fbpx

When Debauchery Is Viewed As Normal

In this current day more and more events are promoted as normal that historically would have been known as activities of debauchery. Just within the past few weeks some events, promoted as entertainment, filled with cross dressing, vulgar language, and laughter aimed toward righteousness and holiness have occurred within the city limits of Twin Falls. They have been happening from the beginning, they are just becoming more open and seen as acceptable forms of entertainment.

This kind of promotion is growing in popularity while at the same time hardly anyone within the Christian community speaks of it.

It is one thing to see the increasing boldness of corrupt morals and defaming of God’s creation. The beauty of His creation, humanity in general and male and female specifically is under attack on every front in our culture.

It is of another thing altogether to hear the silence from the Lord’s church. The work of the church is not to simply be an irritating noise amongst the community, it is to be that which God has intended for her to be, a reasonable caring voice based on the character of our Redeemer. Pastors, be a pillar and buttress of truth, churches, be a beaming lamp on a hill calling all sinners to repentance that they may find rest and joy in Christ.

My column this week is an aim to speak into the increasing lewdness and collapsing of decency at large. And appeal to you the reader to look to Christ for joy, rest, and peace.

For flourishing of any community to be of any lasting value from one generation to another there must be at the same time a respecting and valuing of Almighty God and his revealed order. If a church is to be considered a value to a community she must see that her primary duty is not to be entertained by the devaluing of morality or to stick her head in the sand and hope it all passes by without confrontation.

Any church within the valley that remains silent while immorality is hoisted up on the shoulders as the current hero of the day should be viewed as defective and void of truth. The church that silently watches the parade of depravity is part to blame for the growing confusion of what is right and wrong.

This said, obviously the church must exercise her bold speaking with kindness.

To be a truthful speaker one has to also learn that just pointing out how wrong everything is is a calloused act of great cruelty and adds no benefit to the hearer. The longer churches remains quiet on these matters the more complex it is when one does speak into the day. To encourage our congregants to participate in any “entertainment” that promotes what God forbids with silence only advances the hardness of heart of the would be lover of God. We benefit no one when we don’t speak into our day.

My encouragement to the church at large is to increase our compassion for the community enslaved by deadly sins. To speak from our pulpits of the grace of God only makes since when we also speak of the holiness of God. When there is no comparison of the righteousness of God to the depravity of man’s heart there will never be a revival of God’s church or an awakening of the Holy Spirit in our city.

Let’s arise together.

Churches in the city of Twin Falls, especially, we must speak into our city with love for God by warning those promoting wickedness or slightly laughing when we hear of professing Christians among those bold promoters.

This is my biblically reasonable appeal to pastors and churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.

__________________
To be published in the Twin Falls, Times News on Saturday, October 20, 2018

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

This morning at Eastside Baptist we will examine Isaiah 12, a hymn of thanksgiving.

The Lord has fixed in those He has saved a heart of gratitude. Gratitude is the root of…

  • joy
  • happiness
  • pleasure
  • missions
  • discipline
  • obedience

Gather with me this morning at Eastside Baptist Church, 204 Eastland Drive North, in Twin Falls, Idaho.

 

Today, Your Freedom Has Come

Journal entry from February 17, 2010 – Port-au-Prince, Haiti
___________________________________________________________
I’m guarding my heart and mind against disappointment, yet I believe we will go home today.
Alex came by today with a note saying he is sure we will go home this week. He seems to think even today for most of us, maybe. We hear that the prosecutor has recommended that we not be released until further investigation can be done on Laura and Charisa. The day unfolds very slowly. Much like every day, only much slower. Even lunch came later than usual. Usually it comes in no later than 2PM, but today it came around 3PM. The fact that it came at all begins to establish that disappointment I am at war with.
Around 1:30PM the US Embassy showed up to begin talking to us about our return home in the event we are released. Silas and I visited with Cathy and about five other people about possible travel plans. They want to know what our plans are to get home. As encouraging as this visit was, I have no idea what kind of travel plans I have to get home. We no longer have texting ability with our families, so I don’t know what to do here but to do what God has clearly been teaching me to do, trust in Him. The visit was encouraging in that it seems more likely we are to be released soon.
Close to 4:15PM, the lawyers begin to show up and gather in the hallway. Then I noticed Alex. I don’t know how he does it? Then I saw Junior in the hallway.
Alex looked to me and gives me his patented smile and hard blinks of his eyes, then gives me a thumbs up. I know that this is good. I praise God for this breakthrough and then Alex just walked into the jailer’s office and up to the barred window we have spoken through many times and says “Today, your freedom has come!”  He is then immediately ushered out by the police as they grab him by the arms. But not without several glances back to make sure that we heard him. Then in the hallway; Junior, with a grin from ear to ear, points to heaven and mouths the words “Praise to God.”

From this point we are cleared to go, all charges dropped on eight to be released today. We are then told that the people from the Oprah show want us to seek refuge at their place. We quickly say we would rather go the the US Embassy. Aviol has wanted us to go with Oprah from the first day we met him, adding to my unrest with him.
The US Embassy met with us at the jail about the possibility of getting on a military flight tonight to Miami. We are all in agreement that this is best. The military is still flying emergency flights and they have eight empty seats, a provision from God.
We are to leave Haiti tonight at 8PM on a US Air Force cargo flight. I can’t shake the faces of the men in the cell we have just spent three weeks with. They all make eye contact and give firm hand shakes. Even though we have had our things stolen from time to time when we go to court, we have become very close. God please bring freedom to these men soon.
    We make several attempts to allow Charisa to be released so she can get medical assistance in the States by letting one of us stay in her place. This was very hard to be refused to do so. Any one of the eight being released were willing to stay in her place.

The walk through the media zoo was as if it were in slow motion. Alex, true to form comes from the midst of the crowd, then Junior and Florance with a hug and a kiss on my cheek.
What has caused this kind of brotherly and sisterly affection? We are virtually strangers. It can only be the blood of the Lamb. We make our way into the US Embassy van and are escourted to the entrance to the Port-au-Prince airport, just less than 1/2 mile from where we have been for the past 19 days. We have heard these planes coming and going every day for the past three weeks. This time we are to be on one.
The media gets nothing from us and Oprah gets even less.
While at the airport we all get phones to call family. We put the battery back into the phone that NBC gave us to use as well.

This is unexplainable at the moment. How at all did I speak to my love without being in shock of hearing that voice? I will see her face and touch her embrace soon, if God will so allow.
I was able to speak to David for a moment and Renee’s dad. I will look forward to my call to my parents when I arrive in Miami.
The flight was packed with brave men and women of the US military causing me to think a lot about David. There are many civilians with the look of despair and joy. The flight was uncomfortable, but most pleasant! I will strive for the remainder of my life to never complain of this flight, ever!
“Today, your freedom has come!”

 

What Does A Church Do?

News of intentional attacks against non-Muslims in Pakistan on Easter Sunday and reports growing of the number of worshipers dead continues to climb leaves a mind of a follower of Christ in relative peace at a juxtaposition.

Especially a local church putting the final touches upon a building process. What does a church do? What is a right response? What is a fair reaction? Is it alright to rejoice in temporal things while others suffer bodily harm or even loss of life all together?

The weight of what the apostle Paul says “to live is Christ, to die is gain” causes one to ponder what really is important. (disclaimer note: where it is reported that the attack on Easter Sunday (3/27/16) in Pakistan was directed toward Christians, one needs a bit more help knowing what is meant with the use of the word “Christian”. At this point, we interpret it as we might with understanding that the media really doesn’t know the definition of the word or its proper use in reporting. Irregardless, a religious group was attacked by another religious group. I is right to weigh it as such with care.)

Here are some things I am processing through my mind this morning as the flooring in our new meetinghouse is being installed and news of 70 Christians dead and over 300 wounded begins to take center stage on world media outlets.

  • “Behold the kindness and severity of God…” (Romans 11:22) Look at His kindness and severity.
  • Be careful how we interpret His kindness (Is the installation of flooring the kindness of God?).
  • Be careful how we interpret His severity (Is it harsh of God when a loved one dies?).
  • Even though the landscape of the church in America is quickly changing, Christians in America have experienced a long season of peace.
  • Even thought few churches in the United States are marked like those in Pakistan were over the weekend, that reality is more the norm in most of the world.
  • Mourn when it is appropriate to mourn.*
  • Rejoice when it is appropriate to rejoice.
  • Refuse to live in fear.
  • Enjoy temporal events in light of eternity.
  • Endure hardships in light of eternity.
  • Pray for those in difficult situations for boldness more than removal of their hardships.
  • Ask God for strength when the hardship comes our way.

Today, this preacher will look with pleasure as floor covering begins on a temporal meetinghouse, godly sorrow for those suffering in Pakistan, and a sober reality that there is a growing hate for followers of Christ in our land and set my gaze to the kindness and severity of God.

After all, the book of Hebrews chapter 11 starts with a beautiful retelling of the kindness of God to give increasing faith to those who historically walked in the light of the favor of God and then closes with the telling of saints who suffer greatly in this world for their following of Christ. It is a chapter filled with an apparent juxtaposition much like today.

 

 


*edited for spelling/grammar

Follow

Get every new post on this blog delivered to your Inbox.

Join other followers: