PastorTim

Divine Providence

It was G.K. Chesterton who observed, “the most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen!” If you were watching online or live on television Saturday July the 13^th late in the afternoon as President Donald Trump spoke in Butler Pennsylvania, you can say that you witnessed a miracle.

Interestingly, it was another president to be, a young Col. George Washington in a ferocious battle in 1755 during the French and Indian War in what is now Pennsylvania, not far from Butler PA, where he was the only officer not shot off his horse and he found numerous bullet holes in his jacket, yet he was unscathed. He found bullet fragments in his hair, yet he was not harmed.

Suzanne Bowdy, in a Washington Stand article quotes Speaker Mike Johnson as saying, “God spared his life. I mean, it was a miracle. We all saw it. Everyone saw it. It’s hard to deny.” Ironically, Johnson made these statements after very nearly losing his own sons last year after a visit to Mar-a-Lago… “In Johnson’s telling, Will, who was 13, was drowning; 18-year-old Jack, prepared to give up his own life, tried to push his brother back to the surface. A parasailer happened to spot Will’s head from above. He hurried back to shore and alerted the lifeguards, who went out on jet skis to bring the boys in. Johnson arrived at the beach to find medical personnel hovering over his sons, pumping their chests…” The Atlantic wrote this spring in the first public telling of the near-loss.

“‘President Trump heard about it somehow, miraculously, this never made the news,’ Johnson recalled. The two got on the phone. ‘He was just so moved by the idea that we almost lost them, and we talked about it at great length. And we talked about the faith aspect of that, because he knows that I believe that, you know — that God spared the lives of my sons. That’s how I understand those events, and we talked about that.” Johnson continued: “And he said, he repeated back to me and said, ‘God — God saved your sons’ lives.’”

Eight months later, the former president has experienced the touch of divine providence for himself, and the young speaker who wondered where those conversations about God would go has a very poignant answer. “He said … ‘God has given me a chance here — and that is to unify the country.’ [Those are] his words, not mine. So, I’m really excited to see how he articulates that and how we meet it out.” God’s hand is still seen in the lives of men.

Charles Coffin, early writer of history textbooks on our national history before the early 1900’s. “Notice that while the oppressors have carried out their plans in history there were other forces silently at work which in time undermined their plans as if a divine hand were directing the counter plan, whoever peruses the story of liberty without recognizing this feature will fail to fully understand the meaning of history” If you don’t understand what God has been up to you won’t get the truth of history.

We in America used to study and teach history with careful attention to the overarching hand of God at work on behalf of men.  For example, during the struggle with Great Britian, the colonies had virtually no chance of winning a war against England short of God’s miraculous intervention. And that intervention seems to have happened. In fact, both American & British observers of that time recorded their conviction that God had sided with the colonies against the British Empire.

This event which took place at the end of the war is but one instance… the French had become our allies & an opportunity arose to trap British General Cornwallis in Virginia. But to do so meant that Washington had to march an army of 7,000 men all the way from New York to Virginia; a French army had to land somewhere along the coast & find its way to meet Washington; & the French fleet had to keep the English from sending any reinforcements. All of this had to be done in complete secrecy, without the English suspecting a thing.

According to one historian, "The junction in Virginia had to be coordinated by two different national commands separated across an ocean without benefit of telephone, telegraph or wireless. That this was carried out without a fault seems accountable only by a series of miracles." In fact, the ending of the war at the Battle of Yorktown, in 1781 is actually referred to by some historians as the "Miraculous Convergence." Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our children and grandchildren could learn these truths today?

Remember David’s words, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive… Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Miracles still happen, and we can Thank God for that!

Results may vary

Every schoolyard scuffle, every backstreet battle and every destructive disagreement comes down to the question… says who? Who’s in control, the boss? Who calls the shots? It’s the age-old quandary, do I live to please myself, or do I serve the Lord?  You can live your life your way, or you can live it God’s way. The choice is yours, however the results may vary.

Luke, in his account of the early church in the book of Acts records this memorable moment. Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So, he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The saying, "to kick against the goads" was a common expression found in both Greek and Latin literature. It was a rural word picture, which rose from the practice of farmers goading their oxen in the fields. Though unfamiliar to us, everyone in that day understood its meaning.

Goads were typically made from slender pieces of timber, blunt on one end and pointed on the other. Farmers used the pointed end to urge a stubborn ox into motion. Occasionally, the beast would kick at the goad. The more the ox kicked, the more likely the goad would stab into its leg, causing greater pain.

Chuck Swindoll in his book Great Days with Great Lives writes, “Saul’s conversion could appear to us as having been a sudden encounter with Christ. But based on the Lord's expression regarding his kicking back, I believe He’d been working on him for years, prodding and goading him. Quite likely, Saul had heard Jesus teach and preach in public places. Similar in age, they would have been contemporaries in a city Saul knew well and Jesus frequently visited. Imagine Saul (the name Paul means “small,” suggesting he may have been shorter than average), standing on tiptoe, straining to watch Jesus, all the while grudgingly wondering how this false prophet could be gaining popularity. Nevertheless, Jesus’s ministry stuck in Saul’s mind. The more it goaded him, the more he resisted God’s prodding. Once you've seriously encountered Jesus, as Saul did, there's no escaping Him. His words and works follow you deep within your conscience.”

If Saul, aka Paul could say a few words at this point, and since birds can’t talk, I think he would give us some great advice here. First, he might share with us don’t mix it up with someone you can’t take out…. Don’t fight God. As William Barclay observes, “An ox who kicks against the goad only invites more goading. The only way for the ox to avoid the irritant is to go forward, to do the master’s bidding.” The Risen Christ told Paul that it was hard for him to kick against the spikes. When a young ox was first yoked, it tried to kick its way out. If it was yoked to a one-handed plough, the ploughman worked with a sharpened end which he held close to the ox's heels so every time it kicked it was jagged with the spike. In other words, this isn’t gonna end well.

In 1875 a British poet William Ernest Henley published a short poem that expressed one way to cope with life's circumstances. The poem, "Invictus," ended with these famous lines: "I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul." Sixteen years after Henley first published "Invictus," the British preacher Charles Spurgeon offered another philosophy of life. On June 7, 1891, in the closing words of his final sermon, Spurgeon urged people to submit to a better "Captain" for our soul. Spurgeon said: Every [person] must serve somebody: we have no choice as to that fact. Those who have no master are slaves to themselves. Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ. Either self or the Savior. You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters; but if you wear the uniform of Christ, you will find him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls …. If you could see our Captain, you would go down on your knees and beg him to let you enter the ranks of those who follow him. The choice is yours, but never forget based on your decision, results may vary. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Freedom!

On the very symbol of freedom in America, the Liberty Bell are inscribed the words of Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.” Our nation this very week celebrates this liberty!

In 1843, a 21-year-old Dartmouth student named Mellen Chamberlain was doing research on the American War for Independence. He had the opportunity to interview a survivor of the initial battles of Lexington and Concord, 91-year-old Captain Levi Preston of Danvers. The young scholar wanted to know the cause behind his involvement with the war. The interview… “Captain Preston,” he asked, “what made you go to the Concord fight?” “What did I go for?” the old man replied, subtly rephrasing the historian’s question to drain away its determinism. The interviewer tried again, “. . . Were you oppressed by the Stamp Act?” “I never saw any stamps,” Preston answered, “and I always understood that none were sold.” “Well, what about the tea tax?” “Tea tax? I never drank a drop of the stuff. The boys threw it all overboard.” “I suppose you had been reading Harrington, Sidney, and Locke about the eternal principle of liberty?” “I never heard of these men. The only books we had were the Bible, the Catechism, Watts’s Psalms, and hymns and the almanacs.” “Well, then, what was the matter?” “Young man, what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: we always had been free, and we meant to be free always. They didn’t mean we should.”

I have personally watched people of all nationalities stand in line to enter the doors of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. They were all happily waiting to see—not a competition or a performance or a famous work of art—but simply a room with wooden tables and chairs. As physically unremarkable as the room was, visitors reaching the end of the line were not disappointed. Many wore expressions of joy and wonder because they knew what had happened in that room in a brick building on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. Independence Hall is the place where America’s founding document was created 248 years ago. Eleven years later, delegates meeting in the same room created the U.S. Constitution.

In 1926 President Calvin Coolidge came to Philadelphia to celebrate its 150th anniversary and said: “It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history.” I believe this to be true because our story as Americans is about Liberty and Self Governance. Either men and Kings Rule or God principles of governance are applied.

Here in the colonies… In 1636, the Rev. Thomas Hooker (along with the Revs. Samuel Stone, John Davenport, and Theophilus Eaton) founded Connecticut. They not only established an elective form of government but in a 1638 sermon based on Deuteronomy 1:13 and Exodus 18:21, the Rev. Hooker explained the three Biblical principles that had guided the plan of government in Connecticut: I. [T]he choice of public magistrates belongs unto the people by God's own allowance. II. The privilege of election . . . belongs to the people . . . III. They who have power to appoint officers and magistrates [i.e., the people], it is in their power also to set the bounds and limitations of the power and place. From the Rev. Hooker's teachings and leadership sprang the "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut" - America's first written constitution. As the first successful declaration of independence in history, it helped to inspire countless movements for independence, self-determination, and revolution after 1776 and to this very day.

Now, let’s remember the events of the week we celebrate… July 1, 1776, After John Dickenson’s lengthy speech against declaring independence John Adams rose to speak. Thomas Jefferson would later say “His power of thought and expression moved us from our seats!” Among John Adams’remarks... “The object is great which we have in view, and we must expect a great expense of blood to obtain it. But we should always remember that a free constitution of civil government cannot be purchased at too dear a rate, as there is nothing on this side of Jerusalem of equal importance to mankind... objects of the most stupendous magnitude, measures in which the lives and liberties of millions, born and unborn are most essentially interested, are now before us. We are in the very midst of revolution, the most complete, unexpected and remarkable of any in the history of the world...” It was said that it was the most powerful and important speech heard in the Congress since it first convened, and the greatest speech of Adam’s life, there is no question! What followed was the adoption of the Lee resolution… which declared the thirteen colonies free from Great Britain.

Bathed in prayer and Godly counsel from the beginning and followed by the miraculous events of the revolutionary war, America would become a nation and freedom would ring out in the land. And the world would never be the same!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeling a chill

It is summertime in the Midwest, and it is hot! So what if anything could possibly give one a chill on a 90 degree-in-the-sun kind of day? I’m not referring to the temperature outside, but the disturbing and frightening observances in culture. This kind of chill is felt in the heart and soul as I see the vast efforts of the anti-Christian ideologies making inroads into the hearts and minds of innocent children in America and around the globe.

Sarah Holliday in the Washington Stand writes, “It’s simple. When someone is exposed to a lie, they need to be more clearly exposed to truth, not more lies. But unfortunately, leftist ideologues seem to prefer the paradoxical approach, namely, to capitalize on the vulnerable people caught up in a stew of falsehoods by spoon-feeding them more delusions. In a recent example of this, concerned Americans are sounding the alarm on Scholastic, the world’s largest children’s book publishing company, for releasing the 2024 guide to their “Read With Pride” initiative. The guide considers itself to be a “resource” for K-12 students, as well as teachers and other figures of authority, “for supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and books.” 

In that great article my friend and colleague in ministry David Closson added, “gender ideology has already proven to be a social contagion,” which makes it “absolutely crucial for Christians and all people of goodwill and common sense to oppose the indoctrination of our children and the full court effort to sow confusion about basic categories of sexuality.”

Closson concluded, “I would especially argue that Christian parents have a discipleship responsibility to protect their children from these dangerous ideologies. If left unopposed, these ideologies will reap irreparable harm on younger generations and confuse them about some of the most basic concepts of human existence.” This advice is not only timeless, but important to act on now. As mentioned before, children exposed to lies need to be wrangled in with the truth, not allowed to drift further into a vast ocean of deception.

My good friend George Barna has often said, “It’s important to understand what people believe, because you do what you believe!” In fact, a nation is best understood by examining the content of its beliefs because those beliefs determine the nation’s behavior. The sum of those beliefs is known as a worldview. A worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual filter through which you see and respond to the world. A biblical worldview is a means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality consistent with biblical perspectives, to be a disciple of Jesus, imitate Him; a biblical worldview is your best effort to think like Jesus so you can act like Jesus!

Consider that a child’s worldview is formed between the ages of 2 and 13. According to Barna, “Everyone has a worldview. Your worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual filter through which you see and respond to the world. Because your worldview enables you to make sense of the world, you need a worldview to survive. Every decision you make is shaped by your worldview.”

To further expose the threat to shaping the worldview of innocent lives, Rebecca Friedrichs is the founder of For Kids and Country, the author of “Standing Up to Goliath” and Roger Ruvolo, a longtime news- paper editor and a contributor to For Kids & Country wrote in a recent Washington Times article revealing yet another threat to parental rights and influence through a bill in California called AB 1955. If passed, AB 1955 would prohibit anyone involved with the public schools from giving any truthful information to parents asking about a child’s transgender status, thus fully undermining local policies.”

In addition, they point out, “In 1963, the 45 Goals of the Communist Party were read into the Congressional Record. Two of those goals are key to understanding the true intentions of those who keep secrets from parents. Goal 40: “Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity.” And Goal 41: “Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents.” … the zeal to usurp families and silence American values was just taking root in 1963, so most Americans ignored the warnings. And like today, those who blew the whistle on the communists were marked with vicious, deceitful labels, just like those labeled “bigots” and “homophobes” today.” You may think, oh that’s in California. Trust me, if successful, it will not stay there!

We have before us a critical and chilling moment. A moment that will possibly decide the future of those we love and cherish. What we do with this moment will set the course for the future of millions yet unborn. The good news as I see it, is that God has always used a remnant of believers to change the course of history. May the warmth, reason and truth of God’s truth confound, overwhelm and defeat the schemes of the enemy. Greater is HE that in in us, then he that is in the world!

 

 

Courageous Living

Journeying through the life of the early church in the book of Acts I recently came upon the amazing life of a church leader in Damascus named Ananias. A lesser known of the first century church perhaps, but a hero of faith and courage, nonetheless. He was willing to stand and obey the voice of God in the face of fear and potential danger.

We are navigating through rough waters as a culture and in many ways, we are woefully unprepared. We are information rich, and we have more amazing technology at our fingertips than our forefathers could have dreamed of. And yet we are often lacking something far more important… character.

The building blocks of character are many. The four classic Greek virtues include prudence, justice, temperance and courage and the three Christian virtues faith, hope and love come quickly to mind. The fourth of the seven I mention is courage. Understand that courage is not a lack of fear. It is the courage to do what’s right in the face of fear.

Jerry Root & Stan Guthrie in Sacrament of Evangelism writes, “it’s the habit of saying yes to the right action even at the risk of pain or loss.” Courage never gives up; courage sticks with the task until it’s done. Courage faces one’s fears and does the right thing in spite of it.

Dietrich Bonhoffer was just such an example of this virtue called courage. On his last day on earth, Bonhoffer held a brief service for his fellow prisoners. A contemporary who was there describes the scene. “He hardly finished his last prayer when the door was opened and two evil-looking men in civilian clothes came in and said, ‘Prisoner Bonhoffer, get ready to come with us.’ Those words, ‘come with us,’ for all prisoners had come to mean only one thing the scaffold. We bade him good-bye. ... ‘This is the end,’ he said, ‘For me the beginning of life ...’ Next day, at Flossenburg: he was hanged!”Bonhoffer and others like him throughout the ages had the courage to stand up to evil in the name of Christ and pay the ultimate price.

Do we have the courage to lay it all on the line? Do we have the courage to speak up for the biblical model of masculinity, marriage, and human sexuality when we know that we’ll be called bigots, homophobes and maybe worse? Do we have the courage to say aloud that abortion is the taking of innocent life when we risk being called antiquated in our views?  It takes courage to take a stand and risk unpopularity and ridicule. Remember this however, if we lose our religious freedoms to stand for and teach a biblical worldview then we will lose all other freedoms as well.

If the church is courageous, then the nation will reflect the biblical values on which it was built. I believe there was a moment in the conversation that Ananias knew for sure; The Lord has me covered here. Of all the things for God to ask of me, to minister to Saul of Tarsus! Yet if God calls, I will answer knowing I can stand. Courage and strength come from the Lord!

Years back in the Los Angeles Times Paul Harvey shared this incredible story, “One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child's arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray's free hand felt something, possibly a rock protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away. "If I can just hang on until help comes," he thought. He did better than that. By the time fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard's Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can't swim.”

May I suggest that in our culture today not only little girls, but entire families are being swept away by the current of casual Christianity, a secular worldview and a watered-down notion of what it is to stand for truth and righteousness. May the God of heaven raise up a new courageous generation of heroes of the faith who will in the words of Paul, “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”