The Death of Chadwick Bozeman in Biblical perspective - Todd McCauley

On August 28th, 2020. Actor Chadwick Aaron Boseman died of complications due to Colon cancer. Boseman achieved international fame for his role as the Black Panther. You know, even as a follower of Christ, I will NEVER get used to this death thing. One day a person you love is here and the next day they're gone. It’s crazy. What helps me make some sense of the craziness experienced in this life is to ask myself, “What does God’s word have to say about this”? And you know what? There is a word from the Lord. In the Book of Hebrews, chapter nine, verse 27, the writer states, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (NLT). In order to make sense of this “death thing,” we MUST understand God’s perspective on death. Before I dig any deeper, I must say that what you read here may not bring you immediate comfort or encouragement. This exposition may not alleviate your fear or angst about the subject of death. But, what I hope happens is that you gain some clarity on what takes place when a person you love dies. Hebrews 9:27 uncovers for us FOUR (4) important realities about death that we all need to know. Reality #1 Death is CERTAIN (“And just as each person is destined….”) The word “destined” means something that is reserved, certain, and appointed. Therefore, the writer declares that death (physical death) is reserved, certain and mankind’s destiny. Folks, there is no surer reality in life than physical death. Someone asked me, “Why do people have to die? The Bible is clear. The reason why mankind is subject to death is because of SIN. Because of sin, death is reserved, certain and destined for all humanity. Why did Chadwick Boseman die? Because he had Colon Cancer right? Well, Cancer may have been the Catalyst, but the true cause is because he like you and me, was a Sinner and therefore subject to the curse of sin, namely death. Everybody is NOT guaranteed to die quietly in their sleep like my grandfather, many of us will die kicking and screaming like his passengers. Again, the point is NOT how we die, but WHY we die. The Bible clearly states, "the wages of SIN is death"(Rom 3:23). You ask, what is Sin? The Bible tells us that Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). In other words when we break God’s Law (i.e. His 10 Commandments) we sin. Reality #2 Death is certain FOR ALL People (“….each person…”) Because of sin, every human being regardless of gender or age is subject to physical death. Friends, death is no respecter of persons, death is not racist, death doesn’t play favorites, death is not politically correct……….. EVERYBODY IS GOING TO DIE. Reality #3 Death is an ONE TIME event (“…to die once...”) Folks, concepts like reincarnation are FALSE. We don’t get several shots at this life, men and women are not born with 9 lives. In light of this fact, we should take the Apostles Paul’s advice seriously, “make the most of your time” (Eph 5:16). Reality #4 Death leads to CERTAIN judgment (“…….and after that comes judgment”) Physical death is NOT the end. When people die they don’t cease to exist. The Bible is clear because of our sin we all experience death and following death comes judgment. This is the divine judgment carried out by Christ. May I ask you a question? That’s right YOU, the one reading this article. “If YOU were to die today, where would you go? I can hear you and you said, “The good place” (i.e., Heaven). Okay, my next question is, “You’re standing at the pearly gates and God asks you, “Why should I let you into MY Heaven”? What would you say to Him? A lot of folk respond, “Because I’m a good person”. Hey reader, would you consider yourself a good person? So, as a good person, have you kept God’s perfect moral standard of goodness, the Ten Commandments? Well let’s see. Have you EVER told a lie? Have you EVER stolen anything regardless of size or value? Here’s a good one, have you EVER lusted after someone of the opposite sex? Jesus calls this Adultery of the heart. Have you EVER dishonored or disrespected your parents? One more, have your EVER misused the name of God. In other words, have you ever used God's name as a four letter cuss word. If you’ve answered yes to any of these, then by your OWN admission you have broken God’s law by lying, stealing, adultery, dishonoring parents and blasphemy. So WHEN, not IF, but WHEN you stand before God on Judgment day and He judges you by His perfect, moral standard will He pronounce you, “Innocent or Guilty”? If you said “guilty” then you answered correctly. Therefore, when He pronounces you “guilty”, will He sentence you to “Heaven or Hell”? That’s right, Hell it is. So reader, does this concern you? It should because your soul (i.e., life) is precious. Reader, God does not want you to die and go to Hell. This is why God the Father sent His son Jesus to the earth in order to suffer and die in our place. Jesus rose from the dead defeating death. So simply put, “You broke God’s law, BUT, Jesus paid your fine on the cross”. What you MUST do now is Repent of your Sin (i.e., Change your mind) and Turn to God by placing your total trust in Jesus for Salvation. When Jesus said, “Believe in Me” what He was saying is that we should trust him in the same way you would trust a parachute to save your life when jumping out of a plane. You don’t merely “believe” in the parachute, you put it on!!!! My dear reader. Please don’t jump out of the plane of life without Jesus. I can’t emphasize this enough, If you die in your sins, there will be NO second chance and you will experience the full weight of God’s Justice meaning you will end up in Hell, Forever. Again, I plead with you to repent of your sins and turn to God by placing your total trust in Jesus for Salvation. The Bible promises that if you do this, you will pass from death to life. Are you ready to repent and turn to God? Then Pray right now and place your faith in Jesus. The following is a suggested prayer - Dear God, I understand that I have broken Your Law and sinned against you. Please forgive my sins. Thank you that Jesus suffered on the Cross in my place. I now place my total trust in Him as my Savior and Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen Dear reader, please understand that this prayer doesn’t save you, it merely expresses the desire of your heart. Reader, if you have truly repented and trusted in Jesus, rest assured your sins are forgiven and you can now partake in the blessings of being a follower of Christ Jesus. Here are just ten of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises: 1. You have passed from death into life (Jn. 5:24). 2. God will supply all of your needs according to His riches (Phil. 4:19). 3. Jesus will be with you in trials, promising never to leave nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). 4. The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and give you the power to live a holy life (Jn. 16:13). 5. You are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ—God has removed your sins as far as the East is from the West (Ps. 103:12). 6. As you abide in Christ, you will see the “fruit” of His Spirit begin to manifest in your life (Gal. 5:22-25). 7. As you read the Bible daily, it will come alive to you and cause you to grow in your faith (1 Pet. 2:1-3). 8. When you pray, God will hear you and answer your prayers (1 Jn. 5:15). 9. The cross will be continual evidence of God’s love for you (Rom. 5:8). 10. God “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). My dear “New” Brother or Sister in Christ. God teaches in His word that as His follower He wants you to do the following: 1. Search the Scriptures daily and see what He has in store for those that love Him. 2. Honor Christ’s command to be baptized, 3. Find yourself a Jesus-centered, Bible-teaching church and commit yourself to it. May God continue to bless you as you obey Him. In His Eternal Grip, Rev. Todd P.S. If you’ve committed your life to Christ, I’d love to hear about it. My email address is ToddMccauley@outlook.com

Ten Reasons Why Christians Should Share the Gospel by Ray Comfort

1. We have been commanded to do so.

We have been commanded to preach the gospel to all creation. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We need no other reason.

2. Hell exists.

Jesus said, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5). If Hell didn’t exist, we would have a legitimate excuse for passivity. But we have God’s Word (and reason) to tell us what awaits guilty sinners. How coldhearted would we be to not warn of its reality!

3. We strive to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.

A firefighter rescuing people from a burning building may be fearful and prefer to be home with his family, but he ignores his fears and denies himself. Like him, our thoughts are not on ourselves but on the fate of the perishing. “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 22,23).

“A firefighter rescuing people from a burning building may be fearful and prefer to be home with his family, but he ignores his fears and denies himself. Like him, our thoughts are not on ourselves but on the fate of the perishing.”

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4. Obedience is evidence of salvation.

The Bible says that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to those who obeyHim (see Hebrews 5:9). We are not saved by our obedience; we are obedient because we are saved. Jesus said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

5. To remain in silence is a sin.

As soon as the Holy Spirit was given, the apostles began to preach the gospel. God had granted everlasting life to dying humanity! They could not stay in the Upper Room because God’s love provoked them to reach out to the lost. “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

“As soon as the Holy Spirit was given, the apostles began to preach the gospel. God had granted everlasting life to dying humanity! They could not stay in the Upper Room because God’s love provoked them to reach out to the lost.”

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6. Evangelism deepens our walk with God.

Nothing teaches a fisherman like fishing. Interacting with the lost results in greater confidence and faith in God. “…hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Philemon 5–6).

7. It causes us to search the Scriptures.

Wanting to know how to answer every man will send us to God’s Word. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

8. It deepens our gratitude for the cross.

As we continually preach the cross, it will deepen our understanding of what God did for us in Christ. We will find ourselves practicing what we preach, so we will be frequently thinking about the cross. “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

9. It deepens our prayer life.

“Our fears and sense of inadequacy will also drive us to our knees—the safest place for a Christian.”

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We reveal our love for the lost by pondering their fate, and as a result we cannot help but cry out to God for them. “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1).

Our fears and sense of inadequacy will also drive us to our knees—the safest place for a Christian. “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

10. We have been commanded to imitate Paul.

Paul showed his love for God and for sinners by his obedience to the Great Commission. “I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:33—11:1).

Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters and the bestselling author of more than 90 books, including God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life, How to Know God Exists, and The Evidence Bible. He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, airing in every country in the world, and is an Executive Producer of “180,” “Evolution vs. God,” “Audacity,” and other films. He is married to Sue and has three grown children, and hasn’t left the house without gospel tracts for decades.

Watch Out for the Wolves Within -John Piper

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

One way to summarize the first part of Paul's message to the Ephesian elders is this: he is emphasizing that he has done all he can do for their salvation. He has lived a life of lowliness and labor and tears and trials and utter dedication. And he has taught them the whole counsel of God. He didn't shrink back from any demand or any danger or any doctrine. He has done all he can do to deliver them from the destruction of unbelief and disobedience and lead them to everlasting life and joy.

Perseverance and the Role of Elders 

But Paul knows well that in order to be saved in the end—in order to inherit the kingdom and enter life—a believer has to persevere. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:1–2 Paul said, "I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast—unless you believed in vain." Paul knew that there was such a thing as believing in vain—false starts in the Christian life.

That means very practically that once you've poured part of your life into a ministry—into a group of people—you can't ever walk away and glibly say, "Well, I've taught them all they need to know. They accepted it. So they are now safe and secure. Onto a new work."

The reason you can't say that is because God has ordained that his people persevere to the end through the faithful ministry of teaching, prayer, and care. And so when Paul is done with his three-year investment in the church of Ephesus—teaching, praying, caring day and night with tears—he does NOT say, "So long, hope you make it." He makes sure that there are elders who will stay behind and who will pick up where he left off and teach and pray and care the way he did. Because if they don't, the church will not survive. And many would-be saints will perish. (See Revelation 2:5–7.)

So in this next section of his message to the elders of Ephesus (verses 28–31) Paul tells them how utterly crucial their role is in the survival and health of the church when he is gone. He gives them a general command. Then he applies the command to themselves and to the flock. Then he gives them four incentives to throw themselves into this work with the same dedication he did.

As far as I can tell, virtually nothing has changed between the day this was written and today that would change the teaching at all for our own elders. So let's listen very carefully to what this means for Bethlehem.

The General Command for Vigilance

First, let's notice the general command.

Verse 28 starts, "Take heed . . . " Or: "Be on guard . . . " Then verse 31 (at the end of this paragraph) starts, "Therefore, be alert . . . " Or: "Be on your guard . . . " So the paragraph begins and ends with a call to vigilance. Elders must be alert, awake, open-eyed, watchful.

This is Paul's way of saying that the church is always a threatened church. Satan never takes vacations. Sin lurks at the door waiting for the moment of doctrinal or moral carelessness. The command for the elders, therefore, is: Stay awake. Be alert. Watch.

But watch what? Paul applies our vigilance in two ways: Elders must watch themselves; and the elders must watch the church.

Verse 28 starts, "Take heed to yourselves." Now that could mean two things. It could mean, "Elders, take head of each other's needs and weaknesses and faults." Or it could mean, "Elders, each of you take heed to his own heart and doctrine and behavior." Probably it means both.

It's not surprising that Paul says this first, is it? He spent half his message talking about his own life and work. The point was: it matters what kind of person the elder is, not just what he believes. So the first command to the elders is to watch over themselves. Robert Murray McCheyne said, "What my people need most from me is my personal holiness." I think Paul agrees. That's why it comes first: "Elders, take heed to yourselves. Your first duty to the church is to be a certain kind of person."

Application to the Elders' Oversight of the Flock 

Then Paul applies the command for vigilance to the elders' oversight of the flock. Verse 28 goes on, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock." Notice three things here that are very important for our life as a church.

1. First, the church is like a flock of sheep in need of shepherds.
2. Second, the elders are the shepherds.
3. Third, it is the duty of shepherds to care for the sheep.

All of this is set out in verse 28: "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock [so the church is like a flock], in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [so the elders are the overseers or shepherds of the flock], to care for the church of God [so it is the duty of the overseers or shepherds to care for, or tend, the sheep—to see that they have food, like Jesus said: "Feed my sheep," and to see that they are protected from wolves, as we will see in a moment]."

If we had the time we could show from other passages (e.g., 1 Peter 5:1–3; Titus 1:5, 7; and 1 Timothy 3:1; 5:17; Philippians 1:1; Acts 15:22; etc.) that this was not just the way things were organized at Ephesus but in virtually all the New Testament churches.

Pastors/Elders in the New Testament 

If you ask, Where does the title "pastor" fit into this, the answer is that the word "pastor" is based on a Latin word that simply means shepherd. Pastors are the shepherds being spoken of here. The New Testament does not distinguish between elders and pastors and overseers—they are all the same. The term "Elder" highlights their maturity and respect in the church. The term "Shepherd" or "Pastor" highlights the responsibility to the church as a flock. And the term "Overseer" makes that same role even clearer without using the image of sheep and shepherd. In summary then, "elder," "pastor," "shepherd," and "overseer" (sometimes translated "bishop," 1 Timothy 3:1) all refer to the same person in the New Testament church. They aren't separate people or separate rolls.

And in the New Testament, churches always had more than one elder or pastor or overseer. A one-pastor church is unknown in the New Testament. This is true whether the churches are small and new or older and large. In Acts 14:23, as Paul and Barnabas returned from their first missionary journey, it says, "And when they had appointed elders [plural] for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed."

The Duty of Caring for All the Flock 

I point this out because the duty of elders is to "take heed to all the flock." Notice: ALL the flock. Not just the healthy sheep, but also the sick. Not just the strong, but also the weak. Not just the responsive, but also the unresponsive. Not just the faithful, but also the wayward.

If you want to feel how overwhelming that is, listen to Richard Baxter, in his book on this text entitled The Reformed Pastor (1656):

It is you see, all the flock, or every individual member of our charge. To this end it is necessary, that we should know every person that belongs to our charge; for how can we take heed to them, if we do not know them? . . . Doth not a careful shepherd look after every individual sheep? a good schoolmaster after every individual [student]? a good physician after every particular patient? . . . Paul taught his hearers not only "publicly but from house to house": and in another place he tells us, that he "warned every one, and taught every one, in all wisdom, that he might present every one perfect in Christ Jesus." Many other passages of Scripture make it evident that it is our duty to take heed to every individual of our flock. (pp. 90f.)

What would he say of Bethlehem? And of my ministry? You can see perhaps why a text like this, along with the struggle to think through the future staffing configuration of the church, has caused a great deal of heart searching for Noël and me.

The Number of Elders Proportionate to the Flock

Of course, one answer in a church this size is to have enough elders (that is, overseers or pastors) so that every single church member is known by name and is fed and helped and disciplined according to his or her own particular need.

Baxter says, rightly I think,

O happy Church of Christ, were the laborers . . . proportioned in number to the number of the souls; so that the pastors were so many, or the particular churches so small, that we might be able to "take heed to all the flock." (p. 90)

So we have seen so far that Paul gives the elders a general command to be alert and awake and on guard—to be vigilant in their spiritual life and ministry. Then he applies that general command specifically to the elders themselves—they should take heed to themselves, their doctrine and their life—and then to the flock of God—ALL the flock.

Four Incentives for Shepherding the Flock

Now what Paul does is to give four incentives, or motivations or encouragements to the elders to do their work with great diligence and seriousness. It is not merely a job. It is not a profession among other professions like lawyer, doctor, engineer, etc. There is laid upon the elders of the church of Christ a responsibility unique in all the world. And Paul really stresses how high the stakes are in this work.

1. The Flock Purchased by the Blood of God's Son

The first incentive for the elders is that the flock they are to serve cost God the blood of his Son. Notice the end of verse 28: "to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son."

It's clear that Paul wants the elders to be shocked by this. The argument is plain: if God almighty—sinless and free and high above all things—was willing to shed the blood of his Son for a sinful, messed up, unworthy church, then the shepherds must be willing to pour out blood, sweat, and tears in season and out of season for the flock of God.

Suppose I am a single dad with four sons. And you and your spouse and my family are deep-sea fishing off the Florida coast. My youngest son gets too close to the edge, and when a wave tilts the boat, he loses his balance and falls into the water and disappears beneath the surface. In a split second I dive in after him. After about ten seconds of breathless suspense I burst out of the water and I've got him. I hand him up over the side and just as I am getting into the boat a shark cuts out of nowhere and hits me from behind and takes away half my side. You pull me into the boat and just before I bleed to death I look up into your face and say, "Take care of the boy for me."

That's a pretty strong incentive. Jesus "loved the church and gave himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25). An elder who is not willing to pour out blood, sweat, and tears for the faith and holiness of the church of Christ does not know the worth of the blood of the Son of God.

2. Shepherds Chosen by God for This Work

The second incentive Paul gives to the elders is that they have been chosen for this work by God not themselves. Verse 28 says, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." The Holy Spirit chooses who should be the elders in the church.

It's hard to imagine incentives that are more gigantic, more powerful, and more awesome in scope than these two. The sheep are gathered by the blood of God's Son. And the shepherds are given by the call of God's Spirit. How can they not pour themselves out with every ounce of energy and life that they have for the faith and holiness of the church!

3. Great Danger Always Awaits the Church

The third incentive Paul gives to the elders is that great danger always awaits the church. Verse 29–30, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them."

The incentive for vigilance here is the danger that inside the church men will aspire to the Eldership who are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). They will slowly begin to speak twisted and distorted things about Scripture. And unless the elders are spiritually alert and thoroughly biblical in their vigilance, the wolves may decimate the flock.

Let me just mention one feature to watch out for in the recognition of wolves. As I have watched the movement from biblical faithfulness to liberalism in persons and institutions that I have known over the years, this feature stands out: An emotional disenchantment with faithfulness to what is old and fixed, and an emotional preoccupation with what is new or fashionable or relevant in the eyes of the world.

Let's try to say it another way: when this feature is prevalent, you don't get the impression that a person really longs to bring his mind and heart into conformity to fixed biblical truth. Instead you see the desire to picture biblical truth as unfixed, fluid, indefinable, distant, inaccessible, and so open to the trends of the day.

So what marks a possible wolf-in-the-making is not simply that he rejects or accepts any particular biblical truth, but that he isn't deeply oriented on the Bible. He is more oriented on experience. He isn't captured by the great old faith once for all delivered to the saints. Instead he's enamored by what is new and innovative.

A good elder can be creative. But the indispensable mark when it comes to doctrinal fitness is faithfulness to what is fixed in Scripture—disciplined, humble submission to the particular affirmations of the Bible—carefully and reverently studied and explained and cherished. When that spirit begins to go, there's a wolf-in-the-making.

So the third incentive for elders is the ever-present danger of wolves in sheep's clothing who twist the truth and lead the people away to destruction.

4. Paul's Personal Example

The last incentive for elders to be vigilant is Paul's personal example. Verse 31: "Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears."

If the great apostle worked night and day; if he worked with everyone; if he worked with tears; then how much more should little peons like me and the other elders of Bethlehem pour out our lives day and night with tears for this church!



John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Why I Love the Apostle Paul: 30 Reasons.