Shining Our Light Out Where It Can Be Seen

THE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS OUGHT NOT ONLY BE ON OUR TREE OR HOUSE:

I just read about what looks like an interesting book, The Evangelicals You Don't Know, Introducing the Next Generation of Christians, by Tom Krattenmaker.*  Tony Kritz, a friend of Krattenmaker, writes about his friend in CT Pastors (I'm not sure if the link will work for nonsubscribers, but hereit is).  He describes Krattenmaker as one who does "not identify as a Christian, he most closely aligns with Unitarians and is unapologetically secular and progressive." While Krattenmaker has not been "converted," the way he looks at conservative Christians has changed. There was a time that, when Tom looked into the conservative Christian world, he saw mostly darkness. However, just as when one stares into the darkness of the night sky, the longer you look, the more you can't help but see the stars. Yes, Tom now sees the twinkling stars in the once dark world of evangelicalism. He's seen the side of us that many spiritual foreigners haven't—the signs of Christian life and light that shine God's life to the world. That's what piqued my interest about the book.  Kritz's comment comes from Philippians 2:15.  The NIV says that Christian people are (should be) like stars shining in the sky.  I was the lead pastor of a small church for forty years.  I continue to be active in several ministries.  I have often heard, and done my share of, bragging about how bright "our" star is shining.  On only a few occasions have I heard  someone who is on the outside comment about the light we are shedding.  Of course we have an explanation for that.  "The world is opposed to what we are doing, they are blind, and unwilling to acknowlege the benifits we bestow on our surroundings."  No doubt true, at least partly, but is that all? Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  Both He and the Apostle Paul seem to indicate that the nature of a Christian life well-lived will be such that others, outside of our group, will notice and be the better for what they see. Could the problem be that far too often we are guilty doing exactly what every Sunday School child know we aren't supposed to do--hiding out light under a basket?  Jesus points to the foolishness of such activity.  Matthew 5:16 indicates that good works ought to be done out in the open, so people can see them.  This isn't talking about better publicity.  It is speaking of a different kind of good deeds.  We ought to be doing good deeds in line with what we call the Golden Rule.  Our thought should not be what makes me look good, but what will truly help my neighbor.  Indeed Jesus says in Matthew 5:16, that good deeds, properly done (see Matthew 6) will result in glory to God, not self. Quickly, here are two examples from my observation: A friend of mine lives in a place where he is able to be the chaplain to ahigh school football team.  Not everyone on the team share's my colleague's faith.  He is not reluctant, nor apologetic, about his Christian faith.  More effective, though, than the devotionals he offers is the friendship that he provides to the team and coaches.  He commends positive action.  He encourages virtues that are shared by folk who don't share our faith, things like hard-work, courage, discipline, respect, and teamwork.  Not a boy on that team can say "Nobody cares," because my friend cares about each of them.  Not everyone on that team is, or will become, a Christian, but every member of that team knows that not all preachers are guys who don't care, and say things we can't understand.  They know my friend cares, and because they know that, they are more likely to care about what he knows, and says. My church is once again presenting a Live Nativity to our community.  We do it without cost to those who attend.  No arms are twisted.  The event is put on by cops, factorty workers, retirees, nurses, teachers, business-people, homemakers, foresters, computer techs, kids, and teens.  I'm proud of the people who do it, because instead of just railing about the excesses of the Christmas season, they have asked, "How can we shine a light, not in our building, but down in a public place, so others can see?" Shine on!  This Friday on a high school gridiron, the week after in a park, near many of you, and many other places TBA.  It's STTA.

Aging, again--Old folk tend to repeat themselves:

Something To Think About Aging, again--Old folk tend to repeat themselves:

I can give hearty affirmation to King David's observation,    “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25, NASB95)    I have been well provided for, all of my life.  The warm memory of a great meal from last night still lingers.  I was refreshed by good night's sleep in a warm, comfortable bed, sheltered by a house that meets my needs.  For most of my days, my situation has never been very far from hand to mouth.  But that has been OK.  By God's grace I was gainfully employed, and through that means the needs of my family and myself, were met.  I am now moving into a realm where there is more room between payday and due-day.  My late uncle put it this way.  He told me a few years ago, "I don't work anymore; I just draw."  Here in the West, many of us who worked through our adult years, are able to draw a Social Security check, and maybe on a pension fund.  Even for those of us who need to supplement that income, the "have to" element is not nearly as great as back when the "baby needs new shoes, and transmission just went out on the Ford."  More and more I find myself thinking, in answer to the question, "What do you have to do today?" "Nothing.  I don't have to do anything."  But, I need to keep in mind there is a great deal I need to get done. I've learned a lot from watching my wife, over the years.  Kathy has been self-employed for most of our time together.  She is a very capable piano teacher.  For a time she also taught music to preschoolers.  Her business, however, has never been more than a part-time job.  Because of her Proverbs 31 management of our household, we have been able to live well, mostly on my income.  Kathy chose to be good for nothing.  She has led the music ministry in our church for decades, and has invested herself deeply in the lives of women and girls, through ministries like Coffee Break.  I'm trying to learn from her, and from the work the Holy Spirit is doing in my heart, that . . . though there may be nothing I have to do today, there is a great deal I need to get done. This is a challenge that John Piper has eloquently made in his book,Don't Waste Your Life.  Look at page 46--the link accesses a pdf of the whole book--for a tragic story of some folk who concluded that because they didn't have to do anything that they had nothing to do. Seniors, let's finish well. Lord, I'm thankful to be at a place where more and more there is nothing I have to do.  Help me see that there is much that I need to get done.  It's Something to Think About.   Young or old we all need the Lord. Find out more here.

Ending . . . therefore:

My age and the point I find myself in my career encourages thoughts about ending.  A couple of things that have come my way in the past few days have been a catalyst to these thoughts.  Together with several guys I've been interacting with Eric Metaxas's book 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness.   The last of the seven guys is the only one I ever actually met, Chuck Colson.  Not long after the former Nixon Aid got out of jail he came to Covington VA to promote his new ministry, Prison Fellowship.  Metaxas began the chapter about his friend, Chuck Colson, by talking about his funeral.  I'm considerably younger than Colson's eighty years.  Still, it got me thinking.
My co-pastor and I are working on a passage in 1 Peter 4 for this Sunday's message.  Ramping up to verses 10-11, I read this:  

"The end of all things is near; therefore. . . ."

Therefore what?
That's the question isn't it?
I doubt that my funeral will be attended by the famous and powerful, as was Colson's, but my life is being observed by the God of the Universe.  When that end has come what will have been accomplished in my life?
God reminds me that the end is near.  I need to fill in the "therefore."  God gives opportunities and resources.  What am I doing with them?

I encourage you to look at 1 Peter 4.  If you are able I invite to join us Sunday as we consider the passage.  Let's keep the "therefore" in mind.

It's Something to Think About.

TEENWEEK

For most of my 64 years I have been involved in TEENWEEK.  TEENWEEK is a several days long activity for--as the name would imply--teens.  They do all kinds of fun things like, play games, hang out with friends, slide on water-slides, get into a mud-pit, etc. etc.  Here are a couple of videos that shows some of what is going on at this week's TEENWEEK:  here and here. TEENWEEK is the largest assembly of young people between school terms here in our little Mountain community. I feel a bit like a parent watching a grown-up child succeed.  I didn't really startTEENWEEK.  What I did was shamelessly copy TEENWEEKs that others held in other places.  My brother-in-law, a youth pastor, ran a very effective program.  My boys profited greatly from attending it.  They would come home and tell me about stuff Uncle Van was doing, and I'd incorporate it into our program.  I am very pleased that this hyped-up Vacation Bible School for teens is still an effective ministry. Several years ago I got out of the TEENWEEK business.  A group of energetic adults from the sponsoring churches took over and have taken the program beyond what it ever could have been with me running it. One really, really, exiting feature of this week's TEENWEEK actually began last week.  A young man, a TEENWEEK graduate, and his wife decided it would be a great idea to get a group of high-schoolers together for Bible study and prayer in anticipation of this week's big event.  I was privileged to meet with them one evening. Wow! One of the things they decided to do is to meet early every evening, at the venue where that night's TEENWEEK activities will take place, and pray.  These are like my TEENWEEK great grandkids.  The young man I mentioned, his dad came to know the Lord as a result of TEENWEEK.  You know how we grandparents are when it comes to bragging about their grandkids and great-grandchildren.  Let me simply say, "Lead on, kids."  Here are some young people who have come to realize the truth articulated to, and through, the Old Testament prophet:  "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts."  (Zechariah 4:6) Kewl! It's STTA:

Something To Think About Loving our neighbor, 7/7

My buddies and I resumed our Monday morning listen to the audio version of Eric Metaxas's book, 7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness.  Jackie Robinson is the first of the seven whose life overlaps with mine.  He was the grandson of a slave, and grew up in an era of deep racial division.  In 1945 Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, invited Robinson to the the first Black player in Major League Baseball.  Jackie Robinson not only excelled athletically, but faced the insults and taunts that were heaped on him with a divinely provided self-control.  The player and manager opened the door, and in just a short time the unfair barrier that prevented Black athletes from playing at the highest level had been eliminated. My observation, and the conversation this morning, indicate that we still don't have it right. Less than twenty years after Jackie Robinson got the break he deserved, Dr. Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."  We have made progress, but we have not yet arrived. The Old Testament prophets often thundered against the injustices of their world.  Their words still carry great force when laid down next to the inequities of the 21st Century.  Amos said, “. . . let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.  (Amos 5:24) Like so many today who claim to follow God, the people of Israel were busy about external acts of worship.  Commentator Donald R. Sunukjian, helps us get a handle on the prophet's words: Instead of ritual and performance, God wanted a relentless commitment to justice and righteousness. . . . He wanted a passionate concern for the rights of the poor, a concern that would roll on like an ever-flowing river … like a never-failing stream that did not run dry. God wanted a day-to-day life of surging integrity and goodness. (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Few of us are in a position, like Branch Rickey, that affords us an opportunity to, in one fell swoop, reverse decades of injustice.  Each of us, though, can make a difference. Are we? It's STTA: Find out more about CBC at our website, or in a recent newsletter. God's Story in His Own Words. a message composed of nothing but Scripture that presents the flow of Divine Revelation from "In the beginning," to the final "Amen." You can find out about a relationship with Jesus that provides the kind of internal change that makes a difference in our world here.

Something To Think About Alignment, 6/9

Having the wheels properly aligned on anything that rolls--from cars that tend to dive for the ditch, to trailers (like the picture) that wear our tires on one side, to grocery carts that go "whappity, whappity, whappity"-- is incredibly important.   A friend of mine just invested a pretty good chunk of money in getting the front end of his car lined up.  It's money well-spent.  The wheel needs to be going the same direction as the rest of the vehicle.  Any deviation will produce excessive wear, or worse, disaster. Doing wheel alignment on an automobile is a specialty thing.  It takes the right equipment, and the right technician to use it. Yesterday we honored a batch of graduates at CBC.  It's one thing to get graduates to line up.  It's a far more difficult task to get a graduate in line.  Unlike servicing an automobile, there are no computer assisted people-alignment units, and the task is not done by a specialist.  While there are counselors, coaches, and people like me, who seek to give guidance, in the human realm it is an amateur who is wielding the wrench.  Each of us has to make the adjustment on himself.  And especially for people like graduates, who are going on to something new (and isn't really true about all of us?), that means we are getting oriented to something we've never seen before. Sounds impossible!? It would be, except. God in his word has given us the default settings.  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind." "Love your neighbor as yourself." Seek opportunity to do good, and do those good deeds in such a way that God will be honored, rather than self puffed up. Etc.. When you buy a new car, the manufacturer doesn't know whether you will drive it on the long straight roads of Kansas, the pot-hole labyrinth that makes up many cities, or the curvy mountain roads that abound in my region.  The engineers that designed the car have concluded that this particular alignment is best for this particular vehicle.  Our God,who made us, knows far more about what makes us run straight than the best heads in Detroit do about Fords, Chevies, or Chryslers.  When God recalls one of His products, it is not because of any mistake on His part.  Follow His spec.s Run straight! It's STTA.   Find out more about CBC at our website, or in a recent newsletter. God's Story in His Own Words. our Easter message that presents the flow of Divine Revelation from "In the beginning," to the final "Amen." You can find out the extent of God's investment in us here.

Security?

Something To Think About, Security, 5/21

I live a really secure life. At least I think so. I went to bed last night without a worry that I'd be killed during the night.  I'll drive my car today, and, while I will take precautions like wearing my seat-belt, I'll do so without a great deal of angst.  Each month when I get paid I leave my money with a group of people, some of whom are utter strangers. I hope to get back to riding my bike.  Every time a vehicle passes me I trust the driver to not be a sadistic killer--a twitch on the steering wheel could take me out. Either my life is secure, or I am a real fool! Many--perhaps most--people in the world have no such security, either real or imagined.  I remember visiting my son when he lived in Asia.  One of the things that impressed me was the massive doors on the apartments.  Many were steel, and most had more than one massive, impressive locks.  Clearly they were not there to be decorative.  I've been to Latin America several times.  Bars on windows, and walls, topped with razor wire, around people's property is common.  Often big dogs with big teeth growl threateningly on the other side.  What I take for granted is a daily DIY project many places. The fact is I'm not secure.  Neither are my friends who live behind bank-vault doors, and prison-like walls. Neither my complacency nor their vigilance will get the job done.  Check the news. Security can only be provided by someone who is all powerful, all knowing, and who is never absent. Know anyone like that? It's STTA.

Something to Think About for April 29, 2014:

Something To Think About, A Pleasing Aroma, 4/29

Kathy and I were guests in a lovely home last evening.  We were privileged to eat a big mess* of ramps, dug and prepared by a gentleman who grew up in Richwood WV, the "Ramp Capital of the World."  We had ramps and potatoes, ramps with scrambled eggs, brown beans, bacon, ham, biscuits, and just ramps.  All of it was delicious. A few minutes ago my wife said, "We need to keep some breath mints with us all day."  Ramps have staying power.  If you eat a bunch of them in their purest form, raw, the odor will work out through the pores of your skin for several days.  More than twelve hours later I still have the faint onion/garlic taste of the wild leeks in my mouth. The "staying power" of ramps, though, is nothing compared to the lasting impact of our host's testimony.  His life has been what some would call tragic.  Neither his life, nor his home, though, betray any hint that life is hard.  Rather both are full of beauty and joy.  When we arrived last night we could smell the ramps as soon as we got out of the car.  In the same way you can't be around my friend very long before you sense the fruit of the Spirit--"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).  His ongoing interaction with the other guests at last night's Appalachian feast is clear evidence of God's Spirit in him.  These Divine qualities work out through the pores of my friend's life, marking not only him, but giving a pleasing aroma to his surroundings.. Lord, give me a life that will suffuse my surroundings with an unmistakable sign that You are present in my life.  Amen. *"Mess of" is a term I've heard all my adult life, here in Covington.  It is, in a sense, a unit of measure.  "How many beans do you have?"  "Enough for a mess."  When someone goes to get a mess of something, he has a quantity in mind.  It is loosely equivalent to "enough," or "plenty."  If you have a "mess of" something, everybody will get their fill and there will, almost surely, be some leftovers.  God's Story in His Own Words. our Easter message that presents the flow of Divine Revelation from "In the beginning," to the final "Amen."

Who's It About, Anyway?

Lots of what passes for Christian teaching in our day has to do with success.  God will make us better, richer, prettier, skinnier, more influential, etc., etc., on and on.
Underneath all these claims there is a bit of truth--sort of.
When we live by God's principles there is a change that takes place in our lives.  It affects every part of us.  Food is no longer one of our gods so gluttony with its accompanying results no longer tends to plague us.  Wasteful and destructive habits tend to be controlled so, quite often as our waistline shrinks our bank account swells.  Bad habits often produce bad results.  Deal with those destructive patterns and quite likely the outcomes will improve.  People who seek to live by Biblical virtues like goodness, kindness, mercy, truth-telling are probably going to get along better with the people in their lives.  Other thing being equal it will help their marriage, and make them better parents.
Christianity is not, however, primarily about me. 
The ultimate criteria of the success of the universe is not whether or not life has been good for me.  In the final analysis it is about whether or not God is pleased.  Ephesians 1:6 tells us that what God is doing, He is doing so it will result in the "praise of the glory of His grace." 
So let's learn from God's word, let's follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and gain encouragement from fellowship with God's people.  There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying those benefits, in fact our enjoyment of them is part of what brings glory to our Heavenly Father.  Let's make sure, however, that we don't try to pervert the plan of God into something that is all about me.

It isn't.

It's STTA.

  

Find out more about God's plan here.  Write to find out more.  

BALANCE

I hope I'm not imbalanced when I say, "The longer I live and minister the more impressed I am with the virtue of balance.
Take a moment and stand on one foot.  I recommend doing it next to a strong chair or other object where you can catch yourself if need be.  Look straight ahead.  Stand there flamingo-style long enough for a bit of fatigue to set in.  At that point you'll begin to notice how complicated it is to maintain equilibrium.  There are rapid signals, and matching corrections.  Often the corrections will be right, then left, front then back.  Interspersed with those corrections will be the sweet spots--those rare, fleeting moments when you don't feel like you are about to fall.  In short:

Balance is hard.

You can relieve the tension by lying down, or theoretically by pouring concrete around your boots.  Metaphorically, that's where way too many people live.

If physically standing is such hard work, why would we think that maintaining one's standing before the Lord--One Who is infinitely complex--would be simple?  If we think of some of the big Theological arguments we are likely to identify points where balance is important.  Please understand, balance does not equal compromise.  Think back to that physical exercise we did a moment ago.  When my brain tells me that I'm falling to the right, I have to allow that information to have its full impact.  If I don't react properly to that sensation I will fall.  On the other hand, if I over-react I will pitch over to the left.  Balance.

God is sovereign.  --  The decisions we make,
                                                and actions we take really matter.

God gives His people Liberty  --  Yet we must conform to His commands.

God has given human leaders,                                                                
and expects them to lead  --  Leaders too often abuse that power.

My associate Doug Williams is fond of pointing out that there are generally ditches on both sides of the road.  Both need to be avoided.  

Blessed are the balanced.

It's STTA.

Further thoughts on Balance:

The Morning After the Election

Something To Think About

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT On this morning after the election I just finished my breakfast, yet already:   I rejoiced with a friend who will be united with his wife--complicated immigration matter.  The solution has nothing to do with who won the election.  The right bureaucrat finally did the right thing.  I believe it is an answer to prayer.   I participated in an email conversation last night and this morning.  I'm privileged to help get some people who can help together with some people who need help.  Other than the tax on the gas we will burn, no government funds are involved.  It's the church being the church.   That issue above involves children.  I'm glad to say those children are, and will be, cared for.  Family and church family are pulling together to accomplish what an army of bureaucrats can't.   I've already touched base with three or four of God's choice servants this morning.  None of them were elected.  They were equipped by God and appointed by the church.     In spite of the best intentions of both major political parties and all the third, fourth, and fifth party candidates there is still another storm brewing up north.   I've been troubled this morning by the need for God's people to seek reconciliation wherever possible.  I'm fairly sure there is no government program for that.    My knees are still sore and my coffee still tastes good.   I'm not saying nothing has changed, but not everything has changed.  Lots of things, maybe most things, probably the most important things haven't changed.   Whether your side won or lost, I hope you will join me in saying, "My hope is in the Lord." It's STTA. Find lot's of information about how God stepped into our world to meet needs we cannot meet on our own here.

Digging into some words in the WORD:

Something To Think About

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT     Hebrews 10:24 & 25 contains two words that ought to be incredibly important to everyone in the church.  I think the author of Hebrews shows his homiletic (preaching) skill in his choice of words.  Alliteration is a tool to help the listener remember.   Both of the writer's key words begin with "par". The second word, is translated "encourage," "... encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Parakaleo is used all through the New Testament.  I have often thought of the word as sort of the verbal equivalent of an adjustable wrench.  In various contexts it speaks of counsel, or warning, as well as encouragement.  It is perhaps best translated this way, "called along side (that's the "para" part) to help.  It is so common that in at least two cases the noun form of the word became a name.  The Holy Spirit is called the by the noun form of this word,John 14:26.  He is the supreme Helper.  Barnabas so effectively modeled this trait that his friends gave him the name "Son of encouragment."  The first word is only found twice in the New Testament.  In the other place it is found it describes a heated discussion--some would say, argument.      Put the thoughts together in the words from the Book of Hebrews.  "[L]et us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, butencouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)   The "para" part is expanded by the counsel to "not forsake. . . ."  In the words of our era, "to be there for someone." "Lord make me a para-Christian."  Amen. It's STTA.   A good friend of mine, who has been there for me, recently preached an excellent message from this passage.  Thanks, Bill for the message & the friendship.

Satan Hates the Church:

Something To Think About

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT     I've never been very impressed with the popular "Spiritual Warfare" movement.  I tend to plead to the Lord of the universe rather than rebuke the prince of the power of the air.  Having said that I'm greatly impressed with the evidence in the book of Acts that Satan hates the church.  When I say "church" I'm not talking about a building at 2140 S. Carpenter Drive, or even many organizations that go by that name.  I'm talking about those gatherings of God's people, who band together under the heading of "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)    The church I have in mind preaches "Christ, and Him crucified."  (1 Corinthians 2:2)  These are folk who have no back up plan.  If the world-changing, death-defeating, salvation-securing event that left an empty tomb in Jerusalem is somehow false, then "we are of all men most to be pitied."  (1 Corinthians 15:19)  They hold to a two millennia old story with a confidence that some outsiders find arrogant, others call foolish, but in the heart of hearts of the naysayers there is desperate craving for that security. Billy Graham and Larry King January 1988 Make sure you listen to Larry's final comment. . Why would the prince of darkness be concerned about a nickel and dime real estate deal?  Yet, Acts 5:3 clearly says "Satan filled" the hearts of this admiration-craving couple to lie about their finances.  Ananias and Sapphira likely weren't even pawns on the devils chess board.  They were dust that got brushed away when one moves a pawn.  What was important to Satan was this church exploding in Jerusalem--reaching into every area of society--soon to metastisize (from his perspective) and spread to Samaria, Antioch and the world.  These social climbers were nothing more than a scratch in the church's skin.  Satan figured it was a place where his virus of pride could infect the church, and cripple her with the moral compromise of falsehood.   Meanwhile, Saul of Tarsus, an up-and-coming, hard-charging young rabbi, began "ravaging the church."  (Acts 8:1-4 & 9:1)  After Saul became one of us--The Apostle Paul--he identified the source of that maniacal rage.  He told the Thessalonians to pray that he would be "rescued from perverse and evil men"--the very kind of man he used to be--and then he assures them that the "Lord [will] . . . protect you from the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3) He educates the church at Ephesus,  "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against "spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  (Ephesians 6:12)  Paul had always been a warrior in that battle.  He switched sides on his trip to Damascus. There is at least one other place in the early chapter of Acts where we can see the devil's fingerprints.  One of his names means slanderer; he is the accuser of the brethren.  (Revelation 12:10)   The squabble that introduces Acts 6is from a well-worn page of his playbook.  Feeding the needy is important, but it is not the supremely important, and besides arguing wouldn't provide any bread.  A church devoted merely to doing good, rather than dedicated to the supreme good is no good to God and no threat to Satan. Satan hated those Jesus-followers in the early chapters of Acts.  He still hates those who follow in that way.  His fiery darts  are dipped in the poison of "dis"--distraction, discouragement, and disgrace.  When churches fail, outwardly and obviously, but even more when the failure is under the radar, leaving a church-like shell that does him no harm and God no good, the church is disqualified for the task to which he pumps his fist and says "Yes!"    Lord, keep me on the right side.  Help me to lead the Covington Bible Church to be a church that Satan hates.  Keep me (us) fighting!   Amen  It's STTA.

Displaying the Ten Commandments, #2:

Not far from where I sit, a  case is being decided related to displaying the Ten Commandments in public space.  It is not the first such lawsuit, and likely won't be the last.
I am not so much in favor of the display of the Decalogue as I am opposed to the mentality that has forced the removal of similar displays.  We are on an ice-coated incline.  What I am heartily, and completely in favor of, is the display of the morality and ethic that is presented in the law received from the hand of God on Sinai in the lives of God's people today.
Take the second of those ten terse statements:

 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:4)
It is a standard that the People of God in the Old-Testament habitually violated.  In fact before Moses had even returned from the mountain they had made a golden calf to represent God.
One of the clear points God makes about Himself is that He is beyond all such constructs, be they wood, gold or stone, whether they are produced in the Sinai desert, Hollywood, Detroit, or Wall Street.  (Deuteronomy 4:12, 1 Timothy 6:16)  

When Moses came down from having met with God, there was no doubt what was going on, Aaron's lame excuses not withstanding.  I fear that even a quick, casual observation of the average Twenty-first Century Christian would demonstrate a modern version of idolatry every bit as obnoxious as the reveling of the people before the calf that, according to Aaron, just came out of the fire.  

I need to ask myself, "Does my life show that I worship and obey the God, Who is other than all that is around me, or do I look way too much like everyone else--devoted to a god of human manufacture?"

Stay tuned.

It's STTA.