As an “undershepherd” who seeks diligently to observe and learn from the evangelical subculture in America, I must admit that I sometimes get very discouraged. We’re a hot mess right now. Professing Christians are fighting over President Trump. Fighting over COVID-19. Fighting over social justice, race relations, the criminal justice system, and the removal (or not) of historical monuments. Fighting over just about everything in the news.

Don’t get me wrong: some of these are good fights. Good, in the sense that the issues underlying the disputes involve important Biblical precepts that need to be mined carefully for all of the truth which we can dig out of them for both knowledge and application. But I am saddened nonetheless to see so much overt hostility among sisters and brothers.

So I’d like to do two things this Monday morning: 1. offer three simple suggestions toward preserving unity in the body of Christ, and 2. outline for you the handful of Christian doctrines which I believe are so critical that they must be preserved without debate in order to maintain the gospel and the integrity of the Church (in any and every generation).

First of all, we need to strive to be extra gracious right now. We need to assume the best in regard to each other. We need to recognize that these are turbulent times and that we’re all a bit weary. Most of us did not have a college course on pandemics, nor are the experts who did study such things finding easy answers right now. Regarding many subjects, we need to be O.K. with others landing in a different spot than the one where we’ve landed. And how many of us aren’t finding our opinions on some things changing, in relatively short order, as we take in new information? Let’s walk in love.

Secondly, as we walk in love, let’s try to do that in a way that transcends political loyalties. You and I are citizens of a higher kingdom, and we can’t forget that. At the very beginning of the pandemic, I predicted to our pastors that we would soon see a season of tremendous social unrest – but even I was caught off guard when it happened! So much for my success as a social commentator. In a period of nearly moment-by-moment new news, you and I must be firmly anchored in something stable and eternal: God’s Word. And, when it comes to our study of Scripture, let’s be in the Word for the purpose of growing in grace and truth – not for the purpose of scoring political points so that we can win an argument.

Thirdly, we must pray for discernment. You and I desperately need discernment, so that we can make our best effort toward living out an old adage:

In essentials, unity;

In nonessentials, liberty;

In all things, charity.

 Those words date all the way back to the Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648) and are specifically credited to Rupertus Meldenius, who wrote them during a bloody time in European history which was fueled by hostilities among people who claimed loyalty to God. That speaks to me. Loudly. Now. How about you?

Please don’t misunderstand me, friends. I’m not advocating that you and I sit on the sidelines and pretend that nothing really matters. Far from it. I’m just urging you to consider not making a mountain out of a molehill right now. We have enough mountains. Some matters of our faith are downright non-negotiable. I’ll share a key verse (Jude 3).

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

Sometimes we have to contend for the truth. It’s part of our calling. We don’t want to fight over whether or not Adam had a belly button, or what the weather will be like during the millennial reign, or who Jesus would vote for in November. Get my point? So not worth it. So not productive. So not who we’re supposed to be right now (or ever).

I don’t know how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, and it doesn’t matter. But, in case you’re still interested and still reading, here’s my shortlist of live-or-die issues:

• the inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, and authority of the Bible (all other sources are lesser in authority)
• God as Creator of everything, and as Sovereign over all things
• the virgin birth of Christ; the deity of Christ; the two natures of Christ; and the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit (distinct personality and equally God; Tri-unity)
• humankind created in God’s own image
• the cross as the complete atonement for sin (no additional sacrifice required, only faith)
• the bodily resurrection (of Christ and us)
• the return of Christ (literal, physical, and visible)

In a sermon not long ago, I shared with you my passionate belief that racism is sin. I hope that I persuaded you from the Scriptures that it’s an assault on the fourth bullet which I just articulated. That’s just one example, among many, of where I must make certain that my preaching is based on God’s authority and not mine, because THESE THINGS I know to be true. Like you, I’m concerned about lots of other things too, but you and I might not perfectly agree on all those other things. What makes us part of the same family is not those other things. It’s these things.

In order to experience genuine unity around these things, we’ll have worked through lots of other things, but unity can happen even in regard to hard subjects when we’re all humbly submitted to the gospel of Jesus.

Pastor Charles

This August will mark 401 years since African slaves were first brought to America and traded with European settlers for money and food. Though slavery as an institution was abolished years ago, I don’t have to tell you that our nation still has a long, long way to go down the rocky path toward real racial reconciliation. The tragic events of the last week alone have shaken and rattled us all, as the death of George Floyd has become yet another symbol of our national brokenness.

If the body of Christ is to lead forward with grace and truth, against the backdrop of such pervasive pain and anger, then we better have a plan. What I’ve been pondering is not just a plan to apply within the context of our current racial disunity, but a plan that we might apply to whatever cultural crisis – at any given moment – that happens to be demanding the attention of the Church. Our attention is demanded because you and I have been called to care deeply and to respond wisely. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Friends, the only answer to that question, for the follower of Christ, is YES.

Love.

This is where it all starts. Our Lord made that clear. It’s what He has taught us, and what He has shown us. The way of peace can be very costly, but I’m so glad He paid the price.

Now, you and I are called to live as peacemakers and reconcilers. Jon Huckins and Jer Swigart write: “Everyday peacemakers are men and women who choose to see the humanity, dignity, and image of God in others and who understand the plight of the voiceless. We are people who choose to see our own biases, opinions, lies, and fears as well as our contributions to what is broken around us. We are men and women who acknowledge our blindness, understand what has contributed to it, and ask God to heal our sight.”

Listen.

When people are being divided, whatever the particular issue is that seems to be causing the fracture, the roots of the conflict are often many. Particularly when we’re part of the majority culture, our natural tendency is to offer a solution. Don’t. At least not right off the bat.

Here’s what we must remember: we can’t empathize with someone who’s hurting if we’re trying to prove a point. That just doesn’t work. (And we don’t like it when people do it to us.) We must learn to listen well.

Listening demonstrates love, tangibly.

Lament.

… weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). I can’t emphasize this one strongly enough. There’s another not-quite-as-old adage: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Truth. One of the things we ought to be doing right now is asking God to give us the compassion we need as we survey the landscape of this broken world all around us. Otherwise, without the fruit of Christ’s Spirit, you and I will become fearful, angry, and judgmental. And fast.

Let me offer an example, in our current context. When someone is grieving over white-on-black violence, that’s not the time to inject into the conversation a discourse on black-on-black violence. Let people grieve, and grieve with them. We want to be “incarnational” in our love for others: crawling into their pain whenever and however we can – the same way Jesus has loved us by crawling into our pain.

Let’s be honest: you and I don’t do “lament” easily. It makes us uncomfortable, as it should. We must have God’s grace in order to do this well.

Learn.

You and I should be lifelong students.

Here’s just one example of why that matters. According to the latest research from Barna, a surprising number of respondents – across demographics – says they “don’t know” how the Church should respond to historical mistreatment of African Americans (26% overall). I think this simply points out that people are confused about what should be our appropriate response right now. Why wouldn’t we be confused? The issues are complex and, well, confusing. All the more reason why we should commit ourselves to doing everything we can to try to understand.

You may have to read some things which make you squirm, written by people with whom you disagree on multiple subjects. Read anyway. Stretch. Learn. I’ll simply remind you that true learning begins with humility.

Leverage.

You have a sphere of influence. I have a sphere of influence. And, together, we have a sphere of influence. As we gain understanding of the problem facing us, we gain the momentum we need to do something about it. We can really get engaged in creating a meaningful solution. And we can make a positive difference, all along the way, while we work toward seeing that solution come to fruition.

Even when we’re faced with a daunting task, there can be joy in the journey when we know that the car’s finally out of the garage. It’s downright fun to put the pedal to the metal, but it’s always best to know – before we punch that accelerator – that we’re headed in the right direction. That’s why “learning” must precede “leverage.”

We will not all choose to respond to the same crisis in the same way. Some will march in a peaceful protest – others will engage the issue differently. That’s O.K. Leave room for people to be people. But, whatever you do, choose to leverage your God-given energy and resources to help fix the problem. Try hard, and don’t grow weary trying. And don’t give up.

Love.

As God heals our sight inch by inch, you and I will be set free to love, and not just to love God – but to love our neighbor more deeply than ever before. I hope you find that a glorious thought.

So there you have six steps toward a brighter tomorrow – regardless of the cultural crisis – for your prayerful consideration. Perhaps most important: #1 and #6 are “Love.” It starts and ends with love. Let’s do it!

Pastor Charles

Instagram delivered the news: Jonathan Steingard no longer believes in God. Not what you expect from the lead singer of a Christian band – in this case, it’s the band Hawk Nelson – but we’re seeing more and more of this kind of formal faith renunciation.

Jon’s came in the form of a May 20 apology: “I’ve been terrified to post this for a while – but it feels like it’s time for me to be honest … After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word ‘Christian’ in front of most of the things in my life – I am now finding that I no longer believe in God …”

I get super sad whenever I see things like this. It represents so many misunderstandings on so many levels. Not only that, but I’m sad for Jonathan. He’s obviously in a state of crisis. You and I should pray that God meets this man right where he is. Not too much for God.

Now, please allow me to make a few personal observations …

a. Almost without fail, this kind of announcement is generally followed (in relatively short order) by a second announcement: that the person who made the first announcement has entered into a lifestyle that is incompatible with Christianity.

b. We in the Christian community are at least partially responsible for the damage we inflict by elevating anyone in a ministry spotlight to “celebrity” status. We can add to the hypocrisy and the pressure without intending it or realizing it.

c. Nothing can replace the church! God has instructed us to learn our doctrine and theology within the context of the local assembly of believers, to whom every member is accountable – and the church must be shepherded by qualified and tested leaders.

d. This is a truth from Scripture, and from the lips of our Sovereign Lord Jesus (John 6:37): “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” That never changes, friends. Period.

I wanted to say all of that so that we don’t set up our kids to be disappointed by another fallen hero. That will still happen from time to time, but we need to minimize that fallout danger by making sure that we are strong in the gospel! When we’re strong in Christ, we’re much less likely to be shaken by someone who appears to be abandoning orthodoxy. In fact, the Bible tells us to expect such departures (check out First Timothy 4, for example).

So let’s say that we have a friend or a family member who is struggling, intellectually, with the claims of Christ – whether the person professes to be a believer, or not. Are there some ways in which we can help them reason through their struggles – and navigate through those murky waters of doubt? Yes.

We can point people toward the basic principle of cause-and-effect. Every known thing in our world has a cause. That seems more than accidental. It’s worth pondering that the cause of a universe as awesome as ours must be none other than an awesome God.

We can point people toward the incredible and undeniable design which is all around us. By making even simple observations from nature, we can highlight the harmony, order, and design of the cosmos – and suggest their consideration of the intelligent purpose behind such a grand design.

We can point people toward logical deduction. (Bear with me.) This example goes all the way back to Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109). 1) God is the greatest being one can conceive. 2) Is there a being that meets the definition we assign to God? 3) If so, then I have an understanding of God in my own mind that is not based on prior understanding. 4) I then have an understanding of God’s existence. 5) Hence, God exists in the understanding of a person. 6) But, God cannot exist in the understanding alone because He is the greatest being that can be conceived, thus God must exist in reality, which is greater than understanding alone. 7) Therefore, God exists. (I don’t expect you to get it the first time, but keep at it.)

We can point people toward fundamental notions of right and wrong. Most everyone you talk with will express some innate sense of “good” and “bad” – as well as some desire for justice. Perhaps we can help them see that there must then be a God who is just, and who will one day accomplish perfect justice.

And we can point people toward an empty tomb! When we make Jesus the main thing, and when we keep Jesus the main thing, we can know that we’re at least walking down the right road.

These conversations may help people correctly evaluate the evidence, and correctly reason to a true conclusion, but they’re unlikely to dispel every doubt. Our aim as Christ-followers is to help others overcome at least some of their objections even to the existence of God. We must remember, however, that we can’t create saving faith in anyone – only the Holy Spirit can accomplish that. So our posture must always be one of humble prayer and desperate dependence on the Lord.

It has been my experience that most people have moral struggles with God which in fact far outweigh their intellectual struggles with God. It’s the problem of human pride, and it reminds us how much we all need a Savior!

So let’s go initiate some encouraging and life-giving conversations …

Pastor Charles

The tragic scene early Wednesday morning was on L.A.’s Venice Beach, where the body of pro wrestler Shad Gaspard had washed ashore. Last weekend, Shad was caught in a rip current about fifty yards from the beach. A wave swept over Shad, and it was all over. He was never seen alive again.

As I read the story, my heart sank.

Because it was my story.

Except that I’m still here.

When I was 15, I was enjoying “Las Playas” in Acapulco, Mexico, swimming in the cold Pacific with my father and sister. We were having the time of our lives and paying little attention to the red flags dotting the hot, sandy beach. Red meant “peligro” (“danger” in English) – and for a sane person it would have meant “no swimming” – but what teenage boy doesn’t feel a certain sense of invincibility? In fact, if I had any real worry at all that afternoon, it was for my sister.

In the blink of any eye, a wave that I never saw coming crashed over my shoulders, and I was under the water. It felt like a thousand arms were grabbing me from every direction. The force was so intense that I knew that fighting it would be futile. And even though this all happened within a few seconds, my memories of that day and those moments are crystal clear. I suppose I’ll never forget those powerful seconds.

My life passed before my eyes, just like in the movies. It was exactly like that. I saw quick mental snapshots of who I was, and of a couple of things that were important to me, but I was absolutely certain that I was going to drown. There was no doubt about it. I didn’t even try to swim, or to pull myself up. It was like I was frozen and held motionless, except that I could tell that I was being moved further and further from the shore, because I could feel the momentum of the unstoppable pull through those dark waters. I even saw, in my mind’s eye, my obituary and the accompanying photograph in the newspaper. I could not breathe because my head never came above the water.

Until it did.

Three hundred and fifty yards offshore, the “undertow” (that’s what we called it back then) spat me out just as quickly as the fish that followed Jonah upchucked the reluctant prophet. Every powerful arm below me released me. I could breathe.

By then I had time to be afraid. I felt like I had been zapped by a sedative or a surgery, and I knew that I couldn’t swim all the way back to the beach. I could, but I felt like I couldn’t. Then I became convinced that a hungry shark would have me for an appetizer within minutes. (I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with those creatures.) But I swam. Slowly and cautiously.

Before long, I was visible to some lifeguards, who met me in the water. The trepidation eased. It was over.

No, it wasn’t over, and that’s my point.

In the mercy of God, He gave me more time. Time in fact that would be necessary for me to know Christ, and to profess Him as Savior and Lord. Time to reach legal age and go to college. Time to get married and have a son. Time to preach the gospel. Time. The Lord gave me more time.

Shad Gaspard did not survive the ocean, but I did. And we all know that was no test of physical fitness.

Perhaps more than anything else, the Protestant Reformer John Knox is remembered for his bold prayer: “Give me Scotland, or I die.” John’s prayer was not an arrogant demand, but it demonstrated the substance of the ministry to which Knox desired to spend the remaining energy of his life. All threats by opposing forces aside – he had been imprisoned and enslaved – John was willing to die for Christ’s truth.

If you’re reading this, you, too, have been given more time.

Make it count, friend!

Will God use you to revive a nation?

Will God use you to give hope to a tired church?

Will God use you to pray for those who need to experience forgiveness and grace?

It can get exhausting but don’t lose heart. The ultimate danger is that you and I will give up. We can’t let that happen, because there’s still time. Very valuable time.

When you think about it, please pray for Siliana Gaspard, Shad’s wife, and for Aryeh, their 10-year-old son who was swimming with his dad when the riptide struck. They need our prayers.

Every second counts.

Pastor Charles

Confusing times, huh? Did you ever even imagine some of the issues before us?

The people on our streets don’t trust media or government. And they barely trust scientists and doctors, who are also falling in the polls. In our world where every issue has become politicized to the point of nearly unrecognizable, and when such a climate breeds nothing but widespread distrust, can you and I live as people who are wise?

Yes.

Because of Christ.

I’m captivated by the last few verses of Romans, where Paul offers his “final instructions and greetings.” Rich. And the apostle says it right there (16:19): I want you to be wise!

The Apostle Paul did not write this epistle in a vacuum. He wrote it in deeply troubled times. Paul recorded these words so that believers living in chaos would be wise in every situation. Paul longed for his sisters and brothers in Christ to grow in God’s wisdom in some very specific ways …

WE MUST STAY STRONG IN THE GOSPEL.

This is the language of Paul’s doxology in 16:25. You and I need God’s strength because life can be very difficult at times. You know, pandemics and all. The strength with which we’re supplied doesn’t come out of nowhere, but it’s rooted in the person and work of Jesus.

Then check out 16:17-20. Divisions, and opportunities for further division, are all around us. Paul sternly warns the Romans about what will destroy their church. They have to stand against those who cause divisions and confusion in regard to matters of utmost importance. Paul understands that, when we lose the gospel, we’re powerless.

The gospel strengthens us because it strengthens our faith. God uses faith to produce in and through us wonderful fruits of righteousness. You and I are soul-strengthened by the good news of Jesus, and we must preach it to ourselves over and over again.

WE MUST DO WHAT WE KNOW TO BE RIGHT.

Check out 16:19 and 16:26. Why is Paul so excited about what the Lord will do in the lives of the people who will receive this letter? Simply this: Paul knows that the Holy Spirit will use the great doctrines of Romans to create transformed people – people who are submitted to Christ and working together for the glory of God.

A lifestyle of obedience to Christ sets us apart from the unbelieving world. Our obedience – not perfection, but a new direction of thought and affections and behavior – is the fruit that demonstrates that our faith is alive. That it’s real! That’s it’s true! But never forget that our commitment to the gospel doesn’t come without cost. And that our growth in grace doesn’t come without cost, because our old nature will try to bring us down. More than once.

But we persevere. And God meets us in our weaknesses. In fact, that’s where Christ shines brightest.

WE MUST BE A PEOPLE OF NO-MATTER-WHAT PRAISE!

All you have to do is look at the very last verse of Romans, and it will jump right off the page.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our church family, and our calling together for such strange times as COVID-19. The 1960s was a period of great social turbulence in our land, but our Sovereign God used that season of unrest to raise up a generation of young adults who eventually became “the Jesus People” – a movement that started on the West Coast but impacted all of American evangelicalism. You see, sometimes the Lord uses prolonged and polarizing unrest to create in His own sheep a profound dissatisfaction with business as usual, and a stark realization that only Christ can truly satisfy the deepest longings of the human soul.

We need wisdom, friends. Gospel wisdom. You do. I do. We do. And it starts and ends with bowing before the only Giver of wisdom.

So let’s seek Christ for it, and light up this place with it!

Pastor Charles

Our own Pastor Russ Wilson is a passionate Miami Dolphins fan. Some of you are too. Coach Don Shula, the “winningest” coach in NFL history, left this life on Monday, May 4. He was 90. I remember once answering incorrectly a trivia question about “the only perfect season in NFL history,” and of course the correct answer was Shula. (For sports fans, that was 1972.)

This pic was from 1964 when the Baltimore Colts clinched a division title. In 1963, the year I was born, Shula had become the league’s youngest head coach in history. He was 33. Fast forward: an expressway, a couple of restaurants, an endowed chair of philosophy, and of course a football field, all named for Shula – that’s quite a legacy any way you slice it. 33 seasons and 347 games! That makes for a long, full life, doesn’t it? Dan Marino said of Coach Shula this week: “He embodied the definition of greatness.”

The only perfect season.

If you’ve ever thought deeply about that word “perfect,” you’ve also likely realized how few things we can describe as such. We may speak of “the perfect vacation” or “the perfect pizza,” but we immediately recognize that – when we do use the word like that – we’re not really referring to absolute perfection.

The wondrously good news of the gospel is that Christ has imputed his perfect righteousness to us. That’s an amazing truth! Our Lord hasn’t just made us a little better, or pushed us a little further down the field, or even gotten us within inches of the goal line … but He has freely given to us all of the merits of His own perfect life and death! In Christ, as His redeemed, we can stand before God perfectly acquitted. This startling transaction happened at the Cross, and was validated at the empty tomb!

That’s a very good thing because only perfect righteousness can stand in the presence of a perfect God. “In Christ” is my only hope, and yours. The life and death of Jesus is truly the only perfect season.

We’re not guaranteed 90 years, so now is the time to make sure that we’re right with our great Creator and King. Friends, that’s what I wanted to share with you today. The other Charles (Wesley) penned it like this:

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

 Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

We may never be carried on the shoulders of the players on our team after a great victory. Wonderful as that must be, a more important victory must drive you, and it must drive me. It’s the victory which Christ has won on our behalf: “It is finished!”

Yours for the victory,

Pastor Charles

I like to hug the people I love. I like to embrace people who are hurting. I like to shake hands when I meet a stranger. I like to be near other members of the body of Christ. These are not just marks of my culture, upbringing, or personality; they are marks of my humanity.

Does it matter that we’re physically disconnected right now? Dr. Dacher Keltner, who teaches psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, describes our handshakes and hugs like this: “They are our primary language of compassion, and a primary means for spreading compassion. In recent years, a wave of studies has documented some incredible emotional and physical health benefits that come from touch. This research is suggesting that touch is truly fundamental to human communication, bonding, and health.”

Amen.

Scientists tell us that a release of the hormone oxytocin is a positive side effect of a good hug! Oxytocin helps us connect with each other, and helps us feel better in general. Many experts suggest that it even improves our heart health (and I don’t mean that figuratively).

And history reveals a wacko 13th-century experiment in which Frederick II, the reigning German emperor, became cruelly curious about what language children would speak if they were never spoken to. So Frederick singled out newborn babies in an orphanage and instructed nurses to feed them, but not to touch them or talk to them. Every one of those babies died. Died.

We need touch. We really do. That basic need is built into us.

You and I need touch because we’re created in God’s image. Enter Jesus, stage right. When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Matthew 8:1-3). This unnamed man with leprosy was putting everything on the line – breaking all of those Levitical rules – because he knew in his soul that Jesus could make him “clean.” The man understood, by faith, that Jesus could heal him of his leprosy.

I contend that there is something profound going on here: in a simple touch. Jesus wasn’t scared of the leper. Of course, the Son of God didn’t have to be afraid that He would come down with leprosy. He wasn’t paranoid that He would be forever regarded as “unclean” because of His carelessness. Our Lord Jesus was able to enter into this poor man’s pain and brokenness. His touch expressed His compassion. And I would submit that we’re wired for touch because we’re wired by God.

Our Lord would become an outcast, but not over this. In fact, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus isn’t afraid of our sin and shame! He doesn’t stay six feet away from us and make us yell out a warning when we’re nearby. Quite to the contrary, Christ graciously enters into our messes and willingly takes upon Himself the full load of the brokenness of our lives. And, thankfully, He doesn’t throw stones of judgment in our direction either. So, back to the Bible, instead of just saying, “Be clean,” Jesus physically touches this man who was starved for human affection. This touch wasn’t accidental, or incidental, but it was quite intentional.

You may be familiar with one of the film versions of Ben-Hur (based on the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace). Judah Ben-Hur’s mother and sister contract leprosy while in prison. They’re exiled to a leper colony and ask that Judah never be told that they’re alive – that he only remember them as their former selves. It’s a powerful illustration of the seriousness of leprosy in Jesus’ day, and a vivid reminder of the tragic toll that leprous-like skin conditions – and other highly contagious diseases – exact on human life, relationships, and civilization. When people are deprived of human touch, they lose something of what it means to be human.

You and I were made to touch, and to be touched!

Like you, I’m most grateful for all of the technological innovations which are allowing us to communicate – and to maintain a semblance of connection – during this strange season. But, friends, we’ve lost something significant. At least for now. COVID-19 has robbed us. I think it’s acceptable to grieve.

Pastor Charles

All of us experience the pain of rejection. Maybe you’re there today. When Jesus sent out the 72, He told them to expect it (Luke 10:16). “The harvest is plentiful,” but you and I will not be welcome in every field.

And, let’s face it, rejection comes in all shapes and sizes. We may be rejected because of our fidelity to the gospel. We may be rejected because of our score on an exam. We may be rejected because someone doesn’t like the color of our shirt. We’ll have our fair share of all of it to deal with along the way. But, whatever form it takes, rejection stings.

“I am not enough.”

Generally speaking, that haunting self-talk is why rejection stings. Those four words can penetrate my soul and jump on me like a monster from under the bed! And, when they do, I tend to view every other circumstance in my life through that deceptive lens.

The feeling of rejection paralyzes me. “What do you mean I’m not smart enough?” “What do you mean I’m not good enough?” You and I feel smothered and trapped.

The feeling of rejection prevents me from moving forward. After a big enough dose of rejection, I don’t even want to try again. It simply hurts too much and moving forward just feels too darn scary.

The feeling of rejection pushes me toward the sidelines and out of the game because working through the pain of my rejection – well – just feels like too much work. You and I can feel benched for the entire season.

Expect it.

We’re reminded of that all over the Bible. When you and I carry the message of the Cross, it can cut like a sword (Matthew 10:34-39). Even our closest relationships can be severed by the truth of the gospel. This kind of rejection can feel pitilessly debilitating, but we can find comfort in that moment in our closeness with Christ (Matthew 5:11-12). “Rejoice and be glad!” We will pay a price for gospel faithfulness because we are living at odds with the world. In His goodness and grace, Jesus told us what to expect, but that doesn’t take away all the pain.

Don’t take it personally.

Easier said than done. Granted. Check out John 6. Jesus had some tough stuff to say, and many did not like it at all. Even the people who liked His miracles turned away. Do we expect different results? If people are turned off by the truth, God has simply not yet revealed that truth to their hearts. It’s not the right time, and only God controls the timing.

Submit your pain to God.

God created us for intimacy and for friendships, but sometimes even the best relationships can go south for a season. We’re dealing with sin, y’all, and it’s potent. It’s in me, and it’s in you, and it has infected everything. Pride and selfishness always stir the pot this side of Genesis 3.

And then there’s, just, life. “I didn’t get the job.” “She wanted to date other people.” “They liked another church better than ours.” “Nobody made room for me at the cool-kids table.” Ouch. But God’s Word reminds us that He heals our broken hearts … and binds our wounds … and never bails out on us. We have in Jesus a Friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

And, in addition to all of that, we must never forget that our Lord felt the bitter sting of rejection worse than anyone else (Isaiah 53:3). Our God understands rejection like no one else! His followers ran away in droves. His friends deserted Him in fear. The professed religious “faithful” brutally attacked Him and charged Him with crimes He never committed.

But none of that pain compared with the mammoth sting of this: on Calvary’s Cross, Christ was rejected by His Father. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21).

Don’t waste your rejection, friends. Worship through it!

Pastor Charles

Yesterday a dear friend received a letter from her granddaughter announcing that she is “transitioning” from female to male. As the granddaughter embraces a new identity, she wants to be called by a new male name. As you might imagine, this is a hard pill for this precious family to swallow. In her brief initial response to this young woman, the grandmother expressed her undying love for her granddaughter. Wow, what was once only a theoretical possibility – somewhere “out there” in our culture – is now knocking on many of our own doors.

For my blog posting today, I thought that I would share with you my response to the grandmother. Perhaps this will help some of you who find yourselves in similar situations and conversations. (I have changed both names for everyone’s protection.)

Dear Beverly,

Amelia’s sin is just like everybody else’s: blinding. She is no worse than I. We all think that sin will grant us liberty and happiness, but it always delivers bondage and sorrow. We can trace it all the way back to the first lie in the Garden: “Did God REALLY say …?” Nothing has changed about the nature of our underlying rebellion against our Creator – only the context of it has morphed into new levels of weirdness. Now we’re attempting to redefine male and female, and add a couple hundred other gender options while we’re at it.

You can tell from Amelia’s letter that she thinks she’s on the road to freedom now. Only God can open her eyes. Even secular authorities on the subject admit that people who’ve “transitioned” end up with some of the highest rates of depression and suicide. Amelia needs her family now more than ever.

Gender dysphoria is a real and tragic psychological condition, but unfortunately, Americans have decided to treat it with life-altering medicines and radical irreversible surgeries. This is sad on every level, and it demonstrates the pervasive fallenness of the human race. Sin breeds ignorance. We now have top scientists and government leaders denying the most basic biology.

Can you even imagine a medical doctor prescribing diet pills for an anorexic, or performing gastric bypass surgery on an anorexic, because the patient “FELT like they were fat”? He would lose his medical license and likely be jailed, for good cause. I only mention this to demonstrate that this “gender transition” craze is not driven by science or healthcare, but by a twisted ideology that has gained so much political power that it can nearly silence anyone who dares to question it. Two years ago a distinguished professor at the University of Louisville was effectively fired because he, at a professional seminar, dared to question the ethics of this movement.

No one should be angry with Amelia. Our hearts should be broken for her. She barely knows me, but I have been praying for her every day since I first learned she was struggling with this. Only the Lord can redeem this situation, and Amelia needs the Lord – just like I do.

You are right to express to Amelia your fervent love. You love her as unconditionally as a person can love unconditionally, and how blessed she is to have a grandmother who loves her like that! That doesn’t mean that you refrain from speaking the truth to her, at the right time and in the right manner, but you speak truth under the umbrella of grace. The Bible reminds us that God’s kindness produces repentance and that supernatural kindness is what you want to model. Good job.

The rest of us should be on our knees. The world is growing darker by the day, and our children and grandchildren will face deceptions and temptations we never imagined.

Come, Lord Jesus!

I hope that is helpful for some of you, or that it at least gets us thinking more deeply about a critical subject. Thanks for any input you have as well.

For grace and truth, with you,

Pastor Charles

Has COVID-19 gotten your attention yet? Dumb question. Of course it has.

The story of God and His people is full of what I would consider to be high points. Just think about all the fascinating accounts in the Bible. Even the most familiar stories still speak to us! And perhaps no event recorded in Scripture was as game-changing as Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. God pulled out all the stops! He turned the Nile River to blood. He darkened the sun so that the land was swallowed up in perpetual night. He sent an infestation of frogs. Gross. (Even if you’re a frog lover, smelly dead frogs are gross.)

Who knows? Maybe some Egyptians thought the frogs were tolerable. So God sent an infestation of gnats. I grew up below the gnat line in South Georgia, where long summers could feel like an infestation, but that’s nothing like what the Egyptians experienced. Breathe too deeply, suck in a gnat or two, or ten. Again, gross. Then flies. Where’s the hand sanitizer? Oh, that’s right – there wasn’t any. These plagues went on and on, and from bad to worse. In all, God sent ten debilitating, devastating, and deadly plagues.

I’ll bet I’m not the only one who’s been thinking, within the last few days, about Egypt’s plagues. Just a guess. But let’s move on. The last plague was the most horrific of all! God swore to kill the firstborn of every creature in Egypt, including the house of Pharaoh (start reading at Exodus 11:4, and just keep going). So awesome would be the judgment that even the firstborn of Israel would perish unless the Israelites obeyed the commands of God. To avert that impending judgment, God commanded every household of Israel to select a male lamb without blemish, kill it, and smear the blood on the doorposts of the house. Then God said (Exodus 12:13): “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”

We must remember that God’s wrath was not against Egypt alone for its sin and idolatry, but against Israel as well. Against the entire human race in fact. God is no respecter of persons when it comes to the judgment of sin. His judgment was going to wreak havoc not only on the Egyptians but also on the people of Israel – unless they figuratively covered themselves in blood by literally covering their doorposts with blood. Think about that for a moment, and just let it settle into your soul. Just like coronavirus, there was a deadly pandemic in the land. It was a spiritual pandemic, and it was universal in scope and magnitude. And there was only one solution. Only one way out. Only one!

What did the blood of the lambs accomplish? It turned away God’s wrath and appeased His anger against sin. It satisfied God’s perfect justice. The blood of the lambs caused God to pass over each house …

But only for a time. Here I go, ruining the story! My goal is not to ruin it, but to reveal it. The lambs’ blood satisfied on the night of the Passover, but each year the sacrifices of the lambs would have to be offered again. Every year, those horrific sounds of the slaughter of lambs for sacrifices would have to be heard, over and over again. For this reason, the nation of Israel always longed for an unblemished male lamb that would take away their sin once and for all!

Could it ever be?

Yes! When our Lord Jesus Christ arrived on the scene, He was announced as the Lamb of God who takes away our sin and turns away God’s wrath that is rightfully aimed at us (John 1:29). The Bible makes it crystal clear (First Corinthians 5:7): Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed! The Israelites lived because of the blood of the lambs that were slain. And, if you are in Christ, you live because of the blood of the Lamb of God. In the blood of Christ, we have everything that we lost in Adam. The shedding of our Savior’s blood was monumentally significant because it represents the perfect, sinless life of Christ poured out for us (Isaiah 53:12).

But if all that needed to happen was for Jesus to shed some blood, He could have pricked His finger and painted some blood on the cross, or let some fall to the ground, and all would have been well. But the one final offering of Christ’s precious blood would require both His life and His death. You see, friends, the Lord’s redeemed do not receive a blood transfusion from God. We receive a life transfusion: His death for my death, His life for my life! All of God’s just and righteous demands have been fully met and satisfied. Imagine that. O the blood!

I posted this on Facebook last evening, but I’ll repeat it here and now: Holy Week. The greatest hope for the world came out of the world’s darkest hour. It’s intriguing that, at the same time, we’re experiencing the pandemic’s “worst” week. Could it be that God wants us to know that our only real hope is out of this world?

Pastor Charles