Temporary shut-down

With the reopening of our Tuesday Celebrate Recovery and Sunday worship, this site is not currently being updated weekly. Feel free to check out the archived postings or visit Pastor Mark's other blogs...

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Memorial Day

We finished some work around the house one evening this week so my son and I got into our topless and doorless Jeep for a short ride. We ended up at a nearby cemetery, heading into a back entrance when I noticed an American flag on top of a small hill. Once at the hill, we stopped the vehicle and got out. The mound was perfectly cone-shaped, topped with the flag and covered with grave markers, each with their own small American flag. Fascinated, we began walking and looking at the markers. They were all veterans and some of the markers said, “killed in action.” Most were from WW2, but there were also those who fought in the Gulf, Vietnam, Korea, WW1 and even the Civil War. What started out as a fun ride suddenly turned rather solemn. I paid a little extra attention to the ones who died in battle, most of them were between nineteen and twenty-five years old. I looked over at my son, who is now twenty. I can’t imagine.

Continuing around the mound, Nathaniel came across a more recent marker with a wooden sign addressed to “My Daddy.” Given the years stamped onto the grave marker, the boy must have been five or less when his daddy was taken Home. Building upon all the others, this one finally brought tears to my eyes. Nathaniel and I wondered about the stories these men could have told as we made our way back to the Jeep. How fitting to unexpectedly end up here as we head into Memorial Day weekend. I knew right then that I needed to make mention of this experience in my next blog.

If you know me or read my blog posts regularly, you know that I am a veteran of the US Navy’s Submarine Service. I don’t consider myself any kind of hero. I never experienced the horrors of war and no one ever shot at me. I know many people who did experience those things; they are the real heroes. I love to talk to other vets, anytime I see someone with a veteran’s cap I always thank them for their service and if possible, I ask them when and where they served. Over the years I have heard some amazing stories as a result of these encounters.

The men who are buried on that cemetery mound devoted themselves to defending our nation, our freedoms, and our national commitments. Some of them gave their lives in the process, and all of them were willing to do so.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we who are citizens of the United States also belong to another nation, a holy one, and our leader is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter tells us, “you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). A good number of us have served in the US military, or perhaps your spouse, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister has served. You know something about the sacrifice involved with military service.  The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard require commitment and dedication, discipline and endurance.

The Holy Spirit used those kinds of characteristics to describe a follower of Christ in 2 Timothy 2:3, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” As followers of Christ we are in battle, a spiritual battle as Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The question is, are we as committed and disciplined in our spiritual warfare as those who serve in the military are to defending the United States? Do we take this seriously or are we just meandering along in some lukewarm, committed-when-it’s-convenient state?

Before Nathaniel and I climbed back into the Jeep that evening, I turned and faced the small hill covered with the grave markers of my fallen comrades. In the quiet of the moment I stood at attention and gave a long salute. “Thank you,” to everyone who has served or is serving in our nation’s military. When you see a Vet this weekend, or anytime, tell them you appreciate their service while you have a chance to do so. Meanwhile, learn from them; learn from history. Defeating the enemy and defending your brothers and sisters in Christ is not something you can do half-heartedly or when you have nothing better to do. Churches will be reopening soon, but even if they don’t, there is still much we can do to reach the lost with the gracious Gospel of Christ. Don’t be lukewarm, be a good soldier of Christ.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Reopening

In last week’s post the phrase, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7) was the topic of discussion. This week we’ll consider the “pause.” There are many times in Scripture when everything seemed to be paused. There was the time in Genesis 7-8 when Noah and crew where shut into the Ark; that pause lasted a year even though the rain lasted only forty days (see Genesis 7:11 and 8:13). Another example is the nation of Israel wandering the desert for forty years (see Deuteronomy 8:2). Also, Elijah was given a short respite in a cave after the incident with the four hundred prophets of Baal (see 1 Kings 19). There are many other examples as well. These pauses come between rather memorable events. Let me mention one more that occurs in the New Testament. It took place one particular year in that time between the Feast of Firstfruits and Shavuot; you might know these as Resurrection Sunday and Pentecost. During the fifty days between Jesus’ glorious Resurrection and the Spirit being poured out on all believers, the followers of Christ were in the “pause.”

Now don’t confuse what I am calling the “pause” with some divine time-out; it is not God our Father putting us in the corner as some superficial correction. No, the pause is generally more of a divinely given time of reflection. There are variables and this is not some new revelation given to me as a pattern of how things always go. The last seven weeks, however, got me thinking about it. At times over the past weeks it felt like I’d been put on shelf, at times like I’ve been exactly where God wanted me, and times when I was somewhere in the middle. It caused me to do some soul searching and I came to this idea of the pause.

Getting back to Jesus’ followers in the period between His Resurrection and the Spirit’s coming, we know that Jesus was with them several times during the first forty days (see Acts 1:3). Then Jesus ascended and His followers remained in Jerusalem on a pause until the events of the Day of Pentecost burst upon them. Now those are two significant events; I would boldly say the two most significant events in human history: God the Son dying on the Cross to pay our sin debt and then rising again followed fifty days later by the pouring out of God the Holy Spirit on all who believe. So what were the disciples doing for that fifty days in between, and particularly the ten days after Jesus ascended? The Bible tells us a little bit about it, but not much. You can read John 20-21 and Acts 1-2 if you’d like to know those few details. We know from John 21:3 that Peter didn’t really know what to do so he went fishing and the others went with him. We know that with Jesus ascended, they remained together in “prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14). Beyond that, we don’t know what they did day to day for that period.

Let’s consider then what God may have been doing in them, based upon some things that I believe He is doing now with those who believe; things that seem to be evident from pauses in the situations of other believers in Scripture, particularly Israel in the wilderness. First, there is cleansing or purifying that can occur. The Israelites in Exodus-Deuteronomy were in a pause between leaving Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, and gathering before God at Mt Sinai with the other end being entry into the Promised Land under Joshua. During that time, God was changing how they thought and lived. Having spent their lives as slaves in a very pagan and polytheistic environment, they needed their entire understanding of how to live as God’s people corrected. They struggled greatly with this, not trusting Him enough to enter the Promised Land, with lust, with pride, with idolatry and all kinds of sin. The forty years in the desert served several purposes and one of them was to purify their way of thinking and living.

Second, the pause in the wilderness was a time when the nation of Israel learned to trust God. As already mentioned, they didn’t trust Him to take them into the Promised Land the first time (see Numbers 14). Besides that blatant episode of distrust in God, their lack of trust was evident in the way they argued with Moses multiple times about returning to Egypt where they “had it so good” with the slavery and paganism and all. At the Red Sea they argued, “Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14:12).

Third, the pause in the wilderness was a time when the nation of Israel needed to learn to be content with what God was doing. They complained often against God and His servant Moses. They complained about all kinds of things and seemed content with nothing. Discontentment with what God is doing always leads to trouble. You and I do not know better than God does and when we ignore, argue, or fight against what He is doing it is sin and sin leads to heartbreak and/or hard-heartedness.

There are certainly more lessons to learn from this and similar accounts but these are some of big lessons considering the Spirit’s teaching through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 in reference to Israel’s time between Egypt and the Promised Land, “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

I believe some of these lessons were being learned by the disciples of Christ also; remember that in that time of pause between the Resurrection and Pentecost, there were about 120 believers gathered together, not just the Eleven (Acts 1:15). Their way of thinking was being corrected and purified with a new understanding of the revelation of Christ on this side of the Cross, they needed to learn to trust God in increasing ways, and they needed to learn to be content with what God was doing. Things were radically different with Jesus ascended instead of with them all the time and things were about to become even more radically different when the Holy Spirit indwelt them. During that forty, and particularly the last ten days before Pentecost, they were in a pause. It must have felt like they were in limbo, on a shelf, at times. There must have been times when they knew they were exactly where God wanted them. There must have been many times somewhere between those two.

I feel like I am in a pause, like all of us are. Yes, I know the stay-at-home orders and the on-going restrictions, and the return to normal (whatever that is going to be) is due to covid19. Let me assure you, that God is still sovereign over all things, still on the Throne, and still moving in the hearts, minds and lives of His people. So, as we head toward reopening, however and whenever that will be, are you learning what God is trying to teach you right now? He is trying to teach you something.

Maybe your lesson right now is to yield to Him in new ways in order to purify some things about your habits or desires. Maybe your lesson is about trusting Him completely. Maybe your lesson is about being content. Maybe it is something else or a combination of things. We are in a pause with a very affluent time behind us when, let’s face it, many in the Church took much for granted and perhaps had become like some of the churches in Revelation 2-3, having lost our first love, compromising with sin or being lukewarm, and a time when something else is going to happen. I don’t know what comes next, but we need to be ready for almost anything. It could be Jesus’ Return, persecution, more prosperity with all of its temptations; I don’t know. The only way to be ready for reopening and whatever that brings is to take advantage of this pause and trust that God is doing something in us, preparing us. Don’t ignore or fight against Him, yield and draw near by reading Scripture, praying, keeping in contact with other believers and worshipping God alone.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Do Not Fear

For some, the stay-at-home orders have been eased; for others, like those of us in Beaver County it remains in full effect. We are however, moving toward reopening and in this post I want to talk about moving forward in a way that is Christ-minded.

Let me say first of all that as believers in Jesus Christ, God has lavished upon us many blessings such as forgiveness, redemption, unity and communion with Him. That unity and communion are granted to such an extent that, according to the Father’s plan, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, embolden and give us wisdom. Jesus told His disciples that it was better for them that He return to the Father so that the Spirit would come to them (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit indwells all who believe in Christ as Saviour and over time conforms us to Jesus’ image. Romans 8:29 says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” It is the Spirit’s work in us that sanctifies us, changing us to be the people He predestined us to be, doing the things He prepared before that we should do. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

So then, as recipients of His grace and not of our own power, will, or goodness, God lavishes His blessing upon those who believe in His Son Jesus. For Jesus died in our place and rose again that we may have life in Him. We have absolutely no reason to fear, not even covid 19 or the related fallout. As Romans 8:31-32 point out, based upon what God has already done, how can we expect any less than His continued provision; those verses say, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” These statements from Romans 8 do not ensure us that life will be luxurious or even comfortable with regard to possessions. Rather, they speak of spiritual things. God tells us elsewhere that He will provide for our basic needs; for instance, Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Romans 8, however, is talking about having no fear because God will provide every spiritual need and when we do pass from this life, and we all will eventually unless Jesus returns first, we will enter into our inheritance, reserved in Heaven for those who believe (see 1 Peter 1:3-5). For a believer in Jesus Christ, there is no reason to fear, not even physical death, because, “we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

That brings me to 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As we move toward reopening, there will be plenty of opportunities to fear because there are many who tell you to fear. God however, tells us to say with boldness, “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:6). God has given us power, love and a sound mind. So stop believing everything you hear because much of what you hear from various “experts” contradicts what other “experts” are saying. The world right now is full of confusion and contradiction, and there is plenty of that right here in the County as well. I am not saying that when God says not to fear, that we can walk around oblivious to health dangers; you cannot walk out in front of a bus because you’re not supposed to fear. You’re not supposed to be foolish either. We should not fear when we are doing God’s will.

The only thing you can trust without question is the Word of God. Everything else needs to be filtered through His Truth by minds led by His Spirit. As believers yielded to the Holy Spirit we “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) meaning we can reason and think clearly through chaotic situations because the Spirit ministers truth to us. We just need to be sure we are listening to Him and not our own fear, or worldly foolishness, or the Enemy’s lies.

In order to “fear not” while dealing with life’s difficulties and chaos, you and I must allow God to clear our minds and infuse us with Truth from His Word all the time. It is as important as ever that we soak up the Word of God so that we will recognize the truth from foolishness and lies. If you’ve been faithfully in the Word, fantastic, stay at it. If not, get started immediately. You can either join us with the 2020 reading plan or you can do something else, just as long as you are reading the Scriptures. If you haven’t read for a long time, I would suggest starting in 1 John.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and fill your heart and mind with peace as you yield to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Prior to Opening

It has been a long time that we’ve endured the stay-at-home orders over covid 19. I’ve written in previous blogs about obeying those orders; how God tells us in Romans 13 that we are to obey the government authorities over us. The stay-at-home orders were within the Federal and State government’s God-given authority since it was about protecting the citizens. As long as those orders are administered fairly and without discrimination and for the purpose of protecting us they fall under proper Godly authority. That said, I’m sure we are all looking forward to the end of those stay-at-home orders.

In this blog I would like to consider what we’ve learned and how we should move forward as things do begin to open. On our three blogs I’ve said much about dealing with isolation, particularly on our Celebrate Recovery blog. When dealing with any kind of addictive practice or habit, isolation is a breeding ground for increased dependency and trouble. We also know that addictions take many forms. It’s not just alcohol or drugs, but also anger, resentment, gossip, laziness, gluttony, lust, porn, materialism, etc. Any selfishly motivated activities, communications, thoughts and/or desires are addictive and can become idols, leading us down the path of addiction. That path is full of indulgence, infatuation, betrayal and slavery with painful consequences for ourselves and those around us. Over the past six weeks or so we’ve all had plenty of opportunity to isolate, hide and pursue selfish indulgences. Our times of being together for mutual encouragement, strengthening and accountability have been limited to on-line communication and phone calls; they are a poor substitute for actual face-to-face gatherings. Perhaps, as we head toward a reopening in the coming days and weeks, this is a time when we should be yielding to something I refer to as “Holy Spirit led self-examination.”

The Bible often talks about letting God reveal truth to us about ourselves. Selfishness deceives us into a false reality; the Holy Spirit and the Word of God reveal truth and peal away the layers of deception from the world, from spiritual forces of evil, and from our own thoughts and desires. Consider some Biblical statements we use often in Recovery Step 4, including Psalm 26:2, “Examine me, O Lord, try my mind and my heart.” Another is Lamentations 3:40, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” Then there is 1 Corinthians 11:28-29 which gives instructions about taking the ordinance of the Lord’s Communion saying, “but let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” There are many more but let me lastly give you 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you are disqualified?”

I have repeatedly said that anytime you open and read the Word of God it is a time of examination; you cannot look into the perfect Word of Truth and not be challenged, unless you’ve totally hardened your heart against the truth. As the Bible says, it’s like looking into a mirror (see 2 Corinthians 3:18 and James 1:23). In a mirror you see a reflection of what you really look like. We’ve all had the experience of looking into a mirror and being surprised by what you saw. Maybe you still had some remnant of lunch on your face you didn’t know about, or maybe your hair was terribly out of place. Maybe you noticed a new wrinkle or that your necklace was missing. The mirror speaks truth about your appearance and sometimes it surprises you. If you are like me, you seldom (or never) look in the mirror and think, “Wow, I look better than I thought I did!” We tend to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; Romans 12:3 warns us of that very thing. Thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think is part of the deceived self-perception we all have. Looking into the mirror of perfect Truth that is the Word of God reveals who we actually are. Not just who we appear to be on the outside; it reveals truth about our motives, desires and attitudes. I personally believe that is the biggest reason reading the Bible is neglected by so many Christians; we don’t like our perceptions of ourselves to be challenged by the Truth, at least not too much.

It often seems easier to just go on in our self-deceived state of existence, believing we are who and whatever we think we are. But that’s not the truth. Go back to the times before the covid stay-at-home thing, back when you could leave your house and pretty much do whatever you needed or wanted to do. If you just got out of bed, got dressed and walked out the door without ever looking in the mirror, but assumed you looked your best, do you think you might get some strange looks or be embarrassed when you return home and look in the mirror to see that you actually look like you still just rolled out of bed? Yikes! Let’s face it, this isn’t a Hollywood movie where everyone wakes up looking like they just stepped out of the hair and makeup artist’s chair! That’s not real! I’ve heard on various TV and radio broadcasts that people are putting jeans or work clothes back on after weeks at home in sweats and suddenly realize those clothes have gotten pretty tight! Is it not better to check the mirror to make sure your actual appearance matches what you think you look like? Well, it’s the same thing with the Word of God. It is better to let the Holy Spirit reveal to you truth the about yourself, to look into the mirror of what is on the inside. If you don’t, you are living a lie.

So we’re coming to the end of a time when we’ve been pretty isolated. Maybe, some things have gotten away from you, maybe even some thoughts, desires or attitudes. It’s time to let the Spirit examine you as you read the Word of God. Now let me say that it is possible to read the Bible and not open yourself to its truth; you can harden your heart. You can have the mindset that some things about you are off limits to God and shut yourself off, but let me warn you, that leads to a hard heart which is spiritually dangerous. Instead of that, open yourself to the God who loves you and say to Him, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my anxieties and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and fill your heart and mind with peace as you yield you Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Dealing with Anger

Anger is something we all have to deal with from time to time. It may be our own anger or someone else’s. It’s also possible that stress over covid19 and the shut-downs make dealing with anger more common and more difficult. In this post, we’re going to look at some things God’s Word has to say about anger and dealing with it.

First of all, anger is not always sinful. We know that because the Bible says that God, that is both the Father and the Son, got angry on a few occasions and we know He does not sin. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Let’s consider examples of times when God was angry. In Exodus 32 God was angry with Israel because they broke the Covenant and made a golden calf. More than that though, they also began to say it was that stupid idol that delivered them out of Egypt rather than God. Exodus 32:9-10 says, “And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” Isaiah 13 speaks of a time when God’s anger comes upon the sins of man saying, “Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.” Mark 3:1-5 tells us that Jesus got angry at the Pharisees for their hardness of heart when He showed mercy and cured the man with the withered hand. In every case when God is angry, it is a righteous anger. That is anger over sin and injustice, when the Holy Name or Person of God is demeaned, mistreated or abused in the thoughts, words or actions of men. Righteous anger is when something that is holy is defiled.

That we can be angry without committing sin is also clearly evident in Ephesians 4:26-27, “’Be angry, and do not sin’”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” That contains a quote of Psalm 4:4, where the Spirit counsels David about responding to the evil committed by other men, “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.” I dare say that most of the time we humans get angry, it is not righteous but unrighteous anger. Unrighteous anger is sinful and involves some form of pride or self-centeredness. If I get angry when things don’t go my way, it is unrighteous anger and sin. If I get angry when I am facing the just consequences of something I deserve, it is sinful anger. When I respond to sinful anger with my own, that too is unrighteous anger. The Spirit through Paul lists anger as acts of the sinful nature (see Galatians 5:19-21. Proverbs 29:22 says, “An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression,” while 29:11 tells us, “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” You know how it is. You’re just minding your own business and doing your thing, and next thing you know someone is ruffling your feathers, either getting on your case or getting on your nerves. If you get angry, it is most likely that your case and your nerves are rattled because something is not going your way. That is prideful and that is sin.

So what do we do? We know it’s wrong. I doubt many people want to be angry all the time; that is a hard way to live and it takes years off your life. Yes, your life is shortened either because of the harm you are doing to yourself or the harm your anger invites by mouthing off to the wrong person. You know what I’m talkin’ about.

What we must do is rid ourselves of anger. That is the command given by God in Colossians 3:8, “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” Also in Ephesians 4:31-32 God says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

That is easy enough, right? Hardly, in fact it is impossible to obey those commands unless the Holy Spirit is in us. As a believer in Jesus Christ you are given the Holy Spirit who works to make you more like Jesus as you yield your life to His control. That’s the whole thing, being under the influence of the Holy Spirit is the only way to overcome anger, as well as resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness, envy, and general human crabbiness. That is what Galatians 5:16-26 is all about. I strongly encourage you to read it. Now.

One of the things the Spirit will do as you yield yourself more and more to His control can be found in James 1:19-20, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” If you struggle with anger, normally or just now that you’re trapped at home, being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger is something the Spirit of God will certainly help you do. You can try it on your own, but you’ll just end up getting angry. I know that because unrighteous anger and pride go hand in hand. If you are so prideful that you think you can stop the anger without totally depending upon Him, then that pride will repeatedly rear its ugly head and wham! You’ll be angry. Also, you’ve heard it said that you shouldn’t let the sun go down on your anger, don’t sleep on it; that’s good advice because it came from God (see Ephesians 4:26).

So what if you aren’t the problem? Yeah right, ‘cause you’re always the innocent one I suppose? Anyway, let’s say you are dealing with someone who does struggle with anger (that’s code for struggling with pride by the way). First of all, pray and ask the Spirit to help you cope and not get angry or resentful in return. Ask Him to help you respond in a Godly way. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 20:22 adds, “Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil;’ wait for the LORD, and He will save you.” Pray for (not against) the person, asking God to do a work in their heart that you cannot do, and for Him to guard your heart in the process.

You know the most effective means of dealing with anger? It’s forgiveness. You can avoid being angry by forgiving instead of getting mad for the injustice done to you; you can deal with someone else’s anger most effectively through forgiveness. Does that come naturally or is it a character trait you can instill yourself? No, just like not being angry, forgiveness is a fruit of the Spirit.

The bottom line is this, the best way to deal with anger (and unforgiveness) is yielding to Jesus and the Holy Spirit

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and fill your heart and mind with peace,

Pastor Mark

"Stay at home" vs "assemble together"

People are getting restless. Several news sources have covered stories this week about protests by different groups, some religious and some not, against the covid19 stay at home orders. As a Christian I seem to be in a quandary between the government’s instructions to stay at home and God’s instruction to “not forsake the assembling of yourselves.” How much of a dilemma is this and what, as a Christian, should I do? This is a question we must all decide, even if our decision so far is actually the result of making no decision.

We all know that churches are getting by right now primarily through on-line communications and phone calls. We’ve all heard accounts of churches trying to meet in parking lots where everyone stays in their cars and in some cases have been fined for doing even that. Perhaps you’ve read comments on-line from people complaining that if it is okay to practice social distancing at a grocery store or alcohol distributor, why can’t a church practice social distancing on their own property. We’ve also heard that our current social distancing practices are successfully reducing the spread of the virus.

So again, what do we do about the Biblical mandate to gather together which is not limited to the statement in Hebrews 10:25; it is imbedded throughout the New Testament and the Old for that matter. Christianity is not simply a relationship between myself as an individual and God; it is a relationship between God and His Church of which I am made a part through faith in Jesus Christ who died that I may be forgiven and redeemed, and who rose that I may have new life in Him. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, for example, tell us that life as a Christian means being involved in each others’ lives for encouragement, building each other up in the faith, working together to do His will, and worshipping. And let’s face it, on-line is nice, but it cannot replace actually meeting in person.

Before anyone thinks I am calling us to revolt, let me get to some other things that God commanded in His Word, the Bible. I mentioned this briefly in a previous blog as a note at the bottom of that post, but let me expand upon it now as the current situation continues to unfold. If you actually read Romans 12 a moment ago, and I hope you did, then let’s continue on to Romans 13. It is no coincidence that the Holy Spirit moves the Apostle Paul from a discussion of what it means to be part of the Body of Christ in Romans 12 to that of obeying the government  and loving each other in Romans 13. God knew that in many places and times during the era between Jesus’ first coming to die on the Cross and His second coming as King of Kings, there would be situations where His Church was hindered from freely doing what He called it to do. Here in America we have had it pretty easy during my lifetime. For decades I’ve been saying that we need to make full use of this religious freedom because we never know how long it will last. Because of the reality of spiritual attack, and other types of attack too, God gave us many instructions about what to do. Through the wisdom granted by His Holy Spirit to us, the Body of Christ, we then apply those instructions to ever-changing situations.

The situation we are facing today in America and many parts of the world is that governments are restricting our ability to gather for legitimate health reasons. As a little side-bar here, I cannot help but think about our brothers and sisters in Christ who have, and who are, suffering in exceedingly greater ways than any limitations we are facing now. Being required to stay at home in no way compares to the threat and reality of being persecuted, even killed for your faith. Our current situation in America is just a matter of seeking God’s wisdom about gathering together right now. So let’s actually look at Romans 13.

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1). That, my friends, is a powerful statement from the Holy Spirit about the sovereignty of God Almighty. God not only established human government and gave it authority, He appoints each one. Now some of you may immediately raise the question of tyrants and those leaders who terrified and treated their people brutally; there are many examples of those in history.

Keep in mind that God never promised there would be no suffering, in fact He says just the opposite, that there will be suffering and hardship and persecution. Jesus Himself said in John 15:18 and 20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you…Remember, the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” Jesus added in John 16:1-3, “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.” An example of this is found in Acts 5:40-41 when Christ’s disciples were called before the Jewish Council. “And they (the council) agreed with him (Gamaliel a teacher of the Jewish law), and when they had called for the apostles and beat them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”  I would also add 1 Peter 2:19-21 which says, “for this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongly. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” I strongly encourage you to also read Romans 8:18-30.

God tells us many times that there will be hardships, trials, and persecutions. He never promised to provide you with happiness and luxury. He promised to forgive your sins when you confess them (1 John 1:8-10), to be with you always (Matthew 28:20), to provide strength and encouragement (2 Corinthians 3-7), and that your inheritance is reserved in Heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5). As a believer, we have fellowship and unity with God in all circumstances; that is our joy.

So yes, there have been many times when brutal, oppressive and even murderous governments have persecuted their own people and others. All of that falls under the Spirit’s statement in Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” As human beings we cannot possibly understand the wisdom of God (see 1 Corinthians 1-2). Then Romans 8 talks about how all Creation eagerly awaits God’s deliverance from the bondage of human sin and corruption which involves all kinds of suffering.

Alright, let’s get down to the matter. God created, appoints, and gives authority to human government. So what authority did He give it? Part of the answer is listed in Romans 13:4 when it says, “for he (governing authority) does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Thus, one reason God created and appoints governments is to maintain order and deal with those who do evil. When some citizen goes into a public school and starts shooting people, that is evil and the government has God-given authority to punish that person. In America, we have a system of justice that tries a person first to make sure we’ve got the guilty party, and then justice is served. That person needs to be brought to justice because innocent people are dead and their families are suffering due to his or her evil actions. The examples go on and on, but I will stop there. Does this mean there should be no compassion for all people involved, even the guilty? It does not. Anyone can be forgiven, mercy should be extended, but justice must also be served and sometimes there must be consequences. God gives human government the authority to maintain order and justice within its borders.

Directly connected to that is a government’s authority to protect its citizens from those outside of its boarders. I just talked about protecting citizens from internal threats, now we consider that the same authority extends beyond its borders in some cases. On December 7, 1941 the Empire of Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor launching a war against us with a sneak attack. The US government then declared war on Japan and its allies including Hitler’s Third Reich. During Hitler’s reign of terror in the 1930s and 1940s, many nations fought against his blatant abuse of governmental authority. Hitler went far beyond the authority given to him in Romans 13 by attacking other nations and slaughtering innocent men, women, and children in concentration camps, gas chambers and all the rest. The United States was one of the nations who fought against that tyranny and it had every right to do so. A government has the authority to not only to defend its own citizens, but also the basic human rights of those being oppressed and killed outside its borders.

God also gave authority to human governments to establish and enforce laws. In 1 Peter 2:13 the Spirit wrote through Peter, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” We then, are commanded by God to obey the government’s laws. Now, if the government enacts laws that violate the Word of God, it has overstepped its authority. The government is not sovereign over God, He is sovereign over it. So if that happens are we supposed to forcibly rebel? Well, is that what Jesus did? Is that what Paul did? No, they did not.

In times when the government oversteps its authority and enacts laws that violate the Word of God we, as believers in Christ and citizens living under a human government, continue to be like Jesus who sought to proclaim forgiveness, mercy and love through the Gospel to those around Him. We don’t change things by violence and use of force; we change things by something much more powerful, by proclaiming the life changing and life giving Gospel of Christ, one person at a time.

Let me be clear, there is no dilemma. I do not believe the US or PA governments have overstepped their authority by issuing the stay-at-home orders due to covid19. It is within their God-given authority because the purpose is to protect their citizens. God says to obey every ordinance of the government; the social distancing and stay at home orders for covid19 are lawful orders that do not overstep that authority.

So, instead of complaining, as believers we should be praying for God’s will to be done, reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and strengthen them as best we can, and we must demonstrate love to all those around us. Let us also consider that perhaps we have taken our ability to assemble a little too lightly. How many times have you missed a church gathering on a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or whatever days your church meets because you had something else you wanted to do? Maybe, we as the church need some repentance for taking His Church a little too lightly in recent years.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

A Preacher's comments on covid 19

How many times in your life have you heard someone, particularly a preacher, identify some event as a sign of the end or that God was giving mankind some message of doom? Now, there have been times when God sent a prophet to warn His people of something, including some coming judgment for their sins and that they should repent. Isaiah was such a prophet, just read Isaiah 1 and 6 and you’ll get the picture pretty quickly. There are also examples of God sending a prophet from Israel to some foreign land to warn them of coming judgment unless they repent; such is the case with Jonah.

Does that mean that every preacher or prophet in modern times, who says some crisis is a sign of God’s impending judgment is to be believed? What about those who predicted that World War I indicated the end of time was near, or World War II, or the immanent destruction of the Earth by a nuclear war during the Cold War? What about those who say a particular natural disaster like a hurricane, wildfire, tsunami, earthquake, famine or even a plague is some specific warning from God? Haven’t such things been fairly common for a long time? I looked up a list of epidemics and pandemics and was amazed at how many there have been just since 1800! In 1899-1923 more than 800,000 people died in Europe, Asia and Africa from the sixth cholera pandemic. Between 1915 and 1926 1.5 million people died worldwide from Encephalitis lethargica. The Spanish flu killed between 17 and 100 million people worldwide between 1918 and 1920. Between 1877 and 1977 500,000,000 people died of smallpox. According to worldmeters.info/coronavirus the number of deaths from covid19 as of April 10, 2020 was 102,594. So do all of these epidemics and pandemics signal the end or are they some specific warning from God?

I think we must consider Jesus’ comments about end times in Matthew 24. Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the sign of His Coming and the end of the age. Jesus responded, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes, but all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:4-8). Jesus was saying that during the period between His first coming as the sacrificial Lamb of God, when He went to the Cross and three days later rose again, and His second coming as King of Kings, that there would be wars, famines and earthquakes, all kinds of trouble. But His followers were not to fear for “all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet” (Mt 24:6).

I know some Christian brothers and sisters will disagree, and some make predictions about Jesus coming back because some natural disaster takes place, some war breaks out, some famine hits, or some pandemic spreads internationally. When I hear such things I think of Deuteronomy 18:22, “when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has NOT spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” Similarly, in Jeremiah 28, Jeremiah was confronting a false prophet who said the Lord would bring peace when Jeremiah and many before him said there would not be peace. In Jeremiah 29:9 we read, “As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one who the Lord has truly sent.” The idea is the same, if it happens, you know it was from the Lord, if not, the “prophet” was not speaking from the Lord.

At this point and from a spiritual perspective we don’t know why this coronavirus outbreak is happening any more than previous ones. If you pronounce this to be God’s judgment and it isn’t, you’ve made it obvious that you did not represent the Lord when you spoke. If you say it isn’t and it is, same thing. What we do know is that every time some human tragedy strikes, whether it’s a hurricane, a fire, a war, or a plague, someone claims God is taking vengeance upon mankind for something. Look, God is the righteous Judge and He will one day pour out His wrath upon those who have rejected His mercy and grace. That mercy and grace is powerfully demonstrated in His sending His Son Jesus Christ as the One and only way of forgiveness of our sin. We will all stand before Him someday and give account of ourselves, the main issue being did we accept or reject salvation from sin though Jesus (Rev 20). But to claim any particular event during this age as God’s judgment is precarious at best. We must be careful about pointing to any particular thing, such as covid19, and saying with all certainty that it is the wrath of God. Some crisis situations are the result of human sin taking its course of hardship and death. God will judge all sin one day, but that might not be today. God is gracious and gives us time to repent, even when we are in open rebellion. That time will eventually run out, but only God knows when that will be for any individual and for all of humanity. You can have forgiveness right now. Through faith in Jesus Christ, your sin debt is paid and the wrath of God satisfied; through Jesus’ Blood you are accepted and united to God.

Jesus, who is the Prophet, eternal High Priest, and King of Kings, said that there are going to be many troubles, but this is not yet the end. What we can say for sure is that Jesus could return anytime and thus we need to be ready all the time. We need to be living for Him and spreading the Good News of His mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, and unity to those around us.

God will judge sin, and He does lovingly discipline His children like any good father (Read Hebrews 12:3-11). How do we know if some crisis is the End? The End will come. In the mean time, trust in Jesus for your forgiveness, redemption and salvation and then love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Then you have no reason to fear.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Spring Is Here

Things almost seemed normal today as I sat at my desk. That sensation only lasted until 9am when the prayer gathering would normally start followed by Bible study. Those didn’t take place again this week, which is the reason I‘m writing this blog during that time. Life has been anything but normal lately. Our routines are interrupted and after a few weeks of this, maybe some new “norms” are settling in and becoming habit. At the same time it is obvious that life goes on as always when you go outside.

In case you haven’t noticed, the grass is growing and will soon need cut. Nathaniel and I changed the oil in the lawn mower yesterday, re-hung the swing in the back yard and put out the lawn furniture. We even cut up some wood for the backyard fire pit. The birds, squirrels and even a skunk we’ve named Stella make daily visits to our feeders. Nature is waking up in western PA and is a good reminder that sickness and disease, even major outbreaks like this (or worse) come and go. I’m not being insensitive or unrealistic about the current situation, but I am getting weary of the many alarmists that make it sound like none of us will survive until summer. Life will continue.

I say that not because of six thousand years of troubled human history that we’ve survived so far; I say that because God says life will continue. There will be a time when He will drastically change life on earth and He describes how that will happen (and covid19 isn’t it). We humans like to think we are pretty smart, and we do accomplish some impressive things when we work together (see Genesis 11:1-9 where God told mankind to spread out and fill the Earth, but in their pride they decided to disobey and remain together, so God scattered them and they went and filled the Earth). However, we must not make the same mistake, for human wisdom cannot compare to the wisdom of God. He is God, we are not. He sustains things, we do not. He determines when, where, why and how, we do not. Elevating ourselves in pride against God is easy for us to do but also foolish. It is a house of cards that tumbles easily.

This is one reason I love reading Job 38-40. It puts my pride in its place as I am reminded of the greatness of God. I encourage you to read those chapters in Job sometime this weekend as a reminder that He is still on the Throne of the universe and all things are under His power and authority.

I am also reminded that God is forever on the Throne when I look outside the window this morning. The sky is a brilliant blue and the many shades of green are beginning to burst forth. We are quarantined, stuck at home, separating by six feet and in groups of ten or less because that is what our God-ordained government has instructed us to do (see Romans 13:1-7) as they try to minimize the effects of covid19. So we honor those instructions. While we are doing that, however, be encouraged that God remains on the Throne, sustaining life and making things new again this spring.

That is what God does, He makes things new. He takes what is dead, like you and me who were dead in sin, and He restores life. He makes us new creations through the redeeming Blood of Christ. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” The passage goes on saying, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

Only God can take what is dead and give it life. He did that here on Earth during His Creation of the universe. He does that when a sinner confesses, repents and believes on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation. He does that every spring as nature is renewed and life springs forth; just look outside and see.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Clearing Fallen Trees

If a pastor falls in the woods, does anyone see it?

What a beautiful sunny day it was on Thursday (3/26/20). We were clearing an old trail through the woods and came upon a fallen tree. It was about eighteen inches in diameter and had taken several other trees with it, most of them pretty small, but one was almost the same size. I am always amazed at how strong some trees are. In my own back yard there are five very large oak trees, I’ve named them Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. They all branch off from the main trunk rather close to the ground. Each of the four or five main branches then angles off, away from the centerline. The amount of weight carried in each of those branches is enormous, but they don’t break.

The tree I had to remove Thursday was smaller then any of the five main branches in any of the oaks in my back yard, but I can tell you it was a brute. Cutting it up was no problem but I was equally amazed by the smaller trees taken down by the big one. Some of them did break but others were simply folded over in an arch like a rainbow, again without breaking. God’s design of these things is remarkable.

Nathaniel had gone to get something so I was working alone, clearing some of the smaller pieces and brush. There was quite a mess of intertwined and overlapping branches and thorn bushes I was working through, tring to throw other pieces down over the hill when my foot got caught. You know that feeling of having a long time to think about your fall in the few seconds it takes to hit the ground? Well, I seemed to have a long conversation with myself as I plummeted to into the web of thorns and brush. First it was the disbelief that I was going down. Then came the planning stage as I tried to locate the best spot for my hands and knees to hit. Next was the conclusion that this was going to be painful. As the impact began with my knee, I determined it was so-far-so-good, but my hands were next and all I could see was thorns rushing toward my arms and face. Then came the thud of my body crashing against brush and dirt. Trying to be cool about it, it popped back up pretty quickly, looking around to see I anyone had witnessed my clumsiness. Then the final stage of the fall, the assessment of injuries and damage. To my amazement, no pain struck anywhere. There were no cuts, no blood, not even a scratch! I couldn’t believe it; still can’t for that matter especially given the damage I did to some small branches and brush which were smashed like a bulldozer came through. I stood in utter disbelief.

So, what did I learn from all of this? I learned much.

First, I thought about that big tree as I cut it apart into smaller pieces. This once tall, healthy tree had rotted at the base and with the help of some heavy rain, soaked earth and a strong wind it fell.

Second, as I cut up some of the smaller trees, they had been growing, healthy trees but they were severely damaged or totally broken when the big tree fell.

Third, the collapse of all those trees created quite a mess that had be cleared away, requiring time care and effort that could have gone to some other project.

Forth, clearing the mess was itself hazardous due to the underling brush and thorns.

Fifth, as the one clearing that mess, I soon found myself lying on the ground, having fallen in the effort of cleaning the mess already made.

All of that is pretty straight forward, no earth shattering news there, but here is what I started to piece together as I sat on the tailgate of Nathaniel’s truck:

Sixth, when someone in the church or in your family fall, especially a leader, he falls when God’s way of escape is repeatedly not taken when temptation comes because he is not clinging to Christ. Then, sin takes its toll and rot or disease sets in; when the storms of life come it’s too much and he is broken. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read, “No temptation has overtake you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Seventh, his fall creates collateral damage, injuring or breaking others in any number of ways including spiritual, physical, financial, relational and emotional. Matthew 18:6 tells us, “Whoever causes one of these little ones (young or immature in the faith) to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Eighth, the mess that is created by the fall and collateral damage takes great time, care and effort to sort through and clear out. Great care must be taken because we’re not talking about trees being hacked up with a chainsaw anymore, we’re talking about people. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26 we find, “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Ninth, clearing that mess is a landmine of trouble with spiritual danger to those cleaning up who must be careful lest they also fall. Galatians 6:1-2 says, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Tenth, you and I must always be vigilant. No one heads into any situation planning to stumble or fall, but it happens. One minute we’re busy about our business and the next thing we know we’re face down in a thorn bush with our leg caught in a web of underbrush. We jump up, looking around to see if anyone caught it. in 1 Timothy 4:13 it is written, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

The lessons God had for me out in the woods on that beautiful day were very real. I was just out enjoying some sunshine and a little manual labor, but He had something else in mind. The big tree and the other trees blocking the path were a hazard that I needed to clear, in the process I found myself unexpectedly lying on the ground. While I came out unscathed physically, I was touched by His spiritual lessons. Guard yourself by clinging to Christ so you’re not the one falling and causing collateral damage, care for your bothers and sisters in Christ too, and take great care when clearing some spiritual mess lest you also fall.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

I Love a Rainy Night

I sat this afternoon, Friday, March 20^th, working on this blog and watching the rain pour down from the gloomy gray sky. The wind howled as a river began to flow down my street. I am a storm watcher; they fascinate me. Many times I have sat in wonder, particularly at night, mesmerized by the pounding rain, flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder. I really enjoy the thunder, long rolling thunder and knock-you-off-your-feet thunder. No thunder today, but what a show! That storm came and went quickly, they usually do. It will not be remembered as anything significant, if it is remembered at all. Right now it’s the other storm everyone is talking about, you know the one.

Over the past months, we’ve used our Friday and Sunday Bible studies to search the Scriptures and discuss theological questions including the existence, character and activities of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As always, any such endeavor must be firmly rooted in the text of the Bible and completely guided by the Spirit. God reveals much about Himself in His Word, though He is far greater than human words could ever express. His Word is truth and all that we think we know about God must be continually compared to what He reveals about Himself on the precious pages of the Bible.

During this time of uncertainty in the coronavirus storm, I believe it would be helpful for us to step back to those basic truths about God once more as we try to navigate below the dark, threatening clouds. What the Holy Spirit makes clear in the New Testament, is that the Body of Christ needs to gather together; right now we are very much limited in that. Fortunately, in this day and age we have options for staying in touch that were not available ten or twenty years ago. Now, modern technology is obviously no substitute for being together. Neither is reading or watching a pastor on TV or the internet a substitute when what we need is conversation and prayer with each other. We all know the verse in Matthew 18 that says, “where two or three are gathered together in His name, Jesus is there in the midst of them.” We also know that Jesus told His disciples in John 16:7, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you, but if I depart I will send Him to you.” God tells us throughout the New Testament to be together, one big reason for that is the unity of His presence within us, and among us. In those times of gathering, He particularly calms, strengthens and encourages us in the storms of life.

There are times in Scripture when God’s people were isolated from each other for various reasons. There were times that Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Daniel, John and Paul found themselves separated from people they cared about and in some cases they were totally abandoned by people. In those times, more than ever, they found their strength and comfort in the Sovereign God. Thus, there are times when we cannot gather to the same location; I’m talking about times when we don’t gather because we are not able to do so, not when we decided we had something else to do instead. In those times, like now, when we are hindered, I believe God gives special grace, like He did to Joseph, Moses, Paul and the others. Take for instance Paul, who was in prison just before his death, not when he was under house arrest at the end of Acts, but later, when in prison and the Spirit used him to write 2 Timothy. That was a storm in Paul’s life. Paul was isolated in a dark prison cell with very limited ability to talk to anyone, let alone a brother or sister in Christ. From that cell came the words of encouragement to Pastor Timothy who was himself being persecuted in other ways; consider 2 Timothy 1:7, “God had not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Powerful words from a dark, lonely, miserable prison.

As believers in Jesus Christ, God the Son, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit’s constant presence. It is the Spirit who unites us together in Christ and strengthens our spirit; He is the Comforter (Acts 9:31). It is the Holy Spirit who gives us “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23) and produces those things in us so we may minister those same things to others as we do our part within the Body of Christ.

Let us then be diligent in our love for the Lord and each other. Let us not fall prey to idleness and separation. There remains much we can do, even on lock-down. On another occasion of Paul being imprisoned, he and Silas sang praises and prayed while on lock-down (Acts 16). Today I encourage you to read Acts 16 and 2 Corinthians 6:1 – 7:1. Do the work God calls you to do, not only when the sun shines and things are easy, but also when temptation, isolation, grief, and discouragement pour down like heavy rain on a dark night. We can do this on our knees in prayer as Paul did. We can encourage one another as the Spirit did through Paul in sending letters to each other. We can use the telephone and internet video calls to stay in touch. We can “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

The good thing about dark, rainy nights is that in the midst of it, your faith is tested and you must grapple with the question in your mind, is God with me in this? He is. As a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, and you remain part of the Body of Christ (the Church). Cling to Him and continue to do your part in the Body as He leads you. Then you will learn to love a rainy night.

May the Lord watch over you, protect you, and keep you close to Him.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark

Fear in 2020

The decision to suspend meeting times for our Prayer Gatherings and Bible Studies has been difficult but one necessitated by the world-wide coronavirus crisis with growing concerns right here in Beaver County. These are unprecedented times for so many of us. There have been international and national health crisis in our lifetimes, but this one has grabbed everyone’s attention more than any others I can remember. We know our government leaders and medical experts tell us we must isolate as much as possible, and as good citizens who care about one another we should honor those instructions. On the other hand, we know that isolation, combined with stressful situations is a breeding ground for discouragement, depression and greater susceptibility to temptation.

Here is a breakdown of what blogs will be used and which lessons you can find on them:

firstbaptistchurchnb – Sunday messages and church announcements

crnewbrighton – Celebrate Recovery lessons

Goddoestherightthing – Wednesday and REAL discussions

Links to these blogs are located on the right-side panel of each blog.

For tonight, we continue our study of overcoming fear. When we started this some weeks ago, there was no indication the situation would unfold as it has. How then, do we handle the fear of coronavirus including the health and financial issues pressing upon us?

Following the advice and instructions of government and medical personnel is a necessary starting point, but that may not eliminate or even reduce your fear. The only real way to deal with these very real fears is to cast your cares upon the Lord, for He loves you (1 Peter 5:7).

The issues surrounding our current situation are complex, but I suggest that the answer to our fear is a simple one…faith. The answer to fear is knowing who God is and trusting that He always does what is right. We know Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). Is our trust in Him and His Word dependent upon how difficult our situation is, or do we believe it is true always? Consider Job, Jeremiah or Daniel who suffered great affliction and experienced devastating circumstances engulfing them, yet they trusted God, trusted His sovereignty.

I suggest that starting tonight and throughout the coming days or weeks, we become serious students of 1 Peter. Sit down with your Bible, pray before you begin for the Spirit to guide you, and then pour over the truth of this short New Testament Book. Take notes, write things down; you can even post some comments.

I look forward to on-going discussion with you about 1 Peter in the coming days.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark