Prayer for our nation.

Oh God, forgive us.

We confess that we have sinned. You have shown us what to do and we have rejected and neglected Your commandments. As Your Word said, “he who knows to do good and does not do it, sins.” [James 4:17]

Oh God, forgive us.

We have embraced a desire for greatness contrary to Your nature and character.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have lauded and bowed down to riches and power that mocks Your character and ways.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have bowed to fear and forgotten that You alone are King of kings and Lord of lords.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have forgotten that the reason You have blessed us was to be the channel of those blessings to others in need.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have placed our trust in hoarding and placing our value in our accumulations and positions.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have embraced a “religion” of convenience and entertainment and neglected Your mandate to make disciples that reflect Your nature and character, not by our power, but by the power of Your Holy Spirit.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have embraced hate and forsaken love and compassion.

Oh God, forgive us.

We have praised lies and rejected truth.

Oh God, forgive us.

And now, Holy Father, we are seeing the fruit of our sinful choices. Father, we cry out to You and plead for forgiveness.

We pray with Habakkuk: “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.

Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” [3:2]

Some thoughts on “Christian Nationalism”

One of the tenets of “Christian Nationalism” is to put Christians in all positions of government, etc., creating a Christian Utopia. This idea appeals to many sincere believers, especially when all around us seems like chaos. The following are some thoughts that I wanted to share about the subject.

1. The idea of God coming down and creating a new society is biblical; however, according to Scripture, this will only occur when Christ returns.

2. For years before Jesus’ birth, the Jewish idea of a Messiah would be one who would sweep in and conquer the brutal Roman rule and set this son of David to rule. This was one of the reasons they did not recognize Jesus as Messiah: they had misunderstood God’s Kingdom and timing in establishing it, as well as the purpose of Messiah in God’s plan of redemption. 

3. Over and over again, Jesus underscored His purpose: Coming as a servant, to seek and save those that were lost. The Jews wanted the “quick fix” that would re-establish self rule and Jesus’ words did not seem to fit into their pre-conceived plan.   Jesus clarified before Pilate that “my kingdom is not of this world.” This is not taking the comment out of its context, because the Romans feared an uprising and brutally crushed any threat. The Kingdom of God is spiritual. Pilate did not perceive any threat from Jesus.

4. God’s plan was to “go and make disciples of every nation” from the beginning. Change would come from the inside out, not from the top down. As yeast permeates the dough little by little, individuals transformed by the Gospel would lead others to Christ through believing in Him as Savior and Lord, confession, repentance, and disciplining others in Christ’s teaching and permeate the society.  Scripture never teaches to take over leadership and make laws that force Christian beliefs on the culture. Discipleship cannot be legislated.  

5. God brings His kingdom in, we do not. We share the good news of the kingdom. His kingdom is not defined by Christians in control of everything, but when Christ returns and brings it in.

6. God can and has worked through leadership that does not know Him. Cyrus was moved by God: “the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia” [2 Chronicles 36:22], Nebuchadnezzar [Jeremiah 25:9], Pharaoh was moved to see how God worked through Joseph, and even Paul commanded to pray for those in power; remember those in power were Roman pagans and emperors who considered themselves gods.  Early Christians obeyed the laws unless they violated God’s commands and willingly submitted to the punishment. To deny that God doesn’t use or cannot use leadership that does not know Him is to deny the absolute sovereignty of God. 

7. Some groups today claim that they have a “further word from God.” Truly, God does continue to speak, however, any “further word” must be consistent with the full message from Scripture. God does not contradict Himself. The temptation of Satan to Adam and Eve was to [1] question what God said and [2] have the power to determine what is right and good. When groups say that they have a “further word from God” but contradict the teaching of Scripture, they are claiming the right to say what is right over the Word of God. God does still speak, but it is primarily from His Word and illumination from it. Any dream, prophecy, or vision from God must be consistent with the overall teaching of God’s Word. Any further word that is not consistent is not from God and is a deception from Satan.

9. Remember Satan’s temptation of Jesus was seeking shortcuts in accomplishing God’s plan, the twisting of Scripture, not a denial of it, and seeking control outside of God’s design and plan. All that is taught must be subject to the test of consistency of the truth of God’s Word, not on miracles, dreams, or any other authority outside scripture. 

10. Discipleship has been God’s plan from the beginning, not a political takeover. Yes, Christians should be involved, but not for the purpose of control, but to share the Good News, and to be the example of the difference godly character makes.  Culture changes when the nature of the people in that culture changes from within, not from external law. Constantine attempted mandating the worship of only Christ, but like other instances, it ended in thousands coming into the church with no discipleship, or knowledge, and was destined to fail. God’s plan was discipleship, not declarations.

11. Christian Nationalism implies that God is only in control when Christians are in “power.” But leadership is not “Christian” unless it reflects Christ’s nature and character. Satan would have us believe that “the end justifies the means,” that half-truths, and accepting a leader that does not reflect Christ does not matter as long as he/she will go along with the goal. 

12. Just because someone is a Christian does not make them qualified to adequately accomplish a task, except the sharing of what God has done in their life through Christ. [I am Christian, but don’t ask me to work on your car; I am not qualified. In the same way, those that we elect must be qualified in the areas for which they will work or we will set them up for failure and tarnish the name and reputation of Christ.]

13. God has never relinquished His power and authority. Regardless of who carries the earthly title, God always has the last word. Sometimes God leaves someone in power who does not follow Him: Remember David was anointed king to replace Saul, however, he did not try to “make it happen,” but rather waited for God’s timing. David waited years, hiding in the wilderness and other places, and would not touch “the Lord’s anointed.” David waited saying that Saul would either die in battle or God would take him. David knew that Saul was out of the will of God, but it was more important to trust God to act than take the situation into his own hands to make the change, even though God had promised him the kingdom.  Another example is found in the life of Abraham. When the promise of God seemed delayed in giving him and Sarah a child [over 14 years], Abraham agreed with Sarah that they needed to take things into their own hands and she gave Hagar to him so that he could have a child. Not waiting on God produced hate and strife in every generation afterward. We must not fall into the temptation to “make it happen” but wait on God, trusting in Him to act in His timing.

14. Satan is the author of all lies..” Satan is the author of deceit. We only deceive ourselves to think otherwise.

15. Sometimes decisions are made based on fear, especially fear of suffering. Yet Jesus said, “In this world, you will have tribulation.” [John 16:33] Paul, in Philippians 3:10 states: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” 

The less we know of Scripture the more that we are susceptible to believing the deceptions. The ends do not justify the means. Christian leadership is only Christian if it reflects the very nature and character of Christ as He taught in Scripture. We must be wary of any leadership that claims to be Christian, but whose evidence of personal character is lacking.

Worship Leadership: as Work of an Artistic Master Craftsman

 Our pastor, Dr. Steven Weems, has been going through Exodus these past weeks and gave special emphasis in 31:1-4 that God had equipped Bezalel as an “artistic master craftsman.”  The following thoughts find their genesis in that Bible study.   

Exodus 31: 1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.

Context: In Exodus 25 and following, God gives Moses details of how the Israelites worshipped. God has already equipped those He desires to lead out in this project. God is never haphazard in how He works. {Notice that though Moses does communicate the instructions, he does not do the work himself but relies on those to whom God has equipped.}                                        

See, I have chosen God had selected who He wanted: Bezalel, who was not even of the tribe of Levi, but of Judah.

I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills Whom God calls, He also equips, first he was filled with God’s Spirit. Notice that God’s infilling was for a specific purpose: to make artistic designs. To accomplish this task, God’s Spirit gave him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills.  Knowledge alone was not enough; skill alone was not enough; he needed discernment that could only come from the wisdom and understanding that only the Spirit of God could give.

to make artistic designs {The NASB uses “devise devices” as in the work of a master craftsman.}

The images on top of the ark of the covenant and the others woven into the curtains were not images for worship, but reflections of God’s holiness and majesty. The command to have “no graven image” was related to worshiping something other than the one true God, not the elimination of art not used as objects of worship.

Why did God insist on using a Master Craftsman, that would be filled with His Spirit in the making of the objects used in the tabernacle for worship? Just as the heavens and earth reflect the majesty and glory of God which He created, so anything that was to be used in worship was to reflect God’s nature and character. God chose a human master craftsman to reflect the beauty inherent in all that He does, even though in its actual use, very few would see the Ark since it would be behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies. It was not just to “show off.”  All related to the worship needed to reflect God’s holiness, His purity; so that even the sacrifices themselves had to be “without spot or blemish.”

Applications for Present Worship Practice.

The passages are “descriptive” and not directly “prescriptive;” that is, they describe how God was establishing worship practice from a new model distinct from what they had seen in Egypt. They are not providing building plans for current worship centers; we are no longer limited to a single place but are commanded to worship in Spirit and Truth as found in John 4. Though not “prescriptive,” there are some principles and truths that can be helpful today.

1. God’s nature has not changed. He is holy, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, full of mercy, grace, and love. We need to approach God with the awe of Who He is and in gratitude for what He has done; never casually, or flippantly.

2. All we offer to God in worship needs to be the best we can offer.  The “best” for some will be different than others but is acceptable in a similar way that a pint jar “full” of water and a gallon jug “full” of water are both “full.”

3. Worship leadership must be committed to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

4. Those involved in the leadership should aim toward developing their skills as a master craftsman. I am fully aware of the dangers and pitfalls of developing and performing as “art for art’s sake.” I am not promoting ridding our ministry teams of volunteers whose desire to serve is much greater than skilled artistry. Nor am I encouraging hiring only “professionals” who may be impeccable musicians, but lack spiritual depth. Worship is not performance. The success of the performance is based on audience response; in worship, there is only an audience of One– all participants yield all their efforts in the recognition of Who God is, What He has done, and responding in complete obedience to His commands.  Worship leadership is the facilitation of congregational response.

5. The temptation to “stop improving” is great, especially when we get to a point where we can function reasonably well, we allow the rigors of responsibility to take priority over skill development.  Great pianists remain that way because they never get to the point where they believe they don’t have to practice. The worship leaders that continue to develop the various aspects of their craft, while deepening their relationship and knowledge of God, maintain effectiveness throughout advancing years. Those who do not can become easily bored, discouraged, and seek other opportunities.

6. Whom God calls; He also equips. However, the equipping is a process that requires discipline on our part.

7. We must always remember that all that is done must be done for God’s glory and not that of those involved.

Haunting Thoughts: Psalm 106

Psalm 106 begins like so many of the others, a call for thanks and praise for who God is and what He as done [1-3]. In verses 4-5 the psalmist recites a personal plea for God to remember him with favor, which led him into a prayer of corporate confession of sin: not just for the sins of the past generation, but of those living now.

“6 We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, We have done wickedly. 7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.”

He then remembers how God in His mercy and grace saved them from the attacking army and delivered them:

“8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, That He might make His mighty power known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness. 10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.”

When the threat was gone, they praised the Lord. But their focus was more on getting relief from their suffering than on praising God’s power and grace.

“11 The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. 12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.”

Because their focus was on relief from suffering and hardship more than God and His goodness and grace, when the suffering stopped, they soon forgot all that God had done, and their focus returned to their pleasure and comfort. When they desired the meat and could only remember the “good times” of the past, they complained to God. However, God’s response this time was different:

“13 They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. 15 And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.”

God gave them what they desired, but because their focus was not really on Him, He allowed them to attempt to fill their desires with that which could not be satisfied, resulting in a “leanness in their soul.” The word “leanness” here can also mean “wasting disease,” but the basic result is the same: God was allowing them to experience the result of their desire and focus. Their hope and trust were in something that could not bring the results they so desired.  

This passage sends cold chills down my spine, for how many times in times of difficulty do I focus on my desire not to have to suffer and cry out to God? How many times are we, as God’s people, more concerned with personal comfort than allowing God to reshape our nature and character after His? Regardless of the difficulty, nothing would be worth God giving us over to our “desire” but allowing the “leanness of our souls.”

Knowing that God’s desire for us to develop holiness is greater than just personal comfort is a daunting thought. Notice in the psalm that it was preceded by a time of thanks and praise– but they soon forgot. Regardless of how great our songs of praise and worship are, if we do not keep focusing on God and what He desires, then we too will “soon forget.” We will fall back into complaining and longing for “the better times.” I believe that it is even possible that God may send temporary relief that would only reveal that our true focus was not on Him, but on ourselves and we would be left with the leanness of our desires and not Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

What is the remedy? What can we do? [1] Recognize as the psalmist did that some of their problems were of their own making, – they had sinned. [2] Confess sin, that is, see these thoughts, motives, and actions as God does: that which is contrary to His divine plan and will for our lives. [3] Repent: With the power of the Holy Spirit, turn our complaining into focusing on who God is and what He has done. [4] Remember: God desires that we reflect His nature and character so that the witness of His Spirit in us is not diminished or hindered and we bring Him glory.

What do we do with our desires and dreams that are good? In talking with my wife, Kathy, a godly woman with great insight, she stated it this way: Rather than try to force our way to realize our desires or do whatever it takes, we need to surrender these into God's hands and if He chooses to give it to us it will be at the right time and for His glory. If He chooses not to, we can know it was for our good and His glory. 

God's blessings.

Quick thoughts on growing older…

 Quick thoughts…

I was lamenting how age is affecting my body, and so many other aspects of the “me” I have understood for so many years, and in His kindness and mercy, God reminded me of the Zinias in our backyard. They were so beautiful for so long, and now they are barren, almost dead. Yet their purpose is not over, for out of their wilted blooms are  seeds we will use to plant again. We, too, are here only for limited time, to bloom and reflect God’s glory and purpose, but it does not end there, for we must be making seeds to pass on after we are gone.