While we lived in California, we were able to spend some time in the Mojave Desert. I’m grateful for the experience as part of my preparation to mine the riches of Exodus for our current Sunday morning preaching series. One does not think of “Death Valley” as a place to go for lessons about life, but it’s actually substantive training ground. Because of the harsh and unusual weather conditions, there are life forms (plants, animals, and even water creatures) that can’t live anywhere else. That’s why you’ve never been served a plate of triops (tadpole shrimp) at Red Lobster.

All that to say this: When God puts us in the “desert” – what we might think of as a dry spiritual experience, or a period that seems more like restless wandering than smooth sailing – it really should be for us a time of hope, expectation, and growth in real-life faith. God is up to something! It’s get-us-ready time! Hold on to your hat! Something better is coming down the pike, but this time is not to be lost – it matters as an important part of our Lord’s good plan for us.

We’re only in Exodus 2 in our study, but already we see Moses learning some critical lessons about desert life that will serve God’s people well in days (and in fact years) ahead. He’s learning the geography and topography – how to get around, how to find water, and how to survive in general. This will come in handy, to say the least.

Maybe you’re in a bit of a holding pattern with the Lord. You’ve been asking Him to move mountains, but you haven’t yet seen your present circumstances budge one iota. Stay strong! Look up! Trust God with all your heart! He’s doing something in you that needs to be done. (How cool is that? Again, pun fully intended.)

“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it” (Isaiah 41:17-20).

So if your present struggle – even if it’s just the struggle of having to wait (there’s that dreaded word) – is producing in your soul even a trickle of spiritual thirst, praise God! What better place could you be!

The Promised Land is coming, but today our Christ is more than enough. There is Life, even in the desert.

“My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord!” Those are the words of David as he closes one of the great songs in God’s hymnbook (Psalm 145). “Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever!”

My early days at First Baptist Church certainly give me much reason to speak the praise of the Lord. I don’t feel like it’s enough, however, for me to keep my spoken praises just between the Lord and me. I want you to know how thankful and grateful I am to have been led to this amazing church.

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever!”

 Monday morning the other pastors of the church and I headed out for an all-day “visioning” retreat. Our goal was to meet with God, to sharpen each other, and to begin to assemble before the Lord some long-range hopes and dreams for this body of believers. God met with us, and we’re beginning to deeply appreciate the diverse gifts and unique perspective that each minister brings to the team.

“Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever!”

Our next task will be to “put flesh on the bones” of our initial ideas and concepts, seeking the Lord for wisdom and direction each step of the way. Please pray for us.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable!”

We’re excited about the day when we’ll be able to roll all of this out for our deacons and for our church family. We think you’ll be super energized to get on board and help us make it happen – knowing all the while that Christ must do it in and through us.

“I will declare your greatness!”

Whatever our vision ends up looking like, it will begin and end with humble praise.

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love!”

I praise the Lord for Russ, who offers an unparalleled mix of strength, godliness, and attention to detail.

“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made!”

I praise the Lord for Tommy, who brings wisdom, humor, and a special sensitivity to people’s real needs.

“All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you!”

I praise the Lord for Steve, who models humility, real-man gentleness, and Christlike deference to others.

“The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works!”

I praise the Lord for Jason, who shows us how to love Jesus not just with our heart but with the mind He has given us.

“The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down!”

I praise the Lord for Rusty, who spurs us on to serve Christ in sweaty sacrifice beyond our comfort zones.

“You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing!”

And last but certainly not least, I praise the Lord for my dear brother Julio, who is teaching us how to “love with our hearts even when we can’t speak the same language.” Need I say more? Gold, pure gold.

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works!”

Oh, the goodness of God! He is not only great, but He is good. His grace touches every creature. And He has been good to us.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth!”

The days ahead are exciting ones for FBC! God has an unthwartable, unstoppable, and perfect plan that is far better than all we could ask or imagine. Let’s trust Him for tomorrow. (He’s already there.)

“The Lord preserves all who love him!”

And so I’ll close today’s blog by simply expressing my love for Christ and my love for all of you.

Humbly, your shepherd,

Pastor Charles

Midweek Message: Gifted, Session 1 (Recorded live in the Great Room on August 21, 2013)

Click here to listen or download: 2013.08.21.Gifted Midweek Series. Session1.CharlesMoore

Despite the “mostly cloudy with scattered showers, some heavy at times” conditions, I was blessed with a series of fantastic aerial views of Western Kentucky Saturday morning. My gracious pilot, Captain Brad, treated me to a stunning perspective of the First Baptist Church of Paducah from 2500 feet above Earth. God has endowed our FBC family with a fine physical plant that we pray will be used for His glory until Christ returns, and I got to see the entire campus from my moving perch as we circled the buildings in flight.

As we approached Broadway from the southeast, the church property was largely obscured by clouds and patchy fog. Soon the landscape came into more discernible view (Photo 1). And within the next ten seconds, as the aircraft took a more northward turn, the cloudcover vanished from my sight as FBC — almost as if suddenly summoned to appear — stood at attention front and center with crystal clarity (Photo 2).

What a difference the right perspective makes!

Jesus Christ is the very center of our church. The good news of His life, death, burial, and resurrection anchor us in the history of God’s amazing redemptive plan, while at the same time propelling us forward (pun fully intended) into an exciting season of reaching and serving our wider community in His name.Do you have the right perspective on our church?

As members of this great church, to have our hearts fixed on Jesus means that our highest aim is always to live out the gospel as the body of believers whom Christ has called us to be — no matter what.

What kind of body are we to be, precisely?

Christ tells us (John 13:35): “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We’re to be a church marked by love. A family of faith. A refuge for anyone who wants to come home, even for the most wayward cousin.

The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer said it like this: “The final apologetic that Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians.” We demonstrate our authenticity as Christ-followers by loving each other.

To love each other deeply will mean a gut-level surrender for all of us, of all of us, regularly. A perpetual race to be the first to forgive, and to seek forgiveness. A joyful willingness to overlook trivial offenses. A Spirit-granted desire to put the needs of others above our own.

Grace upon grace upon grace. The way Jesus has first loved us.

May our Lord give us spiritual eyes to see more clearly than ever the mile-high priority of Christlike love.

I’ve been thinking about all the far-too-many-to-count blessings of knowing Jesus Christ as Sovereign Savior and Lord. Psalm 138:7 makes this wonderful promise: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.”

Notice that David does not claim freedom from all trouble, but preservation in the midst of it. Heavenly re-assurance where there would otherwise be no assurance at all. When we look around at troubling circumstances, we’re tempted to forget the Hero of our childhood song who’s “got the whole world in His hands.”

Those hands we celebrated with our little voices would, of course, include God’s right hand. God’s right hand symbolizes His presence, His protection, and His power. But the Bible goes farther than that. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, Jesus is exalted to God’s right hand (Hebrews 1:13). Jesus rules over every authority at God’s right hand (First Peter 3:22). Jesus ministers in, to, and through us from the Father’s right hand (Romans 8:34). And Jesus will return at God’s right hand (Matthew 26:64).

So Christ, as the Son of God – God the Son – is absolutely sovereign.

But the Bible’s “right hand” promises get even better! According to Revelation 1:20, God’s right hand is a place of unqualified and unconditional protection for the church: a place of absolute safety for every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of His sheep Jesus said: “No one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).”

Those dangers, toils, and snares will come – but they’re putty in our Master’s hands (where you’re held tight). Nothing will touch you but by His sovereign permission – for your ultimate good, and for His ultimate glory. You’re eternally safe.

So “safe” is not just the language of America’s favorite pastime – it’s a description of you. If you’re in Christ, you’re in the safest place in the universe.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.   ~John 1:14

For me there is no other verse in the Bible that better or more succinctly describes the character and nature of our Lord and Savior.

When I think about Jesus being “full of grace and truth,” my mind’s eye pictures little children running to Christ and wanting simply to be in His presence. When Jesus is known for who He is, to be in His presence is more than enough.

Full of grace. Always ready to give away undeserved love, affection, and favor. Extending second chances. And third chances. And umpteen other chances. Displaying mercy in abundance. Loving all the way.

Full of truth. No deception. No trickery. No “white lies”. No pretending. Standing strong in storms of assaults against the gospel of grace. Telling it straight (about sin and everything else).

Not grace at the expense of truth (pretending that grace doesn’t include truth).

Not truth at the expense of grace (pretending that truth doesn’t include grace).

Full of grace and truth.

Should not this same phrase mark us, as followers of Christ, and as His church?

Are we willing to love those to whom we owe the truth?

Are we willing to tell the truth to those we claim to love – and in fact live the truth as witnesses before them?

When grace and truth go together – as they should – we realize that we’re very much in need of a Savior because of the depth of our depravity. But we also realize that our Savior loves us with a love so powerful that human language fails to do it justice.

Grace and truth.

Were we marked by those characteristics as consistently as we ought to be, it might be hard to get us to fight each other. I say that for two reasons: 1. We’d be quick to forgive, knowing how much we’ve been forgiven; and 2. We’d be too busy sharing Jesus with a lost world desperately in need of grace and truth.

Sounds like a plan.

Most of us are familiar with Acts 1:8, where the risen Jesus announces – just before His ascension into heaven: “You will be my witnesses!” We know, on the one hand, that we’re supposed to be witnesses for Christ. On the other hand, we’re not always sure what that’s supposed to look like in real life.

Jesus had already promised an empowerment by the Holy Spirit that believers could expect, and upon which they would be dependent for living the Christian life. John the Baptist had promised (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16) such an abiding presence of the Spirit of Christ in the lives of believers. Christ underscores our God-dependence in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you!” So we know that living as a viable witness for Jesus – in this world – will not be accomplished by human strength.

That realization of our own finiteness (and our own finite capacities) sometimes feels like a tough pill for us to swallow. It’s not that we disagree with the concept theologically – for the most part – but it’s that we don’t often realize when we’ve wandered from God-dependence into self-dependence. It kind of just happens, and happens all too quickly.

I think there may be some spiritual parallels between pushing back the waters of a formidable river (vis-à-vis the Paducah project) and overcoming the obstacles to our living as winsome witnesses for our Savior and Lord. I’ll list just a few (they’re self-explanatory in light of John 15:1-6) for your prayerful consideration.

1. We’re in way over our heads.
2. Whether we step in or jump in, we can expect a few surprises.
3. Our progress may not be immediately visible.
4. We must keep our eyes on the goal.
5. We should celebrate every victory (whether large or small) along the way.
6. Opposing currents are rarely fun, but they produce strength and wisdom in those who persevere.
7. We can’t do it alone.

It’s that last thought that I most want to leave you with today. Not as a discouragement, by any means, but as a reminder to stay intimately connected with the One who is our life, our strength, and our joy.

I just left my first of 23 (already on the calendar) Home Fellowship Groups. What a blessing! I designed these group meetings so that I could encourage the FBC family, but I left the meeting as the one encouraged.

That’s how Christ’s body works. He loves us through each other. He blesses us through each other.

The love of Jesus is not sappy sentimentality. It is the life of the Holy Spirit in and through us – God’s love “poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:5). Wow! That’s what I experienced in the home of one of our church members.

I observed hospitality, service, sacrifice, and fellowship. But I also witnessed Christian believers shouldering the burdens of others, sharing the wonder of Christian joy, and pursuing genuine unity – all for God’s glory. Kingdom living. Where Christ dwells, there are open doors and open hearts.

Pastor Chris Strevel writes: “The single aim of every Christian is for the Lord to be glorified. How else can he be glorified unless we know his presence in our midst? How is his presence known except by the teaching, serving, helping, loving, giving, encouraging, and governing that he continues to exercise in his church through his love-gifts to the whole body? Then, when each one of us feels his dependence upon the Lord, when we see that he supplies for our every need by his fullness in our midst, then we are led to give him all the praise, honor, and glory. We recognize that our lives belong to him – look what he has made of such sinners – a selfish sinner encourages; an ignorant, blind man teaches; a greedy man gives of his goods to help another. What else is this but the power of Christ in our midst? Who would not wish to share in … his own love for his Bride?”

There ought to be no such thing as a solo Christian, for all of us stand in perpetual need of the mutual encouragement that should mark the body of Christ. When we care for one another, we demonstrate the compassion that took our Savior all the way to the cross. Our hospitality, generosity, and kindness become the practical and real outworking of the love of Jesus.

Beloved, you have no idea how poised this church is to seriously advance the kingdom of Christ! When I look around this place, I see a hunger for truth, a Scriptural gospel, a passion for worship, a love for the lost, a brokenness over past sins, a gratitude for today’s blessings, and a prayerful (Biblical, hopeful, trusting, confident, faithful) expectancy for the days ahead.

And the glimmering bow on the shiny package on my first meeting was a roomful of people who want to die to themselves and live for Christ and others.

My cup runneth over.

How much is enough? When it comes to the “creature comforts” of life, how many do we need? Believe me, I’m not asking these questions in judgment of you, but I’m asking these questions as I look in the mirror.

We tend to be a bit spoiled, living where we live and having what we have. Don’t get me wrong: I firmly believe that God’s blessings are to be enjoyed. We’re not to despise the good things that God gives us, by any means, but we do need to keep a watchful eye on our own hearts.

Do you remember Jesus telling us about the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21)? “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones …” Sound a little too familiar? The man was not a fool because he had things, but he was a fool because he presumed upon those things.

Therein lies our dilemma. And it’s an ancient dilemma. As we make our way through Exodus, we’ll observe that the Israelites converted every God-given sign of prosperity into a stumbling block against their own souls (and Exodus is just the beginning). I don’t think I’m overstating that sobering view of human nature as presented in the Pentateuch; the blessing-turned-idol phenomenon is recorded again and again in the Biblical text. As you begin to read and study Exodus, jump ahead and read Deuteronomy 32:15-20 as a bit of a summary statement in this regard. Wow, we need a Savior!

A.W. Tozer in The Dangers of a Shallow Faith: Awakening from Spiritual Lethargy wrote: “It is a solemn thought that the history of humanity and of nations and of churches shows that we trust in God, as a rule, when there is nothing else in which to trust … The simple fact is that … we trust in God last … As other things to trust in appear, we turn from God to them and excuse ourselves eloquently by saying that we are not trusting them, we are trusting God.” Ouch.

Lord Jesus, rescue us from the spiritual lukewarmness that flows inevitably from our divided loyalties!

As a young man, when Charles Cowman (1868-1924) was called to a life of Christian missions in Japan, he was forever changed by a sermon that was preached by A.B. Simpson at Moody Church in Chicago. Charles’ wife Lettie recalled her own response to that evening service when her husband became so burdened for the lost that he tossed into the offering plate his favorite watch (which had been a special gift to him from Lettie) as well as Lettie’s diamond wedding ring (which he took off her finger during the service): “It was the greatest night we ever lived, because God shook us free from the things that possessed us.”

That’s the secret, I think. Our things must not possess us. We serve a jealous God. He wants all of us. He deserves nothing less.

 “Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

 Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

 Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.”

What a journey pastoral life has been! From the East Coast to the West Coast, God charted a course (more like an adventure) for our family that eventually brought us to Paducah and the historic First Baptist Church (Acts 17:26). I’m grateful to the Lord for a wife who has cheered me on at every juncture. And I’m so excited to begin this new ministry chapter with FBC that I can barely contain myself. (This is my first morning in the office, officially.)

From our years on Chicago’s North Shore, I never imagined that God would move us back to Kentucky, a place I have loved since my childhood. Joshua has considered himself a Kentuckian his entire life, but in November 2010 three generations of the women in my family felt compelled to test Brooklyn-born Eileen’s adopted Kentucky loyalties. You’ve seen the Old El Paso ad: “New York City?” But as you can observe from the first photo, she passed the test with flying colors. (Don’t worry, U of L fans, we’ll love you too!)

Just as this is a time of transition for our family, it’s a time of transition for you too. You may be wondering why the pastor search committee didn’t present a candidate who looked like Pierce Brosnan. Or maybe you don’t trust anybody born in Texas. Perhaps you’re worried that I’ll preach for 90 minutes, and then decide to introduce my second point.

Whatever thoughts you may be having right now, I urge you not to miss the wonder of what God is doing in, among, and through us! “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). Beloved flock, the Lord has it all worked out –and He knows exactly what He’s doing. And what we need. God is great, and God is good.

And so the Moore’s have exchanged regular vistas of the Pacific Ocean for regular vistas of the Ohio River (Eileen snapped the second photo). We couldn’t be happier. Not because we don’t love and miss our SoCal church family — for we surely do, every day — but because this is the Lord’s new assignment for us. And we wouldn’t miss it for the world. We already love you!

I feel it in my bones: you and I are about to experience an undeserved but Spirit-given season of marvelous outreach for our Lord Jesus Christ from the FBCP epicenter.

The sun shines bright on my old (and new) Kentucky home.