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

“Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death” (Matthew 26:59).

The scene in Jerusalem was a palatial mansion. As the supreme ecclesiastical court, supposedly in search of divine justice, the Sanhedrin were assembled – in all their glory. The gathering may have included all 70 members, but there must have been at least 23 – enough for a legal quorum. I’m quite sure the number was as high as humanly possible for a hastily convened proceeding in the middle of the night.

They smelled blood in the water.

Rome was in ultimate control of all judicial proceedings, but what we see in the trial of Jesus before the high priest, Caiaphas, is that the empire’s subjects were allowed substantial freedom to try their own cases. Technically, this meltdown of truth started with Annas, the high priest’s father-in-law and a former incumbent in the position himself. For time’s sake, I won’t go into all the details, but this relationship – and the politics behind it – was twisted. Around the time of Christ’s birth, a very seedy process of high priest selection became the norm. An influential man could maneuver into an office that was up for sale.

What we discover, at each step along the way to the Cross, is injustice after injustice after injustice. It appears from the text of Scripture that most of the “false witnesses” were so utterly bad at their job that they disqualified themselves. The liars couldn’t lie well enough. But, as you might imagine, some of the trumped-up charges against Jesus eventually started to stick.

If ever – in the entire history of the human race – there were a kangaroo court, this was it. I haven’t even mentioned the moral failings of Pontius Pilate, which were soon to follow. And, unsurprisingly, as the gruesome details continued to unfold, Herod Antipas – son of “Herod the Great” – proved to be just as perverted as the rest of the cast. Our Lord Jesus suffered under the enormous weight of a multilayered charade of deceit. Amazing love.

The Sanhedrin recognized their problem. Their blasphemy charges weren’t enough. They had to convince the people in power that Jesus was a threat to the government itself. So – capitalizing on the innate depravity of all the players involved – they lined up liar after liar until the job was done.

Jesus had done nothing wrong, yet everything – and everyone – was against Him.

How are you and I to handle the injustices which come our way? Knowing that we are far from perfect – and that our only perfection is in Christ – how do we take on His mind and heart when the unfairness, false reports, and lack of grace are aimed at us? How do we respond to mistreatment?

First of all, I think we remind ourselves that such seasons are part of life on a fallen planet. They’re not enjoyable, but they teach us much about the gospel that we claim to cherish. It was the humiliation of Jesus which led to His exaltation, and the salvation of sinners like us (Philippians 2:8-11). You and I can expect, as we’re being steadily conformed to the likeness of Christ, to share in His sufferings (Romans 8:17; 1 Peter 4:13).

Secondly, I think we recognize that opposition only serves to strengthen us (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). It renews our focus on Jesus and reenforces our dependence on His providential care. We don’t want to float downstream like a dead fish, as we’ve been called to swim upstream for the glory of God! We rarely grow stronger without an opposing force which we must learn to overcome.

Thirdly, you and I can learn to celebrate with gusto the close presence of the risen Jesus – there’s nothing like it in the world – when we’re persecuted for our faithfulness to Him (Matthew 5:10-12). Those are the moments – strange as it sounds – when we can feel the joy of Christ in ways that defy human understanding. And it’s that outlandish joy that we desperately need in order to summon the supernatural strength that’s soon to be required for the next leg of the marvelous journey that’s before us (Nehemiah 8:10).

Lastly, we can choose to rest – and I mean really, truly rest – in the merciful and perfect plan of our sovereign and gracious God (Joshua 1:5; Psalm 20:7; John 16:33; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). His good plan is unstoppable, I’m happy to report. And, in Christ, we have the cheerleader par excellence. He is not surprised by our sufferings, nor is He removed from them. In fact, He’s with us through it all – including every malicious attack against us – and He’s closer than our breath. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Reflecting on his own sadness from the ravages of World War 1, the English minister Edward Shillito (1872-1948) penned these words in 1919 …

“If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.”

Not to worry, friends. The kangaroos are no match for our nail-scarred Christ.

Pastor Charles

I write this as a passionate foreign language major. With career ambitions in teaching or international law, I received my undergrad degree in Spanish from the University of Kentucky in 1984. I earned a 4.0 in my major, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Reedy in the Department of Spanish and Italian, now the Department of Hispanic Studies. The faculty were extraordinary, having been lured wholesale from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Those dedicated professors put U.K.’s program on the map – among the nation’s top colleges for Spanish. Dr. Reedy became Dean Emeritus of U.K.’s Grad School.

Not only did we study linguistics, but we were immersed in Hispanic literature and culture from contexts both domestic and abroad – from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. The goal was to leave us with a self-awareness that included taking our place as global citizens in a pluralistic society. It was an integral part of my young adult formation, and my later Christian commitment only deepened my fondness for the people whose language I’d been privileged to learn. So as not to be confusing, I’ll say it clearly: I love Hispanics.

Love matters. Jesus tells us plainly that loving God and others complies with the highest and greatest commandments (Mark 12:28-34). Loving God first and foremost is essential, but how do I “love my neighbor as I love myself”?

The Jews of Jesus’ day would largely have understood their “neighbor” to be their fellow Israelite. But God has a much broader definition of “love”. Loving my neighbor is more than simply loving those who are like me and who love me – or who can love me – in return.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus specifically answers for us the question, “Who is my neighbor?” In Christ’s compelling story, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked and left on the roadside for dead. A priest walking by sees the man but chooses to pass by on the other side. The same happens when a Levite arrives on the scene. Two Jews, both from the priestly line of Israelites – who should have known and obeyed God’s law – failed to show love to their brother in need.

Enter the Samaritan, stage right. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews because of cultural and religious differences. But, as Jesus tells the story, it’s the Samaritan who chooses to help the injured man. And he goes way out of his way to do it. He cares for the man’s injuries and pays for his lodging. So a person whom the Jews would have considered “unclean” and outside of God’s covenant shows the only true compassion. And it’s compassion for an “enemy” that ends up being the only real love in the parable. In short, my neighbor is anyone who needs my love.

So how in the world do we apply the goal of genuine Christlike love to the complex issues of national immigration?

I may get this wrong, and I’m open to your telling me that, but let me give it my best shot …

1. I ought to assume that I, personally, suffer from a love deficit, and that I am in daily need of Christ’s grace – that He might give me the heart of compassion that I desperately lack. Without such divine intervention, I will walk by human suffering like the priest or the Levite. I must always remember that every person is fashioned in God’s image, and worthy of dignity and respect (Genesis 1:27).

2. I can only love my neighbor, including my enemy, when I act toward that person with a heart that first loves God. I love others only out of the overflow of God’s love for me (Matthew 5:43-48; Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Peter 3:13-17; 1 John 4:7-12).

3. I must not assume that loving someone means agreeing with everything they say or do. Our culture is very confused on this point, but we who follow Christ must be clearheaded about it. My love for another will not always gain that person’s approval, as love requires that I speak and live the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6; Ephesians 4:15).

4. To love people is to seek what is best for them. I should desire to meet a person’s needs as I – strengthened by God – am able to do so. When I fail to understand what is best for someone else, my “helping” that person is likely to be hurting them.

5. Public policy is not always easily discernible from the Scriptures, as most Old Testament regulations for government – including the subject of immigration – were written for theocratic, pre-Messiah Israel. The New Testament tends to address the church and individual believers rather than the state. So I need humility, and an open heart from the Lord’s hand, to even begin to get this right.

6. I must not confuse the Bible’s teachings by reading or citing them out of context. For example, Romans 13:1-7 describes the government as a God-instituted authority over us – “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” But, as an individual, I am specifically prohibited from vengeance and retaliation (Romans 12:14-21). I am called to feed my enemy, and to “turn the other cheek” when I am wronged, as Jesus instructs me (Matthew 5:38-42). If I’m expecting the state to turn the other cheek, I’ve missed the point. Turning the other cheek is my job.

7. I must not expect the government to do what Christ has called me to do. As His church – His body on earth – you and I are the hands and feet of Jesus to serve “the least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46).

8. It’s a matter of Christian wisdom to seek to determine whether or not a government policy is workable and effective, including issues surrounding border security, amnesty, immigration, and refugee policy. I think it’s safe to say that a completely open border soon creates a situation that is unsustainable for everybody, and helpful to nobody. In fact, it bolsters the brazenness of deadly drug cartels and encourages the scourge of human trafficking – and particularly the sex slavery of children.

9. It’s important that I not conflate the categories of legal and illegal immigration. Even in the ancient world, nations had borders that were protected and respected. Foreigners who wished to reside in another country had to obtain some sort of permission in order to be considered an alien with rights and privileges. The Bible’s multiple Hebrew terms for “foreigner” suggest that some resided in Israel with permission, while others didn’t. So, when we’re applying the Bible to our contemporary context, the legality issue matters.

10. Supporting reasonable, sustainable, and just immigration policy is not the abandonment of love, but the outworking of it. Similarly, support for the rule of law is an expression of love and protection for all.

11. It’s always my responsibility and privilege to pray for those in positions of government authority who’ve been charged with making or enforcing these kinds of challenging decisions (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

12. It’s fundamentally important that I trust God in each and every season. This is exceptionally critical when it comes to the complex questions of life – like the matter of national immigration in 2025 – which leave us without easy answers. I’m always in need of Christ’s wisdom and grace.

Friends, you and I are the people whose history includes the not-so-insignificant detail that our sovereign God chose “Ruth the Moabitess” – the most unlikely candidate imaginable – to be the great grandmother of Jesus. Through a poor immigrant woman, God saved an entire nation.

Lord, we are listening. In the words of the old hymn: “Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the facing of this hour.”

Pastor Charles

Still reflecting on all that I have seen here in D.C. surrounding the inauguration, I am rather quiet tonight. The climate in Washington is invigorating, in both a political and meteorological sense, but I am silently pondering the responsibility that must be ours to use our freedom for God’s glory.

Such freedom didn’t come to us without great sacrifice. In fact, our republican form of government was ignited by 56 brave patriots. They mutually pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to build a new nation beyond the grasp of a powerful king more than 3000 miles from these shores. And most paid dearly to keep that pledge. Five were captured and tortured as traitors. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the army, and another had two sons captured. Nine fought and died in the Revolutionary War.

What the Founders envisioned was bold and full of uncertainty and risk. The core ideals were relatively straightforward: that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

That is the line that presses upon me tonight, for you and I are “the governed.” It means that, if you and I are to live out the promise and hope of America, that we have to take some responsibility for her character and her direction. That’s a tall order.

But that’s not all. For those of us who follow Christ, we have sacred responsibilities of an even higher order. We who walk in the Spirit have been liberated from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-4), and our entire lives are to be submitted to Christ’s Lordship (1 Corinthians 6:17-20). He has made us His holy people, and He is making us His holy people. In the promises of the Scriptures, both a judicial declaration and a personal transformation are in view.

We’ve been redeemed, and we’re being redeemed. We’ve been rescued, and we’re being reformed. We’re always reforming. “Semper reformanda.”

Jesus warned (Luke 12:48): “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” We who’ve been granted spiritual freedom, and then been doubly blessed to enjoy a land of freedom, for how much will we give an account? May Christ find us ready: watchful, prayerful, and faithful.

Thankfully, history reveals that many of God’s people have utilized the blessings of America to support the work of gracious Christian ministry, to build strong churches, and to export Christ’s liberating gospel far and wide. They were women and men of the Word. They pressed on with one eye heavenward, as lovers and heralds of the good news. They persevered as spiritual heroes, working in the city of man, but living for the city of God. Of a celestial and eternal kingdom, patriots.

We stand on the shoulders of giants. But let’s make sure that we stand, and that we keep standing.

It’s nearly impossible to imagine what life would be like for us had the original thirteen colonies not come together and taken an unqualified stand against tyranny. Providentially, the novel and blossoming concept of self-government was spurred on by hard-fought victory in the war for freedom. That was followed by the marvelous unifying of all the states under a Constitution and rule of law which secure for all citizens those fundamental rights upon which our nation was painstakingly established, and which have been painstakingly preserved.

George Washington, having been duly elected as our first President, chose to step down from that office in 1797, setting the critical precedent that America would never be governed by a single person. No emperor. No dictator. Not here. Instead, the ultimate powers of government would be vested in “We the People.”

So here’s my point: the fact that We the People get to be We the People is a great gift from Almighty God. And with that great gift comes great responsibility, friends.

As of Monday, 74 oaths of office have been spoken by 47 Presidents of these United States of America. Each time the government’s power has been transferred peaceably, you and I have received an invisible blessing.

The blessing of freedom.

Let’s not waste it. Let’s use our God-ordained freedom to make much of the Lord Jesus. Let’s use our freedoms of religion and speech and assembly to lift high the one and only Savior of the world!

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). No king but Jesus.

Pastor Charles

The evangelical culture has dropped the ball.

It’s my guess that no one intended to drop the ball, but we did. After the widespread failure of “purity culture” to deliver the healthy marriages and families that it promised – at least in the experiences of many – we’re left with lots of Christian men struggling to find a distinctively true vision of masculinity. We can’t live it out if we don’t even know what it is.

Andrew Tate can’t help us. By his own admission, he’s attracted to power, so it’s easy to see how he can entertain a male audience. But Andrew’s view of the world is the way of absolute dominance. Thus, Islam holds powerful sway over Mr. Tate. He is outraged by contemporary views of “tolerance” – and we can, to a degree, validate his concern – but Andrew Tate ends up propagating an understanding of masculine strength that is antithetical to the Scriptures.

So what’s the truth about masculinity?

1. Masculinity is healthy and good. Men are called to manhood, and that includes a thankfulness for how God has made and wired us. True manhood embraces God’s design with gusto and gratitude. For example, we by nature tend to be visual creatures, and there should be no shame in that. In and of itself, it was non-toxic that Eve turned Adam’s head. Real men respect the priceless image of God imprinted upon themselves and upon others (Genesis 1:27-28). We men subdue the earth, but no person is objectified or dehumanized in the heart of a real man.

2. Masculinity appreciates the good gift of sex. Among its other purposes, God designed sex to be pleasurable, and the ecstasy of sex foreshadows the complete ecstasy of our complete union with Christ. Tim Keller wrote, “Great sex is a parable of the Gospel – to be utterly accepted in spite of your sin, to be loved by the One you admire to the sky.” Sex is sacred because it pictures the happiness within the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit live in perfect devotion to each other, pouring love and joy into one another without limits. Sex between a husband and wife points to the love within the Trinity, and the love between Christ and us (Ephesians 5:31-33). It takes some deprogramming and reprogramming – and some strong bonds of honest brotherhood – but real men get this.

3. Masculinity pictures the strength of Jesus. The same Lord whom the Bible describes as one whose “eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:14-15) also tells us this: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). When people perceive Jesus as “weak” in a pejorative sense, it’s because they completely misunderstand His grace. The “weakness” that Jesus brings is a measureless love for a lost world.

4. Masculinity bends the knee. Fully male manliness fears God. Without the fear of God, there’s no true masculinity. But, with the fear of God, manliness displays the stooping love of Jesus. Authentic manhood keeps its eye on the prize, and is fueled by the compelling remembrance of Christ, who “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7).

5. Masculinity understands the world’s deep brokenness, and seeks to be actively redemptive in the midst of it. We speak out against sexual and other abuse, and we defend those who are victims – or potential victims – of it. A real man repents of his personal abuses of power, and seeks to demonstrate the ferociously formidable yet gracious gospel of Christ through his own radically changed life.

6. Masculinity lives by the power of God. No matter how much a man can bench press, manhood doesn’t show itself in the form of arrogance or rudeness. Healthy masculinity doesn’t demand its own way (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). In God’s economy, unchecked dominance and ego are never signs of strength, but tragic indicators of weakness. The world doesn’t understand this, but godly compassion is the ultimate strength. Said Jesus, “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11). On the Cross, Christ became weak for us, so that we – now in covenant union with Him – might become strength for others.

7. Masculinity reflects the glory of God. Whether single or married, we love with invisible power. The glorious good news of the Christian gospel does not abandon the idea of strength, but we men are to wield that strength for the benefit of others. Real men protect and provide. Real men are strong for those who can’t be. That, friends, is chivalry at its finest.

We who are evangelical followers of Christ should be the most sex-positive people on the planet. Until we are, we can expect the young people among us to get their cues on this subject from the world. It is this pastor’s humble opinion that the church needs a healthy dose of confession and repentance in this regard. We have largely avoided the subject of human sexuality, and – when we have chosen to address it – come across more passionate about the prohibitions than the gift of sex itself. This must change.

As I write this, I’m vividly aware that the one writing this is a man still under construction. I’ve made lots of mistakes, and gotten lots of things wrong. I’ve been selfish when I should have been a servant. But I’m learning. I’m also aware that all the men reading this are imperfect too. Here’s to you, sir – don’t give up! You are not defined by your past mistakes. God is so for you that He sent His only Son to set you free from your greatest enemy, sin. He can redeem that which was once broken. He can heal that which was once disastrous. He can give you a new start and a new strength.

He still makes real men.

Pastor Charles