The Desperation for New Birth

“To all who did receive [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God …Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”

John 1:12-13, 3:5-7 (NIV)

Dear Friends,

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the Restored Hope Network’s HOPE Conference. It was a terrific time of testimonies and teaching centered on the Gospel of Grace and its impact on our sexuality and gender. During the conference, one of the presenters said something that pulled me up short.

One of the main themes of the conference was the history of the transgender movement, its roots, and its ideologies. Within this discussion, one of the presenters stated how all of us are desperate for new birth. One of the draws of transgenderism is that the world tells those struggling with gender identity that they can be reborn! “Get enough surgeries, take enough hormones and puberty blockers, and then you will finally be happy and become who you truly are inside.” This message is proclaimed from all sides and is rampant among our culture, particularly with today’s youth and on social media.

This statement about our desire for new birth really struck a chord with me. While I personally have not struggled with gender confusion, I certainly have experienced much pain over the years with my unwanted same-sex romantic/erotic attractions and acting-out sexual behaviors. In seeing the disconnect between my feelings/false desires and God’s design/call on my life, I cry out, “God, make me new!” I believe followers of Jesus, regardless of the particularities of our struggles, can relate with the heartfelt tension of the already/not-yet of our lives. However, I am reminded of the hope Jesus has for us now, not merely in some distant future.

The Gospel writer John uses the imagery of birth throughout his account of Jesus’ life. Our birth is not something we willed, it is by grace and the will of another that we came to be. So it is with our new birth. We cannot remake ourselves as the world claims, but we can be made new through the gracious and costly intervention of God. However, not only is our new birth in Christ guaranteed for eternity, He has already brought it about. He IS our new life through the Holy Spirit! While we cannot give ourselves life, Jesus is the way to new life, both for now and forever. His promise and work is the new birth we all truly long for and need. May we receive His new life and rest in the assurance of being children of God!

Another Year of HOPE

Dear Friends,

During the first week of June, Annetta and I traveled to Ridgecrest Conference Center in western North Carolina for the annual HOPE Conference of the Restored Hope Network (RHN). RHN is a network of like-minded ministries which Outpost helped to found in 2012, under the banner “Jesus Christ has life-changing power.” RHN replaced the apostate network of ministries called Exodus, Int’l, of which Outpost was also a founding member in 1976.

The Conference started with “Member Day.” This yearly meeting of network ministry leaders is held to take care of network business including elections, ministry reports, fellowship, and so on. The remaining days are attended by leaders, ministry participants, family, and friends. The activities include plenary worship sets, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and ministry times.

Some of the highlights of the conference were:

  • The variety of keynote addresses. We heard from Anne Paulk, RHN Executive Director; Dr. Julie Hamilton, LMFT; Dr. Paul Hruz, pediatric endocrinologist; Tamika “Uproot that thang” Sanders of Coming Out, Inc.; and Jeff Simunds, Director of Tower of Light Ministries in Seattle.
  • The worship times focused on Jesus Christ and His work in our lives.
  • A series of inspiring testimonies from Laura Perry Smalts of First Stone Ministries, Oklahoma City; Dee Barnes of His Wonderful Works ministry, Atlanta; Mike Newland of ReStory Ministries with the Assemblies of God (and a former Outpost intern!), Minneapolis; Maria Nistri of Exchange Ministries, Orlando; Gene and Anita Eggman of AboutHOPE Ministries, Springdale, AR; and Rev. Bob Stith of the SBC special ministry to sexual brokenness, of Living Hope Ministries, Dallas.
  • A posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award presentation to Ted Schneider, founder of AboutHOPE Ministries, who passed away this past January.
  • A set of helpful breakout sessions:
    • Dr. Linda Seiler spoke on “The Five Streams,” discussing five differing Christian views on the LGBTQ+ question.
    • Maria Nistri talked about “Earnestness and the Great Exchange”.
    • Dr. Paul Hruz of the Catholic Medical Association and the Christian Medical and Dental Association (with Laura Perry Smalts) shared insight into “Practical Issues in Addressing Sex-Discordant Gender Identity.”
    • Dr. Julie Hamilton presented  “Silence of the Church on LGBT Issues and Steps Toward Change.”
  • Plenty of free time to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We want to encourage everyone reading this to consider attending an RHN Hope Conference in the future. Next year, plans are in place to offer the conference completely online. This will allow for lower cost and easier access to the conference materials. In 2024 the conference will once again be live and in-person at a site to be announced. In the meantime, conference videos will be made available this summer via www.restoredhopenetwork.org. Please take advantage of this excellent opportunity to increase your knowledge and experience of the ministries operating out of biblical clarity and conviction!

In Christ,

Dan's Signature