I’m seeing a lot of strong public comments being made by which professing Christians are impugning the character of others. The divisions seem to run so deep that we’re talking over each other … and around each other …  but not with each other. We’re not all going to agree on politics, nor should we – I guess that goes without saying – but I’d like to devote some time and energy today to the broad subject of how we view and relate to government.

I’m speaking directly to my fellow Christ follower now. Until our Perfect King Jesus returns – and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of Christ in the fullest sense (Revelation 11:15) – you and I are dual citizens. We’re citizens of the common kingdom, which includes everyone, but we’re also citizens of the redemptive kingdom – the kingdom of God. One day these kingdoms will be united as one, but for now we in Christ’s Church are dual citizens – though our highest loyalty is to the kingdom of God (Philippians 3:20).

We know from the Scriptures that, as believers, our posture toward the state should be one of subjection (Romans 13:1-7). God alone put the state into rightful authority, and our subjection to the government is an act of worship in the sense that we fear the Lord first. So it’s our reverence for Christ which leads us to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21) by way of respecting the law and paying our taxes and other debts. We humbly recognize that government exists for our benefit as it promotes societal order. It’s one of the many reasons why we respect and pray for those in authority over us (First Timothy 2:1-2). When Jesus returns, “the government will be upon His shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). Until that Day, we’ll live under imperfect forms of government and imperfect leaders. Charity is required.

But there were times when the same Paul who insisted on our humble submission in general demonstrated the appropriateness of understanding and invoking one’s own legal rights. In Acts 16:16-40, Paul and Silas were accused of crimes by slaveowners whose income they’d gutted by freeing a fortune-teller from demon possession. The men stirred up a lynch mob, and Paul and Silas were beaten severely. Paul was a Roman citizen, a privilege enjoyed by less than 10% of the empire’s populace. Among a citizen’s rights were freedom from beatings without trial, but Paul had to stand up for himself in order to be treated with any modicum of decency. Years later, Paul averted a flogging by insisting that his civil rights be respected (Acts 22:22-29). Two years later, Paul was a prisoner at Caesarea, facing an unjust trial before the Jewish high court. To avert a prejudicial tribunal, Paul again demanded his due process (Acts 25:1-12).

We in these United States have been blessed with “certain unalienable rights” with which we have been “endowed by our Creator” – to quote the Declaration of Independence. Our Bill of Rights expressly tells the government what it cannot do, as our Constitution purposefully limits government to specified powers. Historically speaking, we enjoy unique freedoms in America. These liberties include, thankfully, our right to unhindered religious belief and worship (please note: both). As I’ve said many times, the best way to protect a freedom is to exercise it.

When infringements of rights go unchallenged, governments are de facto emboldened to push the envelope until the rights are eroded. The sad legacy of human government has been that ambitious and self-absorbed rulers, gripped by the lust for power, have gained more and more control over the people. This saying is not original with me, but it always fits: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

Whether we’re discussing government, or politics, or any other sphere of life, you and I – just like the Apostle Paul – are called to a ministry of love and truth. Friends, “grace and truth” are never an either-or, but they’re always a both-and (John 1:14).

So how do we who straddle two worlds love our neighbor – including our fellow follower of Christ – for such a time as this? I’ll offer four suggestions.

1. Keep yourself informed. Many of the issues in the public square are complex and nuanced, and they can’t be reduced to simple soundbites without obscuring the truth. At times throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus wore His lawyer hat. When He argued that the disciples were free to pick grain on the Sabbath, when He defended the adulterous woman, and at other critical moments, Jesus insightfully applied the law to uphold justice, to promote goodwill among people, and to spotlight the grace of God. If ever you and I needed godly wisdom, we need it now.

2. Be a model citizen. To live consistently as such citizens, you and I need constant fellowship with our Lord. Unless we stick close to Christ and stay in His Word, we’ll be blind to our own idolatry – political and otherwise. Good citizenship is part of good discipleship, and humble but vital engagement with our legal system can play a huge role in the health of our communities and in cultivating a context where the gospel can flourish. If I might add, right now especially, a Christlike tone is especially important among those of us who bear Christ’s name.

3. Be willing to get your hands dirty. It’s my conviction that the legal aspects of Jesus’ ministry are widely misunderstood. Surely Christ’s desire is that we His people use the law to secure the rights of others to hear the gospel and be set free from sin, shame, and spiritual darkness. If we’re going to serve others in our Savior’s name, then we’ll have to meet them where they are. Quite frankly, that means moving our influence into the muddiness of broken relationships among suffering image-bearers who might make us uncomfortable – at least at first.

4. Never forget the power of love. It should not be lost on any one of us that, after his most succinct treatise on the believer’s relationship to government, Paul devotes the very next verse to the “debt of love” which you and I owe to all people. The apostle goes on to conclude: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). Love for Christ and others is our secret superpower … our most exquisite tool of influence … and our scheme of greatest impact for the common good.

You and I, because of Jesus, see people through a unique lens. We accept the fact that we’re all fallen and fallible, and desperately in need of grace. We’re needy, one and all. And we look not to the methods and madness of this world to bring ultimate hope to any of us – only Christ’s gospel can do that. Even when politics serves us well between this world and the next, it’s just a temporary fix. But we’re heading in a spectacular direction, as we “look forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

I’ll close by quoting the great theologian, Wynonna: “Love can build a bridge between your heart and mine. Love can build a bridge. Don’t you think it’s time? Don’t you think it’s time?”

Pastor Charles

Something happened 2000 years ago. Not just something, but someone: Jesus of Nazareth.

Since the dawn of human civilization, plenty of people have made plenty of religious claims about life and eternity. Many have claimed to know the secrets to the pathway to God. In and of themselves, these claims are just that: claims. They can’t be proven.

Jesus made unique claims about himself. For example, he professed plainly, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). These claims of divine identity are found in the earliest gospel narratives that nearly all critical scholars acknowledge can be credited to the historical Jesus.

Jesus also claimed divine authority (for example, Mark 2:1-12). We know from multiple passages of Scripture that these claims led eventually to his death. If these claims were false, then Jesus was either deceived or a deceiver. From the historical record, neither seems likely.

Jesus faced head-on the consequences of his claims. In fact, it’s difficult to describe how much injustice and viciousness against him were packed into the last week of Christ’s earthly life. After he was shamefully betrayed, and subsequent to his arrest, our Lord Jesus was pummeled like the ball in a pinball machine – trapped in the cruel space between the corrupt civil and religious authorities. Everyone wanted him dead, but no one wanted his blood on their hands.

They were cowards, one and all. The venomous accusers of Jesus indiscriminately leveled all manner of false accusations against him – from blasphemy to insurrection to terrorism. And, despite any compelling or substantial evidence, credible witnesses, or elements of a real crime, the Son of God was pronounced guilty and sentenced to death.

As Jesus awaited his fate, he was bullied, slapped, spat upon, interrogated, harassed, and beaten to a pulp. The authorities humiliated him at every turn, and stripped him naked. They mocked the claims of his deity, ripping his flesh with a savagery unimaginable, and stabbing a crown of thorns into his head. They wrapped God the Son in a purple robe as they laughed with their vile hatred.

There on Calvary’s lonely cross, none other than God incarnate was brutally executed. The very Light of the world was tortured until his life was eclipsed by the blackest darkness of human sin. On that day, the cosmic forces of evil eked out an apparent victory, as the breath of Love Divine came to a full stop: “It is finished.”

But the story isn’t over …

On Sunday morning, a critical report began to spread. What had started as a respectful visit to Jesus’s tomb resulted in a shocking announcement that would shake the planet: “… the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay’” (Matthew 28:5-6).

Wonder of wonders. Miracle of miracles. The heart of “God with us” was beating again.

One by one, Jesus’s disciples came to the settled conviction that he had risen from the dead, and they kept circulating this incredible news – even at the expense of their own lives. If Jesus wasn’t in fact raised bodily from death to life, they also were either deceived or deceivers. Again, history doesn’t support either option.

So, here we are – you and I – wondering what to do with such claims. Can we really believe this amazing story? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? What in the world can explain the unstoppable movement of Christianity – and the immense blessings that have flowed from it – from Jerusalem to the farthest reaches of human civilization?

The most reasonable possibility is that the story is simply true. Jesus is God. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ. And he did rise from the dead. The whole time, Jesus was telling the truth. And so were those who believed in him.

Friend, you don’t need 100% certainty in order to believe. God can handle your honest questions and doubt. You just need enough faith to come to Jesus as you are right now. Come!

Because, if this story is true, it not only answers our ultimate questions, but it leads to our ultimate joy. God loves us so much that he was willing to die to forgive us and make us his own. What had been “finished” was not Jesus himself, but God’s marvelous plan to rescue and redeem us for eternity.

Not only that, but the good news of Jesus Christ is more than enough to sustain us in our deepest valleys and darkest seasons. Death has lost, and love has won. Not only is Christ’s love inextinguishable, but it transforms us with the ever-increasing hope that we need for the tumultuous times in which we live. The undeserved grace of our risen, living, reigning Christ breathes God’s certainty into our uncertainty.

He’s still breathing. So what will you do with an empty tomb?

Pastor Charles

I was told by the mission team that recently accompanied me to Armenia that this is their favorite photo of me from our trip. I suppose it captures both our purpose and our joy. After all, we traveled to the other side of the world to serve people in Christ’s name – to humble ourselves in love before them in whatever ways would be required. And this would mean getting tired and sweaty and dirty and – at least in my case – covered in the paint that would brighten our playground construction project.

In Romans 1:1, the Apostle Paul self-identifies as “a slave of Jesus Christ.” Most modern English translations employ the word “servant” in that verse, but “doulos” is a strong word used in the Scriptures to describe one who has given up his or her will in service to another. The idea is that the “slave” has surrendered the self-interests that come naturally to us.

In fact, the Bible calls you and me to joyful surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We’re tempted to read quickly through Paul’s introduction to Romans without feeling the weight of what he’s saying here. This is radical, friends. As a faithful Jew, Paul could lean on his spiritual pedigree or accolades – but he does the very opposite. His mode is full surrender. He leans only on Jesus.

We must remember that the Israelites were descended from a long and awful period of brutal slavery. The often-merciless powers of Egypt ruled over them for 400 years. So to be called a “slave” in any context would have sounded abhorrent in the ears of a Jew, as slavery would have invoked the worst aspects of their history and conjured up their most bitter feelings of shame. So it’s nothing less than shocking that Paul readily embraces this title of “slave,” with all of its implications of servitude and humility. He embraces the title because the attitude accompanying it is essential not only for the preaching of the gospel – as we seek to carry out the Great Commission – but for the foundation of our faith.

Let me say it again: Christianity is, by its very nature, real-life submission to Christ as Lord.

We tend to be drawn to the idea that Christ humbled Himself for us. We like that. That God loves us to the infinite degree is a beautiful truth indeed, and the Cross is our Exhibit A. We tend to find such amazing grace both captivating and stirring, as we should. That Christ would humble Himself and die for me is more than wonderful! Among my highest and greatest thoughts, I know nothing more wonderful than this boundless, undeserved, and reconciling love.

By contrast, we tend to struggle with the notion that our Lord calls us to a life of Christlike sacrifice. That’s often a hard pill to swallow. It’s often the case that, sometimes without even realizing it, we’re balking at the responsibility that is ours to take on the identity of one who is truly “in Christ” – the identity of one who is truly trusting in Christ. Whether we know it or not, we’re pushing back against the reality that we’re no longer the proverbial master of the ship. We’re no longer in control. There is a boss, but He’s not us. In fact, it’s no longer about us. Such a redefinition of ourselves – in our own stubborn thinking – doesn’t usually happen overnight. Dying to self tends to be a slow death.

Let’s face it: it’s not easy to wrestle our old prideful nature to the ground. On our own, we’re powerless to do it. But, filled with the Spirit of the risen Christ – this is the magnificence of the rest of Paul’s letter to the Romans – we’re steered toward embracing our new and far better identity in Jesus.

You see, what makes us happy isn’t nearly as important as what makes us holy. But the truth is that, where Jesus Christ is Lord, happiness and holiness are no longer enemies. In fact, the greatest joy we’ll ever know or experience is our surrender to the Master who loved us enough to purchase us by the shedding of His own blood.

Friends, independence is vastly and desperately overrated. The happiness that you and I are craving is found in Christ-dependence. Our sense of “independence” can be sinful rebellion in disguise, but surrender is where our hearts can truly soar with a delight that only a child of God can understand! Our restless souls find this a bit counterintuitive, but our surrender is the ultimate way of peace and satisfaction.

Are we willing to surrender? This is the million-dollar question that we must answer. And only a Sovereign Savior can help us answer it honestly. Make no mistake about it: as we yield our will to the will of the One who’s truly in charge, we will walk through some personal sorrow – perhaps even some gut-wrenching agony. It’s not an easy road that you and I’ve been given to travel, and it’s no easy calling to give up the reins of control that we’ve found so seductive with their false sense of security.

And living sacrifices tend to crawl off the altar. But we are not alone, and our God will help us – as He always does. As we learn to surrender, I’ll remind you of what C.S. Lewis wrote of the losses that we suffer in this life for Christ: “Heaven will work backwards and turn even agony into glory. Like waking up from a nightmare … whatever has been lost will be that much sweeter when it is regained.”

Yes, Jesus loves me. And we can trust our faithful Shepherd, for He loves us with a passion that painted His own body red.

We are marked for the gospel!

Pastor Charles

You’re looking at my view late Monday from the Armenian village of Ujan, about half an hour from Yerevan, where my fellow mission team members and I are building a playground for children. The photo can’t do justice to the loveliness that’s emanating from the horizon where the earth meets the sky. The awesome snow-capped peak encircled by impressive clouds is Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark came to rest after the great Flood.

I’m struck by the grandeur and the artistry, and I don’t want to miss a moment of it. How magnificent is our Creator’s handiwork! That being firmly articulated, we have lots of work to do here this week, so I won’t spend a whole lot of time blogging.

If you want my opinion, the story of Noah is a word of great hope for all of us. Noah’s life and calling were anything but easy, yet his story continues to whisper in our ears a testimony of God’s sovereign grace. In the words of Genesis 9:1, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'” What should have been total disaster for the entire human race had become an undeserved fresh start.

I suppose there are reasons why many people question the validity of the Bible’s record in regard to Noah, but I’m not among numbered among the skeptics. From my perspective, it’s simply historical narrative that’s rich with theological truth and beauty.

In Matthew 24:36-39, Jesus references the account of Noah, and I suppose that’s simply enough for me. Christ had every opportunity to explain the ark as mere fable or symbolism, but He did not. The story includes symbolism, of course, but it’s so much more. It speaks of people who actually lived, and of events which actually transpired.

In an amazing and supernatural way, Noah represents the grace of your glorious salvation and mine in our Lord Jesus Christ. The sparing of Noah’s family prefigures the sparing of all who place their trust in Christ.

As the ark withstood the deadly storm and carried all its passengers to safety, so does Christ faithfully and fully see us through to the other side. He is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). There is no other way out of our sin and the righteous wrath of God.

And please consider this. Almighty God, by placing the gorgeous rainbow of light in the sky for Noah and his descendants, aimed His weapon of war and judgment directly at Himself. How can this spectacular sign of the covenant be anything less than a prelude to the cross, and to the gospel of grace which sets us free?

So, Beloved, praise be to God for the unmatched victory that is ours in Christ!
“Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the Creator triumphantly raise,
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who guideth us on to the end of our days.
His banners are o’er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
‘Til shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
As forward we travel from light into light.
His law He enforces: the stars in their courses,
The sun in His orbit, obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him divine,
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing,
With glad adoration a song let us raise,
‘Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving
To God in the highest, hosanna and praise!”

Friends, because of Christ, I’m so blessed to be traveling with you from light into light!

Pastor Charles

Three Dog Night sang, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.”

I’ve been walking our congregation through the book of Ecclesiastes, and Chapter 4 has confronted all of us with the problem of aloneness. As I looked at the text, and as I looked in the mirror, I realized that the overwhelming emotions facing Solomon are universal. Loneliness stings. In fact, the problem of loneliness is as old as the human race. I backtracked and noted: “It is not good that the man should be alone (Genesis 2:18).” In the Hebrew Scriptures, that’s God’s first recorded “not good,” and I contend that it still applies to each one of us – whether we’re single or married.

You and I were never designed to go it alone.

Don’t get me wrong. At one time or another, everybody feels lonely. But the struggle can get intense. When feelings of aloneness become frequent, social isolation begins to increase. The American Psychological Association warns that social isolation is mounting in American society at an alarming rate. Several factors contribute. More people live alone than ever before. As people have fewer children, the average household size is trending downward, and at this point more than 50% of the population is unmarried. Simultaneously, meaningful connections to religious communities are decreasing. Even volunteerism is down in the U.S. as of this writing. When it comes to overall societal health and wellbeing, all of these trends are moving in the wrong direction.

People between 30 and 44 years of age poll the loneliest. 29% of people in this age range report that they’re “frequently lonely” or “always lonely.” And there are no substantial gender differences – it seems that men and women experience similar rates of loneliness. Nor do there appear to be major differences based on race or ethnicity. Loneliness can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere.

America is a lonely nation.

Harvard Graduate School of Education researchers have published data noting what they describe as “existential loneliness,” or a “fundamental sense of disconnection from others or the world.” Of those who self-identify as lonely, 65% say they feel “fundamentally separate or disconnected from others or the world,” and 57% say they are unable to share their true selves with others.

Existential loneliness.

I’d say it’s nothing short of tragic that you and I have friends, neighbors, and family members who feel like they can’t ever be themselves. You may remember the line from Shakespeare: “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

What I’m trying to say is that chronic loneliness is a serious problem. And the reality is that you and I can experience aloneness and loneliness even when there are plenty of people around. Maybe you’re there right now. We’re the constantly connected disconnected generation. We all know that technology is at least partly to blame for this unsettling phenomenon, but we don’t fully understand all the connections or ramifications.

Underlying much of our national anger is grief. And underlying much of our national grief is loneliness.

We’re tempted to think that the cure for our loneliness must be people, but God’s Word reminds us that people can’t – apart from the Lord – fix us. In fact, no person or power on Earth can bring us the “peace which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7). When you and I look to other people to fill our loneliness void, exclusively, we’re like the woman at the well whose thirst was never quenched until she met Jesus. Christ will meet us in all our sorrows, including our loneliness, and only He can give our exhausted souls the rest we ultimately crave (Matthew 11:28-30). No human being – and not one of our expensive toys – can ever give us the supreme satisfaction that we discover only in Jesus Christ. You and I must never forget that we find our “completeness” only in Christ (Colossians 2:8-10).

That being clearly established, the people around me matter forever. The same goes for you. According to Ephesians 4:1-16, the Lord’s beautiful work of redemption extends far beyond our being reconciled to God – wonderful as that is! God’s amazing grace just keeps giving! Accompanying the arrival of the Holy Spirit of our ascended Christ are God’s gifts for His people – you and me – and these come to us in the form of other people. So, as we receive each other in love, and as we work together to build and protect the unity of the church, we celebrate the unique gift that is each other. No spiritual gift is a self-generated achievement. The truth is that each gifted believer – that includes every one of us who belongs to Christ – is a distinctive treasure sent by God.

In my sin and selfishness, as I navigate the hardships of life, I can become so self-absorbed that I bail on the hard work of cultivating good, healthy, edifying, and Christ-honoring relationships. Perhaps that’s a danger you face too. Lord, help us! Millie Welsh writes: “Since we are made in God’s image and He values being known more than anything else, it stands to reason that it is very important to us as humans to also be known. Not only do we want to be known by God, but we have a high need to be known by others … There is something in us that makes us want to belong, to be known, and to be understood. We are made for relationship, which is a gift from God.” So, friends, let’s keep doing the hard work of relationship-building for God’s glory. The dividends are eternal.

“A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). I’m sure grateful for this promise. We desperately need God. We desperately need each other. And in that order.

Be encouraged.

Pastor Charles

I’m a big fan of green peas. Even the frozen kind that you nuke for 4.5 minutes right before dinner. With just a little butter on top, they fit almost every plate perfectly. Eileen and Josh don’t share my affinity for the petite verdant delicacies – at least not to the same degree – but we’re all fans of peas in a pinch.

Anyway, there’s an interesting and pithy bit of wisdom tucked away in Proverbs 15:17. It’s worded like this: “Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.” Wow. That’s a mouthful (pun fully intended). What good’s a party if the guests don’t even like each other? Where’s the fun in that?

I guess that’s the Bible’s way of reminding us that the food on the table isn’t nearly as important as the love around the table. Excellent point. Sage counsel for all of us pilgrims along the way. It is, after all, “the fear of the Lord” – just one verse earlier – that helps us find our contentment not in the stuff of life – but in the deeper matters of the heart. When Christ is in it, even a little daily bread can be received with delight and thanksgiving.

We’re all prone to hatred – as the Scriptures so clearly testify – but you and I don’t want to live there. We know better. So my goal today is to remind us how privileged we are to be the Lord’s ambassadors of love – even when and where lovelessness might seem to abound.

So how do we love?

Eleanor Roosevelt once notably quipped: “The giving of love is an education in itself.” The popular advice columnist, Ann Landers (her real name was Esther Pauline “Eppie” Lederer), defined love as “friendship that has caught fire.” And the American novelist and poet, John Updike, expressed the wonder of romantic love like this: “We are most alive when we are in love.” Across the pond and more than a century earlier, the English Victorian poet known as Alfred, Lord Tennyson captured the famous sentiment: “‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”

We know from Christ’s compelling story of the Good Samaritan that the human race is exceptionally adept at making excuses for why we don’t have to love this or that person – “Who is my neighbor?” asked the lawyer insincerely – but such smug self-righteousness doesn’t get us off the hook. Jesus was very clear: whoever needs us is our real neighbor. G.K. Chesterton said it well: “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.” It was also Chesterton who penned: “To love anything is to see it at once under lowering skies of danger. Loyalty implies loyalty in misfortune.”

You and I are called to loyal love. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who preached: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Sang rather melodiously Michael W. Smith: “Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them.”

Love is exhilarating! Exciting! Enduring! Fun and funny. It was Agatha Christie who noted: “It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them.” The politician, essayist, and playwright of “Les Misérables” fame, Victor Hugo, keenly and rightly observed: “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” Indeed. And the French aviator and writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, offered his own insight into the mystery of love: “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”

Love is costly. Calvary’s cross is Exhibit A.

The business guru and motivational speaker, Simon Sinek, warns via Facebook: “Love is giving someone the power to destroy you and hoping they don’t use it.” From his professional experiences at Oxford and Cambridge, and from the pit of his own personal agony, C.S. Lewis – who had much to say on the subject of love’s inherent risk – left us with this sobering reality check: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, perhaps the most influential writer in the German language, took a stab at the selfless nature of true love: “Love does not dominate; it cultivates.” That’s good. I truly enjoy people’s real-life definitions of love, but in a sense each definition falls short, because each one of them is – knowingly or unknowingly – an attempt to define God. I say this, friends, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).

It is the gospel good news of Jesus that fuels all true love, and which liberates us from loving in all the wrong directions. St. Augustine prayed humbly before God: “He loves Thee too little, O Lord, who loves anything together with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake.” Love for God is our only starting point, and – without it – we are lost in pursuit of a fantasy. With a love for God, however, all of the love which we can express here on Earth becomes a signpost for amazing grace.

“For God so loved.”

So I shall let God speak for Himself. He used the Apostle Paul to summarize exquisitely the matter of our high calling in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 13:4-7): “Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.”

Peas be with you.

Pastor Charles

Ephphatha!

Even if we could pronounce it correctly, it’d be a strange sound in our ears. But it’s a word recorded in the Bible – so it’s a word that will always matter. In fact, it’s a word that should always remind us of the incredible love of God.

“Ephphatha” isn’t something we hear every day. It’s the Greek form of a Syro-Chaldaic or Aramaic word that means “Be opened.” It was spoken by our Lord Jesus – as He “looked up to heaven” – as He healed a man who was suffering from deafness and its accompanying speech impediment (Mark 7:34). It’s somewhat characteristic of Mark in his Gospel to include Aramaic words spoken by Jesus.

The man was made whole. He could hear, and he spoke plainly. Such a marvelous miracle!

“Be opened!”

At this time in history, the deaf man was helpless on his own. He could see, but the first standard form of sign language was more than 1600 years away. I include that detail just to remind you that no one could explain this miracle-worker named Jesus to a disabled man who desperately needed Him. The unknowing man would have to be brought to Jesus for a personal encounter. The understanding would have to come later.

This is a fascinating account, and I urge you to read all the verses carefully (Mark 7:31-37). In the course of interaction between Christ and this deaf man, Jesus puts His fingers into the man’s ears, and Jesus touches the man’s tongue. I don’t have to tell you that this isn’t everyday behavior. Maybe your toddler kids put their little fingers in your ears on occasion … and perhaps a doctor looks in with an instrument as part of your checkup … and maybe you got a couple of “wet willy’s” in your survival of childhood … but to have another person touch us in these ways would be startling – to say the least.

Clearly, Jesus doesn’t need to touch people to heal them. There’s no rulebook that requires Him to stick fingers into ears or touch tongues. In fact, we know clearly from the Scriptures that Jesus doesn’t even need to be in the same geographical location as the person in need of a miraculous healing. Christ’s word is enough to heal. It’s always enough. Christ’s word is, after all, the same word that spoke the entire universe into being. There simply is no higher power or authority than the word of Christ.

He could just say the word, and all would be well.

So why does Jesus do it like this?

I think the answer is simple. Jesus does all of this because the man is deaf.

Of course, Jesus could just say the word. He could just say “Be opened,” and the deaf man’s ears would be opened and his tongue loosened instantaneously . The man would be set free immediately form his afflictions, from the very moment the words were spoken.

Jesus’ words can do that. But Jesus loves this man far too much to do it that way. Jesus wants to make absolutely sure that this deaf man knows the full extent of the extravagant grace of God that is aimed squarely in his direction. Bullseye! All-wise Jesus is making it crystal clear that He is bringing to this desperate man a deliverance, a salvation, a future, and a hope that could come only from the Lord God!

Jesus wants none of this glorious message to get lost in translation. So Christ – full of grace and truth – communicates in the language of this man’s lonely soul: physical touch. Friends, I’m so glad that you and I have a Savior who knows us so well – and who loves us so individually and so deeply – that He chooses to speak our language.

If you’re hurting today … or confused … or lost … or angry … or terrified … or sad … or struggling to make sense of something that makes no sense …

Christ can meet you right there. Right where you are. He speaks your language. He’s the Author of your heart.

We sing it at Christmastime, but I’m in the mood to sing it in March …

Be opened!

Pastor Charles

Any couple that has endured the piercing sorrow of infertility knows all too well the feelings of desperation and despair. The pain is real. We as Christ’s body must be full of grace toward anyone struggling with the inability to conceive a child.

Just to get us all on the same page, in vitro fertilization – more commonly abbreviated by the media as IVF – is the medical procedure by which a man’s sperm is united with a woman’s egg. Instead of happening via sexual intercourse, this union happens in a laboratory, and in a petri dish. The result is a living embryo, which is then implanted inside the woman’s womb to develop as if a natural conception had occurred.

For an infertile couple, this may sound absolutely wonderful – like a dream come true. Problem solved, perhaps. Truth be told, we’d be hard-pressed to find a clear Scriptural objection to the process itself, and we could in fact make a robust argument that IVF simply helps a needy couple experience the long-awaited blessing of their own baby. We could look at IVF as no different from the many other ways in which we avail ourselves of medical science to overcome our various and sundry medical conditions.

But it’s not that easy.

I’m no expert on the subject, but I’d like to share with you four principles for thinking soundly through the realities and implications of IVF from a Christ-centered perspective. My hope is that these principles may be of value to you or to someone you love …

1. The fertility clinic and the parents may not share the same values. Discrepancies should be explored in a straightforward manner. It’s been my experience that many couples don’t ask the hard questions at the onset of their pursuit of treatment, and then feel trapped. In many cases, clinics administer IVF without a commitment to the sanctity of all human life. So it’s prudent for you to understand the latest technology, and to give clear voice to your personal moral standards and concerns. If the chief aim of the doctors is to produce as many embryos as possible, without regard to what happens next, Christian couples need to pause and reconsider.

2. Couples may not recognize that, in the eyes of most clinicians, the process of “creating” human life carries with it an obligation to grade embryos based on their expected viability. Said differently, some person must make a determination regarding the potential “quality” of life. So, it stands to reason that the process of IVF itself will make preimplantation genetic diagnosis an important piece of the puzzle – especially as it becomes cheaper. As IVF is aimed at overcoming infertility, the use of such screening is likely to keep expanding. So couples need to think through whether or not they’re comfortable with such decisions being made.

3. The treatment of leftover embryos – those not implanted into the mother – raises serious moral, ethical, and practical concerns. All human life bears the image of Almighty God (Genesis 1:26-28). So life has immeasurable value in all its forms, and should be protected from the moment of fertilization. Embryos should never be treated carelessly or destroyed. Sadly, some IVF practices result in many embryos that are likely to die or be frozen for an indefinite period of time. Each embryo is, scientifically speaking, a unique person comprised with a distinct DNA code – right down to gender and eye color – just like a baby conceived in its mother’s womb.

4. At all times and in all circumstances, we must be driven by the larger vision of Christ’s kingdom and Christ’s righteousness. As followers of Jesus, you and I must acknowledge that we live in a culture that constantly bombards us with new and morphing demands regarding how human beings are to be treated – or mistreated. We would be foolish to assume that the fertility industry is immune to the temptation to view children as mere commodities for financial gain. Many will not use IVF morally or responsibly, and will carelessly advocate for the destruction of children on a widespread scale. So we must be cautious, wise, prayerful, and humble for such a time as this.

I’m happy to report that there are many physicians and other healthcare providers who share our value of life. They’re willing to talk through these issues, and to help those facing infertility to make right choices. They advocate tirelessly for the very best practices in the practice of medicine, and for responsible regulation and oversight. These friends need our prayers and encouragement.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this important and timely subject.

Pastor Charles

Does your walk with God need renewed energy and joy? Do you want to break free from the wintry spiritual blues? Do you need some fresh wind in your sails?

You’re not alone. Lots of Christ followers are reporting a real-life struggle to maintain the passion for God they once took for granted. The sequence can become a vicious cycle: renewed hope, followed by sincere pursuit, followed by general disappointment, leading to unavoidable exhaustion. I probably don’t need to tell you about the gnawing guilt that can stay with us as long as we’re on this train.

Thankfully, when we feel spiritually exhausted – perhaps stemming from a long stretch of disappointment or difficulty – you and I can call upon the Lord (Jeremiah 33:3)! Hallelujah! Jesus promised that our heavenly Father desires that we seek the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Whenever and wherever we feel overwhelmed by spiritual dryness, God loves to flood our dry souls with His living waters of refreshment (Jeremiah 31:25; Matthew 11:28; John 4:10).

That we might rightly understand a topic as important as the Holy Spirit, let’s consider more of the Bible’s promises. First of all, God is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7). We can take that to the bank. The truth of God’s omnipresence should be deeply comforting to us, no matter where we are or what we’re facing. Our God is not bound by any of the limitations which mark our humanness. So, wherever we are, He’s right there with us.

Secondly, if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is ours forever. And we are His! To receive Christ is to receive His Spirit (Romans 8:9). So, when we ask for more of the Spirit, we’re not asking for something – or someone – we don’t already have. But we’re asking for a heightened awareness of the Spirit’s presence and power, and a deeper appreciation of His ministry to and in us. We’re asking Him to work in new, life-giving ways in and through us.

All of that being established, I think it’s also important to note that the Holy Spirit, though present everywhere and always, chooses to make Himself known at specific times and in specific circumstances. As only He knows what is best for us, and what we most need, He ministers to each one of us in unique ways. As He blesses us individually, His ministry pours through us into the lives of others. And He blesses us through our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Spirit’s great love for the body strengthens the church through His much-needed fruit and gifts, and His gracious presence among us (1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Galatians 5:22-23). This is how He comes to us, and this is why I love asking Him to come!

As I think about you today, friend, I feel compelled to encourage you not to be afraid to seek the Holy Spirit. Like no other, He is on your side! As the third Person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit is to be honored and worshiped. You and I should delight in Him! We can pray to Him … meditate upon His glorious attributes … thank Him for His personal ministry to us … and call upon Him whenever we need to know more of God’s presence and power.

He is God. We are His. He is ours.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my vision today, that I may see Christ in every moment and in every interaction.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my mind today, that I may know how to abide in Christ and be found faithful in Him.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my life today, that my gifts and abilities may shine for Christ alone.

Come, Holy Spirit! Be Lord of my heart today, that I may bear the fruit of my bruised and risen Savior – so I may love like Jesus.

Come, Holy Spirit!

Pastor Charles

The gun is loaded and pointed. Right at the Bible.

That’s what you get when you combine rampant moral relativism and widespread hostility toward objective truth. So those of us who believe the Bible better know why we believe what we believe. Otherwise, we’ll “go with the flow” downstream in the river of hostility toward the most beautiful Word that was ever written.

It’s not only a cultural problem, but entire denominations have jettisoned the authority of Scripture. Sadly, in those contexts, anyone still committed to the Bible is considered a fool.

If believing the Bible is foolish, count me among the fools.

I’m here to encourage you today, friends. Not only is the Bible true, but the Bible is inerrant. “Inerrant” is a word that we don’t use very much anymore, but it’s a word worth dusting off and rediscovering. So I’m devoting today’s blog posting to the subject of Biblical inerrancy. And I want to start by telling you what it’s not.

Inerrancy does not mean that every statement in the Bible is true. For example, in the book of Job, the statements of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar – though accurately reported and recorded – cannot be taken as words of absolute truth. To the contrary, the truth that we learn from the bad advice of Job’s friends – because they misrepresent God – is often the precise opposite of what they actually say. One of the strongest arguments for the veracity of Scripture is that it reports the good, the bad, and the ugly. It tells not only the truth about human nature, but the truth about what real people have thought, said, and done – and what real people continue to think, say, and do.

Inerrancy does not mean that every copy of the Bible is perfect. In 1530, William Tyndale finished his English translation of the Bible, the de facto English Bible until King James I commissioned one in 1604. First printed in 1611, the King James Version became the preeminent English Bible for the next 300 years. From the 19^th century until today, many translations have been completed. English is a relatively young language, and a very fluid one. Because the way we use words changes, we need new translations, but translators – who don’t always agree with each other – make important judgment calls about the text’s original meaning. Obviously, some calls are better than others, and so some Bible versions are better than others. And a commitment to Biblical inerrancy does not deny the existence of variants among the copies of the text that are available to translators.

Inerrancy does not mean that every interpretation of the Bible is legitimate or correct. This observation may go without saying, but I think it’s good to be reminded that you and I are responsible to be diligent in our study of the Scriptures, and to rightly and consistently apply sound principles of Bible hermeneutics – as some seem prone not to do. We can’t be negligent or careless, and then blame our misguided or heretical teaching on the Bible.

Inerrancy does not mean that the Bible is flawless in grammar or literary style. Though God is its ultimate Author, the Bible conveys human communication which is wrapped in historical and cultural context. Real people, with real human perspectives, and with real human limitations and failings, were involved in writing the books of the Bible. Though the language of the Bible is anthropomorphic – written from a human perspective so that we can understand it – the Bible is divine in origin. This is where it really gets exciting!

So what do we mean when we say that the Bible is inerrant?

Inerrancy means that the original manuscripts of the Bible contain no errors whatsoever. When we affirm that God has preserved the Biblical text, we mean that nothing that we believe to be doctrinally true, and therefore nothing that we’re commanded by the Bible to do, is in any way jeopardized by a variant. 99% of the variants are trivial, like spelling errors – impacting absolutely nothing. Of the small number of meaningful variants which are considered viable, no cardinal doctrine hangs in the balance. Thus, we can be confident in the reliability of the Scriptures.

Inerrancy means that the Bible is entirely truthful, in the sense that it is free from error in everything that it affirms. When we start diving into the inspiration of Holy Scripture – how the Bible came to us – we discover a unique and beautiful harmony. In the good providence of God, the active minds of the human writers and the sovereign direction of the Holy Spirit came together to produce God’s inerrant and infallible Word for the human race.

Inerrancy means that the Bible is without error in all that it teaches. It is “true and reliable in all the matters it addresses” (“Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy,” 1978). Though this is a surprise to many, the Old and New Testaments stand up to rigorous academic scrutiny. There’s a widespread belief that much of the Bible was written centuries after the events it records, and that it’s been tampered with ad nauseum. But the breadth and age of the existing ancient manuscripts tell a remarkably different story. Scholars have far less evidence for Homer’s mythology, for example, but no one questions it.

We should be concerned about errors in the Bible. But the reality is: they’re not there. By their very nature, errors damage the accessibility, beauty, durability, trustworthiness, and usefulness of anything which claims to be a source of authority. Think of the damage done by a false witness. Thankfully, we can know with certainty that all 66 books of the Bible – with their unified goal to reveal to us the good news of salvation in Christ – are unmarred by such inaccuracies. The Bible is reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative for all matters of faith and practice. As we trust God, we can trust the Bible. It is inerrant.

The Scriptures are inspired – “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16) – and so the Word of God is unlike any other word that we will ever receive. In regard to its own divine authority, the Bible self-attests: “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

So the reason inerrancy matters is because the Bible is the very word of God. It’s God’s glorious self-revelation to us. Quite wondrously, at the center of God’s revelation is Jesus! And Christ is called the Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13).

Come be a fool with me!

Pastor Charles