What can we do about evil?

Back in the mid 1960’s, “Get Smart” was a popular TV sitcom.  It was a funny show; certainly better than most of what currently passes for “entertainment”, in my opinion anyway.  The show was a spoof of such classic spy thrillers as the “Man from U.N.C.L.E” series and the James Bond movies.  This basic premise provided a comic vehicle for the escapades of the bungling protagonist, Maxwell Smart, as he battled the agents of the sinister spy organization “KAOS”.  Just a few years ago a movie was released capitalizing on the popularity of this TV series, incorporating the same name and characters.  The film opened with a narrator uttering the phrase “There has always been a delicate balance between chaos and control.  Now with that balance threatened, it’s time to turn to one man.” Essentially this introduction provides the backdrop for both the TV show and the movie; a light-hearted framework to depict the prototypical story line of good guys versus bad guys.

Unfortunately, the actual history of the epic struggle between good and evil is not so uplifting.  Shortly before the “Get Smart” series came on the scene, Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Communist party in Russia.  One of the reasons he had moved up the ranks within the party was the manner in which he handled an assignment he had received from Josef Stalin.  Shortly after World War II, he was sent to put down a rebellion by Ukrainian nationalists.  He performed this duty with such enthusiasm he earned the nickname “The Butcher of the Ukraine”, and subsequently placed himself in position of influence within the Communist party.  One of the moments for which he is most remembered is the day he stood before the United Nations and pounded his shoe on the table in an attempt to intimidate the representatives of the other countries.  He even brought the U.S. to the very edge of nuclear war when the military actions he initiated triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis.  To Americans he was frightening; his political rhetoric and aggressive actions posed a true threat to the American way of life, and he seemed to be the very embodiment of evil.

Recently, we Americans have all been shocked by the incomprehensible shootings which took place in Colorado and Connecticut.  I’m sure it seems to most of us that evil is more prevalent then ever, and that the “bad guys” are winning the day.  But we must understand that there has always been and always will be evil in this sin-stained world.  As C.S Lewis so aptly stated, we Christians live in “enemy occupied territory”, and thus we should not be surprised there is a cosmic struggle taking place between good and evil.

 Edmund Burke, an English statesman of the 1700’s, said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.  The question is, what do we do when confronted with evil?  The Bible provides two definitive responses. One: Do not fear!  The Apostle Paul exhorted the Christians of his day to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! What an admonition for us today!  In a day where men’s hearts fail for fear we must realize as Christians that if God be with us, whom shall we fear!  This trust in our God provides us the impetus to perform the second response:  Do good!  Jesus Himself urged His followers to combat evil by.. . .doing good! (Mt 5:16 and Mt 5:44, among numerous others)

Evil will always be in our world.  What are we to do?  Exactly what our forefathers did during those perilous days of the war for independence.  Put our faith in God, for we know He is sovereign.  Realize whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom 14:8); and taking confidence in these things. . . . . do good!

Happy New Year!

We are on the threshold of a new year. There is always an element of fear associated with the unknown. The Bible teaches that we know not what a day may bring. The story is told of some men out at sea on an old leaky ship. A storm came up and the men feared for their lives. They went up to the sea captain. He told them, “The boilers are weak and may explode at any moment. The ship is old and she’s taking on water. We may have an explosion or we may sink. We may go up or we may go down. But until then we are going on.”

That’s how we are to face the New Year. We may go up or we may go down; but until then we are going on. The old gospel hymn says it this way:

I’m pressing on the upward way
New heights I’m gaining every day
Still praying as I’m onward bound
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

The old mapmakers would make a map just as far as they had been. Then they would write “Beyond this there be dragons”. They were obviously afraid of the unknown. Actually, there were golden beaches, verdant fields, and beautiful mountains.

That’s how we are to feel about the future. What a year 2012 has been. We all would change some things if we could, but we can’t. We need to be trustful with our future and give it over to God.

As Americans we have great gain. Be thankful and not boastful of all God has given to you. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. But praise God we know Who holds tomorrow.

See ya Sunday!
Pastor

Good To Be Home!

It sure is good to be home! My recent missions’ trip was as exciting as any I’ve been on. I was in five different countries with four different missionaries. I was in Thailand with our missionary Kiatisak Siripanadorn. He has a great work going in the heart of Bangkok. He has also started three orphanages for the hill tribe people of Northern Thailand. These children are such a blessing to be around.

In Burma I taught a room packed with young students studying for the ministry. We were there for several days. They sat on a dirt floors, in 100 degree heat, from 8 in morning till late in the afternoon. Most of these men will take their education back to their tribe of people.

It was a tremendous blessing to be with a Pastor in the Philippines, his wonderful people and students. I had never been to the Philippines. I was not expecting what I found. Pastor Dimver Andeles has a thriving church of 1500 people in a very poor and down-trodden area. It is a great church in an open-air building. The college has over 100 students who sleep on the church pews at night. There is also a thriving day school. This work was started by our missionary Bruce Rice. We have supported Bruce for 25 years. We have had a great part in this ministry. Pastor Andeles has asked us to come back next year to speak at his Pastor’s Conference. He told me he would have over 400 pastors from the Philippines there.

All in all, God blessed us. We were stuck for two days in typhoon Pablo. However, God spared us from any harm.

Thank you for praying for us. We took twelve flights in two weeks. Our bodies were tired but our spirits were quickened when we saw what God is doing around the world.

Keep on praying for our missionaries. And keep on giving. Believe me I have seen first-hand the wonderful job they are doing.

I’m glad to be home. I love you all! Merry Christmas and God bless you!

Pastor

Our Fall Bible Conference!

I read a story of an English boy from Liverpool. One day he went for a swim. He stripped off his clothes and jumped into the water. It was not long before he felt himself being carried by the tide into the sea. He struggled long and hard, but was not able to swim against the ebbing tide. At last he was picked up by a boat bound for Dublin. The sailors were kind and gave him clothes to wear.

That evening a man was walking along the shore and found the boy's clothing lying on the beach. Inside the boy's coat he found his name on a piece of paper. The man assumed the boy had drowned and with a heavy heart went to bear the bad news to his parents. He told his father, "I am very sorry to tell you, I found these clothes on the shore and could not find the lad to whom they belong. I fear he has drowned." The father could not speak. He was overcome with grief. The parents began to search for the body of their son but to no avail. A memorial service was scheduled. The parents were grief-stricken.

Meanwhile, the boy was on his way to Dublin. As soon as the ship reached Dublin he headed for home. He arrived the day of the memorial service. He walked up to his house and when his mother saw her son she sobbed and cried. It was a grand reunion!

We all love stories with happy endings. However, for many it will not be so. Many are broken-hearted on the road of life. Seeking good news for their weary soul. We have the good news but often fail to tell it. Let's share the good news of the gospel with those who are hurting!

This Sunday is the beginning of our Fall Bible Conference. Three nights of spectacular music and preaching. Let's all be there and let's invite those around us. Let's pray for God's spirit to be poured out and for personal revival to take place.

See ya Sunday!

Pastor

How do you define success?

Every one of us, no matter our vocation or life-calling, has an innate desire to be successful. Of course, how “success” is defined and measured will vary, and will largely depend on the viewpoint of the individual. This world we live in, and our culture here in America in particular, has an altogether different standard for determining success than the God of the Bible. Our culture says success is setting a goal, one that will typically be financially rewarding, and then accomplishing it, regardless of the means which are utilized to reach the goal. Or, to put it bluntly, the end justifies the means.

Is a Politician successful if he obtains an office through falsehoods and by compromising his own principles? Or what about the pervasive notion in society which believes “He who dies with the most toys wins”? Hugh Hefner has been highly successful by this philosophy, having accumulated wealth, material gain, and notoriety; many others today would appear, by that standard, to be successful. But in God’s economy, they are sorely mistaken, for by God’s yardstick success is not measured so much by achieving the goal, it is the purity of the motives and the integrity of the means used to reach the goal which will be measured. Jesus succinctly captured this concept in Mark 8:36 when he said “What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world but lost his own soul”.

God has made us all in his image, and has placed us as his stewards over this earthly realm. Obviously, he wants us to be successful. However, what should be a concern for we Christians is the fact that many of us have succumbed, to some degree, to the same notion of “success” as the culture in general, rather than being in line with God’s standards. What do you live for? What gets you out of bed? By what means do you pursue your goals? Better check. You may not be as successful as you may think, especially by God’s measuring rod.

Perhaps it may be time to re-evaluate what motivates you and how you see success. A good place to start is Matthew 6:19-21 :

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

See ya Sunday!
Pastor

Proud to be an American

If you are an American you have something to be proud of. Some call it “American exceptionalism.” I call it a privilege to live in this great land. There has been for some time now, the idea that it’s a shameful thing to be an American. The pressures and problems we experience cause some to shy away from their national pride.

The Liberal ideology of our day causes some to do this. However, we want to be proud of our country and America is an exceptional country. No nation on earth can compare.

Personally, I feel we Americans should be proud of who we are and of this great land. The majority of Christian missionaries around the world came from America. The majority of food based subsidies feeding millions come from America. America has sent her young boys and girls into battle defending freedoms’ cause. We have never asked anything of those nations we’ve helped except some land on which to bury our dead.

In recent years we have called peace-keeping missions in a conjoined effort to keep the United Nations pacified. Truth be told, the UN would fall into the Hudson if it wasn’t for America. We are not perfect but we are a sure sight better than any other land.

The story is told of our old grandmother sitting on the porch. The confederate army came marching through. She grabbed a broomstick and jumped in line whooping and hollering! A soldier told her, “Granny, you can’t shoot anybody with that broomstick.” Granny replied, “I know, I just want folks to know whose army I’m with.”

Instead of apologizing for America we ought to let people know this is a special God- blessed country and we are sure proud to be Americans.

See ya Sunday!
Pastor

It's Election Season!

As we move into this presidential election season, prepare yourself. The political posturing and party rhetoric with which we are certain to be inundated will be a virtual tsunami of name-calling and mudslinging, and it is poised to flood every form of media known to man. Amidst this cacophonic wave of negativity, there will also be abundant promises from both sides of the political fence that “our goal is to get America back on track”! Evidently, both Democrats and Republicans believe their “plan” for government is necessary to rescue us from the current economic crisis, and for that matter all the other maladies which plague our society. But the big question confronting us as citizens is not which candidate/party to believe or support, but this: exactly what is the role and purpose of our government, and at what point do we become concerned that it is becoming too “big”?

History has shown repeatedly that “big” government is often the enemy of free enterprise, and freedom in general. So while we are to be thankful for government protection, we must guard against government’s intrusion into our personal lives. There is a necessary balance which must be achieved in order for government to perform its primary function without overstepping its bounds and infringing upon its citizens freedoms. This is one reason the founding fathers labored so diligently to develop the concept of the three distinct branches of our government; a built-in system of checks and balances, as it were.

Over the past several years we have seen our national debt sky rocket, in large part due to what have become known as “entitlement programs” funded by various government entities. We essentially are gambling on our children’s future if we continue down this path (see Proverbs 22:7 if you want to see what the Bible has to say about this!). Perhaps even more concerning for Christians is the recent trend of government restrictions on our constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Although no one would argue government is not necessary for the ordering of society, it is incumbent upon the citizenry to hold the government, and politicians in particular, accountable. As Christians, we need to be keenly aware of the issues which challenge this country, and we should strive to educate ourselves on the proper biblical approach to respond to these challenges. We should make it a priority to be actively involved in the democratic process and cast our votes accordingly, and to make certain our voices are heard in the public square. It is not only a God given right; it is our obligation to our children to ensure that America remains, as Abraham Lincoln phrased it in The Gettysburg Address, a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,”

See ya Sunday!
Pastor