Doug Penner

  • Giants Everywhere

    I went through every reference in the Old Testament where giants, Rephaim, Anakim, etc. were seen or ruling or being conquered or whatever and put the cities or regions on this map. Crazy, eh?

  • The Heavens

    Before the “Enlightenment” in the 1700s, reality was understood by everyone for thousands of years as being layered, hierarchical and spiritually charged. There used to be no concept of a secular space without spiritual activity.

    What we think of now as decorative art around the borders of their maps was actually their description of how the world was positioned in the whole cosmos.

    This map based on John Speed’s atlas personifies the four elements: earth, water, air and fire. The sun and moon have faces. The constellations have names and exert influence. But let’s focus in on “The Heavens” at the top left.

    It shows 10 layers of the heavens, starting with the “moon, cold and moist” and ending with “The Christaline Heaven” and “The first moveable Heaven” (which means, the primary source of the movement of the heavens). Sometimes there’s one more outer layer included: the Empyrean Heaven, which is God’s realm of immobile pure light.

    These days, we think of heaven as one thing, often as a destination. The Bible is more interesting.

    • “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Gen 1:1
    • “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.” – Deut 10:14
    • “the heaven of heavens cannot contain You” – 1 Kings 8:27
    • “The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.” – 2 Chr 6:18
    • “Is not God in the heights of heaven?” – Job 22:12
    • “to him who rides across the highest heavens” – Ps 68:33
    • “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.” – Ps 115:16
    • “Praise him, you highest heavens” – Ps 148:4
    • “You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.” – Neh 9:6
    • “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” – Mt 21:9
    • “Glory to God in the highest heaven” – Lk 2:14
    • “I know a man in Christ who… was caught up to the third heaven.” – 2 Co 12:2
    • “He… ascended far above all the heavens” – Eph 4:10

    In the Hebrew Old Testament, heavens is always in the plural form. In the New Testament, the writers collided with Greek thinking, where heaven is singular. So they often contextualized it for their audience. For example, Matthew often uses the singular, but whenever he talks about the kingdom, he makes sure heavens is plural, like this:

    • “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has come near” – Mt 3:2

    Heaven (singular) can sound like a place. Where as “the heavens” is actually levels of authority. Think of it like Washington vs the federal government. You could get confused and think Washington is just a place, a destination, even though it has a voice: “Washington announced today….” But the federal government sounds more analogous to “the kingdom of the heavens”. It’s governmental.

  • A.I. Flattery

    I’ve been working pretty extensively with A.I. for the last two years, and I’ve noticed it is pretty good at fooling me with multiple levels of flattery.

    1. Pumping my Tires

    This is the obvious one. It keeps telling me how insightful I am, how fascinating my opinions are, and how whatever I came up with most recently is the best version ever of my thinking.

    I can get around it by reminding it to “use no flattery” or “be critical” or any number of phrases like that.

    2. Unwavering Interest

    This one is more subtle. I’ve never heard it say “that’s a ridiculous topic”. It is happy to talk ad nauseam about whatever I’m into.

    Very few people in real life will converse with me that long. It’s a good reality check that the things I’m coming up with aren’t actually that amazing.

    3. Open Minded

    This one is flies under the radar. It steadfastly resists saying anything in absolute terms. Inside its secular worldview, everyone’s opinion is equally valid.

    That means there is no higher truth to submit to than whatever I’m thinking at the moment. Repeated use is influencing me to think and talk in a relativistic way.

    I couldn’t find a single Bible verse that softens things and hedges like A.I. does (maybe, sometimes, could be,….). The Bible’s world assumes there is absolute truth.

    4. Unspiritual

    It’s mostly trained by content that is modern and western. So anything spiritually meaningful is invariably flattened into a rational explanation. This removes God from many conversations, and reduces His role in others, effectively elevating human interpretations.

    For example, asked why Christopher Columbus sailed and got (summarizing) “to find a westward sea route to the goods in Asia”. I asked why Columbus said he sailed, and got (shortened) “he wanted to spread Christianity to the heathens, fund a crusade to recover Jerusalem and fulfill prophecies leading to Christ’s return”. Then I asked why it didn’t say that the first time and it said (paraphrasing) that people today are not interested in that kind of viewpoint.

    5. Divisive

    At the same time as this is happening to me, anyone else who’s using A.I. is being flattered as well. So we have a whole bunch of people who are being programmed to believe that whatever they think is right. Not just correct, but outstanding.

    I’m sure that most are resisting this at most levels, but at some point the sheer volume of flattering feedback makes me start thinking I’m at least smarter than average, or a better researcher, or ask better questions. It’s a deluded and dangerous posture.

  • Impersonal Evil

    When evil is impersonal, we can’t win. We can only cope with it.

    We tend to instinctively distrust personal explanations for evil. But our modern secular worldview is an anomaly both historically and geographically. Before the Enlightenment in the 1700s, no one had ever imagined evil as just a system or a force. In every culture, since the beginning of time, the gods were the center of society. They had names and back-stories and motives and feelings. It’s the same today in places on the planet that have not yet been westernized.

    Viewing evil as impersonal is not an upgrade.

    Blame

    It’s my fault, your fault, God’s fault or no one’s fault. You’ve probably found all of these emotionally unsatisfying. What if it’s the devil’s fault?

    “No, no. That would remove personal responsibility.” OK, but seriously, if there is a devil and he’s active, nothing is his fault? Or almost nothing? Or he’s just active in other places on the planet?

    Winning

    You can’t decisively “win” against a system, a condition, a constraint or an environment. You can have small victories, but they are more like managing the evil through containment, adaptation, leaving or outlasting it. Not conquering. But if a personal enemy exists, then there is the possibility that he can be defeated.

    Dependence

    If our problems are our own making, or some other human’s doing, then they could logically have human solutions. If our issue is that demons are messing with us, then we need to pray. There’s nothing we can do; only Jesus can help us. We do have a part to play, and it includes getting rid of demons.

    Purpose

    If there’s no opponent, then all our team does is practice. You can’t win at practice. You can only work on continuous improvement. This is the Christian life without an enemy: the only goal is to do better. If there’s an enemy, the goal is to defeat him.

    Salvation

    If there’s no enemy, then we were running our own lives until we decided to let Jesus forgive us and be Lord. If we were owned by Satan, then Jesus rescued us from his control. There is no neutral ground in the Bible. Only two options.

    Evangelism

    If evil isn’t personal, it becomes marketing: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”. If Satan has been defeated at the cross then we are proclaiming freedom for people who are enslaved to the devil, and entry into God’s kingdom, which includes “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

    Suffering

    It’s so confusing. Why me? Why now? It’s too much! What are you doing Lord? But people in a war aren’t surprised when the enemy attacks. The Bible is literally full of stories of personal enemies, so we can be aware of the real fight.

    Clarity

    It’s so hard to know what to do when the evil we experience isn’t identifiable. We don’t know what went wrong, or why it’s so hard to forgive, or how come we can’t just get over it. When we name the demon who is personally motivated to destroy us, we restore our agency.

    Significance

    Without an enemy, how we live is a little optional. We get good before heaven or we go to heaven still in rough shape. But Jesus actually dethroned the enemy and then gave us the kingdom.

  • The Worldview Prison

    I’ve been trying to understand the worldview the Bible was written in, and I’ve noticed that without Jesus I have three seemingly insurmountable worldview obstacles.

    1. I have eyes that can’t see
    2. I have ears that can’t hear
    3. I have a heart that can’t understand

    Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. – Mt 13:15

    My worldview isn’t just a set of beliefs; it determines what I can even notice.

    1. Eyes that Can’t See

    A worldview helps us quickly make sense of what we see by highlighting what matters and filtering out what’s irrelevant. Imagine scrolling through a social media feed. Your worldview saves your from evaluating everything you see from scratch. It automatically filters what information gets in before you even notice. That means, you didn’t even read the ad. It was auto-discarded.

    The problem is that if something is missing from your worldview, your worldview keeps you from even seeing it. Here are some examples of things I couldn’t see in the Bible growing up:

    • In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth – the “s” was silent; I didn’t know “the heavens” in an ancient near east perspective meant far more than just the stars and sky
    • Genealogies – I just skipped them; I didn’t see that they were at the very least the fulfillment of the human commission to be fruitful and multiply
    • Greetings – I would skim through the beginning of any epistle to find where it started; I didn’t notice that e.g. Paul was writing to his close friends

    The notable thing here is that I didn’t choose to ignore these things. I couldn’t even see them. Like the “s” on heavens. I had eyes, but I couldn’t see. No matter how many times I read the verse. I just auto-discarded the “s” before it even registered in my brain.

    2. Ears that Can’t Hear

    A worldview helps us evaluate what we hear by giving us criteria for weighing the quality of the information. Imagine hearing a crazy story from a friend. Your worldview helps you not believe everything you hear at face value. It gives you some standard ways to discern if something is legit. That means, you don’t have to research every story. You mostly know what fits with reality and what doesn’t.

    The problem is that if something is outside your worldview, your worldview provides the criteria to automatically discard the information so you can’t even hear it. Examples:

    • A missionary came into town and told stories of miracles. The missionary was respected, so I believed him. But there was no way to actually verify the stories, so the data wasn’t worth keeping. I couldn’t use it again.
    • My Sunday School teacher would tell me God loves me. That’s true, even if I can’t see it, so it gets in. But the next time something bad happened, I would throw out the statement, because there weren’t consistently reproducible results to prove it.

    I didn’t consciously choose to discard these truths. My worldview automatically discarded things that didn’t meet its criteria.

    3. Hearts that Don’t Understand

    This is potentially worse that eyes that miss information in the first place or ears that relegate it to irrelevance after. Our hearts automatically think our worldview is the best one. No one lives knowing that some other worldview is better for them. So… we don’t want to understand.

    In my life:

    • I grew up thinking First Nations culture was backward; why would I want to understand it? I didn’t know that it’s our modern western culture that is the historical and global anomaly. Their culture is quite similar to the Ancient Near East.
    • I’ve thought that people who don’t want to listen to God’s voice are arrogant. I didn’t realize that to them I sounded like the arrogant one, as if I know what God’s saying.

    So even if the data survives the entry filter and the criteria filter, it eventually hits the ethnocentric filter that just irrationally discards anything uncomfortable. Again, without conscious thought.

    Otherwise… I would Heal Them

    How then can we change our worldview? If we can see the problem, it’s not being discarded automatically. That means we can’t even see the problem. If we have heard the solution and remember it, that means we didn’t discard it. So we can’t remember the only things that would help us. And besides that, we don’t want to, because it’s uncomfortable to explore something that doesn’t fit our understanding.

    Thankfully, Jesus can open eyes, ears and hearts. I can’t use bullet points to share the examples from my life, because they are too precious. But I’ll summarize how those moments of revelation usually happen:

    • Suffering – your worldview stops working and you’re forced to think differently
    • Miracles – something significant happens that your worldview can’t explain

    Our job is to have the humility to receive these experiences as worldview adjusters, not package them up neatly and stay inside our worldview prison. Ideally, let’s not wait for the suffering or the miracle, but pray for God to open our eyes, ears and hearts to what he’s showing us today.

  • Jesus’s Relatives

    I had breakfast with a friend yesterday and we were talking about church based in natural families. He said that some people believe that was how it was with the early disciples as well. If we took all the church traditions seriously, a very family-based picture emerges….

    Named Contemporaries of Jesus in the Gospels

    The Twelve

    • 5 relatives: John, James son of Zebedee, Matthew / Levi, Jude / Thaddeus, James the Less / James son of Alphaeus
    • 7 others: Peter, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Nathanael / Bartholomew, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot

    Other believers

    • 13 relatives: Mary, Joseph, Joses, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene / Mary of Bethany, Martha, Lazarus, Salome, Clopas / Cleopas / Alphaeus, Mary of Clopas / Mary mother of James, Zebedee
    • 11 others: Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Joanna, Susanna, Anna the Prophetess, Simeon, Zacchaeus, Simon of Cyrene, Simon the Leper, Jairus, Bartimaeus

    Others

    • 19 non-relatives: Herod the Great, Caesar Augustus, Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, Annas, Herod Antipas, Herod Archelaus, Philip the Tetrarch, Quirinius, Lysanias, Barabbas, Malchus, Simon the Pharisee, Rufus, Simon Iscariot, Herodias, Chuza, Alexander

  • Church is Family?

    Starting during COVID my wife and I had the privilege of being included in our friends’ weekly family dinner. We felt honoured to be part of their family, included in some of their most significant moments. And I think their family got a bit of an upgrade from having us there. Everyone behaves a little better 🙂

    It felt so different than all the church small groups we’ve been a part of over the years. I don’t think it was being in a home (our groups usually were) having less structure (we had some) or that we ate together (we’ve tried that before). There was a momentum they had from being related to each other, and we were joining into it. The covenant of family was already there, and the gospel was transforming that base into a people covenanted with God.

    Here’s my evolving understanding of the church. In the New Testament we can find examples, or at least hints, of all of these. But what’s caught my eye this week is the centrality of families and their relatives in the New Testament story.

    Building

    I grew up thinking the church was the building where I got paid $5/month to mow the lawn.

    Organization

    Then “church” came to mean whatever events and programs the leaders were running. The building was just where they were located.

    People

    This came to me much later. I guess I knew it intuitively, but it helped to hear it said plainly: the church is God’s people gathered, often in a building, often doing things together.

    Houses

    As I visited more and more nations, I noticed it’s much more common overseas for the church to gather in people’s homes. That fits the New Testament stories.

    Meals

    Then I started wondering if the location is less significant than eating the Lord’s Supper together. That also fits the New Testament pattern.

    Families

    I’ve always thought of the church as a spiritual family. But lately I’ve been paying attention to something more concrete: the families behind the New Testament churches. (I’m talking about a house-level gathering identified with a particular home, not the entire city-wide network of believers.)

    Think about who was in those homes and around those tables. Usually it would have been a family, plus others who were welcomed in. I’m not saying everyone in the church was biologically related, but the nucleus of a typical house church was an extended family.

    What changed was the center of that household. Now God was their Father. And the household was intentionally expanded, so that even Gentiles were included as full members of the covenant family.

    You know how your kids call some people aunt and uncle who aren’t biologically related to you? Or how some of your friends have become so much like brothers or sisters that you’d do anything for them, including sharing possessions? That kind of addition to your family.

    I think I’ve avoided seeing this in the Bible because so many things can go wrong with this model. Nepotism, excluding singles, never really “in”. I hate that stuff. The nature of family, I think for all of us, is that it’s the best thing ever and the most painful. But family is central in God’s plan from Adam and Eve’s commission to multiply, through the family of Israel to our homes today.

    Now I’m increasingly reading the New Testament letters in the context of family-based covenant communities.

    • To churches started in Jewish families: fully include Gentiles in the covenant.
    • To churches started in Gentile families: learn covenant life, not pagan patterns.
    • To churches with a mix of both: unity at the table, honour, and inheritance in Christ.

    Natural families formed a stable base for those early gatherings, and in my experience, they often still do today. Around the world, when a family comes to Christ, the church feels more stable than a group of unrelated individuals. (By “stable” I mean long-lasting and committed, not necessarily mature, and not free of the dysfunction any family carries.) I think it’s because the covenant within a family can create a committed environment where covenant with God has room to grow.

    Body, Witness, Bride

    Family is the latest thing I learned. Much more about the church to explore: body (different roles and gifts), witness (even to spiritual beings), and bride (union with Christ). But for now, “family” has become the most helpful lens for me to understand the covenant environment where faith and love thrive.

  • Idol Feeds

    In the ancient world, idols were everywhere. People bowed down before images that represented gods who weren’t Yahweh. Even today in some countries people have an idol shelf where they can gaze adoringly from one image to the next.

    Where are the idols in our context? Where can we find people with their heads down looking at images of things they adore, one after another, for hours every day? Is it possible that we are scrolling through an idol shelf?

    Did you know:

    • celebrity is from the Latin celebritās – one who is the object/center of repeated public ritual observance
    • fan is from Latin fānāticus – of or belonging to a temple, inspired by a god, frenzied
    • icon is from the Greek eikōn – religious image, object that’s revered
    • star has ancient associations with gods, angels and divine beings

    Paul recommends people not eat food sacrificed to idols. Not because the food is bad, or because it will harm them to eat it. But because it could hurt the conscience of their weaker brothers and sisters.

    I wonder how much we should consume social feeds from people and organizations that aren’t from God. Not that we maybe can’t handle it. But what message are we sending to others?

    Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 10. Read it now as if it’s about your feed instead of your food:

    19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

    23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

    25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

    27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

    31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

  • God, the gods and Us

    I’m starting to write a book, with the working title: “God, the gods and Us”. It’s a retelling of the big story of the Bible from an Ancient Near East perspective🔍 where the spiritual world was connected to everything. For example, the mountains hosted gods, the stars were sometimes angels, and the sea was chaos and evil.

    That means we miss a lot as westerners, like Psalm 121:1 “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?” isn’t just about physical mountains.

    I want to explore how the secular way we see the world developed only recently, is not shared by most of the world and is not how the Bible authors thought🔍. Historically and globally, we’re the outliers, so we need to consider whether perhaps we’re the ones who have the limited understanding of reality.

    I’m thinking I’ll just blog for a while until it’s time to weave the thoughts together into something more coherent.

    Your comments are welcome.

  • Introducing WithYou

    Often when God does something new he’s working in people all over the world at the same time, who are all responding in their own way. Some pray it through, some try it out, some write about it, some just feel it and start conversations. Eventually these early adopters start connecting with each other until a movement begins. 

    This is what God is doing now. There’s a new level of faith rising for everyday Christians to be just as significant as those employed in full time ministry. Maybe you can feel it too. It’s an unshakeable belief that God is with you, for you, on your side as you follow Jesus into what he’s called you to.

    We all have our “God is With You” story. God calls you to do things you don’t think are possible. You surrender your comfort and security. Then God does amazing things. Or sometimes he doesn’t. And then we persevere. Because we love Jesus and share his longing that the world will turn to him. Here’s my WithYou story. My prayer is that in this next season all our stories come together for his glory.

    2007: “Start a People Movement”

    I had just laid myself off after leading a ministry for four years that I thought was in the middle of God’s plans for me and for Canada. I was all in. And then the Holy Spirit led me to give it back to the churches and shut down the central office, leaving me out of work. 

    As I slogged through a dark season and spent a lot of time in prayer, Jesus told me really clearly to “start a people movement”. I’d learned years earlier about people movements from the Perspectives course on world missions: everyone following the Holy Spirit’s call on their life, without depending on organizational structures or dynamic leaders. That picture still makes me weep.

    As I listened through that summer, Jesus described my job in more detail: start a house church movement, transform the church, mobilize Canada to bless the world and justice for the nations. That seemed like too much so I asked if I could just pick one. He told me to look up 2 Thessalonians 1:11. It said, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.” So that’s how we got here.

    I immediately started People Movement Consulting, helping leaders of churches, charities and businesses participate with what God had created them for. The Holy Spirit had me give that up to run Impact Nations, where he showed me his miraculous power and his delight in working through local leaders. I woke up one morning to Jesus telling me to give the ministry back to the founder; I was to launch my own ministry to help local leaders around the world. None of these roles seemed to provide any hope of supporting my family, but somehow God took care of us.

    2014: “Multiply a Hundredfold”

    I was in Kenya helping launch a tea company that we hoped would provide employment for thousands of people in that area. God told me that I would reap a hundredfold in a single year, like Isaac. I was staring at our one little “tea hut” and thinking, there’s no way we can expand to a hundred of those in a year; I wonder what he’s talking about.

    Then my wife received a prophetic word in a public meeting in the United States: “You over there. Yes you. Please stand up. God says to tell your husband to stop, it’s not going to work.” So I shut down my company, disappointed my investors and waited to see what was next. It was another very difficult season.

    Eight months later I became the Director of Global Mission for what was then called MB Mission. I was in a budget meeting when I realized I was in charge of 100 times more money and 100 times more people than when I received the word in Kenya almost a year earlier. We renamed the mission agency to “Multiply” and by the grace of God saw our network grow so that in one year we baptized a hundred times as many people and planted a hundred times as many churches as the year I started.

    The really sweet thing about that role is that I didn’t know anyone there when I was hired, didn’t go to an MB church, spoke only English and had only one year of Bible College. But the first thing I ever remember God saying to me is when I was 5 or 6 years old. I was watching a garbage truck thinking I want a job jumping on and off a moving vehicle when I grow up. Then somehow I knew, no, I was going to have a national leadership position with the MBs. 44 years later, God brought that about without my effort.

    2021: “Do Not Be Afraid. I am With You”

    At the beginning of the year Jesus began reminding me of the promises he’d made to me. There was nothing holding things up on his end. He needed me to be stronger and more courageous. Not just preparing for a harvest, but actively believing it was at hand and taking hold of it.

    This contributed to some tension with the organization and I was asking Jesus what to do. He said “say yes to everything”. That’s how it came about that I began working on an app that I really didn’t want to develop. I’m so thankful for that moment, because this app has evolved into something that I think can support the exponential growth of a movement.

    In March 2025 God said, “It’s time to leave, because my Spirit has more for you.” He told me not to actually resign, but to let it play out. A few months later, on my ten year anniversary, they blessed me and we parted ways. I’m so grateful for that season and Multiply’s investment in me. We continue to work together as partners in the kingdom.

    Now I’m launching WithYou. It looks like a messaging app with “pathways” – small sets of steps to walk through. It’s actually a new way of walking together when you believe Jesus is with you. Like Airbnb qualified regular people to run little hotels, WithYou enables you to host a church. Like Uber made it possible to help people along their journey, WithYou equips you to make disciples of Jesus. It’s the scalable infrastructure to support a people movement.

    Let’s Start a Movement

    There are many times when people encounter Jesus: a Sunday service, a training event, or going out for coffee. WithYou is about continuing to walk together when you’re not in a meeting. It’s about the kingdom of God in the rest of your week, with all the challenges and opportunities of real life, multiplying the gospel throughout all your relational spheres.

    Pathways extend discipleship moments into integrated life transformation. Here are some ways you can begin to experience pathways in your world:

    1. Walk through a pathway. Sign up to receive pathways from me on my blog posts, each chapter of the book I’m writing, or passages of the Bible translation I’m working on. This will give you an idea how to use pathways with your material.
    2. Ask for coaching. Pick a topic and we’ll go through a pathway. Tell me about the group you lead and we’ll make pathways for them. Maybe you have an event coming up that needs follow up pathways. Or let’s find the stage of your ministry on the Mission Strategy Map and see what pathways could help move things forward.
    3. Try it out yourself. Sign up to pray for this movement, with weekly calls and pathways in between, or go through the Prayer First training for your own initiative. You can ask a friend if they’d like you to walk them through the WithYou Practices. Or have one of our team come to your house and help you host Lord’s Suppers. 
    4. Dream with me. We’re working on bringing practical good news to the global poor, proclaiming God is With You by getting behind their employment creation initiatives. And we’re developing a way to dramatically streamline event and project administration to free up paid staff to fully participate in this movement. If that’s something you’re already involved in, let’s talk about how WithYou can help.

    For King Jesus!

    doug@withyou.net

  • The Second Voice

    I was talking with a friend yesterday about how Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, is much more loving and kind than we give him credit for.

    “Yes it’s true, but it’s hard to believe when you read the story of that prophet who got eaten by a lion just for listening to another prophet’s message”

    So I said I’d look into it. Here’s my attempt….

    1 Kings 13 is a crazy story. You really should read the whole thing, but here’s a summary if you’re already familiar with it:

    A prophet rebuked Jeroboam, king of Israel, along with showing powerful signs that the word was from God. Jeroboam invited him home to eat, but the prophet had been commanded by God not to, so he left. Along the way he met a local prophet who claimed God was now OK with him eating there, so they had a meal together. But when he left he was killed by a lion for disobeying the original order. Then the lion just stood next to him for a long time, not eating him or his donkey.

    What’s going on here? God seems deceptive and judgemental. The poor prophet! Let’s attempt to escape our modern western individualistic perspective and take a look at the bigger picture.

    The Story is a Chiasm

    A chiasm is a Hebrew literary structure that places the key idea at the center, with mirrored movements on either side. Like this:

    • The man of God prophesies against the altar at Bethel (vv.1–3)
      • Jeroboam attempts to seize him (vv.4–6)
        • Jeroboam invites him to eat; he refuses (vv.7–10)
          • The local prophet goes to find him (v.11–14)
            • The local prophet lies, saying an angel reversed God’s word (vv.15–19)
          • The local prophet pronounces his judgement (vv.20–22)
        • The man of God dies for eating and drinking (vv.23–25)
      • The old prophet retrieves his body (vv.26–30)
    • Jeroboam continues false worship at Bethel (vv.31–34)

    The center—the lie—is what turns the whole story. Everything folds around the moment a prophetic word is reversed.

    Eating Together was Covenantal

    The man of God isn’t judged for turning back. He’s not condemned for listening. Judgment comes only after he eats.

    “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.” (1 Kings 13:21–22)

    In biblical culture, eating isn’t neutral. Table fellowship is covenant language. It means trust, loyalty, agreement. By eating in Bethel, the prophet re-enters communion with a system God had already rejected.

    The Lion and the Donkey

    When the prophet is killed, the lion and donkey stand beside his body. The lion doesn’t maul the corpse. The donkey doesn’t flee. Both animals just wait, like signs frozen in time.

    They aren’t random. They’re the symbols of Judah’s tribal calling in Jacob’s final blessing:

    “You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down… The scepter will not depart from Judah… He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch.” (Genesis 49:9–11)

    The man of God is from Judah. He was supposed to call Israel back. But he listens to the second voice and shares the wrong table. Judah’s strength and humility—the lion and the donkey—are still present, but they’re no longer moving.

    A Mirror of Jeroboam’s Story

    The prophet’s failure echoes the king’s. Both men began with a clear word from God. Both reversed it. Both fell.

    • Yahweh promises Jeroboam a lasting dynasty: “If you walk in obedience to me… I will build you a lasting house, as I did for David” (1 Kings 11:38).
      • Jeroboam fears losing power: “If these people go up to offer sacrifices… they will give their allegiance to Rehoboam” (1 Kings 12:26–27).
        • He creates a false worship system: “Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt… He built shrines on high places and appointed priests” (1 Kings 12:28–31).
      • A prophet condemns his rebellion: “You have done more evil than all who lived before you… you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me” (1 Kings 14:9).
    • Jeroboam’s name becomes a symbol of sin: “Because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit” (1 Kings 14:16).

    It’s a Prophetic Commentary

    At the close of the chapter, the author tells us that Jeroboam’s other deeds are written in the official records of the kings. This is how most of the stories in the book of Kings end. It’s not just about the history, it’s the prophetic commentary on the history. The story is written to teach us something.

    Fulfillment in Jesus

    The lion and donkey appear again later—not in judgment, but in fulfillment. Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey, as foretold by Zechariah:

    “See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9)

    And in Revelation, he is named the Lion of Judah:

    “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” (Revelation 5:5)

    The man of God in 1 Kings 13 dies because he couldn’t fulfill his calling to bring the message to the people. But Jesus from tribe of Judah, comes back to fulfill that original prophecy from Genesis 49.

    Is the Story Crazy?

    Yes, it still is. But looking at it prophetically, it’s also a warning about listening to anything that contradicts what God originally commanded.

    From the man of God who died for listening, to King Jeroboam who’s whole family line was wiped out for building other altars, to the whole world eventually being judged for replacing the true God with religious counterfeits.

    This story shows us how serious the consequences are if we listen to the second voice.

  • What Are You Doing Here!?

    When Jesus met demons in crowd settings, they would typically cry out that he was the “Son of God”. But in direct confrontations, they always said, “What do you want with me/us?”. Ever wonder why that was their response? Was it just curiosity?

    • Demon in the synagogue:
      • “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?“ – Mk 1:24
      • “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? – Lk 4:34
    • Legion of demons at Gerasenes:
      • “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” – Mt 8:29
      • He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” – Mk 5:7
      • When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” – Lk 8:28

    The phrase is a Semitic idiom (Hebrew and Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke) that means something like What are you doing here!? You’re operating outside your authority! So you can hear the demons even appealing to God’s name for Jesus not to torture them because it’s not the appointed time.

    Jesus uses the same idiom when his mom tries to get him to do a miracle before the appointed time. It’s translated differently, but the Greek is exactly the same. Like, you’re outside your scope. You’re talking outside your authority. You have no jurisdiction in this area.

    • “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” – Jn 2:4

    The phrase is the same in Hebrew, and is used in the Old Testament when people tried to operate outside their scope of authority. Like these:

    • When the Ammonites were rebuked for overstepping: Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: “What do you have against me that you have attacked my country?” – Judges 11:12
    • When Abishai wanted to kill Shimei: But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’” – 2 Sam 16:10
    • When the corrupt northern king wants Elisha’s help: Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” – 2 Kings 3:13
    • When King Josiah tried to stop a Pharaoh from doing what God told him to do: But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.” – 2 Chron 35:21

    The Bible consistently says that evil spiritual beings, like the rest of creation, can only operate within the bounds that God assigns them. The demons had their assigned jurisdiction, from God. So they’re tell Jesus this is not his turf, at least, not yet. This is their defence in each case. They don’t realize the regime change has happened and they’re losing their place.

    So now, the opposite is true. It’s us saying to the demons in Jesus’ name: “What are you doing here!? Jesus is King!”

  • Why the Genocides?

    Last weekend I ran into two people in opposite states. One was feeling pretty good about what they’d learned and was preparing to share that with others, assessing their spiritual maturity and giving them ways to grow. The other was falling back into old habits getting discouraged, wanting to be more disciplined.

    My first impression of both of these was positive, but after a while I thought, is this just about self-improvement? Is there a bigger thought? God loves us and has enlisted us to join with him in saving the whole world. Why obsess about how we’re performing?

    When I operate like that, it has to do with fear. Is God really loving? Because I’ve read the Old Testament. I like the gospels, but who is this God that wipes out whole peoples? Were they worse sinners than me? Or do I really get a pass because I was born after Jesus died for our sins? Or is God unchanging and I’m in danger? Better get back to work on my character!

    Or, we could take another look at why God wiped out those nations. Or more specifically, which nations he destroyed.

    The Nephilim

    To do this we have to go back to just before the flood, when wickedness was everywhere.

    The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. – Gen 6:4

    Note the Nephilim were still around after the flood. (The “flood” could’ve been lots of localized floods all over the world around the same time, as dozens of cultures have stories of their survivors and god-like rescuers.)

    Nephilim Descendants

    When the Israelites entered the promised land (also referred to as Canaan or the land of the Amorites) it was full of giants, now also called Anakim, Rephaim, Emim or Zamzummim.

    We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” – Nu 13:33

    Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” – Dt 9:1-12

    Israel’s Target

    Israel conquered over a hundred kings/leaders associated with Nephilim-descended peoples: 60 under Og in Bashan, about 11 in Sihon’s territory, and 31 in Canaanite cities west of the Jordan.

    • Moses
      • Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide. – Dt 3:11.
      • See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country – Dt 2:24
    • Joshua:
      • Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive. – Josh 11:21-22

    At that time there were probably over 400 kings or regional rulers across Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Arabia, Africa, and India, not counting the Far East. The only region consistently marked for annihilation was Canaan. God never told Israel destroy idolaters in Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon. He even told them not to attack Edom, Moab, and Ammon (Deut 2:4–9).

    God only commanded the complete destruction of one group: the nations descended from the Nephilim. That’s who they were focussed on.

    • The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. – Dt 2:10-11
    • That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. – Dt 2:20-21
    • You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said. – Josh 14:12

    Finishing the Job

    Later David and his men killed the last remaining Nephilim.

    • A champion [Hebrew: an “in between”] named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span – 1 Sam 17:4
    • …. These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men. – 2 Sam 21:22

    The Spiritual Story

    God dissolved the kingdoms of the Nephilim through the flood(s). Then he promised Abraham the land of the Amorites. Over the next 400 years while the Israelites were in Egypt, the descendants of the Nephilim gathered together in Canaan and prepared to fight.

    Like in Acts 4 “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one” or many parts of Revelation, like 19:19 “I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.”

    This was foretold to Abraham:

    In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. – Gen 15:16

    These weren’t neutral tribes defending ancestral homes. They were spiritual descendants of an ancient rebellion, rising in one final stand against the God who had come to claim His land.

    Our Saviour

    So, yes, God loves us. He’s not randomly wiping out nations. He saved the earth from the Nephilim and their evil practices.

    • When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. – Dt 18:9-11

  • Rain on Our Vacation

    When I was 21, our university volleyball team spent a Christmas in South Korea, playing exhibition games for a week. They weren’t used to hosting westerners back then (I didn’t see another white person, even at the airport) but they did their best.

    One night I ordered pizza from the hotel restaurant. The picture on the menu looked delicious. When it arrived however, I was dismayed to see it was made with processed cheese slices and topped with things like raisins and maraschino cherries. I’m guessing they saw a picture in a magazine and did their best to imitate it. So disappointing.

    Lots of things we didn’t appreciate. Like having to sing as a group to the banquet hall after dinner. Standing every time someone older than us entered the room. Letting the Korean players leave their hand on your thigh while you travelled on the bus together. Nail heads sticking up out of the floorboards at one of the practice gyms. No heat at the games in the middle of winter. Having to visit the bath houses and see way too many naked men.

    Looking back, engaging with another culture so intimately was an immense privilege which I mostly didn’t appreciate because my mindset was on my own comfort and enjoyment.

    OK, I wasn’t as bad as the American tourist I overheard at one of the historical sites we visited. The lady finished an extremely demonstrative yawn with “Why can’t these people get themselves on the right timezone!”

    As western Christians, our paradigm can be like that. As if we’re on vacation here. And if it rains, that’s interrupting our comfort and God needs to do something about it.

    No Armies, Please

    One place that comes from is in how our modern Bible translations present the Hebrew word tsābāʾ (צָבָא). It means army and appears 485 times in the Old Testament. (I should mention that in 13 of those it means “service” – we’ll ignore those.)

    In the NIV, for example, when tsābāʾ refers to the Israelites at war, it’s translated as “armies”. But when it’s paired with Yahweh, the NIV switches to “LORD Almighty”. And when it refers to stars or celestial beings, it becomes “starry host” which is a lot more pleasant.

    God is about armies. The phrase “is his name” appears most often as “‘Yahweh Armies’ is his name” The NIV renders it as The LORD Almighty is his name, because Yahweh Armies doesn’t make sense in English. But if you think of Yahweh as “I AM” it gets grammatically easier: “I am Armies is his name”. Like Yahweh Righteousness (Jer 23:6) or Yahweh Peace (Judges 6:24).

    • “‘Yahweh Armies’ is his name” – Is 47:4, 48:2, 51:15, 54:5; Jer 10:16, 31:35, 50:34, 51:19

    I could only find two passages where army is paired with Yahweh unaltered in the NIV:

    • In Joshua 5, the “Commander of the army of Yahweh”
    • In Joel 2, Yahweh leads His army in judgment

    Here are a few unfortunate missed opportunities to translate armies accurately. God rescued his armies from Egypt, and women are an army.

    • “the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions armies” – Ex. 12:51
    • The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng army: “Kings and armies [same word] flee in haste; the women at home divide the plunder.” – Ps 68:11-12

    Not only is the original Bible OK with armies, it goes into great detail about heavenly armies. The original wording is mostly hidden in the NIV, often by using the old English word “host”, which meant army.

    Celestial Armies

    Created to Praise God

    • Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array and all their armies. – Gen 2:1
    • By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host all the armies by the breath of his mouth. – Ps 33:6
    • Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts army, you his servants who do his will. – Ps 103:21
    • Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts armies. – Ps 148:2

    Under God’s Command

    • It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts commanded their armies. – Is 45:12
    • He who brings out the starry host armies one by one and calls forth each of them by name. – Is 40:26
    • Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven armies of the heavens standing around him on his right and on his left.“ – 1 Ki 22:19 and 2 Chr 18:18

    Punished for Receiving Worship Themselves

    • And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array army—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to [divided, distributed, assigned, allotted, parceled out] all the nations under heaven. – Dt 4:19
    • those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host army of the heavens – Zeph 1:5 and many other places
    • All the stars in the sky army of the heavens will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host armies of the heavens will fall like withered leaves from the vine. – Is 34:4
    • They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars army of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. – Jer 8:2
    • In that day the Lord will punish the powers army in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. – Is 24:21
    • It grew until it reached the host army of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host army of stars down to the earth and trampled on them. – Dan 8:10

    In the New Testament

    • Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying – Luke 2:13
    • But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars army of heaven. – Acts 7:42

    We’re Not on Vacation

    The Bible describes a God of Armies who commands heavenly armies and thinks we’re an army. Pass the lemonade is not what’s happening here. A battle is going on that’s bigger than our personal comfort, or even the physical world.

    The very identity of our God is to be over all armies. He cares for us and comforts us like people who are in a war. As if we are being attacked by an enemy much more powerful than us!

    He is our Hope:

    Yahweh Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Yahweh Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. – Ps 46:7-11

    He is our Hero:

    “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband—Yahweh Armies is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. – Is 54:4-5

    He is our Encouragement:

    “Be strong, all you people of the land,” declares Yahweh, “and work. For I am with you,” declares Yahweh Armies. “This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.” This is what Yahweh Armies says: “In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says Yahweh Armies. “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares Yahweh Armies. “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,” says Yahweh Armies. “And in this place I will grant peace,” declares Yahweh Armies. – Hag 2:4-9

  • Bread and Wine

    Here’s how I remember communion being explained to me: The bread stands for Jesus’ body, broken for us, and the cup stands for His blood, poured out to forgive our sins. That was pretty much it.

    It’s quite a personal thing in my tradition. I’m directed to close my eyes and bow my head and quietly remember what Jesus did for me on the cross.

    I’m holding a little styrofoam wafer and a tiny plastic thimble of grape juice, head bowed, eyes closed.

    But Scripture tells a different story. One of kings, battles, thrones, and victory.

    Melchizedek

    Genesis 14 is the Bible’s first war narrative. Four kings conquer five and people are taken captive—including Abram’s nephew, Lot. So Abram gathers his men, attacks at night, and defeats the kings. He rescues the captives and recovers the plunder….

    Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” – Gen 14:18-20

    The bread and wine commemorate deliverance.

    Passover

    The foundational Israelite meal started when God saved Israel from Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods.

    “This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Yahweh’s Passover. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh.“ (Ex 12:11-12)

    The bread (no wine here) commemorates deliverance.

    The Last Supper

    On the weekend where Jesus defeats the dark powers, he is the Bread and the Wine.

    “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.“ (Lk 22:19-20)

    “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col 2:15).

    The bread and wine commemorate deliverance.

    The Lord’s Supper

    The deliverance that we’re proclaiming is not a small private thing. People in the church who were doing communion wrong were literally dropping dead as warnings to the rest of the final judgement.

    For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner… eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep… we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. (1 Co 11:26-32)

    The bread and wine remember and foreshadow deliverance.

    Proclaiming Deliverance

    When we partake in the Lord’s Supper together, it’s not just that Jesus loves me and forgives my sins. We’re declaring his victory over sin, death and the devil at a global scale. The King has overcome and reigns.

    A somber snack in silence is the right format for me remembering what Jesus did for me. But that format doesn’t at all fit the Bible’s bigger story. Let’s make it a real feast with real bread and real wine to proclaim real victory.

  • The Whole Earth (2)

    The Earth Theme in the Bible

    The Hebrew word for earth—’erets—appears over 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Among nouns, only Yahweh, all, son, God, and king appear more often.

    The Bible starts with the earth: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

    We were created out of the earth, and named after the earth: “Then the Lord God formed the human (adam) from the dust of the ground (adamah)…” (Genesis 2:7)

    Our original job was to take care of the earth: “The Lord God took the human and placed him in the garden of Eden to avad (work, cultivate, serve) and shamar it (guard, watch over, preserve).” (Genesis 2:15)

    The big promises were about the earth:

    • “To your offspring I will give this land…” (Genesis 12:7)
    • “But as surely as I live, and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth…” (Nu 14:21)
    • “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Is 11:9)
    • “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth… They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit…” (Is 65:17-25)
    • “They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid…” (Micah 4:1-4)

    The warning was about the earth: “And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” (Leviticus 18:28)

    The earth was given to us: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,
    but the earth He has given to the children of humanity.”     (Ps 115:16)

    We are witnesses throughout the earth: ”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

    The earth is waiting for us: “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God… creation itself will be set free from its bondage…” (Ro 8:19-22)

    And we’re waiting for the earth: “According to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pe 3:13) and “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Mt 5:5)

    We will reign on the earth: “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Rev 5:10)

    The story ends with the earth: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with humanity. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people.’” (Rev 21:1-3)

    The Importance of the Earth

    In the flood story, God could have wiped out the earth and taken us to Mars to start over. But he wiped us out and kept the earth. Read it afresh, noticing the bold:

    The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created– Gen 6:5-7

    In the golden calf story, God was ready to wipe out Israel and start over with Moses. They clearly weren’t the point. But the earth mattered.

    “The Lord said to Moses, “…Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses…said, “…Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out… to wipe them off the face of the earth’? …Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘…I will give your descendants all this land’”– Ex 32:9-13

    Return to Earth

    We’ve grown used to a gospel designed to rescue us from the world. But what if the gospel is for the world—and we’re the workers, just like Adam and Eve in the garden?

    Imagine a charitable organization where the primary beneficiaries are the staff. That’s easy to critique. But what if that’s us?

    Maybe we’re not the chosen few who escape the earth. Maybe we’re the workforce sent to renew it.

  • The Big Whoosh

    Eventually by the grace of God I realized that I was stressing out about something. That’s often masked for me as I push aside my emotions to continue getting stuff done. But God has ways of getting my attention these days, and he cut through all my productivity to show me there’s an issue.

    Eventually by the grace of God I realized was trying to control the situation. Thinking things through. Running best and worse case scenarios. Talking with Jesus a lot. Losing sleep some nights. Researching options with ChatGPT. Talking with my wife. Having a new idea every few hours. Once in a while having my stomach tighten when I had certain thoughts.

    Eventually by the grace of God I realized my problem was fear. Fear is what motivates me to try to control my circumstances. But who was I afraid of? I ran through the various people involved and couldn’t sense anything intimidating about them. They’re not out to get me and don’t really have any significant power anyway.

    Eventually by the grace of God I realized that I was afraid of the powers and principalities. Some hidden, evil force that could mess with people’s judgement, steer decisions, confuse communication, twist motives and trick us all into going the wrong direction. I was afraid they could trap me into saying things I didn’t mean, burning bridges, creating unnecessary conflict.

    Eventually by the grace of God I realized that this is the opposite of everything I’ve been learning the last few months. Jesus is King over them all: powers, people, everything. I believe that, but I wasn’t acting like it. I was letting myself be intimidated by powers that no longer have any authority.

    Eventually by the grace of God I realized that I didn’t need encouragement. I needed to repent. I was submitting to evil powers instead of King Jesus. Time for a 180 degree turn. So, without anything changing in my circumstances, without any word from the Lord about how it was going to go, and without any plan at all, I just repented. I said to God, “I will not fear. You are with me.” Just resolved to believe.

    Immediately by the grace of God I felt a wave of love, joy and peace flood through my being. Seemed like it welled up from the Spirit within me. Or maybe it came from somewhere slightly behind me. Anyway, it was tangible, powerful evidence of Jesus’s presence. Most of the people I’ve shared this with recognize the experience. I’m calling it The Big Whoosh. Hallelujah!

  • Making Jesus King

    I was prayer walking with a friend really early yesterday morning. He got to the trail first and was standing there laughing. I guess some guy had gotten out of his car and started walking, then noticed him just standing there and exclaimed, “Jesus Christ!” My friend responded that he wasn’t actually Jesus but he’s a good friend of His. Later on our walk we ran into the guy. My friend asked him if he’d like to get to know Jesus. The guy’s answer was interesting: “No, that’s not for me. But, no offense! Really, no offense, I’m not offended.”

    In today’s world, even hinting at someone having spiritual authority sounds offensive. It feels like bad news. Judgmental. Our culture values tolerance. The worst thing you can do is come across as superior or narrow-minded.

    This is a problem for us as Christians. We want to love people. To serve. To listen. We want the gospel to be heard as good news. Our generous, forgiving God has sent a Savior who welcomes everyone in.

    I spend a lot of time reflecting on Jesus as King—about rule, government, authority—and it can be hard to see how that could possibly help. If anything, it sounds like the very thing our friends (and we ourselves) are trying to get away from.

    And honestly humanity’s track record on this topic isn’t great. It seems like every generation that’s tried to live out Jesus’ kingship has picked a method that isn’t what Jesus or the apostles modelled….

    1. Through Political Power

    Christians have aligned with rulers, built Christian nations, crowned kings “by God’s will,” or passed laws to enforce biblical values. Sometimes the Church ruled directly; sometimes it steered from behind the scenes.

    But Jesus never accepted that kind of power. When the crowds tried to crown Him, He slipped away. When Pilate questioned Him, He said His kingdom wasn’t from this world. He didn’t try to reform Rome—He called people to repent and follow.

    The apostles didn’t take up political causes either. Paul stood before rulers in chains. Peter told believers to honor the emperor—not replace him. They weren’t trying to make governments Christian. They were declaring that Jesus already reigns.

    2. Through Physical Violence

    From crusades to colonization, Christians have used force to defend or expand the faith. The cross was stamped on shields, flags, and conquest.

    But Jesus refused violence. He stopped Peter from drawing a sword. He surrendered willingly. He forgave His executioners. His victory came not through dominance, but through dying.

    And the apostles walked the same path. They were beaten, imprisoned, and eventually killed—not for fighting back, but for refusing to stop preaching Christ.

    3. Through Platforms and Popularity

    We’ve built ministries, media empires, and personal brands. Influence has become the measure of spiritual authority.

    Yet Jesus often avoided attention. He withdrew from crowds. He told the healed to keep quiet. He spent His time with a handful of disciples, not thousands of fans. Obedience mattered more than visibility.

    The apostles followed His lead. They didn’t build platforms or attract followers. They planted churches quietly and suffered more rejection than recognition. Their authority wasn’t in how many people saw them—but in who sent them.

    4. Through Enforced Religion

    At times, the Church has tried to create Christian societies by requiring worship, punishing heresy, or legislating morality.

    But Jesus never forced belief. He warned, called, and let people walk away. His harshest words were for religious leaders who demanded obedience but lacked mercy. He didn’t manage society—He called hearts.

    The apostles didn’t enforce righteousness either. They preached repentance and trained believers in obedience, but they left space for the Spirit to work. Their goal was never a managed culture—but a faithful people.

    5. Through Spiritualizing Authority

    We’ve sometimes declared spiritual authority over cities, cultures, or institutions—assigning divine mandates or jurisdiction.

    But Jesus never claimed spiritual territory. He healed, taught, and cast out demons, but He also wept over places that rejected Him. He didn’t announce control. He extended mercy.

    The apostles didn’t claim dominion either. When miracles happened, they pointed to Jesus. When they spoke with power, it was to call people into the kingdom—not to declare ownership over it.

    Jesus is Already King

    I think the problem has been that we don’t believe that Jesus is already King. I think we’re trying too hard. Because when someone truly knows they have authority, they don’t need to grasp for control. They don’t force, perform, or panic. They’re secure, steady and free to love. Just like when he walked the earth, he doesn’t need us to make him King, because he already is.

    Jesus, knowing that they intended to come seize him and make him king, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. – John 6:15 (from the Greek)

  • The Whole Earth

    Jesus didn’t come to save us from the world. He came to save the whole world.

    We often call Jesus “Savior,” but somewhere along the way we’ve reduced that word. For many, it simply means that Jesus forgives our sins and takes us to heaven. But that’s not what His name means—and it’s not how His mission works.

    The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves”, as in “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1:21). Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. Jesus’s Jewish friends spoke Aramaic, which is really close to Hebrew. So they would have called him Joshua (Yeshua). Names were really important in that culture. So it’s no accident that Jesus and Joshua have the same name.

    Early believers had no concept of Jesus being their personal Savior. So what did they think Savior meant? Let’s look at the original Joshua and see what saving meant back then.

    Joshua Saved the Land

    You would think Moses would get the Savior name. That’s our whole paradigm today. The people were stuck in slavery, Moses led them out. Saved! But no, Joshua got the name “Yahweh saves”. Saves who or what?

    The people of Israel were already saved from their Egyptian enemies. They hadn’t interacted with the Canaanites for 400 years, so they didn’t need saving from them. And the Canaanites weren’t saved either; they were wiped out. It was the land:

    “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.“ – Leviticus 18:24-28

    The word “land” appears over 200 times in Joshua—far more than any person or enemy. The only thing that truly gets “saved” in Joshua’s story… is the ground.

    The Bible Is a Land Story

    “If my people… turn from their wicked ways… I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

    “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord…” (Habakkuk 2:14)

    Genesis opens with a garden. God forms the earth (adamah) for humans (adam) to tend and rule. The first command isn’t spiritual—it’s to fill the earth and subdue it. But the earth is immediately affected by sin. The ground is cursed. Blood cries out from the soil. Humanity was supposed to care for creation but instead corrupts it.

    God responds with a flood to cleanse the earth from sin. He wipes out the humans to start over. Then He promises Abraham a land. Moses delivers them out of a foreign land. Joshua enters the land. The prophets warn about polluting it. Their punishment is to be exiled from the land.

    The New Testament continues this theme:

    The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. – Romans 8:19-22

    In Jesus’s day the Israelites understood being under Roman occupation as a consequence of their sin. This is why so many were willing to be baptized by John. They needed to be cleansed so that the Messiah could give them back their land.

    Jesus walked the land, told stories about soil and seeds, healed people’s bodies, stilled storms, and raised the dead. He never spoke of escaping the world. Instead, He acted like someone reclaiming it. When He rose from the ground, He didn’t rise into heaven immediately. He rose onto the earth and walked in a garden.

    He told His followers to go—not to heaven, but to the nations. To every land. Not to escape, but to restore. And the Bible doesn’t end with souls in the sky. It ends with a new earth.

    “Then I saw a new heavens and a new earth… and I heard a voice saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.’” (Revelation 21)

    “They shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10)

    What If the Whole Story Was Never About Us?

    What if salvation isn’t about our personal rescue, but about God reclaiming the world? What if we’re not the main characters, but the workers? What if Jesus came not to save us from the world, but to save the whole world from sin?

    We are the tenants in the vineyard. He is the heir. And the earth still belongs to Him. Jesus didn’t come to evacuate us. He came to reclaim what’s His.

    But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. – Acts 1:8

    So when we call Him Savior, it doesn’t just mean My personal Savior, it means He is the one who saves the world.

  • The Empire of God

    “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.” – Mark 1:15

    Kingdom of God

    Jesus’s message was meant to be simple and direct. But what exactly is the kingdom? Somehow we’ve lost the meaning of the key word in the main message.

    Reign of God

    The Greek word βασιλεία (basileia) means rule or reign. It’s technically a better translation, and it makes more sense of the parables. When Jesus is asked what the basileia of God is like, he doesn’t answer with a description of a kingdom, but of how God reigns, like a mustard seed growing or yeast working its way through dough.

    But it’s not a common English word. And it doesn’t flow well with the verbs mostly used alongside basileia in the New Testament:

    • Receive the reign (28x)
    • The reign comes near (18x)
    • Enter the reign(16x)
    • Proclaim/preach the reign (11x)

    Empire of God

    Lately I’ve been wondering about empire. Makes more sense than reign here:

    I confer on you an empire, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my empire and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. – Luke 22:29-30

    And works better with the verbs:

    • Receive the empire – welcome God’s government
    • The empire comes near – like the Roman army approaching
    • Enter the empire – switch sides
    • Proclaim the empire – announce regime change

    Of course empire sounds oppressive. Colonial. Like Star Wars or Caesar. Wouldn’t that distort Jesus’ message? But consider: basileia had all the same baggage, and Jesus used it anyway. He didn’t say “the kingdom is like feeling peace.” He said it’s like a king coming back to settle accounts (Matt 25).

    To first-century ears, basileia didn’t sound safe, intimate, or mystical. It meant a ruling regime, usually enforced by power, taxes, soldiers, and allegiance. Jesus intentionally used that word to frame His message as a direct challenge to the world’s systems of power.

    There is no private version of the kingdom/reign/empire in the New Testament. When Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again to enter the kingdom,” He wasn’t inviting him into a feeling. He was calling him into a regime change.

    The good news isn’t just that Jesus leads and guides us. Or that he reigns in our hearts. Jesus isn’t just leading a movement. He’s establishing a worldwide empire—founded on love, won through sacrifice, and ruled by the King of kings.

    “The empire of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.” – Mark 1:15

  • Obey the Bible?

    During my school years, from elementary through secondary, I led several of my friends into becoming Christians. At the time, that entailed them praying a prayer of forgiveness and accepting Jesus as their Saviour. Then, I would help them obey the Bible, because that’s what I thought it meant when people said “follow Jesus”.

    Later I learned that through Jesus we’re under grace, not under the law. So it’s not about the rules. That was great news, but also made me wonder: why did we get such a better deal than the Israelites?

    So I looked into it, and found the Hebrew word shama. It means to listen attentively, with the intent to respond. English doesn’t have a single word that carries the same richness. That’s why translators often default to “obey”—but that choice changes the tone. Listening is closer to what the Hebrew actually means. And that matters, because…

    1. Mutual Listening

    The same word shama is used for us listening to God and God listening to us, both with the intent to respond:

    • ‘The Lord listened to me…’ (Deut 10:10)
    • ‘God heard the boy crying…’ (Gen 21:17)
    • ‘If you listen to the voice of the Lord…’ (Deut 28:1)
    • ‘Follow Him and listen to His voice.’ (Deut 13:4)

    2. Translation Decisions

    English Bibles tend to translate shama as “obey” only when God is the one speaking. But the original Hebrew doesn’t make that distinction—it’s the same word in both cases.

    • About God: “Because you have obeyed me.” — Gen 22:18
      (Hebrew: shamaʿta bĕqolî — “you listened to my voice”)
    • About Adam: “Because you listened to your wife…” — Gen 3:17
      (Hebrew: shamaʿta lĕqōl ʾishtĕkha)

    3. Rules Don’t Speak

    English Bibles say things like “obey (shama) the commandments”, but you don’t listen to rules, you listen to a person. In the Old Testament, shama is never used with “law” (torah) or “commandments” (mitzvot) as its object. Concerning these, you:

    • Keep the commandments (shamar) — Deut 6:2
    • Do the law (ʿasah) — Leviticus 18:5
    • Walk in the statutes (halak) — Leviticus 26:3

    4. Listen is the Closer Word

    There is no Hebrew word that cleanly means “obey” in the modern, legalistic sense of complying with orders from above. The Old Testament doesn’t speak that way. It uses relational words:

    • shama – listen attentively, respond
    • shamar – guard, keep
    • ʿasah – do, act
    • halak – walk with, walk in

    Imagine removing every use of the English word “obey” from the Old Testament. We’d still have every warning, every call to faithfulness and every consequence. But we’d hear it the way the original audience did: as a voice, not a rulebook.

    So it turns out the Old Testament originally spoke of a covenant relationship with a loving God. And we translated it into obeying impersonal rules. They didn’t have such a bad deal after all.

    If I had known this back in school, I wouldn’t have introduced my friends to a rulebook. I would have introduced them to a God who speaks. And “follow Jesus” would’ve meant what it was always supposed to mean.

  • 6. The Americas god-kings

    The Sun Throne Falls

    In the high Andes of South America, the Inca ruled as gods. The Sapa Inca was the “Son of the Sun”. His face was never to be seen in public. His feet never touched the ground. His word was law, and his person was sacred. When he died, one heir ruled, but the mummy of the dead god-king was still treated as alive, consulted for decisions, fed with offerings, carried through the streets on festival days.

    In 1532, a Spanish envoy met Atahualpa, the last effective Sapa Inca. They had a priest with them who offered him a Bible that he refused (they had refused the cup of chicha he’d offered them). Then, with gunfire the Inca had never seen, the Spaniards massacred thousands of attendants and scattered his army.

    Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries went to work establishing churches, schools, and missions across the former empire. The majority of the indigenous population was baptized within a few generations. But in many areas, Christianity was blended with traditional Inca beliefs. For example, the Virgin Mary was often associated with Pachamama (Mother Earth), and saints were venerated alongside mountain spirits (apus).

    Taking the Promised Land

    When Joshua led Israel into Canaan, the kings were divinely appointed spiritual rulers who lived in sacred cities. Some bore names like Adoni-Zedek, “Lord of Righteousness,” opposing Yahweh’s rule. Israel defeated all 31 of these kings. But then:

    Another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. – Judges 2:10-12

    Conquest without Discipleship

    The Americas no longer have god-kings, but Christianity has been mixed with traditional beliefs. In much of Central and South America, Catholicism has merged with older rituals—animism, superstition, and cosmic symbolism—leaving a hybrid faith where saints replace spirits, and the old gods still linger beneath new names. In North America, Jesus is Lord right there alongside health and wealth.

    The thrones were toppled, but the people were never taught to follow the true King. The result is a shell of Christianity, hollowed out by superstition, prosperity, and power. The god-kings fell throughout the Americas, but the nations were not discipled.

    1. Conquest and Mission (16th–17th centuries)

    • Peru — The Sapa Inca, “Son of the Sun,” ruled as a divine being until the Spanish conquest and Christian missions.
    • Mexico — Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotec kings held divine titles and ruled through blood sacrifice until Spanish conquest and missionary expansion.
    • Guatemala, Belize, Honduras — Maya kings (k’uhul ajaw) were divine intermediaries until Spanish campaigns and Catholic missions.
    • Ecuador, Bolivia — Inca and pre-Inca rulers held divine status until Spanish conquest and Jesuit missions.
    • Paraguay — Guaraní chiefs were seen as divine intercessors until Jesuit Reductions reframed leadership under Christ.
    • Brazil — Tupi and Guaraní chiefs held religious-political power until Portuguese colonization and Jesuit influence.
    • Colombia — Muisca and Tairona chiefs served as sacred intermediaries until Spanish conquest and Catholic missions.
    • El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica — Indigenous leaders combined sacred and political roles until Spanish conquest and Christianization.
    • Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Bahamas — Taino chiefs held spiritual and ancestral authority until forced Christian conversion.

    2. No Divine Kingship

    • Argentina, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Uruguay — Indigenous leaders held sacred authority but were not deified; colonization, Christian missions, or republican reform redefined their roles or erased them entirely.
    • Canada, United States — Indigenous elders led clan-based spiritual communities, but had no divine monarchy; missions and colonization reshaped leadership.
    • Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Arawak and Carib chiefs were spiritual guides, not god-kings.
    • Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela — Tribal leadership was communal and sacred, never centralized in divine kingship.

  • 5. Oceania god-kings

    In the tribal cultures of Oceania, leadership was sacred. Divine rule didn’t come with golden thrones or marble temples, but it had weight. Chiefs weren’t elected—they were born, initiated, and revered. Their word shaped the tribe. Their rituals sustained the land. Their ancestry connected the people to the spirit world.

    When the gospel came, it didn’t destroy sacred authority. It redeemed it.

    One example is the Tu‘i Tonga—the king of Tonga. The dynasty descended from the god Tangaloa, and the king served not just as a political head, but as a living bridge between heaven and earth. His body was sacred. His words carried spiritual authority.

    This wasn’t so different from Israel’s early leaders—like Deborah, Gideon, and Samuel—who guided the people with prophetic insight, ancestral authority, and spiritual power. They were tribal figures, rooted in the life of the people, called by God in times of need. They didn’t sit on thrones. But their authority was sacred.

    “The Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.” —Judges 2:16

    In Tonga, Jesus didn’t eliminate the spiritual leaders, he redeemed them.

    In 1830 a high chief, Aleamotuʻa, was baptized, taking the name Josiah. As Tu‘i Kanokupolu, his conversion shook the islands. He openly renounced the traditional gods and declared allegiance to Christ. Within months, over 1,000 people on the Tongatapu island were baptized.

    The next year, in 1831, the high chief of Vavaʻu publicly converted and ordered the destruction of local shrines. Hundreds followed. By the end of the decade, many sacred titles had been surrendered, ancient rituals abandoned, and the name of Jesus lifted in their place.

    The god-kings lost their authority, as happened throughout Oceania in the last few centuries….

    1. Island Revivals (19th century)

    • Tonga — The Tu‘i Tonga line surrendered divine claims after a nationwide revival.
    • Fiji — High chiefs held spiritual-political authority until Methodist missionaries led many to Christ.
    • Samoa — The Tama-a-Aiga chiefly lines had divine ancestry until the London Missionary Society.
    • Vanuatu — Chiefs mediated ancestral spirits until Presbyterian missions.
    • Micronesia — Tribal rulers claimed sacred power until German and American missionaries.

    2. Colonial-Era Missions (19th–20th centuries)

    • Papua New Guinea — Chiefs and “big men” held spiritual influence before Christian missions.
    • Solomon Islands — Traditional chiefs held sacred social and spiritual authority until Anglican and other missionaries.
    • Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tokelau — Elder councils led spiritual life before the London Missionary Society.
    • Palau, Marshall Islands — Chiefs held ritual-political power until Catholic and Protestant missions.

    3. Settler Cultures (19th–20th centuries)

    • New Zealand — Māori rangatira held mana (sacred authority) until some converted through missionary influence.
    • Australia — Aboriginal elders held cultural-spiritual authority before Christian missions.

  • 4. Asian god-kings

    In North Korea today, two colossal bronze figures rise above the capital. Citizens are required to bow, lay flowers, and step back in silence.

    It’s like Nebuchadnezzar, who built an enormous statue of gold and demanded worship from every nation under his rule (Daniel 3).

    Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were more than political leaders. They were deified. Even after their deaths, Kim Il-sung remains the “Eternal President” and Kim Jong-il the “Eternal Chairman”.

    “To my childish eyes and to those of all my friends, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were perfect beings, untarnished by any base human function. I was convinced, as we all were, that neither of them urinated or defecated. Who could imagine such things of gods?” – Kang Chol-hwan 

    Their portraits hang in every home. Their birthdays are celebrated as national holidays. Their stories are told with signs and wonders—new stars at birth, double rainbows at death, and miraculous childhood feats.

    They restarted the calendar at Year 1, dating time from Kim Il-sung’s birth in 1912, the same year a bright star supposedly appeared in the sky. In official history, he single-handedly saved Korea from Japanese occupation, founded the nation, and created a paradise of self-reliance.

    Like Nebuchadnezzar: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

    But God replied: “You shall be driven from among men… until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (Daniel 4:32)

    The king goes mad, his throne collapses, and finally, he admits: “His dominion is everlasting… all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing.” (Daniel 4:34–35).

    The divinity that surrounded Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il is now unraveling under Kim Jong-un. His official biography had to be withdrawn for “distorted propaganda.” His childhood image was toned down.

    As Jang Jin-sung put it in The Guardian: “It’s not that people really believe all this propaganda about Kim Jong-un, that he’s a god, and need someone to tell them otherwise or show them another way of thinking. North Koreans are people, and they aren’t stupid. In the North Korean system, you have to praise Kim….”

    The throne still stands. But the people no longer worship. Perhaps this was the last remaining god-king in Asia. The rest had already been dethroned.

    1. Early Christian Movements (4th–7th centuries)

    • Armenia — Kings claimed divine favor and priestly authority until the nation became the first to adopt Christianity as its official religion in ~301 AD.
    • Georgia — Sacred monarchy was redefined when Christianity spread in the 4th century.

    2. Islamic Expansion (7th–13th centuries)

    • Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh — Pre-Islamic kings (e.g., Greco-Bactrian, Hindu-Buddhist rulers) held divine titles until Islamic conquest.
    • Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan — Tribal kings and khans ruled by sacred mandate (e.g., Tengriism), but Islam replaced them.
    • Maldives — Buddhist sacred monarchy ended with conversion to Islam.
    • Malaysia, Indonesia — Hindu-Buddhist divine kingship (e.g., Srivijaya, Majapahit) was replaced by Islamic sultanates.

    3. Catholic Missions and Colonization (16th–20th centuries)

    • Philippines — Precolonial rajahs were treated as semi-divine until Spanish conquest and Catholic missions.
    • Timor-Leste — Tribal god-kings were replaced by Portuguese Catholic rule and widespread conversion.
    • Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia — Hindu-Buddhist kings (e.g., devaraja cults) lost their divine status through French Catholic influence.
    • Myanmar (Burma) — Kings from the Pagan dynasty were considered divine until British colonization and Christian missions.
    • India, Sri Lanka — God-kings were widespread across Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, but colonialism and both Catholic and Protestant mission work replaced their divine role.

    4. Protestant Missions, Translation, and Reform (19th–20th centuries)

    • China — For millennia, emperors ruled as “Sons of Heaven” under the Mandate of Heaven, but Christian influence and republican revolution ended the throne in 1912.
    • Nepal — Hindu kings were seen as divine protectors of the faith until the monarchy was abolished in 2008, with prior Christian influence already challenging the premise.
    • Bhutan — Kings ruled with Tantric spiritual authority until constitutional reforms in 2008.
    • Japan — The emperor was worshiped as a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu until the U.S.-led postwar occupation (deeply influenced by Christian values) compelled Hirohito to renounce divinity in 1946.
    • South Korea — Silla kings once claimed divine descent, but later Christian revivals cemented the rejection of god-king ideology.
    • Mongolia — The khans ruled under a heavenly mandate (Tengri), but Christian missions and communist suppression ended any divine legitimacy.
    • Singapore — No native god-kings, but its history under Srivijaya sacred rulership was erased through colonial and Christian redefinition.

  • 3. European god-kings

    Alexander the Great took the throne at twenty years old. By thirty-two, he had conquered the known world—from Greece to Egypt, from Persia to the borders of India.

    In Egypt, he was welcomed as the son of the Sun god. At the oracle of Siwa, priests declared him the son of Zeus-Ammon. His image appeared on coins with the horns of a god. Greek cities offered sacrifices in his name.

    Long before Alexander was born, the prophet Daniel saw an image: “The shaggy goat is the king of Greece” (Daniel 8:21).

    The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord – Daniel 8:8-10

    History followed that script. After Alexander’s death, his empire fractured into four kingdoms, just as Daniel foresaw. One of those kingdoms (“the little horn”) produced a king named Antiochus IV, who called himself Theos Epiphanes—“God Manifest.” He desecrated the temple in Jerusalem and tried to outlaw the worship of Yahweh.

    Rome eventually conquered all four Greek successor kingdoms, absorbing their territories. So then Augustus was called “Son of God.” Temples were built for Caesar worship. Across the empire Caesar was honored with sacrifices, prayers, and oaths. In the cities, citizens were required to burn incense and declare, “Caesar is Lord.”

    Then Jesus came.

    The apostles carried His message across the same empire that had once worshiped Alexander and now worshiped Caesar. Instead of, “Caesar is Lord” they said, “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9). A new King is here and ruling.

    The empire had seen their kings worshiped as gods before—but now, something had changed. When Herod Agrippa accepted divine praise from the crowd—“The voice of a god, not a man!”—he was immediately struck down by an angel of the Lord (Acts 12:21–23). Within three centuries, the emperor cult was outlawed, pagan temples were closed, and no ruler in the Roman world could claim divinity without defying the gospel.

    From there, the god-kings were steadily dethroned throughout Europe.

    1. Roman Collapse and Apostolic Witness (1st–4th centuries)

    • Italy (Rome) — The imperial cult was outlawed under Theodosius I (391 AD).
    • Greece — Sacred rule shattered by Roman conquest and the gospel Paul preached in Athens (Acts 17:22–31).
    • Spain, Portugal — Iberian kings with divine titles were overtaken by Rome, then reoriented under Christianity.
    • Malta, San Marino, Vatican City, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco — These microstates either converted early (like Malta via Paul in Acts 28) or never had divine kingship due to their unique Christian foundations.

    2. Celtic and Germanic Conversions (5th–11th centuries)

    • France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg — From Celtic sacred kings to Frankish and Holy Roman emperors (and Gallic or Frisian priest-kings), all divine claims were displaced by Christian conversion.
    • United Kingdom, Ireland — Celtic kings were ritually legitimized by druids until missionaries like Patrick and Augustine brought the reign of Christ to the isles.
    • Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland) — Norse kings claimed descent from gods like Odin and Thor until Christian kings outlawed the old cults.
    • Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary — Tribal priest-kings fell under the influence of Christian missionaries and monarchs, culminating in formal conversions from the 9th to 11th centuries.

    3. Slavic and Balkan Conversion Movements (9th–14th centuries)

    • Russia, Ukraine, Belarus — Slavic rulers once held divine or sacred titles until the baptism of Kievan Rus (988 AD).
    • Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia — Balkan rulers held sacred roles inherited from Illyrian, Thracian, or Slavic tradition, but these were replaced by Orthodox Christianity.
    • Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia — The last pagan monarchies in Europe, these Baltic nations were finally converted by crusaders and missionaries.
    • Albania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia — From ancient priest-kings to Christian rulers, these borderlands abandoned divine kingship as the gospel reached them.

Kingdom News: The Good News, Kingdom News, The NGO Gospel, The Sons of God, Authority Shift, Sun, Moon and Stars, Giants in the Land, Declaration of War, What Changed?, Kingdom Transfer, Waiting for Messiah, Let Earth Receive Her King, Weary World Rejoices, Christus Victor, Delegated Authority, Reign Until, not After, What Hasn’t Changed, Power without Authority

Bible: New Testament Lenses, 3 Ways to Read Deut. 3, Devotions Alone, The Word and Scripture, The New Testament, One Verse Wonders, Supernatural Bible, Begin with the Spirit, Listen to Me!, Bible Study, Book Club, The Good Spell

Holy Spirit: Go, I am With You, The Best Day, God With Us, Be Filled with the Spirit, Come to Me, God’s Timing, My Goodness, Providence, Impossibilities, Quantum Entanglement, “God told me to…”, Steps of the Spirit, Learning to Hear God, 90 Minutes in His Presence, A Basketball’s Job, I am With You

Spiritual Experiences: Fun with Jesus, Dreaming Dreams, A New Song, Where Am I?, Spiritual Vision, Stepping off the Path, Outside the Box, Making a Hole-in-One

Miracles: Encountering God, The Power of the Lord, Three Healing Stories, Just Pray, Receive Your Healing, Impartation, Empowered to Love, View from Heaven

Demons: Learning as we go, Freedom, Spiritual Opposition, Curious Words, Drive Them Out

Church: Safe Church, The Gathered Church, Our Beliefs are Showing, No Enemies on Sundays?, Going to Church, Religious, Rebellious or Radical, What Does “Church” Mean?, Spiritual Friendships, Family or Dinner?, Strong Church, What is Church?, Why Plant Churches?, Religion Kills Us

God’s Kingdom: What’s the Kingdom?, The Reign of God, Did God Really Say?, Inherit the Earth, Losing the Plot, Where Jesus Reigns, Why the Kingdom?, King of the Universe, Language!, Let There Be Light, Jesus Revolution, A Bigger Prayer, It was Very Good, The Big Picture, Father of our Faith, Who’s Kingdom?, Did the First Poo Stink?, God is in Control?, What’s Good and Bad, The Kingdom is Upon You, Couldn’t Stop Smiling, A Magical Kingdom?, Who’s in Charge?, Flood Responses

End of the World: Heaven isn’t the Point, The End in Mind, Pray Attention, The End is Coming, Eternal Life

“Reign Until”: Enemies!? (110:1), Unseen Powers (110:1), Creating Order (110:1), Promised Land (110:1), The Law (110:1), Becoming King (110:1), Jesus’s Reign (110:1), The Church (110:1)

World Systems: The Fall of God-Kings, The Matrix (1999), Biblical Principles, Organizational Health, Complexity → Humility, Mission Vision Values, Time and Money, Perpetual Shock, Change the World?, Amazing!?, Getting Permission, Problems and Solutions, Financial Commitments, Soul Enemies, Family vs Organization, Christ is King!, Who’s Ruling the World, As In Heaven

Leadership: Leadership, Religious Leaders, Interesting…, Trusting with Joy, Spiritual Leadership, Good King, Bad King, Radical Reformation, Servant Leadership, Asking for Wisdom, Go and Make Disciples

Suffering: Longing for Rest, Friends of God Wait, What Do We Expect?, Risk the Ear Wax Flush, God Invented Suffering, Real-Time Feedback, Suffering is Normal, Lamenting (Psalm 13), Fasting, Pain, Purpose of Suffering, This is a Test, It’s OK to be Sad, Finding Hope, Ups and Downs

Witnessing: Don’t Share the Gospel?, Spread the Word, The Great Commission, “So, what do you do?”, Who Sends Who When, Apostles, How Jesus Invited, Open or Closed, Scoring Opportunities, They’re Just Sandwiches

Multiplication: Inevitability, Blessed to Multiply, Genesis: Multiply!, Make a Difference, Expect Fruitfulness, The Key to Multiplication, A Hundredfold, The 3rd Generation, What are the Odds?, Are we Multiplying?, 100 x Missionaries = ?, Pruned to be Fruitful, The Viral Gospel, The Purpose of Life, Disciple Peoples

Mission Strategy Map: Mission Strategy Map 1: Stages, Mission Strategy Map 2: Letting Go, Mission Strategy Map 3: Fruit, Mission Strategy Map 4: Principles, Mission Strategy Map 5: Adapting, Mission Strategy Map 6: Stories, Mission Strategy Map 7: Bible, Mission Strategy Map 8: Organizations, Mission Strategy Map 9: Application

My Story: The Holy Spirit (1) → The Holy Spirit (2) → The Holy Spirit (3)

Epochs of History: Heb 11:1-3 Faith → Heb 11:4-7 Seek Him → Heb 11:8-22 Sacrifice → Heb 11:23-31 People of God → Heb 11:32-35 Strength → Heb 11:35-40 Refusing → Heb 12:1-11 Love → Heb 12:12-17 Grace → Heb 12:18-29 Reverence

Parable of the Sower (videos): Soils 1: The Kingdom → Soils 2: The Devil → Soils 3: The Flesh → Soils 4: The World → Soils 5: Multiplying

Discipleship Practices: The Language of Discipleship, Discipleship Paradigms, Discipleship Paradigms 2, Discipling 1: God is Here → Discipling 2: Talk with God → Discipling 3: Hear their Story → Discipling 4: Eat Together → Discipling 5: Debriefing, Factory Reset, A Toast to Jesus?

God: Who is Like our God?, God is Kind, God is Faithful, God is Gracious, The Ten Words, He’s Not Ice Cream

Obedience: Hear and Obey, Baptisms, The Way, A Journey to Nowhere, The Curse of “Soon”, Discouraged, Disobedient, It’s Hard to Hear, Faith and Love, Plodding Along, Right Now, Want Peace and Joy?, What is “Sin”?

Surrender: The Wrong Path, My Pile of Crap, Dying to Self, I Owe my Flesh Nothing, Letting Go, Surrendering 99%, People Pleasing, I’m Not Improving, Chasing after Money, Excited vs Enthusiastic, Money, Sex & Power

Maturity: Believers, Disciples, Saints, Disciples become Saints, Getting Ahead of Ourselves, Our Eyes Are Lying, Endless Equipping, Know Him Better?, Broken?, What to Believe, Jesus Loves Me, My Personal Saviour

Character: Shame, Hope, Confidence in the Flesh, Fear Opposes Love, Joy!, How to Love and Be Loved, What Actually Works, Trying to be Loving, Do Not Be Afraid, Watch Your Tone

Prayer: “Let’s Close in Prayer”, My Psalm 16, Devotions Alone, Worship and Praise, Early Church Prayers

Other: An Odd Sense of Zero, Slowly by Slowly, The Fish Diagram, “Timothy” Missionaries, Advent Season, Game Theory, And Fill the Earth, Covenant People