Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
Christians must think clearly about the results of the recent election. Because the 2020 election was such a fiasco, it was expected that 2024 might also yie... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
Christians must think clearly about the results of the recent election. Because the 2020 election was such a fiasco, it was expected that 2024 might also yield a result that took days or weeks to confirm. Not so. A few hours a&er polls closed it was clear that Trump had soundly defeated Harris. Because of the wisdom of our founders, the electoral vote yields a wonderful way to understand the mood of the country by region. Once again, it is clear that the states on the west coast and the extreme northeast of the nation are clearly more liberal than the vast majority of the nation.
Does that information help Christians? Well, it could. It might—if we understand that the more populated an area is, the more out of touch with nature—human and otherwise—voters tend to be. Across the nation, the closer an area is to a coast, an urban center or to a university, the more likely the voters are to be progressive and utopian in their thinking. Will American Christians grasp that ideas and philosophies have consequences? And will we believe that ideas about God are more important than anything else?
I have rejoiced that Donald Trump was elected to be our next President of the United States. I am happy and hopeful but I am not naïve. I know that no politician is perfect. I know Mr. Trump is not Jesus. I know it remains to be seen whether or not Donald Trump can keep some of the very big and bold promises he made during the campaign.
I also know evil when I see it. Bumbling and fumbling old Joe Biden and his cackling sidekick, Kamala Harris unleased massive wickedness on our nation. The American people sent them and their supporters a very strong rebuke at the ballot box. I thank God for that. Could it be that hope is on the horizon the way a cloud “about the size of a man’s hand” was on the horizon of Mount Carmel during the days of the prophet Elijah?
Will Mr. Trump and his administration have the courage and convictions to defang the federal government? A once small and limited government guided by the fear of God has become a secularized monster and a real danger to our democratic republic. It remains to be seen whether there is the national will to reign in our bloated and debt-ridden federal government. Will American Christians understand the times and diligently work for and fervently pray for a more just and Christ-honoring society?
What was once a Christian-flavored nation has become increasingly secularized to the point that government has become hostile to the ideas that gave birth to the nation. The founding generation were a people who were a Christianized people. They generally feared God and knew government needed to be kept in check. The influence of secular ideas in education and the culture at large have led the nation down a destructive path of growing dependency on government. Marxist and socialist seeds sown for decades have born the fruit of discontent and entitlement. We have gone from a people who were embarrassed at the thought of being dependent on government to one loudly demanding the government be involved in every crack and crease of life.
American education needs a massive revival. School choice must happen if the ideas of the American founding are to endure. Our national defense is in a shambles. The borders must become just that—borders once again. Americans must recover respect for human life—including family life. Marriage must be rescued from utopian experiments and human sexuality must be restored to its God-given binary categories.
All of these changes are too big for a purely secular country to make. It takes belief in a transcendent authority—that of God alone—to reestablish belief in the glory and purpose of human nature. Humans were made to be frui>ul and multiply. We were created to have God-granted dominion over the earth. We were created to image God into the world by being like Him. Christians must live Christ-honoring lives that are both reverent and productive. We must boldly proclaim that only Christ can change human hearts so that a man or woman can live a joyful and hopeful life and we must live consistent with our claims.
The election of Donald Trump may provide an opportunity for a revival of American greatness. If there is not a massive love for and obedience to Christ at its core, no a?empt at a revival will yield anything but a last pitiful gasp of a wounded giant. Christian must seize the day and be willing to labor for a just and prosperous society. If we do not, then no election will make a lasting difference.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.”... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.”
-from Psalm 33
The United States is a special nation. It was founded largely by evangelical Christians. Their robust Christian convictions and exaltation of moral righteousness are still woven into the fabric of the country. When Donald Trump addressed the nation as the President-elect last night (early this morning), he referred to his belief that God had preserved his life and brought him to the status of being the next president. It is impossible to know, but he appears to be a man whose near-death experience has changed his perception of the stewardship of his life. Life is extremely complicated—even mysterious—but it is hard to deny that individuals and nations have critical moments that change them and their direction. Leaders take their followers in a particular direction.
Obviously, a presidential election is always a major event, but this one may have been more important than most. To say that the previous presidential election was problematic is an understatement. There are always shenanigans and cheating in national elections but 2020 was beyond the pale. There was just too much strange and problematic behavior. Very few Americans thought the results were totally honest. Many (including me) believed all the changes in voting practices invited corruption of the election. I was never certain the right guy was declared to be the winner. But Americans are generally law-abiding and willing to keep the peace when possible. Donald Trump believed the election was stolen and let that be known. That frightened his political enemies to death. They pulled out all the stops to malign, impugn and discourage him. It all failed. Trump battled through dense and even demonic opposition and delivered a crushing blow with a massive electoral victory.
Christians must be careful not to confuse being Christian with being politically conservative. It matters what we attempt to conserve. Christians, by nature, are conservative. We are people who “do this in remembrance” of Jesus. The dynamic realities of the past like the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus stay current in our lives. Christians are truly traditional, but we are not traditionalists. Tradition has to do with continuing the living faith of dead people; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition is remembering the truths of the past and holding on to them. The things worth conserving in our national body politic all are rooted in the Christian faith. Truth telling, doing justice while maintaining personal responsibility and respect for those who differ from us are all Christian concepts. Obeying the law and respecting the rights of others are rooted in biblical teaching. Christians know we are ultimately under the authority and watchful eye of our holy Creator God. We know that doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly before God is a timeless responsibility no matter the culture or circumstance.
Our nation faces many obnoxious and obscene ideas and forces. The only way our nation can continue to survive is for us to reject the madness of progressivism and wokeness and to return to beliefs and practices that birthed us as a people. I believe God uses even crooked sticks to strike straight blows. I also believe that the blessings that come to any (and every) nation are from God. If you and I want our nation to flourish, we must realize that the belief that secularism is morally neutral is a myth. Of course, there will be many tradeoffs in a fallen world, but truth always matters and reality can be denied but never abolished. Homosexuality will never be normal and killing an innocent baby will never be healthcare. Living together without being married will never be acceptable to a holy God and pornography or prostitution will never be victimless. American Christians must pray and work for a nation where it is okay to be a person who is openly and boldly willing to conserve the good things that bring honor to God. If America is to once again be a “strong, safe and prosperous” nation as President-elect promised last night, it can only happen if the things that are good, true and beautiful are conserved and embraced. The deceitful lies of the Marxist pied pipers must be abandoned—like the philosophical garbage they are.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“Seek first the kingdom of God…”
-Jesus (Matthew 6:33)... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“Seek first the kingdom of God…”
-Jesus (Matthew 6:33)
Did you watch the presidential debate last night? I watched a few clips and I might watch more if time allows. In a very real sense, these events have become a delusion and largely a waste of time. They are not debates. Because of the left-leaning characters who ask the questions, they are terribly one-sided. No one who has been paying attention to the American political scene is likely to learn anything new about either candidate. It is all a charade. If these events are about democracy, then the Olympic games are about amateurism. If we all just keep pretending, then we will never have to face reality.
Each candidate is trying to gain the presidency so he or she can exert influence over the American people. Now, I will be honest. While neither candidate is a paragon of virtue, Kamala Harris is a despicable human being and her running mate is worse. Anyone who has followed her rise from being the mistress to a powerful California politician to the office of the Vice President of the United States knows how she got there. She has been willing to give her body and sell her soul to gain power. She is a Marxist. Tim Walsh is a lying buffoon who makes her look like a conservative. These are dangerous human beings who do not belong anywhere near the leadership of the nation.
Donald Trump is a brash egotist with a checkered past, but he has shown (by his speech and behavior) to care genuinely about the sovereignty and safety of our nation. I believe Trump deeply loves our country and is trying to save the nation from the progressive left’s drive toward a totalitarian state. Trump is a far better choice, but he is not the answer that some (including many evangelical Christians) believe.
Millions of Americans have voted for and will vote again for Trump because he is one of the few American politicians with enough hutzpah to tell the truth about the overbearing and tyrannical forces lurking underneath politics in our country. Trump has (I believe providentially) pulled back the curtain and exposed the wizardry of the deep state. These people are largely unnamed operatives who are willing to steal, kill (assassinate) and destroy anyone or anything that threatens their money and power. They operate largely in the dark and are embedded in every branch of the government. They are not just evil persons; they are traitors to America.
Christians must do all we can to preserve those things that are good about our nation. Christians must battle for the good, the true and the beautiful in every arena of life. We ought to be not just patriots but godly patriots. We must be concerned about what God is concerned about. When there is a lack of justice or decency or respect or opportunity, Christians must fight for what we know is right. When life is threatened, Christians must oppose those who want to murder and maim. When lies are being put forth as truth, we must shine the light of truth brightly upon the lies and the liars. When liars claim God is not the Creator of life and that human life is not special and precious because humans are made in the image of God, we must call them what they are—liars. When the secularists claim that all views are equal, we must tell them the truth—Jesus is Lord! There are only two views of life. Either humans bend the knee and worship Jesus or they follow the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2). Christians must speak this truth in every arena of life and we must be willing to face the negative consequences that truth telling and righteous living can bring.
When you vote for president (and you should) you will not be voting for a perfect person. You and I must vote for the person who is most likely to lead in a manner that accords with the teaching of God’s word. Sadly in the United States of America in the year of our Lord, 2024, one presidential candidate loves the prospects of killing unborn babies and desires massive government control of virtually every aspect of life. Please do not vote for death and slavery.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.”... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.”
-Proverbs 24:10
Just about every Christian would admit to spiritual struggles from time to time. If we cast even a casual glance at the cultural chaos unfolding around us, we have reason for grave concern. What once was considered normal is now turned on its head. The cruelty of abortion, the insanity of transgenderism and the crisis of American cities being terrorized by foreign gangs pouring across our unguarded borders ought to alarm us all. But should Christians allow these troubling realities to cause us to give up hope? Never! The hard things of life are (in part) a gift because they can drive us toward our only true source of strength—God.
The scriptures instruct us in how to remain stable and hopeful in the midst of trouble. When King David was downcast, he encouraged himself to hope in God (Psalm 42 &43). The great armor of God passage in Ephesians 6 teaches us that in order to stay strong in the midst of life’s spiritual battles we must rely on multiple aspects of the Christian life. First, we must always be aware that life is a spiritual battle with a real and dangerous (though unseen) enemy who deploys all sorts of wicked schemes. Christians must not fall into the broken thinking pattern of an unbelieving worldview. We have to think straight in a crooked world.
Christians must not be surprised by evil or deluded into thinking evil does not matter. We must never forget that our strength to fight our spiritual battles comes to us graciously by way of God’s ordained means. We are to wear the belt of truth but that means we must hear, read, study, memorize and meditate upon the truth revealed to us in God’s Word. If we want the protection of the breastplate of righteousness, we must be led by God’s Spirit to act righteously. The helmet of salvation means we first must be born again and then operate in the assurance of our salvation. God’s truthful word is a mighty weapon of warfare but that requires we learn how to deploy it in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Few Christians can maintain adequate spiritual strength without the fellowship of the community of the saints. Church is far more than a meeting. Church is a people—those called out of darkness into a saving and holy relationship with God through trusting in Christ’s saving work on our behalf. None of us is as strong in isolation as we are when we function as part of the community of the saints. Being part of a congregation of Christians reminds us that God’s best for us comes when we are consistently reminded of our great weakness and the great strength of our savior and Lord—Jesus Christ. He leads us in the battle and we encourage one another to be faithful and to practice love and good works. There is a comradery among believers that transcends age or race or national identity.
In Ephesians 6 the Apostle Paul urges us to both pray in the Spirit and to pray for one another. Prayer helps keep us alert and engaged in the battle. Prayer keeps us dependent upon God for our strength. Prayer drives the spread of the gospel message that in Christ, God rescues sinners and gives us a new identity and a high calling. Prayer reminds us of the things we cannot do for ourselves. We cannot stay spiritually strong by our own will power. We desperately need God’s strength.
Proverbs 24:10 warns us that we are susceptible to losing our strength and fainting. Ephesians 6 reminds us of the nature of our struggle and the source of true spiritual power to live boldly in troubled times. Moses’ song of Exodus 15 reminds us the strength to conquer and advance God’s will comes from God. Dear brothers and sisters, do not give up. Do not faint when you face adversity and the tough times. God is the source of our strength. The enemy of our souls wants us to believe that God is losing the battle. How ridiculous! God is working to bring about His rule and reign in the entire universe and we are highly privileged to be a part of the great battle to restore all things under the proper authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Fight on and do not faint. God is sufficient in every circumstance. The resurrection of Jesus is the first sign of what is coming. The forces of evil can do what they may. Jesus is Lord and one day soon, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father!
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas about stolen Valor.
Servants of God,
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much,
and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”... View MoreGood words from Kansas about stolen Valor.
Servants of God,
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much,
and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
-Luke 16:10
How important is it to tell the truth? One of the charges most often leveled against politicians is that of lying. Even in a time when almost everything is supposed to be relative, there seems to be at least some cultural memory that truth matters.
I have been watching with interest the rhubarb over the details of the military service of the Democrat candidate for Vice-President. A term often used in this argument is “stolen valor.” Tim Walz served in the Minnesota Army National Guard for 24 years. No one is contesting that. What has raised the hackles of military types (and plenty of others) is the fact that Governor Walz is on record claiming to have retired at the rank of command sergeant major. Military records show clearly, that he did not. Walz also is known to have made the claim that he “carried weapons of war in war.” Since Walz never served in a combat zone, that was not true either. The issue is not whether Walz served in the National Guard. The issue is whether he has made false claims to rank and combat duty in order to embellish his military service, particularly as he pursued political office. Walz is seeking to become the nation’s Vice-President. If, God forbid, he is elected to that office he would be one heartbeat away from being the nation’s commander-in-chief.
The Bible is such a wonderful help to us. Jesus clearly taught in Luke 16:10 that a person who is dishonest or unfaithful in small issues telegraphs that he will continue that pattern in larger, more important things. Proverbs 11:3 teaches that it is “The integrity of the upright” that guides his life. It also adds the warning that “…the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” We should not be surprised in days to come to see Governor Walz’s reputation and political capital take a beating as American voters find that he has consistently lied about his military service. What else is he lying about?
No political candidate is perfect, but one who lies about something like military service and refuses to admit to the falsehoods, could prove to be particularly untrustworthy. The military culture of “Duty, Honor, Country” generally shapes its members to value those three sacred virtues. It is a high honor to serve in the armed forces, but it is a grave responsibility to do so honorably and to be truthful about the service rendered.
As Christians, we need to be very careful both about condoning sin and about being too harsh in condemning others. We know that “all have sinned” and that fact makes the gracious redemption we have in Christ very precious. At the same time, Christians must not be fools. When we see a man like Walz claiming to be someone he is not, we should be on high alert with regard to the rest of his life. What else has he lied about? What standard does he live by? Does he have such a low opinion of American citizens that he believes he can lie about something like military service, and voters will not care? Perhaps he will survive this charade. Maybe (God forbid) he will get elected. One thing he will not escape is the righteous indignation of thousands who served in the military and did not lie about their accomplishments and experiences. Far more important is the fact that a righteous God promises that an unrepentant evil person will not go unpunished (Proverbs 11:21).
Christians cannot afford to play games about the 2024 election. Our nation has lurched dangerously toward totalitarianism under the Biden administration’s lawless reign. The United States is in real danger and no citizen—particularly Christians—should stick our heads in the sand hoping that placating evil will bring good results. Please be informed about the individuals running for office and cast your vote in the direction that is most likely to advance righteousness and deter evil.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the recti... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;”
-Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is ironic. It declares rebellion against one order and speaks of the need for a new one. An honest assessment of 1776 can conclude that the concepts of law and order articulated in the Declaration of Independence are largely rooted in Christian thought. The New Covenant life is a life lived out of a heart that has God’s Law written on it (Hebrews 10:16). Life rightly ordered, yields blessings to humans. The Bible teaches that there is only one way for life to be rightly ordered (Acts 4:12 and John 14:6). When life is calibrated to the will of God, humans flourish. When humans make up their own laws or use good law in an unjust manner, they violate the nature of the universe that God has created. Unjust laws and lawlessness precede disaster.
America as a nation is living on the precipice of such a disaster. Denying human nature and trying to bring about a human-centered utopia brings about God-ordained disorder. Denying the sovereignty of God, flaunting His authority and disregarding His Law brings God’s just wrath upon any person or any group of persons who attempt to live that way.
Law matters and it always has. As we near Independence Day, it is important to think about and understand both human law and the divine Law of God from which human law flows. Since the Garden of Eden, humans have needed to be instructed so they could live and flourish. The Creation ordinance spoken by God teaches humans who they are and how they are to live. All of human history is shaped by rules and regulations.
The Declaration of Independence begins with an explanation for what was about to happen. The body of the document is a list of complaints. It plainly states: “let the Facts be submitted to a candid World.” Then there is a list of 27 Grievances. At least 18 of them (perhaps more) have something to do with law or the violation of law(s). The document is filled with references to law, legislature(s), trials, judges etc. It is possible to say the Declaration is one long complaint about the misuse of law and/or legal power. The King of England, the document argued, had forfeited his right to rule over the thirteen states (colonies) who are now united and determined to launch a new and independent country. Law matters.
The American republic is breathing on one lung in large measure because God’s Law has been minimized and human laws have been magnified and multiplied. The American founders were swimming in a Christianized culture. The influence of the Bible was massive. Of course, the founding generation was not perfect but they had a solid grounding in biblical ethics and a great respect for the rule of law in general. The constitution, which came years after the revolution, has a preamble that makes it clear that ordered liberty was essential if the states were to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” There needed to be justice, domestic tranquility and a common defense if there was to be a way to promote the general welfare and secure the true blessings of liberty.
I hope that each of you might take time to read the Declaration of Independence and spend some time in reflection and prayer for the future of our nation during the next few days. Christians ought to be the best of citizens. That means we, like the founders, should know the facts about our time and our culture. Our nation may be too far gone to pull out of its moral nosedive, but it is never too late for Christians to do what we know is right before the face of our holy God. Only a person who has passed from spiritual death to new life in Christ can understand the joy of obeying God’s law in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“It wasn’t no lucky catch.”
-Willie Mays... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“It wasn’t no lucky catch.”
-Willie Mays
“Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
-Proverbs 22:29
In every human endeavor skill matters. Willie Mays, one of the most skilled athletes of the twentieth century, died this week. Affable as well as gifted athletically, he was known as the “Say Hey Kid.” Mays was among the first wave of Black major league ball players and is often called the greatest center fielder in the history of the game. Of course, as in most of baseball, fans who are of contrary opinion argue for their own favorite candidate for the title. In the 1950s the city of New York was awash with talented center fielders. Was it Willie or Mickey or The Duke (as in Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle or Duke Snider)? Like noses, every fan had his opinion. What is generally not disputed is “The Catch.” Mays made an over-the-shoulder catch during the 1954 World Series that is considered one of baseball’s best plays ever. Mays was a complete player and played a long time. The game has lost a legend.
Willie Mays was not a boisterous player, but he was a confident one. When Don Mueller, who played right field next to Mays asked Willie “Is it true you’re the best center fielder in baseball?” May’s curt reply was, “Best right fielder too.” When folks hinted that his famous play in the 1954 World Series was somehow not a matter of skill and ability his reply was classic. “It wasn’t no lucky catch.” That sort of play does not happen by accident. Spontaneity grows out of discipline. He more than paid his dues in the negro leagues before he signed with the major league New York Giants. In the negro leagues players were expected to be both excellent players and noteworthy entertainers. Willie’s circus catches were possible because he had honed such skills for years before he ever put on a Giants uniform in the big leagues.
Discipline is a matter of hard work and countless repetitions. Discipline requires that we choose what we want most over what we want now. The Christian life is like that. It is a process of both divine grace and the hard work of righteousness practiced. The process of discipleship is discipline lived out. We love Jesus and want to do his will and bring glory to him. That means we have been both rescued from sin and hell and that we choose the hard work of hearing and obeying God’s word. It means working at killing sin and fostering holiness. We know that this life is preparation for eternity. We know that what lies ahead of us—the celestial city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10)—is far more glorious and important than the pleasures and leisure of the here and now. As disciples we know there is self-denial and submission to God every step of the way.
Willie Mays was confident, not because he was insecure, but because of massive amounts of mundane practice and a long record of game day performances. Over his long professional career he proved that he was capable of a level of excellence that only a handful of players ever achieved. Willie, more than anyone else, understood his level of skill. He remained a humble man but he chafed when others hinted that his play was a matter of luck and said so. Another baseball great, Dizzy Dean, famously opined “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.”
The Christian life is a matter of pursuing excellence in the things of the spirit. No Christian has anything to brag about. We have nothing except what we have received from God (1 Corinthians 4:7). We can be sure of one thing. Holiness and growth in righteousness is a matter of both working out our own salvation with fear and trembling and of God working supernaturally through us (Philippians 2:12,13). If we want to be excellent in anything, it should be in the pursuit of holiness—being set apart from the world and set apart to do the will of God. To paraphrase Willie Mays, we must realize that the Christian life “is no lucky thing.”
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas
Servants of God,
“The reason I play golf is, I am trying to glorify God
and all that he’s done in my life,... View MoreGood words from Kansas
Servants of God,
“The reason I play golf is, I am trying to glorify God
and all that he’s done in my life,
and so for me, my identity isn’t a golf score.”
-Scottie Scheffler
Is the Christian faith merely a personal choice? Is it a religious preference? Is “what Jesus means to me” the measure of faith? Was Jesus’ death on the cross mostly about providing me a personal ticket to heaven and an escape from hell? Could it be that the American church has missed the point that God, in Christ, is not just saving individual persons but reclaiming the entire cosmos? Do we really believe that the day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord? And do we believe that what we do daily (right here and right now as individual Christians) will impact how and when that glorious day will come?
I rarely watch golf on TV, but if I do it is usually the final round of the Masters Tournament. Having lived in Georgia, the scene at Augusta floods me with warm memories of how beautiful and lush that part of the country can be—especially in the Springtime. Being a bad golfer, I can truly appreciate how consistent and profoundly talented professional golfers are. The Masters is one of the four major tournaments of professional golf. The winner being awarded the green jacket is among the most iconic moments in professional sports. On Sunday, Scottie Scheffler was awarded his second green jacket in three years. It is a remarkable feat. Golf at the professional level is incredibly competitive and profoundly difficult. Scheffler is clearly, for the moment, the best golfer in the world. It is rare for pro golfers to stay at the top of their game for more than three to five years. That is what makes an Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods so very special. Interestingly enough, the aging Woods, who is probably the most famous pro golfer in the world, barely made the cut for this year’s Masters and finished 60th out of 60.
Scottie Scheffler, a twenty-seven-year-old Texan, is a Christian and says that he plays golf to glorify God. He is one of a handful of professional sports figures who are very open about the fact that they believe Jesus is the Lord of all life—including sports. He has made it clear that he has worked at glorifying Jesus through his golf and that in the past he was not fully pleased with his personal testimony. He said that two years ago, after winning the Masters, he had not articulated his faith in Christ as clearly as he might have. Since then he has boldly announced that his identity is not that he is a golfer. He makes it clear that he finds his identity in Christ and what Jesus purchased on the cross.
What if ordinary Christians understood as clearly as Scheffler seems to, that who they are and what they do or accomplish is to be ruled by Christ? He has made it clear that no matter what his golf score might be, he is obligated to do his best to bring glory to God. Does the plumber or taxi driver or nurse or computer programmer have the same obligation?
What if every ordinary Christian felt the same obligation to appropriately witness to the victory that Christ won on the cross? Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not merely about rescuing humans from hell. Romans 8 makes it clear that the whole creation groans and waits eagerly for the day that the universe will be liberated from the presence and power of sin. The Apostle Paul penned that in the grand scope of redemption “…the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”(Romans 8:21).
Average Christians—people like you and me—have been set free from “the law of sin and death” by the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. Christ won a great victory on the cross and every believer can proclaim “I am free from the power of sin and you can be too!” The victory that Christ won on the cross is being consolidated as the body of Christ grows across our world. Things might look dark and dangerous. Because we are in Christ, we can know who we are. We can tell the gospel story of redemption and a new identity in Christ. And we, like Scottie Scheffler and other believers can make it clear that Jesus is Lord of all!
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“These bills attack our most basic American values:
the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to r... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“These bills attack our most basic American values:
the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to raise your own child.
It is no surprise that the bullying and discrimination that transgender Americans face is worsening our Nation’s mental health crisis,
leading half of transgender youth to consider suicide in the past year.”
--from President Biden’s Proclamation of Transgender Visibility Day
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes
and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world is passing away along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
-1 John 2:16,17
The world can be a dangerous place and even more so if we cannot adequately identify the dangers. When the Biden White House made the outrageously insulting proclamation lauding “Transgender Visibility Day” and bragged about the president’s many actions to promote sexual perversion, Christians ought to have taken notice. Just a few days earlier, Candace Owens, a conservative commentator lost her job at the Daily Wire. She has been vilified as an anti-Semite largely because she dared to utter the phrase “Christ is King.” Both of these events highlight how important it is for Christians to know, believe, proclaim and fight for truth.
President Biden ought not to have been proud of spreading perversion and Candace Owens ought to have the right to proclaim Christ as king. Both incidents deserve the attention of Christians. Both are rooted in what Henry Morris, the great champion of biblical Creationism, called “The long war against God.”
The Biden administration’s full court press for sexual perversion reveals that the American left thinks the time is right to fully take down traditional American values. Those values are rooted in the Christian faith and Christ-exalting worldview that Christianity fosters. It is no accident that the proclamation came during the holiest of Christian celebrations—the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Hello!
The struggle to complete a full-fledged rebellion against God is a long one, but even a cursory view of history will note that the story of the Tower of Babel gets repeated over and over. Satan and his demonic minions want to cast off any restraint that God might place on human behavior. They know that humans were created to bring honor and glory to God by being God’s image bearers. The enemy of God and humanity cannot abide humans being fruitful and multiplying and spreading the truth about God to the ends of the earth. The sad truth is that many who claim to be Christians seem to have less Bible knowledge than the demons. People who call themselves Christian trot behind the current cultural Pied Pipers trying to bring their lives and churches into line with the demands of the enemies of God. News flash to those trying to please the world: the world and its ancillaries are passing away and have no real future (1 John 2:15-17).
The magnificent design and creative power of God is perceived in the glorious union of a man and a woman in marriage. When the union of a husband and a wife yields a child, a God-exalting event has occurred. Children are a heritage from God (Psalm 127:3). Little wonder that abortion, chemical poisoning to thwart birth and the abuse of children once they are outside their mother’s womb are all so prevalent in a world that rejects God.
Christians must fight against the dangerous philosophies that dishonor and insult God and His risen Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The saints of God are on the winning side of this struggle. God will not allow lies to triumph. God will not fail to bless those who are obedient to Him in their sexual thoughts and behaviors. He will not forsake those who claim Christ as their true, risen, and soon-to-return King.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart
and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart
and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
-1 Timothy 1:5
One of the quickest ways to offend some people is to tell them the truth. They prefer relationships where they can pretend and drone along doing what makes them feel good. If you or I come along and point out that the Bible teaches something they do not wish to believe, we become the bad guy. The deluded do not value the hard facts of reality. We watch this play out on the personal level but it also is true in society in general. Christians need to prepare ourselves to encounter rejection and even slander because the world around us does not like to hear the truth.
But using truth telling like a broad axe can do as much damage as good. Like the Lord Jesus, we must speak truth but do it in a kind and compassionate manner. We must remember that as kind and gentle as Jesus was, many despised and rejected him. Jesus did not win over every person he came into contact with. If fact, by the end of his earthly ministry, he had a whole constellation of opponents and enemies. That should sober up those of us who desire to live a godly life in Christ.
The culture around us is rotting away. Things like truth telling and hard work and thrift are no longer held in high regard. When Christians warn of the danger of a federal government spending us all into oblivion, we are not necessarily being political. Of course spending money you do not actually possess can lead to political disaster (and it is) but it is a disaster on a personal, family, or national level as well. Such behavior is born of greed, covetousness, deceit and all sorts of other evils. To address the fruits of evil is not political, it is moral. The law of God is being violated and there is always a settling of accounts because we live in God’s universe, not the sentimental, make-believe universe of utopian dreams.
Try telling the truth about a few things as see what happens. If you tell folks that much of the human suffering and misery of our nation is due to sexual misbehavior and the dissolution of marriage and the nuclear family you will be ridiculed. You will be quickly wearing the title of bigot around your proverbial neck like a social albatross. If you challenge the results of public education, get ready to feel the wrath of high-minded folks who believe you hate your local community and all school teachers everywhere. Never mind that increasingly children cannot read or write or do basic math. If you question our nation’s spreading war and sexual perversions all over the world, you are likely to be labeled as a traitor. Nevertheless, I suggest you regularly tell the truth about all these things.
But here’s the catch. Just being a critic or a person of contrary opinion is not what Christians are called to do. Christians are called to be tempered by our strong conviction that we must act out of Christ-exalting and personally humble motives. It is easy to criticize. The peanut gallery of life always appears to be a safe spot. If we are going to engage another person or the culture at large, we must do so out of genuine God-given love. It is sad that American Christians too often take their marching orders from the popular opinions of the day rather from Holy Spirit convictions rooted in biblical truth. Too many Christians want to be loved by the unregenerate world. Few of us want to be thought of as hard-hearted bigots who enjoy criticizing others. The quickest way to shut up the average Christian is to charge him with being a hater. Who wants to be known by that?
Speaking truth can get you crosswise with those who agree with you on most topics. Conservative Americans and Bible-believing Christians share many of the same beliefs, but not all. The abortion issue is a case in point. Many political conservatives have decided that public opposition to abortion is a losing political strategy. That might be. The truth is that butchering babies in their mother’s womb and them selling their tiny body parts is a grotesque evil that must be irradicated. Tell the truth about the folly of transgenderism and see what happens. The truth is that surgically altering the bodies of boys and girls to try to reverse their gender is a grotesque evil that must stop.
Most Christians are nice people. But being a Christian involves much more than being nice. It involves being transformed by the grace of God. It means acting in accord with God’s call to righteousness. It involves risk because the struggle is a matter of life and death. The devil and his minions are working to delude and deceive everyone they can. Christians are called to speak the truth in love out of clear conscience and a sincere faith. No one gets a pass on this. We either trust and obey or we cowardly go along to get along. Let’s work and pray toward a life that is saturated with truth that we believe, live in and speak boldly.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Good words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?”
-Recently freed Hebrew ex-slaves when they became hungry... View MoreGood words from Kansas.
Servants of God,
“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?”
-Recently freed Hebrew ex-slaves when they became hungry
(Psalm 78:19)
They were the words of disbelief. They came out of the mouths of people who had just witnessed miraculous signs and wonders done by the power of God. It is easy to be critical of the Hebrew children on their desert trek toward the promised land—unless we have a healthy level of self-awareness. It seems almost impossible that a people who had witnessed God’s power in humbling the great Egyptian empire could doubt that He could feed them in the wilderness, but they did. Fallen humans—even those who have been wonderfully plucked out of darkness and transferred to the dominion of the beloved Son—need to keep proper perspective. Humans naturally tend toward either delusion or presumption. That is the reason we need regular doses of truth and regular sessions of thanksgiving and praise. We may be living through a wilderness patch in our lives but we do not have to be disoriented and doubt God.
The wilderness journey has a tendency to reveal the hearts of the pilgrims. How do we react when things get hard or confusing or painful? Sadly, it seems that humans can easily follow God until a challenge pops up. Then we can quickly turn to despair because we are certain that the situation is hopeless. Unless our minds are regularly and rigorously being renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit through the agency of His word, we can inwardly harbor thoughts of doubt and despair. It did not make any sense that God who led Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm would abandon them and let them starve in the desert. But that is just the horrible picture the newly-freed Israelites conjured up. What many of them learned the hard way was that you can have plenty of physical food and be starving to death spiritually. This is a message that Jesus gave in John chapter six. We receive the true bread of life by receiving Him (John 6:29-35). Those who reject God’s gracious means of salvation by grace through faith in Christ are on a self-imposed spiritual hunger strike that finally leads to a horrible death.
The current morning sermon series on the ten commandments in the life of the Christian has reminded me of just how much I need instruction and direction for life. Afterall, being a pastor does not excuse a man from being a Christian! We know we do not live under the old covenant legal system, but we must not forget that the Law leads us to the Messiah. In the first covenant believers were “under” the guardianship of the Law; in the new Covenant believers live by faith “in” Christ (see Galatians 3). Looking at the command to remember and sanctify the Sabbath has brought me face to face with how little I appreciate the grace in God’s commands. It is a gracious thing to be told the truth. It is a gracious thing to be instructed in proper life patterns. It is a gracious thing to be sure that everyone in our immediate sphere of influence knows that our life and their lives require both faithful labor in the areas where we have dominion and submissive rest on God’s terms.
Jesus regularly modeled and taught a true understanding of what a life lived to the glory of God could look like. He never worried about food or clothing or the things that often manipulate the trajectory of our lives. He trusted God for His provision. He was willing to skip a meal when necessary. He also was compassionately aware that the crowds who followed him needed to eat. He knew, as we should know, that our providential God knows what we need and when we need it.
Yes, God can—if we need it—provide a full meal in the midst of the wilderness. But remember that man cannot live by bread alone. We need every word from God’s mouth; we need the bread of life and living water. Only Jesus can provide that.
Just because we are Christians does not mean we are not susceptible to forgetting. One of the reasons I am so humbly thankful for each Lord’s Supper celebration is that the bread and the cup remind me in a tangible way. Not only does the word speak to me, the elements train my taste buds to be in submission to Christ. His death and resurrection must be remembered to give me hope and to keep me from presumption or despair. If we want true life, we must humbly receive it on Jesus’ terms: “Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” (John 6:35). This should be the best of news to us—especially when we get hungry in the wilderness.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
Servants of God,
Each Lord’s Day we are looking at the ten commandments. The goal is to understand how these foundational moral teachings that shaped the nation of ancient Israel ought to be underst... View MoreServants of God,
Each Lord’s Day we are looking at the ten commandments. The goal is to understand how these foundational moral teachings that shaped the nation of ancient Israel ought to be understood and obeyed by Christians. Do we need an understanding of these ancient commands to understand the Christian life and our place in God’s great plan of redemption? Yes, we need them desperately.
American Christians know intuitively that our nation is on the verge of something disastrous. America has become an international bully who creates and funds war all over the world. The United States kills its own children while insisting that we “need” law-breaking foreigners from all over the globe to enter our nation nefariously to “do work Americans won’t do”. We have become a gullible people because we will not honor God as God. Sadly, American Christians have done precious little to defend God’s right to decree moral absolutes. Americans blindly follow “experts” without careful examination of the consequences. We have terrible problems, but the answer does not lie in being more self-centered and self-indulgent. We honor the philosophies of those who twist language like a pretzel then wonder why we are so confused.
Military experts tell us we must lavishly fund wars all over the world so we can be safe at home, but no one wants to close our own borders to terrorists and other dangerous individuals. Do you remember when educational experts told us phonics and memorizing the times tables were passe? Now when Americans barely can read and need a calculator when they get past 2+2=4 we believe the experts who tell us that placing litterboxes in the school bathrooms are key to educational progress. Math is labeled as “racists” by educational experts who push the foolishness of social-emotional learning. These and other arguments remind me of Abraham Lincoln’s charge that his political opponents talked in such confusing patterns that a horse chestnut got transformed into a chestnut horse. Experts talk a good (if often confusing) game but end up leading us off a cliff.
Experts in various specialties tell us that killing babies via abortion is good for the economy. They insist abortion is necessary for women to have good healthcare. So, a procedure that leaves one person dead and gives the other a life-long trauma and grief is healthcare? Does that make sense?
Political experts refuse to differentiate between legal and illegal immigration. Does that make sense? Is it a good thing to welcome and even coddle individuals whose first act on American soil is to break the law? From lofty government perches, experts scold citizens concerned about language, culture and borders for being out of touch. A cursory study of American history might be in order. Our nation of immigrants grew from legal immigrants who worked to assimilate and to become productive, law-abiding citizens. Illegal immigrants steal the blessings of citizenship and defraud hard-working tax payers. And I have not even touched the issue of military-age men from China pouring across the border unhindered. Who of sound mind thinks that is a good idea?
The Climate change crowd demand we stop using fossil fuels. Have they ever stopped to consider the good that fossil fuels bring? Why do they think CO2 gets pumped into commercial greenhouses to enhance plant growth? They blithely ignore all the positives that come from using fossil fuels—including the role they play in modern agriculture, transportation and medical advancement. If we want to eat, have transportation and enjoy true healthcare we need more fossil fuels, not less. When did we trade high sounding “good ideas” for the legitimate use of the scientific method?
No doubt many of the experts who long to control the lives of us little people, think they are doing good. The problem is, they are spiritually blind. They think that life can be lived well without paying proper deference to God. The Bible teaches (and life bears out) that rejecting God as the true expert regarding life leads to disaster. When humans reject God, they make themselves the ultimate authority. The consequences of deifying the self are the bitter fruit of dishonoring God. We are watching the multi-leveled disaster unfold before our eyes. When the Bible tells humans that the proper respect and honor for the one true and living God is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom God is giving us the key for recovering our collective sanity. When will Christians begin to clearly speak for truth and challenge the phony expertise that is wrecking the world around us? Maybe we can begin the road to recovery by taking seriously some of the absolute moral truths that God has so graciously given to us.
Blessings,
Pastor
Coram Deo
page=1&profile_user_id=170689&year=&month=
Load More
