When the Unrighteous Act Unrighteous

 As was true with many, many Christ followers, Jewish people, and others with some moral standards, I was shocked by President Biden's proclamation of The Day of Transgender Visibility. I do not know why I was surprised; but I was. After all, I can only see the fruit of unrighteousness when I see what Mr. Biden says and does. His unrighteousness notwithstanding, I guess I did not expect such an immoral decree on a high holiday of the Christian churches in America. Silly me. I should know better than to expect as disrespectful man to act respectful. 

Those who justify his actions say he was only doing this because March 31 is the annual day for Transgender Visibility (TV).  Therefore, Resurrection Sunday must take a back seat to the early announcement previously mentioned. Their thoughts evidently convey that TV is every bit as important as a 2-millenia tradition for Christians. Let's analyze that for a moment. A man pretending to be a woman, or a woman pretending to be a man, carries the equivalent weight of the most important Christian holiday of the year. Uh, I do not think so! 

In what appeared to be an attempt I will describe as "too little too late," Mr. Biden posted Easter wishes for the many Christians in America. In fact, after his TV proclamation, it was distasteful--even nauseating--to read. Consider the fact he or his staff declared that no Christian designs were allowed at the White House annual egg hunt. I found his Resurrection Day post to be patronizing and insincere. 

Mr. Biden must repent. His staff must repent. They must seek the Lord while He may be found. 

Pray for this man's salvation. Perhaps he has not fully hardened his heart; perhaps the Lord will give Mr. Biden another opportunity to be saved. 

Most of all, do not be overly surprised when the unrighteous act unrighteous. They are only following their depraved nature.

Act Like Men

I want to speak to the men who may stumble upon this.

 A portion of a verse of Scripture has resounded in my mind over the past few days. It is found in 1 Corinthians 16:13: 

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Act like men. 

What does this even mean anymore? Think about it; we are warned on every side to watch out for our toxic masculinity (and I agree that unregenerated masculinity can be toxic). We are called misogynists for any stated idea that violates the senses of the women in the proverbial room. Too many boys have been reared in homes without a male role model. [SIDE NOTE: In some cases, even if there is a male present, he is there in violation of biblical principles; and in other cases, he is there but uninvolved.] This and more causes us to hide what it means to be a man. 

Now, for those who do not want to do a lot of reading, you can listen to Francis Chan speak about men here. It's a good message.

While I am tempted to do a full exegesis of this verse, I only want to apply that simple declaration to act like men for the men who may read this. Perhaps something will be meaningful to you.

I will begin with the end of the verse: be strong. Perhaps it would be better to write this as, be becoming strong, or, be strengthened. We are to grow in our strength in the Lord and of the Lord. If you want to be strengthened, look to the source of strength. The Lord is your strength. The indwelling Holy Spirit is your strength and strengthener. 

• Men, we must act like men and guard our eyes. I am largely speaking about porn. It is still a problem. It is a plague in this world. 
• Are you a single man? Act like a man and keep your zipper zipped! God says that sex is good; but He also stipulates it is for marriage. You can do this. You can be strengthened in the Lord.
• Are you married? Act like a man and show your wife love. Let's get real. Show her the kind of love that will meet her needs. 
• Some of you think you are too good to help out at home. You leave the tedious work of a clean house to your wife, never helping out. I have a news flash for you: SHE'S NOT YOUR MOTHER! You did not marry your mother. Quit expecting her to come behind you, picking up your nasty clothes and other things your mother may have done.  
• Some of you want your wives to be the cleaning lady. What? You're too tired to pick up a broom or a vacuum? You're hands can't bear loading the dishwasher, or washing those dishes you want to eat from? Poor baby! Act like men! You can show her some love by helping with that daily chore.
• Some of you look at your wives as a chambermaid. You want her to make your bed, fluff your pillow and leave a mint on it, and turn back the covers. Why don't you do that for her? 
• Some of you want her as a sex toy. Act like men and treat her as the most precious thing to come into your life, except for the Lord Jesus. 
• Let me speak to the dads for a moment. Do you have children at home? Act like men and be involved with all your children. It is cliché, I know; but children spell love, TIME. They really do. Your direct interaction with them means more than all the toys China can produce. 
• As the husband and father, I want to emphasize to you that real men lead in spiritual things. Too many men I have known in my lifetime are content to leave spiritual development to the mother of their children. Men, we are the spiritual leaders in the home. We are given the role and responsibility to be the primary Bible teachers. We men are good at practical things. We need to improve when it comes to spiritual leadership. 

Too many words in a blog get looked over. I could say more. I believe these few thoughts will provoke you to love and to good works. 

Jesus is Lord!

Twitter Jail

 Today, I found myself in Twitter Jail. Why? @Twitter decided I was fomenting violence. What violent thing did I do, you ask? Simply put, I posted an article from The Daily Wire. I made no comment for or against that article. For fear of being locked out of this rarely used site, I will refrain from mentioning it. I will only say that the dreaded article was concerning an announcement about a certain radical groups plan for a day of vengeance. You may read about it here, and here. Let the reader understand...

I tried to appeal this surprising censorship. In the most illogical way possible, the good censors at @Twitter refused to reply to my questions as to what I had done that was wrong. They only responded with the notice that I lost my appeal. Can we say, kangaroo court? Mr. Musk, at least have your censor board answer legitimate questions. Do not discount a sincere query. 

To be clear, I am alarmed by any group declaring a day of vengeance. Alt-right, or Alt-left, violent behavior is reprehensible. Perhaps I should have said that, instead of just posting an article without comment. I don't know. I don't know because @Twitter would not talk with me. They would only do the most unreasonable thing and say, as it were, "What we say goes. Period." I find that rather sophomoric. 

Oh, well; I should be out of my holding cell by bedtime. Not that it will matter. I simply don't have time to be posting every little thing on Mr. Musk's popular site. Life is too valuable to spend it all on social media. That's a post for a different day.

Jesus is Lord!

Kevin, from somewhere in Southern America. 

It's Friday; but Sunday's coming!

The great S. M. Lockridge immortalized the title I used. I have heard his message countless times. His title serves as the backdrop of my midnight meditation on this, the greatest holy day of Christendom. I pray it blesses you.

I can tell you that it’s Friday, but Sunday’s a comin’! That tomb sat cool and stuffy with the mustiness of death. No light shines into it. A stone covers the entrance. Outside, bored soldiers of the royal Roman guard stand watch. And time crawls for them. Because it’s Friday. But Sunday’s a comin’. 

Friday gets old and limps away. Grown men who swore to follow Jesus to the death cower somewhere in the corner of a room. To them, time has reversed. They replay their solemn promise to stand by Jesus, no matter what. Their shame and their tears enshroud their faces.

Two are missing. One hanged himself once Satan was finished with him. He was a son of perdition. Soon, his body will fall off his tree—a tree from which no one took him down. He is forever cursed. Sunday never comes for this one.  No, this son of perdition will see across a fixed gulf into the eyes of the One he betrayed.

That other, the brash, bold, brawny fisherman was sifted by Satan, too. And he has drunk his bitter tears ever since the night he denied Jesus. He is inconsolable. He cannot but relive his denials again and again. But it’s Friday, it’s only Friday.

Saturday carries the same drudgery outside as the two days before it. Guards curse the man in the tomb for being such a bother. They mock the scared Jews who begged for a guard. They rail at their centurion for choosing them. They watch the sun move, waiting for their shift to end. But Sunday’s a comin’.

Daylight begins to creep up in the east. But wait, that light is too bright for this time of the day. And who are these men who glow brighter than the light? And who is this One who stands before them in a glory even brighter than the men? As one, the men—64 by some accounts—fall to their faces, trembling, quaking, crying, and fainting of fear. With barely a move of the hands, the two men roll away the stone. And there sits an empty grave. The great and might Roman guards run for their lives. This is no place for them.

It’s Sunday, now. And time has begun to move to a different clock. You can almost hear a song. Is that someone humming, “Victory is mine! Victory is mine!”

A band of women arrive, fearing what they may find. They came to commemorate death. To throw on more spices and try to slow it down. But they find an open tomb, empty grave clothes, and two men who marvel that they seek the living among the dead. Some run away, excited and confused. One stays back.

He calls out and she begs to know what happened to the body. He calls her name. A single word. 

Mary. 

Her heart leaps at the voice of the One who said, “My sheep hear my voice, and they know me.” 

Mary.

Jesus the crucified stands before her as Jesus the glorified. He tells Mary to go back and tell the others. And be sure to tell Peter. Because for Peter, the small rock of a man, Sunday has come, too.

Oh, I see the time. It’s Friday. But Sunday’s a comin’!

The 21st Century Man of God, from 1 Tim. 4:12-16

I am a man with a calling. I am called to preach the glorious gospel of Christ. I am among those who have been called to share the gospel and plant churches in other nations. I am called to be pastor of a great church. I am proud to be in the number of those whom God has called. More than that, I am humbled to be chosen by God for the tasks He has blessed me with through the years. And it's been a lot of years--almost 41. 

I think the fact I still have a passion to be involved in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ gives me a small amount of authority to speak about the 21st Century man of God. I want to share some timeless truths from Paul's first letter to Timothy. As I contemplated this late last night, l considered beginning with chapter one. Night turned to day; the ideas became more focused. Please consider the following as God's counsel for the 21st Century pastor. If you are not among that number, consider praying that these self-evident truths will be a reality for your pastors. 

V12 – 14 reveal the man of God and the lifestyle he practices. Today, we have time to look at verse 12.

Paul begins with the people’s perspective about who Timothy was: let no one despise your youth. We do not know how old Timothy was when Paul said this. Most believe Timothy was somewhere between 35 and 40. One man said that Timothy may have been young in years, but he was not young in the Lord. He had a rich heritage.

I have read things by Charles Spurgeon that he preached when he was just barely 21 and I had to remind myself that his deep thoughts originated from such a young man. Timothy was a man with that kind of spiritual heritage, taught since his childhood about the things of God.

When the Bible introduced Joseph to us, he was a young man—a teenager. He was the second in command in Egypt by age 30.

When we meet David, he is also just a young man. He is mentioned for his wisdom and courage, even at such a young age.

But Rehoboam, a young man, was one who caused all to despise his youth. He rejected wisdom from the elders of the land and followed the foolishness of his peers.

The wise young pastor must be careful to be a Joseph and a David, not a Rehoboam.

Be an example – the Greek word is tupos; we get type from this. A clearer word for us would probably be pattern. This is the frightening thought: new believers, especially, are going to pattern themselves after the images of Christlikeness that they see in us. I was never more aware of this than when on the mission field. As we led men and women to Christ, we knew they would need a mentor. They would need a role model to follow. It’s cliché to say it, but you are the only Bible some people will ever read. You are the best example of Christlikeness some will ever know. This is especially true for the pastor.

I am disturbed by the low expectations some pastors place upon themselves. I am equally disturbed by the unreasonable expectations some churches place upon pastors and their families. That reality notwithstanding, it is the pastor of whom we speak now. He must be the example that God called him to be.

Paul lists 6 areas in which the pastor must be an example of Christlikeness:

·       In word – John Phillips wrote that Timothy’s everyday speech was to be of such character consistency, and content that it would make people think of Jesus. This usually applies to the spoken word. The invention of social media has given rise to a new way to speak with others. Does your social media speech make people want to follow Jesus, or is it divisive, distracting, and disheartening? I was rebuked on social media for admonishing a group of believers who were condemning a pastor of a well-known church. It was clear, though, that their “words” were bringing division, not healing, to the situation.

·       In conduct – if you have KJV, it reads conversation here. The better translation is conduct, though 100 years ago conversation referred to conduct. John MacArthur wrote, “An excellent minister is required to be a model of righteous living who manifests his biblical convictions in every area of his life." One reason for this is that people will follow what they see more than what they hear. Another reason is that a preacher has more authority in his message if people see that he practices what he preaches.

·       In love – as MacArthur puts it, this is self-sacrificing service on behalf of others, without respect as to who they are. A man and his wife turned against their pastor at one church several years ago. He even spoke against him in business meeting. The pastor went to see him later that week. The man said he couldn’t believe he was there. The pastor told him that it was evident something bothered him, and he wanted to understand what he had done to offend him. He admitted that he was put up to speaking out like that. As the pastor left, the man thanked him and told him it meant a lot to him for the pastor to take the time to listen to him.

·       In spirit – this word is missing in some translations. Since the majority of Greek texts use it, we will, too. Spirit is used for one’s attitude. The pastor must approach the ministry with a right attitude about his ministry. I have been surprised by some who groan to me about having to study to preach. I have been amazed at those who have said that think a lot about resigning or leaving the ministry altogether. There is also the attitude of humility. Peter told the elders in 1 Peter 5 to be clothed with humility. We don’t deserve to handle the Word of God; we are privileged to preach. Spirit refers to passion, according to Warren Wiersbe. We need to be passionate about what God has called us to do.

·       In faith – we are speaking of faithfulness, of unswerving commitment. When it comes to ministry, the pastor must be consistently trustworthy. Pam and I attended a wedding once up in Memphis. The associate pastor assigned to do the wedding forgot. There was another preacher there who was available to do the ceremony. The associate pastor ambled in sometime during the reception. The pastor must be dependable.

·       In purity – A.T. Robertson described this as the sinlessness of life. MacArthur points directly to sexual purity. Oliver Greene described it as biblical holiness. It goes without saying that we are not asserting sinless perfection. We are speaking of being disentangled from the ways of this world, of this culture. We don't have to smell like and wear the garments stained by sin in order to be among them and reach men and women. Paul already wrote about being an example in word. Here's where purity overlaps that truth: watch your language! Let the world see that there is something different about your speech.

The 21st Century Man of God must be an example. Pray you will be one. Pray your pastors will be that example. 

A Brief View from the Front Pew

Rarely do I open my private life to a public forum. I don't have a Facebook account; I seldom post personal pics on Instagram. I use Twitter mostly for professional purposes. I have my numerous reasons for such a counter-culture move. I don't like exposing my life to hundreds. Okay, dozens. (Sigh) Maybe 2 dozen....

That being said, I want to open up in this post. I want to share some renewed insights to a lifelong quest.

Recently, I found myself in my church's worship center. I go there often. From time to time, I take my pastoral staff there to pray. It's a lovely place, as far as traditional churches go. This was my view, complete with the lack of artificial lighting.

As I sat there, meditating on the Lord, contemplating my role as senior pastor of a once capacity-filled congregation, I sensed a quiet nudge from the Holy Spirit. He does that, you know. Your thoughts may be going one direction and then the Holy Spirit nudges you to go another.

Or maybe He taps you on the shoulder on the side He wants you to look.

Or maybe He lifts your chin, if you are downcast.

MAYBE....maybe He takes you by both shoulders and forces you to "make eye contact."

All I know is quietly, simply, and gently, I sensed the presence of the Lord. It was as though He sat down right beside me, looking at the same pulpit that held my attention.  Then, after a eternal second, He spoke. He used words and He spoke. Penetrating words flooded my heart, then my mind.

"Without me, you can do nothing." -- John 15:5c. These were not words spoken in anger. They were not words of criticism. This was the purest love you would ever know.

He spoke, then I did. "I know, Lord. I know."

My heart and mouth was suddenly filled with confession of the truth to the Truth:

"I can't preach without you. I can't be a pastor without you. I can't be a husband without you. I can't be a father without you. I can't be a grandfather without you."

I probably said more. But If I did, my lack of memory likely means those words were not meant for public consumption.

The moment was sacred. Sharing it is not easily done. Still, I thought that these words could help someone over a rough patch in their journey. If not, at least you got a peek inside an aging preacher's heart. So, in a rare return to the blogosphere, I share a brief view from the front pew.

An Old Man Named Zack

Christmas. 2017. TWO THOUSAND SEVENTEEN. Twenty centuries and seventeen years. Plus a few, based on more accurate calendaring.

Think about those days leading up to the most pivotal day since the world was created. More pivotal than when the sun moved backwards in the days of Hezekiah. More jarring than the time the sun stood still for Joshua. More life-changing than when the Lord God parted the Red Sea for Moses. All of this, and more.

The year before a silenced clock in heaven began to tick once more. The second hand moved, but not in the beat of 60 seconds per minute. It clicked off more slowly. Slow, but steady.

The Father summoned Gabriel, a trusted messenger. He told him it was time for the messages he was tasked with delivering. First, was an old priest, mostly shriveled up, but still serving the Lord. No retirement for this man. Besides his wife, Elizabeth, old Zacharias didn't have anything left to live for. There were no children in his home. He and Elizabeth were never able to conceive. The dreams of children were long gone. The pallor of a childless home hid behind the face of everyone who knew them. "Hi, Zack, Hi Betty. [Poor guys; they never had a child. I wonder what they did that God wouldn't give them a son?]"

The trustworthy old priest scurried about the holy place, doing whatever it was the priests had to do in that sacred room. In his case, it was burning incense on the altar that rested just before the veil into the holy of holies--the resting place of the ark of the covenant. What irony. The incense symbolized the prayers of God's people. Yet, here stood a man whose prayer for a son had never been answered. Yet...

Inside, Zacharias is offering the incense. Outside, men and women are praying at the same time.

I wonder if his hand was steady as he approached that altar? I wonder if a prayer was on his lips as he approached this very holy altar? In his surprising fashion, as Zacharias laid the incense on the altar, Gabriel suddenly appeared, just to the right of the altar. It's a good thing Zacharias had a good heart. Those sudden appearances can jar a person's heart.

This man is now paralyzed with fear. This is not a baby-faced little creature, holding a bow and arrow, or however they portray those things. This is a messenger of God! And he stands in his stately glory.

But Gabriel is a messenger of the God Who Comforts. And he brings a message on his behalf: "Don't be afraid. Your prayer for a son has been answered. You and Elizabeth will have a son."

An old wound in the old priest's heart has been ripped open. The disappointment of the years, scarred over, toughened by years of no answer in the time he and his bride prayed together, is now exposed. The root of bitterness that stinks like rotten eggs threatens to overpower the fragrance of the incense. Zacharias asks with unfettered disbelief (and maybe anger), "HOW WILL I KNOW THIS? I AM AN OLD MAN AND MY WIFE IS ADVANCED IN YEARS (he's wise to describe her that way)." Think about it. The priest in charge of the incense that represents the prayers of God's people has now begun to pray without faith. His God was too small. His God didn't care.

I cringe when I think of these words. I have heard them more than once; they were stated differently.

We can't build this, even with God's help!

If you don't plant churches according to our model, you will fail!

This church will never grow; get used to it!

But an old man's disappointments will not hinder God. Gabriel gave him a hard case of laryngitis. It lasted at least 9 months.

Tell me, would you be willing to suffer for a span of time if it meant God unfolded a plan for you that was even greater than your dreams? Or, are you so time and earthbound that you cannot see beyond your words and your dreams?

The day that split history was about to unfold. And God used an old man and an old woman to prepare the way.

Be willing to let God use you to prepare the way for His next event.