FrontLine: Living Among Wolves
FrontLine | July/August 2021 | VOLUME 31 | NUMBER 4
One cold March morning during a torrential downpour, I observed a man wrestling with a choice. Now, granted, it wasn’t an earthshaking choice, but it was nevertheless fun to watch. You see, he was preparing to exit a Walmart while eating cotton candy. And did I mention that it was pouring down rain? The poor man had already thrown away the plastic wrapper, so what was he to do? Watching this, I imagined an announcer saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, what will he do?” Would he stand inside the entrance and eat his cotton candy? Or would he try to hold the sugary fluff under his jacket as he walked? Or would he run to his car like mad? To my great delight, he sprinted toward his car, found it locked and fumbled in his pocket for the keys. Now what do you think he was holding when he finally got into his car? Yep, all he had in his hand was a paper cone.
As I watched this, I thought it was an interesting metaphor for Christian ministry. Shallow teaching, even when artificially sweetened with psychology, still dissolves in a downpour. And the recent toxic mix of pandemics and politics has been like a perfect storm to discover true Christian convictions. This is no time for “cotton candy” preaching. If you are trusting in “the land of peace” as the prophet did (Jer. 12:5), then you have had some sleepless nights. This edition of FrontLine is designed to help you develop your discernment for the troubling times ahead; it will help you to trust in the Lord.
How can we be both “wise as serpents and harmless as doves”? What was Jesus emphasizing with these startling similes? Greg Stiekes’ article answers these questions, amplifying the central theme for this FrontLine issue.
We all sense a need for discernment as our culture grows more chaotic. Yet as we try to apply that scriptural discernment, someone will say, “That’s just your interpretation!” Bud Steadman’s article will help you answer that retort.
What does it mean to be a living sacrifice? In what sense are the powers that be ordained of God? And how can we grant fellow believers flexibility in these frustrating times? To answer these questions, three authors have collaborated to produce four articles on Romans 12, 13, and 14. These crucial chapters help us know how to face the challenging crucible ahead. Here you will learn how to live among your enemies and how to “render unto Caesar” what is due and still pursue the things which make for peace.
How do you cope with those weird, crooked places in your lot in life? Mark Minnick’s article (see “The Perfection of His Providence” in the First Partaker) answers this question by highlighting the ministry of Thomas Boston; here you will find the discernment of a suffering saint. Boston understood the power of God’s perfecting providence, and his sermons clearly conveyed the power of God’s sufficient grace.
When a new marriage brings together significant cultural differences, how can new family members blend in? Linda Shumate addresses this increasingly common concern in her article “Culturally Blended Marriages.”
Bruce McAllister’s article helps you understand how to invest your life for eternal rewards; it’s time to learn how to plant for a rich harvest.
How could you use FrontLine magazine in your church? Carl Wood’s article explains how his congregation has used the magazine to great benefit. (See “FrontLine for All” in the First Partaker insert in the middle of the magazine.)
Life is too short to be shallow. May God grant discernment to all of us for the troubling times ahead.
Gordon Dickson
Features:
Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves: Ministers with Innocent Discernment
Greg Stiekes
What can we learn from this admonition, given by Christ to His disciples?
That’s Just Your Interpretation! A Historical Overview of the Biblical Hermeneutic
Bud Steadman
“That’s just your interpretation” demonstrates one of two problems—either a lack of belief in the Scriptures or a faulty understanding of the interpretive approach to the Scriptures.
Living Among the Enemy: The Romans 12 Plan
Kevin Schaal
Our culture has rapidly gone from being nominally Christian, to secular, to opposed to Christianity; how are we to live obediently and victoriously in such an environment?
Rendering unto Caesar Part I: The Principle of Submission to Civil Authority
David R. Shumate
The conflict between religious convictions and duty to country is a compelling dramatic theme.
Rendering unto Caesar Part II: Practical Issues in Submitting to Civil Authority
David R. Shumate
How are we to apply biblical principles to difficult questions that pertain to the believer’s relationship to government?
The Things Which Make for Peace
Gordon Dickson
Pandemics and politics have created a frustrating mix. How should a congregation respond?
Departments:
Mail Bag & News from All Over
On the Home Front
Regional Reports
Culturally Blended Marriages: Joys and Challenges
Linda Shumate
At a Glance: Prophetic Fulfillment: Is Close Enough Good Enough? (Part 2)
Layton Talbert
With the Word to the World: The Right Approach to Reaching the Lost
Jim Tillotson
COVID, Chaplaincy, and the Church
CDR Tavis J. Long, CHC, USN
“Let Your Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear”
Jerry Sivnksty
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