Worship without Understanding Isn’t Worship

I had some difficulty getting Co-pilot to generate a theme image for this post. It seems that Microsoft considers an image depicting child-sacrifice objectionable. Shocking.One of the intellectual dilemmas about the Genesis 22 story is the issue of human sacrifice and the command of God. On one hand, God commands Abraham to make a child sacrifice, which clearly seems immoral. Yet Abraham is commended by God for being willing to obey in such an objectionable act. Was God being insincere in His command and if so, shouldn’t Abraham have said, “No, God. Child sacrifice is evil.”We need to unpack this question because it touches our daily walk and the temptations that we face regularly.There is a difference between testing and temptation.The problem is that the same words, both in Hebrew and Greek, are used for both ideas. James 1 says that we should face various trials with joy in verse 3 and then says that God does not tempt us with evil in verses 13 and 14.Temptation usually includes three elements: the tempted person (us as the main actors), the temptation (a choice of obedience or disobedience), and a tempter (an outside character pushing us toward disobedience). In the case of Eve in the Garden the elements were Eve, eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Satan encouraging her to disobey the command of God. …Read the rest of this post here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

This, Judge Phil Ginn wrote for Realclearreligion.com on the subject of Christians and culture. He was addressing an upcoming (March 8, 2026) feature on CNN entitled The Rise of Christian Nationalism. In the article, he includes CNN’s definition of Christian Nationalism as follows:CNN is ostensibly defining Christian Nationalism as “an ideology rooted in the belief that our country was founded as a Christian nation, and that our laws and institutions should reflect Christian values.” Ms. Brown goes further to assert that the assassination of Charlie Kirk “radicalized” Christians into a feeling of being persecuted.As with almost everything, the key to everything is not in what they say, but what they mean by what they say.Was the U.S. founded as a Christian nation? …Read the rest of the post here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

Today we have something different for you. Normally I’m interviewing one of our authors from our FrontLine magazine. I am in the process of recording interviews for our next edition of the magazine, so we will return to that in due course.However, today I am talking to my friend Ben Hicks. He is the Associate Pastor at Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He works closely with me on Proclaim & Defend and is a key idea guy for us whenever we get together and talk.At the beginning of the year, I like to make a post for P&D on Bible reading with links to Bible reading schedules. This is a big push I make for our church people every year as well.Ben has a similar passion in his ministry. He published two articles on the topic in the first couple weeks of this year as well.I thought it would be a good idea to put together a podcast partway through the year as sort of a “Booster Shot” for your Bible reading. We know what it is like to start the year with enthusiasm, but then for our interest to flag as life piles up on us. Both Ben and I want you to just pick up and carry on. We especially want you to develop the Bible reading priority in your daily life.That’s what this conversation is designed to do. Together we talk about various insights we’ve gleaned ourselves on the subject of developing that priority. There are so many ways we can make our Bible reading fresh and we touch on some of them. I hope you find this helpful. I want to encourage you to pass it on to others if it might be helpful to them as well.Now, at this point in the podcast I’m normally pointing you to a FrontLine article. We don’t have one this time, but I do want to encourage you to support the FBFI by subscribing to our magazine, following our blog, Proclaim & Defend, and this podcast. Your support helps us keep excellent content coming your way.Our Proclaim & Defend articles on Bible reading:From Ben:When You Don’t Get Anything Out of Devotions – Proclaim & Defend7 Tips for Regular Bible Readings – Proclaim & DefendFrom Don:Hear and Learn and Fear: It’s Bible-reading Schedule Time – Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

Entertainment disguised as worship isn’t worship. It’s idolatry. Ignorant worship is not worship at all. The ultimate authority on worship is Jesus, and He explained Himself very clearly in John 4. Let’s consider it.SituationJesus is in Samaria by choice. The Jews did not have dealings with the Samaritans. The Samaritans were the remaining vestiges of the Israelites who remained in the land of Israel during the Babylonian exile. They had intermarried with the occupying nations and were considered half-breeds and outcasts by the Jews who returned from the exile. They had continued the Samaritan form of worship begun by Jeroboam when he rebelled against Rehoboam after the death of Solomon. One significant aspect of the deviant worship of Jeroboam was the new location of worship. Jesus is next to a historical site. It is Jacob’s well. A well built by the patriarch Jacob, a common ancestor to the Jews and Samaritans.Jesus waited for the disciples to return from the city with food. While He waited, a woman of the city comes to draw water. This is not a significant issue except that it was midday, the wrong time of day for the women to draw water. She was asocial outcast because of her many sins. When Jesus began to talk with the lady, she was at first startled, then intrigued by His words. He began to reveal Himself to her. The woman then brings up the subject of worship. …Read the rest of this post here or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We continue our interviews with authors from our January/February edition of FrontLine on the theme: “It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor.”Today’s episode is a discussion with Nathan Mestler, president of International Baptist College and Seminary in Chandler, AZ. Nathan offers us the article, “Called in Community: The Local Church and the Shaping of Pastoral Ministry.” It gives us the practical theological basis behind many of the articles in this issue.We are well aware of the growing need for more men in the ministry. Many current pastors are nearing the ends of their careers and churches everywhere are looking for new leaders for the coming years. Often, we look to the colleges for this, but Nathan reminds us that the colleges aren’t simply pastor processing machines that manufacture new pastors out of thin air. Instead, they come alongside churches to help them train the men rising within the ranks of the local churches.That is as it should be. Paul appointed elders in the churches from among the people already in the churches. All our churches should be encouraging the young men in their midst who have pastoral gifts and callings to step out in faith to enter the ministry. As Nathan says at the end, perhaps your churches next pastor isn’t even saved yet - be evangelistic, be disciple making, be active in giving men opportunities to serve, and see what God can do from our local churches.Our conversation this time was very interesting to me, I hope it provides some direction and inspiration to you as well.Before we get to the interview with Nathan, let me remind you that his article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.The Contents & Editorial for the January/February FrontLine:It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor [FrontLine]The Article:Called in Community: The Local Church and the Shaping of Pastoral Ministry Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

The simple answer is that they probably didn’t. There were two groups of people. The Matthew account of the Triumphal Entry clearly delineates between the two.It was a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.Jesus began telling the disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die months before this trip. The book of Matthew records three separate instances where Jesus told his closest followers of his plan to go to Jerusalem where He would be tried and crucified. The first was when they were in the far north near Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:21-23), the second was just after the transfiguration (Matthew 17:22-23), and the third was on the road as they traveled toward Jericho on their way to Jerusalem (Matthew 20:17-19).The timing of this journey was significant. Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the Passover. Jews from all over the world were making this same trip at the same time. Jesus chose this timing on purpose. Any Jew listening to Matthew being read for the first time would recognize the significance of the timing and would be able to picture in their own minds the events as they unfolded.…Read the rest of the post here or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We continue our interviews with authors from our January/February edition of FrontLine on the theme: “It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor.”This week our guest is Matt Klassen. His article is his own testimony about his call into the ministry after a long career in a field we don’t usually think of as a training ground for ministry. He’ll tell you all about that as he talks about how the Lord brought him to faith in Christ, then grew him in the local church to the point where he realized he could best serve the Lord in the ministry.We hope this conversation is a blessing to you, but even more importantly, maybe for some it might serve as a spark to taking a step into full time ministry in a local church. There is a crying need for more pastors, perhaps someone who is listening should take that step, or you know someone who might well serve in this way. If the latter is the case, send the link to that someone and see what God might do.Before we get to the interview with Matt, let me remind you that his article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.Now, for my interview with Matt Klassen.The Contents & Editorial for the January/February FrontLine:It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor [FrontLine]The Article:The Second-Career Call - the Proclaim & Defend Podcast Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

Note: Position statements of the FBFI are not the same as magazine articles on FrontLine or typical posts on Proclaimanddefend.org. They are crafted in a committee during our Winter Board Meeting, discussed by the assembled board members, edited by the board, and published as a collective statement of the position of our board on a particular subject. We do this when we believe it is important for us to speak with unity on a matter of great importance. With the rise of antisemitism among evangelicals, we believe we need to speak clearly on this subject. This is a statement from February 2026.Position Statement 26_03: The Jewish People and IsraelTheological Foundations* In His grace, for the sake of His glory, and to accomplish His redemptive and kingdom purposes, God chose Israel to be His representative people among the nations (Ex 4:22; Lev 20:26; Deu 26:18-19) and made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai (Ex 19– 20; Deu 5:1-2). Although Israel broke this covenant and God dispersed them among the nations, He has not repudiated, but rather has reiterated, His promise to restore and use them in the future (Lev 26:44-45; Rom 11:25-29).* In the present age the majority of the Jewish people remain in unbelief, rejecting the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah, although a remnant is being saved through the preaching of the Gospel and faith in Christ (Rom 11:1-6). They, along with believing Gentiles, are being incorporated into one spiritual body in Christ, His Church (Eph 2:14-18).* The current unbelief of the majority of the Jewish people in the Messiah does not mean that God has repudiated His calling of them or annulled His promises to them (Rom 11:1-2, 25-32). When Christ returns in glory, the Jewish People will acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah and will enter the Millennial Kingdom with Christ as their King (Jer 30:9; 31:31-34; Zech 12:10–13:1; Rom 11:26). This will be a time of blessing for the Gentile nations as well, which will also become the people of the Lord (Gen 12:3; Ps 22:27-28; Isa 19:23-25; Amos 9:12; Zech 2:11).* From the time of Pentecost until the Rapture, the Church is God’s ordained mediatorial institution in the world. Although the Church shares in some of the blessings of the New Covenant promises that God made to Israel and exceeds Old Testament Israel in spiritual privileges, the Church is neither a continuation of national Israel nor a replacement for Israel in God’s plan.Antisemitism* Antisemitism, hostility toward the Jewish people, is evil. God is not a respecter of persons. No one on account of his or her religious or ethnic background is precluded from the grace of God (Acts 10:34-35).* Antisemitism has various motives, including religious, social, political, ideological, and racial. Throughout history, it has been reflected in bigotry, blood libel, conspiracy theories, pogroms, confiscation of property, and even genocide. Regardless of its manifestation, antisemitism ultimately is satanic in origin (Rev 12:1-6; 13-17; 1 Chr 21:1; Zech 3:1-2).* The reality and horrors of the Holocaust are among the best documented facts in modern history and attempts to deny or minimize it are both historically indefensible and morally repugnant.* Antisemitism is contrary to Scripture. Gentile believers are specifically admonished by God not to look down on the Jewish people (Rom 11:13-18), rather they owe a great debt to Israel as the instrument through which God gave us His Word and His Christ (Rom 3:1-2; 9:1-5; 15:27). Bible-believing Christians should be especially wary of false teachers that seek to justify antisemitism based on professed loyalty to Christianity or other alleged theological reasons.Jewish Evangelism* Everyone born into this world, Jewish and Gentile alike, is under the condemnation of God and needs salvation through Jesus Christ (Rom 3:9). Christ loved and died for us all, and everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. The good news of salvation in Jesus Christ is for Jews and Gentiles without distinction (Rom 1:16).* Jesus is the true Messiah (Mat 16:16-17; John 20:31) and Suffering Servant (Isa 52:13–53:12; Acts 8:35), Who gave His life for His people (Mat 1:21; John 11:49-52). Therefore, Jewish evangelism is not antisemitic, but rather, it is a manifestation of God’s love for the Jewish people (John 3:16; Rom 9:1-5; 10:1) and should be encouraged (Acts 20:21; 1 Cor 9:19-20). As with all people, believers’ interactions with the Jewish people should be culturally sensitive and avoid giving offence where truth and principle are not involved (1 Cor 9:19-20;10:32).The Mosaic Law and Jewish Customs* The Scripture is clear that believers (whether Jew or Gentile) are not under the Law of Moses (Rom 6:14; Gal 3:23-25; 5:18). Old-covenant ceremonies are not binding on Jewish Christians, must not be imposed on the Gentiles, and may not be commended either as a as a condition for full fellowship with God or other believers or as a means of sanctification (Gal 3:3; Col 2:16-17; Heb 10:1).The Modern State of Israel* Zionism, understood as the belief that the Jewish people should be able to live as a nation in their ancestral homeland, is not inconsistent with God’s Word. The reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 can reasonably be seen as a manifestation of God’s electing love for ethnic Israel and as a token of His intention to fulfill his promises to them in the eschatological future.* While affirming that God will bring His chosen people, Israel, back to their Jewish homeland in fulfillment of Biblical end-time prophecy, we reject the idea that Jews must be in the land before the Lord can Rapture the Church. We believe that the next event on the prophetic calendar is the Rapture.* Meanwhile, there is no valid theological objection to Christian people supporting the right of the Jewish people to a homeland or the right of the modern State of Israel to exist.* From the standpoint of geopolitics, the nation of Israel was created in 1948 in accordance with United Nations Resolution 181. Israel’s legitimacy has been recognized by the majority of nations, and by the United Nations, of which Israel has been a member state since 1949. Nevertheless, Israel’s existence was opposed by the Arab leadership and allied states, which initiated wars against Israel, and which fomented numerous terrorist acts against Israel and Israelis, including the October 7, 2023, attack, a reprehensible act of state-sponsored terrorism against innocent civilians.* Like other nations, Israel has the right to defend its people and its territorial integrity from invasion and terrorism. Also, like other nations, the policies of Israel’s government are subject to criticism on political and moral grounds. While affirming that God blesses those who bless the Jewish people, we reject the idea that the political positions of the nation-state of Israel at any given time must be supported unconditionally.* The suffering of innocent people as a result of terrorism and warfare is a tragic consequence of sin that should grieve God’s people. However, in a fallen world, the responsibility of national self-defense is necessary for the protection of the people and the nation (Rom 13:1-3; Isa 1:17), and governments cannot be expected to abandon that responsibility in order to avoid all harm to the innocent.* Christians should pray for all the people of the Middle East, for the success of the Gospel there, and for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6-9), recognizing that there will be no ultimate peace until the coming in glory of the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6). Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

A young man recently started on a journey to find God and a biblical place to worship. His friends were investigating Eastern Orthodoxy because it has an extremely prominent representation on Youtube. As he began visiting evangelical mega churches and asking about the differences, he was met with vapid answers.“Well, we are just glad you are showing an interest in religion.”“Maybe our church isn’t for you, and Eastern Orthodox is a better fit.”Evangelical church leaders are treating the Orthodox Church like it is another denominational option and not what it actually is—another religion altogether. Three articles might help us wrap our brains around what is happening right now with young men especially.Why young men are leaving traditional churches for “Masculine” Orthodoxy.This article in the NY Post explains the explosion of interest in the Easter Orthodox Church among young people. Its conclusions are eye-opening. …Read the rest of this article here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We continue our interviews with authors from our January/February edition of FrontLine on the theme: “It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor.”This week it is Jeff Caupp, his article is on Mentoring, a subject that was much talked about a few years ago, but his emphasis is a bit different. Of course, we want to reach out to those who are growing as leaders and help them as much as possible, but each leader has a key limitation. He is one man, and secondly, there are only so many hours in a day.Jeff’s emphasis is that we should especially concentrate on mentoring (or discipling) other leaders so that they can turn around and lead their own sons, first of all, and then others in their sphere of influence.We had a very interesting discussion a few weeks back and are airing it for you today. I hope it is a blessing to you.As always, Jeff’s article is available on our substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber.And now for my interview with Jeff Caupp.The Contents & Editorial for the January/February FrontLine:It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor [FrontLine]The Article:Mentor the Mentors: A True Call to Ministry Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe