Holy Excitement in Hard Times

During the 1970s, 80s, and 90s many people served an entire career in the military without ever seeing combat or firing their weapon at someone who wanted to kill them. Few service members saw action in Desert Storm, and although there were military operations in other hot spots around the world and some special operations units were called upon to serve in various crises, many who wore the uniform over a span of twenty-five years spent their entire career preparing for war but never engaging in it. This is not their fault, and there is no shame in it. They answered the call to service, and most of them served faithfully and well. Had they been called into combat, they would have gone. But as it turned out, they served during a time of peace.

September 11, 2001 changed everything. As the world watched terrorists fly planes into the Twin Towers, men and women rushed to recruiting offices and volunteered to serve. Retired service members, reservists, and those whose terms had already ended reached out to the chain of command, many of them begging for an opportunity to come back and go to war. The cowardly attack on September 11th guaranteed that America would fight a battle, and warriors who had never been under fire (and some who had) wanted in on it. Why? Is it because they were blood thirsty, violent people? Perhaps some were, but most of them were not then and are not today. But they did not join the military to spend their entire time in comfort and security. If they wanted a 9-to-5 job, they could have worked anywhere. Many of those who joined the military did so because they wanted something more: to answer a higher calling, to sacrifice for an important mission, to make a difference even if at the risk of their lives.

I have never been to war, but I understand from those who have been there that it is not pleasant. People do not sign up to risk their lives because it is fun. They go because it is important, and no matter how great the sacrifices made, injuries suffered, lifetime disabilities incurred, friends lost, horrors witnessed, many of them say they would do it again. They gladly sacrificed to serve a high and noble purpose, but do we not have a much higher and nobler calling than even this?

Darkness seems to be falling on the world around us. I must be careful as a pastor in speculating about our present circumstances, but it is not unreasonable to see a convergence of forces and opposition preparing to make war against the Church, liberty of all kinds, and western civilization itself. What that will mean for our nation, state, local community, congregations, and families remains to be seen. Whatever the second half of this year may hold, whatever recovery of stability and sanity the Lord may allow, we should expect things have changed permanently, and not for the better. We could be very fearful because of this, worrying about the future and what this will mean for our brethren, our children, and the visible Church. Or we can contact the chain of command and confess to our Commander: “I have been slack in my service and content to serve in peacetime, but now I see the danger and need of the hour, and I commit myself to You to be used as You desire to the very last measure.”

No one wants to experience persecution, not really. We may talk tough, but persecution is unpleasant, even when it does not involve physical danger or shedding blood. I have never been beaten for my faith, but I have been lied about, cursed at, and treated with contempt, and that was by brethren in the church. If professing Christians will act in these ways, what should we expect from unbelievers? But how does Scripture speak to us about such times and experiences?

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (1Pet. 4:12-16)

And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:10-14)

These passages could be multiplied and supported by numerous quotations and accounts from the Church fathers who applied these instructions in their own experience of persecution, suffering, and death at the hands of their tormentors. Persecution is not a pleasant experience to be enjoyed, but it is a privilege to be embraced. Hardships are not easy for the body and mind, but they are valuable and productive for the sanctifying of the soul. God calls some men to glorify him in seasons of peace and prosperity, but should we flinch or turn aside when duty calls us to endure pain, poverty, public censure, or painful abuse?

The men and women who served in our armed forces in peacetime served no less honorably than those who went into battle and risked their limbs and lives in the chaos of war. But we do not tell stories about peacetime. We tell stories about D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the Ia Drang Valley, Fallujah, and Ramadi. We tell stories about the suffering and sacrifices of our Christian fathers and mothers: Polycarp, Perpetua and Felicity, John Huss, William Tyndale, John Bunyan, and Jim Elliot. Have we forgotten Hugh Latimer’s words to Nicolas Ridley as the fire was lit at the foot of the stakes to which they were chained? “Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God's grace, light up such a candle in England, as I trust, will never be put out.”

It may be unlikely that any of us suffer physical harm from the changes sweeping across our nation, but eventually such persecution will come to the Church in the US as it has in every other place where the gospel has gone. In the meantime, we should gird our hearts with an holy excitement. We are living in the midst of historic and remarkable circumstances, and we are called to serve our Lord with faith, humility, and gratitude, even if in uncertainty, danger, and distress. “If you are reproached for the Name of Christ, blessed are you” (1Pet. 4:14). May God give us hearts to believe and embrace the privilege and sacred duty of confessing Christ in dark places. --JME

Unregenerate Humanity, Unconquerable Hope

‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. 

‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. And already, Frodo, our time is beginning to look black.’

--J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, ch.2 “The Shadow of the Past”

As we continue to watch outrage and violence take over the streets of cities across the nation and now in other parts of the world, we might understandably wonder if the entire world has lost its mind. But we will not be surprised if we know the Bible’s description of unregenerate humanity. “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Tit. 3:3). Scripture is speaking self-evident truth when it declares (Rom. 3:10-18):

“There is none righteous, no, not one;

There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.

They have all turned aside;

They have together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no, not one.

Their throat is an open tomb;

With their tongues they have practiced deceit;

The poison of asps is under their lips;

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Destruction and misery are in their ways;

And the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Violent, proud, hateful, slaves to lust, without fear of God. You don’t have to be a religious person to believe the Bible’s depiction--in fact, a number of religious people are making fools of themselves right now by denying the nature and wickedness of current events and outraged evildoers in order to sound “super-spiritual.” But conflict and controversy does not change one’s character and values; it reveals them. We are witnessing the societal consequences of abandoning a biblical view of creation, humanity, sin, and justice. We are also discovering how close unregenerate people are to barbarism and brutality, and how quickly they will become violent and demonic if the restraints imposed by the threat of law and order are withdrawn.

“Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology that can really be proved.” --G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (Whitaker, 2013), 11

The breakdown of social order is not a blow to Christian faith; it is a confirmation of its doctrine and worldview. Our faith should not be rattled by seeing our neighbors acting like madmen; we should be humbled recognizing that, before the grace of God effectually intervened, we too were “by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Eph. 2:3). Of all people in this world, Christians ought to be able to observe events over the last four months with calm, contented composure. After all, we know man as he is, by creation, by sin, and by redemption. We know what man is capable of, and if we forgot, providence has given us an inconvenient reminder.

“After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord’s Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips.”

--Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (Beacon, 2006), 134

But we also know the sovereign God who created, sustains, and orders all things according to his secret purpose and ultimate good will.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Rev. 21:1-5)

God’s Spirit uses Scripture to make us wise, experience to make us humble, and the cross to make us hopeful. God’s word is true, even in its description and prediction of dark days and the worst aspects of humanity. But God’s promises are also true.

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. (Rom. 8:28)

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isa. 40:30-31)

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Jos. 1:9)

He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5b-6)

We do not profit by wishing for what might have been or wondering with anxiety what will be. We fix our eyes on Jesus, our hearts on glory, and our minds on the duty that lies before us. --JME

Some Thoughts on Suspending Worship During a Pandemic

There is a popular expression, attributed to an unidentified and apocryphal Chinese curse, which malignantly wishes: “May you live in interesting times.” We find ourselves living in such times. Churches around the world are making decisions in response to COVID-19 which has been named a pandemic by the World Health Organization, a national emergency by the American President, and a state/public health emergency by all 50 states in the US. We are living in the midst of a public health scare on a scale unseen since the 1918 Spanish Flu. No doubt many of the popular responses to this crisis are hysterical, ill-informed, and unhelpful. Some of the recommendations from our civil authorities may prove in time to have been overly cautious and unnecessary. But as those to whom Christ has committed spiritual authority and the care of souls in local congregations, church leaders cannot afford to simply ignore these recommendations and risk the safety and welfare of our members and the church’s public witness.

When our elders met Tuesday evening and decided to suspend all corporate, in-person gatherings of our church, including worship on the Lord’s Day, for the next two weeks, we did so with heavy hearts. Several of us voiced our intent coming into the meeting to cancel everything except the morning worship on the Lord’s Day, but after praying for wisdom, reviewing the data, and discussing our options, we all came to consensus that a two week, voluntary quarantine was wise and appropriate. We knew this decision would disappoint many, frustrate others, and be met with scorn by some of our brethren, especially outside our congregation. This was unavoidable. Such responses can never be a major factor in decision-making, if they are ever an appropriate factor at all. If we had decided to continue holding public worship services, as we did on the last two Lord’s Days despite encouragement from many sectors to cancel, that decision too would have been met with disappointment, frustration, and scorn.

Advocates of big government and opponents of religious and personal liberty will always use crises to expand their agenda and influence, and I have no doubt it will be so in this case. Western society may, and likely will, be permanently affected by the measures taken to address the Corona virus, for good or ill. But the recommendations of government leaders and public health agencies at this time are neither an explicit nor implicit attack upon religious liberty or our spiritual obligations. If the government were forbidding churches to ever assemble with more than 10 persons present, the visible Church would have an obligation to defy and disobey that order. But this is not the case. We should be concerned to maintain and uphold our biblical duties and civil liberties, but we should not fight the wrong battle or choose the wrong hill to die upon. Remember Peter’s eagerness to fight and die in the garden, but his lack of preparedness and failure of faith and courage when tested in the courtyard. Zeal without knowledge is neither commendable nor useful.

Are churches sinning who decide not to meet for worship on the Lord’s Day during this crisis? They certainly could be. If the decision is made because men desire to “take a break” from church and religious obligation, then it is certainly contemptible and an offense against God. But is this likely the reason most churches are suspending their assemblies? If the decision is made from irrational fear due to the dangers of illness or potential death, this also is a motive unworthy of Christ and the people of God. If the decision is based on the fear of man and a readiness to submit every activity of the church to civil authorities or popular opinion and pressure, then this too is an unfaithful and wicked position to adopt. But not every concern about public health and safety is irrational, not every decision to submit to the recommendations of civil authorities about public assemblies is an unbiblical capitulation, and not every choice to remain home rather than gathering with the saints for worship on the Lord’s Day is sin.

We all recognize, or should, that the saints have an obligation to gather with the church for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. But we also recognize that sometimes neglect of this obligation is not only not sinful but prudential. Would we gather with the saints for worship if we were seriously ill? No, most of us decide that if we are sick and likely to infect others, we should stay at home. Most of us have missed corporate worship to care for a sick child or to minister to those who are in crisis, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. So what do we do when the entire community is “sick” and in crisis? That is the situation we find ourselves in. This is not a permanent situation, and if it were, at some point we would simply have to go on and gather for worship knowing that doing so brings a much greater risk for some of us. But is there not a place for wisdom and care in the midst of crisis, to attempt to safeguard the vulnerable and love our neighbors by helping to contain and cut down on public exposure and further infection? Yes, and we should not sit in judgment of those seeking to act with discretion and in faith in these times.

Many churches have chosen to suspend corporate gatherings for a time. Some have no choice because they are in countries or communities which have ordered lockdowns of the population. Others have voluntarily done so in submission to the recommendations of civil authorities and in respect for public health. Some may have taken this course for sinful reasons. They may be driven by irrational fear, be surrendering spiritual authority to civil agencies, or be acting from concern for public opinion rather than biblical wisdom. But you and I cannot know that, at least, not conclusively in most cases. We do not know any man’s heart, and we are not to judge the motives that remain hidden there.

Some churches will continue to meet, and whether wise or not, this remains their right to do. Could that decision be sinful? Certainly, if made for proud, self-righteous, or contentious reasons. The person who is determined to display his piety by attending worship while highly contagious is not only an arrogant man but a fool. But not every decision to maintain public worship assemblies can be so judged, and some of those quick to do so are just as guilty of sinful condemnation as those who are judging the ones who have decided to stay home. Let each be convinced in his own mind and not judge his brother.

These are certainly interesting times, days I never imagined or desired to see, but this is not the end of the story. The Lord calls us to walk by faith, not in fear. The COVID-19 virus is not the first, and is far from the worst, pandemic to sweep across the face of the globe. We take comfort in the promise of our Lord: “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18b). Christ did not need our help to build His church, and no virus or public health crisis or civil disturbance can undo what He has done. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35). Not even COVID-19, widespread quarantines, and global efforts to contain the virus shall be able to separate us from the love of God. Sing the psalms joyfully, read the Scriptures reverently, pray boldly and humbly. This crisis will pass, and when it does, the Church will still be standing righteous in Christ. Do not fear. Be strong and courageous. The God of Jacob will defend, uphold, and sustain His people.

--Joel M. Ellis, Jr. (March 2020)

Recklessness, Responsibility, and the Sovereignty of God

I ride a motorcycle, and if that were not already sufficiently high-risk, I ride a motorcycle as my daily use vehicle, not for recreation. Periodically I hear concerns about this, and I appreciate that people don’t want me to get hurt (or worse). But my answer is simple. I do not take unnecessary risks, I am not reckless, and since I believe God has ordained all things and works them for the ultimate (saving) good of his people (Rom. 8:28), I don’t worry about it.

We should not mistake foolishness for faith. Though we trust in God’s protection, this is no excuse for irresponsible behavior. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt. 4:7; Deut. 6:16). Recklessness is not an act of faith; it is sinful presumption, daring God to guard us from the consequences of our stupidity, something he never promises to do.

At the same time, we can rest confidently in the overarching sovereignty and perfect decree of God “who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). Acting in faith will often appear reckless to outsiders, as David (1Sam. 17), Daniel (Dan. 6:10), and Paul (Acts 21:10-14) would all agree. Recklessness is inexcusable, but risk is unavoidable. Each of us assumes a significant amount of risk when we get out of bed each morning. But we can trust the ultimate power, purpose, and providence of God. We should devote our energy each day to doing God’s will, not worrying about how to prolong our lives. It is appropriate to take reasonable precautions (which is why I always wear a helmet when I ride), but it is not appropriate to think that by our actions we will somehow change the will of God. If I die in a motorcycle accident, so be it. Unless the Lord returns first, all of us will die somehow, sometime. -JME