Much contemporary writing and thinking focuses on “the self.” We are encouraged to express ourselves, to find our authentic selves, to develop self-worth and a good self-image. For some decades now, that has been seen as particularly important in bringing up children. In place of the old legalism with its strict rules and discipline and the threat of punishment for stepping out of line, children are to be affirmed positively and encouraged. Dr. Spock rules.[1]

One of the questions that often challenges believers is this: "is everyone welcome to follow Jesus, regardless of their past and their present conditions?" For Jesus, everyone was welcomed to journey with Him, to listen to His teachings, and to belong to His followership just as they were. In fact, when He called the disciples, He didn’t originally call them to “believe in Him.” His calling to the disciples—particularly those closer to Him, was a call to followership. To each one of them, He issued an invitation to follow Him (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:27).

Who are we? Where do we gain our value as individuals? These are important questions for living a life of meaning. Where do we find the answers? In the Scriptures, God supplies the essentials for discovering our true significance and worth. The first two chapters of Genesis recount humanity’s creation, revealing our intended purpose (to honor God) and our value (that we are a special creation of God). 

We were created to live in right relationship with God, created to live in God’s holiness. To live in right relationship with God is not something that we achieve or accomplish through our own wisdom and strength. It is made possible by God. We are holy only in relation to God, who is holy in character and nature. 

We hear quite a lot about “active listening.” The purpose is to train people to succeed in personal, business, and social relationships. What is active listening? It is what happens when we employ our best to communicate with one another so that we may respond in a manner consistent with the goals set to be achieved by the parties involved. Active listening is indispensable to the building up of relationships.

Identity theft is constantly in the news. If you’re on social media, you know that peoples’ identities are being stolen on a regular basis. How many of us have received a friend request on social media from someone who was already our friend? At the same time, there are products being sold to us to provide identity protection. We have systems at airports like “Clear” that can identify us by an iris scan.

Our human nature, ideally, is revealed in the man Jesus as He lived. Remembering the statement in the letter to the Hebrews to the effect that He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (4:15), we may presume that the author had in mind, among other things, the wilderness temptation, which can become a commentary on the nature of humans.

I left Kansas City for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Lisbon on September 30.

I had a day for rest and visited with the family of Daniel Gomis, Africa Regional Director. His wife, Anélie, was in Canada helping their daughter, Sara, get settled in college. Her mother cooked a delicious dish from Cabo Verde!

On October 3-6, Regional Advisory Council and Regional Mission Team members met for three days of leadership meetings.

Click here to enlarge the map. 

Holiness Today, May/June 2022

“Who am I? 

We define our identity by what is particular to us . . . but what is particular to my culture, my group, can often lead to a sense of injustice, of oppression, of grievance. In this fallen, sinful world, perhaps it cannot be any other way.

What is the Christian perspective?”

—Dr. T. A. Noble