God of the Extraordinary

We can possess incredible expectations for the God who has called us into a loving relationship with Himself - in our times of fear or anxiety, or discouragement, or physical challenge, we can think
about the power of God and reach out to Him in faith. Ephesians 3 states:
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

We can trust the Lord to do great and mighty things, according to His will for our lives.  As we trust in Him and grow in Christ, we can experience His hand upon our lives, and we can partner with Him to see Him express Himself through us, for His glory.  When we are facing the trials of life, we can depend on His strength and the assurance of His Word - when we call out to Him, we can be assured that He hears us and goes with us.

+++++

God wants to use us as His vessels, created in His image, with great potential to bring Him glory, so that He might be exalted through us in this world. Jesus taught in John 15:
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Last night, the camera focused on the podium area in the House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol building went to a wider shot to reveal the words that appear on the wall in that setting, "In God We Trust."  That camera shot occurred after President Trump said some poignant words in the State of the Union address.  In its analysis, LifeSiteNews.com quoted the President:

“In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of the American life,” he said. “Our motto is ‘in God we trust.’”

The analysis, by Claire Chretien, mentioned:

Although his speech was focused on issues like immigration, the economy, and national security, Trump mentioned his administration has “taken historic actions to protect religious liberty.”

In a section of the speech devoted to the opioid crisis, according to CNBC, the President recognized a policeman who took a series of brave steps.  Again, from the LifeSiteNews website:

“Last year, [Officer] Ryan Holets was on duty when he saw a pregnant homeless woman preparing to inject heroin,” Trump recalled. “When Ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she didn't know where to turn, but badly wanted a safer home for her baby.”

“At that moment Ryan said he felt God speak to him: ‘you will do it because you can,’” said Trump. “He heard those words. He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. Then he went home to tell his wife Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt.”

According to the LifeSiteNews website, the baby's name is Hope. The President is quoted as saying, "Ryan and Rebecca, you embody the goodness of our nation..."

The Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, also hosted a guest with a pro-life connection, Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo, described as "a Catholic nurse who in 2009 was forced to assist in a late-term abortion at a Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York." The story says:

A legal battle and Department of Health and Human Services investigation ensued; eventually the hospital changed its policy.

“No one should be forced to violate their religious beliefs—especially in the workplace,” said Speaker Ryan. “Not only did Cathy stick up for her faith, but she did so while fighting for the unborn. It’s wrong that Cathy and so many others have been intimidated into assisting with abortions, which is why the Trump administration’s expanded conscience protections are a welcomed change.”

 It's interesting that the people the President recognized last night are referred to in the media as "ordinary."  For example, John Podhoretz of the New York Post lauded the President:

Presidents have been using ordinary Americans as tools and props and symbolic representatives of the goodness of the country for more than 30 years.

Trump took it to a new level last night — to a Paul Harvey level.

He stated, "On and on Trump went, introducing ordinary American after ordinary American and citing the country’s strength and nobility and purpose."

But, when you stop and think about it, are they so ordinary?  They have done extraordinary things, and have been recognized on a national and perhaps international stage.

Fact is, we are built to accomplish the extraordinary - whether or not we do so is another matter, but I believe that God wants to infuse our humanity with His supernatural strength and wisdom - that can prompt a police officer to adopt a heroin addict's child, for instance. We may never do something that gets a seat in the gallery at the State of the Union, but God is not necessarily looking to make us famous, but we are called to partner with Him and make Him famous, so that He is glorified.

So, we travel through life with a bent toward obedience.  Sometimes that obedience will be very simple, other times it will call for more courage.  We know what to do in various situations because of our love and dependence for God, our knowledge of His Word, and our attentiveness to the promptings of the Spirit.  And, maybe, just maybe, that obedience can be proclaimed on a wider scale; perhaps not - we're just called to walk by faith, reflecting that national motto in our personal methods, "In God We Trust."

An ordinary person combined with an extraordinary, mighty God can produce His intended, impactful outcome.  He can produce that expectation in our hearts, to see Him move and ultimately, that we might bear fruit for His glory.

Make It Right

We serve a God who is powerful and knowing - His power is available for the person who has been victimized and experiences shame; He knows, He cares, and He offers His love.  And, he can bring
the sinner, the victimizer, to repentance.  Hebrews 12 states:
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord...

In the world, we see this wave of allegations that is occurring, as victims are now stepping up to confront those who have violated them.  Some of those who have been accused have apologized; some authentically, others not so much.  The concepts of healing, forgiveness, restoration, and repentance are all Biblical components of a healthy Church, and need to be in operation.  By honestly and effectively dealing with the misdeeds of abuse and assault, we open the doors for God's character to be expressed.

+++++

Jesus desires for His body, His bride, to be healthy; but, when the pain and suffering, the shame of abuse has infected human hearts, it provides an opportunity for the enemy to work and diminishes our witness.  The victims need healing and justice, the victimizers need to repent. 2 Corinthians 7 speaks to making things right:
9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

It's never right.

And, the culture is receiving that message, even though responses have been varied.

So, how is the Church responding to matters of sexual assault?  It seems, based on what I've been reading, slowly and awkwardly, and unfortunately, in certain cases, not Biblically.

Autumn Miles is a domestic abuse victim who was involved in commissioning a LifeWay Research study on how well- or ill-prepared churches are to deal with domestic violence.  She has been a guest on The Meeting House on several occasions.  She has spoken out recently in a Religion News Service piece on sexual abuse within the church.

She referred to a story out of Memphis, where a teaching pastor at a church who abused a teenaged victim 20 years ago attempted to apologize.  While he received a standing ovation at the time, the handling of the assault situation has resulted in the pastor being placed on leave, and former colleague also being placed on leave from the church he was serving, while their respective roles in are being investigated.  Miles writes:

While secular society has recently rushed to correct its mistakes in silencing women, the Church seems to be doubling down. Instead of condemning the abuse of a high school student, a congregation supported its pastor without question. There was no talk of how a church should handle these incidents or the emotional consequences experienced by the woman involved. Instead, the congregation only discussed forgiveness for Andy Savage and remorse that his victim was not on the same “road to healing.”

She goes on to say:

While the Church should practice grace and forgiveness, there must be real, tangible consequences for sexual misconduct — especially when it involves a minister using his power to coerce women into sexual acts.

It’s time for leaders to take women seriously. When a woman comes forward, whether she’s sharing about domestic violence or sexual misconduct of a minister, there needs to be a swift response from church leadership. Her safety — both emotional and physical — must be of utmost importance. The leadership’s first instinct should be her care, not determining “whether she’s telling the truth” or “whether she participated willingly.”

Rick and Kay Warren want to change the narrative.  This past Sunday, at the church that Rick Warren pastors, there was a special service, a service that Pastor Rick characterized as being one of hope.

CBN News reported on the service.  The story says that, "He began the sermon by appealing to compassion between believers."  He is quoted as saying, “Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them, happened to you..."

He quoted the Scripture verse, Hebrews 13:3, which says: "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them--those who are mistreated--since you yourselves are in the body also."

Warren empathized with their pain, saying: "It actually grieves me when I think about what some of you have gone through..."

This issue hits home for Pastor Rick - his wife, Kay, is an abuse victim.   The story says that she was "molested as a youth" and "said the shame was overwhelming."

“I knew something evil had just happened to me, I didn’t know how to express it,” said Kay Warren.

“It became too shameful, I couldn’t really deal with it,” she went on to say.

She also stated that, "Abuse can cause us to lose our voices..."

Well-known Bible teacher Beth Moore was also on hand.  She related:

“Here I am, a young child and I had a pervasive sense of shame that I carried with me everywhere I went,” said Moore.

“It is such an intimate crime, so very personal. It becomes invasive,” she explained.

“I would think to myself, I wish I was a good girl. I wish I was a good girl,” she continued.

Kay Warren described the healing process as a "long journey."  The CBN story continued:

The first step is to ‘establish safety.’

She says you can’t get the recovery needed if you are in the midst of the abusive situation.

The second step is choosing to embrace the truth and sometimes that means addressing the fact the abuse really happened.

Next, tell your story.

So, kudos to the Warrens and Beth Moore for bringing this subject to the forefront.  I don't want to add a whole lot to the story, but to summarize, there does need to be a seriousness about this subject.  There are hurting people in our congregations, and the Church should be a safe place for people who have been victimized to tell their stories, free from condemnation.

Ultimately, the aim is restoration in the midst of brokenness - relationships need to be restored.  The person who has been victimized certainly needs closure, and that can come through the repentance of the victimizer.  Repentance can lead to forgiveness, which leads to the activation of the presence of God.  But, it seems that all too often, offending acts are swept under the rug, leaving victims suffering in silence.

Now, we are in a critical moment when the suffering has festered enough, and a torrent of indignation has exploded on to the scene, bringing a thirst for justice - and healing.  These are concepts that are rooted in the Scriptures, and whether a person is a believer in Christ or not, there is a deep-seated desire to make things right.  The Scriptures shows us how to do that and the love of Christ can motivate us to act.

Songs and Messages

Music has the potential to greatly impact our spiritual life.   Music can convey messages and create
atmospheres. Psalm 95 opens up by saying:
1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.

I have a great appreciation of music; as a musician, I can see how people can be influenced by songs, especially in the worship context.  At Faith Radio, we feature over 15 hours of music per day, believing that music can be used of God to draw people into His presence and to remind us of His nature and His faithfulness.  Songs can be effective carriers of images and messages; the enemy knows this, as well, which is why songs are used to reflect a worldview that does not line up with God's truth.

+++++

The Bible emphasizes the value of music - we see that in the Psalms, certainly, but we also see it
mentioned by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...

Pop music's annual showcase and self-aggrandizement event occurred last night in New York City - yes, the annual Grammy Awards presented a hodgepodge of musical performances and messages.
Before commenting on some aspects of the show and some of the award winners, congratulations to those who won in the Christian music categories, of which there were five:

Best Gospel Performance or Song: Never Have to Be Alone from CeCe Winans
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance or Song: What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship
Best Gospel Album: Let Them Fall in Love, CeCe Winans

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Chain Breaker, Zach Williams

Best Roots Gospel Album: Sing It Now: Songs Of Faith & Hope, Reba McEntire

By the way, all those Grammy winners won Dove Awards back in October from the Gospel Music Association.

The Grammy Awards already had some negative feedback going in - while there was the expectation and fulfillment of the Time's Up theme, which, according to USA Today, didn't show up until 2-1/2 hours into the awards show, with a performance by a collection of artists, there were only a relatively few female artists that were nominated for major awards.  In fact, according to a tweet posted on the Billboard site from the mother of artist, Lorde, who declined to perform, the New York Times had reported that out of almost 900 nominees in the last six Grammy Awards, only 9 percent were women.

Based on the reviews that I read, there were the political moments - the opening featuring Kendrick Lamar and U2, the appearance of Hillary Clinton reading, along with other high-profile people, portions of the Michael Wolff book about the President, and the appeal by Camila Cabello on behalf of the DREAMers.  But, there are messages associated with the music industry that should really cause concern are those contained within the products that were actually honored.

Take Bruno Mars, for instance:  he won six Grammys last night, including, according to the Grammy website: Record of the Year and Album of the Year for 24K Magic and song of the year for That's What I Like.  Here's what Plugged In from Focus on the Family had to say about that album:

One song and one lyric on this breezy nine-track effort suggest that Bruno Mars is interested in a real relationship with someone. The rest of the time, it's all about sex. Bruno shamelessly woos women with his wealth even as he mocks their names and their weight. But Mr. Mars isn't much concerned with how the ladies he seeks to seduce might actually feel about his leering objectification.

About the Song of the Year, the review states: "'That's What I Like' basically promises an opulent lifestyle in exchange for sex (dropping stripper jargon in the process)..."

Then there's Ed Sheeran's award for Best Pop Solo Performance, Shape of You, in a category featuring all women except for him.  Plugged In took aim atSheeran's song, saying:

Unhooked from a biblical understanding of the purpose and place of sexual expression as God designed and intended it, our mainstream secular culture sees no problem with starting a relationship via physical intimacy, then perhaps moving toward the emotional kind. One's just as good as another, many today might argue, and relational growth can grow in either direction.

But Ed Sheeran is doing more than just mirroring that approach to love and sex. He's modeling it, too, reinforcing it, suggesting to his listeners that this kind of behavior is just fine and likely to lead to lasting love—rather than a train wreck of regret just waiting to jump off the tracks for one or both of these lovers should all that body-shape infatuation one day dissipate.

You have other offenders that are out there. Even though Kendrick Lamar, who won 5 Grammys last night, but who was shut out of the major categories, deals with spiritual themes, Plugged In says:

I appreciate lyrics here that treat faith as a substantial part of Lamar's life. But I struggle deeply with those lyrics' close proximity to other lines that are drenched in the harshest of profanities, praise marijuana use and narrate sexual experiences with exceedingly explicit imagery.

That imagery is found in the song HUMBLE., which shows the rapper in some sort of religious garb, and in a debauched Lord's Supper setting; the lyrics are vile beyond belief and especially cruel to the female who is being objectified. 

Isn't it interesting that there is a correct call for an end to objectification of women, but song lyrics continue to promote that message? I would contend the music industry, as well as other forms of entertainment, have been leading offenders of suggesting that men behave badly and legitimizing that behavior.  There is an enormous amount of hypocrisy here; and remember, Jesus directed perhaps some of His harshest criticism toward those who were hypocritical.

And, music is a powerful tool - the messages carried in a song can go deep into the spirit and as that song is listened to repetitively, can have an impact in shaping one's value system.  That is why listening to Christian music is so important for a believer, and music is a topic that is addressed heavily in the book of Psalms.  A movie or a television song can create images and distort worldviews, but songs can do those things in an even more profound way, because of the repetition and the personalization that can occur as someone sees himself or herself in the situation about which is being sung.

We have to make sure that we are choosing to expose ourselves to messages that renew our spirits, not that present a view that is contrary to Scripture.  Song lyrics are more than just words - they can carry powerful suggestions and paint powerful images, and we have a responsibility to steer clear of ideas that corrupt our minds.

On the Set

God wants to develop in us a spiritual sensitivity, so that we might know how to respond in the situations we encounter and how to bring the presence of Christ into the environments to which He has called us. 1st Corinthians 2 states:
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

In the Spirit, we have the glorious opportunity to see Him work in us, to be participants in the exciting adventure of spiritual growth.  Now, that story comes with some twists and turns, tests and trials, but we can become more aware of the person whom God wants us to be.  In our reliance on the Spirit, we can discover what it means to be a follower of Christ and the implications that has for our interactions with other people.

+++++

In the story that God is crafting in us, we recognize that there are tests and trials, plenty of second chances and the expression of His grace.  It is certainly an adventure of spiritual growth, as described
in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2:
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

The movie set is a working environment where there is quite a bit of precision, just trying to get all the elements right, as well as the repetition involved in getting just the right shot or the right nuance.  There, I imagine, would also be the anticipation of how the final product will turn out.

I've had the opportunity to visit a movie "set" on a couple of occasions and bring back coverage from my experiences.  Now, when you're dealing with multiple locations, the "set" can be considered wherever you are for a particular scene.  I had the chance to observe the filming of two scenes in the movie, Courageous, which was filmed in Albany, Georgia, home of Alex and Stephen Kendrick - one was a backyard scene; you may remember it, in which the main characters were discussing what it meant to be a good father.  I also watched as actor Robert Amaya, who played the character, Javier, was walking down a street when he heard the Alex Kendrick character call his name.  That particular scene had numerous takes involved.   It was very informative to see parts of a neighborhood converted to a movie "set" - I did the majority of my interviews there in a carport.

The filming of a movie involves many long hours, repeated attempts to get things right, and, I would think, plenty of down time.  I remember being at a Birmingham family fun place anticipating the filming of the scene in the movie Moms Night Out in which the dads took their kids out while their moms enjoyed some time away.  There was plenty of setup, as well as take after take.  It's pretty fascinating.

So, I can imagine the types of relationships that can be built on a movie set, and how the actors can contribute to one another.  Nigerian actress Sope Aluko gives some insight behind the scenes from the set of the next Marvel movie, Black Panther, out next month.  The Faithwire website reports:

Aluko, an outspoken Christian who plays Shaman in the movie, said that her on-set experience was wonderful, and that everyone was kind and down to Earth, according to The Christian Post.

She also said an interview with Okay Africa that the experience — particularly during breaks between shooting scenes — was almost like being in church.

In describing her interaction with other actors, Aluko related: “During breaks we shared our testimony of how we got to where did and most of the people were testifying to God’s miracles, it was almost like church.”

The Faithwire story also says that:

The actress frequently posts Christian sentiment on social media. In October, she shared a quote that read, “Maintaining my relationship with God, because without Him I am nothing.”

So, apparently, Sope has brought her faith to the movie set; for her, that is her workplace.  So, let's discuss some takeaways from this story.  First of all, we can think about how we are bringing our faith, bringing the presence of the Lord to our workplace; or for those not in the workplace, wherever we might be involved.  Essentially, wherever we go, we know that we are His representatives.

The finished product of a movie is designed to entertain, and in most cases, to tell a compelling story.  There generally are months of preparation, filming, more filming, even more filming, editing, marketing, and more that go into the movie you see on the screen or in your home.  In a movie, you can do and redo enough to get it right.  For us, our stories are told in real time.  In one sense, you don't get the chance for a re-take.  That's why time with the Lord and spiritual growth are so important - we have to be prepared to make the decisions with which we're confronted, to relate to people in a Christ-infused manner, and to allow God to work through our lives for His glory.

But, in another sense, in the arena of grace, you do get the opportunity to "do it again."  Because we may fail a test, but another one is coming, perhaps in the same area.  If we identify, by the Spirit, that we have erred in a situation, we can confess our sin to God and be ready the next time that it occurs. By His grace, we can correct our mistakes and develop Godly character; so our story becomes more compelling because of what God has enabled us to overcome.

God wants to tell His story through us - a story of His love extended toward and expressed through each of us.  He is a God who is patient with us through our tests and trials, and who desires to perfect us daily into who He intends for us to be.

Self-Research

God is calling us to follow Him into salvation through Christ, and into discipleship in Christ, and I believe that He desires for us to evaluate our walk with Him. Philippians 3 states:
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

This can challenge us to develop a mindset that we desire to grow spiritually, recognizing that we have a goal to please Him and to finish well, to follow the "upward call."  We have a teacher who goes with us, the Holy Spirit, who will reveal where we are missing the mark and direct us into areas of greater spiritual maturity.  We can rejoice in what we have accomplished in Christ and be motivated and prepared for what He has in store for us next.

+++++

On this Survey Thursday, yes, we're going to talk about some current research, but also touch on the concept of "self-research," a topic that is addressed in 2nd Corinthians 13, a "parting shot" by Paul to
the church at Corinth:
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.
6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.

One of the trends that you hear or read from researchers over the past few years is the growth of those who do not practice their faith, leading some to surmise that Christianity is in decline.  Glenn Stanton, who serves as Director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family, was a guest on my program on Tuesday of this week, and while our discussion centered on debunking a notion that somehow people having more children are a detriment to society, he did mention an article he had written at The Federalist website, which explores a new Harvard University/Indiana University Bloomington study that shows that Christianity may not be in as much of a state of decline as it has been perceived.

Stanton states:

This research questioned the “secularization thesis,” which holds that the United States is following most advanced industrial nations in the death of their once vibrant faith culture.

He says, "the researchers proclaim that religion continues to enjoy 'persistent and exceptional intensity' in America."  But, there is a caveat: he says, "It comes down primarily to what kind of faith one is talking about. Not the belief system itself, per se, but the intensity and seriousness with which people hold and practice that faith."

Here is a bold and encouraging statement:

The percentage of Americans who attend church more than once a week, pray daily, and accept the Bible as wholly reliable and deeply instructive to their lives has remained absolutely, steel-bar constant for the last 50 years or more, right up to today. These authors describe this continuity as “patently persistent.”

And, it's an American phenomenon, to wit:
1 in 3 Americans pray daily vs. 1 in 15 in other countries.
Americans attend church at a rate twice as high as the "next-attending industrial country."
A third of Americans "hold that the Bible is the actual word of God," less than 10 percent elsewhere.

And, here's the kicker, "...those who take their faith seriously are becoming a markedly larger proportion of all religious people. In 1989, 39 percent of those who belonged to a religion held strong beliefs and practices. Today, these are 47 percent of all the religiously affiliated. "

So, it's a matter of "the faithful and the dabblers," with Stanton citing a "growing gulf" for "quite some time, with the first group growing more numerous."

He says that:

The folks at Pew have been reporting for years that while the mainline churches are in drastic free fall, the group that “shows the most significant growth is the nondenominational family.” Of course, these nondenominational churches are 99.9 percent thorough-blooded evangelical. Pew also notes that “evangelical Protestantism and the historically black Protestant tradition have been more stable” over the years, with even a slight uptick in the last decade because many congregants leaving the mainline churches are migrating to evangelical churches that hold fast to the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

And, Glenn discussed on the radio show the other day the concept of what you might say, "evangelism through fertility."  He states:

The University of London’s Eric Kaufmann explains in his important book “Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?” (he says yes) that the sustaining vitality, and even significant per capita growth, of serious Christian belief is as firmly rooted in fertility as it is in faithful teaching and evangelism.

This is gold, and it contains a fabulous message:

If your Christianity is reconstituted to the day’s fashion, don’t be surprised if people lose interest in it. Few are seeking 2 Percent Christianity. They want the genuine deal, and the demographics on religion of the last few decades unmistakably support the fact.

So, the question is for those who profess Christianity: would I be considered "faithful" or a "dabbler?"   First of all, we have to examine if we really want all God desires for us to experience in Him.  If we have accepted Christ as Savior, that is the entry point to a walk of discipleship and growth in relationship, rather than an end unto itself.

Then, you look at what that faithfulness produces.  We grow in Christ as we communicate with Him in prayer.  We also experience spiritual vitality in the context of the local church, with fellowship with other believers.  And, we discover more about what it means to be a disciple through time in His Word.  Those are three aspects that Stanton mentioned in the article.

The Family Research Council website declares, in response to the research:

So the next time you hear that Christianity is "going the way of the Yellow Pages," don't buy it. Liberals only argue that to disparage and diminish you. Don't let them. As much as they'd like to believe otherwise -- and as long as there are Christians living out their faith every day -- faith is alive and well in America!

This data should encourage us, but also to challenge us in our walk to make sure that we are on a trajectory of spiritual growth.  The act of salvation and the activities in which we participate are important, but there's one more thing I want to highlight - how are our attitudes; what is our heart like?  We have to make sure that we are walking with a pure heart, not possessing selfish motives or impure thoughts and emotions.  We must live with authenticity and be motivated by love.  That motivation will result in our taking steps, under the influence of the Spirit, that will impact the lives of the people with whom we interact.

On Campus

We are called to be in this world, placed on this earth for a purpose; but we are not of this world - our citizenship is in heaven.  This passage in 1st John 2 highlights the dangers and philosophies of this
world:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

We can be challenged to strive to do the will of God - and that can be difficult when you consider the influences of the world and the lures of our own flesh.  But, God offers us a way through His Word to navigate through this world with boldness and confidence, convinced of His truth.  He gives us great power and hope as we appropriate His resources and are devoted to the study and application of His Word.  

+++++

There is a battle of ideas, a battle for the hearts and minds of individuals, and one of the battlefields is the college campus. I commonly think of this passage in 2nd Corinthians 10 as applicable to my own mind, but in a very real sense, it could be applied to the culture at large:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

I am very thankful for the variety of college ministries and local churches that influenced my life while I attended college - I think back on those years as really quite formative for me spiritually, and prepared me for the life I live, as well as the type of ministry in which I am involved.

Our campus was blessed to have a number of different ministry organizations, but there are currently scores of college campuses that do not have effective campus ministries? - and with all the craziness that you see at these schools, seems to me that would be not only a mission field: to inject the Christian worldview into the potpourri of ideas that are circulating, and to be able to share the love of Christ and see people won to Christ.

Well, if you think of college ministry, you have to think of what was once known as Campus Crusade for Christ, or Cru.  The Cru website says:

In 1951, Bill and Vonette Bright pursued their passion for ministry by starting Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru in the U.S.) at the University of California at Los Angeles.

What began with college students has since grown into one of the largest international Christian ministries in the world, reaching beyond students to serve inner cities, the military, athletes, political and business leaders, the entertainment industry, and families.

But, there is a college ministry that is quite a bit older, the roots of which date back to Cambridge, England.  Its ministry website states:

The roots of our movement are with students at the University of Cambridge, England in 1877. There, a group of Christian students began to meet together, in spite of the disapproval of some University officials, to pray, to study the Bible, and to share their faith with fellow students. Soon, similar groups sprang up on other campuses. Eventually, they formed the British Inter-Varsity. (Hence our name, inter – meaning between, varsity – the British term for college level students.)

The ministry of InterVarsity spread to Canada in 1928, and then to the U.S. in 1941, with staff members "on loan" from Canada.

These two organizations are serving thousands of college students, but believe there is much more to do.  CBNNews.com reports that Cru and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA "have launched a new partnership to reach the more than 1,800 campuses they say are unreached."  The article states:

Jason Thomas, executive vice president for field ministry at InterVarsity told CBN News, "We would love to see a gospel movement planted in every campus in the country, particularly in every campus that has at least 1,000 students."

The CBN report says:

Cru and InterVarsity have partnered to launch the website everycampus.us that they hope will spark a prayer movement as an initial step. They're asking students, professors and churches to take responsibility for a campus, prayer walk it, and post a picture with the hashtag #everycampus.

They're also planning a platform with campus ministry resources and a coaching center where those with a vision can get practical help.

Mark Gauthier, executive director of Cru's U.S. campus ministry, told CBN News that, "The goal is zero," adding, "Zero campuses without an expression of a student ministry by 2025."

These are bold steps in a troubled culture - we recognize that college campuses are incubators for all sorts of ideas, and I have reported on instances where the Christian worldview has been stifled.  Speech codes and speech zones are indicative of the hostility toward the Christian perspective on campus.  These are, in some cases, tough neighborhoods, and these organizations are devoted to ramping up the energy, believing that the power and wisdom of God can overcome these ideas that stand in contrast to the gospel.

Thomas, from InterVarsity, also made a statement about the power of movements: "There's a general disposition to movements and what God may be doing more than what organizations are doing..."  That's what these two organizations want to do - to create a groundswell.  They are using social media and Internet presence to do that.  We may not be out to start a movement and we certainly can't manipulate a sovereign move of God, but we can be obedient and allow the power of God's truth and His Spirit to act according to His will.  He responds to the obedience of His people.

Finally, we recognize that we should not be intimidated by opposing ideas to the gospel.  We can be confident in the Lord and take steps to be able to communicate His truth better.  We can cling to truth and rely on His Spirit to counter errant ways of thinking in our minds and in the minds of those with whom we interact.

Standing Alone

Colossians 3 addresses how we are to radiate the character of Christ, which is expressed from within, out of a heart that loves Jesus:
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.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Because we love God, we have the capacity to love others - He desires that we take the focus off ourselves and place it on Him and doing His work.  That will involve developing compassion for those in need.  And, the needs are all around us.  As we are sensitive to the indwelling Spirit, we can rely on Him to show us how we are to act.  Sometimes, that will involve acting alone - and perhaps in our display of love, others will see that and become engaged, too.

+++++

In Matthew 25, we read the teachings of Jesus regarding "the least of these."  And, the reference to the final verse in this passage actually is the name of a ministry in Illinois that the central character in our story co-founded:
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Standing alone has the potential to get attention and enact lasting change.  I think of Joyce Im Bartholomew's story on my radio show yesterday - her pro-life video had been banned from YouTube, and so she took legal action against the Internet behemoth.  Even though she initially lost her challenge, others who had experienced restrictions came forward, as well.  Ultimately her video was allowed to be posted.  You can watch it here.

Until 2016, Greg Schiller had been with the ministry he co-founded, Matthew 25:40, in Elgin, Illinois.  After his resignation, according to a story on the Christian Headlines.com website provided by WORLD News Service, "Schiller began to minister to the homeless, first in his garage, and this year in his better-equipped basement." The article continues:

But city officials in Elgin said Schiller’s basement didn’t meet its “sleeping regulations” code. When police officers inspected and shut down the basement “party” space last week, they cited the ceiling height as too low and the windows as too high and small to be used as an egress.

Schiller had "decided to open his basement when the wind chill factor dipped below 15 degrees and area shelters did not open."  He is quoted as saying: "I would stay up all night with them and give them coffee and stuff and feed them."

The article continues:

He insisted he never allowed drugs or alcohol inside his residence on the freezing nights he invited the homeless in. His kindness included a cot in the warm, dorm-style basement, plus hot drinks and movies.

One man, taking action - in this case, exhibiting compassion for the homeless - resulted in the city taking steps to provide for those homeless in need.  The article states:

After the showdown at Schiller’s home, the city is now helping lead the creation of new shelters and has even offered the police department lobby for people with nowhere to go, including those who have a criminal record that keeps them out of shelters.

One of the takeaways is quite clear - Greg Schiller was one man who, driven by compassion in the mold of Jesus, reached out to meet a need.  He encountered opposition, but his action won over city officials.  Standing alone can make an impression.

And, in what area did he minister?  To the homeless - who needed shelter in extremely adverse conditions.  He reached out to them unconditionally.  He saw a need in his city and took the action to meet it - not through an institution, but personally.  Remember, sometimes compassion calls for a bold step.

Finally, we can check our hearts to make sure that we are open to the promptings of the Spirit - we, individually can't meet every need, but we might meet the need of one, or two.  And, then people can see and come along.  As the Church is dedicated to seeing and responding to the needs in our communities, that can result in the love of Christ being displayed.

Cherish Life

God is our giver of life, and I believe He desires for us to enjoy life and to enjoy His presence daily.
Psalm 36 says:
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

We certainly have the ability to appreciate the life that God has given to us, and the life He has given to all - because we all have been given life by Him, that means we can develop a high view of the sanctity of life and seek to preserve it - that means life for the pre-born and for those who are nearing the end of their lives.  We should not seek to take or alter the life of another, because we recognize that he or she possesses the image of the Creator.

+++++

In his bold declaration at Mars Hill, Paul established God as the life-giver, according to Acts 17:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

It appears that vlogger Logan Paul is taking some time off after irresponsible use of social media.  Although I can't see where he has been banned from posting his videos on YouTube, he certainly has crossed the lines in the minds of many.  So, his Twitter feed's last post was on January 3 and reads that he is taking "time to reflect."

I think that Paul is one of many who really should take a self-imposed "time out" from social media. In case you're not familiar with it, here are some elements of the story, according to Faithwire.com:

Paul was filming one of his daily vlogs at the Japanese forest Aokigahara, a well-known suicide site. The YouTube star and a couple of his friends decided it would be funny to camp out in the forest for a night while filming their experience.

They titled the video: “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest.”

As the group trekked through the undergrowth, they came across a man who was hanging from a tree. “Did we just find a dead person in the suicide forest?” Paul said to the camera, openly laughing about the situation. “This was supposed to be a fun vlog.”

The response was negative and almost immediate.  Paul offered a tepid apology on Twitter, but it didn't wash with people.  He tried again, and in a video apology, again posted on Twitter, he stated, “I have made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgment, and I don’t expect to be forgiven...”

An online petition was started, which now has well over 500,000 signatures.

And, YouTube has received its share of criticism, according to Faithwire:

Others have criticized YouTube for keeping the video live for so long. The disturbing and graphic video was viewed by around six million people before being removed. The majority of Paul’s fans are under 18.

“Paul deleted the video less than 24 hours after posting it following outrage, but not before it had been okayed by YouTube’s moderation team,” wrote Jon Russell at TechCrunch.

So, Logan Paul is taking time to reflect, meanwhile, YouTube is taking time to deflect.  Chief business officer Robert Kyncl told the BBC that it took 10 days for the channel to admit that the video shouldn't have been published because..."We were trying to determine the right course of action, which is what took the time. And we decided that the video should come down..." This was after Paul had taken it down himself.

But, Paul will face some punishment, according to the website, Engadget.  And, YouTube is changing its criteria for its more popular contributors.  The website says:

...YouTube will now manually review uploads from accounts that are part of its Google Preferred ad tier, which lets brands publish advertisements in videos from the top five percent of YouTube creators.

The shift is notable because it means YouTube will rely less on algorithms to catch bad actors, something that social media companies are finally realizing needs to happen.

Also...

Although Paul's channel "Logan Paul Vlogs" still lives on the platform, YouTube has put on hold the original projects he was working on for YouTube Red, its paid ad-free streaming service. It also terminated his lucrative Google Preferred ad deal, and while he will still be able to monetize his content, not being a part of that advertising package likely won't earn him nearly as much money. For context, he was reportedly the fourth highest-paid YouTuber in 2017, according to Forbes, earning an estimated $12.5 million -- thanks to Preferred, his Maverick apparel line and sponsored posts on social media.

I participate in YouTube, and appreciate the opportunity to circulate content to an additional audience.  Sometimes I get a handful of views; others break through and reach thousands.  But, there is always a key component in the arena of social media use: discretion.  Sure, you have people that want to shock and offend, but an audience's sensibilities can only take so much; and while I think that the lines have moved or been blurred, I am glad to know that hundreds of thousands found Logan Paul's attempt to minimize and mock a very serious subject did not go unnoticed.

In Japan, you have a place where people actually to go to take their lives.  Faithwire reports:

Japan has one of the highest rates of suicide in the developed world and Aokigahara has become a notorious location for those seeking to end their own lives. In 2010, authorities recorded more than 200 suicide attempts, with 54 fatalities.

And, people are taking constructive action to try to lower that rate.  The Faithwire site states:

Officials have also erected signs at the forest’s entrance, urging suicidal visitors to seek help and not take their own lives. “Think carefully about your children, your family, one reads, with another declaring: “Your life is a precious gift from your parents.”

I think there is a responsibility that we have as the Church to identify those who are troubled in our midst and attempt to intervene.  Unfortunately, people can become so despondent that they do not see the point in living any further.  We have to make sure that we are communicating hope to this world and possess the perspective that life is ordained by God and worth living.

Finally, we have to always make sure that we are extolling the giver of life and that we recognize His control over matters of life and death.  We must cherish our lives and give God praise for this precious gift - the ability to live.  And, we know that we have opportunity to walk with Him, to honor Him, and bring Him glory.

Love Saves Lives

Genesis 1 underscores the nature and activity of our Creator God, who has a distinct purpose for all
human beings, who have been made in His image. We can read:
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Today, we stand in solidarity with thousands who have taken to the streets of Washington, DC because they love life - life as it was created and ordained by God...in the womb!  Against the backdrop of a court decision legalizing abortion, people have seized the opportunity to show a better way, to defend those who cannot defend themselves, and to declare that because of love, lives can be saved.  Motivated by compassion, the body of Christ can strive to be marked by that motivation.

+++++

We recognize that all human beings were designed by our Creator God, reflecting His image, the
"imago Dei," or "image of God." Job 31 reinforces this notion:
13 "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,
14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

This is a special day, an instance of turning a true human tragedy into an opportunity to testify to our wonderful Creator God and His love for the ones to whom He has given life.  The anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision is used as a rallying point for people to show their respect for the sanctity of life.

Already today, the March for Life occurred in Washington, DC - it is an annual event bringing together people from a variety of backgrounds to show solidarity with and for the unborn.  In addition to the President addressing those gathered in the nation's capital live via satellite - the first time the holder of that office has done so, there was a cadre of speakers in association with the event, including Pam Tebow, the mother of football star Tim Tebow.

Tim spoke recently about his mom's pregnancy at the Passion Conference.  The Faithwire website related some of his words, as Tebow responded to Louie Giglio's question about what shaped his values: “I was originally born in the Philippines … to missionary parents and I have a special birth story,” adding, “The doctors said that I wasn’t even a baby; they said I was a tumor.”

He continued: "There was a lot of craziness with my mom’s pregnancy. She decided to trust God and not what the doctors were saying,” and he added, “And then I was born and it was a miracle — the placenta wasn’t attached the entire pregnancy … I was malnourished, but I made up for it pretty quickly."

Pam Tebow chose life - and her son continues to testify about her faith and his miraculous birth.

Today, we focus on the scourge of abortion, an act that "belittles women," according to someone who recently passed away and has been in the news.  That would be Dolores O'Riordan, who was the lead singer of the Cranberries.  Her comments to Rolling Stone a number of years ago were reported in another Faithwire story: 

The singer said at the time that abortion is “not good for women to go through” and that it “belittles” them. She also said that it “crushes” a woman’s self-esteem.

We take a few moments today to not only reflect on the horrors of abortion, but also to celebrate the wonder of our God, who has created each of us in His image.  And, our view of life should be determined by the Scriptures.  It can provide a foundation for how we view other people and how we treat them.  Think about how we relate to people when we love them as Jesus loves and as we see that they, like us, were created by God.

Now, there does seem to be a trend to redefine what it means to be "pro-life," attempting to craft some sort of smorgasbord of issues that can be related to the pro-life perspective - I think this is a concerning trend, because it lessens the impact of what the pro-life perspective is all about.  When the banner of "pro-life" is used to try to define other issues, some of them controversial, where there is disagreement within the Christian community, I think that it can become a diversion and can actually be used to create division.  I suspect that it is a response to those who criticize pro-lifers for only being concerned with unborn babies, which, of course, is a totally false characterization.  Now, there is nothing wrong in addressing those issues, and should be addressed in the right context, but we don't necessarily have to make them part of the "pro-life" rubric.

That being said, we have to make sure that our view is always driven by compassion.  The pro-life cause is more than a political stance for the Christian, it should shape the lens through which we see the world.  Although we have seen some pro-life victories and positive developments in that area, ultimately, we are not out to win an argument, but to win the heart - saving the life of the baby and providing help and healing for women and their families in crisis pregnancy situations.  The theme of this year's March for Life is "Love Saves Lives" - this can challenge us to be motivated by the love of Christ to touch all who are created in His image.

Fake

We are called, as believers in Christ, to adhere to the truth as we find it in the Word of God. And, God's Word can shape our thinking. Philippians 4 says:
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

We can strive to build a reputation that is one of integrity, good character, and sober-mindnessness. God does not want us to be led astray by the deception of the enemy, who seeks to draw God's people into division through lies, gossip, and slander.  We lose credibility as we spread rumors, "what we've heard," about one another.  We should strive to think about and talk about what is true, and we can rely on the presence of the Spirit to direct our steps and our thoughts.

+++++

The Bible instructs us that we are to be earnestly seeking the truth and are to be people of
discernment. We have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to teach us. 1st John 4 states:
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

Yesterday may go down as the day when "fake news" made news across America.  The President announced his "Fake News Awards" yesterday, and the "winners" were posted on the Republican National Committee website, GOP.com. 

NBC News, which failed to win one of these awards, which does not have a nickname like "Oscar" or "Emmy," reported:

Long advertised by the president as a celebration of — as he called it — “the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media,” the awards named 11 articles published since Trump took office. Almost as soon as he tweeted the link to the "awards" on a GOP.com page it crashed, presumably due to high traffic volume, but NBC News obtained a copy of the site.

“2017 was a year of unrelenting bias, unfair news coverage, and even downright fake news,” the page claimed before listing off “the winners," which included CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other large news outlets.

Here are the Top 5:

5. Washington Post FALSELY reported the President’s massive sold-out rally in Pensacola, Florida was empty. Dishonest reporter showed picture of empty arena HOURS before crowd started pouring in...

4. TIME FALSELY reported that President Trump removed a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Oval Office...

3. CNN FALSELY reported that candidate Donald Trump and his son Donald J. Trump, Jr. had access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks...

2. ABC News' Brian Ross CHOKES and sends markets in a downward spiral with false report...

AND

1. The New York Times’ Paul Krugman claimed on the day of President Trump’s historic, landslide victory that the economy would never recover.

Those are the President's claims, and he said that "RUSSIA COLLUSION" was "last but not least," adding: "Russian collusion is perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people."

The President did tweet out that "there are many great reporters that I respect and lots of GOOD News for the American people to be proud of!"

CNN took four awards; interestingly enough, NBC and MSNBC won zero.

Meanwhile, both U.S. Senators from Arizona took the opportunity to take aim  the President's criticism of the media.  FoxNews.com reported that Sen. Jeff Flake took to the Senate floor to compare Trump to former Russian leader Stalin. He said, "Not only has the past year seen a president borrow despotic language to refer to the free press, but it seems that he has now in turn inspired authoritarians and dictators with his own language..."  The Fox story stated: "White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shot back at the daily press briefing that Flake had recently visited Cuba, where he had nice things to say about the authoritarian government in that country."  That article also says, "Flake was given some support in his remarks by fellow Arizona Sen. John McCain who, in an editorial in The Washington Post, also urged the president to stop attacking the press."

Fake news was also one of the subjects of a survey conducted last year by the Barna Group.  A summary of a number of Barna surveys from the previous year states:

Three in 10 (31%) say the problem of fake news lies in reader error—“misinterpretation or exaggeration of actual news on social media”—not factual mistakes in reporting itself. From there, the blame shifts left; one-quarter (24%) says the source is mainstream liberal media, while just 13 percent point the finger at mainstream conservative outlets. Nearly one-fifth (18%) “don’t know much” about fake news, while 9 percent fault bloggers and independent journalists.

Among evangelicals, 51% say that the trouble with fake news lies with the liberal media and 25% say that it involves the aforementioned "misinterpretation of exaggeration."

Other surveys involved Trump's travel ban, taxpayer funding of abortion, trust of the President, and...prayer for the President.  The Barna Group says that 37% of all Americans say they pray for the President, and the summary says: "Among the Christian faith segments, reports of prayer for Trump are particularly high among evangelicals (88%). Interestingly, only about one-third of notional Christians (35%)—a group that, Barna’s research indicates, was key in Trump’s 2016 victory—keeps the president in their prayers."

So, "fake news" is definitely a phrase that is being highlighted in our culture.  And, I have stated that Christians should be seeking and speaking the truth.  We know that truth that can be applied to our decisions, the way we live our lives, and even the way we process the news of the day, is related to the Scriptures.

We do have to be careful about our sources of information.  We have to recognize that not all we see or hear is true, so we have to be discerning.  You have to develop credible sources of news and information - now there will be purveyors of information that will approach the facts from a certain worldview, and that is perfectly fine, because depending on reputable journalists whose worldview tracks with ours can certainly help us process what we are consuming.  But, there are also news sources that may reflect our point of view, but are loose with the facts and lean toward the conspiratorial - that should be avoided.

There also is the whole business of the sources used in reporting.  I think there is reason to be skeptical about news outlets that use phrases like "sources say" or "an unnamed source told xyz." Sometimes there will be necessity of speaking off the record, but I think that you have be careful with these so-called "insider" reports.

And, I think for the Christian who is seeking truth, reliance on third-party sources in individual conversations can be dangerous and lead us into areas of gossip and slander.   If someone comes up to you in church and says, "I heard" such-and-such or that said anonymous person told me, you should not readily accept that information.  Reputations can be destroyed as the result of repeated rumors.  And they're probably not going to be presented in the form of a legitimate "prayer request."  We have to be careful that we are not participating in spreading false or unverified information.

Again, we are the truth seekers and the truth speakers.  We find truth in God's Word, and the opposite of truth belongs in the domain of the one called the "father of lies."  He will also plant erroneous thoughts in our minds and we have to counter his schemes with the truth of the Bible.

Attention Shoppers

Jesus made it clear from the beginning of His earthly ministry, as we discover in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, that His intent was not to abolish God's commands, but to fulfill them.  We read in that chapter:
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Consider what the world would be like if we allowed the 10 Commandments to guide us.  And, individually, if we honor the Lord, taking to heart what He said about having no other gods before Him, what an impact that would have.  Jesus was asked later in Matthew about the Greatest Commandment, and He said it was to love God with all that we are - and He mention a second, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  We keep His commands by relying on His Word and His Spirit to permeate our lives.

+++++

Consider how society would function if we took God's words seriously and regarded Him in the first place of our lives.  In the opening passage of what is commonly known as the 10 Commandments, in
Exodus 20, we read this:
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

America is in a state of crisis regarding so many issues, and we are so in need in guidance.  A mall and restaurant owner named John Bushman is trying to do his part.

He is the owner of Music City Mall, which is located in Lewisville, TX, which is in the Dallas area. According to Religion News Service, at the mall's grand opening in late December, a large granite tablet of the Ten Commandments was unveiled.  Another monument containing "Jesus' Greatest Commandments" went up on the facility's second floor.

The article points out that:

Several of Bushman’s other businesses, including hotels and casual dining restaurants in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico, have similar Ten Commandment displays. He has told Dallas media he wants the Music City Mall to be “a community space.”

A shopping mall operates like a public, community space where all are welcome. But it is actually a private space where church-state laws demanding a neutrality toward religion don’t apply.

The story says that mall's general manager, Richard Morton, "told Texas reporters...the monument reflects the mall owner’s 'belief system and he is not afraid to share it.'" The report stated that "Local non-Christians have, so far, not objected publicly. Dallas is among the most Christian U.S. cities, with a population that is 78 percent Christian and with 18 percent who claim to have no religious affiliation, according to the Pew Research Center." 

A couple of things to point out - these so-called "church-state" laws do not prohibit a display of the 10 Commandments, as long as certain conditions are met.  It is, according to Gary Randall of the blog Faith and Freedom, who is quoted in the article, "...the basis for the legal system in America, the most free, prosperous, blessed and exceptional nation in the history of the world, even though secularists claim the Commandments are ‘not’ the basis for our laws..."

And, the 10 Commandments have their roots in Jewish law, so the decalogue is not merely a Christian entity.  Plus, the 10 Commandments are, as Randall sets forth, the basis for our laws.

The 10 Commandments provide a foundation for our morality, and in a culture struggling to determine what is right and wrong that has strayed from basic moral principles, it's refreshing that this mall owner has decided to display these tenets to his shoppers.  

Local resident Colette Franklin of Denton, told Community Impact Newspaper at the unveiling, “I think it’s great, I’m excited...I think it’s great we can get back to things that we used to have and make people aware of this foundation. We teach these values already to our kids, and this helps to enforce it.”

Consider this question with me: Would society function better if we adhered to the 10 Commandments?  For example, if God were honored and exalted in the first position of each of our lives, how would that alter our behavior?

We also know that another of the commandments is "Thou shalt not kill."  When you consider that millions of babies have lost their lives since the Roe vs. Wade decision in January of 1973 and you look at the number of murders that are experienced in cities throughout America, these are just two pieces of evidence that show that we as a culture do not respect life.  

The issue of theft is also huge - "Thou shalt not steal."  And, its companion, "Thou shalt not covet..." Not only do people desire to take what does not belong to them and harbor illicit desires for what they cannot and should not have.  There is an enormous theft of innocence that has exploded in our sex-saturated society; that's what is fueling this movement to expose inappropriate behavior - women are feeling violated, as if something has been stolen from them, and it has.   

And, what would be the impact on families if we took seriously the command to honor our father and mother?   

People will deny it, but God has the best for His creation in mind, and that includes humanity.  He has given us solid principles by which we can order our lives, and Christians have the Holy Spirit to enable us to comply.  But, to unleash His power and love on culture, we have to be in proper alignment with Him, we must honor the Lord, and that becomes a sticking point for so many and a daily struggle for the Christian believer.  That's why we have to make that living and active Word a part of us.

Mortality

The apostle Paul did not have a death wish, but he certainly possessed a hopeful view of death and eternity, according to Philippians 1:
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

We know that when we leave this world, we are ushered into eternity, and Jesus taught that He is preparing a special place for those who have called upon His name.  He doesn't want us to fear death, but there is a definite element of the unknown here - nevertheless, He desires that we are confident about our eternal destiny.  If we know Him, if we have been saved, born again in Christ, we can know that we will spend eternity with Him; that is a source of incredible hope.

+++++

The Bible teaches that our departure from this world means that the believer in Christ enters into
eternity with God, according to 2nd Corinthians 5, which says:
4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
Smartphone apps are a wonderful invention, and make it simple to navigate the world of information at our fingertips.  And, you can download apps that will provide access to information, that can control your electronic devices, and even remind you about certain things - you would think that the app world is actually trying to do your thinking for you!!

And, there is an app that has been released that reminds you of your mortality.  That's right, it has a rather quirky name - it's called "WeCroak."  An article on The Atlantic website tells you more than you need to know about it.  The author writes:

FIVE TIMES A DAY for the past three months, an app called WeCroak has been telling me I’m going to die. It does not mince words. It surprises me at unpredictable intervals, always with the same blunt message: “Don’t forget, you’re going to die.”

The author, Bianca Bosker, initially downloaded it as a joke, but it - and she - are still ticking. She says that she has "come to embrace WeCroak as the anti-app."  Says it changes how she relates to her phone.  She writes: "As I scroll through Instagram or refresh Twitter, WeCroak interrupts with the sobering reminder that it is not just my attention these other apps are consuming, but chunks of my life."

Residents of Hawaii received a "sobering reminder" of their mortality over the weekend.  You may have heard that an alert was sent out notifying residents of an impending missile attack.  This is certainly a very real threat, in light of the heated rhetoric coming from the nation of North Korea, situated to the north of our 50th state.  Franklin Graham related a spiritual application as the result of this false warning on his Facebook page.  He wrote:

Yesterday Hawaii had a scare. Their emergency alert system sent a message to everyone’s cell phone: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” They thought they had about 20 minutes. A friend of mine in Hawaii said he ran to the window to see everyone running off the golf course, and then he sat in front of the television. I read about another man who got in the bathtub with his family and prayed. Well, a few minutes later, it was revealed that an employee had hit the wrong button and it was a false alarm. What would you do if you only had 20 minutes to live? Would you call on the name of God? Would you ask for forgiveness of your sins? Would you contact your loved ones? Would you drink a Coke? Share in the comments below—If you only had 20 minutes to live, what would you do?

As of this morning, there have been some 13,000 comments in response to that penetrating question.

CBN reported on the alert, Graham's response, and certain comments, which included:

"I'd probably spend the last 20 minutes with family and devotional time with Jesus..."

"If I only had 20 minutes to live, I'd defiantly be praying asking for forgiveness so I can make it in."

Wonder if he meant definitely and his Facebook app autofill took over?  One responder said he'd probably "eat a cheese steak" at his favorite restaurant in Philadelphia.

By the way, the CBN story said that:

In a statement, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says that the false alarm and the delay in a public retraction was "absolutely unacceptable," and that it undermines "public confidence in the alerting system and thus reduce their effectiveness during real emergencies."

The Washington Examiner reports that:

Richard Rapoza, spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said the worker responsible for sending out the missile alert has now been reassigned to a job that doesn’t have access to the system. The agency is also conducting an investigation into what occurred.

Matters of life and death here, and the perspective that is taught in the Scriptures is quite different than what people who don't know Christ might believe.  There are several takeaways I wanted to call attention to:  From the app story, we can reminded that we will all die.  That is, unless Jesus comes to take us first.  But, we can look forward to a cessation of life on this earth.  The other is related to Franklin's question: if we know we only had 20 minutes to live, what would we do? How would we spend it?

Well, I think we have to make sure that we are ready to leave this earth and that we are certain that we will spend eternity with God in heaven.  And, we can do that before any alarm goes off or our death is imminent.  It is a matter that can be settled - the person who believes in Christ as Lord and Savior has the promise of eternity with Him.  Period.

There are a few other quick points about death - for one thing, I believe that the Bible teaches that if we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord.  And, the same writer, Paul, says that to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  So, we don't have to fear death.

And, one more thing, circling back - everyone is appointed, as Hebrews says, once to die, and then to face judgment.  So, eternal judgment is a certainty; but we can be confident that if we have received Jesus as our Lord, we will stand before God as His saved and redeemed child, with our sins forgiven, right before Almighty God.

Injustice and God's Truth

Micah 6, verse 8 points out how we can be involved with matters of justice:

8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

God has called His people, I believe, to be purveyors of justice - to seek and to speak the truth.  And, His truth becomes the basis, the measuring stick, the plumb line for how people are to be treated.  In his famous letter from the Birmingham jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. invoked Amos 5:24, which reads, "But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream."  Justice is to be based on truth, not your truth or my truth, but the rock-solid principles of the Scriptures, which contain His absolute truth and reveal His heart.

+++++

In Jeremiah 22, we can connect with a passage that shows us the heart of God regarding matters of
justice:
3 Thus says the Lord: "Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
4 For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David.
5 But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself," says the Lord, "that this house shall become a desolation." ' "

Another translation (ESV) uses the word "justice," instead of "judgment" in verse 3.

On this day set aside to honor the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the 50th anniversary of his assassination set to be commemorated in less than three months, we have the opportunity to consider his contributions to the civil rights movement and to be inspired to pursue the cause or causes to which God has called us to address.

King began his journey to prominence really here in Montgomery, Alabama in the mid 50's, but there was an event that was actually brought to light recently during the Oprah Winfrey speech at the Golden Globes that I want to use as my beginning point.

A tragic event occurred in Abbeville, Alabama.  A young lady named Recy Taylor was walking home from a church service at Rock Hill Holiness Church, according to CBNNews.com.  She was attacked and raped by six white men.  No one served prison time for this brutal attack; no one was even prosecuted. The article states that, "In 2011, the Alabama Legislature issued Taylor an apology for failing to prosecute her attackers, even though one of the men had confessed."

CBN refers to a documentary, "The Rape of Recy Taylor," directed by Nancy Buirski, which "tells of the brutal attack and the justice Taylor longed for." In the film, Taylor says, "I was begging them to leave me alone," adding, "Don't shoot me. I got to go home and see 'bout my baby. They wouldn't let me go. I can't help but tell the truth what they done to me..."

The CBN article points out that: "Taylor's Christian faith appears to have been a common thread throughout her life."  Also...

...according to Buirski, Taylor recalled how God kept the men who attacked her from taking her life that night.

"The Lord was just with me that night," Taylor reportedly says in the documentary about her assault.

Here is a stunning, yet disturbing story with a spiritual component.  And, the assault got the attention of a young investigator named...Rosa Parks - a point that Winfrey included in the speech.  As NBCNews.com reported: "Her story gained national attention, and her case was handled by a young NAACP investigator named Rosa Parks — nearly 11 years prior to Parks’ historic refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus."

So, long before Parks' action in 1955, she was involved in the pursuit of justice.  Her brave action on that bus led to the formation of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which named Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, as its head.  So, you could make the case for the connection of the tragedy in Abbeville in 1944 to the cause of civil rights in the late 50's and the 60's.  And, you never get away from the concept of the justice that our God wants to bring - that's what fueled the civil rights movement.

One further thing about Recy Taylor.  In that NBC piece, her granddaughter, Mary Joyce Owens honored Taylor; she was raised by her grandmother after her mother's death when she was 8.  Owens is quoted as saying:

"It was ordained by God that I was placed in her life and I thank him for it because he placed me with a precious jewel,” she said. “And those things that happened to her shouldn’t have happened, but she didn’t let that define her. They didn’t make her bitter, they made her better.”

There are some takeaways from the exploration of the Recy Taylor story today.  And, I think that one of the key ones is that we do serve a God of healing.  Unspeakable horror took place in Recy's life, yet she trusted God in the midst of her attack, and apparently continued to trust Him throughout her life.

But, you can also think that we serve a God of justice.  We do not sweep injustice aside, but pursue justice with great fervor, recognizing that we can be empowered to do what is right.  That's why #MeToo is a movement that touches the Church; we should want to make things right, to identify sinful behavior in our midst; hopefully to restore the victims and rehabilitate the victimizers.

We also recognize that we serve a God of action.  Year after year during the civil rights movement, God ordained people and events to bring about the cause of justice for those who had been treated as a separate class of citizens simply because of the color of their skin.  People, motivated by a cause, influenced by the Scriptures, prayed, gathered, spoke out, and spoke truth - God's truth, absolute truth.  Perhaps God is calling you to be part of making something right.  There are plenty of causes out there, and we can seek the Spirit's direction on how we can be involved in seeing God work through us.