“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you.”
II Chronicles 20:17
Thought For Today
Sometimes God may tell you the best strategy to win your battle is to be still. While the Bible says to be doers of the word, people of good deeds, and be courageous, there will be monumental moments in your spiritual life when God says, “Step aside, be still, I’ve got this!” How do you know when to fight and when to be still? By being a good listener to the voice of God. He will tell you what to do.
Caring about and acknowledging others impacts joy, health, and even the effective spreading of the gospel.
John said in III John 1:14 to salute and greet Christian friends by name. The Greek word used for salute and greet was originally described this way. When you see your brothers and sisters in Christ, you are to warmly receive them, fold them in your arms, embrace them, and receive joyfully. The word is used over 60 times in the Bible.
The University of Wroclaw, Poland, researched the subject of “emotional touch” in 2021. The research gave insight into the pandemic’s impact on the health and well-being of others. The study involved 14,000 people from 45 different countries. While different cultures have different ways of greeting, acknowledging, and showing affection toward one another, the focus was on “emotional touch.” In other words, the act of communicating genuine love and care. While people from different cultures greet one another in different ways, the fact that being surrounded by people who genuinely care about you has many positive benefits such as lower stress levels, a higher level of happiness with life, and even better health. The study showed that older people who are hugged often versus those rarely hugged have significantly better health.
Churches are shrinking. Many people claim the church is shrinking because people just aren’t interested in church anymore. I’d like to suggest a different perspective. Maybe the problem isn’t that people aren’t interested in the church anymore; perhaps it’s that the church isn’t as interested in people anymore.
If you do this one thing, show genuine interest in others, you will not be able to keep people from coming back to your church. And you will not have to worry about people coming back to you to learn more about how Jesus has changed your life. They will come back with intriguing questions and a desire to know what makes you so different.
Is it possible that a warm greeting, simply caring about others, and an extra thirty seconds to stop and pay attention to others could really have a massive Kingdom impact? I think so.
So when the Bible says things like greet the brethren with a holy kiss, don’t get freaked out about that! You don’t have to do THAT, but there is something vital and even Biblical about the way we choose to care about one another. Learn to be better at friendship, look people in the eye, speak, listen, show interest, and care about others. Jesus kept it pretty simple when He said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and love people with all your heart.
When the Bible tells us to “greet” or “salute” one another, it isn’t something we should overlook. People everywhere are looking for authentic connections with others who genuinely care. After searching the Bible and reading each place the word is used, I found a pattern that shows a variety of ways we can become better at putting this into practice. In place of the word “greet” or “salute,” I will use the word acknowledge to describe how we can impact those around us. Here are the ways scripture instructs us to acknowledge others.
Acknowledge Jesus And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. Mark 9:15. The most important person you will ever acknowledge in life is the person of Jesus Christ. Make it a priority each day to listen to Him, talk to Him and allow Him to be your master teacher in all things.
A Single Acknowledgment by an Individual Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name. 3rd John 1:14. When you as an individual pause to acknowledge another person, by name, you are showing more than just friendliness, you are proving to a hurting world that each person matters to God and each person matters to you. Of the 60+ times the word is used in scripture, this is the way it is used most often. An individual person acknowledging another person speaks volumes about the love of Christ that is in us.
A Group Acknowledgment by a Friend or Family All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Titus 3:15. To communicate that you and your friends or you and your family acknowledge a person says that it’s not just me, but my whole tribe thinks you matter, you are important, and you are cared about. When you realize not every person has a strong, loving family, and you choose to link a friend into your extended family, you give a priceless gift to a lonely person.
A Corporate Acknowledgement by a Faith Family Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Philippians 4:21-23. The message of care can come from a higher level. The message is that our entire church family cares for you; we pray for you and are here for your spiritual needs. Even though a person has a friend at church, they need to know the church as a body cares.
A Goodbye Acknowledgement as People Come and Go Acknowledgments send a subtle message at two significant moments. To acknowledge a person when you meet and when you leave sends a much more authentic message of care. Everyone has experienced the odd moment when a person “just left without saying goodbye.” The extra care at both ends of a connection are important and mentioned in scripture.
A Generous Non-Exclusive Acknowledgement And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Matthew 5:47. One of the greatest pains people have with the current church culture is the experience people have with believers clustering together and creating insiders and outsiders around the worship experience. Only acknowledging your own friends, your own relatives, your own neighbors, people who are only in your small group or Sunday school, from your own area of town, those with students in your own school, or even those of your own economic status or race, are all ways we divide ourselves. But as the Bible says… how does that make us different because even the unsaved world does that?
I read a story years ago about missionaries who visited an orphanage in the former Soviet Union. When they were taken into the room where the babies were kept, they saw a room full of cribs but noticed the only sounds they heard were the squeaks of the cribs as the babies moved around. The missionaries asked why none of the babies were crying. The staff explained that while all babies cry sometimes, the babies in the orphanage learn that when they cry and no one comes, there is no reason to cry. Our world is full of people who still need God’s love and need to hear the gospel’s message. It may seem that they aren’t interested but don’t let that fool you. They just need to know that someone cares.
You’ve walked with Jesus. You’ve even said you loved Jesus and He was central in your life. That’s what you claimed anyway. Friends from your past have listened as you, in spiritual moments, in safe places where others talked of Jesus, you spoke up too. You talked about Him as if He was central in your life.
But now… He’s not.
How is this possible? How can you, or anyone for that matter, walk with Jesus and later “walk away from Jesus?” It CAN happen. It happened in John 18. Jesus was being questioned and judged by Pilot and His “faithful” disciples were dropping like flies. Imagine being in the place of Judas. Recently he talked of his commitment to Jesus but here he is with a band of soldiers, under the cover of darkness, with lanterns, torches, and weapons looking for Jesus to arrest Him. Jesus spoke up in the darkness and said, “Are you looking for me? Well, here I am.” And they were so shocked they fell backwards to the ground. Who looked strong and who looked weak in that moment? Seems like Jesus won again.
How could His faithful disciples turn their back on Him?
Money. Judas sold out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Sometimes we think that a full commitment to Jesus and our financial goals just can’t occupy the same life path. Wrong. The truth is that Jesus is the owner of it all. He isn’t committed to your poverty, He is committed to all your needs being met. Serving Jesus and being successful in your career can and should go hand in hand. He cares for you. The truth is, Jesus can advance your career, and provide for you in an instant in ways it could take you decades to achieve without Him.
Fear of Man. The disciples knew Jesus was about to be tortured and crucified. It scared them to death to think of being right by His side and join in the suffering. They were afraid, very afraid of suffering for Jesus. What if they didn’t receive a beating but faced other consequences for staying close to Jesus? What if they were shunned in the future, what if they were treated like outcasts, passed over when opportunities came their way. Is your fear of man so great that you would walk away from your commitment to Jesus?
Sin. Pilate questioned Jesus and after the hearing Pilate walked outside and asked the crowd who were gathered in the streets who should be crucified and who should be released. He clearly told the crowd, “I find no fault in Jesus. But who should I release?” They cried out, “Release Barabbas!” Here’s an interesting fact. Barabbas was a robber… a thief. The people rejected Jesus because He knew them. He knew their heart and was fully aware of their sinful condition. And Jesus had invested deeply in His disciples and in this moment He experiences the abandonment of His closest followers. Did you walk away from Jesus because you chose sin in His place.
So what is in the way and keeping you from being closely connected to Jesus? Did you think loving and pursuing money would be better than walking with Jesus? Did you think gaining approval of others would be better than a relationship with Jesus? Did you think that having the freedom to sin and live the way you want would bring more joy and peace than following Jesus?
If any of this isn’t working for you, it’s time to admit it to Him and return to Jesus. Do it today.
‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ‘ 1 John 1:6-9
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.’ John 18:38-40
Easter is coming soon, and I’d like to share a special project you can be a part of if you feel led to do so.
We are calling our Easter outreach project “Rise Up, for Youth.” We will be delivering an Easter gift bag to youth in juvenile centers in Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Each bag will contain a Bible, a book called The Case For Easter, a book called The Case For Christ, and some Easter candy. These books are by former “atheist turned Christian” and former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel. Both books make a powerful case for the evidence of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know you will agree that we are in a culture war, a war between good and evil, for the heart, mind, and soul of today’s youth. And the frontline of the battle is in the heart of our fatherless youth. Every $10 given will provide a “Rise Up For Youth” gift bag with these powerful gospel tools. Our goal is a minimum of 300 youth, and if possible, we could impact 1000 youth this Easter. We can do more as God provides through His people. To give to this project, go to https://kenturnerministries.org/give/and select High Impact Ministries and the subfund “Rise Up.”
We moved to Central IL, in October, and Jennifer and I probably underestimated how much work it takes to move 600 miles north! A close friend called to “check on me” after we were here a couple of months. I was telling him how I felt “very out of sync” with everything. He said, “A good friend told me once that it takes about four months to feel settled after a big life transition.” I was trying to connect with area juvenile centers to see what kind of ministry needs and opportunities were there. Jennifer and I were trying to formulate a plan to remodel an older home we bought a few blocks from her parents. We were trying to find a church home that felt right for us. We were trying to figure out where to put our stuff that fit into the house we sold in Tennessee but didn’t exactly fit in the house in Illinois. We were dealing with missing our kids, who are now in other states, and even though we are close to Jennifer’s family, we were wrestling with the idea that we don’t have any other close friends here. But a lot has come together in four months.
We had many ministry supporters step up with donations in December, and we were able to provide Christmas gifts, Bibles, and spiritual growth resources to fatherless teens in the juvenile centers in Nashville, TN, Memphis, TN, Indianapolis, IN, Peoria, IL, Normal, IL, and Rockford, IL. Over 300 teens received the gospel message, and I pray God will use the seeds sown to bring many of them to Christ.
I have now met with the program director of the juvenile center in Normal, IL, and am starting a weekly Bible study with the youth there. I also met with the program director at the Peoria, IL, juvenile center, along with a few other friends I’ve been collaborating with in Peoria. I start our new ministry outreach in Peoria today. I’ll be teaching a group of teenage guys, most of them are fatherless, about God as a Father and about how to be a real dad in the future. I created a nine-week study a few years ago based on God’s role as a father in our life and His plan for us to embrace God as a father and prepare to follow His model as a Godly father to our own kids someday. This really is the path to reshaping the family tree and creating a spiritual generational shift. This Friday, I’ll be in the juvenile center in Galesburg, IL, and will be starting a regular Bible study there along with a friend of mine, Rob Skow.
While in the Peoria Juvenile Center last week, meeting with and getting to know some of the youth, a teenage boy spoke up and took his hand, and began patting himself on the chest as he repeated, “I need this, I need this… we all need this. I’m all in.” The program director at the Normal, IL juvenile center said, “It’s been such a struggle to get people here “post-Covid” to meet the spiritual needs of our youth… I’m glad you are here.” Another ministry leader in Peoria recently said, “I believe God brought you and Jennifer here at this specific time to meet some very specific needs of our youth.”
Thank you so much to all our prayer partners and ministry supporters. Please continue to pray for us as we are in the “start-up phase” in three juvenile centers at the same time. Moving and setting up a new office and outreach also brings a lot of expense. It’s much more expensive than we even realized. Your support and extra gifts are greatly appreciated as we try to navigate through this part of the process.
If you haven’t made a recent gift to help bring the hope of the gospel to fatherless youth, please consider a donation today. Give at https://kenturnerministries.org/give/
In Christ,
Ken Turner
Our new mailing address is: Ken and Jennifer Turner High Impact Ministries PO Box 375 Benson, IL 61516
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After twenty-one years in church youth ministry I established an outreach ministry in 2008 with a key focus on reaching troubled youth in the community of Indianapolis, Indiana. Our ministry moved to Tennessee in July 2010 and I continue to minister to high-risk and fatherless youth.
