Category: Pastor’s Corner

In preparation for the next study for the Wednesday night prayer meeting, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking into the prevalent ideology that has swept the nation and the western world. It’s a philosophy that has been decades in the making and has made its biggest advance in the past five or so years. It’s an ideology that has made its way into the Christian Church at various levels and is being championed by many authors. It’s often referred to as “wokeness” or simply, woke. The term carries the concept of one becoming awakened to the reality of things and particularly the oppression that certain groups have suffered at the hands of oppressors. It’s a complex and vast philosophy that involves all areas of life and relationships from the public to the private. My purpose in this short article is not to look at wokeness, but to be reminded that we as believers have been warned not to be taken captive by such worldly teaching.

Paul, in Colossians 2:8, gives a warning: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

The word for philosophy literally means “the love and pursuit of wisdom”. Wisdom that is man-centered and separated from God is empty; though promising much, it delivers nothing. It appears to have value and, on the surface, seems to be right, but in the end is empty and deceptive. There are many who profess to be wise but, in reality, are fools as they reject the truth of Christ. 

The idea that Paul is speaking of is the taking of an individual as a captive and a slave. This person is now under the power of someone else to do their bidding. The means by which this capture is accomplished is through deception, empty concepts and philosophies. These ideas promise much but are devoid of anything of value. They are lies that are meant to deceive and, if one is not careful, can fool you. That’s the thing about deception: it makes sense! It seems to be wise and may even use Christian words, but when looked at closely and compared to truth one can see the error.

This does not happen by accident. We are all responsible for watching over our hearts and minds. Proverbs 4:23 says. “watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” I must make the effort to not allow traditions of men and the elementary principles of the world to lead me away from simple devotion to Christ. That involves knowing the truth, such as understanding that God is the Creator and owner of all that exists. He is the One who makes the rules and standards. We are not masters of our own destinies. Truth such as understanding that the root cause of the evil in the world is sin, not skin color. That all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. That I must first be reconciled to God before I can be reconciled to man. Truth that is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As Paul states in Ephesians, we are at war with spiritual forces that seek to destroy. So the reality of what we are facing is summed up well by a quote from Erwin Lutzer: “Our battle is not against two competing moral systems; our battle is against two competing Gods.” The god of this world who has been allowed, for a short time, to run amuck, who has been defeated at the cross, and the God of the universe Who is over all and has already won the battle. So, our responsibility is to keep our hearts. To avoid being captured by the ideologies of this world.

I’ll end with this: “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). Let’s not be ignorant, but alert.

Romans 16:1   I commend to you…

In our bi-weekly BLC coffee, and in our Wednesday prayer gathering, this chapter has been recently spotlighted. It seems fitting to look again here, and share another lesson for our life in Christ.

First, read this chapter. Don’t get hung up on pronunciations of the names – just notice the number of greetings Paul extends. Some of these folks we “met” in the pages of the New Testament, passingly known by us. Others are presented only here; complete unknowns. They are known by Paul, and better yet, the Lord Jesus. They are called out for faith, service, and commitment to their particular church family.

Today, many tightly-held untruths stall out believers:

• Professionals must do the work of ministry.
• Attendance is optional; anonymity is important for attendees.
• Not every believer has gifts and talents. If possessing any, use is not necessary.
• I’m not led. God will move someone else to pray, worship, give, work, and go.
• “Join” where all is provided; never look for a body that needs your part.

While these falsehoods barely scratch the surface, they serve as contrast to what Paul shares about those he greets in chapter 16. These friends are vital, active, contributing, encouraging and fellowshipping members of their local bodies God has placed them in (see 1 Cor. 12!).

There’s one last thing I’ll note about Paul’s diverse circle of friends. They labored for the Lord, and were not concerned with spotlights and visibility. They served, like millions of the Lord’s beloved still do, quietly fulfilling their work. They served their Master with joy and gladness, content with His approval as their reward. They loved one another, amid all the various backgrounds, personalities, and giftedness. They wanted Christ glorified, in and through His Body of which they ALL were a part.

May we be an “additional paragraph” to Romans 16, commended for our vital part in His Body called Cornerstone.

If anyone is a student of history, you probably have heard of this phrase. It was coined by the US Office of War Information during World War II in an attempt to keep people from sharing useful information to spies who would be listening to casual conversation. The idea was careless words, i.e. loose lips, would undermine the war effort, i.e. sinking of ships. The British version was “Careless Words Costs Lives”. There were enemy agents that gathered useful information from unsuspecting citizens who shared important details that was then used against the allies. Thus, the charge was to be careful what you talked about, especially in places that others may be listening. The things that you said could be used for nefarious purposes. 

The concept of those phrases still holds true to this day. Careless speech can have detrimental effects, in a myriad of circumstances. Many embarrassing situations have been created by a careless phrase, friendships have been impacted, children hurt by a word spoken in anger and the list could go on and on. Our speech is a gift from God. Of all the creatures made by God, only man has the ability to communicate in such detail through the spoken word. When God created man, He made him in His own image and that included the ability to communicate at a high level. This ability included the spoken word. When one looks at the various languages in the world, we see incredible complexity. Languages are varied and each one has its own unique system of communicating concepts, both concrete and abstract. Some of the most complex languages are spoken by the most technologically primitive people on the planet. Yet in each case, God desires the use of words to be that which builds others up rather than tearing down.

Ephesians 4:29 states, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Also, Ephesians 5:18-19: “And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord.” In both these passages the emphasis is on the spoken word. Each time a word passes our lips, it should be for the benefit of others and be guided by the Spirit of God. That’s a tall order! So, I have to ask myself a question: is what I’m about to say useful or destructive? What about when I just want to “get it off my chest” or I’m “just venting”? This is not to say we shouldn’t be able to talk with a close friend or our spouse, but even there we must control our tongue.

Recall the first part of the phrase previously quoted. “Loose lips” that is, words that are carelessly flung about without any thought to the consequences. How often do I speak before engaging my brain? Am I aware of what I’m saying and how it can be perceived or received? This means we must be aware of our speech and the context in which we speak. We are the ones who are responsible for what we say, and what we say can cause harm regardless of what the children’s rhyme may imply – “sticks and stones…”