Reality contains tensions that can’t always be simply resolved or even understood. The same is true in the quantum world. The way to “understand” quantum physics is not through observation, but through the language of math. However, the math behind quantum physics is incredibly complicated and hard to understand. And often says things that are counterintuitive. For instance, in our daily lives, solid objects can’t pass through each other. They are solid after all. However, in quantum physics, they can. Imagine learning your whole life that up is up and down is down, but then observing that what you think is up is actually left, and what you think is down is actually up. How does this work? There are three dimensions that make up objects. Length, width and height. All three of these dimensions go certain directions. A one-dimensional object is a line. It can only go one direction, forward or backward. That motion makes a line. If we add a dimension to a line, we get a square. The shape can now move forward and backward and left and right. That motion makes a square. If we add another dimension, we create a three-dimensional object called a cube. That shape can move forward, backward, left, right, up and down. Those are the three dimensions that we understand.

What if we added another dimension? Is that possible? The math says that it is. This forms a shape called a tesseract. It moves in an additional direction within a fourth dimension. We can’t describe this direction, or say what the direction is, but the math says it’s there. This dimension is inaccessible to our senses but has been rigorously described by math. A tesseract is to a cube what a cube is to a square. It has a name, a mathematical definition, size, and measurements, but we also can’t understand or imagine the shape of one. It doesn’t exist in the physical world as we know it, but it does exist in mathematics. We can’t see this fourth dimension, but we can describe it. If that wasn’t enough to bend our minds, we can’t visualize a tesseract. We can represent it through a 3d projection. But that visualization is limited. If you held up a cube to a light source it would cast a 2d shadow. A 3d rendering of a tesseract is a shadow of the 4d object. Quantum physics shows us that there is much more than what we know. In fact, there is more than we can understand.

What do quantum physics and tesseracts have to do with the meaning of life? To be great philosophers requires us to embrace a lack of direct experience. It also requires us to embrace a great experiment called life. Our knowledge and experience will always be limited by our humanity. Math can describe an object that exists that we can’t perceive. Truth also describes for us a reality that exists that we often can’t perceive. It is hard for us to perceive a world where free will and determinism are both true. Where God has a plan and we also have responsibility. These are two seemingly opposing ideas that we are being asked to hold in our minds at the same time. The idea of both things existing at the same time can feel the same to our brains as the existence of a tesseract. But the truth and the math both agree that it’s possible. Similarly, think about this duality: truth is objective and application of truth is subjective.

Truth – like the laws of physics – isn’t something we created. It exists independently of us. We can know the truth, but we can’t change it, only interpret it. Our interpretations of truth are subjective. Our interpretations of truth are our theories about life. The theories we have about life determine the decisions that we make. The decisions that we make have consequences, also known as fruit. Fruit is what happens when our subjective interpretations of truth (theories) collide with reality (truth). This is experimentation. In physics, theory and experimentation meet to produce results. In life, our theories and experimentation meet to produce consequences.

Theory is tested by reality and belief is tested by fruit. Like a tesseract we can only perceive through math, the meaning of our life is first held in our beliefs. No one can see or percieve it, but we can. The way we reveal the meaning of our life is through experimentation. We must embrace the uncertainty of experimentation with truth to see if we can produce the right kind of outcomes in our life. This will always feel uncomfortable. Like trying to imagine the shape of a tesseract or the movement of the fourth dimension. Yet it is necessary for us to discover whether our beliefs align with truth. Truth is perfect, our application is not. When we are willing to embrace experimentation, we are also willing to allow fruit to correct our beliefs. When we see fruit in our own life, our confidence is strengthened that we are headed in the right direction. When we see the fruit of another person’s life or philosophy we might disagree with, we are forced to reconsider our own philosophy. When we see a lack of fruit in our life, we must be willing to abandon theories that don’t align with truth. Living a meaningful life isn’t about getting everything right the first time. It is more about making sure that when we don’t get it right, we pay close enough attention to change our theories and try again.

Results aren’t just how mathematical theories work, this is how life works. Each of us has theories about life. Your theories about life can also be called your philosophy. The life we live is the experiment that determines whether our philosophy has good results. Our philosophy is our criteria for making decisions. Our decisions have consequences. The consequences of our decisions are the evidence that our philosophy is good or bad, effective or ineffective. There are theories, traditions, beliefs and even dogma that we hold to as truth. What determines whether or not these things are true? What determines the soundness of a theory in physics? Whether or not reality aligns with the theory or breaks the theory. The same kind of thing determines the truth of our beliefs. If our experience with the theory leads to a positive outcome, or our theory is broken by the reality of life. How could a theory or philosophy we have be broken by life? Jesus calls the product of our decisions fruit:

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. ¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ¹⁹ So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. (Matthew 7:15-20, NLT)

When Jesus is using the term false prophet, there is both a religious and practical definition. The religious definition is someone who teaches false doctrines in the name of God. Practically, a false prophet was someone who taught lies as if they were truth. Messianic claims were relatively common in the ancient world, so were cult leaders and all kinds of political figures. Many people will rightly use these verses to assess the fruit of another person’s belief system. That’s good, but it’s also doesn’t solve our real problem. The problem is not the false beliefs “out there” it’s the ones “in here.” Our lack of good outcomes in our own life is a result of the things we do – on-purpose or accidentally - that lead to bad outcomes. This is a product of our own false beliefs.

This reminds me of the main character Ricky Bobby in the movie Talladega Nights starting Will Ferrell. Early in the movie, his absentee father shows up and gives him one piece of advice: “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” He becomes a successful racecar driver but eventually loses everything after he crashes during a race with his rival. When he hits rock bottom, he reconnects with his father and says that statement guided his life. His dad says: “I was high when I said that, that doesn’t make any sense at all. You can be second, third, fourth…even fifth.” Ricky then says “what are you talking about?! I lived my whole life based on that, now what am I supposed to do?”

The danger of false prophecy is when we live our lives based on theories that someone told us, or we created for ourselves that lead to our downfall. A false belief may have come from someone else, but it was our choice to believe it and live our lives according to it. The fruit we have – or don’t have – in our life is a direct reflection of what we believe and therefore do.

This is why fruit matters more than opinion, argument, debates or traditions. In physics, its one thing to have a theory, its another thing to demonstrate the theory in the real world and have the evidence support your theory. In life its one thing to have a theory, its another thing to have fruit. It’s easy to argue theory, we can’t argue with fruit. Fruit is the visible and sustained results of a person’s beliefs. A person who has never been married before may have many good theories on marriage. A person who has been happily married for fifty years has good fruit in their marriage. The only effective way to measure whether what we believe is true – and leads to a good life, is by the results of decisions made according to those beliefs over a period of time. Jesus said thousands of years – lifetimes – ago, that we will know what works by the fruit of it. One of the problems that we have is that we only get one life, and it takes a lifetime to bear some fruit. By the time the fruit shows up, sometimes it can feel like its too late to go back and start over. We all have theories, and we know fruit takes time to develop. So how can we increase our chances of having fruit?

Over the long arc of history, truth has always been true and lies have always been lies. Sometimes it takes more time than we think. But lies are always eventually revealed as lies. And true things have always been true. Another way of saying something is true is if it produces fruit. Truth ultimately always leads to good outcomes. False prophets can fake a lot of things. They can be skilled and eloquent salesmen. They can be charismatic and likeable. They can even manufacture testimonials that show their “fruit.” Over a long enough period of time, all these smoke and mirrors can and will fade away. What will be left? The outcome of that individual’s choices. A person may say they value truth, but if they make decisions according to lies, they won’t have fruit.

Some people are just good at theory and equally bad at transformation. They are like the fat person at the gym with all the information on how to work out, criticizing the workouts of people who are in better shape than them. People do not respect this person at a primal level for one reason: Their theories do not lead to transformation. The first thing we must do is take advice, feedback and direction from people who have the kind of results we would like to have. If they have fruit, we should also be able to observe whether or not they have fruit in every area of their life. For instance, a person may have “good” fruit financially and be wealthy. However, if the philosophy used to gain their wealth was a “good” one, it would also lead to good fruit elsewhere. There are quite a few people who have plenty of financial fruit that also have no fulfillment, close relationships, or sometimes even family around them. They have sacrificed those things in pursuit of money.

This could create a problem. How can we ever know someone well enough to really know if they have fruit? This comes back to what we believe about truth. If we believe truth has always been true, and there have always been people who have lived according to it. Then we gain an advantage. We can see stories throughout history of people who have applied truth to their life and the fruit they have produced. We can investigate the past and see the outcome of a person’s beliefs and decisions. Whether that’s going all the way back to ancient history, or even our own family history. A farmer knows that if he plants an apple seed, he’ll grow an apple tree. He knows this because he isn’t the first farmer to plant a seed. All fruit works this way. Theories about life are like seeds. There are certain theories about life that have been consistently tested throughout history. These theories have also consistently produced the same kind of fruit. If we want that kind of fruit, we can do what those before us did with those theories. There is always room for experimentation with theories of our own. This is another duality.

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History tells us not to reinvent the wheel. That doesn’t mean that no one has ever tried. The reason history tells us not to reinvent the wheel is because when something works and has always worked, it will probably keep working. I’m sure many people have tried to invent a square wheel, and they think they are the first people to try. This isn’t necessarily true. People who try to invent a square wheel are common, and therefore not usually worth remembering. The trash heap of history is littered with foolish ideas, theories and perspectives that only lead to failure. Experimentation, innovation and even invention are always necessary. Failure is a prerequisite for experimentation. Sometimes we will get it wrong. There are times where we will have theories and ideas about life that don’t produce fruit. There is nothing wrong with that phenomenon. In fact, it’s necessary.

Imagine driving a car with square wheels. Every time the wheel turned over, it would rise and drop. The bicycle would not have enough power to move you forward quickly. You would violently bounce. The engine would be working overtime to basically lift the car up each wheel corner instead of rolling forward. In addition, things like your suspension, axles and frame would take repeated shocks and fail relatively quickly. There are not very many people who would even try this experiment. What would be the reason to try? A person can learn a lot of great lessons from experimenting with wheel shapes.

Observing the difference between a car with square wheels and circular wheels can show us how good of a solution a circular wheel is. Often, the right way of doing something is proven by comparison. Observing this comparison also teaches us why and how the principles of motion work in a much more tangible way. By trying a square wheel, we can easily see what makes a circular wheel better. Experimentation and failure are necessary.

The willingness to experiment means that we want to go beyond what we know and explore our beliefs. Failure exposes us to where we have false beliefs that do not produce fruit. Failure isn’t a problem unless we don’t learn from it. Designing and testing a square wheel may waste some time, but lessons can still be learned. True failure is when a person decides to use a square wheel in their everyday life to “prove” that they have a better way. We should test our theories, but then be willing to abandon them if they do not produce good outcomes. We should also not attach our ego to our theories so deeply that we are not willing to abandon them when a better way reveals itself.

One of the “drawbacks” of this writing style is that I can spend a lot of time writing about something that doesn’t connect with the big picture of a book. That doesn’t make it a rabbit trail. Although, maybe it does and I just don’t want to admit that to myself. I think it’s more like an additional dot that shows up in the connections between the dots. I don’t consider this an unimportant part of the process. It’s important to me to see connections and describe them as I’m writing. However, the editing process is also important to prevent me from becoming too abstract or impractical to people who will read what I write.

I have spent the past few weeks writing a few chapters that I’m not sure are going to make the book. I’m in a really practical section of the book and they might be too conceptual. This writing may not make the book, but I think they’re a worthy exploration. Let’s take a break from talking about money and talk about quantum physics.

Living a meaningful life requires an awareness, understanding and mastery of tension. Life is filled with contradictions, dualities and paradoxes. Take intentions vs. outcomes. A person can intend to do good, but the outcome of their intentions can be evil. We believe that God has a plan for our life, its his plan, not our plan. We also believe in the responsibility and freedom that we have to make choices. Both seem to be true at the same time. We must learn to have faith in God, but not allow that faith to prevent us from working diligently. We are individuals who need to learn how to think and act for ourselves. Yet at the same time, our lives cannot be fully meaningful outside of being meaningful to others. We shouldn’t be people-pleasers. But we also should worry about pleasing key people in our lives, like spouses, children, clients and bosses. Some things require immediate action, but some require patience. We must plan and prepare, but we must also learn to adjust our plans when necessary. We need to develop self-confidence, but we also must be open to correction. Some things in our lives need to be stable, and some things need to always be changing.

There are times where life seems ordered, structured and planned. There are also times where life seems chaotic, random and out of control. Has the outcome of our life already been predetermined, or do we have free will? Is it one, the other, or both?

As long as physics has been studied, physicists have been trying to understand the universe. A simple question they ask is: “is the universe chaotic, or is it ordered?” Initially when people study physics, they study everyday objects. They study balls rolling down hills, waves in the ocean, and physical objects interacting with each other. The laws of physics work everywhere we can see. At the scale of life experience, physics appears predictable. The apparent structure and order of the universe is what allows life to exist. However, when scientists look beyond the atomic level, things get less predictable. A problem arises once we enter the quantum world. The word “quantum” means the smallest possible amount of something. Particles can appear and disappear seemingly at random, and the math can only tell what is likely to happen, not what will happen. Quantum physics is one of the hardest things for human beings to understand. Physics at a quantum level is counterintuitive and unpredictable. There is no way to visualize what is happening.

A physicist often lives in the world of paradoxes. As does a philosopher. We often find ourselves stuck in a tension between two opposites that both seem to be true. One of the reasons we can often feel this tension is because we think that we are presented with a binary choice. Like a light switch in a dark room, we can only have maximum brightness or no light. The more we approach life as binary, the more tension we will feel between the “on” and “off.” What if we didn’t approach this tension this way? When a person wants greater control over the amount of light in a room, they install a dimmer switch. That way the light isn’t completely off, nor is it full brightness. Life most often isn’t “either/or” its “both/and.”

Life is not a series of binary choices. It is a spectrum of infinite possibility. When we treat our life like its binary, we limit our choices. And if we limit our choices, we limit our destiny. The challenge of navigating duality is choosing to embrace life as a reality to experience, not a problem to solve. Every situation that we will experience is unique and calls for a completely different response. Understanding this is simple but applying it is difficult. Knowing how to respond to the right person, in the right measure, at the right moment, for the right reason and in the right way is the challenge of a lifetime. To do this consistently is true mastery.

Life is not rocket science. It’s more like quantum physics. Rocket science is about finding the solution. Physics is about exploring the possibilities. Approaching life as a reality to experience is about understanding this duality, and making the best choice you can, for the situation you are in, with the information that you have.

The world of physics is both math and application. There are theories, like Einstein’s theory of relativity that are put together on chalkboards. Physicists use math to describe how they think the universe works. Einstein’s theory was developed using equations and reasoning long before it could be tested fully. After developing theories, scientists design experiments to see whether the universe works the way the math predicts. If experiments match the theories, then the theory helps us understand some of the inner workings of the universe. Experiencing the reality of life means that we see life as a great experiment. We can think things through in our head, we can see these dualities and think about them however we want to. We can ignore them, judge them as binary choices, or see ourselves as falling in a range between them. We also don’t have to think about them at all. We will then make decisions based on how we think (or not). Our thinking is like a theory, and our decisions are like experiments. Theories lead to experiments. Thoughts lead to decisions. Decisions and experiments both have outcomes. Experiments lead to results. Decisions lead to consequences.

The Dialog, my new - and first - podcast launched today.

I’d love if you went to Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify and like and subscribe. Do all three platforms if you like!

the background

One of the things I’ve learned from my dad my whole life, is the power of alignment. I’ve been asked about doing a podcast for a long time, and I’ve wanted to do one for a long time, but I just didn’t have the right alignment.

What you want to do is important. But what’s more important is who you have in your life. The greatest problem we face is not what we want to do, or what we are doing, but WHO. If we get the right people in our lives (the right who’s) the whats will work. The problem we have most often is not what we are doing, it’s who we are doing it with.

I am grateful that some of the greatest WHOs in my life, Garrett Unclebach and Nick Surface have come alongside to help me get this podcast going. It could not, and would not be happening without them. Especially Nick. The nature of the format I am envisioning requires a great co-host, and I couldn’t think of a better person than him to help me. This podcast is going to be amazing because he’s going to draw out the best parts of our conversation.

We’re going to have great conversations about big questions. Thank you for being a part of what I’m doing, and I can’t wait for you to be a part of this!

Click here to go to Youtube

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We often think that we are more advanced than people who lived thousands of years ago in every way. We’ve built rockets that can take us to other planets and we’ve mapped the human genome. We have figured out how to live longer than our ancestors and have access to almost unlimited information in our pockets. We find ourselves at the dawn of a new age where all of us know that AI is going to change everything, even if we disagree on how. Yet, some things still haven’t changed.

Today, we doomscroll our phones and distract ourselves endlessly with hours of entertainment and content. In the ancient world, gladiatorial games kept people entertained and distracted from the real problems that faced them. Juvenal, a Roman writer said that the people of Rome had traded their freedom for “bread and circuses.” In the ancient world, kings and nobles used to flaunt their wealth with palaces, jewels and monuments. Their selfish pursuit of status often drove injustice and oppression. In the world we live in, we fixate on designer brands, luxury cars, and mansions. Only the symbols have changed. The obsession with image remains.

Tens of billions of dollars are spent on self-help, therapy and wellness, yet anxiety and depression are at historic highs (Source). Yes, we are more advanced in many ways than our ancestors. But, the questions that we are asking about how to live a good life are not much different from the questions people were asking thousands of years ago. With our access to information, resources and technology, we should have more access to a good life than ever. That’s not really our experience though. Lies - now known as “misinformation” - become more viral than truth and culture rewards those who can make something trend, not those who identify what is true. Leaders of every type are often chosen for charisma more than character. Influencers sell people curated feeds, crafted messages and packaged lifestyles that they pretend to live. This is not new.

In ancient Athens, there were Sophists. A sophist was a professional teacher of wisdom and rhetoric – persuasive speaking. Athens was the world’s first real democracy. Every free male citizen could speak in their version of Congress/Parliament – the Assembly – and had a vote. The way to be successful in Athens was to convince the most people to vote for your idea. Rhetoric – the art of persuasion – was one of the most valuable skills a person could have. Sophists were paid a lot of money to teach people how to become persuasive speakers. This would help them to live a successful, and “good” life. Sophists knew how to capture people’s attention and tell them what they wanted to hear. What did people want to hear? The same kinds of things they want to hear today. The secrets to success, happiness, and wealth. The good life is living a curated life that looks good. If it looks good, it is good. They even used persuasive testimonials and flashy lifestyles to prove their credibility. Sound familiar?

Sophists measured their success in the applause from the public. Today, Sophists measure their success by followers, likes and clicks. Both are rewarded for looking wise, not for being wise. This isn’t a takedown of all influencers. There are many people who have good lives and influence. The problem is not in having influence. The problem is the pursuit of influence at the sake of truth. The world is filled with Sophists. There are people everywhere telling us what to do and how we should live. What all of these Sophists have in common is their measurement of success is external. Success – the good life – is wealth, reputation, status and power. If a person does certain things, they will gain these external things. If they gain these external things, they will feel better about themselves and their life.

There is a key question about happiness. Do you want to feel better, or do you want to be better? How you answer this question will determine whether happiness is in external things, or internal things. Pursuing wisdom, virtue, truth, and self-mastery will take us in a radically different direction than the pursuit of wealth, reputation, status and power.

truth hurts (and heals)

In The Discourses Epictetus compares talking to a philosopher with going to the doctor. Most people then - just as now - were used to hearing what they wanted to hear. Modern self-help may give us easy answers. Those answers also may be the answers we want to hear. The danger of that is hearing what we want to hear ≠ truth. Jesus said “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Gloria Steinem added the human perspective: “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” The problem with truth is that is has a way of destroying beliefs that we really like. Truth doesn’t care about our culture, our environment, our personal convictions or our preferences. Truth doesn’t change because we want it to. It stays true, even when we don’t like it. Truth only cares for truth.

There are sophists and philosophers. A sophist will tell you what you want to hear. A philosopher will tell you what you need to hear. “If you go to the doctor, do you expect to leave feeling cheerful? Do you not expect pain from the treatment, burning, cutting, and dieting?” (Discourses). Epictetus says that the problem that we have is that we come to the philosopher as though they were a shopkeeper or a sophist. The world of philosophy is not a world where the “customer is always right.” “If you hear yourself being reproved, do not take offense; just as one who submits to surgery does not take offense at the surgeon’s knife.” (Discourses)

Epictetus tells us that experiencing philosophy is like surgery. It will help us, but also, the application of the cure will be painful. A life saving surgery can help us live, but we will also need to recover. The medicine will not always be what we want to hear or feel. Correction, rebuke and discipline will harm our ego. The purpose of this is not just to make us feel pain: “For just as a doctor has no other end in view than the health of his patient, so the philosopher has no other end than the health of the soul.” (Discourses)

Philosophy wants us to be better.

Sophistry wants us to feel better.

If you break your arm, a doctor can set the bone and walk you through the healing process. Or, you can never really fix it, take pain killers and just try to feel better.

The biggest problem that we have is not that we don’t feel good enough. The problem that we have is that we have brokenness that must be fixed. In the world of healthcare this is called functional medicine. Functional medicine will treat the pain, but will also treat the root causes of the pain. Cicero, a Roman philosopher and orator said: “There is, I assure you, a medical art for the soul. It is philosophy, whose aid need not be sought, as in bodily diseases, from outside ourselves. We must endeavor with all our resources and all our strength to become capable of doctoring ourselves.” (Tusculan Disputations, 3.6). What is Cicero saying? We all have issues, sicknesses and suffering. Our primary issues are not external diseases, but internal struggles. The only way to cure this kind of sickness is to do the work ourselves. Philosophy is what teaches us to be doctors to ourselves. To cure our internal ailments.

“It is not events that harm us, but our opinions about events.”

The greatest problem that you and I have starts with our opinions, our thinking. The problem is not what we experience, it is our response to what we experience.

Musonius Rufus said that philosophy “is nothing more than searching out by reason what is right and proper and by deeds putting it into practice.” You’ve probably seen me write this before. Philosophy is simply the criteria that we have for every decision that we make. The greatest problem that we have is our philosophy. Our philosophy - criteria for making decisions - is broken. Therefore we won’t make good decisions. Bad decisions lead to bad outcomes. Bad outcomes lead to feeling bad.

Instead of changing our philosophy, we have a temptation to seek out just feeling better. But we won’t ever feel good about our bad decisions. And we won’t know our decisions are bad until we interact with philosophy and learn to change our criteria for making them. To change our philosophy, we need to first allow ourselves to be corrected, challenged and critiqued by those who are wiser than us. Then, we learn to correct ourselves and become better people.

be your own doctor (you probably don’t need more self-help)

To live a good life, we ultimately must learn to be doctors to ourselves. I know so many people who go from book to book, seminar to seminar, church to church, mastermind to mastermind and their lives don’t get better. Why? Not because they aren’t investing in themselves, but because they aren’t doing the hard work of applying what they know. Most people’s problem is not that they don’t know enough, its that they don’t do enough of what they know.

Why do we need to learn to do when we can just read another book or get more advice? It’s one thing for me to give you directions, its another thing for me to teach you how to read a map. Advice helps until it doesn’t. Ultimately, the quality of your life - and my life - is up to you. Our lives are singular. We will all reach a point where what worked for one person doesn’t work for us. We are entirely unique. That means that we must learn to live OUR singular life well. Philosophy teaches us the wisdom to live our life well. Advice teaches us how to live like other people. Advice is helpful, but it’s also limited. The wisdom of philosophy is unlimited.

Before you freak out… this picture is bloody, but you really can’t see anything.

Leonid Rogozov was a Soviet doctor on an Antarctic Expedition in 1961. He was the only doctor on the expedition. As winter rolled in, he began to feel pain on the right side of his abdomen accompanied by fatigue and nausea. It was obvious to Leonid that he had appendicitis. He had operated on it many times, but the only problem was that he was the only doctor within thousands of miles. Winter had set in, there was no way to leave, and he knew that if his appendix burst, he would die.

He decided that he would do surgery on himself. At first he tried a mirror, and he couldn’t see, so he decided to take his gloves off and work by touch. After nearly two hours he completed the surgery and stitched himself up. Two weeks later, he returned to his normal duties. He eventually returned home and went on to live a full life.

At the end of the day, the only person who can save you is you. Develop the self-mastery to be a philosopher - a doctor to yourself. And come to your own rescue when you most need it.

In the late 1940’s, the US Air Force had a serious problem. Its pilots kept crashing planes. At its worst point, 17 pilots crashed in a single day. At first, pilot error was seen as the primary cause. There were no mechanical or electronic issues in the vast majority of planes that crashed. All of the data seemed to show there was something wrong with the pilots. However, the pilots also were well trained, and were able to demonstrate in various test runs that their skills were not the problem. So if it wasn’t mechanical error, and it wasn’t human error, what was the problem?

They investigated just about everything and still couldn’t find the cause. Finally, the only thing left to look at was the design of the cockpit. The first American cockpit had been designed in 1926. Engineers had measured the physical dimensions of hundreds of pilots and used that data to create the standard dimensions of a cockpit. For roughly the next 30 years, the size and shape of the seat, distance to the pedals and stick, height of the windshield and even the shape of the helmets were built to conform to these measurements taken in 1926.

Engineers started to think that pilots had gotten bigger since 1926. The Air Force authorized the largest study of pilots ever undertaken. In 1950, researchers at Wright Air Force Base in Ohio measured more than 4,000 pilots on 140 dimensions of size, including thumb length, crotch height, and the distance from a pilot’s eye to his ear, and then calculated the average for each of these dimensions. Everyone believed this improved calculation of the average pilot would lead to a better-fitting cockpit and reduce the number of crashes — or almost everyone.

Lt. Gilbert Daniels was a 23 year old junior researcher whose job it was to measure pilot’s limbs with a tape measure. Daniels had gone to Harvard, and in his undergrad thesis, he had actually created a comparison of 250 male hands. Even though they were all white, and from similar socio-economic backgrounds, their hands were not similar at all. And when he averaged the data, the average hand did not resemble any individual’s measurements. Daniels realized early in his career that there was no such thing as an “average individual.”

Now, in the Air Force, he took the data that had been gathered from 4,063 pilots and calculated the average 10 dimensions he believed were most relevant for cockpit design. These formed his dimensions of an “average pilot.” He reasoned that if an individual’s measurements were within 30% of this average, they would fit in the cockpit just fine. For instance, the “average pilot” was 5’9. So a pilot would have to be between 5’7 and 5’11 to fit in the cockpit. Then, he took these 10 average measurements and compared each individual pilot, one by one to the “average pilot.” His fellow researchers saw this as a waste of time. They thought they knew with complete certainty that the vast majority of pilots would fit into the average range on these 10 dimensions. After all, they had manually selected these pilots specifically because they appeared to be average size. For instance, a person who was 6’7” would never have been recruited to be a pilot.

When Daniels did his comparisons, out of 4063 pilots measured. Not a single one fit within the average range. One pilot might have a longer-than-average arm length, but a shorter-than-average leg length. Another pilot might have a big chest but small hips. Daniels discovered that if you narrowed it down to just three of the ten dimensions of size — say, neck circumference, thigh circumference and wrist circumference — less than 3.5% of pilots would be average size. There was no such thing as an average pilot. If you’ve designed a cockpit to fit the average pilot, you’ve actually designed it to fit no one.

The Air Force immediately changed its design philosophy. The guiding principle of designing cockpits became the principle of “individual fit.” Rather than fitting the individual to the system, they fit the system to the individual. They designed adjustable seats and adjustable foot pedals as well as adjustable helmet straps and flight suits. Once these, and other design solutions were put into place, pilot performance soared, and the U.S. Air Force became the most dominant air force on the planet. Soon, every branch of the American military published guides decreeing that equipment should fit a wide range of body sizes, instead of standardized around the average. This design philosophy also eventually made its way to consumers. Car manufacters added adjustable seating and steering wheels. And as car seat manufacturers realized the same thing was true for children. They created adjustable car seats.

Daniels summed up the findings this way:

“The tendency to think in terms of the ‘average man’ is a pitfall into which many persons blunder … It is virtually impossible to find an average airman not because of any unique traits in this group but because of the great variability of bodily dimensions which is characteristic of all men.”

Here’s what I find fascinating: most of us, in some way, feel pressure to conform to average. But none of us will ever fit average.

normal is a myth

There’s this pressure to fit into “normal” but normal isn’t even a thing that exists. To be normal is to “conform to a standard.” But when we look at the standard, even if we try to fit it, it will not fit any of us. “Average” is a standard created for everyone that ends up fitting no one.

In ancient Greece, ἄτοπος described something or someone as strange, absurd, or out of the ordinary. Topos means “place,” a- means “without.” A person or thing who was atopos was “placeless” or “off the map.” In other words, an atopos person is one who cannot be neatly placed into any familiar social or intellectual location. In the ancient world, to call someone atopos was to label them “outrageous, strange, extravagant, absurd, unclassifiable, [and] disturbing”

In the writing of Plato, Socrates was frequently referred to this way.

• Symposium: At Agathon’s banquet, Socrates mysteriously pauses outside in a trance instead of joining the dinner. Agathon exclaims “How strange!” at Socrates’ behavior . Later, Alcibiades praises Socrates but calls him atopos, “a most peculiar man,” because Socrates is unlike anyone else – immune to flattery, indifferent to wealth or beauty, and possessing a baffling charisma.

• Gorgias: Frustrated by Socrates’ relentless logic, Callicles bursts out, “How strange (ἄτοπος) you are, Socrates!” Socrates’ perspective in this dialogue (such as claiming it is better to suffer wrong than do wrong) are seen as alien to the “average” Greek.

Socrates confounded people’s expectations at every turn. He was not considered a wise man or a statesman, neither ignorant nor conventionally wise – truly atopos, situated in no familiar category. This reputation for strangeness is one reason many Athenians viewed him with a mix of admiration and suspicion. He was not considered atopos just because he was quirky - although he was. Socrates did not seek to fit into society, but it was also not his intention to stand out. He sought to look at society’s values with fresh eyes and encourage others to do the same. His oddity was a strategy as much as a personality trait: it enabled the Socratic method of relentless inquiry. Little wonder that Alcibiades, in praising Socrates, highlighted his atopia as the quality that set him apart from all other men.

Singularity, not authenticity

Socrates was incomparable and unique, which is not the same as being different or authentic.

Byung-Chul Han explains the difference: “singularity is something totally different from authenticity. Authenticity presupposes comparability. Who is authentic is different from the others.” A singular, atopos person has no comparison; “not only is he different from the others, but is different from everything that is different from the others.”

There is so much discussion on authenticity. However, the pursuit of authenticity seems to foster more conformity than individuality. Discussions about authenticity seem to always have a sense of comparison with other people. A person who is seen as authentic is seen as authentic in contrast to all the people who aren’t authentic. In striving for authenticity, we are still comparing ourselves to the average. In trying to be “different” we actually end up becoming the same. Although we “aren’t average” we are still using average as our standard of measurement.

Is comparing our authenticity to the average persons lack of authenticity helpful to us? When we do this, we seem to inadvertently reinforce the idea of normal. We are “not normal” so we don’t check the boxes. But then we also say which box we actually belong in. We’re not really out of the box, we’re just in a different box. Authenticity is the new “average.” Like the Air Force redesigning the 1926 cockpit in 1950 thinking they just needed to create a new average.

Authenticity implies comparison. It gets out of the box to get into another box.

Yes, it is original, but also, an original in comparison to all the copies.

Singularity defies comparison. It doesn’t believe the box ever existed.

Something that is singular is beyond comparison. It is 1:1. Atopos. There is no place to put something that is singular. It doesn’t create a new category. It defies categorization.

I think we’re all supposed to be atopos.

Incomparable. Not just different from others, but fully unique. Not just “different from the others…different from everything that is different from the others”

In these definitions look at the words. To have a unique fingerprint is to seek to be singular, not just authentic. Authentic may be a way we present our singularity to the world. But maybe authenticity shouldn’t be our goal.

You’re 1:1. I’m 1:1.

You don’t fit into average. That doesn’t mean you don’t fit within a tribe. It does mean that you won’t quite fit perfectly into the average. But, you’re also not supposed to.

Be singular. To be singular means to have an understanding that you’re not meant to be in a box. You’re supposed to affect change on everything you are a part of. Like a pilot getting into the cockpit, you change the measurements of everything you’re a part of. But that’s what can, and will make you successful.

Nikola Tesla

Unlike Thomas Edison, who was a businessman as much as an inventor, Tesla lived in a different space—more interested in the beauty of his discoveries than in their profitability. He envisioned wireless electricity and technological marvels far beyond his time.

A famous anecdote shows his eccentricity: Tesla reportedly could visualize entire machines in his mind before ever building them, running complex physics calculations mentally. He shunned conventional wealth and often fed pigeons instead of pursuing financial stability. Many of his contemporaries, including Edison and J.P. Morgan, could not categorize him—was he a genius? A madman? A mystic? Tesla’s ability to exist outside both business-minded inventors and purely academic scientists made him unplaceable.

Andy Warhol

Warhol disrupted the art world by refusing to conform to the traditional ideas of artistic authenticity. His Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe prints were neither entirely commercial nor entirely “high art.”

When asked what his paintings meant, Warhol would respond with non-answers: “I just paint things I like.” His deadpan personality, monotone voice, and refusal to be pinned down frustrated critics and intellectuals who wanted to categorize him as either a genius or a fraud.

David Bowie

Bowie was never just a musician—he was an atopos cultural force. Constantly reinventing himself (from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke), he refused to settle into any stable identity. When asked in an interview how he defined himself, Bowie replied, “I don’t. I just do.” His fluid, unpredictable persona kept audiences both fascinated and slightly off-balance.

Steve Jobs

Jobs was infamous for being impossible to categorize. He wasn’t a traditional engineer like his partner Steve Wozniak, nor was he a conventional businessman like Bill Gates. He operated in a strange in-between space, thinking in terms of aesthetics, intuition, and vision rather than technicalities or profits.

A famous example: At Apple’s first major product unveiling, Jobs pulled out the iPod and simply said, “1,000 songs in your pocket.” While tech executives focused on specs and storage, Jobs focused on the experience. He thought differently—so differently that he often clashed with others who couldn’t place him into a box.

I tried to move to wordpress. I tried to like it. At the end of the day, I think substack is a better experience for me, and for you! so…we’re back.

If you aren’t subscribed yet to substack. Make sure you do so, if you are, don’t worry, you don’t have to unsubscribe at my site, everything is redirected to substack.

2 / wolow is now dokeo

Why the name change? Sometimes, life is just about starting things and not really having a plan. That’s how I started writing. I didn’t plan to be a writer, or to build some kind of community. My vision was just to pursue and examine my own thoughts, and hopefully they are helpful to you.

I haven’t written as much here as I would like to. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing. In the past couple years, I’ve written 7 books. Three as a ghostwriter, one as a co-writer, and three on my own. I’m currently writing my fourth book. I’ll get more into where my writing is going later, but something interesting happens when we just start doing something.

In 1950, Scotsman William H. Murray and three of his friends were former POWs and wanted to start their lives over again after World War II. They decided to climb an unmapped section of the Himalayan mountains that no climber had ever reached. In most cases of global exploration throughout history, nations have funded large expeditions that were frequently lavish and slow. They thought about approaching the Scottish government for help, but decided to climb the 9 peaks they identified by pooling their war savings. They summited five, two of which were over 20,000 feet. In his book on the experience, Murray wrote:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”

Murray was describing the moment that he and his team committed all their resources and time to the climb. Instead of believing they could do it, and talking about it, they took responsibility and committed fully. What happened in their story? Almost as soon as they bought their tickets, they met veteran climbers who offered maps and contacts. A Swiss official stamped their travel papers overnight. A missionary’s wife in Tibet introduced them to porters who worked with them for four months. When they arrived in India, 27 of their crates went missing for days. 12 hours before they were supposed to sail away, Bombay customs suddenly discovered their missing crates. On their climb, the weather parted exactly when they faced high passes, and they saw avalanches roar by without harming them.

One of the laws of the universe is the law of commitment. When we dedicate ourselves to a certain path, we set in motion forces that would never have otherwise been activated.

What’s happened in my life over the past few years is nothing short of extraordinary. Wolow started as a funny name for a random collection of thoughts that weren’t all that strategic. My overall goal was - and in many ways still is - to create a life worth following and to somehow document that.

Things are a lot different for me now. Once I committed to the idea of being a thinker, writer, and speaker, forces were set in motion that I never anticipated. What I have the privilege to do now is to create a philosophical world and community, something I had no plans to do even a year ago.

This is the first step towards doing that. The Greek word (dokeō) is a word that was used frequently by ancient philosophers to describe things they believed to be right. It’s like a person saying “this seems good to me.” Some of what seems good to us is actually good. Some of what seems good isn’t actually good. What I write here represents by best current thinking, but also, is a progression through my own thinking. Hopefully from what seems good to what actually is good.

3 / The “philosophical world”

Over the past few years. I have had the privilege to do a lot of thinking on my own life. What my meaning is, who I am, and what I want to do with my life. I think this is something that all of us should do. I’ve thought about these things for a long time. I turned 38 six weeks ago, and for the first time in my life, I have a level of clarity.

There’s something interesting that happens at the intersection between our development, passions and pursuits. I think the realization of who we are is directly tied to what we are interested in, and what we care deeply about. The more we pursue these things, the more who we are is realized.

I was 13 years old when the movie Gladiator came out in 2000. That movie introduced me to a person named Marcus Aurelius. I learned that Marcus was a real person, even though the movie was fictional. From that time, for more than 20 years, I’ve been fascinated by the world of ancient philosophy. I also grew up with a philosopher for a father, who taught me how to be one.

I’ve always loved history too. My favorite films are mostly documentaries, I loved the History Channel when it wasn’t solely focused on reality TV, and my favorite website is Wikipedia. I love stories, and I love true stories even more.

When I was 16, I read Theology: The Basics by Alister McGrath. This book was my introduction to the study of the infinite. Stephen Hawking said that his life quest was “trying to understand the mind of God.”

All three of these things have come together in my life to form what I feel like my mission is.

Philosophy represents the pursuit of understanding ourselves. Theology represents the pursuit of understanding what is outside of us. History shows us how people who have come before us have tried to understand these things and can guide our own quest.

Ephesians 2:10 gives us God’s perspective on our lives: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

The Greek word that Paul uses here for masterpiece is ποίημα (poíēma) / a unique creation unlike anything else, a work of art and divine inspiration.

This verse tells us two things:

1. Your life, like a great masterpiece is 1:1.

2. God planned for you to do great things “long ago.”

The more I’ve thought about this verse, the more I have realized that life is an art form. Every day of our life is a brushstroke on a masterpiece that God has had a plan for us to paint even before we were born. I want to master the art of living. I think that’s what God has created all of us to do. I want to help people learn to combine ancient philosophy, history and theology to help people master the art of living.

I’ve looked for a community to join, or a place where someone is doing this. I haven’t found it, so I’m starting it. In the next few months, I’ll be launching a skool community where we can all do this together. My writing, and thinking will be a part of that, but hopefully so will yours. The only thing that is holding me up from doing this is skool. They are making some updates to their platform that will allow me to do this in the way that I see us doing this. Once those go live, be on the lookout for an invitation to a free community where we can do this together.

4 / Some other things coming up

I’m launching a podcast within the next few weeks to help build this philosophical world I envision. We’re recording the first episode this week. I’ll make sure you are the first to know about it.

I’m working on a new book, and have some new friends helping me. 2026 is going to be a great year for that. I’m about 30,000 words (halfway) into it. I’ll have more information on that later in the year. But let me tell you what it’s about.

The Way to Live was not intended to be a book. It was a series of talks on “how to follow Jesus.” My dad heard those messages and told me they should be a book. I don’t dislike that book, but I also now have the opportunity to explore some questions I raised in that book that I never quite got to. I’m excited with how things are shaping up.

I’m going to continue the thread I have been on with the Vow of Prosperity here on substack. I’ll also have random thoughts to share more often with you.

What’s next?

• This week, the writing moves back to substack. Get up to date on all I’ve written on prosperity by clicking here

• New post on Jesus being poor (or not) goes live on friday

• Be on the lookout for the invitation to the free community we’re going to be building, I’d love your help to get it off the ground.

• Podcast is launching within the next few weeks, I’ll let you know about that too. Recording the first episode this friday.

Appreciate all of you, thanks for reading this far. I’m looking forward to these massive opportunities and sharing them with you. Many of you have been on the journey with me since I launched this, and I’m grateful you are a part of what is happening.

we have a saying, “we don’t honor because they are honorable, we honor because we are honorable.”

this week, a friend of mine asked:

I do want to ask you how you feel about people in our church continuing to give honor to those who have dishonored?

Is it the whole “we honor because we’re honorable” or is it just not worth your time?

in addition, this person went somewhere and honored that place intentionally, and it surprised the son of the leader. that’s mentioned here.

disclaimer - there’s always people leaving our church and throwing shade. it’s happened for 24 years. i hope these people find what they are looking for, and in no way is this a response to whoever the flavor of the month is that has an issue with us. angry and disgruntled people are the norm, not the exception.

if you’re currently mad at us, i don’t really care, but if you want to take this personal, go ahead. whatever makes you feel special. but i can promise, i’m not thinking about, or talking about you. we’ve got a great church with great people, and that’s my focus. i’m grateful for the people who have come and gone, reason, season, lifetime, but we’re not thinking about you nearly as much as you’re thinking about us. we’ve got too many good things going on.

honor is RARER than a dodo bird 🦤

the more you get higher in leadership, the more you’ll hear the stories.

and we don’t say or do anything, because we live by that statement. “we don’t honor because they are honorable, but because we are honorable.” someone’s action is not going to dictate our response as much as can control.

most people never know the true story. and we don’t need to tell it. people who speak the language of honor can always tell when someone is pretending to speak it. honor is like the shibboleth from judges. people try to speak it, but the dishonor in their heart is heard by those who truly speak honor. and, people who speak honor can always eventually tell who really speaks the language as well. it’s just a time issue.

“time doesn’t just tell, time reveals” // PK.

honor doesn’t happen unless you have the opportunity/reason to dishonor.

so you’re not truly honorable until you come to the test that gives you a reason to dishonor.

(i’ve spent) my whole life growing up in green rooms and watching ministries and especially fathers and sons. the reason why that son was blown away by your honor is because:

a: he’s a dishonorable son who has never seen honor before and thinks it’s not real. like people that have never done money God’s way think that prosperity isn’t real.

b: he’s a son of honor who saw you speak a language that most people who walk into his church don’t speak! but he speaks!

i think the only way to tell honor from dishonor is the time test. “be sure your sin will find you out” // numbers 32:23

your heart will always eventually be revealed, dishonor is like those gold chains that turn your skin green. day 1, looks the same as honor. day 1000? green skin.

i don’t know him at all, but if he’s with his dad and grateful you did it, and noticed it and wasn’t mad you didn’t thank him…he’s probably a good son!

you can usually tell a bad son because he wants the honor the father receives without being willing to experience the brokenness of humility that is both forced upon him and chosen. bad sons want the promise but not the process. and think their dad went to war so that he (the son)can sit on the throne. they want the “take dominion” part without doing the “subdue it” part.

the only thing worse than that kind of weak, dishonoring son is a dishonoring son who fights his dad and splits the kingdom by leaving his dad, but staying within his father's borders.

there's good reasons for dishonor and weakness. pain hurts, it can permanently wound you and maim you. and the father really doesn't want his son to experience pain like he did.

there's good reasons for dishonor and leaving. the son has more gifting and talent than the father. the sons gifts are squelched and the father is a bad leader who didn't make room for his son or do what the son thinks he deserved. so he's going to go be better than his dad. because otherwise he is not being used "for God" to his maximum potential.

as if God can't promote you from where you are.

we've never seen that happen. except, you know. joseph, david, moses, abraham, paul, isaac, jacob, the 12 disciples, and pretty much every other Bible character.

his response:

The tale of three kings went crazy on this for me. “God has a university. A small school. Few enroll; even fewer graduate. It’s God sacred school of submission and brokenness. ”

Another book, “leadership pain” helped me know that just pain in the process is inevitable. When you said it can permanently wound & maim you, I’ve just learned nothing has the potential like making you like pain.

In that book there was this quote that I keep learning, “It’s easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” - Julius Caesar

The process really does feel like submission 😂

if you’re truly honorable. you don’t dishonor, even if that means you don’t tell “your side” of the story.

if you’re honorable. be honorable everywhere.

the test of honor will always be in the place you have a “good” reason to dishonor. if you can’t honor in the face of dishonor, you don’t get honor. no matter how much you think you do.

Read Part 2 on what the Bible says about what the Bible says about the church and money here.

This is the same intro as part 1-2, but it still applies. So if you read part 1-2, feel free to skip it.

Social media is the wild west of philosophy. It’s made even worse by the fact that we tend to believe that following size = expertise. People with no credibility/wisdom frequently make unverified claims. These claims are then taken as fact because of their following size. Few people are willing to do the research to see if the claims being made are actually true.

I ran across a guru the other day who said: “if you go to a church, and they don’t have a board-run leadership structure, they are an apostate church who is actively practicing heresy.”

On top of that, this same person went on to say: “before you give to a church, the Bible says you are supposed to know what they are going to do with the money.”

That led me down a rabbit hole that you’re about to join me in.

I want to look at a few things:

1. What does the Bible say about how a church should be structured (Part 1)?

2. What does the Bible say about church finances (Part 2)?

3. What does Elevate Life do (Part 3)?

You might not know what an apostate church is. “Apostasy” is when a person turns away from, or renounces a faith. In this case, the Christian faith and practice.

It’s easy for people to throw these terms out or to say things like “this is what the Bible says” without actually providing references. I’m not going to do that.

I’ve realized there are a lot that “lay-people” - read: not professional church people - don’t often know about the Bible. I live in the United States, where 68% of people identify as Christian. Simultaneously, only 6% of these people have a biblical worldview (Source).

So, 94% of Christians don’t have much clue of what the Bible says about anything. Then they go to church, the internet, books (or anything that is not the Bible), or hear what their friends say, and somehow think by hearing what other people say the Bible says, they know what the Bible says.

I say this frequently, but every perspective you hear on the Bible is just that. Perspective. It may be accurate, it may be inaccurate. You won’t know unless you weigh what people say according to what Scripture says. 94% of self-proclaiming Christians don’t do this. So on the subject of church governance, the handling of money, (or anything else) their understanding is misguided and flawed.

Everyone has a perspective and interpretation on Scripture. That’s unavoidable. But if you always go to the source, you can start with the purest source. And I believe God will speak to you through his word in the way you need to be spoken to. You can also determine what kind of church, and what kind of leadership you would like to align your own life with

How does a church practice governance and finances in a “biblical way?”

What about Elevate Life Church?

As of today, our church has been around for 24 years. For 24 years, our church has been subject to questions, aspersions and doubts about our structure, our leadership and our finances. But that’s not just us, it’s pretty much every church. It’s not even really every church. Any community that develops consequential influence is subject to those things. We’re not the first, or only community to experience these types of things. It’s easy for people to make all kinds of accusations, invent motives and generalize what “our kind” of people/church are about.

Opinions are a part of human nature. So is believing that our opinion is right. People have had opinions about things since people have existed. Having an opinion is not a special skill or talent. Thinking that a church should be about one thing or another is something every body who goes to church does. However, the church is not meant to be a customer service organization. It’s not a hotel, theme park or department store. It’s not a publicly traded company with shareholder votes. There are no customers, and they are not always right. That’s not to say churches shouldn’t care about serving people, but serving people ≠ pleasing customers. Our first, and primary focus is worshipping and pleasing God. Before we make a person happy, or do what they think we should do, we think about what God has primarily commanded us to do.

1. The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:35-40) - Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.

2. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) - Go into all the world and make disciples of Christ.

3. The Great Assignment (Genesis 1:28) - Fill the earth, subdue it and take dominion.

When we die, we are not subject to a council of our peers who will determine how well we did these things and determine whether we get to go to heaven. We will answer to God. And when we hear God speak, we want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant.” We won’t hear that from our friends, we won’t hear that from our family, we won’t hear that from church attendees, we won’t hear that from employees or board members, we will hear that from God. Or not.

The question for us always has been, and always will be, “what can we do to please God?” For 24 years, we have been imperfectly dedicated to this pursuit. We have - and will - make mistakes. For those mistakes, we will repent, change and grow and become more like the church God wants us to be. But we will not do this in subjection to what people think we “should” do. We will do this in response to what God commands, and what pleases him.

Governance

How is Elevate Life governed?

First, we have always had, and will always have a corporate board. Why? If a nonprofit organization has a bank account, or a building, they are required by the government to have a board. So there is no version of a church in America where there is one person who has final say on all matters.

Elevate Life has a board of 7 people (lead pastor, 3 staff and 3 non-staff) who meet regularly to discuss church finances, leadership, ministry and direction. Elevate Life also practices the pastor/overseer (episcopal) style of leadership in its vision, mission and day to day practice. The church, as well as its ministries are pastor-led, not overseen by committees. Decisions at Elevate Life are not voted on or managed by consensus, there is always a leader that makes the call. However, these calls are always subject to the board’s review.

In weighing the pros and cons of biblical leadership styles, we have attempted to balance Episcopal and Presbyterian styles. If you want more information on these Biblical styles, i wrote about them in Part 1 here.

Who holds the pastor accountable?

This is a loaded question for most people. Accountable to what exactly? Most people that are asking this question are really asking: “Who tells the pastor what to do?”

Who tells the pastor what to do? Firstly we believe that God does. Throughout Scripture, God has chosen individual leaders to lead within his Kingdom. Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Elijah, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and many others have been chosen by God to lead movements that advance God’s plans in the earth. This has been true for as far back as we can measure. The idea of a board being a pastor’s “boss” is an invention of the past 500 years. Church boards have done good things throughout history, and there are many churches where the leadership weight is distributed that way. Elevate Life does not subject the mission, vision, values or role of the lead pastor to a board-directed vote. The lead pastor functions as the visionary of the church. We believe this is in alignment with the Episcopal leadership style found in the Bible.

The board is not the Lead Pastor’s boss. But they do function as the chief accountability structure for leadership of the church. Because sometimes when people are asking about accountability, they are asking about what happens if the Lead Pastor has a moral or ethical failure.

In this time in history, this is a valid question for people to ask, as it seems like a new ministry leader is in the news monthly for their failures. Although Elevate Life treats the Lead Pastor as the visionary, the board convenes to decide what happens with church property, doctrine, and what is called “church discipline” ie, what happens if there is a severe failure in leadership. The board has the ability to remove the Lead Pastor temporarily or permanently.

Finances

What does Elevate Life do with money given?

At Elevate Life, we have 24 years of history of meeting needs and fulfilling the biblical financial requirements of a church. We have seen tens of thousands of people follow Jesus and be discipled. We have responded significantly to natural disasters locally and all over the world with people and finances. We have paid off over $15 million dollars in medical debt statewide. We’ve supported the spread of the Gospel on every continent. Our ministry impact is vast, and continues to grow. We discuss our specific impact frequently throughout each year. We don’t take this lightly, and know that God has given us a significant position that requires exceptional stewardship.

Because of this, we do everything we can to ensure that the majority of our contributions go directly toward ministry causes.

In the world of corporate accounting, there is a cost line item called G&A, or General and Administrative. These are costs that are necessary for the operation and management of the church, but are not directly connected to ministry. The average church in the United States of America has a G&A of 30-40%. At Elevate Life, our G&A costs are currently 16%. In 24 years, it has never gone above 20%. The majority of our contributions go directly towards building God’s Kingdom, not administrative costs.

How can I know this for sure?

Every year since our founding, our board has hired an independent third-party auditor to conduct a full audit of our finances. This is not something that every church does, or is required to do. But we believe that all churches should do it, and we have always required it of ourselves.

During a church audit, auditors:

• Independently verify all financial reports

• Follow all funds and see if proper steps are being taken in handling them

• Evaluate accounting controls (systems that ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial records)

• Assess segregation of duties (assurances that more than one person is involved in critical steps in handling money so that there can be checks and balances, and that Lead Pastor and Vision Team have boundaries between themselves and the church finances)

• Calculate the reasonableness of systems and procedures in the light of all factors, including the size of the church and its budget

• Adequacy of insurance coverage

Elevate Life was founded in 2000. So far, we have completed 23 audits.

For 23 consecutive audits, Elevate Life has had a clean audit. Which means an auditor found the church’s financial records to be accurate and reliable, without any significant discrepancies or concerns. It’s the best type of report a church can receive from an auditor, as it indicates sound financial practices and reporting.

Our 24th audit will begin in February, the audit will be delivered to the board, and the board will announce the results to our financial leaders once it is completed.

We announced the audit results to the church every year through 2019. Responding to the events of 2020 shifted a lot of our communication focus and we have not communicated this information outside of board meetings. In 2024, we are going to get back to sharing the results of our audit. Our desire is to always be above board in our stewardship financially and in every other way. We believe it is important for people that call Elevate Life home to understand how we manage money. Especially in a time in history where people are more concerned than ever about church finances.

How does the Lead Pastor get paid?

Many people ask this question of churches. It is a popular sentiment for people to think that the Lead Pastor, or leadership team has no accountability in how they are paid and are given carte blanche access to the church’s accounts.

Every year, our audit ensures that the Lead Pastor, and leadership team has appropriate distance from the finances of the church. In addition, the Lead Pastor has no say in their compensation.

Every few years, a compensation committee is established by the Board to recommend the compensation of the Vision Team. Which consists of a Lead Pastor, and Co-Pastors. A third party legal firm conducts a nationwide survey alongside the compensation committee that establishes the total compensation (salary and all other benefits) of the Vision Team. Members of the Vision Team are not allowed to be present for these discussions, nor do they know the results of the compensation study until after the compensation committee and the board have made their decision.

The majority of pastors, even in board run churches are not subject to this level of accountability. But at Elevate Life, we believe this ensures a higher level of integrity and accountability.

Final Thoughts

We live in a world filled with cynicism and doubt. Public opinion of anyone who seems to have any influence is low. People who are on any kind of platform are confronted with scrutiny, criticism and disparagement regardless of what they do - or don’t do.

If we base our success or failure on the opinions of crowds, our opinions of ourselves will rise and lower like the tide. People will always have opinions. Especially in a country like America that is so churched, so delusional and so opinionated. People walk around saying a church, pastor or leader “should” do all kinds of things. Our churches are filled with people should-ing all over themselves. These people aren’t the first people to question, criticize, condemn and complain. Nor will they be the last. And the church will continue to move forward and change the world regardless of how they feel about it.

Like it or not, on its worst day, the Church is the greatest community that has ever existed. When churches have held to biblical truth, they have never been wrong on any issue in history. Ever. Take any issue, when the Church stood on biblical truth, it was fixed. There are people doing wrong everywhere, at every level of society. Including the Church. And when people fail, that doesn’t change the truth of Scripture and what the church is meant to stand for. When people fail, God doesn’t. When a church runs God’s way, it cannot and will not fail. Human error is already factored into that equation. Criticism, anger, “church hurt,” deconstructionism, bitterness, hypocrisy, judgement and the very gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church (Matthew 16:18).

We are going to do our very best to honor God with our leadership of the church. With or without the criticism opinions and perspectives of a crowd.

We are going to make decisions that align with Biblical values and principles. Regardless of how people feel about our failures, flaws and mistakes.

We are going to take care of orphans, widows, and those less fortunate. With or without a press release or the crowd’s knowledge.

We are going to help people step into the full measure of the greatness that God has for them. Whether people think that’s a worthy cause or not.

We are going to govern well, and manage money to the best of our ability with integrity and responsibility. Without regard to negative judgement, criticism and speculation.

We have done, and will do these things because there is one thing that reigns supreme. Honoring God.

You don’t have to agree with me for me to honor God. You don’t have to like me for me to honor God. You don’t have to think that I’m honoring God for me to honor God.

I can’t speak for every church, or every leader. No one can. But we’re not afraid of hard questions, difficult discussions and challenging dynamics. Especially with those who serve, give and call Elevate Life home. We will fail, we will make mistakes. We will apologize, repent, and get better. That’s not an explanation, or a defense of failure. That’s just the facts of what we do and who we are. The church is a place of grace for everyone in the church, including its leaders. That’s what makes the church unstoppable. People will fail, God’s Church won’t. That doesn’t mean there’s not a higher standard, that just means there’s always a way forward when anyone, including leaders don’t meet the standard. This weekend, we held our “State of the Church” service and discussed these things. But I also wanted to put them in writing.

You may learn all this information and it’s still not enough. You might read these things and want them to be different based on what you think a church should be or do. Maybe you don’t go to Elevate Life and you judge your church and try to hold them hostage by refusing to participate in serving or giving unless some arbitrary personal conditions are met.

Almost all criticism of the modern Church as “unbiblical” comes from biblically illiterate conspiracy theorists with a victim mentality posing as theologians. These people are, at best, perpetuating falsehoods. At worst, they have an axe to grind and attempt to propagandize the Church and use lies - knowingly and unknowingly - to divide and destroy. They are unwittingly a tool being used by the devil; the “author of confusion” and “father of lies.” (1 Corinthians 14:33, John 8:44)

When people throw out “that isn’t biblical” as flippantly as these pseudo-theologians do with no context, they are saying the same thing the snake said to Eve. Since the Garden of Eden, the devil has used “did God really say” in all kinds of forms to pull people away from God’s plan. The good news is that when someone says something is “unbiblical” each one of us has the Bible at our fingertips to confirm for ourselves.

Regardless of how you feel about a church or what you think a church should be like, one thing is true for all of us.

They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

// Psalm 92:13-15

When you get planted in God’s house, you win in life. There are 380,000 churches in the USA. Not liking a church, or its style ≠ “that church is unbiblical.” There are some unbiblical churches, but they are a small minority. It’s ok to have our opinions, interpretations and preferences, it’s not ok for us to turn our opinions into God’s opinions. Or to think that because a pastor was/is an idiot, or we got hurt at the last church that we are then anointed by God to become an arbiter of what church systems are biblical or not. 

If your church - or our church - does not fit your preferences, go get planted somewhere you can give 100% of yourself with no conditions and bear fruit. That’s what Jesus wants us to be known for. We’re all going to judge each other for a lot of reasons. But if you want to judge something “biblically,” don’t judge based on your opinion, preference or interpretation, judge based on fruit. A person’s consistent actions and results over time say more than anything else. You can argue with a lot of things, but you can’t argue with fruit.

This is the same intro as part 1, but it still applies. So if you read part 1, feel free to skip it.

Social media is the wild west of philosophy. It’s made even worse by the fact that we tend to believe that following size = expertise. People with no credibility/wisdom frequently make unverified claims. These claims are then taken as fact because of their following size. Few people are willing to do the research to see if the claims being made are actually true.

I ran across a guru the other day who said: “if you go to a church, and they don’t have a board-run leadership structure, they are an apostate church who is actively practicing heresy.”

On top of that, this same person went on to say: “before you give to a church, the Bible says you are supposed to know what they are going to do with the money.”

That led me down a rabbit hole that you’re about to join me in.

I want to look at a few things:

1. What does the Bible say about how a church should be structured (Part 1)?

2. What does the Bible say about church finances (Part 2)?

3. What does our church, Elevate Life do (Part 3)?

You might not know what an apostate church is. “Apostasy” is when a person turns away from, or renounces a faith. In this case, the Christian faith and practice.

It’s easy for people to throw these terms out or to say things like “this is what the Bible says” without actually providing references. I’m not going to do that.

I’ve realized there are a lot that “lay-people” - read: not professional church people - don’t often know about the Bible. I live in the United States, where 68% of people identify as Christian. Simultaneously, only 6% of these people have a biblical worldview (Source).

So, 94% of Christians don’t have much clue of what the Bible says about anything. Then they go to church, the internet, books (or anything that is not the Bible), or hear what their friends say, and somehow think by hearing what other people say the Bible says, they know what the Bible says.

I say this frequently, but every perspective you hear on the Bible is just that. Perspective. It may be accurate, it may be inaccurate. You won’t know unless you weigh what people say according to what Scripture says. 94% of self-proclaiming Christians don’t do this. So on the subject of church governance, the handling of money, (or anything else) their understanding is misguided and flawed.

Everyone has a perspective and interpretation on Scripture. That’s unavoidable. But if you always go to the source, you can start with the purest source. And I believe God will speak to you through his word in the way you need to be spoken to. You can also determine what kind of church, and what kind of leadership you would like to align your own life with

Today, let’s look at what the Bible says about churches + money.

What does the Bible say about money and the church?

There’s really two questions related to money in churches:

1. What should the church do with money?

2. How should the church handle money?

What should the church do with money?

There are some clear things that we see in Scripture that churches should see as requirements:

It should pay those who preach, teach and lead well (1 Timothy 5:17-18, Galatians 6:6, Luke 10:7-10)

There are quite a few people who don’t believe that pastors or church leaders should be “honored” or even paid. These people obviously fall into the 94% of Christians who do not possess a Biblical worldview. 1 Timothy 5 gives us the picture that those who lead, preach and teach are actually worthy of “double honor.” Those who lead in the church should be compensated and supported financially by the church. Especially when it is their full-time job.

It should pay for evangelism and missionary work (Acts 18:5, Philippians 4:15-16, and 1 Corinthians 9:4-11)

The Church must support the people who are spreading the gospel financially and logistically.

It should take care of the needs of those within - and outside of - the Church (Galatians 6:10; John 12:8; Luke 10:30-37; Matthew 19:21)

The church has a requirement to care for the needs of people who are a part of the church. And it also has a requirement to care for all people who are in need.

In my perspective, these things are the biblical requirement for churches. Can churches do other things? Absolutely, and they probably should. But if a church doesn’t do these things, it is not functioning biblically.

How should the church handle money?

The church should regularly collect tithes and offerings (1 Corinthians 16:1-3, Hebrews 7:5-9)

Many people consider the tithe an Old Testament command. Volumes have been written about tithing vs. not tithing. Hebrews 7 shows us the connection to the Old Testament. Just like the first tithe was given from Abraham to Melchizedek, New Testament followers of Jesus - who are “grafted in” to the family of Abraham (Romans 11) - tithe to his church. It is not a tithe to give to ministries and organizations outside of the church. Jesus - as our High Priest - founded the Church, and we must tithe to the church. In addition, people are to give over and above “in proportion” to how God blesses them. There are many things about the church that have been created by human beings, there are also things about the church created by Jesus. Too many people forsake Jesus’ church because of human dynamics; financial and otherwise. Deconstruction is a departure from following Jesus in a biblical way. There are many expressions of The Church and many human systems that are a part of churches. Disliking a certain expression doesn’t give us permission to abandon biblical truth.

But hey, let’s say you don’t buy in to tithing. Then that must mean that you subscribe to the kind of giving mentioned in Acts 2 and 4. Where the church gave so much so that there were no needs. Unless you’re a multi-multi millionaire or a billionaire, that would mean giving way more than 10%.

That’s amazing that you would sell your home and all your possessions to give the money to the church! /s

That’s what the early church did, they gave everything they had to the church. And if they didn’t have enough, they sold everything that was worth anything and gave some more.

Here’s the truth: people that don’t believe in tithing are mostly selfish. They don’t give according to the “Old Testament”, and they don’t give according to the “New Testament” either. Most “christians” don’t give. Christians only give 2.5% of their income to charity. The least in history. During the Great Depression, christians gave 3.3%. Only 5% of christians tithe (Source). Isn’t it interesting that only 6% of christians have a biblical worldview too?

A tithe shouldn’t be a sticking point for us. Because for God, its a starting point. The spectrum of giving extends from tithing on the low end to “giving everything away” on the high end. You and I get to decide where we fall in the spectrum. We don’t get to not give.

Those who lead the church spiritually should lead the way financially (Acts 4:35,37; Acts 11:29,30; 1 Timothy 3:3,8)

Pastors and church leaders should tithe and give themselves as they expect those in the church to tithe and give. My personal minimum as a leader within a church is that 20% of my income goes to Elevate Life. In some years, I’ve given as much as a third of my income to the church.

Money should be handled in a way that is defensible from accusations (2 Corinthians 8:18-24, Acts 6:1-6)

People within the church that handle money should be trustworthy. The church should have great “control” over what happens with money so that there is accountability.

The church must teach people the Biblical reasons for giving (Romans 12:1, Philippians 4:16-19, 2 Corinthians 8-9, Matthew 6, Luke 12, Romans 15:27, Luke 16)

The Bible teaches various reasons for financial giving within the church. Giving is seen as a response to God's grace emphasizing gratitude for what God has given through Christ. It's also a practical means to meet real needs in the name of Jesus. It increases our commitment to God, fulfills a moral responsibility to support those in leadership, is essential to ensure the success of church missions and maintains integrity in the church. The leaders of the church have the responsibility to teach those within the church why we give.

Just like we see when it comes to governance. The Bible doesn’t give a whole lot of specificity regarding what kind of ministries to support, how much church staff should be paid, who should make that decision, and how much transparency a church should have regarding its finances. All of these things are important conversations, and they are good, and beneficial. But there is a difference between something being required biblically, and something being a good practice.

Unfortunately, with governance and finances, there are people who want to use the Bible to “punish” pastors and church leaders that they believe to be in wrongdoing. This happens in all churches, regardless of size or budget. In some ways this kind of behavior is justified. In many ways, it’s wicked. There are a lot of examples of ministry leaders and pastors doing it wrong. There are just as many, if not more examples however, of ministry and church leaders doing it right.

There are as many different approaches to finances within churches as there are churches. However, a church that will tell you exactly what happens with every dollar, and the staff salaries are all made public is no more biblical than a church who will tell you nothing. I’m not saying that best practices don’t matter. What I am saying is that just because human beings want something from a church, doesn’t mean that God requires it.

We need to be careful about conflating the opinions, and structures of human beings with the commands of God.

The majority of church structures and governance are human’s attempts to manage spiritual things. Whether its money, leadership, or people’s souls, the church is a place where we imperfectly attempt to partner with God to fulfill what Jesus commands. All manmade structures are flawed. All accountability methods have holes. There are ways around every command and every requirement in every system.

God commands us to be a part of the church, and give financially regardless of what they do with it.

In Philippians 4:17, Paul is talking about people giving financially to him personally and he says “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” He was telling the church that when they give - even towards an individual in full time ministry - God credits them in heaven. When we give towards the church and God’s work, God makes a record of our giving. Jesus also commands us to store up “treasures in heaven” in Matthew 6. This makes it clear that earthly giving has heavenly - and eternal - significance. And as soon as you give to God and his Kingdom, he records your giving.

“What about making sure that the church isn’t misusing my money?”

This is a valid concern. Think about giving financially to the church like a two-step process:

1. We give

2. The church does something with the money

As I have shown, we have a command from God to give, and the church also has requirements of what to do with the money. Many people have valid concerns about what the church does with the money they give. However, the biblical truth is that God does not make that a condition of giving. Look at the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13). Jesus makes it clear that the sower sows on all kinds of ground, not just good ground. God doesn’t ask us to make the quality of the ground a condition of our sowing.

Does that mean that we should sow indiscriminately? Of course not, I am not advocating for a lack of wisdom. It just means that “I don’t know what the church will do with the money” is not a biblically qualified reason to withhold giving financially. There are many reasons the Bible gives as to why/when not to give, and this isn’t one of them.

If we truly believe that God places all authority, including church leadership. Then what we also must submit to is that God is the only one who will hold them accountable when it is all said and done. Believe it or not, God is really good at promoting and demoting people and he probably doesn’t need our help. Most of us know what has happened to pastors and ministry leaders who have misused church and Kingdom funds, and it has never been pretty. There’s a lot of bloggers, podcasters and influencers that disagree with me. I can’t say their opinion is really all that important, or making a positive difference in the church. It’s definitely exponentially increasing the level of dishonor and cynicism for the church and Godly leadership. I’ll probably take time and address whether or not that’s biblical another day.

The justice of God is pure justice, he does not have bias, he is not ignorant and he cannot be manipulated. All human accountability structures can, will and have failed. But God is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Jesus said in Luke 8 “all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” If the church does something wrong with the money, there’s strong evidence over the past 2000 years that God will handle it.

Regardless of how we think things should work. We only have one financial responsibility, to give. The church has its responsibility as well, and God reigns over it all.

Part 3 - what does Elevate Life do? coming tomorrow.

One of these claims that I saw recently was a person saying that “if you go to a church, and they don’t have a board-run leadership structure, they are an apostate church who is actively practicing heresy.”

On top of that, this same person went on to say that “before you give to a church, the Bible says you are supposed to know what they are going to do with the money.”

Let’s explore that. I want to look at a few things:

1. What does the Bible say about how a church should be structured (Part 1)?

2. What does the Bible say about church finances (Part 2)?

3. What does Elevate Life do (Part 3)?

This might be a long one…

You might not know what an apostate church is. “Apostasy” is when a person turns away from, or renounces a faith. In this case, the Christian faith and practice.

It’s easy for people to throw these terms out or to say things like “this is what the Bible says” without actually providing references. I’m not going to do that.

I’ve realized there are a lot that “lay-people” - read: not professional church people - don’t often know about the Bible. I live in the United States, where 68% of people identify as Christian. Simultaneously, only 6% of these people have a biblical worldview (Source).

So, 94% of Christians don’t have much clue of what the Bible says about anything. Then they go to church, the internet, books (or anything that is not the Bible), or hear what their friends say, and somehow think by hearing what other people say the Bible says, they know what the Bible says.

I say this frequently, but every perspective you hear on the Bible is just that. Perspective. It may be accurate, it may be inaccurate. You won’t know unless you weigh what people say according to what Scripture says. 94% of self-proclaiming Christians don’t do this. So on the subject of church governance, the handling of money, (or anything else) their understanding is misguided and flawed.

Everyone has a perspective and interpretation on Scripture. That’s unavoidable. But if you always go to the source, you can start with the purest source. And I believe God will speak to you through his word in the way you need to be spoken to. You can also determine what kind of church, and what kind of leadership you would like to align your own life with

So, to the first question.

What does the Bible say about how a church should be structured?

There are seven key examples of governance of any movement of God’s people we can see in the Scripture:

Old Testament //

Jethro Advising Moses (Exodus 18:13-26):

Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, observed Moses becoming overwhelmed by the task of personally judging all disputes among the Israelites. He advised Moses to appoint capable men as leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to handle smaller matters, reserving only the most significant cases for Moses.

The Book of Judges

After the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, God ordained tribal and military leaders called Judges to deliver Israel from oppression and settle disputes.

David’s Organization of the Levites (1 Chronicles 23-26):

King David organized the Levites into groups responsible for specific duties in the service of the Temple. This included musicians, gatekeepers, and others who served in various capacities, ensuring that the worship and maintenance of the Temple were conducted in an orderly manner.

Solomon’s Temple Building (1 Kings 5-6):

King Solomon undertook the monumental task of building the Temple in Jerusalem. This required extensive organization, including the mobilization of thousands of workers, the sourcing of materials, and careful planning to construct the Temple according to God's specifications.

Nehemiah Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2-6):

Nehemiah organized the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, a task critical for the security and identity of the Jewish people. This required strategic planning, delegation of duties, and coordination among various groups working on different sections of the wall.

New Testament

Jesus Feeding the Multitude (Mark 6:30-44, Matthew 14:13-21):

While not an example of a structured organization, this event shows Jesus' practical approach to a large gathering. He instructed his disciples to have the crowd sit down in groups before he multiplied the loaves and fishes, facilitating the distribution of food.

Apostles Delegating the Food Distribution (Acts 6:1-6):

As the early church grew, the apostles found that managing the daily distribution of food to widows was detracting from their primary duties of prayer and ministry of the word. They appointed seven men of “good repute”, full of the Spirit and wisdom, to oversee this task. This allowed the apostles to focus on their essential roles while ensuring that the practical needs of the community were met.

Paul Organizing Missionary Work (Various Letters):

In his letters, Paul often discusses the organization of churches and missionary work. For instance, in his letters to Timothy and Titus, Paul outlines qualifications for church leaders (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). He also gives instructions on church order, worship, and the roles of different members within the church (1 Corinthians 12-14, 1 Timothy 2).

These aren’t the only places where structure and governance are mentioned, but they are the clearest. There’s other ones we can look at like:

• The Organization of the Israelite Camp and March (Numbers 2 & 10):

  The Israelites were instructed on how to camp around the Tabernacle and in what order to march. This organization ensured order and efficiency for a large group of people on the move.

• The Collection for the Jerusalem Church (1 Corinthians 16:1-4):

  Paul gives instructions for collecting offerings in a structured manner. This demonstrates an organized approach to handling finances within the church.

• The Selection of Joshua as Moses’ Successor (Numbers 27:15-23):

  God instructs Moses to lay hands on Joshua, indicating a formal and structured approach to leadership succession.

• King David Organizing the Army (1 Chronicles 27):

  David organized the army into divisions that would serve on a rotating monthly basis. This structure provided a systematic approach to military service.

• Ezra and the Reading of the Law (Nehemiah 8):

  When Ezra read the Law to the people, he did so in an organized gathering, illustrating the importance of structured teaching and learning.

• The Early Church’s Response to Persecution (Acts 8:1-4):

  Following Stephen’s martyrdom, the church in Jerusalem faced persecution and dispersed. However, even in scattering, they continued to preach the Word, showing an adaptive and responsive structure.

• The Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15):

  The early church held a council to decide on the issue of Gentile believers and the Law. This meeting involved structured debate and led to a unified decision, demonstrating a form of collective and consultative governance.

• Paul’s Instructions for Worship (1 Corinthians 14:26-40):

  Paul sets guidelines for orderly worship services in the Corinthian church, emphasizing structured participation and the importance of doing everything in a fitting and orderly way.

There’s really one key takeaway I think we need to pay attention to from all the Bible has to say about structure. “Thus saith the Lord” never appears.

What do I mean by that? Even throughout Scripture, the vast majority of attempts at structure are manmade. There is not one time in the whole Bible where God says, “here is how my church must be organized.” He could have. And I wish he did, because it would make it easier on all of us. If you read the “Books of the Law” (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers Deuteronomy), God covered just about everything for them. Down to where their tents would be placed in relationship to the Tabernacle.

What about Churches specifically?

Let’s look at church models that come out of Scripture. If you look at the Bible, and history, there are 3 key church leadership models we see demonstrated that each have their own pros and cons.

Pastor/Overseer Governance:

Structure

This model is characterized by a hierarchy of individual leaders. In this system, individual pastors, bishops or elders have authority over individual church congregations. This system can also include individual pastors who oversee groups of pastors.

Historical Background

This form traces back to the early church, with roots in the organization of the Roman and Greek Empires. The Athenians would often send episkopoi (overseers) to subject states within Greece. This is the term Paul uses to refer to church leaders in Philippians 1:1. This model was widely established by the time of the Nicene Creed (AD 325), which is the defining statement of belief of mainstream Christianity. This is still the model that Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, and Anglican churches use today.

Biblical Basis

Advocates often cite passages like Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7, where Paul discusses qualifications for overseers. Acts 20, 1 Peter 5, and Acts 14 where episkopoi are mentioned singularly are used as well as the example of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and Moses in Exodus 18.

Pros:

• Clear Authority Structure: Clear lines of authority and responsibility.

• Unity and Consistency: Worship, teaching, culture, and vision are consistent and unified.

• Historical Continuity: This is the primary governance model of the early church.

• Effective Administration: Centralized leadership can lead to efficient decision-making and resource allocation.

Cons:

• Risk of Autocracy: Concentration of power can lead to abuse or neglect of the voice of those who aren’t “in leadership.”

• Less Autonomy: Leaders underneath overseers have limited ability to adapt practices/doctrine to their context.

• Potential for Disconnection: Higher-level leaders might be out of touch with local needs.

• Complexity in Administration: Can many times lead to bureaucracy.

Elder/Board Governance:

Structure

The church is governed by elders (presbyters) and is characterized by a representative form of church government. Churches are governed by a single board, or multiple committees depending on their size. All committees/boards are accountable to a higher board.

Historical Background

This model became prominent during the Protestant Reformation. The idea was put forward by John Calvin in Institutes of the Christian Religion. It was further developed by leaders like John Knox, who were influenced by Calvin.

Biblical Basis

Passages such as Acts 15 (the Jerusalem Council) are often cited, illustrating the collective decision-making process. Additionally, verses that mention elders (presbyters), such as 1 Timothy 5:17 and Titus 1:5, are used to support this model.

Pros:

• Shared Leadership: Power is distributed among a group of elders, reducing the risk of authoritarianism.

• Representation: Combines authority of the pastors with the input of non-pastoral leaders.

• Decreased Liability: The chances for an ethical or moral leadership failure are potentially decreased.

• Shared Responsibility: The approach of the church and its leadership requires agreement between a group of people who rule by majority.

Cons:

• Potential for Politics: Different interpretations and alliances among elders or overseers can lead to conflict and poor decision making.

• Administrative Complexity: Multiple levels of governance can complicate decision-making processes.

• Limited Leadership Input: Individual leaders may have less direct influence on major decisions that affect them.

• Risk of Elitism: Power may become concentrated in a small, possibly out-of-touch group.

Congregational Governance:

Structure:

In this model, the authority lies with the congregation as a whole. Major decisions are made by all the members of a church, often through voting. The role of the pastor and other leaders is more about guiding and teaching than leading.

Historical Background:

Congregationalism has roots in the Puritan movement and became particularly significant in the United States. It was a reaction against the hierarchical structure of the Anglican Church and the perceived limitations of Elder/Board governance.

Biblical Basis:

Proponents often refer to passages that emphasize the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9) and the autonomy of local congregations, as seen in the early church (2 Corinthians 8:19, Acts 6:1-6).

Pros:

• Local Autonomy: Each congregation can tailor practices to fit its community.

• Democratic Process: Encourages active participation and investment from members.

• Buy-In: The congregation is committed to the church and sees themselves as a type of “owner.”

• Leaders are Chosen: Leaders are chosen by those within the church.

Cons:

• Risk of Disunity: Lack of a higher authority can lead to church division.

• Potential for Conflict: Decision-making by consensus can be slow and contentious.

• Variable Leadership Quality: Leaders may be chosen for their popularity, not skill or character. And people who are not mature or truly committed to the church participate in key decisions.

• Disempowered Leadership: Pastors may only want to teach or preach on subjects that please the people. Unpopular, but necessary changes may not be made out of fear of lack of congregational support.

Which one is the “right” one?

That’s the big question isn’t it? That’s really a matter of opinion. As with most things, the problems with these models is not the models themselves, its always the people. All three of these are “biblical” and none of them are more biblical than another.

Bad leadership messes everything up. I think this is why Jesus said the way to know if someone is a good leader is to look at their fruit in Matthew 7:15-20.

¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ¹⁹ So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

I think that God knew that we would have different opinions, different interpretations and different perspectives. And so that’s why he made it about fruit. Fruit doesn’t lie. When we look at leaders, whether they be an individual pastor, board of elders or congregation, what is the fruit of their life?

Here’s a pro-tip: Don’t judge a person on what they say, what other people say, or what you think. Judge a person by their actions and results. Whether it be a pastor, or anyone else. If the fruit is good, you can trust the person. But even in trusting the person, they are still a flawed individual.

In the church, we don’t worship the pastor, we don’t worship the board, we don’t worship ourselves. Regardless of who is in the “leadership seat,” Christ is the head of the church and the only perfect person associated with the church. Be careful in looking for fruit that you’re not looking for perfection. All churches, no matter what their structure, are subject to the imperfect people that call them home. In Philippians 2, Paul tells us to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” What that means to me to is to set my own house in order before I become critical of the church, or even another person’s approach to God. All of us at the end of the day, cannot truly stand up to scrutiny. We have all sinned, and fall short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23).

Finally, what is the right form of governance? Whichever one you choose. The great thing about the Church in the world is that there are as many different expressions of church as there are churches. There are 380,000 churches in the United States and they all have issues and flaws everywhere, including how they are governed. Ultimately, all authority comes from God (Romans 13), but we get to decide as human beings the authorities we submit to. At some point, you will have to pick an imperfect church, led by imperfect people in some way, and submit to whatever the “Biblical” authority structure is within that church.

The unfortunate truth for many “Christians” is that they don’t want to submit to authority. They want to BE the authority. Or, they don’t want to have any authority in their own life. That’s the same thing that Lucifer did in Isaiah 14. That’s the question that the snake asked Eve in Genesis 3. Our rejection of Godly authority, whether that be parents, a pastor, elder board or our boss stems from the darkest part of us. Our pride. Our desire to have it “our way.” And just because we learn some Bible, doesn’t mean that “spirit” goes away. The church is full of modern-day Pharisees who want the church to be led, taught and controlled “their way.” Thinking that our interpretation or perspective is the best one, or the holiest one is just a more spiritual form of pride. The truth is, all of us want people to be subject to what we think. Because we think we are better than most people. And we all think that if “they” just did it “this way” (read: our way) it would work.

Nothing could be further from the truth. So, before you follow a person, join a church, or run off a cliff for some kind of mission; get to know the people, look at the fruit and then decide. That’s what Jesus told us to do.

Regardless of church leadership style, one thing is clear: Christians must be a part of The Church. We can’t follow Jesus on our own and think that is truly Biblical Christianity. Jesus established the church for a reason in Matthew 16. Despite structural and leadership differences, all church leaders and mature christians know this to be true. Find a church you want to give your life to, a Biblical leadership style you align with and make them your tribe.

Don’t miss Part 2 - The church and money

1 Timothy 2:9-15

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.

10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

11 Women should learn quietly and submissively.

12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.

13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve.

14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.

15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

First, Interpretations are not Scripture.

Arminian, Calvinist, Charismatic, Reformed. Everyone has their interpretations and their logic behind their interpretations.

Everyone (including you) has an interpretation and that’s ok.

Immature people tend to elevate their interpretation of Scripture to the level of Scripture. This is the same issue we see with people who make a case for God approving homosexuality, more than two genders, abortion, or some other stance they want to take.

People interpret scripture to say worship shouldn’t have instruments, men shouldn’t shave their face, and we should handle snakes in the church. Some people twist scripture to justify racism, hatred, misoginy, and all kinds of bigotry.

The truth is, there are some things that are absolutely clear in Scripture, and there are some things that are open to interpretation. However, some people tend to think everything is subject to interpretation. And that’s just not true. Things like the deity of Christ and his resurrection, the Gospel, monotheism and the trinity and salvation by Grace are places where Scripture is absolutely clear. Things like this are considered essentials to Christian faith.

Augustine was famous for saying “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”

Things that are non-essential are places where we often give our interpretation.  People’s interpretations often change over time, or are based in cultural norms. That might make a person misguided, but that doesn’t make them evil. Because we should practice charity in all things towards people.

I really like what Marcus Aurelius says in his Meditations: “You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

It’s simple and powerful to realize I don’t have to have an opinion or interpretation on every permutation of everything in the world. People will always have their opinions, judgements and interpretations. And really, unless they ask me, they don’t have those things for the purpose of my approval.

I say all of this because the role of women in ministry is ultimately an interpretation. I’m taking time to share mine and @elevate.life’s. It’s an interpretation, and it’s also non essential for salvation, but it’s also not a debate. If a person is in our tribe and church, this is how we think about these things.

We must always understand that disagreeing with a person’s perspective doesn’t make us “more right” than them. Different ≠ better.

So, with that said, what’s our position on the above verses and women’s role in church leadership?

Does the Bible allow women to be pastors?

Many Christians think that the Bible does not allow women to be pastors. They tend to hang out on 1 Timothy 2 + 1 Corinthians 14, let’s start with 1 Timothy 2:12: “I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.”

If we only take this one verse, we have to remember Paul isn’t just talking about church leadership. We tend to read “church leadership” into the verse through the context of 1 Timothy, but, let’s just look at the verse.

1. “A woman cannot teach a man.” This means that women cannot be doctors, professors, or high-school teachers. Again, this verse does not say that it is restricted to the church.

2. “A woman cannot have authority over a man.” This potentially means that a woman cannot be elected to political office, or to be a manager in a store that has male employees, or to be a principal of a school that has male teachers. The verse makes no exceptions.

3. “Women are to listen quietly.” Women cannot be in entertainment, have social media, or play any kind of role in public life. If I haven’t said this before, this verse isn’t just talking about the church.

Almost no one except the most marginal people interpret this verse in this way. Even the most conservative Bible scholars, theologians and church leaders all say that the verse should not be understood in such a literal way. Why would they say that?

Because of how we’re supposed to read (and apply) the Bible.

There are two things that make it clear that this verse does not prohibit women from all forms of teaching, authority, or speaking.

1. Context.

2. In the Bible. God used women to speak, teach and have authority over men (also context).

1) Context

What is the context of this verse? Let’s look at the book of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy is an open letter from the apostle Paul to Timothy, giving him instructions about what Timothy should do when leading the church in Ephesus and confronting bad teaching (1 Tim. 1:3-4). A lot of 1 Timothy can be applied to the greater church today, but, there is also a lot of specificity for a specific church, at a specific time, in a specific place. For example, Paul gives instructions about how the men should pray: “In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.” (2:8). What does Paul mean by “in every place?” Taken literally, it would mean that all Christian men should travel throughout their city, to every building and open area, to pray with hands raised. But we do not take those words literally.

What Paul was saying was appropriate in the culture of the church in Ephesus, but that doesn’t make it necessary in ours.

Specific verses on women

In verse 9, Paul says that “And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.”

Taken literally, the verse says that women should not fix their hair, and should not wear gold. But few churches today think that women have to follow these rules. No one gets upset when these details are ignored. It’s exceedingly rare to find people - men or women - who want a woman to not fix her hair, or think that this is applicable today. Regarding “expensive clothes,” expensive in America is different than most of the world, where 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day. To those people, expensive would be anything you or I would wear in the yard. It’s obvious that most of the clothing worn to churches today would violate what Paul writes.

The vast majority of churches today do not always take what Paul wrote literally in this chapter. Therefore, when we come to verse 12, there’s a choice we have to make, do we take it literally, or do we understand what Paul is saying specifically for the church in Ephesus. How can we decide?

Some people say that we should continue Paul’s policy because he supports his policy by referring to the biblical story of sin in the Garden of Eden (1 Timothy 2:13-14: “For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.” If Adam was not deceived, then he sinned deliberately, then Adam is worse than Eve. He sinned - not because he didn’t know better -  but because he was evil and rebellious. This makes it difficult to argue that men should be in charge because the first man was deliberately wicked, and the first woman wasn’t. Using this verse in the way Paul says it would actually mean that women are intrinsically more qualified for leadership than men. Therefore qualifying women to lead. Disproving the point that people say that Paul is making.

Since we’re on verses 13-14, let’s look at verse 15. It says that women can “be saved through childbearing,” which also contradicts the clear Biblical truth that salvation comes only through Christ.

Confused? Me too.

These verses - right after the “women aren’t allowed to be leaders” verse - tell us that we don’t understand the passage as well as we’d like to. As you read 1 and 2 Timothy (and Ephesians) it is clear that there were issues in Ephesus with leadership, lifestyle and theology. What Paul said would have been clear to them in that time. But we are missing part of the picture. Especially the childbirth thing. I’m sure a deeper scholar than me can interpret what that is supposed to mean, but the truth is, none of us really know exactly what Paul was saying there. Or what he is referencing.

Many people make a connection to Acts 19, where there was a riot in Ephesus over Paul trying to convert people from their pagan worship of Artemis. In Acts 19, Ephesus is wild. That may have related to 1 Timothy, but we don’t know for sure. The context surrounding 1 Timothy 2 is unclear. What is clear is that Paul didn’t allow women to teach or lead in the church in Ephesus. We don’t really know why. And it’s also not clear how that policy reflects on the modern church when considering the context of 1 Timothy. Unless a church is willing to practice everything Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2, it would be difficult Biblically for them to enforce a selective part. So, context of the specific verses is at best, unclear.

2) In the Bible. God used women to speak, teach and have authority over men (also, context)

Throughout Scripture, one thing is abundantly clear that goes against 1 Timothy 2 God has never required women to be silent. Even in a religious setting. And God himself allowed - and appointed - women to have authority over men.

Deborah

In Judges 4, we find the story of Deborah

4 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time.

5 She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment.

6 One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor.

7 And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.”

8 Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”

9 “Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

10 At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.

Deborah had political authority over the nation of Israel before there was a king. She also had religious authority. She gave Barak, a male Israelite general a message directly from God.  Through her, Israel experienced peace for 40 years. God also didn’t use her husband. Her husband is referenced, but God used her.  Many leaders have suggested that God used Deborah because there was not a willing or competent man. That may be true, but the Bible doesn’t say that.  What the Bible does say is that Deborah was used by God as a worship leader, a spokesperson for God and a civil leader for the nation. Including the men.

When Paul says that a woman cannot have authority over a man, was he giving a timeless and permanent Biblical truth from God? If someone like Deborah exists in scripture, that can’t be true. God himself does not seem to have that policy. Paul’s perspective may have been relevant to the Ephesian church in the 1st century, which is one thing. But there is clear evidence in Scripture that God uses women in positions of leadership in every capacity outside of the church in Ephesus in the 1st century.

It is true that most of the leaders of the nation of Israel were men. However, it takes only one contrary example to show us that solely male leadership is not a universal Biblical principle. The Bible also doesn’t say that Deborah is an exception to some kind of rule. It just says that God used her.

Huldah

In 2 Kings 22, the high priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law in the Temple. They read it, took the scroll to the king, and he said:

13 “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.

15 She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you,

16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the words written in the scroll that the king of Judah has read will come true.”

Hilkiah the high priest - the man in the highest religious office in Israel, God’s representative on the earth - went to consult with a female prophet, Huldah. Again, the Bible doesn’t say that this was some kind of exception. God then used Huldah to give him a word for the nation of Israel. God could have used whoever he wanted to give a message to his people, but again in this passage he chooses a prophetess. This story illustrates further that God does not have a permanent policy against women in leadership.

New Testament Women

Some people may say “well, that’s Old Testament.” Which proves nothing except that those people don’t realize that the Old Testament isn’t cancelled out by the New one. It’s fulfilled, not nullified. They are supposed to work together. Not contradict each other. But there are examples in the New Testament too. And throughout Scripture, God does not contradict himself, nor does he change his mind. Including using women in positions of leadership.

In the NT, we see again that most of the leaders were men, but God used women to teach and to lead men. These also show us that God does not require all women to be silent. This doesn’t mean Paul was wrong, or that the Bible is inaccurate. It just means there’s a difference between a rule for a specific time and place, and a permanent rule for all churches in all places.

In Luke 2, an 84 year old prophetess named Anna sees Jesus at the temple and is one of the first people to recognize Jesus as God.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared to women first in Matthew 28:8-10.

8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message.

9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

One of these women was Mary Magdalene. She is mentioned in all four Gospels, was close to Jesus, and was present at his crucifixion. These women were not sent as simple messengers. Jesus told them to enforce a command to give to his “brothers.” Jesus obviously expected his brothers to obey the message these women delivered. Jesus gave women authority to relay instructions to men.

Priscilla and her husband Aquila are mentioned in Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians and 2 Timothy.  She was a tentmaker and ran a business with her husband to fund the Kingdom. She is known as the first female preacher of the New Testament. Many modern scholars believe there is significant evidence that she was the writer of the book of Hebrews. Priscilla, Aquila and Paul all worked together to lead the early church. In Romans 16, he calls her a “co-laborer” alongside him in leadership. Would Paul do this if he didn’t himself believe in women in leadership?

Paul mentions Tryphaena and Tryphosa in Romans 12 as “workers in the Lord.” In Philippians, he says that two other women, Euodia and Syntyche “worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. “(Philippians 4:3). In both passages, Paul says that women were working in some kind of official leadership capacity in the early church. There are also other notable women like Lydia in Acts 16, a successful businesswoman and the first European convert, who hosted Paul and his companions. Chloe is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1 as the head of a household in Corinth, from whom Paul received important church information. Apphia shows up  in Philemon, likely involved in the Colossian church. And Nympha hosted a church in her house in  Colossians 4.

Now, these verses do not specifically say that the women were teaching both men and women. That leads some people to say that it is permissible for women to be teachers for women, or women’s ministries, but not teach the whole church. However, this is an unclear distinction with an awkward application.

So, these people admit that women can be effective teachers, and that they can be spokespersons for God, but they say that it would be wrong for these women to deliver the message in an assembled church including men? Even though there are clear Biblical examples that show that God sometimes gives his message to a woman and wants men to learn from what she says. Using this logic, if men want to hear the message that God has given women, men would have to hear certain messages from God outside of a church. This would mean that the church is not allowed - by God - to hear the totality of what He wants to teach us.

Let’s continue this thought pattern. Nothing in the Bible says that women can’t write books. So women are allowed by God to write books. Men can, and will learn from what women write. And men can quote from the books written by women (including parts of the Bible). However, women are not allowed to give this message themselves directly to the men.

In order for a woman to give a message to a man from God, it must delivered to a man as an intermediary first, and then a man can hear it. Is that how God designed the church to function? I don’t think so.

When the Holy Spirit filled the people in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, The Bible said that both “sons and daughters will prophesy.” (Acts 2:17). In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul allows both men and women to prophesy in the church. So, in Corinth, women participated in church leadership. In Ephesus, the rules were different. There is no way for us to know the circumstances surrounding these differences reliably. Paul wrote this rule for the Ephesian church as his own policy, and he stated so. He said “I do not permit” not “God does not permit.”

Should women be silent in church?

Talking about 1 Corinthians leads to another rule that we should talk about.

34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. 35 If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings. 

(1 Corinthians 14:34-35)

What about widows? What about single women? What about women who have non-christian husbands? Paul’s instructions seem to be only good for married women. Again, we don’t have the complete picture. If you read the entirety of 1 Corinthians 14, the church is in some kind of chaos. And it’s not just women that are told to be silent in church. In verses 26-33, Paul gives instructions on how many people should speak during a service. Paul is illustrating a church of complete disorder. People are interrupting each other and more than one person was trying to talk at a time. Men and women. Paul gives all this instruction and then says “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” (1 Cor 14:33).

We don’t know the specifics of why women in the Corinthian church are asked to withhold their questions until they get home. But just like Ephesus, there’s probably some specific examples within the specific church that necessitates Paul’s instruction.

What is interesting as well, is that when Paul is telling people to not all speak at once, he doesn’t use the word speak, he uses the word prophesy (προφητεύω) in 1 Corinthians 14. But when he refers to the women talking, he doesn’t use the same word. He uses a word that means “to talk at random” (λαλέω). So I think there is clarity that Paul is just asking women not to have conversations during a church service. He could have used the same word he uses a few sentences earlier, but he doesn’t.

Factor these two things together:

1. Paul talking about toning down chaos.

2. Paul using a word that means “conversation.”

And it is clear that this, just like 1 Timothy 2, is for a specific church, a specific reason, and a specific time.

Both 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 have traditionally been used to say that God forbids women from speaking or leading in a church. Therefore, women cannot be pastors, or in any kind of authority except over women or children.

This interpretation clearly contradicts a good portion of the Bible that shows God placing women in positions of authority over men, and using them as religious and secular authorities.

Elevate Life Church’s Position

As a church, Elevate Life believes that these verses restricting women were written for specific times, places, and churches. The words of Paul here are not mandatory for all churches, at all times, and at all places.

Without women, the church is not the church. God intends to build something that includes all types of gifting that he creates and he does not limit authority based upon gender. If God gives a woman the ability to lead and speak, then those gifts must be used to benefit the whole church. Women are spiritually gifted by God to preach, teach, prophesy, evangelize and be apostles. God ordains and establishes women in positions of authority throughout the world (and the church) to accomplish his purposes.

P.S. I didn’t even factor in how God has used women since the first century church. You can look up people like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Catherine Booth, Catherine of Alexandria, Florence Crawford, Aimee Semple McPherson, Corrie ten Boom, Mother Teresa and almost inumerable others.

Over the past 100 years, churches have adopted salvations as a key metric of their success/failure as a church.

Believe it or not, there is no precedent for this in the Bible.

That doesn’t mean salvation isn’t important. However, to have a properly biblical view on salvation means it’s not our responsibility, it’s God’s. So, churches saying “this is how many salvations WE had” is a little bit disingenuous, because that’s kind of like us taking responsibility for God’s job.

If you believe what Scripture teaches about salvation, then you believe two things:

1. Salvation is not a product of what we do, it is a gift from God.

   “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” // Ephesians 2:8-9

   This includes our work to “get people saved.” We’re not supposed to be able to boast about “how many people got saved.” Because it’s only the work of God in people’s lives. We help, for sure. But we’re kind of like the little kids who help their mom make dinner by stirring the pot with a spoon. Technically, we’re helping.

2. Christians cannot “save” anyone, but we can lead people to Jesus who saved us.

   “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” // Matthew 5:16

   All we can do is clarify, teach, guide and lead by example. We demonstrate fruit in our life, and do good works, and that points people to Jesus.

These aren’t the only two things to believe about salvation. But they are two things we must believe.

To focus on salvations as a key measure of the success of a church is misguided

How did salvations become a key metric? Over the past 100 years, evangelistic outreaches have focused on leading people to Jesus and getting “people saved.” Objectively, this has been a good thing.

However, that’s not what Jesus said to focus on. Billy Graham himself, without a doubt the greatest evangelist of the past 100 years often lamented that churches would focus on salvations.

He would come to their city and do a crusade that introduced thousands of people to Jesus. His original goal was to connect people to a local church where they could be discipled, however, he would often see churches just replicating his methods within their church to see more salvations. Billy Graham’s stated goal every time he did a crusade was to partner with local churches to get people discipled immediately. He felt that many churches who participated in his crusades missed the mark on discipleship and tried too much to be like him.

Why did they do this? Why do they do this now? Why have salvations become an end goal of the church? There’s a lot of potential reasons, but I think it really comes down to primarily one thing. Ego. And not just a pastor’s ego, but the ego of leaders and members of a church to have a church that is “reaching this many people for Christ.”

As a Pastor, there is nothing more personally gratifying than seeing a large amount of people respond to a message that I preach. People in our church love to see the response on Easter and Christmas when the altars are full. All of us love to watch spiritual change begin to take place in someone’s life. Salvations are a low hanging fruit that make us all feel good.

• They make the pastor feel like they’re doing a good job preaching and teaching.

The problem with this is that the goal of preaching is not to invoke a response. It is to make God known to people. To show the teachings and work of God and make them practical for everyday life. Sometimes you will have a message that people love, sometimes messages will be challenging. But mature preachers and teachers never measure their effectiveness by crowd response.

In addition, I think for many pastors and leaders, they have begun to think that increasing the response of the crowd and/or growing their church is the most important outcome. We see this same phenomenon play out when pastors won’t talk about difficult cultural issues that are unbiblical, like cohabitation, gay marriage, the social justice movement and abortion. They are most often afraid of what it will do to their crowds, conferences and book sales.

• They help servant leaders and staff feel like they are doing their jobs well.

Now, this may or may not be true. But the church is more than just a salvation hub. It is meant to be a place of growth, transformation, relationship, worship, sacrifice and a whole lot more. If we get too focused on salvations, we’re actually missing the reason why Jesus established the church in the first place.

• They are easily and immediately measurable. Hands raised are a very simple measurement.

The problem with this is obvious. Outside of a hand raised, how can we know a person is truly saved? We don’t. We really can’t know at all if someone really is saved. That’s an extremely clear reason why it shouldn’t be a primary measurement. Salvation is a God and you issue, it’s about your heart, your spirit. Those are things that I can never know about another person.

• The number is often a big number, much bigger than most any other number a church will track over the course of the year.

Nothing wrong with this, but salvations are often just a “feel good” number that we can put at the top line of an annual report.

• Salvation is a one time event that requires little to no consistent engagement, or follow up from a leader.

The last one in particular is worrying for me. Many of us will willingly count hands raised, or people to come forward in the altar. However, ask a leader how many of those people are in their church in 6 months, 3 months, or even 2 weeks from now and there’s usually no way for them to know that.

Many churches, like ours, have people fill out forms and cards so that we can follow up, but the difference in amount of people that fill out a card vs. just come forward to the altar is huge. Not just in our church, in every church. Most often, when a church is throwing a big salvation number on a screen, they’re not saying these people got connected with, they are saying these people raised their hands and we counted them in a service.

• It focuses the church around growth through “getting people saved.”

Growth is not a bad thing. Until it is. God is concerned with quality. Not quantity. In our bodies, if something grows too fast, it’s usually cancer.

Scripture doesn’t actually want us to focus on growth. Biblical church leadership is all about health. Rick Warren is famous for saying “healthy things grow, but not everything that grows is healthy.”

Look at these verses and noticed the common statement about God:

1. “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” // Matthew 16:18

2. “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” // Acts 2:47

3. “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” // 1 Corinthians 3:6

What’s the common statement? God is the one who grows the church. We plant, we water, we create a healthy environment, but God grows the church.

Think about your kids. You don’t have to tell them to grow. My 6 year old, Charlie is about 3 feet tall. I don’t have to tell her; “Charlie, you know you can’t be 3 feet tall when you’re 20, you’ve got to grow.” That’s silly. I just have to create the right environment for her and nurture her health. That’s the true role of a church leader. And sometimes getting too focused on salvations gets us growing cancers instead of building healthy environments.

Ego + crowd pleasing are really the cause of most issues we have in life (and the church too).

I’m not saying any of this to be cynical. These are human problems. But there are solutions.

There are 2 very specific things that Jesus tells us to focus on in Scripture. One is behavioral, and the other is performance.

1) The Great Commandment (Behavior) // Matthew 22:35-40

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

This is hard to quantify, because it tells us how we should focus our actions. But God is concerned with your behavior towards him and other people. And his expectation is that we be loving.

2) The Great Commission (Performance) // Matthew 28:16-20

Every pastor i know, regardless of their salvation count is not thrilled with the quality of discipleship in their church. Ask a pastor how many people have been discipled in their church this year, and that’s a much harder question to answer.

The only thing that Jesus makes specifically clear that we should focus on in the church is the quality of disciples we are developing.

“what kind of disciples are we producing?” should really be the only question a church is trying to answer.

Salvation is a part of that, but it’s not the end goal, it’s the start. If we don’t get focused on discipleship, we fail.

You can have high attendance and still fail.

You can reach thousands with the gospel and still fail.

You can give all your money to the poor and still fail.

You can cast out demons, prophesy, heal and do miracles and still fail.

All of these things are great. but if we don’t make disciples, they don’t matter.

If we don’t make disciples, we fail. period. It’s the performance outcome that Jesus gave us. And most “christians” are absolute failures in this regard. They fail at the one thing Jesus said to be great at. Most christians are failing at just simply following Jesus. So making a disciple is an impossible task for them.

The average christian will never disciple someone, because they aren’t disciples themselves.

How do we know someone is a disciple?

1. Scripture - Do they read and apply the Bible to their life daily (Joshua 1:8)

2. Tithing/Giving - Do they put God first + give over and above? (Malachi 3, Acts 4:32-35, 2 Corinthians 8-9)

3. Servant Leadership - do they serve in the church? do they serve their community? (Philippians 2)

4. Mentorship - do they have Godly leadership/relationships in their life that hold them accountable? (James 5:16)

5. Evangelism - Do they tell other people about Jesus? (Mark 16:15)

We must do these things ourselves in order to help other people do them. But we have built a western church where these things are unfortunately the exception, not the rule.

Salvations are an outcome of effective discipleship. Not a measurement themselves.

Ask yourself these 2 questions:

1. How good of a disciple of Jesus am I according to these 5 things?

2. What specific people am I helping to become a disciple

your answers to this question will probably help you understand if you’re doing what Jesus said was most important.

What about the church?

So, what should we measure at a church?

at Elevate Life, we’ve tried to measure what we think God actually makes us responsible for biblically from a stewardship perspective. Loving people + making disciples. The scorecard is the metrics we use to determine how well we are doing that. (Notice salvations aren’t on there). We track salvations somewhere. But I never look at them. We don’t consider them to be a key metric that helps us lead the church to make better disciples.

First Time Guest Connections

Every first time guest that engages with our church on a weekend needs a follow up from a person. This is something we can track, be responsible for and helps people get started on their discipleship journey.

Small Group Joins

We want to see every week how many people join a small group. The greatest predictor of a person’s spiritual transformation is their relationships. Getting people to join small groups is the first step they usually take when we make a first time guest connection.

Servant Leader Team Joins

We are a servant-leader driven church. We’ve always had a small staff and believe in the power of “Jesus-style” leadership. Serving the church is a mark of spiritual maturity.

Service Length

We try (and fail) to keep our services to 90 minutes maximum on a weekend. In our experience, when we go over a 90 minute service length, our team joins, group joins and first time guest follow ups are all significantly impacted.

Cashflow

We look every week to check our stewardship and if the money that came in is greater than the money going out. There are obviously other key metrics financially we use, but this is the baseline of managing our financial stewardship.

3 New Ones

These three are new and we aren’t fully implemented with them yet, but we should be by the end of this year. We are working to add these to our key metrics.

Percentage of servant leaders on multiple rotations

Most often in churches like ours, there are a small group of dedicated people who do 90% of the work. We want people in our church to be balanced and healthy, especially people that serve. Right now almost 50% of the people who serve in our church serve on multiple teams and we’re trying to bring that number down so that people can sit in services with their family and enjoy their rest time.

Greatness journey conversions

This number is how many people have taken their next step in our greatness journey. Which is like our discipleship track. Whether that’s being baptized, taking a class, stepping into a higher level of leadership or tithing. This is how we measure how effective we are at discipling people into spiritual maturity.

Rotation care calls

Ideally, every week, everyone who serves is getting a call from their team or rotation lead during the week checking on them, praying for them and loving them.

We believe that if we track these things effectively and help people do the same, we will build a healthy environment where growth, salvations, discipleship and more all take place.

Part I - Part II - Part III

From 1948-1970, more than 1 million Jews relocated to Israel. Throughout most of this time, Israel was frequently attacked by what Arabs call fedayeen. Fedayeen is an Arabic term for “those who sacrifice themselves.” In the Arabic world, they are often civilian or militia groups that play a role in greater, organized military campaigns.

The Palestinian fedayeen were inspired by guerrilla movements in places like Vietnam and Latin America. Fedayeen groups were often disconnected and had different aims. But the one thing they agreed on was defeating the Zionists.

The fedayeen is what groups like Hamas, the PLO, DLFP and others were formed and shaped out of.

In Israel, the fedayeen almost always attacked civilian targets. Mostly in the Gaza Strip, which was at that time controlled by Egypt. Remember, the Gaza Strip and West Bank were not taken by Israel during their fight for independence. As they were supposed to form the “Arab state” according to the UN plan.

By the 1960’s, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, along with the fedayeen were in open conflict with the Israeli military.

In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed by the Arab League for the expressed purpose of eliminating the state of Israel and establishing an Arab state over the entire landmass of Israel, not just the UN partitions. Where did Hamas enter the picture? We’ll get to that.

The Six-Day War

In May of 1967, Egypt expelled UN peacekeepers who had been stationed near Israel since the 1950s, blocked Israel’s access to the Red Sea and massed its army near the border. Israel’s neighbors, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon began to do the same. In June, all four countries invaded Israel while PLO militants and various fedayeen groups carried out internal battles from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Within 6 days, Israel captured and occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. They didn’t just fend off the attack, they took vast areas of land from all four countries that attacked them.

In fact, after the Six-Day War, the land mass of Israel increased by over 300%

Aftermath, The Intifadas + Hamas

Up until 1967, the Gaza Strip and West Bank were mostly left alone by the Israelis. Jordan possessed a large amount of control over the West Bank, and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip. For the first time, Israel occupied and controlled these areas.

Following the 1967 war, Israel and Jewish people were attacked by the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization). Israeli athletes were massacred during the 1972 Summer Olympics, a plane filled with Israelis was hijacked and rescued and they were invaded again by the Egyptian and Syrian armies in 1973. Israel eventually fought them to a stalemate. Egypt wanted Israel to return the Sinai Peninsula, and Israel wanted recognition from Egypt as a nation. Both countries leaders and populations were war-weary and mostly supportive of peace efforts. Anwar Sadat, Egypt’s president visited Israel in 1977 and addressed the Israeli parliament. By 1979, Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt, was recognized by Egypt as a sovereign nation, and returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

After this, tensions between Jordan, Syria and Egypt were mostly cooled.

The First Intifada (1987-1993)

This angered the PLO because although Israel had returned the Sinai Peninsula, it still occupied land they considered the nation of Palestine. In 1987, Palestinians began to attack the Israeli military and government stationed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This led to a six year period of unrest called the First Intifada. Intifada means “uprising” in Arabic. During this time, the PLO was designated as a terrorist group by the US Government, and the PLO founded the nation of Palestine in 1988. The PLO however, sought to establish a secular state. Many Arabs wanted an Islamic state. Hamas was founded as an alternative to the PLO for the purpose of establishing an Islamic state in Palestine.

This led to peace negotiations between President Bill Clinton, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. These became known as the Oslo Accords.

These accords established mutual recognition between Israel and Palestine and made concessions for the Palestinians to self-govern certain areas of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Ultimately, these accords would have mixed results. Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995, Palestinians continued to attack Jewish civilians and Israel expanded their presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip instead of diminishing it.

The Second Intifada (2000-2005)

Tensions boiled over again after the mixed efforts of the Oslo Accords, and the failure of the following Camp David Summit.

The Palestinians began suicide bombing civilians and launching rockets into homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and other civilian targets. A disengagement plan was created between Palestinians and Israelis after the death of Yasser Arafat - who many thought engineered the uprising and kept it alive.

However, Palestinian leadership was splintered among the PLO, Hamas and other jihadist and fedayeen groups.

In 2002 Israel began construction of a 440 mile West Bank barrier to diminish suicide bombings and incursions into Israel by militant groups. As of today, 62% of it has been completed.

In 2005, Israel ceased its occupation of the Gaza Strip, but maintains control of the airspace, sea access and several border crossings in and out of Gaza. Israel also has constructed a similar border around Gaza.

This is where it gets messy.

Its always been a little messy. But things are especially messy now.

Within Palestine, there is a massive divide.

The PLO and Hamas have been in a state of intense conflict since the end of the Second Intifada in 2005.

The PLO governs the majority of the West Bank and as history shows, is more willing to have discussions with Israel around peace. It has been historically supported by countries like Egypt and Jordan, who are also neighbors of Israel.

Hamas governs the Gaza Strip and has significant popularity among the Palestinian population. Hamas is currently considered a terrorist organization by the US and the EU. Hamas does not want peace with Israel, nor does it want independence alongside Israel. They seek the uncompromising eradication of Israel as a place and people and the establishment of the Islamic nation of Palestine. Hamas is supported by Iran, Qatar and other more Islamic nations around Israel.

Many people may think that Palestine is a united front with a united cause, but it has been splintered and divided for many years. The goals of the PLO have changed over time too. At their founding, they sought the destruction of Israel and were labeled a terrorist organization. Now they seek some kind of peaceful coexistence.

What led to what’s happening now?

Hamas now is the dominant political force throughout Palestine and frequently practice terrorism towards Israel to achieve their aims. What are their aims?

Some people have trouble understanding why Hamas would attack. Why did the PLO attack throughout the 70’s and 80’s? Why did the Arab League invade when Israel declared its independence?

It’s not because they want to establish a Palestinian state. That is a secondary goal. In 1948, when the Arab League invaded Israel, their goal was the goal of Hamas today. The elimination of Jews from Israel. They never intended to found a Palestinian state, their sole focus was to push all the Jews “into the sea.” This is the same goal Hamas has today. It’s why it seems so chaotic and insane. Their goal is simple: To destroy Israel. People and place. This was the goal of the Arab League in 1948, the PLO in 1988 (until they changed with international pressure), and its the goal of Hamas in 2023.

In recent years, Israel has “normalized relations” - read: established peace - between themselves and a number of Arab nations. They have been in the process of talks with Saudi Arabia recently. This is an issue for Palestinians. Why? Because they feel abandoned by their allies, the Arab League. Although the Arab nations are seeking peace, the Palestinians feel that the Arab League is abandoning them.

Israel governance is also much different than the rest of the world. They do not have an interest in making Arabs citizens of Israel, and they also don’t necessarily want Palestine to possess the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The West Bank and the Gaza Strip have a population of 5 million Arabs, all of whom are not citizens of Israel. Israel has never sought to actually annex these areas into their country and make the Palestinians citizens.

Right now, Jews have a clear majority in Israel. If Palestinians were granted citizenship, they would almost instantaneously make up 50% of Israel’s population, and at most they would gain the democratic power to end Israel as a Jewish state and establish the Palestinian state. At least, they would increase hostility that is already at a fever pitch. The Israeli Army is ~90% Jewish, imagine if Palestinians voted in an Arab Prime Minister or Minister of Defense?

The Arab League (which has 22 member countries) now also unanimously supports the creation of a Palestinian state. While more Middle Eastern states have joined Jordan and Egypt and established formal relations with Israel, they still demand a Two-State Solution. If Israel annexed the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Arab League, including Egypt and Jordan could turn against Israel - that is something Israel fears.

The UN, and even the United States still support a two-state solution in Israel. No U.S. President (including Donald Trump) has ever supported any other solution. Donald Trump only supported an Israeli annexation of 30% of the West Bank and proposed to allow Palestine to have the Gaza Strip and the rest of the West Bank.

However, all of this is only theoretical, because history shows that Palestinian leadership is not cohesive, and there will always be mainline groups within Palestine that make their sole focus the destruction of Israel. No matter the cost.

There is not a simple solution to this conflict. There never has been.

Ok, so, what do we do?

The history of Israel and its people is complex and complicated. Some people will say that it is more complicated than it has ever been. However, when you look at history. This is just more of the same.

Is this the end of the world? Maybe. Maybe not. Jesus said we wouldn’t know the “time or the hour” (Matthew 24:36). Conflict being present in Israel is the norm. Not the exception. During the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, people knew it must be the end of the world. During the muslim conquests and the Crusades, it was obvious Jesus was coming back soon. During the Ottoman Empire, when 50% of Christians and almost all Jews were under muslim rule, it was clearer than ever. Then came World War I. The whole entire world at war for the first time? This must be the end. But WWII was just around the corner, and so was the Holocaust. 6 million+ people were systematically eradicated by an entire nation. In addition to the holocaust, World War II saw more than 80 million casualties throughout the world. 4% of the world’s population at that point. That would be if 320 million people were killed in a conflict today. That’s almost the entire population of the United States.

So, no, the signs don’t point to the end of the world. The world has been in a much worse place within the past 100 years. So has Israel.

People have been predicting the end of the world since the world has existed. Eventually, they will be right. Even a blind dog finds a bone. Is it profitable to focus on the tribulation, rapture and end times? In my experience. No. Although, I’m always open to being wrong.

Final thoughts

There is possibly nowhere on the planet that has seen more war or strife than Israel. The Romans imposed their will, so did the Muslims, Catholics and Ottomans.

In modern times, we have become accustomed to trying to bring about a peace through human means, and believing that peace is a possibility. When we look at the history of the world, we have succeeded in many ways in this initiative. It may not seem like it, but the world is more peaceful than it ever has been. People are healthier, living longer and more secure. The Bible tells us to pursue peace. But that doesn’t mean we can force peace, or require it. Especially out of nations we are not citizens of.

When we look at the history of the Holy Land, we see thousands of years of history that tell us that peace seems to be impossible. That doesn’t mean that we develop an “it is what it is” mentality. But we must be aware that we also can run the risk - like the crusaders - of getting too invested to the point where we do evil things in the name of good, because we are fighting for what WE think is important within a place like Israel.

Ultimately, Jesus is the only one who will bring peace to this place. That has been prophesied throughout Scripture and will one day be seen. Some people tend to use this as an excuse to be apathetic towards Israel and the things that take place there.

This brutal history of Israel makes me think of what Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 - For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

This verse takes on new meaning when we look at Israel. There is something spiritual and sacred about the land that God gave the Jews, and there is a role that we play in it. Don’t miss this, because many Christians do. They think that because we don’t “fight against flesh and blood” that the Bible gives us permission to not fight. This verse precedes the armor of God that Paul says God gives to us to withstand these very spiritual attacks.

Whether you want to believe in it or not, spiritual warfare exists. And we see this warfare played out in the practical world in Israel a thousand years ago, just as much as we do today.

What are the practical steps we should take?

Let’s look at this in the context of Ephesians 6:13-19 //

*13 *Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Belt of Truth

*14 *Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth…

Most importantly, what are the Biblical facts. What does God’s word tell us to do? (See part I). But also, how can we be governed by reason and actual facts, and not distorted propaganda and politicized information?

Body Armor (Breastplate) of Righteousness

and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

Righteousness here means God’s way of doing things. It also means what is right according to God. The Biblically righteous cause is Israel’s cause. Scripture is clear on that. But that does not mean that we support or perpetuate a lack of peace or injustice towards Palestinians or anyone else. By supporting Israel, we are not abandoning God’s ways of love, peace, and justice for all people.

Yes, we are wading deep into gray area, but that comes with the territory of dealing with humanity. We are full of contradictions. We must find a way to advocate for God’s ways, God’s people (the Jews) and all those caught in the crossfire. Those things are not in conflict with each other. Even if sometimes people and their actions make it messy.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

*15 *For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

This is a role that America and other nations have sought to play for more than 100 years in the Middle Esat. But peace doesn’t come through military might in God’s world. It comes through the revelation that Jesus is the one and only Messiah, and he must rule our hearts. This statement is challenging for Jews, because it seems to defy their belief, when in fact it doesn’t. It completes the work God has been doing in them all along.

The only peace the Middle East will experience is the peace of Jesus found in the Gospel. Pray that God would reach this region of the world with the Gospel. The peace God brings is only found in Jesus. But remember these are shoes, so it’s not just about prayer, it’s about being activated in our time, talent and treasure to reach this part of the world.

Shield of Faith

*16 *In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

Psalm 146 says not to place our trust in “in mortal men who cannot save.” At the end of the day, no person is able to fight this battle. Maybe you think having the “right man” in the office of the President will help, but this land has been filled with war and bloodshed for thousands of years before America ever showed up.

The faith that we have is placed in God. It is not the end until it’s the end. God still has a great plan, and we must hold to our trust and belief in him and act accordingly.

People who get too focused on all the fear aspects of this demonstrate a lack of faith in God. They’re scared of a war. They’re scared of the “national day of Jihad.” They claim to be people of faith, but lock themselves in their homes, helicopter over their children and place their face in evil.

How does a person place their faith in evil? When they believe and assume that evil will somehow prevail, and that bad things are going to happen. You’re going to have faith in something. Do you have faith that God has a good plan, and that things will get better, not worse? Or do you have faith that the world is ending, evil is prevailing and bad things are going to happen to you and those you love because of all of these things taking place?

A definition of faith is “divine risk” that means that you use wisdom, but live your life and trust God.

Helmet of Salvation

*17 *Put on salvation as your helmet,

Jesus always brings salvation. The existence of Israel is proof that God saves and has a plan to fulfill everything said about Jesus in scripture.

Sword of the Spirit

and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Swords are offensive weapons. The word of God pierces through the ambiguities and gray areas of our lives. As well as the seemingly impossible world of the Middle East. The best weapon that we have is what Scripture teaches us about God’s plan for Israel and his people the Jews. Knowing what God teaches about his people through his word shows us the role he has meant for us to play.

The same is true in our lives. God’s word teaches us how to think, how to respond and what to do when faced with every manner of difficulty. This is a time more than ever to do the work to apply God’s word to your own life.

Pray in the Spirit

*18 *Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. *19 *And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Prayer works. It always has and always will. God wants us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The Gospel of Jesus is for everyone including Jews and the rest of us. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work in the midst of the chaos our world is experiencing. Pray for unity in Israel. Pray for God’s protection of civilians against all terrorist entities. Pray for all decision makers to have wisdom to discern the times and act accordingly. Pray that the Gospel would reach Jews and Palestinians alike. Pray that God would defend innocent people in the midst of a war unfolding in heavily populated areas. Pray for Israel to have supernatural favor on the world’s stage. And pray for peace.

VFR vs. IFR

Real human war is costly on all fronts. There is a such thing as a just war, but innocent lives can, and will be lost. We must ultimately trust God for justice. We cannot afford to be pacifists because of perceived ethical dilemmas. We must act, and act in accordance with what Scripture teaches.

We must also know that our actions will have both intended, and unintended consequences. But we must do something.

There is no perfect solution for Israel. There is barely an ideal solution. But that cannot stop Israel from acting.

In our own lives, this is often true. This is why understanding what God says in his word. Our lives often feel cloudy with the fog of war.

In aviation, there are two ways to fly a plane. IFR and VFR. IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) is a set of regulations and procedures for flying aircraft by relying solely on the aircraft's instruments. VFR (Visual Flight Rules), on the other hand, allows pilots to operate an aircraft in weather conditions clear enough to see where the aircraft is going.

Most people, just like amateur pilots, live their life according to VFR. They solely rely on what they can see—senses, emotions, or reasoning. This approach might work when conditions are clear; however, it's not reliable in "poor visibility" situations like moral dilemmas or emotional challenges. If you rely on VFR in a storm, you can find yourself in what’s called a “death spiral.” A "death spiral" in aviation occurs when a pilot becomes disoriented and mistakenly believes they are flying level while they are actually in a descending spin. Trusting their senses instead of their instruments, the situation worsens until they fatally crash. You can believe you are doing the right thing because you feel good, or it makes you happy, but ignore the warning signs in your life, because you can’t see through the storm. Your feelings aren’t facts. Not about Israel, not about Palestine, not about your own life. You can’t afford to be an amateur pilot in life just flying based on what you see and how you feel.

When a pilot flys with IFR, they don’t trust what they can see, they trust their instruments. They may feel like they are flying too low, or too high, or the are headed in the wrong direction, but the instruments don’t lie. Just as a pilot trusts instruments for navigation regardless of external conditions, living by the principles of God’s word provides a constant, unchanging guide. You rely on a higher authority for direction, especially when the "visibility" in life is poor due to trials or uncertainty. If you don’t know what to do, go to God’s word. If you don’t have the answer yet, keep looking at God’s word. Eventually, your instruments will take you in the right direction.

All of us, like pilots, fly with both. IFR is for complex or challenging conditions that require a reliable framework (Scripture), and VFR for clear-cut situations where personal judgment and perception alone suffice. The key is knowing when to apply each in your life for effective navigation. And in situations like this, you need to learn to fly with both.

Part I here.

Part II here.

Ottoman Empire (1299-1924)

The Ottoman Empire joined Germany and the Central Powers (bad guys) during WWI. However, they experienced heavy losses in most of their battles and internal strife led to the weakening and collapse of their empire.

During WWI the Ottoman Empire most famously orchestrated the Armenian Genocide. Which was the mass killing and deportation of around 1.5 million Armenians. The Armenians were accused of siding with the enemy and were subjected to forced marches, massacres and starvation. To this day, the nation of Turkey denies that the Armenian Genocide ever took place.

At the end of WWI, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and the League of Nations granted Britain the mandate over Palestine (Israel). In 1917, they issued the Balfour Declaration and promised to support a “national home for the Jewish people” as well as protection to the non-Jewish communities. This led to a massive influx of Jews back into Palestine and began much of the modern tension between Arabs and Jews. However, the Balfour Declaration was itself filled with contradictions and it was impossible for the British to keep any of the promises they made.

Zionism

After this, the “Zionist” movement gained significant momentum for the first time. The British began to limit Jewish immigration into Palestine because of rising tensions between Arabs and Jews in the region. Although the movement gained momentum after the Balfour Declaration, it has been around as long as the Bible has.

The term zionism comes from the Hebrew word Zion (ציון), which is a hill in Jerusalem. The term Zion has come to symbolize the entire nation of Israel.

The modern idea of Zionism is directly connected to the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12. There are many expressions and ideologies within Zionism, but a common distinction is that the people of Israel must have a nation of their own.

If you believe the Bible, then you must be a Zionist.

See part I for Biblical clarity around this. But I’ll give you a few more Biblical examples.

The book of Jeremiah was written as a message to the Jews in exile to Babylon. God punished them with exile because of their idol worship. Most of us are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11. It’s probably written on your wall, or tattooed on your arm. But do you know the verses that come after it?

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

// Jeremiah 29:11-14

This is a promise from God to restore the Jews back to their Promised Land. Sure, you can apply it to that time you got fired, or your girlfriend/boyfriend broke up with you. But it’s a lot bigger than that.

God tells the nation of Israel that he will bring the people back to the place.

Jeremiah 23, which is a few chapters back is even more interesting.

⁵ “For the time is coming,”says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. ⁶ And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.

⁷ “In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ ⁸ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

// Jeremiah 23:5-8

Its ok if you didn’t read the whole thing. I want you to see it in context. I’ll explain it.

This is a Messianic prophecy about Jesus. Jeremiah says that a descendant is coming from King David’s line (David is the 25x great-grandpa of Jesus) and his name will be called “The Lord Is Our Righteousness.” That’s not actually what it says in Hebrew. In the Hebrew, Jeremiah uses the tetragrammaton, YHWH. Or Yahweh as we say in English. The descendant of David will be named God himself, i.e. Jesus.

This is a prophecy that many people say is “in process.” Meaning that some of it has come true and some of it hasn’t. Israel is back in their own land, but they do not dwell safely. Nor is Jesus ruling in Jerusalem. Yet.

Throughout the Muslim conquests, Crusades, the Ottoman Empire and now the British, some Jews remained in Israel, but a majority were spread all over the world. This Jewish diaspora (meaning: a population scattered from its place of origin) begun with the Babylonian exile in the 5th century BC mentioned in the book of Jeremiah and really never ended for the Jews.

They were divided into two primary areas: Northern and Eastern Europe (Ashkenazi Jews) and Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East (Sephardic Jews). These groups of Jews had lived in these places for centuries and had established Jewish culture throughout the cities they lived.

The Holocaust + WWII

There is no way to estimate the impact of the Holocaust.

The Jewish people call it the Shoah, which in Hebrew means catastrophe. At least 6 million European Jews (2/3 of Europe’s Jewish population) were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators from 1933-1945.

You probably know this part of history pretty well. But what you may not know is that in many places in Europe, antisemitism actually increased after World War II. Jewish people attempted to return to their homes and cities, but found people living in their homes and in possession of the property who refused to return it. Many of the Jews didn’t just leave their homes, they left clothes, jewelry, art and all other kinds of valuables.

The Kielce Pogrom

A pogrom is a riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic of religious group. Think about this, this term is typically only used to describe attacks against Jews. The Jews - God’s family - have been so persecuted throughout history that there is a word that we only use to describe destruction against them.

In Poland on July 4, 1946 - more than a year after the end of war in Europe - 42 Jews were killed and 40 more were wounded by Polish soldiers, police officers and civilians in the city of Kielce. Jews who were returning home after the Holocaust found their property taken by non-Jews who refused to return their property. The locals started a false rumor that the Jews had kidnapped a Christian child to use their blood for a ritual. Nine of the attackers were eventually sentenced to death in connection with the violence.

After a Holocaust which had almost completely destroyed their families, Jews found themselves subject to further antisemitism, completely displaced from the cities they once called home, and other countries refused to allow their immigration. This led to mass emigration to two places, the United States and Palestine.

In August of 1945, President Truman asked for the British to allow 100,000 Holocaust survivors into Palestine in his support of a Jewish homeland. President Truman was an early advocate and champion for the state of Israel.

The end of British oversight

Jewish and Arab tensions continued to rise throughout Palestine. Arab revolts had killed many Jews and Arabs. And Jewish Zionist organizations like the Haganah and Irgun attacked the British and Arab homes throughout Palestine.

By February 1947, the British had had enough. They announced plans to withdraw from the region, and in November of 1947 the United Nations developed a plan to partition Palestine into two independent nations. One Jewish and one Arab.

This plan was met with excitement by the Jewish community and protest by Arabs. Civil war broke out after Arabs ambushed Jewish buses, killing seven people. The Jews were more than willing to give the Palestinians the majority of the land, but the Palestinians refused the UN partition.

Now, this is where a major cultural narrative shows up. Palestinians and their supporters will say that the Jews were given “someone else’s land” as compensation for the Holocaust. However, this is not true in the slightest.

Here’s two very clear things about history that should be well known facts:

First, God gave this land to the Jews long before Palestine was ever an idea

The State of Palestine was not established until 1988. Yes. 1988. Look it up. For most of history, “Palestinian” was a catch-all term for both Arabs and Jews who lived in the region of Palestine. Yes, other people, as well as Arabs had lived in these regions for centuries, but they were not a unified people, and never saw themselves that way. And they didn’t until 40 years after the nation of Israel was well established.

That’s why on the original map from 1948 you don’t see the Arab state called Palestine. The UN just designated the area as a “to be determined” potential state. British Palestine was a chaotic place, and a territory under the control of the United Kingdom.

The governmental progression of Palestine looked like this up until 1948:

1. Old Testament - Kingdom of Israel ➡ Babylon

2. New Testament - Roman Empire

3. Muslim caliphate

4. Crusader states

5. Ottoman Empire

6. United Kingdom

There was never an establishment of an individual Arab nation within this land. Nor did Arabs establish a nation within the land until 1988. A person could argue that the Muslim caliphate in the 600s was an Arab nation. But it was similar to the Ottomans in that it was a part of a larger empire.

Second, In all history, the Jews are the only people for whom the land of Israel was their national kingdom.

The idea of an “Arab” did not exist in Bible history. All throughout the time that Israel possessed the land and had a Kingdom, the concept of an Arab did not exist. And neither did the concept of a Palestinian. By comparison, historians say the concept of an Israelite/Jew has been around since 1200BC. The Kingdom of Israel was founded by Saul around 1050 BC.

When did Arabs show up? When Islam did. Around 610 AD. If you’re doing the math, the Jews had a kingdom and a nation in the land of Israel 1,659 years before Islam was established and the concept of an Arab was invented. The nation of Israel existed 3,037 years before the nation of Palestine did (1050BC - 1988AD).

The establishment of today’s Israel

By May of 1948, the British had fully withdrawn from Palestine, abandoned the partition plan, and left Palestine’s fate to the Arabs and Jews living there. The day that the British withdrew, the Jewish leadership declared the establishment of the State of Israel. This is 40 years before the establishment of Palestine. The nation that many revisionist historians say that Israel subjugated.

David Ben-Gurion, the first Israeli Prime Minister, asked the United States for recognition based on the original UN partition plan and the US recognized them.

“We will sweep them into the sea”

This led to immediate war between Israel and the Arab League. At that time, the Arab League consisted of Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Yemen. Palestine could not go to war with Israel, because it didn’t exist. So it was left to the established Arab countries to expel the Jews.

The Arab League completely rejected the UN partition plan and bitterly opposed a Jewish state next to the Arab states of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Their goal was not to establish an Arab state, or to take in Arabs who were living in Palestine. It seems that the only goal they had was to “get rid of the Jews.” And they would figure out what to do with the land once they were gone.

Within a few days, close to 10,000 soldiers from the Arab League crossed into Palestine. The Arab Leagues Secretary-General Azzam Pasha was asked how large the Israeli forces were and responded by saying “It does not matter how many there are. We will sweep them into the sea."

On paper, the Israelis had little to no chance:

• The Arab League had 4-5x the manpower.

• The Arab League had British-made tanks and vehicles, the Israelis had mostly improvised and hand built armored vehicles.

• The Arab League had modern fighter planes and bombers, the Israelis used converted transport planes and some smuggled fighter planes.

• The Arab League had artillery left over from WWII as well as British and foreign supplies. The Israelis had little to none.

• The United States, Britain and most other countries offered little to no aid. The US enacted an arms embargo and the British trained and equipped the Jordanian army. The Soviets initially provided weapons to Israel, but shifted to a pro-Arab stance by the end of the war.

By the end of the 9 month war, Israel was able to keep the territory allotted by the UN as well as capture 60% of the land originally given to the Arabs.

This effectively established Israel as an independent nation and Jews from all over the world began to pour into Israel. Throughout the 1950s, the remaining Arabs in Israel attacked civilians throughout Israel. In 1964, Egyptian President Nasser refused to recognize Israel as a nation and called for its destruction. By the end of 1966, Israeli and Arab forces were in open conflict again.

Final thoughts

Too many people don’t understand Biblical or even recent history in Israel. So they take their perspective from uninformed talking heads, random people on Instagram and tiktok and rush to a perspective.

Verifiable (and Biblical) facts:

1. Israel was an ancient Kingdom on this land 1600+ years before Islam and Arabs were even concepts, and 3000+ years before Palestine was a state.

2. Israel was a modern state with a government in Israel 40 years before the establishment of Palestine.

3. God gave the Israelites this land and promised to bring them back with Jesus as their King.

Biblical history is a part of history. It is not separate from the history written in history books. It is a part of it. Denying the truth doesn’t change the facts.

You may be thinking - “If this is true, why are things so messy?” Stay tuned for Part IV - Modern History of Israel coming next.

To read part I, click here.

Semi-ancient history

The Israelites were frequently exiled from the Promised Land for a lot of reasons. Basic story is this: they stopped listening to God, he kicked them out. They started listening to God, he let them back in.

The backdrop of the New Testament is the Roman occupation of the nation of Israel. The Romans were the largest empire in history and conquered much of the known world. Israel was a strategic place located between Egypt and Syria and helped them to secure vital trade routes and military pathways.

There were frequent Jewish revolts during the Roman Empire. The largest of which took place in 70AD. For five months, the Roman army, led by future emperor Titus besieged Jerusalem after it had been taken over by several factions of rebels.

The Romans eventually overwhelmed the defenders and made their way to the Temple Mount, destroying everything in their path, including Solomon’s Temple. They burned all of Jerusalem to the ground, and leveled almost every building in the city.

To this day, when you go to Israel, you can see massive blocks from the original temple on the ground below the Temple Mount. Here’s my dad (with a mullet) standing next to them sometime in the 1990s.

This destruction was prophesied by Jesus more than 40 years before it took place in Luke 21:5-6.

⁵ Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, ⁶ “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

This was a major turning point in Jewish history. The loss of their home city and the temple changed everything about their identity. The temple was everything to the Jews. They were required to sacrifice on its altar. The priests served at the temple every day. Entire chapters and books of Scripture had been dedicated to its importance. The destruction of the Temple meant that it was no longer possible to truly be a Jew in the way that the Old Testament required.

Priests disappeared and Rabbis took their place. They began to teach that the altar of God is not found in a temple, but in our hearts.

Let me remind you of what I wrote in Part I, that Jesus said he didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. For Christians, this was inevitable. The reason Jesus prophesied about the destruction of the temple was because it was no longer necessary. Jesus became our once and for all sacrifice on the cross.

However, Jews to this day do not believe this, and so there have been many modifications made to Judaism over the past 1900+ years. So many that it barely resembles the Judaism of their ancestors.

What is a Messiah? + is his last name Christ?

In the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the Old Testament illustrated the concept of the Messiah.

The Messiah was supposed to come from the family line of David, redeem the Jewish people from captivity, return them to Israel and restore the kingdom of David. Or more importantly, the Kingdom of God. He would lead the Jewish people and create a new age known as The World to Come (עוֹלָם הַבָּא) in which all the nations of the earth would recognize God of Israel as the only true God. And there would be a new heaven and a new earth with no evil, and only goodness and peace.

The Jews did not see the Messiah as a deity, or the son of God, but more of a political revolutionary who would restore their country beyond its former glory. And God would do the rest.

This isn’t at all what Jesus seemed to do. So the Jews have a hard time accepting him as the Messiah, or Christ. Christ is just the greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. So no, Jesus’ last name isn’t Christ.

Christians believe that Jesus is more than just a messiah figure. We believe that he is THE Messiah. The son of God. And that his mission, death, and resurrection fulfill some - but not all - of the messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament. Don’t forget the whole “fulfill the law, not abolish the law” thing. It’s pretty important.

Why is this important? Let me state it clearer.

It is impossible to practice Judaism in the way God designed.

The temple is gone, it has been gone a long time. Jewish practice revolved around atonement at the temple, and it is physically impossible to sacrifice there.

What does this have to do with modern day Israel?

Because there are still many prophecies that Jesus has yet to fulfill. Here’s the top 10.

1. Final Judgment: Jesus is expected to return to judge the living and the dead (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15).

2. Establishment of God's Kingdom: Jesus will establish a physical and eternal kingdom on Earth, with Jerusalem as its capital (Revelation 21:1-4; Isaiah 2:1-4).

3. Resurrection of the Dead: Christians expect a general resurrection of the dead, both righteous and unrighteous (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

4. Defeat of Evil: The ultimate defeat of Satan, the Antichrist, and all forces of evil is expected (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:7-10).

5. Restoration of Israel: Some Christian traditions hold that the Second Coming will involve a restoration or conversion of Israel (Romans 11:25-26).

6. New Heaven and New Earth: A new, perfect creation will replace the current heavens and Earth (Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17).

7. Fulfillment of Covenant Promises: Promises made to Abraham, David, and others will be fully realized (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Genesis 12:1-3).

8. Universal Worship: Jesus will be acknowledged and worshiped by all nations (Philippians 2:10-11; Revelation 5:13).

9. End of Suffering: There will be an end to all forms of suffering, sorrow, and death (Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 25:8).

10. Gathering of Jesus’ Followers: Jesus will gather His followers from all corners of the Earth (Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27).

What does all of this mean? We really don’t know. But we do know this, the people and the place matter. Even in the future, Israel (people and place) will matter to Jesus. So it should matter to us.

Back to the history - Israel? Judea? Palestine?

All of these Jewish uprisings finally culminated with the Bar Kokhba revolt from 132-136AD. Led by the messianic figure Simon bar Kokhba, it was a four year campaign that led to a total Jewish defeat again by the Romans. All of the Jewish rebels were either killed or enslaved by the end of the revolt. After this revolt, the Romans issued edicts and crackdowns all through Israel against the Jews. It was catastrophic. They were forbidden to enter Jerusalem, enslaved in massive numbers, and forced out of many of their homes. Over 500,000 Jewish men were slain by the Romans throughout Israel after they put down the revolt. This number doesn’t include women and children. Many scholars consider what the Romans did to the Jews to be an act of genocide as much of Israel became desolate.

The Romans then renamed the entire region from Judaea to Syria Palaestina in an attempt to distance the Jewish identity from the place. The name Judea had come from the Kingdom of Judah, led by King David. And it’s where we get the term “Jew” from.

Once this final Jewish revolt was put down, Rome’s reign was mostly uninterrupted until the fall of the Roman Empire 200+ years later.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Middle East was split into smaller and weaker countries (~300-700AD). Some with ties to Greek and Christian thought, and some with ties to Persian and Zoroastrian thought.

Muslim conquests

From the 600s-700s, Muhammad (yes, THAT Muhammad) and subsequent leaders had conquered most of the eastern part of the former Roman Empire. Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq and much of Afghanistan were quickly and completely conquered.

During this time, Jews still lived in the land, but under Muslim rule. They were subject to an additional tax called a “jizya tax” that was just for minorities and foreigners. This tax is mentioned in the Quran as a specific tax for Jews and Christians. They were treated in many ways as second-class citizens, however, they were not persecuted as they had been by their previous rulers. In fact, many Jews welcomed Muslim conquerors as liberators. Muslims established what they called Caliphates, which was a form of government in which political and religious. leadership is united, and the head of state (the Caliph) is considered a political and religious successor to the Prophet Muhammad. In many of these caliphates, Jews, Christians and other faiths experienced a lot of religious tolerance and cultural growth. During this time, the Dome of the Rock was constructed on the Temple Mount.

The Crusades

Now we come to a dark part of Christian history.

The Crusades began in 1096 and lasted for more than 200 years. They were a series of military campaigns primarily aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land from Muslim control, initiated largely for religious reasons and to strengthen the authority of the Papacy. The Christians of the eastern world had suffered at the hands of the of Arabs. Crusaders wanted to help their fellow Christians reclaim their land and property. Participants were often motivated by a mix of adventure, opportunity for social mobility, and the promise of spiritual salvation through indulgences. The Catholic Church promised remission of sins for those who participated in the Crusades. During this time, Jews and Muslims were targeted and massacred all throughout Europe and the Holy Land. The Crusades were absolutely brutal for anyone who was not a “Christian.” When they took the Temple Mount, the Crusaders wrote that they "... were killing and slaying even to the Temple of Solomon, where the slaughter was so great that our men waded in blood up to their ankles..." According to Raymond of Aguilers, "in the Temple and porch of Solomon men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins." It is said by historians that up to 10,000 men, women and children were killed in one day as Crusades sought to take Jerusalem.

The danger of the Crusades

There have been volumes written about the Crusades. You can, and will hear a lot of perspectives. The Crusades are an illustration of what happens when human beings decide what righteousness is. The Crusaders believed that they were doing God’s work. Many church leaders at the time believed the Crusades were a noble cause. The Holy Land was under Muslim control and they believed that the dominance of Christianity must be asserted. This was during a time in history where both Jews and Muslims were seen as mortal enemies of Christians. They believed that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus Christ and this was a justification for violence against them. Both Muslims and Jews were often faced with a choice, convert or die.

This is the danger of “righteousness” that is not properly attached to Scripture. The Crusades were brutal and evil. The name of Jesus and the Bible itself was abused, misused and blasphemed by the actions of many crusaders.

However, we often view the Crusades through the lens of our modern politics and ethics, and can’t understand how they happened. What would Americans do if ISIS invaded Washington D.C. and established a terrorist training center in the White House? This is similar to the thinking of the crusaders. They believed that Jerusalem was the home of their faith and that it needed to be liberated from its Islamic oppressors. This thought doesn’t justify the Crusades, but it humanizes them.

In his book The New Concise History of the Crusades, Thomas F. Madden says, “In both societies, the medieval and the modern, people fight for what is most dear to them. That is fact of human nature that is not so changeable.”

This is the danger of the Crusades and the danger of the approach we all often take. We fight for what is dear to US. That’s what Israel is doing, that’s what Hamas is doing. That’s often what we do as Americans. It’s what we are really trying to figure out as it relates to Israel. Most people are thinking: “how does this matter to me?”That’s probably why you’re reading this post.

However, if we claim to follow Jesus, we must learn what matters most to HIM and choose to lay down what is important to us and fight for what he tells us to fight for in Scripture. Otherwise, we all become like modern day versions of the Crusaders who delude ourselves into thinking that what we want is what God wants. That is rarely the case and it never really works out.

Championing your cause, or someone else’s cause will not work unless it is in alignment with what God teaches in Scripture. So many people miss this, and because of that, they start fighting for things like culture’s definition of justice, when God’s definition of justice is vastly different. We support radical movements on both the left and the right blindly in an attempt to pursue what we think “God wants.” But the problem is, we are often more well versed in the desires and demands of culture than the demands of God. Does God want us to support social movements whose ideology runs counter to what his word teaches?

I don’t think he does. The Bible says that Jesus came in grace AND truth. Sometimes in an effort to be graceful, we abandon truth. But all too often, we become like modern day crusaders, or Arab conquerors. Fighting for “our” truth, acting as though its God’s and abandoning grace and laying waste to everyone in our path.

There is not an easy answer to this. I think this is why Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13:

¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

There is not much that separates you and I from much of the evil we see in our world. Another translation of this is to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

That’s your personal salvation.

Be concerned with the fate of the world, but take stock of your own fate first.

This may seem counterintuitive to this present moment. But you cannot help change the world unless you yourself are changed. The Crusaders weren’t changed by the gospel. They sought to change the world for the gospel. That’s a losing strategy.

Unfortunately, that’s what many of us are still trying to do. Change what’s happening out there, before we change what is in here. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. The nation of Israel - people and place - is God’s. But be aware of the causes you commit yourself to. Align your thinking (and your intentions) with what Scripture teaches. Most likely, in spite of yourself, you’ll end up doing what God wants.

Or, you can do what many people have done, and what much of Israel’s history represents. Do the worst things imaginable with the best intentions.

Before you “do” something, consider more than your intentions

The Crusades, and much of the conquest of the Holy Land show us the danger of rushing into our commitment to causes without thinking rationally.

Should we support the nation of Israel? Absolutely, scripture teaches that we are required to. However, how we support Israel? That’s a complicated question that each one of us must answer,

Does that mean that all of their actions will be righteous and good? Or that their leaders will be the same? No.

There are innocent people on both sides of this war. But only one nation is God’s nation.

God is on the side of all innocents. And if you are caring and empathetic, your heart can go out to the people of Palestine. It should. But God did not establish and ordain Palestine. God did not grant the Promised Land to Palestine. You may not like that, or think it should be that way. You may think modern geopolitics rule that null and void. But God is not accountable to us. God made a covenant with one family. One people. The nation of Israel. And making anything else - including modern politics - more important than that is an abandonment of the truth of scripture.

I’ll be unequivocal here. The cause a Christian must support is the cause of the Jews. Not a two state solution. Not a Palestinian government. But the establishment and preservation of the nation of Israel. That is God’s cause according to Scripture.

The intentions of people surrounding Palestine have mostly been good throughout history. But as you’ll see as we continue this series, the nation of Palestine is a modern invention. The nation of Israel is a God invention.

Does that mean we should abandon Palestinians to their fate? Or allow them to be mistreated and subject to cruelty? Not at all.

What it does mean is that if you are a Christian, you should share in God’s thinking about the nation of Israel.

Does God want the eradication of all Palestinians? No. Every person on this planet is created in God’s image.

This thinking may seem complex to us. It is kind of ambiguous. That’s how gray area works. Often in life, what seems to be evil and what seems to be good are matters of opinion. To quote an IDF soldier I recently heard speaking: “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”

What am I advocating for?

1. Unless you have to, don’t rush to judgement about anything that takes place, or is taking place within Israel.

2. Align with causes that support the preservation of all innocent life as well as the nation of Israel.

3. Follow the advice of James . ¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. (James 1:19-20)

You may feel anger. You may even think that it is righteous anger. But your anger toward Hamas, Israel, the United States Government, or anyone else does not produce what God wants. Engaging in social media fights and posting inflammatory content may make you feel better, but it will not produce what God wants.

There is some clarity here. God supports the people and the place of Israel. Everything beyond that will require an adult level of thinking on your part as well as a pursuit of God and his word in your own life. Be mature in your approach and refrain from joining a crusade that may have good intentions, but little else.

Back to history

By the end of the Crusades, four states had been established by the Catholic church. These lasted for another 200 years.

The Ottoman Empire

After a long period of the decline and civil war, the Muslim-ruled Ottoman Empire rose to power around 1299 AD and was around for 600 years. Making it one of the longest lasting empires in world history.

They came to dominate most of southeastern Europe and the Middle East. For a long time, much of the Arab world and the Middle East were under the control of the Ottoman Empire, including Israel.

The Ottoman Empire was a caliphate. Almost all Jews and 50% of Christians in the entire world lived under Muslim rule and were treated as second-class citizens once again. Everyone who wasn’t a muslim had to continue to pay the jizya, they were not allowed to give a testimony in court against a Muslim, and they were required to wear distinctive clothing showing their non-muslim affiliation. Still, persecution for Jews and Christians was not rampant.

During the Ottoman Empire, Israel was known as “Filastin” which is Palestine in Arabic. The Ottoman Empire’s rule of Israel lasted all the way into WWI, so we’ll pick that up next time.

There is an interesting dynamic that often takes place during times of conflict. Things rarely splinter. They mostly seem to form into two camps. Republican and Democrat. Pre-trib and post-trib. Good and evil. North and south. East and west. Israel and Palestine.

The only things that are black and white are things that are clear in scripture. The more we introduce humanity, the more we introduce gray area. Even the meaning of scripture itself is often obfuscated by our human thinking an interpretations.

I do not have a “revelation from God” on Israel. This represents my current best thinking and understanding of history + how God teaches us to live through scripture.

Humanity is complex. So is history. By understanding both and weighing them against what Scripture teaches, we can probably figure out what to do right now.

"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." // Robert Heinlein

Ancient history

The conflict between Israel and Palestine dates back as far as we can measure. The stories of the Old Testament are filled with conflict between the Children of Israel and all the other groups that lived within the promised land. The name “Palestine” is often attributed to the Philistines who lived on the coastal areas and primarily in Gaza - where many Palestinians live today. This conflict has been around as long as humans have.

When God sent Abraham to dwell there in Genesis 12, there were already people living there. The land of Canaan was inhabited and built by all the non-Israelite people living there. Since that time until today, there has been conflict in this land between the Children of Israel and everybody else.

This is how large that land mass was with God’s original promise.

Modern day Israel is a sliver on the east of this map with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip claimed and inhabited by Palestinians.

In Deuteronomy 4:40 God gives Israel a conditional promise.

⁴⁰ If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

If you know much about Biblical history you know what happened next. The Israelites often disobeyed, and were exiled from the Promised Land multiple times. However, the promise was still the promise that God would give them this land forever. As long as they returned to obey Him.

Before we move on, I want to say something that I frequently say, but you may not have heard.

God works how He wants to work, whether you agree or not.

The Biblical fact, is that God promised the Israelites this land. He promised it to them until the end of time. You can see this reflected in Genesis 26:3, Genesis 28:13-14, Psalm 132:14, Isaiah 14:1, Zechariah 2:3-5, 10-13.

Scripture is full of God’s promises to Israel concerning the Promised Land. Which brings me to my first point.

Israel is the only nation on the planet with land God - the creator of the planet - gave to them.

I’m not going to assume you know this, even if you are a Christian, because according to most recent statistics, only 5% of Christians have a biblical worldview.

This is a common refrain you will hear from me, or have heard from me. Most Christians just “believe in Jesus.” They don’t have much Biblical depth beyond that. The thinking of most Christians is not in line with Scripture, but is in line with their preferences, politics, or preferred cultural narratives.

One of the things you will commonly hear taught in churches and Christian circles today is that “people matter to God.” And they absolutely do. But that’s not the only thing that matters to God. Places matter too.

Before God created human beings, he created heaven and he created the earth. The first verse in the Bible isn’t about people, its about places. He created the Garden of Eden before he created Adam and Eve. At the same time as he was making a covenant with Abram, he was telling him to go to a new place. The story of the Exodus is the story of people going to a place, the Promised Land. Throughout the Old Testament, the place matters.

Whether you are a Christian or a person who is just trying to understand what is happening, you must understand the depth of conviction and commitment that Jews have to their homeland. This place is the place that God told their ancestor Abraham would belong to them for all time.

If you are a Christian, there’s also a couple things you must assent to. First, sola scriptura. The Bible is the sole source of our belief, practice and approach to life. It is the only thing that is absolutely and always true. So, if we are going to “believe,” we must believe what the Bible teaches about everything. Including Israel. Some people will tell you that the Old Testament doesn’t apply, or isn’t true anymore because of the New Testament.

However, this is an unbiblical approach to Scripture itself. And it runs contrary to what Jesus himself taught.

¹⁷ “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

// Matthew 5:17-18

Jesus himself taught that the “law of Moses” ie, the Old Testament was not abolished, but completed in him. We cannot separate the Old Testament from the New Testament. Immature theologians do this because its easier for them to make points. But the Old Testament cannot be fully understood without the New Testament and without the New Testament, the Old Testament promises of God cannot be fully realized.

That includes what God said about everything. Including Israel.

So, Israel can do whatever they want? Aren’t they doing bad things too?

This is a strawman argument. No one is defending people that do evil things. Israelites included. Jeremiah 17 says that the human heart is “desperately wicked.” Psalm 14, Psalm 53 and Romans 3 tells us that “there is no one who does good, not even one.”

This isn’t a defense of indefensible actions.

However, regardless of Israel’s actions (which God knew would happen) he still made them a promise. And if we believe in Scripture, than we must believe in the land that God promised to his people, the Jews.

Why does this matter to me? A Western Christian?

When God chose the nation of Israel, he said "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

In John 4:22, Jesus says that salvation has come through the Jews. He himself is obviously Jewish. All of the first converts to Christianity were Jewish. Gentiles like you and me were not invited until the book of Acts.

All that we have that is worth having, our destiny, our relationship to God and our eternal salvation is linked to God’s original family. The Jews. Romans 11 tells us that we are grafted into this family, and that they are still his chosen family that he loves.

To support Israel does not mean that you agree with all their policies, or support every decision that is made in their country. To support Israel means to agree with their Biblical mandate of statehood and their right to be a self-directed country in the place God promised them.

There are a lot of political reasons why Christians and westerners should want a democratic and military ally as well in the Middle East, but other people have written a lot more about that than me. Here’s five Biblical and non-political reasons why Christians should support Israel.

1. We (non-Jews) have a Biblical requirement to bless the nation of Israel

When God makes the original covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:3, he says to Abraham that he “will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” That doesn’t go away in the world of the New Testament.

2. God promised to bring them back to the Promised Land

and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:14-15)

God promised to one day give their land back to them after extended periods of exile (of which they had a few). Many Christians believe that modern day Israel is an expression of this promise.

4. Isaiah tells us to comfort Jerusalem, Psalms tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem

 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)

Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:6-9)

In these verses, Jerusalem is about much more than the city. It represents the entire nation. Both David and Isaiah tell us to comfort Jerusalem. The people and place.

5. Paul shows us a precedent in the early church to bless the Jews with material blessings because of the spiritual blessings we have received from the Jews

But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially. (Romans 15:25-27)

The church in Jerusalem was not Gentile, they were vast majority Jewish. This is an echo of what Jesus said in John 4 when he said “salvation came through the Jews.” The Gentiles are encouraged in the New Testament to bless the Jews (and Jewish believers) materially because of this spiritual blessing of salvation.

Final thoughts (for today)

Christian thinkers, in an attempt to be politically and ideologically correct often will try to divide the Jewish people from the place of Israel. However, this is unbiblical. The name “Children of Israel” represents both people and place. There is no other nation in world history who we can point to that illustrates this phenomenon. Just this, in and of itself, shows God’s providence towards the Jews.

And God is perfectly capable of navigating all of the humanity entangled within the nation of Israel. That’s really his job. Not ours.

Unless you have been to Israel, it will be hard to comprehend what that place (and people) means and represents.

Tomorrow, we will look at less ancient history, but we must start here. And as we look at the ancient history of Israel, the truth of Scripture is clear.

God ordained and established the people of Israel and the nation.

When feeling insulted by people, we can ask 3 questions.

1) is it true?

If the person insulting me has benevolent motive, or is known to not dislike me, then it is not an insult. It is a statement of fact.

If something is true and factual. I must accept it as reality and change whatever needs to be changed so that the facts that I don’t like can change.

2) do i respect this person?

The book of Proverbs tells us “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Proverbs 27:6)

If I respect a person who is “insulting” me, then I should seek to learn from what they are saying, not be offended by it. Therefore it is not an insult. It is an opportunity for growth.

If I do not respect this person, then I have no reason to take offense. I wouldn’t take offense to a barking dog or a crying child, so I need not take offense to the words of those that I do not respect.

3) what is my response?

What are the options presented to you when you feel insulted?

anger?

To respond in anger is to reward the insult.

returning the insult?

To return the insult is to bring the insulter up to your level and bring yourself down to theirs.

equanimity

The goal must be to be indifferent and untroubled by the insult. Offense only exists in my response to an insult. I control my responses to everything that happens to me. If I choose to let an insult provoke a response, I have given that insult control of me.

We will always deal with insulting people. It is unreasonable to expect an ill-mannered person to be anything other than what they are. If I take offense at ill-mannered people, I only have myself to blame.

no more, no less

Advocates for quiet quitting tell us that we should do exactly what we are paid to do. No more and no less. Don’t take any extra responsibilities on and don’t work any extra hours. Don’t overdeliver by any means unless there is a guarantee of a promotion or pay increase from your boss.

They say it’s a myth that the “hardest worker in the room” is the one who gets paid. They believe that the rewards for hard work are just more work.

the effectiveness question

My mentor, my dad has taught me to ask this question when considering someone’s advice:

“How is that working out for them?”

Is your financial advisor winning financially?

Is your personal trainer in shape?

Does the person giving you marriage advice have long-term fruit in their marriage?

Do you want to have what this person has in the area they are advising you in?

In my estimation, the people giving advice to “quiet quit” are not CEOs, they are not successful, they are 20-somethings who are unproven in their life and careers.

The popularity of an idea does not validate it. I heard Warren Buffet say recently that “you’re not right because 100 people agree with you.”

act your wage

The most interesting thing about this movement is the idea that a person should behave according to how much they get paid. They use that as if it will be a working strategy.

Here’s a universal principle: you are perfectly set up right now to get the results you are currently getting.

Do you like where you are at in any area of life? Great! Keep doing what you are doing in that area.

Do you not like where you are at in any area of your life? Great! Change your inputs and you will change the outputs.

The idea of “acting your wage” is true. If you don’t want to make any more money at your job and stop advancing in your career, that’s the way to do it. However, many of the quiet quitters also seem to be discontent with how they are being paid. It is because their own mentalities are working against them. How?

Think about acting your age.

When someone acts below their age, they are immature and have a hard life.

When someone acts their age, they’re doing fine in life. Probably not good, or bad, just fine.

When someone is “wise beyond their years” they seem to be doing really well for themselves.

Think about this in the context of salary.

When someone acts below their wage, they get fired.

When someone acts their wage, they keep their job. But probably don’t get promoted or paid more.

When someone acts above their wage, they are ALWAYS rewarded.

always rewarded?

Josh, how can that be possible? Aren’t there places that take advantage of their workers? Don’t people often get underpaid based on their contributions?

That’s certainly true, but we shouldn’t see ourselves as working for people. Because we don’t.

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” // Colossians 3:23-24

I choose to have a Biblical perspective on work. So I give every day my best. Why? Because it is one of my offerings to God. The people I work with and for might not reward me, but God always will. I shouldn’t care about cultural narratives on work, or whether or not a person is doing enough for me. I should focus on what God say and watch what he makes happen in my life.

A lot of these people are also advocating that we should raise minimum wage to an exorbitant number. There’s a reason why the “minimum” wage is called the minimum. Because it’s the starting point. You’re not supposed to be at the minimum for that long.

For a quiet quitter, the minimum becomes the maximum. They need the minimum to be more, because they’re only willing to do the minimum.

For many people, it’s about doing the minimum effort for the maximum reward. They think that’s a good idea. What they don’t realize is that they are limiting themselves. What’s the maximum wage you can make? $1 million? $10 million? $100 million? $1 billion?

What is God’s maximum wage? It’s not thousands, millions or billions. It is unlimited based on what I choose to do with my time, talent and treasure.

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” // Luke 6:38

God gives us all time, talent and treasure, and we get to decide what we do with it. What does it look like to give your time to your work? To give your talent? Even your treasure?

Knowing this, If you acted like you were working for God, would you quiet quit?

I don’t think so. But people still will, and those of us who understand how God works will get to experience all the things that they’re missing out on.

Do you want the limited minimum? Or God’s unlimited maximum?

“When you do in life what others don’t, you’ll have in life what others won’t” // Keith Craft

paid to do vs. paid to think

My dad, @keithcraft has always made this distinction. There are two kinds of people at work. Those who get paid for what they do and those that get paid for how they think. How does this work? Think about your job.

Do you get paid to complete tasks, turn in assignments and generally do what you are asked to do that day? Good news! You have a job! Bad news, you have a ceiling. Task completion always has a ceiling. There is only so much a person who “does things” for a living can get paid. The quiet quitting movement encourages us to just do what we are asked and no more. There’s not anything inherently wrong with that, unless a person wants to increase their income.

When you have the power to solve problems that no one else can, you are getting paid to think. When you are a person who lives by core values, and implements those values in your daily work, you are getting paid to think. When you are willing to notice things that need doing and get them done, you are getting paid to think. Your boss may not see it as that, but you can. The way you think affects everything you do. If you think poorly, you will achieve poor results. If you think greatly, your results will be great. If you think in a mediocre way, what does that lead to?

The unique distinctive that you have in the marketplace is not your ability to do something. It is your ability to think about the things that you do. When your thinking is valuable to people around you, then you will have no limits on you.

Why aren’t more people monetized for their thinking? Because a lot of people aren’t good at thinking. The amount of people celebrating and buying in to quiet quitting is proof of that.

If what you do is a reflection of your thinking, and what you do is not done with excellence, what does that say about you?

what you do is who you are

This movement also encourages the divorce of your identity from what you do. That’s actually a good idea. Your identity isn’t in your work. But what about your reputation? Your identity isn’t in your work, but your reputation is. There is a lot of merit in not placing your identity in your job. But what the quiet quitting movement fails to recognize is that people are not concerned about your identity. People are concerned with your reputation. What you do is what creates your reputation.

When I was growing up, my dad taught me that everything I did was a reflection of me personally and my family name. So anything I did had to be excellent because the quality of my work is a statement of my quality as a person to the people I’m around. Can this go too far? Absolutely. We should not aim for perfection, but we should aim for excellence.

What is the difference between perfection and excellence? Perfection is about how I look to other people. Excellence is about the effort I know I put in. When you put the effort in to be excellent, your reputation will take care of itself.

Take responsibility for your space, your life, your team, your job and the outcomes. Taking responsibility is the defining characteristic of maturity.

Quitters - quiet or not - don’t take responsibility. They don’t take responsibility for themselves, their reputation, their company, their team, or the outcomes. Irresponsibility is the defining characteristic of immaturity.

“Responsibility is the price of greatness.” // Winston Churchill

In Japanese culture, there is the concept of shokunin which is roughly translated as “artisan.” Shokunin ultimately means to take pride in every aspect of your work, regardless of what your task is. The Japanese are encourages to take pride in even the most menial profession because all work that we can do is art of some kind. Taxi cabs that are 40 years old are perfectly maintained and kept clean at all times. Truck drivers polish even the smallest chrome pieces on their trucks. Why? Because what you do is a reflection of who you are.

The documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi shows the power of being a shokunin. What if every one of us treated what we do this way? This is antithetical to the life of a quiet quitter.