Category: Pastor’s Corner

“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…” Ephesians 4:14

Paul’s concern for the churches he birthed or nurtured into maturity is evident throughout his writings. The body’s steadfastness was always on his mind and heart. One of his illustrations likened unequipped saints to so much debris the wind tosses during a storm, as the verse above declares (Ephesians 4:14).

When the wind comes in strong, it changes all that it overpowers. We’ve seen this in our region’s recent fast-moving storms. Destruction altered the landscape. Repairs can help, but much was lost or irreversibly altered. Strange enough, in a few years most will not remember what it looked like before this storm. New winds will demand our focus; history will blur under newer pressures.

Comparatively, Jude also spoke of stormy assaults on the faith once delivered (Jude 3,12-13). The destruction of the basic tenets of faith is still a goal of the enemy today. The church must be vigilant, to withstand that storm.

Jesus himself taught us the importance of hearing and heeding Him. Without our life’s foundation built firmly on Him, destruction is certain, and great (Luke 6:46-49).

The eleventh chapter of 2 Corinthians is a remarkable passage. Paul is speaking plainly to a congregation that has had their moments of victory, and seasons of compromise. Paul must upbraid them; they are so dull in discernment:

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. 2 Cor. 11:3-4 (NASB)

Paul then continues in that chapter to expose the false teachers’ methods. He makes an appeal to the Corinthians: pull yourself out of the weeds spiritually, and get back to following Christ and His true under-shepherds.

They had fleshly hearts that idolized a teacher’s “credentialling” and “boastful signs of victory.” Paul countered these false values by appealing to the Corinthians from his own “spiritual resume.” He recounted his weaknesses, and things he’d suffered for His Lord. Please note Paul’s greatest suffering, as he agonizingly revealed in verses 28-29:

Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?  2 Cor. 11:28-29 (NASB)

I want to try and summarize what Paul is getting at, in my own language: “Mark the true apostle by his overwhelming concern for you spiritually; and not for his own advancement, ease, popularity, or even skin. The true apostle is one that counts his physical assaults as nothing, compared to the burning in his heart for your steadfastness, growth, and unwavering proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Lord.”

Two friends are in my heart as I write today.

One has suffered the loss of all material goods, at the hands of the people he had come to serve. Everything. Gone. What would you think? His response is one of caring concern for the souls of those who now have more possessions, but do not possess the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. And what of his tiny flock, in this community?

The other is running a gauntlet of increased opposition, violence, threats and invented charges to shut down any gospel witness in his region. Physical assaults and property destructions are now common. Many have been driven away. What would you focus upon? His heart is for the battered believers, and shepherding them for their encouragement amid such fierce attacks. And, how to continue to present the gospel to those so numbingly blind?

I share these things to encourage you. Labor at maturing in your Spirit-given gifts of Faith, Knowledge, Wisdom and Discernment. The wind is steadily blowing here, and your foundation must be on Him, and not shifting sands.

Would you also commit with me to pray through Jeremiah 20:7-13? As you do, remember each other, and our brothers and sisters in fierce storms, now. May we be found glorifying God and making His Name known, regardless of the winds that would delight in tossing us about.

From August of 1942 to February of 1943 the world’s deadliest battle raged in a city on the bank of the Volga river in the country of Russia, Stalingrad. Over 2 million soldiers and civilians died during that time when the German army attempted to take the city from the Soviets. In the middle of that city is a famous fountain, famous due to the photograph that was taken during the battle. It is called the Barmaley fountain and its main feature is a circle of children dancing around a playful crocodile. The fountain stood in the center of a square in front of the main railroad station. This square and fountain would be one of the first images travelers would see upon leaving the station and was situated in a park-like setting. It was a place for people to congregate and for children to play. A playground if you will. What many people didn’t know was they were to be witnesses and casualties in an epic battle for survival for themselves, their city and their country. It would be the battleground that would be enigmatic of the war they were all in, whether they wanted to or not.

Such it is with those of us who are followers of Christ. We find ourselves in a war but oftentimes we are not fully convinced of that fact. We are more focused on the fun and frolic of the playground than in the harsh realities of battle. A. W. Tozer puts it this way, “Men think of the world, not as a battleground but as a playground. We are not here to fight, we are here to frolic. We are not in a foreign land, we are at home. We are not getting ready to live, we are already living, and the best we can do is to rid ourselves of our inhibitions and our frustrations and live this life to the full.” Ouch. When I read that it gave me a reason to pause and to consider how I’m viewing my time on this earth. Am I looking to get all I can out of this life? Is that my focus? Do I really consider myself a stranger and a sojourner in this world? How should I live differently if these things are true? Paul says in Acts 20:24, “but I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul knew he was on the battleground and was willing to give his life for the cause of Christ. Now I may not be in such physical danger but how important is my life, my comfort, my retirement, my time, etc. Am I held back by those things? They are not bad in and of themselves but where do they land on my value list? I think that as we get older and as we go through difficult times and we turn to gaze upon Jesus, God loosens our grip on the things of this world. As the hymn states, “the things of this world grow strangely dim.” But we must submit to this purging in our lives or we face the real danger of becoming quite comfortable in this world that is not our home. One way of noting if we have settled down in this life is to ask ourselves: how often do I long for my heavenly home? Or I can’t imagine living anywhere else than in this world, and heaven isn’t that appealing. Or what is my attitude towards the world? Do I go along to get along? Questions like these can be unsettling. I know they are to me, because they often show me where my heart really is at, and it is at those moments I must confess my wrong thinking and change my thinking and actions to line up with God’s word. 

We live in a battleground, all one has to do is look around at the decay of our society, our morals and our values to know a war is underway. We must have an understanding and conviction that lines up with the truth of God’s word if we are to navigate the bombed-out landscape that is our culture. “A right view of God and the world to come requires that we have also a right view of the world in which we live and our relation to it. So much depends upon this that we cannot afford to be careless about it.” – A.W. Tozer

It is no small thing that the theme of this year’s Mega Kids Camp was “Keepers of the Kingdom”, and in that theme a phrase that was often put to the children to recite was “decide your side”. There are two kingdoms at war: the kingdom of darkness ruled by Satan, and the kingdom of light which the Creator God rules over. You are in one or the other, there is no neutrality. James puts it this way: “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:1-4)  There are only two sides and we have to decide which one we are on. There is no middle ground; we can’t just “sit this one out.” We are involved whether we believe it or not, just like those in Stalingrad those many years ago.

Philippians 4:4-9 

⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. ⁹  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Anxiety is in the air, blowing hard and steady. And this even among the believers. The mood and views common in the unsaved, are oddly mirrored in those who should be experiencing the peace of God, through the God of peace.  Why would this be so?

Yes, the news packaged for us is resoundingly bad. Unrest and division run deep. The drumbeat of revived tribalism grows louder. Violence in our communities begs identity as demonic. Nations overrun nations; murky alliances destabilize every point on the globe. I’ll leave off pandemics, social engineering, and why the Tigers can’t be pennant contenders. Even the weather is presented to push us to prepping: every snowfall is now categorized by a documentary-worthy title (“Winter Storm Festus.”) Natural disasters stream real-time through our devices, fascinating and terrifying, interspersed with feigned concern and the hawking of freeze-dried meal buckets, “secure” gold, or apocalypse-worthy shotguns.

The solutions for this unrest, flowing down from our elected or appointed voices, are of their own accord contradictory and baffling.  I fail to see wisdom and understanding, for they speak of their own things, and not of the One who is Wisdom and Understanding.

To state the obvious, the unsaved world will naturally run to would-be saviors, get disappointed, and then turn to the next ones. Some choose to simply check out: stuff down the devastations and fleeting vain years, and buy more surgeries, trinkets and experiences. It’s a classic world-view: “When it’s over, it’s over.”  Undoubtedly the pinnacle of reasoning, apart from God. Ask Solomon.

We are invited to join in with these summations and solutions from an unregenerate mankind. Do you see any followers of Christ who are leaving off faith, and lapsing (in attitude, or expressly) into this world-view? I might summarize some prevailing heart-attitudes I am encountering:

“It’s not like God to keep me so disappointed with my world.”

“It’s baffling that God isn’t mowing over the enemies.”

“It’s frustrating that God isn’t conforming everyone in my land to godly standards.”

“It’s unconscionable that churches dismiss God’s Word, yet increase in popularity and sway.”

“It’s uncomfortable that I am no longer comfortable.”

“Where is God in this mess?”

I would wax incredibly popular if I turned now to pen a snappy “3 easy steps to peace” article. How “relevant,” if it could actually be the last word—the true, quick-fix formula—we could all employ for instant and lasting results! If only I could chart out how to do “God by method.” It would probably sell a bunch of copies… maybe launch an e-book, or an Etsy site for themed merch.

Wildest dreams and profits aside, what I want to offer by application is very simple, extremely accessible, and completely contained in the Word of God. The Word that was declared to us, by which we learned the truth about God, our sin, and salvation through faith in Christ alone. I ask you to meditate on these questions, noting the verses of the Philippians passage at left:

:4 Rejoicing in the Lord cannot be sporadic, isolated, or dependent on your mood. What’s your corporate worship quotient? Too busy? Private, God-in-the-everyday evidence? Rejoicing is not for a happy occasion- it is the ongoing theme of the life focused on the great, unchanging Truth of Christ.

:5 Would “gentle spirit” be a description given of you by your mourners one day? Or are you known as “that guy” or “that gal” that couldn’t put up with us mere mortals?

:6 Are you praying without ceasing, or quite frankly, have ceased to pray? What is taking the reins producing in your life? How’s it going for the passengers stuck in your buggy?

:7 How do you experience the peace of God? How do you describe it? Is this a foreign concept to even consider? Are you trying to manufacture your own peace? How is that working out?

:8 Reading this list of worthy things to dwell on, what is your top 10 “dwell list?” News? Politics? The market? Security? Entertainment? Pornography? “Likes” on social tripe? Rest assured your top 10 is showing. It is coming out in speech, conduct, attitude, priorities, demeanor… The bucket draws up what the well contains.

:9 Pay attention to whom you follow. There are multitudes of egos that want you to “follow” them and emulate their poor choices. Their obsessions. Their sensuality. Their godless lives. If you live for their experiences, you will miss out on experiencing the God of Peace. You will enter eternity as a believer, watching your wood, hay and stubble burn. A forfeit of great opportunity for what could have been yours in the new heaven and earth that comes; all for handfuls of tripe in this world.

This is a call for return. For revival. It’s a fallen world. You cannot navigate your way to true peace, if you’ve left out the God of peace. Try it without Him, and see if I am a liar. Or maybe you’re trying it now, and getting the resultant anxiety and fear. Where have you gone? How is that working out for you? Have you found another path, another savior, another source of peace?

⁶⁸  Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. John 6:68 

The peace is presented. It does not have to be pled for, earned, or discovered. It needs to be appropriated. Walk in the Truth you have received. The God of Peace is within, and by walking by His Spirit, you will walk in the Peace of God.

²⁷  “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27