January 27, 2023

“It’s precisely when your ultimate conviction is that there is no eternal, that you’re most prone to absolute ties to the temporal.”  -James A.K. Smith-

My ultimate conviction is that there is an eternal world. But sometimes the temporal world seems so important and so close, that I need to be reminded by the eternal word of God.   Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I John2:15  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 1:2   One of the great debates in my head that divides my heart is deciding whether I will live by the “spiritus mundi” (world spirit) or the Word of the Spirit.   The words of William Wordsworth remind us: "The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers."   The Word of God reminds me in Psalm 119:9-11: How can a young man keep his way pure? By Keeping it according to Thy word. With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.   Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred

January 20, 2023

God’s invisible presence is a sober fact, not a figure of speech. -Dave Roper-

In the Christian life, faith is believing the invisible, it is seeing the unseen world. Therefore, the goal of the Christian life is to grow eyes. As you read about the heroes of the faith contained in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11, you cannot help but notice the focus on the future: the unseen future promised by the Lord. It begins by declaring: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” 11:1-3 Faith is Vision. It is to believe the invisible. It is able to see the unseen.   Noah is remembered as one who did not see, but worked for God by faith. "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." 11:7 Abraham did not know or see where he was to go, but obeyed God’s call and by faith went out. "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going." 11:8 Moses, seeing the riches of Egypt, by faith chose to see Him who was unseen and see the unseen reward reserved in heaven. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen." 11:24-27 Faith is vision. However, we must remember--- Faith is not being sure things will turn out okay. Faith is being okay no matter how things turn out. Do you see life that way? Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred

January 13, 2023

We do not know what is happening to us, and that is what is happening to us -  to not know what is happening to us. Jose’ Ortega y Gasset

To realize the culture is confused is obvious. To recognize that the Church is contaminated by the culture is tragic. To reluctantly acknowledge that Christians are conforming to the culture is heartbreaking. The Apostle John warns the church, “Do not love the world or the things of the world, for if you love the world the love of the Father is not in you.” (I John 2:15) John also records that Jesus wrote a letter to the church of Thyatira and revealed that some of the leaders of the church were actually leading the “bondservants” of Jesus to commit acts of "idolatry and immorality" (Revelation 2:20). Talk about cultural corruption and confusion! There is nothing new under the sun, but it is still devastating and demoralizing. We so often trifle with the sacred as we traffic in the secular. Our biggest danger is that we do not realize who the "frog" is and what the "kettle" is. We truly do not seem to know what is happening to us. I do not want the cultural contagion to contaminate me. I imagine you feel the same. And so, I pray for myself and you as well, that the Lord will protect us from the tinseled sham of a temporal world that deceives the eyes and beguiles the heart. Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred

January 6, 2023

The Question of the Ages

For the Christian, the start of a new year invites many questions. But perhaps the most universal question is the one that considers, is this the year that the Lord Jesus will return?   Of course, the most egregious, reckless form of prophetic pandering is setting dates for specific end-time events to occur. Every so often someone comes along and sets a date for the return of Christ. They do this despite Jesus saying during His time on earth that even He didn’t know the time of His second coming. However, are there signs? I believe COVID is part of the stage setting for the end times. In that sense, it’s a sign that points beyond itself to future events. For example, COVID is revealing the interconnectedness of the modern world as well as accelerating it. Also, a cashless culture and digital society portends the way of our future world. Additionally, a country that does not possess the ability or desire to distinguish the truth is always a bad sign. The road to the Apocalypse is lined with signs. Some of them are frightening and foreboding, such as a pandemic plague. It’s important for us to keep our eyes on the signs, even when we would rather look away. Yet, at the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to get enamored with the signs. Signs are important, but they aren’t all-important. Their only value is to point to something beyond themselves. Signs show us the way and lead us from where we are to where we want to be. And the ultimate place we want to be is with Jesus in His kingdom. The signs are all pointing in the same direction: the coming of Jesus and a world recaptured by heaven. Take comfort — the best is yet to come. Serving Him with you, until He comes for us. Fred