We are blessed to live in a nation where freedom of speech, religious freedom, and the free exercise of religion are protected. Truly blessed! Under such extraordinarily privileged circumstances, I believe that the exercise of our right to vote is part of our Christian calling to live as salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13-16).

As Christ followers, you and I are dual citizens in a very important sense. We are already citizens of heaven, but we are also citizens of a specific nation here and now on Planet Earth. It is my contention that the Bible calls us to exercise faithfully our responsibilities in both regards. Voting, I believe, is one of our responsibilities as citizens of this nation. Our participation in the affairs of the visible nation is an expression of our clear and compelling witness to the reality of our invisible nation. Not voting runs the risk of signaling to our neighbors that we don’t care about a key dimension of the personal freedoms with which our God has blessed us.

In the United States Constitution, which of our rights appears most often in the text? It is our right to vote. I think that it should mean something to us that the right to vote is singled out more than any other.

Just in case you’re interested, Section 2 of the 14th Amendment imposes a penalty upon states that deny or abridge “the right to vote at any [federal or state] election … to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States … except for participation in rebellion, or other crime.” The 15th states that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote” can’t be abridged by race. The 19th Amendment says that the same right can’t be abridged by gender. The 24th Amendment says that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote” in federal elections can’t be blocked by a poll tax. And the 26th Amendment protects “the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote.” Thus, in America, the ballot is a fundamental right, and so I believe that you and I have a fundamental responsibility to cast ours – even if and when we are less than enthusiastic about the current political landscape.

A democratic system enables the government and politicians to be held accountable by the people. It provides a critical check on political power. It aims to give everyone a voice. You have a voice, so I’m urging you to let your voice be heard. I agree with Winston Churchill: “Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried.”

If the sun comes up on Tuesday, Jeremiah’s ancient words ought to ring loud and clear in our ears: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (29:7). I urge you to vote from an informed perspective. And I urge you to vote morals over money. Sometimes we have to vote strategically – this is part of employing Biblical wisdom – and it means that we want our vote to count even when absolute uniformity with our perspective on every issue isn’t an option. Before we decide to cast a protest vote, we ought to think through the practical implications of that vote. In other words, we need to understand who we may be helping to put into office inadvertently. So the prophet was right: this is a call to humble prayer.

Romans 14 reminds us that we must respect our God-given conscience. It’s also why we respect people with whom we have political differences. This applies to voting, as it applies to everything else we do. We search the Scriptures. We use our best faculties of reason. We listen to other wise voices in our lives. And we never lose sight of this: regardless of who wins the election, Jesus will still be Lord! You and I are always to be people of hope.

And, though we sometimes have to endure political administrations which were not of our choosing, the longest of them – in light of eternity – is like a pail of water against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. Temporary political consequences may pile up until we feel crushed under the weight of them, but our Sovereign God is able to keep us from falling.

What the angel Gabriel said to Joseph of our Lord Jesus (Luke 1:33) is still true: “Of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Vote. And rest.

Pastor Charles

In my personal devotions this morning, I was reading through First Corinthians 15, and specifically that somewhat confusing section where the Apostle Paul recounts: “I fought with beasts at Ephesus” (Verse 32). The Greek word for “beast” or “wild animal” in that context is therion – and it nearly always describes a literal creature. I’ll cite a few examples: the wild animals surrounding Jesus during His wilderness temptation (Mark 1:13), the animals in Peter’s vision (Acts 10:12), and the poisonous snake that bit Paul on the isle of Malta (Acts 28:4). I suppose it’s possible that Paul fought literal animals in Ephesus – in some kind of public games, bullfighting, or other arena setting (which did happen in Ephesus) – but I think that’s highly improbable for a couple of reasons. First, Paul was a Roman citizen who would not likely have been compelled to do such a thing. Second, we don’t see in Acts 19 any evidence that Paul was arrested at Ephesus – and certainly there’s no mention there of any arena fight of any kind.

All of that tips me toward a metaphorical interpretation of these “beasts”, in the sense that Paul had to contend with real – and in fact ferocious – enemies in the church.

Beasts. Perhaps Paul had in mind some specific people in Ephesus, like the many artisans who would have been particularly provoked and threatened by Paul’s exposure of their idol worship. Perhaps Paul had in mind the philosophers, like the Epicureans who would have despised Paul’s gospel message of self-denial and self-sacrifice. Perhaps Paul had in mind the magicians and other practitioners of dark arts (Ephesus was the epicenter of the cult of Artemis, the Greek bull goddess). Perhaps Paul had in mind all the people who were caught up in the wild human passions and rampant sexual immorality that characterized their community. Only the Lord knows those specific details, and we simply can’t this side of heaven.

All of that being said, we must not miss the forest for the trees. Whatever Paul meant by “wild beasts,” his main point is that you and I must understand the power of Christ’s resurrection in our lives! THE REASON why you and I must keep on contending for the gospel – no matter the hostility of the opposition, or the personal cost – is that our bodies will be resurrected to eternal life! In other words, our enemies may prevail against us in the short-term, but the eternal victory that is already ours in Jesus has already been won!

Life will not always be easy, and neither will church life. That’s why you and I are never to just “live in the moment,” but we are called to always have an eye toward eternity. This moment may be bruising, but these temporal afflictions aren’t the end of our story. You and I have to face each day’s beasts with the tenacity of God’s Spirit … and sometimes the ugliest beast is the one I see in my mirror. “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” may be the mantra of the fatalist, but you and I are resurrection people! We’re not despondent in the corner or on the sidelines of life, but we are fully engaged in the spark of eternity which always lies embedded in this moment – for we know that the tomb is empty!

We must also never forget what Paul penned to those believers in Ephesus whom he so dearly loved (Ephesians 6:10-20). Our most ferocious enemies we can’t see. Those “spiritual forces of evil” are ours to contend with – but never in our strength alone. At every point in human history, we must band together as believers whenever and however we can – “praying at all times in the Spirit” – that Christ would be immeasurably glorified even in our harshest earthly temptations, trials, and tribulations. Only Christ’s “gospel of peace” can bring us – or keep us – together, friends.

And we must never limit our perspective on what God is doing to what we can see right now. Because, where Jesus reigns, strangers can become beloved. Enemies can become friends. Darkness can yield to light. Which leads me to a beautiful quote by Emily P. Freeman: “Always assume people are struggling more than they let on … be willing to be the person in the circle who carries compassion, who’s willing to listen, and who doesn’t have to have the last word. Be careful whom you hate, because it could be someone you love.”

Pastor Charles

On Monday I posted on Facebook and Twitter a quick thought: “Beyond just singing Amazing Grace, what if we were being amazing grace?” I’d like to expound on that. In fact, this will be a bit of expounding and expanding.

Grace is who we are. It’s not just some abstract theological concept. As followers of Jesus Christ, grace is the very core of our identity. The great, sovereign, and holy God of the universe – against whom each one of us has sinned grievously – has issued an undeniable and incontrovertible verdict: we are all guilty, and we deserve the sentence of eternal death. Yet, out of His infinite mercy and love towards us, this same God has charged His own Son with all our crimes – while pardoning us! Not only that, but God has credited to each one of us the totality of the righteousness of Jesus: our Father now sees each one of us through the lens of what Christ accomplished for us through the perfections of His life, death, and resurrection! This is the good news of the gospel: you and I are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Grace.

Most of us love to sing about it, but that can be only skin deep. Is grace who we are? Is grace what we do? And – this is super important – DOES GRACE DESCRIBE OUR SHARED LIFE TOGETHER?

I would submit to you today my heartfelt conviction that “Grace” ought to be the banner over our front door, and that grace ought to mark our attitudes and behaviors more than any other descriptor. If that’s not what’s happening in real life, then we don’t really believe in grace.

I’m trying to convince you of our desperate need for experiential grace. It’s much more than a song. It’s our life. In our contemporary culture of “canceling” each other, shouting over each other, and exploiting our differences with each other, a true understanding of grace is all the more critical. So please allow me to “preach” from the crux of my soul …

Grace means that I can love as I’ve been loved.

I’ll quote Sarah Klingler: “We don’t hesitate to sing worship songs about God as a ‘Good, Good Father,’ but juxtaposed to this Good, Good Father is a not-so-good father who views us as juvenile delinquents who deserve whatever comes our way. Yet, the truth of the matter is, the love of God is so vast He calls us His own. He claims us as His children. It’s a love so incomprehensible He stooped low to be with us, to become one of us.” Friends, if you and I know personally this God, how can we not love others? It’s that vertical connection of grace that opens the door for our horizontal experiences of grace.

Grace means that I can share life with others, despite profound differences.

We’ll never be united around politics or preferences. It just can’t, and won’t, happen. That’s the wonder of the church: we’re a straggling group of misfits brought together by only the unsought call of a Savior who had no place to lay His head. We don’t come from the same places, and only some of us like pumpkin-spiced stuff (haha). There are some Cubs fans in our number and a few who like the Wildcats. And, for every one of those lesser loyalties, there are passionate counter-loyalties among us all day long. But that’s what makes us beautiful: our shared life comes from Jesus – and from nobody else but Jesus.

Grace means that I’m a quick confessor.

Most of the time I fail at this one because of what Jesus already said is true about me: it’s much easier for me to see what you’ve done wrong than what I’ve done wrong! That’s why I must stay connected to the vine. I must stay in the Word. I must keep learning to listen before I speak. I must regularly pull away from the noise of the world to think, deeply and introspectively. I’m desperately dependent on the Holy Spirit for this! Are you? We’ll never get there on our own. Unless Christ invades us and has His way in us, we’ll remain permanently self-deceived in our pride and self-justification.

Grace means that I’m a quick forgiver.

When I’m getting an engaged couple ready for their wedding day, I always remind each one of them to be the first to forgive. That is the way of Christ. That is the way of happiness. That is the way of peace. That is the way of conflict resolution. If we take seriously our Lord’s example on the cross, then we know that we’re wasting our time even thinking about whether or not someone deserves our forgiveness. Of course they don’t! But that’s the point. Neither did I. Neither did you. Neither did we.

Grace means that I’m not about bitterness, murmuring, or schism.

This means that I must continue to live in the awareness that I am daily receiving grace from the Lord Jesus. As soon as I forget that I draw my next breath only by His divine permission, life will become all about me – and you will be collateral damage. This chaotic behavior seems built-in to the fabric of our old nature – which keeps trying to rule the roost in each one of us. As soon as life has become all about me, I won’t even recognize that my careless self-absorption – which holds on tightly, like deadly poison in my inner self, to the past offenses of others against me – is perpetrating hostility and division in the relationships around me.

Grace means that my primary identity is not in myself.

Am I willing to be considered a fool for the sake of Christ? Are you? Am I willing to think in such a way that the “attaboy” I’m craving is only the smile of Christ? Are you? When others charge me with a crime, am I willing to admit to myself: “I’m all that, and much worse”? Are you? Because here’s the reality: as long as you and I keep trying to anchor our self-worth in the opinion of others, we’ll never find it. It will elude us forever. In fact, we need something far more than we need self-esteem: we need Christ-esteem. And the moment when we begin to actually believe that we’re as loved by God as the Bible so unequivocally affirms, that is the moment when we will begin to give ourselves away.

Grace means that I don’t have to win because Jesus already did.

Once we really get that, we have in fact won.

Grace. I’m convinced that our spiritual health absolutely depends on it. Only grace can lead us home.

Pastor Charles

For the last 2000 years, most followers of Christ have embraced some version of “natural law”: the idea that there are certain moral truths that are immanent in nature. In other words, we have acknowledged that there is some universal knowledge of right and wrong. Thomas Aquinas wrote extensively on natural law, as did the Protestant Reformers. (No, they didn’t agree on every point; that’s for sure.) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to natural law in his Letter from Birmingham Jail … “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is, in reality, expressing the highest respect for law.” Dr. King cited both Aquinas and St. Augustine. Even the humanist and lawyer Hugo Grotius based his philosophy of international law on the foundation of “natural law.”

Not only did the Reformers lean heavily upon their belief in natural law – the lex naturalis – but so did America’s Founding Fathers. Our entire system of Western jurisprudence, in fact, rests upon the conviction that there exists a natural law: an innate sense of right and wrong. Natural law runs deep and wide in our history, and in our government.

What does the Bible say on the subject? I submit, for your consideration, Romans 2:12-16. It makes perfect sense. Here’s just an excerpt: When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness …

Whether or not we realize or acknowledge it, human societies make laws because God’s law exists. There is a proper moral order to the universe, but it didn’t start with us. The point of the Apostle Paul in this key passage is that unbelievers prove the existence of natural law every time they enact a law that prohibits them from running over each other with large tractors! People don’t interpret God’s law perfectly, of course, but they display – by even caring about “right and wrong” – that there is something very powerful about our God-given conscience. This is true even in the lives of people who claim that there is no God.

It is intriguing to me just how afraid people have become of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. By all reliable accounts, Mrs. Barrett is humble and kind, and exceptionally qualified to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. (I won’t even go into all of that here, because that’s not my point.) But everyone knows that Judge Barrett centers her life around a set of strong moral convictions, and many are attempting to use that against her as an obvious disqualifier – as if faith and morality were inherently incompatible with our American way of life.

Could it be, friends, that we as a society have swallowed a giant deception hook, line, and sinker? That deception: we can pursue that which is true without pursuing that which is right.

I find it fascinating that Harvard grad and Notre Dame sociology professor Dr. Christian Smith posits that “human knowledge has no common, indubitable foundation.” He suggests that you and I spend most of our time making choices that are founded upon our unverifiable underlying assumptions. Smith refers to all humans as “believers” in that sense – claiming that we all live and act in conformity with our underlying perceptions of a larger, external moral order. Smith is hinting at what we often call “general revelation.” [General revelation is God’s clear display of His glory and power, for all to see, in His works of creation and providence (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:18-20).] Dr. Smith contends that we’re all “believing” a storyline, or an all-embracing narrative, about the world around us. (If you’re interested in knowing more about this, please check out his book, Moral, Believing Animals: Human Personhood and Culture.) It was Christian Smith who in 2005 introduced the term “moralistic therapeutic deism,” which I’ve used multiple times in preaching what the gospel is not.

I would submit to you that Judge Barrett is a perceived threat to so many within our culture today because God stands at the center of her story. We no longer like any notion of “God’s law” – how preposterous! We’ll no longer tolerate the parts of our shared history which acknowledge our allegiance to an infinite Creator. We’ll even throw out the entire notion of natural law if we have to, just to get the job done! My theory is this: we’re terrified of the notion of a higher law because we’ve grown to love our moral relativism. “What’s good for you is good for you … and only good for me if I like it!” As a culture, we’ve taken up this weird system of valuelessness, and we’ve taken it up with a vengeance! So, the reality of an objective and supreme authority we must absolutely dismiss, lest our flimsy footing be discovered for what it is – and give way beneath us.

Absolutes? Absolutely not!

Absent a great move of the Holy Spirit in our land, I think that our American belief system is unsustainable. Our dirty laundry is showing. It is more than dangerous – it’s also ludicrous.

Are we just animals, or are we divine image-bearers? All of us must wrestle that question to the ground. And here’s why it matters. Unless we understand the Bible’s storyline – the only storyline that counts – we’ll never understand the world. And we’ll certainly never understand ourselves. All of us are believing a storyline. And – if your storyline is the storyline of Scripture – you can be absolutely certain that your life rests upon the steadiest of foundations.

Please allow me to share with you some things which I believe are going to crash in around us, as a society, unless we embrace God’s story …

1. We’re going to further the notion that science and Christianity are incompatible. Subheading: Science can be trusted, while faith claims are to be feared and rejected (along with the idiots who espouse them). The “new atheists” are already teaching that “unfettered science is our only hope for true enlightenment and happiness.” I probably don’t have to tell you how politicized “science” has already become. One hour ago, literally, I was listening to a news report in which respected medical doctors were attempting to categorize herd immunity as something with about as much credibility as flat-earth theory (even though all our vaccines are based on herd immunity). This blinded-by-politics trend, which COVID-19 has only exacerbated, is only going to get worse until we recognize that all truth is God’s truth.
2. We’re going to further the notion that “we can have a just and civil society without a source of objective truth.” And I predict that we’ll follow this fallacy all the way to its natural conclusion: traditional faith is the enemy of fairness and civility, and must be completely sidelined and “canceled” in our culture. Dr. Francis Schaeffer was right: our feet are firmly planted in mid-air! Here’s the irony, friends (Rex Smith and I were just talking about this over lunch): the only basis for civility within our culture is the shared knowledge that everyone – even our political “enemy” – is a fellow image-bearer of God. What I’m saying is this: as a society, we’re scared to death of the Bible, but the Bible is our only sane path forward.
3. We’re going to carelessly jettison our Judeo-Christian heritage, all together, along with all of the ethics that go with it. I’ll quote Jürgen Habermas: “For the normative self-understanding of modernity, Christianity has functioned as more than just a precursor or catalyst. Universalistic egalitarianism, from which sprang the ideals of freedom and a collective life in solidarity, the autonomous conduct of life and emancipation, the individual morality of conscience, human rights and democracy, is the direct legacy of the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love … And in light of the current challenges … we must draw sustenance now, as in the past, from this substance. Everything else is idle postmodern talk.”

Let me be clear. There is a reason why people are so afraid of Judge Barrett. In a word, that reason is abortion. Could it be that – on some fundamental level deep within our souls – we all know that taking the lives of our children is, simply, wrong? And people are afraid that Roe v. Wade, which read into the Constitution a “right” which was never there, will crumble before our eyes the moment we have five justices who are willing to say: “The king has nothing on.” And crumble it should. We can stick our fingers in our ears if we want, but the way of life is to listen intently to the voice of God.

One more thing: right now could be the finest hour in history for the saving gospel of Christ! We don’t need any more “moralistic therapeutic deism” – which says that the central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about ourselves – but we desperately need Jesus and His finished work on our behalf! He is risen from the dead, and He is alive! And He is Lord of all!

Pastor Charles

Last year, Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate conducted a formal survey, the results of which include the following: 68% of Americans consider incivility to be a major problem in our nation. Just a hunch, friends, but I’m thinking that number may have edged up a tad in the last few months. Perhaps even in the last few minutes.

Facebook’s own research uncovered something similarly alarming: “Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.” Wow! Likewise, Twitter has admitted that they can’t even keep up with the “troll armies” which seek to divide one American from another.

It appears that civility in American life may be dying on the vine.

In an attempt to wrap our minds around what we might mean by a “civil society,” I’ll quote Dr. Michael Banner (Trinity College, Cambridge; quote from Princeton University): “the totality of structured associations, relationships, and forms of cooperation between persons that exist in the realm between the family and the state.” As defined by the World Bank, civil society is “the wide array of non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations.”

So, using Dr. Banner’s specific term, what has gone dreadfully wrong in this “realm” of American life? It’s a question which lies heavily on my heart as I blog today.

In his farewell address in 1796, President George Washington issued a stern warning – both to those who heard his voice that day and successive generations. Within the content of that significant speech, Washington described religion and morality as “indispensable supports,” the “great pillars of human happiness,” and the “firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” Just let those three ideas sink in for a moment, as I share with you my own understanding of President Washington’s three tenets …

Religion and morality are the very foundations of human government.

 Religion and morality promote human flourishing.

 Religion and morality create a climate in which people are encouraged to behave appropriately toward one another.

Right before the presidential debate, someone asked me: “Does the church have a voice within our present cultural crisis?” My answer to that question is “Yes.” We must speak. We must. We must!

So please let me take a stab at this …

1. Civility rests on an honest pursuit of THE TRUTH. It uses persuasion and argument (I’m using “argument” here in its noblest sense) to make a sound and reasonable case for the idea being advocated.
2. Civility rejects intimidation and personal attack. It actively works against any atmosphere of verbal or physical violence, recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every person – as God’s image-bearer. Civility promotes humanity, under God.
3. Civility appreciates, and seeks passionately to maintain, the personal freedoms of everybody. Civility never seeks to create a climate in which: “if you oppose me politically, your voice deserves to be shut down.” Civility never looks like bullying.
4. Civility transcends politics. Civility recognizes that we can hotly debate the critical issues of the day while maintaining the continuing values of kindness and mutual respect.
5. Civility demands humility. A culture of civility fosters the idea that – in regard to any substantive matter – “I may be wrong on a particular point, and I am open to learning why I have been wrong.” That’s why civility moves all of us in the most positive direction.
6. Civility promotes the classical understanding of tolerance, in that everyone has the right to arrive at their own conclusions in the light of their own conscience and understanding. That kind of socio-political environment does not demand that every idea must be accepted and embraced by every person (which is in fact intolerance).
7. Civility never equates meekness with weakness but recognizes that meekness is – really – strength which is under control.

I would submit to you that each of these premises crashes in upon itself unless it rests upon some form of religious or moral framework. We can’t police ourselves unless we have a guideline by which to order our relationships and an objective standard by which we can insist upon orderly behavior. That’s why we, as a society, are suffering right now. We have attempted to find our national peace within a godless vacuum. That just can’t, and won’t, ever happen. Without civility based on truth and righteousness, it’s not difficult to see how a crowd of wayward, emotional, and political human beings could go from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify Him!” in a matter of hours.

Please don’t get me wrong: I’m not advocating “religion” for religion’s sake. We’ve had more than enough therapeutic moralistic deism in American life, and in church life. And, like our Lord, our kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36). But, just maybe, 2020 can be the gospel’s finest hour! God has done stranger things. In His life, death, and resurrection, what Jesus Christ has accomplished for you and for me is still the best news in the world!

So here’s to something better!

Pastor Charles

From the Hebrew language of ancient Genesis, we learn that Adam was created and formed by God. “From the dust of the ground” the Lord of heaven and earth created our first parent, much like a potter creates and fashions something uniquely gorgeous out of a lump of common clay. In regard to human nature, the Bible captures and expresses this vivid imagery more than once. Even the patriarch Abraham would later understand that we, as human beings created in God’s own image, must trace our ultimate origins to the dirt of the ground (Genesis 18:27).

I’m so glad that God stooped down.

Later, when the Lord would bury Moses, the Pentateuch offers only a few hints at what our Sovereign Creator performed in the dirt (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). In a burial spot known only to God there in the land of Moab, the physical body of Israel’s national champion was returned to the ground by the Lord Himself. Perhaps that hero status granted Moses by the people was the reason why God kept the burial location secret. Knowing the restlessness of our hearts and our penchant for idolatry, perhaps God was protecting us from ourselves.

I’m so glad that God stooped down.

And, in a more familiar story, our Lord rescued a desperate woman who had been caught red-handed in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11). I don’t know what Jesus wrote there in the dirt, but it was more than enough to secure the rescue of this lady from her angry accusers. My guess is that Jesus exposed the shameful hypocrisy of those who wanted to enact “justice” by hurling their rocks at one who was no worse than they. Can’t you just hear those stones, one by one, falling to the ground? Each stone must have stirred up the dust as it hit the dirt, a reminder of the filth of self-righteous judgmentalism which characterizes this fallen planet, where every human system remains shackled by the bondage of depravity.

I’m so glad that God stooped down.

Two thousand years ago, on a hill called Calvary, a bloody Roman cross would land with a cruel thud in the dirt of the ground! But make no mistake about it, neither the Romans nor the Jews were the ultimate arbiters of the events of that day. On the sin-striped back of Jesus, our redemption was accomplished then and there “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Isaiah 53:10; Acts 2:23). It was God who purposed and planted the Cross. For us, according to His infinite wisdom and grace, God met perfect justice with perfect love.

I’m so glad that God stooped down.

Friends, I am of the dust of the earth, and to dust I will soon return. But, because the holy God of the universe condescended to become man, and has stooped down to meet me in Jesus Christ, the dirt in which my body will be laid will not be the end of my story … but only the beginning.

I’m so glad that God stooped down.

Pastor Charles

On Tuesday of this week, The Guardian reported that nearly two-thirds of young adults in the United States are unaware that six million people died in the Holocaust. Among adults between the ages of 18 and 39, 23% said they believed that the Holocaust was a myth. Almost half of that same group could not name a single ghetto or concentration camp established during World War II.

In an age where a universe of information lies literally at our fingertips, how can this possibly be?

According to a report by the National Assessment of Education Progress, the teaching of U.S. history to American students – specifically – lags behind all other subjects in our nation’s schools. The latest NAEP survey found that proficiency levels for 4th-, 8th- and 12th-grade students are in the 20th, 18th, and 12th percentiles, respectively.

Why?

If someone from another country desires to become a U.S. citizen, the legal requirement is U.S. residency for five years. After five years, as part of the standards for citizenship, a history test is administered. Despite language hurdles in most cases, 91% of the people pass. In all fifty states, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation gave the exact same test to native-born citizens, but a majority failed the test in every state except Vermont!

What in the world is going on?

Though not without our blind spots, America is an exceptional nation. By the grace of God, American exceptionalism is a reality in no small measure because of notable leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan. We ought to be learning and teaching about these heroes (each of them, admittedly, quite human), along with Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and John F. Kennedy. But many of our schools seem to be glossing over not only the history of our American presidents but also the legacies of other critical thinkers and shapers of our democratic republic – if they’re presented at all.

Equally important, America’s Black History – which ought to be remembered and celebrated by all of us – is rich with significance. We should know all about the humble tenacity of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, and how their courage blessed not only our society but Western Civilization. Likewise should our children know and understand these things, and their children after them. We need to know who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, as do successive generations need familiarity with that part of our history. Our kids should be learning about exceptional Americans like Justice Clarence Thomas, who is the second African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and currently its longest-serving justice. What I’m trying to say is that history – all of it – matters.

I’d like to state it plainly, now: our ignorance of history is dividing us.

If I may, I’ll share a few personal observations on the subject – quite literally – at hand …

An appreciation for history does not mean an endorsement of everything that’s happened.

There seems to be a common misunderstanding today: if I honor a hero from the past, I’m agreeing with everything that person ever said or did. Nonsense! Were that the case, nobody would ever be honored. Ever. While not everything in our history is good, everything in our history happened – so it’s true. And nobody can move forward, in a healthy way, unless we’re guided by the truth. I don’t know about you, but 2020 has made me ready to move forward with gusto! Attempting to erase or eradicate history is no path forward.

A key element of our walk with God is remembering what He has done in us, and in the world.

If we’re in Christ, God has brought us out of slavery to sin, and into a love relationship with Himself. We must never forget that! Our faith starts there and rests on that foundation of truth. If anyone should ever be perpetually concerned about history, it should be the people of God. Think about the nation of Israel. So much of what God required of them had to do with remembering where they had been – and from what troubles God had delivered them. Many of their prayers were focused on history, as well as most of their divinely ordained celebrations. Passover and the Lord’s Supper are historical markers in large measure.

The Bible is chock-full of important history, so surely history matters!

We tend to think of history as only looking back. Not so! Because of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, we can now view all of history through the lens of God’s unbridled and unending faithfulness. He is Lord over every chapter of history! He is the Sovereign over every corner, and every ruler, of the earth! So history helps us look up to God! And history helps us look forward – confidently – to tomorrow. That confidence does not come from our trust in any earthly hero – living or dead – but in the One who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

In 1948 Winston Churchill famously admonished the House of Commons: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” But how can we learn from it if we don’t even know it?

You and I are called to something better. Perhaps the truth will bring us together.

Pastor Charles

Well, this blog posting will wrap up this particular series. Thanks for hanging in there with me! I’ve really enjoyed pondering some of the practical applications of First John 4:18. You likely have it memorized by now: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

As promised, I want to introduce you to my friend Frozen. I’ve actually given him a name because he’s so central to the real-life experience of “grace” experienced by so many people. You know that Frozen is around whenever you feel like you don’t know what to do next. Maybe you know the feeling. Maybe you know it well.

Ever felt like a deer in the headlights? We all have, at one time or another.

When a deer perceives a physical threat from an oncoming vehicle, the deer’s instinct signals the deer to turn around and go back the way it came. Up to that point in time, the deer was experiencing safety and comfort. All was right with the world. Now that there’s been an activated alarm mechanism, though, it really doesn’t matter that the deer could easily make it to the other side of the road. On autopilot, the deer will turn around and re-cross the highway – even if it means going back into and through dangerous traffic. That’s why there are so many auto accidents involving deer here in Western Kentucky, where we have lots of beautiful deer. The deer simply can’t help it. Their reaction is absolutely automatic. On rare occasion, you will see a deer actually continue to cross the road. When that happens, however, you can rest assured that the deer did not feel threatened – and that its basic survival instinct was not activated.

Here’s my theory: you and I are a lot like deer. When “all is right with the world,” we can prance around with the best of them. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) But, when we feel threatened, we make lots of shortsighted and illogical decisions. Those ancient Israelites have nothing on us when it comes to failing in faith – just when we need it most! Sometimes, we’d rather wander around in the desert than do the hard work of forging forward in our fears. But – and here’s the part that we can’t forget from this series – what often looks like a faith failure is really a failure at LOVE.

Fear has to do with punishment. Hmmm.

In 1857, when missionary David Livingstone traveled home from Africa, he gave a strong challenge to his students at the University of Cambridge. Livingstone’s goal was to convince the young people that a life in service to others was perhaps life’s greatest blessing but in disguise. You see, when you and I think about forsaking all earthly comforts to serve strangers, we think about all that we would be giving up. But David Livingstone was making a colossal point: “Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter?”

Our missionary forefather was describing “perfect” love, almost in a kind of sequence. 1. We love others and do good to (and for) them. 2. We experience the joy of knowing that our lives have value and purpose, in that we’re making a contribution to the world. 3. As we minister and serve, we enjoy peace of mind, in no small measure because we’ve chosen to devote ourselves to things of eternal consequence. 4. Because we see God’s love working in and through us, we gain confidence and hope in the glorious destiny which Christ has promised us, which awaits us, and which can’t ever be taken away from us!

Let me say it like this: when love is completed in action, fears subside. When I see that my love has been transformed from “talk” to “walk,” I have confidence to stand before the Lord – because I know that Christ must own me. On the day when I will need it most – the Day of Judgment – I know that Christ’s righteousness will be more than enough for my perfect pardon. So, the gospel becomes more and more real to me, as I learn to love other people more and more.

Livingstone’s point: love looks like a great sacrifice, but it’s in fact a great gain.

So, how do we conquer our fears by love? Let’s face it: we have lots of fears, everything from spiders to crowds to losing a job. During COVID-19, fear has become epidemic, but how do we kiss Frozen goodbye?

First of all: always remember the gospel! Jesus has taken care of eternity on my account, and He’s promised that my life – even here and now – is of far more value than birds and lilies. If you’re in Christ, the same goes for you.

Now, let me describe for you some “gospel-robbers” which I allow to creep into my soul from time to time. As you recognize any of them in your own life, I’m challenging you to forsake them by faith …

1. I don’t have perfect understanding of a difficult situation in which I find myself, so I allow myself to become numb. Cars and planes crash in fog. Moving out of “foggy” spiritual conditions requires moving with faith in the best direction that I can discern from my finite perspective. That’s O.K. because God will shine light when I need it. He steers moving ships. Solicit the prayers of others … seek wise counsel … but keep moving!
2. I really know what I need to do, but I can’t seem to do it because I’m going to disappoint somebody. Welcome to reality – we are going to disappoint somebody! People pleasing can get so unchecked that it becomes idolatrous and paralyzing. Love God more. (P.S. When it comes to people-pleasing, how’s that working out for you?)
3. This is related to #2, but a subtle twist: I feel like I have to be in the middle of the road on every issue. I can’t take a stand, because it will be controversial. I can’t do the right thing, because nobody will understand. I can’t break the barriers of dysfunction in my home, or in my organization, because nobody’s ever done it that way before. Helpful reminder: people in the middle of the road get run over. If God has called you to stand up and be counted: don’t delay! Delayed obedience is disobedience.
4. I want people to read my mind. (Did I actually just admit that?) Time’s too short for that, friends. Speak the truth IN LOVE, and watch what God will do! He is shaking it up right now – in nearly every area of our lives – and we can trust Him to bless even our smallest efforts at doing the right thing.
5. I’ve forgotten to choose joy. Perhaps that gnawing depression is because I’ve forgotten to worship in the storm. God may be moving you to something different, or He may be keeping you right where you are – but changing your character. Only He knows! When it’s time, you’ll know what you need to know. But, for now, you can know that you need to worship!

All five of these can land you – like a panicked deer – right smack-dab in the middle of dangerous traffic. Fight each one, and know that I’m fighting with you – because we’re aiming for nothing less than perfect love!

Pastor Charles

In my first blog posting in this series, I introduced you to three of our notable enemies: “Failure, Freaked, and Frozen!” It was my humorous attempt to personify some of our more common fears. We’re taking a look at First John 4:18, and considering all of the myriad ways in which we tend to shy away from God’s grace – both theologically and experientially. By way of reminder, here’s God’s promise: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. And we’ve already established this important truth: faith is not the antidote to fear, but love is.

So what is “perfected” love? We get some clues from the text, and from the context. Consider Verses 16 and 17, for example: … God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us … The key to perfected love is abiding in God. To abide in God is to abide in love.

Now peek back at Verse 12, and you will discover something vitally important: … if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. If we put all of this together, I think here’s what we can conclude: “perfected” love happens when God’s love – in and through us – comes into action. Let me say it like this: PERFECTED LOVE IS GOD’S LOVE EXPRESSING ITSELF IN OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.

This is super important, I believe, or we will jump to a wrong conclusion. When most of us hear the word “perfected,” we think of something being changed from imperfect to flawless. But the Greek word that John uses here does not normally mean that. Instead, it generally means “accomplished,” “completed,” or “finished.” If your goal is to make it to Nashville before the concert starts, and you’re in fact there for the opener, your trip – in this linguistic sense – has been “perfected.”

So, when I love my neighbor who is hungry, I don’t just talk about giving him something to eat – I actually give him something to eat! This side of heaven, I won’t execute that perfectly (in either action or intent), but my gift can be nonetheless an expression of “perfect” love because it’s God’s love put into action. In fact, John goes on to explain its eternal significance from our perspective (back to Verse 17): … that we may have confidence for the day of judgment. You and I gain much-needed spiritual confidence, especially in a season of uncertainty and doubt, when we see God at work in our lives!

Now let’s get back to this dude I named Freaked. I see him everywhere I look. This coronavirus crisis is not the first of its kind, and there have been a couple of dozen similar pandemics throughout history. But this one has rattled us. We didn’t live through the Antonine Plague or the Black Death or the Spanish Flu. It’s my contention that the 2020 lockdown, combined with a general distrust of the “experts” at a level I’ve never seen before, has created a gnawing and relentless fear of the unknown lying just below the surface of our lives.

In a moment, and it happens without warning, you and I become Freaked. What shall we do?

We will choose to grow up.

You know how it is with tiny babies. If the stuffed toy is out of plain sight, it doesn’t exist. At a certain point in time, however – when you hide the toy – the child keeps looking for it. They’ve reached an important stage in their maturity. Here’s what you and I can do right now: we can remember and recall the love of God! Yes, times are uncertain. Yes, solutions are unclear. Yes, circumstances are troublesome and turbulent. But … YES, the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever!

We will choose to love up.

John makes it clear that we haven’t “seen” God (Verse 12). We get it. But you and I can promote the reassuring knowledge of God – even in this moment of COVID-19 craziness – by intentionally loving each other. Deeply and sacrificially. Here is the bottom line regarding much of what we’re learning in this series: the more love that we give to others, the more fear will disappear! And think about all the things that leave the room when fear gets kicked out – things like unhealthy competition, jealousy, resentment, and gossip. Love is the way out of those dark and destructive behaviors.

We will choose to live up.

You and I are the Lord’s redeemed! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture! We are loved with an everlasting love! In Christ, you and I couldn’t be in a safer place if we tried. Paul Washer says it like this, “I have given Christ countless reasons not to love me. None of them changed His mind.”

Choosing UP with you!

Pastor Charles

Last week I mentioned my plan to develop further my thoughts on fear and the gospel. I’ll continue to base this blog “mini-series” on First John 4:18. For purposes of review, then, here it is: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Perfect love. That’s what our souls really long for, friends. So how can you and I walk, while still in this broken world, in the freedom of that kind of amazing and divine love? That’s the million-dollar question.

I was just given another book on Winston Churchill. If you’ve ever heard me talk about my trips to London, you’ve probably heard me talk about the time I spent at the Churchill War Rooms on King Charles Street. Absolutely fascinating! (And I recommend it highly once we’re able to scoot back and forth across the pond again.)

Here’s the deal about Churchill: he was a failure. At least at first. That’s what makes his story so intriguing to me. Winston Churchill absolutely refused to be defined by his failures. (Could that be the secret to success?) This is an encouraging thought from my perspective because we’re all guaranteed to fail. And we’ll fail at more than one thing. And we’ll fail more than once. It sounds cliché, but I’m saying it anyway: failure isn’t final. Surely we Christians ought to understand that – we’re the people who actually celebrate how Good Friday was followed by Easter!

I can assure you that past failures dog most of your family and friends. Perhaps they dog you. But I can also assure you that God has called you to an identity that is not marked primarily by your mistakes and regrets – or even by your worst sins. Please let that sink in. What God has for you in Christ is so much better!

Let’s start with the big picture of the world and of our lives: the Fall of humanity marks the greatest failure in history. You and I were “there” in the sense that Adam and Eve, our first parents, represented us. They rebelled. We inherited their sinful nature, which we validated by our own behavior. We’re still validating it in this sense: every person sins. That might seem like a sad thought, but it’s actually a liberating thought: my sins are not unexpected or unusual! And it is my lack of perfection which drives me to Jesus. I need a Savior, and He’s the perfect fit! The quicker I can accept the reality of human nature in general, and of my own nature in particular, the quicker I can abandon any thought of my ever achieving a perfect track record. The only perfect record I’ll ever have is the record of Christ! But that is more than enough, and I can make peace with my sin in the light of my Savior’s grace. That’s probably the best place to start overcoming my past regrets. (I’m not saying that all of our failures are the result of our sin, but it is my observation that failures precipitated by personal sin are the hardest ones to put behind us.)

And, before we go any further, I want to highlight the importance of repentance and confession. I wouldn’t want anyone to read this blog posting and conclude that Pastor Charles just wants us to forget about the past. I do want us to put the past behind us, but only if it’s covered by the blood of Christ. So, in case you’ve never really thought about it, to repent is to change one’s attitude and behavior. It’s a fruit of hearing and believing the truth of the gospel. Confession is simply “saying the same thing” about our sin that God says. First John 1:9 promises that God forgives us when we seek His forgiveness – that God “cleanses us from all unrighteousness.” Wow! That is the basis for a clear conscience, and I never want to omit the critical theology underlying the freedom. (Side note: don’t fall into the trap of not forgiving yourself. If God has forgiven us, who are we to exact a higher standard? That can be a subtle form of pride, so fight against it!)

One of the reasons why we can’t leave the past in the past is that we tend to crave justification. Keep that one in check. We’re naturally blame-shifters – back to Adam and Eve – and we’re nearly incessantly looking for someone to validate our legitimacy and accomplishments. So you can imagine how a “failure” – of any kind – works against that. But here’s the deal: the approval that we think we’ll find in others, we can find only in God. Make that gospel shift in your own soul and rehearse it every day! Read and reread Galatians 2:16. Hide that one in your heart, and let Jesus be all the justification that you’ll ever need.

And here’s a positive angle on this whole dilemma: trust God – and it’s O.K. to ask Him to help you with this – to use your past failures as present blessings! Hasn’t He promised that in Romans 8:28? God can use our “failures” to teach us a million important lessons and to wean us from self-addiction – nothing could be better or more helpful than that! What joy can be produced in us as we melt away and as Jesus gets larger than life!

Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz was interviewed during the 1972 Games. Hear this incredible line: “If I swim six and win six, I’ll be a hero. If I swim seven and win six, I’ll be a failure.” That’s the kind of performance trap into which you and I can fall at the drop of a hat. Whenever and however that happens, you can know that we’re running around searching for something which we’ve already been given in Christ: acceptance! Because we are His, acceptance is already ours.

So let’s grow up and stop nursing our past failures. They happened. Done. Over and out. But they’re not us. In Christ, you and I are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

Accepted in the Beloved!

Pastor Charles