Returning to Give Thanks: Learning from the Grateful Leper

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This article was originally published on CalvaryChapel.com.

“Thou that hast giv’n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a gratefull heart:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Not thankfull when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy praise.“
(George Herbert, “Gratefulnesse,” 1633)

There is a tendency I have noticed in myself: I am quick to pray and ask God for things that I need. In fact, if I were to categorize my prayers, the majority are requests. There is nothing inherently wrong with this; Jesus encouraged us to ask the Father for what we need (e.g., Matthew 7:7-11). When we ask God to do things that are beyond our capabilities, we honor Him because it shows that we believe in his power and ability, and it expresses our reliance on Him. I often encourage our church to honor the Lord by praying for big and great things rather than assuming that such things are “too big” for Him.

However, the tendency I have noticed in myself is that I often fail to stop, reflect, and thank God for the things that He has done, and the prayers He has answered. I am quick to move on to the next need or the next task without stopping to praise God for His provision and His faithfulness.

A Lesson from the Lepers (Luke 17:11-12)

In the Gospel of Luke, we read about a time when Jesus passed between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a certain village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and cried out to Jesus, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

These lepers were helpless, and they were hopeless. Their incurable disease not only destroyed their bodies but also made them outcasts from society. Cut off from their families, communities, and places of worship, their lives were characterized by isolation and suffering.

Leprosy is often recognized as a type, or a picture, of sin and what sin does in our lives. Like leprosy, sin leads to a hardening of the heart, a loss of feeling; it causes a person to lose parts of themselves, and it ultimately ruins them and leads to death. Because there was no cure for leprosy, the fact that Jesus healed lepers was a sign that He was the Messiah (Matthew 11:2-5).

Hearing their cries for help, Jesus had mercy on these ten lepers, and He healed them. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests so that the priests could inspect them according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 13-14), to verify that they had been healed and pronounce them as clean so they could be restored to society.

Quickly, the ten lepers ran off, overjoyed and eager to have their cleansing verified by the priests — but one of them stopped and turned back. While the others ran off ahead, this one returned and “praising God in a loud voice, he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks” (Luke 17:15-16).

To make the story even more surprising, Jesus points out that the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, a group whom many Jews considered themselves superior to. Jesus then expressed His consternation that, whereas ten were healed, only one returned to give thanks and praise God for what he had received.

Pausing to Praise and Give Thanks

This story challenges us to consider our own actions: When God hears your prayers, how do you respond?

Like those lepers, those whose faith is in Jesus have been cleansed from an incurable condition; we have been saved from death and destruction and given a new destiny. Additionally, we have experienced God’s faithfulness through His provision. God hears our prayers and has provided for our needs. How ought we to respond to this?

There is nothing wrong with making requests of God; not only does He invite us to do it, but we honor Him by doing so. However, what we see from this passage is the importance of returning to the Lord, acknowledging what He has done, and thanking Him and praising Him for His faithfulness and goodness.

For those who are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, we have the opportunity to do just that. May this Thanksgiving holiday be a reminder to us to stop and give thanks, and may it spark a habit of thanksgiving in our hearts that lasts throughout the year.

Bible Translations, Manuscripts, and Understanding “Textual Variants”

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In response to my last post: “Have Verses Been Removed from My Bible?,” a member of White Fields Church contacted me with some further insights and a chart.

I thought this might be of interest to my readers, so check it out and feel free to share thoughts in the comments.

Many people may not realize that differences in verse inclusions across Bible translations often arise from the Greek New Testament edition chosen by the translators.

For instance, NIV translators didn’t “remove” verses present in the KJV; they were simply translating from different underlying manuscripts. These manuscripts have been compiled into two slightly different Greek New Testament editions.

Translation and textual criticism (determining which text is closest to the original) are related but distinct fields. Translation committees generally rely on the textual decisions made by textual critics who compile the Greek New Testaments used for translation.

Most Bible translations today are based on either the Textus Receptus (TR, or “Received Text”) or the Critical Text (CT, like the Nestle-Aland 28th Edition or United Bible Society 5th Edition). The KJV, NKJV, and MEV use the Textus Receptus, while the majority of other translations (such as the ESV, NIV, NASB, NLT, NET, and CSB) use the Critical Text.

Some translations, like the WEB and MSB, use a third option, the Majority Text (MT), which is less commonly known. Bible translations also vary in the number of textual footnotes they provide. For example, the NASB often includes fewer footnotes, while the NKJV has more than average, and the CSB, BSB, and WEB offer extensive notes (they’re the only translations I’ve seen with a note on the variant in Matthew 6:1).

A great resource for studying textual differences is the Text-Critical English New Testament: Byzantine Text Version, which shows the percentage of manuscripts supporting each reading. Sunday’s example was fascinating: most modern translations omit Matthew 17:21 (“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”) based on the Critical Text. However, a significant majority (87.7%) of Greek manuscripts do include this verse, whereas only a small fraction (0.6%) omit it.

While simply counting manuscripts isn’t necessarily the best way to determine authenticity, referring to 87.7% as merely “some” rather than “many” or “most” seems misleading.

It’s also unfortunate that the Majority Text and its close counterpart, the Byzantine Text, are so rarely discussed. God has blessed us with a rich manuscript tradition, and I think it’s important to consider the majority of these texts as part of faithfully stewarding this blessing.

Finally, I want to emphasize that I view all major modern evangelical translations as wonderful, reliable gifts from God. I use and recommend them all.

Have Verses Been Removed from My Bible?

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This past Sunday at White Fields Church, I taught Matthew 17:14-27, which is a passage where Jesus gives his disciples (and us) a lesson about faith. You can watch or listen to that message here.

However, there is an interesting thing that you might notice if you read that passage: In the King James and New King James translations, there is a verse (verse 21), which is left out by other translations, including the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version, New Living Translation, and English Standard Version, to name a few.

Furthermore, in Matthew chapter 18, this same thing happens again. Why is this?

Some people have noted this and come to the conclusion that verses have been removed from their Bibles over time. Why has that happened? Is it something we should be concerned about? Which translation of the Bible should we be using?

We discussed this issue and these questions in this week’s Sermon Extra video:

Faith Under Pressure: How Wrestling Through Your Doubts Can Lead to Deeper Faith – with Dr. Philip Ryken

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Have you ever wrestled with doubts about your faith? If so, then you are in good company. The Bible contains several stories of men and women of faith who also had seasons in which they struggled with doubts.

⁠Dr. Philip Ryken⁠ is the President of ⁠Wheaton College⁠ in Wheaton, Illinois. He has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, and he is the author of over 50 books. His latest book is called ⁠I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith⁠.

In this episode Dr. Ryken shares advice for those currently struggling with doubts, with the goal of also helping others to be equipped to help those around them to come to greater confidence in Jesus and a more vibrant faith.

Listen to Dr. Ryken’s previous episode on Theology for the People: ⁠The Role of Beauty in Theology⁠

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

Faith Under Pressure: How Wrestling Through Your Doubts Can Lead to Deeper Faith – with Dr. Philip Ryken – Theology for the People

Have you ever wrestled with doubts about your faith? If so, then you are in good company. The Bible contains several stories of men and women of faith who also had seasons in which they struggled with doubts. ⁠Dr. Philip Ryken⁠ is the President of ⁠Wheaton College⁠ in Wheaton, Illinois. He has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, and he is the author of over 50 books. His latest book is called ⁠I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith⁠. In this episode Dr. Ryken shares advice for those currently struggling with doubts, with the goal of also helping others to be equipped to help those around them to come to greater confidence in Jesus and a more vibrant faith. Listen to Dr. Ryken's previous episode on Theology for the People: ⁠The Role of Beauty in Theology⁠ Visit the ⁠Theology for the People website at nickcady.org⁠

I Was Interviewed by Hungarian Media about Christianity in America

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This past summer, during my sabbatical, I was interviewed by Manna FM in Hungary, in partnership with Golgota Budapest.

The primary focus of the questions in the interview were about Christianity in America, as well as my perspective on the openness of Hungarians to the Gospel. Of particular interest to them was the question of woke culture in America and how this impacts Christians in the form of discrimination and in our efforts to preach the gospel.

I also talk about my sabbatical, moving to the US from Hungary, how I became a Christian, and what life is like for American teenagers.

The interview is bilingual – in Hungarian and English. Check it out, and share it with others if you find it interesting:

What is Expository Preaching and How Do We Do It Well? – with David Jackman

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How is expository Bible teaching different than non-expository teaching?

David Jackman is the founder and director of the Cornhill Training Course, a UK-based initiative which teaches people how to teach the Bible expositorally.

David has served as a pastor and as president of Proclamation Trust, which exists to equip Bible teachers around the world.

In this episode, David explains the value of expository preaching, both in how it honors God’s Word, and in the ways it benefits those who hear it.

We discuss common pushbacks to expository preaching, such as that Jesus was not an expository preacher, and we get into the mechanics of effective Bible teaching, including how to include application, and more.

Check out David’s recent book, Proclaiming the Word, as well as Expositors Collective.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

What is Expository Preaching and How Do We Do It Well? – with David Jackman – Theology for the People

How is expository Bible teaching different than non-expository teaching? David Jackman is the founder and director of the Cornhill Training Course, which teaches people how to teach the Bible expositorally. He has also served as a pastor and as president of Proclamation Trust, which exists to equip Bible teachers around the world. In this episode, David explains the value of expository preaching, both in how it honors God’s Word, and in the ways it benefits those who hear it. We discuss common pushbacks to expository preaching, such as that Jesus was not an expository preacher, and we get into the mechanics of effective Bible teaching, including how to include application, and more. Check out David's recent book, Proclaiming the Word, as well as Expositors Collective.

The First Council of Nicaea: What Actually Happened & Why Does It Matter?

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When we talk about “the Early Church” many people’s minds immediately go to the first generation of Christianity, recorded in the Book of Acts and addressed in the New Testament. But what happened after that, and why does it matter for Christians living today?

Matt Pursley is the Executive Pastor at Park Hill Church in San Diego, California. He has a Masters in Christian History, and in this episode, Matt and I discuss the First Council of Nicaea: what led to it and what it produced.

We address many of the common misconceptions about Nicaea, and we discuss the early heresies of Marcionism, Gnosticism, and Arianism, and why it’s important for Christians today to understand those heresies, and why they were rejected.

Along the way we also talk about Jordan Peterson, who Matt says is a modern Marcionite, and how the errors of both liberalism and fundamentalism have a similar origin.

Click here to listen to the episode, or listen in the embedded player below.

The First Council of Nicaea: What Actually Happened & Why Does It Matter for Us Today? – Theology for the People

When we talk about “the Early Church” many people’s minds immediately go to the first generation of Christianity, recorded in the Book of Acts and addressed in the New Testament. But what happened after that, and why does it matter for Christians living today? Matt Pursley is the Executive Pastor at Park Hill Church in San Diego, California. He has a Masters in Christian History, and in this episode, Matt and I discuss the First Council of Nicaea: what led to it and what it produced. We address many of the common misconceptions about Nicaea, and we discuss the early heresies of Marcionism, Gnosticism, and Arianism, and why it’s important for Christians today to understand those heresies, and why they were rejected. Along the way we also talk about Jordan Peterson, who Matt says is a modern Marcionite, and how the errors of both liberalism and fundamentalism have a similar origin. Visit the Theology for the People website at nickcady.org

I Played 90 Holes of Golf in One Day (for a Good Cause!)

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Yesterday morning I played 90 holes of golf in one day as part of a fundraiser to support YoungLife in the St Vrain Valley.

I had a partner (Dave!), and we played modified Scotch (new to me!), which meant that we alternated taking shots with the same ball, and once you got onto the green, it was an automatic two-put, and if you hit it within a putter’s length of the hole, it counted as in.

These rules kept us moving fast, and kept our scores low! Originally, I only signed up to play 45 holes, but we were having such a good time that we decided to keep going all day. In total, we were on the course for 10 full hours.

We played so much, that I actually broke my driver by hitting the ball! Hopefully it will get replaced under warranty.

I was glad to get to play Fox Hill Country Club, and even met a member there who attends our church.

YoungLife is a great organization; both my high schoolers attend their gatherings, and my wife volunteers as a group leader. YoungLife specializes in building relationships with teenagers, many of whom have no connection to a church, and walking with them through the highs and lows of their teen years, and introducing them to Jesus.

YoungLife is still hoping to raise more money to help with costs for events and staff, so if you’d like to contribute to the fundraiser you can do so here: St Vrain Valley Young Life Golf Marathon Fundraiser

Youtube LIVE Update + Local Opportunities to Connect

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Last Thursday I hosted a YouTube LIVE Q&A for the first time, and it went better than I expected!

I answered questions about politics, the Holy Spirit, suicide, and demonic possession – and more people tuned in than I had anticipated!

Here’s the video of that recording if you’d like to watch back. If you turn on the comments, you can see people posting their questions and feedback.

We’re Doing It Again!

Since it went so well, we are going to be doing this more regularly; we’re currently aiming for doing it weekly on Thursdays – so please join us for that, and please help us spread the word about it, so more people can be part of it and ask their questions!

On this particular occasion, I will be going live from the clubhouse of a golf course because I already had a tee time scheduled before we decided to start doing these live Q&A videos! So please join me in praying that the wifi works well at the clubhouse! And if you want to see my golf attire, you’ll have to tune in!

Here’s the link for that scheduled video, and with this you’ll also be able to watch it (or re-watch it) afterwards:

This Weekend: Rhythm at Roosevelt + Live Q&A On Site!

This Saturday (September 21, 2024) is the Rhythm at Roosevelt festival in Longmont, at Roosevelt Park from 2-10 PM.

White Fields Church will have a booth there, so please come by if you attend. We will be handing out popcorn and free swag and hoping to connect with many people in the community.

As part of our time there, we will be doing a Live Q&A, which will be broadcasted on YouTube, and people will have the opportunity to ask questions in person as well.

Here’s the link for that YouTube event, if you can’t come out in person:

Golf Marathon for YoungLife in the St Vrain Valley

On Monday, Sept. 23rd I am participating in a fundraiser to support YoungLife in the St. Vrain Valley. To raise money, I will be playing a marathon of 45 holes of golf in one day!

My wife Rosemary volunteers with YoungLife and both my high schoolers attend their gatherings. YoungLife specializes in building relationships with teenagers, walking with them through the highs and lows of their teen years, and introducing them to Jesus. YoungLife establishes mentoring relationships between Christian adults and teens, many of whom have no connection to church.

If you would like to join in supporting this local ministry with any amount, you can do so by clicking here: St Vrain Valley YoungLife Golf Marathon 2024

Two Different Interpretations and Applications of David and Goliath

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This video is a clip from a message I presented at an Expositors Collective training event, on the topic of Christ-Centered Hermeneutics. I didn’t realize they had isolated this clip and turned it into a video, but I’m glad they did, and I’d love for you to check it out: