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

“I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that’s what defines me most.”

That’s a whole lotta wisdom coming from the mouth of a 27-year-old. Scottie Scheffler’s fascination with golf began at the age of three, when his parents gave him a set of plastic clubs. I probably don’t have to tell you that their initial investment paid off.

On April 14, the eyes of the world were on Augusta, Georgia, as Mr. Scheffler won the Masters for the second time in just three years. He finished 11-under par for the championship, winning by four shots over Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg. That made Scheffler the fourth-youngest player to have two Masters victories under his belt. He joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to have won multiple victories at both the Players Championship and the Masters. And, just a week after winning his second green jacket, Scheffler followed up his Masters victory with a win at the RBC Heritage – earning his fourth win in five starts. Other than that, he’s just an ordinary golfer.

What defines you most?

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, as he opened his letter, he also shared a mouthful of wisdom (Ephesians 1:3-10): “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Do we really believe these things? If we are in Christ – trusting in His righteousness and not our own – then all of these things are true of us!

1. We are blessed.

We are blessed not just in a natural sense, like the blessings of food, clothing, and shelter, but we are blessed in an entirely supernatural sense. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn.” Humanly speaking, that makes no sense. But, in the economy of God, He has set His affections upon us in such an extraordinary way that His grace is ours 24-7 – when we recognize His good hand upon us, and when we don’t.

2. We are citizens of heaven.

The Bible makes this truth abundantly clear. Yes, if you’re reading this, you’re still here on Planet Earth. But, because of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, our primary citizenship is in “heavenly places” with Him. That reality is meant to encourage us to persevere, and to trust Him in situations that we don’t understand. This life matters forever, but we’re just passing through, so we hold our earthly blessings loosely.

3. We are known.

Before we were a figment in the imagination of our parents, we were known by God. Before He created the world, He knew us. He set His sights on us. He chose to create us. And He chose to create us for eternal purposes. That means that you and I are of eternal value to God, and that our worth does not come from the opinion or rankings of others – but our worth is rooted in our relationship to God.

4. We are chosen.

God not only chose to create us, but He chose to redeem us – to save us from our sin. To deliver us from our shame. To rescue us from the wrath – God’s own wrath – that we rightfully deserved. To set us free from our captivity to self, and to set us free to become all that He created us to be.

5. We are holy.

Admittedly, our progress along this sanctification journey often feels like it comes in fits and starts. But that does not negate the status that we’ve already been granted in Christ. His merit has become our merit. This is a wondrous gift, and it is ours. For the rest of our earthly lives, we will see God bringing every aspect of our nature and conduct under the powerful influence of His truth and Spirit.

6. We are predestined.

It has always been the plan of God to make us His own. We weren’t created just to be His creatures, but we were created to be His children. We did nothing to earn this privilege, and we don’t retain this privilege by our own good behavior. It is entirely a free gift. God gives. We receive. That’s how it works.

7. We are loved.

Yes, even us. We are the recipients of extravagant and unimaginable grace. We are loved with a love that defies human understanding, because it is a love that never rested upon reciprocity. Instead, we are simply loved.

8. We are adopted.

We are the sons and daughters of the living God. We’re not fearful slaves serving a distant king, but we have been brought near to the heart of our Creator. With tremendous gratitude, we now worship our Father in reverence and awe, recognizing that we have immediate access to Him every moment of every day.

9. We are redeemed.

The Father planned it. The Son procured it. The Spirit applied it. At great personal cost to Himself, God has given to us, and God is giving to us, and God will give to us, a completely changed life.

10. We are forgiven.

As you read this, I hope that really sinks in. The Cross where Jesus bled and died for us is the only ground for our pardon, and the Cross is enough. Now, when we ask the Lord to forgive us for an offense, we’re asking for something that we know He has already granted, on Calvary’s Cross. Something that we know He has already provided for: “It is finished.” Something that we know He delights to lavish upon such undeserving recipients as us.

11. We are wise.

We are growing in wisdom and understanding of the things that matter most, but that wisdom comes to us from the Christ who already lives in us. Said another way, the wisdom is already ours. When it comes to spiritual truth, we may be figuring it out, and that’s a good thing, but the Bible promises us that – for all who are trusting in Jesus – the mind of Christ is already ours in Him.

12. We are united with God, and with each other, for eternity.

We are in the family, forever. Our names are inscribed in His book of life, and our names can’t ever be erased.

Other than that, we’re just ordinary, like Scottie.

Pastor Charles

When it comes to all things Israel, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen such confusion in the professing body of Christ. I’m more convinced than ever that we who follow Jesus better be certain that we’re getting our eschatology (doctrine of last things or “end times”) from the Bible and not from any other source. Many of us who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s were strongly influenced by books and movies that, as it turns out, got as many things wrong as they got right. We need to own that, and seek the truth in the only place where spiritual truth can be found.

I’m not an expert by any means, but – if you’ll bear with me – I’d like to shed at least a little Biblical light on the subject of Israel. To make this as simple as I can, I don’t plan to jump all over the Scriptures. Sometimes people try to do what I call “Bible gymnastics” by using so many different passages that the Bible ends up “saying” what they wanted it to say all along. I don’t plan to do that here, and please call me on it if you ever see me attempting such.

I plan to use only one text, and only five verses (Romans 11:20-24), and I’m choosing them from what I believe to be the New Testament’s clearest teaching on the relationship between Israel and the church. God used Paul to give us such clear teaching, for which we should all be most grateful: “That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.”

Now we could say lots of things about this important text, but I’m going to limit my observations to five. It is my opinion that, if we don’t at least get these things right, we’re only pretending to follow the Bible on this critical subject.

1. We should hope and pray for a spiritual restoration of Israel as a nation. God has promised it, and we should expect it. It will be magnificent in its scope, and unprecedented on Planet Earth. By the term “spiritual restoration,” I mean nothing less than scores of Jewish people coming to saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. There is no salvation by Jewishness alone. Please hear me out. Some aberrant teaching on this subject would have us believe that there are two different ways of salvation: a Gentile way and a Jewish way. This is foolishness, and stands in direct opposition to the passage we just read. No one has ever been saved, and no one will ever be saved, via their nationality or their ethnicity. Notice that Paul makes it abundantly clear that salvation rests upon faith alone. There is no salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ. One can’t reject Christ and be saved by another route, for there is only one Way of salvation. This has always been true, and it remains true.

3. We must share Christ with our Jewish friends and neighbors. Perhaps this goes without saying, but I feel that I must say it. We Gentiles should do so from a posture of great humility, as we are the unnatural branches who are enjoying all of the spiritual blessings which were promised to Abraham and his descendants. We should be humble to our core, and we should express our sincere gratitude for our (and their) unique spiritual heritage, which is Jewish in more ways than we can number.

4. When Paul refers to the Jews who will come to faith in Christ, he’s referring to Jews in the future – from his perspective. There is no teaching in the Bible that allows for people who die in their unbelief to come back and get “another chance” to get it right. Once again, this truth may already be plain to everybody reading this, but I’m trying to be as abundantly clear as I can. Yes, this life-or-death reality should sober each and every one of us. The time is short, and the time is now.

5. When you and I share Christ with anybody, we’re already in way over our head. We share the gospel. We lift Christ high. We humbly love those who don’t yet believe. But we’re not counting on ourselves to save anybody – we’re looking to our Sovereign God to accomplish the miraculous! The Lord uses us, but He alone accomplishes the real work of grace.

If these thoughts have been helpful, or even if you disagree on some point, I’d love to hear your perspective. You always matter to me.

Pastor Charles

Yesterday, flying alongside our boat (an extremely powerful ferry designed for the rough interisland seas in this part of the world) was a most captivating animal. In the past, I’ve referred generally to these creatures as seagulls, but that generalization was born out of sheer ignorance. (What else do you call birds at the sea?)

Well, I finally decided to do my homework. This beautiful bird was a white tern. Seemingly effortlessly, the bird entered into a race with our vessel, but it was clearly obvious that he could win the race any time he chose to do so. Sometimes he flew slower than our boat, and sometimes he raced right past us, as if to say, “I’m just toying with you naive tourists.”

We were together for miles. Very close to us for the most part, and level with my line of vision, the bird would on occasion dive to just inches above the water … and then soar much higher in the blink of an eye … casually displaying the quick aeronautical skills of a seasoned fighter pilot.

Quite ironically, on the exact same day, some of the commercial flights into Saint Barts (here in the French West Indies, where this particular bird was showing off) were canceled. The reason for the cancellations: high winds! Even with the best crews and equipment in the world of aviation, it was simply too dangerous to land on that short airstrip.

I have to chuckle. (Does that make me a laughing gull?) As the human race, despite all of our massive achievements in the friendly skies, we still can’t keep up with the birds! They were born to fly, in any kind of weather. When it comes to flying, birds accomplish by instinct what we can only dream of achieving.

For us, the lesson is in the looking. But will we take the time to notice? Will we take the time to let reality sink in? Will we humble ourselves, and learn from creation and its Creator?

For each one of us, Jesus issues a remarkable challenge (Matthew 6:26): “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

When you and I consider, and I mean really consider, the wonders of “nature,” it’s life-changing. That white tern had everything it needed, just like Jesus said. The winds and weather were no concern, nor was a suitable runway for landing. Neither was the next meal a worrisome thought. Were the Internet to be shut down by a foreign enemy or a domestic terrorist, that bird could not care less about the diminished availability of GPS. That creature’s “global positioning” is determined by One who never fails.

And yet, says our Sovereign Lord, you and I are more precious to God than that gorgeous and gifted bird. Herein is an unbreakable promise, as well as an implied course correction, for us. We can trust our heavenly Father! He is worthy of our complete confidence. He is good, always good, and never less than good. He loves us. And the next meal is on Him. Always.

By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have peace with this great God. Peace. We’re aren’t just His creatures anymore. We are His children. We are sons and daughters of the living God! That is peace.

I ain’t goin’ to study war no more.

Pastor Charles

How do we keep the joy of Easter alive?

Let’s face it, friends. We’ll soon be tested on this question. And tested more than once. Yes, Christ’s tomb is empty, and that awesome reality will never change. But how do we keep our “springtime” resurrection hope alive when new storms come our way? How do we thrive (emotionally, relationally, and spiritually) in an ever-present awareness of the fact that – because of the literal resurrection of Jesus – you and I will live forever with our gracious Lord?

Well, for starters, we have to remember the whole Easter story. It didn’t start with friends rejoicing together on an early Sunday morning, but it started with betrayal, abandonment, suffering, and death. For there to be real Easter, there has to be real death.

For some reason known only to God, I am very mindful of this today. The Lord is working on me, even as I write these words, and He is impressing upon my spirit that there are some things that need to die in me. Jesus teaches us that a kernel of wheat has to fall to the ground; otherwise, there is no fruitfulness. If the seed must surrender to the soil, in that sense, then I must be willing to abandon my sinful and selfish ways. This is never easy. And it won’t be easy during this “post-Easter” season either.

And we have to remember all of the waiting that comes with Easter. When will God make all of these hard things right? For Jesus and for those who loved Him, those six hours on the cross must have felt like an eternity. When will God let us see the rest of His promises fulfilled, and when will He redeem all things? And when will God chase away all of this hardship and agony, that we may see the full brightness of the light of His glory? Remember: it felt like a long road from Friday to Sunday.

When it comes to all of our current “delays” in seeing God’s good plan – especially when nothing good at all seems to be happening – can we worship while we wait? Yes! This is the life of genuine, persevering faith to which we have been called in Christ – and the Holy Spirit is always ours to point us in a hopeful direction. He “enlightens the eyes of our hearts” to “the riches of the glorious inheritance” that is already ours in Him (Ephesians 1:18). He works into the depths of our souls “the immeasurable greatness of His power” (Ephesians 1:19), which the Scriptures remind us is the very same “power that raised Jesus from the dead” (Ephesians 1:20)! While we wait, we can rest assured that all of these great things are happening for us and in us – regardless of whether or not we can perceive them at any given moment. (Back to my own sin … I have to deal with it, but I’m not relying on my strength alone.)

After the emotional highs of Easter have subsided, there is always a test of faith.

Helen Joy Davidman was born on April 18, 1915, into a culturally Jewish family in New York City. Joy grew up in the Bronx, and was a child prodigy, devouring H.G. Wells’ “The Outline of History” at age 8, and able to play a score of Chopin on the piano after having looked at it only once. Suffering from scoliosis and other severe medical complications, Joy at age 20 earned a master’s in English Literature at Columbia, and won the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition in 1938. She became an accomplished poet and writer. Joy’s family were committed atheists, as was she, and she became a member of the American Communist Party. She married and had two sons.

The marriage was deeply troubled, marked by her husband’s alcoholism and serial infidelities. Communism left the couple disillusioned, and they left the party. Out of her own personal pain and suffering, Joy heard and believed the gospel, and radically converted to Christianity, but the crumbling marriage eventually succumbed to divorce. After publishing her best-known work, “Smoke on the Mountain,” she went to England with her sons, and eventually moved there permanently. In the providence of God, Joy became the wife of C.S. Lewis. She was the love of his life, but metastatic carcinoma took Joy’s life in 1960, resulting in Lewis’s “A Grief Observed” in 1961 (published at the time under a pseudonym).

In July 1960, the brokenhearted C.S. Lewis penned and placed this epitaph on the tombstone of his beloved Joy:

“Here the whole world (stars, water, air,
And field, and forest, as they were
Reflected in a single mind)
Like cast off clothes was left behind
In ashes, yet with hope that she,
Re-born from holy poverty,
In lenten lands, hereafter may
Resume them on her Easter Day”

Mr. Lewis referred to the “lenten lands” in our lives. In your church tradition (or lack thereof, which is perfectly O.K.), you may be unfamiliar with Lent. For centuries, Lent has been regarded as the season of introspection, owning one’s personal sin, and self-denial. It is the necessary preparation for a profound experience of joy, and it includes the 40 days before Easter Sunday. And, in the church year, Easter Sunday begins a 50-day period called “Eastertide,” and all of those days are reserved for protracted feasting and celebration – it’s the season for telling folks again and again the good news that “Christ is risen indeed!”

If you’re paying attention, you may have noticed something important: the Feast is longer than the fast. Indeed it is. “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’ – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’ (Revelation 19:6-9).”

For those of us who are in Christ – found in Him and trusting in Him – there is no “post-Easter” anything. Because of the empty tomb, death has lost its final word. Alive in our Lord Jesus Christ, you and I are Easter people, always and forever.

The Feast is longer than the fast! I can live with that.

Pastor Charles