Hope Sees

Through the eyes of hope in Christ, we can look beyond today and see a bright tomorrow; we can see beyond our current circumstances and gain a sense of what God wants to do in our lives.  Romans 5
states:
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We can think about what or who we place our hope in. There are people that we trust, but there will be times when people will let us down.  We can trust in our own strength or wisdom, but we will fall short.  But, there is Someone in whom we can place our trust, one who can expand our vision and enlighten our hearts, causing us to be hopeful.  Jesus came to give us that hope and He shows us the way we can find Him and come to know Him.

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If 1st Corinthians 13 is called the "love chapter" of the Bible, you could say that Romans 15 is at least a "hope chapter."  The truth of Christ can elevate our hope and enable us to see beyond our current
situations. Romans 15 states:
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me."
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yesterday on The Meeting House, perhaps you heard one of my guests, Deborah Stricklin, as she shared how God had led her to do ministry to the homeless in Nashville.  He opened doors for her as she discovered more about what it means to live a surrendered life.

There are numerous ministries and charitable organizations across our land that are involved in doing ministry to the homeless.  So often, we look to government to provide for the needs of people, and while there are so many worthwhile agencies that are funded by taxpayers to help people in need, the picture is incomplete.

Consider the overwhelming problem in large California cities.  According to an article from The Daily Caller that was posted at The Stream website a couple of weeks ago...

The United States’ homeless population has been called a crisis, as seen in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where the pollution caused by human waste has garnered the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency sent a letter to California officials Thursday saying the state is “failing” to meet federal water-quality standards.

The article spotlights an organization called Shelters to Shutters and quotes its founder:

“The government is not the provider of all things,” Shelters to Shutters founder and owner of a multifamily real estate company Chris Finlay told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“The current government’s solution to homelessness — and this has been inherited — has been ‘housing first’ for years. What they really mean to say is ‘housing only,’” he added in reference to a government program that “prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness,” according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Meanwhile, Finlay's organization claims a 93% success rate in bringing people out of homelessness - the key is helping to find people jobs in the burgeoning apartment industry, in which Finlay says there are 200,000 open positions.  The article says:

Shelters to Shutters partners with local nonprofits to find situationally homeless candidates who “had a job, had some sort of crisis, and now find themselves living on the streets or in shelters or in their cars, and they’re trying to find a job, but they don’t have an address, so it’s nearly impossible.”

Once identified, the program places people in jobs in one of seven cities, including Atlanta and Nashville.  The people chosen demonstrate a willingness to work in various positions in the real estate industry, from leasing agents to maintenance - and they usually receive discounted housing.

Finlay says, "What’s really amazing for me personally is to watch how people flourish and grow and take advantage of the opportunities,” adding, “How difficult it must be to go through the hardship — physically and emotionally — to go from working to living on the street and trying to figure out how you pull yourself out of that."

It is not readily clear if Shelters to Shutters is a Christian ministry, but the act of bringing people out of homelessness, restoring dignity, and building a work ethic are certainly principles that are consistent with the Scriptures.

And, there are homeless ministries are providing more than just food and temporary shelter -  CBN recently had a feature on such a ministry in Washington, DC, where there are thousands who live on the streets every day.  The article says:

"The gospel is faithfully presented here every day, not only in the shelter but in the family ministry center. The cross of Christ is meeting the needs of the homeless and hurting in this city," Central Union Mission chair Dee Dee Collins told CBN News.

The team here gives the homeless more than just a meal and bed. They provide folks hope and help for transitioning out of their situation.

The organization's vice-president of development and partnerships said, "We have a restoration and transformation program that's biblically based…we layer that with cognitive programming for those that have addiction issues. We also have education and workforce development opportunities..."

Ministries that reach out to the homeless provide a variety of valuable services - from food to a place to stay to the development of skills - but, all in all, Christian ministries in this space communicate a message of hope, that there is a better way!

As we enter our considerations for today, first of all, you have to think about what the non-profit leader said, "The government is not the provider of all things."  Government does some rather worthwhile things, and we appreciate those who work in the public sector; but there are limits.  Private enterprise, which includes privately-funded charity has more unlimited potential to do good in a community.  And, that reminds us of the Biblically-infused role of government: limited, with specific functions: to maintain order and punish evil.  It has also been pointed out that our government does not extend rights to the citizens, rather, it protects the rights that are granted by God.  Socialism, which some are calling for, even though it pretends to be a communal form of governance, depends on a central government that is determining how wealth is to be shared and how rights are to be granted.   Our Constitution is devoted to lessening the size and scope of government, as the Founders envisioned.

Moving on, I want to hit the subject of hope.  God's Word and His principles can bring hope for the person who is destitute or discouraged - a person in that situation doesn't have to stay there, but he or she may need the strength of the Lord and/or the principles of Scripture to liberate.  We can remember that hope, rooted in Christ, can open eyes.  If there is no hope, desire is quenched, and there is no room for improvement.  But, with hope, which can give rise to faith, a person can see his or her way out of bondage.

That can produce a change in attitude, a change in countenance, and that hope can open doors.  Hope, taking root in the soul, can produce a drive, a desire, to motivate someone to see beyond his or her current circumstances.

And, as we see in ministry to those who are homeless and so much of ministry that occurs, hope can open hearts.  The Bible is a book of hope, telling the story of a Savior who loved humanity so much that He gave His life.  But, death could not hold Him, and He was raised to new life.  Now, we, by trusting in Christ, can live a life that reflects His presence, full of hope and anticipation.  He died, but He didn't stay there, and He brings life, real and abundant life, to the person who embraces Him.

Behind Barriers

The enemy would want to inhibit us in our pursuit of making Christ known, and prayer is very important in seeing the power of God break through barriers.  In Ephesians 6, Paul encourages
believers to pray for him...
19 ...that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

I think that can be a prayer request for all of us.  We could all stand to be bolder in our faith, couldn't we?  Paul had his share of barriers - he had the weight of physical chains that limited his movement, and even this great pillar of the Church, whom God called upon to write a sizable portion of the New Testament, was asking for prayer for boldness - twice within two verses.  We can rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and be sensitive to His leadership as we are committed to doing the will of God.

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When we encounter barriers to sharing God's love and truth, we can continue to trust, keep praying,
and be determined to make His glory known. Colossians 4 states:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Earlier this week, I talked about apps that help keep students connected with one another; and we realize in these challenging times, that we need one another in the body of Christ.  Technology can help us to remember our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Several months ago, a Chinese app called WeDevote had the momentous occasion of 10 million installs, according to WORLD Magazine.  In 2010, Levi Fan and two other Christians had the idea for the app.  According to the story: "Chinese users who downloaded YouVersion...found the program crashing due to the Chinese government blocking the app’s server." There were other Bible apps available, but they were "poorly designed. They also used content taken from other sources without permission and lacked quality control."

In 2012, Fan was asked to lead the development team for WeDevote, and the app debuted in 2013. Thousands began to download the app.  But, trouble came a couple of years later, when the Chinese government called him in and let him know they had been monitoring him personally.  The article states:

Authorities told Fan to shut down WeDevote or else they would charge the company with creating an illegal app because it didn’t have a registration number. Most Chinese apps aren’t registered, but Fan knew WeDevote was likely being pressured because of its Christian content. So his team decided to shut down the app and close the Beijing company.

But they were prepared for this situation: Several months earlier, they had set up another company in Hong Kong. They were able to transfer WeDevote ownership to the Hong Kong company and put the app back online.

Fast-forward to this July, when, shortly after the 10 millionth download, "authorities cut off access to its website and scrubbed it from all domestic Android stores."  It's still in the Apple App Store, but most of the people of China use Android phones.  As WORLD notes:

The app is a much-needed resource for Chinese Christians. Nearly all of WeDevote’s users are from mainland China, where government officials recently made it more difficult to purchase physical copies of the Bible. Officially, the Bible in China may be sold only at government-sanctioned Three-Self churches.

The article relates that Fan is working on workarounds to enable people to receive the app, which has already surprised people regarding its availability.  He told WORLD: “Under China’s tightening environment, outsiders thought there was no way we can create this app and survive...But we were able to do it.”

Levi sees the opportunities of the app, even for the future; he says: “It’s hard to imagine, you look at the environment and it feels like you can’t do anything, but actually there are great opportunities,” and, “I believe the internet is like this as well.”

So, let's consider a few concepts here.  First of all, Christians will run up against barriers in our lives and we are certainly engaged in spiritual warfare.  But, we can be emboldened by the knowledge that 

God's Word will penetrate barriers.  The WeDevote app has garnered an amazing following in China, even though there have been attempts to derail it.  We know God's Word will not return void, and God is committed to getting His Word into the hearts of people.  Certainly, His power is evident here.

We can also consider the admonition of the apostle Paul to pray for open doors for the gospel.  We are hearing stories of God at work in countries around the world, and He is moving even in the midst of areas where Christians are being persecuted.  We can continue to anticipate how the Lord will make Himself known.

And, we can always remember that when we encounter barriers in our lives, we can continue to press forward.  The enemy will work to inhibit our message, but we can continue to trust God to go before us and to bring victory, so that He may be glorified and His message can be communicated.  The barricades may tempt us to turn back, but He will give us the strength to stand strong and advance His message.

Virtual Flagpoles

When the body of Christ is walking together in unity, God will do incredible things.  And, when we allow the enemy to drive a wedge between us, it can reduce the effectiveness of our prayers.  We can
remember the words of 1st Corinthians 1:
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."

Relentlessly and regularly, the enemy is trying to turn believers against one another.  There is a method to his madness - if he can keep us divided, the effectiveness of our witness and the efficacy of our prayers are diminished.  We can be sensitive to recognize when this is taking place so that we can resist him and draw near to God and to each other.  When we are unified, we send a strong message to the world about God's love and can experience God's power regarding the things about which we are praying together.

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There is promised power in unified prayer, and Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 18:
18 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Next year, the youth movement known as See You at the Pole will be celebrating its 30th anniversary of the observance, which grew out of a retreat in Burleson, Texas; the first "formal" event was held in September 1990, and about 45,000 students participated nationwide.  That's according to a Christianity Today article.  The event is held on the fourth Wednesday of September, and the most recent See You at the Pole event was held on Wednesday, September 25.

The event website says:

Since 1991, See You at the Pole™ has grown to God-sized proportions. Within the first few years, the movement began to spread to other nations through missionaries from the U.S. Now each year, an estimated 1 million students from all the world participate in See You at the Pole™. Students in more than 64 countries have participated. In places like Canada, Korea, Japan, Turkey, and the Ivory Coast, students are responding to God and taking seriously the challenge to pray.

And, while the school flagpole has become the physical symbol of united campus prayer, there is another symbol that has become associated with the event: the smartphone.  Christianity Today reports:

The organization has partnered with Claim Your Campus, creator of the Campus Prayer app, to help students organize regular prayer times and “keep the movement alive,” according to the SYATP website.

The app—which presents a tally of how many users are praying at any given time—added a dedicated SYATP portal for participants over the summer, ahead of the 2019 event.

Through the Campus Prayer app, students can schedule prayer groups and communicate the times and locations to other students. Plus, it guides students through prayer prompts for their schools based on a daily devotional passage.

The goal is to have 15 students participating at each school throughout the nation - that's 67,000 schools x 15, which is around one million. Consistent prayer is important, an idea underscored by Doug Clark, national field director of the National Network of Youth Ministries, who is quoted in the CT article; he said to Baptist Press. “See You at the Pole is a ‘moment,’...We hope adults and students will consider turning that moment into a movement by praying every day.”

Also, according to Christianity Today, this sort of technology adopted by See You at the Pole is being implemented by college organizations:

Last December, InterVarsity Fellowship and Cru launched EveryCampus, a mobile site and app where participants can log prayer walks at their colleges.

The goal of the site is to inspire college students to cover the nation’s nearly 5,000 colleges and universities with prayer in 2019—particularly the 70 percent that do not have an active Christian ministry presence. Since its launch, over 60 campus ministries and churches have joined in.

Prayer is an essential part of our Christian walk, and we can be emboldened by unified prayer.  So, our first reminder today is to stay unified.  We can realize that we, in the body of Christ, need each other, and as we agree with each other in prayer, we can see God work in our individual lives, as well as our churches and communities.  Unified prayer was on display this past Saturday at the River Region Prayer Walk, which was not only the 8th annual occasion, but also the eighth of a series of monthly prayer walks taking place in neighborhoods across the region.  This month's walk was through the downtown area.

Unified prayer is important and the level of passion or intensity is also a key factor.  So, stay intensified.  As we see God respond to our prayers, it can create a deeper enthusiasm for praying. The act of prayer and knowing God is with us and His promises are true can continue to keep us motivated to seek Him earnestly.

And, as these campus ministries remind us, we can stay technified.  Technology, essentially, can be a blessing or a curse - technology can distract us from what God calls us to do, or it can reinforce us.  We can stay connected to people in a way that honors God or in a manner that will poorly imitate true connection.  But, we can seek to use technology as a means for God to fulfill His intent.

Heal

God's Word can refresh our souls and can play a large part in the physical realm, as well; we read in
Proverbs 4:
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

We hear stories regularly about how prayer has led to someone being healed physically.  We have access to great power as we pray.  We also can consider how emotional and spiritual turmoil and even stress or fear can lead to physical maladies - so it stands to reason that if we can deal with these factors Biblically, that God's power can bring relief as He works inside of us.  So, we can rely on God's Word to flow through us to bring life, hope, and healing.

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We are a complete person - spirit, soul, and body, as 1st Thessalonians 5 relates, and we can depend on God's power to, as the Scripture suggests, preserve us throughout the days ordained for us.  We
can read:
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

Yesterday, I talked a bit about hearing and heeding - applying ourselves to knowing God's Word and to sense the leadership of the Holy Spirit, combined with doing what He says.  You could also say that healing comes as we respond to what God wants to do in our lives.

Andrea Logan White is an actress; she is married to David A.R. White of PureFlix.  Perhaps you have seen her in any number of PureFlix films.  She was part of the cast of Moms' Night Out.  She, like countless others, came to Hollywood with a dream, with a desire to "make it."  A recent Christian Post article says:

White had come to Hollywood to model and act and, before long, found herself in a very dark crowd — an introduction to Hollywood that left her in a difficult emotional and spiritual place.

“I almost died through it all,” White recently told “The Pure Flix Podcast.” “I had a very tragic path to get there and it wasn’t easy, but somehow God used all of that to wake me up and bring me to Him.”

She relates:

“After an audition I was at my witts end. I could not make ends meet. I had multiple jobs,” she said. “I had tears in my eyes and I was at the end of my rope and I said, ‘God, why am I on this Earth. Why am I here?’ … I was suicidal.”

But God reached out to her in a profound way, through an obedient stranger - and Christian radio.  As she drove, a man in a beat-up car pulled up beside her, beeped his horn, and motioned for her to turn on the radio - she found the station to which he was listening.  Andrea describes what she heard:

“It was a pastor repeating the words I had just cried out to God … [he was] saying there’s people out there crying out to God and they don’t know their purpose and God is here and he has a plan for your life and it’s a good plan,” she said, highlighting the essential value of hearing that message in the moment. “I think God knew I was going to take my life.”

She turned her life over to Christ and became involved in a community of believers, and she wants to personally share what she has learned - one of Andrea Logan White's most recent projects is a show called, The Healing Tribe.  The PureFlix website says that hosts Heather McKean, Tiffany Jeffers and Andrea collaborated...

...to create PureFlix.com’s new talk show, “The Healing Tribe,” a series that offers the inspiration needed to live an abundant life and to walk out of chronic illness, addictions, trauma, relationship issues, depression and anxiety.

McKean had struggled with spiritual, emotional - and physical - issues.  She states:

“To me, ‘The Healing Tribe’ is a way to bring people together and start a conversation about healing — physically, emotionally and spiritually,” she said. “I want people to understand that they are incredibly powerful creators. That is a God-given talent. Galatians 5:1 beautifully illustrates this when it states, ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’”

There are several concepts that we can consider here.  First of all, God made a way to rescue Andrea from her despair and consideration of suicide.  We can be convinced of God's love for us and be sensitive to how He draws us to Himself.  And, we can remember how much He wants all to be saved.

Something that I have highlighted on The Meeting House in the past is how emotional turmoil and spiritual deficiency can lead to physical ailments.  You hear pretty often of how stress and anxiety can be manifested spiritually.  We have spirit, soul, and body, and it's not a stretch to think about how they are connected.  But, the hope is...

...God is a healer.  He wants to do a work within, and if there are physical maladies that are directly related to spiritual problems, He can make us whole.  We can pray for physical healing - it may not always come in the way or at the time we think it should, but we can continue to stand in faith for God to be glorified in us.

Flipping the Stats

We live in a time in which we greatly need the wisdom of God - we need His direction, and as we devote ourselves to studying and meditating on His Word, we can sense the leadership of His Spirit.
Isaiah 30 says:
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 You will also defile the covering of your graven images of silver, And the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, "Get away!"
23 Then He will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures.

The Bible, in the book of James, instructs us to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers.  So, we can not only know God's voice, but we then realize that we have to obey.  But, obedience is a product of our willingness to love and serve Him, as well as our dependence on the Spirit of God to give us the power to do His will.  The admonition in Isaiah is twofold: we can hear "This is the way," but we're also told to "walk in it."

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In Jeremiah 6, God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah to and about Jerusalem.  We read this
appraisal:
13 "Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the Lord.

But, God provides the prescription for healing:
16 Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

There is a startling new report that has been released that attempts to document the direction that the Church in America is heading.  I have to say, I don't know much about the compilers of the survey, the Pinetops Foundation and the Veritas Forum.  But, I trust Greg Stier of Dare 2 Share, who has been a guest on The Meeting House, and in response to the information, he wants to "steer," pun intended people to experience revival, because that will alter the trajectory of this spiritual decline that this inventory, called, The Great Opportunity, predicts.

According to The Christian Post, the study took research data from organizations such as Pew, PRRI, and Gallup and, as the report states, "Based on those primary data sources, we built out religious switching scenarios for the next 30 years, using the most up-to-date switching and attitudinal data, harmonizing assumptions across primary data sources..."

The Christian Post article says:

The report uses compiled data to project the decline in Christianity for three different scenarios: a “base case” (if trends continue in line with how they are), “worst-case scenario” (if trends worsen) and a “better case scenario" (if trends improve to Generation X rates).

The report estimates through its “base case” scenario that as many as 35 million youths raised in the Christian homes will disaffiliate from the faith by 2050.

Additionally, Christianity in America will make up just 59 percent of the country’s population by 2050, compared to 73 percent today. Meanwhile, the “base case” indicates that the population of the religiously unaffiliated will double to 30 percent of the total population in 2050.

Greg Stier asks the question: “How about not just slowing down the bleeding, what if there was a revival that flipped those stats?” and adds, “That is what we are praying for. How do we flip the switch?"

The report authors call for hundreds of thousands of church plants and a change in the approach to youth ministry.  Stier adds:

"Revival is something God brings about but it can change paths pretty quickly. The first Great Awakening happened when America was a pretty dark place before we were the United States," he noted.

“Jonathan Edwards, his revival, had been chiefly among the young. So it was a student youth movement that prepared us to become the United States. What if it was a student youth movement that would bring us back to our roots and unite this nation and transform it from the inside out?”

He calls for youth groups and leaders to have a "serious" approach to the "mission."  By the way, the Dare 2 Share Live event is coming up on Saturday, October 12 - equipping and mobilizing students to share their faith.

The epilogue of the Great Opportunity report says:

We are hopeful. There is much good in our churches. There are millions of faithful followers of Jesus in the cities and towns of this great country. There are extraordinary pastors, evangelists, teachers, missionaries, parents, professors; future saints waiting to be called forward into greater love. We have churches that show God’s manifold, unifying, confounding love across race and tongue; who care for the poor as if it was the very person of Christ they serve; who train the next generation with such passion and joy that it might last a hundred years.

If we can, as leaders in our churches across our country, help them to see the times, to lead them into the call of Jesus, to live the Gospel faithfully, we believe we can see a great move of God in America.

Certainly the statistics here do not have to be the future of the Church.  I guess that's the point.  And, while someone might see this report as being dismal, it can also serve as a wake-up call.

But what do we change?  Certainly there could be changes in model or ministry approach.  But, we have to be careful when we start to change the message, as some are prone to do: you see references to "re- this" and "re- that," as it's been pointed out.  Why, just recently, there was a conference on "Liberating Evangelicalism."  A liberal theologian wants us to "rethink" Jesus.  This weekend, there's a conference on "Evolving Faith," wanting to take Christianity into a bold and erroneous model that calls for greater social emphasis and de-emphasis on holy living and Biblical principles.  And, of course there was "Revoice," that was devoted to exalting gay identity over identity in Christ.

I think the operative "re" might be return.  Jesus taught the model, the Bible provides the principles. Perhaps if we were to try to de-emphasize being so culturally relevant and just live for Jesus, the way He intended, we would get a lot further in winning the world for Christ.  Perhaps we each need to return and (another "re" word) reclaim a sense of what He wants to do in our lives - that will bring the spiritual awakening or...re-vival that many have so desperately sought and talked about.

Driven By Practicality

Jesus demonstrated the stance that we should have as we seek to glorify Him and to minister to the
needs of people. In Mark 6, we can read:
34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.
35 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.
36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."
37 But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."

We know what happened next: he took 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and multiplied them so that over 5,000 people were fed.  Notice the admonition of our Lord: YOU give them something to eat.  He was showing the disciples how they could depend on Him to provide for the needs of people.  We have to be careful that we are not looking to other entities - government agencies, our find social service organizations, another person, or another church - to do the the work that you and I are called to do.  And, then criticize them for not doing enough.  We can recalibrate our mindset and allow God to show us how WE can exercise His compassion.

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I believe that sometimes the compassion of Christ can be cloaked by communication that is flawed or misdirected.  In whatever we participate, we have to make sure our compassion in the Lord is shining through. Colossians 3 states:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

As I have pointed out before, the immigration issue has become a rather contentious one, not only in the culture at large, but also in the Church.  You have those who want to liberalize immigration and refugee policy and tend to point fingers at those who don't see their way.  And, you have Christians who adhere to the concept of what some call, "wise welcome,:" i.e., being a bit more discerning with regard to the type of people who are brought into the country.  Very few say, as far as I can tell, that no more immigrants or refugees should be brought in.  And, I think that we can all agree that these individuals and families are prime candidates for Christian ministry.

There was concern that the Trump Administration was going to severely reduce, perhaps even down to zero, the number of refugees allowed into America over the next year.  Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, in his capacity as Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, issued a statement, which stated, according to The Christian Post: “USCIRF is alarmed by reports that the administration is preparing to significantly reduce or even zero out, the number of refugees to be resettled to the United States in FY 2020,” adding, “We strongly urge the administration to extend its admirable commitment to advancing religious freedom to its refugee resettlement policy.”

The number of refugees brought in during the last year was just under 23,000, which has been contrasted with the 85,000 who were admitted during the last year of the Obama Administration.  While Perkins and USCIRF apparently did not set numbers, members of the more progressive Evangelical Immigration Table were calling for a level comparable or in excess of the previous administration.  One Christian organization, World Relief, which receives government funds under the refugee resettlement program, wanted a number of at least 95,000 in the next fiscal year.

Well, the numbers have been announced, and the Administration will admit up to 18,000 refugees during the next year, according to another Christian Post article.  While some will no doubt blame the lower number on the lack of compassion of the Trump Administration, practicality seems to be at play.  The article reports, that according to a White House fact sheet:

“This proposed ceiling takes into account the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis on our border and the massive asylum backlog, which now includes nearly one million individuals,” read the fact sheet in part.

In other words, there has to be a limit, in light of current circumstances. The fact sheet goes on to say: “The overwhelming backlog is completely unsustainable and needs to be addressed before we accept large numbers of refugees.”  Of course, you had the obligatory statement in opposition from World Relief, which has already faced a funding decline as a result of the reduction in refugees.  And, there is a right concern that people facing religious persecution, which is a cornerstone principle of the Trump Administration and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have a place to find refuge.

But, let's take a closer look, through the eyes of the Center for Immigration Studies.  On the organization's website, Nayla Rush writes:

...resettlement is just the tip of the iceberg of refugee protection and as such, it should not be the sole barometer of U.S. humanitarian efforts to assist refugees.

Out of some 26 million refugees worldwide, and the 1.2 million refugees in need of resettlement according to UNHCR, only 81,337 were referred for resettlement in 2018 (0.3 percent of all refugees and 7 percent of those considered to be in need of resettlement), and only 75,188 in 2017. If the United States were to resettle all (some 80,000) that wouldn’t solve the problem of the millions stranded in countries close to their homes. Proximity help and working towards the safe and voluntary return of refugees have been the focus of the Trump administration since day one.

(UNHCR is the United Nations refugee agency.)  The administration, according to this analysis, is attempting to reduce the role of the U.N. agency in dealing with refugees.

So, there is more to the story that you commonly hear through the Evangelical Immigration Table types, who have been critical of the current administration's efforts to fix a broken immigration system and to protect our borders through limiting refugees from nations that are known breeding grounds for terrorists.

And, we have to be careful not to confuse the role of the Church and the role of government. In one Christian Post article, the president of the left-leaning National Association of Evangelicals said, "And so to sum it up, my Christian faith is what calls me to bless and help refugees. And so, I call on our government to bless and help refugees.”  Another article mentioned that the CEO of World Relief said that this reduction “denies safety and freedom to people fleeing religious persecution, war and genocide” and “further dismantles our ability to demonstrate Christ-like hospitality toward the vulnerable.”

Does it?  Or are these just hyper-sensitive talking points?  We have to recognize that the Church can be compassionate in so many ways, including bringing help to refugees in the areas of the world to which they're fleeing and perhaps helping them stay closer to home. While we want a government that is compassionate, we also have to understand the complexities and practicalities of bringing people into our country.  You also have to ask the question: how much is enough?

Opportunities for compassion lie all around us.  Including those who are currently in our country and need assistance.  We can seek to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He opens doors and opens hearts.

I also thought about the criticism that people who are trying to "fix" a situation encounter.  While most agree that immigration is a major issue and that our current system is broken, cooperation seems to be in short supply.  And, the President's efforts are met with harsh rhetoric about family separation and immigrants in cages, which are by-products of conditions that have apparently existed for years.  You may be in a position to "fix" something - maybe a position on the job, perhaps in attempting to remedy a hurtful church situation, or trying to intervene in a relationship...getting to the solution may be messy, but we can be encouraged to not give up, pray a lot, and depend on God's wisdom.

Creator or "Creatable"?

God's created order is addressed in the first chapter of Romans, where we can read:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Creation testifies to the wonders of God, and we understand that He is the Creator and He has an intent for how the creation is supposed to operate, which Paul addresses in subsequent verses in that chapter.  As God's created beings, we were designed to behave in a certain way, and He empowers us to live in that manner.  For instance, in Romans, Paul addresses matters of sexual purity and perversity, and we can clearly see how a life pleasing to God is one that reflects His standards.

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In Mark 10, Jesus taught about the building blocks to a proper understanding of sexuality, including
Biblical relationships and the family. We read this:
6 But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'
7 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
8 and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Is this the latest innovation in the toy world?  Mattel has just announced Creatable World, which is a line of gender-neutral dolls, with the theme, "All Welcome."  That's according to the Christian Headlines website, which says that there are over a hundred combinations, allowing children to dress up their dolls as male, female, or..."a little bit of both."  The article states:

The company said it worked alongside a “dedicated team of experts, parents, physicians and most importantly, kids.” Among the children who provided feedback were 15 who identify as transgender, gender-fluid or gender-nonbinary, according to NBC News.

GLAAD, the LGBT advocacy group, supports the concept.  But, Bob Stith, who heads Family and Gender Issues Ministries in Southlake, Texas, issues a warning:

“Children can be notoriously fluid in many of their choices. Think foods for instance,” he told Baptist Press. “So why would we blur the boundaries on something so significant [as gender]? That is the height of irresponsibility.”

Stith, founder of Family and Gender Issues Ministries in Southlake, Texas, said God created only two sexes.

“Certainly in a fallen world those lines can get blurred,” Stith told the news service. “But the compassionate response is not to promote the blurring of the lines but to lovingly help our fallen culture to move back towards God's creative intent.”

Jared Bridges, writing at the Family Research Council website, is concerned:

"Who told you that you were naked?" It's the question God asks the man and the woman in Genesis 3 after being deceived by the serpent, they sinned and went into hiding from God. Having easily found them, the God who had earlier created them in his own image -- male and female, no less -- confronts them and gives them clothing to cover their newfound shame. That's God's created world.

In Mattel's Creatable World, it's Mattel that asks the question of children, "Who told you that you were male and female?" Mattel then gives the children interchangeable clothing to cover the shame of their male and female labeling. It's a deceptive twist on an age-old story.

The Creator is usurped by his creation. For Mattel, God's design for male and female becomes a "gender norm" which needs to be hushed.

Bridges, who is Vice President for Brand Advancement and Chief Brand Officer for FRC, writes:

In a press release, Mattel revealed what's really driving this line:

"Toys are a reflection of culture and as the world continues to celebrate the positive impact of inclusivity, we felt it was time to create a doll line free of labels," said Kim Culmone, Senior Vice President of Mattel Fashion Doll Design. "Through research, we heard that kids don't want their toys dictated by gender norms. This line allows all kids to express themselves freely which is why it resonates so strongly with them. We're hopeful Creatable World will encourage people to think more broadly about how all kids can benefit from doll play."

Bridges shares some challenging words for parents in his essay: "Parents should be aware that no area of the world -- not even the toy aisle -- is immune from the age-old effects of deception. In Genesis, the serpent points the man's and woman's focus away from the Creator toward the created. Likewise, in Mattel's Creatable World, the Creator of the world is someone to be subdued rather than heeded. In an age when the toy business is much more than child's play, parents should be a beacon pointing to God's truth -- even at play time."

There has become a fixation on the so-called "red letters" of Jesus, to the extent that some say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality.  That is simply not true.  There are Biblical facts, established in Genesis and reinforced by Jesus and Paul.  For one thing, God created male and female. Period. And, God's intent for marriage is male and female - Jesus taught it.  So, if God's ideal for marriage, and sexual relations within marriage, is one man, one woman, and one flesh, then homosexual relations are a contradiction to that.

The "creatable world" of Mattel can help to illustrate the dangers of man over maker.  We can, in our human wisdom and fallible ingenuity, create a world for ourselves that contradicts God's created order - and if it's baked in from childhood, then it could be hard to disassociate from later in life.  That's why Bridges stressed the importance of proper teaching by parents.  You see, in this world, deception is alive and well, and we have to be careful not to travel on a path that runs contrary to the teachings of Scripture - the deceiver is subtle, so we have to exercise keen discernment.