A Conversation with Kyle Hoffsmith from The Word in Youth Ministry Podcast

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A Conversation with Kyle Hoffsmith from The Word in Youth Ministry Podcast

Kyle Hoffsmith is the Pastor of Family Ministry at Old North Church in Canfield, Ohio. He also serves on the board of directors for the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, and hosts The Word in Youth Ministry Podcast.

Recently I had the privilege of sitting down (well, Zooming) with Kyle and his colleague, Josiah Rios, CPYU Fellow and Youth Pastor at Old North Church, to discuss my book, Broken Children, Sovereign God. It was wonderful to examine ways in which youth leaders in the church can minister to children and families who are navigating childhood mental illness. Click here to listen to the episode.

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Our Hope is Built on Nothing Less

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Our Hope is Built on Nothing Less

I’m a conservative Republican. I align (mostly) with the policies of the right side of the American political aisle. I’m pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-small government, pro-school choice, and pro-American energy independence and sovereignty. I hate what the media, social and professional mainstream, says about folks like me. (I also hate what the media, social and professional mainstream, says about folks on the other side of the aisle.) But of all the concerns I have about America’s current political climate, my most pressing comes from some of my fellow Christians on social media. I’m talking about the elevation of a candidate to the level of someone who is anointed by God to save us all from the evils of our political and cultural enemies. 

On July 13, Donald Trump was almost killed by an assassin’s bullet. History will long remember the striking photo of a man raising a fist in defiance, blood streaming from his right ear, the American flag behind him, stark against a brilliant blue sky. It was moving, and I admit, I admired his courage that day. It stirred something in me. 

The very next day, however, a post appeared on social media that was both alarming and frustrating. I’m not sure of its origin, but it was shared many times. The post read: 

In the Bible, the concept of blood on the right ear (Leviticus 8:22-24 and 14:28) serves as a visible mark of consecration, signifying that the person is dedicated to God’s service and has been set apart for a specific purpose. This act represents a physical and spiritual transformation, preparing the individual for their sacred role. Here’s a breakdown of the significance: 

Right ear: The right ear represents hearing and obedience. In ancient times, the right ear was considered the most important ear, as it was the ear that heard the words of God. 

Blood: Blood represents life, sacrifice, and atonement. In this context, the blood is a symbol of purification and consecration. 

Consecration: Consecration means to set something or someone apart for a specific purpose, making it holy and dedicated to God. In this case, the blood on the right ear signifies that the person is being set apart for a sacred task or role. 

Priestly consecration: In Leviticus 8, the blood is applied to the right ear of Aaron and his sons, consecrating them as priests. This act sets them apart as mediators between God and the people. 

Purification: In Leviticus 14, the blood is applied to the right ear of the person being cleansed, symbolizing their purification and restoration to the community. 

Context

This post is alarming and frustrating because it represents a flagrant contextualization of the Bible by ignoring the historical and religious context of the time in which Leviticus was written. It diminishes and distorts the significance of those strange and bloody rituals performed in the Old Testament, namely, the explanation and foreshadowing of the role of the blood of Christ in the salvation of man. Derek Allen, pastor of First Baptist Church near Mobile, Alabama explained: 

This is an example of gross mishandling of Scripture. When one small part of something kind of fits something that supports something we want, we run with bad interpretations and applications of Scripture. Those of us who believe the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God often criticize liberal interpretations of Scripture that take the same approach. We have to guard ourselves from letting our emotions take us to such places.

I become alarmed and frustrated when God’s Word is used like a Ouija board or tarot cards, conjuring mysteries from the text, or assigning to events and people significance that ignores context crucial to the understanding of the passages. Allen outlined the actual context of the misused passages in Leviticus: 

The blood placed on the earlobe of Aaron, his sons and cleansed lepers came from a sacrifice made at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. It did not come from the person being ritually purified. The whole point was that something else had to die for the person to be purified and set apart.

The blood was placed on the right ear lobe, the right thumb and the right toe of priests and cleansed lepers under the Mosaic Covenant. That is obviously not what happened to Donald Trump. He is not a priest. He is not a cleansed leper. He is not a Jew living under the Mosaic covenant. The blood was on the top of his ear and his face.

The blood used in purification under the Mosaic Covenant points to the substitutionary atonement accomplished through Jesus’ death. It does not point to an American presidential candidate. The only blood that can cleanse Donald Trump or any of us is the blood of Jesus.

God’s Sovereign Authority

Of course it is right to acknowledge God’s intervention in sparing Donald Trump’s life. Zac Reno, a Birmingham, Alabama pastor wrote:

It is absolutely right for Christians to celebrate the fact that former President Donald Trump survived an attempted assassination. I believe it is also right to credit God for His protection since every good and perfect gift comes from God.

This would be true for anyone in this same situation, regardless of what political party they represent. However, we must NOT use this situation to misrepresent Scripture. There is already enough in this story to thank God for without having to read anything else into it, especially by wrongly applying Scripture that has nothing to do with the situation.

Certainly, as a conservative, I am unhappy with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and many of the things they stand for. What their platform endorses is repugnant to me, and even in some cases, evil. But I can’t ignore the moral failures and offensive speech of Donald Trump, either. Biden, Harris, and Trump are all morally flawed. So was Reagan, my favorite president. As were all presidents in my lifetime (and before), from JFK to Nixon to Carter to Bush to Obama to Trump and Biden. We must remember that all of these men were placed in the Oval Office by God to fulfill his purposes. And if Harris wins the election, that will be God’s doing, too. If God is sovereign over all, then this conclusion must follow. And if it is true that God, in his good sovereignty, places our leaders, our first response should not be to condemn them, but to pray for them, even as we condemn their policies. 

God’s purposes on his earth will not be thwarted, and his methods and choices are above approach. Because he is God. And his Word is given to us not to satisfy our agendas, no matter how righteous they may be, but to give us the only hope we have: the spilled blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to cleanse the world of sin. He did not come to endorse any one political party or candidate. No matter who is in the Whitehouse, their role will be to fulfill God’s purposes for this time in history. Christians must not read anything else into it. 

Romans 13:1 tells us: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Of course we should fight for righteousness. Certainly we must resist and speak out against evil. That is, any ideology that rejects or distorts what God has established for his world. But at the same time, our speech and conduct must reflect our obedience to God, and our hope in his Son Jesus alone. The world is watching. Followers of Christ have a golden opportunity, not to mention a biblical obligation, to, as my school’s athletic slogan admonishes, “represent Jesus well.” 

Derek Allen aptly summed it up by saying: 

We have so much hope and truth in the gospel. There is no need to reach for a far-flung interpretation of an obscure passage of Scripture misapplied to our current situation to find hope. Jesus is King! Jesus has conquered death! Jesus forgives repentant sinners and brings them into God’s family! Jesus is returning to rule and reign for all of eternity!

Followers of Jesus Christ should not waste one moment fretting over the outcome of this election. Instead, we should be praying for all those involved. And more, before we post anything, we should prayerfully examine our own hearts, that our handling of God’s Word and our speech would align with his will, as his ambassadors in a world that so desperately needs him. 

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Wait for It

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Wait for It

A few weeks ago, I sat on a beach in Cancun very early in the morning, anticipating the sunrise. As I arrived at the shoreline, I was a bit disappointed to find a thick cloud bank hugging the horizon, obscuring the view of the hoped-for orange ball peeking up from the ocean. The initial light was pale yellow, not the bright salmons and pinks I had gotten up early to see. As the sky slowly brightened from behind the cloud bank, a woman rose from her lounge chair nearby and huffed off the beach, grousing loudly,  “Well that was a complete fail of a sunrise!” 

I stayed, and I’m glad I did.  Because after about five minutes, the top of the cloud bank began to glow a vibrant yellow, almost appearing as though someone traced it with a cosmic highlighter. Several seconds later, radiant beams burst in every direction through thin breaks in the bank. The effect was stunning. For several moments, the sky boasted an eruption of color and light. If only that woman had waited!

Behind the Cloud Bank

God’s people are a waiting people. Jesus came to earth once, and before that, those in ancient Israel waited for his arrival. Like the promise of a sunrise, God delivered. It took thousands of years, and heaven knows the cloud bank of oppression and trial obscured the promise. Still, year after year, God’s people waited, monitoring the prophecies, living every day in vigilant expectation. King David was among them. He sometimes became frustrated, wondering if the day would ever come. He wrote in Psalm 13, 

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “ I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 

David longed for the consolation of Israel. He anticipated the Messiah’s coming every single day. God had promised it. But sometimes the circumstances in the waiting, like a cloud bank at sunrise, obscured the promise. However,  David never stopped at lament. He finished the Psalm with, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” David did not storm off the beach of God’s promises. He stayed. He had to wait for heaven to see the Messiah, but see him he did, and while he waited he remembered God’s steadfastness, holding fast to the promises God gave. Even as he stared into the horizon at a pale yellow sky and a thick and frustrating cloud bank, David waited in faith that eventually God’s promise of a Savior would be fulfilled. 

As Sure as the Sun Rise

Now we Christians are a waiting people too. Christmas is the time of year when we remember and celebrate the marvelous sunrise of Christ’s incarnation. Jesus came once, fulfilling every single prophecy that told of his coming.  Isaiah prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2).  Roughly seven centuries later, that light burst onto earth’s scene, heralded by the light of a star (Matthew 2:2) and illuminated by a “company of angels,”  lighting up the night sky with the “glory of the Lord”  (Luke 2:9 and 13). The long awaited Messiah had, indeed, come, just as God promised. 

And now we wait for his return. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the cloud bank returned to hug our horizon. We live in the agony of waiting in a world of hatred, death, and varying degrees of trial.  But we will not storm off of the beach, calling the promises of God “complete failures.” Though for now, trials and suffering obscure the anticipated promise of Christ’s return, we do not join with the “scoffers,” quipping, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Like David and all of the ancient Hebrews, we lean into God’s full assurance that, as the sun rises each and every day, bathing human beings in the warmth of his common grace, Jesus will return. 

For those of us who have put our faith in Christ, his return will be the apex of delight. Our steadfastness in the waiting will be rewarded, as the light of Christ bursts through every morsel of darkness that remains on the earth. But for those who stormed off the beach, the regret of rejecting the truth of God’s promises will be the apex of disappointment and pain. C.S. Lewis said, “Jesus produced mainly three effects: hatred, terror, adoration.” Hatred from those who want to go their own way, terror to those who are caught in that final sunrise without the covering of Christ, and adoration from those of us who have long awaited that sunrise, basking in its glow and collapsing with relief at its finally appearing. “O Come Let Us Adore Him” will be our response to the radiance of his coming! 

Worth the Wait

If you have not put your faith in Christ, if you are among those who reject this strange, but true, doctrine, I urge you to rethink your choice. Because Jesus is coming. Like the sunrise, his light will burst forth, suddenly, spectacularly, and most assuredly. It’s only a matter of time. Stay on the beach. Watch the horizon. “For to us a child [was] born, to us a son [was] given; and the government [is] upon his shoulder, and his name [is] called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). God’s promises have not and will not fail. Though for now,  the cloud bank stubbornly clings to the horizon, it will be worth the wait. 

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Broken Children, Sovereign God: An Overview

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Broken Children, Sovereign God: An Overview

Why this book? Because God brought my family and me into a formidable yet blessing-saturated trial, and, as he is wont to do, sustained us through it every step of the way. This book’s main audience is folks who are raising or know someone who is raising or who work with mentally ill children. However, the broader audience is anyone who has experienced great trial and needs to understand how faithful, sovereign, and just plain good God is.

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Meeting the High Bar

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Meeting the High Bar

Is the teaching of cursive, classic literature, lofty vocabulary, or rhetoric just a pipe dream that died at the hands of a culture that has commandeered our children’s hearts and minds— a culture which  hasn’t just lowered the bar, but dropped it altogether?  

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Crucial Elements of a Christian Philosophy of Education

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Crucial Elements of a Christian Philosophy of Education

Philosophy would have us think on the deepest possible levels of our existence and that of the world. Literally the love of wisdom, Philosophy exhorts us to learn, and learn some more the core and basic nature of our purpose. Historically, this lofty exhortation has been relegated to the greatest minds. Locke, Epicurus, Aquinas, Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, and others have sought to explain man, his nature, and his existence. They searched, they debated, and they wrote; and the masses read. The winds of intellectual thought, available knowledge, and the prevailing school of thought at the time, blew through these great minds to arrive at truths that were sometimes true, but often times folly at the hands of brilliance; a true chasing after the wind...

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Seasons of Doubt Revisited

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Seasons of Doubt Revisited

What if everything I have staked my existence on isn’t true? What if God is not good? What if, as my philosophy professor in college posited, God is an “evil deceiver?” What if God doesn’t exist at all? What then?

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How's Your Lamp?

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How's Your Lamp?

Jesus is coming. Today or thousands of years from now, the Giver of oil has an endless supply to ready his bride for his impending return.

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O My Soul

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O My Soul

My soul longs for Jesus. It desires to go to the ends of the earth for him. It wants to devour scripture, share the gospel with everybody it encounters, and spend every waking moment in prayer. But my flesh wants nothing to do with any of that.

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Blessed Assurance, Immutable Joy

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Blessed Assurance, Immutable Joy

The more I see of God working amidst the horrors of this world, the more I trust him. And the more I trust God, the more my joy increases. And not only increases. My joy in Christ is immutable.  

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The Guilt and Grace of Christmas Giving

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The Guilt and Grace of Christmas Giving

There is a sliver of me that doesn’t want to give any gifts this Christmas—at least not to my family. It’s not because I don’t think they deserve gifts, or that they’ve been “bad” in some way. I have a wonderful family. And I love giving them presents.

It’s just that part of me wishes Christmas was a bit different than what it’s turned out to be...

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OMG!

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OMG!

God’s name is to be revered by his people. We have been set apart by the King of the Universe to revere him and hold him above all of our affections. His name and his attributes are to be adored and appreciated above all else. His holiness, that is his “other-ness,” is to be remembered every moment we draw breath.

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Contending With God

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Contending With God

Our contention with God must bring us to a faith and a provision of strength that will lead us to contend for him in the midst of an unbelieving world. .

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Praying The Lord's Prayer, Part I

Praying The Lord's Prayer, Part I

Andrew Wilson is a young pastor in England who, together with his wife, have two children on the Autism spectrum. In his book, The Life We Never Expected, Andrew and his wife chronicle their experiences with their two beautiful children, as well as what they have been learning about God through them. The book is candid and raw, and beautifully written. The Wilsons are a couple who love the Lord, despite, and even on account of, the path he has placed them on. But it hasn’t been easy. In the book, Andrew admits to becoming distracted during prayer, and that sometimes the anguish and fatigue are so deep that he scarcely knows how or what to pray.

Praying the Lord's Prayer, Part 2

Praying the Lord's Prayer, Part 2

After Christ addresses God as our Father, thus establishing the intimate and unhindered relationship we enjoy with him as his beloved children, he continues The Lord's Prayer by establishing God’s address...