To NFL or not to NFL, that is the question. Is it? For the past several days I’ve read various points of view on the entire NFL flag and national anthem debate. At times I’ve felt myself pulled to take one side of the other. Yet, even though I’ve started more than one article on this - I did not have a great deal of peace about where to stand in the midst of the heated discussion on the matter. The more I thought about it the more I felt that I was being asked again and again, “Are you for Us or for Them?” As someone who is supremely interested in the glory of God and the proclamation of the Gospel, I respectfully want to say, “Neither.” The danger of being forced to take one side or the other is that I don’t completely agree with either. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” At the present time I do not see a whole lot of peacemaking being advanced. Being part of the Us or the Them (however you want to currently define each group) is not fostering any good will toward the other side. I watch as these kind of alliances are only fostering further vitriol - verbal now, but I fear it may not be long until it becomes physical. Let me hopefully give you something to think about if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. Philippians 2:1-11 is a passage that we need to consider before we side with Us or with Them. In that passage our Lord is used as the supreme example of the “attitude” we should have in our lives. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-8, NASB) Jesus is God with all the rights and privileges of being God. Yet He gave up His rights and privileges (while continuing to be God of very God). He humbled Himself and gave His life as a sacrifice to pay for sin He had never committed. If there was anyone in all of history who was more wronged by what happened to Him, it was Jesus. Yet He gave Himself to God first - and to others who did not deserve what He did. We are called to do NOTHING unless we have a humility of mind that regards others as more important than ourselves. Because I try to understand how the person who has experienced racial injustice feels, as well as the police officer who has never abused his position - I cannot choose to be an Us or a Them. I want to love both of these people and hopefully share the love of God with them through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because I don’t want to diminish people who have been wronged by our justice system, as well as not treat lightly the sacrifice of our soldiers - I cannot become an Us or a Them in this conflict. Even if it costs me everything I want to do my best to walk with Jesus - make His gospel known to both the Us crowd and the Them crowd - refusing to be mischaracterized by both groups. They both need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 4 Paul also gave us some strong words from the Lord. These words were meant to provide us spiritual stability. It also might be good to remember that Paul wrote these words while sitting in a Roman prison. He was there because he had been falsely accused and was being held to placate his accusers. His house arrest was not for the most just of situations. Yet, he rejoiced not in personal vindication of his situation, but rather because the Gospel continued to be proclaimed in the world around him. His words were these, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7, NASB) As I considered these words I realized that by becoming an Us of Them in this conflict I really would not be ultimately rejoicing in the Lord. What Paul meant by this was that my attitude should be that of rejoicing in the fact of my salvation in Jesus Christ and God’s grace. That is truly how I am identified. I am one who has received Jesus Christ by grace through faith - and therefore I have been rescued from the wrath and punishment rightly due for my sins. Next, I wanted to be known to all men by my “gentle spirit.” Any time I considered becoming an Us or Them - gentleness was not what I was being encouraged to express. I felt compelled by whatever side I was going to choose to lash out at the other side. That, I knew I could not do - and walk in the Spirit too. Then I saw that I was to be anxious for nothing. That was not how I felt at the thought of taking one side or the other in this. Anxiousness rose in my heart - along with a lot of other things that far more represented the deeds of the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit. Finally, I had to wonder if I fell prey to the Us vs. Them labels, would I truly be able to give myself over to prayer with thanksgiving to God? Would peace flood my heart if I did this? The answer to my questions due to the impact of the Scripture was, “No.” So, what am I supposed to do in the midst of all this? First and foremost I am to submit myself to God for His direction in this situation. He calls me to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Next, He calls me to love my neighbor as myself. That is hard to do when my neighbor becomes, ‘one of Them.” I want to find ways to serve and love my neighbor - and especially to love my enemies (whoever they wind up being perceived as being). So, if anything - the “Thems” in this matter are those I should especially be seeking to love with the love of God. Some will be frustrated by this article because they want me to “man up and take a side.” The side I want to take is that of making the Gospel of Jesus Christ known to all men. Consider this as I finish this article. What is the “Ultimate Us vs. Them Conflict” in the world? The Us is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit vs. the Them, all humanity who are sinners. Unlike the current conflict we face - there is an absolute truth about Who is right and who is wrong in this conflict. God is the One Who is wronged - infinitely. Sinners (which includes all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve) - are those who are infinitely guilty for their rebellion against God as evidenced in their disregard of His Law and their ungodliness and unrighteousness. Did the Trinity decide to remain in the Us vs. Them attitude or did God, in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ, choose to humble Himself and seek redemption and reconciliation? Thanks be to God for His wonderful grace and mercy, He chose redemption and reconciliation. He chose to come among Them as one of Them (except for sin) and then redeem Them by paying the penalty that all of Them deserved to pay themselves. This is why I have to answer the question, “Are you for Us or for Them?” by saying, “Neither.” It is my hope to speak the truth in love to the injustices for all men and women - and then to turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as our only hope for peace.
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Recently I began to study the human brain by reading a number of different articles written by experts who have been studying the brain for decades. The information that they gave was nothing less than astounding. In fact some of it is so huge that it almost defies imagination. In the midst of my reading and study I came upon how evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins said our brains came into being. What amazed me is how, in the end, Dawkins wanted me to believe him rather than God. Let me share a little bit of it with you. Our brain is somewhere between 3 and 3.5 lbs as an adult. It easily fits into a gallon jar with plenty of room to spare. Yet, Cambridge Physicist Roger Penrose said the following about the brain, “What’s in our head is orders of magnitude more complex than anything one sees in the Universe: "If you look at the entire physical cosmos our brains are a tiny, tiny part of it. But they're the most perfectly organized part. Compared to the complexity of a brain, a galaxy is just an inert lump." Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist at the City College of New York made this comment on the brain. “The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each neuron connected to 10 thousand other neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most complicated object in the known universe.” Professor of Computational Neuroscience at MIT Sebastung Seung has commented that the human brain contains 100 billion neurons and 10,000 times as many connections. By the way the number of neurons in the brain is about the number of stars that are in the entire Milky Way galaxy. Other Neruoscience experts list the number of connections called synapses at about 40,000 connections. Either way, the complexity of the human brain is astounding! If this is not enough to blow your mind – the way that our body communicates with the brain is by sending electrical impulses along these neural highways throughout our bodies. Some of these impulses we actually see, feel, hear, taste, or touch, but other messages are constantly being sent without our conscious knowledge of them in what is called our sympathetic nervous system. This is how our heart, lungs, and all our major organs work. It is how all the systems of our body connect and function with incredible accuracy to keep us healthy from moment to moment. The typical neuron fires from 5 to 50 times a second. So in a minute’s time your brain fires off somewhere near 30 to 300 trillion electrical messages within itself or the rest of the body. If you are feeling a little “nerve-tired” – by the end of a typical day your brain has fired off 43 to 430 quadrillion electrical messages to keep you alive and free from pain and doing things that would damage yourself. Imagine a set of highways 100 billion miles long with just over 400 quadrillion cars travelling over them every 24 hours. This is honestly beyond our ability to conceptualize. But then realize that many of these cars are travelling in excess of 200 miles per hour. Oh, and one other thing – all the cars are reaching their desired destination without any accidents or mishaps. Sheesh! This is what is happening in your brain and the rest of your body each and every day. We can now see why these scientists say that the human brain is the most complex thing in the entire known universe. Yet, the person who holds to an evolutionary understanding of origins says that all this was not designed. It happened over billions of years completely by accident – with no intelligence behind it and no designer responsible for it. Some may think I’m being a little harsh on the evolutionist – but let me give you a quote from Richard Dawkins on how he has come to believe these things happened – based on scientific reason alone. Dawkins, the famed Oxford evolutionary biologist reflecting on the sheer wonder of the emergence of life on Earth and the evolutionary process in his classic The Ancestor's Tale said this: “The fact that life evolved out of literally nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved literally out of nothing -is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice. And even that is not the end of the matter. Not only did evolution happen: it eventually led to beings capable of comprehending the process by which they comprehend it." To say that Dawkins statement is scientific - is laughable. Take a moment to consider that a supposed genius scientist has just said that both life and the universe evolved out of “literally nothing,” almost 10 billion years ago. Dawkins also holds that no designer or intelligence was involved. So then, how do we take that statement into a scientific laboratory and test its thesis? First, we’d have to have no intelligence involved in doing the scientific test. Then we’d have to add to no intelligence, no elements whatsoever as well as no where to have them be. So there we sit – not thinking with nothing before us and nowhere for it to happen. THEN – boom (they tend to prefer bang – big bang actually) right before us would be the proof of our thesis – a complete universe in which we can now have a laboratory develop. Then while waiting a few billion years longer, exercising no intelligence in working with whatever it was that big banged itself into existence, life would emerge in complex systems that function due to incredibly complex information systems that perfectly replicate themselves. Then these simpler one-celled versions of totally accidental organization and information centers that replicate themselves, without any intelligence and quite by total accident would (over a few more billion years) become a human being. This human being (ignoring all other systems within the human body) would have within itself (once again quite by total accident and random chance) have a brain that functions to communicate with over 100 billion nerve cells that are highly organized and set (accidentally of course) to stretch over an entire body so that in a days time 430 quadrillion electrical messages can be communicated without any errors in any of their communications. Um,yeah – sure. Dawkins tells us that trying to describe how all this happened literally out of nothing – with no intelligence guiding it – no pattern which it followed – and ending in the most complex thing in the entire universe – he says that trying to describe that with words would be injustice filled with madness. Please – don’t be scared away from this ridiculous statement. Dawkins is saying the same thing Scripture says, kind of. Here is what the Scripture says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3 (NASB) By faith we believe that all we see and all that is was created by God as He spoke it out of literally nothing. But Dawkins modifies it this way – by faith in science and what he says it is a fact that the universe evolved out of literally nothing. Since he cannot ever prove this in any scientific laboratory or in any way that would come near the scientific method, we are left with this. By FAITH in what Dawkins says (and he won’t say it because it would be madness to try to say it with any justice to how staggering to the mind it is) the world was made out of literally nothing. Stop and think about those two statements. Both argue for a world created out of literally nothing. One claims God did it. The other claims no one did it – but we should believe him when he tells us this – even though he has absolutely no proof that this is how it happened. At least none based on that it came from literally nothing – because for him to prove this as fact he would have to have something and someone to do it. So our brains came from literally nothing and no one. When we put it that way – yes, it is madness to think this way. It is ridiculousness to the highest degree. It is ridiculousness for Dawkins to tell us as Christians that we are idiots for believing by faith God made the world out of nothing by His Word – all the while holding to a view that nobody using “literally nothing” made it instead. Oh – and you know why we should accept this? Because Dawkins has said it. Seems to me that we are moving from God speaking it into existence with His Word – to Dawkins speaking it into existence with his. Forgive me – but I think I’ll stick with God over Dawkins – especially when both are basically saying the same thing. Oh, and one other thing. I’ll also stick with God since His Word reminds me of the following truth. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Romans 1:18-23 (NASB) Last week we began looking at what we should do as our society continues in its current toxic direction. How can we avoid getting caught up in a world where every decision you make is liable to be used to peg you or categorize you into a particular position or political flavor? How do you maintain the ability to be the salt and light for the gospel that Jesus commands? After seeing that our lives are to be lived to the glory of God, let’s turn to principle #2 in our quest to live gospel-centered in our world. Principle #2 – Lead a Loving, Quiet, Hard Working, Gracious Life This second principle comes from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. A little background may help us to see things a little clearer. When Paul preached the gospel to the Thessalonians, they received it with great joy as they turned from their sin to Jesus Christ. Very soon afterward though, this city became known for its persecution of Christians. Paul was followed from this city to the next one in which he preached the gospel. It was there that the people antagonistic to the gospel convinced the people of that city to drag Paul outside the city and stone him. So one thing we should remember here. We are nowhere near the kind of difficulty that the Thessalonians faced as Christians. But Paul’s godly counsel from God was perfect for them – as it is for us as well. That counsel was that the believers live a loving, quiet, hard-working, gracious life. Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12) The core principle here is a fascinating one. The Christian, according to this passage, is to have loving his or her brothers and sisters in Christ as a major goal in life. That would make sense because Jesus Himself gave this to us as His new commandment (see John 13:34-35). In fact – this is the one thing the world will be able to see and know whether we are His disciples or not – by our love for one another. Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about being ambitious! What kind of ambition should they have? Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. That almost sounds contradictory. When Paul speaks of a quiet life – he is not saying that we should never say anything – because that would be contradictory to God’s call for us to share the gospel. But what God is saying here is that we should speak in a way that is not filled with conflict, anger, and hostility. That is what the Greek Word for “quiet” here implies. Well, that gives us a tremendous amount of godly counsel doesn’t it? Saints, the current political dialogue on both sides is pretty filled with anger, rage, conflict, and resentment. It would be wise for us to check our hearts before speaking (or posting for all of us who are on social media) to make sure that we are not reacting out of the very attitude God wants us to avoid. Should we speak up for righteousness – absolutely! Should we speak up for the gospel – definitely! Should we comment on every post we see that opposes what we believe or think on social media – or in every conversation we have – ummm – not so much. The next admonition is to attend to our own business and work with our hands. I know one thing that would cut down on all the marches and protests we are seeing. That is for people to be busy working hard – especially when we are working with our hands. Oh, and by the way, when it says working with our hands, I don’t think that means typing away our last snappy response on Facebook, twitter, or whatever you’re on at the moment. Good old-fashioned hard work never hurt a society. In fact – the lack of it usually means people have too much time on their hands to have their hands doing something productive. Twice Paul gave an admonition for the believers in Thessalonica to be attending or minding their own business. We need wisdom and discernment to know when our actions are helping others – and when they are just meddling in other people’s business. At the risk of being accused of “meddling” myself, I want to offer a few questions for us as I close out this article. First and most importantly, how are you doing in loving the believers around you? Begin with the church you currently attend, and then move out to other believers you know. Second, are you a busybody – politically? The current political monologue from both sides is just itching for a fight. Does it seem like you are being constantly pulled into that fight – and I mean from either side. By the way, I used the term “monologue” because, let’s be honest, very little of what is being said lately involves any kind of dialogue. Our daily news resembles more of a gossip circle than it does a news cycle. How caught up are you in it? Let me go at it from a different angle. How’s your blood pressure when it comes to political discourse? On a much more palatable note – do you work hard? When it comes to outsiders who do not know Jesus – are you still able to witness to them – or has your participation in the current political monologue made it to where they don’t want to hear a thing you have to say? How well are you noticing the needs of others around you lately? Are you still able to see hearts and hurts in folks – or has life become more of a “me vs. them” thing – however “them” is defined for you? Are our lives seen by those around us as loving, quiet, hardworking, and gracious – or – has the current climate co-opted you into being an angry participant in one side or the other of whatever the latest debate has become? Saints – we cannot let ourselves be so pulled into this mess that it prevents us from being an effective witness for Jesus. May our actions be such that we can say what we believe on other matters in such a way (and with such a brevity) that we can make a beeline to the gospel. It will take a great deal of wisdom – and often a wiliness to just be quiet. But if I remember a certain proverb – it reminds us that, “He who wins souls is wise!” May that wise person be us! What are we to do when a society becomes so toxic that every decision you make is taken as some sort of political statement or stance? Unfortunately, this is what is happening before our eyes – as businesses are starting to develop political profiles. Many are doing this so that buying their product or purchasing something from them is transformed from shopping to “making a political statement.” Eventually we will face holding a certain kind of cup or bag and being judged by others because of it. How are believers in Jesus to respond in a world like this? It is my hope that in a series of articles over the next several weeks I can give a few biblical principles to help guide us through the increasing minefield of our ever-politicizing marketplace. First of all – I realize I have made a statement with a purchase I recently made. When I went to Wal-Mart recently, I made the following statement. “I need pants – oh, and I also need food.” Just on a personal note as we start, I don’t want every purchase I make to be a political statement. Honestly, after this most recent election – I’d like to not think about politics for a long time. And as I pick my next pair of Wrangler jeans, which I buy because they are inexpensive and they cover my lower body, I don’t want the thought in my mind that I am helping to advance some sort of agenda. I am buying a pair of jeans – sheesh! Yes, I realize that I am advancing the horrific agenda of older men not really giving a flip that they look frumpy in their “dad-jeans,” (cue the evil laugh track). Seriously though – if you don’t like my Wrangler jeans wearing statement in support of frumpiness among older dads – you don’t have to roll your eyes at me as I walk by. Ok – end of personal rant and sad attempt at humor. Here is the first of what I believe to be three principles that will help us live in a world like ours – without being dragged into its spirit. Principle #1 – Everything for the Glory of God Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB) The core principle above everything is to live my life for the glory of God. Since this is true, I live for the advance of the gospel – and to be rich in good works so when people see them – they will glorify God. Even the purpose of those works is to stimulate people to ask why we live this way. The answer . . . the transformation of my life by the Gospel! When you search the Scriptures for the things that bring glory to God, you will find that at the top of that list is the proclamation of and transformation by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By the way – the end of this passage in 1 Corinthians 6 speaks of not offending Jews, Greeks, or the church of God. The ultimate goal of this admonition – was that by seeking the profit of others – the gospel might go forth and people would be saved. THE AGENDA for the Christian is the advance of the glory of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is what greatly concerns me in regard to our overall topic here and I will express it in a couple of questions. Is the dominant thought in your mind God’s glory? Are you and I as consumed with the proclamation and advance of the Gospel as we are with the current political battle? (You do realize that regardless of who is in power, there is always one going on – right). Is your mind and heart being co-opted for these battles rather than for the battle of getting the Gospel to every tribe, person, and tongue on our planet – for the glory of God? Let me put it another way. When is the last time (or maybe how often) you shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone and continued in a relationship with him or her so that they would be saved? Now, compare that to how often you have spoken, written, or argued with someone (or shared your thoughts on social media) about politics. What was your result? Did the Gospel and the salvation of the lost win a resounding victory? Please hear my heart. This is not a rant against politics – but it is a call for us to put the gospel and the glory of God ahead of politics. I want my concern to be first and foremost whether someone has received Christ in their lives. I want to know whether or not they have been justified by faith! I want to judge my own actions, words, and attitudes through a grid that puts God’s glory infinitely ahead of any party or political action or shopping list. And what I hope will reign in my heart and yours is not what some bag or cup says about a person’s political views. I hope that we are far more concerned with what someone’s choice concerning Who Jesus Christ is and what He’s done through His death, burial, and resurrection says about their eternal destiny. Last Friday there was a march in Washington and in many other places. This coming Saturday there will be another march in Washington - and in many other places. The primary result of both marches will basically be that those who participated in them and supported them will be more committed to their previous stances, will feel good because they participated in them, and probably will change very few minds in the process. There will have been activism on both sides with self-imposed monickers like pro-choice, pro-life - while at the same time calling those who oppose them far less positive names like anti-choice and anti-life. But I am concerned that when it is all over what we will have is two groups who are more focused on the other side than they are on those caught in the middle. Who are those who are caught in the middle? In regard to the question of abortion - it is several groups of people. First of all it is the women who face a pregnancy and what to do now that they know they are pregnant. There is also whatever is in their womb that is at stake. How is this being addressed? Here is where I will begin to make my main point. When Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 that we are to, “Let our light shine in such a way that people might see our good works and glorify our Father Who is in heaven,” I believe he meant something other than participating in a march. Honestly - considering what He said about the “least of these,” I believe He had in mind stuff more like rolling up your sleeves and serving those who are caught in the middle. I’ve moved away, in my latter years, from marching much any more. Looking back over 50 plus years now, I see far more accomplished in addressing the abortion issue by rolling up my sleeves and working WITH the women who are caught in the middle of crisis pregnancies. There are plenty of them who have written and spoken saying how grateful they were for a place where they were loved and helped in the midst of their crisis. There are others who spoke through tears stating their gratefulness in having a place that loved them even after they had an abortion. Their thankfulness was for someone telling them and helping them find forgiveness when they thought it was not possible to be forgiven. At last count I don’t remember any women thanking me for marching - at least women who were caught in the middle. Do I think marching is wrong? No, I cannot say that. The right to express ourselves peacefully in a march - and even for some to carry signs with fairly incendiary messages on them (I’m speaking about both sides of the issue folks) is protected under our system of government. There are also times when a peaceful march is needed. But can I be perfectly candid with you who are reading this. Keeping an accurate count of those at a march - that is hard work - and often debated as soon as the numbers come out. Keeping an accurate count of those rolling up their sleeves and being dedicated over time to those women and whatever is in their womb in the middle? That, my friends is rather easy - because the number plummets to easily manageable numbers. I do attend a rally every year. It is called "Sanctity of Life" day. On this day those of us who come together tend to shy away from street protests and marches. Our celebration of life focuses on God giving each of us, including developing babies in the womb, life. It focuses on the real needs of women who are facing the extremely hard decision of what do to in a crisis pregnancy. We focus on those who are hurting badly because they've had an abortion and wonder if they can be forgiven. We focus on people who have adopted children - and face many hard, day-to-day realities of rearing a child who has everything from reactive-detachment disorder to babies coming off the drugs their mothers were taking while pregnant. We want to encourage them - help them - and be respite families for them when they need a night together as a couple. We do this because we know this will help far more than holding signs with incendiary messages that honestly do far more to infuriate the opposition than win their hearts. It would not be inaccurate to say that these gatherings are about remembering those people who are still in the middle - and celebrating some who have rolled up their sleeves to help. Oh that we would be able to see that being a "light set on a hill" has far more to do with choices to address the problems of our society with hands-on, very hard, action-oriented solutions - than it does with shouting at - and eventually shouting down those who disagree with us. According to our Lord, that light is visible as people see our good deeds. They see them not in light of how awesome we are (which will do little more than cause us to be proud of ourselves for that self-glorifying awesomeness). They see the motive for our works - as well as the works themselves - and glorify our Father Who is in heaven. At the end of such works there are no congratulations in order for us - because we know what our hearts were like before He saved and changed us. No! All congratulation and celebration is focus on such an incredible Father Who has given birth (through salvation) and reared (through teaching, encouragement, and discipline) such good kids. They honor and glory for the works belongs to God! In doing them our hope is that they will know that we are Jesus' disciples by our love for one another, our love for those who oppose us, our love for the "least of these," and even our love for our enemies. May our stand for life be seen far more often in these ways - than in holding a sign, yelling a phrase, and honestly - doing little or nothing to truly change our culture. If we want to make America great again . . . why don't we try rolling up our sleeves, wading into the mess within our culture, and getting our hands dirty serving, loving, and ministering (and I believe this includes sharing the gospel with them), to those who are hurting because of its problems. If you participate in a march - good! But if all you do is march - and there are not regular marching orders to follow to selflessly and sacrificially fix the problems, your march ended far too soon. This past Sunday was “Sanctity of Life Sunday” in the United States. As a result I chose to teach on abortion and the need to speak up for life. It was a difficult message to preach – and yet one that needs to be heard. Yet in the midst of recognizing that there is a life other than the mother that is involved which needs to be protected, I also wanted to emphasize the need for us to be compassionate as we advance the pro-life message. I am vitally invested in the ministry of the Pregnancy Resource Center. This is a group of people who are committed to sharing the love of Christ and the truth with women who are facing crisis pregnancies. One of the key things we emphasize again and again in this ministry is the need for every woman who walks through our doors to feel our love and the love of Christ. There is a very good reason for doing this. Let me explain. The vast majority of the women who walk through our doors do so feeling like they have no other choice than to abort their child. The announcement that they are pregnant hits them like a ton of bricks. For those who are single (as well as some who are married) there is a panic that comes with an unplanned pregnancy. They may be on a career path or in the midst of getting a college education where a baby will seriously derail the plans that they had made. Often there is a sense of dread when family and others learn of their pregnancy. Some, who already are dealing with poverty in their life, are overwhelmed at the thought of how they will pay for a child – and in some cases – another child. These mind of these precious women are often flooded with many different conflicting thoughts. Then there is the relational issue many of them face as this crisis hits. What about my boyfriend? How will he react? Will he stick around – or will this cause him to dump me? Let’s face a fact – many men are cowards who just turn and walk away from something they’ve helped to cause. And because they don’t have to carry the baby – they feel a freedom (albeit a perverse one) to walk away from the situation they’ve caused. So the young woman who walks through our door has this thought going through her head as well. While we are at it – there are also problems relationally with regard to parents. Will they freak out – even in some cases threatening to disown their daughter because of an unplanned pregnancy? How will friends receive this information? If they are religiously minded – they are also going to face the problem of shame and possibly be ostracized by those around them. We’ve had women come through our doors who face possible medical problems due to diabetes or other conditions. And in very rare cases (most often not ever revealed to us) they were the victim of a rape or of incest. Since justice in these cases can often result in a court case where they are treated almost as badly as the actual crime, many of these women do not come forward. They simply suffer in silence as they have this horror added to their already emotionally overwhelming circumstances. Then there are those women who call us because they’ve already had an abortion. What we hear the most from these precious women is that they feel like they will never be able to be forgiven for what they’ve done. They are plagued by a consistent depression over their choice to have an abortion. Some cannot even see a baby without a sense of loss and guilt. They suffer from a PTSD because of what has happened in their lives, but struggle to even tell anyone about it. Therefore many choose to suffer in silence, thinking there is nothing they can do about their abortion. This is what we face as we advocate for life with the precious women that God sends us. We want them to know that we love them dearly – that Jesus loves them dearly – and that even though we believe abortion is the wrong choice – there is forgiveness available for those who have had an abortion. Make no mistake – I am pro-life all the way. But because of a desire to minister to those women who face the crisis of a decision about an unplanned pregnancy we choose to address every situation we face with a tremendous amount of mercy and compassion. We do this because we know that we may be the only ones who will have a chance to advocate for life in their lives. Today is November 9th, one day after an election where Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. It is also a fact that he is president in large measure because he received over 80% of the Evangelical vote. Since I was one of those who went through the agony of eventually voting for our president-elect, I also feel very qualified to offer the following article on the other side of the election. Voting for Mr. Trump was one of the most difficult and excruciating things I’ve ever done. In the end I did so primarily due to one issue – abortion. After watching former Secretary of State Clinton coolly and confidently support abortion up until the last minute before a child is born, while also stating that an unborn child has no rights whatsoever – that was the turning point for me. There was no sense of anything in her except great pride that we do this in America. Because Mr. Trump had made it clear that he would oppose abortion (albeit with a promise – not exactly the most trustworthy currency in an election) I chose to vote for him. I did so without a sense of great pride in my vote – without any kind of bravado – I simply did it to protect the unborn. Having said this – and having read far too many facebook posts from both sides that broke my heart after the election – I want to offer unsolicited advice to those who are evangelicals who voted for president-elect Trump. President-elect Trump needs our prayers (as does President Obama) as he faces the presidency. First and foremost, it is my opinion, based upon his actions and words, that we need to pray for this man’s salvation. I was never under any deception that he was or is a Christian – regardless of what the President of Liberty University says. This man needs to repent of sin and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – period. By the way, if that statement offends you, I believe all men and women need to repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If you are a “true evangelical” then this is THE issue for us ultimately – is he (or anyone else for that matter) someone who has come to understand that he is a sinner by choice and by nature – has come to understand that Jesus is the God-man who came and paid for sin by His death, burial, and resurrection – and has come to repentance over his sin and now has put his faith in Jesus Christ to pay for his sin and make him acceptable to God. President-elect Trump also needs our prayers to govern wisely as the chief executive and commander in chief over our armed forces. Ask anyone who has ever held this office, there is tremendous pressure and responsibility associated with it. And take it from someone who is only a father and pastor of a local church – the more authority you have – the greater the damage you can do by making unwise and ungodly decisions. My unwise choices affect the 14 people in my family – and at least 175-200 people who attend the fellowship I am honored to serve. Things like pride, ego, marital infidelity, foul language, caustic comments, and perverse treatment of women, are unwise and ungodly from a biblical perspective. Sorry if this offends you but I am a pastor who is responsible to teach God’s Word – and advance a godly and righteous lifestyle. We can support him in some ways – but we need to be clear that these actions and attitudes are unacceptable. Should we show our president-elect grace and love? Absolutely. But can we afford as evangelicals to just gloss over the clear elephant in the room when it comes to his character and ungodliness? If we do – we will lose the moral authority to speak to our society – especially those who opposed him in the election who need the gospel so badly. President-elect Trump – and our nation – need our prayers for healing and unity. Only someone who has lived under a rock for the last year and a half is unaware of the incredible rift that there is in our nation. He is not responsible alone for this rift – but this past election cycle only made us aware of how wide it is. I am painfully aware that much of this rift is due to vastly divergent worldviews. Both sides of this divide view the moral stances of the other as moral bankruptcy. He will face deep divides that will require wisdom, patience, and understanding to even begin to address. As an evangelical there are issues within our nation where I have to take a stand that is unpopular – very unpopular with those who oppose it. There are moral issues – issues about sexuality – issues about justice – issues about racism – issues about abortion and crisis pregnancies – issues about how to help those in financial need – so many issues that even trying to list them makes my head swim. What makes it worse is that currently any discourse about them has become so incendiary that basic communication (where we respect one another) seems almost impossible. We so quickly descend into sound bytes and insults at the drop of a hat. Oh how we need to move away from listening to the talking heads and talk radio and actually listen to one another once again. The rhetoric of the election has left us all battered and worn out emotionally. Pray that our President – and our president-elect can begin to heal the fractures – rather than make them worse. One final word though to those of us who are evangelicals – and it is a word of great warning. If we choose to swagger through the next several months before and after the inauguration we are going to see the gospel itself face a terrible backlash. If we act as if Mr. Trump has great moral authority after what we’ve learned about how he treats women and his own marriage – we will alienate a large group of women who need to hear the gospel. They will see our joy over his election as an endorsement of his immoral actions – and will turn a deaf ear to the message of the gospel. If we act as if it wasn’t a problem that he didn’t distance himself from the KKK and other white supremacist groups with the strongest words possible – we will alienate many in the black community. They will see our joy in his election as an affirmation of what they already see as systemic racism and will turn a deaf ear to the gospel. If we act as if Mr. Trump’s bravado and pride – and the many morally questionable insults toward his opponents – should be seen as just politics as normal – we should not be surprised to see a rejection of our gospel as if it is associated with such insults. If we don’t at least attempt to see the political discourse toned down from its new lows in foul language that should offend people’s sensibilities - too many will deduce that we have come to endorse of this kind of talk. They will mock us when we say that the Bible teaches us to reject “corrupt communication from our mouths.” They will see such statements as just another way we’ve embraced hypocrisy as Christians. This will, in turn, justify in their minds turning a similar deaf ear to whatever else we have to say about salvation and the gospel. I’ve already seen too many posts by those on the other side of the political divide who are saying that if Trump represents evangelicalism – they are done with it. Be careful precious saints of God – and be wise in the days ahead. Our attitudes and our demeanor can do much to either advance the gospel or turn people off to it. May God give us wisdom, especially in these days to prove ourselves true sons of God – who embrace both truth and our role to be peacemakers. THE most important thing is that we, as evangelicals, see that what our nation needs most is the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the only things that will bring about the much-needed revival in the church and the even more-needed spiritual awakening among the lost. So that these things may come to our nation may God give us grace to be men and women wise enough to navigate such a time as this. Why is it so difficult for a Christian to decide whom to vote for in this upcoming election? It seems that the more I talk with fellow believers about the presidential election that looms before us in the first week of November the more I hear of people who just don't know what to do. Here are a few things I hope will comfort your heart on this matter if you are one of these people. First of all politics is not exactly the most godly arena in our culture today. We are watching a race between two people who are on the lowest end of the moral scale in our society. Mrs. Clinton has obviously broken laws in her email scandal. She has also been less than forthright about what happened in Benghazi and her role (or lack thereof). But when we look on the other side we see Donald Trump, a serial adulterer and a man who has gained much of his fortune as a result of the gambling industry. We also see someone who is a braggart and whose Twitter account and speeches are filled with far too much insulting of the other candidates involved - first in the primary and now in the general election. When we are faced with this kind of choice between candidates at the bottom of the moral barrel, it is difficult to say you are FOR either of them. Second, we are once again choosing the lesser of two evils. I've actually heard it described this political season as a choice between the evil we know and the possible evil we hope won't materialize in the end. This is not the kind of choice we are used to as believers. Jesus told us to, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness . . . “ The focus in our lives is on seeking what is right, good, holy, and godly. There is not an area in our relationship with God in which we are encouraged to choose the lesser evil. We are consistently taught to strive for the right and the best. Therefore such choices as the ones we've had to make over the last couple of decades are difficult for us - if not downright odious. There is a third reason voting is becoming more difficult for the Christian. Both parties have been far from cordial or gracious to the Christian conservative candidates who represent the kind of moral views we would like to see advanced in our Republic. To be honest - the Democrats don't even try in this area. But the way that conservative Christians and their views are being treated in the Republican primaries makes us wonder if we are even a part of that party any longer. Watching these things unfold - and being told that this is just the way that politics works - in once again something many Christians don't have a stomach for every four years. Especially when we are told after a candidate is chosen, who has had to change their views to stand for abortion from public statements they've made in the past, that we now have to come together and support them (even though we are very wary of them - because of how they've treated us just 6-10 months ago). The fourth and final reason I'll put in this article has to do with the direction of our nation. My personal feeling is that the choices we have this fall are between watching our Republic and its Constitution being quickly dismantled by one candidate - or - seeing the same thing happen with the other - just more slowly. Neither candidate even wants to address sexual morality - or gender issues for that matter. This leaves me with the horrific choice between a fast or a slow decline and destruction in our nation. One can grasp with this (as well as the other three reasons before it) why we struggle to know whom to vote for this fall. BUT - and please hear me in this - we live in a rare time in history where we can influence who will lead our nation. It may not be ideal. It may not involve having the perfect candidate - or maybe honestly - not even a decent one. The fact remains we need to look at biblical issues (as Christians) and decide where we can vote to advance godliness and the ability to function as Christians with as little interference as possible (see 1 Timothy 2:2-4). Our goal is to be able to, “ . . . lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." This passage refers to us praying for our leaders - but I honestly believe it can also b taken to mean, in our culture, to pray as to WHO are leaders should be as well. I know that it is not an easy or joyful task, saints. But I believe it is one we should not abandon. One last thing I need to say in an article like this. The choice of our national leaders often reflects the nation itself. One of the reasons why we are faced with such choices is that the church has not been the evangelical force it should be in leading people to Christ - and then seeing those believers become effective disciples. The ungodliness of our leadership choices only reflects the ungodliness of our nation - and it is with a broken and sad heart I have to say - our churches as well. Let's vote saints. Let's take the time to examine that vote in light of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But - let's pray! If we just vote - and don't get very serious about prayer - we've made a horrific mistake. The need of our nation is revival in God's church and spiritual awakening among the lost of our nation. Without that our nation will continue to slide toward the abyss of ungodliness that we are moving toward currently. As badly as our nation needs good leaders - it is even more imperative that our nation has good churches filled with godly men and women who are laboring in the gospel to see many in it saved. May God bless us with godly leaders - but in light of our current spiritual malaise - it may be even more important that God bless our nation and His church with godly, broken, praying people. American gymnast Simone Biles’ story is more than one of Olympic gold; it is one of perspective. So what follows below is not an argument, or an “I told you so” moment to the abortion community. It is simply one writer’s thoughts on perspective. The life-affirming Pregnancy Help Community lives out one perspective every day. Let’s call it, “Potential,” or what we might now term, “The Simone Perspective.” Those who carry a pro-choice label, and those in the abortion lobby, carry another. For fairness’ sake, let’s call it “Realism.” We know Biles is leaving Rio with four gold medals and a bronze, perhaps giving the world the best Olympic gymnastics performance of all-time. The world also knows Biles’ story is an amazing one; it’s front-page news that her birthmother battled addiction issues, that Simone and her sister bounced through foster care for years, and that they were adopted by their maternal grandfather and grandmother, Ron and Nellie Biles. We also understand that Ron and Nellie, through adoption, are in every sense of the word, Simone’s “real” mom and dad. Theirs is a story of faith, fortitude and grace—leading to Simone’s record-shattering accomplishments in Rio. Here is where perspective comes in. Biles’ parents saw her and discarded the Realism of her circumstances, and now Simone Biles is an Olympic champion. In the Pregnancy Help Community, we carry this idea of Potential with us into every encounter. While we understand that some children waiting to be born are about to enter our world in extremely challenging circumstances, we choose to see each and every child as one carrying both Potential and intrinsic value. Every one. For this reason, when the poverty-stricken, addiction-challenged woman comes to one of our centers, we are—in the world’s eyes—blind enough to see Potential in her unborn child when there is none. And, we are apparently so devoid of Realism, we cannot understand that some children awaiting their births simply have no value. We’re not perfect in the Pregnancy Help Community. I readily admit, from my human perspective sometimes I’ve seen situations where I’ve said, “What in the world awaits this little one?” Going further, all of us in the Pregnancy Help Community must also admit that some children born through the assistance of our centers and homes grew up in poverty and could still be in poverty. Perhaps some committed crimes. But, perspective. Our perspective is simple: Regardless of what we see with our human eyes, it is not for our human minds to decide whether a child deserves a future. We don’t force this view on those who come in our doors. But by loving, respecting, serving and assisting those we see, we joyfully offer this Perspective of Potential for consideration. It’s what we do. Ours is clearly “The Simone Perspective.” As an unborn child, Simone Biles could have been seen—because of the adverse situation she would face—as just another statistic. A number, as in “number of children born into poverty” or “number of children born into single, African-American homes,” or “number of children in foster care.” Ahhh, Realism. The Simone Perspective is quite different. It is a view that God doesn’t see numbers, he sees people. God knows who we are before we were even born. He formed us, and whether we can “see” it or not, He does a good job, every time. And if we don’t see the Creator in a new life waiting to be born, that’s our problem, not God’s. We are the ones who must shift perspective, not Him. So today, all of us in the pro-life community celebrate with Simone Biles. We celebrate with her parents, her teammates and with her. Why? Because we didn’t just start believing in her this week; we would have believed in her many years ago. If Simone Biles’ birth mother walked into a pregnancy help center years ago (perhaps she did, who knows?), someone there would have offered a faith-filled perspective on the hope of life—even when every circumstance in the world was stacked against her and her pre-born child. Simone Biles had courage. She had faith. She had desire. She had determination. And she beat the odds. My gentle request to those who see abortion as a “good” and Realistic answer in certain situations is this: We invite you to celebrate with us. Join us in being so proud of Simone Biles. But in a quiet moment, honestly consider perspective. When a child is conceived, a choice is upon us. We can choose to see only simply numbers, statistics or—in the case of the abortion industry--an opportunity for a quick profit. Or, we can choose the “Simone Perspective” and see Potential. I choose Potential. And I humbly ask, “What would happen if we as a nation chose to always see Potential, and chose to roll up our collective sleeves to assist, encourage and support those facing challenges as they bring a child into this world?” Somehow, I believe if we always chose Potential, we would be better off. And perhaps, stories like Simone’s would be more common than we can imagine. https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/choosing-the-simone-perspective Reprinted by permission - Pregnancy Help News (prenancyhelpnews.com) May God bless you this week and help you see that if you are fighting for a godly walk with Jesus – it is a beautiful thing in the sight of God. In the fourth chapter of second Timothy Paul writes to Timothy about his own walk with God. This happened right at the end of Paul’s life – when he was imprisoned in a dark, dank Roman jail cell. It had to be a depressing place to spend the last days of one’s life – and yet Paul was able by God’s grace to write some wonderful things. His description of the way that he sought to live is one of them. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good/beautiful fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul speaks about fighting “the good fight” in these verses. The Greek word for “good” here is “kalos” which means something good or beautiful. We could actually translate this verse with either word and have an accurate translation. Thus Paul is saying that the fight he fought was a beautiful fight. It was a fight for joy in Christ no matter his situation. It was a fight to live so as to honor and glorify God even when those watching his life would question why God would allow His servant to be imprisoned in this way. From a merely human standpoint one might look at the latter days of his life and think, “Beautiful? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Yet we know that what is loved by this world is disgusting in God’s sight – and – what is often despised by the world is lovely in the eyes of the Lord. Paul speaks about being “poured out as a drink offering.” This is a picture of the Old Testament sacrificial practice of adding an offering of wine to the end of a sacrifice to the Lord. At the end of the sacrifice, the priest would then pour out the red wine onto the ground at the base of the altar. It was a kind of punctuation mark – an exclamation that the sacrifice was finished. Paul, who knew that he would soon be martyred, used that imagery to signify his own death – as a punctuation mark on his own life of sacrifice to the Lord. He knew that as a Roman citizen he would not be crucified, but most likely beheaded. So he saw his blood in that moment as the finishing mark on his life given as a living sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ. He also speaks of his time of “departure” that had come. The picture here in the Greek language is of a boat that is being untied from its moorings so that it could sail away from the dock. Paul knew that God was loosing him from this world so that he could be taken away to the next where he would be with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. Some would look at such things and see them as sad – how Paul’s life was filled with suffering, difficulty, and in the end, execution for his faith. They might also look at all the problems he faced with churches and individuals – and begin to wonder about his statement of a “beautiful fight.” In all honesty it does not matter how “people” see our fight in this world. It matters how God views and evaluates things. The world evaluates us according to their standards and desires. God has a completely different set compared to that of the world. He looked at the struggles and battles that Paul faced – both as an individual (remember Romans 7?) and as a servant in the church – and said, “Beautiful!” He delights in the sacrifice and service of the faith of those who love Jesus. He delights that we battle through all the hard and difficult moments of our lives. As we read in the Psalms – He delights in the death of His holy ones! This week how I pray that He encourages you! So often we can easily be discouraged as we walk through the valley of the shadows. We can see the struggle and the difficulty and wonder not only about ourselves – but also at times whether God is mad at us or frustrated with us. If you are fighting for godliness – if you are fighting for a servant’s heart – if you are fighting to have regular time alone with Him – if you are fighting to have joy in the Lord – God sees this as a beautiful thing – He sees it as a beautiful fight! Therefore, be encouraged saints – be mindful that your battles and the tears shed in them are not falling to the ground unnoticed. They are seen – they are collected – and they are considered beautiful by the Lord Who loves you more than life itself. |
Biblical ArticlesMost of these articles are taken from the Calvary Courier, a weekly newsletter that is sent to the folks who attend Calvary Chapel Jonesboro. Due to the response to these articles, we've decided to print some of them which proved to be very helpful to God's people at the fellowship. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you! Copyright 2024 Calvary Chapel Jonesboro | all rights reserved |