This is the day, friends! On this date in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany. What happened after that changed the course of world history.

Pastor Charles in front of Wittenburg Castle Church

Before the fires of what we now call the Protestant Reformation were lit, the 16^th-century church service was a mindless ritual and a lethal burden. Perhaps one could gain from the Mass just a little more grace – at least that was the hope of the blind parishioner – but the sad truth is that there was no saving gospel at the core of the priest’s ontological hijinks. You’ve heard me say it before, and I’ll say it again. There really are only two religions in the world: the undeserved grace of Jesus Christ, and some version of “I must save myself” works. Every world religion, every cult, and every pseudo-religious philosophy – apart from the gospel – falls into the latter category of deadly poison.

The Reformation recovered the truth: fallen sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Hallelujah! Other Reformers would carry the ball – and the light – forward, but we must credit Luther with sparking the movement. Luther and the Reformation paved the way for us to enjoy the religious freedom which we now experience. May we never take that for granted!

Travel with me now to London. Over 200 years later, on May 24, 1738, John Wesley “went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans.” I stood on that very spot for the first time in 1988, but in 1738 Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed” then and there. He was marked by the love of God like never before. Not long after, Wesley met with his Anglican community to pray and worship on New Year’s Eve, when “the power of God came mightily” upon them. This gathering of hearts in Christ, and around Christ’s glorious gospel, became the catalytic flame which would ignite the Great Awakening! It would be this warm-hearted evangelical faith which would shape substantially our American history.

In fact, the Protestant Reformation would propel a gospel awakening that would invade Europe, and overflow to the Americas and beyond. Our Sovereign God would propel His Word from the pulpits and pens of a Bible-rejuvenated church. Believers became passionate Christ-followers, and courageous compassion would become the mission of the true church into our own lifetime.

Today, I want to jumpstart your thinking about how many different and amazing blessings have come to us because of the Reformation …

We can understand what the church really is. There is no special class of sainthood or priesthood, for the ground at Golgotha is level. All have sinned and fall short. But we have an adequate and wonderful Savior! Every believer matters and is gifted for ministry. We’re all ambassadors of grace. We’re all missionaries. Christ’s enterprise of evangelism and missions is our calling and delight. There is an urgency about our calling which is as compelling now as it was in 1517.

People need the Scriptures in their own language. The Bible is not meant to be a closed book enjoyed only by a select few scholars. With the Reformation came widespread literacy. I don’t have to tell you what that accomplished for Western Civilization. And people need education. With the Bible’s being translated into vernacular languages, literature, in general, became accessible. With the Bible’s prominence at the center of church life came the modern concept of public learning. The Renaissance sparked interest in the natural world, but the Reformation told the truth about the God who created it all – and the cultural mandate which is ours in Christ to steward it all for God’s glory.

We, as God’s people, can celebrate all of God’s world! The Reformation transformed literature, science, and even art. Because the gospel became known and understood, it also became understood that an artist can paint a sunset as unto the Lord. All beauty is a reflection of the divine nature. There is no “secular” and “sacred” distinction. We’re losing this truth today, and I’m hoping that my blog posting will matter to you and to your children. Whether your kid wants to dress up tonight as a farmer or an astronaut, I hope you’ll tell that precious child that he or she can become that farmer or astronaut – and that it will be the world’s holiest vocation.

Just a couple more thoughts before I let you go, please. Here in the USA, our constitutional republic and democratic government flow directly from the Reformation. They’re based on the idea that every human being is God’s image-bearer, and that every person possesses inherent worth, dignity, and value. I think we can discern from history that there really is no lasting freedom without Christ. What we consider our “inalienable rights” didn’t just happen, but they came from a high view of the Bible. At the same time, if we understand the truth about people, we will concern ourselves with justice. Let’s not allow our country’s polarizing political climate to persuade us that evangelical faith is antithetical to social justice. Evangelicals have fought to abolish slavery, reform jails, improve working conditions, and protect the rights of the poor and oppressed. That’s because evangelicals understand that it’s all God’s world, and that its all under Christ’s rule – and all under God’s common grace.

These are the hallmarks of classic and authentic Protestantism, friends. This is our marvelous heritage. So, Happy Reformation Day!

Pastor Charles

In 1992, Neil Postman wrote a book describing a society in which technology is deified. What may have seemed at least a tad farfetched then does not seem so now. Postman considered “technopoly” to be the most recent of three kinds of cultures in which new technologies “compete with old ones … mostly for dominance of their worldviews.” Drawing from Francis Bacon in the early 17^th century, Postman described technopoly as a “totalitarian technocracy” which insists upon the “submission of all forms of cultural life to the sovereignty of technique and technology.”

Just yesterday, Google employees circulated an internal “dark arts” memo criticizing the company’s change to their employee calendaring system. It may seem like an insignificant matter to us until we discover the nature of the employees’ concerns: by monitoring who assembles in what room, Google may be amassing the ability to squash all dissent. Some employees fear that the company will stifle their efforts to organize. Perhaps on a more serious note, some fear that Google may be coming up with a way to prevent challenges to anything which an underling might question, like the company’s payouts to executives accused of sexual misconduct.

Do you remember the story about the boy who found a magic spool of thread? Pulling the thread made every day feel exciting for Peter, but – when he became an old man, and there was no more thread on the spool – he realized that his life had been lived without meaning. Peter had managed to avoid some pain and suffering by the distractions of thread-pulling, but a life of incessant distraction meant that he never experienced the wonder of living. A more important Peter said that you and I have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ!” I suppose that our challenge today is not to trade that awesome promise of abundant life for a thread-pulling life mostly wasted while we stare mindlessly at our tablets.

And, friends – on a much larger scale – what do we risk losing in the public square? If we keep surrendering all our time and attention to the technopolies, will we and our children not pay a steep price for our abandonment and neglect? I think it’s high time that the body of Christ wakes up from our far-too-long nap, and that we light up our sphere of influence with something of eternal value! Google, Amazon, and Facebook may dominate the internet, but they don’t define the meaning of life. Big Tech ain’t got nothin’ on our Big God!

One of my jobs each week is to give you a few things to think about. I’m not an expert on anything, but I’m interested in lots of things, so here goes …

1. Though it puts a lot more information at our fingertips, literally, ever-expanding technology actually threatens knowledge. We must never forget that the tech giants manipulate us every day with their algorithms. My term is TechnoGod. (Spellcheck doesn’t like it, but I’m keeping it.) Don’t let all your choices, and especially your search for truth, be automated by Silicon Valley.

2. Don’t become a cult-like follower of social media, and never allow Instagram to define your value or priorities. In many, many ways, the depictions there don’t represent real life. Always keep that in mind as you scroll. Beware of boredom. Then, turn off your phone and look up: Christ is always more beautiful!

3. Don’t let our Western uber-connectivity fool you: it’s not all about making our lives easier. Every time we log on, we’re becoming part of an advancing and coherent vision of human existence. I know that you have to log on, and so do I, but I want us to log on discerningly.

4. Big Tech has its own system of morality. Google tried to form an ethics board for purposes of rightly managing artificial intelligence, but then came under fire because one of the board members held a Christian sexual ethic and didn’t affirm climate change and another board member was too closely linked to the U.S. military. So it was disbanded. The only reason I mention it is to remind you that ethics and morality – without an objective standard – will be about as successful as nailing Jell-O to the wall.

5. Big Tech will never be committed to human dignity the way we must be. People are not machines. You and I, as the Lord’s redeemed, are believers in the Imago Dei – and so we must never lose sight of the fact that every person is created in God’s image! The same social media which can launch an unknown person into overnight stardom can destroy that person in a nanosecond. It happens every day. Don’t forget that. Stay out of Twitter wars which can harm people – that’s never our job. Humanity, not technology, is the crown jewel of Creation.

6. While we’re trying to do church as usual, even the definition of what it means to be human is up for grabs. Because the world of technology is changing so quickly around us, what we once would have considered an unacceptable loss of personal privacy we now simply assume. (What have you allowed your phone to do today?) Our digital avatars now interact with other digital avatars more than we interact with other people. We’re saving our memories to a hard drive every time we snap or save a pic.

7. Don’t trade your one life for an empty spool of thread.

I love what Elliot Clark says in his new book, Evangelism as Exiles: “If you wanted to take America back for God, how would you do that? Generally, we think in terms of acquiring greater social and cultural power and influence; that’s the way we will ultimately bring this country into line. We’ve got to throw that away. We need to recognize that we have a gospel that doesn’t require us having a position and a status for it to be powerful … Let’s take America back for God – as in the sense of let’s preach the gospel, and let’s see lives change.”

Preach.

Pastor Charles

Last Friday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr addressed the Notre Dame Law School. I have a sneaky suspicion that this may go down in history as one of the most important speeches delivered in our lifetime. Barr’s address has been met with mixed reactions, as you might expect, so I invite you to read the entire transcript – which will be well worth your time (please don’t be dissuaded by the length):

Full Transcript of AG William Barr’s Notre Dame Address

If you are concerned about religious liberty in America – and you know by now how passionate Eileen and I are about this – then you’ll likely be greatly encouraged by Barr’s remarks. In extraordinary fashion, Mr. Barr traced the centrality of religious liberty from our nation’s founding onward. From James Madison, and a small group of colonial lawyers who described religious freedom as “a duty toward the Creator,” to the 21^st century in which we live, Attorney General Barr set forth a rich history of American religious liberty – and a clarion call to preserve that liberty for the next generation.

Our Attorney General described how the American Experiment, and its magnificent charter of freedom – our United States Constitution – paved the way for more human progress than the world has ever known. This “quantum leap in liberty” has blessed not only our homeland but the rest of the world. Barr made it very clear that the Framers contended that “religion was indispensable to sustaining our free system of government.” He went on to describe how an assault against religious freedom, an attack that still threatens us, was launched in the 20^th century.

I’ll leave you to read it on your own, but I simply want to highlight a few of the truths that jumped off the page as I read. Unless otherwise indicated, these are not quotes, but they are summations of the AG’s speech mingled with my own observations and conclusions.

1. Our American freedom depends upon limited government.

Our government is to provide, for the benefit and blessing of its citizenry, opportunities for individual freedoms and free associations. We are not Communist China, where social trust and civil society have been largely dismantled, and where the people have no choice but to look to the government to meet every need. Our government was designed to promote self-government, in the sense that individuals must master their own passions out of a sense of moral courage, God-given reason (my grandmother used to call it “horse sense”), and personal responsibility. Without self-government, there is always tyranny.

2. Freedom is a test. For free people, freedom always poses a challenge: can we handle it?

This is perhaps the speech’s greatest strength. Barr drew a beeline between freedom and responsibility. Here’s the risk we’re running in America right now: “the unbridled pursuit of personal appetites at the expense of the common good.” Yes, we have unalienable rights enshrined in our earliest governing documents, but those freedoms can be sustained only by a people who are personally and deeply committed to an objective moral order and framework. Said differently, rampant secularism subtly but steadily erases the foundation for, and fabric of, real freedom.

3. Human nature, unrestrained by transcendent morality, always destroys freedom.

 Without some knowledge of God and His will, freedom fails. Created in God’s image, you and I are capable of good. But we are also capable of waging tremendous evil against one another. Barr says: “Men are subject to powerful passions and appetites, and, if unrestrained, are capable of ruthlessly riding roughshod over their neighbors and the community at large. No society can exist without some means for restraining individual rapacity.” This is the pernicious lie being swallowed hook, line, and sinker by our contemporaries: that, in order to thrive, we must rid ourselves of God. The lie of the Garden of Eden, in reality, enslaves.

4. Free government can function only when accompanied by moral order.

Where there is a knowledge of right and wrong, social order flows up from the people themselves! Barr says that religion “trains people to want what is good.” There is no real moral discipline without it. No secular creed can replace God’s creed, because no secular creed is based on ultimate truth. Freedom of religion does not flow from the government, but freedom of religion underpins the government because freedom of religion rests on a higher law. Without moral order, we may have the Roman Empire, but we don’t have the United States of America.

5. Modern secularists, who call for morality without religion, invoke the impossible.

By way of example. why are our nation’s public schools failing on so many levels, despite public funding at record levels? Because anti-traditional values have no value simply because they’re anti-traditional. Parents in Orange County, CA (our home before Paducah) can’t opt their kids out of LGBT training. This may feel like the state is winning, but the state is – in reality –unraveling. Because whenever values, which are in effect non-values, triumph, misery follows. So the state generally doubles down in its militancy. Meanwhile, the social and societal unraveling continues unabated.

6. When and where the Judeo-Christian moral system is eroded, secularism is the new god.

AG Barr argued, quite convincingly, that we’re trying to live on “the vapor trails of Christianity.” Thus our new “values” are sentimental and sappy – unsustainable in the long run. “In the past, when societies are threatened by moral chaos, the overall social costs of licentiousness and irresponsible personal conduct become so high that society ultimately recoils and reevaluates the path that it is on. But today – in the face of all the increasing pathologies – instead of addressing the underlying cause, we have the State in the role of alleviator of bad consequences. We call on the State to mitigate the social costs of personal misconduct and irresponsibility.” You and I see this in the fight for abortion at all costs, and in every other failure of government to protect the defenseless.

7. “Progress” isn’t progress unless there’s, well, progress.

Mr. Barr warned that America is not decaying, but that it is struggling to survive an “organized destruction.” People pretending to be morally neutral are not neutral at all, but all too often are promoting their own religion in education, media, and culture. It is a religion of no God, but it is its own God. And if one does not abide by every tenet of this new religion, he or she can expect an inquisition – and perhaps an excommunication. In our day, Twitter can create, and Twitter can destroy. For, where there is no room for God, there is no freedom. This, William Barr believes, is far from progress. From illegitimate births to drug overdoses, Barr offers example after example of our national destruction from within.

Finally, I’ll share just one more line: “The problem is not that religion is being forced on others. The problem is that irreligion and secular values are being forced on people of faith.” Mr. Barr urges lawyers to fight for religious liberty in the public square. So must we all.

Pastor Charles

Some Arminians are Armenians, and some Armenians are Arminians. Somehow I felt predestined to share that thought with you. Hopefully, you chuckled by your own free will, but I did want to make a point: Arminians and Armenians are not the same people groups. Eileen and I have been hanging out with the Armenians.

And some Georgians. And some Russians. And some Iranians. And even a few Azerbaijanis. It’s been a terrific ten days! Thank you for praying for us. We’re flying home full of gospel joy.

Though Christianity landed in Armenia in 301 A.D., making it the first Christian nation in the world, and though most Armenians still consider “Armenian” and “Christian” to be synonymous, many Armenians have never heard a clear presentation of Christ’s gospel. In a country of just over three million people, there exists a long history of turmoil and suffering. The most awful chapter of that history began in 1915 when the Ottoman Empire deported and systematically exterminated 1.5 million Armenians. That led to the coining of the term “genocide” in 1943.

Armenia also controls Nagorno-Karabakh, a hotly contested enclave along the border with Azerbaijan, which is marked by violence and random shootings. Because of this ongoing conflict, Azerbaijan and Turkey have attempted to punish Armenia through trade blockades. As Eileen and I have served here with Armenia Relief Mission, we have met a number of women whose husbands left the country to work in Russia.

Some of these men send home financial support on a regular basis; others have completely disappeared, leaving their families in desperate situations.

Economically, conditions are slowly improving since our first mission trip to Armenia in 2006, but there is still widespread unemployment and poverty in this predominantly mountainous country. (I included a photo of Mt. Ararat, but you’ll have to really zoom in if you want to see Noah and his family.)

So this year we focused our teaching on encouragement from the Scriptures. Eileen taught the women the entire book of Galatians.

I, by the people’s request, talked about spiritual gifts, and ministry to the Millennial generation. Sunday I preached on “the heart of a servant” from the story of Mary and Martha. I particularly attempted to debunk the lie of the prosperity gospel, which unfortunately has been exported to Armenia by American preachers.

Armenians, like everybody else, need a solid Biblical theology

of suffering. We need to know what I reminded our international gathering Sunday morning: “The Lord is my portion.”

Eileen and I are so grateful to serve a church that is thoroughly committed to the Great Commission. Lord willing, I’ll see you Sunday if not before. Grace ’til then.

Pastor Charles

I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around this reality, but Janice Foster is with the Lord. Don’t get me wrong: my heart is thrilled by the thought of Janice meeting Jesus face-to-face; it’s just that I can’t imagine not reading another of her prayer updates, or seeing her smiling face in one of the hallways here at First Baptist Paducah.

Since I will be on the mission field on the other side of the globe Saturday, and unable to preach Janice’s funeral sermon, I wanted to devote my blog space today to honoring this amazing lady and devoted servant of Christ. As I write, I am both brokenhearted and overjoyed at the same time. I was not ready to say goodbye. It was way, way too soon for me. Perhaps you know exactly how I feel.

A strong and godly woman is not created by a formula or by a prescription, but by a mighty working of the Holy Spirit! Such was Janice. Janice reminded me of Deborah, the godly judge of Israel (see Judges 4 and 5). Both women were strategic leaders with stellar judgment. Deborah not only prophesied God’s Word, and performed the functions of her office according to God’s Word, but she even sang God’s Word. The Bible seems to be making a point: Deborah was a conduit of God’s blessing, wherever and however she served because Deborah belonged to God.

Quite beautifully similarly, Janice belonged to God. Every member of her family knew it. Her fellow teachers, and her former students, knew it. Our entire community knew it. For Janice, her commitment to the gospel was her life. She was who she was, and who she was was in Christ.

Much like Deborah, Janice was regal, valiant, and wise. Have you ever seen anyone face such serious health challenges with as much courageous optimism? Have you ever known anyone more capable of convincing you that the glass was half-full, instead of half-empty? Have you ever been more routinely blessed by the enduring friendship of anyone more faithful than Janice?

And here’s another amazing observation about our one-of-a-kind Janice: if you wanted a truthful answer to your question, Janice was your go-to comrade. There would be no spin or fanfare, but you would get the truth. I don’t have to tell you that truth is a priceless commodity these days, and I can’t begin to verbalize to you how much I’m going to miss that breath of fresh air.

Not only that, but Janice expressed the truth in love. She was as bighearted as she was brave-hearted. I will never forget Janice and Lynn waiting and praying with me while Eileen underwent a major surgery. Whether she was arranging flowers with artistry, serving a lonely neighbor in need, or orchestrating a large-scale event with excellence, Janice loved people. In that sense, Janice not only resembled Deborah, but she resembled Christ (John 1:14). Whether Janice was on or off the tennis court, the beauty and grace of her uncommon life preached a single message: LOVE-ALL.

Janice is now with Jesus. And, like our Savior, Janice is alive and well. We will see her again soon. For the treasured gift to us that was our dear sister, Janice Housman Foster, we give God thanks and praise. Into Your trustworthy hands, O Lord, we commit her spirit.

Pastor Charles

Nobody likes to talk about this, but here goes. Mental illness. Few churches are prepared to deal with it. Even worse, many pastors won’t even mention it. That’s a shame, actually, since it only contributes to the culture of stigma and silence surrounding this subject.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four Americans suffers from some kind of mental illness. Let that statistic sink in for a moment. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s pain in every pew. When it comes to conditions like significant depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder, rates are highest among those living below the poverty line. One in 15 American adults experiences social anxiety disorder – a condition resulting in significant fear and distress in situations where their words or actions may be exposed to the scrutiny of others. And 21.4 percent of 13- to 18-year-olds will experience a severe mental disorder at some point during their lifetime.

Heartbreaking as those stats are, friends, we must not run from mental health challenges. Remember: we’ve been called by Christ to nurture body, soul, and mind. Mental health and spiritual health are interwoven, whether we like it or not. God cares about suffering, and He has called us to minister to the suffering.

Please hear me out on this: sometimes psychiatric symptoms are exacerbated by sin, but many times psychiatric symptoms are not the result of personal sin. Please read that sentence again. All illness is ultimately linked to the problem of sin, of course, but we need to make every effort to destigmatize mental illness so that we can love our neighbors as we have been loved.

All of us walk through valleys of depressed feelings or occasional anxieties, but some of our sisters and brothers are struggling daily with mental health issues of an intense and crippling nature. The great British preacher, Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892), said it like this: “The mind can descend far lower than the body, for in it there are bottomless pits. The flesh can bear only a certain number of wounds and no more, but the soul can bleed in ten thousand ways, and die over and over again each hour.” Even as I write this blog posting, I feel the weight of Spurgeon’s words. They were true then, and they are true now. They have always been true.

In the wake of the suicide of Jarrid Wilson – a bright, up-and-coming, evangelical pastor known for his outspoken passion for Christ followers struggling with depression – how can we “be there” for each other for such a time as this?

We can help everyone build a network of friends. This is one of the goals of our new philosophy for Life Groups, because discipleship is so much more than simply disseminating Biblical information. It is the life of Christ shared person-to-person. We’re in it together, and we need to make sure that everybody’s in.

We can show each other patience. We’re all going to test each other’s nerves from time to time. And people who are seriously struggling with life can demand an inordinate amount of attention. We’ll have to go back again and again to that deep well of Christ’s Spirit, trusting our Lord to restore our own soul – so that we’ll have something of eternal value to give away (when we would otherwise just be frustrated).

We can listen attentively. That is real love, and that is real friendship. That is the climate for real life transformation, which usually begins with the simple acknowledgment that “something isn’t right, and I need help.”

We can love our neighbor. As I asked Sunday: “Who is my neighbor?” And as I answered Sunday: “Anybody who needs me.” I’m so glad that Jesus made this point abundantly clear in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We’re all going to be up, and we’re all going to be down. When we’re up, the privilege is ours to do everything we can to lift up others.

We can assist people in finding appropriate medical and professional help. That goes a long way toward the needed destigmatization. That goes a long way toward undoing erroneous views of sin. That goes a long way toward being the hands and feet of Christ in this hurting world – and among this hurting generation.

We can identify with the sufferings of Christ. People who suffer mentally sometimes experience the heart of Jesus in ways unknown to those who do not. All human suffering can be fertile ground for resilient Christian character, and for unexplainable Christian hope.

We can celebrate the gospel! He who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead is still in the business of transforming tragedies into triumphs! Even in our darkest trials, WE ARE NOT ALONE! No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).

Friends, if you need help, please call on me. If I can’t help, I will make every effort to get you the resources that you need. There is no shame in seeking help. We are all human, and we are all susceptible to the ailments which plague this fallen planet. Our desire is for First Baptist Paducah to be the No-Shame Zone.

We, like the Apostle Paul, may have to wrestle with a thorn in our side which does not abate. Perhaps this will come in the form of mental illness, in our life – or in the life of someone we dearly love. Regardless, Beloved of God, our comfort from Christ remains unwavering: “My grace is sufficient.”

Pastor Charles

Eileen and I really enjoyed traveling to Atlanta with some of our young adults for “Passion” last winter. As I was making my hotel reservations for this year’s conference, it struck me just how blessed we are – as a church family – to have the opportunity to make major moves forward in the area of college-age ministry. These bright and bold young adults are already among us. They, and many of their friends, are waiting to see if we’re going to take them seriously. Let’s do it! So, if you’ll allow me to do so today, I’d like to walk us through some important considerations in this regard.

 Life is not about us.

 This reminder always fits, and I’d like to quote the Apostle Paul on this one (Galatians 2:20): “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” If you and I can crawl out of our bubble – and even out of ourselves – for just a moment, I think we’ll discover that we need to invest in eternity. I don’t mean “invest” in some self-absorbed “what return will I gain from it?” kind of way, but here’s what I’m thinking: I’m thinking that these terrific young adults are the place for us to start investing!

The time is now to embrace college-age adults.

This year’s incoming freshman class at my alma mater, the University of Kentucky, is the largest in history. Though you and I don’t live in a university town like Lexington, we do live in a vibrant community – with an award-winning community college and a growing number of students – and we are surrounded by plenty of young adults who need to know Christ. Are you and I willing to recognize the significance of the current boom just past the end of our nose?

Many young adults feel like they’re in big trouble.

 “Generation Z” – and I recognize that the term hasn’t really caught on widely yet – is marked by a number of profound fears about the future. That’s why they’re delaying many of the milestones which were celebrated earlier in life by previous generations. Many come from broken homes. Many have not witnessed healthy relationships among adults, and have been robbed by social media of some basic social skills. Even though we might consider some of Gen Z’s fears unfounded, the fears are real nonetheless. It’s our chance to love and serve.

 Few young adults feel a general sense of happiness.

This may surprise you, but general “contentment” scores are at an all-time low when people are asked to rate their own emotional well-being. Young adults are stressed and depressed. Many are experiencing extreme restlessness. A general feeling of hopelessness seems to have reached an all-time high. Those of us who’ve walked with Christ for a while – through the up’s and the down’s – can be a valuable asset if we’ll steward (and package) our experience with grace.

Like nearly everybody else, today’s young people are way, way too busy.

There’s a “big” event somewhere every day, and life has become something of a constant battle for attention. Every generation can relate to this reality on some level, but young adults – because of multiple pressures and proclivities – are feeling the sting of hyperactivity on steroids right now. In Christ, and in redemptive relationships with these young folks, we can provide a respite and a breath of fresh air.

These years can be a spiritual shipwreck.

You’ve likely read about the sharp rise of the “nones” in recent years: American young people who profess no religious identity or affiliation whatsoever. No interest in church. No doctrinal convictions. No sense of loyalty to the professed faith of their parents. There has never been a generation in history which has “given up on God” in such obvious and wholesale ways. Sounds like our mission to me.

These years can also be “the best of times” spiritually.

You and I can’t forget what it’s like to be single and childless. Relatively speaking, those times in life are marked with little responsibility. Spiritually speaking, it’s the season of life that presents the most tremendous spiritual opportunity when it comes to things like “turning the campus upside down with the gospel” and “taking Christ to the nations.”

The decisions made by young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 formidably shape the rest of their lives.

I don’t have to tell you how much well-grounded guidance is needed during that stage of life. Perhaps not always appreciated, but needed nonetheless. It’s fundamentally imperative that believers and churches exert tremendous positive influence for Christ during those critical years.

Many young adults want to be mentored.

Let me tell you what I’ve discovered: the expectations are low. They don’t expect that our discipleship will be anything formal or fancy. These young adults just want us to “do life” with them, to help them navigate a few rough spots, and to offer them a little hope from time to time. By God’s grace and for His glory, we can do this.

We must keep the main thing the main thing.

If we’re going to do this right, we can’t get sidetracked by arguments about politics, body art, or what one wears to church. We are God’s people, and our only real Hero is CHRIST. It’s His gospel that is our banner and our identity. He is why we can have much in common with people with whom we don’t think we have much in common. Matt Chandler asks: “What does it look like to live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ? It looks like walking with, loving with, and doing life with those who are different from you. What binds you together is Christ.”

The older adult must extend the first hand of friendship.

Let me state it plainly: many of the young adults around here don’t think that you’re really interested in a friendship with them. But they want one with you. So don’t wait. Go the extra mile. Discover their world, and step on in. Children’s ministry may fall into our lap, as we enjoy a relatively captive audience during those years, but that is so not the case when it comes to college-age ministry. Older adults can’t take a “no” or a “no show” personally. For every “yes” to one of our invitations, that young person probably said “no” to twenty-five other people and events.

Today’s college-age young people will be tomorrow’s movers and shakers.

The time is now for us to pour ourselves into this amazing generation. It is incumbent upon us to do what we can today to invest in the young adults who are looking to us for wisdom, experience, and grace. Indeed tomorrow’s church leaders need our vote of confidence today. Let them know Christ matters. Let them know they matter. Let them know!

Pastor Charles

Regaining strength at this point? Unexpected, but happening. For an amateur meteorologist like myself, this has been the most puzzling and unpredictable hurricane I’ve ever observed. How many different paths have been proposed? How many watches and warnings have been issued, only to be rescinded? When is the last time you remember any storm sitting still – hour upon hour – and wreaking havoc on the helpless people below?

More questions than answers.

Since I was a little boy, I have always loved weather, weather maps, and weather forecasts. But this early hurricane season has been a stretch in terms of putting all of us in our place. It reminds me of Mark 4, where “a great windstorm arose” as the disciples and Jesus were in the boat. The Bible records that the storm grew so intense that “the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.” From the perspective of those men, there was severe danger all around – and they felt helpless. An imminent threat was upon them, yet Jesus was asleep.

I thought I’d take some time this morning to talk with you about our storms in general – meteorological and otherwise. Please allow me to make a few practical applications from Mark 4, as well as a few observations about the now-upgraded Category 3 hurricane moving in on Charleston – and perhaps even Myrtle Beach.

1. No storm, of any real threat at least, seems necessary or purposeful when it’s upon us. Even when it’s been predicted, it’s unsettling to us at best. We know that storms are coming – at least we assent to that in theory – but in our humanness, we’re also nearly always caught off guard by storms when they strike. We can lose our sense of peace in an instant and usually do.

2. Storms – and Dorian is a perfect example of this – re-confront us with the problem of evil and suffering in our world. No theology can make perfect sense of it this side of heaven. We know that Christ has overcome the world, but it’s hard to see why countless lives have to be lost in the Bahamas. If you completely understand that, then you’re farther along than I. What I’m trying to say, friends, is that you and I have to live for God even in those seasons when we have more questions than answers.

3. There is wonder, if we can possibly grasp it, in the unpredictability of the world around us: storms and all! When we can’t decipher the next 24 hours, we are forced to remember that “the Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” That great passage from God’s songbook goes on to say that “he founded it upon the seas …” There truly is no rogue hurricane. There is no senseless cyclone or tornado. There is no Mother Nature, but there is a Father God. And He is always, always good.

4. It’s certainly O.K. for us to pray for God to steer one of our life’s storms harmlessly out to sea. He wants to hear all of our requests. But you and I must be watchful and ready to accept the reality that such may not be His plan. (Facing reality is sometimes a necessary part of our faith.) Sometimes we have to hunker down and wait. Sometimes we have to board up the windows in a season of uncertainty, trusting our Creator to restore our vision later on when only He knows is best.

5. The process of aging may, and in fact should, strengthen our faith – but aging does not take away all fear. In fact, some of our fears get magnified as we face seasons of life where we feel battered by what can seem like loss upon loss. We desperately need the encouragement of our sisters and brothers in Christ when we’re in the eye of the storm. So hold tightly to each other now so that your crew will be intact when you need them.

6. Just as Jesus was asleep in that boat, so it may appear to us at times like nothing is happening for our good. But this is never true. We have it on excellent authority that everything around us – and in fact, everything happening to us – is purposed for our good and for God’s glory! When a crisis strikes close to home, we must remember that Christ is always closer. God is for us, always.

7. And just as Dorian will soon join the annals of history, it may be that even the wackiness of our weather is God’s daily memo to us that: “This too shall pass.” This too shall pass. So keep your chin up, Beloved of God, and keep your eyes tilted skyward. Our Christ will take us soon to a place of far-fairer skies.

It would do us some good today to respond like the disciples: “with great fear.” Not fear of Dorian, mind you, but fear of the God who rules over Dorian. He also rules over us. “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

Pastor Charles

Believe it or not, Labor Day is upon us!

It’s really more than a federal holiday. It’s more than a chance to celebrate the many social and economic contributions of American workers. And it’s more than a day at the lake. For those of us who follow Christ, Labor Day is an opportunity to think about our work – whatever that work is – as a high and noble calling of Almighty God.

You and I are part of a holy stewardship over the good creation of God which goes all the way back to Genesis 1:26. Though our work carries with it aspects which feel at times more like burdens than blessings, if you really think about it, we are immeasurably blessed simply to be able to work.

Sometimes on our jobs, we let normal frustrations get the best of us. This is a Biblical reality since our mandate to “toil” the earth was part of the fallout from our expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In other words, when we sinned and fell in Adam – and as guilty rebels incurred the curse of a holy God – something about our work fell with us. Labor, like everything else about our world, became marred by sin. In our present experience, our work is fallen and imperfect.

So work is not always fun and pleasure – we all understand that – but you and I can never lose sight of the bigger picture! Whatever our vocation or field of endeavor, it is GOD who makes possible both our creativity and our productivity. In that sense all our work is sacred. There is nothing “secular” about any job accomplished by a child of God. Just as you and I respect the sacredness of God’s work when He created the heavens and the earth, so we must value the inherent dignity which our Creator has infused into all work. Whatever we do, we do for God’s glory (First Corinthians 10:31).

What ought to be even more delight for us is the significance of what Christ has done so that you and I can rest even while we’re still working. Let that sink in. And I’m talking about more than a weekly day of rest, though “Sabbath” certainly points to Christ. What I mean is simply this: in the ultimate sense, when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” He meant it. Christ had perfectly obeyed the Father for us. Christ had perfectly become the sacrificial substitute for us. Christ had perfectly accomplished perfect righteousness for us.

So, though you and I do our work with passion before God’s own eyes, we never work to earn His approval. We never have to labor to earn His love. You see, my friends, performance-based religion has been crucified – and the god of legalism has been exposed as a false god.

On this side of the Cross, all our labors can be labors of love. Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil – this is God’s gift to man (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Enjoy!

Pastor Charles

God confirms the call of Elisha in a remarkable way (Second Kings 2): Elijah is taken up into heaven, before Elisha’s very eyes, in a whirlwind of chariots of fire! Other than that, it was an ordinary day.

Following that, in the sixth chapter, those chariots of fire appear again – this time to confirm the Lord’s presence and protection when neither could be observed with human eyes. In specific answer to a desperate prayer, a young man is enabled to see clearly – and to know and understand as a result – that all is well.

When the Spirit of God moves among us in power, our situation can turn on a dime! I hope that you will let that reality encourage you today.

You and I don’t always get a vision of fiery horses and chariots, do we? Sometimes we desperately need to know that God is near – especially when we feel like we can’t even see enough to take one more step – but find ourselves in seemingly visionless territory. Maybe you can relate.

What are some things which we know to be true of our current situation? I will share a few in the hopes that you can latch on to at least one.

1. God wants to display His sovereign glory in and through our pain.

After a lifetime of pain – everything from being emotionally abandoned by his father to chronic respiratory disease – C.S. Lewis finally had to bury his beloved wife, Joy. After only a short season of marriage, Joy had endured a fierce battle with cancer, but the disease finally prevailed. Lewis captured his own suffering in these words: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” You and I become most vividly aware of God’s character in and through our suffering. Here’s how I think that works: chapter after chapter of suffering actually accomplishes something beautiful in us – it peels away us from us until we see just how weak we really are. “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

2. God wants us to seek Him with all our heart.

Let’s face the facts. There are seasons when God’s trusted and manifest presence is not our continual experience. Perhaps we’ve become negligent in our spiritual walk. Perhaps we’ve become too busy or distracted. Perhaps we’ve become consumed by idolatry. In any event, God desires to use what we perceive as “the distance between us” to motivate us to seek His holy presence again. “Presence” is a common translation of the Hebrew word for “face.” What I’m saying is that God wants us to seek His face. God wants us to claim the access which we have to him through Christ and to come boldly before Him in honesty and humility. He longs for our worship and praise. Like the expectant and faithful father of the prodigal son, God delights whenever you and I decide to come home.

3. God wants to restore our broken dreams or to give us new ones.

The Lord calls us to believe that He can make the impossible possible. Sometimes that looks like restoring to order the brokenness of our shattered dreams (perhaps you prefer to think of them as plans). Sometimes that looks like His lifting our heads just long enough for us to be able to see something new which He has planned for us. (New to us, that is – never new to Him.) Think about it like this: were God never to disrupt us along the journey of life, would we ever open our hearts to new possibilities and opportunities? Were you and I never to hit a bump along the road, would we ever even think about the finiteness of our own abilities – or recognize the wonder that is ours to be able to hold Christ’s hand when the forest grows dark, and when He alone is our light and our salvation?

4. God wants to mend our broken relationships.

Sometimes the way for us is rocky, and the visibility is low because God is getting our attention. He wants to repair a wound or to put back together a severed relationship. This often takes time. It always takes grace. First, God must secure our undivided attention, which we often don’t give Him when we perceive that things in our world are going swimmingly. We’ve already talked about the compassionate presence of God, and how much we need that. But what happens when our heart has been refilled? Well, God wants to use our joyful appreciation to make us who He wants us to be: selfless lovers of others for the Lord’s own glory! What I’m saying is that God wants the love of Christ to overflow from us – from our identity re-rooted in His grace – in such a way that forgiveness and hope prevail. Only God can do that.

5. God wants us to see beyond earthly shadows into ultimate reality.

No matter how old we are – or how much we think we already know – God has more for us to learn. So go ahead and – just like a child – imagine yourself right smack dab in the middle of the Bible story – because that’s exactly where you are! After all, we’re talking about the one true and living God “whom no one has ever seen or can see” (First Timothy 6:16). When Moses reminds God’s people to keep God’s story alive, I think he’s telling them to make the Exodus their own story and to keep it fresh for the next generation – and the one after that. Friends, you may not be in a fiery furnace or a lion’s den – literally speaking – but make no mistake about it: every trial in your current experience is part of God’s unstoppable and sovereign plan to bless you and everyone who follows in your footsteps of faith. So you and I can hope, even in our struggle.

6. God wants to refuel us for future service and mission.

Your present problems are not just about the present. God is molding you and shaping you for greater things. He is preparing you and fashioning you for a chapter of your life for which you must be prepared right now. He will not keep you on the bench forever. Soon you will be back in the game – here or in heaven – and you will understand that these tears were not the end of the story. You have been created for eternity! The lessons from this present tribulation are good ones. Necessary ones. Hopeful ones. God is so much more invested in turning your situation around than you could ever be – in fact, He’s promised to use “all these things” for your good and for His glory. So put on your armor, and stand! You will not be ultimately defeated. You have that on good authority: “It is finished.”

7. God wants our complete trust, even in the dark.

With regularity, you and I need a course correction. No fun, I’ll readily admit, but needed. We have to remember what we often forget: God’s love includes God’s discipline. The people of Judah were in for a tough season of judgment and repentance, yet the prophet could wisely affirm (Habakkuk 3:17-19): Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. Even when you and I do not understand what is happening around us, we know who does. Worship Him! Worship the Light, even when darkness seems to be winning!

Sometimes, my friends, God’s very best can be embraced only through eyes of faith.

Pastor Charles