So much going on in the world right now, isn’t there? It’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not, and how to make sense of it all.
Yet what a gift it is that in the midst of the noise and the constantly shifting standards, we can know the truth Himself. The one who never changes and is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
You can download the free printable here.
Also, even though it’s been super quiet around here lately, I’ve actually been busier than usual.
In the midst of order-filling and home-office-managing and kid-coordinating, I also got to help my husband finish his latest book, which we’re thrilled to finally have ready. The subject matter isn’t “light reading” for sure, but we hope that it will be a blessing for many.
Here’s a bit of what I shared recently and how this hits so close to home for me personally.
I was born into a religious commune.
It was the seventies and everyone in the group “had everything in common” just like the early Christians in the book of Acts. My parents, barely out of childhood themselves, were convinced, along with the rest of the members, that theirs was the only truly righteous way to live. No one should be allowed to keep their own money, property, or anything else really. It all went into the collective. For these hippie teenagers and young twenty-something believers, the true test of discipleship was whether one was wiling to give up everything for the “brethren,” including one’s right to own anything individually rather than corporately. You could say it was a very real experiment in socialism. Or communism. As you might imagine, it didn’t end well.
More than forty years later, my extended family, along with so many others, are still sorting through the physical and spiritual aftermath. Ideas really do have consequences. Far beyond what most of us realize.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there’s been a resurgence of late around this idea that Jesus Himself was a socialist.
In other words, what is being contended by a growing number of people goes something like this: “Jesus was a socialist. Therefore, every true Christian must change everything by becoming a socialist and doing their utmost to uphold and spread socialist ideals to everyone else. Why? Because this is the truly compassionate, loving, and Christlike way of life. And those who do not believe this are living in opposition to the real Jesus. In fact, they are not true Christians.”
But is this true? Are they right and everyone else wrong? Was Jesus Christ really a socialist? And what are the ramifications of such an idea, one way or another?
The world-altering potential of this claim—if it is true, or if it is false—is far greater than most people realize. This notion could be the most pivotal issue of our lifetime, not to mention all of history. Ultimately, what we believe about Jesus and socialism will determine a great deal of our future as individuals, the church, our countries, and beyond. In fact, it is already having, and will continue to have a profound impact on the world, as well as on you and me, whether we realize it or not.
Which is why I’m so grateful for a husband who is deeply rooted and grounded in God’s Word, and who is willing to spend countless hours researching and writing on this vital topic, in between counseling full-time and being a faithful husband and father.
His book Jesus Was A Socialist? (The Life or Death Truth Everyone Needs to Know About Jesus & Socialism) is now available on Amazon and our ministry website. Our prayer is that it will be helpful in sorting through this trending issue in a realistic, truthful, and biblical way.
And if you (like me for so many years) aren’t sure who the real Jesus is or what it means to truly know Him, this is a great place to start.
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
-John 8:31-32
