Is God everything to me?

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by Jason Park

Sufferings reveal whether He is or He isn’t.  When I suffer, I either doubt His goodness or I trust in it. I think Him far off, indifferent toward me or I sense His nearness and compassion. And if I’m not careful, I can feel as though living for God is all in vain, that being pure in heart is futile because…what good does that do me now

Asaph felt all of that. He tells us as much in Psalm 73. He was envious of unbelievers who were living the good life while he and other believers were “stricken all day long” (v. 14) by the taunts, blasphemies, and evil actions of wicked men (vv. 6-9). 

How did he get out of that downward spiral into unbelief and flight from God? He did it through worship; He came into the “sanctuary of God” and meditated on biblical truth. Truth about the end of all unbelievers. And truth about God’s grace and mercy toward him, even while he was acting like a senseless beast in his doubt and unbelief. 

He realized by faith what was always true: he was continually with God, God was holding onto him and guiding his life, and God would take him to glory afterward. The circumstances and people didn’t change. Asaph’s perspective did. It changed by worship – by focusing his heart’s eyes on God. That led to his repentance from unbelief and faith in the goodness of God. 

So, he ends Psalm 73 by declaring that God is all that He has and that besides Him, he desires – he takes pleasure in, he is satisfied by – God alone. He further declares that God is the strength (lit. “rock”) of his heart and his portion (“share” or “allotment” in life) forever…that the nearness of God is his good…and that he has made God his refuge so that he can tell everyone about God’s works, including helping him out of this spiritual rut. 

If your heart and your flesh were to fail tomorrow, would you say that you have nothing but God? Would you say that You desire Him alone? Could you say that His nearness is the highest good? Psalm 73 says that you would…if you took your heart before the Lord, confessed your sin of unbelief, and by even the smallest and weakest faith worshiped God as you considered who He is and what He has done for you.  

And He has done wonders for us, hasn’t He? He gave us His Son who died, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to Himself, not only as our God but also as our Father (1 Pet 3:18). There’s nothing sweeter and more radically soul-satisfying than that.        

Crying Out

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by Jason Park

You don’t have to be in a flood of deep waters to cry out to God. 

Life and death trials are not the only times of desperation for the believer. There are those times of quiet desperation when you feel spiritually dull, living in a perpetual haze. Maybe you’re in that reality right now.  

And you can’t seem to get yourself out of the rut. And maybe you’ve resigned to this feeling. But deep inside, you know this isn’t right; you know feeling dry and out of it is not the sum of the Christian life. 

There may be no serious trials in your life. But you’re joyless; you’re not feeling up for spiritual things; you’re half-heartedly listening to sermons and reading the Bible. You’re looking for something and not finding it in Christ, you turn to media or daydreaming or physical activity to fill that hole inside you…but to no avail. 

Nothing in this world satisfies. It only deepens the thirst. Pretty soon, if you’re not there yet, you will be desperate. But take heart, that’s a good thing. God is working on you to help you see in what ways you’ve bought the lies of this world and rejected the fountain of life found in Christ.  

So, if you’re feeling dry, confess it to God. To seek satisfaction in anything else beside God is a sin. Open up your heart to Him. Let Him minister His forgiving, restoring, and purifying grace to your soul. Then cry out to Him to pour out His abundant compassion and love upon you.  

Keep at it. He hears the cries of the needy. Christ’s purchase of your soul by His blood guarantees that God will never withhold His love from you. He may have you in a season of soul-lowliness to deepen your faith.  But He hasn’t forsaken You.  

Cling to Christ. Cling to the promises of the gospel. And just cry out for help. Our sympathetic great High Priest ensures that our cries for grace and mercy will be answered.   

The Need for Counseling

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by Jason Park

I had the privilege today of talking to a pastor who oversees his church’s counseling ministry. I’m preparing to teach on biblical counseling in the Fall and wanted to glean insights from a church that has had a formalized counseling ministry for several years. 

I want to share with you three highlights (with further thoughts) from our conversation: 

1.     Counseling must be presented as a humble and spiritually healthy ministry for believers to request. If Rom 7:14-25 taught us anything, it taught us that the normal Christian life is one rife with weaknesses, despite the regenerated heart that beats within each of us. To confess our sins to one another and ask for help can be terribly daunting. But it’s incredibly freeing and empowering when you ask for help for a specific sin issue (cf. James 5:16). 

2.     Though most counseling is a one-on-one interaction, the greater church body can have a great impact on the counselee. Christ has equipped His church through the Holy Spirit to care for one another in deeply substantive ways: whether it’s admonition (Rom 15:14), comfort (1 Thess 4:18), or encouragement (1 Thess 5:11; Heb 3:13). One individual may be helping another, but the one being helped can include even one other person to pray for him or her in the process. That not only adds accountability but another voice crying out to God for grace – which is the ultimate power in counseling.  

3.     Counseling/shepherding/helping someone change is often a tricky and messy thing. We’re messy people. But we deny how messy we are; we like to think the best of ourselves. But the truth is that we harbor wickedness of all shapes and sizes. Consider how often we commit the same sin we recently repented of! Plus, our sin has aggravating factors like family and spiritual backgrounds, immediate circumstances, and patterns or routines of thinking and behaving that haven’t been shepherded.   

Thankfully, the Scriptures are sufficient to deal with our mess. The Word of God is powerful to save and sanctify (2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:2-4) because it is the only resource that points people’s hearts to Christ, the Physician of our souls. 

Of course you can and you should ask the church leaders for help (whether you’re trying to counsel someone or want counseling) . . . Anytime! But as you do, remember to keep your nose in the Word and your heart in prayer. These two means ensure that counseling is truly Spirit-led and Christ-centered. 

Thankful for Men of Faith

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by Jon Buck

This past Sunday, I had the privilege (with the other leaders) to hear God’s word taught by a group of guys at FBC. This group is called ‘Men of Faith’, and they’re going through a theological and teaching process. 

Each of the lessons were videoed so that the guys could watch themselves, and appreciate the work they’d put in. What’s more, watching a video provides an objective perspective, after the stress of teaching to all the leaders! (Feel free to request to see those videos! The guys have to give permission. :) )

The teaching times were incredibly encouraging. They covered texts from all over the Bible, and were Spirit-led and full of honesty and truth. 

One of the greatest signs of the working of the Spirit in the church is His provision in the hearts of guys to want to teach the Word. When the Lord is moving, He identifies and empowers men to speak for Him! 

For that reason, as elders and leaders, our hearts are super encouraged to see God’s work in these guys! We’re excited to see how the Lord continues working in them, and in others!

Letting the Past Remind Us

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by Jon Buck

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. ~ Heb. 13:7

These days, it seems there’s always something new to consider. Some new idea, some new mantra, some new philosophy. It’s easy to spend our time getting caught up in all the ‘latest’ that’s happening. 

This week, however, as I’ve prepared for Sunday, I’ve found myself reading old dead guys. Now, keep in mind that, as a pastor, I spend a lot of time reading. And most of that time is spent reading from men who have gone before me. 

But this week was unique. The sermon is focused on application of Romans 8:1, and so I spent quite a bit more time reading other books than I might normally. And hearing the thoughts of others has been remarkably helpful! 

The thing that has struck me so strongly as I’ve read is how profoundly wise previous generations have been. Where they perfect? NO! But were they wise? Yes, and more than I know. 

No wonder, then, that the author of Hebrews calls us to remember those who have led us, shared God’s word with us, and gone before us. 

Not only were they profoundly wise in many ways, but their faith weathered the trials of life, and carried them to heaven. 

While I can sometimes get caught up in the ‘now’ of life, I’m thankful that there are so many that I can remember, to learn from their wisdom, and imitate their lives! 

Inside Out

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by Jason Park

Evil is lodged deep in the heart of man. And the heart of man that holds all that evil is indeed very deep (Psa 64:6). And the evil therein, before it ever comes out in word or deed, is a false belief, a wrong attitude, a lawless thought, or a devious affection. 

Before David’s enemies in Psa 64 shot at him with the arrows of bitter speech, they held firm in their evil purpose against him (64:5). They indulged in internal and then external evil because they believed that no one, especially God, saw them. To them, no one saw what they were scheming; no one knew what was in their hearts (64:5). And holding onto that false belief drove them to keep devising and perfecting their plots against the king of Israel (64:6). 

Now, there’s a whole second half to the psalm that deals with God’s justice on David’s behalf. But for this post, I want us to focus on where our sinful words and actions come from. They come from within. That is, the secret counsel of our hearts shapes what we say and do. What’s being conceived, nurtured, and pored over on the inside will inevitably bubble up on the outside. Jesus said as much – the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matt 12:34). 

Why is this crucial? Because it reminds us that our behavior is determined by what we think, feel, and intend. So, to deal with sinful behaviors or external manifestations of sin, we need to dig. We need to dig into our hearts and uncover what we really want and what makes us sad, afraid, or angry. We can’t just treat the symptoms while leaving the disease alone.  So, we need to uncover the false believing and false worshiping taking place in our hearts. 

Just changing the behavior will work, but only temporarily and superficially. We won’t have truly changed one bit. Why? Because the actual disease in our heart hasn’t been dealt with. And the only remedy for the disease hasn’t been applied.  

Sin is first and foremost an internal, heart issue. And unless we apply Christ and the glories of the gospel to the heart, we won’t change, we can’t change (cf. 2 Cor 3:18; 1 Thess 2:13). 

In a Dry and Weary Land (A Riff on Psalm 63)

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by Jason Park

I can get on these Twitter/Facebook “runs” that take up too much of my time. Coronavirus, social injustice, cancel culture, who’s right, who’s wrong…I get caught up in all the noise, and by the time I manage to slog my way out of the vortex, I’m exhausted. 

Now, I don’t think we should put our heads in the proverbial sand and not bibically deal with the issues at large. But is your heart experiencing the fatigue of everything that’s going on in our society? I know I am. And over-indulging in social media posts and following the news do not help me…except in one, unintended way: they remind me that God is the only One who can satisfy my soul. 

What am I looking for when reading all these posts? What’s my heart doing in that moment? Do I want control through knowledge? If I read enough, I can get a handle on that issue. If I get a handle on that issue, I’ll be on top of things. And I like that because it makes me feel as though I’m in control. 

OR, am I looking for something more exciting than the Bible? Is the Bible functionally dry to me? Knowing the latest Twitter trends can provide a quick surge of gratification. You feel like you’re in the in-crowd with a pulse on the nation. The Bible doesn’t specifically address the trends of the day. It can seem irrelevant. Plus, it requires meditation…faith…spiritual digestion. Twitter, Facebook, the news…they don’t. 

In all this, the Lord is convicting me that I’m looking for something else to satiate my thirst. I feel like I’m in a spiritually dry and weary land when I’m combing through the news, but like a dog returning to its vomit, I keep going back…when I should step back and see the power and glory of Christ in the gospel…when I should remember Him in on my bed…when I should remember the many times He’s satisfied my soul with His love. Because He is my God and His lovingkindness is better than life. How much truer is that for us because Christ is our God and our eternal life (1 John 5:20)? How much truer is my tasting of His kindness in saving me through the gospel (1 Pet 2:3)?  

I have every reason in Christ to sing for joy and cling to Him. He is so good. How often I fail to believe that! Thankfully, He forgives me when I confess my sins, and He restores to me the joy of my salvation.  

It’s good to stay abreast of the world’s affairs. But be careful. It can pull your heart away from Christ one post at a time. So, drink in some news. But be filled with His love and glory as you fill your heart with His Word.  

Running to Win

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by Jon Buck

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ~ 1 Cor. 9:14

We live in an age of self indulgence. Our culture has come to a place where we really enjoy pampering ourselves. 

We have spas, nail salons, massages, rest times, vacations, comfort food, naps, ‘downtime’, etc. Why? We like the feeling of rest. We enjoy feeling pampered. 

Now, to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but they can lull us into a place of feeling like those are ‘needs’ rather than blessings. We’ve learned to enjoy giving the flesh what it desires. 

Paul’s perspective
The Christian life is rarely referred to with those terms. True, we’re called to rest in Christ, but that’s related to our need for righteousness from Him. 

Paul appeals to the Corinthians in this verse, and it’s context, to encourage them toward self-control for the sake of Christ. 

The metaphor of a race is common in the New Testament. Paul appeals to them here to run as those who want to win the race. 

Later in the chapter, Paul will tell them that he makes his body his slave in order to ‘win’ the race of his Christian life. His call to them, and to us, is to fight against the nature yearnings of the flesh, to turn away from our natural bent of self-service, and to labor in our Christian lives like those who are. 

Winning the race
But for Paul, his point isn’t to finish the race with the most trophies. He wanted to remain faithful. In fact, at the end of his life, he said that he had ‘finished the course’ in the same breath as saying that he had ‘kept the faith’ (2 Tim 4:7). 

For Paul, victory was remaining faithful to Christ until he entered His presence. The danger of allowing his flesh to win was ever-present in Paul’s mind, right up until his death. To win was to die in faith, and to be received into the presence of Christ. 

Fighting our flesh can be tough, but Paul’s call to us is to run our Christian lives like a race, and to train ourselves to run until we win. 

From Fear to Faith (Psalm 56)

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by Jason Park

God knows us so well, doesn’t He? The command not to fear is the most common one in the Bible. Why? Because we are fearful people. The world is an unsettling place. And our lives are often unsettled. Our lack of knowledge and control only amplifies our anxiety. 

Thankfully, the Bible provides several ways to overcome anxiety. And Psalm 56 offers a robust, multi-pronged approach. 

(1)  Ask for grace (v. 1a) David knew he didn’t deserve God’s help. He needed it. Apart from grace, we cannot fight, let alone overcome, our fears. Grace is essential to any spiritual victory over sin. It means we can never deal with sin on our own.

 (2)  Admit your fear (v. 3a) David says, “When I am afraid…” It’s reassuring to know God receives us in our weaknesses and sins. He is gracious. He is the God we can come to. And when we confess as David does, it frees us from pretending to be strong when we’re not. Before God, we can be totally open about who we are. 

(3)  Affirm God’s love (vv. 8-9) God puts David’s tears in a bottle and records them in His book. God doesn’t forget our sufferings. He will make all things right in the end. That’s why we can wait on the Lord. In the meantime, He meets us in His lovingkindness right where we’re at: suffering, afraid, doubting, and crying out to Him. 

As Israel’s king, David knows God has his back in a unique way (v. 9). But we know God is for all believers (Rom 8:31). In Christ, we know this more intimately through His Spirit. 

(4)  Trust in God (vv. 3-4, 10-11) Faith is what holds the psalm together (vv. 3-4; vv. 10-11). At first, it seems like a no-brainer. The issue, however, isn’t knowledge; it’s the spiritual response of actually putting our trust in God during a trial. 

And putting our trust in God is trusting in His word; it’s praising His word, which is filled with promises and truths that produce joy and peace in our hearts as we believe them (Rom 15:13).            

(5)  Thank God (vv. 12-13) Because God has delivered Him from the trial (and prior trials), David will thank Him with offerings. The deliverance is sweeter because it wasn’t merely out of a trial; it was into into deeper communion with Him (v. 12 – walking before God). 

Now, on this side of the cross, we’re not promised deliverance from our trials. We may be delivered, but the NT mostly speaks to enduring trials and counting them “all joy” (James 1:2).   

Trials do drive us into deeper fellowship with the Lord. As we cling to His word in trials, we taste His goodness more. We also see our trials from an eternal perspective as David did – “What can man do to me?” (vv. 4, 11). The glory of Christ starts to engulf the trial which loomed so large in our field of vision. And even if the worst were to happen, nothing that truly matters will be lost because Jesus died to deliver us from sin. Our worst-case scenario has already been dealt with on the cross. So, we can, we must, trust Christ and His word. In this way, we’re letting Him through His word do His work of helping us overcome our fears.         

Fighting the Dullness

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by Jon Buck

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” ~ John 15:11

My natural tendency is toward idleness, and apathy creeps into my heart often. 

The recent COVID lockdown has left me a bit dull, to be honest. Everything ground to a halt, and the nation was stuck at home. At first it was frustrating, but then it became the new normal. Eventually, normal feels nice. 

Now that life is beginning to wind back up again, I find myself apathetic at times. The dullness of NOT doing things has lulled me into believing that it’s better to remain as I am—idle. 

This is terribly dangerous. 

When I find myself tempted to live in the apathy that the COVID crisis has created, I need to remind myself that God’s commands are designed for my joy. I need to remember that God loves me, and He has promised that walking in obedience to His Word will result in true happiness (John 15:11). 

Of course, everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to the virus, and we need to love one another as we walk through this time. However, we all need to be conscious of the danger in our hearts toward dullness. 

Obeying that craving to be idle will only produce sorrow. Obeying God will produce joy! 

Satan’s Choice of Words

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by Jon Buck

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” ~ 2 Cor 11:14

Satan isn’t dumb. 

He knows that very few people will move rapidly and directly into certain types of evils. 

So instead of presenting evil as it really is, he disguises it and makes it palatable. One of the clearest places we see his handiwork is in the words he chooses to use. 

The term ‘catholic’ means universal. But the Catholic Church is anything but universal. 

The words ‘planned parenthood’ sound like a set of rational choices for loving parents. But the words hide the most bloody genocide of the past 60 years in the legalized murder of the unborn. 

These days, Satan has found a new phrase to weaponize in confusing the minds and consciences of people. The phrase is ‘black lives matter’. 

Now, please read carefully. Black lives DO matter! They matter because black men and women are made in the image of God. They are precious to their Creator. For that reason, all Christians everywhere should vehemently affirm that ‘black lives matter’. 

However, Satan is no fool. He has taken that phrase, which should be precious to us as Christians, and attached it to a god-hating institution. 

The Black Lives Matter movement is overtly anti-family, pro-homosexuality, and anti-god. It explicitly intends to tear down the ‘Western’ concepts of family, motherhood, and sexuality, and replace them with neo-Marxist ideals. 

Of course, this places Christians in a difficult position. We want to affirm that black lives matter, but we must find ourselves against Black Lives Matter as an institution. 

Nevertheless, while this is complex, it is important. We must carefully navigate these times, affirming the biblical realities of righteousness and justice, while at the same time condemning Satan’s work in defaming God’s name. 

The world won’t love us for not wholesale accepting its position, but that should not surprise us—the world hated our Savior too. 

Like Saying, “There is no God.”

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by Jason Park

 Psalm 53:1–3 
1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good. 
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. 
3 Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.
 

We know this passage well from Paul’s use of it Rom 3:10-12. It is a cornerstone of the doctrine of total depravity. 

I’m assuming that none of you reading this has said, “There is no God.” I’m assuming that we don’t see ourselves in the group in which “no one…does good” and where everyone “has turned aside…become corrupt.” We’re grateful for our redemption from our sins by Christ. 

But have we ever said in our heart, “Where is God?” Or, “God is not in this!”? Have we ever said anything that resembled such practical atheism? Maybe during a trial, when we lost something, when we were down? Maybe we haven’t doubted God’s existence. But have we doubted God’s involvement and care in our lives?

I can’t imagine there’s any believer reading this who has genuinely said, “There is no God.” But I also can’t imagine there’s any believer reading this who hasn’t genuinely felt as though God wasn’t there in a given situation. Maybe you didn’t even consciously think such a thought, but you were frustrated, angry, scared, or sorrowful. We have these emotions when we say in our heart (consciously or not) that God has abandoned us. 

I’ve been there. In the pit. Crying out, “How long?” Angry at God for some trial or some perceived good He wasn’t giving me. Hurt that He wasn’t helping as quickly or as tangibly as I thought He should. I didn’t say, “There is no God,” but did I ever come close. 

It’s only when God awakens me by His word that I realize I spiral downward when I want control…when I want results…when I want God to bend His will to mine (James 4:1ff). 

Thank God, however, that He doesn’t operate by my timetable or buckles to my every demand. I can’t imagine what monstrosities I would create or what monster I would become if I got everything I wanted when I wanted it. God alone is wise and good so that by His power He can execute a perfectly wise and good plan that glorifies Him and blesses us. No amount of human wisdom or righteousness could ever do that.  

God is on His holy throne. And on His throne, He loves me and tells me He will never forsake me. And because He is my Father, I can trust Him in the lowest points of my life. In fact, I can trust Him with my whole life. He’s given me eternal life after all! 

In the pain, He is right there with me. His Spirit tells me so as He gently whispers, “Look up. There is a cross. That is your hope. That is your peace. Rest there, and find your burden lifted, even if nothing around you changes.”          

Build with Bricks, NOT Air

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by Jon Buck

“…knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” ~ 1 Cor 8:1

Paul writes to the Corinthian church about food sacrificed to idols. Importantly, Paul is appealing to the church to be very careful with participating in certain actions because they can cause others to stumble. 

However, some in the church in Corinth had appealed to the fact that everyone ‘knows’ that idols are nothing but wood or stone, and therefore, with that knowledge, they should feel free to eat the meat. 

In other words, the church was using their ‘knowledge’ to act against Paul’s instruction regarding idol worship. 

Tricky situation
Paul’s answer needed to be carefully crafted. It is true that idols are just wood and stone, and therefore, the knowledge that the Corinthians held was true! However, that knowledge had caused them to act in proud ways, even to the point of falling into idol worship. 

Paul’s answer needed to affirm the truth but critique the conclusion. 

Two ways to build
His answer is that there are two ways to build—one is to build with air, and the other is to build with bricks. 

Paul says that knowledge alone ‘puffs up’. When we think we know something but do not have love, it does nothing but fill us with pride. It’s true, knowledge is growth, in one sense, but it is growth in proud self-righteousness, and is not pleasing to God. 

But Paul says that there is a better way. Love, he says, edifies. The word used is for the building of a house, and meant to strengthen something. 

Paul wants them to build with knowledge, but knowledge with love. Love builds with bricks in ourselves and in others because it is not simply intellectual, but it is connected to God Himself. 

The Corinthians were relying on their knowledge and were acting in pride, and as a result were hurting others. But Paul’s answer is not to reject knowledge, but to let knowledge be influenced by love. 

When we truly, from the heart, love others, we can share knowledge with them and use our knowledge for their good as we seek to grow them into the image of Christ. 

Both knowledge and love build, but love builds to last. 

Through Trials to Christ and His Word

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by Jason Park

It’s been all too easy for me to drown in the social media sea of posts and stories about our current state of national unrest. Reading the massive amount of material is one thing; to digest it all is quite another. 

If you’re like me, watching and reading the news hasn’t quieted my heart. It hasn’t pointed me to Christ. It’s stirred up anxiety, fear, hopelessness, and confusion. 

Now, this post isn’t about how to think about our state of affairs, which is important and must be addressed with biblical principles. 

But this post is about recognizing our personal sinfulness in the midst of our two current trials: the COVID-19 lockdown and now, the massive upheaval regarding race in our country.  

Trials expose us for who we really are, don’t they? They expose what our true gods are: security, power, pleasure, praise of men, etc. They can also accelerate the growth process as they purify our faith so that what remains is faith’s tested genuineness (1 Pet 1:7).  

By God’s grace, any trial distresses us only for “a little while” in light of eternity (1 Pet 1:6). Because eternity is the true time scale we live by – whether we’re conscious of it or not. By that scale, the things that men live for and root their lives in are temporary. But the word of God, the gospel, endures forever (1 Pet 1:25). And because it endures forever, we, God’s people, will endure forever. No earthly threat can take away our faith or our future with God. He protects us by His power through our faith in Him (1 Pet 1:5). 

So, if it’s not Christ we turn to today, who is it? What is it? And how effective have these substitutes been in providing joy, peace, or rest? What pundit or prognosticator, even the best of them, has allayed our fears, soothed our consciences, or helped us feel stable in times of great instability? None! Only Christ can do that! And we see Him, feel Him, and know Him through His word

Let God use today’s trials to reveal what’s really going on in our hearts. And as He does this, let’s commit to confessing our sins, believing in Christ for the forgiveness, and walking in the Spirit to love God and love one another. Let’s cling to His promises. Let’s proclaim them to our own hearts and to one another. 

Nothing I’ve written is new. In fact, it’s all quite basic. But in times of distress, we need the basics; they serve as our foundation…so that when all else crumbles, we’re standing firm, not in ourselves, but in our Rock and Redeemer and His impregnable word.   

Liberal Love

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by Jason Park

The law of love, originally found in Lev 19:18 and reiterated throughout the NT (cf. Matt 7:12; Matt 22:39; Mark 12:31; Rom 13:8-10; Jas 2:8), is the backbone of all interpersonal relationships. Without it the church loses its witness for Christ in the world (John 13:35). 

Now, love has teeth to it: the affection of love expresses itself in actions of love. And those actions are summed up as doing good. In Gal 6:9-10, Paul calls us to “not lose heart in doing good…while we have opportunity” to “all people…especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” Doing good means anything from clothing to food (Jas 2:15) to any of the world’s goods (1 Jn 4:16). 

James 2:8 says fulfilling this law of love requires impartiality, which in James’s context amounts to not making distinctions between the rich and poor. An impartial person shows mercy to the poor, many of whom God has chosen to be “rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him” (Jas 2:5). 

Impartial love and mercy expressed in good deeds to all people, especially to the church – that is the gospel’s call on our lives. As He loved us sacrificially, we must love others in the same way. 

This kind of love requires a listening ear to believers who are different from us – ethnically, socioeconomically, or otherwise. This requires an empathetic heart that tries its best to see the world through the eyes of those who are different so that we weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15). This requires a courageous heart that will do justice when opportunities present themselves (Jas 1:27; 5:4-6; cf. Matt 23:23).  

Listen. Empathize. Show courage. But as we try, we will face so many of our own prejudices, assumptions, and biases such that we will either stop trying or double-down on our current, sometimes misinformed or even misguided positions. 

That’s when we must turn to Jesus Christ. Turn to Him, and see His listening and sympathetic heart (Heb 4:14-16), His advocacy for us in our sins (1 John 2:1-2), and His immense love for us in facing down the wrath we deserved so that we would not face God’s judgment, but only know His fatherly love.  

Let the love shown and showered from above in the person and work of our Savior free us from our selfishness to liberally love one another.       

Growing by Speaking Truth in Love

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by Jon Buck

“…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ…” ~ Eph 5:15

These days, social media is exploding with debates regarding the notions of racism, oppression, violence, looting and the like. Perhaps you, like me, have seen well-meaning Christian brothers and sisters venting their frustrations toward one another regarding these issues. 

These are certainly polarizing times. Nevertheless, we must speak at times. 

However, we must remember that growth into Christlikeness will not be the result of public bickering. If we are to grow, and if we are to genuinely help others grow, the means of that will be speaking truth in love. 

Speaking in love
We must remember that love for others must govern all our conversations. We must start with a  heart of love for those who may disagree with us. 

Further, Peter tells us that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). There may be a host of things that others say that we disagree with, but we need not correct everyone. 

Finally, speaking in love may be most wisely done in private. Facebook, Instagram and the like are public forums. Would it not be better to have these discussions in private? Most social media platforms allow private or direct messaging. Rather than defile the name of Christ by bickering publicly, private conversations might serve much better. 

Speaking the truth
Nevertheless, while love must govern, we must also be willing to speak the truth. Often, when dialogue is heated, we may think that silence is best. But we are called to speak the truth. 

Truth, particularly in the context here, is sound doctrine. We must be willing to speak sound words from the Scripture during times of unrest. 

It is not enough to offer personal opinions, to demand yes or no answers, or to argue with statistics. Of course these may have their places. But truth must come from Scripture. We must carefully and patiently consider how the Scriptures speak to the issues surrounding us, rather than by simply venting our emotions. 

To speak the truth in love is difficult. Nevertheless, this is the only means of growth for us, and for others. Let’s pray together that the Lord would give us wisdom during these complex times. 

Resetting Expectations, Rejoicing in Graces

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by Jon Buck

“But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
~ John 2:24-25

Observing all that is happening around us these days can be profoundly sorrowful. The suffering during these past months, weeks, and days has left my heart troubled. 

The death and severe illness from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global economic struggles caused by closures.
The systemic racism that has again and again appeared around us. 
The unravelling of society as riots have exploded around the nation and the world. 

These days, watching the news has been deeply disheartening. 

What should I expect?
However, while sorrow and pity and empathy over suffering are good in my heart, I must be careful to guard against thinking that humanity is capable of better. We are not, apart from Christ. 

Jesus Himself was unwilling to entrust Himself to any man because He already knew what was in the heart of man. The same heart that led Cain to kill Abel, that led Lamech to murder for offense, that led Israel to pursue idols, that led Pilate to murder worshippers in the temple was the same heart that resided in everyone around Jesus. He didn’t trust them one bit. 

And that same heart is in every unbeliever around us. There is no such thing as ‘common decency.’ Apart from the mercy of God through the Gospel, our feet are ‘swift to shed blood’ as Paul said (Rom 3:15). 

Rejoicing in grace
However, while the bleak reality of human depravity is all around us, I must remember to thank God for His common and special grace. We live among lions, but God has seen fit to provide grace in the storm. 

Things are not yet as bad as they could be. Generations before us have seen far greater atrocities. Among the sorrows all around us, the Lord has provided moments of peace, moments when things are not as bad as they could be. 

And, praise God, the church has risen up to work for the sake of truth in many corners of our nation. Brothers of different races embrace one another. The work of the Gospel is uniting many. 

My prayer in these days is that I will remember that man is terribly wicked, that the Gospel is profoundly powerful, and that love will bear good fruit among the nations, by God’s grace.   

Wrath and Righteousness

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by Jon Buck

“…for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” ~ James 1:20

James tells us that wrath never produces righteousness. 

The injustice that surrounds the George Floyd case should cause righteous anger to well up in our hearts. To watch a man murdered is an awful thing. 

The danger with anger, however, is that it grows rapidly when it isn’t carefully checked. The anger over George Floyd’s death has grown—the riots taking place around our country highlight that unchecked anger is explosive. 

The problem, of course, is that while the anger may be understandable, it will never result in righteousness. On the contrary, such displays of anger will only result in continued struggle on both sides. Acts of violence lead to fear, and fear leads to acts of violence—the cycle continues again and again. 

My own problem
As I watch events unfold, I am particularly convicted about times when I am angry. Whether with members of my family, circumstances, or others, anger never produces righteousness. 

The problem is that I have convinced myself that I can effect change through my displeasure. I take circumstances into my own hands, lash out in anger (whether verbally or internally in my heart), and try to ‘fix’ the situation. 

However, just as the current violence does not and will not result in righteous equality, even so, my anger will not produce righteousness. 

Remembering God’s sovereignty
The key to changing this perspective is to remember that God is sovereign. He is in perfect control over the circumstances that I face. My anger simply reminds me that I have stopped trusting in Him and in His goodness. 

Thirsting for God

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by Jason Park

How long does it take you to get used to something? A new home? A new city? A new job? A new car? At most a few months for the bigger things on this list? Probably. 

I’ve read Psalms 42 and 43 many, many times. How many times have I read the first two verses on the comparison of the deer panting for water and the psalmist’s soul panting for God? So, upon encountering this image today, guess what my mind did? 

It flitted over the verses looking for something else to strike my fancy. I had become so used to vv. 1-2. But by becoming accustomed to it, I betrayed my unbelief in the power of the Word, my lack of expectancy for the Spirit to open my eyes to behold wonderful things from the Law.  

Now, the two psalms are stitched together by a common refrain of despair and hope (42:5, 11; 43:5). Despair from from being chased out of Jerusalem by his enemies (vv. 4, 6) and being taunted by them (vv. 3, 9, 10). Hope in the God who commands His lovingkindness for and gives His presence to His people. And that despair drives his deep thirst for God, for nearness to Him, especially in public worship (v. 4).  

How easy is it for me to gloss over thirsting after God. How easy is it to acknowledge that it’s a good yearning and move on.  

But I wonder, where is my thirsting for God? When was the last time I genuinely thirsted for Him? When has His presence been my help? And how do I get used to, “So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”?  

Yes, trials brought out this psalmist’s thirst for God. But it only brought out what was already there. Now, I know I have a new heart with new desires for God. But they feel so weak at times. Too many times. I’ve gotten used to not thirsting for God. 

But like the psalmist, instead of just staying stuck in despair, I can turn to Christ, to His presence for help and find that He is “God my exceeding joy.” He is my my living hope.  

Just by refocusing my mind on Christ excites a thirst for more of Him. It may start small, but soon that little bit of Christ taken in and will actually deepen my thirst and satisfy my soul at the same time.    

Loving One Another During COVID Reopening

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by Jon Buck

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” ~ Rom. 12:10

The current politically charged climate with reopening churches has led us to consider how to best approach moving forward together toward reopening. 

The difficulty, of course, is that there are strong opinions regarding when and how to reopen, as well as the danger of the virus, and the best ways to protect those we love. 

Issues of the conscience
The difficulty for each of us is that there is nothing written in the Scripture that guides the specific decisions we make about reopening, or decisions for each congregant about when to attend church. 

For some, COVID-19 is little more than a flu. They may feel excited to begin church again, and have little concern regarding the disease or taking personal precautions. 

For others, however, they are in a higher risk category, or would like to guard themselves from the potential for getting the disease. They may also wish to protect high risk loved ones who could be affected. 

Either of these responses is completely valid. There are no verses that inform our response to COVID-19, and so these responses fall into the category of conscience. 

Love and honor
Regardless of how each conscience is informed, as we begin the process of reopening, our love for one another over these conscience issues is far more important than the disease itself. 

We must remember that, when it comes to conscience issues, we are called to love each other as brothers, and to outdo one another in showing honor. 

This disease has caused strong opinions on every side. If we turn against one another in judgment and critique each other, the damage to the church will be far greater than what was caused by the disease itself! 

We must outdo one another in showing honor for each other. We must love one another with brotherly affection. These, rather than the specific logistics of our next meeting, are the commands we must obey during this season. 

Guarding the heart
The danger, of course, is not ONLY that we speak words of judgment. We are generally wise enough to keep our mouths closed and not express our thoughts. 

The greatest danger is for us to think judgmental thoughts, and dishonor each other in our hearts, over a conscience issue. 

Instead, we must guard our hearts. We must remember that thoughts of judgment in areas of conscience are sinful, and we must repent of those and love and honor one another instead.