When Labels are Fables
Tony Cooke

I’m curious. Who has defined reality for you? What is the basis for how you see yourself, the people around you, your circumstances, your destiny, and your world? How much of your sense of reality has been defined by your parents, your education, society, and the media?

The world around us works very hard to define reality for us.

• If you buy this car, you will really be happy.
• If you use this cologne or perfume, the opposite sex will be crazy about you.
• If you wear this brand of clothing, you will be really cool.
• If you drink this beverage, you will be really popular and will have great times with great friends.
• If you hold these politically correct views, you will be socially acceptable.

It should go without saying—but perhaps it’s good to be reminded—that this world is full of people who will sell you a bill of goods. If you buy them, you’ll be left frustrated, empty, and disillusioned. Deception is referred to three times in Matthew 24—a chapter that deals with the end-times. Twice it says that many will be deceived (verses 5 and 11), and verse 24 says that, “…false christs and false prophets will rise and… deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Don’t let anyone else define reality for you! David said, “Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head” (Psalm 3:2-3). You need to believe what you say—not what they say—and what you say needs to be based on the truth of the Word.

Proverbs 14:15 (MSG) tells us that, “…the gullible believe anything they’re told; the prudent sift and weigh every word.” If there was ever a time when God’s people need to be discerning, today is that day! Romans 16:19 (MSG) says, “I want you also to be smart, making sure every ‘good’ thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this…”

We need to be deeply grounded in the truth and have our minds renewed by God’s Word so that we are not conformed to or deceived by the world. If a thousand people say that “up” is “down” and “down” is “up,” it doesn’t make it so. Isaiah 5:20 (NLT) says, “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.” There was a time in Israel’s history where God’s own covenant people were so far off-track that God said to them, “Because of your great sin and hostility, you say, ‘The prophets are crazy and the inspired men are fools!’” (Hosea 9:7, NLT).

Rev. Joe Wright of the Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, gave the invocation at the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23, 1996. He prayed:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbors’ possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Deception can come from outside the church, but also from within. In Revelation 2-3, Jesus spoke to local churches, and made it very plain that sometimes, labels are fables! People would claim to be something, but Jesus knew who they really were. He commended His people when they did not swallow lies! He did not want His people to be misled. Consider the following:

• “…you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars…” (Revelation 2:2)
• “…those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9)
• “…that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess…” (Revelation 2:20)
• “…those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie…” (Revelation 3:9)
• “Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked…” (Revelation 3:17)

Jesus is not impressed with slick talk, smooth words, self-promotion, rationalization, excuses, or false labels. Hebrews 4:13 (NLT) says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

Jesus knows when labels are fables—He knows reality. He is not fooled by smoke and mirrors. One of the most sobering statements Jesus ever made is Matthew 7:22-23: “Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” This really drives home the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:18 (AMP), “For [it is] not [the man] who praises and commends himself who is approved and accepted, but [it is the person] whom the Lord accredits and commends.”

In the end, the reasonings of men will not prevail. Humanistic philosophies will not prevail. Popular opinion will not prevail. Political correctness will not prevail. In the end, only the Word of God will prevail.

People can either deal with reality now, or they can deal with reality later. But ultimately, everyone will some day face reality. John 12:47-48 says, “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” What is our mission? We are endeavoring to help people respond joyfully to the Word of God now, so that they do not have to react mournfully to it later!

Biblical Texts: 1 John 1:5; Acts 17:16-34; John 14:6

Introduction and Overview

Very few people in this country are unfamiliar with the term, “Jedi,” but in case you are, let me give you some background.

The first Star Wars movie came out in 1977 and was followed by two sequels:
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Return of the Jedi (1983)

After many years, three prequels in the same series were released:
The Phantom Menace (1999).
Attack of the Clones (2002)
Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The story line is one of good and evil. In many ways, it is similar to the old-time, medieval romances.

• A tale of knights and chivalry
• A princess being rescued
• Battles with dragons and monsters
• Epic wars
• Imaginative fantasy and superstition

In King Arthur’s saga, you had Merlin the Magician, as well as the Knights of the Round Table. In Star Wars, you have Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. They are “Jedi Knights,” and they are a combination of Merlin (with his connection to supernatural powers) and the Knights (with their bravery in battle).

The Ewoks, furry little forest creatures, are somewhat reminiscent of Robin Hood’s Merry Men.

There is the storming of what seemed to be the impenetrable castle, only this time, the castle is a “Death Star” in outer space.

There are even sword fights, although these swords are made of laser rather than steel.

The Pervasive Influence of Star Wars

Shortly before the release of Phantom Menace, there was a survey of 16,000 15-34 year olds in which they were asked to identify their hero. The results were:

1. Luke Skywalker
2. Jesus Christ
3. Michael Jordan
4. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The significance of the first Star Wars movies was such that President Reagan borrowed terminology from the movie during a critical time in our Nation. In a speech delivered on March 8, 1983, President Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as “an evil empire.” Two weeks after his speech, the President announced his Strategic Defense Initiative, involving a proposed plan whereby the United States would be able to shoot down incoming missiles. This defense system was quickly called Star Wars.

Analyzing the Movie and Its Influence

What is it that separates Star Wars from a good, old-fashioned King Arthur or Robin Hood movie?

1. There are high-tech special effects that are impressive and enjoyable.
2. The movie is set in outer space, not in the middle ages.
3. There is a spiritual dimension to the film that is presented as “The Force.” Many of the characters in the movie dismiss the Force as an ancient, outdated, and irrelevant superstition. However, the Jedi Knights learn how to tap into this supernatural power and use it to their advantage. To do so, they must follow their instincts, trust their feelings, quiet their minds, avoid their fears, etc.

Concerned Christians have correctly pointed out the following:

1. The Force of Star Wars should not be confused with the God of the Bible. Nor should it be confused with faith as it is taught in the Bible.
   a. The Force is impersonal, but the God of the Bible is personal.
   b. The Force has both a good side and a dark side, but the God of the Bible “…is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
2. The concepts in Star Wars are predominantly those of eastern religions and the occult. There is a strong pull from Buddhism, pantheism, New Age philosophies, and even a sprinkling of Christian symbolism.

These observations have caused some to denounce Star Wars, stating that Christians should have nothing to do with something that is worldly, ungodly, promoting religious and even occult philosophies.

Another Perspective?

While I certainly do not embrace all of the philosophies that are communicated in Star Wars, I believe that Christians can have a much more productive response than, like turtles, pulling our heads in our shells and isolating ourselves from the outside world.

I believe the response of the Church to Star Wars should be identical to Paul’s response to the false religious views he saw in Athens.

William Barclay said of the religious climate in Athens: “It was said that there were more statues of gods in Athens than in all the rest of Greece put together and that in Athens it was easier to meet a god than a man.”

Acts 17:16-34

16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
17. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the [Gentile] worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
18. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine [is] of which you speak?
20. “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”
21. For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
23. “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
24. “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25. “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
26. “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27. “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28. “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
29. “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
30. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
31. “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
32. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this [matter.”]
33. So Paul departed from among them.
34. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Consider what happened here:

1. Paul saw people in Athens searching for an answer. He saw empty people searching for something that would satisfy them, something that would genuinely meet their needs, and something that would truly answer the cry of their heart.

2. Paul found a point of common ground with these people. He saw that one of their many altars was “unoccupied,” that there was no statue behind the altar… only an inscription that said, “To the Unknown God.” Paul saw this as an opportunity to introduce them to the God they did not know, and the God he did know.

3. Paul did not attack and denounce their idolatry. Instead, he found something in their belief system that served as an entrance, an open door for the Gospel. He did not compromise the truth of God’s Word, but he found a way to present the Word of God to them in the framework of their existing mentality. In essence, Paul used their system, in spite of its flaws, to point them to the true God.

One reason I believe that people are drawn to Star Wars is that people have a hunger for the God they don’t know (just like the Athenians did). They crave supernatural reality.

They may have never seen genuine Christian spirituality. Perhaps all they’ve seen is dead religion and dead churches, but have never seen the true power of God in demonstration.

I believe that Star Wars asks the right questions; it just doesn’t have the right answers.
The Producer Speaks

In an interview with Time Magazine, George Lucas (the Producer of the Star Wars movies) said the following:

“I put the Force into the movie in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people – more a belief in God than a belief in any particular religious system. I wanted to make it so that young people would begin to ask questions about the mystery. Not having enough interest in the mysteries of life to ask the question, ‘Is there a God or is there not a God?’ – that is for me the worst thing that can happen. I think you should have an opinion about that. Or you should be saying, ‘I’m looking. I’m very curious about this, and I am going to continue to look until I can find an answer, and if I can’t find an answer, then I’ll die trying.’”

Lucas admitted that “…he is in that searching category, that he believes in a God but does not know who that God is.”

Lucas expresses his belief that one religion “is as good as another,” and directly states: “The conclusion I’ve come to is that all religions are true.” (Reported by Albert Mohler Jr. in World Magazine, “Faith vs. the Force,” May 22, 1999).

In an article entitled, “Seduced by the Dark Side,” Dr. Tom Snyder said:

“It’s really downright confounding how a man as smart as George Lucas can make the stupid statement that ‘all religions are true.’ They can’t possibly all be true.

…Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the other non-Christian religions disagree ENTIRELY with the New Testament’s view of God and Jesus Christ, and with the historic Christian faith. To pretend otherwise is not only just wishful thinking, it’s a big fat lie.” (From Movieguide / June A 1999).

Finding The Real Answer

Stop and think about it. Jesus did not say, “I am one of many ways.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6).

When Jesus was facing the prospect of Calvary, He prayed, “Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me.” He didn’t get up from that prayer and run away from the Cross. He didn’t abandon God’s plan for man’s redemption and say, “May the Force be with you.”

• Mankind’s need was not be get connected with some universal, cosmic, impersonal force.
• Mankind’s need was to have sin—that which separates man from God—taken out of the way.
• Mankind’s need was to be brought into relationship with a personal Heavenly Father. Jesus accomplished this through His death on the Cross, through the shedding of His blood, and through His resurrection.

I believe the best thing the Church can do is to use movies such as Star Wars to engage people and direct them to the One True God.

Shortly after Star Wars first came out, I was a freshman at Butler University. I used that movie to lead another student (a real skeptic) to the Lord. I found that the mystical emphasis of the movie really spoke to the spiritual hunger that he had on the inside. I explained that the Force wasn’t real, but it was a philosophical attempt to answer the true spiritual hunger that people have in their heart.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the true realities that man’s empty heart yearns for.

Our God is Personal, and there is no dark side in Him.

Was Jesus a Jedi?

No. Jedi is a myth.

Jesus is a reality.

Jesus wasn’t trying to tap into some universal force. He was (and is) the Creator of the Universe and all of its laws.

He didn’t use mind control to influence people. He spoke the truth and allowed people to accept or reject.

He turned water into wine.
He walked on the water.
He calmed the storms.
He multiplied food.
He healed the sick.
He cleansed the lepers.
He raised the dead.
He bore sin of humanity.
He conquered death, hell, and the grave.
He rose triumphantly and is alive forevermore.

The dilemma of the first three movies is that of an evil empire that needs to be defeated. The focus of the second set of movies is on the evil within. In other words, how does a cute and seemingly innocent young boy named Annakin Skywalker become the sinister Darth Vader? How does one with so much potential begin his journey down the dark side?

Really, this is the story of the human race.

The hunger and the questions raised are universal. But the answer to these questions will not be seen on the big screen or on the videos.

• The true answers will only be found in God’s Word, the Bible.
• The answer will not be found in an impersonal force, but in a personal God.
• The answer is not found in following your instincts, but in following the Holy Spirit.
• The answer is not found in trusting your feelings, but by trusting in God.
• The answer is not found in emptying your mind, but in filling your mind with the truth of God’s Word.

Conclusion

If you just want to go and enjoy the special effects and see the film for entertainment value, that is fine. Enjoy the movie.

But if you want to look deeper and see the “religious stew” that is assembled, please realize that a false view (“all religions are true”) underlies the film. This confusion reflects a confused society that is like the Athenians of old. Embracing a multiplicity of false gods while remaining ignorant of the one true God.

Realize that the spiritual hunger that causes people to be drawn to Star Wars is legitimate, but the answer to that spiritual hunger will never be found on the Big Screen. It will only be found in the Big Book!

To Christians, I recommend that instead of denouncing the movie because it violates your theology, use the movie as a touch-point for people who identify with its search, but take them a step farther and show them the truth that is only found in Jesus Christ.

Are Indulgences Making a Comeback? Rev. Tony Cooke

One of the movies I’ve enjoyed in recent year was about Martin Luther’s ministry leading up to and through the Protestant Reformation (the title of this work from 2003 is “Luther”).  In it, his grief over the unscriptural practice of indulgences is clearly seen.  The “Pocket History of the Church” says that indulgences, “…authorized by papal authority in 1411, had begun in the eleventh century with the teaching that pious service, say, in the Crusades would reduce one’s stay in purgatory. In the fifteenth century, guarantees of shorter stays in purgatory in exchange for monies became a regular component of fundraising techniques for the papacy.”

The idea of “buying blessings” did not start, though, in the Middle Ages.  In Acts 8, Simon the Sorcerer made an offer to Peter that he could refuse (because of Peter’s integrity)!

Acts 8:18-22

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

The New Testament in Modern English translates verse 20, “To hell with you and your money!”  J.B. Phillips says that this “is exactly what the Greek means,” and the Message Version and the Good News Translation also provide similar renderings.  Even today, the term “Simony” refers not only to the practice of purchasing ecclesiastical offices, but also is used broadly to denote any kind of trafficking in sacred things.

We all know that tithing and giving is an important part of what the Bible teaches, and we know that it takes money for churches and ministries to operate, but there is a serious problem when the impression is given that every blessing, every breakthrough, every miracle, and every answer to prayer is contingent upon a financial gift being given.  Maybe we’re not trying to reduce our own time, or spring a relative from purgatory through financial gifts today, but isn’t it still a serious matter if people are led to believe that every blessing and breakthrough is somehow connected to money?

I recently heard a minister on television extolling the virtues of the number “seven” as it is used throughout the Bible.  Somehow, he drew the conclusion that since this is 2007, that meant that his viewers were being instructed by God to give a certain monetary amount to receive their breakthrough.  Somehow, though, I didn’t hear him suggest that anyone send in a $7 offering (which would have seemed logical if there really was even a remote connection to what we’re supposed to give relative to the calendar year).  Somehow, $77, or $777, and $7,777 were the suggested amounts.  His line of thought made me wonder if no offerings would have been expected in the year 2000. 

As I listened to this slick presentation, I couldn’t help but wonder if Martin Luther wasn’t questioning if he had published his Ninety-five Theses in vain.  I thought to myself, “I’ve heard of the ministries of encouragement, edification, and exhortation, but this is nothing more than extraction—extracting money out of the peoples’ wallets!”  Further, I wondered why all of these presentations on television always end with the phrase, “Go to your phone,” and never, “Go to your church.” 

Recently, I heard of a minister who said, “You can receive information from anyone, but you can only receive revelation from a minister that you sow into.”  I thought to myself, “If that’s the case, then none of us would be able to receive revelation from any of Paul’s writings, because none of us ever gave financially to him.”

As much as I dislike some of the things I’m seeing and hearing (and I know that these are just a couple of examples among hundreds), it reminded me of how grateful I am for the pastors, missionaries, and other fine ministers who share the Gospel and the Word of God in a straightforward manner, with simplicity and sincerity.  Thank God for those who are keeping the waters pure!

Blessings Without Money

I was refreshed as I remembered Isaiah 55:1-2:  Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Please know, though, that I’m not against giving!  Churches, missionaries, and ministries all need finances to operate, and to fulfill the Great Commission!  As long as we hold to the understanding that God’s greatest blessings are free gifts, then we can give from the right heart and the right motive, and we can avoid being pressured, manipulated, or taken advantage of!  What are some of the healthy New Testament principles of giving?

1. Believers are to give PERSONALLY.  In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul described the great generosity of the Macedonians, and he said (verse 5), “…they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”  Giving wasn’t just a religious ritual, but it was a reflection of a life totally given to God.
2. Believers are to give SYSTEMATICALLY.  Paul said (1 Corinthians 16:2), “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside…”  Systematic and regular giving produces stability in churches and promotes maturity and responsibility in believers.
3. Believers are to give PROPORTIONATELY.  If you read more of 1 Corinthians 16:2, it says, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper…”  Giving was to be in proportion to how much the people had prospered.
4. Believers are to give GENEROUSLY.  Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”  Keep in mind that this doesn’t just apply to money.  We can also be generous with our time, our talents, our encouragement of others, etc.
5. Believers are to give WILLINGLY.  In Exodus 35:5, Moses said, “Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD…”
6. Believers are to give PURPOSEFULLY.  One of my favorite verses on giving has always been 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart…”  Giving should be deliberate and intentional, not because of pressure, hype, or manipulation.
7. Believers are to give CHEERFULLY.  The last part of 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “…for God loves a cheerful giver.”  The word cheerful here is the Greek word hilaros, from which we get our English word hilarious.  Giving truly should be a joy!
8. Believers are to give RESPONSIBLY.  There is a principle of responsibility when it comes to finances.  We need to be responsible not only with the 10%, but also with the 90%.  We are to be responsible to tithe to our local church and we are responsible to see to it that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) is carried out.
9. Believers are to give EXPECTANTLY.  Many Scriptures (e.g., Ecclesiastes 11:1-3, Luke 6:38, etc.) address the blessing connected with giving, and we should give with a heart of expectancy.
10. Believers are to give WORSHIPFULLY.  True giving is far more than a financial transaction; it is an act of worship unto God.  In Deuteronomy 26:10-11, God’s people were instructed (regarding their giving), "Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God. 11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house…”

Coming Full Cycle

Wrong teaching or practices should never keep us from doing the right thing!  There was a time in the Old Testament, when God instructed Moses to make a brass serpent and put it up on a pole (Numbers 21:8-9).  It symbolized Christ on the Cross, and everyone who looked on it was healed.  However, that symbol was later abused.  In 2 Kings 18:1-8, King Hezekiah destroyed the bronze serpent because the children of Israel had begun to worship it instead of God.  What God intended to bless the children of Israel became an idolatrous stumbling block to them!  Later, though, Jesus said (John 3:14-15): “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus didn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater!  Even though a godly king had to destroy what had been corrupted, Jesus was able to see beyond the distortions, recall God’s original purpose, and reclaim the truth of what God had originally brought forth.  May we all be very strong in seeing through the clutter and distractions as we walk out God’s original purpose of who He has called us to be and what He has called us to do!

In Memoriam
Barbara Bennett Cooke (1923 – 2011)

While sitting at the breakfast table on Monday morning, January 24, Barbara Cooke slipped peacefully into eternity. Like many of her era, she was born in the family home in Boonville, Indiana on September 23, 1923.

In her youth, mom was very athletic. She played softball, tennis, and basketball competitively, and was a Physical Education major at Hanover College in Madison, Indiana. She held the record in discus there for some time. Her studies at Hanover were cut short because of Rheumatic Fever, and the doctors told her mother that she would only live for four or five more years. Mom always took pride in being strong, and even in her mid-80’s as she was recovering from injuries sustained in the car accident that took my dad’s life, she periodically would challenge her doctors to an arm-wrestling match.

Barbara met Kenneth Cooke while attending Hanover, and following WWII (my dad served in the Navy), they were married on August 22, 1946 in Scottsburg, Indiana. Dad began pursuing what would become his lifelong career as an educator, and in 1949, they had the first of four sons (I was number four).

When it came to manners, doing things properly, and speaking properly, mom would have made Emily Post and Noah Webster very proud. When my dad passed away in 2007, mom was unable to attend the memorial service because she was still in the hospital recovering from her own injuries. Shortly after that, I showed her a DVD of the funeral service, and mom watched with great interest – not only because it involved her husband’s memorial service, but because she was very interested in etiquette, dignity, and decorum… she wanted to make sure things were done right. The only “suggestion” she offered from her hospital bed – as she lay there recovering from multiple injuries – is that it would have been more appropriate for me to have referred to him as “father” instead of “dad.”

But Mom was far from stuffy. She loved having fun, and could be a real cut-up at family gatherings. Barbara enjoyed antiques, church activities, decorating, gardening, painting, arranging flowers, and playing bridge. Mom was also a life-long learner; not only was she a reader, but she also took various courses at the Indiana University extension campus in Kokomo.

At her memorial service (January 29, 2011), I shared what I believed were the three most important things in my mother’s life.

1. Friends

Mom absolutely loved being with people. Whether it was her bridge club, small groups through her church, or volunteering in service and philanthropic organizations, Mom was always involved with people. She loved entertaining, and always gave events a special touch with decorations and other expressions of gifted hospitality.

Mom formed friendships that lasted decades, and in some cases, a lifetime. She often spoke of her childhood friends from her hometown, and it was obvious that she treasured these relationships greatly. The value that Mom placed upon friendships, and the fact that she had so many friends, was indicative of a sense of community, loyalty, and interest in others.

2. Family

The second thing that was valuable to Barbara Cooke was family. All the way back to her Boonville roots, she spoke frequently of her family, of her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. My brothers and I heard countless stories from generations past. She highly valued her roots. Later in life, she even bought the house that sat on the corner opposite her birthplace, and remodeled it.

As a mother, she was extremely conscientious and diligent in raising her kids. They could have easily patterned the June Cleaver character after her. We were always cared for extremely well, and probably the most-oft heard question in the Cooke household was, “Did you wash your hands?” After we said yes, the next statement was, “Let me smell your hands.” Verbal confirmation was not enough. Many people have credited President Reagan with the phrase, “Trust, but verify,” but I’m pretty sure he got that from my mom.

As we all grew up and moved out, no visit to Mom and Dad’s house was made without hearing multiple times, “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

Mom absolutely loved her kids, she adored her grandkids, and she really, really loved her great-grandkids.

3. Faith

Barbara often spoke fondly of a godly, Methodist grandmother that regularly taught her Bible stories when she was a little girl. Mom made sure that all of us were in church when we were little, and she taught us important morals and values.

There are two statements I remember hearing mom make when I was young, and both of these made an impression on me. The first statement that stands out to me is when she said, “If you can believe any of the Bible, you can believe all of it.”

Another time (we must have been talking about Christians in other nations being persecuted for their faith) she said, “I’d let them cut my fingers off before I said it wasn’t true.”

In the last several years, mom spoke of God, the Bible, and Heaven often. Even within the last year, when her memory became more and more challenged, she would sometimes say, “Let me see if I can say the Lord’s Prayer,” or “Let’s see if I can say the Apostle’s Creed.” Remarkably, she did extremely well in reciting them verbatim. These seemed to be deeply ingrained in her, and even when other details were fading from her memory, these remained very precious to her.

When I was with mom in early December of 2010, we were preparing to leave to go back to Oklahoma… my wife said, “Why don’t you pray for your mom before we leave?”

I did, and I concluded my prayer with the words… “In the Name of Jesus, Amen.” Even though it was a challenge at that point for her to recognize her own children, as I said those words, she repeated them almost simultaneously with me – “In the Name of Jesus, Amen.” Those were the last words I heard her say.

Weeks and months prior to last December, mom had expressed to me on different occasions her desire for Heaven. She said she was looking forward to seeing her mother and father, and even asked for me to pray that she go to Heaven soon.

Of course, that got me thinking more about the reality of heaven, and I was reminded of some wonderful statements…

“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
– C.S. Lewis

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
– C.S. Lewis

“Thoughts of heaven quicken our faith. Our only sure and solid foundation is the hope of heaven. The only solution to earth’s mysteries and the only righter of earth’s wrongs is heaven. We need an infusion of heaven into our faith and hope that will create a homesickness for that blessed place. God’s home is heaven. Eternal life and all good were born there and flourish there. All life, happiness, beauty, and glory are native to the home of God. All this belongs to and awaits the heirs of God in heaven. What a glorious inheritance!”
– E.M. Bounds

My mom has made the transition that all of us must make. I am thankful today that the mother who raised me was a person who loved friends, loved family, and was a person of faith.

The God of the Hills, Plains, and Valleys
By Rev. Tony Cooke

In the Old Testament, the enemies of God’s people made a serious miscalculation.  Having lost a battle against the Israelites, the advisors to the king of Syria said, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they” (1 Kings 20:23).

When they were ready to attack God’s people using their new strategy, God had a surprise in store for them: “Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, ‘Thus says the LORD: Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD’” (1 Kings 20:28).

The Syrians had the idea that God was a “territorial” God, that He was restricted in His ability to deliver His people.  They thought that their God was only a God of the hills, but God wants us to know that He is the God of the hills, the plains, and the valleys!

How does this apply to our lives? 

The God of the Hills

Figuratively speaking, the hills represent the high points in our lives, the mountaintop experiences, the times when we feel like we’re on top of the world. 

Certainly, it’s easy to relate to the idea of God being the God of the hills.  After all:

• God revealed Himself to Abraham as Jehovah Jireh on Mount Moriah.
• God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
• God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice on Mount Horeb.

Even in Jesus’ life, victory over the greatest temptations occurred on a mountain.  His most glorious moment was on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he ascended from the Mount of Olives

Mountains were used by God for times of visitation and revelation, when His glory was poured out in a special way.  These become landmarks and milestones in our lives—they are events and experiences that empower us and launch us into the plan of God.

The God of the Plains

But God isn’t just with us when we’re on top of everything.  He’s also the God of the plains.  The plains speak of what we consider to be the routine, ordinary, day-to-day aspects of our lives.  Richard J. Foster said, “The discovery of God lies in the daily and the ordinary, not in the spectacular and the heroic. If we cannot find God in the routines of home and shop, then we will not find Him at all.”

God is just as interested in the “plains” in our lives as He is in the hills of our lives!  Don’t let impatience and a lack of contentment with where you are cause you to think that you’re missing it!  The grass isn’t greener on the other side!

The God of the Valleys

And what about the valleys?  We know what they represent.  The valleys represent the low times, the difficult times, the challenging times.  Thank God that He is with us in the valleys!  He doesn’t abandon us when we hit the hard times.  Always remember what Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Remember to emphasize the “through” part of that!  Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” 

Sometimes in the difficult times, we can be tempted to feel that God is no longer with us.  Imagine, for a second, the letters, N-O-W-H-E-R-E.  What did you see when you saw those letters?  Some will see the word, “Nowhere,” but others will see the words, “Now Here.” 

No matter what you’re going through, God is “Now Here” with you!  He is not just the God of the hills, but He is the God of the hills, plains, and valleys.  He is God in all times and during all seasons of our lives.

Great Missions Quotes

"God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply."
– Hudson Taylor

"God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him."
– Hudson Taylor

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”
– Hudson Taylor

"If I had 1,000 lives, I’d give them all for China."
– Hudson Taylor

"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him."
– Hudson Taylor

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."
– William Carey

"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become."
-Henry Martyn

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
– Jim Elliot

"We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it.”
– P.F. Bresee

"In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been."
– Robert Moffat

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
– David Livingstone

"Sympathy is no substitute for action."
– David Livingstone

"Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us."
– Keith Wright

"The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible."
– Ralph Winter

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell."
– C.T. Studd

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
– C.T. Studd

"No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once."
– Oswald J. Smith

"Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist."
– Oswald J. Smith

"The mission of the church is missions.”
– Oswald J. Smith

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first."
– Oswald J. Smith

"This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!"
– Keith Green

"There is nothing in the world or the Church — except the church’s disobedience — to render the evangelization of the world in this generation an impossibility."
– Robert Speer

"If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to be a king."
– Jordan Groom

"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind?  How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death."
– Dave Davidson

"World missions was on God’s mind from the beginning."
– Dave Davidson

"In our lifetime, wouldn’t it be sad if we spent more time washing dishes or swatting flies or mowing the yard or watching television than praying for world missions?"
– Dave Davidson

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God’s heart."
– Bob Pierce

"No reserves. No retreats. No regrets."
– William Borden

"If ten men are carrying a log — nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end — and you want to help, which end will you lift on?"
– William Borden

"The reason some folks don’t believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn’t worth propagating."
– Unknown

When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."

"Someone asked, ‘Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved?’ It is more a question with me whether we — who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not — can be saved."
– Charles Spurgeon

"The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”
– Carl F. H. Henry

"Our God of Grace often gives us a second chance, but there is no second chance to harvest a ripe crop."
– Kurt von Schleicher

"God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose."
– John Piper

"Go, send, or disobey."
– John Piper

"You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving."
– Amy Carmichael

"Only as the church fulfills her missionary obligation does she justify her existence."
– Unknown

"As long as there are millions destitute of the Word of God and knowledge of Jesus Christ, it will be impossible for me to devote time and energy to those who have both."
– J. L. Ewen

"The command has been to ‘go,’ but we have stayed — in body, gifts, prayer and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth … but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland."
– Robert Savage

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives … and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted."
– Nate Saint

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God."
– John Stott

"Believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story."
– K.P. Yohannan

"Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ."
– Francis Xavier

"The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity."
– Mike Stachura

"The true greatness of any church in not how many it seats but how many it sends!"
– Unknown

"’Not called!’ did you say?  ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say.  Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”
– William Booth

"It is not in our choice to spread the gospel or not. It is our death if we do not."
– Peter Taylor Forsyth

"If God’s love is for anybody anywhere, it’s for everybody everywhere."
– Edward Lawlor

"Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is — where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge."
– Robert C. Shannon

"People who don’t believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South."
– J. Howard Edington

"It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions."
– John R. Mott

"In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer."
– Dick Eastman

"What’s your dream and to what corner of the missions world will it take you?"
– Eleanor Roat

"We can reach our world, if we will. The greatest lack today is not people or funds. The greatest need is prayer."
– Wesley Duewel

"Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions."
– Roderick Davis

"Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.”
– Roland Allen

"I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."
– Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

"If you take missions out of the Bible, you won’t have anything left but the covers.”
– Nina Gunter

"If the Church is ‘in Christ,’ she is involved in mission. Her whole existence then has a missionary character. Her conduct as well as her words will convince the unbelievers and put their ignorance and stupidity to silence."
– David Bosch

"Missions is not the ‘ministry of choice’ for a few hyperactive Christians in the church. Missions is the purpose of the church."
– Unknown

"The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked on to a man’s personal Christianity, which he may take or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of the God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. It is the distinctive mark of being a Christian."
– James S. Stewart

"The average pastor views his church as a local church with a missions program; while he ought to realize that if he is in fact pastoring a church, it is to be a global church with a missions purpose."
– Unknown

"The Christian is not obedient unless he is doing all in his power to send the Gospel to the heathen world."
– A. B. Simpson

"The will of God — nothing less, nothing more, nothing else."
– F. E. Marsh

"If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small."
– Pat Morley

"If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. Living, praying, giving and going will always be found together."
– Arthur T. Pierson

"The history of missions is the history of answered prayer."
– Samuel Zwemer

"A congregation that is not deeply and earnestly involved in the worldwide proclamation of the gospel does not understand the nature of salvation."
Ted Engstrom

"To stay here and disobey God — I can’t afford to take the consequence. I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know that I disobeyed."
– Amanda Berry Smith

"I believe that in each generation God has called’ enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth…. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!"
– Isobel Kuhn

"To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map."
– William Carey

"God is a God of missions. He wills missions. He commands missions. He demands missions. He made missions possible through His Son. He made missions actual in sending the Holy Spirit."
– George W. Peters

"The best remedy for a sick church is to put it on a missionary diet."
– Unknown

"The Church must send or the church will end."
– Mendell Taylor