Established on Scripture

In Acts 17, we find the apostle Paul doing "Paul" things - preaching the gospel in power and seeing people come into a saving knowledge of Christ. We pick up the story in verse 4:
4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king--Jesus."

I think it's certainly remarkable that one of the leading influencers in media today had two high-profile Christian commentators as guests on separate online programs recently.  Former Fox News juggernaut Tucker Carlson hosted Douglas Wilson, Pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho and Megan Basham, former WORLD Magazine writer who now works with the Daily Wire. 

The two discussions certainly had their common threads, but it seems to me that the redefinition of what it means to be a Christian was front and center. 

The Business and Politics website quoted Carlson, before bringing Basham into the discussion, said, regarding so-called progressives:

“If you’re interested in who they really hate, we’ll look at what’s happening,” he began. “So Christian churches across the country have been burning and no one in the government is doing anything about it.”

“Look at how Christian churches were treated during COVID. Strip clubs stayed open, weed dispensaries stayed open, liquor stores stayed open, but Christian churches were closed because public health,” he added.

He mentioned Paul Vaughn, described in the article as "a pro-life activist who faces 11 years in lockup for singing and praying outside an abortion clinic."

Tucker, whose degree of spiritual practice is not readily apparent, but who seems to have an openness to spiritual things, said, “So if you are a faithful Christian, not a fake Christian...but an actual Christian of the kind this country has always had, of the kind this country was created to harbor, actually you are seen as an enemy by the people who run it..."

Carlson and Basham discussed the Rob Reiner documentary, God and Country.  Megan noted, according to the Business and Politics piece:

“They are calling evangelicals, particularly evangelicals who engage in the political process, a threat to democracy,” she said. “So they are 32 percent of the American electorate. The Atlantic quite rightly called them in 2021 America’s most powerful voting bloc. So they’re right about that. They are essentially the only obstacle that we still have to the left wing agenda.”

“So there’s been a very deliberate effort, and this film is part of it, but it is just a drop in the bucket, to be quite frank, of an entire cottage industry that is saying if these people, these evangelicals, continue to engage in the public process to try to influence their neighbors through their vote, through free association, through using their free speech by, you know, get out the vote efforts, anything like that, that’s dangerous and scary,” she added.

She went on to say:

"What it essentially does is say, here are bad, scary Christians, and they include in that bucket, by the way, everyone from Billy Graham to Mike Pence to the Unite the Right rally, which was led by Richard Spencer, an atheist.”

“So it’s essentially saying all these guys, Jerry Falwell, John MacArthur, all of them, they’re the same as Unite the Right, which in itself is bonkers to even try to create a parallel there. So that,” she added.

The film reportedly uses left-leaning Christian voices to paint their fellow Christians as a threat.

The Carlson episode featuring Wilson, according to The Christian Post, hit the common theme that Christians who believe in applying Biblical principles to the cultural involvement are somehow threats to that culture; the article noted:

Wilson observed how progressive secularists are broadening the definition of Christian nationalism to encompass even those who simply believe their rights come from God, which he noted is a label that would apply to Thomas Jefferson. He remembered that Politico journalist Heidi Przybyla defined the term earlier this year as anyone who believes "that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don't come from any earthly authority."

It went on to say: "Wilson...traced the uproar over Christian nationalism to the same attitude that has prevailed since the days when Christians in Rome were thrown to the lions for affirming the exclusive claims of Christ by refusing to confess Caesar as Lord."

The Christian Post article goes on to say:

He also discerned there is no political road to restoring a system based on Christian presuppositions in a nation that is no longer Christian, and that because America is suffering from a disease that is both "radical" and "spiritual," there can only be a spiritual remedy.

"Basically, we're in such a mess that there is no political solution, alright? We're beyond hope. There is no political solution. The next election, however happy it might make us for 10 minutes, is not going to fix everything," he continued.

Returning America to a Christian worldview is a responsibility that falls on preachers "who will stop being ashamed of the name of Jesus, and preach the Gospel as though it's supposed to spread out into the streets after the service," he said.

There is tremendous power that the body of Christ has - we have been placed in an enormous place of influence. There are many who are responsible for the departure from the ways of Scripture that is occurring.  Some would say we have an onslaught of unrighteousness in our land today.  But, what would happen if the Church really became the Church?   Devoted to following Jesus, speaking and living according to truth, involved in being a true Christian influence in our culture?  What a difference that would make.

Truth is, the gospel changes hearts.  More hearts changed, more people living according to God's ways - that equals a tectonic shift in our society. We become frustrated with our leaders for imposing a secularist worldview on the population - what if we raised up that standard of righteousness.

It's true, politics can not be relied upon to make lasting change. So, evangelical Christians are found to be sitting elections out in survey after survey. But, political activity can help - if believers became more involved in the process. Yet, you have so-called "Christian" leaders who propose to tell Christians how to vote, but they themselves do not exhibit Biblical principles. We have great potential to be a force for good in our society; question is, how are we using it?

Amidst Opposition, God is Working

We have powerful spiritual resources available to us, so that we might live overcoming, victorious lives in the Spirit of God. Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians 6, in part:
4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left...

Last week on The Meeting House, Dr. Hormoz Shariat of Iran Alive Ministries discussed the viewpoint of the mullahs, the religious leaders in Iran, who believe in worldwide jihad - a war against opponents of the Islamic faith.  It's what motivates Muslim extremists all over the world, from Hamas and Hezbollah, to ISIS and it's new outgrowth, ISIS-K, to Boko Haram in Nigeria, and other organizations that share the same bloodthirsty aims. 

And, there are Christians who face the threats of violence and oppression. Plus, Christian missionaries are called and sent to go into ravaged areas to do ministry.

Don and Jenya Foster lead Love Your Neighbor Africa. A recent report on the Assist News website tells the story of their ministry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they "manage an orphanage with Mbuti Pygmy people who have been displaced by rebels from their homeland. The orphans experience severe mistreatment and ostracism by the people they encounter in surrounding villages and towns. Many of these are children whose parents were killed by rebels, as well as by Muslim terrorists striving for a jihad state in the Congo."

It's definitely a challenging space in which to do ministry.  The story notes that:

Don said that Muslims recently cut off the heads of five Christians “in full worship in a church in a city near us last week. These Muslims are on a jihad of killing Christians in order to form a Muslim state within eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. They massacre innocent men, women, and children somewhere every week or so.

It is reported that Muslim extremists are paying $250 per murder they commit.  They are kidnapping and abusing children. 

The story spotlights the instance of a woman who was a witch, to whom Jenya ministered in prison. Her name was Confiance, and she has experienced incredible change through Jesus. The article states:

Don, Jenya and Confiance (the former witch) are working in adverse circumstances with violent conflict all around them in many areas of the Congo, as well as starvation, poverty, political upheaval, stealing and terrorism.

The former witch was sent to Uganda (which has its own political upheaval) by Don and Jenya to the Discipleship Making Movement (DMM) School but now has returned to the dangerous Democratic Republic of the Congo to convert and disciple many, including those in the prison where she was once held.

Assist News notes that: "The Discipleship Making Movement itself has recorded 100 million people coming to Christ throughout the world since its beginning, an amazing milestone. To reach 100 million relatively new disciples is very encouraging and helps balance the atrocious world news which we hear all the time."  

Don and Jenya started a DMM group in 2022 and since then, around 1200 people have become involved in well over a hundred groups.  At the time that Don spoke with the Assist writer:

Don said “we baptized 17 today in the men’s prison where we have 55 discipleship groups which include 17 former Muslims and 20 former Jehovah witnesses. Disciples are making and baptizing even more disciples as we had 20 baptized in November, 43 baptized in December and 50 baptized in January. Many of our new disciples were in court today. Hopefully we will baptize 60 or so more disciples this month (February). We may just leave a baptismal unit in the prison so disciples can baptize (new) disciples at any time instead of waiting for us to come each week.

It can be very easy to become discouraged in light of what is occurring in our world today - but we can know that God is working in the midst of pain, in the middle of conflict, in the heat of battle, amidst present danger.  Frank Peretti spoke of Thide Present Darkness and examined the dynamics of spiritual warfare.  But, just as Frank wrote about, the Bible tells us that light overcomes darkness and Jesus has overcome the world. 

Danger can produce fear - fear can result in hampered decision-making. But, Paul tells us in 2nd Timothy 1 that we have, in addition to power and love, a "sound mind." That sound-mindedness that gives us the capacity to experience the wisdom of God which can help us to function in His ways even in the midst of godlessness and lawlessness.  In the face of Christians being beheaded for their faith, Don and Jenya Foster are keeping their minds focused on the Lord - and seeing incredible results. 

So, when the bad news of the world threatens to mute our peace and joy, the good news is that Jesus is with us and we can be encouraged and give God praise for how He is changing lives, how He is being glorified in and through His people.

Wired and Willing To Walk

Jesus emphasized the importance of self-sacrifice in our Christian walk - we can do good works, but if our heart is not right, we are not completely fulfilling His plan for our lives; that's the point of a passage in Matthew 19:
17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,'
19 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

There are many who are rich in this world, but riches in and of themselves are not evil - it's the love of money, according to 1st Timothy 6, that is the root of all evil. The issue is stewardship - what are we doing with the resources that God has given to us?  That would include not only the gift of time and abilities, but also the material possessions that the Lord would direct us to devote to Him. Where there is a need, we can recognize it and determine if perhaps He is leading us to become involved.

+++++

It's a familiar passage but one we should revisit on a consistent basis. Jesus shares the parables of the sheep and the goats - to the sheep, the favored ones, on his right hand, the King says:
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Well, the Denver Broncos, the team on which John Elway became a star and later a general manager, drafted a quarterback in the first round.  Actually, I'm not talking about Bo Nix, who was drafted last night and will be playing in the Mile High City; no, I'm referring to the pick in the 2010 draft.

That would be Tim Tebow.  Tebow exemplifies what it means to be an encourager. Someone who is devoted to Christ, lives an exemplary life, and is very well aware of his cultural platform.  A recent Movieguide article states:

Tim Tebow encouraged his fans on social media to make a positive impact on the community around them.

“Never underestimate your influence. No platform or place is too small to inspire change – it’s the passion and purpose behind it that matters,” Tebow wrote. “Whatever position you’re in right now, take hold of the opportunities before you and make them count!”

The article goes on to quote from the former Heisman Trophy winner, now co-host on the SEC Network:

“I think one of the biggest ways to get out of a slump, out of a pity party, is to get out of your comfort zone and help someone else,” Tebow said. “When you go serve, it changes so much in such a way that it’s almost hard to even put into words. So much of what we do in our lives is about us. And when we finally change the focus and the narrative of not putting us first, but actually serving, there’s something that drastically changes.”

Tebow has committed to this lifestyle for many years, equipping him to run a non-profit that makes an incredible impact on multiple communities. His most recent project has been fighting human trafficking in America and around the world.

Another Movieguide article noted that Tebow...

...appeared before a House subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, urging lawmakers to fund a rescue team to rescue the thousands of children currently trapped in a sexual abuse situation.

“I’m fortunate and humbled to be the chairman and the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, and we exist to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need,” Tebow began his remarks. “To sum it up, we strive to fight for people that can’t fight for themselves. Why we’re here today is to talk about the MVP…the most vulnerable people. That’s why we’re here today.”

He told the committee that, according to one of his colleagues, there have been some 20,000 sexually abused children whose "images and videos have been captured" who cannot even be identified!  The Foundation has been involved in Operation Renewed Hope, which set out to ID and rescue victims of child sexual abuse. 

That is just one of the initiatives of the Foundation.  Tim and his wife, Demi-Leigh, have been deeply involved in encouraging young adults with special needs through the "Night to Shine" events on Valentine's Day weekend, which has had involvement from hundreds of churches worldwide. 

Tim uses the acronym, MVP, which stands for "Most Vulnerable People.  Jesus used a term for people in difficult circumstances - "the least of these," according to Matthew 25, and likened helping the down and out to helping our Savior Himself. 

Tebow talked about a platform on social media recently. We can consider how God has placed or might be placing us in order to have an impact on others.  Our old nature was characterized by selfishness - our new nature is characterized by a capacity and calling to serve.  By virtue of our new birth, we are now wired to serve other people - the question becomes whether or not we are willing to do so, to be obedient to our Lord.  Recognizing that we are wired to love others as Christ has loved us and developing a willingness to do whatever the Holy Spirit directs us to do, we can walk in His ways.

So, in whatever stage of life, whatever occupation, in whatever we're involved, we can be devoted to walking in obedience to the Lord, sensitive to His direction and dependent on Him to manifest His love through us. 

A Tide Turning?

Jesus taught about how the Word operates - the seed of His Word is planted and it grows with the proper care. In Mark 4, He states:
14 The sower sows the word.
15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

You have four categories here - same seed: the wayside, stony ground, thorny ground, and good ground. Not all ground is good; there are types of soil where the Word will not grow. That's true for our own hearts - we have to make sure our hearts are open to what God wants to teach us. We are also called, I believe, to be sowers - the Word will not always be accepted because of the heart condition. But, if we are diligent, and patient, we can be hopeful that God's truth will penetrate hearts, recognizing that Isaiah says the Word will not return void. 

+++++

The Bible teaches us to be steadfast in the Lord and continue to trust in Him, even when we may not see the result. We can continue to plant the Word in our own hearts and proclaim it in our culture. Galatians 6 states:
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

After leaders have made LGBT rights a centerpiece of their decision-making, and as we continue to see overreach by those who would further that agenda, I think it leads to the conclusion that was published at The Daily Citizen of Focus on the Family recently, which said: "Support for the redefinition of marriage has increased steadily ever since states starting legalizing male- and female-less marital unions. But that shine seems to be dulling of late."

The article quoted a study by the Public Religion Research Institute, which is a survey organization with a progressive bent; it said: "For the first time since the Public Religion Research Institute’s (PRRI) American Values Atlas began tracking nationwide support for same-sex marriage and other gay causes, these researchers found a decline in support for gay and trans issues in the past year. The decline in approval was not just related to same-sex marriage. It also extended to so-called nondiscrimination protections, and more citizens now support the rights of religious citizens to refuse to support gay causes they disagree with."

Here's one example: "PRRI explains that many religious groups — though not all — registered small declines in support for gay causes. Even young Americans, aged 18-29, show a gradual decrease in support for such advocacy over the last three years, declining from a peak of 83% in 2020 to 75% in 2023. That is not insignificant."  

According to the survey, 67% are in favor of "marriage redefinition."  That's up 13 points from 2014, but down 2 percent from 2022.  There's also a 5-point drop in support for certain creative professionals to be forced to provide services for gay weddings.  

And, PRRI's survey is not an outlier.  The Daily Citizen notes: 

Last year, Gallup reported that citizens who believe sexual relations between people of the same sex are morally acceptable declined 7 percentage points, from 71% approval in 2022 to 64% in 2023. This was a greater drop than the decline in moral approval (-4%) of sexual relations between unmarried men and women.

Here are some other findings by Gallup last year, according to its website:

A majority, 55%, consider “changing one’s gender” to be more “morally wrong,” while 43% say it is “morally acceptable.”

Those results are slightly less accepting than in 2021, when Gallup last asked the question -- 51% thought changing one’s gender was morally wrong, and 46% morally acceptable.

And, there's this:

A larger majority of Americans now (69%) than in 2021 (62%) say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their birth gender. Likewise, fewer endorse transgender athletes being able to play on teams that match their current gender identity, 26%, down from 34%.

The Daily Citizen article had this comment regarding the PRRI findings: "This decline could possibly be the result of citizens growing tired of being regularly bombarded with gay causes nearly everywhere they turn in popular culture. Has this saturation reached a critical tipping point? A growing number of Americans seem to believe it has all been too much for their tastes and this is being reflected in polling data."

A tipping point.  "Jumping the shark."  Perhaps Americans have begun to say "enough" to this agenda. The debacle that was "Pride Month" last year was certainly an encouraging indication of how the American public may have shifted. It's definitely encouraging for those of us who have taken a strong, Biblical stand on the issue of Biblical marriage and sexuality.  It's certainly not time to throw a party or have a victory celebration, but momentum may be heading in a new direction. 

This can be a reminder to have a long-term goal - those who champion so-called "progressive" causes certainly have shown the penchant to establish their agenda.  It's been called the "long march through the institution."  In matters of morality rooted in Scripture, we have to have a long-term mentality and pursue it with all our might, without growing discouraged, not being "weary while doing good," as the Bible says.  

We have to be strategic in our approach and hopeful in our outlook. Jesus spoke of the struggles we would encounter, but told His disciples to be cheerful.  How can we in a world that rejects His truth? Because we believe in the power of His love and the persuasion of His truth, living in a way that draws people to our great Savior.

Taxpayer-Funded, Agenda-Driven

We can take the necessary steps in our lives that can contribute to spiritual growth - including allowing God to communicate to us through His Word and by His Spirit, and our own two-way communication with Him through prayer. Hebrews chapter 5 contains these words of direction:
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Our starting point in our search for information is the reliable, authoritative information that we find in the Scriptures.  We learn about who God is and who we are in Him, as well as practical principles that we can apply in order to live a fulfilling life that is built upon a foundation of God's love and truth. Our knowledge of the Scriptures help us to interpret and respond to the world around - we learn how to act and how to be the people of God that our Savior has called and empowered us to be.

+++++

In the final chapter of the book of Hosea, chapter 14, God is calling Israel back to Himself. The application for us is that God is calling us to embrace His truth and walk in His ways - we can read these words:
5 I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 "Ephraim shall say, 'What have I to do anymore with idols?' I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me."
9 Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.

The ideology of a leader can help an organization rise to the top or plummet to the bottom.  We've even seen churches and Christian organizations become infected with unbiblical ideas from the pulpit, which are intended by God to be a place that inspires and instructs believers on how to live Biblically. 

Recently, the bias of a particular leader has received quite a bit of attention - and the stakes are certainly high, because this new CEO has been placed in charge at a media outlet that receives money from the taxpayers of America. 

All things considered (pun intended), the hiring of Katherine Maher to become CEO and President of National Public Radio is problematic.  Even one of its reporters, who admits the outlet leaned to the left, which may be thought to be an understatement, wrote a blistering essay before walking out the door, claiming that Maher had taken the outlet in an even more leftward direction. 

FoxNews.com related:

Veteran NPR editor Uri Berliner detailed his employer’s "absence of viewpoint diversity" this week in a stunning piece about liberal groupthink invading the newsroom that rocked the media industry.

Berliner’s Free Press bombshell offered an inside look at NPR’s drift from only being "a bit to the left" in 2011 to its current form, where he said an "open-minded spirit no longer exists."

Before her hiring at NPR, Maher was in leadership at Wikipedia, and another Fox story stated:

Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger took aim at his successor, Katherine Maher, whose past comments about free speech have resurfaced since taking over the now scandal-plagued NPR as its CEO and president.

City Journal's Christopher Rufo has been unearthing comments Maher had made during her tenure as executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation.

The article noted:

Sanger, who left Wikipedia in 2002 and has been an outspoken critic of the platform's left-wing bias over the years, slammed comments Maher made suggesting Wikipedia coordinated with the government to crack down on so-called "misinformation."

"When she says that she’s worked with government to shut down what they consider ‘misinformation,’ that, in itself, means that it’s no longer free and open," Sanger said.

The article also stated: "Sanger told Rufo if NPR wants to commit to objectivity and free speech principles, 'they would let her go right away.'"

Rufo assembled a litany of quotes from Maher on his website, and, in another article, related an assortment of progressive "buzzwords and phrases" that she used.  He notes:

On every topic, Maher adopts the fashionable language of left-wing academic theory and uses it as social currency, even when her efforts veer into self-parody. She never explains, never provides new interpretation—she just repeats the phrases, in search of affirmation and, when the time is right, a promotion.

Maher understands the game: America’s elite institutions reward loyalty to the narrative. Those who repeat the words move up; those who don’t move out. 

29,400 Tweets, according to Rufo - that's quite a portfolio. 

Matt Taibbi, one of the journalists involved in the publishing of the "Twitter Files," shared online at the Racket Files website:

Katherine Maher, the new head of NPR, was a minor character in the Twitter Files. She was CEO of Wikimedia when the company was (like Twitter) being invited to election tabletop exercises at the Pentagon and “Industry meetings” with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She also scored the rare personal triumvirate of being a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a World Economic Forum young global leader, and a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Labs.

No matter what NPR does with Maher, it's not surprising - the taxpayer-funded outlet has the reputation of having lost its objectivity, anyway, so she's not the cause, she's the symptom of a media outlet, like NBC, CBS, ABC, and others, that is positioned as objective, but has lost its way.  

For the Christian, we can be reminded of the importance of pursuing truth.  We have to accumulate trusted sources through which we get our information.  So we start with the Bible.  That determines our worldview.  Then, we consume media based on that perspective.  We can be discerning, and be able to recognize when an agenda that runs contrary to Scripture is being sold to us. 

Faith Radio is committed to approaching news and information from a Biblical perspective. There is nothing wrong with a media outlet presenting news from a particular point of view.  The problem is when you have outlets that have been positioned to being objective news sources that weave a particular narrative into their reporting.  And, with NPR, it receives taxpayer funding!  The nuggets of a godless narrative are what you have to watch out for.  We have to guard against being duped or deceived.  And, we recognize that what some might call "misinformation" is actually something we need to pay attention to. 

Leading to Life, Making Wise

In what seems to be an increasingly evil age, we need to encouragement of the Scriptures to guide us in the way we should walk and help us to guard against deception. 2nd Timothy 3 states:
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

There are many forms of deception, centered around the concept that humans are better able to control their lives than the One who made them. The world's ideas cannot help a person achieve the righteousness of God - but, the principles of the Bible can help us to receive it: To receive the nature of God into our hearts, to absorb the wisdom of God into our minds, and to walk in the ways that He has provided - these are what the Bible promises to us. 

+++++

The Scriptures teach us about how to live in a way that pleases God - we come to know Him as we study and apply what we've read. Jesus taught in Matthew 7:
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

At this year's National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, I had the chance to talk with Derek Stemen of LifeWise Academy, which offers a program through which public school students can receive Bible instruction off-campus during the school day.  I've also had the founder of LifeWise, Joel Penton, on the program. 

Lifewise has been in the news recently, but there was an attempt by a media outlet to distort the good news about this program.  Faithwire reported that:

Titled, “Christian group uses public school-adjacent Bible study program to breach church-state wall,” the video segment, led by host Alex Wagner, said LifeWise is “raising serious questions about the separation of church and state” despite Bible studies taking place during free periods and off campus.

“Penton’s LifeWise Academy is currently influencing the minds of public school kids in progressive cities like Columbus,” Wagner, who called Penton’s work “distressing,” said. She added he wants to reach every public school in America and warned of the impact on progressive ideals.

Well, it's the proliferation of progressive, unbiblical ideas in culture that have intensified the need for LifeWise. And, Joel Penton had a unique response:

“The MSNBC piece frankly, to me, was hilarious,” Joel Penton founder of LifeWise Academy, told CBN News. “It genuinely felt like an ‘SNL’ skit.”

Faithwire notes:

Even a brief viewing of the nine-minute MSNBC segment — which reportedly left out positive data from LifeWise showing academic improvements among participants — provides context to exactly what Penton is describing.

Penton is quoted on the LifeWise website, stating:

“NBC News did a national piece on our organization. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed because we invited them in, lined up people for them to speak to and they left out some of the most critical information.

“They left out the results … there are real results.

“When LifeWise is implemented in a school, attendance goes up. Schools are struggling with attendance post-COVID and with LifeWise, attendance goes up to the point that there’s a net increase in class time … Also, in-school suspensions go down and out-of-school suspensions go down, so there is clearly improved behavior.

The website also notes that LifeWise offers what the American public has indicated that it wants; it states: "Americans overwhelmingly believe that moral and character development is an effective way to address behavior and disciplinary problems at school, according to a new poll released by LifeWise Academy and RMG Research. The survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted February 13 through February 14."  And, the organization is growing, according to Faithwire, which said: "So far, LifeWise has exceeded its goal of reaching 25 schools by 2025 and is already in more than 300 schools in multiple states — and the organization is only poised to grow."

And, despite the faux concerns expressed by Wagner on MSNBC, the Supreme Court has already ruled on the constitutionality of what is known as "release time."  Penton is quoted by Faithwire:

“We were inspired by a program that started in my hometown in 2012,” he said in a past interview with CBN. “People in my hometown started what’s known as a Released Time religious instruction program. Very few people are aware that, in 1952, the Supreme Court ruled that public school students can be released from public school during school hours to attend religious classes.”

Media types like Wagner believe that Christian activity seems to violate what they call the "separation of church and state."  But, progressivism, secular humanism, Marxism - these are all ideologies that have a religious element.  The God-centered absolutism of Christianity stands in stark contrast to the human-centered moral relativism that permeates our culture. It is perceived as a threat - OK, I grant that. Christianity is a threat - to the morality, or lack of it, that is dominant these days.  But, more than that, Christianity is a cure - to the evil of the human heart that runs rampant and manifests itself in the crime reports and the broken relationships.  Humanism offers moral degradation; the teachings of Scripture offer moral authority - principles that are effective in living a rewarding, satisfying life, out of a heart that is redeemed.

Who wouldn't want the peace that comes from knowing our Creator, who loved us so much that He died to save us? Yet, those who want to do things their own way can't stomach the thought of laying down their lives in order to embrace life at its fullest. So, Christian organizations like LifeWise that offer hope, are ridiculed because they're religious.  A circle is drawn around the expression of faith in public spaces.  Yet, the faith that is rejected is truly the faith that can redeem, the faith that can save, that can change a life and certify a place in eternity.   That is the way that leads to life, that makes a person wise. 

In Uncertain Times, the Certainty of Faith

The children of Israel, after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, were being prepared to go into the land promised to them by God. Moses, who had led them in this journey, was turning over the leadership reins to Joshua. In Joshua 1, we can read God's charge to the new leader:
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

In those four verses, the word "courage" appears twice and "courageous" once.  For Christians, that can remind us that we can trust in God, even and especially through our transitions.  Change will come - uncertainty is a certainty, but we can also be certain of God's faithfulness and the reliability of His promises and His presence. He gives us strength to navigate what is to come, and provides incredible resources to apply to our challenges. 

+++++

Paul encourages us to remain steadfast in the Lord, and I believe that applies to times of transition that we may encounter. In 2nd Timothy chapter 1, he reviews the call of God on his life, and writes;
12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
14 That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Stanton, Tennessee, you could say, is a hamlet located between Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee.  Google says that the population of Stanton is less than 500 people.  But, it's located near I-40, and things are about to change.  And, church leaders are gearing up for it. 

The Baptist Paper reported on how the population of the area is expected to grow, thanks to the Ford Motor Company's ambitious new plant called BlueOval City, which, according to the article, "is expected to employ an estimated 10,000 workers when it is fully operational..." The article says that it "is a point of evangelistic emphasis for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board as part of the Acts 2:17 Initiative."

Mike Young, Pastor of Zion Baptist Church in nearby Brownsville, says, “God has been at work here at ground zero of the BlueOval region since the groundbreaking,” Young said. “The churches of the Haywood Baptist Association have coalesced and worked together to seize this unique opportunity of reaching this great influx of workers that have descended on Haywood County..."

The pastor notes, “Many RV parks have sprung up all across Haywood County...Living in these travel trailers are workers from all walks of life and from all parts of the nation and world. One missional strategy implemented by the HBA is to hold block parties. The strategy is to set up near the RV park, grill burgers and give away door prizes to draw them in.”  The article notes:

The church has hosted several of these “evangelistic cookouts” and has formed many new relationships as a result.

“When people come (to the block parties), we engage them in gospel conversations,” Young said. “And then we have a speaker give a very brief testimony, share the gospel and have a time of response. The results have been incredible.”

The article goes on to say:

Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field One Team Leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, is serving as the coordinator of the TBMB’s BlueOval City Initiative. The project aims to incorporate and empower local churches to make connections at BlueOval City, which is expected to bring a population increase of 90,000 to the area during the next 10 years.

Sinquefield said the Initiative is already having a big impact on the area.

“We are seeing more and more pastors and churches with stories of BOC workers that have come to know the Lord, been baptized and joined some of our area churches,” Sinquefield said.

Another story in the article comes from a pastor who is relatively new to the area: Ben Cowell at Brownsville Baptist Church, who, according to the Baptist Paper article, "said he has seen the Lord moving in a special way since 2022, when he and his family answered the call to move to the Stanton area to be part of the BlueOval Initiative."  Cowell is quoted as saying:

“Part of the consistent joy my family and I are experiencing from serving the Lord in Haywood County is seeing God’s providential hand at work on a daily basis,” he said. “There are several Kingdom opportunities around every corner that only God could orchestrate. In many ways, we can easily see how God has been at work here long before He called us to come and serve.”

Certainly, the location of a large automotive factory can be a boom for the local economy. We've seen it in the River Region and beyond, with the location of Hyundai many years ago making a permanent statement to our area and representing a shift in ministry, as more families, including those from South Korea, have moved in.  Economic factors can be a catalyst for spiritual strategies. 

With the BlueOval City project, this is illustrated, as well.  But, there is an air of uncertainty.  According to Fox 13 Memphis earlier this month:

Ford is planning to cut production of its new F-150 Lightning electric truck in half next year, according to multiple reports.

When asked how that could impact Blue Oval City in west Tennessee, a Ford spokeswoman wrote to FOX13, "We will continue to match production to customer demand."

However, the mayor of Haywood County assured that the $5.6 billion Blue Oval City will still open in 2025, creating more than eight thousand jobs for the region.

“It's full steam ahead," said Mayor David Livingston. "This is transformational. As Bill Ford said to me, 'This is a revolution, not an evolution.'”

Mayor Livingston told FOX13 he is in constant contact with Ford. He suspects the company's sizable investment will pay off for decades to come.

"It's too big to fail - literally," he said. "You've never had a company like Ford Motor Company come to this area and put the stake it's had in Tennessee. It won't fail."

However, electric vehicles are not yet profitable for Ford. According to the company's third-quarter earnings report, Ford lost $36,000 for every electric vehicle it sold in the quarter.

The impracticalities of widespread electric vehicle use could negatively impact the BlueOval City project, which has a heavy emphasis on the production of EV's.

So, this might add a new dynamic to the churches who have been positioned by the Lord to do ministry in that area - too early to tell, but Ford is wisely reconsidering its commitment to electric vehicles, which could be a repurposing of this proposed mammoth plant. 

Last Monday was tax day, and I'm reminded of the old cliche that there are two things you can count on: death and taxes.  I would submit that you could add at least one more thing to the list, in addition to the surety of the love of God, and that is that change is inevitable.  And, God gives us the ability to respond to change.

Thousands, over the next few years, will likely be uprooting their lives and moving to West Tennessee to work for Ford Motor Company.  And, you could have thousands seeing the promise of personal prosperity tempered by the empty promises of fear-based climate policy.  But, think about this: uncertainty is a certainty. Why, the Bible says in James that we are not even promised tomorrow. But, we also know that in the uncertainty of our very existence here on earth, if we know Jesus, we know who is waiting for us on the other side!!

I am also reminded of the line from the movie Field of Dreams: "If you build it, they will come."  People have come to the River Region to work at an auto plant - same for East Alabama.  And, where people are gathering, ministry can be happening.  Kudos to Tennessee Baptists for possessing and following God's vision to implement ministry strategy to reach those who are coming. We can be challenged to see people as people and recognize that there are needs all around us, wherever we may be. 

No One is Beyond

2nd Peter chapter 3 offers a reminder that Jesus came to earth and gave His life for the whole world, so that those who believe on Him might be saved. We can find these words in that chapter:
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

In verse 9, we see the promise that Jesus loves everyone so much that He gave His life, so that through His death and resurrection, we might receive His new life. And, He calls us to walk in obedience to Him, in response to the inward work that He has done inside our hearts. Essentially, our degree of fruitfulness is a display of the faithfulness of God, for saving us and giving us the ability to walk with Him and to allow His life to flow through us.

+++++

We can recognize that our Savior died for all, and that He will save those who call upon Him in faith and confess His Lordship, believing that He is risen. 1st John chapter 2 says this:
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

There are some people that, unfortunately, believe there are some whom Jesus cannot save, but we have to be reminded that if we come to Him in faith, He will keep His promises.

So, we now have the case of an influencer on a website called, OnlyFans. If you're not familiar with it, according to The Stream, it's a "subscription platform used primarily to distribute self-produced pornography."  

The Stream website recently included the story of one of the top individuals appearing on this highly objectionable site - she goes by the name of Nala Ray. The article notes:

At a low point, she cried out to God and now says, “I’m a new creature in Christ.”

Nala did a lengthy interview with Michael Knowles on his podcast.  The article says:

Some public voices claim Nala must be insincere. While speaking with Knowles, she responded to one of her detractors, Pearl Davis, saying she can’t hold hard feelings against her. “I feel as though maybe she may be lost and maybe hasn’t received love like I have received from Christ.”

Well-known influencer Laura Loomer posted on X about "these OnlyFans girls...:"

They will never be respectable no matter how much they cry to God. 

Praying to be a respectable person doesn’t work once you do sex work.

It’s best that we shun women like this from society forever.

Laura, like Pearl Davis, unfortunately, is misguided - a person is not beyond being saved. Nothing you've done in the past can keep you out of the Kingdom now, if you surrender to Christ. Rejecting Him, though, will mean that you will live apart from Him forever in a place of eternal punishment. 

The Stream piece went on to state: 

One post on X ridiculed Christians for believing “this woman can truly be saved.” Samantha B., who says she herself was formerly an OnlyFans model, responded, “Nala, your brothers and sisters in Christ love you. Welcome home.”

Samanatha also reportedly encouraged Nala and stressed that while she immediately left the platform and realized that God did not make her "pansexual," she still had to deal with the issue of "self-worship."  Samantha said, "Sanctification takes time."

Nala has recently married - her husband was involved in her making the decision to follow Christ. She deleted her OnlyFans account, and now says:

“It is not what God has for my life,” she said. “I am supposed to be truly leaning into Christ and His love and modesty and learning what a wife looks like, like a Proverbs 31 woman, you know in God’s eyes, and getting closer to God by reading my Bible and praying. And I have, through that, gotten to know God on a such a level of deepness that again continues to change my life. It directs my decision making in such an amazing way.”

Knowles tweeted out that Ray made $9 million through her involvement with OnlyFans. 

The Christian Post also covered Nala's transformation, quoting from a Fox News interview, in which she said:

"I was reaching out to God and like, 'Wow, God, my life is a mess and I feel so lonely. I feel like this is not what I should be doing with my life,'" she said. "The craziest thing happened. I ended up getting saved and getting baptized in, I believe, later December. I can't even tell you how much my life has changed since then."

"Everything in my life has just kind of come to this room where I can now observe it and then be like, 'OK, so I don't really want to do this anymore,'" she continued. "I knew that this isn't what God wanted me to do with my life."

This story can be a reminder that no one is beyond the hand of God.  So, if you are praying for someone to come into a saving knowledge of Jesus - don't stop.  It can become discouraging to pray for a person and share the gospel, but the Bible encourages us not to grow weary in doing good.  We can recognize the incredible power of the Holy Spirit to convict someone to give his or her heart to Jesus.

We can also remember the amazing nature of the new life that Jesus has provided for us.  We are told in Scripture that we have passed from death to life - we are crucified with Him, laying down our own lives, so that we can walk in His new life.  If we know Jesus, then each day we can seek to walk with Him, to be obedient, to be yielded to His Spirit, with our lives governed by His Word.  This type of change is not possible through human means - we cannot save ourselves.  But, lasting, fruitful transformation is available through the power and presence of the living Lord.

Saying Yes to Jesus

We can be on the lookout for structures and viewpoints that limit the work of the Spirit of God. A Church is not an exclusive club, it's not solely some sort of civic organization - the Church is the body of Christ, a living organism through which God can work. Paul challenged the church at Galatia in Galatians chapter 3:
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?
5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?...

Good works are an outgrowth of the obedience we have to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Programs and overzealous authority structures, which ideally can be used to facilitate the work of the Spirit can, if we're not careful, restrict what God can do in the midst of a body. We have to be open, humble, teachable, willing to allow the Lord to move in our midst in the way He desires, not in the way that we think He should. 

+++++

In Luke 4, we can read about how Jesus went into the synagogue, read the Scripture, and made a bold declaration:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

What if, during a year's time, no one attending your church made a decision to follow Jesus Christ?  Well, according to an organization that monitors church trends, the Unstuck Group:

Unfortunately, many churches focus more on “doing church” than “being the church.” As a result, ten percent of the churches that responded to this quarter’s survey had no decisions to follow Jesus in the last 12 months. No salvations. No baptisms. No one saying “yes” to Jesus.

That is based on a survey conducted during the first quarter of this year encompassing over 350 churches of varying sizes. 

Tony Morgan of the organization wrote this:

I decided to compare the churches that see a higher percentage of people making decisions to follow Jesus with those that see a smaller percentage. In the first group, I included churches that saw more than 10% of their average weekly attendance cross the line of faith in the last 12 months. In the second group, I included the churches that had 5% or less of their average weekly attendance make decisions to follow Jesus in the last year.

Though the churches were, on average, similar in size and both groups included churches ranging from less than 100 people in attendance to more than 10,000, there were also some significant differences.

This can certainly be instructive as churches seek to do more effective ministry. 

Here are some of Morgan's observations:

• Churches with fewer faith decisions had more complex governance structures, including bigger boards and more committees. Giving more people a vote in ministry decisions does not help the church experience more health and growth.

• The churches with more people making faith decisions were reaching younger families with a higher percentage of kids and students. Very likely, the kids and students made many of those faith decisions.

• The churches with fewer faith decisions had 40% more staff and spent more of their budget on paid employees.

Based on his analysis, churches exhibiting more faith decisions tended to be non-denominational, and a greater likelihood of being multisite congregations.  Those that had a greater online presence had a greater return on decisions for Christ.  

But, the good news is that, while there is certainly a growth trend in multisite, non-denominational churches with an online presence, that doesn't mean that's the only model in which God is moving. The fact is that we have to be open to the movement of the Spirit of God and exhibit a vibrancy in the Lord that draws people to Him.  Certainly, there is a tendency to create man-made experiences and top-heavy leadership structures that attempt to sustain a Church, and we have to be careful not to "program" out that movement of the Spirit.  But, as we submit to the Lord and place ourselves in a position to see the increase, we can rejoice at how He responds.  

So, it's not the structure, it's not the denomination - it's the obedience and the positioning.  Are we allowing the Spirit of the Lord to use us to radiate the light of Christ?  And, are people experiencing the presence of the Lord when they are in the midst of God's people? 

I have heard the phrase, "putting God in a box."  As if we could.  But, if the programs or the authority structure are choking out the life of Christ, then we should consider not placing limitations and attempting to dictate how God is supposed to act. 

Even When I Don't See It...

There's a story beyond the story - we have to recognize that what we observe with our physical senses or comprehend with our human minds does not show us everything that God might be doing. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, we can read this:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Bible talks about being "spiritually-minded." It also refers to having our senses trained to discern between good and evil. There is so much going on around us about which we are not even aware. But, we can trust a God who is working for our good, a God who walks with us, who guides us by His Spirit, and empowers us to do His will.  We don't see the complete story, but we can place our trust into the hands of the one who does.

+++++

We can become sensitized to how God is working in and through us, and we have to look beyond our own desires and ambitions and pay attention to what He is desiring to do. Philippians chapter 2 says:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

It's not every day that you might see a story at The Washington Post that features a headline like this: "Her failed abortion attempts helped answer another woman’s prayers." And, one might wonder what the agenda behind this heartwarming story might be. 

But, as a story published at LifeNews.com related, "In a rare article, the usually pro-abortion Washington Post featured the story of a young woman whose failed, consecutive abortion attempts ended up leading to a story of birth, adoption and redemption."  The story was written by Joshua Mercer and originally published at the Catholic Vote website, and summarized the lengthy article:

Evelyn, a young woman of Native American and Black ancestry, and adoptee herself, found out in 2022 that she was pregnant after casual sex with a man she met via the internet.

Deciding to keep the secret away from her parents -both military veterans in their 70s living in San Antonio-, Evelyn found out at a San Antonio abortion facility that her pregnancy was a few days past the six weeks limit established by Texas laws.

She then decided to drive to Oklahoma as the second step in a series of failed abortion attempts that would lead her to Whiteman, an African American single woman and successful professional that was at that same time looking to adopt a baby.

When in Oklahoma, Evelyn, now perhaps as much as 10 weeks pregnant, made two unsuccessful attempts to take the life of her child through chemical abortion.  Then, a few weeks later, funded by two "abortion organizations," she traveled to New Mexico, where she was not allowed to have an abortion because she was too far into her pregnancy. 

Evelyn gave birth to a baby girl; the Washington Post article said:

“She had tried for months not to have the child she was silently cradling. And she says she quickly discovered she was in love. She took selfie videos, with playful social media filters, holding her daughter. Her photo album quickly filled with videos of Evelyn bottle-feeding, learning to swaddle and admiring the baby’s fussy sounds.”

Meanwhile, a lady in Houston named Carolyn had been struggling to have a child - she and Evelyn talked through a Zoom call arranged by an adoption agency. They "...talked of spirituality, faith and the importance of family time,” according to the Post.

The article appearing on the Life News website notes:

Since then, the Post explains, “the clinic in San Antonio she initially went to for an abortion closed, and the Oklahoma clinic that gave her medication abortion pills relocated to Illinois;” while Evelyn enrolled in community college, where she has been passing all her classes with straight A’s.

According to the post, now she “goes to the gym four days per week, attends a midweek Bible study meeting on campus and is looking for a criminal justice internship.”

She has also visited her biological daughter for the first time and felt relieved at finding that little Olivia was happy and well taken care of. 

What's interesting is that the reporter, Amber Ferguson, actually may have missed the bigger point of her own story. She tweeted out:

I spent a year reporting and exploring the journey of the birth mom, Evelyn, and the adoptive mom, Carolyn Whiteman. I spent hours on the phone with each of them, called adoption agencies, and spoke to experts on abortion rights.

She added:

Evelyn still believes in abortion rights and hopes telling her story publicly will help other women.

This story is a snapshot of what happens when a woman can neither have an abortion because of state law nor parent her child.

So, is adoption a bad thing?  Absolutely not.  And, the story seems to have captured that. 

The Post headline said that Evelyn's child was an "answer to prayer" for Carolyn.  I don't know where Evelyn or Carolyn might have been spiritually, but I think there is a lesson here for us.  I have to think of the phrase in the song, Waymaker: "Even when I don't see it, You're working."  Evelyn had no idea - she was rushing headlong into having an abortion. But, we can recognize that in our lives God has a plan - Evelyn's plan didn't come to fruition, but her apparent inability to take Olivia's life worked out for the good of everyone.  Fortunately, the Washington Post unwittingly told a heartwarming story of how the six-week abortion ban in Texas worked. 

I think we also have to open our eyes to what God might be saying to us.  Evelyn was determined to have an abortion - but in this case, that did not occur - thank God!  You know, we can sometimes rush headlong into obtaining what we want, what's convenient for us, and miss what He has in store for us.  We might miss the warning signs He is providing because we are pursuing our own selfish desires. 

I believe that the Lord is using the efforts of brave and committed lawmakers to protect the right to life. It is resulting in women considering other choices, such as adoption.  It presents a great opportunity for pro-life ministries to reach out to women in desperate circumstances and share with them the love of Jesus.

Of Coarse

Just because we are currently in this world, citizens of this planet, we can recognize, as believers in Christ, that this is not our home - we're here for a purpose, but it is short-term. 1st John 2 relates:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

So, we have to take great care not to adopt the ways of this world.  Our desires must be aligned with God's desires, and we have to embrace the righteousness and holiness of Christ so that we can reject sin. We should not seek to emulate the behaviors of this world, with all its corruption, but rely on the strength of the Lord from within so that we might be living examples of Jesus Christ and His presence flowing through us. 

+++++

In John 17, Jesus prayed for you and me - His Church, His body, His bride, reminding us that even though we dwell on this earth, we are not of this world; He said:
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

The New York Times featured an article by Ruth Graham - not a member of the late Billy Graham's family that set out to identify and analyze a sense of coarseness that has made its way into the evangelical Church.  It offered this analysis regarding a new "generation of evangelical leaders:" It said that the generation "was easily teased for its puritanism, and, whenever a sexual scandal erupted, for its hypocrisy. But they were trying to thread a difficult needle, maintaining high community standards without withdrawing from an ever-coarsening mainstream American culture."  The analysis continues:

It was a complex balancing act between an acknowledgment of basic human urges and the dictates of their faith, whose strictures around language and sexual behavior they saw reflecting deeper theological commitments.

But shared fears can make some vices look like virtues.

In other words, perhaps people are thinking, erroneously, that to win the world you have to please the world. Denny Burk of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary wrote a piece for WORLD Magazine, stating that "...Christians need to discern the times in which they live lest they be carried away by them." He notes that...

...it isn’t just the left showing evidence of a godless and debauched vision of the world. Increasingly, the post-Christian right seems to be following close behind. It would be foolish for serious Christians to make the mistake of thinking that errors can only come from one side of the political spectrum when in reality they may come from both. In some cases, “barstool conservatism” is just as unmoored from the permanent things as wokesters on the left.

But, a sexually-charged display at a recent men's conference in Springfield, Missouri was even a bridge too far for one of the speakers, a noted former megachurch pastor who lost his church due to his own toxic behavior.  A Newsweek article stated that the pastor, one of the speakers for the event, which was quite telling...

...was onstage when he began criticizing an earlier performance at the conference by sword-swallower Alex Magala. During the performance, Magala took off his shirt, climbed a pole on stage and swallowed a sword.

The pastor said: "The Jezebel Spirit opened our event. This is a rebuke and a correction of no one. This is an observation. Before the word of God was open, there was a platform. It was a high place. On it was a pole, an Asherah, the same thing that's used in a strip club for women who have the Jezebel spirit to seduce men.

The pastor of the host church removed the speaker from the stage, saying he was "out of line."

So, a debauched display even made a disgraced pastor blush. 

Then there's the unfortunate story of a Texas pastor who got into some trouble for what was regarded as an off-color joke. The Christian Post said that "After expressing gratitude to the 'hundreds and hundreds of you that provided context for people who were posting that,', the pastor "acknowledged that some members of his congregation told him that the joke 'may have just landed on you wrong.'" The article relates information about his apology:

He summarized a passage from the Book of Proverbs stating, "careless words can stab like a sword but that wise words lead to healing."

"What that means is that … sometimes even jokes can be a careless word," he declared. "I like to have fun around here. I want this to be a place where you have a little fun. I like to do that. At the same time … I never wanted to … toss something out there that feels like a careless word."

I think we're seeing this all-too-often. An unwise comment here, an inappropriate text message there. A. megachurch pastor going on leave for three months because he was involved in inappropriate texting with a woman who was not his wife.  What are we thinking?  And I would dare say that it's not just the leaders.

We are living in a coarse society, and the Church seems all-too-willing to play along. Even though we are in the world but not of it, we have to consider if we are allowing the world to corrupt our holiness. And, then we fail to repent and be cleansed.  

God is calling us to a distinctive life, shining a light into the darkness. We have to be willing to be clean before the Lord - and only the Holy Spirit can enable us to do that. And, we have to come clean when we miss the mark, but not minimize what we have done. Repentance involves going in the other direction and then to take the steps necessary to change the conditions so it doesn't happen again. 

Attack

The Bible speaks of a covenant that God made to Abraham - it pre-dates the giving of the Law and the covenant with Moses and the children of Israel, and it is described as "everlasting." Romans 4 relates:

16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
17 (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

The descendants of Abraham are in peril, and I believe that those of us who have been grafted in to his family tree are called to stand with the Jewish people. The nation of Israel, re-settled in 1948 by the hand of God, faced an unprecedented attack on Saturday at the hands of Iran - the attack was turned back, but it illustrates how vulnerable this tiny nation is, but how powerful it has become. But, we also recognize that God is executing His plan for Israel and for the entire world, as Bible prophecy teaches.

+++++

The words were spoken long ago, yet they have not been voided - they are still in effect. In Genesis 12, we can read:
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

The news began to emerge this past Saturday afternoon Central Time - first it was armed drones that had been launched from Iran toward Israel, then further reports noted that cruise missiles had been directed at Israel, as well.

When it was all said and done, according to All Israel News, which has as its Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg:

Dozens of surface-to-surface missile launches from Iran were detected approaching Israeli territory on Saturday night in response to the assassination of IRGC senior commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

There were also approximately 170 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched from Iran towards Israel. According to the IDF, none of the UAVs entered Israeli airspace.

On Sunday morning, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that 99% of the aerial threats were intercepted.

Hagari gave credit to the U.S., the U.K., and France, as well as "other countries."  All Israel News stated:

Some analysts believe that several Arab countries participated in shooting down some of the missile and UAV launches that crossed into their territory, however, the countries were not disclosed due to threats from Iran to target any Arab nation that allows Israel to use its airspace.

According to Ynet News, Jordan intercepted several of the missile attacks. The United States maintains several missile defense batteries in Jordan.

It was an active night for Israel, contending with the Iranian threat, as well as reported "launches" from Yemen and Iraq, as well as from Hezbollah areas in the north. 

The Christian Post reported the responses of a number of Christian leaders.  Faith Radio programmer Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship was quoted; the article stated:

“As American evangelicals, we want our Jewish friends to know that we stand behind the Jewish homeland and her people,” Laurie wrote on X. “This attack is on the heels of the horrific attack from Hamas, which is a proxy of Iran on Israel on October 7th.”

He added, “We pray that God almighty would protect Israel at this hour and we are to ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.’ (Psalm 122:6) One of the signs of the end time is an increase in anti-Semitism and the increasing isolation of the state of Israel. we are certainly seeing that happen before our very eyes.”

The Post also noted that Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills said, also on X: “This could be [the] hook that is set into the jaw of Gog … that would be Russia. ... And if Russia gets involved, then we could see Ezekiel 38 unfold. … A lot of great scholars believe that the Rapture could happen before the Ezekiel battle..."

The Christian Post article said, "The Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, wrote that Christian congregations worldwide will be dedicating themselves to prayer for the peace and security of Israel. 'There will be hundreds of millions of prayers prayed.'”  The was also related on X, formerly Twitter.

Intercessors for America sent out an e-mail, that stated: 

God heard and answered the prayers of His people all around the world! The Iran attack was unsuccessful!

The vast majority of missiles were intercepted and very little harm was done, although we are now praying for a young girl who was harmed.

The e-mail also said:

Our prayer strategy today is this:

1. Thank God for the defense of Israel.
2. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem as significant military engagement with Iran seems likely in addition to the continued conflict with Hamas.
3. Pray for release of the hostages by name...

Joel Rosenberg of All Israel News also issued a call to prayer that was addressed to church leaders; he wrote:

In the Bible – in Psalm 122:6 – the Lord commands true believers to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

Many of you do this already.

But never have we needed your prayers and those of your church members more than right now. 

Rosenberg also noted, "...Israel needs your urgent prayers for safety and protection from all of our radical and genocidal enemies." He added:

We also need millions of Christians worldwide to pray according to Isaiah 61:1-2 for the 134 hostages held by jihadists in Gaza to be urgently released.

Please pray that the Lord would immediately “set the captives free.”

At the same time, please pray for innocent Palestinians, especially those in Gaza, that the Lord would comfort and heal those traumatized, wounded and killed in this horrific war.

Please pray, too, that followers of Jesus Christ will be faithful and courageous lights in the terrible darkness that has settled over the Epicenter.

Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis (U.S. Army, Retired), in an e-mail and on Facebook, provided analysis. You will be hearing from him on The Meeting House on Faith Radio. Among the points he made, he stated:

• Iran had to respond to the attack on the IRGC facility in Damascus if for no other reason than to save face and communicate to the world and Iranians that the Tehran government took action.
• A low-level war between Iran and Israel is decades old. Iran has long attacked Israel via proxies for years and although not officially acknowledged, Jerusalem has attacked Iranian assets and her proxies for decades using cyber, direct action and even allegedly assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists inside Iran. However, the latest attack by Iran is different and an indication we are entering a new, more dangerous era of Mideast instability.
• Until yesterday, Iran has been the puppet master using proxies to strike at Israel. The mullahs in Tehran are now out of the closet and openly engaging, threatening Jerusalem.

Bottom line: we live in dangerous days.  But, not beyond what our Savior predicted - he said there would be wars and rumors of wars.  We recognize that Israel is the barometer; it's at the center of the activities that will usher in the last days.  As the late Jimmy DeYoung said, the "stage is being set" for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. 

So, the question then becomes: so how does this affect me?  Are we relegated to saying, well, that's in another part of the world, so it doesn't concern me?  Or do we hear and heed God's message.  What is occurring in and around Israel does apply to us, and we can govern our lives, recognizing time is short. There should be a sense of urgency in our lives, every day, and we can be diligent to share the gospel and radiate the love of Christ every single day. 

Now I See

Jesus taught His disciples about the true meaning of surrender in Luke chapter 9 - He said:
(22) "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

Jesus calls us to a life of complete obedience - our good works cannot and do not save us. But, I believe we provide strong evidence that we are saved when we live a fruitful life. If we claim to have "accepted Jesus," but we deny Him by our behavior, then one has to question the sincerity of the original commitment.  Paul challenges us to evaluate ourselves, and we can examine our own fruit in order to make sure that we are living a surrendered life. 

+++++

Jesus invites all to come to Him - He gave His life so that we, by laying down our lives and surrendering to Jesus, can be saved and walk in a relationship with Him. Luke 14 states:
16 Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'
18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses.

Later in the chapter, we read that the servant reported to the master that there was still room. The Bible says:
23 Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.' "

The Robertson family has certainly made an impact on our culture - Duck Dynasty, which you could safely say, is an American institution, and the television program was only the beginning. And, of course, one of the "dynamics" of the "dynasty" is the Robertson's trust in Jesus. 

That starts with Phil and Miss Kay and has been passed on from generation to generation. Recently, Kay wrote a piece on the blog hosted by her granddaughter, Sadie Robertson Huff. According to Movieguide, she related:

“When I was young, my Nanny told me that one day I’d have to fight for my marriage,” Miss Kay explained in a recent post for granddaughter Sadie Robertson Huff’s Live Original blog. “As a little girl, it didn’t make much sense to me. I had read lots of fairy tales, and none of them included a woman having to fight for anything. I didn’t know it then, but my Nanny was right.”

The article went on to say:

She recalled being “teenagers in love” with her husband Phil but shared that, 10 years on, he was “doing almost every terrible thing under the sun.”

“Everyone I knew told me to leave him,” Miss Kay said. “But our story didn’t end there. After a decade of living inside a nightmare, Phil finally let God into his heart, and our lives changed forever.”

Miss Kay shared that the recent biopic THE BLIND “embarrasses” her husband “because he doesn’t like to remember that part of his life…but Phil also wants people to see his story, to see that no one is too far gone for God.”

She added, "...“I want the women out there who are hurting because their husbands are hurting to know that there’s always hope in Jesus."

The Movieguide piece related that in a recent Instagram post, Miss Kay wrote, “I love Phil, and I really want y’all to know that the hard years were worth it to get to where we are today,” adding, “Our early years were messy, and I never dreamed our family would turn that story into a movie. But the Lord really does turn messes into messages, and THE BLIND movie is proof of that. If the story of Phil’s wild, godless years can help point people to Jesus, that’s the story we’ll keep telling.”

A previous Movieguide article featured the Robertsons discussing the film; Phil was quoted from Instagram, stating: “I’ve never been the type to sugar coat something, especially when it comes to the depth of my sin. When we agreed to do this film it was based on the understanding that we would tell it as accurately as possible in order to show the greatness of a God who redeems the worst of sinners. I was the worst of sinners. I was blind, but now I see!”

The Bible is clear - no one is beyond the saving hand of Jesus Christ.  No one.  He died for all.  As Tenth Avenue North reminds us, everyone is "Invited."

But, not all will be saved.  Some will reject Him.  

Because, we have to meet His conditions. The gift of salvation is free, but it's not cheap. We are called to give our all, to humble ourselves, to be willing to lay down our lives and allow Him to change us. We have to confess "Jesus is Lord" and believe that He is risen from the dead.  I've heard the term, "lordship salvation."  But, salvation is Lordship. 

And, it's more than just lip service.  We have to follow the "true" Jesus - He Himself warned us in Scripture that false Christs, false Messiahs would come.  There are "other" so-called "gospels" in our world today.  That's why we have to earnestly contend for the truth.

Remember, while we are invited, even welcomed by Jesus, that doesn't mean that we can try to mold Him into our image and construct in our hearts and minds a false god.  We must respond to the one true Jesus, who calls us to admit and repent from our sin.  He doesn't condone our sin - He provides a way to overcome it through His power.