Kingdom Co-Laborers

Next month we will have the privilege of hosting visiting pastors from the following countries for encouragement in Scripture and equipping in EA’s strategies:

– Cuba
– Haiti
– Puerto Rico
– Panama
– Mexico

This morning I came across the following passage in 1 Peter 1:1-2,

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

Such a great reminder that ALL Scripture is given for our instruction and edification, even this portion where the Apostle Peter is addressing a letter almost 2,000 years ago!

As Jim George notes in his outstanding resource Bare Bones Bible Handbook,

“First Peter was written around the time Rome was burned by the emperor, Nero. The persecution of Christians had been steadily increasing, and its intensity will only accelerate as Nero spreads the false rumor that the fires were started by Christians. Peter writes this letter to Christians throughout the Roman Empire to show them how to live victoriously in the midst of the coming hostility without losing hope, without becoming resentful, and by trusting the Lord and looking for His second coming. Peter believes that if his readers will live obediently in the midst of a hostile society, they can be evangelistic tools in the hand of God.”

As I read the passage I thought of the visiting pastors coming to the Dominican Republic, who likewise are:

-Scattered throughout the provinces,
-Chosen by the Father,
-Set apart by the Spirit,
-For obedience to Jesus Christ.

What a privilege it will be fellowship and learn alongside these Kingdom Co-laborers!

Sexual Revolution

Last week, as I worshipped in Santo Domingo at Iglesia Bautista Internacional, I was reminded that the assault on morality, marriage and family is not limited to the borders of the United States.  Church leadership at LaIBI described recent efforts, initiated by the government, at indoctrination of children through the educational system in regards to sexuality, which stand in opposition to the Word of God.

While certainly disappointing, these developments should not be confusing for believers, particularly for Americans, as we consider both Scripture and recent developments.

First, when we look at Romans 1 we can clearly see the progression of immorality from fornication (heterosexual promiscuity) to sexual perversion (homosexuality/gender confusion):

ROMANS CHAPTER 1-5 OUTLINE:

Chapters 1–3:20 – The Problem of Righteousness

– The Guilt of the Gentiles (Romans 1:18-32)
– The Guilt of the Jews (Romans 2-3:8)
– The Guilt of all men (Romans 3:9-20)

Chapters 3:21–5:21 – The Provision of Righteousness

If we look closely at Romans 1:18-32 we see:

Reasons for Condemnation (v18-23)

– For suppressing God’s truth (v18)
– For ignoring God’s revelation (v19-20)
– For perverting God’s glory (v21-23)

Results of Condemnation (v24-32) – “God gave them over…”

– Abandoned to fornication (v24-25)
– Abandoned to sexual perversion (v26-27)
– Abandoned to depraved lifestyle (v28-32)

Additionally, Denny Burke in the article below, explains the Domino Effect that has taken place, specifically within the United States in recent years, beginning with the Sexual Revolution and culminating in our current moral free fall.

“As I’ve said in this space many times, the gay marriage campaign succeeded so thoroughly and so rapidly in large part because it built on what heterosexuals had already come to believe was true about sex and marriage. Gay marriage was inevitable, because straights had already queered sex and marriage via the Sexual Revolution. Yet gay marriage was a Rubicon for our society because it took those radical shifts past the breaking point, and locked them in to law and culture. All that followed was predictable, and it was in fact predicted, not because anybody had a crystal ball, but because it made logical sense.”

So what should our response be, as followers of Christ?

I think the following article from Ligonier Ministries by Al Mohler can be of great assistance.

In less than a generation, homosexuality has gone from being almost universally condemned to being almost fully normalized in the larger society.

We are facing a true moral inversion — a system of moral understandings turned upside down. Where homosexuality was even recently condemned by the society, now it is considered a sin to believe that homosexuality is wrong in any way. A new sexual morality has replaced the old, and those who hold to the old morality are considered morally deficient. The new moral authorities have one central demand for the church: get with the new program.

This puts the true church, committed to the authority of God’s Word, in a very difficult cultural position. Put simply, we cannot join the larger culture in normalizing homosexuality and restructuring society to match this new morality. Recognizing same-sex unions and legalizing same-sex marriage is central to this project.

Liberal churches and denominations are joining the project, some more quickly and eagerly than others. The cultural pressure is formidable, and only churches that are truly committed to Scripture will withstand the pressure to accommodate themselves and their message to the new morality.

What, then, is the true church to do?

First, we must stand without compromise on the authority of the Bible and the principles of sexual conduct and morality that God has revealed so clearly in His Word. The Bible’s sexual morality is grounded in the creation of humanity in God’s image; we are created as male and female and given the gift of sex within the marriage covenant — and only within the marriage covenant between one man and one woman for as long they both shall live.

The easiest way to summarize the Bible’s teaching on sexuality is to begin with God’s blessing of sex only within the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. Then, just remember that sex outside of that covenant relationship, whatever its form or expression, is explicitly forbidden. Christians know that these prohibitions are for our good and that rejecting them is tantamount to a moral rebellion against God Himself. We also know that the Bible forbids all same-sex sexual acts and behaviors. Thus, we know that homosexuality is a sin, that blessing it in any way is also sin, and that normalizing sin cannot lead to human happiness.

Second, we must realize what is at stake. Marriage is first and foremost a public institution. It has always been so. Throughout history, societies have granted special recognition and privileges to marriage because it is the central organizing institution of human culture. Marriage regulates relationships, sexuality, human reproduction, lineage, kinship, and family structure. But marriage has also performed another crucial function — it has regulated morality.

This is why the challenge of samesex unions is so urgent and important. Redefining marriage is never simply about marriage. It leads to the redefinition of reproduction and parenthood, produces a legal revolution with vast consequences, replaces an old social order with something completely new, and forces the adoption of a new morality. This last point is especially important. Marriage teaches morality by its very centrality to the culture. With a new concept of marriage comes a new morality, enforced by incredible social pressure and, eventually, legal threats.

Third, we must act quickly to teach Christians the truth about marriage and God’s plan for sexuality in all its fullness and beauty. We must develop pastoral approaches that are faithful to Scripture and arm this generation of believers to withstand the cultural pressure and respond in ways that are truly Christian.

Fourth, and most important, this challenge must drive us to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christians must be the first to understand this challenge in light of the gospel. After all, we know spiritual rebellion when we see it, for we ourselves were rebels before God’s grace conquered us. We know what moral confusion means because without the light of God’s Word, we are just as confused.

There is no rescue from the self-deception of sin except for the salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ. While doing everything else required of us in this challenge, the faithful church must center its energies on the one thing that we know we must do above all else — preach, teach, and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Watchman on the Wall

In a recent episode of 5 Minutes in Church History Pastor Steve Lawson explained,

“Charles Spurgeon started a publication called The Sword and Trowel, which was his magazine. It’s drawn from Nehemiah 4. When Nehemiah was on the wall, he had a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. With the trowel, he was building up the work of God, but with the sword he was fending off the enemies of God. Spurgeon saw himself as a Nehemiah on the wall.”

In a similar fashion, EA works to build up the Church of Christ with a trowel in one hand and a sword in another. Several current events within the evangelical community serve as a reminder of the need to be steadfast and identify potential threats, and heed 1 Corinthians 10:12 – “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Case Study One: Bethany Christian Services bowing to pressure to place children with same-sex couples

Ministry Implication:

-“There are hours when the Church must say NO to those who should ask communion with her, in the doing of her work, upon the basis of compromise.” – G. Campbell Morgan
– This is danger of relying upon secular sources (governmental agencies etc.) for financial support, which do not embrace your core value
– Uncompromising evangelical nonprofits, such as EA, could be stripped of their nonprofit status, as a result of not adhering to equal opportunity government standards.

Biblical Principle:

-Matthew 6 – Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Case Study Two:  Moral Failures of Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Church and James MacDonald at Harvest Bible Church

Ministry Implication:

-“The immorality of leaders has been a reality among God’s people for as long as God has had a people. The temptations for leaders are as real as they are for the rest of us, but the consequences are more severe. When a leader falls, all are punished.  Not punished FOR the leader’s sin, but BY his sin.” – John MacArthur
-Board strength and oversight

Biblical Principle:

-Proverbs 27:6 – Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
-2 Samuel 12:7 – Nathan then said to David, “You are the man!”

Case Study Three:  Francis Chan speaking alongside False Teachers & The Gospel Coalition’s Sam Allberry Issue

Ministry Implication:

-the necessity of ongoing partnership evaluation

Biblical Principle:

Spurgeon’s The Sword and the Trowel – “Doddridge sometimes mingled in a fraternal manner, even exchanging pulpits, with men whose orthodoxy was called in question. It had its effect on many of the younger men, and served to lessen in the estimate of the people generally the growing divergence of sentiment. In other words, Shindler felt that Doddridge’s tolerance of unorthodox teachers obscured from his ministerial students the awful reality that these men were guilty of serious error, and left the students exposed to the deadly effects of their heresy.”

-2 Thessalonians 3:6 – Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

Prayer for EA: Clean Hands, Pure, No Falsehood or Deceit

Psalm 24:4-5

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Reflections on the Packing Purge

This summer the Husted’s will be moving. Therefore, the necessary purging that accompanies packing has begun. And, as my wife reminded me, this task must also include my bookshelves.  However, the task was small and quickly done, as years ago, on a previous move, I had disposed of a number of books for a variety of reasons.

I commend to you two great resources that I reflected on while packing away my library.

First, this article entitled Old Books, New Books, and Trends That Fade Away: Lessons Learned from a Book Sale by Luke Holmes, where he offers the following book-buying recommendations:

– Beware of writing a man’s legacy before his ministry is over.
– Beware of books that promise a quick fix.
– Beware the crashing waves of trends.

Second, a recent sermon by Pastor John MacArthur entitled Leaving the World to Reach the World from Colossians 3:1-4 resonated with me, as I reflected on all the pragmatic ministry books that had I purged in recent years.

The church has been taken captive by a kind of pragmatism that it seems it cannot shake, and I think that pragmatism is dealt with in the simple statements that I just pointed out to you in verses 1 and 2: “Keep seeking the things above, and set your mind on things above.” Rather than doing that, rather than setting its mind on heaven, rather than seeking what is above, believers today, and even church leaders today, seem to be preoccupied with seeking things that are below. The actual purpose seems to be to best assess the world around us and do the most we can to make some kind of superficial alterations in our economics or in our social structure or in our cultural definitions. The church seems to be earthbound. And, of course, that would be satanic strategy, wouldn’t it. If we’re called to heavenly things, then Satan would want to make sure we got trapped in earthly things. And that has been the death of churches throughout church history. But it seems to be that even today, a kind of evangelical pragmatism where we understand the mission, we even understand the message, but we really are confused about the method…

Pragmatism basically says we do what works, we do what attracts people, we give people what they want, we talk the way they like to talk, we play the way they like to play, we act the way they like to act, we like the things that they like. And the more common ground we can find with the world, the more effectively we build a bridge to them to give them the gospel. That’s essentially what pragmatism is. It seems to work, it draws a crowd, they like it; this has to be right. That’s what pragmatism says…

Are we supposed to find as many things as possible that are exactly what unconverted people want in a given culture and make sure we give them all of those? And that is what builds the bridge. Well, in reality that is the opposite of what the Bible says. That is absolutely opposite what God has called us to by way of methodology.

According to God’s Word, we have to leave the world to reach the world. We have to leave the world to reach the world.

Are we not Christians?

This may, or may not, come as a surprise to you; however, the first followers of Jesus didn’t call themselves “Christians.”  It was, in fact, a derogatory term used by people outside the Jesus community.

Acts 11:26 reads,  “In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (ESV).

They were called by others. It was not the name they chose for themselves.

What then did they call themselves?

The answer is right there in the verse: disciples.

The word “Christian” is only used 3 times in the whole Bible; whereas, the term “disciple” is used 281 times in NT.  And yet today, we normally describe ourselves and others as Christians rather than disciples.  

Sadly, altering the term that we use to describe ourselves, believers have lost the clarity the word “disciple” conveyed.

In fact, as Steve Lawson notes in his book The Cost, our use of “Christian” today obscures the fact that a lot of people who call themselves Christians are not actually disciples,

“…large numbers of people, who either attend church or who are morally good people, wrongly presume that they have a right relationship with God. Tragically, though, they have never actually committed their lives to Him. Surely, they know about Jesus. They have a degree of knowledge about Him in their heads, but they do not truly know Him in their hearts. They have been lulled into a false sense of assurance about salvation that they do not possess. Churches are full of such people…In many pulpits, the message of salvation has been obscured, if not altered. As a result, many people pull up short of what it truly is to be an authentic believer in Jesus. I fear that many think they are trusting in Him, but, in reality, have not yet done so. Instead, they have believed in a sugar-coated message with a shallow imitation of the real truth. The result is a synthetic salvation.”

Scriptures speaks directly of this:

– Matthew 7:22 – On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?”
– 2 Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”
– 1 John is an excellent test of salvation.

When we read The Parable of the Wheat and Tares, we see that in opposition to Jesus Christ, the devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world who lead many astray.

Matthew 13:37-39 reads, He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.”

The Church in America is increasingly questioning historical, orthodox beliefs on homosexuality, gender roles, sufficiency of Scripture/Christ’s death, and this may be, in large part, due to the result of tares amongst the wheat.

So let’s pray and work towards “Disciples,” a terrifyingly clear term of what an individual becomes when they truly place their faith in Christ.

Persecution and Discipleship

As I prepared to lead a bible study on The Cost of Discipleship, I ran across two great resources, which shed light on:

– The relative newness of Western persecution
– The personal experience of God…in persecution

Christianity Promises Suffering and Persecution: Here’s How to Prepare by Zane Pratt

“The comfortable experience of Christians in the West has actually been an anomaly in this regard. Because of the Christian heritage of Western civilization, combined with democratic freedoms and historic rule of law, Western Christians have largely been left alone for their faith. Even today, as Western nations become increasingly post-Christian (and even anti-Christian), the opposition experienced by most Christians goes little beyond mockery. However, there are signs that this protected status may be changing. If it continues to do so, it will simply put Western Christians in the same boat as their brothers and sisters all over the world.”

5 Reasons to Rejoice in Persecution by Tim Challies

God is near to you in your persecution. 1 Peter 4:14 says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” This is a promise that God does not abandon you in your persecution, but is right there with you in the middle of it. This is one very good reason to read church history. What you find as you read about people who are being persecuted is that they have a supernatural joy and that they so often speak about God’s nearness in their suffering. When it seems that everyone else has abandoned them, they have a much deeper awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit living within them, blessing them, and comforting them. While they do not love being persecuted, they would not trade away their personal experience of God in that persecution. As C.S. Lewis so aptly said, God whispers to us in our pleasures but shouts to us in our pain. Rejoice, because God is with you.

Reached People Groups

It is estimated that of the 7.5 billion people alive today, 3 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel, and with less than 10% of missionary work done within these groups. So clearly we must prioritize reaching the unreached in obedience to Christ’s words in Matthew 24:14,

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

And yet a logical question is, “Why bother going to countries where there are churches?”

The answer lies, first in the fact that it need not be an either/or choice and, secondly, in the statistics below:

– There are an estimated 2-3.5 million pastoral leaders worldwide
– Only 5% of which have been trained for pastoral ministry
– So…95% of church leaders worldwide have no theological training, according to The Center for the Study of Global Christianity, 2015

So…among reached people groups are there churches? Yes.

However, is the church leadership normally equipped to fulfill its God-ordained mission? No.

And therefore, the following foundational, biblical principles are not at work:

-2 Tim. 3:16-17 – “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
– Titus 1:9 – “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”
– 2 Tim. 2:2 – And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

Therefore, churches in Reach People Groups need to be…

Strengthened

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”… 41 And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Acts 15:36, 41)

Encouraged

“Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.” (Col. 4:7-8)

Equipped

“for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:12)

The opportunity for short-term mission teams:

– The role of visiting, short-term teams is to encourage and empower local long- term ministries by joining their ongoing efforts.
– For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12)

So…missions: unreached or reached people groups. Answer: yes.

Wilderness Wisdom: Beware the Fringes

Robert J. Morgan, one of my favorite authors, writes in his book, The Strength You Need: The Twelve Great Strength Passages of the Bible,

“God hasn’t given us a book simply filled with miscellaneous quotations or motivational mottos. He has given us a book rich in history, with riveting plots, unforgettable characters, and enriching stories. Every great quotation has a great context.”

Recently, I emerged from the Desert of Leviticus in my Bible reading plan to the book of Numbers and Deuteronomy, books awash with leadership lessons. So, as I jot down a few insights in the next few weeks I thought I would share some “Wilderness Wisdom” from the nation of Israel.

Chapter 11 – Rebellion in the Camp

Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. 3 So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.

Despite all that God had done for them, it’s startling how ready the people are to complain against God. 

William MacDonald notes, “A clue to the discontent is found in verse 1 – ‘consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.’ The malcontents were at a distance from the ark.”

And Spurgeon commented on this passage,

“Observe how the mischief began in the outskirts among the mixed multitude, and how the fire of the Lord burned in the uttermost parts of the camp. The great danger of the church lies in her camp-followers or hangers-on: they infect the true Israel. Hence the need of guarding the entrance of the church, and keeping up discipline within it. Grumbling, discontent, ungrateful complaining — these are grievous offences against our gracious God.”

Practical application: A church that does not call believers to baptism and then to church membership can be, unknowingly, creating its own “outskirts of the camp” from which discontent and disobedience will arise.

Studying the Word of God

This week I had the opportunity to reach out to church members in my community to encourage them to participate in two new bible studies. Below is the content of the email, which should be motivating to all believers, regarding the importance of faithful study of the Word of God:

D.L. Moody stated in his book How to Study the Bible,

“I believe the reason there are so many Christians who do not show much evidence of walking with God, with whom you only see the Christian graces coming out every now and then, is that they do not take the Bible for doctrine, reproof, and instruction.”

I’m excited to inform you of two new opportunities within our community to help us “Grow in our walk with God by studying the Word of God.”

Moody went on to write,

“In Psalm 119, David prayed nine times that God would quicken or strengthen him according to His Word. For example:

– ‘Quicken me according to thy word.’ (Psalm 119:25)
– ‘Strengthen me according to thy word.’ (Psalm 119:28)
– ‘Cause me to live, O LORD, according to thy word.’ (Psalm 119:107)
– ‘Uphold me according unto thy word.’ (Psalm 119:116)

If I could say something that would motivate Christians to have a deeper love for the Word of God, I think I would be doing them the most important service that could be done for them.”

So please prayerfully consider joining us for one of these studies, as,

“God speaks through His Word. The Word of God does the work of God through the Spirit of God in the people of God.” – Alistair Begg

Year-End Feeding Frenzy

Earlier this month Mike and I experienced an annual highlight of our year: the EA Christmas party at our offices in Santo Domingo.

Joined by 25 of our staff and key volunteers we engaged in a number of activities:

1. Worshiping together

2. Praising God for Christmas, by praying through Joel Beeke’s Why Christ Came: 31 Reasons for the Incarnation

3. Celebrating 5 years of service by Jose Lorenzo, noting 2 Benefits of Longevity in Ministry from the life of Paul: You can see God’s Work over time (Acts 13:15-26) and God can increase the effectiveness of your work (1 Thess. 2:10-11)

4. Studying together 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, noting what Paul prayed for the Church of Thessalonica: Worthiness, Fulfillment and Power, and motivated by Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s admonition that “what the people in our lives need most from us is our personal holiness.”

5. And finally thanking God for what He had graciously accomplished within and through EA in the past year, and Asking for His continued provision in the year to come.

I got quite a chuckle when I shared this picture above, explaining that the End-of-Year Feeding Frenzy in the states, at times, felt to me like a battle for survival, as non-profits, churches and charities fight for limited resources, capitalizing on charitable holiday spirit and strategic tax deductions.

I explained that, beginning with Giving Tuesday and culminating with 11:59pm New Year’s Eve, citizens are besieged constantly with requests for year-end donations, as December alone can account for 30% of annual giving, and the last three days of December on average accounts for 10% of a non-profits income.

They laughed at my attempt at humor, which doesn’t always translate into Spanish well.

But I went on to explain that, while I joke about feeling that way, there were a few core beliefs that determine my perspective on year-end giving:

1. God owns a cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10) and does not have a limited budget

2. The Lord says, “He who honors me, I will honor…” (1 Samuel 2:30), so our focus needs to remain seeking first the advancement of the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) and trusting God to “supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

3. However, we want to encourage the spiritual discipline of charitable stewardship, as “Generosity is God’s gift to all of us, rich or poor, and participating in God’s work is a gift that shouldn’t be denied to anybody.”*

4. When Jesus stated in Matthew 6:21, “Where your heart is, there your treasure will be also,” he was not merely offering us a thermometer to measure the temperature of our hearts, but also a thermostat to change the temperature of our hearts. Therefore, anything we can do to foster a biblical worldview of possessions and giving should be encouraged. *

So we ended our time praising God for our current year-end Matching Campaign and…praying the same scripture passages we have prayed for the past 6 years:

– “Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (Prov. 30:8-9)

– “Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:16-17)

 

* Source:Practicing the King’s Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give