The Ashley Madison Hack: An Opportunity for the Church

The Ashley Madison Hack: An Opportunity for the Church
                         The Wired Word for the Week of August 30, 2015
In the News
There are no good guys in the saga of the Ashley Madison website hack.
Certainly not the people at the Canadian firm Avid Life Media who created the website to
facilitate adultery (not to mention lying, betrayal and deceptiveness) to begin with and who then
failed to protect the identities of the more than 33 million people who have opened accounts on
the site since it launched in 2001.
After Avid Life Media issued a statement saying that no financial data had been compromised,
web security developer Troy Hunt commented, "Do they really think that after the most intimate,
private aspect of people's lives has been put on public display that a credit card their bank would
simply replace if compromised is what they're worried about?!"
Certainly not the operators of the site, who promised to delete customer data for a fee of $19,
then didn't delete it. For the $19, Ashley Madison said it would erase all traces of a customer's
activity on the site, and in 2014 alone, the site made more than $1.7 million through this service.
But in reality, all they did was take customers' names off the public-facing parts of the site. They
never removed names and related info from their backend servers, from which the hackers were
able to grab them.
Certainly not the so-far unidentified hackers who call themselves the Impact Team and made
themselves "morality police," implying that their illegal activity was justified because of the
behavior the Ashley Madison site condoned. The hackers also said they were outraged that the
Ashley Madison site was a scam, since many of the female profiles on the site were fake and that
90-95 percent of the actual users were male. That meant, said the Impact Team, that most men
who signed up for an affair never had one fostered by the site. The hackers further claimed to be
angered by the site's phony privacy and security claims. However, exposing the users to shame
and possible negative consequences -- marital and otherwise -- punishes them even more than
anything done to Avid Life Media.
Regarding the hackers, TWW team member Frank Ramirez comments, "There's some hubris
involved in assuming godlike powers."
As of this writing (on Tuesday), authorities have indicated that there have been two suicides --
one of them a Texas police chief -- likely related to the individuals being exposed by the hack of
the extramarital affairs site.
Certainly not the site's users themselves, who were actively looking for opportunities to betray
their marriage vows and be unfaithful to and deceive their spouse.
Certainly not the scammers and extortionists who are using the hack for their own gain. Toronto
police said this week that scammers have created websites that promise to provide access to the
leaked client names but instead deliver malware. There has also been outright extortion by
fraudsters preying on the potential embarrassment of people who had registered with the
infidelity site.
Certainly not the two Canadian law firms that are capitalizing on the hack by launching a $578
million class-action lawsuit against Avid Life Media, saying they are doing so on behalf of all
Canadians who have been affected by the data dump from the Ashley Madison site.
And certainly not anyone unaffected by the dump but who sit in better-than-thou judgment of
those who are affected, or who revel in others' moral failures. It's all too easy to sling the
hypocrisy label, overlooking one's own shortcomings and sins.

Writing on the Patheos website, Kyle Roberts, associate professor of Public and Missional
Theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, observed, "In the aftermath of the
Ashley Madison leak, there will be shame, new suspicions, broken trust, hurt spouses, even some
shattered dreams. For those of us who believe in the gospel of grace and forgiveness, and who
believe that the best thing that Christians can do in the world is to be 'ministers of reconciliation'
(2 Corinthians 5:18), this massive public leak, with all the guilt, shame, and embarrassment that
will come with it, may provide an opportunity for the church to live out our calling."
Roberts added, "It will be important to remember that it's by grace we are saved, not by our
works. That love rules all things. And that love can cover a multitude of sins. The ministry of
reconciliation is not an optional calling for those who believe in the gospel of grace."
Other Christian leaders have reminded us of the need for repentance as well on the part of those
whose wrongdoing was exposed. Rev. Mark Woods, contributing editor at Christianity Today,
writes, "But the thing about Christianity is that it preaches forgiveness and restoration to people
you wouldn't have in your house. It says to people who've done far worse than adultery, 'You're
welcome. Repent and receive Christ's forgiveness.' It says at communion, 'This is a table for
sinners.'"
While Woods was commenting specifically about former reality TV star Josh Duggar, who was
among those exposed by the Ashley Madison data dump, Wood's point is that while the users of
that site are sinners, so are the rest of us.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Ashley Madison Hack: What's Included in the Data Dump. ABC News
Answers to Your Burning Questions on the Ashley Madison Hack. Wired
An Opportunity for Grace: The Ashley Madison Leak and the Church's Response. Patheos
Josh Duggar and Ashley Madison: The Problem of Selective Forgiveness. Christianity Today
The Ashley Madison Hack Ruined My Life. CNN Money
Ashley Madison Facing Massive Lawsuit 'on Behalf of All Canadians.' New York Post
Ashley Madison: 'Suicides' Over Website Hack. BBC
Here's What Ashley Madison Members Have Told Me. TroyHunt.com
The Big Questions
1. How should our sex drive fit into a life of faith? Have you found that there have been times
when it is/was easier or harder to control your sex drive? Do Christians have a greater obligation
than others to be faithful to their marriage vows? Why or why not?
2. For a Christian, is fear of exposure a sufficient reason to avoid marital infidelity? Explain your
answer. An old saying has it that "character is who you are when nobody is watching." In what
ways, if any, does that apply to our life as disciples of Jesus?
3. How might you feel if you discovered that your spouse was on the data dump from the Ashley
Madison website? What is the immediate thing you might do? What might you do after you'd
processed the information? Would it make a difference if this involved an action before you'd
met?
4. How ought church members behave toward other members discovered to have committed
adultery? Once we know who has sinned and how they have sinned, how can we offer
forgiveness and mercy? Does your church or denomination have a process in place for
reconciliation?

5. Kyle Roberts referred to our call to be "ministers of reconciliation," citing 2 Corinthians 5:18 -
- "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the
ministry of reconciliation" -- as a basis. What might that calling mean in the Ashley Madison
case? How might repentance be involved?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Numbers 32:23
... be sure your sin will find you out. (For context, read 32:1-32.)
Luke 8:17
For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become
known and come to light. (For context, read 8:11-18.)
These two verses seem especially apropos in the current day when privacy -- and the ability to
keep one's wrongdoings secret -- seems more at risk than ever.
The words in the Numbers verse were spoken by Moses in response to a promise from two of the
Israelite tribes to help the other tribes in capturing the land they wanted to occupy. Moses was
saying that if the two tribes didn't follow through on their promise, their sin would be not only
exposed, but punished.
The words in the Luke verse are from Jesus and, in common use, would have been a way of
saying that nothing can be kept secret for very long. However, since Jesus said this following his
explanation of the meaning of the parable of the sower, it may have been a way of saying that the
gospel could not be kept hidden either.
Together, these verses remind us that whenever we hope to keep something private and secret --
whether innocent behavior or wrongdoing -- we should consider that it may become known by
others, perhaps with unwanted consequences.
Questions: Can fear of exposure be one means God has given us to help us stay away from
wrongdoing? Why or why not?
Proverbs 6:32-33
But he who commits adultery has no sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds
and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. (For context, read 6:20-35.)
Hebrews 13:4
Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will
judge fornicators and adulterers. (For context, read 13:1-6.)
Some married people, while in the midst of an affair, might argue against the wisdom of the
proverb above, but sooner or later, most affairs result in pain for somebody, usually including,
but not limited, to the adulterers.
Read the context of this proverb for more about the destructive cost of marital infidelity.
The book of Hebrews is mostly a sermon about the work of Christ, but near the end, the author
mentions a few things for Christians to keep in mind regarding how they should live. He says
they should trust God, be hospitable, minister to prisoners, avoid the love of money and keep the
marriage bed undefiled. Clearly, the author understood that the temptation to have sex outside of
one's marriage is widespread, even among people committed to following Jesus.
Questions: Why do you think God made us so that we can be tempted to stray from our marriage
vows? What might God want us to learn? Might James 1:12 -- "Blessed is anyone who endures
temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has
promised to those who love him" -- help with that answer?

Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that everyone
who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (For
context, read 5:27-30.)
Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount.
Jimmy Carter is the subject of our other lesson today, but do you remember when he said he
considered himself guilty -- according to these words of Jesus -- of adultery because he'd had
lustful thoughts? He received a lot of ridicule for that admission, but really, he was talking about
an experience common to most men and some women: lustful thinking.
Questions: Granted that Jesus here probably engaged in hyperbole, and that actual adultery is
worse than fantasy, how can a mental obsession that never results in action cause similar damage
to a marriage?
When Jimmy Carter made his admission in an interview, many people acted shocked. What does
that say about the level of biblical literacy in society at large? What does it say about Carter's
courage in admitting he is a sinner?
What help for yourself do you find in these words from Jesus?
Genesis 38:25
As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "It was the owner of these who
made me pregnant." And she said, "Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord
and the staff." (For context, read 38:1-26.)
2 Samuel 12:7, 9
Nathan said to David, "You are the man! ... Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do
what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken
his wife to be your wife ... (For context, read 12:1-14.)
We included these two texts simply to show "gotcha moments" for Judah and David,
respectively, regarding sexual sins (plus murder, in David's case).
Questions: What is the faith lesson for us in "gotcha moments"?
What does it say that King David was in no danger of losing his kingdom, while Tamar was in
danger of being killed in a horrible way? Does society condemn and/or condone adultery by one
gender more than another, or by people in certain circumstances?
Would you be supportive of someone in a toxic marriage who committed adultery? Would you
be supportive of a caregiver for a spouse with dementia or in a coma who had an extramarital
relationship?
Matthew 19:9 (CEB)
I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual unfaithfulness, and marries another
woman commits adultery. (For context, read 19:1-12.)
When quizzed by the Pharisees on the subject of divorce, it was clear that Jesus was against it.
But they pointed out that Moses allowed for divorce. Jesus said that this was because of people's
stubbornness, but that it wasn't that way from the beginning: marriage was meant to be lifelong.
Yet Jesus also allows a man to divorce his wife (and, we presume, vice versa) when the spouse
commits adultery. (The Greek word is porneia, whence comes our word "pornography.")
Note that Jesus doesn't command divorce, and only barely allows for the breaking of the bond of
marriage to be "made legal" by divorce. It is a possible course of action, but not necessarily a
recommended way to go.

In our congregations. adultery can be committed and become exposed. Sometimes restoration of
the marriage is possible, when forgiveness is sought and granted, while sometimes it is not, when
a heart or hearts are hardened. This does not even begin to touch on the effects on children, the
larger family, the congregation, employment and the community at large.
Question: How do you and your congregation respond when unfaithfulness and divorce rear
their heads within your fellowship, or even among your leadership? How do you or your
congregation show both law (condemning sin) and gospel (proclaiming God's forgiveness of sin)
to each of the people involved?
John 8:7
When they kept on questioning [Jesus], he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among
you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (For context, read 8:2-11.)
Romans 3:23
... since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... (For context, read 3:21-26.)
The verse from John is part of the account of scribes and Pharisees bringing before Jesus a
woman (but not the man) caught in adultery. These accusers wanted to put Jesus on the spot, but
he responded as quoted in the verse above, and the accusers, one by one, left. They evidently
recognized that none of them were sin-free. Paul says the same about all of us in the Romans
verse above.
We do note that after the accusers had left, Jesus told the woman, "Go, and sin no more" (v. 11).
He wasn't excusing her but was telling her to change her behavior, which is a component of
repentance.
Questions: What do you take from these verses that might apply to ourselves as observers of the
Ashley Madison news? Why?
What would you say to someone who tried to tell you about a person they'd discovered through
the Ashley Madison hack? Would you listen? Would you refuse to listen?
For Further Discussion
1. TWW team member Micah Holland says, "The power of technology is oftentimes understated.
We live in a culture of easy communication and easy knowledge. Also a culture of easy sin.
Pornography and now, I guess, adultery are two easy things to choose. [There is] the risk of
being filmed/photographed today; cameras are everywhere and you can be filmed doing
anything. And it is so easy to take this film and make it go viral. The power of communication,
and the transparency of this world, moves us into a new conversation about privacy, sin and
communication." What ought the content of that conversation be?
2. Discuss this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "Nearly 40 years ago, the old,
experienced pastor who was my mentor while I served as a summer pastor told me, 'The first
thing I'm going to ask God after I die is why he made it so difficult for young people to control
themselves sexually because they've got all these hormones shouting at them all the time.' At the
time all I did was nod, but over the past four decades I've thought about the fact that for some
people, and at different times in their lives, it is more difficult or easier to make better choices in
this regard. Wonderful people I've known as colleagues and parishioners have come into my
office to confess something about their behavior.

"I would not want to minimize anything about adultery, which breaks up families and causes
distress that reaches out in several directions geographically and generationally, but to me
running a sweatshop and oppressing your workers, or operating a drug cartel, or making huge
amounts of money at the expense of workers who might be earning minimum wage, or fanning
the flames of racial hatred seem to be far greater sins, yet you can do these things in public and
in some circumstances be honored."
3. Respond to this, from TWW team member Ed Thomas: "God knows all. Digital discovery
may be a newer phenomenon, but God's always known our hearts and brokenness. What I find
interesting is our collective fascination with shattered lifestyles and our shock when people are
discovered in these dilemmas: 'Can you believe so and so did this ...?' As Christians we should
be asking, 'Can you believe that you and I haven't been exposed as well?'"
4. TWW team member Mary Sells observes that while we can agree that adultery is wrong,
pointing out others' sins is questionable. She says, "I am interested in the aspect of forgiveness.
We could all easily become part of this by letting any person on the list drop from our own sense
of grace. Isn't that like two wrongs -- one is theirs, and the other is ours?"
Responding to the News
One lesson we can all take from this news is on the importance of not toying with temptation.
TWW team member Frank Ramirez points out, "There's that wonderful phrase in the Catholic
prayer of contrition -- the pledge to 'avoid the near occasions of sin.' Each one of us knows what
tempts us. If you've got a gambling addiction, you can't go near that machine in the convenience
store. (No temptation for me there, but I knew a guy who reached into a bank's automatic deposit
slot and managed to fish out a church's offering bag so he could buy more tickets.) Diabetics
need to avoid the aisle that has the brightly lit glass counter with all the donuts. I suppose some
should avoid the sports page so they don't get angry. And I suppose some people knew better
than to go to that website, even if they weren't planning to follow through at first, and play with
fire."
TWW team member Shelly Turner comments, "The secrecy of the Internet is tempting. In a few
reports people have said that they were just 'looking' at what this website offered and never
acted. Have the lookers committed a sin nonetheless?" We suspect they have.
So this is a good time to renew our resolve not to go near the things that tempt us.
Closing Prayer
Lord, help us to avoid hypocrisy when confronted by news such as this, and where appropriate,
enable us to be messengers of repentance and reconciliation. Help us also to be careful not to put
ourselves unnecessarily in places of temptation, that our lives may honestly reflect our
commitment to follow Jesus. In his name. Amen.
Other News This Week
       President Carter Calm in Face of Cancer Diagnosis
In an Atlanta press conference held Thursday, August 20, former president Jimmy Carter
revealed that the cancer which was first discovered in his liver in May has spread to other parts
of his body, including his brain.
Four years ago, Carter told Carole Cadwalladr of The Guardian that the famous work "Do Not
Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by his favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, has "increasing
resonance" for him as he ages. In the poem, Thomas urges his dying father to "rage, rage against
the dying of the light." Cadwalladr asked whether Carter thought he'd rage against the dying of
the light when the time came. "I do, I do," he said.

But his reaction to his diagnosis has been surprisingly subdued. He wondered whether he would
get to finish a book he had started reading, go fishing or attend more of his grandchildren's
baseball games.
Carter announced a significant decrease in commitments to allow him to focus on his family and
medical treatments. He planned a family gathering in honor of his wife Rosalynn's 88th birthday
this month and hopes to celebrate his own 91st birthday on October 1. As his strength permits, he
wants to keep teaching Sunday school, as he has done for over 30 years, and to continue his
foundation's work to eradicate the diseases caused by the guinea worm.
"I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes," Carter told reporters. "I do have deep religious
faith, which I'm grateful for, and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't go into an attitude of
despair or anger or anything like that. I was just completely at ease."
Carter's response to his diagnosis may be more accurately reflected in the lyrics of the song "All
That Remains Is the Love," by singer-songwriter Lee Krahenbuhl, from his Kindling album
"Spark the Fire":
And Mr. Thomas, I love his poetry but he didn't get it right
This sunset is too beautiful to rage against the dying of the light
... You see, I will go gentle into that good night
And all that remains is the love, bravely expressed
And the moment, the moment when you danced
And your heart, your heart danced with you.
A few days after his news conference, Carter taught two Sunday school classes to more than 700
listeners at Maranatha Baptist Church and the local high school nearby in Plains, Georgia. He
allocated only a few minutes to his health concerns before moving on to the lesson, in which he
advocated asking God for help in the time of trial. "Anytime, we can just bow our heads and say,
'God, I'm really troubled. I ask you to give me the strength to bear whatever is on my shoulders
and to bear whatever comes to me,'" said Carter.
A commissioned officer in the naval nuclear submarine program, Carter rebuilt the struggling
peanut farm he inherited from his father before running for office. He was elected a state senator
and governor of Georgia before becoming the nation's 39th president in 1976, following the
Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
In 1979, Islamist extremists took 52 hostages at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, holding
them for 444 days until after Carter had left office. His concern for the lives of the hostages and
of innocent Iranians led to his decision not to take military action against Iran, a decision many
believe resulted in his failure to win reelection. "I don't have any doubt that I did the right thing,"
Carter said later. "But it was not a popular thing among the public, and it was not even popular
among my own advisers inside the White House. Including my wife."
Carter did persuade Israel and Egypt to sign the Camp David Accords, leading to a peace treaty
between the two nations that is still in force; pushed through a treaty to return the Panama Canal
to Panama, possibly averting war in our hemisphere; and reduced the nation's dependency on
foreign oil by half. He is proud of the fact that America did not go to war on his watch.
It is his humanitarian work done after his presidency ended in 1981 that earned him a Nobel
Peace Prize in 2002.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Jimmy Carter Returns to Teaching Sunday School, Continues Fighting Cancer. KXAN/NBC
With Humor and Honesty, Carter Talks About His Cancer. Yahoo! News
Thomas: Jimmy Carter's Peace. The Leaf-Chronicle

Jimmy Carter: "We Never Dropped a Bomb. We Never Fired a Bullet. We Never Went to War."
The Guardian
The Big Questions
1. Have you ever received a diagnosis of terminal illness? How did you react? Did your priorities
change when you heard that you had a very limited time to live? If so, how? What role did your
faith play in the way you handled the news? What lessons have you learned from the choices
other people make when they know they are dying?
2. How does one access God's love and mercy while living with chronic pain or illness? How
does one keep faith and hope alive?
3. How can we prepare for the day of our death? What truths do we need to grasp to face that
time with courage and confidence?
4. President Carter likes to quote his high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, who said: "We
must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles." What are some
unchanging principles that have given you stability during tumultuous times?
5. When have you had to choose between doing what you believed was right and doing what was
popular with people you cared about or people who might affect your role in life? How did you
decide what to do, and how did it work out?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
2 Kings 20:1
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of
Amoz came to him, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall
die; you shall not recover.'" (For context, read 20:1-6.)
In this passage, we read of a godly ruler who received notice that he was terminally ill. He
grieved mightily over this news, praying that God would remember his faithful character and
good works. In response, God granted him another 15 years.
It was during this time of Hezekiah's temporary reprieve from God that he displayed his wealth
to envoys from Babylon and fathered Manasseh, his successor, who became one of the worst
kings of Judah (2 Kings 21:1-16). These events led to the looting of Judah and the exile of the
people to Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-18). Yet Hezekiah seemed satisfied as long as the nation had
peace and security during his own reign (20:19).
Questions: Do you think Hezekiah deserved the extra 15 years, since his hubris resulted in
misery for generations afterward? What have been your feelings when people you felt deserved
to live died prematurely? When those who didn't deserve life lived a long time? How do your
beliefs about God's grace fit into these circumstances?
What does the instruction to "set your house in order" entail? When we hear news such as
Hezekiah received, how should we respond? When should we plead to be restored, and when
should we accept the news as inevitable?
Comment on this statement from Martha Williamson, executive producer of the TV show
Touched by an Angel, who wrote these words for "the angel of death": "Death is nothing to fear,
but it is something to prepare for."
Proverbs 28:16
A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor; but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a
long life. (For context, read 28:15-16.)

Commentator Cal Thomas wrote that Carter, 90, followed "the example of Harry Truman, who
also did not cash in on the presidency after leaving office." TWW team member Frank Ramirez
cited Carter's example in working for reconciliation, for practical long-term help for those who
struggle (Habitat for Humanity) and for the near eradication of one killing parasite (the guinea
worm -- Carter hopes it dies before he does!), as well as his willingness to speak the truth to
powers, and commented, "Regardless of how one feels about his presidency, he has been the best
former president we've ever had."
Questions: How does the way Carter has spent his time after leaving the White House compare
with how other ex-presidents have spent their time? What does Ramirez mean by his statement
that Carter "has been the best former president we've ever had"? Do you agree or disagree? Is
turning one's political power to one's personal economic advantage necessarily a crime or a sin
equivalent to gaining wealth by unjust means? Why or why not?
Ecclesiastes 8:7-8
Indeed, they do not know what is to be, for who can tell them how it will be? No one has power
over the wind to restrain the wind, or power over the day of death. (For context, read 8:5-9.)
Matthew 6:27
And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? (For context, read 6:25-
34.)
The teacher/author in Ecclesiastes speaks of the troubles of mortals that lie heavy upon them,
over which they have no control. Jesus says something similar in Matthew 6, where he exhorts
his followers not to waste time worrying over things they cannot control, but to trust God.
Questions: How would your life change if you gave up your hunger for control? Why is
relinquishing the need to control one's circumstances and outcomes not enough to bring peace to
the human heart? What else is required? How can we fully live in the present while planning for
the future, which is not guaranteed to us?
Colossians 2:9-10
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is
the head of every ruler and authority. (For context, read 2:6-10.)
Revelation 1:5-6
... Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the
earth. ... who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (For
context, read 1:4-6.)
These two passages are quoted together to illustrate the sovereignty of Jesus Christ over all other
rulers on earth, including those who have been freed from sin by his blood to serve him as royal
priests in his kingdom (see 2 Peter 2:9).
Question: What difference do you think it makes in the way a ruler (employer, head of a family
or other person in a position of influence) exercises authority over others when the person in
authority submits to Jesus Christ as sovereign?
Philippians 1:20-21

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my
speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or
by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. (For context, read 1:18-26.)
Paul pens these words from jail to encourage members of the church in Philippi in Greece -- the
first European congregation established -- not to lose their joy during times of hardship. He is
confident that he will be delivered in order to continue speaking the gospel message boldly and
to assist the believers. He believes his work is not finished, yet as far as he is concerned, it's all
the same to him whether he lives or dies, so long as Christ is exalted in his body. So he can face
death unafraid, anticipating that when that day comes, he will meet the Lord face to face -- a
glorious hope!
Wesley Pippert, a UPI White House correspondent during the Carter administration, wrote in
The Spiritual Journey of Jimmy Carter, in His Own Words that Carter told a 1978 Sunday school
class: "You can't say, 'Tomorrow, I'm going to have inner peace in my heart. ...' It slips away
from us. It's not something guaranteed to each of us. If we subjugate our lives to God, if we open
our hearts to the Holy Spirit, if our life is consistent with the purpose or example of Christ ... in
our relationship with God, and others, then we will have inner peace. ..."
Later in Philippians (4:4-7), Paul again exhorts his hearers to rejoice, but the joy is not mere
optimism in a vacuum, but joy "in the Lord" because "the Lord is near." For that reason, they
need not worry about anything, but "with thanksgiving" simply "let [their] requests be made
known to God." When they do that, Paul says, "the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard [their] hearts and [their] minds in Christ Jesus."
Questions: When have you felt the kind of peace Paul describes here? Why does this peace
"surpass all understanding"? What is the connection of thanksgiving to the peace of God?
For Further Discussion
1. About his work at his foundation, the Carter Center, Mr. Carter said, "Our basic principle that
has shaped us ever since we were founded is that we don't duplicate what other people do. If the
World Bank or Harvard University or whoever is adequately taking care of a problem, we don't
get involved. We only try to fill vacuums where people don't want to do anything." How would
your church's ministry change if you used this same principle as a guide while planning for the
future? Do you look for gaps in the social service infrastructure to discover unmet needs before
you extend an offer of help to people? If so, how and why? Is there a need you or your church
can fill in your community that is not currently being addressed by others?
2. Is there a routine practice you use to remind yourself of God's ultimate control? If so, what? If
not, how might such a practice affect your faith?
3. What is dying to self (see Galatians 2:20 and Luke 9:23)? Is it important to die to self in order
to be Christian? Why or why not? If dying to self is important, how might that help one in facing
the actual death of their body?
Responding to the News
Identify what area of your life causes you anxiety, and place it in the nail-scarred hands of your
Lord and Savior, who gave his life for you and who was raised to life again on the third day.
Closing Prayer (based on Romans 8:35-39 and Revelation 1:18)
Loving Father, help us to remember that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus
our Lord, who died but is alive forevermore, the keeper of the keys of death and hell. Therefore,
we shall not be afraid, but shall trust in the Lord with all our heart. Amen.

                               Copyright 2015 Communication Resources