I’ve now served at Green Hills long enough for you to know that I take the Bible seriously. I don’t always get it right, of course, but I make it my aim to preach and teach it with accuracy and passion. You’re probably also figuring out that I want more for us as a church than to give the Bible our intellectual assent alone – I want the Bible to transform us! And part of that needed spiritual transformation involves the Bible becoming the primary lens through which we view the world. Simply stated, that’s a worldview.

If you will indulge me, what I’d like to do today is to express in writing why the subject of “worldview” matters. It really matters. But I need to let you in on a little secret. It’s something that I believe rather ferociously, and it’s simply this: everybody has a worldview, and nobody’s worldview is neutral. Let me say it another way: there is not a human being on Planet Earth who observes the world from a completely neutral point of view. And I’ll tell you why I believe that: because I believe the Scriptures.

So here’s my attempt to describe for you what it means for you and me – as followers of Christ – to live according to a Biblical worldview …

IT MEANS that we hold to the authority of Scripture. We may consider church tradition. We may consider our own experience, or the experience of others. We may consider our capacity for human reason. But, at the end of the day, the authority of the Bible trumps every other authority in all matters of faith and practice.

IT MEANS that we hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. When we speak of inerrancy, we’re talking about our commitment to an inerrant original autograph of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that God gave us the Bible, and that God has protected the Bible that He has given us.

IT MEANS that we believe that the Bible was authored, ultimately, by God. God our Father used human writers, but every word is divinely inspired. The Bible itself is direct revelation from God, and unlike any other revelation in that sense. All Scripture is breathed out by God (Second Timothy 3:16). The Bible is not a human book that rests on human origins or human wisdom. A beautiful sunset may inspire us to ask life’s ultimate questions, but the sunset cannot tell us the plan of salvation. For that we need the truth of the Bible.

IT MEANS that we regard the Scriptures with awe and wonder. They’re unlike anything else we’ll ever read. The Bible is perfect and pure and true. I would point you to those exact words in Psalm 19:7-11, a passage which not only addresses the authority of Scripture itself, but which also invokes our worship of a God who would love us enough to reveal to us such marvelous truth –His truth. Jesus prayed to the father: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

IT MEANS that we protect the integrity of all of the Bible. I urge you to pay particular attention to the authority of Genesis 1-11. It’s my opinion that these foundational chapters are under extreme assault today. That’s why I believe that we’re seeing so much fighting around the subjects of human life and gender, for example. And don’t fall for the pernicious lie that the Bible is at war with science. Creation was a miracle – just like the resurrection of Jesus. And, let’s face it, Creation must have a cause. To believe otherwise is intellectual lunacy, but sin is so powerful that it will drive even highly intelligent people to espouse nonsensical positions on any number of subjects – positions which in fact expose their own philosophical dishonesty. In fact, I’ve got another hot take on our present society which I’d like you to consider: science is at war with science!

IT MEANS that we remain on high alert for any weakness in Biblical authority. Especially in our own souls, where we may be least likely to suspect it. Any weakness in Biblical authority sets us up to be ransacked by any and every whim of culture! We need to be praying for ourselves, our children, and our church family in this regard.

IT MEANS that we praise God for the truth which we have received, namely, Jesus (John 14:6). Truth is a gift to be cherished and guarded. We must never forget that our biggest problem with the truth is not intellectual in nature, but moral in nature. God’s Word makes this point exceptionally clear (Romans 1:18): the natural inclination of humankind is by their unrighteousness to suppress the truth. We must remember that as we observe in the surrounding culture mounting hostility to Scriptural authority. We can expect it. That’s why the most important battle to be fought by the Church in this generation must be fought on our knees.

The other Charles in your life – Spurgeon – summarized it well: “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.” You have a worldview. I have a worldview. So does everybody else. But the real question is: “Is my worldview a truthful one?” We probably have nothing more important to consider on this lovely summer day, a day which is yet another gift from the hand of the gracious God who has loved us in Christ.

Pastor Charles

As I was listening to my Spotify playlist this week, an oldie from Glen Campbell popped up: “The Wichita Lineman.” And, as I was listening to Glen’s version, I was reminded of something that I saw on The Voice last fall. It was the Season 21 “Knockout” round on October 26, and I would encourage you to take a look (and a listen). The three contestants whom you’ll see are siblings Caleb, Joshua, and Bekah Liechty from Pettisville, Ohio. They ended up becoming Kelly Clarkson’s fourth victory, and the first trio ever to win the competition …

Like you, perhaps, I was nearly mesmerized. Such incredible and undeniable giftedness! And that’s where my wheels are spinning today.

God has given each one of us gifts. While we tend to recognize obvious talents and skills in the lives of other people, we’re generally less comfortable thinking about our own giftedness. Maybe it’s a false sense of humility, or maybe it’s a latent fear that we don’t have any gifts. (Which I can assure you is quite untrue.) YOU ARE GIFTED OF GOD.

In fact I cracked open this idea Sunday morning when I preached Ephesians 2:10. (Have you memorized it yet?) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We are not saved to sit, but we are saved to serve. See also 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. And, not only has God gifted each one of us, but He has already prepared a context in which we will be able to serve Him faithfully. When you think of any of your spiritual gifts, think of it as God’s perpetual reminder that you belong to Him – like a stamp of approval. As we serve one another in love, not only does Christ shine as the Head of His body, but we come together in Him. It’s both remarkable and beautiful, and I’ll have more to say on the subject this Sunday.

Now I fully recognize that not everybody out there recognizes or validates God as the giver of every good gift. Lots of people in the public spotlight display marvelous gifts, but give no credit or glory to God whatsoever. Same with lots of people in the church, sadly.

But what’s our excuse? We know better. We know (or at least we ought to know) the source of our strength. We know the writer of the song in our step. In fact, we know Him by name.

I’m certainly no musician, but when I hear harmonies like the ones I just shared with you, I share the marvel of those judges: “The swell!” I think it’s part of being fully human to recognize how God shows off in His image-bearers.

Many people speak of finding themselves. That’s all well and good, I suppose, but I’ve seen more than one marriage ruined by overdoing the “finding myself” thing. What they did was lose themselves in the pursuit of themselves, and that tended to be in the arms of somebody else who just happened to have promised to be just-what-you’re-looking-for. Said differently, the only “finding myself” that counts is the finding of myself in Christ. That somebody is somebody worth searching for!

I encourage you to love on each other this week. Celebrate each other’s strengths and victories. Make it about pointing out what’s right about somebody else … they’re probably dying to hear it.

I’ll quote Dr. Sinclair Ferguson: “When we exercise the gifts which Christ has given us we are really saying to our fellow Christians and others: ‘See how much the Lord Jesus Christ loves you and cares for you; He has sent me to serve you in this way; He is using my hands and feet, my lips and ears, to show His love.’ It is a tragic mistake if we think that the message is: ‘See what a superb Christian I am; see the wonderful gifts I have’ … Gifts are for service, not self-advancement.”

Truth is: it’s not ultimately about us. It’s certainly not about me. Because – whether we recognize it or not – the real knockout winner is always Jesus.

Pastor Charles

I just enjoyed an Email exchange with one of our church members, and I’m stealing a phrase from my friend’s last Email. He mentioned the kind of “seismic change” that only God can make in the world, and in our lives, and that really got me thinking. Lucky for you, I’m dragging you into my “thinking.”

Only God.

For starters, the word “impossible” appears less than a dozen times in the Bible. It must not be part of God’s regular vocabulary. That’s likely because (I’ll quote Jesus from Matthew 19:26), “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

Only God.

The more that I think about this, the more that I find it exceptionally hopeful! Yes, it humbles me, but that’s as it should be. Yes, it places parameters on my own abilities, but that’s really no surprise. Yes, it demands a response of faith – but even that I can depend upon the Lord to supply me with when I need it most. But the fact that God is never limited by the limitations which plague me … now that’s some good news that will warm even the stubborn heart of yours truly!

Here’s the fascinating thing: I’m often shocked when I see one of God’s seismic changes! In my spiritual slumber, I somehow sink into forgetting the Lord’s perfect ability to transform any situation, as well as the fact that He’s so much more invested in redeeming the world’s messes than I could ever imagine. Friends, here’s what I’m admitting to you: in my sinful heart, I secretly place limits on God. (Thus, the surprise when God acts like God.)

Before I was born, A.W. Tozer issued a stirring challenge which I hope never to forget: “Unbelief says: Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us. Faith says: Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us! With our feet on the ground, and our head cool, but with our heart ablaze with the love of God, we walk out in this fullness of the Spirit, if we will yield and obey. God wants to work through you!”

That quote both convicts and inspires me. Maybe you can relate. Far too often I live in that world of unbelief, but I long to live in that world of faith.

Christ generally stirs my heart as I sit down to write these blog postings, so I’ll simply share with you what’s happening in my soul today. If any of it is a blessing in your life, I am both humbled and grateful.

First of all, I’d like to make a simple observation: God loves Green Hills. And I’m not just talking about our church, but I’m meaning to embrace in my statement all of our surrounding community. It’s easy to get lost in the traffic and trendy shops – and even the beauty of the surrounding “green hills” (thank you, Jesus, for the recent rain) – but I’m here to tell you that God loves the people! All of them! And so must we. Our area may be known for its blue-blooded history and sprawling mansions, but what’s of inestimable significance is that every person strolling by the Pottery Barn is a precious soul. Every one of them has been created for eternity. Every one of them needs a Savior. Every one of them matters. God loved Nineveh, for goodness’ sake! God loves Green Hills. You and I ought to expect nothing less than that He would delight in shaking up this place with the wonder of Christ’s gospel!

Secondly, I’ll say it like this: 2022 is no mere footnote in human history. R.C. Sproul used to say, “Right now counts forever.” He was right on! So was Coach Mike Ditka: “You gotta live in the moment. I don’t care what you’ve done in your life; it has nothing to do with what you’re gonna do or what you can do. The past is history; tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift – that’s why they call it the present.” Here’s my point: let’s keep reminding each other that our Sovereign God has an unstoppable and great plan for Planet Earth – including Green Hills – and that He’s working even as I pen these words in important ways that we can’t always observe with human eyes. Even now.

Lastly, I’m thinking back to some of the surprising moves of the Holy Spirit in history …

In 1857, America was headed toward a Civil War, as you well know. The stock market crashed, and along with it there emerged quickly the sense of national panic which we would expect. There was widespread political disintegration over the issue of slavery. And there had been such a season of false “end-of-the-world” preaching that many were struggling with spiritual disillusionment as well. A man named Jeremiah Lanphier was part of a church that was shrinking, and he wasn’t trained as a pastor, and he may have been the last person that anyone would have sensed could have turned things around. And this was in Lower Manhattan of all places. But Jeremiah started public prayer meetings in a rented hall on Fulton Street (with banks and railroads failing, who in the world could afford to take that risk?), and he started purposefully issuing the invitation to come and seek the face of God … and in less than half a year 10,000 people were coming together to pray in New York City!

Of course, God wasn’t just working in New York. He was working in Chicago, and in some smaller cities in our nation’s midsection, and – for that matter – He was working everywhere.

Only God.

Why not here? Why not now? Why not us?

Pastor Charles

Abram couldn’t possibly have understood all of the far-reaching ramifications of his marching orders (Genesis 12:1-3): “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God had a plan. It was an unstoppable plan, but nobody but God understood that. It was a good plan. The plan was to raise up a nation for Himself – a nation through whom God would bless the whole world! The plan was bigger than Israel, but nobody but God understood that either. It was nothing short of a cosmic plan.

Sometimes I feel like we’re drowning in shallow vision. In fact, I’m afraid that life has lost some of its luster simply because we have lost sight of God’s cosmic plan. What our God is doing in His world is so much bigger than what you and I can perceive with human eyes! And it’s so much better!

The church is the most important institution on earth, with no close seconds! Compare the work of the United Nations, or the work of the U.S. Congress, or the work of the European Union, to the commission of the church – it’s not even close! And here’s why the church matters more than every other institution with which it may be compared: we’re the only institution that will last into eternity!

The Roman Empire is no more. In fact the 20th century alone saw the demise of at least seven substantive “empires.” Shoot, most of us grew up holiday daydreaming with our copy of the Sears catalog – Sears was the bomb – but you and I couldn’t find a Sears store today if we tried.

After Jesus was risen from the dead, you and I got our marching orders! The disciples got sent. The women got sent. Everybody got sent. Check out all four gospels. They each have their own flavor, but suffice it to say that the One who had been sent from the Father became the Sender of His followers to all the tribes and nations of the world. We get our English word “mission” from the Latin word for “being sent.”

You and I have been sent.

So the question for us is not, “Am I called?” The question for us is, “How am I called?” I love this quote from Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I’m moved so deeply by that idea because it opens my mind to about a billion possibilities for service. Places where my gifts can align with real need. Places where my experience can align with real need. Places where my passions can align with real need. Empowered by His Spirit, when you and I begin to build Christ’s kingdom in those significant ways, there’s very little time left over for feeling down and out. So let’s do it!

You don’t need to wait for a mystical experience or for some personal message written in the clouds. In fact, to wait for or to demand a sign like that would be sin. You already have your sign. It’s an empty tomb.

You don’t need to wait to have it all figured out. You will never have it all figured out, so stop waiting. Mission involves risk. Mission involves faith. Mission involves learning from today’s mistakes, and recognizing that God uses even those mistakes to mold and shape us for the next exciting phase of His mission.

You don’t need to wait until you can afford to serve. That’s because mission also involves sacrifice. We have it on good authority that God intends to supply our every need. Bread for today is a full table, any way you slice it (pun fully intended).

You don’t need to wait for a shiny 10-year plan. Sometimes the Lord shares with us more details than at other times. Either way, we go. We serve. We love. People need Jesus. You know Jesus. Go make Him known!

My concern is that we’re forgetting to tell our children and our grandchildren these things. Perhaps their hearts are not open to the call to serve Christ because we have not spoken with them about the call to serve Christ. Just food for thought. Believe me, I am convicted too. Willie and Waylon may have warned you mamas about letting your babies grow up to be cowboys, but please don’t let that apply to those same kiddos choosing to give their all to taking the good news to the ends of the earth! Charles Spurgeon (that other Charles in your life) expressed it like this: “If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to be a king.”

Here’s where this old world is headed, friends … a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb …” Every nation. Every tribe. Every people group. Every language. Hallelujah!

Deeper, y’all. Me too.

Pastor Charles

My title might have suggested that I wanted to blog on the subject of eschatology, but not today. Instead, I’m observing our post-Roe culture, and I want to share with you a few thoughts. I suspect that you and I are being called to pray like never before.

1. Disinformation is quickly overshadowing truth in America. I continue to be stunned by the predominant take of the mainstream media on the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We’re seeing widespread ignorance of history, constitutional law, and even biology. And we’re even observing an Orwellian-level assault against anyone who dares to challenge the prevailing cultural narrative. For starters, the Supreme Court doesn’t make civil rights, and ectopic pregnancy surgeries aren’t the same as elective abortions. Some things ought to go without saying, but in this culture rampant confusion seems to rule the day.

2. When any person (or class of persons) is viewed as less than divine image-bearers, all hell breaks loose. This can range from playground name-calling to the horrors of the Holocaust. Left unchecked by God’s righteous standards, the results of diminished personhood are never less than devastation. Everyone loses when life becomes cheap. The longer we keep arguing that wrong is right, the more nonsensical is our position, and the more damage will be done by it. And we’re talking about damage to precious people.

3. Sexual sin has become the most powerful of idols. We need to look no further than the absolute fury that has been unleashed by the Supreme Court’s ruling. We’re seeing everything from sex strikes to in-your-face vulgarity to employers offering to pay for abortions and abortion-related travel and expenses. There seems to be no shame.

4. “Tolerance” has been overhauled to the point of nonrecognition. The noble goal of civil discourse has been replaced by a cheap substitute, and it is “liberal” only until its talking points are critiqued or challenged. Then it becomes dangerously unyielding, harsh, and totalitarian. You and I are still called to active participation in the marketplace of ideas, but it’s going to be anything but easy.

5. Liberation is likely not. We’re hearing all kinds of strange things in the name of “freedom” these days, but I can promise you that talk about “assigned” gender and “forced” birth is presenting a highly skewed view of human life. In our inordinate desire to rewrite what God has written, we are tripping over our own definitions. Such confusion is never the path to peace, personal or corporate.

6. Fake freedom is ripping us to shreds. I’ll quote Ryan T. Anderson: “Our fifty-year experiment with unlimited abortion has harmed everyone – even its most passionate proponents. Women, men, families, the law, politics, medicine, the media – and, of course, children (born and unborn) – have all been brutalized by the culture of death … it turns ‘women’s health’ into a euphemism for extermination.” May God move our hearts to compassion for those around us.

7. Love is love, but only as long as God defines love. You and I have no right to reinterpret. To do so proves our own foolishness and spiritual myopia.

8. “Christianity” unmoored from the Bible is worse than no religion at all. When I was growing up in the 1970s, the mainline denominations were wandering off-course doctrinally and theologically, and many paid the price. Now even the more evangelical traditions seem to be following suit. Here’s one of the primary dangers of our “deconstructed” age: people are left with just enough religion to be inoculated against the saving gospel. (They don’t think they need the gospel, and in fact many are outright rejecting it.)

9. There is no “accepting” of Christ without a large measure of forsaking the world. We have cheapened grace, and we have minimized the high cost of true discipleship. Why can’t we have it both ways? Because our competing values are on an unavoidable collision course. It’s quite simple, actually: Jesus meant it when He said, “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). It’s just that you and I forgot what He said. The church needs a self-correction on this point.

10. The fear of God has fallen on hard times. Again, it is the church that is getting this wrong. We seem to have grown so comfortable with the Son of God that we no longer tremble at the thought of His righteous justice and His righteous wrath. Lord, forgive us. Lord, help us. Lord, change us. Only You can create in us the holiness which You righteously require. (We need a renewed awe and wonder.)

11. This world has no hope apart from the blood of Jesus! Dr. Steve Lawson tweeted this week that the Cross is “the Continental Divide of humanity.” I couldn’t agree more. Any sound analysis of history, and any sound consideration of the events of the day, bears this out. What we’re now seeing in the 24-hour news cycle may be Exhibit A.

12. The value of loving our neighbors is priceless. They need us. Now. We’re called to love those who vehemently disagree with us. We’re called to love those living in shame over their sin (sexual or otherwise). We’re called to love even those who don’t want our love.

The ancient prophet Amos predicted “a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” Whatever truth that you and I have come to understand, we ought not take for granted. Instead, the praise of God for His matchless faithfulness to us should be always on our lips! We can’t change every dimension of the surrounding culture, try as we may, but we must do all that is within our power to strengthen the church for these trying times. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expressed it this way: “The church is always to be under the Word; she must be; we must keep her there. You must not assume that because the church started correctly, she will continue so. She did not do so in the New Testament times; she has not done so since. Without being constantly reformed by the Word, the church becomes something very different.”

We’re in this together, friends. May Christ give us the grace to live with both grace and conviction in this uneasy hour. It seems to me like we need nothing short of a powerful revival, so every eye on Christ! We are immeasurably loved, and that still makes all the difference in the world.

Pastor Charles

Many of us observed Juneteenth this week, taking a break from our normal rhythms to celebrate the 1865 date when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned that they had been freed. Quite amazingly, that moment in history was two years after President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. I’d like to quote Dr. Ben Carson on the subject of remembering: “Our history is what gives you your identity. And your identity is that thing upon which your beliefs are built. If you disrupt that chain, then you become like a leaf blowing in the wind. You don’t really have a foundation. You can learn from good and from bad, and that’s what wise people do.”

Freedom is God’s idea. I could make a strong argument that the most clarion cry of the Old Testament is the Lord’s own voice: “Let my people go!” The Exodus from Egypt was much more than some isolated historical achievement, but it prefigured in multiple ways all that God intended to do for us in His cosmic plan of redemption. It predicted and set the stage for the good news of the gospel, which would shape the New Testament. It was a shadow of sovereign grace. The Exodus blessed the world!

And here’s how all of human history has operated, if you want my opinion on the subject: despite the ravages of sin warring endlessly against what is good and right – just like in the Exodus – God has orchestrated the wider movements of change toward our good and His glory. The abolition of the international slave trade is a perfect example.

If you and I had lived during the late 18th century, we could have barely imagined a world without slavery. That’s not easy to admit, but I think it’s true. But God, in His infinite wisdom, began to stir the hearts of a few people in London, and among those people was a dapper young man named William Wilberforce. (If you’re unfamiliar with this chapter of history, I commend to you the 2007 film Amazing Grace, directed by Michael Apted.) Wilberforce had been elected to Parliament at the age of 21, and was converted to Christ just a few years later. In his new faith, Wilberforce wondered whether or not he should stay in politics, and his friend John Newton – a former slave trader, a pastor, and the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace– became a huge influencer in regard to the decision by Wilberforce to stay at his post. Newton helped Wilberforce capture a vision of himself as a modern-day Esther – raised up by God for a critically important moment of courage “for such a time as this.”

For Wilberforce, his bold and courageous walk of faith became more like a season than a moment, as he struggled against the economic and political powers – which lurked ominously behind the global slave trade – for over two decades. He would attempt new legislation again and again, only to face the disappointment of failure after failure. In 1807, Wilberforce would publish A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade, citing Acts 17:26 as his rationale for ending slavery out of love for God and love for neighbor. All in all, it would take more than 30 years from the first address by Wilberforce in Parliament for slavery to be undone in the British Empire. Wilberforce died two days after the most decisive victory. We ought to remember that the next time we feel like giving up.

Thankfully for us, the movement toward freedom hopped over the pond and across the globe. You and I are still powerfully influenced by that special chapter of our history: “The Lord hath promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.”

What is your platform for living out your faith in Jesus Christ? If you’ve never thought about that, I would encourage you to make the answer to that question a matter of serious prayer and reflection. Ask a trusted friend to pray with and for you about this, and invite them to share with you how they envision your particular giftedness making a difference in the world. As I mentioned in my sermon Sunday, Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that our “good works” have already been planned by the Lord. Our job is to live out those good works with faithfulness and joy.

Don’t sell yourself short! You’re still here on Planet Earth for an important mission, and there’s no better place to be than doing what God has called you to do – and doing it with all your heart. Be willing to think outside the box, friends. As Newton told Wilberforce: “You are instrumental in promoting the cause of God and the public good.” You and I don’t have to choose between the two, and that is a very liberating thought in a confused culture.

I agree with Dr. Carson that our trajectory as a nation has been “to move toward freedom and justice for people.” And I would add that such a sweeping historical movement has been nothing less than a blessing from Almighty God – a blessing which you and I ought not take for granted. In large measure, friends, God has used His people to lead many of these significant changes: culturally, politically, and morally.

Let’s not shrink back now from being the people whose faith works!

Pastor Charles

The Lord – our Lord – reigns from heaven! Of that you and I can rest assured (Psalm 11:1-7). Take just a moment and let the words of this short psalm wash over your soul. You’ll be glad you did.

I particularly enjoyed our men’s Bible study at Green Hills Tuesday morning. In my opinion, those are some of the finest fellows a guy could ever meet. We were studying the subject of peace – particularly the believer’s ability to know and experience true peace in a world that seems anything but peaceful. My mind races back to this particular period in Israel’s history because God’s people were living in a time of troublesome cultural deterioration. And, let’s face it, it is the social deterioration which we perceive to be happening all around us which adds to our general sense of angst. We all know that we should be able to rise above such concerns, but I think you would agree with me that it’s sometimes easier said than done.

The psalmist even seems a bit on edge, in my opinion. I’m not particularly comforted by that observation except in the sense that my being a bit on edge seems at least a little less strange. I completely understand that this world is not my forever home, but that doesn’t make it easy for me to watch unrighteousness prevail on Planet Earth. Perhaps my struggle is one to which you can relate, being that – if we are to understand this psalm at all – righteousness is the very foundation of God’s eternal throne. Truth’s triumph is coming, but when?

Let’s take the subject of gender identity, for example. The “culture wars” are no longer about how Target chooses to identify their restrooms. That seems like child’s play at this point. Our society is so immersed in such a general sense of confusion at this point that we’re starting to see the painful backlash which has been unleashed upon the unsuspecting. Nearly every day I read another account from a young adult whose life has been nearly destroyed by “transitioning” medical procedures which they now deeply regret. What promised freedom has not delivered said freedom. I could care less about scoring any political points on this subject, but I am brokenhearted when I encounter a person who’s been ravaged by such an insidious lie. In fact I’m praying daily for some precious young people who are trapped in these real-life scenarios right now.

You and I cannot pass by the injured man by traveling safely on the other side of the road. Jesus commended the Samaritan. Not only are we called to peace, but we’re called to compassion, and maybe that’s where the rub really lies … because if we act as we should upon the impulse of compassion, it can’t be divorced from our commitment to tell the truth. And I don’t have to tell you that gospel truth-tellers aren’t regularly awarded the Nobel “Peace” Prize these days. We will rarely be true to Christ while applauded by the world.

Godly people live at-risk lives. It’s as simple as that. This is our powerful history and our glorious heritage. We remember the Hebrew midwives who risked it all. We remember Moses who risked it all. We remember Esther who risked it all. We remember Daniel who risked it all. We remember three brave boys in a fiery furnace. We remember the stoning of Stephen. We remember the persecution of Paul and the early church. We remember Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Corrie ten Boom. We remember the underground church in North Korea meeting even as I type these words. We remember.

We have nothing but safety in the ultimate sense – the upright shall see his face – but the temporal road which we traverse can get a bit rocky on this side of glory. On we press.

There have been no perfect circumstances since the Garden, and I don’t have to tell you that 2022 America is no exception. The cultural headwinds are real and intimidating. But we must remember that headwinds cause the aircraft to take flight, and that headwinds sometimes steer us to the place where we needed to be all along. Yes, the storm clouds gather. That’s just what storm clouds do, friends. But we know the One who orders, “Peace! Be still!” Perhaps Michael Anthony Milton said it best …

When the wind and waves of life
Drove my soul to find relief,
I was guided by the storm
To find Jesus underneath.
When the storms of life betray
All the promises You’ve made,
I will cling to Calvary’s place;
I will trust Your sovereign grace.
Though Your presence with me goes,
I seem to still be tossed and turned
By an unseen enemy
And I know I need to learn.
When the storms of life betray
All the promises You’ve made,
I will cling to Calvary’s place;
I will trust Your sovereign grace.
And when life is finally o’er
And I stand before You, Lord,
I’ll see the storms that stirred despair
Were the winds that blew me there.
When the storms of life betray
All the promises You’ve made,
Let me cling to Calvary’s place;
Let me trust Your sovereign grace.

Verse 3 of our psalm asks what is perhaps the most compelling question of the hour: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

I say we trust the Lord, come what may. What say you?

Pastor Charles

In my personal devotions, I’m now reading through Second Kings, and I happen to be pondering the ministry transition between Elijah and Elisha. In Chapter 2, Elisha is aware of what is about to happen: Elijah will exit the stage, in dramatic fashion, making room for Elisha to carry on the work of God’s ministry among the people. It’s almost like Solomon’s moment a century or so earlier: Elisha can ask for anything he wants. (I’m all ears at this point. How ’bout you?)

God is setting up something really cool here. He will provide the people with what they need in terms of spiritual leadership, but He will do so in such a way that it will be undeniable that He alone is sovereignly in control of everything. That’s as it should be, friends. In our right minds, we wouldn’t want it any other way.

So what does Elisha request? A “double portion” of the spirit of Elijah! In all honesty, that kind of stops me in my tracks.

Here’s my simple take on it, friends: Elisha wants God to do through him what Elisha has seen God do through Elijah. If you think I’m reading it wrong, please correct me.

I don’t think that Elisha is just asking for “twice as much,” though he certainly seems to be asking for all of the spiritual power that he can possibly receive. But I think that Elisha has in mind Deuteronomy 21:17, in the sense that Elisha might be empowered as the legitimate successor of Elijah. The job is already his, for all intents and purposes, but I think that Elisha is acknowledging that he simply can’t do the job in his own strength.

Though quite humbling, that’s a great place for you and me to be as well.

We are beginning a new and exciting season of ministry here at Green Hills Community Church, and I don’t think it’s accidental that I “just happen to be” at this point in my Bible reading. This gracious reminder from the Lord is nothing short of a divine appointment! If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to explore this a little further …

We need God to make us faithful. That’s really the deal, isn’t it? Elisha knows he can’t do it. We know we can’t do it. But we know who can.

We need God to make us bold. We might expect humble Elisha to pray something like: “God, I’ll be happy if You give me half the power of my predecessor.” We wouldn’t even question it. But that’s not what we see here. You and I need a good dose of holy boldness in what we ask of God for this present glorious season.

We need God to equip us. The Lord does not call us to a task only to leave us hanging. He intends to give us what we need to serve faithfully at our assigned post. Please join me, church family, in seeking Him for all of the wisdom and all of the spiritual gifts that we surely need for such a time as this. He is more than able.

We need God to bring our history to life. In the story I’ve been sharing with you, the backdrop is the Jordan River, which seems to be a focal point of much of Israel’s history. It represents the people’s journey with God, but it also represents the impossible: the things that never could have been accomplished without the power of the Spirit. (Parted any waters lately?) GHCC, this is your moment to remember the faithfulness of God! He has blessed you. He has provided for you. He has carried you. You are His.

We need God to have our back. That’s what God demonstrated miraculously here: “Like I was with Elijah, I will be with Elisha, and I will be with you.” Could there possibly be a more encouraging truth for us to contemplate right now? When we’re tempted to doubt the power and love of God, you and I need to remember the empty tomb!

We need God to plant us firmly in the gospel. Ultimately, the ministry of Elijah, the ministry of Elisha, and the ministry of the saints of Green Hills point to a far greater ministry. Kevin DeYoung writes: “The word of God is true. The good news of Jesus Christ has been recorded in the facts of history … we do not follow myths. We are not interested in stories with a nice moral to them. We are not helped by hoping in spiritual possibilities which we know to be historically impossible. These things in the gospel story happened.” Amen. Friends, let’s choose to stand together on the Word of God like never before.

We need God to help us show the world who’s in control! The watching world, by and large, is living in a sort of controlled chaos at the moment. Many are hurting. Many are struggling. Many are doubting. This is our moment to put our faith into practice and to lift high the only hope of the world. His name is Jesus, and He is nothing less than the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

We may not see chariots of fire or horses of fire in Green Hills – only the Lord knows – but, whatever kind of fire Christ has in mind for us, I want nothing less!

Pastor Charles

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Those are the words of Proverbs 13:12. Those are King Solomon’s words. Those are God’s words.

Eileen and I have been waiting for something that may not be a big deal to anybody else. But it’s a big deal to us! As a matter of fact, even the fleeting thought that it might not come to pass leaves me tense, perplexed, and generally in a cruddy mood.

And, let’s face it, no one particularly enjoys the “deferred” part. In fact the word means to put off or to drag out. We don’t even like short delays (ever run a “yellow” light?), let alone prolonged delays. Waiting just isn’t our cup of tea, friends. And when we have to keep waiting for something that we really want, it can feel like our heart is being crushed. The greater our desire for the thing we want, the greater our level of frustration when we have to wait for it.

You and I are much like the children of Israel. We get tired of waiting for God to speak, and we end of seeking for cheap substitutes. Before we know it, we let our frustration from waiting get the best of us, and we find ourselves in a place much like the Narnia of C.S. Lewis: “always winter but never Christmas.” In a state of something that feels like exhaustion, not only do we seek those cheap substitutes, but we settle for them.

Unfulfilled longings are a normal part of life. We all grapple with them: everything from seemingly innocuous detours, when it feels like we’re on a roll, to serious and life-altering challenges to our health or finances. So the question is not if, but when. When you and I can’t change our circumstances, that is often a critical place of our spiritual testing.

Testing isn’t often pleasant, but testing also carries with it the potential for tremendous spiritual growth. Lean in! You’ll be surprised what God will show you when you simply admit to Him the deepest desires of your soul. Go ahead and own your aversion to waiting. (He already knows about it anyway.) Ask the Lord to create in you a gratitude for the tree of life that you can’t see with any other eyes than eyes of faith.

I wish I could tell you, when it comes to waiting, that I’m out of the woods. Not so. I’m still no good at not getting what I want when I want it. But I’m learning. I’m stretching. I’m trusting. I may be a sapling, but I’m growing. Even in Christ, I’m growing up.

Perhaps the unfulfilled nature of so many of my desires is all part of the plan. Dan Fogelberg sang of it but missed the main point. I’ll try to not to miss it, and I hope you’ll join me in doing all that we can to get it right, while “some kind of message comes through.”

Here’s what I know: God’s timing is perfect. Always. We can trust Him. Always. His love endures forever. Always.

By the way, it’s only 206 days ’til Christmas.

Pastor Charles

The Book of Ecclesiastes, which admittedly leaves me puzzled at times, includes a sweeping promise in the first verse of its third chapter: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

Now is my season to embrace a new city, a new ministry, a new mission field, and a new chapter of life. This moment is nothing short of God’s appointed transition for me, and for my family, and under God’s sovereign Lordship I’m choosing to embrace it for His glory.

You and I never land anywhere by accident or chance, friends. Some of the new situations in which we find ourselves will stretch us, and may even cause us to question God’s rule over the details that got us here, but a firm conviction that the gospel is true leaves us no other choice than to believe that the God who has called us to faith in His Son is wonderfully directing our path. We can count on it.

Every twist and turn is part of the plan. Every circuitous route. Every harrowing journey. Every broken road (thanks, Rascal Flatts).

Did you read the story of Darren Harrison this week? Returning by air from a fishing expedition in the Bahamas, he had to land the plane in which he was a passenger because the pilot had become incapacitated. With no previous flying experience, Harrison landed the Cessna aircraft safely at Palm Beach International Airport. But he had to ask air traffic controllers for help turning off the engine.

Friends, embracing the Lord’s appointed path for us makes every moment precious, as it should be. I’m writing these words at midnight in fact. I could be sleeping, but thoughts of time and eternity are more important. Time is finite, but God is infinite. We ought to be amazed by the insight into eternity which He has offered us in His Word. We can’t know everything about time, but what we do know ought to stir our hearts to praise and our feet to action. You and I are on a glorious adventure getting from here to heaven.

I can’t wait to discover all of the new friendships which God will forge for me!

I can’t wait to see how my gifts (and Eileen’s gifts, which clearly outshine mine) are going to line up with the kingdom challenges and opportunities dotting the landscape of Middle Tennessee!

I can’t wait to love on some people in my new community who don’t yet know Jesus!

The older I get, the more I realize that Christ’s greatest glory is my greatest joy. That’s what it’s all about. Christ is alive, and that changes absolutely everything about this new season.

So, Nashville, bring it on!

Pastor Charles