Afghanistan and the Lack of Moral Order

    The debacle in Afghanistan has been heartbreaking to watch over the last few days. People dropping from planes as they try futility to hang on for dear life, bodies discovered in wheel wells of planes, children being thrown over razor wire to soldiers on the other side in hopes of being sparred a life under Taliban rule. A rule that, thanks to American soldiers, NATO allies, Afghani nationals, and contracted workers, has been non-existent for 20 years. Since America went to war in Afghanistan in response to the attacks on 9/11, they have kept the Islamic terrorists regime, known as the Taliban, from taking back power in Afghanistan and harboring other Islamic terrorists groups like Al Qaeda who, led by Osama Bin Laden, perpetrated the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the failed attempt on the White House that resulted in the brave actions of the passengers of Flight 93. 

    Those events burn in my memory like no others as I watched them unfold on my television that Tuesday morning, three days before my 21st birthday. People leaping from 100 story buildings to avoid burning to death, the phone calls to relatives from planes to say goodbye, the aforementioned bravery of the passengers on Flight 93 to take back their plane and prevent further devastation, and the heroic first-responders who ran into those Towers in hopes of saving as many people as they could before those same buildings horrifically crumpled to the ground. For my generation 9/11 is the event that shook us from adolescence to adulthood. The soldiers that became the character studies for my favorite movies from that period were my age. Their lives ever changed by their desire to serve their country and defend the honor of this great nation from savages who despise our freedoms and our way of life. One of my greatest regrets is that I was not one of them. I trust in God's providence to know that had He intended for me to take that path, then that is exactly the path I would have taken, but I will always live with the "what-if's". 

    Watching everything unfold this week has brought a fresh sense of pain to my heart and mind as I have reflected on those events now almost 20 years ago. I began pastoring less than one month after that day, I got married a few months afterwards, and in the last twenty years God has blessed my wife and I with seven children in the midst of many moves and pastoring five different churches. Yet, as I have watched the events in Afghanistan unfold this week, I am greatly disturbed by the continual trend that I have witnessed over the last twenty years of the growing rejection of objective truth and the foundational destruction of a clear standard of morality. What we are all witnessing in this country and abroad is the consequences of secular ideology and a humanistic worldview coming to bear. 

    Now, I know that many detractors will say that my rational is a leap too far, but once we understand that ideas, both good and bad, have significant consequences, then perhaps you will be able to see what I am talking about. Ultimately, our problems are spiritual in nature. Your greatest problem, just like my greatest problem is sin. And not just sin in the abstract, but our individual sins are our greatest problems. If you are a believer in the Gospel of the Bible, the sins I am referring to are the sins you must come to terms with and acknowledgement of to rightly understand the vicarious death of Christ on the cross for those sins and in your place of judgment in regards to those sins. Those are the sins you must be turning from (repentance) both instantly and continually, because of their soul-killing design to keep you separated from God and His good grace. However,  because sin has so infected the world and everything in it, like a devastating disease much worse than Covid-19 or its variants could ever be, the consequences of our collective sins have affected our hearts and minds in ways we can not even imagine. Sin, and its infectious results, has thrown this world into moral chaos. It has left spiritually dead and blind people asking all of life's grand questions, yet never coming up with any real or satisfying answers, because the ability to know and be known have been made even more complicated by, you guessed it, sin. 

    That is why an event like what has happened in Afghanistan is so unique in its ability to get almost universal agreement in its horrendous outcome. Everyone watching can see that it was done almost intentionally haphazardly. It so boarders on the grossly incompetent that its hard to imagine how anyone did not mean it to go so poorly. Journalist imbedded in the region have been warning for weeks and months about the impending fall of the nation at the hands of the resurging Taliban, yet no one in leadership seemed to care. Bagram AFB which would have been ideal for evacuating all non-essential and essential personnel before a complete troop withdraw would have been the ideal place to orchestrate that project, yet it was closed down and all contractors and military persons sent home. The backbone of the Afghan army, US air support and intelligence, taken away or sent home; leaving the Afghan army unable to fight as they had been trained by the US. And the slanderous words against the Afghan army about not willing to fight, also proven to be false when one considers that since 2014, when President Obama made great cuts in our troop presence in the country, over 50,000 of their troops have died in conflicts with the Taliban. This year alone they had suffered somewhere around 2,000 deaths, while the US had not suffered a casualty in Afghanistan since February 2020, nearly a year and a half ago.  Even with a force of only 2,500 American troops, we were still able to keep the Taliban from attempting to take over Afghanistan and help the Afghanis to continue to make their country safe and build a stable and lasting government. Christians were free to worship, women were free to exist, and children able to enjoy life. 

    Now that is all gone. For the first time in 20 years Afghanistan will be a host to Islamic terrorism, and a country that sits in the middle of a strategic area, boarding Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and China, has been turned back over to a people who joyfully shout, "Death to America." From a strictly strategic mind, the decision makes little to no sense. Even if you are someone who falls on the "endless war" side of the debate, the fact that Americans were not dying there, and were still able to keep a strong watch over a good number of our other enemies should warrant enough reason to stay. Now, to go back in will mean full-scale war and American loss of life. That potential certainly still exists since Americans  and our allies have been trapped behind the Taliban lines at this point. How could we have let such a debacle take place? How could we have abandoned friends, colleagues, countrymen so callously? The answer is our lack of moral order and the rejection of objective truth. 

    This is not the first time American government leaders have engaged in such cowardice and morally offensive behavior personally or on the global stage. We have always struggled with our morality both as a nation and as individuals, and we will continue to do so until the Lord returns. Yet, the degradation of our moral collapse has not smacked us in the face like it has recently. For Christians our constant fight in the culture wars has been mocked for some time. Our fight against issues like abortion on demand, homosexual marriage, transgenderism, and all the rest, has been characterized as bigoted and hatred towards people more than a fight for the soul of America. And, granted, in some of the ways we have pursued these issues there has been a lack of love and care for the hurting and the broken. It truly is the complexity of being a Christian in a world gone mad, because we truly believe we have the greatest news anyone would ever want to hear (and desperately needs to hear), and yet the way we communicate that message can be incredibly off-putting and offensive to the very ones who need to hear it. We can come across as people more concerned with imposing a standard of morality, than wanting to see hearts and minds changed by the Gospel. Legalism, a call to self-righteousness as the means of God's approval, is often what is heard by people, rather than the Free Grace of Christ that changes people by its power. That is what makes the balance of these things so difficult. 

    Christians know, or at least they should know, that there is a moral standard that God holds all people to, and that is the moral standard that He has set forth in His Holy Word. The clearest of these standards are seen in The Ten Commandments, but of course there is a much larger communication of God's law throughout the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, that deal with God's overall plans for national Israel as they make plans to take over the Promised Land and become a new nation fulfilling much of the promises that God had made to Abraham. Some of these laws are misunderstood and mocked today as being outdated, controversial, or just plain barbaric. They are not understood in light of their original audience, context, or the sensible guidance they were providing for a people called to live radically different than the people that would be around them. Israel designed to be a beacon of hope to the world not only as the people of God, but also as the people that were to be a blessing to the Nations for the Glory of God. Their national distinctives served as a contrast between them and the rest of the peoples. It did not make them better in any sense of superiority, but it did make them separate. What plagued Israel, as well as what plagues the people of God today, is that we do not always like being different. Like Israel, we too, become embarrassed by the standards of living God has set for us, or we see the standards not as guard rails, but as self-defining markers for boasting in our own self-righteousness. That is why we shrink back form telling others, and ourselves, what God's standard for you, your family, your church, your work, your play, and your government is because we fear not living up to that standard ourselves, or that it's somehow not necessary to live by God's standard today. 

    That is why if someone wants to understand the lack of morality that we see today in all areas of life, first they need to understand the churches' unwillingness to stress a true moral standard for fear of being labeled "legalist," "fundamentalist," or "extremist." Second, they also need to understand the moral relativism of the secular culture that has come from the Enlightenment period until now, emphasizing personal autonomy at the cost of personal responsibility. These two things coupled together have lead us to where we are today. Unsure of which direction to go. Unsure of how to communicate objective truth or a right moral standard. We look to our leaders and we see people void of truth-telling and lack any sense of moral obligations whatsoever and we dismiss the project out of hand. However, the people of God never have this excuse for not carrying out what we believe to be morally right and truthful. We have an obligation to these things above everything else. If we truly are believers in Christ as LORD, then we have been freed from sin and shame to live honest and pure lives in this fallen world. We have a responsibility to speak out about immorality and to tell people that God will hold everyone accountable for their sins one day, and that includes governments. 

    No longer can we allow political leaders to embrace immorality and turn a blind eye. This was not the practice of believers in either the Old or New Testament. The Old Testament is filled with examples of prophets holding bad leaders accountable, not just in Israel or Judah, but even in the surrounding nations. And the New Testament is just as clear with John the Baptist serving as the clearest example of someone willing to call out the sins of the Gentile ruler, Herod the tetrarch. Of course that does not mean that this is all Christians should be doing, especially as a means of trying to perfect this fallen world, but we do bear a responsibility to hold those given the sword to not use or abuse that God granted right for immorality or the furthering of evil. 

    The events that unfolded in Afghanistan this week were indeed evil. They were chaotic scenes brought about by the immoral handling of the situation overall. President Biden had a moral responsibility to withdraw our armed forces in a way that would guarantee the protection of the most vulnerable first and then the rest of those who had been promised safe passage next until all the equipment and soldiers were ready to head home. That should have been the scenario if you believed in a full-withdraw from the country. Another scenario might have been the continued presence of a minimal amount of American soldiers who could have continued to support and aid the Afghan military and their efforts to keep their country out of the hands of terrorists. This also would have allowed America to keep its promises to her allies, and maintain a presence in a country that is in a strategic area concerning other nations and regions in the world that do not like us, and seemed very intent on causing us harm. The anti-war crowd may not like to admit it, but we live in a fallen world where nations and bad organizations seek to cause trouble for others. They hate us because of our morals and freedoms. They hate us because of our views on equality of opportunity. The do not believe a nation like ours deserves to continue on, and even if that idea might be shared by some in our own halls of Congress or the White House, America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

    We cannot continue to sit by and watch the decay happen around us without a fight. The Church must be the light that we have always been intended to be. If we will preach the Gospel, make disciples, love our enemies, and seek peace with all, then we can demonstrate to those around us what a true Biblical Worldview is all about. We can show them how we expect husbands and wives, moms and dads, family and friends, and even neighbors and strangers to get along. We can get back to a shared moral understanding of how to love and care for one another, while also respecting individual freedom and liberty. From there we can also hold our government accountable to live up to its purpose in existing. Before our Founders ever set pen to paper, God almighty bestowed upon His creation rights that transcend governments. These rights do not come from governments but are the responsibility of governments to protect and keep safe for generations. When these rights are put at risk or infringed upon, it is the duty of the government to take up the sword in protection of its people. It must rightly punish the guilty and seek and defeat those who commit such acts. Government does not get the chance to co-op these duties out to other sources, anymore than the church gets to sell its responsibilities to parachurch ministries. The institutions God has established from the beginning must serve in the capacities He has ordained, because that, too, is their moral obligation in faithfulness to the Holy God. 

    Father God, forgive me for not living faithfully in conformity to your rule and authority. Forgive me for using me liberty as an excuse to sin, more than as freedom to obey your faithfully. Forgive me for not being bold and courageous in the face of opposition, but instead shrinking back and avoiding confrontation. Forgive me, LORD, for not valuing the institutions of Family, Church, and Government the way you have ordained them to work and function for all people whom you have made. God, use your Church to be a beacon of Hope and Light, making disciples of all peoples from all places on this earth. God, use good governments to protect the rights you have bestowed upon all of your people, and help them to wisely administer the sword upon those who seek to hurt, harm, or kill the lives that you have created in your image. Heavenly Father, may the families of this earth recognize you as God alone, and your Son, Jesus, as the only Savior and LORD of all the earth. May they all come to the recognition of their sins and shortcomings before a Holy God, and may they see your love and light in the person and work of Jesus, and once your Holy Spirit has brought new life to their dead hearts, may they call out in saving faith to Christ Alone for His all-sufficient grace. May your Gospel and Greatness and Wonder and Power be made known to all the Families of the earth through your Church now and forevermore, in Jesus name, Amen! 

    May God bless His Church. May God bless our troops. May God bless our country. May God bless the world. Amen!

Psalm 80:14-19

 

From the Pastor

Psalm 80:14-19

O God of hosts, turn again now, we beseech Thee;

Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,

Even the shoot which Thy right hand has planted,

And on the son whom Thou hast strengthened for Thyself.

It is burned with fire, it is cut down;

They perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.

Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand,

Upon the son of man whom Thou didst make strong for Thyself.

Then we shall not turn back from Thee;

Revive us, and we will call upon Thy name.

O Lord God of hosts, restore us;

Cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

 

 

I have mentioned before the desire of God’s people, and the great blessing that is, to have God’s face shine upon us. This is seen in the priestly blessing given to the people of God in Numbers 6:22-27, which I read over our congregation after each members meeting on the second Sunday evening of the month. The people of God understand that to have God’s face shining upon them is to be living faithfully in His sight, and yet much of life’s hardships can lead us to believe that we are outside of His watch and care because of the difficulties that we so often encounter in this fallen world. This is why the words of the Psalmist are so comforting and important for us to read, understand, and follow.

This section of the Psalm reads like a prayer. It begins with a recognition of who God is, and petitions the Lord to turn, look down from heaven, and see over His people. It furthers the imagery by comparing the people of God to a vine that He has planted, and also interestingly on the Son who assists the father in cultivating and strengthening the vine. This idea must certainly have been in the mind of Christ when he used similar imagery in John 15 where he tells his disciples, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” Of course, looking back at the Psalm the writer mentions the vine being burned, cut down, and even perishing at the rebuke of the one planted it, and this certainly did occur to non-believing and unfaithful Israel, but it is also similar to the language once again used by Christ in John 15 when he warns that any branch not truly abiding in Him, the true vine, would be gathered and burned. In other words the Bible makes clear that all who are not in the vine and under the care of the vinedresser will be rejected for their unbelief and ultimately cast out.

The Psalmist then asks again for the hand of the Lord to be upon his people, perhaps even prophesying of the necessity of God’s people to look to the Son of Man for their strength and power, because that is whom the Lord God has given all authority and power to. For God’s people to have certainty that God’s gaze, favor, and hand are upon them; they must be in Christ Jesus. If they are in Christ, God will never turn his back on them. He will revive them in moments of distress and pain. He will restore them after season of hardships. There is undoubtedly assurance of salvation when our faith is completely abiding in the person and work of Christ as our strength and protector. In Christ we can be certain that God’s face is always upon us.

Rush Limbaugh: RIP

 The news of Rush Limbaugh's passing yesterday was the end of an incredible era that greatly shaped my view of politics and place in the conservative movement. I was saddened to hear of Rush's passing because of how much I appreciated his steadfast dedication to the greatness of the American experiment and liberties endowed by God. Admittedly, there were seasons I would listen more than others, especially during Obama's two terms, because conservative radio is always better during liberal tenures than GOP. HA! Yet I digress, Rush was not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination. Due to chronic back issues he became addicted to oxycodone and ended up in rehab. He was married four times, pushed boundaries, and rarely apologized; yet his reputation as a generous, kind human being was unquestionable, especially in private. Rush introduced me to the great minds of conservatism William F. Buckley Jr., Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams just to name a few, and fellow conservative radio voices like Mark Levin and Mark Steyn. He was an entertainer, a provocateur, and a master of the conservative mind. His talent, "on loan from God" as he loved to say at the beginning of every broadcast,  was undeniable by even his greatest antagonists. He essentially started the modern alternative media model all by himself, while keeping the radio industry going seemingly all alone as well. He was the Great Maha Rushie and I was a proud Dittohead for many years. I pray that Rush's confessed faith in Jesus Christ was genuine and true, and that his talent was humbly returned to his Maker yesterday morning. I am incredibly thankful for Rush being a Happy Warrior, who could laugh at himself as well as others. Rush's death is a loss to all, even to those who despised his thoughts and opinions. Rest in peace, Rush. 

My Cup Overflows (Psalm 23 part 3)

 

From the Pastor:

Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

 

So far in this Psalm David has taken us from green pastures with still waters to deep, dark, and deadly valleys to now a banquet table overflowing with goodness and mercy from the Lord. This Psalm truly does a remarkable job of taking the believer through the experience of coming to our Great Shepherd in saving faith, navigating the realities and difficulties of a fallen world, to worship and joy in the presence of our Savior. Nothing from the believer’s experience seems to be left out, and this is important for us to see and understand especially as we arrive at the end of Psalm 23.

David himself had gone through many dark valleys, and with the Lord’s guidance, come out the other side worshipping God for His care and protection. Whether it was an encounter with a lion or bear, his inspiring acceptance of Goliath of Gath’s challenge, his struggles with King Saul, his fights with the Philistines, or even his own personal and family struggles; David was all too familiar with dangers that lurked in dark valleys. However, through these experiences David also knew very well the exhilaration and joy that came after these times that drew him closer to the Lord and led him to worship Him with overflowing joy and gratefulness. David knew in every circumstance that it was God who had delivered him. He knew that it was only by the Lord that he had any success, and Jesse’s baby boy was sure to give God all the credit for His faithfulness to this simple shepherd boy.

We do not know with any full certainty which of the many events in David’s life might have led him to pen this particular Psalm. Whether it was the encounter with the giant of the Philistines or one of the many others, but undoubtedly, he has come through and is enjoying a celebration even in the presence of those who had doubted, despised, and rejected David. In this last section of the Psalm David is seated at a banquet table, where it appears, he is the guest of honor. Seated there among all the other guests, it is David to whom the host comes and anoints him with oil, a sign of blessing and honor in eastern cultures. Much like Jesus would be anointed with oil, not by the host of a feast mind you, but instead by a woman who had experienced the saving grace of the Lord as was glad to not only anoint his head with expensive oil, but his entire body all the way to his feet. Likewise, David paints a picture of being so greatly honored and reminds fellow believers that they have been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit, poured out by the Master on us, as a sign of His love and grace. This anointing also covers us from head to toe, and the sweet-smelling aroma of God’s Spirit will never fade from His children.

There in front of David is set a cup which he describes as overflowing. Picture the host now pouring wine into a fine goblet. He is displaying his extravagance to his honored guest. He wants his guest to know that all that he has is his and even more. No matter how expensive the wine might be, it is nothing for the host to lavish it upon his guests. Their cups overflow in abundance as a sign of the overflowing love and care the Master has for each and every one us. There is no limit to the love of our great Heavenly Father. What he pours out upon His children He does so in great abundance. There is no vessel that can hold his mercy and grace. There is no limit to His love.

David knows that now, no matter what he may encounter, the goodness and mercy of the Lord will be with him always. Even if there are more dark valleys, the Lord will be with him. Even in his own errors and sins, the grace and kindness of the Lord are close at hand. “All the days” of his life David knows the outpouring of the Lord will be upon him, and that ultimately this will lead to David’s eternal dwelling in the presence of Lord forever. Oh believer, take heart that our worship here is but preparation for the eternal worship we will enjoy in the presence of the Lord forever. Yet, non-believer, realize that rejecting the Good Shepherd will leave you unprotected, uncovered, empty-handed on that last day. There will be no joy everlasting, but instead only pain and sorrow. Turn now to the Great Shepherd. Come to Christ and know the fullness of forgiveness. Know the greatness of His overflowing love and mercy. Know that one day we will dwell in houses not made by human hands, but in a place prepared by God the Father for the inheritance of His children. And there we will live forever and ever without end.

 

The Age of Sophistry

 According to Meriam-Webster's dictionary sophistry is "subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation." In other words it when a person takes a truth but manipulates its claim to advance a falsehood. An example from our current history would be something like, "Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner, therefore he was an immoral man in all areas of life." The truth stated is that Jefferson was a slave owner, however the conclusion that "therefore he was an immoral man..." is deceptive reasoning based on that fact. Jefferson may have been immoral in other areas of his life, but one cannot make the claim that he was immoral all the way through on the basis of his view on slavery alone. Why not? Because the issue of slavery in his day was not viewed as the way it is in our day, first of all. But also because, it stands to reason that just because a person may have moral failures in one area of life does not mean that they have not contributed greatly to society or the common good in other areas. As a matter of fact, as I have written in other spaces, even the Bible is filled with stories of men who sinned greatly at times, but were still used of God in mighty ways for the good of His people and for the progressing of redemptive history. Yet the use of logical fallacies and the claims of moral superiority based on the manipulation of facts has only increased in our present age. 

We live in an age of relativism. Whether it is Truth that is described as relative or morality, the intelligentsia of our day want to keep the ability of "knowing" loose and vague. This is most obviously recognized with the idea of gender fluidity, fluctuating sexual preferences, and historical revisionism that is taking place all of the country. One story sums this up pretty well when you simply look at the actress Ellen Page who recently came out as transgender. Before she has come to that realization she had come out a few years earlier as lesbian, and now she was coming out as transgendered. Since coming out as a man, she has now divorced her "wife", but without an explanation so far as to what this might mean for her sexual identity. This story also relates to historical revisionism because as soon as Ellen decided she was now Elliott, all mentioning of her past changed to support that claim. No longer had it been Ellen Page, star of the movie Juno, now it was Elliott Page. However, logically and historically it was not Elliott Page who has stared in Juno, it had in fact been Ellen. Confused? Of course! 

Yet, when truth or events do not align with those who control the narrative, suddenly things become a little more concrete. You must wear a mask if you want to stop the spread of Covid-19. You must bow the knee to the LGBTQ agenda. You must recognize the privileges that your color, gender, or economic background have afforded you. And you certainly cannot think for one second that our past election may not have been completely up to snuff or you certainly deserve to be cancelled from polite society! It is all sophistry! Illogical thinking leads to illogical behavior leads to illogical realities. The only thing one can be sure of today is that if you dare speak out on the inconsistencies and the irrational nature of the messaging today you will be pushed to the margins of public square. 

Those that practice such sophistication do so for the purpose of painting certain groups with a broad brush so that their voices no longer carry weight among the public discourse. Take for instance the awful riots at the Capitol on January 6th, although it was only a handful of people relative to the size of those gathered storming the Capitol building, it was later described as essentially everyone there, all Trump supporters, or even all Republicans that had engaged in the terrible activities of that day. Now, compare that to the events of the previous summer when protests turned to mob violence and riots nation wide. How where those events covered by the same media (CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, NY Times, and other leftward leaning outlets)? "Mostly peaceful protests..." Sophistry in action. 

From the pulling down of statues to the removal of names on buildings, all of the actions of the media (those mentioned above), mobs, and leftist have attempted to take one tiny shred of truth and turn it into something completely false. Take for instance the story that kicked off all of the summer riots, the death of George Floyd. No one defended the actions of the police officer that knelt on Floyd's neck till he died. No one pretending that his actions were acceptable, and yet even though everyone was agreed of what the truth presented lies, false information, and incomplete accounts of events flooded the airwaves and the internet. This could have been a moment of unity, and instead it was used as a weapon for divisiveness. This is what those that peddle in such behavior seek to do today. They want to appear wise, but in reality they are foolish. They may not see how wrongheaded and misguided they are because they are surrounded by voices, friends, and colleagues who serve only as a sounding board to reinforce such attitudes and behaviors, however the truth is much more objective than they even realize and pretty soon their folly will be made clear. 

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:22 "Professing to be wise, they became fools..." This is the fate of those who seek to use pieces of truth to perpetuate lies. Their folly is always evident to those who are truly committed to truth seeking. Nothing will be hidden from plain sight on that final day when all things are laid bare before the Almighty God of the universe. The very one to whom all truth is derived is from whom all falsehood flees. The fool will be found out, and how humiliating will it be for him when the God he has so vehemently denied proves to be real, but so does the truth he so desperately suppressed. On that day the age of Sophistry will come to a screeching halt. No more will people be deceived, the truth will out, and those who have denied its power and clarity will receive their just reward. 

The Valley of the Shadow of Death (23rd Psalm part 2)

From the Pastor:

Psalm 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

In the hill country of Judah there were deep valleys known as “wadis”. These valleys were dried out river beds that were difficult to navigate not only because of their topography, but also because they were dark areas that let in little light. Due to this fact they became a place where dangerous people would lurk, or sometimes they would be a place for dangerous animals to lay in wait for unsuspecting prey. At other times sudden rains may lead to them becoming flashflood areas filling quickly with rushing water. None of these scenarios present us with a pretty picture of the valley David begins this next section of the Psalm with. Yet, this is the very point the Psalmist is trying to make.

Last week we saw how the Good Shepherd goes to great lengths to care for His sheep. The LORD nourishes His sheep with exactly what they need when they need it. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s love and tenderness for His children. However, verse four takes a turn to another very important reality of life in a fallen world. It is not all rainbows and rose gardens. Life in a fallen world can lead to danger and loss at any time. Whether problems come from natural disasters, acts of violence, or simply the results of bad decision making; our lives can change moment to moment in all of the situations. That fact has hit many of us very hard in this last year. This pandemic has been another reminder of the frailty of human life in this fallen world. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a) Perhaps, you did not need Covid-19 to remind you of that fact, yet for many it seems to have come for that very reason. We are not entitled to or guaranteed from God one more breath than what He has ordained for us. He has numbered our days from the end to the beginning, and all that He has ordained is right.

However, the purpose of the Psalmist in contrasting this hard reality to the joys of the previous scene are not to scare us, but to assure us that even in the dark times and in the dark valleys our LORD is with us. The Good Shepherd NEVER abandons His sheep. As a matter of fact, our Great Shepherd became the sacrificial lamb on behave of His sheep, suffered death, and defeated death through the resurrection so that they do not have to fear death. The Psalmist may not have had the fullness of the Gospel in view when he penned these words, but he trusted God enough to know that even in the hard times the Lord was with him. In David’s life he has faced bears, lions, and even a giant! Yet, he always trusted that the Lord was with him, shepherding him as David shepherded the sheep of his father’s flock. That is reality the Psalmist is pointing us towards.

No matter where we go in this world, if you are a child of God, the Good Shepherd is ALWAYS with you. In life and even in death the Lord is with you. You will not have to cross Jordan alone! You will not have to face any earthly tragedies alone. The Lord is always there to comfort and guide you every step of the way. His Word is there to nourish our souls and His Spirit is there to comfort us, just as the rod and staff of a shepherd guides and protects the sheep. Oh, believer, please be assured as you read this that God is with you. He will never leave or forsake you. He will never abandon you. He will walk with you through all of life’s valleys and He will bring you safely home in the end. I pray that you are comforted and strengthened by these words this week. God bless you and may His peace rest upon you. Amen.

Which side is really for Freedom?

The Mississippi Freedom Caucus has submitted a resolution to the Mississippi Legislature to make Mississippi a "Bill of Rights Sanctuary State." I've provided the link below so that you can read about the resolution and where the idea originated. I'm intrigued by the idea because of recent actions and the need for states to make clear where the federal governments over-reaching and impinging on these issues must stop. Of course, it seems the real culprits at infringing upon or downright violating the significance of the Bill of Rights is coming from the private sector from Big Business and Big Tech. For those typically on the right of center, the idea of forcing private businesses to welcome all voices and consumers may seem hypocritical given those on the right usually being in support of freedom of association for private actors. However, what do you do when private companies and businesses have become so large that their actions against conservative or right of center voices, basically silences those voices from the public square? Sure, in times past those feeling marginalized by one group would just start their own venture in getting their thoughts and opinions out to the market place, but what do you do when your not even allowed access to the market place? These concerns are becoming more and more relevant because this is becoming the reality for more and more right of center and conservative voices. That's why I think something like what the Mississippi Freedom Caucus is doing might be something more states should consider if they want to protect their states and citizens from the growing infringements these companies are pushing. 

The question(s) needed to be asked, however, is who or what is giving these industries the notion that cancelling or quieting voices is right? That's not how this American experiment is supposed to play out. From the beginning it was a belief in the classical liberal notions of free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and so on that drove our Founders to create the Bill of Rights in the first place. Sure, a constitution was important, but as equally important was a document that made sure the government knew what its limits were not what limits it could put on its citizenry. And while some may say this is why these businesses have every right to quell whatever voices they want, someone needs to ask "Was this what the Founders had in mind?" Now, that may to originalist for some, or even get to the heart of authorial intent too much for others, but that is exactly what needs to be asked right now. What if the government is not having to reign in the rights of its citizens because private business is doing it for them? Of course, in many ways the government is reigning in speech and other rights state by state during this pandemic by ignoring voices and information from one side of the aisle that it does not want their citizens to hear concerning Covid, its prevention, and its management. So it should not come as too much of a shock that these same party members now in control of two branches of the federal government would like to squelch dissenting voices through presidential order and legislative censures. Is this who we are? Is this what the USA has become? A place where those who disagree can no longer have their voices heard and their opinions expressed? Have we become a place that no longer thinks its citizens can hear differing opinions from particular sets of facts and form their own thoughts based upon the provided information? Can people not see that the reason why some have turned to conspiracy theories is not because of the freedom of opinions but because of the limiting of facts and voices to the discussion? 

It is time to stop the gaslighting (telling people that what they saw is not in fact what actually happened) and the marginalizing of any voice. Believe it or not, the Right does not believe that this should be the practice of Americans, nor its institutions, at least they certainly should not believe it. The Right should not have its own version cancel culture or method of getting rid of voices that do not go along with the party line. No, we leave that behavior to the Left because they know they are in the position of weakness. It is not those in the right who have to quiet dissenting voices, it is those who know their ideas and principles are lacking and insufficient. The Left loves cancel culture and encourages Social Media to stop the voice of opposition because their arguments against those voices are not based on science or fact, but instead are simply based on "feelings" and a desire to control the narrative. This should come as little to no surprise because that's what's been happening ALL YEAR LONG. From people being told that rioting and looting were "mostly peaceful protest" TO any opinion on Covid that did not align with their messaging being de-platformed TO the Hunter Biden story being immediately labeled disinformation for fear it may negatively impact the Biden campaign TO no willingness to even examine the potential for voter anomalies and irregular voting patterns in the last election. And we could go on and on... all of these actions have one thing in common. They been done for the expressed purpose of silencing voices from the Right so that they cannot interfere with the narrative and opinions coming from the Left. And truth be told this is what the new Left has become over the last decades. 

Once, the Left was committed to the Voltaire's idea of "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."  And it was the Right that had to constantly defends it seeming desire to silence those who objected to this notion, but something changed. Perhaps it was the hatred the each side grew to have for the other, or the very real concern in their mind from the Left that the Right was trying to force a morality or view that they found too oppressive, but somewhere along the way the Left started to forcibly quiet the Right. From college campuses to local restaurants, if you were on the Right you no longer had the right to be heard or listened to or even allowed to simply peacefully enjoy a meal without being shouted down or protested against. And this was seen and celebrated by those on the Left as some sort of new normalcy! Plus with the rise of the Black Lives Matter and Antifa (one of the most ironic names ever) organizations promoting violence and the disintegration of western society, it suddenly became "en vogue" for Leftist actors use any means necessary to stop whomever they believed to be the enemy. A cultic type mindset has now taken over, where any nonbelievers must be excommunicated from society because the threat they bring to the new orthodoxy must be stopped. So if you DO NOT believe boys can simply turn into girls overnight, or that female sports should be for whoever "feels" like a female, or that Covid is worth destroying the economy and stopping people from worshipping freely, or that masks will protect you from everything, or Joe Biden is just a nice man serving his country; then you must be silenced. You are the enemy of the state, a domestic terrorist. Now that is frightening! 

How far are they willing to go? Time will only tell. Does this cause me to live in fear? NOPE! God is sovereign and He is still ruling and reigning from His throne. He will continue to accomplish His purposes for the good of His children and for the Glory of His name. Does this mean I should take all of this lying down? Not at all! God has providentially chosen for me to live in this country, therefore I should value and appreciate my citizenry here. I should not value it in the same way that I do my citizenship to my Heavenly City, but if my Earthly City needs protection and assistance then I should serve it joyfully to the Glory of God. Many of us believe that the reason this nation possesses any level of exceptionalism is because it has chosen in its founding to value those things that our Creator told us to value from the beginning. Some have chosen to focus on this nations shortcomings in always holding up those principles as a reason to attempt to overthrow it. I do not think that is the right mindset to have. All people have been created by God and in Him image. All people possess dignity, value, and worth and should be treated that way individually and under the law. That does not mean that every opinion is equally valid or should be equally valued, yet it should be heard. We must learn to respect each other for who we are, not for who others think we should be. If we do not start to live this way soon, American exceptionalism will not only be a thing of the past, so will America itself.

 https://www.wlbt.com/2021/01/26/resolution-would-make-mississippi-bill-rights-sanctuary-state-heres-what-that-means/

The 23rd Psalm Part 1

 

From the Pastor:

Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

The 23^rd Psalm is one of the most well-known chapters in all of the Scriptures. It is often turned to in times of trouble and loss, and certainly is a Psalm that brings comfort amid those crises in life. However, the 23^rd Psalm is more than just a Psalm for those dealing with difficulties and sadness in life, it’s a chapter that recognizes God’s goodness and mercy towards His sheep every step of the way.

From the very first stanza, David assures us of God’s providential care by telling us that “Jehovah is my shepherd.” David uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” and “my” in this Psalm, but David’s words are not for him alone. He is standing in the place of every believer as a model for how God cares for all of His sheep. And when he writes to tell us about this God who is the shepherd of his sheep, David uses the proper name for God, “Yahweh”, often translated in the Scriptures as “LORD”, with all of the letters being capitalized to show its uniqueness in identifying the proper name for God. In using “LORD” to begin his Psalm David is also displaying for the reader that it is the God who has made and rules over everything that cares for each and every one of his sheep. God knows all of His sheep by name, and in the New Testament Jesus would take this theme and say, “he calls his own sheep by name…” (John 10:3c). This is why David knows that with the Sovereign Lord as his shepherd he will never be without anything he could ever need. The God who gives life, and even better than that, who gives NEW life knows exactly what His sheep need and is constantly providing for them all that they need and more. None of the sheep of the LORD ever go without. To give understanding to this important point, David the reader with several examples of God’s shepherding care.

First, David writes, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures…” Notice David’s word usage, “He MAKES”. The Lord knows exactly when His sheep needs rest and He provides that for them. The Lord is not a heavy-handed shepherd driving His sheep to be over burdened or over worked. No! He is a gently and lowly shepherd that knows His sheep need rest, and when it is necessary, He makes sure they are able to rest in the choices of places. Second, He provides his sheep with restorative waters so they will never thirst. As you can probably already tell, Christ again, picks up on many of these themes in the New Testament as He teaches His followers about the life giving and sustaining of the Savior to grant His children bread that would make them never hunger and water that would make them never thirst. This is what the Father through the Son does for all His sheep. He provides them with the very elements they need to restored, His body and blood. Third, David states that God “leads… in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Why does God provide such care and love to his sheep? Why does He go to such links to give us everything we need and so much more? Why does He lead us down the path of obedience, holiness, and faithfulness to Him? For the Glory and Praise of His name! All that God does is for the “His name’s sake.” It is God and His name alone that deserves all the adulation and praise that man can muster. No one else, no other institution, no other claimed deity can do what God does for His sheep. God is always for God. For Him to be for anything or anyone else would make Him an idolater, just as it would us. He is the greatest of all Beings. Therefore, all that He does is designed for Him to be worshipped and praised from every corner of the globe by His sheep. And when His sheep recognize all that their loving, gracious Shepherd has done for them, they will and should praise His name forever and ever. Amen.

Next week I will work through Psalm 23:4 and examine how the Lord walks us through even the darkest of times.

21 Reasons That the Handwriting is on the Wall for the Abortion Industry

 I highly recommend this article published by Ligonier this morning. I pray that the author's words prove prophetic, and that the murdering of unborn children would  quickly come to a crashing end. 

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/reasons-abortion-industry/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1RNMk5qazNNemN3T0RCaSIsInQiOiJKZkxmejRSWUx6NExic0p6NXYrU0hMcFlYY1lDak9hRHlIQjNraEk2cnFONjBpcSszaTNlOGppd3NTc1psT2tFcVwvUWZuQzdLNEZMdlhxU1hTejRcL2tKWXREOWVGQmZBdlh6UkRwUklUd2thUnBuNHVGQ3BkYXFNUFUxRVFicXJZIn0%3D

Christianity v. Woke-ness

     Christianity is the belief that through the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus there is forgiveness of sins, and fallen, sinful human beings can be declared righteous by God, being made sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. This is the Christian Gospel and has been for 2000 years. This Gospel provides salvation for men and women, boys and girls, white and black, Asian and European, African and American, rich and poor, learned and unlearned. In other words, it promises salvation for any and all who confess faith in Christ. Once that person comes to Christ in saving faith all their sins are forgiven and their true identity is in Christ. No longer is their core identity to be their job, talents, physical attributes, or level of intelligence; rather they are now sons and daughters of God, and brothers and sisters with Christ and one another. All past and future sins are put away through the sacrificial work of Jesus and people express their oneness in local church membership and participation as the body of Christ Jesus. That's Christianity 101 made simple.

      In stark contrast to this is the new religion of Woke-ness. I refer to it as a religion because it has all the elements of a religion. Ultimately, however, it is a false religion that Christians must be aware of due to its luring many professing believers away from Biblical Orthodoxy. I know that many have written on the subject and that my opinions on this may seem like piling on, but Paul warns the church in Colossae, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ,” (Colossians 2:8). My great fear is that many people who formerly recognized themselves as being in Christ and in his Body have now, through falling prey to human philosophy and the spirit of this age, found themselves on the outside of the Christian faith, even now advocating for a "new" faith that is not Christian at all.

      Woke ideology, in its most simplistic form, means that a person has become aware (woke) of perceived social and racial injustices that occur in society. Many that hold to this ideology do so because they mainly see the world and society through the lens of race and identity groups. Paired with this ideology is the ideology of intersectionality that also sees people as only members of their identity group(s), and ranks their level of importance/value in the oppression scale accordingly. These ideologies are also tied very closely to Critical Theory, a Marxist ideology that once again focuses on people as potential members of oppressed groups that are being continually marginalized and held down by oppressors. From these ideologies rise the negative views of hierarchical structures, the patriarchy, and white privilege. Wokeness, intersectionality, and Critical Theory desire to throw off any perceived structures by which certain groups of people have been oppressed, which can contain everything from the rule of law to fatherhood. The whole purpose of these ideologies is to throw life into chaos and away from order, as well as to promote group experiences and stereotypes above individual worth. Even in the current fad of "Anti-racism" the only way a person can stop being a "racist" (and all white people are considered racist in this ideology) is to see everything through the lens of race and work against all these structures that perpetuate the oppression of non-whites.

      Ultimately, the saddest, but predictable, consequence of these ideologies is that there is never forgiveness of whatever perceived grievances one has committed simply because of their color of skin or their identification as a man in the historical sense. One must always be working to gain forgiveness, but it doesn't seem like it is every really obtainable. This ideology places its observants in the terrible position of never being truly united or together, due to one group always being oppressed by another, and there are always sacrifices to make. It is like being under the Old Covenant with its continual sacrifices, but even worse because these sacrifices have no promise or picture of salvation to point to. There's no love offered in these ideologies, only perpetual hate, victimhood, and oppression. There's no unity, because it's constantly dividing people. There is never hope, because there is no way to achieve any form of forgiveness.

      This is why Christians and Christianity must reject woke-ness in any of its forms. The Biblical Gospel designs to make all people in Christ one people in the body of Christ. Paul makes this very clear in his letter to the church at Galatia when he writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

      Perhaps there is some level of hyperbole in Paul's language because he does not mean that this side of heaven we cease to be the people God created us to be, but due to our identity in Christ, our relationship to God and our fellow believers matters more than our previous categories. This is why there is only true unity in the body of Christ, most clearly seen in the local church with people of different gifts and talents coming together to separate those unique qualities to build up one another and make the body stronger. Instead of seeing ourselves by our identifying markers, we see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ whom we love and support. We fight for justice and equality according to biblical standards; we aid the poor and the downcast together; we pursue holiness and righteousness as revealed in God's Word. The Bible offers structures and order for the body of Christ because God is not a god of disorder but of order. He puts responsibilities on some that he does not put on others. God does this through His Word not to divide us, but to further unite us under a standard that He has structured for our good and His glory.

      This is why Christianity and Woke-ness cannot co-exist. They are antithetical to one another because disunity cannot produce unity. Chaos cannot produce order. Seeing people as nothing more than their skin pigmentation is just as dangerous as only seeing them according to their stereotypes. Instead, Christians should disregard everything that CT, Intersectionality, and Woke-ness "false-prophets" continue to push onto society and especially the church. Only Christ unifies. Only the Christian Gospel provide forgiveness of sin. May the Spirit of God open the eyes of the blind to their need for Christ and the repudiation of all false gospels.

The Sanctity of Human Life

I am unapologetically pro-life. I think abortion on demand is the greatest evil of this age, and I don't think it is even close. Some would argue that racism is still a greater threat, but I would argue that once the Civil Rights Act was passed and state sponsored racism was ended its not even a close debate. Abortion is the state sponsored and supported  murdering of unborn children. And whether that murder is done by pharmaceutical or surgical means does not matter to me, because both are heinous and evil. Besides, whatever claims the pro-child murder crowd wants to make the statistics and science are clear, abortion kills unborn children. As a matter of fact it kills black children at a rate of 3.5 times as many white children. 

Soooooo, if one wants to make the argument that racism is still alive and well in the US, I would agree if they mean that abortion is the means today of ridding America of black or brown babies. One cannot be consistently racist and be pro-life. Being pro-life means being overwhelmingly in support of a minorities right to live. And please stop with the argument that being pro-life just means being pro-birth. Without Christian organizations supporting life after birth, whether that be orphanages, homes, or other institutions many children would go uncared for by the state at all. I would continue to argue that it is the state that has pushed the church and other Christian institutions out of the arena of caring for the poor, sick, and needy because they have put onerous demands on non-profits and added regulations to make the state the sole caregiver of these groups of people for their own destructive purposes. Christians care tremendously about these groups and it is only belief in a false narrative that would suggest otherwise. 

That's why when any confessing Christian anywhere says that they willingly support candidates that are not pro-life, I don't think they honestly understand what it means to confess Christ. I truly do not believe one can be consistently Christian as the Bible demands and support any candidate that does not believe in the sanctity of human life. It is a simple litmus test, and sure there have been plenty of politicians who have abused this position just for the sake of gaining votes, but it is one that every believer must have. If you believe that God is the Creator and Sustainer of all of life, then you must support a child's right to not be killed in the womb. You must vote that way and you must advocate for their right to life. To not see this as the greatest issue of our day is to be willfully deaf, dumb, and blind to reality. We are nearing the 60,000,000 (that's million) babies murdered by abortion on demand since the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, and because of the rise of pharmaceutical abortions that actual number is probably well into the 100's of millions of babies murdered just here in the US. When taking all countries into consideration the number of children murdered by abortion undoubtedly reaches into the BILLIONS. 

America has aborted more babies a year on average than Covid has come close to killing. People shake their heads at 3,000 people dying a day to Covid, while that has been the average of babies murdered by abortion on demand for over 40 years now! Please do not tell me you care for human life or human dignity when you have no desire to stop the most vulnerable and innocent from suffering through procedures that rip them limb from limb, partially allow their birth so that their necks can be severed, or mother's given a pill that leads to babies being forcibly aborted and simply flushed down the toilet. A BABY treated like a pet fish that goes belly up in the bowl??? How barbaric are we? And you want to tell me that voting for the party that thinks this should be expanded or forced on businesses to provide for their employees (suggesting its not morally reprehensible but ethically neutral to the American people) is the party of peace, love, happiness??? Get a grip! 

Truth demands that we be honest about our positions. Say that you think the Republican party is an evil party that wants old people to die... what states willfully put old people back in nursing homes with Covid that led to the death of thousands of elderly patients? That's right, the liberal ones. What states have had leaders show inconsistencies in carrying out their own lock down policies or mask orders? That's right, the liberal ones. What states have made the poor, the needy, and the marginalized wards of the state, and over the last 60 years have failed in lifting people up through education, better jobs, and competitive incomes? That's right the liberal ones. Even where states that are considered right of center have struggled, most of those struggles can be traced back to their democrat history that put them in terrible positions to help those in need. I do not believe that anything the left offers is made in good faith, whether its healthcare, social security, or public education, it's all done for the sake of turning more people into slaves of the state. And that especially goes for their new pet project Universal Basic Income! Another plan to de-incentivize people to work, educate, or empower themselves or to make their lives better and move away from liberal controlled cities that care nothing about them. But I digress...

Nothing the left offers appeals to me. Sure, at one time you could at least count on them to be the party that cared for civil liberties, although they didn't think it applied to the unborn, and now you can't even get their united support for freedom of speech, religion, or assembly! All of this leads to a clear picture for advocates of life, you cannot vote, support, or entertain the notion that anyone is worth your time if they are not pro-life. If you cannot get the question of life right, I do not think you can rightly assess any other important questions. Sure, even a stopped clock is right twice a day, but that is the exception and not the rule. Worldview MATTERS! Platitudes and lofty words may tickle the ears, but without a consistent worldview or standard of morality informing those words then it is all sophistry, vanity, meaningless. More children will die under this administration even if surgical abortions decrease because they will make abortifacients more accessible and more widely used. Do not be fooled by those that claim otherwise. Murdering a baby at 4 weeks verses 40 does not make their death more excusable or tolerable. Flushing them down a toilet rather than having their remains removed by Planned Parenthood does not make their death less suitable. If you voted for this incoming administration you contributed to the continuation of the culture of death. You have not voted in the best interest of the unborn, you have only aided in their continual murder.  

For more information and facts, read these articles below...

https://disrn.com/news/biden-to-rollback-trumps-pro-life-policies-introduce-new-pro-abortion-legislation

https://world.wng.org/2021/01/chemical_killer

https://world.wng.org/2021/01/historical_fiction

https://world.wng.org/2021/01/the_unseen_faces_of_abortion

https://world.wng.org/2021/01/the_pill_and_the_pandemic

The Folly of Atheism

 

From the Pastor:

 

Psalm 14:1

The fool has said in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt,

They have done abominable works,

There is none who does good.

 

Last week I spent a good portion of my time considering the Truth of God’s Word. Bro. Joseph asked me to lead the Wednesday night Student and Parent Bible Study and my topic for that evening was “the Belt of Truth.” That’s what prompted my study, and that topic has been on my mind since. Then, we had Sean Pasley come this past Sunday and share with the church his intentions to go to France to serve as a missionary of the BMAA in that country. Once again, the issue of objective truth and the truth of God’s Word was at the forefront of my mind, because France is a country that almost entirely has moved away from any standard of truth in the pursuit of secularism. These points even came up during a recent conversation I had with a friend about an apologetics video he had seen where the Christian kept pointing out to the non-believers that he was speaking with about their inability to rightly understand truth without a Christian worldview. I mention all of this because when I came across this Psalm in our daily bible reading plan last week, I knew that I wanted to highlight its significance for us this week so that we as a church would better understand why we need the objective truth of God’s Word, and even more importantly, God himself to be the standard of truth in our lives.

This Psalm, which Paul later quotes in Romans 3 to prove the universality of the fallen human condition, begins by highlighting the main problem the “fool” suffers from. Now, understand that the term “fool” in the bible is not used to denote a lack of intelligence, but rather a term used to point to someone who does not possess the ability to make moral choices. He or she may have all the worldly intelligence one can possess, but in their folly they do not see the immorality that they are living in. That is why David says that for all practical reason the fool has denied, rejected, and abandoned the concept of a living God. This is what the fool has done whether intentionally or not. They have rejected God as the Creator, Lord, and Judge of their life and have become a god unto themselves.

This should not be a surprise to any of us, because in stark terms this was the first sin of humanity in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve rejected the standard and truth of God in hopes of becoming gods themselves. They wanted to throw off the shackles of being the Creature and somehow become their own masters. For any human being this is an impossible task whether or not they have heard the Gospel, understand monotheism, or have ever heard of the Bible. It is only a fool who would claim that there is no God and that they themselves and the arbiter of right and wrong, good and bad, or truth and falsity. The fallen human condition makes this impossible for any man or woman, boy or girl.

This is why we need the revealed Word of God contained in the Holy Scriptures to teach us about who God is and what He requires of man. This is why we need God’s law to teach us His standard of morality. This is why we need God’s Gospel to teach us how we can be saved from the punishment brought about by our sin. This is why we need God’s wisdom to tell us how we can then live as His children in a fallen world. Human beings by nature are prone to seek out “many schemes,’” as Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes (8:29). We would rather create our own gods, make up our own morality, or simply become a god unto ourselves. But in the end, all of this is folly and will only lead to destruction. There is one hope and one source of truth and that is the Holy Triune God of the universe. His standard, his Word is true and that truth, like Him, will never change.

 

Hong Kong's Fight for Freedom

https://world.wng.org/2021/01/clampdown_on_democracy

If you have not read about what is going on in Hong Kong, let me encourage you to read this article in World Magazine. It's an update on the latest crackdowns attempted by the Communist Chinese party on the people of Hong Kong, and should give everyone around the world great continued and increasing concerns about the true intentions of the Communist Chinese Party. As Christians we should be praying repeatedly for our brothers and sisters in Hong Kong who are fighting for their freedoms, as we should also should be praying for all believers around the world and their peace, safety, and well being.  

Cleaning Up Our Capitol Mess

     Well it's been a little bit since I shared any of my thoughts on the recent political and social developments of the day so why not go ahead and let it all out now. One of the main reasons I am so glad to be off social media these days is because I don't think my sanity would have remained had I been reading all of the conspiracy theories surrounding the election, the Covid, and the Capitol riots that have transpired over the last two months. However, one of the things I do miss is seeing all the handwringing concerning the end of the Republic by all sorts of people who would have sworn on their mother's graves that Trump was going to win the election, and even when the results didn't turn out like they wanted were still convinced that the "Kraken" was about to be released upon the American people and justice for all was merely a Sidney Powell press conference away. 

    Call me jaded but I never bought the hype for one second. Yes, I know all about the irregularities, the Biden only ballots, the infinitesimally small number of mail-in ballots thrown out compared to the averages, and all the rest of it; but I never believed it was enough to overturn any state wide elections, and certainly not by Rudy Giuliani. You can conjecture all you want in the media, but when it comes to a courtroom you better have the goods or your case is trash. Time after time when given the opportunity to show the goods they never did. Without sufficient evidence you cannot prove a crime or fraud actually happened. That's the fault of Trump's election legal team, not the state courts, the supreme courts, or congress. 

    Yet, none of the facts have slowed people down from expressing one conspiracy theory after another about all of these matters. And just to be clear, Christians that go along with conspiracy theories are living in violation of Scripture. In an earlier post I wrote about not living by lies, as the essay (https://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles/SolhenitsynLies.php) from Alexander Solzhenitsyn promotes. I continue to think that this principle is being greatly ignored by a huge percentage of believers, and it is being ignored to our shame and detriment. It is one thing for our Faith to be shunned, ignored, ridiculed, or mocked by the media and social elite. It is another to promote QAnon or any other right-wing leaning conspiracy theories that destroy our credibility as people who live by and promote the truth. Yes, we have a right to be concerned about our country and it's destruction, but NOT at the price of promoting truth and living with integrity. 

    The Apostle Peter makes clear that no Christian should suffer as a "murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler," because for any confessing Christian to suffer under these accusations would not be considered suffering at all, but rather justified shame because of their violations of the law of God and man. Peter goes on to state that if anyone suffers for being a Christian however, there is no shame at all in that situation because you are suffering for the name and glory of God. 

    That is why Christians can never become slaves to politicians or political parties, because all that ensues is acquiescing to cults of personalities or worse. That is why so many people have denied reality for the sake of Trump, because they actually believed that a narcissistic, self-promoter would save the Republic. Not to take away many of the good things that President Trump did accomplish in his four years, and not to ignore the support that he gained for his better governing over and above his rhetoric, however, when push came to shove it was always about Trump outdoing Obama, the media, and the rest of his perceived antagonist way more than it was about him improving America. This is why he had little to no problem with the demonstrations at the Capitol until it truly did get out of hand and ended up reflecting poorly on him universally speaking. No, his words alone aren't grounds for giving him the full blame for the loss of life, the breaking down of societal norms, or the appearance of a failing government that the pictures demonstrated; but he certainly did not quell the situation when given the opportunity and in that he bares responsibility. 

    Of course, I would also argue that the entire events of the year have been culminating in the moments we have seen recently. From being gaslighted by the media and told that riots were actually "mostly peaceful protest", to democrats ignoring the looting and burning of businesses, to calls for further insurrection by those considered marginalized by the right according to the "Woke", to conspiracy theories about EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN and probably even the SUN ITSELF, I don't see how anyone can be shocked by anything that happens from here on out. Rumors of martial law being declared, cession by the liberals or the conservative states, or the Republic being altogether lost at the hands of the geriatric incoming President and his Democrat controlled congress... all of it begins to blend together like a rotten smoothie, and I'm not having any of it.

    Can we just calm down the rhetoric a bit and breath for a second? I actually don't think things are as bad as everyone wants to convince you they are. As a matter of fact prior to this year and the Covid outbreak (thanks China), things around the world were getting remarkably better. From poverty, to food and water availability, to education, and infectious disease control everything was on a momentous upward improvement. And even with Covid sidetracking much of that, because of all the good things in place most believe that a quick recovery is inevitable in much of the world once Covid runs its course or the vaccine is rightly administered. 

    This is why I think much of the trouble that is promoted today is artificial. It's just another ploy by people who live and work in the anger business. Media, politicians, and strategist think that they are only necessary if a crisis is at hand. They peddle their wares on fear and anxiety. They need you to be worked up and aggravated about an issue for you to react the way they want. That is why you and I can no longer live this way. WE CANNOT LIVE BY FEAR just like we cannot live by lies. Fear is an enemy. It is a master that demands full submission. Even just a little fear will drive you to alter your life and your beliefs to the point that you begin to make all of your decisions and choices in life according to the fear you feel. Do not live this way! Fight fear! Fight it with reality and truth. Fight it with common sense and observation of the facts. Fight it with a Christian worldview armed to take down principalities and powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness. Fight fear with light by shining the spotlight of truth on everything you read, hear, watch, and speak. Fight fear with love! Love of God and love of neighbor fights fear ferociously because it refuses to see people as enemies, objects of wrath, or non-image bearers of God. Fight fear with kindness. Heap coals of kindness on those who would want to bring you down or lure you with lies designed for you to be caught in the trappings of fear. Fight fear for your family's sake and for all of your loved ones. Don't let them see you be taken in by fear so that they will have strength to fight the good fight when it comes to their door. 

    When we as a people can live according to the truth and reject the fearmongering of those seeking power over us, we will be united once again. We may not all agree, but at least we will assume the best and not the worst of one another. We can at least have open dialogue and work out our differences responsibly. We won't fear free speech, religion, or any of our other enumerated rights because we will graciously allow for the free exchange of ideas knowing that it is only true speech that can drive away lies and fear. People do need a voice today, but that voice must be one willing to be submissive to truth and reality. Cancelling speech, people, or politicians will not bring about unity or peace, it will only insight more fear and false narratives. We must live by truth and fight against fear. It's the only way peace and prosperity can continue. 

Faith Alone

 

From the Pastor:

Genesis 15:6

And he (Abram) believed in the LORD, and He (God) accounted it to him for righteousness.

In the reading plan last week, we came across one of the most crucial verses in the Holy Scriptures. Now, that may sound a little hyperbolic to some of you, but if we look ahead in the Bible and see how this verse is later quoted by the Apostle Paul (Romans 4:3,22; Galatians 3:6) we will quickly understand its significance. This verse, recorded at the very beginning of the Judeo/Christian epoch, makes clear that for a person to be declared righteous before God he or she must have faith in the promises of God as the grounds of that inherited righteousness. In other words, without faith in God no one will be saved. Faith is the means by which we receive the promises of God made by His Word. Faith is our response to the truth claims of Scripture. Again, “without faith,” the writer of Hebrews states, “it is impossible to please God.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

Let us now take a closer look at Abram’s faith. What exactly was Abram placing his faith in? First of all, he was placing his faith in the fact that God had told him he would have a son. Chapter 12 of Genesis tells us of Abram’s first encounter with God. In that encounter God calls Abram out of the land of Haran to the land of Canaan, so that he may grant to him and his descendants a place for them to grow into a great nation dedicated to serving the Lord and being a blessing to all the people of the earth. Abram was already 75 years old at the time and had yet to father any children with his wife Sarai, so the idea of him becoming the father of a great nation seemed a little farfetched. However, God continue to intervene and communion with Abram to constantly remind him of what He had promised. Years had passed and Abram had yet to have a child with Sarai and the prospects of this occurring only seemed to be growing darker. Yet again, the Lord appeared to Abram to reassure him that he would indeed have a child with Sarai just as God had promised, and that his offspring would as numerous as the stars in the sky. That is when Moses tells us in Genesis that Abram believed God.

Abram believed God even though he had no child with Sarai. He believed God even though he did not have any land of his own. He believed God even though it seemed impossible for God to fulfill what had been promised. And because he believed Abram was declared righteous before God. He was declared righteous even when the very next chapter tells us that he would try and usurp God’s plan and have a child with Hagar instead of Sarai. He was declared righteous even before he had been circumcised as a seal of the covenant promises of God. He was declared righteous even before he would be tested with sacrificing Isaac back to God. You see God’s work of granting faith and declaring a person righteous are all based on the work and promises of God and his ability alone to work true salvation in the soul of an individual. This is what makes this verse so very important. The revelation that God’s plan of salvation would be a plan received not by works or deeds, but by faith alone in the promises of God. That is why when we come to Christ today through saving faith, we too are considered children of Abraham the Father of the Faithful.

The Necessity of Prayer

 

From the Pastor:

Psalm 4:1

Hear me while I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

This year to help encourage you with our daily bible reading plan, I will highlight a portion of the weekly reading in my “From the Pastor” section. As I mentioned last week, daily Bible intake is one of the most important habits that Christians can develop for their spiritual maturity. The other most important discipline that we can develop is prayer. That’s why I have highlighted this portion of Psalm 4 for this week. Pray is an incredible tool for the believer because it puts us in contact with our Heavenly Father. When we calm our mind and concentrate on spending time with God in prayer, we allow for the Word that we have read and the Spirit that works through that Word to lead us in meditation and communication with the Heavenly Father. Of course, God already knows what we need before we ever ask, but the very practice of taking time to talk to God in prayer shows our humility to go to the One who can meet our needs and grant our request. Most of the time when we forget, refuse, or simply do not make the time for prayer, whether we realize it or not we are telling God that we don’t need his help, guidance, or input to aid us in living our lives. This is a terrible practice that will lead to terrible consequences. Our need for God’s help each and every day is incalculable. We desperately need God direct us through every moment of life whether times are good or bad.

The Psalmist begins this hymn by asking that God would hear him when he calls to him in prayer. This may sound like a simple or even silly request, but the Psalmist is highlighting from the very beginning the necessity of God hearing us. That’s why he brackets the first verse with this request, “Hear me while I call… hear my prayer.” Unless the Lord gives ear, our petitions will go unheard and unanswered. That is a fearful proposition because, as we’ve already mentioned, we need God to hear us call to him in prayer because we need his guidance, grace, mercy, and divine intervention to make it through this fallen world. The Psalmist recognizes that already God has provided him with righteousness and has been the reliever of his times of stressing, so he understands very well how the Lord has sustained him and provided for him up to this point in his life. As the Psalm continues there is the continued realization that God has set apart the writer in some way so that the he may be heard by God when he calls to him in prayer, and that this knowledge calms his anger, allows him to trust the Lord, gives him unrivaled joy, and assures him of safety even as he sleeps. These are just a few of the important benefits of daily prayer in the life of the believer, but they are more than just benefits in so many ways. These things mentioned are incredibly necessary for us to survive life in a fallen world. No, we may not experience the same types of difficulties that King David experienced in his life, but we will encounter our own struggles and without the aid of our Heavenly Father we will not endure well. That’s why we need prayer to confess our weaknesses and the Holy Scriptures to make clear how God has already answered those prayers through His Son and by His Spirit.