Regulating Speech

We have the potential to be powerfully persuasive as we devote ourselves to speaking God's Word - Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, and recounted their reception of the truth:
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Here we see a narrative in which God is working by His Word, activated by His Spirit, resulting in changed lives.  That's the power of persuasion that comes from a devotion to God's Word. We have the opportunity as citizens of this nation to speak God's truth; even though we see challenges on the horizon - yet, at this cultural moment, we can continue to be bold to live and speak the truth of God and allow Him to work in the lives of those to who we speak. 

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The apostle Paul is a great example for us of a man who operated very well in public discussion and debate, as we see in Acts 17, where we can read:
15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

Erika "Kika" Nieto is described as a "Columbian social media star."  And, recently, in an "Ask Me Anything" video on YouTube, she said this: “God created man and woman so that they could be with each other. I don’t consider men being with men or women being with women to be good, but I tolerate that."  That's a quote from her, translated from Spanish, according to Alliance Defending Freedom International, which reports that the video was seen by her "millions of followers."

That's her opinion, and ADF International contends she has a right to say it. Tomás Henríquez, Director of Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean for ADF International, stated: "Nieto’s right to freely express her views and share them publicly is protected by the Colombian Constitution. Freedom of speech, and religious freedom, are fundamental human rights guaranteed by every major human rights treaty. If someone feels offended, the best response is debate, not censorship."  The organization is supporting Kika's case, which is the second that has arisen from the same video.  In the first case, according to the piece on the ADF International website: "In a separate case that arose from the same video, the Colombian Constitutional Court has already ruled that Nieto’s speech on marriage is constitutionally protected. However, another activist took Nieto to court, complaining that this same comment about marriage was offensive and discriminatory. This time, a lower court considered the video to contain 'hate speech' and thus ordered its removal from YouTube."  

And, that's all because she stated she believed that men and women are created for one another, not for same-sex relationships, which she described as not being good, yet she, using her word, "tolerated" that. I think a better expression would be to say that you love the LGBTQ individual, but do not agree with it. I contend that we should never tolerate sin. 

The stateside Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a case involving a Pennsylvania teen who, after not making the cheerleading squad, went on a profane rant on Snapchat, which resulted in her suspension.  According to the SCOTUS Blog (Caution: post contains inappropriate language), ADF states that “religious students both on and off campus often find themselves persecuted because of their speech," and encourages the Court to “make clear that schools cannot regulate speech based on the effects that speech has on its listeners.”

As the blog points out, this is a case that revisits areas of law that were staked out in the Tinker case.  The Casetext website says in its summary of the case that:

"Holding that students who wore black armbands to protest Vietnam War engaged in expressive conduct "'closely akin to pure speech'"

The Court's ruling stated, "First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

The SCOTUS Blog points out that the question before the justices in this case is "whether Tinker also applies to speech by students that occurs off campus. In the internet era, in which cellphones and social media are omnipresent and many schools and parents worry about cyberbullying, the court’s ruling in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. could become a landmark decision on student speech."

There are people in power who seem to continually want to regulate what you say or think. We see this in current conditions surrounding Big Tech outlets who determine the type of speech they would like to have or not have on their platforms, and Christians are concerned that they may be regulated out of discussions in the public square.  That should not intimidate us from speaking, and we have to recommit ourselves to speaking the truth.  

We also have to be careful not to want to shut down the speech of others, to keep people from being able to say things from which we disagree. Because that could come back on us.  Disagreement can lead to polarization, certainly, but it can also lead to productive discussion, during which persuasion can occur.  If we believe in the superiority of Scripture arguments, then we don't have to be threatened by opposing views.  God will give us the words to say in order to make His truth known in a compelling, accurate way.  

Decline

Jesus gave His life so that men and women can come to be in a relationship with Him and with His people in the body of Christ, His Church, which has outposts in local churches around the world. 1st Corinthians 12 says:
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

Bottom line - we belong.  Certainly, we belong to God and He has brought us into fellowship with Himself through Christ.  And, we belong to one another - we are now part of His body, and He desires for us to come together in unity for His purposes in the church, so that the people with whom we interact, through cities, counties, and communities, may see His love in operation.  We are not to merely be receivers of His love, but we are called to be active participants in His work.
 

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We are united in Christ and bond together around the truth of His Word and the hope we possess in Him. Hebrews 10 states:
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The practice of attending church is pointed out to us in Hebrews chapter 10, yet across the religious spectrum, membership in local bodies has been on the decline. A relatively new Gallup poll summary relates that...

Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.

When Gallup first started polling this question - in 1937 - church membership was at 73% and stayed around 70 percent for about 60 years, until things started declining in the 2000's.  The summary states:

The decline in church membership is primarily a function of the increasing number of Americans who express no religious preference. Over the past two decades, the percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religion has grown from 8% in 1998-2000 to 13% in 2008-2010 and 21% over the past three years.

Most of the rest of that decline has to do with the lack of formal church membership of those who have expressed a preference. And, the concept of church membership does seem to be germaine to older generations; as Gallup states: "66% of traditionalists -- U.S. adults born before 1946 -- belong to a church, compared with 58% of baby boomers, 50% of those in Generation X and 36% of millennials." There is limited data for Generation Z members who are now adults.

And, there's this statistic: "Currently, 31% of millennials have no religious affiliation, which is up from 22% a decade ago. Similarly, 33% of the portion of Generation Z that has reached adulthood have no religious preference."

So, that's the "what." But, why is this happening? The Gallup summary offered a small amount of analysis, stating, "The U.S. remains a religious nation, with more than seven in 10 affiliating with some type of organized religion. However, far fewer, now less than half, have a formal membership with a specific house of worship." It also says that, "Because it is unlikely that people who do not have a religious preference will become church members, the challenge for church leaders is to encourage those who do affiliate with a specific faith to become formal, and active, church members."

The surface "whys" are lack of religious preference and those that have one not becoming church members.  But, there is no doubt an assortment of reasons why people are not affiliating with a local church.

I would offer several.  One is that there are different ways to worship.  People now engage online, especially since the pandemic, but the "electronic church" has seemingly been trending for years. The traditional sense of "belonging" to a church is not what it used to be.

We also have to consider the role of church membership.  There is certainly an emphasis on church attendance, but is there a de-emphasis on being a member?  Just asking. The Bible teaches us to not forsake assembling together, and I would submit that churches do offer opportunities for involvement, whether or not the participants are church members.  The benefit of church membership is to give those members a place to belong and remind them of their Christian duty to participate in the work of His Church. 

But, by and large, the decline in church membership is related to the condition of the heart. It's not hard to discern that there is a departure from living according to religious principles.  A person who is not devoted to growing in Christ is likely not going to be an enthusiastic participant in the local church. And, if the local church body has departed from upholding the truth of God's Word, then people will not be fed the right spiritual nutrients in order to grow and develop in his or her walk.  Our dedication to the centrality of Scripture and living it out will attract people to know the God whom we claim we serve.

Label

If you wear the label, "Christian," you should actually act like you know Jesus and are devoted to following His ways. That description is more than a religious term or a demographic one - when we bear the name of Christ, we are called to act like Him. 1st John chapter 2 states:
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Jesus said that the person who abides in Him will bear "much fruit" - we can examine the degree to which we are abiding in Him by evaluating the harvest of fruit that is there. The production of fruit for the glory of God is directly connected to how connected we are to Him. Everett Piper spoke on The Meeting House yesterday about the determining of the God that a person serves - is it the God of the Bible or the god in the mirror?  He is the One who will enable us to bring honor to the name of Jesus and live up to the name, "Christian."

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In Romans 1, Paul issues a stern word of warning to men and women who engage in behavior that is not appropriate toward those of the same sex. He writes, regarding those who had rejected God:
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

Why a professing Christian would choose to publicly acknowledge same-sex attraction as part of his or her identity is beyond me.  It is a sinful desire that should be devoted to the cross and certainly not regarded as something from which someone cannot be set free. 

The word, "Christian," should not be taken lightly.  People and institutions may be called Christian these days, but that doesn't mean that Christ is first place, that He is governing actions and decisions. We can be challenged to make sure that we know what it means to be "Christian."

This seems to be an issue in higher education these days, as you hear about Christian institutions that have allowed worldly teachings and actions to become acceptable.  If you bear the label, "Christian," to me that means that the policies that are accepted should be consistent with the teachings of Scripture.  And, there is great pressure to compromise on the teachings of Scripture.

One area is on sexuality.  I have two stops to make on our journey today.  First of all, Seattle Pacific University; ChristianHeadlines.com reports that:

The employee handbook says faculty are “expected to refrain from … sexually immoral behavior that is inconsistent with Biblical standards, including cohabitation and extramarital sexual activity,” according to the newspaper. A university “Statement on Human Sexuality” says, “We affirm that sexual experience is intended between a man and a woman.”

Recently, the Board of Trustees affirmed this material, and over two-thirds of the faculty gave the Board a vote of "no confidence."  The Christian Headlines article related in a story last Friday:

The controversy was sparked in January when Jéaux Rinedah, an adjunct nursing professor, alleged in a lawsuit that he was denied a full-time teaching position because he is gay.

The faculty Senate said in a Monday statement, “The Board’s decision to maintain SPU’s discriminatory hiring policy related to human sexuality, as well as its manner of delivering that decision, have regrettably compelled the faculty of SPU to pass a vote of no confidence in the SPU Board of Trustees.”

Board of Trustees chairman Cedric Davis is quoted as saying that the Board is “cognizant of historic orthodoxy and the Wesleyan and evangelical tradition in SPU’s 130-year history and in SPU’s Statement of Faith.”  What happens now?  It is up to the Board, presumably, to uphold the teachings upon which the school is founded.

We now move a bit closer to our area, to College of the Ozarks in Missouri, which has filed a lawsuit against a government policy.  An article on the National Religious Broadcasters website states:

The lawsuit challenges a directive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that forces schools to open their dormitories (including dorm rooms and shared shower spaces) to members of the opposite sex. By requiring entities covered by the Fair Housing Act to not “discriminate” based on sexual orientation or gender identity, this directive forces religious schools to violate their beliefs.

ADF Senior Counsel Julie Marie Blake stated in response: “Women shouldn’t be forced to share private spaces—including showers and dorm rooms—with males, and religious schools shouldn’t be punished simply because of their beliefs about marriage and biological sex. Government overreach by the Biden administration continues to victimize women, girls, and people of faith by gutting their legal protections, and it must be stopped.”  

School President Jerry C. Davis said: “To threaten religious freedom is to threaten America itself. College of the Ozarks will not allow politicians to erode this essential American right or the ideals that shaped America’s founding.”

There is confusion over matters of sexuality and gender these days, and God's Word can bring us great clarity.  It's not a matter of how we feel about ourselves, but about faith in what God has to say - he has made us male and female and in Romans 1, Paul lays out the sinfulness of men and women possessing improper feelings for one another.  And, the good news is that when God points out sin, He also offers the antidote.

The fact is, in our culture, pressure will come.  And there is great temptation for people and institutions to conform.  Yet, we can continue to hold fast to the teachings of Scripture and honor God by following His Word.  We are not called to follow fads or faux versions of reality; we are called to uphold the time-honored traditions that are spelled out for us in God's Word and know that His blessing comes as we adhere to it.

Going Under

There is a story found in the book of Acts about a sorcerer named Simon, who had apparently wowed the people with his magic acts, to the extent some thought that he was doing God's work. Acts 8 tells us that the authentic power of God was so compelling that even Simon believed on Jesus. We can read:
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

We can be careful not to believe counterfeits to the presence of God and not be deceived.  We can also not regard an experience with the Lord as some sort of "good luck charm." We can rejoice in the change that takes place inside a person when he or she accepts Christ, and we are placed on a course of obedience to Him: that is communicated through the act of baptism. We can rejoice in the new birth and embrace the spiritual reality of what has occurred in our hearts. 

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The picture is clear: our old self is dead and our sins have been buried with that old self; we have been raised to new life, and we have the power to express that. Romans 6 tells us:
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

The practice, or sacrament, of water baptism is an outward expression of the inward work of God in a person's life - it can be a powerful tool used in the hand of God to demonstrate what God does when someone is born again. 

On the Sunday before Christmas last year, Long Hollow Baptist Church outside Nashville had scheduled "around a dozen" people to be baptized, according to an article at ChristianHeadlines.com, which reports:

...dozens more – for a total of 99 – followed through with baptism that day, according to Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In December, Pastor Robby Gallaty called it a “movement of God that I’ve never experienced.”

On the Sunday after Easter, the church passed 1,000 baptisms since that Sunday in December. On Easter Sunday, over 200 were baptized.  Baptisms are taking place throughout the service and following the service. The pastor "estimates that about 70-75 percent of the baptisms are first-time confessions of faith."  

The article relates that:

The revival began after Gallaty became introspective following the deaths of two close friends, Jarrid Wilson and Darren Patrick. Each committed suicide.

“Both of those men preached at Long Hollow within six months of their passing,” Gallaty told Baptist Press. “They both sat at my dining room table. It made me realize that the last person to say he’s burning out or that ministry is tough is usually the one burning out. The Lord allowed me to take an introspective look at my own life. I was tired. Tired of trying to keep people happy. Tired of trying to keep them from leaving. I went to my porch to pray for the Lord to fix the problems in our church and our country. God showed me that the problem … was me.”

The article adds, "Gallaty began praying more and listening to God more."

The pastor stated to Baptist Press: “I really believe that if all of us, as pastors, begin to press in and seek the Lord in prayer, calling out for God to move in our churches, that’s a prayer He’s going to answer,” adding, “The greatest hindrance to a move of the Holy Spirit is formality and structure. If God wanted to break into our services today, we’d have no time for Him. [At Long Hollow] we still have a plan, but we’re OK if God interrupts the service.”

I want to isolate that phrase from the pastor, who said "we're OK if God interrupts the service."  We have to make sure that we don't misinterpret God's interruptions as inconveniences.  We can become so married to our plans that we don't allow the Holy Spirit to have his way in our lives - and that can be true for a worship service or our lifestyle of worship.

God can use baptism in our own lives because it is an act of obedience to Him.  But, it is also a powerful expression of the inward work of the Holy Spirit. Our sins have been cleansed and we have been raised to new life.  In the work of redemption, we identify with His death and appropriate His new life. The act of baptism testifies to the exhilaration of the new birth, a message that we continue to carry throughout our lives. 

Darkness to Light

The devil is real and he is deceptive. He is powerful, too, but we have access to a far greater power - the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6 tells us:
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The pieces of the armor are outlined in the subsequent verses.  We recognize that there is a real enemy and Jesus said that he saw him fall from heaven.  In the wilderness, Jesus did battle with the enemy and won.  After his death, Jesus defeated the power of the enemy and is victorious over sin and death.  But, Satan continues to tempt us and to attempt to wreak havoc in our lives - he will build strongholds in our minds that are counterproductive to the presence of Christ, if we allow him to. But, 2nd Corinthians 10 tells us we can tear those down through the power of God.

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The enemy is at work in our world today, but believers in Christ have been given the tools to walk in the victory that Jesus has won for us. James 4 addresses how we can position ourselves in that victory:
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

It is important that we recognize that there is a spiritual enemy who is active in this world.  Jesus said that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Peter says that he is roaming about like a roaring lion.  And, Paul said that we are at war with principalities and powers, with spiritual forces of darkness.

We have to recognize that people are not our enemy, but the enemy can certain take hold of people's lives; and he will operate in our life to the extent that we allow him to.  So, we have to resist him.

Simone Peer became involved in occultic practices as a result of her mother's influence.  A CBN.com story relates:

Simone Peer never saw anything wrong with being a white witch. In her mind, it was the 'good side' of the occult.

"I was a 'white witch', and this was 'white witchcraft' that was divine and heavenly," Simone says.

Simone grew up learning about the occult from her mom, who consulted psychics, and spirits. She recalls, "Horoscopes, numerology, the Ouija Board, seeing ghosts, psychic phenomenon, was normal."

Her dalliances with the occult were combined with verbal and physical abuse.  Her life spiraled downward into substance abuse and sexual immorality.  Her desire to make things right in her life led her into more and more of an entanglement with witchcraft, and eventually, according to the article: "She would spend the next 30 years seeking enlightenment and attaining the highest level of 'white witchcraft' – the high priestess. Through Santeria and other forms of spirituality and the occult Simone participated in animal sacrifices."

But, as CBN points out, "Still, no matter how high she climbed or 'enlightened' she became, there was an emptiness she couldn't shake."

Then, several years ago, she came across a video that would change her life - a video of rock musician Alice Cooper, who was talking about his relationship with...Jesus Christ!  The real Savior who had given him a new life and delivered him from alcoholism.

The article says:

Simone shares, "I realized that I was an ambassador for Satan. I didn't even know what it meant to have Jesus. I didn't understand it at all, I just knew that my heart cracked open, I knew that He was there, and I knew I was a 'Yes.' When I went through that salvation prayer and there were points of repentance, what really stood out to me was the thinking that I was God, the thinking that my spells were not manipulations of other people and other things. And I just said it out loud and raised my hand to God and I pleaded and repented and prayed over myself."

Now, after experiencing freedom from strongholds in her life, Simone is a certified life coach and is devoted to pointing people to the Savior. 

I want to walk through some principles that we can extract based on this story.  For one thing, we have to identify the identity of the true enemy.  We are not at war with flesh and blood - there are those who would oppose us whom we regard as our "enemies," but the true enemy is the devil himself, and recognizing this can be very helpful in loving the people whom we are tempted to set ourselves against.

We have to reckon with the idea that there is a real devil. The Bible speaks of him and his operation - and Jesus dealt with him in the wilderness when he came to tempt the Savior.  Jesus said that he comes to steal, kill, and destroy: a contrast with the abundant life which He offers to us.  And, He has ultimately defeated the power of Satan, who is tied to the power of sin and death. 

But we know that Jesus defeated the devil through His work at Calvary and through the power of His resurrection.  And, we are instructed in Scripture to resist him. We can walk in that victory and stand against him when he comes to try to defeat us.

Why Worship?

Timothy, like all of us, had a particular mission that God intended for him to carry out - and the fruit of his life provides a strong example for us. Paul writes to him in 1st Timothy 4 that...
(10) ...we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Timothy was set up in leadership before the church and called to be an example.  And, in these passages we see certain things in which the Church needs guidance: including the teaching of the word and the way we behave toward each other - when we come together, we are taught and equipped for service and we can be strengthened and grow in our walk with the Lord.  We can always be reminded that we are part of one body, called to a mission and purpose in this world.

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The Bible provides instruction on how we can function as a body, the body of Christ, under the leadership of Jesus, the head of the body. Colossians 3 states:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

When you attend a church service, what are your expectations?  What are God's expectations?  I think those are challenging questions that can move people from just going through the motions or checking a box to truly experiencing the presence of the Lord, which will change us and deepen our relationship.

Our interaction with the things of God should draw us closer to Him and produce fruit for His glory. We can be strengthened and encouraged by our exposure to His Word, through reading, studying, meditating, and even listening and watching.  Our fellowship with the local church can be instrumental in improving our lives and even the lives of those around us.

A new Barna Group survey is out that explores the residual effect of participating in corporate worship.  According to a story on ChristianHeadlines.com:

The survey, released April 14, 2021, found that an overwhelming majority of practicing Christians and two out of three churchgoers felt encouraged most of the time after worshipping. According to the survey, "over four in five practicing Christians (82 percent) and roughly two-thirds of churchgoers (67 percent)—U.S. adults who have been to church in the past six months—say they leave worship services feeling encouraged at least 'most of the time'."

Another finding: 77 percent of practicing Christians, and 65 percent of churchgoers say, according to the article, "they feel forgiven at least 'most of the time' following church attendance," the survey said.

But, there is a downside: sometimes churchgoers and practicing Christians feel guilty or unforgiven after leaving church - the Christian Headlines article says:

"Even though the majority of both practicing Christians (42 percent) and churched adults (34 percent) say they 'almost never' leave church feeling guilty, roughly one-quarter each says this 'sometimes' happens (29 percent practicing Christians, 26 percent churched adults)." The survey also found that after attending a church service, church-going adults are more likely to say they feel guilty "about half the time", with 18 percent of churched adults and 11 percent of practicing Christians saying they felt guilty "about half the time".

And, this, according to the survey summary: "roughly seven in 10 practicing Christians (71 percent) and three in five churchgoers (59 percent) also affirm that, 'most of the time,' they leave worship feeling as if they've learned something new." 

Here we gain some insight into the purpose of corporate worship and/or church attendance, which includes certain expressions from an encounter with God: encouragement, forgiveness, and learning.  A majority of practicing Christians and churchgoers say they have experienced these things. The key is to do more than have a sporadic experience, but to take what we do on Sunday into Monday and the rest of the week.  Our time at church is not an end unto itself, but the continuation of a deployment into the world and a deepening walk with Him.

We can also develop the mentality that rather than consumers, we are participants in corporate worship. It's not simply a matter of what we want God to do for us or even what we can do for God - we do call on the Lord to do His work through us and He calls us to execute His mission, but it is based on a relationship that is a foundation for how we live. This is strengthened as we come into His presence. 

Preservation

Our outward behavior reflects what is on the inside - and we can take the necessary steps to make sure we are growing in the Lord and demonstrating what He is doing. 1st Peter 2 encourages us, that we should be...
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 

We are called to be good citizens - of the kingdom of heaven and here on this earth. The Lord actually gives us the ability to determine laws that are set because we elect leaders, and should elect people who possess and/or sensitive to godly wisdom, so that laws that are consistent with the teachings of Scripture are implemented and those that do not are blocked. And, when we ourselves are placed in a position of influence, we can take advantage of that, in the power of the Spirit, and bring God's presence and principles into a situation.

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We have the capacity to walk in a way that pleases God no matter where we are, and that includes the workplace. Ephesians 5 states:
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Faith in the workplace has long been a source of tension, and employees in a variety of settings have found their rights to live according to their deeply-held religious beliefs curtailed.

Sharon Gustafson had a concern about that, and was in a position to do something about that.  She was named as general counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, in 2019 - the first woman to serve in that position, according to a story on the Faithwire website.

The article says that Gustafson formed a workgroup to investigate instances of religious discrimination. She says, “I had never seen any case that was brought to protect somebody who was discriminated against because they had traditional religious beliefs about sexual morality,” adding, “So I started thinking ‘I wonder what other sorts of religious beliefs people may have that they think are not protected so I set up a religious discrimination workgroup.”

Even leadership of the agency was not on board with the premise of her group's work, which, in its final report, showed less emphasis on religious discrimination in light of some other forms. Some participants did not feel that the EEOC was sympathetic toward matters of religious liberty. Gustafson said, “Title 7 doesn’t permit people to require that no one disagrees with them...We all have to sometimes work with people who may not approve of our beliefs. They may not approve of our actions but as Americans, we still have an obligation, a duty to work shoulder to shoulder with each other and to do it in a non-discriminatory, non-harassing way.”

In March, Gustafson was fired by the new Administration after refusing to comply with a request for her to resign.  The workgroup's report had been removed from the EEOC website.  

The article says:

Tony Perkins, president of the Research Family Council, told CBN News “I think what is going to happen is that this will have a chilling effect upon religious expression in the workplace.”

Gustafson says her firing sends a signal to both former colleagues and the public.

“There is a chilling effect to other people at the EEOC and the word gets out, you know, to the public generally that the EEOC is not interested in these types, certain types of religious discrimination claims and that is to everybody’s loss,” she said.

EEOC commissioner Andrea Lucas calls the firing “deeply troubling” and warns that “religious liberty has become a disfavored or second-class right in many areas of our society.”

An FRC website article linked to a tweet thread from Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.  He said:

"According to Gustafson letter, "no previous [EEOC] General Counsel has been fired for being appointed by the wrong political party."

He added:

Purported termination notice from White House doesn't even refer to any action by President Biden. Deputy Director of Office of Presidential Personnel uses passive voice: "your employment ... is terminated."

 An agency spokesperson told CBN News that religious liberty would continue to be a top priority.

But what will that look like, you might ask?  Because there are indications that religious freedom keeps dropping in priority.  Obviously, the age-old types of discrimination based on race and sex are rightly in place, but religious discrimination should not be subservient to say, so-called discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, even though the Supreme Court's Bostock decision threatens to make that a reality. And, recently new Secretary of State Antony Blinkin has equated so-called "reproductive" rights, i.e. abortion, with other rights, saying in a briefing that removing certain language from a human rights report is...

...one of many steps – along with revoking the Mexico City Policy, withdrawing from the Geneva Consensus Declaration, resuming support for the United Nations Population Fund – that we are taking to promote women’s health and equity at home and abroad. Because women’s rights – including sexual and reproductive rights – are human rights.

He said, "there is no hierarchy that makes some rights more important than others."

So, the right to an abortion is equated with religious freedom?  And, there are those who believe that a gay person's right to certain services, in the arena of professional services, is superior to the conscience rights of a person who declines to provide the service.  

So, in the name of religious freedom, Sharon Gustafson wanted to uphold certain rights of employees to act according to conscience.  Even her superiors did not completely buy-in to what she was trying to do. This can be an example for us to make the right choice even though it may not be the popular choice.  Her workgroup was seeking to preserve people's freedom of expression regarding their faith in the workplace, yet there were those who rejected what she was trying to do.

We can also be mindful to not be intimidated - our call is to live out the mission of Christ wherever He may call us.  And, the expression of our faith is an expression of who we are.  Now, we have to be careful in how we do that - not in a counterproductive or even harassing way, but in a way that is compassionate and honoring to the Lord. We can make sure that we take our role as representatives of God very seriously.

Meeting Needs and Maturing Saints

We serve a relational God - He has made us in order that we might know Him and have fellowship with Him. He specializes in changing hearts and calling people who do not know Him into a relationship with Himself. Psalm 85 states:
4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your anger toward us to cease.
5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
6 Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your mercy, Lord, And grant us Your salvation.

We deserved punishment, but we have received mercy.  We can be thankful that we did not get what we deserved and did not experience torment separation from God for eternity because of our sin.  This loving God is calling us to be agents of His love, to experience the touch of His hand and His movement upon our hearts, so that we can be involved in showing others the answers they seek, that come through a relationship with the Savior.

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Because we have experienced salvation through Christ, now He calls and empowers us to be involved in His work of restoration. 2nd Corinthians 5 says:
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

There's a great model that shows how the Church is built as people who have experienced the presence of the Lord seek to walk in what God has done in their lives. Arthur Gonçalves has been in the process of planting a church in the Central Florida city of Sanford.  The key has been to minister to people where they are and then bring them into a church body in order that they may grow and minister to others.

Baptist Press has an article about the ministry. which says that...

The ministry began as he led a group from the Church at Heathrow in Sanford to serve at a downtown homeless center. Soon afterward, the center’s leaders asked him to return and lead Bible study every Monday evening for a year.

Through that experience, God began working on his heart and his wife’s.

Arthur says, “We saw that there was a great need for mercy ministry but also for preaching and Gospel ministry..."  He felt that God was leading him to start a church and began to pray about it.  And, the Lord opened doors:

A local downtown restaurant, The Colonial Room, offered the use of its banquet hall for weekly prayer gatherings which began in January 2020 with six to seven people. In May he joined a local Rotary Club where members began sharing needs of the local police and elderly in the community.

Gonçalves said, “We helped the police department give away gifts to children in need during Christmas. We also help our elderly with groceries and with home and lawn maintenance on some occasions,” adding that the ministry became a “full blown outreach ministry.”  Local restaurants have been providing food and a local church furnished transportation.  Six people have come to Christ, and two have been baptized.

One of those is a man named Adam, who was, according to the story, "pushing a cart" in downtown Sanford when he first came in contact with Arthur.  The article states:

When offered a meal and prayer, he accepted both. And by the end of the night, he also accepted Christ as his personal Savior.

Now 10 months later, Adam is sober, has a job and goes out regularly to evangelize on the streets where he once pushed his cart.

In January of next year, Restoration Church is scheduled to launch, meeting in an elementary school in an "impoverished" area. Gonçalves stated, “There are 633 students at the school, and 92 percent of them receive a free or reduced cost lunch...There are lots of needs to be met at the school itself where the average income for a family of four is $30,000.”

In Sanford, Florida, it starts with reaching out to a person in need, but there is a call to do more - to share the gospel and perhaps even see that person come to Christ.  Then, the walk of discipleship begins, including participation in the local church body.  The Church's role is holistic - from meeting needs to maturing saints.  The Bible has the prescription and we can all be part of the infrastructure to some degree, resulting in truly changed lives. 

We can look to the Holy Spirit to indicate the need and to equip us to reach out in order that needs can be met and lives can be changed.  He is desiring to do amazing work in the lives of people, and is calling us to partner with Him in order to see heart change.  In a world of brokenness, we can allow God to bring healing and restoration in our lives so we can be ministers of reconciliation in His name.

Forgive

In the closing words of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus addressed the issue of forgiveness and highlighted the direct relationship between the forgiveness we extend and the forgiveness we receive. He states:
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

The forgiveness that we are able to experience from the Lord is related to our willingness to forgive. If we are harboring bitterness or anger or other negative emotions, then it inhibits our ability to walk in the forgiveness that God wants to give us. However, if we appropriate the love and power that Christ gives and walk in His ways, letting go of those harmful emotions, we can see Him work in incredible ways in our hearts and human relationships.

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The 4th chapter of the book of Ephesians offers practical and powerful truth for us, including the two closing verses:
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Last fall, I featured a conversation on The Meeting House with the author of a book which was made into a feature film called, When We Last Spoke, which had a limited theatrical run. Her name is Marci Henna, and that movie debuted on UPtv on Easter Sunday.

It was nominated for "Best Christian Movie" in the Plugged In Movie Awards from Focus on the Family - the category that was won by I Still Believe in the eyes of the Plugged In Staff and Switched as chosen by the audience.  Interviews on all three of those films can be found in the Media Center at FaithRadio.org.

When We Last Spoke, according to Movieguide...

...follows two sisters named Juliet and Evangeline as children and 29 years later as adults. As adults, it’s been years since the sisters have spoken to one another. As children, Juliet and Evangeline had a lot of adjusting to do when their father goes off to fight in the Vietnam War. Their mother leaves them with her husband’s parents. Apparently, the mother couldn’t handle her adult responsibilities.

Plugged In states that Walt, the grandfather...

...tells his granddaughters to get ready for church on Sunday morning. Walt, Ruby and the girls often pray together and talk about what they’re thankful for. Walt and Ruby also teach Evangeline and Juliette about God and about the importance of forgiveness and kindness.

The review says, "The heart of the film is a sweet one that examines family dynamics, honor and respect as well as the painful difficulties and disappointments we face in life."

Well-known actor Corbin Bernsen plays the role of Walt. Movieguide states that Bernsen...

...said that one of the central themes in the movie is the power of forgiveness.

“One of the themes that is always recurring to me is forgiveness,” Bernsen told Movieguide®. “And certainly forgiveness that leads back to family.”

“I learned forgiveness a little bit later in life,” Bernsen explained. “The power of forgiveness, it is a wonderful tool that God gives us to relieve pain and burden.”

Bernsen went on to talk about the power of forgiveness: “Love conquers all, but forgiveness is just a powerful thing. It’s one [theme] that just rings through all the films that I make.” He calls for people to put aside division, saying, "I long for a day that I knew when I grew up, where we had our differences, but somehow we set them aside and still sat down at Easter Sunday dinner, we still gathered in the community.”

The destructive thoughts and emotions that we carry within can be overcome and removed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  But, we have to respond to His conviction and ask ourselves: Are we consumed by anger or devoted to reconciliation?  Left unchecked or dealt with insufficiently, our sinful desires will take us to a place that can harm us spiritually, emotionally, and even physically.

We need to experience the power of God's forgiveness.  Only through accepting what Christ did for us on the cross and the power of His resurrection can we experience the healing within and with others that God wants to bring about.  Forgiveness is a tremendously healing force, demonstrated by a Savior who gave up everything, even His earthly life, so that our sins can be forgiven.

The comments of actor Corbin Bernsen can propel us to teach and live values consistent with Scripture.  It's quite simple, really, but we struggle with living Biblically because it is counterintuitive to human nature.  We have to allow the Word of God to guide us and penetrate our hearts.

Meaning

True contentment comes as we recognize that God is with us - we can seek fulfillment in what the world has to offer, but He has so much more for us to experience in Him. 1st Timothy 6 states:
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

When we consider what is going on around us, we can be satisfied in our all-sufficient God who is in us. He enables us to walk in His presence and to know His love.  He has declared us to be righteous and holy in His sight - right with Him - and that can bring a deep sense of meaning and satisfaction to us. Even in our most discouraging times, we can look to Him and know that He is with us and will bring comfort to our souls. 

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We can be joyful in the presence of the Lord, who brings a sense of purpose to our lives. 1st Peter 1 states:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

When you consider that there have been well over 500 thousand deaths in America alone attributed to the COVID-19 virus and think about how our lives have been shifted so dramatically during this past year, it could become an opportunity to really consider what's important in life.  And, we have seen stories of how people have drawn closer to God during this time, perhaps even giving their hearts to Christ.

A LifeWay Research study, the subject of a recent ChristianHeadlines.com article, focuses in on the things that are really important, such as the meaning of life and what comes next, after we leave this earth.  The article said that the survey "found that 57 percent of U.S. adults during the pandemic say they ponder, at least monthly, the question, 'How can I find more meaning and purpose in my life?' In 2011, it was 51 percent.  21% related that they think about that topic on a daily basis.  The survey also found:

- 81 percent agree there is an “ultimate purpose and plan for every person’s life.” But the percentage who strongly agree with the statement has decreased, from 50 percent in 2011 to 44 percent today.

- 59 percent agree with the statement, “I have found a higher purpose and meaning for my life.”

But, in what could be considered a startling turn, fewer American adults are sure of what occurs after we die.  The article states:

Only 43 percent of adults “strongly agree” that “there is more to life than the physical world and society.” In 2011, 67 percent agreed with that statement. Forty-two percent “somewhat agree” with the statement – an increase from 21 percent in 2011.

Interestingly enough, the percentage of those who say they "wonder daily" if they will go to heaven has doubled in the past decade - from 8 percent in 2011 to 15 percent in September 2020, when this survey was taken.

The executive director of the research organization, Scott McConnell, says this: “In the midst of such a discouraging season, fewer Americans are convinced there is something more to this life than their daily activities,” adding, “A large majority still lean toward there being an ultimate purpose for a person’s life, but instead of escaping the pandemic with thoughts of something greater, far fewer strongly hold such a view. A growing number of Americans have become open to the idea that this might be as good as it gets.”

But, that may be true - for some - by their own choice.  The Bible teaches us to be content regardless of the circumstances that we face, and that sense of contentment can result from the hope and anticipation of what God wants to do in our lives.  We can have purpose even amidst negative surroundings.  We can walk in joy even though we struggle.  It's the presence of God in our hearts that makes the difference.

A life with meaning and purpose flows out of how we stand with our Maker.  Many have experienced, what has been termed, "dis-ease," in the middle of disease and death and hearts are tentative. But, if we stand with Christ, we can experience His strength and walk in His triumph.

There is certainly more than what we experience with our senses in this world - there is another world; for the Christian, we have the promise of a new world to come, a place that Jesus has in store for us.  That promise of heaven can also add meaning to our lives here on earth, as we realize that we have eternal hope in Him.

(Don't) Help Me to Hate

The Bible teaches us that we are to respond in love to one another and pursue a path of peace. Romans 12 provides some direction in living at peace with others:
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

It is so easy to get caught up in the bad things in this world - we can become disgruntled and even disoriented; we can become so fed up that we respond in anger instead of the love of Christ, which overcomes the desire to lash out and to retaliate.  We have to check ourselves to make sure that we are not being controlled by anger, rather than controlled by the Spirit of God, who gives us the capacity to love and to see people the way God sees them.

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In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about how to regard those whom we regard as our enemies - I don't believe that "groups" of people are our enemies, as society will attempt to cause us to think, but that we can be specific in our response toward those who are truly against us. Matthew 5 states:
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Our prayer life can consist of a number of elements: there is confession of sin, praying in repentance, bringing requests before the Lord for ourselves and others in intercession.  We can pour out our hearts to God and we can ask Him to change our hearts.  But, we have to be careful to pray in accordance with Scripture.  

The practice concerning enemies throughout Scripture is to love our enemies and to allow the Lord to do His work in conflicted situations.

I see no Scriptural precedent for asking God to "help me to hate" anyone.  Yet, a book of prayers that was put together by a relatively well-known Christian author includes a so-called "prayer" that says this, according to ChristianHeadlines.com.

“Dear God, Please help me to hate White people. Or at least to want to hate them. At least, I want to stop caring about them individually and collectively. I want to stop caring about their misguided, racist souls, to stop believing that they can be better, and they can stop being racist..."

Great - so you have this "prayer" contributed by psychologist and minister Chanequa Walker-Barnes in the book, A Rhythm of Prayer, that 1) calls on God to help her hate a particular group of people and 2) describes their souls - all of them - as "misguided" and "racist."  

The article states:

The book, A Rhythm of Prayer, is the No. 1 book in Amazon’s Christian Meditation & Devotion Section and is also available in Walmart’s Christian Life/Prayer section and Target’s Religion/Beliefs section.

The response was amplified when a Virginia pastor posted on Twitter a picture of a page from the book that had been sent to him; he said, "This kind of thinking is a direct result of CRT and is completely anti-biblical..."

The article states that the author...

...adds that the White people she wants to hate are the “Fox News-loving, Trump-supporting voters who ‘don’t see color’ but who make thinly veiled racist comments about ‘those people.’ The people who are happy to have me over for dinner but alert the neighborhood watch anytime an unrecognized person of color passes their house. The people who welcome Black people in their churches and small groups but brand us as heretics if we suggest that Christianity is concerned with the poor and the oppressed.”

Sorry, you don't get the right to hate - anyone.  A response to the pastor's tweet indicated that somehow this was in line with "imprecatory" prayers that we find in the Scriptures.  But, keep in mind that this prayer is directed at an entire people-group, not all of whom might be remotely considered this person's "enemies."

Sarah Bessey put this book together apparently; she and other contributors to this volume issued a statement in support of the prayer, defending the writer by saying:

She praises God for protection, for the call to be “an agent in your ministry of justice and reconciliation.” She names the beloved community who continue to call her to rise to the call of love, not hate.

Dr. Walker-Barnes is demonstrating the Biblically-based call towards loving our neighbours as Jesus said, in real time. This beautiful, powerful prayer is modelled on the Psalms of lament and anger, often called imprecatory Psalms, found in the Bible.

Bessey's social media links for Facebook and Twitter no longer work; her Instagram is now private.  She is the author of a number of books, including Jesus Feminist, and a co-founder, along with the late progressive author Rachel Held Evans, called "Evolving Faith," which seems to be an initiative that would be best described as devoted to Christian deconstruction.  On its website, there is this statement: "Evolving Faith exists to cultivate love and hope in the wilderness, pointing fellow wanderers and misfits to God as we embody resurrection for the sake of the world." Bessey describes her faith journey like this:

My faith tradition is of the happy-clappy, low-church charismatic flag-waving variety but after time spent during my own deconstruction with everyone from Anglicans to Mennonites to Nones-and-Dones, I'm best described as ecclesiastically promiscuous—I just love everybody.

Including a fellow author whom she accommodates and defends is asking God to help her hate white people.  That's inconsistent.

Truth is, the enemy has been successful in the Church and outside the Church in sowing seeds of division. So many no longer see others as individuals made in the image of God, but as members of certain people groups.  God made us different, but His intent is not for us to be divided.  So, we can examine our views on race through this prism:  are we agents of true reconciliation or are we perpetuating division?  This so-called "prayer" certainly doesn't contribute to the fulfillment of the powerful words of Scripture that tell us to love your neighbor as yourself and to love your enemies.  

We can adopt the posture of praying for our enemies.  Ultimately, we can pray that all would come to a saving knowledge of Christ.  We can also adopt the posture of acquiring a more loving attitude toward people who are different than we.  That involves a change of heart and a conformity to the teachings of Scripture.

People as Property

The Bible teaches the concept that we are to regard people as those who are made in the image of God. We are called to walk in the love of Christ and to have compassion on those who are being oppressed. 2nd Corinthians 5 tells us:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
16a Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

Treating another person as property is a violation of the love of God.  Yet, there are millions today who are being bought and sold through the practice of human trafficking.  This practice does not uphold the worth of the individual and is incredibly damaging to people mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We have come to bring the light - to shine light on abhorrent practices and to allow the love and light of the Lord to flow through us by the Holy Spirit into the dark places.

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The Bible addresses the concept of the dignity and worth of the individual - and all people should be 
loved just as Christ has loved us. The display of His love can win people to come to Him. The book of James has some good words for us about respecting others, including this passage in James 3:
8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

The concept of people as property certainly violates the Biblical principle of accepting a person for who he or she is, not because of what that person does, recognizing that person is a creation of Almighty God. Unfortunately, there are scores of people today who are being transported from place to place. 

The Christian Post published a story recently focused in on human trafficking in the state of Georgia, in light of the deaths of eight people at the hands of a shooter who had apparently frequented massage parlors in the Atlanta area. The article says:

Illicit businesses masquerading as massage parlors or spas are the second-largest reported form of human trafficking in the United States. With 9,000 establishments across the country, it's a booming $2.8 billion industry for those who prey on vulnerable women, the advocacy group Street Grace has warned.

The article included comments from Street Grace President and CEO Bob Rodgers. It says, "Rodgers explained how traffickers often lure young Asian women to the U.S. with the promise of a better life and the ability to support their families back home."  The report continues:

“They get here, and they immediately find out they are here on false pretenses. They were misled,” he said.

Traffickers then use a series of physical threats and deception to trap them, he said. The women are often in debt bondage after accumulating high debts during their passage to the U.S., which forces them to engage in illicit activity to earn money.

The Christian Post points out:

Though massage parlors are often legitimate, these businesses are sometimes a front for brothels, sex trafficking and illegal sexual activity. Rodgers warned that they fly under the radar.

And, the reportedly chaotic situation at the border of the U.S. and Mexico is a reminder of human trafficking that occurs there.  CBN.com states:

Human smugglers are increasingly turning to the social media giant Facebook to fuel false hopes in migrants about immigrating to the U.S.

NBC News reports they openly promise a "100 percent" safe journey and encourage people that the Biden administration will welcome them.

The New York Post reports: "Criminal cartels that are trafficking families, women, children and single adults over the southern border earned as much as $14 million a day in February..."  A retired Border Patrol chief told Fox News, according to the article:

“A lot of these vulnerable populations use their life savings. Some are essentially indentured servants and they’re working off this debt for a long period of time. In other cases, some of these migrants are asked to transport narcotics or some form of crime to work off a different part of their debt..."

There is certainly an impressive lineup that is involved in fighting what is being called "modern-day slavery."  The aforementioned Street Grace is involved, but so is Samaritan's Purse, the Tim Tebow Foundation, A21, and others.  The Tebow Foundation website says that there are over 40 million people who are enslaved today.

This has become quite a major emphasis among Christians and Christian organizations and there are a number of different ways to address the problem.  There is involvement with actually rescuing those who are being trafficked; then there is the strategy to cut off the demand and to isolate the "buyers," if you will.  Imagine that - people being bought and sold...as property. 

There is no "one size fits all" solution.  And, that is so true with so many issues.  We have to find our own place and execute the mission God gives to us.  Together, as the body of Christ, walking in the wisdom of God, we can be used to inject that wisdom into troubling situations.

Wild Horse

When our lives feel like they're spiraling out of control, we can place ourselves under the control of the Holy Spirit; that's where we need to be consistently. In 1st Corinthians 9, we can read:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

Verse 25 says in another translation: "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things."  

There are certain things that we think we can control in life, but human wisdom is inadequate for navigating this life in the way God would intend.  We can try to control ourselves, but we need the power of the Holy Spirit in order that we might live a life of surrender.  We can try to control others, but that path is certainly one of disappointment.  We need to relinquish control of our lives and place Christ first so that we might do His will.

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In Philippians 1, Paul, a man whom you could say was out of control as he persecuted the church and who was brought under the control of Christ, is writing to the church at Philippi, sharing how he is thankful as he remembers them, and in that chapter, he writes:
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Anthony Thomas grew up in Australia and wanted to be a cowboy.  He developed a love for wild horses and in a sense was a wild horse who needed to be tamed.

That's according to a GodReports.com story about Anthony's journey that includes material from CBN.  Anthony's parents tried prescription meds to control him and ended up sending him to a boarding school. At school, he landed a job working with "unbroken" horses. The article says that he related to CBN, “They were confused and they had used their defense mechanisms to protect themselves and I could definitely relate to them in every way..."

He learned to "break" them and learned to ride them - he started to compete in rodeos and especially liked bareback riding.  The article says that Anthony was considered one of the "top 15 bareback riders" in the world.  But, even amidst that high level of achievement in the world of rodeo, his life was far from winning: he degenerated into the party lifestyle, which left him empty inside.

But, a lady named Amanda, who is now his wife, invited him to church. There, he had an encounter with God.  The God Reports article says that he experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a profound way. He said, "I started crying, didn’t know where it come from. And God was just speaking to me and it was an undeniable sense of conviction.”  The article adds, "Anthony repented of his sins and received Jesus as his Lord and Savior."

The story also says:

While Anthony trained wild horses to trust him, now he sees the necessity of fully trusting God. “God prepared me to be a professional bareback rider just because I need to trust the Lord and the Holy Spirit’s plan 100 percent, surrendering to the Lord. Then it’s not up to me what happens.”

Thomas also speaks of the topic of "platform," saying, "Every one of us has a platform right where they are and teach them about the love of Jesus. No matter what – there’s a God that’s always there for you, that has more for you than you could ever imagine."

I came up with three principles that we can take to heart, based on Anthony's story.  First of all, we have to learn to see ourselves practically.  Thomas saw himself in the wild horses that he tried to tame and ride.  We can allow the Holy Spirit to show us our strengths and weaknesses and direct us in relying on His strength.

Which leads to the second thing: we can learn to see our potential in Christ.  We can be confident in who we are in Christ and anticipate who He is making us to be.  We can indeed do all things through Christ who gives us strength, and know that He is at work in us.

We can also learn to embrace our platform.  Anthony Thomas gets that concept now - he sees that God has a purpose for him and that he has placed him in rodeo competition in order to give glory to Him. He has great things in store if we are willing to allow Christ to express Himself through us.

What Message?

Even though we may find ourselves beset by negativity and fear, yet believers in Christ can be devoted to relating God's story of redemption and peace through Him. Titus 2 states:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...

Rejoice!  The grace of God is here, and Christ has come with salvation for everyone!  What an incredible message that we have been entrusted to share.  In a world that communicates to us fear and death, we can reach out in faith to our Lord and recognize the hope and clarity that He gives. We can also look for ways we can communicate that message of restoration and reconciliation to others.  Because Jesus has come, those who come to Him can find salvation and the healing of our relationship with God.

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We can have hope in the Lord, and our words and the way we live should display the hope that we have through salvation. 1st Peter 1 encourages us to adopt this posture:
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

One of the more popular videos on the Faith Radio YouTube channel is a conversation with John Lennox and Kevin Sorbo, who teamed up to make the movie, Against the Tide, which is now available through AgainstTheTide.movie.  It's a movie centered around an ardent defender of truth, Oxford professor John Lennox and the narrator and interviewer in the film, actor Kevin Sorbo.

Kevin and wife Sam have acquired a reputation as communicators of God's truth.  And, a recent Christian Post article opens up this way:

Actors Kevin and Sam Sorbo say the media played a "pivotal role" in helping to get abortion legalized nationwide in 1973 and encouraged Christians to use new media to combat the lies and censorship of today's mainstream press and big tech.

The couple was interviewed at a premiere of the Roe vs. Wade movie, and Sam is quoted as saying, "Media tells the story and stories are compelling and they're convicting. But they're also very convincing,” adding, “You'll see in the movie, the media played the pivotal role in this whole saga, telling a lie, a story about a young woman that was an outright lie. Then perpetuating this myth that it's not a human being, that it's a clump of cells, that the young woman will never have to think about it again. All of these other stories that they tell, and none of which are true.”

Kevin, who has found himself banned from Facebook, offers encouragement in fighting media censorship and misinformation, saying: "We got to fight back...," even though people have the opinion that "media owns everything" and respond with apathy.  Sorbo adds, "I think we just got to raise our voice and be a little more strong...We have to have the same passion...without the hate and anger and divisiveness. We just have to have the same strong passion.”

So, he, like his wife, Sam, and his friend, Professor Lennox, is devoted to speaking truth.  And, so should we, in the way that God directs.  The Sorbos also do that through movies.  Kevin, in fact, is featured in a new film called, The Girl Who Believes in Miracles, which is described by ChristianHeadlines.com:

...telling the story of a young girl in a small town who hears her pastor preach about faith and begins praying for miracles – both big and small. God heals multiple people, sparking attention from both the community and the media.

Kevin Sorbo, who plays the role of a doctor in the film, states, "I think what this movie shows is that we need the faith of a child. We need that innocence," adding, "Because as we get older ... I think a lot of people just become jaded, and they just sort of give up and don't pay attention. I think miracles happen every day. Just because you're not walking in water, it can still be a miracle. How many times have you read stories about doctors saying, 'It's a miracle. I don't know how they survived; they should have died'?"

Sorbo says that he thinks more movies with a "positive message" should be made, and relates, "I like movies that deal with redemption," adding, "I think that that's the biggest thing we need in the world right now, more than anything else. People with all their anger and hate – I think a lot of it comes from the fact that they feel lost and have nowhere to turn to. Redemption is a great message out there for people, and this movie offers it."

There are several considerations as we think on what the Sorbos are saying about the messages that are being disseminated.  First of all, we can reflect on what we are doing to communicate the accurate message of the gospel.  That's why personal study and exposure to strong Bible teaching are important, so that we might be built up in our walk with God.

Our walk should be characterized by faith and hope rather than fear and despair.  We should be joyful in our demeanor and reflect a love for Christ and for others.  We will encounter suffering in our life, but we can reach out to God in order that we might experience His joy in the midst of it. 

We can also consider whether or not our demeanor causes people to want to know our Savior. We are called and empowered to reflect His light, and the presence of Jesus through us can be used by Him to draw people to Him.  We can be cognizant of the power and opportunity to communicate His truth with compassion and conviction.

After the Pandemic

The apostle Paul had been informed about the expression of the love of Christ through the people of the church of Colosse, and this motivated him to pray in this way...
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God...

This is the model, a picture painted by Paul, of what the Christian life ideally should be.  We have the capacity to be "fully pleasing Him," which involves being fruitful - that comes as we abide in Christ and allow Him to produce fruit through us to the glory of God.  Even in affliction - and the Church has certainly had its share in the past year - we can recognize that God has been and is still moving and desires to show Himself faithful to and through His people.

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In the book of 2nd Peter, chapter 3, the writer encourages believers to be steadfast in the Lord and devoted to growing spiritually. Peter writes:
(15) ...consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Even though there is great optimism that the end of the coronavirus is approaching, still there will be months until we reach the point of normalcy or a new normalcy.  And, what will the Church look like at that time?

I remembered my conversation with Arnie Cole last year about that topic. He is the CEO of Back to the Bible and Director of Research for the Center for Bible Engagement.  In a press release issued last May, there were the three main areas listed that his organization anticipated that churches would face:

(1) a dip in weekly worship attendance among regular weekly attenders, (2) an increase in online attendance when the pandemic ends, and (3) an increase in traffic from occasional attenders.

The release gives this background on those three projections:

Cole has learned from earlier congregation studies that 60 to 80% of the people sitting in the pews on a given Sunday are people who attend every week. The remaining 20 to 40% do so at most once or twice a month. "With this in mind we anticipate that many churches will see a dip in weekly worship attendance, post-pandemic, and those with the highest concentrations of regular weekly attenders will see the largest decreases," he explains. "But on the positive side, churches can expect to see a portion of their occasional attenders more often."

The report included a number of statistics; for instance, it states: 

Cole reports that 68% are participating in online worship services during the lock down period. Most (77%) anticipate that their church attendance will be the same after the pandemic. A minority (16%) expect to attend more often and 7% anticipate attending less. Considering the data for both regular and occasional attenders, most churches can expect a decrease in attendance and a high percentage of people who used to attend only occasionally.

One of the key points: "Among those who attended church in person before, 21 to 44% expect to watch more online when the pandemic ends."

Again, this is a projection.  I acknowledge that conditions have perhaps changed since this survey last year. And, while these may contribute to the formation of a model for anticipating what could occur, our churches have strategic decisions that they will have to make.  Surviving COVID is one thing, but how to move forward is something else entirely, and our church leaders need prayer and the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

But, there is certainly ministry opportunity here - one of the interesting points of Cole's research is that there is the anticipation that the more infrequent worship attendees may come back to a stronger degree.  That being said, then it's important to establish communication in order to move them from infrequent to frequent.  That's really a challenge for all churches, isn't it?  The church certainly grows by adding members through conversion, but involving members in greater levels of participation and discipleship becomes a challenge.  

Personally, we can also consider how we move forward and grow in our Christian life.  None of us should be standing still - otherwise, as it's been pointed out, the currents of this world will cause us to drift backward.  We can increase our participation in the things of God, exhibiting spiritual growth, and if we have lost ground during the pandemic, it's a good time to reclaim our position and grow deeper.

Freedom and Retaliation

Human beings have been given incredible opportunities and choices - God Himself has granted us a free will and He does not coerce us to follow Jesus. But, He has certainly offered us the opportunity to do so, and it is absolutely the best way to live! 2nd Corinthians 3 says:
16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We have freedom in Jesus Christ: we have been set free from the power of sin and have been brought under the power of God's Spirit, enabling us to walk in righteousness.  Because we know Christ, we can be known for our devotion to upholding the dignity of the individual, supporting the right to life and being purveyors of Biblical justice.  We should place the needs of others above ourselves, but not to support wrong choices - we can lovingly show the mercy of Christ to those who choose not to follow Him.

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We can be vigorous defenders of religious liberty, as defined by the Scriptures, and be bold in speaking out. Galatians 5 tells us:
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

By now you've probably heard about the story that has shaken the sports world and revealed an uncomfortable intersection of sports and politics.  Georgia lawmakers, like legislators in other states, passed a bill that, as Governor Kemp said makes it "easier to vote and harder to cheat."  Georgia is one of the so-called battleground states in which allegations of improprieties in the 2020 election were circulated.  This new law includes a voter ID provision.

Leaders in the political, corporate, and sports worlds were quick to criticize the bill, and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the 2021 All-Star Game scheduled for Atlanta would be moved.  This is ironic because some of the more visible critics of the bill have now brought economic retribution on themselves and their state.  Self-inflicted punishment.

It's been speculated that all this hullabaloo has been perpetrated in order to gin up support for HR1, the so-called "For the People Act," which would essentially federalize the U.S. election system.  

But, Cobb County, Georgia, where the site of the game was to be, anticipates it could lose $100 million in revenue as the result. So, there are real negative consequences.

So, is there a faith angle here - absolutely, when you consider the hypocrisy that has been pointed out - it is no secret that American sports leagues, such as the NBA and MLB, are intent on expanding their footprint to Communist China.  You may remember that back in 2019, when an NBA team executive spoke out in favor of Hong Kong's moves toward democracy, the Chinese government retaliated against the Association. 

The government of China has certainly shown their disdain for Christians and others, such as the Muslim, Uyghurs, who dare to embrace a worldview that is different than the state-sanctioned one.  But, punishing an American state, with the blessing of the President, seems to be more important than trying to get China to change its position on human rights, with real people facing persecution for their faith.

A Washington Examiner piece summarizes the situation well:

China, after unleashing a global pandemic, carrying out a genocide, and rendering Hong Kong voters' voices meaningless? They don't really seem to care.

It adds that the President has "led the way" on the All-Star Game situation, and states, "Apparently, expanding voting opportunities in Georgia is boycott-worthy, but China’s genocide against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang is not such a big deal. China hosts the 2022 Winter Olympics, and Biden remains unable even to threaten a boycott over human rights."

And, FoxNews.com highlighted the hypocrisy, amplified by a case of bad timing:

Major League Baseball is protesting a democratically passed Georgia voting law while bolstering ties with a Communist Party-backed Chinese company that cracked down on an NBA executive who supported the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Senator Marco Rubio tweeted out in response:

"@MLB caves to pressure & moves draft & #AllStarGame out of Georgia on the same week they announce a deal with a company backed by the genocidal Communist Party of #China," he tweeted. "Why are we still listening to these woke corporate hypocrites on taxes, regulations & anti-trust?"

John Stonestreet pointed out in a Breakpoint commentary last year:

Beijing’s treatment of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang Province qualifies, in every way, as genocide. Writing in Newsweek, Israeli Human Rights Lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky didn’t hesitate to call the Communist Party’s actions “genocide,” pointing especially to the “forced sterilizations, abortions and intrusive birth prevention.” These actions alone meet the requirement for genocide and have led to “the population growth rates in the two largest Uyghur prefectures [to fall] by 84% between 2015 and 2018.”

But there’s more.

According to the State Department, “Over a million Uighurs have now been detained by China in camps, where they are starved, abused, tortured, electrocuted, raped and even killed.” Recent video footage showed “Uighurs, with heads shaven, being blindfolded, shackled and herded onto trains, headed for these camps.”

Unfortunately, criticism of the Chinese government may be on its way to becoming unacceptable speech - in light of reported violence against Asian-Americans, and judging from the harsh response against former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for a tweet last weekend pointing out MLB's and other corporations' hypocrisy concerning China, will it eventually be regarded as racist to be critical of China?  

And, for those concerned with religious freedom, consider how the current Administration is now pulling back on the worldwide religious freedom principles put in place by the previous Administration, essentially equating religious freedom with so-called "reproductive freedom," which offers no rights to the unborn baby?  I guess you could laud China for its devotion to this type of "freedom," considering its one-child policy that was in place for many years?

Faithwire reports:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will restructure America’s top priorities around the globe in order to focus on more progressive and liberal pet issues, such as abortion and LGBTQ activism.

Friendly descriptions of the shift in focus can be found throughout the media, such as characterizing issues conservatives champion (like religious freedom) as opposed to human rights.

And, two U.S. representatives from a religious freedom body were sanctioned recently from traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macao, according to CNBC.com:

The Chinese sanctions target the chair and vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins. The USCIRF has condemned China’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population in Xinjiang and endorsed recent U.S. sanctions against Chinese officials.

Even this was a bridge too far for Secretary of State Blinken.  The CNBC reports said:

The U.S. condemned the sanctions in a late Saturday statement released by the State Department, calling the measures “baseless.”

It's a crazy world in which we live in which the First Amendment principle of religious freedom is considered equal to the mythical woman's right to take the life of a baby.  Or to engage in the sinful behavior of homosexuality.  The tendency is to lash out in anger or retaliation, which is counterproductive; but, we can and should express our convictions when freedom is under assault and "rights" are being turned upside down.

Fact is, we should always find ourselves on the side of being a champion for true human rights - when defined in the right way as determined by the Scripture.  We should be in favor of racial harmony and Biblical justice, but we should not be involved in assigning racial motives when none exist. To require an ID in order to vote is not a racist act, and recent polling data shows Americans of a variety of races support it.  Untruths should not be cloaked under a false racial curtain.  The Washington Examiner reports that: "New polling shows that a large majority supports voter ID laws that require individuals to show a photo identification before voting, including almost 70% of black voters." In mid-March, the website reported:

The poll, released on Wednesday by Rasmussen Reports, found that 75% believe photo identification should be presented before voting and that 69% of black voters support voter ID laws.

We should be concerned about preserving the right to vote and upholding election integrity. We should be concerned about the right to life of an unborn baby to. And, we can defend the right to religious liberty: for people to practice their faith without fear of persecution.