 I Deserved That
The other day my son Corey was assigned a writing project and he struggled for several hours with writer's block. I’m sure most of us can relate to the difficulties of this kind of creative assignment. As any good father would, I began to give him some tips about how I deal with the same type of creative problem when writing this weekly article. Wouldn’t you know it, after giving Corey advice about dealing with his writer’s block I have experienced something of my own struggle today to come up with a topic for discussion. This is not really unique. I find that almost every week as I study the scriptures to be prepared to teach and instruct our congregation that I deal in some way personally with the point of the text. I believe that this is because as believers our interaction with the Bible is not merely an academic exercise but a true interaction with the living and abiding word (1 Peter 1:23). We must remember that the Word of God is living and active so it will never suffice for a cold dead study of the pages of holy writ (Hebrews 4:12). Harvesting When it comes to gleaning truth from the Bible, it really is a matter of sowing and reaping. The more we engage with the Scriptures by reading, meditating, studying, and praying then the more we can expect to learn and grow the word that we have hidden in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). Study of the Bible is not simply about intellectually knowing the content of the various verses and passages but getting to know the word as the method of communication with the Lord who we love and who loves us. But it’s not only studying the Bible but seeking the Lord through the intimate conversation called prayer. Jesus taught us to come to the Father with a personal appeal for our very real and legitimate needs (Matthew 6:9-13). When we pray, it is not the transactional benefit of requests and answers which is actually most beneficial, but the experience of drawing near to the Lord, that is most necessary for us. Even in the church we can see that this is true. The more we fellowship and share with one another about our lives and build relationships with the brothers and sisters in our own local church the more we will be blessed by the fruit of these God ordained relationships. However, if we do not engage in meaningful fellowship and interaction in the church, but rather treat it as a religious task to be accomplished and marked off the chore list for the week, then we can expect to reap sparingly in comparison to how we have sown. Better Than I Deserve But praise God, we do not only receive the portion expected but when we seek the Lord His blessings are abundant. Do you remember in Jesus’ parable about the talents, how he said that to “everyone who has even more will be given but to the one who has not even what he has will be taken away”(Matthew 25:14-30)? In this text, Jesus is pointing out just how abundant the blessings are for those who are truly following Him. Of course, the point is not about monetary wealth but rather the spiritual riches that are stored away in heaven free of corrosion, corruption, or crime (Luke 12:33-34). Most importantly, as those who have been recipients of God's grace in Jesus Christ we are always living lives that we know are better than we deserve. Not only now but we possess a hope for eternal life which is promised to us by our God how is truth itself (Titus 1:2).
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 Stop It!
I saw a list of the famous people who have died this year. Among the many people familiar to people of my generation and before was Bob Newhart. One of the comedic bits that he was well known for was that he would play a psychiatrist who would listen intently and patiently to the problems of the patient then would calmly tell them that he had the solution for their problem. Then he would scream, “Stop It!” This week there was a debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. I watched about fifteen or twenty minutes of it until I couldn’t bear it anymore. During the portion that I watched, I wanted to say to both candidates, “Stop it.” It really isn’t accurate to call the political fiasco that these presidential meetings have become “debates.” They are not debates, where policies and issues are put forward to the voters, but rather a mixture bashing one another and bragging on their perceived or fabricated personal accomplishments. Witnessing the depraved nature of modern politics stirs up several genuine emotions. First, it kindles real anger at the selfish and silly behavior of both candidates while so many truly important and consequential issues are at stake. Secondly, it grieves me to see the evil that is being promoted and celebrated (more on this below). Most of all, this display prompts fear. But not fear of the government or societal collapse but rather a holy fear of God. We, as a nation, need to fear God and turn to Him in reverent awe of His holiness and justice, in humble and genuine repentance, while pleading for His merciful kindness, glorious graciousness, and steadfast love to be poured out on our land. Woe As I listened to the candidates hurl their insults and spew lies back and forth one text of scripture kept coming to mind. This text was especially clearly demonstrated during the several times that Vice President Harris said that restrictions on abortion were “immoral.” No, Madam Vice President, abortion is immoral! President Trump isn’t much better repeating over and over that abortion should be ok in the cases of the exceptions. But abortion is murder and murder is always immoral. So what is this Bible text that seems so relevant? Isaiah 5:18-23 18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, 19 who say: “Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!” 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! 22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, 23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right! I think that the examples in the debate are so obvious and plentiful that I will simply move on to some points from the text. Notice that the first woe is perversity being promoted with lies. That is what is meant by the phrase “draw iniquity with cords of falsehood.” In the debate, it was not just the candidates but even the moderators and media who cared more about their agenda than they did about truth. But verse twenty is the most obvious part, as evil things (even the murder of unborn infants) are called “healthcare” while restricting these moral atrocities is called “immoral.” Even with all the stage lighting in the world this debate was as black as a moonless midnight sky. While both candidates were hoping to wield words that would be sweet to the ears of voters, the bitter vitriol was clear for anyone with ears to hear. Finally, verse twenty one clearly denotes the danger for those full of pride. Unfortunately, our modern political process is dominated not by humble confidence but by arrogant hubris. Speak Up So what should we do in light of all this evil and vicious speech? We must instead speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15-16). We must not shrink back (Hebrews 10:32-39) from declaring the truth of the moral instructions given in God’s law and demonstrated by the perfect life of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:19-26). Also, we must continue to proclaim the greatness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only hope of our country or our world is faith in Jesus Christ!  Rough
Some things are just hard. Everyone goes through things that are difficult. Unfortunately, many people miss the times of blessing because they are always focusing on the negative things that have happened or they are worried about what will happen next. Oftentimes, we get trapped into a pattern of categorizing everything that happens as either good or bad. However, the truth is that if we truly believe that God is in control and that God has a wise and ultimately good plan for us as His people, then we must seek to understand the purpose behind everything that God brings or allows in our lives. The Will of God This last Sunday, Matthew brought such a good message to us from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. As we considered this text, my mind and heart was captured by verse 3 which says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” I have often thought about discerning God’s will as trying to figure out the particular choice or decision that He would want for me to make. As a result I was always assured that making the “right” decision would obviously lead to a better, easier, more pleasurable outcome. But even as I write this, I hope you can see the subtle form of prosperity gospel hidden in this kind of thinking. The flaw in my thinking has to do with the assumption that what God desires for us is our pleasure and happiness. We probably project this on to God because we desire for ourselves pleasure and happiness. But thinking about this verse helps me to understand that what God wills for me is my sanctification. Sanctification simply means that God wants us to be holy (1 Peter 1:14-16). But if holiness and not happiness is at the heart of God’s will then maybe the methods and mechanics that He chooses may look different than the pleasure and ease that I had assumed. Hard things and difficult circumstances are not merely tolerated by God for a season but ordained by God for our sanctification. The Word of God But someone will say, “didn’t Jesus pray to the Father that His followers would be sanctified in the truth which is God’s word?” The answer to that is yes (John 17:17). Jesus knew that to be sanctified believers needed the pure truth of the Word of God. But we not only need to know the truth of these doctrines but we need to obey and observe them (Matthew 28:19-20). The reality is that God has not called us to merely know the truth but to believe it. But to genuinely believe it means that our actions must be conformed to it (Romans 12:1-2). The Work of God But be assured, I am not saying that this is to be accomplished in our own puny strength. Rather, the Scripture teaches that our sanctification is the work of God. When Paul was writing to the Philippians concerning this very issue of the Christian’s sanctification he was clear that our working out of our salvation is the result of God working in us according to what pleases Him (Philippians 2:12-13). The Point of this article is that God will many times use even painful hardships to refine us as believers. Iron sharpens iron because of the hard and abrasive friction. In the same way God uses hard things to strengthen and sharpen His people (Proverbs 27:17). Ultimately, we must conclude that if God has begun the good work in us by bringing us to Himself (Philippians 1:6) then it will be continued in our growing sanctification toward the final glorification promised by God.  Popular
I think that I have lived through three cycles of country or western style being popular. When I was child in the eighties, Barbara Mandrell had a popular song called “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” which I guess pointed at a boost in popularity at that time. But, the first time that I recognized this phenomenon was in the early 1990’s. I call this the 8 seconds of the pure country era. Rodeo, and especially professional bull riding, was becoming more popular with the Bull Riders Only tour then later the PBR. Musical artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Reba McEntire were among the largest celebrities in the world. Hollywood was producing blockbuster movies such as 8 Seconds, Pure Country, and Tombstone. All of this was because even people who were not themselves residents of rural areas or involved in farming and ranching lifestyles were attracted to the form and the fashion. The second period that I will point to is the middle to late 2000’s. This was less broad and impactful but in this timeframe country and western styles became even more mainstream. Many artists from popular shows such as American Idol chose to go into country music rather than the pop genre. RFD TV and other media outlets were catering to the market. This could probably be called the millennial era of popularity. The latest era that I have noticed is actually happening right now. I called this the Yellowstone Era. It is not just the popularity of the show but the accessibility of social media. Figures like Dale Brisby, and thousands of other accounts, are making the everyday exploits and shenanigans of the rural and ranching lifestyle entertaining and publicized. My point is that this is not just true with regard to Country as a genre of music or style of apparel. Rather this is true of many other things in our lives. There is an ebb and flow to the seasons of our lives and to the interests and focus of our society. Yet, we are what remains genuine throughout these seasons. Remember Barbara Mandrell’s song from earlier? Those who can look back and see that during these periods they bought a pair of boots or a straw hat but only for those periods of popularity aren’t really country people. Just like someone might buy some JNCO jeans and go to Ska or heavy metal concerts in college but they don’t continue in that lifestyle. What is really true is how the person lives their life over time, not just caught up in a style for a season. This can also happen spiritually. Many people cycle through different spiritual beliefs without establishing bedrock principles and a source from which to anchor their soul. In this condition, they become easily swayed about by every new teaching. In this text (Ephesians 4:11-14), the Apostle Paul is calling on believers to grow up into maturity. I don’t want to sound like the cranky old man blaming everything on youth, but we can see that often these culture swings are closely associated with youth culture. So often, these movements among larger populations in terms of spiritual beliefs also happen among younger demographics. But as people who have come to trust in Christ we do have an anchor for the soul which is our hope in Christ (Hebrews 6:19-20)! Also, we do have a source for truth and reality which is the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Paul also dealt with something like this phenomenon when he proclaimed the gospel to the pagan culture of Athens. They, much like our modern culture, had an insatiable appetite for that which is novel and alternative (Acts 17:21). So what did Paul do in this environment? He proclaimed who God is, as Creator, Ruler, Judge, and Savior! So many styles, fashions, and cycles may come and go but eternity is founded on the rock and the rock is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)! So today, if you are separated from God by the guilty of your sin, don’t remain there because of unbelief but rather trust in Jesus and be secured in your soul!  Bendability
I didn’t really watch the Olympics this year. I must admit that this is not some kind of boycott or moral protest on my part, but simply the fact that I do not have much interest in it. But in years past, when I have watched some of the events that I wouldn’t usually be watching such as the gymnastics, diving, or skating competitions, I have been amazed at the flexibility exhibited by these athletes. Many of their postures and maneuvers would seem to be almost inconceivable that the body could be manipulated and contourted in such a way. These types of impressive displays of flexibility are the result of countless hours of exercise and stretching to build this level of movement without damage to the bones and tissues of the body. In today’s post, I would like to ponder the limits of intellectual, spiritual, and relational flexibility without sacrificing Biblical faithfulness and spiritual fidelity. Humility I think we must begin by pointing out the foundation of humility that is the bedrock of the applied Christian ethic. While God has revealed Himself clearly in the Scriptures we must always acknowledge the limitations of our own frailty. We must stand boldly for the truth revealed in the Bible but be careful not to turn our every conclusion into an untouchable dogma. If our understanding is accurate then our interpretation can withstand serious study and examination. We must be on guard against a particular kind of hubris that would make us think that because we have the benefit of so much accumulated information and theological commentary over the last two millennia, that we are somehow more advanced than those who have come before us. Theological and intellectual flexibility requires that we be able to distinguish between those truths that are the core of our faith and the center of the revelation concerning God and His gospel and those areas of study that are less clear. One danger is that we would go beyond what is written in the Bible (1 Corinthians 4:6) and begin to speculate about things that God has not revealed to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). This means that we must have the humility to admit what we do not know and what we cannot know. Clarity We also must be bold enough to state clearly and courageously what we do know and believe. We must be afraid to confront evil or error when we know the truth. When we encounter sin we must not be afraid to call evil by its name (Isaiah 5:20). I will give just one example. I also must admit that this example is one where I have failed to speak up for the truth at times. It has become popular in our day to see anxiety as an ailment or mental illness. But the Bible clearly commands us to not be anxious (Philippians 4:6). Faith is the opposite of fear and anxiety. So we must be willing to call on those struggling with fear and anxiety to acknowledge that it is sin and repent of it. I believe that there are many people, even Christians struggling to battle this sin because they don’t even realize that it is a sin. Charity Finally, if we are going to be able to enjoy the freedom of flexibility without compromising our integrity, then we must bathe everything in charity. The Bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). One of the reasons that Jesus was able to deal so perfectly and skillfully with the hypocrisy of His enemies (Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, etc) was because He truly loved His enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). It is easy to assume the worst motives or meanings from other people, but as believers love would mean that we must hope all things and believe all things and endure all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Since this is the case let me leave you with this popular statement from church history “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”  Medals
The Olympics recently ended. I’m not really sure who won in almost any of the events. But I do know that the goal of the athletes was to win the gold. These competitors have worked hard for years to prepare their bodies and hone their skills so that they could win the gold metal. If not the gold then they would hope to win the silver or the bronze. But why? Couldn’t they just buy that weight in gold or silver or bronze and have it cast like an Olympic medal? We all know that the answer is no. The reason is because the medal would not signify the accomplishment. It is not actually the medal that these athletes want but rather the recognition that they won the competition. They want everyone to know that they are the best at their particular event. For most of these men and women the sport that they are competing in is not just a random event but the center of their lives. They love it. They pursue excellence in this activity not just to win, but because they love the game. Whether they run on a track, swim in a pool, or play on a court, these people love to do this sport, and that is why they have chosen to dedicate the hours of training necessary to become the most elite players in the world. Pleasure In Psalm 147:10, we are told that God does not delight in the strength of the horse or the legs of a man. It is interesting that often the things that we think should be so impressive, and are impressive to the carnal man, are not esteemed by God at all. I don’t think the Psalmist’s point is that God doesn’t enjoy seeing His people created in His image using the skills and abilities that he has given us. Rather, the next verse makes it clear that what brings God pleasure is something deeper and less superficial. In verse 11, the Scripture says that Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear Him and hope in His steadfast love. I think, the point is that God cares far more about the disposition of our soul than the strength of our body. This may be why God is willing to allow His people to endure very hard physical trials for the sake of their sanctification. God never spoils His children but instead He disciplines (Hebrews 12:4-14) and disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) us to real godliness and maturity (2 Peter 3:11-13). Yahweh is more concerned with the state of our hearts than the awards on our shelves. Prosperity rarely teaches us faith and hope, but hard times and difficult seasons do help us to discern where our trust is truly focused. If we never walk through the valley of the shadow of death, how will we learn the comfort of His rod and staff? God loves us enough to use even very hard things to reveal the depths of His love for us! Prize The Apostle Paul when writing to the church in Corinth reminds us that we should run in such a way as to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). As we look around we probably see many people, even those professing Christ as Savior, walking aimlessly along the race of this mortal life. But Paul would have us to expend ourselves in an all out effort to know God and bring Him glory. We must not be those meandering along the track but those pressing forward to the high call of God (Philippians 3:12-16). There really is a heavenly prize and even though it has been won for us by the Lord Jesus Christ, we should still strive to reach it with all our strength.  A Eulogy
The term “eulogy” is taken from the Greek language and it literally means a “good word.” We use it to refer most often to the complimentary address given at a funeral or memorial service. If we are honest some of these speeches are embellished out of respect for the loved ones of the deceased person. Today’s post is going to be a little different than usual. I am writing this article on Wednesday August 7th. Today, I found out that a dear saint had passed away and I would like to express some thoughts about this dear brother and praise to our glorious God. This brother who has gone to be with the Lord is David Miller. That is a fairly common name. I know of at least a couple of other David Millers, but no one is like this man. He was not at all common. Through many hardships and amazing blessings he had learned the peaceful contentment taught by the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:4-13), the unspeakable joy expressed by the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 1:8-9), the abiding love recorded for us by the Apostle John (1 John 4:7-21), and most of all, the glorious salvation given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16)! So, I just want to share some of the things that come to my mind when I think about Brother David. Masculinity It is amazing that a man with the physical limitations that afflicted his body would exude such a quality of manhood. But you see, Bro. David’s masculinity was not the shallow show attained in the gym but rather that which is gained from much time spent with man’s maker and in submission to the God/man Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5-6). While he did not have the strength in his joints and muscles that most other men possess, he had far more boldness and strength in his convictions than most other men. When I speak of Bro. David’s boldness, it is not only his courage to speak a fitting and appropriate word of correction, rebuke, or just obvious truth, but also the fact that people would receive it. Something about the way that God had formed his character, and that the Holy Spirit had gifted his presence, seemed to make people more willing to listen. His bold preaching was a thing of beauty and a blessing to all who heard him. Endurance Bro. David was committed to the ministry given to him by Christ. In worldly terms it would have made sense for him to quit his work long ago because of the physical hardship and pain that he endured for decades. However, he did not quit, but endeavored to be used according to the Lord’s will. He did not take the easy way or the popular road (Matthew 7:13-14). Common Sense I started to title this paragraph “intelligence,” but I know the country preacher at large would prefer common sense. Bro. David was a diligent student of the scriptures with a great ability to communicate the truth. He would not dumb down the text but he would bring even the simplest of listeners up to the text to help them see and understand the truths of Scripture. He was willing to use what he referred to as those “trisyllabic words” but he was also able to help everyone in the congregation grasp the meaning and importance of those words. Faithful Bro. David was faithful. During one of the hardest times in my life when I was learning and growing a great deal but with difficulty, I went to an associational meeting at Immanuel Baptist church in Clinton, AR. That night Bro. David preached the greatest message I have ever heard on the doctrine of justification. It confirmed many of the things that the Lord was teaching me and truly changed my life and my ministry forever. I will forever be grateful to the Lord for the gracious and godly impact that Bro. David had on my life. If you never heard Bro. David expound the Scripture you can hear a message here.  Balance
It has become a very common thing for problems and struggle in our lives to be attributed to a lack of balance. While this may sound logical, it is really the product of a dualistic mindset. Dualism is the idea that good and evil are equal and opposite forces that must be kept in a kind of optimum balance so that things can go well. You can see this kind of thinking in many of the ancient eastern religions and modern new age spiritual practices. Examples are ideas such as ‘karma’ which refers to the idea that what goes around comes around. But this is easily disproved by the many times when people received exactly what they did not deserve. Every time an innocent person is the victim of a crime or a guilty person escapes the justice system, karma has failed to maintain the balance. Another example would be the idea of the yin and yang. This is the ancient Chinese concept of two opposing forces that are interconnected and counterbalancing. This should lead to peace, harmony, and tranquility. Something like this is also seen in pop culture references such as the pantheistic “force” referred to in the Stars Wars universe. But is this concept true? Is this kind of symbiosis the reality that we see taught in the Bible? And is our struggle one of balance or faithfulness? Bible The Bible is the source of true wisdom. Since this is the case we must consider what the Bible says about these and all other philosophies. In the conclusion of one of the most philosophical books of the Bible the Preacher of Ecclesiastes says that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Solomon seems unconcerned with keeping the balance and instead points his readers to a radical and zealous focus on reverent obedience to God. A second portion of scripture that we should consider is the Law of God given to His covenant people Israel. At the very root of the law was the instruction that you should love God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul and ALL you might (Deuteronomy 6:4). The LORD does not seem to be concerned that we might over-emphasize loving Him. The Lord Jesus even referred to this when He was asked what is the greatest and first commandment (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus also showed that we didn’t balance between our love for God and other things but total devotion and affection for God alone. One final text to help us know where the Bible would have us to be on this issue of philosophical balance. In Jesus' most famous extended teaching, which we usually call the Sermon on the Mount, He gives us a lesson about how to live by faith using the example of the birds and the flowers (Matthew 6:25-34). In this text, Jesus is calling out the sin of anxiety, which is something that we commonly attribute to being an illness rather than an issue of faith and obedience. But Jesus points out that the birds and the flowers need not worry for God to provide for them as they go about being the buds and birds that God made them to be. Jesus sums up this teaching with the instruction for us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness for that is what God made us to do (Matthew 6:33). When we do that everything else will be taken care of. The point is that we must be fully committed to our citizenship in His kingdom (Philippians 3:20) and unsatisfied by anything but His righteousness (Matthew 5:6). My point is simple. If we would like to live for our highest purpose and to fulfill what we were created for, then we should not be focused on balance, but rather on all out devotion to the Lord. Whatever our hand finds to do in service to the Lord we should do with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10)!  Traveling
At the time of the writing of this blog, we are preparing to leave for the mission trip to Utah that our association has been participating in for the last few years. When you read this post we will be on the last leg of our journey home from the trip. Of course, I don’t know the future so I can’t tell you how it has gone, but I can give some insight on what we hope for the trip. When it comes to traveling there is a wide spectrum of attitudes that people have. I know some people who never travel. They are content to stay home and enjoy their familiar surroundings. I also know many people who want to go places but who usually have some complaints about the actual travel. Then there are people like me. I like to travel. I like not only the destination but the journey. It is exciting to see new places and experience something outside the daily rhythm. I must admit that I especially love the western United States. I love the weather, culture, and people. However, I think it is important to point out that this trip is not a vacation or a tourist adventure but a mission to be an aid and encouragement to our brothers and sisters from Sojourn Church in West Haven, Utah. The Purpose The plan is to conduct basketball camps in the mornings where we will also be able to give instruction about the gospel from the Scripture through Bible stories and examples of real life applications through personal testimonies. We have found that these basketball camps also give us opportunities to engage with the parents and families, helping to build connections with the church. We are also going to be doing evangelism on some college campuses. Lord willing, this will provide for us to have many gospel conversions which the Lord will use for the advancement of His kingdom and the saving of many souls. I must admit that I am excited about this part of the trip. In years past, we have also had many opportunities to share Christ that have arisen providentially with our planning. The Partnership I mentioned earlier that we are partnering with Sojourn Church. One of the important aspects necessary for the flourishing of gospel work is the enduring presence in the community. Paul writes his letter to Titus so that churches can be established and ordered rightly (Titus 1:3-4). Short term trips must and should serve for the encouragement and strengthening of churches in places for the long term advance of the gospel work. Most of the New Testament is the Apostles communicating with local churches for their betterment and gospel advancement. The heart of all biblical missions is the birth and building of healthy and vibrant local churches. The Passion As believers, the Lord places within us a passion to serve God and others. Often, believers want to know what their spiritual gift is. I think that this desire to know exactly what our gift is stems from a notion that if we are using our spiritual gift then it will be enjoyable and successful. However, that is certainly not true. Even the Apostles, while doing exactly what they were prepared and gifted to do, suffered many trials and hardships. I think that we would be better served to focus on what God has given us a desire to do (1 Timothy 3:1). What is it that we love and enjoy? That is the thing that we ought to be doing. Also what need is something that is continually on your mind and heart? That is probably where you should be focusing your energy for the kingdom of Christ. I say all of this about desire because while I have been on other missions trips and served the Lord in a variety of ways over the years, it is this work not just in Utah but with the western people and the Mormon people that I have a desire to do. It is a passion, and I am excited to do it. The Lord has also used this to encourage my passion for my local church at home. It is amazing how the Lord will fill us with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8) when the focus becomes Christ and His kingdom and not ourselves (Matthew 5:33).  End Stage
Most diseases that are usually classified as a cause of death have what can be referred to as an end stage. This is the final and fatal form of the disease, that leaves the individual with no real expectation of survival. I’m sure that we have all experienced someone close to us going through this process of decline and death. It is hard to watch and often hard to admit that the end is truly near. However, this sequence of decline and destruction is not only true of our physical health. We also see something of this kind of change and transformation taking place in societies as well. Great kingdoms and empires do not simply disappear overnight. In most cases there is a slow decline that weakens the foundation of the society to the point that it then rapidly collapses. I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet (Amos 7:14), neither am I a doomsday prepper, but I do believe that we should recognize the symptoms of decay and decline happening in our society and understand that we could be very near the end stage. I am not predicting a full scale societal collapse such as what may be portrayed in a dystopian movie or novel, but I am saying that the current state of cultural division is unsustainable and must give way to something new at some point. Sin I know this is not a profound revelation, but all the problems in the world are the result of the curse of sin. Without sin there would be no contention, no war, no poverty, no selfishness, no death, you get the point. It is also true that sin is a constant present reality ever since the fall of humanity in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Sin is destructive to human friendship, human flourishing, and human fulfillment. First, sin destroys our relationships with other people. Not only our friends but even family relationships will be harmed when sin is not dealt with appropriately and forgiveness is not extended graciously. The strength and sweetness of our relationships are greatly blessed when through Christ’s work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts, we become people who can deal with sin patiently and passionately. Sin is also destructive to human flourishing because it not only destroys our needed relationships but also the environment of trust and consistency necessary for growth at every level of human connection. Just as there is a necessary level of health in the soil, water, air, and sunshine for plants to thrive, it is also necessary to have that kind of health emotionally and spiritually for humans to flourish and sin desmates that health when not dealt with Biblically. Finally, mankind has been created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). This means that we were designed with our purpose in mind. That purpose was to display to the physical world the glory and beauty of the invisible God. The reality is that we still exist as a whole creation because God is proclaiming His own glory and greatness in this universe. So we can only truly find fulfillment when we are glorifying God by reflecting His greatness. But sin mars this reflection and seeks to rob His glory. So when sin is not dealt with rightly we are left with even worse feelings of defeat and depression because our purpose has not been met. Sin Progression All along the way in this post I have spoken in terms of how we are dealing with sin. The point is that till the return of Christ sin will be in the world. So, the question is not how to build a sinless existence or a sinless community, but rather how to deal with sin when it happens. I would argue that as bad off as we are as a culture here in America, the issue is as much because of how we have wrongly dealt with sin as much as it is the presence of sin itself. Isaiah pronounced a warning from the Lord against those who call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). What we see happening now is that we have not dealt with our sin in a biblical manner by turning to Christ in faith and calling on God for merciful forgiveness. Without that kind of humble confession and repentance the sin just continues to grow till it brings about death (James 1:13-15). This is true in an individual life but it is also true when this is reflected in the majority of a population that has turned against the Lord. My point is simply this: all of the laws, rules, instructions, and even deterrents given to try to stop sin from happening will never be effective till we as individuals and as a people learn to deal with sin God’s way by humbly repenting and relying on Christ for His righteousness given to us (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). |