LANGUAGE:
Being A Faith-Influencer Woman
(2 Timothy1:5; 3:15, 1 Peter3:5 )
Because today is Mother’s Day, what’s mother’s day without a cutesy video honoring . . . Watch Epic Mother’s Day.
Video
Mother’s Day is a great day to honor one of the most impactful people of our lives—our Mothers. There is no other job in the world that is as heart-breaking, or as rewarding as motherhood. And there is no other job that influences or impacts the world like parenting. 90% of teenagers, when asked who influences them most, still say their parents. That influence can be either a godly, or worldly. Today the feminist movement, the economic structure, and the woke-mind-virus places all kinds of expectations on mothers.[i]
As I reflect over my short time on earth, I see that God has placed a number of godly women in my life to help develop of my worldview. For example,
So to all you women this morning, whether single or married, old or young, don’t sell yourselves short as to the impact you can have and are having on the world around you. One of the greatest blessings in a man’s life is to have a godly woman at his side, because she has the power to transform him from a meandering life into a purposeful driven respectable husband and leader.[ii]
From Abigail Dodds comes this beautiful description: A woman is a prism that takes in light and turns it into an array of greater, fuller glory . . . constantly radiating reminders of God’s faithfulness.[v]
Let’s open our time in prayer: Heavenly Father, we want to honor our moms today on Mother’s Day. We commit ourselves to honoring, loving, and protecting mothers and women everywhere. We pray your blessing on them today and every day. Amen
This morning I want to draw from four primary passages of scripture centering on two women who were faith-influencers. We’ll be looking briefly at Acts 16, 2 Timothy 2:5; 3:15, and 1 Peter 3:5.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, chap 2, v5, Paul zeros in on the sincerity of his faith, and then immediately points out that his faith was rooted in the faith of his grandmother Lois, and mother Eunice. I think it is implied that but for the faith Lois and Eunice, it was very unlikely that Timothy would have been a man of faith.
This morning I want to focus on the influence of faith that a godly woman can have on her family and her world by looking at a godly grandmother’s influence on her daughter, who in turn had a godly influence on her son, Timothy, who ultimately had a godly influence on the church at Ephesus.
Lets take a closer look at the faith of these two women, Lois and Eunice as faith-influencers.[vi] The community of Lystra serves as the backdrop to the faith of Lois, Eunice, and Timothy.
Let’s begin with Acts 16. Here we learn that Lois, Eunice and Timothy lived in the city of Lystra. v2, tells us that Timothy was well spoken of in Lystra and Iconium. We might ask, why did the local community think so highly of him?
The answer is rooted in the lives of two women, his mother Eunice, and grandmother Lois. Though Eunice’s name is not given in Acts 16, we are given her name in Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy. In the Acts account we learn that Eunice was a Jewish woman, a believer, and had been married to a Greek.[vii] I say ‘had been’ because the way it is written in the original, it appears that her husband had died, making her a single mom.[viii] And Based on Paul’s letter in 2nd Timothy, I’m inclined to believe that Eunice and Timothy lived with grandma Lois.
By all accounts Lystra was a rough-and-tumble town, with a diverse-cultural-mix of Romans, Jews, Greeks, and the locals.[ix] Lystra was a Roman military staging post, as well as having a temple to the Greek god Zeus, making it a city governed by Zeus idolatry. [x] Meaning it was a city where Satan’s rule was obvious.
It’s worth noting that on Paul’s first missionary journey, Acts 14, he visited Lystra. While there he noticed a cripple man from birth listening intently to his preaching and he healed him. The crowd was stunned. They immediately thought that god Zeus had literally paid them a visit in the flesh.[xi] They took Barnabas to be ‘the incarnation’ of Zeus, and Paul to be ‘the incarnation’ of god Hermes, considered the messenger and chief spokesman of the gods. [xii] With this in mind they attempted to offer sacrifices to them, but they pleaded with the crowd not to do such a thing.
In the meantime, unbelieving Jews from Antioch and Iconium showed up and turn the city against Paul and Barnabas. The people who had just praised Paul as a god now turned on him like a cat-on-a-rat and stone him. Then, thinking that he was dead, dragged him out of the city. When the disciples gathered around his lifeless body, Paul stood up, completely well, and went back into the city (Acts 14:8–20).[xiii]
The point is, living one’s faith in Lystra was not easy. Not only was it a place of persecution, it also became a theological hotbed. Justification by faith was openly denied, and replace with a works salvation message. Lystra was not easy going when it came to practicing faith. It was in that context Paul reminds Timothy of the faith lived out by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Living in Lystra made their faith that much more remarkable.
From mother Eunice and grandmother Lois we learn that being a faith-influencer in Lystra required daring, determination and grit. It took courage to be a faith-influencer in the midst of idolatry. As I reflected on the faith of Lois and Eunice as faith-influencers, I see six standout character traits of what it means to be a faith influencer. [xv]
2 Timothy 2, v5, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice . . . Interestingly, Paul writes in chap 1, v5 (NASB95) The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and (here it is) a sincere faith. You know what stood out to Paul when he remembered Timothy? It was the sincere faith of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice.
I think we all would like to think that we have a sincere faith, but what does that mean? Sincere faith is a faith that is “genuine, unbending, without two-facedness”[xvi] It’s a faith that is firm and observable. James 2 tells us that faith without works is dead. So sincere faith is a clear observable tangible faith clearly on display.[xvii] Women with sincere faith live out what they believe . . . their walk matches their talk.
In light of the culture at Lystra, Lois and Eunice must have been a sight to behold. They portrayed a strong sense of purpose, they believed in the reliability and truth of God’s Word, and relied on His ability and His strength. A common struggle in difficult times is feelings of helplessness and worry about an unknown future. Sincere faith pushed them and us to cast all ‘our’ anxiety on God, knowing He cared for us. (1 Peter 5:7).[xviii]
God’s definition of faith is found in Hebrews 11 v1, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Faith speaks of certainty, of strong convictions. No convictions means no sincere faith. [xix] V6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Sincere faith is the assurance that God is working regardless of what we might think.[xx]
The faith of Lois and Eunice stood in sharp contrast to the culture of Lystra. Their faith highlighted the hypocrisy and secularism of the community. They took Deuteronomy 6:5(GW) seriously--to Love their God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength. This is the foundation of everything that God has called a woman to do. She never gives up in her pursuit of God through His word. The woman who hopes in God draws near to Him. She spends time with Him in His word and in prayer, she believes in His gospel and finds shelter in His Name, and derives her hope from God.
2 Timothy 3:15 (GW) From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. A godly woman strives to immerse her children into the scriptures and pass on her faith. That’s what Lois and Eunice did day after day. Think about this for a moment. Timothy was raised in a mixed marriage. His mother was a believer, his father was a Greek, meaning he cared little about the Scriptures, and it appears there came a moment when she became a single mom. The only possible way for Timothy to have known Scripture from childhood was for his mother to have taught him.
The Scriptures that Timothy would have been exposed to would have been the Old Testament. So Eunice must have followed Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise”. She made sure that Timothy understood that knowing God’s Law was important business. She made sure that He knew Psalm 1, not to walk in the ways of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the company of mockers, but to delight in the word of God, and meditate on it day and night. She assured him that such a person would be like a tree planted by the streams of water which yields fruit in season and survives the heat brought on by difficulties because the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. That’s why Paul could say that Timothy had known Scripture from childhood.
Eunice was some kind of woman; starting out in a mixed marriage, ending up as a single mom, and living in a community that was not very receptive to faith. She swam against the current. To swim against the twisted culture of her day, she read God’s Word, understood its calling, and sought to obey with all her strength.[xxi]
You cannot impart what you do not possess. If the people around you don’t see you seeking God through His Word, they won’t catch it for themselves. If they don’t see you changing through your growing understanding of and obedience to the Word, they won’t be motivated to be in the Word for themselves. The community around you should be able to see evidence of your love for God’s Word.
Immersing yourself in God’s word is crucial in today’s cultural mix. In case you missed it, there is a huge cultural shift in values taking place right now, and it is essential that we address it. I believe worse than COVID is the “woke-mind-virus” which is seeping into politics, media, entertainment and our faith practices.[xxii] 2 Timothy 3 tells us that by being immersed in God’s truth we will be thoroughly equipped to combat the woke-mind-virus.
From Elon Musk, who is certainly not a champion of faith by any means, come these words, the indoctrination of children in our schools has reached a “shocking degree.”[xxiii] The whole idea of wokeness is reshaping the Biblical view of justice, of sin and of salvation.[xxiv] As the godly woman lives out her faith, she speaks God’s word, she speaks His commands, His judgments, and His promises. Her mouth overflows with God’s word. Why?
I take this character trait from 1 Peter 3:6(GW) You became Sarah’s daughters by not letting anything make you afraid to do good. Amanda Criss writes, A woman who hopes in God is not afraid, because she knows her God. She is not afraid of the path that her God has called her to walk. She is not afraid of sickness. She is not afraid of the future. She is not afraid of death and dark valleys. She entrusts to God her children, her marriage, and her ministry. She advances the kingdom through fearless submission to God’s design as a woman in marriage, motherhood, and ministry, all because she hopes in God. [xxvi]
By faith, the woman of God laughs in the face of difficulties, in the face of unknowns because she considers God faithful who had promised, because she is looking for the city whose architect and builder is God.[xxvii] By faith, she joins the ranks of holy women who have walked before who considered God faithful who had promised. Knowing that she is a woman of whom this world is not worthy, and God is not ashamed to be called her God.
For Lois and Eunice to have sincere faith tells me that they were very conscience of the dangers of spiritual drifting. Peter warns of the dangers of spiritual drifting in his 2nd letter, chap 1, v4ff (GW) 4Because we share God’s divine nature we have escaped the corruption of the sinful desires brought to us in the world. 5Therefore, make every effort to add truth to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge, self-control, persistence, godliness, and sisterly affection . . . For these qualities keep us from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9’And’ If these qualities are missing, you ‘will drift’. You will drift because you have forgotten that you were cleansed from your past sins. 10Therefore make strenuous effort to make God’s calling and choosing of you secure. If you do this, you will never fall away.
Lois and Eunice fought not to drift from their faith. They didn’t want to be tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. They made it their business to be aware of the cunning and clever strategies used to soften their faith.[xxviii] To keep from spiritually drifting, the godly woman constantly strives to remain in one place when it comes to her faith. John Piper points out that The evidence of God’s power unto godliness in your life is not that you are perfect, but that you are swimming against the current.[xxix] The danger of spiritual drift is that you lose sight of God’s glorious promises, and become trapped in the now, with no sense of what Jesus Christ has done, and the promises He has given. The godly woman’s sincere faith is demonstrated by her fighting the good fight of faith, and laying old of eternal life.
Lois and Eunice slip quietly out of sight, and yet we continue to be impacted by their faithful training of Timothy and their fearless determination to live out their faith with God in a crooked and perverse generation, shinning as lights in the world.[xxx] They are brought into the limelight and honored for handling the word of God wisely and well.
Living in faith and not by sight means that as a godly woman you are willing to go into the unknown. It’s trusting God even though you don’t know where He’s leading you or what the outcome will be. To be a woman-faith-influencer is a work in progress. Such a woman is a masterpiece of God’s saving work by His grace through faith.[xxxi] Her speech edifies and in her heart she revers Christ as Lord.[xxxii] Her sincere faith encourages her to lay aside every weight and sin that clings, and run with perseverance the race that has been set before her.[xxxiii]
In closing the woman of sincere faith . . .
Let’s close in prayer: --
Heavenly Father, as we close our time this morning, I want to pray a blessing on all the women in our midst—those who are single, those who are widowed, those who are married, those who are young, and those who are old. Some days they all feel life is too hard. Some are hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. Most are struggling, fearful and worried.
Thank you that in the midst of it all, You haven’t left them to fend for their selves. Forgive them for doubting and wondering if You are there. Forgive them for thinking You’ve forgotten them. Forgive us all for believing we somehow know a better way.
I thank you for the women in our midst, no matter their age. May You bless them as bearers of Your Word. May the mothers in our midst have the wisdom to teach and train children to stay away from the counsel of the ungodly, or connect with sinners, or take their place alongside scoffers. May they immerse themselves in Your eternal word, knowing that it will equip them for effective service.
May the women in our midst come to know that You are fully trustworthy. You are All Powerful. You are Able. You are Lord over every situation no matter how difficult it may seem. You are Healer and will never waste the grief we carry today. You will use all things for their good in some way. Anything is possible with you. Nothing is too difficult for you.
We thank You that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts are bigger than our thoughts. We lay all our anxieties down at Your feet, every burden, every care. Believing that is the safest place for it to be. We love You Lord, bath us with fresh grace.
In the name of the Lord of the Universe, Amen
[i] Betty Johnson, Mother’s Day Meditation – Hannah (1 Samuel 1:1-28), https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/mother-s-day-meditation-hannah-betty-johnson-sermon-on-mother-s-day-126559?ref=MothersDayCMS
[ii] 1 Peter 3:1–6 (NASB95) 1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. 3 Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.
[iii] Apocrypha Ecclesiasticus 26:1-4, 1Blessed is the man that has a virtuous wife, for the number of his days shall be double. 2A virtuous woman rejoiceth her husband, and he shall fulfil the years of his life in peace. 3A good wife is a good portion, which shall be given in the portion of them that fear the Lord. 4Whether a man be rich or poor, if he have a good heart toward the Lord, he shall at all times rejoice with a cheerful countenance.
[iv] A wife’s character can help make or break her husband. A crown is an ornate, jeweled headdress worn by kings, queens, and other royalty. It represents dignity, honor, blessing, favor, status, and strength
[v] Abigail Dodds, The Beauty of Womanhood—Her Uniqueness Makes Her Essential, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-beauty-of-womanhood
[vi] Anastasiya Cernei, What It Mans To Be A Christian Influencer in Today’s Society, To have a solid Christian influence, Christians must read, understand and obey the Bible.” Being a Christian influencer means setting the bar high for other Christians, and not promoting false faith.
[vii] Acts 16:1–2 (NASB95) 1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.
[viii] Richard N. Longenecker, “The Acts of the Apostles,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 455. From the imperfect verb hypērchen (“he was”) in v. 3, it may be reasonably conjectured that her husband was now dead. Likewise, from Paul’s reference to Timothy in 1 Corinthians 4:17 as his son, we may assume that Timothy’s conversion to Christ also dates from the proclamation of the gospel on that first missionary journey.
[ix] https://www.gotquestions.org/Lystra-in-the-Bible.html The location of Lystra is thought to be by a hill near the modern village of Khatyn Serai. The site is confirmed by an inscription discovered in the ruins in 1885, according to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
[x] See Zeus, The Greek God. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zeus; How Did People Worship Zeus? The ancient Greeks worshiped Zeus in nearly every home, with altars to the deity often placed in residential courtyards, shrines inside houses, offerings of wine and prayers offered throughout the day. Communities often erected shrines to Zeus on hilltops. According to Theoi Project, a website exploring Greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art, offerings of wine were poured near outdoor shrines in hopes that Zeus would bring rain in times of drought. University Press Inc., which maintains the Ancient Greece website, also indicates that worshippers of Zeus saw the god primarily as a weather deity, which is why they tended to build altars to him on mountaintops, as close as possible to the sky. They believed that thunder came from Zeus hurling thunderbolts and that the rain and wind were his to command. An oracle for Zeus existed in Dodona, in northern Greece, where priests interpreted the sounds of wind in the branches of sacred oak trees as messages from the god. The Theoi Project indicates that most ancient Greeks believed Zeus was a great protector of all people, regardless of age, social status or level of wealth. They also believed he ruled over all other gods and goddesses.
[xi] Acts 14:8–11 (NASB95) 8At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, 10said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk. 11When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.”
[xii] Randall Niles, The Miracle at Lystra, https://drivethruhistoryadventures.com/the-miracle-at-lystra/ Around 8 AD, the Roman author Ovid wrote a story from the area in which the gods Zeus and Hermes appeared in human form and went to 1,000 homes seeking hospitality. However, only one elderly couple welcomed the disguised gods into their home. For this, only that couple was spared the wrath of a flood that destroyed Lystra.This was the historical context about 40 years later when Paul and Barnabas showed up.Elisabeth Johnson, Commentary on Acts 14:8-18, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/paul-at-lystra/commentary-on-acts-148-18 In Acts 14, a chaotic scene erupts among the Gentile crowds as they interpret what has happened from their own religious presuppositions. They begin to shout in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (14:11) They believe Barnabas to be Zeus, the chief Greek god, and Paul to be Hermes, the messenger of the gods, since Paul is the chief speaker (14:12). Even the local priest of Zeus gets in on the action, bringing oxen and garlands in order to offer sacrifice (4:13)
[xiii] Acts 14:8-20 8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
[xiv] 2 Timothy 3:12 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
[xv] Ephesians 3:2-3
[xvi] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 471.
[xvii] James 2:14–18 (NASB95) 14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
[xviii] He will help you wait with endurance. Waiting on the Lord reminds us that we are not in control, that He is bigger than any of our circumstances. He will sustain us and grow our faith in the waiting. God never neglects us. If He seems to be silent, remember His promise that He is always hearing your prayers and responding. Isaiah 40:31ESV They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Psalm 34:17ESV When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
[xix] Hebrews 11:1 (NASB95) 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. V 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
[xx] “And Abraham believed in the Lord, and the Lord counted him righteous because of his faith.” -Genesis 15:6, NLT; “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith, we understand that the whole universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” -Hebrews 11:1-3, NLT; “When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and his servant Moses.”-Exodus 14:31, NLT; “Be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.” -1 Samuel 12:24; “He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear into darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone.” -1 Samuel 2:9
[xxi] Joshua 1:6–8 (NASB95) 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
[xxii] William Wolfe, What is Wokeness? https://www.christianpost.com/voices/what-is-wokeness.html Dr. Bradley Green suggests in his article “Critical Theory and the Gospel,” “What critical theory offers is — in its own way — a kind of alternative theology or religious vision of the world.” scholar of Critical Theory and wokeness, Michael Young, defined it like so: “Woke: the view that society is oppressive; oppression is the result of identity-based discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia); which operates via systemic power through cultural hegemony; which we are socialized into; and the solution to this is to rebuild to the whole system.” Out of this, we get “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) programs on college campuses and corporate H.R. offices that practice reverse racism. We get “Environmental, Social, and Governance” (ESG) investments that seek to destroy fossil fuels and prop up unprofitable climate change schemes. We get Critical Race Theory (CRT) that teaches minority students to hate America and teaches white people to view themselves as guilt-laden oppressors. The list goes on and on. A counterfeit religion built on the false promises of a Marxist utopia. If we let it, it will replace God in a heartbeat and force the entire nation to worship DEI quotas, ESG scores, and cross-sex pronouns instead.
[xxiii] SNEHA SINGH ELON MUSK UNLEASHES CRITICISM OF ‘WOKE MIND VIRUS’ IN INTERVIEW WITH BILL MAHER https://techstory.in/elon-musk-unleashes-criticism-of-woke-mind-virus-in-interview-with-bill-maher/ “I think we need to be very cautious about anything that is anti-meritocratic and anything that results in the suppression of free speech,” Musk responded. “So, those are two of the aspects of the woke mind virus that I think are very dangerous, is that it’s often very anti-meritocratic, and you can’t question things. Even the questioning is bad.”
[xxiv] Steve Jordahl, Billy Davis, A warning that 'woke' is knocking on your church door, https://afn.net/church/2022/02/23/a-warning-that-woke-is-knocking-on-your-church-door/. Molly Carman, How Should Christians Think About ‘Wokeness’? https://www.frc.org/blog/2021/07/how-should-christians-think-about-wokeness "Wokeness" means to be "awake" and in tune with the prevailing zeitgeist. Critical Race Theory (CRT), which sees society as an intentional system of power structures meant to oppress others based on their skin color, is currently the most well-known example of woke ideology. CRT purports that "White Privilege" is at the root of social justice issues and must be eradicated. The 21st century American church has been both passively and actively incorporating woke ideology into their institutions and practices. Strachan observes that some Christians have started apologizing for and repenting of their "whiteness." Often these actions are prefaced with the proposal that we should change the gospel to fit with woke ideology so that brothers and sisters of color will be more comfortable in the church. While true racial reconciliation is an important outworking of the gospel (Eph. 2), wokeness changes the gospel by teaching that white people are never able to fully repent for their actions because they are inherently racist by nature of being white. But the gospel says all have sinned, Carina Benton, Why Woke Christianity Is The Greatest Threat To Christians Today, Whether it’s Catholic bishops kneeling to the Black Lives Matter movement, Jesuit priests questioning the biblical condemnation of homosexuality, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s election of their first transgender bishop, or Baptist pastors promoting abortion, “liberal” Christian heresy abounds. The cancerous idea that God’s law is subject to the prevailing culture has spread from politics, academia, and the corporate media, and is permeating our Christian institutions. the election of candidates like Marxist sympathizer Raphael Warnock heralds a shift in American religious discourse toward social, racial, economic, and climate justice. USA Today frets that naysaying white evangelicals and mainline Catholics would likely resist attempts to realign Christian norms to reflect Biden’s “equity”-based identity politics agenda that promotes access to abortion and LGBTQ legal preferences. Don Lemon pontificates that “God is not about … judging people,” Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock teaches we can “save ourselves” through helping others, and “antiracist” activist Ibram X. Kendi preaches that savior theology “breeds bigotry” and supports “racist ideals.” It’s why too few are alarmed when even Pope Francis writes that non-Christians “drink from other sources,” implying that salvation through Christ is merely one of many roads up the mountain.
[xxv] Hebrews 13:20–21 (NASB95) 20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10 (NASB95) After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB95) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
[xxvi] Amanda Criss, The Fourfold Beauty of a Godly Woman https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-fourfold-beauty-of-a-godly-woman. Mystie, Dangerous Women – Simply Convivial, https://simplyconvivial.com/2012/dangerous-women/
[xxvii] Hebrews 11:11 (NASB95) By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.
[xxviii] Ephesians 4:11–12 (NASB95) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
[xxix] John Piper, To Spiritually Float Is To Dangerously Drift, (2 Peter 1:5-11) https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/to-spiritually-float-is-to-dangerously-drift
[xxx] Philippians 2:15 (NASB95) 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
[xxxi] Ephesians 2:8–10 (NASB95) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
[xxxii] 1 Peter 3:15–16 (NASB95) 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
[xxxiii] 1 Timothy 6:12 (GW) Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses. Hebrews 12:1–3 (GW) 1 Since we are surrounded by so many examples ⸤of faith⸥, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up. 2 We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Now he holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. 3 Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t become tired and give up.
[xxxiv] Ephesians 4:1–3 (NASB95) 1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.