Go Tell That Fox

If we are thinking Biblically, then we should be allowing the principles of Scripture, infused with the Holy Spirit, to govern our actions. Colossians 2 issues this warning:
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

There you have it - He is the head, it is the Lord Jesus whom we serve.  Our regard for human leaders should be subservient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  If He is at the center of our affection, then we will find ourselves relying on Him for the decisions we make and the direction of our lives.  Jesus is the King and Judge, He is the great Lawgiver, and our participation in and with human government should reflect we have that in the forefront of our minds.

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Over the last month, in a variety of churches, governmental leaders - you could call them political figures, visited churches.  One, a U.S. representative, visited a church in California.  Another, a former U.S. President, came to a church in Texas.  In the U.K., a member of the British royalty visited a church there.  

These occurrences, one in particular, it seems - generated debate about the role of politics and the church. On her website, well-known Christian author and Congressional candidate Heidi St. John echoed a theme that she shared on The Meeting House program.  She wrote in the introduction to one of her podcasts:

I reject the idea that Christianity and politics don’t mix. Churches aren’t prioritizing cultural issues, or we don’t understand what’s actually at stake. While this is not a theocracy, Christians need to be on the forefront of this cultural discussion. We must get #offthebench and #ontothebattlefield!

After one of the so-called "political" visits, there were warnings about mixing religion and politics, with the contention expressed that faith + politics = politics.  I don't think that idea is necessarily true.

In a FoxNews.com op-ed piece, Faith Radio programmer Robert Jeffress highlighted the injection of Biblical ideas into political outcomes, writing:

If Christ had never come, our nation as we know it would not exist. America was founded on the idea that "all men are created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." This singular truth led to the end of slavery and fueled the civil rights movement.

Before Christ came, there was no widespread belief in the inherent dignity and equality of each person. No pre-Christian political body ever had anything like the 14th Amendment, which gives every single person the full and equal protection of the law. Our modern sense of justice would simply be unimaginable apart from the birth and life and teachings of Jesus.

If Christ had not come, the daily lives of most people would look drastically different. Nearly every institution that enriches our lives, from charities to hospitals to universities, was founded by Christians who were responding to what happened at Christ’s advent.

If those today cautioning against mixing religion and politics had their way in the past, these achievements would not have occurred.  But Jeffress didn't merely emphasize what some would call the "political," he wrote:

Christmas is the annual reminder of the wonderful fact that we don’t ever have to live in an alternate, no-Christmas reality. Because Christ did come, we have a Bible in which every prophecy has been fulfilled, we have a Savior who has paid the penalty for our sin, we have a sympathetic friend in heaven who empathizes with our difficulties, and we have a hope waiting for us beyond the grave.

There are some who believe that Jesus kept out of politics. But, a passage in Luke 13 seems to suggest otherwise:

31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."
32 And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'
33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

Now, the Pharisees seem to have sold out to the Roman government, and even looked to Pontius Pilate to do their dirty work concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus, in fact, told Pilate in John 19:
10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"
11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."

I have just shared with you two examples of incidences in which Jesus called out what you could consider political leaders.  Romans 13 tells us that governmental authority is established by God.  1st Timothy 2 instructs us to pray for those leaders.  I would submit that if more Christians were involved in political matters, we might just have more of a Christian influence in our culture. And, if more evangelical Christians voted, there would certainly be a difference. 

We can consider how our worldview is shaped and how our actions are driven by that worldview. We should always make sure that Scripture is informing how we see the world, and make sure that the Holy Spirit is leading in all our decisions.  But, we should not be so consumed with politics that we revere those figures more than we exalt Christ.  God is the One who is to be exalted, Christ is our King and Judge, and our primary devotion is to Him.

What Did She Know and When Did She Know It?

The message circulated strongly around the time of the birth of our Savior - angels visited a number of characters in the Christmas narrative, including His earthly mother and father. In Matthew chapter 1, we can read:
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Joseph, as we see in verse 20, was a man of careful thought, it seems.  He received an angelic visitation, in which God revealed His plan for Mary and him.  The choice of a virgin to bear the Christ child is yet another fulfillment of prophecy, which we find not only in the 1st chapter of Matthew, but in Isaiah 7.  God took great care to tell His story and to orchestrate events according to His plan.  We can be confident in His ability to govern our lives, as well.

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In the 1st chapter of Luke, we get a glimpse into the announcement that the angel Gabriel made to Mary, as he told her about God's call upon her life to give birth to His Son. We can read his words:
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Perhaps you had the chance to catch my conversation with noted Christian comedian and singer Mark Lowry recently.  You can find it on the Faith Radio website and app. He talked about not only his on-demand, "live" Christmas variety show, but we also discussed the song for which he wrote the lyrics, Mary Did You Know.  This is the 30th anniversary year of that song and he shared a bit about the background.

A ReligionNews.com story that has appeared on other sites featured the song, its history, and Mark's response to criticism that he had received about the song. The story notes:

The idea for the song dates back to conversations the 63-year-old had with his mother about Jesus and Mary. Most revolved around the question: What was it like to raise the son of God?

“Literally, what was it like teaching the Word of God to talk,” he said, referring to a title used for Jesus in the Gospel of John. “What was it like to give him a haircut? Did she ever walk into his room and say, ‘clean this mess up’?”

He added that most of the questions he had did not make their way into the song — only the ones that rhymed made it.

The story relates that material was incorporated into some "short monologues" that were incorporated into a Christmas concert at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA back in 1984.  He showed the lyrics to Buddy Greene, who was, like Mark, touring with the Gaithers at the time. The collaboration resulted in the song in 1991, that was first recorded by Michael English in 1992.

But, the song has not been without its criticism that was noted in the article.  Seems the critics felt like that perhaps Mark was selling Mary short, and that she perhaps really did know some of the things that Mark put in the form of questions in the song. 

And, you could make the case that she knew quite a lot. Mark talked about his perspective as he wrote the lyrics:

While writing lyrics, Lowry said he imagined himself as an overly enthusiastic angel who showed up at the manger during the Christmas story and was filled with questions. He used the phrase, “Did you know” to express that enthusiasm — as if the angel was bubbling over with joy for what the birth of Jesus meant. The questions in the song are the questions Lowry would have asked if he had been there.

Religion News states:

Lowry is pretty good-natured about the criticism of the song. He’s quick to admit it has shortcomings — which he thinks are more evident to his fellow Christians who are more familiar with theology than the average person who hears the song. The last thing he wanted to do was to insult Mary or anger his fellow believers.

“I never meant for it to start a war or irritate people,” he said. “I definitely didn’t want that.”

He says: “I hope the song makes people think about the baby Jesus,” adding, “I hope it sends them running to Luke 1 to find out what Mary knew.”

What did Mary know? She was convinced by the angel's pronouncement to the extent that when he told her about the child, she responded, according to Luke chapter 1: "Let it be to me according to your word."  Her monologue, known as the Magnificat, later in the chapter, showed that she knew that her son would the fulfillment of God's promise; she said:

54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever...

I sense that Mary knew a lot, and while we could speculate at what she really knew, we can also enjoy and be inspired by Mark's song, that not only includes questions, but gives us insight into some of the dynamics of Jesus and His ministry.  The question for each us can be: "what do we know?"  And, are we acting according to the knowledge God has given to us?

The Christmas season can be a catalyst for us to grow in what we know.  And, to grow in our relationship in the coming year.  Jesus came to be our Savior; He came so that we might be made right with Him, that we might be saved and be a living witness of what He has done. 

Advent-ure 2021 December 23: Riding on a Donkey (Look at the Lonely)

Jesus has been described as a man of sorrows and one of our Scripture passages from this Advent season pictures Him as the "suffering servant." Jesus was not untouched by pain, and He is able to not only identify with our pain, but to provide encouragement and healing. 1st Peter 5 states:
5b ...Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Jesus showed His love toward each of us by coming to earth as a man, born as a baby, humbling Himself so that He could redeem us. He suffered to the point of death because no human could pay the penalty for his or her sin.  This wonderful Savior, whose birth we celebrate, is near to those who are brokenhearted, lowly in spirit and who are lonely - He is our companion and comforter, and when we humble ourselves before Him and seek His face, we can know His incredible presence and love.

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We have now reached Day 23 of our Faith Radio Advent Guide: "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," traveling on "The Timeline to Transformation."  Today marks the final commentary related to entries in the guide, and previews a scene that plays out at Passover just before the death of Jesus.  You know the 
story - Jesus riding into Jerusalem on what we now celebrate as Palm Sunday. That scene actually fulfilled Bible prophecy and helps us to see the contrast between the expectation for the Messiah to be a conquering ruler and the exemplification of the Messiah as a humble servant by Jesus. Zechariah chapter 9 says:
9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.'

Jesus humbled Himself by coming to earth in the form of a man, born as a little child in humble surroundings.  He taught His disciples in Mark 10 that He came to serve, not to be served. We also know that He identified with the "lowly," a word that is found in Zechariah 9:9.

We can be "lowly" in many ways.  In a sense, because of our residency in a sinful world, a fallen world, we are lowly.  Because of our propensity to sin if we insist on living in the flesh, or the old nature, we are lowly.  We are members of a frail human race, we struggle...

And, this time of year, many struggle with feelings of loneliness.  A new Barna Research Group study examines that topic. A Christian Post article says:

The study found that three in 10 U.S. adults experience loneliness at least once daily, and such a feeling usually comes with pain.

For U.S. adults who experienced loneliness at least once within the past week, more than 40% of that group said the feelings of loneliness ranged from intense to unbearable.

Susan Mettes, described as a "behavioral scientist," was a partner in the study. She relates, “These numbers give us a snapshot of loneliness. What they don’t reveal is for whom loneliness is a long-term, chronic condition. The chronic version of loneliness is more damaging,” adding, “Those whose loneliness is constant and chronic have likely experienced how loneliness can chip away at health and quality of life.”

According to Barna, “Looking at committed faith practice, practicing Christians — those who identify as Christian, agree strongly that faith is very important in their lives and have attended church within the past month — do show a slight decrease in how often they feel lonely, when compared to churched adults and the general population,” but added, “However, a notable one in five (20%) still feels lonely at least once each day, with 10 percent being lonely all the time.”

The Christian Post article also notes:

When it comes to painful feelings associated with loneliness, 48% of churchgoers who experienced loneliness at least once in the past week said they had more severe feelings of loneliness compared to 39% of non-churchgoing adults who said the same. Some 35% of practicing Christians had similar feelings.

The piece also relates the findings of a Harvard study, "conducted by researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education project Making Caring Common found that 36% of about 950 respondents in the national poll conducted in late October 2020 reported feeling lonely 'frequently' or 'almost all the time or all the time' in the prior four weeks."

Can the Church help?  Absolutely. Jesus has provided for us a relationship with Himself and reminds us that He is always with us. So, when we are lonely, we can think about the one who came to earth, who humbled Himself, and identifies with our struggles and temptations.  Not only that, but He has placed us in community with other believers, who can provide the encouragement and companionship that we need.  Through interaction with Christ and human interaction, combined with our own willingness to be open and humble, we can find meaningful ways to overcome the loneliness and the accompanying pain that this survey indicates is present. 

At Christmas, we read about and sing songs of Emmanuel, which means "God with us."  Jesus, as our Messiah and our King, is certainly exalted in position, but He is by no means unapproachable. He invites us to bring our struggles before Him, to no longer allow our sins to be a barrier, and to accept His gift of forgiveness.  He came to earth as a demonstration of His great love and died so that we may have that relationship. He desires for us to experience His presence, which can sustain and heal us. 

Advent-ure 2021 December 22: Born in Bethlehem (Going Home)

In His first Advent, Jesus came as a baby, born of a women, in a place called Bethlehem, according to the Scriptures. We know that at His second Advent, He will come in great power and glory. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24:
29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and in His earthly ministry, He pointed to His second coming and the signs surrounding it. He also taught on the eternal home that we will have with Him forever.  He has shown us the way to heaven - through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are promised that we will have eternal life by believing in Him. Heaven is promised to the believer who accepts Christ and receives salvation, and our faith can be built as we see how He fulfilled the Scriptures about His birth, as well as His death.  We can have certainty about eternity, as well.

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We know about where Jesus was born because the Bible has recorded specific details about His birth. But hundreds of years before that occasion, another of those Old Testament Scriptures announcing Christ's First Advent, announced the city where Jesus was to be born. God used the occasion of a census, bringing Joseph to his ancestral home, in order to fulfill that prophecy, which is found in Micah chapter 5, which says:
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
3 Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth;
5a And this One shall be peace...

It's Day 22 of the Faith Radio Advent Guide, featuring another stop on "The Timeline to Transformation."  And, because we know that Jesus fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy about His first Advent, we can have certainty about what's to come, including His second Advent, His second coming. 

I think it can be important to reflect on eternity as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  He came from eternity past and will usher us into eternity future.  There is a stirring reminder of this that was brought home by a teenager in Texas recently. 

Her name is Shelby Houston, and her father, police officer Richard Houston, recently lost his life in a shooting in the line of duty.  Faithwire reported on what she said at her father's funeral.  She expressed compassion for the man who had shot her father, saying:

There has been anger, sadness, grief, and confusion — and part of me wishes I could despise the man who did this to my father — but I can’t get any part of my heart to hate him. All that I can find is myself hoping and praying for this man to truly know Jesus. I thought this might change if the man continued to live, but when I heard the news that he was in stable condition, part of me was relieved.

She added:

My prayer is that, someday down the road, I’d get to spend some time with the man who shot my father — not to scream at him, not to yell at him, not to scold him, simply to tell him about Jesus.

The article goes on to say:

Later in her eulogy, Shelby said she has been thinking about what it must be like to be united with Jesus in heaven, reflecting, ”I can imagine it’s a much better place than here.”

”I’m resting in the obedience of my dad to the Lord,” she said. “In Isaiah 6:8, it says, ‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’’ And I don’t think my father ever knew that his ‘Yes’ to the Lord would ever end up being like this, but, as I look out to you all today, this is just a picture of the faithfulness of Jesus.”

“I know my dad is looking down today with the biggest smile on his face, in the arms of Jesus,” the teenager continued, fighting back tears. “I know as he entered the gates of heaven, he was greeted with: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ What a moment that was.”

She also pointed to the time to which she is looking forward, when she will be reunited with her father: "In my deepest wound, I saw the glory of Jesus, and it has astounded me...You’re my hero, daddy, and I’m so proud to call you my father. I love you most, and I’ll see you someday soon.”

The Israelites of old looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, and the prophecies pointed to certain attributes of and events surrounding our Savior's coming to earth.  The Messiah has come, and He fulfilled what was written about Him.  And, we can look into the future knowing that He will come again.  Our future with Christ in heaven has been secured, and we can see that what is prophesied in the Scriptures has continued to come to pass, setting up a last days scenario, in which the Church will be taken from this earth.  We also know that those who have known Christ and have passed away are already with Him, waiting on our arrival.  

Jesus came through Bethlehem, and He now resides at the right hand of God the Father.  We know that we will be with Him someday.  Those who die "in Christ" will be in heaven with Him - and every human being should ask that question, "am I in Christ?"  If He is our Lord, if we have called on His name, confessed His Lordship, and believed on Him, then we can be certain of where our home will be when we leave this world.  Bethlehem was Jesus' home temporarily; planet earth is our temporary home, as well, but we can be certain, based on the authority of God's Word, where we will be spending eternity.

Advent-ure 2021 December 21: The Messiah Would be Called out of Egypt (Bloviation and Bulverism)

The Bible tells us not to love the world or the things of the world. In the Old Testament, God chided the Israelites for trusting in worldly powers for their sustenance. In Isaiah 31, He offers strong words for trusting in one of those specific powers:
1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.

We can ask ourselves: to whom do we turn for help?  The world offers its ideas, its advice, yet the wisdom of this world is futile compared to the wisdom of God. The Bible contrasts the spiritual person with the natural person and calls us to seek spiritual solutions to the challenges we face. We are directed not to love the world and to develop a worldview that is centered on Christ - He is our help; He calls us out, to be distinct and reliant on His love and truth.

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The timeline of the earthly life of Jesus was telegraphed for us in the Scriptures, including details about his birth (which I will cover tomorrow) and specifics about His death. Through our reading of the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, we get a clear picture of what He came today. 

Yesterday, I highlighted the Scripture that pointed to Herod's effort to eliminate his perceived rival by taking the lives of young children in and around Bethlehem.  But, the life of Jesus could not be extinguished - He and His family went to Egypt, where they were preserved in safety until God called them out. In Hosea 11, there is a reference to another step on that journey, which includes our Day 21 
reading in the Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure." In that chapter, we read these words:
1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.
2 As they called them, So they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to carved images.
3 "I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them.
4 I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.

Certainly, this refers to how God called His chosen people out of captivity in Egypt, but we find another meaning in Matthew chapter 2, where we can read:
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Egypt represented the antithesis of Israel and the ways of God, yet in the midst of Egypt, God gathered and forged a nation of the people whom He had chosen.  In Egypt, He sheltered His Son until the time when He was directed to return to Israel.

We have to determine if we are going to follow the ways of Egypt or follow the way of Israel - to follow the world or follow the Word.  And, that includes how we regard our brothers and sisters in Christ. It has been one of my goals to boldly state that the Church should be leading the way in showing people how to relate to one another, and the Church should be unified, not divided.

Unfortunately, division has become too much of a way of life in the Church today, and when you consider the incredible work of Christ that we can celebrate in this season of the year, we can recognize that we have more common ground that can unite us than divide us. With the advent of worldly philosophies that demonize people that see spiritual matters in a different light and separates people by outward appearance, such as skin color, we end up falling short of what God has intended.

Our work becomes short-circuited when we engage in generalizing groups of people and regarding them as "the enemy."  A well-known Christian pastor named Kevin DeYoung shared his observations in a recent piece at the WORLD Magazine website recently.  He brings this indictment:

Over the last five years, a specific type of political and sociological complaint has emerged. We might call it the “here’s what’s wrong with white evangelicalism” jeremiad. If a typical jeremiad denounces a community “for its wickedness” and laments the morality of that society “in a serious tone of sustained invective” then scarcely a week goes by in which white evangelicalism is not subject to a sustained jeremiad, often by those who count (or once counted) themselves a part of white evangelicalism.

He goes on to warn against the dangers of calling out one particular group of people, attributing sinister motives and assigning blame to that group for its damage to the name of Christ:

If the jeremiads simply lamented bad behavior and bad ideas that would be one thing. There are plenty of both in the church. But the complaints go a (big) step further and mean to indict an entire ism and deconstruct an entire movement. The arguments are less about what white evangelicals have gotten wrong (that is assumed) and more about why they believe such bad things. This is where theories about Southern culture or political partisanship—or, from other writers, patriarchy and toxic masculinity—come into play. Of course, the why questions are not entirely off-limits, but they are much harder to prove and degenerate quickly into markers of out-group and in-group identity.

Of course, there was reaction and counter-response, such as a tweet from a Minnesota pastor who said that when he saw the reactions, "all I can think is "It's Bulverism as far as the eye can see.'" A Nashville pastor called the DeYoung article as "needed," and expressed his hope that it would "deter" people from "continuing in their 'white evangelicals' trope and bulverism."

Bulver-what?  Do you mean "bloviation," a term that came out of the vernacular of Bill O'Reilly?  No, this is "bulverism," described in a piece at The American Conservative by Brad Littlejohn.  He writes, 

Bulverism, coined by C.S. Lewis, is that ubiquitous logical fallacy that consists in the charge, “You’re only saying that because you’re a _____...”

He says that the worst forms of it "...begin by observing some set of correlations (people who believe X are also more likely to believe Y), and then construct a label to describe that correlation. Then, they turn around and propose that this label is the cause of the beliefs it describes, thus confusing correlation and causation and at the same time reasoning in a circle."

Lewis states in a piece called, Bulverism, according to Wikipedia:

You must show that a man is wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong. The modern method is to assume without discussion that he is wrong and then distract his attention from this (the only real issue) by busily explaining how he became so silly. In the course of the last fifteen years I have found this vice so common that I have had to invent a name for it. I call it "Bulverism". Some day I am going to write the biography of its imaginary inventor, Ezekiel Bulver, whose destiny was determined at the age of five when he heard his mother say to his father—who had been maintaining that two sides of a triangle were together greater than a third—"Oh you say that because you are a man." "At that moment", E. Bulver assures us, "there flashed across my opening mind the great truth that refutation is no necessary part of argument. Assume that your opponent is wrong, and explain his error, and the world will be at your feet. Attempt to prove that he is wrong or (worse still) try to find out whether he is wrong or right, and the national dynamism of our age will thrust you to the wall."

Believers in Christ should not immediately jump to conclusions and characterize the motives of a person just because he or she belongs to a certain people group. By looking at each other and making inferences based on demographics, we buy into Satan's plan to divide us as believers. You can't assume I will act a certain way because of my gender, my race, my nationality, or any number of factors.  

Social media amplifies this tendency to rush to judgment.  It seems that often, when there is a disagreement on principle, you have those that make a straight line to race and gender, and by so doing, do not weigh the quality of the arguments. Quotes are taken out of context and opinions are dismissed out of hand.  Perhaps during this Christmas season, we can reject the ways of the world, that would teach us to jump to conclusions, and appropriate the ways of Christ.  We can reject the worldliness of Egypt and embrace the other-worldliness of the Lord, who instructs us that we are in the world but not of it. 

Advent-ure 2021 December 20: Children Would Be Slain (His Light Overcomes the Darkness)

Jesus arrived on the earth during extremely dark times: the oppression of the Roman Empire, the brutal reign of a jealous king, the people of Israel having gone without a prophetic word for 400 years. The world was truly in upheaval. Sound familiar?  Christ entered the world to bring light. John chapter 1 says:
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

A wicked plan was devised in the mind of a small and calloused "King" in Israel around the time of Jesus' birth - the Magi came looking for the Christ Child, about whom they had studied and determined He would be King of the Jews. But, Herod had other plans.  But, even though there was rampant death, He could not take the life of the Messiah - his worldly commission was ultimately inferior to our Savior's mission.  There are many who do not respect life even today, yet, those who know Christ can be devoted to speaking His truth and shining His light. 

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The Magi, or Wise Men, followed a star in the East and they recognized its significance.  They followed it all the way to Jerusalem, where they met with King Herod, asking him about where they could find the King of the Jews.  This made Herod angry and jealous and he began to search out the Christ child.  He ordered that the lives of all boys two years and under in Bethlehem and surrounding areas would be taken.  And, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Egypt to escape the slaughter.  

This series of events was prophesied in Scripture, in Jeremiah 31, where we read this verse:
15 Thus says the Lord: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more."

That is the verse in our Faith Radio Advent Guide, Day 20, along "The Timeline to Transformation." There was a great effort to eliminate the presence of this child who would be king; certainly resulting in dark times in Israel.  But, the subsequent verses offer hope:
16 Thus says the Lord: "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope in your future, says the Lord, That your children shall come back to their own border.

This series of verses show us that there is hope even in our despair, and that Christ came to provide hope for the world.  Even through His death, there was hope on the other side through His resurrection.

We are to be hope-givers through Christ.  I came across a testimony on The Christian Heart website - it was written by a man whom we find out is named Kipp Youngman.  He wrote:

I’ve been a UPS driver in Vermont for 29 years, and really gotten to know a lot of the people on my route. Especially during the pandemic where we’ve been making so many more deliveries. I love my customers and try to show Jesus’ love to them any chance I get.

That’s what I did with Max. He’s a 14-year-old boy with autism who rarely speaks or smiles. I try to say hello and take a few minutes to talk to Max whenever I make a delivery to his mom, Wendy. So, Max and I started to develop a real bond. He’d get excited when I’d drop off a package. Max’s room is at the front of their house and so he can hear the truck coming up the road. His mom usually greets me at the door and Max is not too far behind.

Kipp found out from Max's mother that he wanted to be a UPS driver and had attempted to make him a uniform for Halloween.  Kipp went one step further and assembled some uniform pieces and delivered them to Max. He wrote that...

...After he opened it, a smile as big as my truck came on his face and he gave me a huge hug.

That wonderful smile and warm hug from Max will stay with me forever. After I left, I felt on top of the world. It was one of the biggest blessings I think I’ve ever received.

Somehow, a local reporter heard about what I did, and told that story. I’m not an Internet guy, but from what I understand, the story went viral. Before I knew it, media people from all over the country were contacting me. I was amazed at what was happening and in awe of what God did with my simple act.

One of the multiple stories about the relationship between Kipp and Max was posted at the WCAX Television website out of Vermont, where this story takes place. It states:

Even the most expensive packages Youngman has delivered in nearly three decades never received such a priceless reaction, including that rare smile.

It quotes his mother as saying, “What Kipp has done for me is kind of renew that belief that there are small acts of kindness that people can do that really make a difference,” adding, “His kindness and his thoughtfulness for my son means a lot to me and my family.”

The article quotes Kipp, who said: “Everybody has a purpose. Max has a purpose. Everybody has a purpose, and I guess I’m finding out my purpose right now looking at you, which I’ve been wondering for a while..." The article also states, "Forget special delivery, as far as Kipp Youngman’s concerned, this was a divine delivery."

We can examine how we can bring hope to those who are discouraged.  We live in challenging times, and the enemy would want to extinguish our light and plunge the world into darkness.  We are surrounded by death through the threat of the coronavirus.  Yet, in the darkness, the light of Christ can shine. Jesus, the light of the world, came into the world - the darkness could not overcome Him, and He commissions us to be salt and light in the world.

And, remember God made a way for His light to come into the world to redeem the world. King Herod had a plan - to extinguish the light, and he carried out his wicked plan in a most heinous way. But, the light could not be overcome - Jesus, the light of the world, continues to shine to our dark world today.

Advent-ure 2021 December 17: He Would Suffer for our Sins (Winning Stance)

Paul was skilled at being able to tell the story of what Christ has done. Even when he was imprisoned, he was dedicated to teaching that Christ died and was risen from the dead. In Ephesians 6, he asked the people of the church at Ephesus to pray for him. He wrote:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
19 and for me, 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.

In the midst of his suffering, Paul did not shy away from sharing the truth of the gospel. He asked the Colossians to pray for an open door through which he could share the good news of Christ.  We can be sensitive to the doors that God is opening for us and pray for open hearts for those with whom we are directed to share.  As God provides the opportunity, we can be obedient to the one who gave His life for us. 

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The heart of the gospel is that God loved fallen humanity so much that He sent His Son to die so that we might be made right with Him. Because Jesus died and lives again, we can have new life in Him - life that is abundant and eternal. It's Day 17 of our "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," the annual Faith Radio Advent Guide. Today we look at another of those prophesies in the Old Testament fulfilled by Jesus. Isaiah 53 points to what has been termed the "suffering Savior"...
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

We are quickly approaching the start of the College Football Playoff - less than two weeks away. On Christmas Day, the Camellia Bowl will be played at Montgomery's Cramton Bowl, preceded by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Prayer Breakfast two days before (today, by the way, is the deadline for obtaining your tickets to that event).

The year was 2019.  A young man from Southern California was involved in a huge high school football game - both teams were undefeated, the game was sold out, and there was no doubt plenty of anticipation. The Orange County Register reported that one of the quarterbacks in the game "...doesn’t worry too much about tomorrow, big decisions or even big games such as Friday. Not when his favorite scripture verse is Psalms 23." He was quoted as saying, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,” adding, “I try to apply that to anything in life. Whether that valley of death be me being annoyed, me being stressed, a football game, a decision … I know regardless of what I’m going through, there is nothing to fear because God has my back.”

There have been plenty of big stages during a relatively short period of time since that article just over two years ago. And, he has certainly excelled to the point of becoming one of America's top college football players.  Just last week, it was announced that this young man had become the latest winner of the Heisman Trophy.

A Sports Spectrum article, which including a link to that Orange County newspaper story, quoted from the Heisman acceptance speech of Alabama's sophomore sensation, Bryce Young:

“This is amazing,” he said. “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him I couldn’t be here. And through Him all things are possible.”

Young continued on and thanked his father, Craig, his mother, Julie, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, and a long list of others. To end his speech, Young noted how some people counted him out because he didn’t look or play like a “typical” quarterback, but through hard work and the “grace of God,” he is the top player in college football this season.

Bryce Young stated:

“I’ve always been labeled as someone who’s not the prototype, being an African-American quarterback and being quote-unquote undersized and not being that prototype, I’ve always been ruled out and counted out,” Young said in his speech. “People a lot of times have told me that I wasn’t going to be able to make it. And for me, it’s always been about, not really proving them wrong but proving to myself what I can accomplish. I’ve always pushed myself to work the hardest and I try my best to do all I can to maximize all that I can do. And thanks to the people around me and through the grace of God, I’ve been able to make it here, and I’m truly grateful for that.”

The demeanor of Bryce Young can be seen in his performance on the football field.  With his team down in the closing moments of the Iron Bowl, he led the Crimson Tide on 97-yard drive for a tie in regulation.  The Sports Spectrum article noted that:

Despite the hype and the early success, Young says he can play with calmness and without fear, unburdened by the pressure or scrutiny, because of his faith in God.

“I think [my demeanor] comes a lot from my faith,” Young said in September. “I feel like that’s really where I get my power from. My job is just to glorify God on the field, and I know that everything is written and I can have faith and trust in that.”

In January 2020, Young told 247 Sports, “On the football field, for me, it’s kind of about letting go. I’ve played a lot with faith. I’m trying to trust what I’ve done, God and my decisions. I try to play as free and relaxed without holding onto anything.”

Before the announcement, Bryce's father, Craig, in an ESPN interview, said: “He’s very grounded in faith, puts God first, and he has this amazing ability to compartmentalize things..." He added, “One of the things he says really often is, ‘I only want to focus on the things I can control.’ And I think that has served him well." His father also said, echoing his son's acceptance speech, "He’s motivated to be the best by himself, not to prove anybody wrong but to be the best that he can be, and in doing that, glorifying God. And also just striving to get better and better. I just could not be prouder.”

So, congratulations to Bryce Young - whether you're a Tide fan or yell "War Eagle," I think we can appreciate that he is on Team Jesus.

He has an enormous platform, but each of us has opportunities as well.  And, while the enemy would want to prevent us from seizing those opportunities to glorify God, as we trust Christ to lead us, we can allow God to use us for His glory.

It's a nervous world and so many things seem to be happening that could put us on edge.  But, God offers us the peace that passes understanding, so that by relying on the Prince of Peace, we can reject anger and frustration and walk in a sense of calm.

Advent-ure 2021 December 16: Jesus Would Come as a Servant (Looking Beyond)

Jesus challenged his disciples to practice servanthood. He taught them that He came in order to be a servant, and we recognize that He came to do the will of God by giving His life so that we might come to know Him and be saved. Mark chapter 10 states:
42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Jesus is our Lord and we can surrender our lives to Him in order to experience salvation, healing, and wholeness. He shows us the way we should live and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to actually do that. That involves recognizing that we no longer belong to ourselves, but that we belong to Him, and He is the one who desires to govern our thoughts and actions. In keeping our focus on Christ, we take our eyes off ourselves, which enables us to be sensitive to the needs around us. He came as a servant, so that we, in serving Him, also serve others.

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We are now on Day 16 in our 2021 Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," and I want to direct your attention to another of these prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus. The first four verses of Isaiah chapter 42 provide a sweeping look at the life-changing, earth-changing scope of our Savior's work:
1 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law."

Jesus, the Messiah, was to be considered a servant.  He taught His disciples and directs us on that path of servanthood, humbling ourselves before Him and allowing His love to flow out to others.  Even the world has discovered the blessing of servanthood, promoting the importance of doing good for other people.

A TODAY show article from last year emphasized attitudes concerning serving others. An article on its website says:

OptionB.org, a nonprofit founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg to help people build resilience in the face of adversity, partnered with Survey Monkey to poll 2,050 adults about their experiences in 2020. They found:

• 90% supported others this year by doing things like calling, texting, sending a care package or helping with errands
• 62% said they gave more of these kinds of support to others than they did in previous years
• 80% said they received support from others this year, and many said the kindness came from people they hadn't expected to reach out...

The article reports that almost 4-in-10 respondents said, "the most meaningful thing someone could do for them is just to reach out..."  The article quotes Catherine Sanderson of Amherst College, who said: "Giving to other people is extraordinarily beneficial for us. And that's true both psychologically and physically," adding, "There's fascinating research that has shown that volunteering in your community is associated with not only feeling happier, but living longer."  The article notes that "helping others" can produce resiliency in the face of hard times. 

Let's go back one more December, when the New York Post published an article about a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Vitamin Angels.  The article says that, "The average American carries out five good deeds a month, according to a new survey."  Some of these acts of service performed within the past year include:

1. Helped someone with directions: 66 percent
2. Held the door open for a stranger: 65 percent
3. Let someone with fewer items go in front of me in line at a store: 60 percent
4. Helped someone cross the street: 60 percent
5. Completed a chore/errand for a family member or friend: 56 percent...

The story also examined how people interact with charities; it stated:

Of those surveyed that currently donate to a charity, their monthly monetary donations are an average of $41.39.

Despite their charitable habits, seven in 10 respondents said they feel guilty if they do not donate to charity during the holiday season.

Furthermore, 83 percent agreed that they wish they could give more throughout the year – with 64 percent citing that their own financials limit them.

The article in the New York Post contends that, "it really is true that the smallest thing can make a big difference to someone."  Our outward acts of service or charity reflect what is in our hearts, and believers in Christ should ideally be the most service-conscious people on earth in light of what our Savior has done for us.

Even though Jesus is our King, our Savior, and our Messiah, part of the Trinity, He showed us the path to servanthood.  We can be mindful to follow in His ways and to place the needs of others higher than our own.  By humbling ourselves before Him, we become a conduit of His love.

Advent-ure 2021 December 15: He Would Come From the Root of Jesse (Built on Christ's Foundation)

While we have been granted access to the very throne of God, we can respond by allowing Christ to enter our hearts and to inhabit the throne of our lives. In our spiritual journey, we can remember to build on the foundation of Christ's teachings. Hebrews 12 says:
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We hear quite a bit these days about people who have "deconstructed" their faith.  Some have even announced they no longer consider themselves a Christian.  Perhaps because of personal tragedy or disillusionment, they have adopted ideas that do not line up with Scripture and will not give them the abundant life God intends for us to have.  God desires for us to seek Him wholeheartedly when we are challenged or discouraged - God is inviting us to grow closer to Him, not to reject the teachings of the Bible in order to experience more of what we think we ought to have.  

 

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We are now in Day 15 of the Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," concentrating on Bible prophecies of the coming of Jesus to earth along "The Timeline to Transformation." Jesus fulfilled what was written about His first Advent, which can give us certainty that prophecy surrounding His second Advent, His second coming, will come to pass, as well.  That can give us great hope for the future, and we have to, as the apostle Paul suggests, continue to fight the good fight, to persevere, and to remain faithful to Jesus.

Isaiah chapter 11 illustrates for us characteristics of the Messiah.  We are told that He would come from the "root of Jesse."  Jesse, you may recall, was the father of David, and the Bible establishes that Jesus would reign on David's throne; He was a descendant, through his earthly parents, from this incredible royal line of individuals.  A passage in Isaiah 11 says:

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

This is a description of our Savior, who provides a solid foundation upon which our lives can be built. But, unfortunately today, you have professing believers in Christ who want to "tear down," or "deconstruct" their Christian beliefs.  Now, it's one thing to set aside erroneous religious beliefs, but the new deconstructionists seem to have discovered some sort of new religion that might be loosely based on the Bible, but rejects some forms of Biblical orthodoxy.

A piece appearing on The Christian Post website from writer and theologian Samuel Sey says this:

Deconstructionism is an approach to critiquing literature and beliefs. People who deconstruct their faith critique the Bible (literature) and beliefs (Christian theology).

Specifically, deconstructionism is a postmodern concept that expands on Nietzsche’s theory that there’s “there is no such thing as facts, just interpretations.”

Sey goes on to state:

In postmodernism, deconstructionism is a strategic approach to critiquing and attacking Western philosophy as an oppressive philosophy designed by Europeans to manipulate people into accepting harmful ideas as truth.

In the same way, people who deconstruct their faith critique and attack (Western) Christianity as an oppressive theology designed by Europeans to manipulate people into accepting harmful ideas as Biblical truth.

The bottom line, as Sey puts it: "when people say they’re deconstructing their faith — they’re simply repeating what Satan said to Eve in the Garden of Eden: 'Did God actually say…?'"

A Relevant magazine article recently says that the word, "desconstruction" is "an academic term for the systematic pulling apart of the belief system you were raised in. It’s what happens when the questions you’ve pushed down your whole life finally bubble over the surface, and you’re forced to stare honestly at your doubts. The infallibility of the Bible. The omniscience of God. The finality of hell."  

Sey also offers some specific ideas under assault in his Christian Post piece, originally published at his blog called, Slow to Write.  He states: "when people say they’re deconstructing their faith, it means they’re critiquing and attacking doctrines they believe have been constructed to harm others — doctrines like the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, the divinity and exclusivity of Jesus, complementarianism, Christian sexual ethics, justice and more."

The Relevant article quotes Mike McHargue, who is known as a “Christian turned atheist turned follower of Jesus," who says:

“Sociologists tell us that—and it varies a percent or two year by year—but 43 to 44 percent of people will go through a major faith transition at some point in their life,” he says. “And that’s any faith transition. So that can be from one Christian denomination to another denomination; that can be from belief to atheism; that can also be—and this happens—from secularism to some form of religiosity. But 44 percent is a huge number.”

Another Relevant article, by Tyler Huckabee, traces the meaning of the term:

It originated with French philosopher Jacques Derrida, who coined the term as a criticism of Platonism. But in more recent years, the word has become popularized by theologians like Father Richard Rohr to refer to a cultivation of religious belief. Rohr argues that most Christians begin their faith journey with construction (deciding what they believe, usually by hearing it from others) and then later on, enter a phase of deconstruction (rethinking some of their original beliefs). Anything can ignite a deconstruction process. Sometimes, it’s spurred by internal doubts and tensions. Sometimes, an external event — like spiritual abuse or a church leader scandal — and kick off a deconstruction process.

Huckabee contends that, "Over the last few years, as deconstruction has filtered into mainstream discourse, its nuances have been stripped away. Many people now just use “deconstruction” to refer to “deconversion.”

Sey points out:

The evangelical seeker-sensitive movement attempted to attract young people to churches by elevating culture over Scripture. However, elevating culture over Scripture eventually introduced many young Christians to postmodernism and the emerging church.

In the same way, the evangelical social justice movement today attempts to attract many people to churches by elevating our culture’s positions on racism and justice over Scripture. Naturally, that is introducing postmodernism and deconstructionism to Christians.

It’s interesting, some of the evangelical leaders preaching critical race theory — race-centric postmodernism — are some of the evangelical leaders warning Christians against deconstructionism.

He warns: "...do not deconstruct your faith, depend on grace — depend on the grace of God. Deconstructing your faith will not save you from the penalty or pain of your sins. Only the justifying death and resurrection of Jesus Christ — received by persevering faith can do that." Sey closes by saying:

Adam and Eve deconstructed their faith, and it resulted in disaster. If you deconstruct your faith, it will result in disaster for you too. So do not deconstruct your faith. Instead, ask God to decrease your doubts and increase your faith. Say to Christ what one person said to him many years ago, “I believe, help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24)."

In light of this material I 've shared, I would say this: Evaluate, yes.  Deconstruct, no.  Tear down the unbiblical? Yes. Hold on to he Scripture? Absolutely. We should always be allowing God to change us, but we should always allow the teachings of the Bible to guide us through that growth process. Any "reconstruction" should be guided by Scripture, not our own ideas or own fickle emotions.

It seems the perceived need to deconstruct may just be a lack of belief in the sufficiency of Scripture. Perhaps one is feeling his or her faith perspective isn't working - I would submit that's not the fault of Jesus or His teachings.  And, culturally speaking, Scripture is sufficient for addressing the problems and dilemmas we face - individually or collectively.  We should be leading the discussion, not responding to it by acquiescing.  Do we believe that the Scriptures are sufficient or do we want to change it to fit our own beliefs or cultural teachings?

But, our faith walk, while it grows and changes and hopefully deepens and becomes more vibrant and passionate, should not be adjusted by our own whims and emotions.  Remember Hebrews calls Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.  The Isaiah 11 passage reminds us of the identity of our Savior, and it tells us about who we should be in Him.  When we are feeling discouraged, our response should not be to try something else, but to discover more of what God has in store for us. 

Advent-ure 2021 December 14: Christ Would be Seated on David’s Throne (Finding Answers)

Jesus came to earth as a child, born into lowly circumstances, but He will rule and reign as King forever. He was descended from a famous king, and even the Pharisees acknowledged it, according to Matthew 22, where it's stated:
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."
43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:
44 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool" '?
45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"
46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

This is a reference to David's writings in Psalm 110. Jesus taught that even the mighty King David, ruler over Israel, would bow before Him, the one who is seated even today at the right hand of the throne of God.  The genealogy teaches us that Jesus was descended from David, certifying his connection to the King of ages past and pointing to His coming Kingdom. Jesus has been given an everlasting Kingdom, and we have been called to walk in its principles in submission to our great Lord.

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It can be terribly discouraging when we see the violence that is being perpetrated throughout our society, the fruit of the seed of a society where you have many who have rejected God and do not live in His ways. Instead of humility, we find selfishness; in the place of love, we find hate and anger. We find that worldly authority seems helpless to curb the trends, but there is an authority that is greater than this world to whom we can look to solve the dilemmas that we face. 

It's Day 14 of "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," as we continue to move through this year's Faith Radio Advent Guide, "The Timeline to Transformation." Isaiah 9 describes an authority who would usher in a Kingdom, a descendant of David who would sit on his throne. We can read:
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Corey Brooks is a pastor and the founder of Project H.O.O.D. in the city of Chicago - I have referred to him before on The Meeting House program. The name includes an acrostic for Helping Others Obtain Destiny. He recently moved into a tent in his neighborhood of Woodlawn to call attention to and show his opposition to violence that has riddled his community.  That's according to a story on the ChristianHeadlines.com website. He's also in the process of raising money to build a new community center; the effort is reminiscent of an effort in 2012, in which the pastor raised money to buy and demolish an old motel that was a "hotbed for drugs and prostitution," according to the article, which quotes the pastor as saying: 

"I'm in an environment on the South Side of Chicago that can be pretty tough," Brooks told the Chicago Sun-Times in an interview. "To be outside in the elements, to make that sacrifice over a long period of time, draws attention."

He also said, "The shootings in Cook County are at an all-time high since the '90s," adding, "Our neighborhood really needs a place of transformation, a place where they can go and get all the things that they need to start trying to change their life. This center is really, really needed at this point in time."  That place is called The Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center, which has been proposed as an 85,000 square foot facility that will provide, as the article notes, "a safe place for youth amid violence."  The pricetag: 35 million dollars.  Last Monday, when this article was published, he had rolled over $7 million.  The article says:

The center would be part of Brooks' organization, Project H.O.O.D., which has helped over 1,500 at-risk youth and 2,500 adults in transition around Woodlawn and Englewood through its violence prevention programs, as well as education and workforce training.

Brooks also invited CEOs, community leaders, families, and individuals to camp out with him as funds continued to be raised.

One of those CEO's, who was quoted in the Sun-Times article, is Michael Paulsen, Senior Vice President of Lockton Companies, who has donated to Project H.O.O.D. in the past and spent a night back in November.  He said, “We’re calling on the majority of CEOs in the Chicagoland area to step up...Find out what we’re doing on the South Side in terms of our programs to provide training for jobs [and] in terms of violence prevention to help reduce and stop gun violence on the South Side.”

Todd Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, has also endorsed the effort. 

The violence in many American cities, including Chicago indicates, to some extent, a lack of resources, motivation, and strategy. But, where some sources may fall short, the Kingdom of God can produce and attract resources in order to accomplish good things for the communities we serve. We can move beyond depending solely on governing authorities to produce positive change, although you could say that in a number of cases, they are doing what they can. But, the Kingdom brings so much more to the table.

And, because of the love of Christ and dependence on His transforming power, we bring a lot of motivation into our culture - because of the presence of Christ within us, we are sustained by Him to see Him do incredible things.  Nothing is impossible with Him.

We also have access to the wisdom of God - the principles of His Kingdom can be instrumental in developing strategies not only for personal spiritual growth and outreach for our churches, but to bring transformative principles to the people around us.  People of faith who know Christ can provide leadership in bringing positive change, if only we express our willingness to get involved. 

The Bible accurately prophesies that Jesus would sit on David's throne - the genealogy is the proof that He was a direct descendant of David, and the lineage of his mother and earthly father both included David. Therefore, Jesus has royal ancestry, the line of a King - and He is our King, ruler over heaven and earth.

Advent-ure 2021 December 13: He Would Come As a Child (Humble)

The Bible announces to us that our Redeemer would be a Child, a Son - sent to earth so that we might receive salvation. We can read a passage in Philippians that shows us that Jesus, who is a member of the Godhead, the Trinity, took on human form, humbling Himself to perform the will of God. In the second chapter, we find these words:
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus came to earth as child, lived as a perfect man, and gave Himself over to death so that He could defeat it and free us from its power.  He demonstrated what true humility looked like - rejecting the temptation of selfishness or self-exaltation in order to show us the way to eternal life. We can look to Jesus and by so doing take our eyes off ourselves, so that we might reflect the glory of Christ. He shows us how to navigate the way to true humility.

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We are now at December 13 as we walk through "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," the annual Faith Radio Advent Guide, exploring "The Timeline to Transformation," consisting of prophecies that we find in Scripture that point to the coming of our Savior, our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage in Isaiah 9 is oft-quoted during the Christmas season, and we'll spend time on it the next two days. It says:
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

It was more than just a church member taking a youth pastor on a hunting trip - it was a discovery of how to understand another person in spite of their differences. As a Baptist Press article relates, 11 years ago, Quintell Hill, while serving as the student minister at a church in North Carolina, was invited to go hunting by Tony Adcock, who was the father of two daughters who were part of the ministry.  It was a tremendous experience for Hill, who is African-American; the article stated:

A white man’s idea to take a Black man 20 years his junior on a hunting trip to get to know each other better has never left Hill. Adcock reached out to Hill in that moment. Since then, Hill has helped counsel Adcock through some tough times in life. Adcock, a general contractor, helped Multiply Community Church get its new building ready for occupation. When Hill moved to Georgia, Adcock gave him a turkey call inscribed with: “Don’t forget about your brother Tony.”

The outdoors wasn’t exactly something new to Hill, who grew up fishing for bass, crappie, brim and catfish. “I’m a country dude at heart and would get deer meat from my neighbors, so I’ve been eating that my whole life,” he said. “But God used the outdoors to bring two guys together who looked nothing alike and build a common bond.”

Multiply Community Church is located in Monroe, NC, and Hill now serves as first vice-president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.  The church was planted by Quintell Hill in 2019, after he had served in North Carolina, as well as the Atlanta area.  The article notes:

Multiply Community Church, he said, is intentional about reflecting a diverse community in an area with a history marked by division. However, that is not the church’s focus.

“We want to be multi-ethnic, but we don’t worship it,” he said. “We want to reach people, period. God has blessed us with that. The power of the Gospel – nothing else – has allowed people to come together here.”

Hill relates: “We all bleed the same and it’s the Gospel that brings us together..." The article reports that, "He has recently launched his own outdoor ministry, One Way Outdoors, as a platform to point people to Jesus. Meanwhile, Multiply Community Church will continue to be about reaching its neighborhood and the nations for Christ."

The relationship between two men of different racial backgrounds and the willingness of one man to reach out to another illustrates how, in humility, we can serve one another, and in so doing, further the work of the Lord.  Philippians 2 illustrates how Jesus humbled Himself and came to earth in the form of a man.  The act of love was prophesied in Scripture, and provides another instance of the reliability of the Scriptures. 

Pastor Quintell Hill speaks of the gospel bringing people together. Jesus was willing to lay aside his high position in heaven and come to earth in the form of a child and we can lay down our lives and the things that could keep us apart in order that His love can flow and lives can be changed. 

The Church can flourish as we emphasize our commonality - we all have the same Father and the same Savior.  We have been made, as Paul notes in Acts 17, from one blood, and inside, we're all the same.  It's instructive that a principle of Scripture is that God does not regard outward appearance, but He looks at the heart.  

Advent-ure 2021 December 10: Rejected by Religious Leaders (Corrupt)

Jesus was certainly not about appearances; that would have been the religious leaders of the day, with their false piety and seemingly double lives.  In Matthew 23, in a series of statements beginning with the word, "woe," Jesus said this:
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

It's really easy to point at those who challenged Jesus and decry their course of action against our Savior. But, the truth is, they had corrupt hearts, and as recipients of God's grace, we can consider how we would have reacted in His day, and how we might reject Him now with our thoughts and actions. We have to take bold steps to root out the corruption in our hearts, corruption for which Jesus died, for which there is a solution - the saving, healing, restoring power of the Holy Spirit.

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In this broken world, there is so much corruption.  Why? Because people do not follow the ways of God, or in so many cases, do not even acknowledge Him, much less surrender their lives to His Son, who came at Christmas to be our Redeemer, the One who would take away our sins through His triumph over the enemy.  Jesus encountered corruption at every turn, it seems - the religious leaders, who had mishandled God's Word for their own purposes, opposed Him and eventually put Him to death.  The early church, including the apostles and the colleagues of Paul, faced opposition, as well.  But, as we find on Day 10 of "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," the Faith Radio Advent Guide, we find that the prophesied Messiah would be rejected by the religious leaders.  Psalm 118 states:

22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.

In the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus recited that passage. In Matthew 21, He goes on to say:
43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

Jesus is called the Chief Cornerstone, and He is the One on whom we can build our lives. 

I've mentioned Joshua Broome before - he has been an actor in pornographic films.  A recent Faithwire story quotes Joshua: “I was in the adult film industry … for almost 6 years. It took a large portion of my 20s. It impacts my life today,” he said. “I achieved a lot of success. I made a lot of money. And I found out the very hard way that the industry caused me a lot of strife in my life.”

Jesus spoke to the religious leaders about the corruption of their hearts.  Broome is taking aim at the corrupting influence that pornography represents, not only to individuals who consume it, but to society at large.  The article relates that Broome...

...said he’s launching his “Counterfeit Culture” podcast as a way to share his journey and to help those struggling with porn. Among the revelations offered, he dove into some of the shocking statistics surrounding porn use among Christians.

The article reports:

Broome cited a past Barna Group study that found 64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women have said they watch porn at least monthly.

But it’s not only parishioners, as Broome also highlighted research showing pastors and youth preachers specifically struggle with regular porn use.

He says that 1 out of 5 youth pastors and 1 out of 7 senior pastors "use porn on a regular basis."

Highlighting the destructive nature of pornography, the article states:

Among the many problems porn perpetuates, Broome said, is isolation and disconnection from intimacy. Another is the formation of false expectations about what should unfold within romantic relationships.

“What happens is people create these false expectations of intimacy [and] relationships,” he said. “What a woman should look like, what a woman should do … because they’re learning this from a fictitious representation of engagement.”

Jesus took the Pharisees to task for essentially living a double life.  And, that applies to each of us today - on the outside, people may profess that everything is fine, yet on the inside, things are a mess; corruption has set in.  But, in a sense, we all have a lifelong struggle against corrupting influences, and when, as 2nd Corinthians 10 says, strongholds are built, we have to use the resources God has provided, the spiritual weapons, in order to bring them down.  The enemy seeks to destroy our lives: pornography is one example of a component that he uses to do so, but as Jesus taught, He has come to bring us an "abundant" life. 

One could say the Pharisees were the worst of the worst, pretending to be spiritual, to have it all together, to be the shining examples; yet Jesus called them out and exposed their hypocrisy - they didn't like it.  They didn't like that He trampled on their own kingdom in the name of the true Kingdom of God. He claimed to be the Son of God and He had the proof to back it up, the "receipts," if you will, that were consistent with the Word of God spoken about him through the ages. His incorruptible truth was an affront to the misguided leadership of the day - and for that, He had to be eliminated from the scene. 

Advent-ure 2021 December 9: He Would Rule Over All (Christmas Story)

Christians, among all people, have an incredible story to tell during this season - we can certainly be skilled on sharing the "what" of the story, part of which we find in Luke chapter 2, which says:
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Then the story moves into the glorious announcement of the Savior's birth by the angels to the shepherds. Picking up in verse 10, we can read:
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

They were told they would find the baby in a manger, and the angels' number multiplied; they proclaimed:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

This is a short play in three acts: the journey to Bethlehem, the birth of our Savior, and the appearance of angels to shepherds. We read on and see that they responded by quickly going to find the baby Jesus. It is a brief passage, but it packs so much power and meaning. It is undoubtedly the work of a loving and powerful God, who came to restore broken humanity to Himself - He did it by sending His son to earth to be our Redeemer. 

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It's Day 9 of our 25-day series of readings exploring prophecies written in the Old Testament and fulfilled by the coming of Jesus, our Savior and Messiah.  The Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," is available free from our website and is contained in the latest Faith Radio Ministry Magazine, which you can see online, as well.

The prophecy is that the Messiah would rule over all.  He was certainly a King, and came to earth to establish an everlasting Kingdom.  Not only was that established throughout the ages in Scripture, but He was not secretive in His identity during His earthly ministry - He taught about the Kingdom He would establish. He boldly proclaimed it as He stood before Pilate with His life on the line.  And, we see that at His Second Advent, the fulfillment of that prophecy will be displayed.  But, He is the sovereign King now.

Psalm 72 states:
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.

A pertinent question here during the Christmas season has to do with our faithfulness to share His story of why He came.  And, a new Lifeway Research study shows that a number of Americans do not feel equipped to tell the Christmas story.  The survey summary relates:

Slightly more than 1 in 5 Americans (22%) say they could accurately tell the Christmas story found in the Bible from memory. A plurality of U.S. adults (31%) say they could tell the story but may miss some details or get others wrong. Another quarter (25%) could only give a quick overview and 17% say they couldn’t tell any of it.

Add up those first two categories, and just over half of Americans say they could relate the Christmas story; another 1/4 think they could at least give a "quick overview."

And, the ability to tell the story increases the more one attends church. In fact, 45% of those surveyed who attend church 4 or more times a month said they could relate the story accurately.  

This comes against the backdrop of the findings of Lifeway that 9 out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas and a study from three years ago that found that 2 out of 3 people would like for Christmas to be "more about Jesus." 

Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell said, "While fictional Christmas stories seem to multiply each year, the biblical account of Jesus Christ’s birth is unchanged since it was recorded in the Bible...Yet almost half of Americans do not think they could share the Christmas story somewhat accurately from memory. Of all the Christmas programs churches offer in December, possibly the most important is simply reading the biblical account of the Christmas story itself.”

Now, I did not see it specified what passage of Scripture is referred to as "the Christmas story," for the sake of the survey, although I would suspect that we're talking about the Luke chapter 2 passage, in which Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, they were rejected at the inn, Jesus was born and laid in a manger, and the angels appeared to shepherds to proclaim the good news.  That is a familiar passage, and it's an important part of Christmas celebrations.  

Other storylines involve the Magi in Matthew chapter 2, as well as the announcements of the Savior's birth to Mary in Luke 1 and Joseph in Matthew 1. These all document the physical events - the "what," if you will, of the story of the birth of Christ. We can strive to know and relate the events that occurred surrounding the birth of our Savior...

...then you have the "why," of the story, and that is of utmost importance.  The Christmas story has touched us throughout the ages, but it's more than just a beautiful story - it's a testimony of a faithful God who kept His promises to redeem fallen humanity.  It's about a loving God who cared so much about us that He became one of us so that we might be restored to our Heavenly Father. It's about a Redeemer who came to earth to not only teach us how to live but to give us new life. 

Jesus is so much more than a baby in a manger, but what He has done in fulfilling God's plan for salvation required Him to take upon Himself humanity in order to be the perfect substitute for us. We could not pay the penalty for our sin, but because He came to earth as a human, He could sufficiently pay it.  And, because He defeated the power of sin and death, He now reigns over all the earth. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the victor who has invited us to be part of His heavenly Kingdom.

Advent-ure 2021 December 8: None of Jesus’ Bones would be Broken - Psalm 34:20 (Christ Above All)

Wherever we live, we can recognize that there is a purpose for us, and we are called to exercise God's principles and display His love to those we are called to serve. Acts 17 records these words from the apostle Paul:
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.
26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'

This is a breathtaking narrative of the sovereignty of God.  When you stop to consider the majesty and might of God, the One who has given us life, and see His hand in the everyday lives of those who call on His name, we can reflect on how we can draw near to Him and allow Him to use us to display that love to the people whom He has called us to serve.  Our Savior came to a broken world to restore us to the Father - not a bone was broken when He died, and this can communicate how He wants to make all people whole through Himself.

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We acknowledge that Christ has come to make us whole - and to reflect to the world the benefits of His grace. It's Day 8 of 25 as we work our way through the Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure." Today, I am concentrating on a passage from Psalm 34, that points to another aspect of Christ's crucifixion. Let's pick up in verse 18:
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

John related in chapter 19 of his book:
35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."

In Exodus 12, we find that the Passover Lamb was not to have any bones broken - that speaks to the perfection of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. 

Jesus came to a broken world to display the love of God and the redemption available through Him. We are in this broken world to reflect that love and to proclaim His redemptive truth.  That comes in the form of personal evangelism, as well as public witness.  I contend that it means we are to have a distinct, Biblical presence in the public square.

There was a tweet that was posted the day of the oral arguments in the Mississippi abortion case last week, and it said:

For many, like myself, a desire to overturn #RoeVWade is not evidence of Christian Nationalism (imposing distinctly Christian morals on society). It's an appeal to common decency and the common good that should resonate with religious and non-religious people alike.

There has been an unfortunate tendency that has emerged that vilifies Christians who want to have a vibrant, influential public witness.  Certainly, we should not force people to view spiritual matters our way, and governments should not force people to adopt a Biblical point of view, or else.  America is not a theocracy, but there are principles that have been integrated into the fabric of our nation.  I believe that we can become a better nation if people were to embrace Biblical truth.  Some would call that "Christian nationalism," I would call it an effective public witness.

The phrase, "Christian nationalism," has become quite toxic these days.  Former Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who was chided by a U.S. Senator during his confirmation hearings for a lower office for his faith beliefs, wrote this at the Newsweek website:

A pattern has emerged. An academic, often from a theologically liberal persuasion, paints a caricature of "Christian nationalism" that is clearly outside the lines of orthodox Christianity. Celebrity pastors and writers then point to that distorted definition, label any related viewpoints as heresy and call for all evangelicals to practice discernment or repent of compromising political idolatry. They point to inappropriate, but mostly anomalous, displays of Christian symbolism in political settings. Few pause long enough to consider what millions of Christians might actually mean when we say that America is a "Christian nation," or champion viewpoints that accord with traditional nationalist principles.

Vaught goes on to present a well-reasoned picture of how we should see our relationship to our country.  I am not sure that we should be trying to own the phrase at this time, but when you see Christian believers who love God first and love our country facing criticism, it is important that we are not defined improperly.  So for the sake of this commentary, I want to offer this:

My own definition of "Christian nationalism" would be this: An orientation for engaging in the public square that recognizes America as a Christian nation, where our rights and duties are understood to come from God and where our primary responsibilities as citizens are for building and preserving the strength, prosperity and health of our own country. It is a commitment to an institutional separation between church and state, but not the separation of Christianity from its influence on government and society. It is a belief that our participation in the political system can lead to beneficial outcomes for our own communities, as well as individuals of all faiths.

I can track with that. Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy writes:

Increasing numbers of American Christians, especially Evangelicals, originally more on the left but now increasingly on the right, have become outspoken against nationalism, which is ostensibly idolatrous and at odds with the Gospel. There is of course much truth in their analysis, as many nationalisms in recent memory have calamitously claimed lordship for themselves that belongs only to God.

Christian critics of nationalism typically offer little to no political alternative to nationalism other than a vaguely global humanitarianism. Conservative Christians rightly prioritize the primary loyalty owed the church as the universal Body of Christ, without considering the subordinate but still very important role of nations in providing for essential human needs from a Christian perspective of justice, dignity, and compassion. If nations are ordained by God as ongoing providential tools, then Christians cannot be dismissive of them.

There are several principles I wish to explore here.

First of all, relating to today's Advent reading, we can admit that the whole, unbroken Christ, was sent in to a broken world to bring love and hope, and to govern our lives in the places where we live. As Paul teaches in Acts 17, "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings..." You have been placed in a nation, a state, and a community in order to reflect the glory of God.

Loving your country and embracing God's purpose for a nation should not be termed in a negative way, using what has become an explosive term, "Christian nationalism."  We should not love our country above God.  But, when we love Him first, He teaches us how we are to regard our neighbor. 

This latest discussion online has stemmed from the Supreme Court arguments about a foundational principle of Scripture: that God is the Creator and He ordains all life. I do not apologize for standing on God's perspective on the sanctity of life.  An appeal to so-called "common decency" is an appeal to the authority of the Scriptures, which we should embrace and not back away from.  The term "common grace" has been used regarding our engagement in the public square. Remember the words of the late Chuck Colson, who, in an interview, said this:

Common grace is a term that’s fallen into disuse in modern times, but the reformers understood it to be God's grace spilled out in life for the benefit of non-believers as well as believers. Saving grace is grace which transforms us. Common grace is, to the just and the unjust alike, experienced when God's people do what God's people are supposed to do.

Our Savior, our perfect sacrifice, gave His life in order to restore a broken world and repair a broken relationship between God and humanity.