1.23.2026

Built for This: Serving Pastors in a Changing World

Resources to help church leaders like you.
1
min
7.25.2025

To Forgive or Not To Forgive?

What it looks like to offer forgiveness like God.

Is it ever okay not to forgive someone?

Whether we know it or not, Jesus’s words in Matthew 18 may be ringing in our ears as we consider this question:

Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven” (Matt 18:21–22, CSB).

Problem solved, right? We always have to forgive.

Not quite.

In a similar exchange recorded in Luke, Jesus qualifies the forgiveness his followers must offer to those who repent:

“Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:3–4).

Repentance appears to be a necessary condition for forgiveness. So, we’re off the hook for forgiving people if they’re unrepentant?

Again, not quite.

What Is Forgiveness?

To forgive someone is to “remove the guilt as a result of wrongdoing,”[1] not out of a fear of confrontation or a willingness to sweep an infraction under the rug, but out of compassion. God’s people are to be the kinds of people eager to restore relationships with those who’ve wronged them.

Jesus illustrated this type of forgiveness in Matthew 18 with a parable about a king who forgave his servant’s debt. Just before the king punished the servant for his unpaid debt (vv. 24–25), the servant repented (v. 26), and the master “had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan” (v. 27). The king and the servant were then on good terms.

However, the servant later demonstrated that his repentance was false. Immediately after being forgiven, the servant found someone who owed him a debt and threw him in prison (vv. 28–30). When the king found out, he threw his servant in jail to be tortured, with Jesus concluding, “So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart” (v. 35).

By definition, forgiveness depends on genuine repentance.

Our Model of Forgiveness

Christians are called to emulate God by perpetually offering forgiveness to those who are unrepentant. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). God always has forgiveness on offer—and there is nothing we can do to make him remove that offer.

But for God’s forgiveness to “activate”—to become true about us and remove our guilt—we must repent. We must recognize our sin and turn to God. And while God wants everyone to repent and avoid eternal punishment, he doesn’t indiscriminately apply forgiveness to all people (2 Pet 3:9). People can reject God’s offer of forgiveness.

So, what does this dynamic between forgiveness and repentance mean for us?

While we’re not called to absolve someone of wrongdoing without their repentance, we are called to be the kinds of people who are eager and willing to forgive those who admit their sin against us.

For some of us, specific faces come to mind when we consider trying to forgive unrepentant people. We may not describe ourselves as “willing” and “eager” to forgive them, but that’s what Jesus calls us to do.

What does it look like to be eager to offer forgiveness like God?

To use a familiar saying: How do we stay ready, so we don’t have to get ready? What does it look like to cultivate an attitude that is eager to offer forgiveness?

1. Pray for their repentance.

How often do you pray for the people who’ve wronged you? What thoughts about them most often come to mind? Praying for someone to repent so you can reconcile is difficult. It’s easy to pray for our enemies’ downfall, but genuinely praying for those who have wounded us requires intention and practice.

Set aside some time in your prayers and ask God to soften the hearts of specific people in your life who need to repent. And ask God to soften your heart toward them so you can persevere in praying for their repentance.

2. Imagine the “best-case scenario.”

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how a reconciling conversation with an offender might go. Their repentance seems so far-fetched that you haven’t even considered what you’d say if they came to you and asked for forgiveness.

Imagine what would happen if a text from “that person” popped up on your phone asking for forgiveness. What would you feel in that moment? Why? What would be the wise, Jesus-like response? Consider what your reaction says about you and spend time thinking about what you’ll say and do when forgiveness calls.

3. Make a habit of forgiving when asked.

While we’re waiting for specific people to ask us for forgiveness, there may be times when those close to us repent, and we’re still hesitant to forgive. Whether it’s an unkind word from a spouse, a friend’s consistent tardiness, or a child’s repeated mistake, people wrong us all the time, and they often ask us to forgive them. How do we typically respond?

Not only should we forgive when asked, but how we feel about forgiving them reveals a lot about our hearts. Like God, we should have “joy” when someone repents (Luke 15:7). As we joyfully forgive those in our lives who ask for it, perhaps our attitude toward those who don’t will change for the better.

So, is it okay not to forgive someone? Ultimately, no one is off the hook for forgiveness. However, Jesus calls us to something more than the cheap forgiveness that helps us “move on” or makes us feel better. He wants us to be genuinely invested in the good of others, even those who’ve hurt us.

If we want to be the kinds of people who are eager to forgive, we need to also be people who eagerly model the repentance we’re waiting for. As we work to repent when we hurt people, perhaps our attitudes will soften toward those who struggle to repent when they hurt us. The entire exchange is covered in grace, for us and for those we’re waiting to forgive.

[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, “40.8  ἀφίημι´ἄφεσις, εωσ´ἀπολύω,” in Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 2nd ed. (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996).

1
min
7.11.2025

Navigating Church Conflict: Advice for Church Leaders

What Advice Would You Give to Church Leaders Who are Navigating Conflict or Divisions in Their Church?

What Advice Would You Give to Church Leaders Who are Navigating Conflict or Division in Their Church?

Conflict is natural. Add in a diverse group of believers, and it’s inevitable. How do we handle disagreements within our churches in a healthy, God-honoring way? We asked some of our previous conference speakers for wisdom and insight into navigating conflict—a common challenge in ministry.

Danielle Brown

Have difficult conversations. Oftentimes, the issue that is presented is not the actual issue. And so, pulling teams together to let them know: “It’s okay to address elephants in the room. It’s okay to be honest and have conversations.” We can’t work through what we don’t put on the table. Set the standard for how conflict is handled. At Shiloh, we have a saying that, “We handle conflict [with] truth in love, flooded with grace, always leaving room for reconciliation.” But also, conflict does not have to be the end of us. Conflict does not have to be the end of relationship. Conflict also does not have to be the thing that causes disunity. But even despite our conflicts, we can move forward because we are all working toward the same end. And we’re doing it together.

Ben Stuart

James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry because the angered man doesn’t produce the righteousness God requires. So, I would say when you are encountering anger from people, lean in with a question. If they’re talking, keep them talking. Because sometimes when the anger burns out—if they see that you’re still there listening—it gets to the real heart-level wound. But if we’re just reacting to the anger, then it’s react, react, react, and we never get to where the real wounding lies. I love that James starts that verse by saying, “Beloved brothers, be slow to anger.” How are we going to be slow to anger? It’s because we know we are loved by God. So, we are not threatened by their anger. But let them burn it out, let me lean in with a question, hear their heart, and apply gospel healing to that place of difficulty.

Libin Abraham

I would always encourage you to understand before you criticize—before you even land at a conclusion. Because I know if you’re like me you’ve got that defensiveness that just jumps in. It pops up, but well, I want to seek to understand. It was Rufus Miles who said, “People make their stand based on where they sit.” The idea is that wherever you sit in life, and whatever your life experience has been and your background and your story, you make your positions and stance based on that. So, understanding where people sit in life and asking questions and engaging in a conversation to actually learn and listen—that often leads to an understanding. It may not always lead to agreement, but it can lead to you accepting a person even if you don’t agree because you’ve understood their story and their journey. I would encourage you to keep the focus on Jesus—his body. Because his one body created one body: the church of Jesus; and the cross of Jesus, the blood of Christ, invites unity. It brings healing, tears down the wall of hostility. And we realize: “You know what, I can give up some of my preference because of the person of Jesus and the mission that God is inviting me into.”

Joby Martin

There could have been a lot of division among the disciples of Jesus. But what they unified around is not unity. They didn’t unify around unity. They unified around Jesus. Post-resurrection, Peter decides to go back fishing. And when John lists the disciples that are in the boat, you’ve got people who had nothing in common. You had royalty like Nathanael, and you had blue-collar workers like Peter, James, and John. You had Simon the Zealot. He had the “Make Jerusalem Great Again” hat on. And you had Matthew the tax collector. He was working for Rome. These people had nothing in common. What they did have in common was the blood of Jesus. It’s kind of like a triangle. The more you focus on the gospel—on the person and work of Jesus, people from every tribe, every tongue, every nation, every political persuasion, whatever ideology they have—when we focus them on Jesus, they get closer and closer and closer to one another as they grow closer to Jesus. Stay focused on Jesus.

Conflict happens, but it doesn’t have to divide us. As Christians, we are part of a group of people with diverse languages, cultures, and backgrounds who are all united by Christ. When disagreement happens, don’t be afraid to have the difficult conversation. Lean in and listen. Seek to understand. And above all, stay focused on Jesus.

How do you approach conflict in your church? Watch sessions from RightNow Conference 2024, Together, for biblical insight and practical resources. Click here to watch.

1
min
6.27.2025

Behind the Scenes: Essentials of Faith

A closer look at how our twelve-part discipleship journey, Essentials of Faith, was born.

At RightNow Media, we’re honored to serve a wide range of churches—from small rural congregations to suburban megachurches to emerging microchurches. Though their contexts vary, these churches shared a common request:

“Can you create a resource to help us disciple people in the essentials of the Christian faith?”

That’s how our twelve-part discipleship journey, Essentials of Faith, was born.

“Churches have been asking us for resources that provide a step-by-step pathway to spiritual maturity,” said Brian Mosley, president of RightNow Media. “Essentials of Faith builds a solid theological foundation for new believers and invites seasoned Christians to deepen their understanding of the gospel. We designed these series to partner with churches and support their existing discipleship strategies to develop mature followers of Jesus.”

Publisher Sophie DeMuth explains the heart behind the initiative: “We wanted to create resources that were clear and simple, easy to use and versatile, yet also applicable and helpful for Christians of all maturity levels. And so we came up with this twelve-series ‘program’ that any church could pick up and use to help their members grow as disciples of Jesus.”

Simple, Not Easy

Creating something simple is surprisingly complex—just ask the team of writers, designers, and video producers behind Essentials of Faith.

The series walks through twelve foundational questions about Christianity in a clear, progressing format. Designed for small groups, individual study, or church-wide use, each session equips viewers to explore gospel truths and prepares them to disciple others. In addition to free adult study guides, our Publishing team also created youth study guides for each Essentials of Faith series to help parents, youth leaders, and mentors to disciple the next generation.

The approach was intentional from the beginning. “All the planning for the twelve series came through a lot of collaboration and prayer,” Sophie said. “We decided to pose our titles as questions because so many people are asking questions today—about God, the church, and the faith. Our hope was to show that these series are for everyone, no matter their questions or doubts or spiritual maturity.”

But here’s what you don’t see when you watch an Essentials of Faith series: the months of planning that went into every single detail, from the intricately designed backdrops to the props and production.

While we typically travel to unique locations to film cinematic Bible studies, we took a more focused approach for Essentials of Faith. “I think that the Essentials of Faith series is one of our simpler series from a production standpoint, but that's the beauty of it,” said Video Producer Mathew Robbins. “There’s power in showing amazing locations and editing eye-catching stories, but there’s just as much power in a simple message and format.”

Each series features a custom backdrop created by RightNow Media’s graphic designers, then printed onto wallpaper and carefully applied by hand. The 16x8 foot backdrops combine historical Christian artwork with contemporary photographs and modern design elements.

Graphic Designer Keaton Dillard spent hours creating some of the backdrops featured in the series. “I hope the backdrops make the teaching more understandable. But at a deeper level I hope the beauty of the designs moves viewers to grasp the deep beauty that is Jesus Christ.”

Exceptional Teachers

When you’re creating a resource about the essentials of faith, you want teachers who embody those essentials in their own lives. That’s why Essentials of Faith features trusted voices like Francis Chan, J.D. Greear, Lisa Harper, and Derwin Gray, with upcoming series from Beth Moore, Eric Mason, Sharon Hodde Miller, Ben Stuart, Kyle Idleman, and more.

Our team welcomed these teachers to RightNow Media’s headquarters in McKinney, Texas, where they filmed in our on-site studio. During their time at our headquarters, several teachers shared a short message of encouragement to the entire RightNow Media staff. When asked about these teachings, Senior Marketing Specialist Victoria Becker shared: “Moments like these remind our team that we’re not just doing a job—we’re joining in the discipleship of the global church. RightNow Media gets to play just a small part in what God is doing around the world. It’s bigger than us, and it’s not about us.”  

Senior Producer of Women’s Content Courtney Davis couldn’t contain her excitement when talking about these collaborations: [these are] “the most gifted teachers of our time pouring out on their favorite topics concerning our discipleship. The passion is unmatched. Getting to learn how to read the Bible from Beth Moore—I mean, does it get better than that?”

Essentials for Everyone

Ask anyone on the RightNow Media team what they hope viewers take away from these series, and the answers go far beyond information. The goal of the Christian life isn’t just knowledge, but it is applying what we know. We believe that understanding these “essentials of faith” leads to life transformation.

“We really hope the audience for these series fill in some of the blanks in their walk with Christ. Getting to know Jesus and the intricacies of the Bible will take us all a lifetime, but with the tools of this series I hope we all feel empowered to tackle a deeper understanding of our faith,” Courtney said.

The impact isn’t limited to individuals. Video Producer Chris Abalza sees the ripple effect: “To me, the Essentials of Faith series is uniquely important because each series tackles such important questions in the life of a young believer. That makes it important for those young ones but also for folks who are discipling other people—giving them some support and resources to walk through.”

While Essentials of Faith answers foundational questions to the Christian faith, it isn’t just for young believers. Sophie DeMuth experienced this firsthand while working on the project: “Working on Essentials of Faith forced me to think like a new Christian, which reminded me of the journey God’s taken me on in my faith. It’s been a true joy to craft these series alongside the rest of the RightNow Media team, and I am so grateful to God for the opportunity.”

That’s the beauty of essentials—they’re essential for everyone.

To see the entire series lineup and watch the available Essentials of Faith series, visit www.rightnowmedia.org/essentials-of-faith.

1
min
1.24.2025

We Can't Make Disciples If the Gospel Isn't Good News

How you can share the gospel with grace and relevance to speak to each person's unique struggles.

The following is an excerpt from www.Exponential.org, originally written by Ben Connelly on August 14, 2024.

As we consider a shift “from reaching Christians to making disciples,” church leaders and followers of Jesus can miss a vital step: knowing how the Gospel sounds like truly good news to people! Do we live as if the Gospel is truly good news to us? Do we talk about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and reign as if He makes an actual difference—not just in our theology but in our lives, and in the lives of those around us?  

At the end of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he asks his friends in Colossae to pray for him specifically—and this is informative for us as we pursue God’s mission—“that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” Leading by example, Paul, arguably the most “successful” missionary in history, reminds us that God’s mission was completely dependent on God. Then he exhorts his friends, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:2–6).

Speak with Grace and Salt

Salt makes things tasteful. Peter gives a similar warning as he exhorts followers of Jesus to share the Gospel. After encouraging readers to “always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” he encourages this posture: “yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Grace, gentleness, well-seasoned and respectful. If we asked many of our not-yet-believing neighbors and friends, I’d imagine those are not the words they’d typically use to describe their experience with Christians’ presentation of the Gospel.

In my work with The Equipping Group, we often help pastors see that Christians are more typically viewed as arrogant, uncaring, heady, and presumptuous. These postures miss God’s heart, and miss opportunities to walk in wisdom, even as we speak the good news! There’s a way to display the heart of the Gospel, even as we proclaim the content of the Gospel.

Our posture as we share the Gospel—from our stages and classrooms, and even more so in our streets and living rooms—is to consider how our audience (whether one or 1000) is hearing it, and to ask ourselves if it’s palatable to them. How can we fulfill this first principle of Gospel proclamation? The second principle is the key.

Speak to Each Soul  

Paul’s second exhortation to his readers is to “know how you ought to answer each person.” Paul doesn’t encourage a one-size-fits-all approach to sharing the Gospel. Instead, there are literally dozens of ways to share the Gospel, and that “each person” might need to hear it in a unique way, to sound real to them. For me, the Gospel was “good” in that it displayed Jesus as satisfying in my dissatisfied life.. But if I now only know how to proclaim the Gospel through the lens of satisfaction, it might be wasted on you if dissatisfaction isn’t your struggle. Instead, as I often tell our church family, we must learn to speak the one objective Gospel, into hundreds of subjective situations around us.

For example, I used to think God redeemed me at age eight. Now I think I was actually twenty—and ashamedly, two years into student ministry!—when the good news of Jesus became real to me. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks: “If Jesus is real, He should matter to everything!” It sounds embarrassingly simple now, but seemed revolutionary at the time. What truth made the Gospel become real to me? For years I had sought satisfaction in leadership roles, music, “success,” women, and ironically, doing the right thing in the eyes of others. All that had left me empty and dissatisfied. When I was twenty, the truth I’d even taught others finally sunk into my own thick, self-gratifying skull: God. Alone. Satisfies. That truth changed everything.

Every time we see a diamond commercial, the stone sits on a black background, rotating. Every slight turn picks up the light in a unique way, reflecting it in more beauty. It’s one diamond, but each angle shows its sparkle differently. In this way, Jesus is like a diamond. There is one Gospel, but there are many angles from which people through history find the Gospel to be truly good news.  

What’s the Good News to Each Person?  

I explore some ways the Gospel is good news in Reading the Bible, Missing the Gospel. But there are many, many more! Even in Paul’s elder qualifications, he says leaders must be well-thought-of enough to earn an audience; we must have strong relationships and have “respectable” lives. Based on Colossians 4, we must learn peoples’ stories, enter into their brokenness, and know their values, needs, and idols. In this way, we can speak the good news in a way that “answers each person.” But isn’t that difficult? Yes. Doesn’t it take time, effort, and sacrifice? You bet. Is there a high potential I might fail, misrepresent God, or speak foolishly at times? Absolutely.  

But on one hand, grace exists to us, because “salvation is [only!] of the Lord”—it’s the Father who opens doors; it’s the Spirit who gives us words. On the other hand, it’s worth it. Because everyone on earth—both inside and outside our ministries—proclaims the glory of something. And there is only One Thing worth proclaiming, that won’t let them down. Jesus alone is, among a hundred thousand other things, Satisfaction to the dissatisfied, Joy to the joyless, Hope to the hopeless, Forgiveness to the indebted, Freedom to the enslaved, Salvation to those facing judgment, and the Answer to every problem. And hear me, minister: that same Gospel that can sound like good news to every facet of peoples’ lives, is also truly good news to every facet of your life too!

There is one objective Gospel, and it applies to every subjective situation. As we consider our disciple-making processes and strategies, let’s also prioritize living lives that reflect that truth. And let’s slow down enough to know how to best proclaim it in a way that speaks to individual souls, answers unique questions, and “answers each person.” Let’s accept God’s invitation to do this, from our pulpits and on our couches. Let’s share the good news with those in our ministries, those who would never come near them, and in our own hearts as well!

How are you hoping to, or continuing to, cultivate and nurture a healthy framework and practice of discipleship within your church? If you need a resource to get started, check out Essentials of Faith—a multi-series discipleship program designed to help your church develop mature followers of Jesus. Click here to learn more about Essentials of Faith.

1
min
1.10.2025

5 Webinars to Grow as a Church Leader in the New Year

A curated list of free, one-hour webinars led by trusted ministry experts.

The start of a new year is a time for reflection, prayer, and planning. For church leaders, January provides the perfect opportunity to reset after the busyness of the Christmas season and refocus on your ministry’s goals for the year ahead.

To help you grow and lead with confidence, we’ve curated a list of free, one-hour webinars led by trusted ministry experts. Whether you want to overcome apathy in your congregation, equip your church for evangelism, strengthen marriages, or enhance specific areas of your ministry, there’s a webinar here for you.

These sessions are packed with practical tools and encouragement to help you make a lasting impact in 2025.

Empower Your Church for Evangelism

Creating a Culture of Evangelism: Practical Steps for Effective Outreach with Willie Robertson

In this one-hour webinar, Willie Robertson shares practical strategies for expanding your outreach efforts and embedding evangelism into the heart of your church’s mission. A culture of evangelism in your ministry is possible!

Watch Now

Level Up Your Women’s Ministry

3 Ways to Equip Women & Leverage Their Influence in the Church with Tasha Calvert

In this webinar with Tasha Calvert, women’s minister at Prestonwood Church in Texas, you’ll learn actionable ways to include and empower women to exercise godly influence in their homes, schools, communities, and churches—and in your own ministry.

Get Access

Consider How AI Can Support Your Ministry

Ministry in the Age of AI in partnership with Barna, Carey Nieuwhof, and Gloo

In this webinar hosted by David Kinnaman and Carey Nieuwhof, gain invaluable insights from guest experts and thought leaders Ed Stetzer, Nona Jones, and Kenny Jahng. Hear how they collectively envision the future of ministry in a technologically driven world.

Get Access

Overcome Apathy in Your Congregation

When People Don’t Care: A Discussion About Apathy in the Church with Ben Stuart

In this webinar, pastor and author Ben Stuart fields questions from viewers to help ministry leaders address apathy in the church. Learn how to increase engagement and build community in the next generation and beyond.

Watch Now

Support the Marriages in Your Ministry

4 Secrets to an Intimate Marriage—for You & Your Ministry with Shaunti Feldhahn and Dr. Michael Sytsma

Based on years of research on everything from communication to money to sex, the simple, eye-opening steps presented in this webinar are things every church leader should have in their back pockets to encourage and equip their people—and to have a great marriage themselves.

Get Access

As you step into the new year, take a moment to reflect, pray, and seek God’s guidance for the road ahead. Leadership comes with challenges and opportunities, and investing in your growth—spiritually and practically—can help you navigate them with wisdom and grace. You’re making a difference, and we’re cheering you on.

1
min
12.13.2024

Joseph: Hearer and Doer

A closer look at Joseph, Jesus's father.

When you read Jesus’s genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, what names stand out to you? Is it Abraham, the father of our faith? Or maybe David, the revered king of Israel? Maybe it’s Jesus’s mother, Mary. Jesus’s lineage includes a fascinating mishmash of characters, some of whom are well-known and others who are more obscure. One name that’s often overshadowed is Jesus’s father: Joseph.

Is there anything we can glean from this seemingly unremarkable figure?

While it’s true that Joseph is often overlooked and there’s relatively little written about him in the New Testament, he’s an important person to ponder during Christmastime. Although he is “barely mentioned in Scripture [and] forgotten mostly in church history,” as Dan Darling writes in The Characters of Christmas[1], there is much that we can learn from him today.

Joseph Heard from God

After the opening genealogy in chapter 1, Matthew’s Gospel transitions immediately to the “birth of Jesus Christ” (v. 18, ESV) and introduces readers to Jesus’s parents, Mary and Joseph. Matthew describes Joseph as “a just man” (v. 19). In light of the scandalous nature of Mary’s pregnancy (Joseph was not the biological father, and they were not married), Matthew details Joseph’s unwillingness to shame Mary, his betrothed. Joseph “resolved to divorce her quietly” (v. 19), which was no small decision.

It’s clear from the next verse that Joseph spent time mulling over what he should do—the Greek word used here is enthumeomai, which means “to revolve thoroughly in the mind” or “consider carefully.” What do you think Joseph was feeling? What do you think his prayers were like?

As Joseph “considered” (enthumeomai, v. 20) what to do, he fell asleep. Have you ever prayed and wrestled with God long into the night, begging to hear from him and pleading for help? I imagine this is where Joseph found himself, out of options and out of energy, drifting into a restless sleep. But while he slept, God sent him a message. Through an angel, God spoke to Joseph. And Joseph heard him.

When was the last time you heard from God? Maybe it’s been so long that you aren’t even sure what his voice sounds like anymore. Keep wrestling. Keep praying. Keep pleading with God. And keep your ears tuned—he may just send you a word when you least expect it.

Joseph Obeyed God

In every recorded instance when the Lord’s angel visited Joseph and spoke to him (Matthew 1:20–24; 2:13–15; 2:19–22), Joseph responded with obedience. Three times the angel of the Lord “appeared” to him in a dream and three times he “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” Every time, Joseph obeyed immediately.

In Matthew 2:13–15, for instance, God sent his angel to Joseph to deliver hard news: “Herod is on the hunt for this child (Jesus), and wants to kill him” (v. 13, The Message®). God instructed Joseph to gather his family and their things “and flee to Egypt.” As you might imagine, moving was much more disruptive in the first century than it is for us. But the Bible says that “Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight” (v. 14, The Message®, emphasis added). That isn’t just obedience; it’s obedience without delay, no matter the cost.

What about you? How difficult is it for you to obey God’s Word immediately like Joseph did? For most of us, the answer is obvious—immediate obedience is immensely difficult, especially when it’s costly. But take heart: by God’s grace, we can obey God like Joseph did.

Be Hearers and Doers, like Joseph

In the book of James, the author instructs his readers to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (1:22, ESV). If we’re ever unsure what hearing and doing the Word looks like—what it requires of us—Joseph gives us an example. Joseph was not a “hearer who forg[ot] but a doer who act[ed]” (v. 25).

And so it should be with us. When we read Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, or the warnings in Paul’s epistles, or the exhortations in the book of Hebrews, or the commands in Peter’s letters, or the sweet encouragements in 1 John, we should recognize that we are hearing from God much like Joseph did—not news delivered by angels but by the very breath of the Almighty. And like Joseph, we should “[a]ct on what [we] hear” (James 1:22, The Message®).

Joseph, Jesus’s father, is an unremarkable character in the New Testament. There’s no backstory about him, and there are very few mentions of him outside of Jesus’s birth narrative. He was a profoundly ordinary person. And that should encourage us. Because despite his ordinariness, he was extraordinarily faithful. He heard from God, and he obeyed him, no questions asked. And by God’s grace, we can too.

Daniel Darling,[1] The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2019).

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