Dear CCW family,
Joni Eareckson Tada is one of the most gracious and effective Christians in the world. She has lived with the results of a diving accident that broke her neck during her teen years. At 76, she continues to radiate Christ to a listening world. Joni is known by millions of Christians through her books, radio program, and conference speaking.
Once my brother asked Joni how she made it through the difficult battle with her paraplegia. I later heard her give the same answer in a large conference in Orlando. Her reply will surprise you. “I suppose what helped me get through this more than any other thing” she said, “was reading Loraine Boettner’s Reformed Doctrine of Predestination.”
Now that caught you off guard, didn’t it?
What she was saying was that she came to understand through this book that God is in control. And if God is in control then her accident wasn’t just a fluke, but a purposeful arrangement by a loving God. She could trust a God like that.
That accident cost her freedom and brought chronic suffering. But to Joni, that diving accident was a huge gift from God — a platform for speaking to the world about her favorite subject, Christ.
I know that it might seem insensitive to say that God is in control. But this is what the Bible teaches, like it or not. When we analyze a national tragedy we sometimes recoil from the notion that God could be in control of his world. We seek to protect God from such an accusation. But the Scriptures don’t do this.
The Bible teaches that all good things, as well as all tragic things, come from God (see Lam. 3:37-38). They usually come via secondary sources, that is, they are delivered on your doorstep by other people or through the convergence of events and complex connections. Without being a tempter or evil (James 1:13), God determines all things, while still leaving men responsible for their actions.
Complicated? Sure. But true nonetheless.
The Greatest Apparent Tragedy Considered
A clear illustration of God’s sovereignty over what first appears to be a tragedy can be seen in the death of Christ. Is the death of Christ a good thing? Of course. Did God just “hope” that everything would work out to accomplish the greatest event of the universe? Did God feel lucky that it all worked out as he projected? Did God take any chances that such an such an infinitely good thing as the death of death on behalf of his own would actually be accomplished?
The early Christians did not think it was luck that brought about Jesus’ redemptive death. Here’s the way they put it in a prayer meeting:
For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. (Acts 4:27-28)
We can think of all events, tragic or good, under two categories. They are either for the punishment or for the benefit of the person, but they’re all in the end for the glory of God.
Now think carefully. First, realize that everything that happens to a non-believer is a tragedy. Even mercies from God, if sinned against, work out for the worse to the non-believer. Every apparently good thing coming to a person who will finally reject God only serves to make his judgment more severe. (See Rom. 2:4-6)
But for the child of God, life works out exactly the opposite. The Bible says, “All things work together for the good of those who love God, the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28). Notice the words, “work together for good.”
So, when a difficult thing comes into the life of a believer, as in Joni’s swimming accident, then the end result is good. It is for a loving purpose. Even discipline from God toward true believers is for the good. And when sinful people are involved, we can say with Joseph, “You meant it for evil; but God meant it for good.” (Gen. 50:20)
As one theologian said, “Tragedy is anything that happens to a non-believer.” And we can add, “Good is anything that happens to a true Christian.”
This can only be said because God is in control. And luck, well, it isn’t even there.
CCW Experiences and Plans and Prayer Needs
| Jim Elliff |
My wife and I are currently planning a ministry trip out West from mid-August to mid-September with stops along the way to teach, meet with friends and relatives, pastors and other leaders, and churches, as well as to faithfully and intentionally spread the good news about Christ all along the way. We’ll drive in order to enjoy God’s creation and to be as flexible as possible. We’ll go from KC to Los Angeles, up the coast to Prineville, Oregon, on to Dillon, Montana, and hopefully down to the Denver/Colorado Springs area. We’re not sure what we can add to our schedule but would love to try if any of you are interested in meeting up on the road, or for some kind of ministry meeting or discussions. Let us know and we’ll do our best to make it happen if at all possible. Write info@ccwtoday.org to discuss possibilities. Also, please keep praying for our writing ministry and the books I am hopeful of finishing.
| Steve Burchett |
I just picked up my new, short book (85 pages) from the printer, titled The Most Powerful Words: A Primer on the Public Reading of Scripture. Here’s a line from the back cover: “If you have a Bible in your language, you have the most powerful words in the history of the world — God’s words — at your disposal.” This book is not only for leaders, but for anyone who reads Scripture in a group setting. I hope you will visit CCW’s website and give it a look, and please pray for the Lord to use it. Also, I’ll be giving a biographical sketch on John and Betty Stam at an upcoming youth retreat (giving the same talk to four different groups), plus I was unexpectedly asked to fill in for the camp director for the week who is shifting to a different ministry. Pray for me as I direct 230 youth plus 40 leaders who will be at that camp.
| Marco Scouvert |
August 7th-16th I’ll be traveling to Uganda with a member of Christ Fellowship to train a couple dozen pastors in a Bible Intensive and speak to a gathering of men on God’s good design for male leadership in the home and in the church. Pray for the Lord’s help as I prepare and for an outpouring of the Spirit during our time there that would be transformative. Recently I published an article on the CCW website entitled “No Excuses: Moving from Unbelief to Faith in Christ.” It’s aimed at those who have heard the gospel but remain stuck in unbelief, by addressing common barriers to faith. Consider going through it with your unconverted children or recommending it to an unbelieving friend. And pray that it would be useful in the hands of the Spirit to draw many to repentance and faith in Jesus.
With Joy, Jim, Steve and Marco