I recently went down to Mayfield, Kentucky for two days to volunteer, hoping to help the tornado destroyed city and its residents anyway I could. Having a forestry background, I packed my chainsaw and the necessary personal protective gear into the trunk of my car. I realized I would probably be required to do something other than running a chainsaw, but I wanted to be prepared to offer the only skill I had become really good at, just in case it was needed. Driving into Mayfield at seven o’clock in the morning I missed the turn that would take me to the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters, which is the organization I signed up to volunteer with. By missing the turn, I ended up driving straight into downtown. I cried. That overwhelming feeling of sorrow stayed with me for much of the morning, and I wondered what I could do to help the victims of this storm to make it through, or how I could help them cling to God after unimaginable loss and sorrow. The answer was, more or less, nothing. Not because there was nothing to be done, it was because of the word “I.”
Mayfield First United Methodist Church in Mayfield, KY
Mercy Health Hospital in Mayfield, KY
What can be worse than loss of life and possessions?
I think my greatest source of sorrow when disaster strikes a town, or a family, or an individual, is considering how the victims of the tragedy will react towards God. You have to admit that if a person believes in God or not, almost everyone who experiences something like this will talk to God in one way or another; either to seek Him for His comfort, or to curse Him for His apathy. Disaster and pain have a tendency to make temporal believers out of all of us. Do you know why that is? It is because the truth is written on all of our hearts, but our selfish bodies, along with the distractions of life, are really good at ignoring it. Then we realize we have no control and no guarantees, and through our fear we see Him clearly. Some of us through the lens of hope, others through a filter of anger, hate, and shame. The shame comes from knowing we have denied Him all this time, denied what we knew to be true, but now we feel it is too late, and that we can’t give in now, forced into submission by tragedy and sorrow. No, we will wait for a time when we can consider it, Him, on our own terms.
Yes, my greatest sorrow in times and places like these is that those who do not know God will have gathered more ammunition to use against God, to reject His existence. While others who do believe in Him will become angry and bitter, and eventually turning their backs on Him, leaving their faith behind. Does it take a strong Christian to turn to God in praise and thanksgiving in times of loss? I don’t think so and I hope not. Who are we to say how the Holy Spirit can move in someone’s heart in any given situation? While those who are stronger in faith will likely turn to God, some will not. Likewise, some who have been far away may find themselves looking towards Him for the healing and the hope that is only found in Him, some for the first time.
Why go?
You may be asking, as I did when I arrived, if I knew there was nothing I could do to make any difference in Mayfield, then why did I go? First and foremost, the Holy Spirit guided me to. The longing I had to be there alongside suffering brothers and sisters was irresistible and only explainable through the continual sensitizing of my heart by the Holy Spirit. Those are His tears that come so easily anymore, from the eyes of a man who refused to cry for anything, not to mention the fate of distant strangers. Then everything from the radio announcement, registration with Samaritan’s Purse, having the time to go, getting a negative Covid test, to finding the last hotel room in town after the first night, was all guided and gifted by God. That was the motivation, but what of the reason? That would be revealed while I was there.
Going into a disaster area by yourself, to work with a humble heart that is full of love, will provide little more than free labor and accomplish little more than removing one grain of sand from a hurting community’s sand box. Driving into town with a food truck and serving free meals to one hundred people a day is a great thing to do and demonstrates beautifully the ability of the human heart to love. It takes the stress and worry from immediate needs, but the endurance of that hope only lasts until the time of the next meal. If I were to walk into town and start knocking on doors and asking if I could pray for the people inside, or if I stood on the street corner and prayed over the community night and day, angles in heaven would rejoice but the people would not be physically served. (See James 2:14-17).
When I joined my group at Samaritan’s Purse, I put on that orange t-shirt and joined 15 to 20 other people. As the day passed, I watched crew members pray for homeowners, one even wept as she revealed she had lost a family member on 7th St. I saw the Salvation Army drive in and give meals to our crew and to hungry people. I saw chaplains from the Billy Graham Association talk to, pray with, and give Bible’s to the homeowner’s we served. I was informed that one homeowner we served accepted Jesus Christ into his life. The night of the storm his girlfriend called him and asked him to come home from his job at the Mayfield Candle Factory, which he did, right before 9 people died there. Something was stirring in his heart and eight days later he accepted Jesus when a couple of chaplains talked to him as we cleared his backyard of a fallen tree.
Giving the Bible to a Homeowner
Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Response Vehicle (DRV)
As I worked, dragging limbs and cutting with a chainsaw, I looked at all these wonderful things happening around me, and I realized that nothing would be different if I was not there. The other 15 people would get the brush cut and moved, the food would have been served, Bible’s delivered, prayers given, and salvation witnessed. And this is where I learned what my purpose was in Mayfield, Kentucky. It is a purpose that we all can fill, one that we all must aspire too. It was to simply strengthen the body of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful revelation that was. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
You see, when we all put those orange safety shirts on, the one’s that say, “Serving in Jesus’ Name,” we are visibly and actively showing people that faith is real and that God is working on their behalf through His body, the church. That’s right, the church, for while not one of us worship in the same building, together we are the church. This is where you see a difference. It is visible and it is in action. It is bold in its faith and unashamed of Jesus Christ. It serves the people under only one banner, the banner of the Holy God. It is serving in missions in your back yard.
The Hope of God
My prayer for the people in Mayfield, Edwardsville, Bowling Green, and the other communities effected by this disaster, and disasters past, is that no one, not even one, will fall away. My prayer is that the devil loses completely and that no one is lost due to these disasters, rather many more are saved and find their way to the hope and the comfort that is found in God the Father. My wife said it beautifully when she wrote about my trip. She said, “Mayfield, a place where people lost everything, and once again nature showed us how vulnerable life is. We give thanks for God’s faithfulness in the midst of chaos, pain, and death. If you feel lost and crumbled, THERE IS HOPE!”
Like me she is longing for the lost and crumbled to find their hope in God. She is pointing out that God’s faithfulness is being demonstrated by His body, His army of believers that descended onto Mayfield in the wake of the storm to stand with, pray for, and help their brothers and sisters in any way they could. Because all of us, no matter what you call yourself, are brothers and sisters. We all come from the same place, we all struggle the same struggles, and we all possess hearts that continually resist darkness, selfishness, and sin. We are all the same in the eyes of God, not one is better than the other. Remember that when you are tempted to judge the faults of another. Remember that God’s love for that person is just as strong as it is for you. And there lies the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ. He came for and He died for all of us! Your past, your social status, your religious background, your bank account, are all inconsequential. He will accept you. He will! I am 100% confident of that. And He will comfort you in your pain. He can touch your heart and give you a peace that you can’t understand. He may comfort the hurting through those who are encouraging. He provides for those in need via those who have plenty.
I have a personal testimony regarding this, and I’ve written about it here and there. When our son was seriously injured we turned to God and praised Him in the darkness. Our hearts cried out, but we chose to praise Him in our pain. He gave us peace in our hearts during those early and uncertain moments. He physically prepared our son’s body for surgery. He provided a skillful surgeon to operate on my son. He came through in a mighty, powerful, and miraculous way. Of course, we give thanks and praise to those wonderful doctors at Children’s Hospital, but not the glory. All the glory, all of it, goes to God!
Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to reach out if you are hurting, confused, or lost. Contact me or go to a pastor of a Bible teaching, God fearing church. In parting I leave you with the verse from 1 Kings 19 below. The winds may have destroyed Mayfield and taken the lives of our loved ones. The fire may destroy our forests and towns in the west. Earthquakes can strike us with unimaginable fear. But when the storm passes, we will find God in the stillness of our hearts. He is there to keep you and guide you as we rebuild, say goodbye, and lament. He is with you.
With love,
Chris
1 Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
James 2:14-17
14Suppose a person claims to have faith but doesn’t act on their faith. My brothers and sisters, can this kind of faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister has no clothes or food. 16Suppose one of you says to them, “Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well.” And suppose you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done? 17It is the same with faith. If it doesn’t cause us to do something, it’s dead.
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. 13We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. 14So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.
15Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 16And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. 19If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? 20 As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.
21 The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. 23 The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. 24 The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. 25 In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy.
27You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.
Have you ever received a gift that you cherished? Maybe it was the best gift you received for your birthday a certain year, or it was given by someone you admired or respected. Then you returned it, and you didn’t even get a refund. Could you imagine doing that? That is exactly what I almost did with a gift that God had given to me one summer day in Athens, Ohio. I learned a great lesson that day, what we Christians like to call, “revelation.”
“Hi, my name is Chris, and I’m an alcoholic.” I have not been to an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting, but being a persistent drinker is where this story begins. I didn’t drink because I liked the taste, although I did like the taste. I drank to feel something. Sometimes I drank to feel nothing. Either way, I drank to get drunk. One day, after drinking with a purpose for several days, I realized that I had succeeded, even if only for a short while, in drinking my troubles away. My rocky marriage, business stress, a baby in the house, working on a Master’s, but mostly it was the rocky marriage that I was escaping. One day I realized that I hadn’t thought about any of those things for at least a day in a half. I had done it! I had done what they said could not be done, I had drank my problems away. But there they were, approaching at great speed and ready for rendezvous in about thirty seconds. It turns out I did not succeed, but that moment was eye opening because it reflected to me what I had become in my house.
Another day I was driving to scout a project in Missouri, it was ten in the morning. I heard a beer bottle rattle beneath my seat and when I reached under, I found two full bottles of beer. I drank them both, and probably got a six pack for the drive home that night.
I started drinking at a very young age, at twelve or thirteen, and since high school alcohol came to define a large part of who I was. When I came to the end of myself in my early 30’s and accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God and my Savior, I admitted to Him more than once, that I was aware He would require me to carry this burden for the rest of my days. By reading the narrations above you can see that escape was unlikely, freedom impossible. I knew I was destined to fight with my wife over it, to continually disappoint her, to occasionally embarrass my kids, eventually get a DUI and enter financial distress, and I’d never be able to quit. I accepted it, and I let God know as much. I didn’t expect anything of Him, I didn’t deserve it.
I am so thankful I serve the God of miracles!
One day at church, in June of 2016, I asked my pastor for prayer. He told me to go home and make a list of all the things I needed to forgive my father for, and to do it today. I thought that was an odd request, since it had nothing to do with what I asked him to pray for. I didn’t make that list that day, but it stayed on my heart, and I decided to be obedient to the request. What could it hurt? About a week later I sat in my car, it was late at night, and I got out my computer and I made that list. It took about ten minutes, and I included both parents in it. I closed my computer and that was the end of it, I didn’t even show it to my pastor or tell him I had done the assignment. I don’t know how many days had passed, but it wasn’t many (I like to think it was the third day). I woke up one morning and it was as clear in my mind as is my own name, I was freed from alcohol addiction. I can’t explain how or why I knew, I just knew that it no longer defined who I was, it no longer had any power over me. I didn’t ask God for it, I didn’t pray about it (except for in the negative), and I didn’t expect it, but it happened.
A year later, in the spring of 2017, I found myself scouting a project for the Wayne National Forest in Athens, Ohio. Athens is a small college town with a nice campus and a “strip” that houses shopping, restaurants, and bars. It was a beautiful sunny day when I arrived, and saving the field work for the next day, I explored the town and ended up walking the strip. As I walked the sun was shining brightly on a brick wall across the street, and in that brick wall was an open door, and in the open door was blackness. It was literally a black rectangle in a brick wall. Music, laughter, talking, and the clinks of glasses could be heard as they leaked out into the street. I contemplated my new freedom from alcohol, and I concluded that last year that black hole in the wall would have been my first stop, and possibly my only stop, before I stumbled out and went back to my hotel room. Instead, I enjoyed a nice walk, saw the sites, and ended up in a restaurant that grew its own vegetables. This restaurant also produced its own line of craft beers, about 40 of them! I received a menu and the waitress said she’d be right back. I picked out a dish for dinner and then contemplated the rows of tappers on the walls. I wondered if it would hurt is I had one glass of beer. I had everything under control, a freed man from the grips of alcohol, so surely, I could enjoy the taste of one beer. Then I thought better of it, and leaned towards a sampler, what is called a flight. Then I could taste more than one kind and still have the equivalent of one beer. Ready to order, and pleased with my ability to enjoy these drinks, thanks to the freedom I received a year earlier, I waited for the waitress to come back. She didn’t come. I waited. I thought. She didn’t come. I waited. I thought. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. He said, “Chris, if you want to give back to Me the gift I gave to you, then that is your choice.” The waitress came. I ordered water.
Do you see how easy it is, even unknowingly, to return or reject a gift or a blessing the Lord has given to us? If I had taken those drinks that day, isn’t it possible that I would have lost the protection of that miracle I received a year earlier? A miracle, mind you, that affected my life so profoundly that I was walking down a sidewalk a year later contemplating how it had radically changed my life! I was minutes away from returning that gift to God!
What does God say in His word?
Maybe you haven’t returned a gift from God, but have you set one aside, or put one on a shelf for a little while? Then it is time to pick it back up, dust it off, and reclaim it. James 1:17 tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” That tells me if God gave you a gift, He gave it to you for a reason, and that reason still stands because God does not second guess the gifts He gives to you. It is still there, you can take it back, even if the world has deceived you away from it, or even taken it away from you. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that another gift from God is that we have been saved through faith, by grace. It is not our own doing. You have an abundance of grace available to you, and it is full of love which will cover a multitude of sins. The world, your mistakes, even your rebellion, can’t take you away from God, because by grace you have been saved through faith. I know you still have that faith.
Finally, God gave us the greatest gift in the history of the world. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He did not send His Son to condemn you, He sent Jesus to save you, to give you life that you may have it in abundance on this side of heaven. I can testify that I am a free man today, only because I have Jesus Christ in my heart. If you have forgotten Jesus, or have not yet considered Him, now is the time to return and now is the time to seek. Do not wait. You are only putting off the greatest journey of your life.
Believe. Taste and see. Search your heart for what is already there.
We all have scars. They can come in many forms, not only the visible remembrances of an injury or a surgery. Other scars are emotional, unseen wounds, that even when explained appear too minor to be considered tragic. A scar can be a tattoo permanently drawn into your skin, a hole created by a piercing, or signs of early aging from long-term substance abuse. Some are regrets that we carry, memories of actions that we would take back if only we could, regrets of pain we have caused others. Forgiveness we desire from those who will not be able to give it on their own accord. The pains of a former life lived in drug addiction or abuse.
The tragedy of our scars is not what they represent about our past, but what they can do to our future. Too many of us have allowed our scars, our past, to define who we are today, and where we will go tomorrow. We have allowed our scars to tell us that we don’t belong here or there, that we can’t do this or that, or we will never be anything else. They tell us that we have already determined our fate in life, and that there is no going back, that scars remain forever. We have let our past, our scars, define who we are.
Like the smell of a skunk’s spray weeks after the unfortunate encounter, it is true that our scars can linger, they can stay with us. Even when we are in the midst of a time of peace and joy, the past can sneak up on us in the most unlikely places and methods, reminding us of who we are, telling us we will never escape the reality we created in years past. But that is a lie, because the past is nothing, it is gone. Below are some Biblical ways to overcome the past and discover a new path forward.
Do not let your scars keep you from seeking, finding, and keeping God in your heart.
God loves you. Yes, you! He loves you in the same way He loves me, just as much as He loves the little old lady from church who prays to Him every day. Believe that, because it is true. You may not have accepted Him, but He is waiting for you. Do not think for a moment that you couldn’t possibly turn to God, for any reason. Maybe you think the people around you would not agree, or the tattoos you have are evil, or your job is in a sinful industry. That is not your concern when it comes to you and God. These things are of the world, and when you hear people say to “come as you are,” that is exactly what it means. You don’t have to change anything in your life to kneel down and pray to God for the first time. He understands where you are, where you came from, and why. Jesus Christ walked the earth, and one of the reasons He did so was to ensure us that He is sympathetic to our struggle in this world, a struggle that has put us all in the same boat. Rich or poor, black or white, east or west, we are all sinners of equal magnitude in His sight. What is required of you is that you seek Him, and He will guide you into a relationship with Him, a relationship that will change your life.
Do not let your scars continue to define who you are today
Regret is a powerful and potentially life changing emotion. In the feeling of regret we know we have done wrong, we know we would not want to do it again, and we know we want to change. Does not regret call us to change? But so often we regress back to where we were before the regret, to try it again, hoping for a different, better, more acceptable outcome. Tomorrow is a new day, and yesterday is gone forever. The Bible tells us all we have is this day, this moment. Use it, right now, to start change in your life.
Remove from your life those things, or people, that encourage your embracing of the past
This is true for most of us who have experienced addiction. If we continue to surround ourselves with the same people who enable us to continue using alcohol, drugs, or sex, then we can not escape the hold it has on us. I know people who have left town, literally moved, in order to get clean. Our environments, acquaintances, and routines can discourage change, even if we are in toxic situations. We find we can not escape, it just won’t let us. It is hard to move on, to reject relationships with others who do not see the errors of their ways. Many times they are in as much pain as we are, and we bring comfort to each other through our toxic behavior. But it is a reality we must face, and a difficult decision we must take. In the end, both parties could be saved, but someone has to have the courage to act first, regardless of the pain it may cause.
A child does not let the use diapers in the past determine how they use the bathroom in the future
You were young once. Inexperienced, under the influence of others (others who may not have been godly, nonetheless kind), looking for adventure, pushing limits, learning, discovering, and making mistakes along the way. It’s OK, it is called life. But we grow, do we not? We gain experience and knowledge. The very essence of these insights is the encouragement to use them to build a better life. To use our past mistakes to make better decisions.
Let your scars be something you have to offer for good, not for continuing in the darkness they created
Pain and damage can be hard to overcome. One way to conquer our scars is to use them for good. Your experiences were real, and there is wisdom to be gotten through them. Sharing your experiences with others who are struggling in the same way you have, like addiction, or serving those who are in positions you have overcome, like homelessness, are powerfully encouraging to others. And when you do these things through our Lord Jesus, they are anointed and used to change lives. Lay down your scars at the foot of the cross and let the Lord use them for His kingdom. But first, you must surrender to Him, giving Him your life, your past, and your future. Your scars don’t have to be for you to keep, you can give them to God, and He will take those burdens from you.
Let’s look at the scars of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Physically He was cut and pierced, leaving scars on His back, in His side, on His head, and on His hands and feet. Emotionally He was humiliated, ridiculed, threatened, falsely accused, and denied. Socially He was isolated, rejected, and sorrowful. He was mocked by the religious elite, and abandoned as a fraud by the rest of His people. On a worldly level, the mental and physical turmoil Jesus experienced would be detrimental to the future of most of us. If we had survived, we never would have recovered, never again feeling worthy or fully accepted. But it is not men and women who we seek to be accepted by, for you can see what the results of those relationships are. Our calling, your calling, is to seek God, His favor, His love, and His grace. When you can see that, the scars on your body, the emotional damage and humiliation you suffered, the addictions that have controlled and defined you, the tattoos that represent former desires and attitudes, will mean nothing under the awesomeness and holiness of the love and the future God has for you.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Savior. He died and was risen in victory to break the hold this world has on you and to give you the opportunity to be reunited with God, your Creator! Look at this world and consider how it leads you, where it leads you, and what it leads you to. You must be able to see the futility of pursuing desires that can not be quenched. Who of you has ever drank enough alcohol to bring lasting peace? Who has consumed enough cocaine or marijuana to achieve newness? Who of you has had enough sex to be satisfied for any length of time? Who has enough toys, games, cars, square footage, or online friends to fill the hole in your heart?
Have you considered God? Have you considered the historical, proven truth of Jesus Christ and what that might mean in your life? Have you considered to break away from days already gone, and look forward to the new?
Isaiah 51
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You
Zechariah 1
3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.
Joel 2 12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
Jeremiah 30
16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; No one seeks her.”
Isaiah 1 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
It has been known since the beginning of church history that we (believers) have not been united. When the western church slaughtered the eastern church in the Crusades we knew our political and cultural differences would continue to burden us. When Reformers slaughtered the Anabaptists over the issue of adult baptism, we knew that our opinions and our pride would trump acceptance of others who think differently. Before the most recent cultural invasion of our churches, which has made fractured denominations largely irrelevant, those denominations and their beliefs reminded us all that we could not be one on this side of heaven. We have hidden ourselves inside our own buildings, comfortable with the people we know, to the point that a member of one church would not go to another church’s fundraiser or outreach. Often believers who reach out to another church for assistance on a project will be turned away because, as they will likely tell you, “You are not a member of this congregation.”
I was thinking during a three-hour event that intended to bring the local churches together for a night of worship, how, or why, our local churches have largely isolated and kept to themselves. I believe it goes way beyond the fact that most churches are busy with their own missions, with some spending countless hours serving the poor, others serving families, others preparing missionaries, while others serve internationals. Being stretched so thin already, how could they participate in someone else’s ministry? Of course, they cannot. But they can make time to come together to celebrate our common beliefs and the mission we all share, to exude the love of Jesus and our faith in Him.
In my mind, it is political affiliation, opinions on social reform, economic ideas, and the way different churches apply the Bible to our current culture that are keeping us apart today. What do all these things have in common? They don’t belong behind the pulpit. I’ve experienced first-hand what it is like to listen to pastors include their political stance into their Sunday sermons. While I shared the views of the pastor, it was painful for me to listen to it each week, and others in the congregation did not necessarily share his views. It divided the church body and caused a lot of pain. I attended a weekly Zoom session that was dubbed as a Q&A on the Bible, which actually turned into a platform for the pastor to expose all the political and social conspiracy theories he read about or heard on the news. On a very poplar and favorite radio station I listen to in St. Louis, which hosts many of America’s top biblical preachers, I have heard their newest preacher in the lineup take a shot at economic policies of the current federal administration, give opinions on the war in Afghanistan, immigration policy, take jabs at the welfare system and more, without fail, every time I hear him speak; and his audience never cheers louder in the pews than when he throws punches at political, societal, and cultural topics. It is embarrassing to me to listen to the congregation applause and cheer at this rhetoric, it is clear the validation of their opinions and position are much more important to them than drawing nearer and being more like Jesus Christ. Still, in another experience, I talked to a pastor of a church who said he did not believe the Bible was completely relevant in today’s culture, and that we needed to interpret it to fit what we feel and believe in, today.
I can honestly say it has made me angry and is still making me angry today. I wonder if it is my place to tell a pastor what he or she should preach or speak on, if it is my place to feel such emotion over what the leaders of churches believe. After all, I am what they call a layman. I did not go to seminary, and I don’t have a degree or any right as far as I know to teach the Bible. But I do believe in the Holy Spirit, and I am certain, based on what I’ve read in the Bible, that He will give us the knowledge and wisdom to discern biblical truth and the voice of God when He wills.
Ephesians 1:16-18
…remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened…
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Galatians 1:11-12
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
I meditated on that anger and my thoughts went to Jesus, who flipped over the tables of the money changers in the temple. The Bible says He was angry, angry because His Father’s house was being defiled. He was zealous for the Father and for His authority and due respect. What an action He took! Today, fellow believers, I think it is time we flipped over some tables! Excuse me for a moment while I use Biblical prose to speak in the Old Testament prophetic (I do not claim to speak prophetically here):
The Lord, your God says,
“You are using My pulpit to advance political agendas and your affiliations to political parties. You are causing division and anger, and most certainly isolation. Flip that table over and get it out of My house!
You criticize your leaders for their economic policies and their ideas for social reforms, insisting that yours are better. Why have you not prayed for the leaders I have placed above you? Instead you spread anger and hate for those I have placed in authority. Flip that table over and get it out of My house!
The judgements you make on people who are involved with social and political movements you do not agree with, no matter how wrong the movement might be, it is on a table in My sanctuary. They are my children too, and they are lost, hurting, bitter, and afraid! Who are you to judge? Did I not teach you to love? Flip that table over and get it out of My house!
To the liberal churches who no longer believe My Word is absolute and infallible truth, who fear preaching My truth due to the retribution they may face, who have bowed down to the demands of culture and the despicable idols of today, flip that table over and get it out of My house!
And for the congregations, who have joined together and gathered around pastors who will proclaim their political, social, and economic leanings, so they can feel safe in numbers, so they can know where their allies are, flip that table of pride and self over and get it out of My house!”
(I love reading the prophets!)
Jesus Christ spent some of His most precious and final words praying to the Father that we would be one in Him and in the Father, just as He and the Father are one.
Ephesians 4:4-6
4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
How can we be one when we are divided so easily on the whims of the current (or previous) administration or the current cultural movement or the current social upheaval? How can we be one when one church preaches the Word of God, while another preaches current politics sprinkled with the Word of God, and yet another has thrown the Word of God out the window in favor of the demands of culture and how we feel? We cannot and we will not, until we can remove ourselves and our emotions and refocus on the focal point, the truth as spoken by the Word of God, the Bible.
When Paul was in Roman custody, in Caesar’s house, he did not bargain with or try to convince Caesar to change his policy on welfare, economics, slavery, or war. He preached the Gospel of Jesus. Why do we invest our time together as a body on these matters? Do you not see that this path is dividing us even further than our traditional differences in biblical interpretation ever could?
(As a footnote, don’t think for a minute that I don’t feel that biblical truths against abortion, sexuality, and oppression should be spoken on in church. Quite the contrary. These are biblical truths, not political sides, and I’ve heard many pastors speak on these biblical truths while keeping politics out of it. If you are looking for one listen too, check out Alistair Begg from Truth for Life Ministries (https://www.truthforlife.org/). I once made a simple statement in a church worship service I was leading that we need to “let our little boys be little boys and our little girls be little girls.” I was reprimanded and essentially fired by the pastor for being “political” in church. Hogwash! This pastor fears the world and what the world thinks when biblical truth is spoken and defended. There is a clear difference in preaching Truth and social/political bickering. If you can’t discern it, then pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you, He will be faithful to those who are seeking.)
Does not God know the number of the days we have to live? The Bible says that it is so, therefor it is truth. It is a fact that death awaits all of us, one day. Maybe it will come slowly, its approach well announced, and its arrival accepted. Or maybe it will come suddenly, without warning, taking us away and depriving us of any chance of repentance, opportunity, or farewell. Which is better? I suppose it depends on the circumstance, but it is probably safe to say that knowing the end is in close proximity would be desirable for most, if anything at least to use the remaining time to say goodbye.
But it wasn’t the case for him. Recently retired, in love, living a relaxed existence, unloading the toys of his younger days as he consciously unburdened and simplified his life, he was planning the next 15 years of the good life. Current events would have been the fireworks show this 4th of July, the pontoon boat on Labor Day. Future plans might have included a trip to Mount Rushmore, or where he’d watch the 2024 eclipse.
I can picture his last day. While his woman was out of town visiting family he stayed on the homestead, alone and content, piddling around in the garage, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and more often than not, mowing the large lawn and taking care of the grounds. He wanted for not much else than this simple existence, he was happy; they were happy.
When concerns were raised I was certain there was an explanation, but when I walked into the garage the next morning I was now certain the concerns were legitimate. Talking to her on the phone I entered the house, but he wasn’t there. I assumed he would have passed inside of a heart attack, and would have preferred it that way. What could have possibly happened out here? Going outside I saw a group of vultures in the yard, but there was noting else there. I told her I’d call her back after I walked around. The vultures held my attention for too long. At first it wasn’t comprehendible, unrecognizable. A double take and denial continued to rebuke reality; it couldn’t be real, maybe a Halloween decoration, but not real. Then the sudden, voluntary deep breath in, audible and familiar. A hand follows to cover the mouth as if to prevent any more of your own soul from escaping your body. Immediately doubts and alternative outcomes try to convince the mind in hopes of changing reality. Maybe it is not him! Maybe I am seeing it wrong. Finally, the two arms, bloated, discolored, and locked in place, sticking up out of the water as if they were reaching for heaven, desperately wanting to be saved, are recognized for what they are. His lawn mower was visible just beneath the water. A glance revealed the delicacies the vultures had preferred. Far from a scene of salvation, more like a scene from the pit of hell.
The journey from incomprehension to acceptance took seconds to complete. My friend, a man whom I’ve known for four years, was dead. The eyes that I had looked into, the eyes that revealed the kindness and simplicity that defined him were no more. The personality I interacted with had been extinguished. The easy-going neighbor, who liked to drink beer and show his love for us by mowing his yard, my yard, and the roadside up and down the lane, was gone. The voice that spoke no harsh words, nor revealed any pride or envy or bitterness, had been unexpectedly silenced forever. The work he enjoyed had ceased.
Taking no more steps closer, not wanting to carry the weight of any more detail on my shoulders, I turned and walked away from the pond. Mumbling what, I don’t remember, I hit my knees when I’d felt I had gotten far enough away and cried for my friend and the tragic end to his young life, and for the loss of those closest to him. In the hours that would follow, which blended into days, I would come back to that scene in the pond. I contemplated the burden of discovering that a living soul had ceased to be, being, at least for a short while, the only person who knew what his fate was. Being the person who would start the chain of events that would ultimately inform his family and friends of his tragic death. I wondered what kind of spiritual impact it had in the unseen. I contemplated on his final moments, wondering if he went straight under, pinned beneath the mower 30 seconds before he succumbed to the water’s superiority, or if he was able to get his head out, just high enough to take a breath. How long did he struggle in that posture before he was unable to fight any longer? I am so sorry, my friend. What a simple mistake, to simple to cause such calamity and pain. To perfect to result in this most tragic and permanent outcome. How viable it is that you would have stood and climbed out of that pond, losing only a lawn mower and a few breaths.
I wonder, now that you are gone, if you carried the Holy Spirit in your heart, if you knew how to give your life to Jesus Christ. We never talked about that. We only talked about projects we were working on, what we did over the weekend, simple and non-threatening, friendly and easy-going. Sometimes I was too busy, or in too much of a hurry to talk at all. I admit, sometimes I’d cut the conversation short, severing the little time we had, because I had something more pressing to do and I didn’t want to “waste” the time. I’m so sorry, my friend.
I gave you a copy of my CD, and now I realize my passive method of witnessing does not show up to the table when it really counts. It is a coward’s approach. How many others have I cheated by handing off a CD of unfamiliar songs, amateurly recorded, expecting that to lead them onto a path of considering the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why don’t I use the giving as the start of the conversation, an opening for the deeper question? Now all I can do is hope. Hope that you knew Jesus and hope that I’ll see you again in the glories of heaven.
And, it feels most of the time, all I can do for the masses of people who are out there, living apart from God, largely in response to the influence of the world around them, is to offer yet another plea via a passive medium to consider God in your hearts. We do not know the day or the hour of our own demise, nor of the plans of God to send His Son, Jesus Christ, meaning urgency is prudent. Do not delay because you want to do it on your own accord, not because someone urged you too, lest you give them any credit or reason to boast. Think of the last time you considered God but passed on the thoughts because someone else was involved, or the situation wasn’t right, or you thought you’d do it tomorrow. How many times have you done that? When will the time be just right for you to consider? Now! It is now. He is waiting, patiently with love and anticipation at your running into His open arms.
