Her name is Marina Ovsyannikova. She held up a “no war” sign on the news set of the state-controlled Channel 1 in Moscow. Her visual and verbal condemnation on live TV of the war in Ukraine has proven to be quite costly for the brave journalist, resulting in a 14-hour police interrogation, a hefty fine, and threats of further criminal investigations and charges.

Ovsyannikova’s most public protest transpired in just a few seconds during Russia’s most popular news broadcast, and I’ll share here the English translation of the words on Marina’s placard: “No war. Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” She also distributed a video message challenging the recent actions of the Kremlin in its attack on the Ukrainian people. We ought not to let this moment pass us by, friends, and I’m interpreting it – for us – as God’s call to humble and desperate prayer.

It’s my opinion that freedoms of the press and religion fit together like a hand and a glove. Under Putin, both freedom of religion and freedom of the press in Russia have fallen on hard times. Last year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recategorized Russia from its “special watch list” to its “countries of particular concern” list. In 2020 the organization had noted Russia’s “deteriorating religious freedom conditions.” I think it’s safe to assume that, when a government does not allow its citizens or its media to question the actions of its military, liberty is under fire. Such has been the situation in Russia for some time, to the extent that the media are forbidden to refer to actions in Ukraine as an “invasion” of any kind. This is no laughing matter, as the possible criminal penalty for any such violation is a 15-year prison sentence. And Putin is cracking down on Facebook, and Internet access in general, in his most recent assaults on personal freedom. Russia ranks 150th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index.

And I simply can’t refrain from reminding you why religious liberty is so important, not just here but around the world. Religious liberty protects our workplaces. Anytime people lose their right to express their faith convictions in the place where they spend most of their day, we can know that the government is wielding power of dangerous proportions. Religious liberty protects our families. All social, civic, and legal systems rest upon some core of belief. When that core of belief values religious expression, the family unit – which is God’s design for order in the home and culture – is naturally strengthened. Religious liberty promotes human flourishing in general. Because religious liberty highlights the inherent dignity of every person, religious freedom breeds economic and political freedoms. And I must add my conviction that religious liberty supports and enhances every other civil liberty. No liberty finds itself in a vacuum, but it flows instead from a foundation of morality and goodness. John Witherspoon framed it like this: “There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage.”

Quite fascinatingly, Putin has declared himself a “protector of the faith,” causing some American evangelicals to take him at his word, perhaps because of his opposition to Islam or his wariness over LGBTQ rights. I share this with you to underscore how important it is that you and I exercise proper and Biblical discernment when it comes to evaluating the claims of high-profile leaders today. We live in an age of widespread spiritual confusion, so how much more do we need the Spirit of truth to guide us!

Much closer to home, you and I get really anxious – and rightfully so – when our personal liberties are challenged or threatened. Some of you have mentioned to me this week that you feel like some of that intimidation is happening here. So what are we to do? I’ll tell you what we’re to do, in every season: we’re to keep serving Christ by loving others – loving even those who threaten us. I’ll share with you one of my favorite quotes from John Stott: “True love places constraints on the lover, for love is essentially self-giving. And this brings us to a startling Christian paradox. True freedom is freedom to be my true self, as God made me and meant me to be. And God made me for loving. But loving is giving, self-giving. Therefore, in order to be myself, I have to deny myself and give myself. In order to be free, I have to serve. In order to live, I have to die to my own self-centeredness. In order to find myself, I have to lose myself in loving … It is only sacrificial service, the giving of the self in love to God and others, which is perfect freedom.”

Wow! I needed that today.

You see, friends, sometimes political conflict and particularly war cloud our larger vision of Christ’s kingdom. As Christ-followers, you and I must always remember that – because of the reach and the power of the gospel – we have brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We have brothers and sisters in Russia. So we must be praying for both countries. We’re praying for the glory of God even in the face of such concerning international developments. We have a certain hope (Habakkuk 2:12-14): “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity! Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

When it comes to our vast oceans, the last time I checked their water coverage, the numbers came in at 100%. 100%. When it comes to God’s glory filling the earth, I’m counting on nothing short of that.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Charles

Most everyone I know, to one degree or another, is struggling with weariness. Real weariness. Perhaps that includes you. These are wearying times. Our hearts are broken over the situation in Ukraine. Then we remember Afghanistan, and our hearts break some more. Then we look at the situation closer to home, as we try to make sense of the strife and unrest and division that seem to underlie nearly every hot-button issue in our own nation, and our hearts break some more. Then we look at the abject brokenness which seems to characterize so many churches right now, and we simply want to weep. The profound sadness and the mental-spiritual exhaustion seem to merge against us as a frontal assault.

The more brokenness we see and experience, the more broken we feel. At least that’s how it seems to operate in my life.

So in my morning devotions today I made my way to 1 Samuel 30, where David reaches one of those low points in his own life. His town of Ziklag has been raided by the Amalekites and burned to the ground, and his family has been captured. The people surrounding David are grieving like never before. They are utterly distraught. They are “bitter in soul.” And the people turn on David and seriously consider stoning him. It was a near-mutiny. Like I said, it is a very low point for David – perhaps the lowest of the lows for David. (If you know the context, he’s been running for his life for quite some time now.)

Then, out of the blue, Verse 6 offers an interesting ray of hope: But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

That moment made all the difference! David begins to see clearly. David begins to think clearly. David begins to move forward for the Lord in a clear and purposeful direction.

Please let that sink in. Clear. Clear. Clear. Purpose.

I’m getting a little more encouraged even as I write these words. Because that is what each one of us really needs right now. Clear. Clear. Clear. Purpose.

And, back to the story of the shepherd-boy who would be king, David’s renewed energy soon began to spill over into the souls of others, until all of the men in David’s company were refreshed. And these were all men, like David, who had previously bottomed out in sheer exhaustion. But wondrously, their zest was revived!

How do we get that? How do we get there? How do we strengthen ourselves in the Lord? How can we possibly muster the strength and the courage that we need for these wearying times? Friends, here’s what I think we must do …

1. Remember that we live in a fallen world.

As a result of that one simple fact, it is not unusual for us to struggle with what we see happening around us (and even what we see happening in us). The systemic sin which marks this planet, and the systems of this world – and even human nature itself – should not surprise us. Some seasons will be more difficult than others. When the more difficult seasons come, you and I must remember that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). That mindset will go a long way toward helping us hold on when it seems like everything and everyone is working against us. The good news: this world will not groan forever! Calvary’s cross is Exhibit A.

2. Remember that we serve an undefeatable Savior.

I’ve read the story through to the end. Spoiler alert: Jesus wins! David “strengthened himself” by turning immediately to God. So must we. When David sought the Lord for the wisdom that he needed, that wisdom was his. The grave situation in which he found himself no longer seemed unworkable, as David’s path began to be illumined with just enough light to take the next step. And one clear step led to another, and then to another. When our minds are fixed on our gracious and sovereign God, so it is with us. Spiritual clarity breeds every other kind of needed clarity.

3. Remember that the strength of Jesus is perfected in our weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10. In that beautiful text, the Apostle Paul reiterates what David also learned. So must we. You and I don’t sign up for weakness, but weakness comes our way. Sometimes, in God’s providence, it’s weakness followed by more weakness (what some of us are sensing now). But this is where our Lord does His best work in us: at those moments in our journey where we know that the needed strength can’t possibly be coming from us. That’s when Jesus shines brightest. It was David himself who penned those gorgeous and glorious words: “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3).

4. Remember that Christ’s strength is never for us alone.

We’re in this together. We need each other. We are for each other, on many occasions, the hands and feet of Christ. One day I will be weak, and you will assist me. Another day you will be weak, and I will assist you. We pray for each other. We encourage each other. We bless (not bless out, lol) each other. David was strengthened for a much broader and higher purpose. Higher, in fact, than David’s own comprehension. He had a job to do. He had a mission to complete. He had a race to run for God’s glory. So do you and I.

David seized the strength that he needed. So must we. Right now.

And I think I’m starting to remember where that strength can be found.

Pastor Charles

Yes, I’m adjusting a hymn title, but I’m adjusting it for good reason. The Son of God has come to us in the most unexpected way! I know it’s supposed to be the season of Lent, but I’m still in awe of the Christ of Christmas. Against the particular backdrop of some surprising women, God sent His Son in a way that ought to thrill our souls, so perhaps you’ll indulge me as I delight in the genealogy of Jesus …

Christ is descended from Eve. Who expected such grace in the Garden? Aren’t wrongdoers supposed to get what they deserve? Shouldn’t our first mother be marked forever by her direct disobedience to the simple command of her Creator? Instead, in the sovereign plan of God, the Bible’s first gospel promise falls on the ears of a wayward rebel.

Christ is descended from Sarah. Sarah! Isn’t she the lady who doubted? The lady who scoffed? The lady who chuckled at the promise of the Lord? Indeed she is. But God writes the story! History is His story. And, when our faith fails, His faithfulness isn’t minimized one iota.

Christ is descended from Leah. Leah the overlooked. Leah the unloved. Isn’t second fiddle just that, second fiddle? Not in the economy of God! This ought to encourage all of us, friends. People may overlook us, but we are the apple of God’s eye. People may reject us, but we who are in Christ have been eternally accepted (Ephesians 1:6).

Christ is descended from Tamar. Isn’t Tamar remembered for her blatant manipulation and outright deceit? When it comes to stellar reputations and the tide of popular opinion, she’s not a likely candidate to make the cut. But what we keep seeing over and over again is that nobody deserves to be in this family tree, and that’s precisely the point of my blog posting today.

Christ is descended from Rahab. Yes, that Rahab. Sullied. Sinful. Shamed. But have you ever noticed that God delights in showing mercy to the undeserving? God delights in rescuing the irredeemable! And my hope is that you will apply that good news to your own sin and shame today.

Christ is descended from Ruth. But Moabites don’t know our God! Moabites aren’t part of our family of faith! Moabites aren’t wrapped into our story of covenant faithfulness. That is true, until God opens wide the door and welcomes them in! That’s what He did for Ruth, the great grandmother of Jesus, and that’s what He does for you and for me.

Christ is descended from Bathsheba. Yet again, a very unlikely candidate. The wife of a Gentile, no less. Someone who’s presumed to be far, far from God. But here’s the deal: nobody’s so far away that God can’t come near. (And He seems to like doing that in the most unexpected ways.)

Christ is descended from Mary. Yes, that Mary. The Virgin Mary. Did someone say “miracle”? But she will have to live the rest of her life under the cloud of a presumed scandal. Who would have thought? Who would have reasoned? Who would have known? God. And when God knows, that’s all that matters! My bet’s on Him!

And I haven’t even mentioned the lineup of men in the genealogy, whose shortcomings and sins make the women’s bad behavior look like child’s play. My friends, there is a profound sense in which each one of us is a very unlikely recipient of grace. But it seems undeniable to me that our God shines brightest through disgraced people. We feel shelved, but God pays no attention to our categories, and He includes us in His great work in the world. Our Lord simply keeps writing His marvelous story of grace, and you and I become chapters in that story.

Quite frankly, I’m tired as I write this week, but I’m in awe. Totally in awe! I’m in awe of Jesus. Thank you for letting me share my awe with you.

Pastor Charles

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, one ton of natural uranium can produce more than 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. If I understand it correctly – and I freely admit that there are lots of folks around “Atomic City” who know a whole more about uranium than I – that is equivalent to burning 16,000 tons of coal or 80,000 barrels of oil. You may see where I’m going with my merging of words: the people of the Ukraine are shocking the world with their staying power! And that, friends, may just be the understatement of the year.

Ukraine’s major centers of population are still under attack. Russian forces are invading from at least three different directions. There are ground assaults and air assaults, as major damage is hurled upon buildings and property. Injuries and loss of life are mounting by the minute. By any standard of evaluation, things do not look good for the people of Ukraine, and yet the armed forces and the volunteer fighters seem to be coming together to mount a defense more formidable than that which anybody expected. Russia simply has not been able to conquer as quickly or as convincingly as Putin had planned.

It is the first war of conquest in Europe since 1938. While major media outlets are reporting that the next 24 hours could be the most crucial when it comes to measuring the strength of the resistance, we’ve seen the photos from Kyiv and other cities of Christians on their knees in the snow. That could be the reason why the nation hasn’t fallen already. As each day unfolds, I’m more and more persuaded that there’s no other explanation than God.

Here is the reality for the global community, if you’re interested in my opinion on the subject: these freedom fighters are our heroes! You see, Ukraine will not be enough for Vladimir Putin. He has threatened Finland and lashed out at the Baltic states. He apparently views his nuclear arsenal as appropriate weaponry, to be used anytime should he deem it necessary, against any country that supports Ukraine. He is a dangerous man. He is an autocrat on steroids. He is under the delusion that he can unilaterally rebuild the old Russian empire, and anyone standing in his way is fair game.

But that’s not all, friends, unfortunately. Don’t think for a minute that Xi Jinping isn’t all over this mess. He is watching to see what we do, and he is watching to see how the rest of the Western world responds to the crisis in Ukraine. He wants Taiwan. He wants India (at least parts of it). I think he wants total control of the South China Sea. It’s like one sibling waiting to see if another sibling gets by with a certain bad behavior, in the hopes that Sibling A can then launch into full-blown bad behavior because the obvious consequences seem minimal. But, at the level of Putin and Xi unhinged, it won’t feel like child’s play to anybody on earth.

You and I ought to be praying that the Lord would deliver Ukraine from evil. We know that’s how Jesus wants us to pray (Matthew 6:13). We need to pray for the churches and pastors in Ukraine. We should pray for all leaders in government and international diplomacy. We need to pray for soldiers and others fighting for the cause of human dignity and freedom. We ought to pray for all of those who will be displaced from their homes and from the only way of life they’ve ever known. We need to pray for those brave women and men who are standing up to Putin in his own country. As you well know, they have no First Amendment to protect them, but they – like the Ukrainians – are showing the world a bravery that is real and compelling in these tumultuous times.

“Let My people go” has more contemporary manifestations than we might have imagined. I believe, friends, that there exists a built-in, soul-level cry of the human heart to be free! I noticed this tweet posted Friday by a church planter in Ukraine (a church planter with no plans to leave, I might add): “There is only one true King – and the little tyrants of the world will ultimately only play into His great victory. His promises are sure, His victory inevitable.” I don’t know about you, but I can live with that.

And we must never forget that you and I are the real radicals. We’re the weird ones who pray for our enemies. We’re the strange ones who pray for those who persecute us. We’re the eternally hopeful ones who pray for those who seem to us so far from God – so lost – that they can never be found. We’re the ones who can never give up on the power of the gospel to change a life … a family … a nation … a world. It’s dark out there, Jesus – so please light our way!

Perhaps Pastor Sergey Zolotarevskiy, of Central Baptist Church in Moscow, said it best Sunday morning as he prayed on behalf of evangelical Christ-followers in Russia: “Bless restless nations, and send peace and repentance. We are asking for Your mercy upon all.”

Indeed, Lord Jesus, we are.

Pastor Charles

Today I’ll take you way back in your Bible to Genesis 5. We find there a long genealogy, and from it we learn several things about life before the Flood. Namely, people lived a long, long time! We also learn something uber interesting about human nature. Adam was created in God’s image, as we are reminded here, but Adam’s son Seth was fathered in Adam’s image. We’re not discovering that the image of God is entirely gone by the time of Seth’s generation, but we are discovering that sin has already done a number on the human condition. The family line of Cain hasn’t gone so well (see Chapter 4), and appears to be violent and self-willed and generally proud, as that family tree branches further and further from the ways of God. Methuselah is part of a more hopeful story, and he makes it to the ripe old age of 969, but lifespans certainly start trailing off after the Flood.

Perhaps the Word of God is making an important point: as long as we’re here, there will be trouble this side of Eden. And that struggle with original sin isn’t going away this side of glory. When it comes to God’s righteous standards, we are defectors one and all. You and I aren’t going to stay on this fallen planet for 969 years – that’s a given – but it’s critically important for each one of us to embrace all of our years with the gusto of one who knows the One who is writing the grander story! If we don’t embrace even later life with a sense of glorious adventure, we’re likely to miss out on so much of the joy which God intends for us to experience here and now. So I share today’s blog posting in the hope of spurring you on to smile at the days to come. No matter what.

Here are some of my ideas …

Don’t settle for the path of least resistance – it’s a wimpy finish.

The Christian life can be exceedingly hard at times. As we’re learning in our study of Hebrews, that’s all the more reason why we have to run well. Lot’s wife … Esau … Gideon (surprisingly) … Samson … Saul … Solomon … Asa … Amaziah … Uzziah … Hezekiah … Josiah … Demas … why are all of these examples (and so many more) so painstakingly recorded for us? So that you and I don’t settle for a puny ending! So don’t let it happen.

Seek God to produce in you a sense of humor that’s fit for eternity.

Sarah laughed when she heard what God planned to do through her life (perhaps she was imagining how God was going to do it, if you know what I mean), but God got the last laugh when Isaac was born. God always gets the last laugh, friends. In seasons of life when we have no idea what God is doing, you and I can still laugh. And here’s why: whatever God chooses to take us through as He gets us there, the road from here to heaven is the most exciting adventure on earth!

Don’t try to run your race with your foot stuck in the mud – it won’t work.

As we get older, and as God continues to convict us regarding how our sinful nature is bearing rotten fruit in us – we’re still connected to Adam, by the way – we ought to get quicker and quicker on the repentance. By now we ought to know that sin is never worth it! This is not the time in our lives to get lazy and unproductive. This is the time to finally grow up! We’re long past the starting block, so let’s run like those who’ve learned to set the pace for godly and grace-filled living.

Show the next generation what it means to give yourself away for Jesus.

Let me say it like this: selflessness is not an inherent condition. It has to be taught. It has to be learned. Sanctification doesn’t come to us in the form of magic pills, but it comes to us in the form of discipleship. In at least some of your relationships right now, YOU are ready to be the disciple-maker. By God’s grace and for His glory, YOU can make an eternal difference in the lives of so many people within your sphere of influence, so what are YOU waiting for?

Retire from your job if you must, but never ever retire.

If you want to find the concept of retirement in the Scriptures, you’ll have to find the Book of Hesitations. It’s just not there. No checking out. No laying around. No armchair-quarterbacking while everybody else does all the heavy lifting! Be like Enoch: walk with God all the way home. It was written of that champion racehorse Man o’ War who’s buried at the Kentucky Horse Park: “Some horses led him at the first turn, some led him at the backstretch, a few led him at the far turn, but no horse ever led him in the homestretch.” If you’re in that stretch of life right now, because of the abiding presence and power of Christ, you can say confidently to your friends: “I’m not retiring, just rewiring.”

Face the scary stuff head-on, but without staying scared.

No denying it, there’s some scary stuff that comes with growing older. Bob Ray Sanders writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “I had watched my parents die 11 months apart. Watching my father suffer with cancer was a painful experience, for I saw this strong and independent man suddenly have to depend on others in ways he had never imagined. Every time I looked into his eyes as I aided him in the least – holding a straw to his lips for a sip of water, for example – his eyes spoke to me. While appreciative to have loved ones around to assist him, I knew that he hated every minute of it. Later, when I went through similar experiences with older brothers who were dying, I got that same piercing, heartbreaking look … What happens when (or if) I suffer the worst of the aging process: growing feeble, needing someone to feed me or maybe having no one who cares enough or has time enough to visit, much less ‘help.’ … What happens when the children I used to touch no longer want to feel my wrinkles, or hug my neck or laugh at my ‘used-to-be’ stories? In the past two years, I’ve been spending time with two older friends who have had serious health problems, and while I’ve been happy to share in their lives, helping any way I can, it has been tough. I’ve begun to see myself in them.” Friends, it’s perfectly O.K. to admit to yourself: “I just can’t get through this” … as long as you follow it with, “But God, I know You can.”

Celebrate those wrinkles – they’re signs of a life that is going the distance.

Go for it! Now’s the time! You don’t have to put off the full-fledged enjoyment of who God has made you to be – and who God is making you to be – any longer! Embrace it all. You’re wiser than you think you are by now, so stay in the Word and stay close to Christ, and people will be drawn to your strength and your stability. Everyone out there is struggling with uncertainty, but you’ve lived long enough to understand that – when it comes to the temporal circumstances of our lives – “certainty” is an illusion anyway.

So, if you’ve noticed a gray hair or two, hold your head up high. It just means that you have lived and that you are still living. And as you think about the chapter to come, you can grin from ear to ear, because you know that the tomb is empty.

Pastor Charles