Not Ashamed | Sunday, January 26, 2025

We are this morning going to get into the Scriptures. Eventually, I'll get there. I have a typical, prolonged introduction, I guess you might call it. I think that you would probably agree that we are living in interesting times. I recognize that if you asked someone living 50 years ago or 100 years ago, they would probably say they were living in interesting times as well, and they probably were.

However, looking at just the things that have been happening in our world and in our culture for the better part of the last two decades or more, it seems to me that we are living in what I would call consequential times. In the early 2000s, following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, there was a very clear groundswell of anti-religious rhetoric in our culture.

A lot of things converged at that point in time. If you remember back to the early 2000s, one of the major things that happened was the new technological revolution. Information technology made it possible for individual people to promote their ideas to a very large group of people very quickly and inexpensively. This, mixed with a number of different cultural factors, led to a group of individuals who became notorious in the early 2000s.

Following the terrorist attacks, which we all recognize were religiously motivated, those who were motivated to commit those acts on September 11th, 2001, were driven by a very extreme version of jihadist Islam. In response to that event, it kind of broke the dam, if you will, of this anti-religious rhetoric in our culture. It had been building for a number of years prior to that, but that event, combined with the ability to promote ideas to a wide audience through information technology, made it possible for a group of what I would call, or have called in the past, very evangelical atheists to have a platform.

Among them were a group of four individuals who came to be known as the Four Horsemen of New Atheism. The term "Four Horsemen" is interesting; it comes from the Book of Revelation, taking a religious idea and applying it to this group of individuals. The group included Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and...

Daniel Dennett. Now, those names may not mean a lot to many of you, but three of them—Hitchens, Dawkins, and Harris—became very prominent in the early 2000s, say from about 2002 until 2008. They engaged in all kinds of debates with Christians, Jews, Muslims, and various religious individuals. They participated in numerous interviews, wrote books, and discussed these topics extensively, all while being broadcasted. This was right around the time that podcasts began to emerge as a popular medium, and these individuals had a dramatic impact on our culture.

Fast forward to today. Just a few months back, a group of researchers conducted a study revealing that about a third of American adults identify as not religiously affiliated. They are classified in a group identified by sociologists as the "nuns." When I say "nuns," don't think of nuns in habits; think of "n-o-n-e-s," the not religiously affiliated in our culture. A third of American adults now consider themselves not religiously affiliated, and this number is even higher in certain parts of the country, especially in places like Southern California and the West Coast.

Nearly 25 years after 9/11, two of the Four Horsemen—Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett—have passed away. Christopher Hitchens died within the last ten years from throat cancer, while Daniel Dennett died about six months ago of old age. Sam Harris is often found in a state of high on mushrooms and meditation, frequently engaging in some unusual activities in Malibu, California.

The most interesting case of all is Richard Dawkins, the author of "The God Delusion." He is often cited when I interact with people, especially those who are roughly my age and younger and have moved away from Christianity. It’s likely that they read his book, "The God Delusion." However, in the last six months, he publicly declared himself a cultural Christian in several different forums. This revelation shocked many people, including his followers in atheism, as well as a lot of Christians. It was intriguing to hear Richard Dawkins say he identifies as a cultural Christian. What he means by that is he would much rather live in a culture influenced by Christianity than the alternative, which I think you would probably agree with.

Him on that is perfectly fine if that's the way that you look at things. Dawkins has now said he's a cultural Christian, and it's fascinating to see. Among these four—Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens, and Harris—there was one woman who was connected to them in the early days. She was also very vocal and was gaining a platform. Her name is Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She was born in Somalia but immigrated to the West, first to the Netherlands. She left radical Islam in Somalia, where she grew up, and became an atheist, a very vocal atheist. The only reason she was not as public as the other four was that there were people intentionally trying to kill her—radical Islamists who were trying to find her and kill her.

She was among the Four Horsemen of vocal atheism, and in the last two years, she has converted to Christianity. She and her husband both attend church now. It is very fascinating. There was a conversation between her and Richard Dawkins before a very large auditorium of thousands about six months ago, in which she very clearly said that she believes Christ rose from the dead. It is phenomenal to see these things happening. This is why I say we are living in consequential times.

Now, if you've been around Cross Connection Church for any length of time, you've heard me mention Jordan B. Peterson before. He came onto the scene within the last eight years as a public intellectual, often a cultural critic and crusader. He speaks about things that have very clear biblical undertones and themes. He started giving talks on the Bible, on the Book of Genesis, on the Book of Exodus, and most recently, on the Gospels. He wrote a book that just came out called "We Who Wrestle with God."

As a Christian and as a pastor, I've watched him with interest since he first came onto the scene around 2016. It is fascinating to see what is taking place. In fact, a short time after he came onto the scene, I wrote an article for an online website, crychapel.com, titled "Why Jordan Peterson Matters and Why Christians Should Take Notice." He was speaking to large groups of people, especially young men aged 20 to 50. I know I just called young men 50, and that's because I'm 45 and I still think I'm young.

A lot of guys were showing up and listening to what this speaker was saying. These same people would have probably called themselves at least atheists or agnostics. They would cite Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins as the reason for giving them permission to say, "I don't believe in God." Now, all of a sudden, they had permission because of Jordan Peterson to say, "Well, maybe the God thing might be true."

As a Christian, I found this fascinating. Jordan Peterson would be interviewed, and he was always asked the question, "Do you believe in God?" His answers would frustrate the pastor in me. I would think, "Come on! If you've ever watched him give his answers, you would just want him to come out with it already." Recently, he was interviewed on a podcast, and I have a clip of it because he said something that I found fascinating.

He was asked again, "What is the God you believe in?" He responded, "I think that the claim that Christ is the embodiment of the prophet and the laws, I think that's true." He acknowledged that it was complicated, which is typical of everything Jordan Peterson says. He has much more to say, and while you may not think these things are that big of a deal, they are huge for our wider culture.

In the last 25 years, as I mentioned, Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris have been responsible for a massive shift away from Christianity. They gave permission, if you will, to a lot of people to say, "I don't believe in that stuff anymore; it's foolishness," and to just walk away, classifying themselves among the nuns.

At the same time, in the last eight years or so, since around 2016, Jordan Peterson has given permission to the same group of people to say, "Well, maybe I'd look into Christianity, and maybe I'd even consider going to church." It has become increasingly common for me to meet individuals who come here on a Sunday morning. Just a couple of weeks ago, I met someone who told me, "I don't believe in the..."

The Bible is great, and I'm glad you're here. People often say something like, "I was listening to Jordan Peterson," and I think, "That's not surprising." I started watching your messages online and thought I would come check out the church. I find that really fascinating. I saw this coming in 2017 or 2018. It was right around that time, in 2017, that Jordan Peterson, who is Canadian and lived in Toronto, taught at the University of Toronto in Psychology. He rented out a theater in Toronto, and thousands of people were paying money to come and listen to him give two-hour-long lectures on the Book of Genesis.

As a pastor, I thought, "Well, that's interesting." Here is this guy talking about the Book of Genesis, and thousands of people are paying to listen to him for two hours at a time. I listened to his lectures on the Book of Genesis, sometimes multiple times. Many of the things he said, I would think, "Yeah, I don't agree with that. I think that's kind of off; that's wrong." However, what was more fascinating to me than anything he said was the audience that was coming to listen to him.

I believe that if you're a Christian today—I'm a Christian—we should take notice of what is happening in our culture. I bring this up because we are starting a new series today, and we will be going through the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament. I think this is really important for such a time as this. Maybe I'm a little late to this; perhaps I should have done this a while ago. It's a bit of a confession: since I took over this church in April of 2008, we have not gone through any of the gospels during that period, which is probably not good. We did go through the whole of the New Testament, other than the gospels, and we spent the last several years going through the Old Testament.

I think it's really important that we get into the gospels found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Specifically, we will be in the Book of Luke this year. I have met a number of people in the last couple of years who are suddenly not ashamed to admit that they might possibly believe in God, when formerly they were agnostic or atheists. I find that very interesting. We are living in consequential times. What is causing this? It's not just Jordan Peterson, though I think he plays a part in it. It is not only that our culture has experienced a destabilization.

I recognized this in the last 25 years, especially as we have been living through a cultural destabilization. This issue extends much further back than that. If you go back through the entire 20th century, you can see it happening significantly in Western culture. However, it has become very acute in the last 20 to 25 years.

As a result of this, you may have noticed that here in Southern California, we live in a somewhat liberally progressive area. I find it fascinating that I meet people who identify themselves as classical liberals, liberals, or progressives. Especially in the last five to eight years, many of them suddenly feel uncomfortable with a very far move towards an extreme form of liberal progressivism. They express uncertainty about going in that direction, and as a result, some of them consider going to church. This is a funny thing for me, as a Christian and a pastor, to witness.

The question then becomes: how do we minister in this environment? I don't think it's just Jordan Peterson or the cultural destabilization that is taking place. I am convinced that it is a move of the Spirit of God. I believe that when God's Spirit begins to move, we Christians will only see a truly profound movement of God if we align ourselves with what God is doing and follow Him in it.

To put it another way, point number one: every great movement of God requires the active participation of God's people. Within the church and among Christians, there are two dangers in doctrine and theology. One danger is to fall into a pattern of thinking that is a determinist mindset, which suggests that everything that happens is meticulously determined, planned, and made to happen by God, with man having nothing to do with it. This is one danger: to adopt an extreme view of the sovereignty of God, where nothing happens apart from God making it happen. On the other side, there is another danger that one can fall into.

That says it. It's more of an anthropocentric view, a man-centered view, that everything requires us. God does nothing; we have to do it all. It's the idea from which springs the saying that is neither doctrinal nor biblical: God helps those who help themselves. Has anybody ever heard that before? Yeah, you've heard that. That's not in the Bible, and it's false.

The danger is in falling into one of these two different views: God does everything; we do nothing, or man does everything; God does nothing. Neither one of those things is true, although both can be supported from the Scriptures. God is sovereign, and man has responsibility. In fact, when you study the Bible in its entirety, from Genesis to Revelation, you see that where God's sovereignty is uplifted, it is almost always connected within a few paragraphs or sentences to man's responsibility.

For example, one of my favorite passages of Scripture, as I've shared before if you've been here for a while, is in Philippians 2:12 and 13. It says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). For verse 13, "It is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure." So, who is working? Is it man or is it God? Yes, that's the answer: yes.

Every great movement of God requires the active participation of God's people. Study church history, and you will see this. Study the Bible; it is very clear. God is sovereign, and man has a responsibility. Every great movement of God requires the active participation of God's people. Sometimes God uses, maybe frequently, some very interesting methods and individuals, like Jordan Peterson or Joe Rogan.

Joe Rogan has been a very vocal atheist, agnostic, and liberal progressive for many years. Recently, he has been talking a lot more about God and the Bible, so much so that he had a Christian apologist on his podcast, which is the biggest podcast in the world. He frequently gets 7 to 10 million listeners or viewers for every single episode that he releases. To put that in context, the average nightly news broadcast on cable news gets somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 viewers, and he's getting 7 to 10 million listeners. He had a Christian apologist on for a three...

There was a lengthy conversation in which a whole bunch of meme videos circulated online, referred to as the "wow counter," highlighting how many times Joe Rogan exclaimed "wow" while listening to a Christian apologist defend the Christian faith. It's a fascinating phenomenon, especially considering the consequential times we are living in. I've been reflecting on this for at least as far back as 2016, when I first heard the name Jordan Peterson. At that time, he was advocating for freedom of speech as a Canadian, due to a parliamentary bill that restricted his ability to speak freely in his role as a government employee at the University of Toronto.

In Canada, the right to free speech is not as robustly protected as it is under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Peterson's concerns about this issue were significant, but shortly thereafter, he began discussing the Bible. This shift raised questions: what on Earth is going on? It is fascinating to observe these developments. As a pastor trying to reach the culture, I see an individual who is not a theologian yet is effectively communicating Biblical concepts. This raises the question of how he is reaching people that we, as the church, ought to be reaching but are not.

I realized that part of the reason for his success lies in his cultural credibility. This brings me to key point number two: God's people must engage the world in a culturally contextual and relevant manner. We must reach the world in a way that is culturally contextual and relevant. I will refer to this as the CCNR of Christian engagement: cultural, contextual, and relevant.

If you were a missionary, you would understand this concept. Missions 101 teaches that a missionary goes to another culture and contextualizes the message in a way that resonates with the audience. Let me illustrate this with a benign example. We have a friend who has been connected to our church for years; his name is Bill Davis. He and his wife, Donna, were missionaries in the Philippines for many years, and their primary work there was translating the Bible into the Palano language.

Years ago, Bill and I discussed this very issue, and he mentioned that Isaiah chapter 1 says, "Come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as...".

"White as snow." Has anybody ever heard that verse before? Now, how do you translate that verse to a group of Islanders in the Philippines who have no idea what snow is?

Here’s how he did it: "Come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as the white inside a coconut." Now, there are some people who freak out, saying, "That's not what the Hebrew says; you've ruined the text." But these people wouldn't understand if you said, "Your sin shall be as white as snow."

You are speaking to a culture in a contextual way that is relevant to them. Missionaries understand this. What I think we haven't recognized in our culture is that our culture, over the past 100 years or so, has changed so dramatically that people no longer have the same cultural sense of the Bible. They don't understand you, so we need to seek to contextualize and speak in a way that is credible and understood.

Jordan Peterson is doing this. He has cultural credibility and is viewed by many as an authentic authority. He comes across as an authentic authority for the same reason that Richard Dawkins comes across as a culturally credible authority to people in our culture who value expertise in education.

What is Richard Dawkins? He is a professor and a scientist of evolutionary science at Oxford University. You could hardly have a better credibility ticket than that in American culture in 2025. So, people think, "Well, he must know what he's talking about," even though he says things that are total nonsense. People just go, "Yeah, that sounds credible." Why? Because he's a scientist from Oxford.

Let me tell you, a lot of things he says are nonsense; I've read his stuff. Jordan Peterson has that same cultural credibility because of who he is. He was a professor at Harvard for a time and a professor at the University of Toronto for a very long period. He is an educated expert and speaks with competency and authority about things that matter.

What is this? The fascinating thing is that it has to do with something that Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, spoke about 2,500 years ago in his book "Rhetoric," when he discusses the art of persuasion.

Persuasion is essential for Christians. If you're a Christian today, you've been commissioned by God to persuasively convince people. This is called evangelism. You want to persuade them to believe what you believe.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, Aristotle said you need three things to be persuasive. First, you need what he classified as ethos, a Greek word. What is ethos? It is connected to our English word "ethics" and relates to the character of the speaker. It involves not just the moral uprightness of the speaker but also how the speaker is perceived by the hearer. The speaker must be seen as credible, someone worth listening to because they possess the right ethos.

The second element is pathos, another Greek word. Pathos pertains to the hearer. The speaker must address the emotions, concerns, and questions of the hearer. To be persuasive, an ethical and credible speaker needs to engage with the issues that matter to the audience, so they feel that their questions are being answered.

The final element is logos. The Greek word logos is used in John 1, which states, "In the beginning was the Word." The logos refers to the content of the message. A credible individual shares the logos, presenting a clear argument that addresses the issues, cares, and concerns of the hearer. This creates the ability to persuade people effectively.

You might wonder what this has to do with the Bible or with anything on Sunday morning at 1675 7 Oaks Road at Cross Connection Church. There is relevance here. Many of you, hopefully most, if not all, are Christians, and you've been given a commission to go and persuasively speak to a culture in a contextualized manner that is relevant to them. We are called to persuade others to believe what we believe. This is what the church has been doing since the beginning.

The apostles, for instance, were those sent with a message. The Greek word "apostolos" means "one sent with a message."

The message of the Apostle Paul is significant. Let me show you Acts chapter 18. The Apostle Paul, who was a believer in one God—a monotheist from Judaism—became a follower of Jesus, believing that Jesus is God. He left the theistic monotheistic culture in Judea and went to Greece. He traveled to Athens and then to Corinth, a place that is polytheistic, pluralistic, and paganistic.

In Acts 18, he finds himself in the carnal city of Corinth, which is somewhat akin to California. In fact, First Corinthians could be seen as a letter to the First Californians; it’s almost a line-for-line match. So, he goes to Corinth, and what does he do? He enters the synagogue. Acts 18:4 states that he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. The word "reasoned" there is the Greek word "dialami," from which we get our word "dialogue." He dialogued and reasoned in order to persuade.

In the next chapter, he moves from Greece in Corinth and crosses the sea to Ephesus. There, in Ephesus, as noted in chapter 19:8, Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning—dialoguing and persuading—concerning the things of the kingdom. Verse 10 indicates that this continued for two years. For two years, in a paganistic, pluralistic, polytheistic California culture, he dialogued and persuaded in hopes of convincing people to believe as he did.

Was it effective? It was so effective that the people of Ephesus, who were committed to the trades of paganism and making little idols, became upset. They said, "This is the guy who has turned the world upside down." A few years later, he was arrested because of his strong persuasive abilities. He stood before the elite King Agrippa, the carnal King of Judea, and defended the faith. He spoke boldly about his beliefs to the point that Acts 26 records Agrippa saying to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Paul replied, "Would to God that I not only persuade you, but everyone listening to me."

Why did Paul and the other Apostles do this?

At this point, number three, our task is to persuade, convince, and win converts. I know this is politically incorrect in the liberal West, but it's biblically correct. We are called to win converts to the way and the faith of Christ.

How do we do this? It will involve some persuasion and logos; the message needs to be clear, understandable, and comprehensible. It will also require some ethos, meaning there must be credibility from those speaking. Their lives should somehow match what they are saying in the message. They need to address the issues, cares, concerns, and questions of the people they are speaking to.

I want to make a claim here: I think the church in America, for the better part of my lifetime, hasn't really done this very well. Our message has not been clear. We have talked about a lot of things that aren't the message, and we are still doing that. We get sidetracked and distracted by many things that are not necessarily bad, but they are not the message.

Additionally, we have an ethos problem—a credibility problem—due to a number of different scandals, whether they are Catholic scandals or Protestant scandals. There seems to be a new scandal every few months involving speakers and leaders within the body of Christ, the church. We also have a problem in that we do not often address the cares, concerns, and questions of the people in our culture.

Now, I don't think these issues are insurmountable. Two thousand years ago, a carnal Jewish king said to Paul the Apostle, "You almost persuade me to be a Christian." I have discovered, in talking with people in our culture, that there are more than a few almost persuaded individuals. As they look at the things going on in our world during these consequential times, they are desperately searching for something that seems paradoxical. They are looking for something tangibly transcendent. You might wonder how that is possible. It is something you can sense; you can touch it. It is tangible and transcendent.

Supernatural and intangible, how do you join and make something tangible? Do you realize that this is the message of the Gospel? Theologians have talked about this for 2,000 years; it's called transcendence and imminence. In Christ, you have the intangibility of the supernatural becoming tangible in humanity. God became a man. That is the message of the Gospel. Whether people realize it or not, that is what they are seeking: something that is tangibly transcendent.

What is that good news about Jesus? The transcendent God came to Earth as a man to address humanity's greatest problem. What is humanity's, what is creation's greatest problem? Sin and death. That is where all the brokenness comes from.

Now, Christians and non-Christians alike are trying to address brokenness. Most politicians, even the ones you don't agree with, are trying to address brokenness, whether it's social income inequalities, racial inequalities, or gender issues. Whatever their big issue of the day is, they are trying in some way to address something that they see as broken. They think, "If we just did this, this would fix it." Many times, their fixes make things worse, and we see that in our culture.

But just recognize that the people you don't agree with are probably trying to address a brokenness; they just don't know how. They are using their best wisdom to try and fix the brokenness, and yes, they often have a problem with making it worse. There is only one true answer that addresses the brokenness: it's the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the only true answer to the brokenness.

Point number four: our message is centered around God's grace, truth, and love in Christ. The whole of the Bible speaks to this, from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is a book of books—66 books written by at least 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years, in three different languages on three different continents, with a cohesive message that reveals God's grace, His truth, and His love in Christ.

The most clear articulation of this is found in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is why we are going to focus our attention this year, or however long it takes, on the Gospel specifically.

The Gospel of Luke. Why? Well, because I think it's the right thing at the right time. There are people in our culture who are desperately looking for something that is tangibly transcendent. It is in the Gospel.

Another reason why we're doing this is articulated by Paul in his letter to the church at Rome. If you would take out your Bible, it took me a while to get there, but if you open to the last third of your Bible, you'll find the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and then the book of Acts, and then Romans.

In Romans chapter 1, Paul is writing to Christians who were living in one of the most carnal, paganistic, pluralistic, polytheistic cultures of the day. They were living in the city of Rome, and Paul is writing a letter to them. You can be certain that the people who were Christians, followers of Jesus in Rome, were tempted to be ashamed of the message that they had.

Do you realize that the term "atheist" was applied to Christians in the early days of the church? Why? Because they did not believe in Artemis, Apollo, Jupiter, or all of the other gods of Greece and Rome. They didn't believe in those gods; they believed in one God. The God that they believed in was considered completely foolish by the people they spoke to because their God became a man and died by crucifixion. What God would ever allow Himself to be subjected to that?

So, they were called atheists, and they were tempted to be ashamed of the message. Maybe you, living in a pluralistic, paganistic, liberally minded culture, are tempted to be ashamed of the message as well. Paul says this in Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." Why? For it, the Gospel, is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Point number five: the Gospel is the saving and sanctifying power of God. The Gospel, the message that Christians have preached for 2,000 years, doesn't just speak about the power of God; it doesn't just reveal the power of God. It is, by its very nature, the power of God that saves.

Transforms individuals and also cultures. The last 2,000 years of Christian history is the demonstration of that truth: this message radically transforms individuals and then entire cultures. I have witnessed this firsthand in the lives of people who come here. They first arrive with their lives out of sorts, broken, and falling apart. They may come in skeptical, unsure of what they believe, and perhaps they were brought here by someone who insisted they had to come. As they walk through the door, they might be afraid, thinking they could be struck dead.

Then, you watch as the power of God, through the message, completely transforms their entire life in practical ways. It also transforms their life in eternal ways. Individual lives transform entire cultures, and you can see this throughout church history over the last 2,000 years.

Why does the foremost atheist of our time say, "I'm a cultural Christian"? Because he wants to live in a culture that has been influenced by Christianity. Why? Because that culture is demonstrably better than the other alternatives. Would you not agree? Would you rather live in Saudi Arabia? I've been there, and I've watched the wives follow their husbands five feet behind in head-to-toe black burkas when it's 110 degrees outside. That is a culture influenced by a worldview. Do you want to live in that culture? I don't think so.

You could apply this reasoning to every other culture. It is demonstrably true that cultures influenced by Christianity are better. For some reason, we Americans have had a hard time saying that for the last 20 years. It is simply true, unless you want to fight against the truth. We live in a culture that wants to fight against truth, even the truth of gender. It is a losing battle, by the way.

Something truly amazing and dynamic has been happening. We are living in consequential times. Paul says the gospel is the power of God, and it is for everyone. It is not for one small group. I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.

Everyone who trusts and believes, Jews and Greeks alike, theists and pagans, can experience transformation. This is why Paul committed his life, until his martyrdom, to proclaim this message: that he might win people. That was his stated aim. He expresses it very clearly in 1 Corinthians, chapter 9.

To the Jews, he became as a Jew, that he might win Jews. To those who are under the law, he became as under the law, that he might win those who are under the law. To those who are without the law, meaning Gentiles, he became as without the law, that he might win those who are without the law. To the weak, he became as the weak, that he might win the weak. He says, "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."

Why does he use the word "win"? He wants to persuade you to be converted to faith and trust in Christ, that you would be saved. Saved from what? From the wrath that is to come. The wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, as stated in the very next verse after he says, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel" in Romans 1.

The church's logos, ethos, and pathos problems in the last couple of generations in our culture are not insurmountable. However, we, as the people of God, need to know the logos, the message. We need to know Christ, who is the embodiment of that logos. We must allow the message of the Gospel to challenge, change, and transform us so that we are aligned with that message. Our character should represent that to the people we interact with.

What does that mean? It means that if the Bible says those who are Christ's have been transformed into the likeness of Christ, they should exhibit more joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. If you are a jerk to your neighbor, you are not a good ethical demonstration of that message.

So, what does that mean for you? It means you have to change. How does that work? Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. He is going to work, and you are going to work, but you will have to take some steps to be a better demonstration of that message.

You have to know the message, represent the message, and articulate it in a way that recognizes the concerns, cares, issues, and questions of the person you are talking to. How do I address those questions? Peter gives us the answer in his letter in 1 Peter, chapter 3. He says, "But in your hearts, revere Christ Jesus as Lord and always be prepared to give an answer or a defense to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is within you. Do this with gentleness and respect."

Sanctify the Lord God in your heart and always be ready to give a defense, using the Greek word "apologia," which refers to apologetics, an answer for the hope that you have within you.

Let me wrap it up with a personal anecdote. I came into the ministry at 19 years old, wanting to share the message of the Gospel with people to see their lives transformed for Christ. I had seen it demonstrated by the people who were influential in my life, like Christian, who is sitting back there, and Pastor Tony, who is sitting right here. They were my youth pastors when I was a kid, and their example was so attractive to me that I said, "I want to do that."

For the last 25 or 26 years, I have focused on trying to do that. However, I started to realize in 2011 that there was a problem. Every single week, I would meet people at church who would come up to me after the service and say, "That was such a good message, Pastor! That message was like your best one; it was better than last week." I realized that every week, I was delivering a message to get a grade from Christians.

The voice of my friend David Guzik was running in my mind. I was with him right before I took over the church. My wife and I were in Germany, and I asked David, who wasn't pastoring a church at the time, "What would you do differently if you were pastoring a church?" I knew I was coming back to pastor this church, and he said, "You know, one of my problems I discovered when I was pastoring Calvary Chapel, Simi Valley, is the..."

The church became a sermon appreciation society, with a whole bunch of Christians saying, "That was a good message, Pastor! So much better than last week." In 2011, I realized, "Oh my goodness, we have a sermon appreciation society." I made an intentional change to try to reach the people who don't know God. If you've been here for that entire time, yes, my message changed.

Do you realize there are people who left this church and met with me in my office, saying, "You don't teach the Bible anymore, Pastor"? I received those comments from people because I was intentionally trying to reach those who don't know God, which is what Jesus told me to do. However, I discovered further in about 2016, when I saw Jordan Peterson. He is reaching people, but he's not giving them the message that they need.

What do I need to do? I know the message, the Logos, and I think that I have credible character. Am I not answering their questions? I realized that there were some things I had to change. Our culture highly values credentials, so to be a vocal voice for this message, I had to do something. I went to get a master's degree. I didn't need that for working here; I had worked here for a long time before that. I did it so that I might reach people because they think it makes you credible if you have letters after your name.

After doing that, I figured I would get a Doctor of Ministry, and now I'm doing a PhD program. Why not? It's not because I enjoy doing those things; I'm trying to reach people.

I say this to challenge you: What do you need to do? It doesn't mean that you need to get a degree. I have a very specific call as a voice, a mouthpiece for this message. But what do you need to do to be a better ethical demonstration of the Gospel to your co-workers, friends, family members, or neighbors? What do you need to do to learn the message better so that you can articulate it in a way that answers their questions?

What do you need to do? It's probably something. I want to hear Christ say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," and not just for me; I want Him to say it to you as well. I will do everything in my power to equip you to know the message, but you're going to be challenged to do your part.

Also, emulate that message to imitate Christ to this culture. In the process, this is a great place to invite your skeptical friend—the person who you're afraid might ask you a question about the Bible tomorrow. This is a good place to invite them so they might hear the message. Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is within you, with gentleness and respect.

God, help us. Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, we do need your help. We need your grace and the empowering of your Spirit. God, would you fill us with your grace and fill us with your Spirit for this moment? There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people within a not very far distance of this location—this building—who are in desperate need of your grace, your truth, and your love. We are the messengers that you've chosen to use.

Lord, help us to engage this world in a culturally contextual and relevant manner and to participate with you in the work that you've called us to. For we ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."