Her voice on the phone was strained and almost frantic. I immediately agreed to meet her at the doctor’s office and hurried to tell my boss that I was taking an early lunch. My thoughts raced during the short drive as a rock formed in the pit of my stomach.

Only a few weeks earlier in the waning months of fall, 2018, she had woken me up abruptly on a Saturday morning with a different tone in her voice. We laughed and hugged and cried and immediately made plans to share the good news with others in the coming months. My wife was overjoyed that she would get to tell her dearly beloved Papa and I was anxious to tell my grandma, the only grandparent I have left alive, our wonderful announcement. Our excitement was contagious and the secret that we shared glimmered in our eyes when we discussed future plans such as clearing out the spare room in order to make space for new furniture.

Our excitement rapidly gave way to fear as we sat in that busy waiting room. Those twenty minutes were the longest I have ever spent waiting on a doctor. To make matters worse, we were surrounded by life on all sides. I found it difficult to focus on any particular thought as I held my wife’s hand and tried to keep my face from betraying my fear. I can still see the painted orange flowers in black frames on the green walls above expectant mothers in soft chairs. Husbands preparing to be fathers for the first time nervously checking their phones and trying to look like they had it under control. Experienced mothers with two toddlers in tow busied their offspring with toys and games. Laughter, energy, nervous excitement, eager expectations, and hope on every face but ours.

My wife had already been through the worst part of the day. I can’t imagine how she felt when it happened and she had to deal with the immediate aftermath on her own. She is stronger than me in so many ways and I only wish I could’ve been home with her when it happened.

When the nurse finally called us to the back for a sonogram and ushered us into a room with navy blue walls and a dark gray examination table all I could think was “not like this.” It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to have asked a few hours off work in advance. We were supposed to meet outside and be excited and nervous and thrilled to see new life for the first time.

Instead we were silent and scared and afraid to even blink. I held my wife’s hand as she lay there waiting for the procedure to begin. The nurse prepared the machine and started the process. We waited in the quiet as she looked, and looked, and looked, and looked some more. My heart sank lower and lower as I watched my wife’s eyes, already puffy from crying at home, betray her emotions as they ran wild. We watched the sonogram screen and it showed nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The nurse didn’t even tell us what she saw or didn’t see but simply referred us to another set of chairs in the back of the building and told us to wait longer. We walked numbly down the narrow hallway and found the second waiting area. They asked my wife to do a test, and then told us to wait again as even more mothers and more toddlers filled the space around us, sounding out letters in the cardboard books from a pile on the floor. Finally we were shown to a small room with a desk. A tight-faced woman in a lab coat walked in moments after we did and looked at us with raised eyebrows.

“There was nothing there, and you’re good to go, so, uh, keep trying!”

That was all. That glib expression “keep trying” was the summation of 8 weeks of hope. Four weeks earlier my wife had become violently nauseous when smelling a box of food, and now we were being told it was all a big misunderstanding. We felt foolish, stupid, naive, and alone. I called my boss from the parking lot and told her I wouldn’t be back to work today. “My wife needs me.” That was all I could say. We went home and took a nap and watched a movie and ate ice cream. Very little was said during that time period.

In our hearts, my wife and I both believe we lost a little life that day. The doctor said otherwise and because of that we weren’t able to find closure, at least not in the first few months following. At first it was hard. We didn’t tell anyone because what was there to tell? We thought we were pregnant, but turns out, we were just being stupid. Eventually we shared the story with one or two close friends and relatives. But it wasn’t until halfway through 2019 that I was able to find peace.

I told my wife that it's good for us not to have closure. It’s good for us not to know if there was a baby or not. Not because riding a roller coaster of emotion is good. But because letting the final word rest in God’s hands allows our faith to grow, and our hope to remain in Him. The real closure is realizing that God is the Giver of Life and He is always in control.

In August of 2019, nine months after the day the doctor told us to “keep trying,” my wife’s Papa passed into eternity. His obituary read that he was survived by sixteen grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren. The memorial service was a joyful celebration of the life of a believer.

I like to think that when Papa reached Heaven’s gates, he greeted all his old friends who had passed on before and they had a wonderful reunion, rejoicing in the realized joy of their salvation. I like to think that once Papa said hello to everyone he knew, Jesus took Papa over to a little corner of Heaven, and introduced him to his fifteenth great-grandchild.

When we find ourselves waiting for what we believe is the Lord’s best for us let us remember the words of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:2-3, and 5-6. “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. . . They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.”

Let us run to the Lord during our period of waiting and be filled with Him. He is perfect. He will never change. He will exceed our expectations and only He will satisfy. The Lord is the Giver of Life.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7

David Baral co-hosts the Destination Arete Podcast with his brother Mark where they discuss entertainment and storytelling from a conservative perspective. Saved at the age of five, David was privileged to grow up in the local church and has a heart to serve his local body of believers. He is passionate about quality art and entertainment and seeks to honor the Lord and edify others through his creative endeavors.

Subscribe to the Destination Arete podcast and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

]]><![CDATA[Cry Like a Man]]>Mon, 21 Sep 2020 14:21:22 GMThttps://www.pursuingthepursuer.org/blog/cry-like-a-man

Why is it that laughter is lauded but tears are shameful? We’re okay with saying a guy is “funny” but to say he’s a “crier” is a bit of an insult. No one has ever vocally admitted this to me, but it sure seems to be a common perception. Real men don’t cry–not in public anyway. And if they do cry, that’s just weakness.

But I’m not interested in perceptions. I want to know what biblical principles or precepts may apply to this issue. Is it okay for a man to cry? Does it make him look weak? Feminine? Progressive? Are there things that are to be held so closely and dearly that it moves a man to tears? When I look at Scripture it would seem so.

Tears are given to us to express emotion. Tears provide a healthy outlet for how we feel. The Bible says that God counts our tears as being so precious that he puts them in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). Jesus counted tears as being so precious that when Mary was washing his feet with her tears he didn’t rebuke her foolishness; instead, he commended her. When he was on the cross and people were crying for him, he didn’t instruct them to stop crying; instead, he instructed them to start crying for themselves and others.

If crying is a display of weakness, then Jesus must have been pretty weak. John 11:35 says he didn’t cry a tear or two – he wept! If crying is a display of weakness, you would have to count a lot of men in Scripture as being pretty weak.

Jesus cried in compassion for His friends. He cried with grief over the city of Jerusalem.
Paul was a bold man. He withstood beatings, imprisonments, ridicule, and shipwreck. However, several passages record that he shed tears as he wrote to the churches and served them.
Joseph, a man of great leadership and strength, wept when he faced his brothers.
Jeremiah is called “the weeping prophet.”
Peter had been on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and beheld the glory of Christ. But when he failed and denied that Christ he “wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75) because of the ingratitude and selfishness of his heart. God used that repentance in Peter’s life to recommission the man.
The elders of the Ephesus church wept as they said goodbye to Paul for the last time.
John was the beloved disciple. He was so close with Jesus during his lifetime that he is recorded often as leaning on our Lord. John was a crier.

Many other examples could be given, but the point should be clear by now: to suggest that there is any Scriptural basis for arguing that godly men shouldn’t cry overlooks a broad range of positive examples throughout the Bible of men who did, including Jesus Himself!

But what if I told you that if you don’t cry you might be sinning? That’s a step farther. And yet, that’s what we read from Paul. Paul commands us to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). I can already hear the objection being raised: “But I’m not a crier.” I trust you understand that actual tears are not the main issue. Rather, it’s the heart of love that often overflows in tears. While it’s possible that a man may never cry, that is certainly a Scriptural anomaly. Scripture indicates that it’s more common for a godly man to cry than it is for a godly man not to cry.

I’m not concerned about a man who cries, but I am very concerned about a man who does not cry. In fact, the Puritan Thomas Watson in his book The Godly Man’s Picture, marked weeping as one of the marks of a godly man. If our churches are going to be filled with men who are true leaders following the example of Christ, then we need some real men who will really cry!

Caleb Phelps was born and raised in New Hampshire and is an avid fan of all things New England sports. He grew up in a pastors home and was saved at the age of 12. As a young junior higher he sensed God's call on his life to go into full time Christian service. Caleb graduated from BJU with a BA in Bible and an MA in Theology. After graduating from seminary Caleb traveled in evangelism which took him across the country to many different churches and camps. While he was traveling Caleb met the love of his life, Rachel. They got married and moved to Indianapolis, IN where Caleb served as the youth pastor at Crosspointe Baptist Church. In September 2018 the Lord moved Caleb and his family to Palm Bay, FL where he now serves as senior pastor at Faith Baptist Church.

]]><![CDATA[Chip Implants Are Not The Mark of the Beast]]>Tue, 14 Jul 2020 18:30:18 GMThttps://www.pursuingthepursuer.org/blog/chip-implants-are-not-the-mark-of-the-beast

Kanye West recently announced that he was running for president and was promptly endorsed by Elon Musk. Welcome to the year that is 2020. In his wildly entertaining and slightly bizarre interview shortly after his initial declaration, Kanye made a statement that is worth zeroing in on. No, I’m not talking about the fact that when asked what party he would be running for he said “Birthday Party” or his campaign promise that everyone would get 40 acres and a mule. I’m talking about his stance on the mark of the beast. When asked about a COVID vaccine Kanye said:

It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralyzed. . . . So when they say the way we’re going to fix Covid is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious. That’s the mark of the beast. They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven. I'm sorry when I say they, the humans that have the Devil inside them. And the sad thing is that, the saddest thing is that we all won’t make it to heaven, that there’ll be some of us that do not make it.

How in the world did Kayne get from a vaccine for a pandemic to the mark of the beast? And while Kanye is obviously an over the top example of this line of thinking, many sensible, godly Christians have had a growing concern that recent technology might somehow be related to the mysterious mark of the beast described in Revelation. So what does the Bible say about this mark? Do we need to fear getting chips in our hands?

Vaccines and the Mark of the Beast

Let me begin by stating what I will not address in this blog. I will address neither the concerns about vaccines nor the broader question of whether getting a chip in your hand is a good idea. I will only be asking and answering the question: is getting a chip the mark of the beast? If the answer is “yes,” then obviously no Christian should get one. If the answer is “no,” then the issue isn’t necessarily settled, but there is at least room for debate.

Let’s start by looking briefly at what the mark of the beast is according to Scripture. The Bible says that during the tribulation a powerful world ruler will require people to get a mark in their right hand or forehead. This mark will be the name or the number of this beast, and getting this mark will be required for buying and selling (Revelation 13:14-15). For a while now, many Christians have been concerned that chipping technologies will be required for people to buy and sell, and they make the connection between getting chipped and this mysterious mark. In some ways, that makes sense: both are something in your hand that allow you to buy and sell. So, what does this have to do with COVID?

Recently, several off-the-cuff statements made by Bill Gates were interpreted to mean that if/when a vaccine is available for COVID, people who get a vaccine would then get a chip in their hand that would track who had it and who didn’t. The logic, then, would go something like this:

A mark that is required for buying and selling… must be a chip implanted in your hand… that was put there first as a record of a vaccine. Voila! A vaccine chip is the mark of the beast and, according to Kanye, may keep you out of heaven!

A major problem with this view is that this whole theory is based on a misreading of what Bill Gates actually said. But it also raises the bigger question that started long before there was a coronavirus pandemic: should Christians get chipped? Is that the mark of the beast?

I have seen some rebuttals to this idea, but the ones I’ve read are based on a very different view of Revelation: “Revelation isn’t about what is going to happen in the future; it’s about living in the face of oppressive governments and the ultimate victory of God, so of course chip implants aren’t the Mark of the Beast!” This isn’t convincing for readers (like me) who, while acknowledging the fact that Revelation has much to say to all of God’s people in all times, still think the book is a description of what God will do at the end of time. So I thought it would be helpful to have a pretribulational, premillennial guy tackle this question.

We will look at what the Bible actually says about the mark of the beast. I want to consider three important facts that should give us a clear answer to the question: Is it a sin for a Christian to get a chip?

The Mark of the Beast is Connected to the Antichrist

This first point is so basic it’s almost embarrassing to say it. The mark of the beast is a mark… of the beast. It is closely connected to the beast, i.e. the antichrist. If you have no antichrist, you have no beast yet and therefore have no mark of the beast. Assuming a premillennial, pretribulational scheme of eschatology (rapture, followed by tribulation, followed by millennium), no one will know who the antichrist is for sure until he signs a seven-year treaty with Israel thus launching the tribulation, per Daniel 9. So, if we don’t even know who he is, how can we have his mark?

In other words, taking the mark of the beast can’t happen before the tribulation since the antichrist hasn’t even shown up. For those who are pre-trib, like me, that means there is literally no chance of Christians living today taking the mark of the beast, since we’ll be out of here before he shows up. For my friends who are mid-trib, pre-wrath, or post-trib (i.e. believers go through some or all of the tribulation), then you still won’t have to worry about taking the mark before the antichrist is revealed, which has yet to happen. In other words, if you believe Revelation describes literal events in the future, then the events are still future!

The Mark of the Beast is Connected to the Worship of the Antichrist

When the mark is discussed, however, it is always associated with the worship of the beast. The Greek word for “mark” (charagma) shows up seven times in Revelation. The first two occurrences are when the mark is introduced in Revelation 13:16-17. The mark of the beast is implemented by the second beast, elsewhere called “the false prophet” (Revelation 13:11-18, cf Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10). In this section, the goal of this second beast/false prophet is to cause people to worship the first beast (Revelation 13:12) by performing great signs and wonders (Revelation 13:13) and making an image for the earth to worship (Revelation 13:14-15). After doing this, he makes a mark for all who worship the beast to receive and makes sure no one can buy and sell unless they receive the mark.

This word “mark” shows up five more times in Revelation (14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). In every instance it is connected to the worship of the beast and/or his image. This means that in the mind of John, receiving the mark and worshipping the beast go hand in hand. This mark goes far beyond, “Hey, we’re implementing new technology that should make commerce easier.” It requires an allegiance to the beast himself, the antichrist, and demands that people worship him. Because of this, John would not have foreseen a situation in which someone who loved God and was loyal to him “accidently” got the mark, not really understanding what it was.

Is it possible that the antichrist will use chip technologies to lock down who can buy and sell? Perhaps. But we just don’t know. Christ could come before I finish this article (although if you’re reading this, He obviously didn’t), or we could be 1,000 years away from the tribulation. Too often the doctrine of imminence (Christ could return at any time) has been confused for immediacy (Christ will return within the next few months/years/decades). It’s not accurate to say that Christ will return soon, because we don’t know that, but it is accurate to say that He could return at any time. This allows us to make sure that we are ready and watching, while warning against reading too much into what is happening in current events (like new chip technologies). Preemptively trying to frustrate the work of the antichrist by resisting chip technology because he may use them in 1,000, 500, or even 5 years is an exercise in futility, and I don’t think that’s God’s idea of His children living wisely and peacefully in this world.

Interpreting the Mark as a Computer Chip Violates the Principle of a Literal Interpretation of Scripture

A very interesting twist takes place here. Those who staunchly argue for the literal fulfillment of Scripture suddenly become very comfortable with allegorical, symbolic, and fanciful interpretation. Those who stake their interpretation of Revelation on the principle that we should understand the descriptions in Revelation as literally as possible suddenly feel very free to find all kinds of hidden meaning in a very straightforward passage. “The mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of his name” in Revelation 13:17 somehow has magically turned into a computer chip implanted under the skin. There is no name and no number with this chip, unless one engages in highly speculative leaps of logic to somehow find a connection between this chip and “666.” The clear statement that the mark is taken on the right hand and the forehead is only partially paid attention to, because no one is getting chipped in their foreheads, and you can get them in your right or left hand. Yet, somehow, some of those who cry “interpret literally” forget all of this and begin warning people that getting a chip is the mark of the beast.

Why does this matter? After all, isn’t it better safe than sorry? What are the long-term impacts of thinking that getting a chip in your hand is preemptively putting you on team antichrist? Well, let’s consider the hypothetical example of Bob. Bob is looking for a job and gets two offers, one significantly better than the other. But the better job offer will require a chip implant, and so he turns it down and takes the other job. He knows better than to get a chip in his hand! His pastor, has warned everyone about new chip technologies, and has said in passing that the fact that some people are putting something in their hand allowing them to buy and sell sounds an awful lot like Revelation 13! So, Bob gives up a lot of money because he wants to do the right thing, and feels confident that he has made the right choice and God will bless him.

Then fifteen years go by. Everyone starts getting chips. Neighbors, friends, family, other Christians. Bob’s pastor retires after a long and fruitful ministry and recommends a competent youth pastor from a friend’s church. Bob is on the pulpit committee as they interview the youth pastor and notices a chip in the candidate’s hand. He is concerned and so asks why he got a chip. “Oh, it allows me to get into the jail so that I can do prison ministry. Don’t worry,” the pastor adds with a grin, “I got it in my left hand, so it can’t be the mark of the beast! Scripture’s clear that it’s a right hand and forehead deal.” Everyone chuckles. Everyone except Bob, who gave up a lucrative career to do the right thing only to find out later that apparently it didn’t matter.

As a young pastor, I fear that in 20-30 years the Bobs of the world will be sitting in my office. I worry that pastors will see people wrestling with doubt, not just about the interpretation of one verse in Revelation, but about God’s Word as a whole: “If I believed this thing so strongly, and it’s not true, what else do I believe that is wrong?” I want to avoid that on the front-end by getting up on my blog and shouting for the world to hear: “Chip implants are not the mark of the beast!” Knowing how to be in the world but not of it is challenging enough for God’s people (and always has been); let’s not make it harder by throwing bad exegesis into the mix.

I’m not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but my guess is my kids will not see anything wrong with having a chip in their hand, and that my grandkids will have a hard time imagining a world any other way. That’s typically how technology works: what is scary for one generation is embraced by the next and a normal part of life for the one after. This is not an argument for why you must get a chip, but rather an explanation of why getting a chip is not the mark of the beast. Feel free to have all the concerns you want about chipping technology, but don’t argue against it by “borrowing” the authority of God’s Word and twisting the Bible to say something it just doesn’t say. And, if the time comes to get a chip and you still feel unsure, just ask if you can get it in your left hand.

Ben Hicks went to Bob Jones University for college and stayed on for grad work, recently graduating with his Master of Divinity. Ben is the Young Adults Pastor and oversees the Single Focus ministry at Colonial Hills Baptist Church. Follow him on Twitter @HicksBen

]]><![CDATA[Hope When Hope Is Lost]]>Mon, 27 Apr 2020 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.pursuingthepursuer.org/blog/hope-when-hope-is-lost

There’s nothing more torturous, yet more necessary, than hope.

There is nothing more satisfying than a realized hope, and there’s nothing more sickening than having your hopes dashed. Truly, the words Proverbs 13:12 resonate with our experience: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

We can’t help but hope. We hope for better days, for fulfilled dreams, for restored relationships, for financial security, for personal happiness. We tell ourselves the risk is worth the reward, we plug our ears when the pessimists call our hopes “wishful thinking” and we guard vigilantly against any threat to our hopes.

But there is one painful reality that we can’t shake: the strength of our hope cannot ultimately ensure the realization of our hope. You can hope all you want. You can take measures to reduce the variables. But all it takes is one unforeseen circumstance (like a global pandemic) to destroy everything you’ve worked for. And hope is ripped away. Hope can bring happiness, but it can also bring despair.

These realities have forced us to completely sever hope from expectation. As the saying goes, “Expect the worst, hope for the best.” In this world, the only thing that is reliable is “the worst” - pain and suffering, inconvenience and trouble. Hope is necessary, and so we hope, but the pain of life has taught us to no longer combine our hope with expectation.

Perhaps you find yourself right now in a moment of hopelessness. Your heart is sick from “hope deferred.” Can I take a risk and give you something to hope for? Actually, it’s not a risk at all—it’s the safest and most satisfying thing in which we can place our hope.

The Christian Hope

As Christians, our hope is sourced outside of ourselves. We deserve punishment and separation from God, but because of Christ’s substitutionary atonement for our sins, we have hope: we hope in the future resurrection of our bodies, free from sin and suffering. We hope in the restoration of all creation. We hope in a heavenly inheritance that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). We hope that all things wrong will soon be made right.

We believe that it is foolish to place our hope in anything other than God (Job 41:9; Psa 33:17; 62:10; 1 Tim 6:17), and therefore, we believe that those who are without God are “without hope” (Eph 2:12).

But if you know God and believe his promises, you can actually combine expectation and hope. Your hope is your expectation. To make such a claim isn’t arrogant or presumptuous, because it is rooted in something more reliable than the very air you breathe or the ground you on which you stand.

The Divine Equation

Hebrews 11:1 presents a divine equation that allows us to combine expectation and hope together: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” How do you add assurance to hope? By knowing the unchanging God who “exists and that... rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

As a Christian, my hope is my expectation, not because I’m good at hoping, but because God is good at promising. My God has given me promises and its impossible for him to change or to lie (Titus 1:2). Because of this, we can “hold fast to the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:17-20) and “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

This is why it is said of Abraham, “In hope he believed against hope” and “no unbelief made him waver concerning the promised of God.” What produced such expectant hope? Because he was “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised: (Rom 4:18-21).

I hope in promises made by an unchanging God, and therefore, my hope is 100% guaranteed.

Hoping in a Past Event

My future assurance is based on a past event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in whom “all the promises of God find their Yes” (2 Cor. 1:20). His resurrection ensures my resurrection. Because he lives, I have been “born again to a living hope...to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Pet. 1:3-4).

This is why Paul says that, without the resurrection of Jesus, Christians should be considered the most pathetic and pitied humans on the planet. But, praise God, “In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:19-20).

This is the Christian hope. Nothing is more certain than something that has already happened.

Strengthened by the Enemy

Because my hope is sourced in an unchanging God and solidified by the past event of Christ’s resurrection, it’s untouchable. In fact, the very things that typically threaten hope end up strengthening it.

We would assume that suffering is the nemesis of hope, but just soak in the words of Romans 5:2-5: “Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Suffering weans us from worldly hope. It reveals the fragile foundation of any hope rooted in this life and turns our gaze to the only hope that remains: Christ himself. And there’s zero chance that this hope will “put us to shame” because God has already poured out his love into our hearts.

Yes, suffering makes us “grown inwardly,” but because of our hope, we can simultaneously “wait eagerly” (Rom 8:23) and consider those sufferings “not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18).

Know the Hope You Have

Christian, this is your hope, whether you fully realize it or not. How often do we let the sufferings of this world fill our hearts with anxiety and depression? How often do we find ourselves drowning in a sea of uncertainty? This is why Paul prays in Ephesians 1:18 that you would have “the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.” Get to know this hope. It’s already yours.

Share the Hope You Have

The world around you is filled with hearts sickened by deferred hopes. So, be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). Is it obvious to others where your hope lies, or does your heart look as sick as theirs? This hope is yours. Get to know it and then share it with the world.

Because of Jesus, I can both expect and hope for the best.

Aaron Berry earned both his undergrad and MA in Bible at Bob Jones University and most recently completed his MDiv at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in Allen Park, MI, where He and his wife Hanna, currently live with their two children, Brooklyn and Joshua. He also serves as the Director of Recruitment at DBTS and is a pastoral assistant at Inter-City Baptist Church.

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