This Sunday morning we talked about true justice. Justice is giving others their due in regards to punishment, protection and care. True justice does not treat individuals or groups of people with preconceived judgment or hostility based on externals, but applies law equally without partiality. In a fallen world where people are often mistreated for various reasons, we long for true and biblical justice to be carried out consistently and promptly. Like Martin Luther King Jr., we look.... “to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, Justice is one of those words those that must be carefully defined because it can be politically charged to mean anything but true, biblical justice. It’s also a relevant word because we’ve seen a “social justice” movement sweep our country the past couple of years. I have no doubt that some good came out of this recent movement as a result of well-intentioned people, but what’s important to understand is that the Marxist radicals in this movement do not have the same definitions we do for good and evil. This should be of great concern because when a group doesn’t have the proper definitions of good and evil, it can end up punishing the righteous in its form of “justice” while protecting and providing for the unrighteous. Many radical influencers in our society are doing just that. For example, there is legislation being passed in our country and even in our own state capital of Lincoln, NE that threatens to fine any resident up to $50,000 for counseling teens in biblical terms. What is the name of this bill? It’s called the Fairness Ordinance. Does it sound fair to you? One group’s views of unbiblical sexuality are applauded while anyone with biblical views are being banned and punished into silence. So much for freedom of speech and of religion. Anyone who would pervert justice like this are in my opinion, and in the words of Acts 11:17, standing in the Lord’s way. They are standing for social injustice. That’s a dangerous place to be when the Lord, who is perfectly just, judges based on His standards of morality. I have no doubt that the original civil rights movement wanted equal rights for all men, but today’s social justice movement has taken it so far that men are not equal anymore. We would never deny that systemic racism is a real problem that exists in places today or that there isn’t work to be done, but the reality is that minorities have long been stigmatized as inherently oppressed victims and given special privileges that others don’t have through social programs. Take this example: Two high school kids, one white and one a minority, grow up in similar neighborhoods with similar conditions and apply to the same university. The lazy and irresponsible minority student is accepted into that university while a white student who has worked very hard to pay for college and get good grades doesn’t get accepted simply because of his ethnicity (the color of his skin). This is not just, is it? Rather than treating people according to character, we’ve treated people according to the color of their skin, thus showing partiality. The trouble is that the special privileges have sometimes only brought enablement and slavery to an irresponsible lifestyle. Socialist programs tend to create more problems than they solve, creating dependency while failing to remove class distinctions and instead, enhance them. But these systems are allowed to go on and on because we’ve labeled “colored” people as inherently oppressed, while at the same time labeled whites (especially cisgender males) as inherently “oppressive” and stigmatized them with white guilt and white privilege. What could be more racist than judging an entire group of people based on the color of their skin? Isn’t heaping shame and disgrace and reparations on top of people for something they didn’t do, injustice? It’s incredibly unjust. In the social justice movement, reparations (demanding some form of compensation for past wrongs like slavery) are greed in disguise. The victimizing and the shaming becomes a tool to use for power and an excuse that keeps many from being responsible, productive citizens. What could solve the cycle of oppression and reparation? We’ll answer that shortly. (For more on this topic, Lutzer suggests reading Shelby Steele’s book White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era) What man-centered, radical social justice does is make government the god and savior that is somehow going to usher in a utopian existence where everyone has equal opportunity and outcome. This Marxist idea gives the state the control to distribute equally to everyone (for example, doctors make the same as janitors, regardless). However, we would do well to remember that God loves equality but not at the expense of diversity. He does not want a cookie-cutter world where everyone is equal in every way. He designed us with incredible diversity of looks, desires, talents, gifts, resources, roles, and more. He did not intend to create some wretched, disillusioned, predictable, dystopia world where everyone has equal outcomes or opportunities in every area of life through state control. Who would want that anyway? It sounds good on the surface but when you stop to consider it, it’s impossible, tasteless, and morally offensive. Life is too complex for that. We should seek to foster equal opportunity but as Erwin Lutzer says, anyone who thinks that the state (government) can accomplish such equality doesn’t understand humanity or history. Diversity is a beautiful thing when it operates within a moral and just society. The Church itself is a diverse body with stronger and weaker members and more presentable and less presentable members so that the body can learn to care for each other (1 Cor. 12:12-26). It’s the same in the world. Also, the ultimate hope of the gospel on the new heaven and earth is not a place where all genders, ethnicities, and cultural differences cease or where we all have the same personalities. It is a place known for its diversity and unity that beautifully pictures God’s ability to restore humanity in all walks of life. Distinctions do not have to result in division, but are designed to bring unity (1 Cor. 12:24-26). Revelation 21 describes nations and kings bringing their glory into the New Jerusalem (v. 24). Contrary to true justice, the social justice movement is actually teaching and reinforcing people to judge others based on the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. We need to understand that legislation like the Equality Act and philosophies like Critical Race Theory (CRT) are antithetical to Christianity. The Equality Act would force employers to hire people based on their external or preferred identity. Is this not what President Joe Biden just did when he nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States this week? He claimed that he chose the candidate with “the strongest credentials, record, character, and dedication to the rule of law.” But how will any of us, including Jackson, ever know if this is true or not when he limited his search to a specific race and sex? Specifically, a black woman. Jordan B. Peterson commented, “You eliminated the vast majority of qualified candidates from consideration. And it is thereby virtually certain, technically, that you failed to pick the strongest candidate.” This is where CRT leads people – to pick and choose people not because they are qualified, but because they represent a certain people group or identity. Put yourself in the shoes of an employer under the Inequality Act (as I like to call it) who is looking to hire someone to work for the company you love. If you’re like the majority of people – being Christian or not – you could care less what the color of their skin is. You are going to hire people based on their integrity, their character, their desire to work for your company, and their ability to do the job well. You want employees who do well and love your company so that you can bless them when it does well. You also want your company to do well, not just for you, but so that you can be generous and improve your community through voluntary philanthropy. CRT is a deceptive tool designed to overthrow existing structures through never-ending cycles of oppression. They use guilt and shame for power to bring about change.[i] The diehard progressives out there crying for justice really don’t want solutions. They want to stir up hate and discontentment to use it to their advantage. Saul Alinksy, a famous radical community organizer in Chicago who dedicated his book Rules for Radials to Lucifer, said, “Don’t solve problems; use them!” With an agenda like that, no wonder racism never ends. They don’t want to end it, but want to transform America fundamentally. Erwin Lutzer writes, The label on the box does not match the contents inside. The label might say social justice, but when you open the box you find something different. You discover that it is about deconstructing everything in society and seeking to overthrow the existing order. It is about a grab for power.”[ii] Inside the box is social injustice. The social justice world that we have come to know enslaves people in these cycles of oppression for a reason. They never bring up mercy and forgiveness – only bowing the knee, confessing, and making reparations. Their tyrannical symbol is a fist, after all. The cycle never stops because there is always an oppressed group. I asked the question earlier: What could end this cycle? Forgiveness and moving on while treating others without partiality. While imperfect, deceitful radicals demand justice and refuse to offer mercy or forgiveness– think about this – the God of perfect holiness and justice impartially offers every human being forgiveness through His own sacrifice on the cross. He took the justice that we deserved upon Himself and paid our endless reparations. Only the self-sacrificial love, forgiveness, and mercy of the cross can satisfy God’s perfect justice, allowing sinners to be reconciled to Him. We must learn from the cross if we really want the peaceful social conditions: Less fists, more forgiveness. Oh, the difference between the fist and the cross! As Christians, we should be more concerned about ideas and character than identity representation. Ideas have consequences. God gave to His Church the ideas (rather, the realities) to best solve this world’s cries for social justice. I list three of those key ideas next. 1. Every person is made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) Contrary to Darwin’s theory of evolution (which true Marxists must hold too) where certain ethnicities are more “evolved” or “advanced” than others, the Bible teaches we’re all inherently valuable because we’re all created equal in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). On top of that, Genesis adds that we all have the same parents, Adam and Eve, regardless of our skin color. This is why I think ethnicism is a better term than racism. There is only one human race, but many ethnicities. Hitler used evolution to convince an entire generation that Jews were nothing more than mere animals and the consequences of this idea? 6 million Jews lost their lives. It’s not considered murder that is punishable by law if they’re not a human, right? The story has it that when Allies troops were closing in on Hitler’s bunker in Berlin, he took a cyanide pill to avoid justice being served. However, in so doing, he only entered into the presence of the Just Judge who will not see things the way he did.[i] As long as we teach evolution in our schools, I’m convinced there is no hope of successfully curbing systemic racism or suicide or abortion. It’s such a confused generation we live in, that tries to uphold the dignity of man by saying things like “Black Lives Matter” when at the same time ingrains in the minds of our young people that they are a purposeless accident, the result of random chance processes on natural matter only. The truth is that all people of every age, gender, and ethnicity have inherent value and worth because they’re made in God’s image. Before the Flood in Noah’s day, society wasmurderous. This evil was curbed when God instituted capital punishment, which is justifiable due to the nobility of human life in His image. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” The main purpose of government is to punish evil and condone good and it bears the sword with authority to do so (Rom. 13:3-5). While force is necessary to carry out justice, it is important to remind ourselves of what Paul said, that ultimately, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, Ideas have consequences. Let us war against the harmful ideas with the truth of God’s Word.
2. Every person is someone for whom Christ died. (John 3:16) John 3:16, the Christian’s anthem, says that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. He didn’t just die for one group or another. He died for the world and offers forgiveness to all. If they will hear and believe, they will have new and eternal life. Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of the world compels us to care for people and show them the same undeserved treatment we have been shown (2 Cor. 5:14-21). If by “social justice” we’re talking about a moral obligation to care for less fortunate individuals, we as Christians should be all for it! God commands us through our own voluntarism to care for the truly needy. Sometimes caring for the needy means giving them the strong medicine of tough love if they are lazy and negligent (2 Thess. 3:6-12). However, when they are truly disadvantaged, we should be anxious to help (Titus 1:16; 2:7, 14; 3:1, 5, 8, 14). Christ gave Himself to redeem for Himself a people zealous for good deeds that are good and profitable for their fellow man (Titus 2:14; 3:8). To my Chadron Berean church family, this is part of the way we “bear fruit” (3:14). Countlessly, God emphasizes throughout His Word how we should take special note to care for impoverished, widows, orphans, and foreigners. The 2nd greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. 3. Every person needs a new heart. What man needs most is a new heart that is born again by the Holy Spirit. We don’t have a skin problem, but a sin problem. Ethnicism is the result of pride in the sinful human heart and nothing has the power to uproot it like the gospel. This means we need to share the gospel with folks who do not know Christ. Those who know infinite and undeserved mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness are more likely to extend that do others. Until Christ returns to execute perfect justice, may God give us wisdom and grace to stand for true justice in an unjust world. In Christ, Pastor Justin 2/27/2022 [i] Redeemer Bible Church sermon series, STAND: Christianity vs. Social Justice, https://redeemeraz.libsyn.com/stand-christianity-vs-social-justice-pt-1 [i] Erwin Lutzer, We Will Not Be Silenced (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2020), Chapter 3: Use Diversity to Divide. [ii] Ibid., Chapter 4: Sell It as a Noble Cause.
0 Comments
Hey church family,
Mark your calendars for 1 month from today! I'm excited to let you know that we are going to have Christian music artist Josh Wilson live in concert at our church on Tuesday, March 22nd at 7:00pm. Alliance Berean hosted him last year and my family really enjoyed his concert. I think some of his songs will really move hearts and I need your help to get the word out. We want as many as possible to come! The admission will be free but you will have the opportunity to give a free will offering to Josh. Here are some of his songs that you hear regularly on the radio: "Dream Small" https://youtu.be/dOBaLrItEyc "I Refuse" https://youtu.be/6B1Lv8k5pEc "Undeniable" https://youtu.be/6461vwnNSDQ "Before the Morning" https://youtu.be/New8i_eX3x8 Thanks for praying for this event to be a special time of worship! Pastor Justin Have you ever noticed how there’s some people from the Bible that we tend to name our kids after and there’s some people that we don’t? We would never knowingly name our kids Jezebel or Judas or Cain. My wife thought that Mara was a nice name until she learned the biblical meaning and setting meant “bitter”. How many people do we know that are named after the heroes of the Bible like Paul, John, Matthew, Jeremiah, David, Abigail, or Esther? There are plenty of people named after the courageous spies Joshua and Caleb, but nobody names their kids after the other 10 spies who invoked fear in the hearts of Israel (Numbers 13). Most Christians can’t even name one of those other spies! Tabitha from Acts 9 is one of those people whom many have named their kids after. She is an exemplary person of faith and the only woman in the Bible to specifically be called a disciple (not that there weren’t many others!). Last week, I mentioned how we need more Barnabas’s in the church – his name means son of encouragement. I did devotional a while back on “Being a Barnabas”. But I think it’s safe to say that we could certainly use more “Tabitha’s” as well. She was known for her continual deeds of kindness and charity. She was abounding in them! If there was a care ministry in her church, it certainly seems like she was all over it! She was serious about showing the love of Christ in practical ways. She was willing to give her free time and energy to helping others – being willing to step outside of her comfort zone – no doubt crossing social barriers that others weren’t willing to cross. She got her hands dirty to see hearts washed clean in Christ! Her continual deeds of kindness and charity remind me of the book of Titus that we studied not too long ago. Titus is all about adorning, or beautifying, the gospel by the way we live our lives (Titus 2:5, 10). Just as we decorate a Christmas tree and adorn it, so our lives can adorn the gospel. Our lives either support or supplant the gospel. Either prove salvation or doubt it. People are more willing to hear about our Redeemer when they see the power of a redeemed life. Tabitha’s life was one that supported and beautified the gospel. Christ had served her and now she was serving others. Check out these great verses from Titus: Titus 2:14 says that Jesus, “…gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Because we live in a fallen and sinful world, there are many today who are broken, hurting, and needy. Since we have experienced so much of God’s grace and provisions for our own hurts and brokenness, let us be the ones who stand out by the way we help others in theirs. We have been justified and renewed with the life of Christ so that we can help bring that same hope to others (Titus 3:4-8). Below are all of the challenging verses on good deed in Titus. Do these describe us?
1:16 – Be fit for good deeds. 2:7 – Be an example in good deeds. 2:14 – Be zealous for good deeds. 3:1 – Be ready for good deeds. 3:5 – Remember, deeds are not the basis of salvation. Christ’s cross-work is! 3:8 – Be carful to engage in good deeds. 3:14 – Meet pressing needs and be fruitful. Praising God for the “Tabitha’s” in our church! Pastor Justin A PRAYER RENOUNCING FEAR
Father, help me to agree with You that I am not subject to fear, but am a child of Your love. I reject the fear of the future, for I believe that the future is in Your hands. I reject the fear of evildoers, for Your Word says, “Though an enemy encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident… For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will left me high upon a rock.” I renounce the fear of rejection, for David wrote in Your holy Word, “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” I renounce the fear of witnessing about Christ, because as Your Word warns, “The fear of man brings a snare.” Therefore, I choose to fear You more than I do any human being. I affirm, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? I renounce the fear of losing my property and possessions, for Your Word says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content… I know the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need; I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I renounce the fear of Satan, for Your Word says he has already been conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.” I renounce the fear of saying “goodbye” to a terminally ill loved one, for Jesus promised, “Let not your heart be troubled… in My Father’s house are many rooms; I go and prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” I renounce the fear of death, for I affirm with the Apostle Paul, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Thank you for the promise, “death is swallowed up in victory.” I renounce the fear of martyrdom, for Your Word declares, “Do not fear those who are able to kill the body, but fear Him who rather is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” I renounce the fear of loneliness, for we are promised, “Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” And also, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And again, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. I renounce the fear of intimidation, for Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world.” I renounce the fear of false accusations. I accept this promise, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” I renounce the fear of being mistreated unjustly, for of Jesus we read that, “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return, when He suffered, He did not threaten but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.” I renounce the fear of ideologies like radical Islam and cultural Marxism which desires to intimidate us. I renounce the fear of curses, either known or unknown, spoken against me or my family. I renounce the fear of manipulation and control. I renounce the fear of being involved in public or political activity. I renounce the fear of political correctness. I declare that “The truth shall set me free.” I choose to live as a free person in Christ Jesus. I shall speak and not be silent. I declare that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. I submit to Jesus as Lord in my life. Jesus Christ is Lord of my home. Jesus Christ is Lord of my relationships. Jesus Christ is Lord of my city. Jesus Christ is Lord of my nation. Jesus Christ is Lord above all false gods and religions. Jesus Christ is Lord over all the nations of the earth. I commit myself to be a living witness to Jesus Christ as Lord. I am not ashamed of His cross. “God forbid I should glory except in the cross of Christ.” I ask now that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and pour upon me all the blessings of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Grant me the grace to understand the truth of Your Word clearly, and to apply it in every area of my life. Give me words of hope and life, as You promised. Open and bless my lips so that I can speak to others with authority and power in Jesus’ name. Give my the boldness to be a faithful witness for Christ. Give me a love for all people, and a passion to share the love of Christ with them. Grant that I shall carry Your cross as a badge of honor, trusting Your providence no matter what. This prayer is adapted and slightly edited from Erwin Lutzer's material at the Engage Conference. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day approaching." Maybe nothing in our natural environment is more fascinating than the various forms of animal life. Animals are both beautiful and complex, especially the mysterious world of marine life. Maybe that is why I was interested in watching a documentary on life in the Red Sea while I was out of commission with illness recently. I think I also just wanted to know more about what was in that large body of water that God made a way for the Israelites to pass through! What were some of those fish thinking when God parted the water, anyway?! Interesting thought, right? Ha-ha! Turns out, in the Red Sea there is a plethora of coral life which attracts many different types of fish. Because there are many fish, there’s also many predators. To protect themselves, some of the fish will school together. Quoting from the documentary, “If one member is left alone, they seem stressed, confused, and disoriented. Quite the contrary, if they are in the company of the rest of the group, everything is well coordinated. They stay organized due to communication between each other. That’s why the distance between the fish and the speed always stays the same.” They also said that by sticking together constantly, regular swarming fish have a better chance of survival against predators and spot predators faster. As soon as I heard this, I found myself hitting the rewind button several times because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I thought, “This is exactly why we stick together as believers in Christ and gather regularly!” When we aren’t faithfully connected to a body of believers, we become easy, isolated prey for the enemy to pick on and are more likely to become stressed, confused, and disoriented just like the fish. And it happens fast without realizing it. When we’re not connected to a body of believers, we also lose the encouragement and accountability of other believers in a church body that God has designed to minister to itself through its many members. The local church is a body and each member has an important function in ministering to the rest of the body (1 Cor. 12:12-27). This means that when you don’t gather, others also miss out on the function you provide to them. Back to this fish now… get this: there’s two different types of swarming fish. We’ve talked about the regular swarming fish who stick together at all times. The other type is the irregular swarming fish that gather only when there is danger. Their chance of survival is not as good as the regular swarming fish. This is a good reason why we don’t want to wait until we’re in danger before we decide we need the church. Being a regular helps protect and maintain spiritual health. We’ve got to be more like the regular ones who always stick together. It’s a survival trait for the believer and can help us immensely. This time of year, many struggle with seasonal depression (SAD) and gathering regularly with other believers is critical to our health spiritual and emotional health. In the movie We Bought a Zoo, Duncan Mee (Thomas Haden Church) is encouraging his brother, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), who recently lost his wife. To keep the current from sweeping him out into the dark sea of depression, Duncan reminds his brother of a lesson he learned on one of his painful, but insightful journeys: “You’ve got a let a little sunlight in. Human interaction is a good thing! Take it from a man who spent six months on a fishing boat in Bali trying to find himself... You know what I found? I missed people man! Sunlight. Human interaction. Joy.” Make sure you’re letting a little sunlight in this time of year, both literally and figuratively. With such a moderate winter as we’ve been having, make sure you get out and enjoy that beautiful sunshine when you can. It really does help. But also, let the golden rays of regular fellowship with other believers into your life as well! Oh yeah, one last encouragement: Spring starts in 36 days! Praise the Lord!
In His hands with you, Pastor Justin The following material is from Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary on Acts, called “EXCURSUS: CAN I GET A WITNESS? “I've seen a lot of evangelism methods used in my fifty-plus years of ministry. Some are better than others. I don't think there's any single method of sharing the gospel that works for all people at all times, but there are at least three models that everyone should avoid. The Bounty HunterThe bounty hunter wakes up in the morning all excited about explaining the basics of Christianity to anybody and everybody, regardless of the circumstances or people’s interest level. Everybody he meets, he tells: the guy at the gas station, the woman in the grocery store, the delivery man at the office, the friend of a friend, the person in the next booth at the restaurant or sitting next to him on the plane. Ready or not, here he comes! On the upside, the bounty hunter definitely gets results. By sheer force of numbers, a percentage does hear the gospel and respond. On the downside, how many are pushed away and become more resistant to the gospel as a result? That doesn't matter to the bounty hunter. He feels the end justifies the means and feels relieved of any guilt. In fact, many bounty hunters dismiss any concern for being offensive. They rationalize that "the message of Christ is offensive to an evil world” without stopping to think that they might be the offending element, not the gospel. My friend Bob told me that the first person he ever saw witnessing was a girl he knew in high school. She wore out-of-date clothes – dark, long dresses, thick hose, and a little hat-and carried 4-ton Bible. She used to hide behind the lockers and, whenever someone would walk by, she'd jump out, shove a tract into their hands, and say, "Don't blame Jesus if you go to hell!" Bob said, "I thought, fine, I won't blame Him!" Bounty hunters care more about decisions and numbers than changed lives and relationships. The EggheadEggheads like what I call "the Ivy League approach." An egghead is the opposite of the bounty hunter in most ways. Rather than appear too eager or overly zealous, the intellectual witness says, “Let's discuss the world's religions.” The egghead is an expert in apologetics but never gets to the bottom line: a decision to trust Christ. The Ivy League approach has a few advantages. This method recognizes the broad spectrum of human opinions, seeks to understand other points of view, and cares to communicate the point through dialogue. It's educational. It's even stimulating to discover how one religion differs from another and how they're similar. Eggheads find more information to fill their already-crowded heads. The disadvantage: It's reason-centered and rarely works. People don't generally come to know Christ because they lost a debate. The problem of sin isn't an intellectual problem; it's the result of rebellion against God. A decision for Christ is a crisis of the will. That's not to say apologetics doesn't have its place in evangelism. The effective use of reason helps demonstrate that Christianity is a reasonable faith. That helps keep the entrance uncluttered. Then, once a person's heart becomes receptive to the gospel, apologetics can help clear away intellectual obstructions from the path to Christ. The Secret AgentTruth be told, most of us are secret-agent Christians. These believers rationalize their lack of initiative by declaring themselves silent witnesses for God. They hope their lifestyle will do all the talking. They're waiting for somebody to walk up and say, 'Friend, I've been watching your life. And I'm interested in knowing how to receive Christ as my personal Savior. Do I receive Him by faith?" When that happens, the secret agent will tell the individual all about Christ and how to know Him personally. Problem is, that never happens. I've heard people say, "Wait-which is more important to God, your life or your message?" That's like asking a pilot, “Which wing is more important, the left or the right?" A plane must have both, or it will never get off the ground.
The advantage of being a secret agent is that you never offend. This method also keeps you accountable to maintain a life of authenticity, integrity, kindness, and generosity. But this approach comes at the cost of a terrible disadvantage. It's a self-centered means of easing your conscience while shirking a solemn responsibility given by Christ. Clearly, the best approach brings together the most effective elements of all three. Be transparent about your relationship with Jesus Christ and talk openly about your spiritual growth. Study other religions and engage people in thoughtful, respectful, and calm conversations, taking care to listen and to offer rational responses to questions. By all means, let your life do the talking--but not all the talking! At some point, once you have gained trust and have darned a fair hearing, get to the issue at hand: the need to repent of sin and accept Christ's gift of eternal life.” Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, Volume 5 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016), 153-154. This Sunday we talked about how important unity is to the mission of advancing the gospel. Unity is a powerful collective witness to an unbelieving world (John 17:23) and allows to accomplish so much more together. But I also mentioned a third aspect of unity that has a tremendous impact on our mission: our unity as a community of believers is a way of standing together for truth and hence, for the mission. Standing for the truth will consequently mean standing against false teaching and against false gospels that would hinder the mission. When someone unites themselves to a believing group by profession or membership, they are identifying themselves with what that group believes and are saying they are committed to it (be it evangelical, Mormon, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, et cetera.). Who we unite with or don’t unite with either helps or hinders the mission. The reason why this stood out to me this week is because last Sunday evening I watched a lengthy interview between Dallas Jenkins, producer of The Chosen, and a young Mormon individual. Most of you have probably heard of The Chosen. It’s a relatively new, high-quality series that I was personally enjoying and even mentioned from the pulpit on an occasion or two. But for that reason and due to its popularity, I felt it was necessary to say that because of Jenkins’ latest comments in which he, as a professed evangelical, espoused Mormonism, I cannot recommend this series anymore. Unfortunately, this is something that happens many times over in the evangelical world. The bigger something becomes, the less it holds tight to the Word of God. Those of you who know me, know I’m not big on calling people out like this but this time I felt it was necessary. My job is to shepherd that flock and that means protecting it against wolves in sheep’s clothing or those who act like there is no difference between a wolf and a sheep. In Acts 20:29, the apostle Paul said to the Ephesian church elders, Acts 20:29 In producing The Chosen series, Dallas works with many Mormons in Utah where much of it is filmed and the app that broadcasts the series, VidAngel, is a Mormon company. In the interview, Dallas went so far as to say that we love same Jesus and want to make the same Jesus known, called them our brothers and sisters, and also refused to deny their extra-biblical writings in the book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is “extra-biblical” meaning that it is treated as sacred scripture to them and held in highest regard. Dallas admits in the interview that he has some different evangelical beliefs than Mormons but skirts the issues at hand. Mormons do not hold to the same fundamental truths as we do. We do not have the same the Jesus and do not want to make the same Jesus known. Our Jesus is the eternal God who took on flesh through a virgin to pay for sin. The Mormon “Jesus” is one of many “gods” who experienced a natural birth and is the spirit-brother of Satan. Our gospel is that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ but Mormons have a works-based religious system gospel whereby one will end up in hell for trying to keep it (rejecting Christ’s work for their own religious works). While we hold to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God, they add to it the Bible-contradicting book of Mormon and more. As you can see, they deny our fundamental truths and should not be considered Christian at all. The apostle John warns us to beware of anyone who denies the Deity of Christ. Any such denial of Christ’s true nature and deity is a demonic doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 1 Timothy 4:1; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 John 4:2-3). 1 John 4:2-3 I’m guessing that The Chosen series will continue to make ecumenical videos that refuse to step on the toes of any group that falls under the heading of “Christianity” but one would be wise to stay alert and recognize the limitations that such a film could produce towards spiritual health. The situation reminds me of Proverbs 25:26, Proverbs 25:26 Even though Mormons are often nice people, very friendly and zealous, they have been deceived by a false religion with a shady past and need to hear the good news. The need the truth and not the right hand of fellowship. To compromise and extend the right hand of fellowship with them would be to hinder, not help the mission. Let's stick to the mission!
In Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, according to the Word of God alone, for the glory of God alone, Pastor Justin Years ago, I was sitting in the office of a friend who is a precision ag agronomist. He helps farmers be precise in their farming techniques so that they get the most out of their operation. Other than the free seed hats I took home that day, I also took home an unforgettable illustration! Every farmer knows that their fields can have multiple soil types in it (especially around here). Some soils are better than others. A field can have sandy, rocky stuff on the hilltops that hold no moisture and then heavier, darker soil in the low spots that hold more moisture and nutrients. Obviously, the better soil produces better yields. Yet, for a long time, precision agronomists tried various ways to try and make the poor soil types more productive by pumping things like fertilizer into them. But after years of testing, they finally realized that the poor soil just wasn’t going to produce the yields they were after no matter what they did. The only answer (and many farmers do this by the way) is to bring in better soil by the truckload and dump it on top! You’d just be better off investing in your good soil that you do have! This is a wonderful illustration for sowing and reaping like we talked about on Sunday morning. We only have two fields we can sow in – the flesh or the Spirit. The flesh is poor soil that always brings forth weeds and destroys whatever you put into it. The flesh profits nothing (Jn. 6:63)! It’s dumping your precious resources in the trash! It will always be bad soil! You will never see a return on your investment in poor soil. However, the good soil of the Spirit is always a wise investment that God will reward now and in eternity. Invest your resources in the good soil! In Galatians 6:7-10, Paul encouraged us not to lose heart or grow weary! Why? Probably because he knows it’s not easy to choose to invest in the good soil. Farming is hard work! While weeds come up naturally, crops must be cultivated and cared for. He also knows, like every farmer knows, that the planting season is short! Sow “while you have opportunity!” he says. Oswald J. Smith, in his book Passion for Souls, shared a story about two farmers: “[There were] two farmers. The one takes a look at his fields and says to himself, ‘I would like to have a crop this year. However, it is none of my business. There is nothing I can do about it,’ and with that he goes into his house, sits down in front of the open grate fire and prays for a crop. The other farmer says, ‘I, too, would like to have a crop this year and there is a great deal for me to do. I am sure I can have one if I do my part.’ He [prays and] goes to work. He ploughs the ground. Then he plants the seed and after he has done all that he knows is necessary, he then looks to God to send the sunshine and the rain and with perfect confidence, looks forward to the days of harvest. Which farmer would you prefer?”[1] I think we would all agree that one farmer is irrational and making excuses. The other is humble, has faith, and understand he plays a part in the harvest. Let’s be like the second farmer who trusts the Lord and humbly keep sowing! We will reap a bountiful harvest soon enough!
Farming with you in the Lord, Pastor Justin Schefcik 1/9/2022 1 Oswald J. Smith, The Passion for Souls, (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1964), 117. This week’s devo is a little different than most. It is a bit of a personal testimony and a challenge to youth and parents. In my devotional time, it’s time for me to read through the precious book of Proverbs again and I was reminded of how much this book affected my life and how much I cherish it. I wasn’t introduced to Proverbs until about 20 years old but after living life my way for more than long enough, this book became like a father’s wise instruction to me, and I cherished it more than gold! This book told me things no one else would (that I was making foolish decisions) and it did so without flinching. I needed that at the time! Proverbs is like fatherly wisdom because well, that’s the way it is written – from Solomon to his children. His children are to learn it and heed it. The opening verses read: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man – let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance.” Solomon’s proverbs changed my life drastically and liberated me from many of the self-destructive decisions I was making by following the ways of the world. My life was a wreck! Would that every young man or woman be fully acquainted with the book of Proverbs and heed its ancient wisdom! As the song goes, they are, “Ancient words, ever true; changing me, changing you.” These ancient and inspired words of wisdom would prevent so much unnecessary pain and heartache and frustration in life for whoever reads them and applies them. If you’re a young man or woman, I want to challenge you to read Proverbs through and habitually read it throughout your life. It has wisdom for many practical topics such as finances, marriage and relationships, child rearing, use of the tongue, work, etc. As young men and women connected to the internet, there is more information at your fingertips that one can fathom. But what we need is not more information. We need more wisdom. We would be better off with just 31 short chapters on wisdom than with the majority of the information out there. If we spent a fraction of the time reading Proverbs (with the intention of applying it) that we spend reading useless, mind-numbing junk on the internet, this world would be much more pleasant place to live and our lives would be much happier! Happiness belongs to the wise (Prov. 8:32, 34). Now let’s look at Proverbs from Solomon’s perspective: as a parent. I want to remind you and me that God has entrusted us with His precious gifts – our children. And the one main target He has given us to aim at is to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 5:4). I know this is probably hard to take coming from a young parent but I’m going to say this with love (I really care about this) and say it without flinching because it is based on the authority of God’s Word (not my word): if you fail to bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, you fail as a parent. You can do a hundred other things right, but to not do that, is missing the target. What they do with the instruction and training in God’s Word when they grow up and move out, is their choice. But while they are in the home, our objective target is clear: we are to make sure they are developing the spiritual component of their lives which superintends everything else they will do and be in life. If you do that, God says, “Well done!” If you aren’t doing that, start now. If you didn’t do that when you had the chance, start taking opportune moments to influence your adult kids or even as grandparents. Remember this: The home, not school or government, is the first and primary social institution established by God. Parents, not missionaries or AWANA volunteers, are the primary disciple-makers of the next generation. God’s plan for multi-generational faithfulness is the family, not a youth pastor. Most parents will fail to hit the target of developing their children’s spiritual component because they are too busy trying to make their child happy and successful according to the world’s standards. Rather than living with the target in mind, our kids are in school most of the day learning just about anything but spiritual truth. Then they go to sports practice. Then maybe to work if they are old enough. Then dinner and homework. What’s left? Probably a little vegetation on the couch. Before you know it, they’ve left the nest and we’ll be answering to God for how we failed to redeem the time.
I leave youth and parents with a fun exercise that I myself was once challenged with in my “Christian Family” class at Bible school: Open up the book of Proverbs and slowly read it through. When a proverb teaches on child rearing, go ahead and mark a little “CR” beside that proverb in the margin. Where it talks about finances, mark an “F”. Mark a “T” beside any proverb that deals with use of the tongue. Those are three major topics that come up often both in Proverbs and in life itself. I trust this exercise will prove to be a fast and easy guide for you later when you want wisdom on those topics. Also, below I included those helpful resources for biblical parenting that we put together earlier this year: Suggested Parenting Resources to “Help You Hit the Target”: Biblical Parenting by Chuck Swindoll (sermon series available online) Parenting: From Surviving to Thriving by Chuck Swindoll (book for parents) Heaven Help the Home! By Howard Hendricks (any family-related material by Hendricks) The Art of Parenting by Dennis Rainey/Family Life Today (Bible study) Raising Worldly-Wise But Innocent Kids by Dave Wyrtzen (book for parents) The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers by Tyndale Publishers (devotional for young children) The One Year Book of Family Devotions by Tyndale Publishers (devotional for older children) Devotions for the Children’s Hour by Kenneth Taylor (basic doctrine for children) The Jesus Storybook Bible by Zonderkidz children’s Bible) Read with Me Bible by Zondervan (children’s Bible) Family Life Today programs with Bob Lepine & Dennis Rainey talks (podcast & radio) Parenting by Tedd Tripp Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Paul Tripp Enjoy your day! It is a gift! And so are your children! Pastor Justin In this Sunday’s sermon, we talked about how Christians that neglect their salvation are exposing themselves to the chastening hand of God. Hebrews called this drifting. Like a ship out at sea with anchor broken off, we are subject to wind and peril. The concept of divine discipline may come as a shock to us who are under grace, but to whom much is given, much is required! God’s discipline is a form of God’s redemptive, remedial grace in our lives. Only cruelty would allow someone to drift without warning, direction, and correction when certain danger lies ahead. Hebrews says God’s discipline is evidence that we are His children, and He seeks our good. Why, every good father disciplines his children so that they go on to maturity! “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they discipline us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good so that we might share in His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. When we think of divine discipline, we typically think of the Israelites in the Old Testament and are tempted to think we “New Testament people” in the Church get off scot-free no matter what we do. But God is not deceived and will not be mocked. His good purpose and love for us insists that He discipline us when we need it. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul reveals that some believers were sick or even experienced physical death for their unconfessed sin. To the letter to the church at Thyatira in Revelation 2, Jesus warned them that because they tolerated a false and immoral prophetess in their church (Jezebel), and some even joined in on her Satanic practice, they would experience sickness or death if they didn’t repent. However, Jesus promised that he who is faithful and repents will, like a shining star, rule and reign with Christ over the nations in His Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 2:18-29)! What a reward! (By the way, please don’t get from this that every sickness or death is the result of divine discipline. As we talked about Sunday, it is a fallen world, and it is expected. He wants us to have faith in Him no matter what our circumstances are!)
But what does it look like for us to neglect our salvation? To drift spiritually? Like Corinth or Thyatira, we might neglect God’s sanctifying purposes to make us more like Christ. Sin grieves and quenches the Spirit who sealed us for the day of redemption (1 Thess. 5:10; Eph. 4:30). I think the cause of most spiritual drifting is due to unconfessed sin, neglect of God’s Word, of prayer, and of gathering with God’s people (Heb. 10:25). If we aren’t doing either one, we become spiritually dull and insensitive. In his Hebrews commentary, Warren Wiersbe shares the story of Robert Robinson, the man who composed the hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Robinson was converted under the preaching of George Whitefield and was greatly used by the Lord as a pastor. However, he began to drift when he started to neglect spiritual things. Wiersbe says, “In an attempt to find peace, he began to travel. During one of his journeys, he met a young woman who was evidently very spiritually minded. “What do you think of this hymn I have been reading?” she asked Robinson, handing him the book. It was his own hymn! He tried to avoid her question but it was hopeless, for the Lord was speaking to him. Finally, he broke down and confessed who he was and how he had been living away from the Lord. “But these ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing,” the woman assured him, and through her encouragement, Robinson was restored to fellowship with the Lord.” I have no doubt that when Robinson was drifting, behind a smiling face was a man who felt much like David when he refused to repent of his affair with Bathsheba. David said in Psalm 32, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.” However, when David acknowledged his sin and confessed it, the Lord forgave him and restored him. How's your relationship with God? Are you still sensitive to God’s voice? Are you anchored? In His hands, Pastor Justin |
CHADRON BEREANStay up to date on Chadron Berean's latest news and insights. Archives
April 2024
|