For many of us, this week is prone to nostalgia. We have fond memories of America’s birthdays gone by, and we tend to enjoy reliving those picturesque celebrations of the red, white, and blue. As I pen these words, I pray for you and yours a Happy Fourth of July!

But I don’t have to tell you that happiness and fireworks aren’t the only things in the air. This year, and particularly so it seems, deafening political rancor eclipses some of the merriment. General distrust and cynicism have only deepened the fault lines under our feet, as a looming Presidential election bombards us with constant reminders of our national divide. Sometimes, and it pains me to admit this, the affirmation of “one nation under God” seems more hopeful than descriptive.

Will we make it through this season of angst, and arrive safely at a place of renewed awareness that we are a people “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?”

When it comes to all things America, my hope today is to offer you a few reasons why – despite the political chaos and turmoil – you and I have much for which to be profoundly grateful to our God. We have much to celebrate this week, friends! Perhaps it is the thankfulness of her people, from her beautiful West Coast to her beautiful East Coast, which the Lord will use to move America forward for good in the world.

For 248 years, we in the Good Ol’ U.S.A. have experienced unparalleled prosperity in the form of blessings both material and spiritual. From the brave Pilgrims onward, what became known as the American Experiment – propelled by Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence – has been nothing less than a marvelous journey. Our self-governing republic has not survived without its weaknesses and foibles, mind you, but our history has been marvelous, nonetheless. Our nation has not only proclaimed and worked diligently to secure the “inalienable rights” of persons here within our shores, but we have championed the glorious cause of freedom around the world.

We have prospered from a healthy separation of powers built into the very fabric of our democratic government. This understanding of how society functions best flowed, I believe, from a Biblical understanding of the nature of humankind. Each one of us is inclined toward the sinful and selfish, and we need the reasonable restraints of a reasonable government – a government by which everyone in leadership is also accountable to “we the people.” Under a sovereign God, surely this sense of mutual respect is the aim of the Scriptures (Romans 13:1-7).

Thankfully, so far at least, our Constitution has held firm. Through many scary storms, and even a few direct assaults, it has stood the test of time. Some glaring injustices plagued the earliest chapters of our history, but it was the Constitution itself that paved the way for those wrongs to be radically remedied. It still does. Does our Constitution speak with the authority of the Bible? Absolutely not! But I can’t imagine such an amazing document as anything other than another extravagant blessing from the gracious hand of Almighty God.

And it gets even better than all of that. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We have exported the gospel far and wide. Throughout our history, God has raised up believers from American soil to take the good news of a risen and reigning Jesus “to the ends of the earth.” After all, freedom in Christ is the best and highest freedom! This widespread commitment to embody and share the mission and hope of Christ has made our nation a beacon of light in the most transcendent sense (Matthew 5:14-16; 28:18-20).

Finally, we must never forget that the United States of America was the first nation on Earth to enshrine within her founding principles this one breathtaking reality: Our fundamental liberties do not come from the government, but from God. These “self-evident” truths were, and continue to be, a global game changer. The Founding Fathers were imperfect, one and all, but these bedrock truths they got absolutely right. We owe them our respect. And I urge you to teach your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren the truth about America’s unique history and heritage. This year and every year, she is very much worth celebrating!

So we have much to celebrate. Don’t let the blessings get lost in the madness, and do your part to love your neighbor – even your political enemy – well. By faith, for those of us who are in Christ, “the night is far gone, and the day is at hand” (Romans 13:8-14). You and I are eternal citizens of a higher kingdom, where love and selfless sacrifice for others is patriotism at its best.

By God’s grace and for His glory, we will make it through the night.

Pastor Charles

People are lonely. Really lonely. The U.S. Surgeon General has declared loneliness a public health epidemic. And the American Psychiatric Association has published that 30% of us have experienced loneliness at least once a week for the past year. Young adults are the loneliest, with many under age 35 reporting loneliness at even higher proportions than everybody else. Despite our vast technological connectedness, loneliness is fast becoming an American way of life.

If you’re lonely, I want to share with you some truly amazing news. The God who fashioned and formed you in the womb made you for a life-giving relationship with Himself. God knows everything about you, and He wants you to know Him. In fact, God wants to be for you “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Could this really be true? Is it actually possible for us to know the God of the universe as our best friend? Let’s face it: If this is true, it changes everything.

In the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John, and in the ninth verse of that marvelous chapter, Jesus makes a startling claim: “I AM THE DOOR.” It doesn’t take a Bible scholar to recognize an obvious point: A door is a way of entrance. When it comes to the kingdom of God, friends, we can’t get in without a door.

Why do we need a door? After all, so many people believe that “every person is a child of God.” But here’s the truth: Not every person is God’s child. Every person is God’s creation, but not every person is God’s child. We become sons and daughters of God through – and only through – the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

The Scriptures describe a stark separation between God and us. Since the rebellion of Adam and Eve, at the dawn of the human race, something has been tragically broken. In fact, Genesis 3:24 paints a heartbreaking picture of our first parents being driven out of God’s garden, and “the cherubim and a flaming sword” being positioned by our Creator to deny access to the tree of life. Because of human sin, each successive generation inherited and validated an estranged relationship with God. This explains, at least in part, why the human race has become so lonely.

Under the Old Covenant, the chasm between sinful humanity and a holy God proved true again and again. In both the tabernacle and the temple, an imposing curtain was suspended to keep the Israelites out of the Holy of Holies. Except for one day a year, the Day of Atonement, even the high priest could not enter the place of God’s presence. Only a righteous Messiah could reverse the trajectory of what John Milton called “Paradise Lost.”

Thankfully, Jesus came to be our perfect Deliverer, and the Cross changed everything! Because of the atoning work of our Savior on our behalf, our hope now “enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19). This means that you and I – and all who are in Christ – can enter into the very presence of the living God!

We can enter anytime. Even when we feel like the whole world is against us, and that we don’t have even one true friend, we can turn to God. And, as far as our turning to God is concerned, the good news is that we don’t have to wait until we get our act together. (P.S. That’s an impossibly long wait.) You and I can just come to God.

So how do we come?

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the grace of Christ. We have not earned such glorious access, but Jesus earned it for us. He lived for us the life that we failed to live. He died for us the death that we deserved. You and I merely receive His marvelous gift of Himself.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the blood of Christ. Throughout redemptive history, all of those sacrificed animals – over all of those generations – were never enough to save us. They merely pointed to the one final sacrifice that would buy our pardon. “O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow …”

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the merit of Christ. You and I may be striving for personal holiness, as well we should, but the righteousness on which we rely did not originate with us. We need a goodness that didn’t start with us – an alien righteousness – credited to us. That’s what Jesus has done! “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

Because Jesus is the door, we enter with no priest but Christ. Under the New Covenant, you and I can learn from the Lord Jesus, who lives in and through us (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ – leads us into all truth. He takes the Bible’s words and applies them directly to our hearts.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter with no mediator but Christ. Our access to God is complete. That ominous temple veil has been brought down – permanently – so you and I can enter into God’s throne room not with arrogance, but with boldness and confidence in our Christ.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by faith in Christ. Though we’re “working out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), we’re not working for our salvation. Like our salvation, our access to the Father is an absolutely free gift. And He’s ready and willing 24/7.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter in the security of our union with Christ. Because of what Jesus has accomplished for us, and His purchase of our redemption by His death and resurrection, a loving relationship with the Father is already ours. We’re forgiven and free.

Because Jesus is the door, we enter by the invitation of Christ. Jesus promises, unequivocally, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He seeks us with an open heart, and – despite our persistent, prideful rebellion – His arms are open wide!

Of course, you and I need the nurture and joy of healthy human relationships. That goes without saying. But my purpose today has been to remind you that we have a friend who is always by our side – and always on our team.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

I’m feeling less lonely already. I pray the same for you.

Pastor Charles

Psalm 23 is one of my favorites. Maybe yours too.

I hear in its promises not only a declaration of God’s majesty and power, but also a declaration of His nearness and compassion. Among those promises is a lifeline: “He restores my soul” (23:3).

Do you need your soul restored today?

The promise is right there in God’s Word! My friends, our God – the Great Shepherd of the sheep – is in the soul-restoring business. That’s what He does. That’s what He does because that’s what we need.

The BBC hosts a show called “The Repair Shop” (you can find over a dozen seasons). The furniture restorer, Jay Blades, leads a team of skilled craftsmen who bring people’s much-loved items – usually with historical significance – back to their former glory. It was broken … it was damaged … it was useless … now it’s beautiful again … ooh … aah … tears of joy … or some other version of sheer delight.

If I understand this psalm correctly, our Lord is reminding us that – from time to time – you and I need a trip to the Repair Shop. The psalmist David – both as a shepherd boy, and later as a mighty king – needed that. So does everybody else. It doesn’t seem to matter where we are on life’s journey: we get messed up.

Sometimes we need a season of grieving. That might seem a bit counterintuitive – after all, I was just talking about sheer delight. But what I mean is that sometimes we get stuck. We can’t go forward because we haven’t properly processed the past. You and I, generally speaking, don’t grieve well. We try to avoid grief at all costs. We try to steer around grief, if possible. We know that there is a time to mourn – thus saith the Lord – but we don’t really enter into grief voluntarily. We don’t lament well. So, sometimes the Lord leads us into a season of lament so that we can take the next step toward sorely needed soul-renewal. (If I were preaching this, I’d title it, “From Soles to Souls.”)

Sometimes we need to be brought near to God, again. When the Bible references our soul, it’s talking about the very depth of our being – the very essence of who we are. The root of the Hebrew word for “restore” here is a word that means to turn back. So the Word is describing the great love of God for us, in that He brings back the essence of who we are to Himself. We, like all sheep, have wandered, so the Lord brings us back. This may be an entirely internal transformation, as we haven’t gone anywhere, geographically speaking – but our souls have moved away. Often, you and I are not aware that we’ve moved away until we reach some kind of crisis point. Enter, our Shepherd. He gives us fresh wind and fresh fire. He helps us process our troubled emotions. He gives us new hope for the future.

Sometimes what we most need is to be aroused from our spiritual slumber. Shepherds tell us that sheep get into trouble when they roll over on their backs. They can’t rescue themselves. And they usually get into that predicament for one of two reasons. One, the sheep finds a comfortable spot to lie down, but the spot is too soft and can’t properly support the animal. Or, two, the sheep has too much wool and can’t maneuver as a situation demands. It’s my understanding that no sheep likes to be sheared. So as I think about sheep – the animals – I recognize how perfectly they describe us. You and I spend a lot of time seeking our own comfort, rarely recognizing that comfort is no indicator of rightness. How much trouble we cause ourselves in this way! And we spiritually wooly creatures don’t like the idea of God removing any of the “protections” that we felt were in place around us. That wool felt familiar and good, but we didn’t recognize it as the pride and obstinance that it was.

Yes, we need our souls restored. We may not know, but God knows what we need.

Do you need your soul restored?

Are you hurting?

Are you lonely?

Are you frustrated?

Are you angry?

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of life?

Are you bitter and depressed?

Have you been putting off grief, but you know that it’s time to grieve?

Have you moved away from God, perhaps without even knowing it?

Have you confused a life of ease with the blessing of God?

Have you made an idol out of your own comfort, or wealth, or health, or status, or prestige?

Are you angry at God? (It’s O.K. to admit that. He can handle it.)

Or … do you simply need some rest?

These are just some of the many ways in which I regularly need my soul restored. You must do what I must do: Run to the Shepherd! He is gentle and lowly, and His arms are open wide.

In Christ, you and I are ambassadors of the gospel – the best news the world has ever heard! But the Bible makes it clear that we carry this gospel treasure in jars of clay. I suppose that means that we can think of ourselves as crackpots. This requires a humbling admission on our part. We’re finite creatures. Our bodies and our souls need rest, and restoration. Overworking – or overthinking – may impress those around us, but both will fight against what God is doing in us. He is reproducing His character – the character of perfect peace – in our souls. Sometimes, our “busyness” is hidden rebellion, because we’re trying desperately to avoid submitting to God.

Sooner or later, the ways of this world take a huge toll on all of us. Our thoughts get corrupted. Our hearts get deceived. Our priorities get out of whack. Our pace – the rhythm of our daily existence – gets frantic, which is not the way of Jesus. You and I must be re-centered on a regular basis.

“He restores my soul.” Oh, how we need Him to do just that!

Pastor Charles

It feels like we’re walking a tightrope out there. Pollsters, statisticians, and commentators on American culture and civic life tell us that our nation – at the present moment – is more divided than at any point since 1850. (By way of reminder, the American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865.) The ideological divide is real, and mounting. We face internal divides over gender, equality, race, and immigration. Simultaneously, we face external divides over wars that seem unwinnable, and over broader economic policies and alliances perceived as ill-advised and hostile by people from across the political landscape.

And I just learned these numbers. 40% of self-professed “strong Democrats” believe that another civil war is likely within the next decade. That number is an even higher 54% among self-professed “strong Republicans.” What I’m trying to say is something you already know: Division is alive and well.

Last Wednesday, as I was reading, I stumbled across a passage that I’ve read many times. It’s the last chapter of Jeremiah, and the last four verses of that chapter (Jeremiah 52:31-34). If you’re unfamiliar with the context there, Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C., and God’s people have been exiled to Babylon. It’s a terribly dark chapter of our history, but one which – as I considered it again – spoke fresh hope into my heart for our present moment. The passage describes Jehoicahin, the exiled king of Judah. Jehoiachin may have been the longest-imprisoned foreign king in Babylon (see also 2 Kings 25:27-30).

Quite strangely, in my opinion, the Bible records that the king of Babylon – Evil-merodach, who had succeeded Nebuchadnezzar on the throne – decided to release Jehoiachin from prison. God’s Word says, in fact, that Jehoiachin was “graciously freed.” I marvel at that. This is not the kind of behavior by Babylon’s king that we would expect toward an enemy hostage. This was, after all, the kind of brutal regime that was known for forcing a conquered king to watch all of his kids be murdered, and then gouging out the king’s eyes (reported in the very same chapter).

But, rather matter-of-factly, here’s what the Bible says … “Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.”

What’s going on here? Let me tell you what I think: God is keeping His promises! For 37 years, Jehoiachin has been forgotten in prison – but not by God. All the way back in Genesis 3:15, right after our first parents failed and fell, the Lord promised to send us a Messiah. The Christ would come from Eve’s offspring to crush Satan’s head. Not only that, but God promised that our Deliverer would come from King David’s offspring, and that He would sit on David’s throne (Gen 49:10; 2 Sam 7:16; Is 9:6-7; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:17; Mic 5:2; Mt 1:1-22; 2:6; 15:22; 21:9; Lk 1:32; 2:11; 3:23, 31-32; Jn 7:42; Heb 7:14; Rev 5:5).

Here’s where I’m headed today. Our gracious God sometimes does His best work in the midst of total political chaos. The northern kingdom of Israel had been known for its pervasive idolatry, and now the southern kingdom had followed suit. Judah’s spiritual degeneracy had become as bad as or worse than Israel’s. And God was using Babylon, like an unknowing pawn in a chess game, to bring all of His people to their knees. It was judgment, for sure, but it was also love.

The last four kings of Judah played their parts in a downward spiral of wickedness that ultimately resulted in the Babylonian exile. They willingly participated in a pattern of sinful rebellion with serious consequences – some of which God’s people did not escape. This is a warning for us, but it’s also a great word of hope – because I want you to see that our God never stopped keeping His promises. As the Lord did more than once in our history, He took miraculous measures to make sure that His promised Seed was protected and preserved.

Friends, we can trust Him. But, in order to do that, we have to rid ourselves of any idea that our ultimate trust is in anyone or anything else. The Bible calls our misplaced trust idolatry, and it never works out well.

I just watched an interview on Sports Spectrum. Nick Mingione, the head baseball coach for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, shared his testimony explaining how he’s learning to trust the Lord in every corner of his life – especially when it comes to surrendering his idols. Every follower of Christ can relate to that dilemma, as we know how easy it is to chase a plethora of idols without even realizing how distracting they are from our love for Christ. Here are Mingione’s words: “I was a beat-down coach, and God taught me a valuable lesson … I had to make changes … I surrendered … It’s not what you’re playing for – it’s who you’re playing for.”

If we are in Christ, by faith, then you and I play for an audience of One. We live and die for the risen and reigning Lord Jesus Christ! And, just for the record, who we live for is a whole lot more important than who we vote for. So the time is right now to make absolutely certain where our highest loyalties lie.

The English poet and hymnwriter, William Cowper (1731 – 1800), expressed the truth like this …

“God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sov’reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.”

And here’s the rest of the story of the once-forgotten king with which I began … “So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.”

Imagine that … an undeserving prisoner set free! Grace upon grace! No matter what may happen in this tightrope-walkin’ world – because of Jesus – you and I will always have a place at the table of the King.

Our. God. Never. Fails.

Pastor Charles

Sometimes it’s a Western novel where the most surprising gold nuggets are found. Do you remember Mattie Ross? “There is nothing free except the grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it.”

And sometimes it’s those Western movies where you find the best lines. Like John Wayne: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” And also the funniest lines, like this one from Clint Eastwood: “You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.”

Maybe summertime’s got me thinkin’ ‘bout bein’ home on the range.

When we seriously consider the small band of apostles who shared in Christ’s earthly ministry – each one of the Twelve called personally by Jesus to follow Him – we quickly recognize that they were not all cut from the same cloth. Some were fishermen, while the others represented other walks of life. One was a tax collector aligned with the Roman Empire, and at least one opposed Rome at all costs. (Just to make it colorful in your own mind, imagine a modern-day task force having to recruit one guy from the Biden camp, and one guy from the Trump camp.) The veritable smorgasbord of personalities, temperaments, and backgrounds has me wondering: what did these men have in common?

My answer to that question is this: each man had to have at least a little of the “cowboy” spirit!

The apostles had to be willing to swim upstream. Think about what these guys left behind to follow Jesus, namely, the security of all that they had known before. And think about how seductive is the world’s applause. The pervasive culture consistently reminds us that “more is better.” There isn’t much out there that’s viewed as more important than improving your job title, climbing the ranks, and securing a little more status for yourself along the way. But that’s not the life of a cowboy. Just like a cowboy is never quite sure of what tomorrow will bring – except that it will bring plenty of hard work and sweat – the apostles weren’t given a complete job description. There would be few bells and whistles attached to a life of ease. But these men were compelled, from somewhere deep within them, simply to follow.

When the going got tough, as it soon did, the apostles had to remember their calling. Their calling would always matter. Most people don’t view their “vocation” as a “calling” – though that’s what the word means – but instead they minimize the worth of their “job” until it becomes little more than a means by which to accumulate more and more for myself. You and I are told, in about a million ways, that it’s up to us to make a name for ourselves. This would not be the life of the apostles. In sharp contrast to this world’s values, from their calling onward, eight of the Twelve would live in relative obscurity. How much do you know about Thaddaeus? In fact, consider how little we know about most of them. Simply put, it was not about them. “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:20).

They had to be willing, like a cowboy knows instinctively, to explore uncharted territory. This was absolutely necessary if the apostles were to claim the new ground that Christ had in store for them. In His name and for His glory, they were gonna turn the world upside down! And this would require courage and grit. Just like everybody else, the apostles could act like total cowards on any given day. The four Gospels bear this out. But, thankfully, the Holy Spirit was coming. And come He did! On this side of Christ’s resurrection, and now empowered by the Spirit, Peter would stand before the intimidating religious authorities and testify to the miraculous power of God’s Son: “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you.” Peter’s prior, well-documented fear had morphed into holy resolve. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:1-22).

The apostles had to be willing to cut themselves free from the ropes that held them hostage to the past. Just like in every generation, these men were born into a world of cultural and religious expectations. “Keep the status quo – don’t rock the boat – and all will go well for you.” At one time or another, each one of them was tempted to keep the religious peace. “Go along to get along.” After all, even legalism can feel comfortable when everybody’s doing it. But, as God wrote His story, such foolishness would not be allowed to stand.

Under the power of the gospel, human pride takes a beating. Our Lord Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that His band of brothers could walk in – and actually enjoy – a hard-fought freedom that honors God. Some would find this an easier place to arrive than others. Consider Peter’s intense struggle over the inclusion of Gentiles in the kingdom, as it’s recorded for us in Acts 10. Like Peter, each man would have to wrestle with the new and liberating claims of Christ upon his life. That meant that the apostles, as they would discover their freedom in Christ, would lose more than a few friends along the way. Freedom always comes at a price. But our God wants nothing less for all of us who are His blood-bought daughters and sons.

The Apostle Paul would tell the Romans: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (12:1-2).

As I keep reading and rereading those two poignant verses, I am struck by how much of that energy – to which the Scriptures call each one of us in Christ to exert regularly – closely aligns with the life of a cowboy-hearted disciple of Jesus. Are we willing, with cowboy courage, to pursue with gusto the exciting territory that Christ has marked out for us? Are we willing to cut the ropes of humanistic religion, that we may serve Christ, and only Christ?

Then there is the swimming upstream – intentionally – that we might overcome the world instead of being overcome by it. Are we willing to forsake the applause and approval of the powers-that-be all around us? Help us, Jesus! Then there is the hard-fought struggle of our persevering faith. Will you and I live by grace and truth – with cowboy grit – until the end?

According to God’s Word, there is already in you and in me the “mind” which is nothing less than the very “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), which sets us free from the guilt and shame of our past. But that’s not the end of our ride-off-into-the-sunset story. The mind of Christ also sets us free to saunter forward – cowboy boots and all – in the colossal victory that our Lord Jesus has already won for us!

Then it hit me. I should’ve been a cowboy, y’all.

Maybe it’s not too late.

Pastor Charles

As I read about the current conditions in Sudan, I can barely catch my breath. There’s almost no healthcare available to the people. Horrific conflict is escalating from every side. Thousands have died. Thousands more are injured. Millions are homeless. And then I check on things in Haiti, a country I’ve had the joy of visiting – and where I’ve been privileged to preach and serve the people – and it’s more of the same human suffering. Not only are the casualties mounting (including a couple of American Christian missionaries), and not only is the dangerous political instability widening, but it’s becoming nearly impossible for outside help to reach the people who need it most.

Two very different countries. Two very different histories. One tragic moment in time.

Sadly, I’ve just scratched the surface. And I didn’t even try to tackle the Middle East, or Russia, or China. It raises for me questions even more overwhelming. How can conditions on this planet – anywhere on this planet – be so terribly broken? How can God’s fellow image-bearers brutalize each other without an ounce of mercy? How can anyone be content to have as their highest aim the destruction of other people? Is there any hope for a human race like ours?

If I understand the overarching framework of the Bible, the first gospel promise appears way back in Genesis 3:15 – in the Bible’s accounting of our original sin. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent is more than a snake, and in fact represents Satan. Here is God’s Word to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

One particular offspring is in view. We know that because of the singular pronouns “he” and “his.” (And to think that, back in the day, you barely paid attention to those lessons on pronouns.) Friends, this “he” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God – God the Son – will be “bruised” on the cross, but He will triumph via an empty tomb! And our Christ will triumph, in the end, over all of human history.

Though somewhat difficult to grasp in all its fullness, one of the grand themes of Genesis is the absolute sovereignty of God in preserving the promised Messianic Seed, even as Satan attempts repeatedly to destroy it. By Genesis 6:11, the earth is “corrupt in God’s sight” and “filled with violence.” That didn’t take long. If you’re a numbers person, it took about 1600 years. Sin, from Adam onward, proved to be very costly. As the population exploded, from Adam and Eve onward, so did the accompanying evil.

God was grieved (Genesis 6:6). His heart was filled with pain. I can’t imagine a God so invested in the welfare of people that He allows Himself to suffer because of our selfish choices. But that’s the God we serve. He is, thankfully, abundantly full of mercy and grace.

Now, back to our own world of corruption and violence. It’s not the Advent or Christmas season, but I can’t stop thinking about a stanza from Charles Wesley’s famous “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The phrase that’s capturing me today is “Come, Desire of nations, come!” That plea to God feels to me to be very urgent, and very insistent. And that’s precisely how I feel.

Jesus is called the “desire of all nations” in the Book of Haggai, where God speaks of “shaking the heavens and the earth” (2:6-7). Rarely would we think about God “shaking” the earth without thinking about His righteous judgment. But this seems to me to be a message of great hope. The Lord seems to be promising that nations which one spurned His ways will submit to His holy authority. There is a future definitiveness here – not just some random wishful thinking. I don’t think I’m stretching the truth when I tell you that Christ is the Desire of every nation – whether they realize their “desire” or not! He is who they’re looking for!

The complex problems that plague the human condition started early on, and they’ve continued unabated. Though complex on one level, they’re all at their root some version of pride and rebellion. Very early in our history, the judgment of Almighty God was deserved and impending. And, just as an ark would prove to be the only way of salvation for Noah and his family, Christ is your only hope, and mine. There is no other rescue. There is no other Way.

So there’s hope for Sudan. There’s hope for Haiti. And there’s hope for us. Knowing that Christ is the highest and noblest longing of every human heart ought to compel you and me to take His good news to the ends of the earth.

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). Even where Christ is still an unknown God, He is Lord of all. And I am persuaded that the Desire of Nations remains the only hope for our deeply troubled world.

Pastor Charles

When we moved to Franklin, I voluntarily signed up for 360 house payments. Ouch. They come, like clockwork, once a month – welcome or not – and the end is nowhere in sight. I can let that get the best of me … or I can enjoy the home that we’ve been given. Whether I’m frustrated or happy – whether I’m ready or not – the payment is due June 1.

Wise old Solomon recorded it like this: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I hope that I’m not oversimplifying it, but I think that this section of the book means, simply: “There is a time in life for everything, even house payments.”

The theme is illustrated in the verses which follow … “a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted … a time to seek, and a time to lose …” Such a reality check can make us feel cynical, sardonic, or at least mildly depressed. If you’ve ever been a Charles Schulz fan, you may remember Charlie Brown once asking his little sister, “Why are you crying?” Sally’s humorous but all-too-relatable reply was: “I don’t know … I was jumping rope … suddenly it all seemed so futile!”

How are you doing, today, with what can feel at times like the “ho-hum” nature of it all?

I must admit to you that I have struggled to understand Ecclesiastes more than I’ve struggled to understand any other book of the Bible. I’ll be reading along, thinking that I’m tracking with everything I’m absorbing, only to hit a mental roadblock: “What in the world did I just read?” Not only do I find the book in places hard to understand, but I find it even harder to apply. It seems to describe my ailment, but I struggle – at least in the same verses – to see the cure.

But I’ve decided that that’s O.K. – not that I get to be the arbiter of such things. Ecclesiastes falls within the genre of what is called “wisdom literature.” It’s meant to communicate to us the general truth regarding our human experience. Taken as a whole, the book falls on my soul like a stern warning against trusting in the things around me for security. There is no true security to be found in any of the places where women and men are prone to look for it. P.S. There is only security in God. At least that’s my take on it.

During our short stint here on Planet Earth, our work will feel exhilarating at times … but the very same job will sometimes make us want to pull our hair out. So we can’t find security in our vocation. What’s more beautiful than a May afternoon? Well … some May days bring dark-gray clouds and destructive winds called “derecho.” (Can you tell that I flew out of Houston last week?) A great meal with friends will be a delight on many days, but – at least on occasion – even the blessings of good food and drink and fellowship may leave us feeling like: “Is this really all there is?” Such is the nature of life, here and now. Happiness comes and goes. It waxes and wanes. It’s here and it’s gone. The best of times are evasive at best.

Please don’t call me a buzzkill. I like to enjoy life as much as anybody else. I’m simply trying to communicate to you the reality check that the Scriptures sometimes are for me. So I must need a reality check. When it comes to the rose-colored glasses which tend to don my rose-colored cheeks, “All is vanity” is a bit of a shot across the bow. But at least it makes me think beyond the end of my rose-colored nose.

Life. It’s not all good, and it’s not all bad. “A time to weep, and a time to laugh.” But it definitely keeps moving. Maybe in ways that can seem a little monotonous at times, but it’s moving, nonetheless. We see a cyclical rhythm in this text, but I don’t think it’s meant to depress us. Because we know the rest of the story …

If we are in the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I have been given – and are being given – the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8). Because this amazing gift is from the hand of our gracious God, we can respond to every season of life with some degree of courage and joy. We can find peace – albeit sometimes a strange peace – even in the mundane ebbs and flows of this season and that.

House payment, take note! You’re just a placeholder. You’re not the main thing. In fact, you’re nothing but a gentle reminder that I have a sturdy roof over my head … and scrumptious food on my table … and gracious friends to love and be loved by along my pilgrim way.

We need not fear a single date on the calendar, because the timing is right when it’s in God’s hands. In fact, the timing is always in God’s hands (Ephesians 1:11). I’m the one who needs to get on board with the truth. The good news of the gospel constantly reminds me that God’s timing – for everything – is so much better than mine. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son …” (Galatians 4:4). At the perfect moment in human history, Christ came, to live the life that I failed to live – and to die the death that I deserved. And His tomb is empty. Hallelujah!

“A time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

Friends, we’re in good hands. Excellent hands, in fact. They are nail-scarred, but very much alive. Not even Solomon could fully comprehend the enormity of such glorious good news! And it is ours, here and now.

Pastor Charles

You might find the thought of a self-driving vehicle abundantly exciting and delightfully exhilarating, but it’s possible that you’re more like me, with about a thousand concerns when it comes to letting go of the wheel. Maybe I’m a control freak, but whirring sensors on my car, in constant search mode for real-time data, cause nothing but a lump in my throat, as I meticulously ponder both road safety and repair costs. I’m just not ready for that.

But this is the world in which we now live, where emotional intelligence is no longer the latest game in town. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is all the rage. We have computer systems cleverly designed to mimic human thought, language, and behavior. The experts tell us that there are general forms of AI, as well as specific forms of AI. The “specific” varieties have been designed to execute specific human tasks, like texting or writing. By the way, I’m writing my own blog, in case you’re wondering.

This new age of AI brings its share of buzz and opportunity. That I will readily admit. With the progess, however, comes the uncertainty. Can we handle all of this new information? Can we benefit from lifelike images without forgetting the supreme uniqueness of the image of God? Can we utilize a modern tool without creating a lethal weapon? As humankind keeps searching for utopia, dystopian speculation abounds.

One thing is clear: in the ultimate sense, humans are not replaceable. AI can help with a medical diagnosis, but it can’t create a divine image-bearer. The common grace which we enjoy as a human family allows for a number of material blessings, from weather radar to cell phones to air conditioning, but the soul of a human being can’t be created, duplicated, or replicated by computer science. That’s because what makes us human is our connection to Almighty God. He created us (Psalm 139:13-14), so we reflect His character and nature (Genesis 1:27).

Thankfully, you and I are are not just six-foot-tall computers or the sum of our biological parts and physiological systems. No way! Each of us has a soul that is known by God, and precious to Him. Always displaying His image, even on our worst days, we are “crowned with glory and honor” (Hebrews 2:6-8).

So, Beloved, do not be dismayed. When it comes to the depth and breadth and wealth of human capacity, the world’s greatest software has severe limitations. Keep pursuing the matchless wisdom,  light, and beauty of our risen and reigning Lord Jesus Christ, as no machine can or ever will do. That unique privilege has been granted to you.

It’s a strange new world, but not to God. It’s all His. There is no random molecule. And He is very much in control.

And He loves us, here and now.

Pastor Charles

In the sixth chapter of his letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul makes reference to “the cosmic powers” that are always against us. These powers, writes Paul, are spiritual rulers and spiritual authorities and spiritual forces of evil. They are real. They are unrelenting. They are allies of Satan.

Have you ever seen such a lack of reasonableness in the public square, and in government?
Have you ever seen such confusion about the basic nature of human beings?
Have you ever seen such distrust in the structures of science, education, medicine, and law?
Have you ever seen such delight in wickedness, or such vitriol toward any voice of moral clarity?
Have you ever seen such rapid defection from the claims of Christ?
Have you ever seen such widespread bitterness and anger and rage?
Have you ever seen such chaos on the world stage?
Have you ever seen such rampant disregard for human life?
Have you ever seen such darkness?

I don’t point out these things in order to frighten you, but to make you alert for the present hour. I want to be alert as well. In fact, you and I must be on high alert at all times. That is why we have been instructed to “take up the whole armor of God.” Only soldiers who have been recruited for battle need armor. Such are we.

I know that we live in an enlightened and sophisticated age, an age that seduces us into believing that spiritual forces of evil are ancient relics of primitive peoples who lived long ago. But such is not the case, friends. The Word of God is as true as ever. We must, as the Scriptures remind us, stand firm in the evil day.

What does that mean?

It means that our enemy charges against us, and that we must hold fast. We must not rely upon human resources alone, thus Paul’s clarion admonition. It is we who need God’s holy armor. Without His spiritual protection, you and I are sitting ducks. Per C.S. Lewis: “There is an enemy. He seeks my destruction. And this is war.”

if we realize that absolute evil is mounting here and now on Planet Earth, then how are we to live as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? This is no time for an attitude of fatalism. It’s no time for shrugging our shoulders and giving up. It’s no time for you and me to be deemed AWOL. No! We must not give up on ourselves. We must not give up on our neighbors. We must not give up on our God. As believers, we are not called to withdraw from the culture or from the fight; instead, we are called to engage like never before! You and I have been enlisted by the One who will never leave us to fight on our own. We have been empowered for a cosmic battle for the hearts and minds and lives of this generation.

The enemy of God and humankind is endeavoring aggressively to destroy our faith, and our families, as well as the faith and families of everyone around us. The devil is actively targeting the next generation unlike anything that we (or our parents, or our grandparents) have ever witnessed. But, while this spiritual war is raging, God has not left us defenseless. The belt of truth is ours! The breastplate of righteousness is ours! The gospel shoes are ours! The shield of faith is ours! The helmet of salvation is ours! The sword of the Spirit is ours in Christ!

So we must not give up.

We battle in prayer. On our knees before the Lord, we find our desperately needed strength and hope and joy. We come clean about our tendency to trust in ourselves, and we exchange our foolish and futile pride for weapons that really work.

We battle in truth. We renew our minds in God’s Word. We refill our tanks with His energy. His clarity. His resourcefulness. His thoughts. His ways. His Word is the light upon which you and I are always dependent. With it, we step forward by faith. With it, defying the darkness, we proclaim the light of the gospel.

We battle in love. In our entire arsenal, there is nothing more powerful than the grace of Christ which has come to us in Him! By Christ’s grace, and in His name, and after His example, and by His all-powerful Spirit, we fight the good fight by loving neighbors and strangers … and even our enemies. We love because we’ve been loved extravagantly.

On September 23, 1779, during the Revolutionary War, the Royal Navy was overwhelming the American battleships. Tattered and torn, and with defeat looming in the air, it did not appear that the Americans had any hope of prevailing on the high seas. But, when the British demanded that John Paul Jones surrender his fleet, he yelled, “I have not yet begun to fight!”

For far higher honor and glory, may the same be true of us.

Pastor Charles

What has erupted on our university campuses?

My restless mind transports me back to the sixth century B.C., to the great themes of the prophet Jeremiah. Specifically, these words k eep ringing in my ears (2:11-13): “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

“Two evils,” says the Lord our God. If you will allow me to summarize, please … 1. God’s people have forsaken His glory, the awesome glory that God shared with them because of their unique relationship to Him. 2. God’s people have searched for substitute glory in places where no glory can be found.

What is being described here is rampant idolatry, no doubt. But what is being described is also rampant ingratitude.

Idolatry + Ingratitude = Disaster.

Both the Scriptures and history bear this out, in living color. The charges against the people, which God brings here through the prophet, are frightening. Once a vibrant and powerful nation, the terrain is becoming a wasteland, and the cities are destined for ruin. And God makes it clear: the people have brought this disaster upon themselves.

The people had fresh running water, in abundant supply, and now they have traded it for sludge.

In that day, precisely what had broken down? Can we know, specifically, what segments of society were broken? Does the Bible give us these answers?

Yes.

I believe that the answers are found in Verse 8 …

1. “The priests” stopped seeking the Lord.
2. “Those who handle the law” did not know God.
3. “The shepherds” rebelled against God’s rightful authority.
4. “The prophets” sought their fulfillment in demonically inspired activity.

If you’ll bear with me just a little longer, I’d like to briefly explore all four violations.

1. We must consider the impotence of the church, especially when times are tough and when people are afraid to speak the truth. Pastors and teachers and ministers share in these feelings of intimidation, but that is no excuse for silence or inaction. Both silence and inaction, on the part of the church, lead to doctrinal chaos and societal meltdown.

2. We must consider the price paid by everyone when those in authority are spiritually lost. When our leaders are lost and therefore easily confused, the widespread knowledge of right and wrong – part of God’s common grace as a gift to all of us – slowly shrinks until it is eclipsed. Society sinks to the lowest moral common denominator (which is about as low as low can go).

3. We must consider what happens when we exchange God’s truth for what feels good. That’s what idolatry is. There is such a strong sense of self in each one of us that we will do nearly anything to rework the Word of God to fit our personal preferences. And, when church leaders do this, it tends to give everybody else a green light to ignore the voice of God.

4. We must consider how overwhelmingly powerful are the incessant allures of money, sex, and power. (In Jeremiah’s day, the worship of Baal promoted the misuse and abuse of all three, under the guise of religion.) The unchecked quest for money, sex, and power unravels marriages and families. It destroys cherished friendships. It bankrupts the otherwise intelligent. It topples entire denominations which once preached Christ (see the UMC in today’s headlines). It cripples kingdoms and nations, and brings the unsuspecting to their knees.

Broken cisterns. Waterless, and void of genuine life. Let me tell you why many of these young protesters, acting largely in ignorance, are so passionate. They’re searching desperately for a cause worth living for. But they’re searching in all the wrong places, in “broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Sadly, our cherished institutions of higher education are reaping what they’ve sown for decades. And some of the responsibility, namely our silence and our inaction, lies at the feet of the church. Per Jeremiah, this is why the lions roar. This is no time for us to be proud or judgmental. Instead, we ought to be brokenhearted, and we better be vigilant. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Thankfully, in its thirty-first chapter, this ancient prophet also preached the best news ever delivered: By a bloody cross and an empty tomb, and ratified by none other than our Lord Jesus Christ – and despite all of the covenants which you and I, and all of us, have violated – the New Covenant will prevail in the end! “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” “They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Without these unbelievably amazing promises, you and I could give up right now. Thankfully, these permanent promises are ours in Christ.

Precious Lord Jesus, please forgive our idolatry and our ingratitude, our silence and our inaction. Please fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Please grant to us Your Living Water, that Your gospel hope might flow in and through us, and from us to the ends of the earth. We ask this so that we, and many others, might live.

Pastor Charles