In Europe, the Transgender Movement is Facing an Enormous Backlash
A subset of the French elite is taking a stand against gender ideology. In September, over fifty medical professionals, prominent academics, legal experts, doctors, philosophers, psychiatrists, judges, and psychoanalysts published a scathing open letter condemning aspects of gender ideology and gender transition in children. Published through the Observatory of Ideological Discourses on Children and Adolescents, the letter laid out their concerns.
In less than a decade, the transgender movement has taken the West by storm. Gender ideology spread swiftly from campuses to public schools; the media obediently changed their language and their ledes; the entertainment industry flung themselves enthusiastically into producing propaganda for all ages. There was a sudden rise in female rapists who looked suspiciously masculine; women were told to shut up and welcome their new penis-packing sisters into female-only spaces; religious people were informed that they were guilty of a brand-new phobia, having just gotten used to the previous ones.
But most worryingly, untold thousands of children—usually girls—became convinced that they were born into the wrong bodies. A medical industry sprang up almost overnight to remedy this, providing double mastectomies, sex change surgeries, and hormone blockers to transform their human subjects into the people they thought they were. There were dissenting voices—they were shouted down. Heads of state obediently fell into line, conditioned to snap to attention when the ever-expanding LGBT movement informed them what was next on the agenda. Suddenly, parents were faced with girls who insisted they were boys and boys insisting they were girls, and everyone was telling them to head down to the new gender clinic to get the drugs and snips their children needed.
It was staggering to see how swiftly dissent was crushed and gender ideology became a new dogma. And yet, in the last several years, there have been signs of hope—cracks in the transgender narrative. Those cracks are growing across Europe, and there is a very real chance that this horrifying civilizational medical experimentation on the young may finally be forced to face the facts.
In the United Kingdom, gender ideology spread far and fast. Even Boris Johnson transitioned, backing away last year from plans to ban sex change surgeries for minors at the behest of trans activists and, according to some Tory parliamentarians, due to influence from his millennial live-in fiancée, Carrie Symonds. Prince Harry, the Windsor wokeling, endorsed the radical transgender charity Mermaids, which promotes sex change treatments for children. Feminist critics of the transgender movement were attacked: J.K. Rowling was doxed and received death threats; philosophy professor Kathleen Stock resigned from the University of Sussex after a wave of harassment and intimidation from trans activists.
But while it is too early to say that the tide is turning, there are indications that the trans movement has hit the high-water mark. In 2020, the UK government announced that it was scrapping plans for “self-identification,” which would have allowed people to change their gender via a statutory declaration as opposed to attaining certification from the Gender Recognition Panel. LGBT activists decried this move as “a major blow to LGBTQ rights.” Trans activists are also warning that opinion may be turning against key elements of their cultural project, especially gender transition for children.
This aspect of the pushback bears the face of Keira Bell, who went to the Tavistock clinic’s Gender Identity Development Service in London at age 16. Bell, struggling with gender dysphoria, was promptly prescribed puberty blockers, which stop natural physical development. Trans activists claim that puberty blockers give children time to grapple with their gender identity and that they can resume puberty if they choose, but the reality is these drugs can have permanent effects. By age 20, Bell had her breasts removed and the treatments she’d taken had given her body hair, a beard, a low voice, and impacted her sexual function—and she realized that none of it had helped her.
“What was really going on was that I was a girl insecure in my body who had experienced parental abandonment, felt alienated from my peers, suffered from anxiety and depression, and struggled with my sexual orientation,” she wrote later. “As I matured, I recognized that gender dysphoria was a symptom of my overall misery, not its cause.” Bell became what is known as a “de-transitioner” and once again lives as a woman. She took the Tavistock clinic to court, where her team argued that “Tavistock had failed to protect young patients who sought its services, and that—instead of careful, individualized treatment—the clinic had conducted what amounted to uncontrolled experiments on us.” Bell won a unanimous verdict.
To the horror of the trans movement, the judges ruled that children under 16 could not give consent to puberty blockers, and clinics seeking to prescribe these drugs to 16 and 17-year-olds might need to obtain permission from the courts. Mermaids called the judgment a “devastating blow;” Stonewall, a UK LGBT charity and the largest gay rights organization in Europe said it was “stunning.” Earlier this year, an appeals court overturned the judgement, and Bell is seeking leave to take her case to the supreme court. The futures of thousands of children hang in the balance.
Bell’s case broke through the monolithic discussion on gender identity, which for several years has been almost totally dominated by trans activists. The BBC and other major British media outlets have reported on Tavistock scandals, medical misdemeanours, and dozens of resignations from gender clinics. Criticisms of trans ideology that would never get published in countries like Canada now appear regularly. Slate even asked in 2019 “how transphobic discourse has become so mainstream in the UK” and called the UK “the motherland of ‘gender criticism.’”
In a little-noticed but significant event, last month Vice reported that the BBC is planning to withdraw from “Diversity Champions,” a program run by Stonewall.
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Four Questions about the Love of God to Ask Jehovah’s Witnesses
The verses about God demonstrating his love through sending Jesus to be a sacrifice only make sense if Jesus is God. If Jesus isn’t God, like JWs claim, the verses would communicate that Jesus, a created being, has greater love for us than Jehovah does. However, if Jesus is God, the verses make perfect sense.
As I crested the bridge, there they sat. My hike was finished, but my opportunity to represent Christ was just beginning. At the end of the trail sat two Jehovah’s Witnesses ready to share their faith and give out more information about their church. Part of me wanted to pass them by and head home, but I decided to put a stone in their shoe, to give them something to think about.
A few years ago, I learned a line of argument to use with JWs. I call it “For the Love of Jehovah.” The point of this argument is to show that Jesus must be God based on what Scripture says about the love of Jehovah.
I approached my JW friends and asked them a series of four questions.
First, does Jehovah love human beings? “Of course he does,” they replied. We discussed how John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. I also mentioned to them 1 John 4:8–10, which says that God is love and his love was manifested through the sending of Jesus to be a propitiation for us.
After establishing Jehovah loves us, we moved on to my second question: What is the greatest demonstration of love according to the Bible? My JW friends paused for a second and then answered they didn’t know. I pointed out John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus claimed self-sacrifice was the greatest form of love. They nodded in agreement.
My third question was, how has Jehovah demonstrated he loves us? They responded by saying he sent his Son Jesus. I agreed, to an extent. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This verse along with John 3:16 and 1 John 4:8-10 explain that God’s demonstration of love was in sending his Son. However, according to Scripture, this isn’t the greatest demonstration of love. Laying down your life, not sending someone else, is the greatest demonstration of love.
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Evangelism and the Devil’s Darts
We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church. But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts. And believers are called to faith and action in resisting the devil’s darts. “Those who are born of God can overcome the world. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith” (I John 5:4).
The sign read, “You are now entering the mission field.” As we left the church property, I was reminded that the church’s mission in the world includes reaching the lost for Christ. Having recently visited several churches I was struck by the fact that little, if any, mention was made of the Great Commission and our Lord’s calling us to witness. Why then is the ministry of outreach so important yet so neglected? When it comes to participating in outreach ministry most folks are absent. Many can be labeled bystanders and bench warmers. They may be watching the game or on the team but not in the game.
I found help in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians by recognizing that the devil is bound and determined to keep us from making Christ known through our personal witness. Paul mentions in Eph. 6:16 the need to defend against the Devil’s “darts” and in Eph. 6, verse 11 we see the way to do this is with the full armor of God which we use against the Devil’s traps. We often treat the Devil’s attacks at best as nuisances and at worst as minor troubles. The Devil’s darts are deadly. They are aimed at the heart and meant to destroy.
In Paul’s description of believers as armor bearers (Eph. 6:10-17) he emphasizes the absolute necessity of faith as the way to victory over the devil’s dart attacks. John agrees when he writes in 1 John 5:4 that “faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” Satan is called the prince of this world. Paul encourages us to take up the shield of faith: “In every battle you will need faith as a shield.” The Romans fought with two types of shields. One was a small round shield used in hand-to-hand combat. It was easy to maneuver. The other shield was large and oblong in shape (2 ½ feet wide and 4 feet long). It was used for advancing into battle with others.
Enemies were faced with a solid wall of shields –row upon row–. This recognition of a powerful personal faith enables us in Christ to extinguish all the flaming darts (arrows) of the evil one. Paul writes, “Do not put out (extinguish) the Spirit’s fire” Thessalonians (5:19). The same word for extinguish is used there and in Ephesians 6. The point is that all flaming darts are able to be extinguished by the Holy Spirit working in and through us by faith. This is not deflection but complete destruction.
During their home ministry assignments, one of our long-time missionary families with Wycliffe Bible Translators used to come to our church to report on their ministry to the Chami Indians in Columbia, South America. Ron’s presentation always included dressing in the native dress and a demonstration using the native’s blow gun. The deadly darts were left at home since we didn’t want to lose any members that way, but they were used to kill. In the same way, the Devil’s darts are not made of harmless soft rubber but deadly flaming poison.
Quenching or extinguishing the devil’s darts is Paul’s goal for himself and for all other fellow believers. By examining the many darts the devil shoots, we can see how he seeks to limit our success in carrying out the Great Commission. How can you identify the darts that are shot to harm your spiritual life? Over the years, I have experienced many of those darts aimed me. I’ve identified at least eight specific darts which are common to believers; I call them the “Devil’s Ds: Doubt – Discouragement – Division – Delay – Difficulty – Deception – Danger – DistractionDOUBT
This “Devil D” makes going into the world without a confident assurance that God is present in the witnessing situation more difficult. Doubt often leads to fear – fear of the unknown or fear of the “what if”, fear of failure. These fears can create the belief that you can’t do this. The devil says “Don’t take a chance. People will think badly of you. You are not equipped.”
Sometimes the root of this “D” is unbelief- unbelief in God’s ability and maybe in His interest in a particular person. We may also not really believe in the reality of hell. We sometimes ignore our own accountability to be a part of the process of people coming to know and believe in Christ. Each person fulfills his own task. Some people plant the seed, some people water, but God makes the seed grow (I Cor. 3:6-8).
Doubts also may be present when we have been witnessing to someone for a long time with little movement toward Christ. In fact, doubts may increase. You may continue to pray for breakthroughs where there is evidence of continuing unbelief over a long period of time, even as much as fifty + years. The devil whispers “that’s enough.” Doubt and faith cannot coexist. Remember God’s word in James 1:5-8, “But when he asks, he must not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
I recall at one of the churches I pastored, where I lead an Evangelism Explosion ministry. A young man, on his first night leading an EE Visitation Team as a trainer, was full of doubt and fear of failure as he led his team. We all prayed that God would overcome his doubt and fear. The team visited a young woman to whom he presented the gospel. She prayed to receive Christ as her Savior and Lord that night. I had the pleasure of officiating their wedding ceremony two years later.
Our confidence in witnessing does not come from ourselves. If it did, we would have no way to have assurance. Our confidence comes from God and his promises to us. Paul writes in Romans 10:17,” Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” By grace, we overcome doubt with faith.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of doubt.DISCOURAGEMENT
I can’t begin to tell you how many discouraging conversations and disappointments I’ve had with people who profess faith and walk away. They remind me of Jesus’ Parable of the Soils in Mark 4 and Matthew 13. Based on circumstances, situations are seen from a human perspective. So the discouragements are based on our ability to communicate the gospel. The work of God’s providence is at work behind the scenes as the Holy Spirit opens hearts and minds to a true belief in Christ. The devil tells us to stop wasting our time.
I am reminded of a witnessing opportunity I had with a college student. I was leading a visitation team from our church. He and his parents had visited our church. Our plan was to visit and present the gospel. It turned into a nightmare rather than a dream visit.
Our college friend was big into philosophy and I was a new Christian. Our team was overmatched. We were escorted from their house with a big “no thank you to a gospel invitation”. Fast forward a few years and I was attending a Christian conference. I was approached by a young man who asked if I knew who he was. I could not place him until he started telling me about that night at his house that I described above. He shared with me how that night was the beginning of his road to faith in Christ. He was now in seminary and heading for a career in full time vocational ministry.
We don’t often see this kind of result, but when we do it makes us realize that God is at work. The parable of the growing seed (Mark 4) illustrates this point. The seed is scattered indiscriminately on the ground. As with the parable of the soils too often our attempts to share Christ with others fail without bearing fruit. Mark states, “Night and day, whether the farmer eats or drinks some seeds sprout and grow, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces” (Mark 4:28).
I often pray for God to use me to bring someone to Christ who in turn will be much more fruitful than me. Success in personal evangelism is not measured in the number of converts but in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission. Be encouraged by the fact that you cannot fail if you obey. Paul summarizes this by simply saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
The shield of faith deadens the dart of discouragement.DIVISION
This dart may be the most damaging of all since church relational problems often become public and open the door to the devil’s getting a foothold. My inclusion of division focuses on fractured relationships in the church. An emphasis on building strong, healthy church connections makes the ministry of church growth through personal evangelism a key to any church’s success. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:2-3 and Philippians 4:1-3 words that promote peace and unity, not fights and destruction.
We sinners, saved by grace, are at times vulnerable to the devil’s temptations. Nowhere is this more evident than in the ministry of personal evangelism which is prone to suffer due to conflicts which shift the focus of the church. The outward look becomes inward and stagnant. Conflicts in life are inevitable. The church is no exception. The devil uses conflicts to divide members of church groups into unholy factions. In Acts 6:1-2, the Grecian Jews felt neglected over the daily distribution of food. In Acts 15:36, Paul and Barnabas disagreed on whether to take Mark with them on their missionary journey. These and other conflicts can easily erupt into energy sapping, time consuming battles which, if not checked and resolved, can easily create a ministry paralysis while ministries such as outreach take a back seat or no seat at all.
Church division can often take years to resolve. Most never heal completely. Ugly scars remain. As I was writing this point, I overheard one person tell another, “Susan told me about the trouble at XYZ Church.” This is the devil’s dart to “divide and conquer.” If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. The church must use the shield of faith to avoid being separated from each other and Christ.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of division.DELAY
The devil’s “D” here tempts us to make witnessing a lesser priority in our lives. The ministry of evangelism should be one of our top priorities. To procrastinate means to postpone something. Too often this is the way we handle evangelistic ministry opportunities. We say, “I’ll get to it later,” which may mean if ever or never. A high priority becomes, practically speaking, a low priority. It may look good written out under the Mission Statement but rarely gets off the paper. The devil tempts us from doing the most important things.
Build a friendship first? Certainly, if possible. The danger is that in waiting we may miss open doors. The longer you put off witnessing to someone the harder it becomes. Providential contacts such as waiting in line at a store, sitting together at a meeting, or walking your dog in the neighborhood can provide a moment’s time to spend with a heretofore unknown person. You may never know how God can use your word of truth or act of kindness.
In this context, the Devil uses the dart of delay to keep us from making an attempt to share the gospel with another someone else. I have operated on two extremes at times. Times of extreme busyness gave me an excuse for avoiding things I didn’t want to do; time would not allow me to do it. Jesus describes three men in Luke 9:57-60; he calls these men to follow him. Each one has a “delay” excuse. Jesus counters their excuses in these words, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
“No time” is one thing but, too much time is another. In retirement when we have more free time we can still procrastinate and put off witnessing. Two much time says, I’ll do it tomorrow and when tomorrow comes we can do it another day. The devil gets a foothold. Whenever possible, do the important things first. Do not delay. In the booklet, The Tyranny of the Urgent, we read how often the important things are pushed aside and are replaced with apparent “urgencies.” This is the devil’s game plan to bombard us with his flaming darts aimed at our hearts.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of delay.5. DIFFICULTY
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you.” (i.e., testimony or gospel presentation) 1 Peter 3:15.
Evangelism training often includes a great amount of memory work that can make the learning process difficult and provide good excuses for not making an effort. Memorizing Scripture, outlines, and illustrations over an extended period, which we did in the early days of Evangelism Explosion Training, often kept people from completing the course. Having said this, it is important to learn as much as possible to be able to communicate as clearly as possible. The hard work will pay off in confidence and assurance. The devil tempts you that training will be too difficult. Let somebody else do the evangelism. It’s not my spiritual gift. It’s the pastor’s job.
It is not too hard. You don’t have to be a seminary graduate. There are many ways to begin. You can use the words “do” and “done” to show the way of work and of grace. Various biblical tools exist to provide training, whether the Evangelism Explosion booklet, the Bridge booklet, or some other biblical tool.
Another way to encourage people in sharing the gospel is to give a personal testimony. Every testimony carries the same message but is unique to an individual experience. People often are afraid to give a personal testimony in public or to a group of people. I remember that at an early EE clinic at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the pastor D. James Kennedy was explaining the EE presentation of the gospel. After the meeting, one of the participants came up and said to him,” I don’t like the way you present the gospel.” Kennedy responded,” that’s interesting, how do you do it?” He said,” I don’t do it”. Kennedy followed as only he could with, “I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t do it.” My question is, “How do you do it?”
The pastor’s job is to model, train, and lead faithful Christian witnesses. You don’t need the gift of evangelism to witness any more than you need the gift of giving to be generous in giving.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of difficulty.DECEPTION
“Many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world.” 2 John 1:7.
This verse reminds us that deceivers are in the world and in the church. The devil’s dart of deception is false teaching. In Genesis 3, Satan deceived Eve by raising doubts about God’s word. He twists the words of God just enough to make Eve believe that God is not good. I John 4:1-4 teaches that Jesus Christ is the truth and those who do not acknowledge him in the church are deceivers. Do we want people to be deceived? Of course not! The first piece of armor in Ephesians 6 is the Belt of Truth. People pick up false ideas and then use those false ideas to live their lives. People want to believe in a God who is all loving but not all powerful. This is not the God of the Bible. Also, people want control over their lives; not wanting to submit to God who is sovereign over our lives. The Bible is truth, and if we want to know truth, we must hear and do what God’s Word teaches. If we are not in God’s Word, we can be easily deceived with false teaching.
The Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is truth. Believers must be aware that deception comes in many forms and they are to test all teaching to make sure they are true.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of deception.DANGER
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Timothy 3:12.
In Acts chapters 4 and 5 we read about the apostles being threatened and put in jail for teaching about Jesus. They were willing to stand against the threats of danger to preach and teach about salvation in Jesus. Even when ordered to stop preaching they would not.
John 15:18-20 says, “If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. You do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you, ‘No servant is greater than his master, if they persecuted me, they would persecute you also.’”
These verses make it clear that the danger of persecution can erupt at any time. Not knowing what to say or how to answer hostile questions can be frightening. Frightening words that describe the action of Satan include roaring lion, murderer, liar, evil one, adversary, tempter, accuser.
Dangers might include being falsely accused, gossiped about, spoken against to others, being misrepresented, ostracized, or treated with hostility. Danger can take many forms, including tangible penalties, losing opportunities or being relegated to the sideline at work. We must remember God’s promise in Hebrews 13 that he will never leave us or forsake us, and we should not fear what anyone can do to us. God is sovereign in the midst of all oppression.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of danger.DISTRACTION
Jesus was never distracted from his mission to redeem sinners by his death on the cross. A classic passage of choosing the best over the good is Luke 10:38-42. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made for the meal, but her sister Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus. Martha was well meaning but lacked the priority of sitting before Jesus. When she complained to Jesus that her sister wasn’t doing her share of the work, Jesus said, “Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” We can be like Martha and distracted by many things and thus we become easy prey to the devil’s temptation of distraction.
As a new Christian, I was convinced to put evangelism first. It wasn’t always easy, and distractions were always around me. I still face the same difficulties of keeping a focused and prayerful commitment on what is essential to obeying Christ’s command and following his example.
It is easy to get distracted. Professional golfers get distracted by noise. At football games the fans try to distract the players. In our Christian life, Satan wants to distract us from doing what is best and focusing on something less. Too often we give in to his attacks and fail to accomplish the mission. I am reminded of our early days of church planting. The simplest method of sharing our faith was going door to door and talking to friends and neighbors. I well remember how easy it was to look for excuses not to do it.
Distraction comes in many different ways. Being self-conscious and fearing embarrassment can cause distraction. We are also distracted when we have an elevated sense of our own plans and schedules, and we don’t notice “divine appointments.”
In Ephesian 6:11 and 16 the devil’s opposition to us and his power over us is shown. As I said before, in Christ we have the victory over all the names of Satan: adversary, tempter, Evil one, angel of light, roaring lion, murderer, deceiver, enemy, and accuser.
Philippians 3:13 reminds us to stay focused: “One thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” And Matthew 6:33 calls us to seek first the kingdom of God with the promise that everything we need to follow God, including evangelism, will be given to us.
Application and Conclusion
“I will hasten and not delay obeying your commands.” Psalm 119:60
We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church. But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts. And believers are called to faith and action in resisting the devil’s darts. “Those who are born of God can overcome the world. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith” (I John 5:4).
So, when you think about evangelism, do you have Doubt, Discouragement, Delay, Division, Deception, Difficulty, Danger or Distraction? We all face at least one of these. Ephesians 6:18 says that we should pray in the spirit with all kinds of prayers to battle these darts. Even Paul, in v. 19 asks for prayer that he might be an ambassador of the gospel.
Remember, “if you resist the devil, he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Memorize these eight darts. Pick three for needed prayer and thoughtful practice. Seek out a faithful prayer partner, Consider the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn which describes the battle and victory.
Soldiers of Christ, Arise – Charles Wesley
Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,Strong in the strength which God supplies.Through His eternal Son,Strong in the Lord of hosts, And in His mighty power,Who in the strength of Jesus trustIs more than conqueror.
Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued,And take, to arm you for the fight,The panoply of God.That having all things done, And all your conflicts past,Ye may overcome through Christ alone,And stand entire at last.
Leave no unguarded place, No weakness of the soul.Take every virtue, every grace,And fortify the whole.From strength to strength go on,Wrestle and fight and pray,Tread all the powers of darkness down,And win the well-fought day,
In 1973, Dr. John S. McNicoll and his wife Diana planted the first church in the Presbyterian Church in America, a new denomination at the time. Throughout John’s ministry he has served in various pastoral positions and continued to plant churches in many parts of the United States, until he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012. He is retired but continues to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will sit long enough to listen. -
Success Looks Like Obedience
Written by T. M. Suffield |
Monday, July 17, 2023
It’s vital that while we set our aims—whether to be a witness in the workplace, a pastor, raise a family to serve the Lord, or my own specific desires and calling that I’ve written about a bit—that they are godly (all those examples are), but that we think that success is being obedient to God. If it fails but we failed well, by which I mean obediently in holiness and repenting of our sin where it is to be found, then that is successful in the kingdom.Well if God’s called you, it’ll work out.
I’ve been told this lots of times myself, I think I believe it half of the time. But it’s not true. Not in the way we mean it anyway.
What we’re saying is, you’re going to do this risky seeming thing on the basis of your faith that God wants you to do it, so the risky thing will work out, right? It follows, except it’s not my experience. I’ve followed God into several things in my life that’s it’s unclear why I was ‘called’ (assuming I’m right that I was, but let’s leave that question aside for now), and what I was attempting certainly wasn’t successful in any real sense that I could describe. Neither, in most instances, has it been the kind of abject failure that might make you decide you weren’t called after all, though I’ve certainly questioned these things many times.
The original statement is true in a sense, if God called you, the end for which he called you will definitely work out. The problem is that God does every action for a thousand ends, most of which are hidden from us, and it’s possible that none of them are the grand end that you’re thinking of.
To take an example that isn’t from my own life—imagine you moved to plant a church. Surely that means that the church will grow, even though it might be hard graft? I think most of us would realise that isn’t true objectively but would expect it to be true for us. Sometimes church plants fail. Does that mean that the planter wasn’t called by God? I don’t think that follows at all, the Lord is much more concerned with our character and with the individual person-to-person pastoring we do than in our institutions (though I believe he loves those too).
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