God's Sweet Providence

Most of our most beloved well-known Bible stories are the ones that have at their core a miracle. Jesus’ amazing deeds we are most familiar with, the parting of the Red Sea captures our fascination, and the amazing deeds of the prophets like Elijah and Elisha grab our attention. Miracles are by nature fantastic and that is why we love them so much and why people hope God does miraculous things in their lives. However, there is another working of God that you can see every single day that is just as fantastic as His miracles. I’m talking about His providence.

            Providence is how God brings about His purposes and plans through the natural agencies of life: things like human decisions, natural causations, and everyday happenings of life. To think that God is accomplishing exactly what He wants through millions of miniscule events and countless choices of people is almost as staggering to consider as a miracle. Take for example how God arranges Moses to be the deliverer of the Israelites from Egypt.

            We know the order of Pharaoh was to kill all the male Hebrew babies by drowning them in the Nile (Exodus 1:22). Well, Moses’ mother cannot keep his birth a secret any longer so she sends Moses down the Nile in an ark closely watched by Miriam his sister. It just so happens that Pharaoh’s own daughter is bathing in the river on that day at exactly that time and sees the little basket. Instead of being repulsed by the Hebrew child or being a fastidious keeper of her father’s order, she has compassion on the baby instead (2:6). What if she was in a bad mood that day? Or if her bath was a minute or two later? Baby Moses is protected by the providence of God.

            Moses ends up being raised in Pharaoh’s home and given all the luxuries of being his adopted son. But it just so happens, years later, that Moses is taking a walk and sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and Moses acts out and kills the Egyptian. This causes him to be a wanted man so he has to flee out of Egypt. What if he was seen by someone else or arrested before he could flee? God’s deliverer would be done for before he had delivered anything. Through Moses’ rash behavior God brings about the course of events that separates Moses from his privileged lifestyle to being closer to his own people.

            As Moses flees he ends up in the land of Midian, which is where he will eventually be called by God to be the deliverer. But while he is in this wilderness area he just so happens to encounter a shepherd’s daughters. He delivers them from oppression (2:17) and ends up marrying one and becomes a shepherd of a flock in the wilderness. Surely, God is using this time to prepare him to lead Israel through the wilderness. These seemingly random events are actually providential appointments that get him ready to be used by God. It is at this time that the people of Israel cry out to God for help and God knows His deliverer is now ready to go help His people.

            You cannot help but see the overarching working of God in this entire situation and it is over a period of 80 years! Through countless decisions and millions of encounters God accomplishes exactly what He wants to: He gets His deliverer ready. This shows us His sovereign control and rule over everything in this universe, including not just nature, but human decisions, choices, and encounters.

            Think about your own life for a moment. How has the providence of God ordained you to be in the place that you are right now? What quiet behind the scenes events has God used to put you right now exactly where He wants you, and what are you going to do about it? Imagine if you saw every interaction with every other person as a divine appointment that could have ramifications for the future decades from now. Maybe we would be more sensitive to doing what God wants.

            As I think about my own life, who would have thought that a childhood fascination with a theme park would lead me to getting employed there and meeting my wife there years later. A child’s simple enjoyment ends up being in the plan of God to His joining me to my spouse. The providence of God is simply astounding. There is no need to look for a miracle, for a supernatural event, God is already supernaturally working every single day in every moment of your life!

Principles of Worship

The story of Nehemiah is a great example of Biblical leadership in a man of God who cares greatly for God’s glory and fame. We know the story well as Nehemiah leading the work to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It is an arduous task fraught with oppositions and dangers to the people of Israel. When we read in 6:52 that the walls were completed in only 52 days we marvel at the work of God.

            But the story doesn’t end there. Nehemiah begins the work of reforming the people by confronting sin and disobedience in the rest of the book. But chapter 12 is kind of an enigma. In chapter 12, starting in v 27, there is the account of the dedication of the walls. The dedication is actually a big celebratory worship service which is appropriate for all the work that was accomplished with God’s help. This is one of those chapters we can easily skip over but I think we can glean two principles of worship from Nehemiah’s big celebration.

            First, there is the principle of excitement that we see in the people. They have singers and musicians ready to go, just like our worship service. They also have 2 choirs ready to sing (v 40) and during the celebration they begin singing (v 42). But if you notice v 43 of that chapter, it says 4 different times that they rejoiced or had joy.

            This is not the dry, formulaic, mouthing of words. This is passion, excitement, and joy for what the Lord has done. In fact, it was so joyful that at the end of v 43 it says the joy could be heard from far away. Just imagine that for a moment: people were singing so excitedly that whoever wasn’t there could hear the singing from their location.

            I think the lesson for us is clear: do we worship the Lord with excitement? Is there passion and joy in your worship offered to the Lord? There should be. There is much to celebrate about God and His work. He is great and holy and His works are righteous and true. He saved you and His sovereign power is over all things. Worship the Lord with excitement because He is worthy of nothing less.

            The second principle is the principle of order. Just because people are excited and full of joy does not mean that the service is out of control or without structure. In fact we find that there is clearly defined structure within Nehemiah’s celebration.

            It says in 11:24 that they praised and gave thanks as ‘prescribed by David.’ It also repeats that phrase in v 45 as well. This was not a worship service where they did any old thing that came to mind in the moment. There was a following of Scriptural instruction or at the least solid tradition in how they performed this worship.

            In v 28 the singers assembled themselves. It describes in vv 31-40 the two choirs that marched around the city in a specific direction so as to meet at the house of the Lord. It also says in v 30 that the priests and Levites purified themselves, as well as the people. That tells me there was definite preparation involved before the worship service.

            All of this information shows us that the celebration itself was not just thrown together. It was not decided on a whim. It was a thoughtful, planned out, prepared, ordered service. While spontaneity is not wrong, all things must be done in an orderly manner, which is exactly what 1 Corinthians 14:40 says as well. Our worship team practices for the service and I meticulously write out the sermon very carefully for our Sunday services.

            Even if you are not a part of the service on stage, you can be prepared and ordered for the service also. Read your Bible early in the morning on Sunday. Spend a few moments in prayer. Be up early so you are not rushing to church. Quiet your heart before the service begins. Look up the passage while you wait for service to start and meditate on the verses you will hear that day. There are many ways you can prepare for the worship service you are going to participate in each Sunday. But the service we present on Sunday should have order and preparation to it.

            Let us balance these two principles together as we come to worship the Lord on Sundays. Sing and be joyful, have excitement when praising the name of the Lord Most High. But at the same time, be readily prepared for an ordered service that reflects care and precision as we present our worship to a holy God.

Discipline for Godliness

Over the past week or so I have been transfixed on the TV watching the Olympics. I love the Olympics, I think it is an incredible display of athleticism and competition and to see people triumph in these high pressure situations is remarkable.

            These world-class athletes have my total respect for their absolute commitment to the training and discipline required to be first in the world. You may have heard some of these stories. One girl, a teenage swimmer, gets up at 5:00 am and goes to swim practice. Then she goes to school, then to swim practice again, and then goes home and does her homework…every single day. Another athlete described the careful watch and restrictions he places on his diet, exercise, and really anything that affects his body, even to the point of measuring the amount of lactic acid he has inside of him after a race to tell him the way in which he should cool down. World champion sprinter Usain Bolt summed it up by saying that he trains for 4 years straight for a 9 second race. That is some incredible determination and discipline.

            As a Christian, we should be disciplined as well. 1 Timothy 4:7 tells us to ‘discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.’ The word for ‘discipline’ is the word gumnazo which is where we get the word gymnasium from. The idea of practice, training, and determination is very evident. Paul is telling Christians that their commitment and work for godliness is similar to the way an athlete trains his body for competition. This means that Christians need resolve, fortitude, and hard work in the area of their pursuit of godliness.

            We know that we are disciplined in a lot of things. You discipline yourself to wake up in order to be at work on time. You discipline yourself when you are on a diet or on a workout plan. You discipline yourself to make sure your yard work is completed, the trash gets taken out, and that you handle all your daily responsibilities. If discipline is something we already do in various areas, why is it so hard to engage in spiritual disciplines?

            Paul says in the next verse that ‘bodily discipline has little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things.’ He is reminding us that discipline in the area of health or eating, really has no lasting value. However, discipline in godliness has eternal value. All the time and energy spent in training for an Olympic sport ultimately means nothing in light of eternity. However, the discipline to read Scripture, pray, be holy, or commit to church has true lasting value.

            I think we should take the approach to our daily spiritual disciplines as if we are training and working like a professional athlete. Too many of us try, and then give up quickly. We start that Bible reading on January 1st and by January 4th we’ve quit. Where is the discipline? Where is the determination? Where is the hard work? You have to strive to make these things a habit.

            That world champion sprinter I mentioned earlier said this, “I train 4 years to run a 9 second race, and some people who don’t see results in a couple months give up.” He was primarily talking about the commitment to athletics and health, but you see the parallel. Someone says, “I tried to reading my Bible a couple times but it was just too hard.” That is having no commitment, no resolve, no discipline. Work hard, train your body, train your life to sit down and spend time with God. Discipline your life to make sure church is a priority, moving things around so that God comes first. Discipline your life to make holiness a priority, cutting out sin. It is not impossible, it just takes hard work.

            Think of those athletes. If they are willing to work hard and alter their lifestyle for a 9 second race with a payoff that is temporary, then how much more should the Christian work hard for a reward that is eternal? Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

Fulfilling our Purpose (July 2021)

This year was a big year for me as I celebrated my 40th birthday. Thankfully I didn’t have a mental breakdown or a mid-life crisis…at least I think I didn’t. Sometimes when we go through those major life milestones we begin to think existentially. Why am I here? What is my purpose? What am I doing? And having those thoughts aren’t always bad. It allows us to try and refocus our life and purpose and I think churches should have those thoughts too.

            We are coming off of an unprecedented year in the life of Congregational Bible Church. I know you are probably sick of hearing about Covid, in relationship to the church, but as things go back to normal it is a good time for us to reflect and consider why are we here?

            Do we exist as a church simply to gather together socially? Do we have events and activities just to have events and activities? Are we here just to make sure we meet the budget and come back another year…just to come back another year?

            Well, our church does have a vision statement and it is good to be reminded of it. Our vision statement reads: to help people grow spiritually so that they impact others for Christ. I think that statement answers the existential question of ‘why are we here.’ There are two purposes for CBC’s existence: equipping and evangelism.

            First, the church exists to equip the saints. Ephesians 4:11-12 makes this clear. It says, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastor teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” The point of having a pastor teacher is to equip the saints. Equipping is to fit or train someone, to prepare them for a work. This is reflected in the part of the vision statement that calls on the church to ‘help people grow spiritually.’ That is the idea of equipping. People are prepared and trained through the teaching of the Word to be able to do the work of service to build up the body. The church needs to equip and the people need to be equipped. Events and activities are fun and good, but they pale in comparison to the real purpose of spiritually equipping our people to live the Christian life and build up the Body.

            The second purpose of CBC is to evangelize the world. That is included in the second part of the vision statement which reads ‘to impact others for Christ.’ Yes, that includes far away countries and people groups, but it starts here at home. Jesus left us with the marching orders to make disciples (Matt 28:19). He told us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt 5:13-16). But even more than just being salt and light, we are to engage non-Christians with the gospel. That means it begins with us initiating encounters with non-Christians. Jesus time and time again would begin the conversations with non-believers. He even said He came to ‘seek’ the lost (Luke 19:10). 

            As a church we cannot forget or ignore this vitally important purpose of our existence. We exist to evangelize! Not just to be a place where unbelievers can find the truth if they come, but to be a church that actively reaches out to unbelievers with the truth! A church’s growth is always contingent on the believers actively sharing their faith.

            To put it very bluntly: a church that does not have an evangelistic mindset will not survive. Eventually the children will grow up and move away and the older folks will pass on. Who does that leave in the pews? Nobody. But I would submit to you that we must evangelize not just to keep the doors open, but to be fully in line with the purpose of the church outlined by the Lord. You are here to be My witnesses, Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1. We must think the same way. We are here to be His witnesses, His testifiers, His evangelists, that is our main purpose. Even the equipping part is so that we can go out and better impact others for Christ.

            Why do we exist? To equip the saints to evangelize the community. Without this basic understanding of purpose we simply flounder along, aimlessly doing things just to do things. I don’t want to do that and I think you don’t want to either. As we have a time of restarting and renewing, post Covid, let us call ourselves back to our main purpose.

Transdangerism (June 2021)

Pop singer Demi Lovato recently made headlines posting a gender announcement on her Instagram page that she has ‘discovered’ that she identifies as ‘non-binary.’ She also declared that she is changing her preferred pronouns to they/them. That means if I were referencing her, I would now have to call her ‘they’ or ‘them.’ Besides the fact that I have no idea what non-binary means, calling yourself essentially more than one person is not only absurd but also disturbing.

            The transgender snowball has been barreling down the hill of social acceptance decimating everything in its path for a number of years now. Long gone are the days of Mrs Doubtfire, where a divorced man dresses as a woman to be hired as a nanny so he can be with his kids all the time. Men dressing as women? That is so 90’s. Today it is non-binary.

            At the end of the Mrs Doubtfire movie, when the farce is discovered, Robin Williams’ character is given a tongue lashing by the judge, and even forced to undergo a psychiatric evaluation for his behavior. Lovato’s self-discovery is not only light years beyond anything Mrs Doubtfire, but to even suggest some form of psychological issues at play is equal to cultural blasphemy nowadays.

            As someone who spends hours every week carefully crafting messages based on logic and reason and truth, the statement “I have decided to change my pronouns to they/them” reeks of inherent contradictions and self-defeating statements. I wonder how a person who does not identify as either a man or a woman (the definition of non-binary) warrants a plural pronoun designation. English grammar teachers are cringing.

            However, there is something more nefarious at work here than just violations of grammar. We all know that the transgender phenomenon is just another Satanic assault on the Word of God and the design of God. The Scripture declares that God created man male and female (Genesis 1:27). In today’s culture, not only is the transgender world challenging that truth of God, they are defying it by announcing that a person can actually be neither male nor female.

            But to get down to the nuts and bolts, it is a little scary for an individual to actually claim to be more than one person. Not only is it not a ‘discovery’ of self-reflection to come to this conclusion, it is also evidence of possessing an actual mental health disorder (schizophrenia). And even more than that, I am reminded of a particular story in the gospels of a man calling himself ‘Legion’ because he had more than a mental health problem, he had a spiritual problem. He was demon-possessed (see Mark 5). Now, I am not saying that all people who are transgender are demon-possessed, but I am confirming the link between unbiblical ideas and Satanic lies. Is non-binary really the new multiple personality disorder, or is it modern day demon possession? Either way, this person needs help and not encouragement in this illogical pursuit.

            I truly feel heartbreak for people like Lovato and others who follow the same path. How do you go about in day to day activities all the while rejecting your most basic reality: you are either a male or a female? Without assurance on that basic level of humanity, everything in your life must come into question. Transgenderism is also an assault on the very nature of truth as well. And shame on anyone who would encourage a person to follow this road that leads only to confusion and contradictions. It is a sad day when a young woman, with a history of mental illness, goes through a time of ‘healing’ only to conclude she is neither male nor female. What kind of healing is this?

            As Christians living in Satan’s world we must understand that transgenderism is here to stay and the bounds for where it can extend knows no limits. No matter how much this worldview violates basic biology, consistent grammar, or even plain reality, those that do not know the Lord will pursue a life that is in violation with what the Lord has said and with what is true. We need to pray for these individuals and trust that the gospel alone can shatter a stony heart and lead to true healing.

Provoking to Anger (May 2021)

We have begun a short series on Sunday mornings entitled Biblical Parenting through the Years and the first Sunday we are considering Ephesians 6:4 which states: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” For that particular sermon we are focusing in on the instruction to bring up the children using discipline and instruction, but what got skipped was the “do not provoke to anger” part. For that, I would like to write about in this voice article. What are some ways that we can provoke our children to anger?

            First, be unrealistic. Don’t be the parent who is always unsatisfied with how your child is doing. They finished their homework by 8:00 but you think they should have been done at 7:00. They got all B’s but you think it should be straight A’s. They made the team but you think they should be a starter. At some point parents must communicate their satisfaction with something the child is doing. Otherwise, you are simply being unrealistic; children are not perfect. If we demand perfection we will never be satisfied and the child begins to become discouraged and wonders ‘why try?’

            Second, be cruel and abusive. This can be in either words or in behavior. The behavior aspect would be in any type of physical discipline that leaves marks or bruises on a child. That kind of discipline is excessive and abusive and must be stopped. But sometimes, even more hurtful than a bruise, can be harsh words that sting and linger in a child’s psyche. Yes, we can be shocked at some of the things children say to their parents, but we can be equally as shocked to hear some of the things parents say to their children. You can be sure a cruel parent is provoking their child to anger.

            Third, be biased. For those parents out there with more than one child, you must be fair and equal to your children. Playing favorites must be strictly prohibited. Showing any type of favoritism towards one child will surely drive the others towards anger. We had a rule in our house when the children were young that if one daughter lost privileges, they all lost them. That way one wasn’t watching TV while the other one was not allowed.

            Fourth, be inconsistent. You let the child get away with something one day, then the next day he/she does the same thing, and suddenly you are furious. Why were you not furious yesterday? This is so confusing for a child who is learning to live and behave under your rules. If you said “no broccoli, no dessert” then you must follow through. The rule and the enforcement should be the same all the time.

            Fifth, be ungracious. Children are going to make mistakes and fail; they should be shown grace. Now, this is not contradicting number 4; I’m not saying to be inconsistent. But I am asking parents to show your children grace every now and then. If you the parent, are a representative of God to them, what better way to teach them about the Lord’s grace? How often does He show grace to us? How often does He not treat us the way we should be treated? A home with no grace towards children reveals parents who do not understand grace themselves.

            First, be unbalanced. Parents must shield and shelter their children from the immoral influences of the world, but that can go too far to being overprotective. Just in the same way, we can be overindulgent and let our children do anything they want! That communicates a lack of love to the child. Parents who are indifferent to their children’s life cause the children to begin to think their parents don’t really care. Be balanced and protect your children from harmful influences, but also allow them to interact and make decisions so that they learn how decisions lead to different consequences.

            We all have that person in our life who pushes our buttons. Who provokes us to losing our cool and becoming angry. Well, as a parent, we have to be cautious to not be that person in our child’s life. Don’t provoke your children to anger.

Poverty (April 2021)

Recently, the United States government passed a law to send out a third stimulus package to struggling Americans in this pandemic. It was interesting to hear that part of the reasoning behind this stimulus package was to ‘lift some out of poverty’ with anti-poverty programs getting significant increases. While this article is not the time or place to comment on governmental policies, it did cause me to think about how we view poverty from a Biblical mindset.

            There is an interesting story that can focus our thoughts about this that is found in the gospel of Matthew (26:6-13). It is before the Last Supper and a woman takes some very costly perfume and pours it on Jesus’ head. The disciples are upset thinking this was a waste and that it could have been sold and given to the poor. Then, Jesus makes an interesting statement defending the actions of the woman. He says, “you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me” (v 11).

            What does Jesus mean by this statement? Is He telling us He is more important than the poor? Is He telling us to do nothing for the poor, because they will always be around? Let’s think about this in the article for this month.

            First, Jesus makes it clear that there will always be those who are poor. Think of it like this: if there was a scale of wealth with levels from 1-10. Number 1 is the poorest of the poor and number 10 is the richest of the rich and everyone falls into one level somewhere. The thought is: we should help the people in level 1. If we give a whole bunch of money to people in level #1, and lift them out of poverty so that they now become level #3, is it time to celebrate how we have lifted some out of poverty? Sure, but what we have inadvertently done is make the level #2 people the new level #1. Do you see how that works? If you lift the lowest of the low, then the people they jumped become the new low. This is what Jesus means by saying there will always be the poor. It is impossible to end poverty in totality because even as collective wealth increases, some will always be at the bottom of that scale.

            Second, the Bible does tell us to give to the poor. Deuteronomy 15:11 tells us to ‘open our hand wide to your brothers, the needy, and the poor.’ In Galatians 2:10 Paul was asked to remember the poor, and he says he was eager to do that anyway. Proverbs 19:17 says that those who are generous to the poor actually lend to the Lord, and He will repay. James 2 spends significant time talking about how we cannot help people with just promises and words but in actuality, providing what they need (2:16-17). And there are many other verses we could cite as well. Just because we will always have the poor doesn’t mean we should do nothing to alleviate some of their suffering. We cannot be uncaring or unmerciful to those in need.

            Third, Jesus does prioritize Himself over the poor. This is the time when He needs to come first. That’s why He defends the woman for her actions. She is preparing Him for burial because He is going away to be crucified. Now is the time to put Jesus first. This causes us to realize that sometimes worship to God must come before helping those in need.

            In summary, Christians should be known as people who are generous and merciful, especially to those hurting the most. We cannot just ignore the suffering of those around us. However, we must not lose our focus on worshiping Christ as well. Sometimes it is right to honor the Lord with an upgrade to the church or with a gift to the church, in place of that normal donation to the poor. We must remember that “The rich and poor have a common bond, the Lord is the maker of them all (Pro 22:2).

            I encourage you to listen to our new study on Wednesday nights beginning on April 7th which will be a study of the Old Testament prophet Amos. The primary focus of that book is God detailing His anger with Israel for their social sins against one another; sins like an improper treatment of the poor. Amos can help us see what God thinks of how a Christian should treat the helpless and the weakest.

The Need for Accountability (March 2021)

Just a number of weeks ago a major bombshell was dropped on the world of Christianity. An investigation into the evangelist and apologist Ravi Zacharias uncovered a massive amount of evidence of sexual misconduct against the Christian speaker. Zacharias was world renowned as a preacher of the gospel and a skilled defender of the Christian faith. Many of you probably know his name or ministry. He passed away last year, but the claims of misconduct against him started to come out late last year and an investigation was opened.

            The evidence against him is simply overwhelming, some of which is too scandalous to even talk about in this article. Authorities found there were multiple victims in numerous foreign countries, as well as the United States. They found hundreds of images on his devices of young women, he had secret cell phones, multiple apartments in foreign countries where he would lure massage therapists into situations where he could abuse them. The worst of all is that he would pay them off with money from his ministry and he would even pray with them thanking God for their encounter. The behavior is so disturbing that one Christian writer called it ‘Satanic.’

            But how in the world could this happen? How could a Christian leader who is so well-known and has such a large ministry be able to hide such an evil personal life? I think there are 2 possible answers to that question.

            The first is the celebrity Christian problem of today. Christian leaders, pastors, and speakers were never meant to become famous with lots of money and be seen as celebrities. Just look at the Apostle Paul. To the world he was nothing, the scum of the earth (1 Cor 4:13). Paul called himself a servant and a steward (1 Cor 4:1), not a celebrity.

            When Christian speakers and leaders get to the notoriety of worldwide celebrity there is a tremendous temptation to begin to believe that they are above the rules they preach to others. That they are too important to fail or step down. Even with catastrophic transgressions, Christianity needs them, they believe. Thankfully, most of us will never reach that level of fame and fortune but it seems to be an ever growing problem in a culture of Twitter likes, Facebook followers, and YouTube views.

            The second reason though, is an absence of accountability. We must admit, no one is too holy to commit scandalous sin. If Peter himself could deny Christ by cursing and swearing that he had never met him, then we could too. The Bible tells us to not think too highly of ourselves. Pride goes before a fall. Just when we think we are not capable of committing gross sin is when we are in the most danger. That is why we need accountability.

            Being held accountable means that someone else checks on you to make sure you are handling your responsibilities in your Christian life. Part of this is being honest about your sins and struggles, so someone else can admonish you, pray for you, and love you as a brother/sister in Christ. Accountability removes the Christian from isolation where sin can go on secretly and where he/she is prone to excuse personal sin. We always seem to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, but accountability with others puts that in check.

            Ravi Zacharias did not have any accountability. He didn’t have to answer to anyone. No one was checking up on him in his spiritual life. Why do you need multiple cell phones? Why do you need multiple apartments in these foreign cities? Instead, his secret life of sin went on unchecked for years. He was allowed to remain in that state of spiritual isolation, where nobody genuinely was checking on his spiritual life, even though he was surrounded by people all the time. The issue isn’t just being around people, but being around people who are close to you where they know your struggles and inquire regularly about the state of your spiritual life.

            Since most of us probably will never rise to the level of worldwide fame of Zacharias, we must pay careful attention to the issue of accountability. Do you have a secret life of sin? If you do, you probably don’t have anyone checking up on you. So, who is going to be that person or small group who holds you accountable to your faithfulness and behavior in your Christian life? Who do you answer to? If you don’t have anyone you can confide in, maybe you should look into finding someone soon. If it can happen to the biggest Christian leaders, it can happen to us too.

Benefits of Membership (February 2021)

At our recent annual meeting, I preached a sermon on Members and Membership giving the evidence of membership in the New Testament and the ways members can make the leader’s work a joy. But there was more I wanted to say in that sermon so I will use this article to cover that. Are there any practical benefits to becoming a member of a church? Besides being able to cast a vote on church decisions or to use the facility when you want, are there spiritual benefits to membership? I think there are, so let’s consider 5 of those benefits.

            First, membership aids the work of the pastor and the leadership. Remember, the leadership’s job is to shepherd the flock and manage the church. But for them to do that, they have to know who the sheep are. When someone joins the church through membership they are formally announcing their intentions to be committed to this particular church and to submit to that group of elders. With formal membership, there is no question for the leadership about who they are to manage or shepherd. This aids their shepherding work, defining exactly who they are responsible for.

            Second, membership focuses stewardship and resources. Instead of just trying to minister in a general way to everyone in town, or every Christian nearby, the church can pinpoint exactly who they are to help with the resources that the church has. Membership provides the guardrails and boundaries for how the church faithfully stewards their resources.

            Third, membership provides the solution for dealing with problem people. What does a church, with no membership, do with a person who is causing division or creating problems through gossip and sinful behavior? Do they just ask him to leave, where he can go join the next church down the street and probably do the same thing? The Scripture gives a solution for dealing with problematic members and it is found in Matthew 18, the process of church discipline. In those verses, a 4 step procedure is given for the church to follow for dealing with sinning members. The last step is to put the person out of the church, concluding that the person is really an unbeliever who need to be called to repentance. Without membership, there is no process, no solution, and no final decision in how the church handles sinning people.

            Fourth, membership facilitates accountability and growth. There are some people who just want to come to church, talk to no one, leave, and not be bothered anymore. But not all are like that. Some genuinely want to be held accountable by leaders, to check on them periodically about their spiritual progress, and to spur them on towards greater maturity in the faith. Those kinds of people become members. So, membership makes accountability and growth not only possible but actual as the leaders know these people have joined because they want to be challenged in their faith so they may be presented complete in Christ (Col 1:28).

            Fifth, membership prevents favoritism. All the members should be loved and shepherded by the church leadership…ALL the members. With a formal membership roll, the leaders have no excuse for not doing that. Without a membership roll, the temptation is there for the pastor or leaders to devote more time to the generous givers or their close friends, leaving the other church people to fend for themselves. Membership binds the leaders to see all the members as precious sheep and no one is more important than others.

            While I would contend that church membership is Biblical based on the evidence in the New Testament and the authority local church elders have to make such a process for their church, these benefits listed here simply add to the compelling evidence for people to become a formal member of the church they attend.

Solutions to Drifting (January 2021)

In our last month’s article, we considered the warning passages of the book of Hebrews. Five times the writer warns his readers of the possibility of falling away or drifting from the faith; something many may be prone to do in a year like 2020. But the writer doesn’t just drop warnings without any type of solutions on how to avoid that drifting away. In each of the warning passages there are solutions given as to how individuals can prevent this straying from the Lord and from the faith. We will consider these solutions this month as the way to prevent the march to apostasy.

            In 2:1-4, the writer warned us not to drift away. But what can we do to make sure we do not drift? The answer is right there in the text. Verse 1 says we must pay ‘much closer attention to what we have heard.’ So, the solution against drifting away is to pay closer attention. If you don’t want to drift from the faith then you need to exert serious energy in paying close attention to what you have heard. It’s not enough to just exist in your current spiritual state, you must pay close attention to the truth!

            The second warning passage found in chapter 3 told us to not ‘fall away from the living God’ (v 12). Ok, so how do I prevent that? Well, it is there in verse 13. It says to ‘encourage one another.’ So, the solution is a close relationship with the people of God, being encouraged and being an encourager. It is this relationship encouraging that keeps the heart soft, and without it, the heart can be hardened into deceitful sin. How do people get hardened by their sin? They are not involved in spiritual relationships with the people of God. They stand alone and their own heart gets hardened.

            The third warning passage is found in the first eight verses of chapter 6. It is a warning about ‘falling away.’ What is the solution? It is found in verse 1, and it says, ‘we must press on to maturity.’ Those who are pressing on towards maturity are not going to be those who fall away. So, the idea is to make your spiritual growth a priority. If you are not maturing in the faith, then you are a prime candidate to eventually fall away.

            The fourth warning passage in chapter 10 tells the readers to not ‘shrink back to destruction.’ In that context, he is talking about a great conflict of suffering (v 32). Suffering was seen in how they had their property seized from them (v 34). That seems like something that would cause anyone to lose hope and shrink back. So, what should we do? The writer tells us that we need ‘endurance’ (v 36). We need that staying power, that never-give-up spirit that does the will of God no matter what. It is spiritual endurance that allows us to not shrink back.

            The fifth warning passage is found in chapter 12 and it tells us that bitterness can spring up (v 15) and that we should not refuse God’s words (v 25). What is the solution found there? Well, it says in v 14 that we should pursue peace with all men. This will prevent the bitterness that can spring up from unresolved conflicts in relationships. Such conflicts are what lead people astray from the faith, so believers must strive for peace. The other solution to not refusing God’s words is found in verse 28 and it tells us to ‘show gratitude.’ A lack of gratitude is what can lead us to ignore what God says because we are always looking for Him to do something better.

            It is a wonderful joy that the Bible does not simply give warnings about falling away and then leave us to figure out on our own how not to fall into that. The Bible gives us the solutions to making sure we do not begin to stray. But all the solutions require effort and striving on our part. It is not enough to just sit back in the status quo and assume we will be all right. We must pay close attention, stay in relationship, strive for maturity, show endurance, and seek peace with others and gratitude with God. If we are not actively doing our part, we can fall away and fall prey to these warnings.

            It is like a marriage. If the marriage is struggling, the couple needs to refresh and recommit to one another again. The staying put in the same state will not bring the two closer together again, they will just continue to slowly drift. They each must passionately commit to one another again and the same is true with our spiritual life. We know that God has not left, He has not drifted, He has not strayed. So, if the relationship with Him is strained, it is on us to get closer again. Sitting still and keeping the status quo will not stop you from straying, you must passionately pursue a closer relationship with the Lord to keep you from drifting away from Him.

Warnings (December 2020)

I remember working at Disneyland on one particular thrilling, intense attraction. A woman approached the vehicle to ride, and she was obviously pregnant. It was my job to inform her that it was not recommended for her to ride. I did, and she responded this way, “Ugh, you’re like the 5th person to tell me that! Can I just get on the ride!?” Only after her husband intervened and made her get off did she exit the vehicle before riding.

            It was startling to me that she would ignore numerous verbal warnings, as well as the written warnings at the front of the attraction, throughout the queue of the attraction, and right before you get on the attraction. How could someone so blatantly hear and disregard such strong warnings that are put in place for her well-being?

            The Bible is a book full of written warnings as well. There are warnings about many different things, but one book of the Bible that contains repeated warnings about the same topic is the book of Hebrews. This New Testament book contains 5 passages of warnings that all centralize around one certain theme: apostasy, turning away from the faith. These passages are quite long so I will try to highlight the key phrases in each one and you can look up the entire passage on your own.

            Hebrews 2:1-4 warns the readers to not drift away. It also warns to not neglect such a great salvation.

            Hebrews 3:7-4:11 says to make sure you do not have an unbelieving heart and fall away from the living God (v 12).

            Hebrews 5:11-6:12 says that those who have tasted the good word of God and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew again to repentance (v 5-6).

            Hebrews 10:26-39 says that we are not like those who shrink back to destruction (v 39).

            Hebrews 12:14-29 tells the readers to not refuse Him who is speaking (v 25).

            Now, as I said, all of these passages are warnings against falling away from the faith, but isn’t it impossible to lose your salvation? What is going on? The writer of Hebrews, like all spiritual leaders, is not 100% sure of the spiritual state of all the people he is speaking to. We can really never know with absolute certainty the spiritual state of the people around us. So, he is doing the prudent thing which is to warn confessing Christians in the church about the dangers of professing Christ and then leaving Him. This would evidence having never really come to faith, not losing true salvation (1 John 2:19).

            Why do I write this in this month’s article? Well, I have a great concern for the church of Jesus Christ, globally and locally. This year the pandemic caused churches to close which put an incredible strain on the people of God. Some, due to health reasons or other concerns have just not been able to attend in person, but have passionately and fervently stayed committed to the church through online watching and Zoom.

            Others, however, have not. When the churches closed they stayed away, but once the churches opened, they continued to stay away. Now, Biblical love compels me to believe the best in people (1 Cor 13:7), but, if you can be completely disconnected from the church of Jesus Christ for 8-9 months, and counting, when do you consider yourself to be standing at the edge of apostasy? Or, have you already fallen away?

            Churches throughout the country and the world enjoy inflating their numbers of attendees and members, but maybe this pandemic is the Lord doing a work in His church: weeding out some false confessors from His flock. Maybe not all the ones in the pews are truly saved. As we come to the end of almost an entire year of this pandemic, it is time to carefully evaluate the state of your soul. Are you firmly committed to the Lord and the faith? If so, how is that evidenced in your life? Are you staying connected to the church of Jesus Christ? Or, are you one of the ones the writer of Hebrews is writing to, warning you about the dangers of falling away and being merely a confessor? Heed the warnings of the book of Hebrews today.

Serving (November 2020)

Usually around this time of year we have our nominating committee meeting where we look for new people to serve in positions of leadership. The way we find those people is by observing their attendance, character, and service over the past year. One of the unintended consequences of the church shutdown has been a loss of service. So many areas where people have normally served have been shut down and so our people haven’t had the opportunities to serve as normal.

            Since service is part of the normal life pattern of a Christian, I thought we should emphasize service this month by seeing where you might be able to serve, if you are not already serving. Our worship team and sound team have been hard at work and we are grateful for their service but there are other opportunities as well, even if you are not comfortable being around crowds of people. Here are some of the traditional and non-traditional areas where you could serve.

            First, we need servants for children’s church and nursery. Our Sunday School program is still on hold for the time being, but as we begin to resume normal operations, ministering to parents and children is key. If you would be comfortable wearing a mask and serving in children’s ministries, the opportunities are there.

            Second, servants would be good for youth ministry. Pastor Spencer sees 10-15 students faithfully attending youth group every Wednesday. Right now he is the only adult presence there. We could use 1 or 2 people there to assist him in the youth ministry.

            Third, we need servants for coffee fellowship. We don’t actually serve coffee per se, but we do put out individually wrapped snacks and drinks each Sunday. You could help purchase those items or you could just set them out so that they are ready for the end of the service. Even if you don’t feel comfortable being around crowds yet, you could set up the snacks for coffee fellowship Saturday night or early Sunday morning before anyone is here and it would be appreciated.

            Fourth, we need people willing to reach out. If you are gifted with the spiritual gift of encouragement or just have the gift of gab, we could use you! Put out a phone call to someone in the church once a week just to see how they are doing and encourage them. Imagine if we had 10 people doing that every week, everyone would be encouraged a lot. Even if a phone call is too intrusive for you, send a note or a card and let people know you are thinking of them.

            Fifth, we need pray-ers. That means people who will pray. We used to have a prayer group that met every Wednesday and some feel intimidated praying in front of others, so they wouldn’t come. But maybe in the privacy of your own home you could be one of our prayer warriors. Nobody else is around and if you could lift the church up in prayer that would be so helpful. That was always the Apostle Paul’s #1 desire, to have people praying for him and the church, and I would echo that sentiment.

            Sixth, we need help with the facility. There are always bushes that need to be trimmed, cobwebs that need to be removed, windows that need to be cleaned, and dust that needs to be…dusted. Even more so now with the church being closed for so long, we don’t want to get too far behind on all the upkeep here at the facility.

            Seventh, we need help with a stronger online presence. That means if you are on Facebook, comment on our posts, start a watch party, or share one of the links of our services so we can reach as many people as possible. The technology is there we just have to maximize its use.

            Would you serve? There are many ways that you can. Please don’t feel that in order to serve you must be in close contact with others in a group. Let us know if you feel the burden to serve in one of these areas and let’s continue the ministry of Congregational Bible Church!

Election (October 2020)

In a little over a month, our country is going to the polls to select a new President. This upcoming election is hyped as the most important election of our lifetime. The news is non-stop election coverage every night. Both parties paint the other candidate’s win as the downfall and destruction of the United States. Voters are split down the middle in who they want to win and tensions are running at a fever pitch. Arguments and debate abound. It seems that the stakes couldn’t be higher.

            I admit I have been sucked into this vortex of political argumentation. I do have strong opinions about who the leader of our country should be and I realize the implications for America in whoever wins.

            But I want to take this opportunity in this month’s article to repent and refocus. I have fallen prey to the rhetoric that sees this election as the most important decision in our nation’s history. Maybe it is, but I am a follower of Jesus Christ and that should make my perspective a little different. Let me explain.

            First, eternal realities are what matter the most. Colossians 3 tells us to “set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (3:2). Whether we like to admit it or not, a national election is an earthly matter, it has nothing to do with the kingdom of God. Our focus should be on seeing individuals getting saved from eternal wrath and people ONLY get saved through the gospel, not through governmental policies.

            Now, I can almost hear someone object and say, “but one candidate is openly for Christian principles and for the Christian church specifically.” That is true and maybe that is a big factor in how you cast your vote, and that is fine. But do you think that the kingdom of God will somehow be impeded if the government turns against Christianity? Jesus said the gates of Hades wouldn’t overcome His church (Matt 16:18), let alone a human ruler. Plus, it seems to be the case over and over again, that where the church is restricted the most by human government, the church is actually thriving. Consider places like China or Iran, which just proves Jesus’ words to be completely true. Imagine an extreme situation where Christianity becomes illegal in the U.S., do you think the Lord will not be able to save or build His church? Of course we don’t think that. Even more so, seeing people get saved in such conditions will actually exalt the saving power of God, making it clear that He is in absolute control.

            Second, God exalts leaders and rulers. We will admit that God is sovereign, but do we believe that God is so sovereign that He would lift someone into power that disagrees with Him, only to build His kingdom even more? Consider Daniel 5:21, “…the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.” Did you catch that? God brought up Nebuchadnezzar, then humbled him; then He brought up Belshazzar, and removed him. The Lord is absolutely in control of all things and a presidential election is just another thing He sovereignly reigns over. Whoever wins has been allowed to win by God.

            Third, the Lord Jesus Christ is king of kings. We know the power a human government can wield pales in comparison to the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one challenges Him, every knee will bow before Him, the nations are nothing but a drop in the bucket and a speck of dust on the scales to Him (Isa 40:15). The Lord says in Isaiah 45:1 that he anointed Cyrus the king and takes him by the hand to subdue nations. Cyrus was only successful because the Lord allowed it. So, let’s remember who has authority over those with authority. Jesus Christ will still be reigning on November 4th no matter who wins the election.

            We know our calling as Christians in regards to leaders. We are to honor, respect, and follow, those who are placed in positions of leadership over us (1 Pet 2:17). That includes those we don’t agree with or like. How can we do that? Remembering that eternal things matter most, the Lord brings down and raises up leaders, and He reigns supreme over everyone in authority.

Slander (September 2020)

I realize tensions are running high in this nation. We are months into this seemingly never-ending pandemic and people are frustrated. There is a highly controversial election coming up with the country powerfully divided over who should win. And, at everyone’s fingertips, is the engine of social media where we can say whatever we want, whenever we want. We have to be very careful that our frustrations do not boil over onto social media and we begin to engage in what the Bible calls slander; disparaging people’s names and reputations of who we do not agree.

            Slander is one of those ‘acceptable’ sins where we think it is not that big of a deal. We think we are justified in what we have to say, that it needs to be said, and we think our intentions are good. But let’s talk about the word ‘slander’ for a moment. It is the Greek word blasphemeo which should sound familiar. It is the word for ‘blasphemy.’ We know that God is blasphemed when He is erroneously and arrogantly spoken against, but we can also blaspheme people as well.

            The word is a compound word that combines the words for ‘slow’ and ‘reputation.’ The idea is speech that is specifically designed to injure or damage another person’s reputation. It is to revile, defame, and disparage someone’s name. No wonder the Bible calls this sin and calls God’s people to cease this kind of speaking! Leviticus 19:16 says “you shall not go about as a slanderer among your people.” In Matthew 15:19 Jesus groups slander with sins like murder, adulteries, and fornications. Ephesians 4:31 says for all slander to be put away from you…as well as other sins. Colossians 3:8 says to put it aside.

            The slander that is found online is immense. I have read some shocking things on social media. There are personal insults about the California governor, name calling of certain leaders, comments about the governor’s mental ability, and statements about the Democratic vice-presidential nominee’s weight and bedroom behavior. And all of these comments come from church going Christians. This is outrageously unacceptable speech patterns for Christians. There is no reason to say these things other than simply the desire to maliciously defame these people’s names and reputations. That is slander, plain and simple. It is sin and it must be stopped.

            Now, can we call out the policies and philosophies of such people? Of course! 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to destroy speculations and take every thought captive to Christ. Our attack is against the plans and mindsets of the world, not the personal character of the people espousing it. There is a difference between attacking a position rather than a person. We must learn that difference.

            There is an interesting story relating to this involving the Apostle Paul in Acts 23. He is having to testify before the Sanhedrin. Paul affirms his good conscience in regards to the Law and the High Priest orders Paul to be struck on the mouth for what he says (v 1-2). Paul then responds back forcefully, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! (v 3). The Council is shocked because Paul spoke that way to the High Priest (v 4). Once Paul realizes this was the High Priest he just insulted, he repents! He says he was not aware that this man was the High Priest and then he quotes Exodus 22:28 which says, “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.” He admits that he was wrong to speak so rudely about someone whom God has placed into leadership. As Romans 13:7 says, “render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” Those in governmental leadership deserve a measure of honor since they have been placed there by God.

            Friends, I know you are upset and are very concerned at how things are going in our country and the world. I am too. I post things online I probably shouldn’t as well. But let us be very careful and cautious about what we are saying before we hit that ‘Post’ button. If it is nothing more than the defamation of character, it shouldn’t be posted.

Meeting Restrictions (August 2020)

Few people have been as influential in my life as Dr. John MacArthur. For those of you that know me well, you know that he has played a major role in my life. His books, writings, and sermons really set me on the path to spending a lifetime knowing God’s Word. I have dozens of his books on my shelf and it was his presence that led me to the Master’s Seminary, not even considering another possible school. MacArthur has faithfully preached and shepherded his congregation for over 50 years, so when he speaks about church things, I listen.

            Just a few days ago, MacArthur and the elders of Grace Community Church (his church) came to a controversial decision about their church meetings and posted their explanation online for everyone to read. They have decided to defy the governor’s restrictions on church assemblies and guidelines and are going back to meeting as normal. The document in which they explained this was both cordial and respectful, but also clearly contrary to the governor.

            Their argument was based, not on the Constitutional argument (which is a man-made document), instead it was based on the Lordship of Christ over His church. The title of their document was “Christ is the Head of the Church, not Caesar.” That means that they felt the governor had overstepped his bounds of authority in restricting Jesus’ church. In short, Newsome has no power in which to curtail Jesus’ church. And with that being said, they are going back to meeting as normal.

            I wanted to interact a little bit in this month’s article with the reasoning from Grace Community Church and how it applies to us. While I agree with the principle statement that Jesus is the Lord of the Church, I disagree with GCC’s application. Let me explain why.

            First, the governor is not saying the church cannot meet, he is saying the church cannot meet inside. This differentiation is crucial. Grace Community Church has a massive church complex with a huge parking lot and actually has a tent set up in the parking lot where they were holding services for the past number of weeks. Why is this setup not sufficient? Meeting in the parking lot under a tent fulfills both responsibilities: they are gathering together and they are following the governor’s guidelines. It seems like a win-win. If our temperatures didn’t hover around 100 degrees every day I would lobby for meeting in the parking lot.

            Second, the government already restricts ways in which the church assembles, and we rightly go along with those. For example, there are building codes and fire codes we must meet if we are to assemble as a church. Grace Community Church is so large that they have two services because their sanctuary can’t hold everyone in their church. They rightly go along with this instead of cramming people in the aisles and sitting in the exits. Why are these guidelines not an overreach but meeting inside is?

            Third, their document ends with the call for every church reading to ‘join them in obedience to Christ.’ This implies that churches that do not agree are somehow not in obedience to Christ. Now, one of their pastors clarified that this is not what they meant, but it still reads that way. There is no room for a Romans 14 discussion about each person being convinced in his own mind (Rom 14:5). There are good and godly men who feel that not meeting inside is obedience to Christ, since Christ called on us to obey our government (Rom 13, 1 Pet 2, Titus 3). There is no clear Biblical command to meet inside a building. Also, what about those who have health conditions or are high-risk and decide to not come. Are they being disobedient by not gathering?

            Fourthly, they decided to meet without any restrictions. Last Sunday morning, thousands of people met inside of their building sitting next to one another with no masks or no social distancing. That was very surprising to me considering GCC voluntarily went along with the first closure back in March. And, in their document they said that this virus is ‘not as serious as once thought.’ That is a curious statement for church elders to make since they are not medical professionals. Is that an overreach for church leaders to make pronouncements about the seriousness of a virus?

            Look, let me just categorically say that I agree with Dr. MacArthur and Grace Community Church about 99% of the time. I respect his leadership and fearless courage never seeing it paralleled in any other Christian leader. But on this one, I disagree. And that is ok. We can have disagreements about these decisions and still continue to fellowship and minister with one another. It is when we begin to choose sides and separate that this becomes a problem.

            If anyone is upset by the church closures it is me. I do believe we must meet as a congregation. It breaks my heart to not see some of our members for up to five months now. If we could open up tomorrow, I would rush to do it. However, I also believe the Scripture calls on the church to submit to the government, especially when it is for the reasoning of public health. As long as the state is not saying, “you can’t preach” or “you can’t sing” (which we did not abide by), then they are not overreaching their authority. The closure is still temporary and the closure is not unique to the church only. Mosques, synagogues, and other indoor meetings are closed as well.

            So, here is the position we have decided to take at Congregational Bible Church. We will continue to abide by the government’s restrictions, in obedience to Scripture. However, we also know that individuals have health needs that are not just physical. Say, for example, their spiritual health. Officially, we are closed, but we will be live-streaming from our sanctuary at 10:45 with the doors unlocked. We will not bar people from entering the building. If you are concerned about the virus or are high-risk, then watch the live-stream. If you are desperate to be in God’s house on Sunday mornings, we won’t kick you out. We do ask that you follow the guidelines about mask wearing and social distancing.

            Also, we ask that you keep this information ‘in-house.’ Please don’t post this information on social media or announce it to the world. Our desire is to pray for our leaders so that we can “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim 2:2).

Don't Let This Divide Us (July 2020)

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a time that people were more divided in their viewpoints. Although, I am not talking about politics or elections. I am talking about division in the church of Jesus Christ. And the division comes over Coronavirus and how it should be handled by Christians.

            There are those who believe this is the worst virus we have ever seen. It is a deadly plague and all precautions must be taken. There are those who believe that it is no more problematic than the flu. We should carry on the way life was before the virus hit. These are two completely opposite views, and there are many of those who fall somewhere in between. These differences in views have been heightened now that church has reopened and people’s views are no longer secret because we encounter them wearing a mask or going around shaking hands.

            Now, let me just say that I do not think our church here is letting these differences divide us. But the potential is definitely there for this being a cause of division within the Body. I have written on this before, but it is so important, I must cover it again. We cannot let Coronavirus be the factor that causes the church to splinter into certain groups. Let’s see how the Scripture tells us to handle this non-theological issue.

            First, we are called to serious humility. Let’s all remember we are not infectious disease experts. We do not hold degrees in virology. And this virus is completely new to the world scene. As much as we think our view is the ‘right’ one, I think we can all agree there is much we could be wrong about. That should drive us to being humble and holding our convictions about this with a bit of uncertainty. As Romans 12:3 says, we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Be humble about how certain you are.

            Second, we are called to serious sacrifice. The Apostle Paul dealt with an issue in the church at Corinth about eating meat. Some in the church thought that eating meat from an idol’s marketplace was sinful. Others saw it as just meat. What did Paul say? “If food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again” (1 Cor 8:13). He was willing to sacrifice eating meat completely for the sake of his brother or sister. He didn’t want them to stumble in what they thought was right; in terms of things not directly addressed in Scripture. There is a great lesson in there for us: what am I willing to sacrifice for the sake of my brother/sister? Maybe it is the comfort of not wearing a mask, maybe it is not having a shared meal. Whatever it is, the Lord calls us to serious sacrifice.

            Third, we are called to serious preference. That means that the Scripture tells us to do nothing out of selfishness, to put others first, and to not only look out for your interests (Phil 2:3-4). While I may have preferences I would really like to see happen, the Scripture calls on me to put my preferences second to others. The model for this is of course the Lord Jesus Christ, as He would have preferred to stay in heaven, but instead came to earth and died on a cross (Phil 2:5-8). Remember, the way you would like to do things is not the only way to do things.

            Fourth, we are called to serious unity. Jesus’ main prayer for all of those who would believe through the apostle’s words (that’s us) was that they ‘may be one’ (John 17:20-21). That should cause us to take note. What kind of things does Jesus pray for? Well, #1 is unity amongst His people. We cannot forget this. The Lord’s desire is that His people be one.

            Hopefully this virus does not divide us, but the possibility is there. As we look around and see some in masks and others shaking hands, we must call to mind what Scripture has for us. Exercise some serious humility, exercise some serious sacrifice, exercise some serious preference for others, and maintain serious unity. May this be a time when the church is known for how it came together and not how it came apart.

Spiritual Health (June 2020)

Over the past few months we have all had countless concerns about how life is going. We have concerns about our physical health, we have concerns about our extended family’s health, we have concerns about our job and financial situation, and concerns about whether or not the stores will have what we need. As a pastor of a church, all of those concerns are mine also; not just for me personally but for the flock as well. I want our church family to be physically safe, I want our people not to lose their job, and I want us to be taken care of. But if I were to be honest, the biggest concern I have for our church is the spiritual health of the people.

            Now that is a concern regardless of the situation in the world. Of course I am just as concerned for the spiritual health of the people during the non-pandemic times as I am during the pandemic times. But it makes assessing the spiritual health of people much more difficult when I don’t see them for 8-10 weeks. Normally, I get to see most individuals every Sunday, and sometimes Wednesdays as well, and I can catch up with them to see how things are going. In fact, attendance itself can be a partial barometer of the spiritual health of people. If you show up week after week, ready to worship with your Bible that can lead me to believe things are going well in your walk with the Lord. If I don’t see you for weeks on end, or I see you looking saddened or distant, that might be communicating that all is not well in regards to spiritual health. Well, when I don’t see anybody for months then I have no idea of the spiritual health of the people.

            Generally speaking, people fall into 1 of 3 categories when it comes to their spiritual health. First, there are the passionate people. They are on fire for God, excited to learn, and desire to be with other believers. They are happily engaged in the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and worship. For these people the pastor must try to keep the flame burning bright. Second, there are the indifferent people. They are not really on fire for God, but they aren’t rejecting either. They are just stuck in neutral. Sometimes church is great, sometimes they casually ignore church. Sometimes they engage in the spiritual disciplines, other times the disciplines are absent for a time. These people need the pastor to splash them with gasoline to get that fire blazing. The third group is what we might call the disobedient people. They are actively living in violation of all the spiritual disciplines. No Bible reading, no prayer, no church attendance, etc. Or, the spiritual disciplines are shoddy at best. These people garner the most concern for the pastor. These people need to get lit up with the pastoral flamethrower.

            Ideally the pastor wants to see all of his people in the passionate group. His work and his prayers center around moving people from category 2 and 3 to category 1. But now we throw in the curveball of a quarantine lockdown that requires people to not gather together around the Word. This causes the pastor to wonder where people are at, and if the passionate have moved backwards to indifferent or even disobedient. Or, have the indifferent regressed back to disobedient.

            The church meetings are not only for worship and learning. They are also a form of accountability. If I’m not there for a while, someone might reach out to me and ask why. That is one of the blessings of a church family: mutual accountability. When you are not allowed to meet, that accountability goes out the window.

            So, what I’d like individuals to do is to consider how this shelter-at-home has affected your spiritual health. Have you remained on fire for God? Are you just as passionate for the Lord as before? Or, have you begun to move towards indifference or disobedience. Thinking to yourself: ‘The live stream is coming on but I’ll go do other stuff.’

            Of course, people can always move the opposite way as well. Maybe the disobedient are moving towards passionate now that church has been taken away. Maybe the indifferent see the need for individual spiritual disciplines because of the increase in free time. Where are you at in your spiritual health?

            I now have a better understanding of what Paul meant when he said in 2 Cor 11:28, “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.” He had multiple churches to be concerned about. And, he couldn’t regularly see those believers for months at a time. Now that it seems that church meetings are able to continue, hopefully we will be able to continue that good work of seeing people become passionate about the Lord.

Handling the Quarantine (May 2020)

As our stay-at-home orders continue into the 6th week now, we have all become experts at this quarantine, right? It has never been done before in our lifetime, but by now we are all seasoned veterans. Of course I’m joking because we are all still trying to figure all this out day by day. I’d like to share some thoughts, and hopefully some wisdom, in continuing to handle this quarantine. Here are some do’s and don’ts that I’ve learned from going through a quarantine.

First, the Don’ts

Don’t become a doomsday predictor

            It is very tempting to start reading current events into the Bible and try to work out if this is the beginning of the 2nd coming of Christ. But, the Bible describes some horrendous, worldwide, cataclysmic judgments in the book of Revelation. They are nothing like having your salon closed or not being able to eat at Applebee’s. They are much worse! We need to remember that the coming of the Lord is like a thief in the night (Matt 24:43; 1 Thess 5:2), the Day is near (1 Pet 4:7), He stands at the door (James 5:9). This means we should always be ready for the Lord’s return, not just in times of hardship.

Don’t become an extreme introvert.

            Now I understand those who are introverts. To some extent, I am an introvert. I can quietly sit and read a book for hours…no really I can. But I said in the title to not become an extreme introvert. That means do not cut off contact with everyone you know, including church family. Yes we cannot meet face to face, but that doesn’t mean we cannot talk. Grab a phone, make a call, do a drive-by wave but don’t hide yourself in your living room with no outside contact.

Don’t become impatient and hasty.

            Some of us have pretty much had it with this quarantine. We are ready to burst and just go out and have a big reunion party at someone’s house. Be patient. Over and over again the New Testament tells us to be patient. Patience is part of the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), patience is one of the characteristics of love (1 Cor 13:4), we are told to be patient with all men (1 Thess 5:14). And this patience is not simply applied in times of joy and prosperity, but actually in times of adversity as well. Consider 2 Tim 2:24, “be patient when wronged.” Or, 1 Pet 2:20, which talks about patiently enduring hardship even when you are doing right. James 5:20 tells us to consider the Old Testament prophets who were examples of suffering and patience. It is times of trial that we need patience the most.

Now the Do’s

Do redeem the time.

            This is an unprecedented opportunity to draw closer to your spouse, draw closer to your family, or draw closer to the Lord, or all of the above. When this is all over I guarantee some will wish they would have spent their time more wisely when they had it. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

Do commit to your spiritual devotions.

            Use this time to improve your relationship to Christ. He has never left us nor forsaken us, so this is a great time to return that commitment. Start the habit of spiritual devotions and it will continue even when this is over. He is worthy of such devotion.

Do love your neighbor.

            Take care of those around you, and that does not mean only in terms of providing resources they need. Love them even when they disagree with you. Some may be overly cautious, be sensitive to that and don’t upset them. Some may be overly confident, don’t criticize them. Cautious people and confident people can both be a blessing to us, so be thankful for both.

            Hopefully, these ideas can be a help to us. Let’s continue to pray that this quarantine gets lifted and next month we can have a ‘normal’ voice article and a ‘normal’ church service!

A Common Resurrection?

One of the most entertaining movies of my teenage years was the film The Matrix. It was a mind bending, visually interesting action movie like I had never seen. There was a lot in that movie that you needed to suspend your disbelief to accept, but one particular detail bothered me. Near the end, the hero (spoiler alert) is killed by the bad guy. Neo, the hero, is plugged into The Matrix and he clearly dies as his heart monitor flatlines and the rest of the good guys look on in disbelief. However, as he is dead laying on a table in the real world, the love interest confesses her love for him and guess what happens? Well, he awakens, comes back to life, and proceeds to defeat the bad guy and save everybody. Now, I can accept a lot of things in a fictional movie, but this did not sit right with me. Love resurrected someone? There was no explanation in the film for how he miraculously came back to life.

            Hollywood has a profound impact on our thinking. Whether we admit it or not, Hollywood movies are pushing an ideology. They are promoting a certain worldview. And we spend hours upon hours each week ingesting these worldviews put out by Hollywood motion pictures. As the years have passed since The Matrix, I have noticed a trend popping up more and more in big Hollywood blockbusters. The trend is for the hero to die and to be resurrected. It is not enough for him to be close to death, he must actually die and return. How common is this you ask? Just going off the top of my head I can think of the following major characters who experienced a resurrection-type experience: E.T., the Crow, Catwoman in Batman Returns, Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Superman in the DC Comics movies, Black Panther the Avenger, Optimus Prime and Megatron of Transformers, Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, and probably many others I am missing. One resurrection doesn’t seem to be enough in both the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Transformers franchises as they have two.

            Why is this becoming more and more common in big Hollywood stories? I mean, these are not obscure films no one has seen, these are the biggest blockbusters. What is Hollywood trying to tell us? I have a theory. My theory is: to have us think resurrection is common. To make it normal, to make it ordinary, to make it just another story detail. But why would Hollywood seek to do that? Because the single most fantastic reality of Christianity is the resurrection of Christ. Here in April we celebrate the astounding reality that Christ rose from the grave. And not only rose from the grave by some outside power, but that He actually rose Himself from the grave (John 10:18)!

            My theory is proven in the movie Justice League where the heroes are discussing bringing Superman back from the dead. Now, he is clearly dead, they had a funeral and buried his body in a casket in the ground. But as they discuss the positives/negatives of resurrecting him (which is totally possible in their mind), the hero Aquaman says, “I don’t know about this, you lose something when you die.” What?! Yes, you lose everything when you die! It’s over! But, his statement implies a normalcy for resurrection itself, just an abnormal effect on those resurrected. As if he is saying, “Look at all the other resurrected people, they don’t come back the same.” You can also look at the Avengers movies where in the last film the Avengers were able to resurrect literally half of all life in the universe! Talk about resurrection being common, 1 in every 2 people would have experienced it themselves.

            You see, we know Hollywood is not pro-Christian anything, so if Satan can make resurrection commonplace and normal in the minds of people, then when we tell them about the glorious resurrection of Christ, they will think it is no big deal because they have seen it dozens of times!

            Does my theory hold water in the real world? Well, I remember talking to a young man about the gospel. When I told him about the resurrection of Jesus, his response almost caused me to fall out of my chair. He said, “That’s no big deal, people rise from the dead all the time.” I was so shocked to hear that I told him, “You’re right, let’s go down to Shafter cemetery and ask them how many resurrections they have seen this week…this month…this year.” Could it be, seeing the normalcy of resurrection over and over again on the big screen had caused him to be less than impressed that some guy named Jesus rose from the dead? Oh Jesus rose from the dead? You mean just like Harry Potter and Optimus Prime did, big deal.

            We must continue to proclaim and announce the astounding reality that Jesus Christ is risen from the grave. That when the disciples heard He had risen, they would NOT believe it until He appeared to them. And, that when they saw Him they were AFRAID (Matt 28:10). Even when the angel told the women that He was risen, they were trembling, astonished, and fearful (Mark 16:8).

            May this be our perspective on the resurrection. May we continually be blown away by the reality that He is risen. May it even cause us to fear, because we see with unveiled eyes who Jesus Christ really is. That He is very different than Jack Sparrow or Gandalf.

~ Pastor Mark Scialabba

Bad Theology Affects Lives

Theology affects life. Good theology will influence people to correct God pleasing behavior. But, bad theology can seriously damage people’s lives of faith. And there is no clearer example of this than in the tragic story of the sudden death of a 2-year-old girl back in December. Olive Heiligenthal stopped breathing suddenly on December 13th and although paramedics and doctors did everything they could to save her, she ultimately passed. The parents of Olive are members of the wildly popular megachurch Bethel Church in Redding, CA where there is a school of ministry as well.

            One of Bethel Church’s main theological beliefs is that the miraculous gifts of the Bible are still in operation today and still possible through certain individuals with those gifts. Their school of ministry is even called the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, which basically implies that individuals can be trained in supernatural feats and abilities. If the miracles of the Bible still happen today, then that means resurrections must happen as well, since they happen on a few occasions (Lazarus and Eutychus for example). Since the family went to this church that teaches this particular theological point, they went to the church leaders asking for prayer and intercession for Olive to be resurrected. The leaders of course have to back up what they say they believe so they began a massive movement of prayer and petitions to #wakeupolive.

            This theological view of miracles is just not good sound theology. It arises from a lack of serious study and investigation of the Scripture. Of course, I believe that our God is unlimited in His power and can do anything He wants, but I have to form my theological positions based on consistent study of Scripture and not ‘what ifs.’ This view of miracles is deficient for numerous reasons.

            First, Bethel Church fails to consider the nature and timing of miracles in the Bible. We find just a few periods of concentrated miracles in the Bible. We see miracles in the time of Moses, the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, the time of Jesus, and the time of the book of Acts. All of these periods have something in common: it is a time of new revelation that must be confirmed of being of God. For example, Moses bringing the people out of Egypt had to show the people who God is and give His Law to them. The prophets began a ministry of rebuking the wicked kings for their idolatry and evil behavior. Jesus was proclaiming Himself the Messiah the Son of God and the book of Acts was the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, miracles were commonly grouped together at the time of some new revelation from God that needed to be authenticated as being from God.

            Second, Bethel Church fails to consider that all the miracles done in the book of Acts in the church were performed by the apostles, or those directly empowered by the apostles (Acts 2:43; 6:6-8). Nowhere do you see average church people performing miracles like resurrections. Even Paul says in 2 Cor 12:12 that he performed the signs of a true apostle, which means the miracles of apostles were distinctly different.

            Third, Bethel Church fails to consider the uniqueness of Christ and the transitional nature of the book of Acts. For the average Christian to be able to do the same miracles of Christ lessens His uniqueness as the Messiah Son of God. He’s not as special as He seems if I can do the same things. Also, the book of Acts is transitional in nature, moving the plan of God from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. This radical change in God’s plan, and the introduction of the church, requires authenticating signs to prove it. But it is not necessarily prescriptive of the church for all time. If that were so, why do miracle workers today not perform the ‘negative’ miracles like smiting people with blindness, like Paul did (Acts 13:9-11). Not everything in Acts is normal for the Christian life or in church ministry.

            There are many other cracks in this theology as well. Paul saw his miracle working coming to an end (2 Tim 4:20) because the revelation of the New Testament was ending; never are Christians told to seek after miracles; miracles are spontaneous in the Bible, they are not planned; and Jesus specifically spoke against the idea of a human resurrection as being more powerful than the Word of God (Luke 16:31).

            So, this view of miracles is deficient, but what is most concerning is how it affects people’s lives. Look at the toll it took on this poor family who lost this young child and probably got their hopes up for a resurrection their church says can happen. Look at the harm done to the faith of all of those who joined in pushing for a resurrection, only to be disappointed in God for not doing it. Look at the critics of Christianity who roll their eyes when, surprise, surprise, people do not rise from the dead. What we have left in the wake of bad theology is disastrous results on people’s lives.

            This is truly a tragic story. But there is some Biblical comfort found in loss that we could accurately tell the family. This young child is in the presence of the Lord (2 Sam 12:23) and never has to experience the sorrows and trials of this fallen world. That is where our hope should be placed. I’m not upset at the family at all, I’m upset at the spiritual leadership of places like Bethel whose faulty theology take people on a crash course of faith. Tell people God does miracles, then they pray for a miracle that borders on the edge of testing God, then the miracle doesn’t happen, and finally, the people’s faith is crushed. That is on the leaders for not accurately handling the Word of Truth (2 Tim 2:15).

            This is the supreme importance correct theology plays in the life of a church and why leaders need to ‘get it right.’ Because without correct theology, people’s faith and lives are at stake.

~ Pastor Mark Scialabba