Sermon Video: Faith, Hope, & Love manifested in Work, Labor, & Endurance - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

At the beginning of his letter to the very young church at Thessalonica (most of the believers had known Christ for a year or less), the Apostle Paul begins by commending them for how Faith, Love, and Hope had propelled them to Work, Labor, and Endurance.  While those three virtues have their own worth, in this case Paul chooses to focus on what each of them was able to accomplish for the Kingdom of God through the actions of these followers of Jesus.

Sermon Video: Children of Light - Ephesians 5:8-14

Light vs. Dark imagery is very common in the Bible.  In fact, when seeing a vision of God, or meeting an angel, the text typically describes the scene by reference to dazzlingly bright light.  The Apostle Paul utilizes this analogy often, telling us that we were in darkness but now have seen the Light of Christ.  Here in Ephesians, however, Paul goes a step further.  He proclaims that we WERE darkness but now in the Lord we ARE light.  It isn't about the place, but the person.  God's power not only transforms this world, it transforms human beings.

As Children of the Light, we now must embrace goodness, righteousness, and truth.  Additionally, we cannot have anything to do with the deeds of our former darkness, instead we must expose such deeds that the light may continue to overcome evil.

Sermon Video: The Problem of Unwholesome Talk, Ephesians 4:29-30

As Paul continues to share examples of the new attitude that followers of Jesus must adopt, he turns his focus to our speech.  The contrast between unwholesome talk that tears down and helpful talk that builds up highlights the stark change between what we were and what we must grow (with the Holy Spirit's help) to be.

In addition, Paul reminds us that our failures with respect to what we say are a grief to the Holy Spirit.  Why?  We are ambassadors of Christ, as any misbehaving child would embarrass his/her parents, filthy talk from Christians grieves the Spirit of God within us.

Sermon Video: Getting a New Attitude - Ephesians 4:17-24

 

The Apostle Paul insists to his readers that they cannot live any longer "as the Gentiles do."  He then describes humanity apart from God, the result being bleak.  Instead, followers of Jesus need a new attitude to replace the old one, one that is like God's "true righteousness and holiness."

How are we to do this?  Elsewhere Paul makes it clear that the Holy Spirit's empowerment is our only hope.

What does this new attitude look like?  Stay tuned for the next three sermons as Paul gives practical examples of the change that we need to make.

Sermon Video: Equipping his people for works of service - Ephesians 4:7-13

How does a Church grow?  In other words, what builds up the body of Christ?

The answer from the Apostle Paul is strikingly simple: acts of service.

In this text, Paul talks about how Jesus continues to give grace to his people, in the form of leadership gifting, in order to enable his people to serve others.

Sermon Video: A Life Worthy of the Calling - Ephesians 4:1-2

Given what God was willing to do to save you, how should you respond?

The Apostle Paul tells us that we must live our entire lives in a way that is worthy of our calling.  Calling from who?  From God.  Calling to what?  To self-sacrifice and service for the sake of the Gospel. 

How do we do this?  Paul begins to answer that question by telling us to be: humble, gentle, patience, and loving.  When we can demonstrate these virtues here among the people of God, it opens the door to being able to share them with everyone we meet.

Sermon Video: God has a plan for each one of us - Ephesians 2:10

Ephesians 2:8-9 is an amazing ode to God's plan to save those who trust in Christ by grace.  However, God's plan for his people doesn't stop with saving their souls, God has a plan for each one of us here in this life.  What is it?

To do good works.  In a mind-blowing revelation, Paul reveals that God has prepared opportunities ahead-of-time which those whom he has renewed through the Holy Spirit are equipped to accomplish.  When a potential good deed is in our path, it isn't a random moment, rather it is our Heavenly Father's desire to partner with us in fulfilling his will.

"A singular focus on preparing students for meaningful jobs and careers" would be the death of Christian Higher Education - A response to the essay by Cornerstone University's President Moreno-Riaño on Fox News

 

Here's what American universities should teach instead of activism Industry and moral skills are essential for our students and the future of our country By Gerson Moreno-Riaño Fox News Published July 27, 2024

Honestly, when my alma mater, Cornerstone University sent me an email touting this essay by President Moreno-Riaño and asking me to share it on social media, I don't think they had this in mind.  However, the excellent professors of the Humanities Department, the one that President Moreno-Riaño demolished this year {The Cornerstone University I graduated from is no more, my daughter won't be going there.} me how to think, so that's what I'll do.

{The Fox News essay is below in italics, my commentary will be in brackets [and bold]}

Colleges and universities are failing our country. This seems to be the growing consensus among an increasingly large percentage of Americans and business leaders.

[From the very start this essay bothers me a great deal.  This is being written by the President of Cornerstone University, I had great respect for this university's past presidents, but I have no respect for the attitude of President Moreno-Riaño which in this essay is being derived from business concerns and survey results.  Why?  Because Cornerstone University is supposed to be a Christian organization.  That's why it was founded, that was its mission for generations, and that is one of the main reasons why most of its students chose to go there, it brought me there in 1994.  A Christian organization, be it a church, a publishing house, a homeless shelter, or a school, is not supposed to be swimming with the current of our culture, business world, and politics, instead we are to serve a different master, on a different mission.  As an essay about secular Higher Education this opening line would still be disturbing as it frames the conversation about higher education as an ordinary business, which it is not, but coming from the President of Cornerstone University, it is ominous indeed.]

The recent Gallup and Lumina Foundation report shows that an increasing number of Americans have little to no confidence in higher education. For the first time since Gallup begin to measure the confidence level in higher education, America is "now nearly equally divided among those who have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence (36%), some confidence (32%), or little or no confidence (32%) in higher education."  

This finding represents a seismic shift from 2015, when almost 60% of Americans had a high level of confidence and 10% had little or none. 

[Opinion surveys reflect what the people who respond to them are ingesting, not necessarily what is real.  It isn't a coincidence that Fox News and similar outlets run stories and opinion pieces attacking higher education (and public education in general) on a regular basis.  Perhaps this steady drumbeat of doom and gloom has something to do with the changing attitudes found in the survey?]

Many business leaders equally reflect the growing lack of confidence. In a recent interview, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO, criticized colleges and universities for the little focus they place on helping graduates find good employment. 

This unwillingness, so argues Dimon, not only places an exorbitant amount of pressure on businesses to train their employees – something pre-employment education should do – but also disenfranchises large sectors of society.  

Kiersten Barnet, executive director of New York Jobs CEO Council – a group of 30 of America’s top CEOs and their companies – was perhaps more direct than Dimon, stating: "When you think about what you need to do a job, it is skills. It's not a degree."

[I don't know Jamie Dimon or Kiersten Barnet, so this is nothing personal about either or them, but is the goal of higher education to please the CEO of a giant corporation or the executive director of an organization representing our nation's largest business interests?  Again, this may legitimately be one of the goals of secular higher education, to bolster the economy by providing workers suitable to what businesses want, but nowhere in this essay is the question asked, let alone answered, "What kind of students ought Christian Higher Education be aiming to form?  What role does Christian discipleship play in the process of educating young people?  How can our professors be mentors to students, not simply teaching them job skills but how to mature into God-honoring adults?"]

America’s growing doubts about colleges and universities are rooted in a list of causes too long to detail here, but it is worth noting that the lack of confidence is connected to certain factors. The most notable of these being what colleges and universities teach and do not teach. 

In Gallup’s report, of the Americans who register little or no confidence, almost 40%, criticize colleges and universities "for not teaching relevant skills, for college degrees not meaning much, or for graduates not being able to find employment."

Indeed, a new survey released this week by Cengage Group found that 55% of recent graduates said their degree programs did not prepare them for the workforce, with 70% saying basic AI training should be taught. These are, in essence, the same concerns of business leaders like Dimon and Barnet.

[Basic AI training?  God help us.  So much for being taught how to think biblically.] 

Gallup’s report goes a step further, however. Slightly over 40% of Americans in this same low to no confidence group think that our colleges and universities "are pushing certain political agendas." In short, many believe that higher education is miseducating our students. Rather than preparing for careers and a productive life, colleges and universities appear to be preparing students to be radical activists.  

[I don't disagree that today's students could use less politics in their lives, so could the millions of adults who spend way to much time engaged in the bashing of "them" and uncritical praising of "us."  Politics is a drug, much of America is addicted, and it isn't healthy.  But is the answer to focus on job skills and give up on the Humanities??  Such a notion would have horrified our ancestors in the faith, men and women who were deeply educated in languages, art, history, philosophy, music, and more.]

Further, the miseducation of our students as it relates to gainful employment – "good jobs" – is a serious problem since it robs from our students the opportunity for a fuller humanity. Jobs and compensation are essential for our humanity. But good jobs and good compensation are even more essential for a flourishing humanity and, by extension, a flourishing society. 

Amid its many laudable goals, higher education must focus on preparing students for good jobs and compensation. To do any less is to perpetrate a great injustice on our students and our future. 

[A good job is better than a bad job.  Is that all higher education should be about?  If people earn more money will they have better lives, will society be uplifted if our graduates have career success?  The answers to such questions aren't simple, at least they shouldn't be.  The university that I graduated from in the 1990's had a much more holistic approach to the flourishing of its students, both while they attended and preparing them for the future.]

When students are miseducated to become radical activists, the injustice perpetrated is even greater and the damage is even more corrosive. Students are duped into believing that radical activism adds value to their own life and to society when in fact it is the opposite. Such pursuits rob from students the exercise of their productive full potential, thus undermining their good as well as that of all society.

[That is a really bold statement, one worthy of a pundit or politician, but one that should be unworthy of a university president.  You know what adds value to life?  Having a purpose greater than earning money.  You know what uplifts society?  People willing to sacrifice for causes they deem greater than themselves.  I'm too young to remember college campuses in the 1960's, but would our country really be better off if students there had focused on job skills and not worried about Civil Rights or the Vietnam War?  Should students stick their heads in the sand and shut up about the injustices they perceive in the world?  You know what else is radical?  Following Jesus.  Not saying that you are a Christian, but really and truly following Jesus, living like him.  Thinking and feeling like Jesus, trying to echo his passion and compassion.  Radical activism, when propelled by truly Christ-honoring worldview, is the stuff of legends.  If you seek to starve the activism you don't like (because it is blue not red, or red not blue), you destroy the activism that the world truly needs alongside it.]

To re-ignite public and business confidence in their work, colleges and universities must have a singular focus on preparing students for meaningful jobs and careers. This begins with implementing industry-ready skills-based educational outcomes for their general education curriculum and all academic majors. 

[A singular focus on jobs and careers is the death of Christian Higher Education.]

Colleges and universities should also require internships or apprenticeships for the honing of soft and industry-specifics skills as well as to create employment opportunities. And colleges and universities should require all academic departments to have industry and business partnerships for the continual refinement of curricula and preparation of students for the market.

While there may be additional market-related refinements that could be implemented, there is no doubt that the above initiatives would go a long way to re-igniting our confidence in higher education.

[I understand why business leaders would cheer this essay, workers ready to do their job is what they want the most, but don't we want more out of education than job skills?  Aren't we trying to foster holistic human beings and not just employees that help keep corporate costs low and profits high?]

 The focus on jobs and market preparation must also consider and integrate the enduring questions and answers to what it means to be human. This is what the humanities used to address.

Today, much of the humanities are characterized by a turn toward a contrarianism and deconstructionism that emphasize moral ambiguity and skepticism. Such an approach has resulted in generations of students who at best are sophisticated critics and at worst are radical activists. These students are too often unable to discern, affirm and defend truth and what it means to be human. 

A case in point are the recent protests in which students were clearly unable to discern good from evil. Some college presidents also fared no better. 

Colleges and universities must develop and implement moral skills educational outcomes for their general education curriculum and all academic majors that prepare all students to discern and affirm what is true, beautiful and good.  

[And how will Cornerstone University's students develop these skills without a Humanities Department and with only part-time adjunct professors teaching these classes??  That President Moreno-Riaño has chosen to publicly rail against the Humanities Departments of other unspecified universities while gutting that of his own, one that had been both high class and high quality for generations, is deeply upsetting to alumni such as myself, truly it is heartbreaking.]

All students should also have a significant service requirement during each year of college that is a prerequisite for graduation. This service requirement would be connected to the moral skills outcomes allowing students to apply and refine their moral reasoning and judgment in preparation for life beyond college.

[One brief moment of agreement.  My cross-cultural ministry experience, a month in Guatemala, was a life-changing positive experience.]

Our colleges and universities must educate students with industry skills that position them for great market contributions. This education must also include moral skills that position our students for living a great life characterized by truth, beauty and goodness.  

[At the end of the essay, the idea of truth, beauty, and goodness as part of education is briefly mentioned, but only after declaring that Humanities Departments are what is wrong with higher education, and only in the context of what has happened to Cornerstone University under his tenure.  It rings hollow.]

Both industry and moral skills are essential for our students and for the future of our country, and a serious focus on these would go a long way in re-igniting the confidence in America’s colleges and universities.

[It is sad for me to say it, but I don't have any confidence in Cornerstone University under its current leadership.  I know that good people remain, although many good people have been fired or forced out since President Moreno-Riaño took over, but this current direction is watching a train-wreck in progress.]

To learn much more about how Cornerstone University has been reduced to a shell of its former glory (I don't say that flippantly) through censorship, firing, and politics, please listen to the podcast of Pastor Noah Filipiak a fellow Cornerstone graduate as he interview Dr. David Turner, former professor at the seminary: The Flip Side podcast

The difference between self-sorting and self-preservation: Why people choose to leave a church is important

 

An interesting thing happened to me two Sundays ago that has been gnawing at my mind since.  As I always try to do when we have visitors join us for worship, I spoke with a new family in the brief moments before church was to begin.  They were, like so many individuals and families that had joined us for a week, or two, in recent years, looking for a new church home.  Other than visitors from out-of-town, and those who join us of their own accord without a previous church background (an answer to prayer!), most of those who seek a new church are doing so because of something that was amiss where they had previously attended.

Given that this happens fairly regularly, and that some of these new folk will stick around while others will keep looking, my brief conversation with this family wouldn't have stuck in my mind if I didn't have a pertinent section in my sermon on Romans 15:1-6 that I had actually written in as an addition that very morning when I was reviewing my message:

"A quick note, the current habit of Christians self-sorting into homogenous local churches which only contain people who look, act, and think like they already do is in part an attempt to avoid this hard work of self-transformation and discipleship, and thus inherently an unhealthy development in the Church as a whole.  Given modern mobility and technology it will not be easy to overcome the tendency of most people to seek out a church primarily on the criteria of being 'comfortable' there."

At that point in the sermon I added an ad-lib to the effect that the people here in this congregation don't need to agree with me on everything, especially the cultural and political issues of the day (about which most wouldn't know if they agree with me or not given my reluctance to speak publicly on them, as I've noted over the years).

Without sharing the particulars of why that one family had joined us a few weeks ago, I knew it wasn't because they were avoiding the challenges of discipleship by seeking out a homogenous church community.

But, as pastors often do when they realize that a portion of their sermon touches directly on the life of someone sitting in the pew, I hope I wasn't misunderstood, I hope it didn't feel like I was aiming those words in their direction. 

{FYI, 95% of the time the whole, "He's talking about me in the sermon!" phenomenon is the thought of the person in the pew not the intention of the person behind the pulpit.  After writing and delivering more than 750 sermons, I can honestly say that it has never occurred to me to aim what I'm writing at one individual or family, that's just not how the sausage is made.}

Here's why I hope I wasn't misunderstood: There is indeed a big difference between those who seek out a "comfortable" church where they won't be challenged in their beliefs and attitudes, and those who seek out a healthy church where they will be discipled and asked to serve.  

It isn't an easy decision to leave a church, at least it shouldn't be, even if that church has become an unhealthy, even a toxic place.  To leave feels like giving up, like conceding that you don't see much hope of things changing anytime soon.  Honestly, this topic ought to feel different to single people than to parents.  I may feel confident that I can protect myself from negativity in a church that has grown unhealthy and still be a positive influence on those around me, but taking that risk on behalf of your kids is no small thing.  Honestly, I wouldn't let my kid be a part of a church overflowing with the hatreds of "Christian" Nationalism or the materialism of the Prosperity Gospel, to give two common examples, even if I felt called to stay there myself and try to make a difference.  

In the end, I'm not in the business of "sheep stealing."  If people come to our doors because there is a problem (real or imagined) with the place they previously worshiped, we will welcome them with kindness no questions asked, that goes without saying.  Maybe God is leading them here, maybe he isn't, I'm certainly not in a position to judge that matter for them.  If where they were previously wasn't a healthy church, for whatever reason, they will be welcome among us, and hopefully they will find God's presence and the challenge of discipleship in our midst.  But I'm not trying to grow this church on the back of disgruntled Methodists (sadly a numerous bunch in our county given recent events), disillusioned Presbyterians, or angry Catholics.  What I hope for, and what all of the clergy I've known and worked with in this community for more than a decade likewise hope for, is a collective Church in our community that allows those who don't know Jesus to see glimpses of him in us.  What I hope for, and so do my fellow pastors, is that we together may add new members to the family of God, new sinners saved by grace, new lives redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  There will always be a rearranging of chairs within our various congregations, some growing some shrinking, and a flow of people between us, what matters in the end is whether or not that migration is making the Church healthier or unhealthier, whether or not it is supporting or harming our universal collective mission of being salt and light in this world.

Sermon Video: A Living Sacrifice to God - Romans 12:1-2

What is the proper Christian response to God's mercy?  After we have received so much of it, and continue to depend upon it, how should we react?

The Apostle Paul offers a simple solution: Offer your life as a living sacrifice.  In other words, reject the false gods of this world (materialism, hedonism, narcissism, etc.) and instead embrace the pursuit of Christ-likeness.  God gave you his Son to save you from damnation, is letting God direct your life too much to ask in return?  (Hint: It isn't)

Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #8: Matthew 5:13

 

Matthew 5:13     New International Version

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

How cozy with the Kingdoms of this World (human governments) can the Church be before it loses its saltiness?  In other words, if the Church wields dominion in this age, determining military policy, tax provisions, environmental regulations, food and drug safety, and the whole host of decisions over peoples lives that a modern government must make {choosing not to regulate an area is of course a decision too}, will such a Church retain any of its required saltiness?

The context leading up to verse 13 of the Sermon on the Mount is the Beatitudes.  Just prior to telling his followers to be salt, an element essential for life in the Ancient World, Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is counter-intuitive by declaring those whom society normally looks upon as 'losers' to be "blessed".  You see, the Kingdom of God is not business as usual, it isn't a slightly better version of this world's cultures and governments, it isn't a tweak of the old; the Kingdom of God is a radical change of human behavior and interactions on a fundamental level from top to bottom.

For far too much of Church History the Church has been content to nibble at the margins, to strive for a better world without putting the Word of God to the test by living in accordance with ALL that it teaches.  The Church has lived by faith, but only so far.  And yet, 'Christian' Nationalism would ask us to lean into this hesitancy, to go all-in on ruling here and now by using the very methods and tactics that this world has devised to grasp and maintain power.  "Be Christ-like and trust God with the results?  You naïve fool, we'd lose if we did that!", there actions (and at times words) proclaim. 

Can you honestly say, when listening to politicians, that any of them (save perhaps some on the local level) are acting in their role as public leaders according to the vision of the Sermon on the Mount?  Are any of them striving to establish the Kingdom of God?  So, why are they, politicians and pundits, being treated as leaders of Christianity?  What training, calling, and experience do they have in Christian discipleship, in leading with a servant's heart?

On of the great tragedies here is that God has called his people to far more.  To a more abundant and purposeful life here and now through radical self-denial and service.  Take back the country for God, the culture?  Why would God want them, he's already spelled out his plans for a far greater prize.

Sermon Video: "that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" - Romans 1:8-15

Before beginning to unfold the theology of his letter, the Apostle Paul takes a moment to express his desire, both past and future, to visit the Church at Rome and fellowship with its people.  Why?  Because he knows that when they experience each other's faith they will be mutually encouraged.

Why be a part of the Church?  One reason among many: mutual encouragement.  You can lift others up and they can lift you up.

The Church is far from perfect, but is the only vehicle that God has ordained to fulfill his purpose in this Age, it is where disciples of Jesus grow to maturity together through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The danger of defining 'real' Americans vs. the necessity of categorizing 'real' Christians

It has become increasingly popular for politicians and pundits to tell their hard core followers that they represent the 'real America', and that those who have opposing viewpoints are conversely not 'real Americans'.  That this attitude is inherently dangerous, divisive, and ultimately a precursor to violence toward the group of people now labeled as un-American, even anti-American, history has attempted to teach us.  Once a group of people, defined by whatever parameter, have been deemed to be the 'other', it is a short road to convincing those who have drunk the Kool-Aid that 'they' should be incarcerated, expelled, or eliminated.

On the other hand, I have often referred to some people as 'self-professed Christians' or even 'so-called Christians'.  That such labels have been used in the past (on the wrong basis), for example during the Thirty Years War, to foment persecution and violence, is horrifyingly true, yet the need to have a proper definition of what a genuine follower of Jesus Christ looks/acts like, and call out those who fail to live up to it, remains.  Why?  

1. An earthly human kingdom vs. a divinely created spiritual kingdom

The United States of America is a human construct.  Like all governments it derives its legitimacy from God's delegated sovereignty (Romans 13:1-2), but it is no more divinely created than the hundreds of other nations that exist in our world today, or the nations or kingdoms that existed in years past.  As such, notions of citizenship in this nation have changed (mostly for the better) over the years, and are subject to changing laws and even constitutional amendments such as the 13th-15th Amendments that sought to remedy the original Constitution's flawed acceptance of the notion that Blacks were not citizens, or the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.  Citizenship in America has always been a work in progress, it has always had ways in which our government and our people failed to live up to our ideals.  

Christian citizenship is different in many ways.  It was instituted by Jesus himself (Matthew 16:18

NIV  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.), populated not with any group of people, or based in on any geographic boundaries, but with individuals called out from amongst all peoples (Revelation 7:9 NIV  After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.), and also defined by a standard that does not change and cannot be amended (John 14:6 NIV  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.)

Given those differences, the United States of America can, will, and should change in an effort to "form a more perfect Union", and it can be torn asunder by division.  The Church, which is the body that comprises the individuals who have been called by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus, must maintain its original calling and purpose, uphold its given mission and parameters, and is incapable of effective division (Ephesians 4:5-6 NIV  one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.) even if it has been split in two for a thousand years, and in three for the past five hundred.  What those who claim to follow Jesus, whether they be genuine or not, cannot do is split his Church.  America, however, has no such guarantees.  We survived one Civil War, and the tumult of the 60's, but have no promise that if we continue to sow division we will survive the next conflagration. 

2. E pluribus unum vs. the Mind of Christ

The people who comprise human kingdoms and nations are never of one mind.  Attempts to force uniformity have resulted in some of history's most horrific abuses and genocides: the Spanish Inquisition, Indian Education Program in 19th century America, Mao's Cultural Revolution from 1966-76 which cost the lives of untold millions, or the ongoing Uighur genocide in China today.  In fact, differing viewpoints are a strength of human institutions, preventing them from becoming stale or blind to reality.  The generation of the Founding Fathers famously disagreed on the direction that the new nation should take on a host of issues (ask Alexander Hamilton), with some preferring the vision of Madison and others that of Jefferson.  If those who disagree, about any particular issue, are not 'real Americans', the ability of our democracy to continue to function decreases.

The Church is likewise made up of people with differing viewpoints, often contentiously, but with one key distinction that separates it from America: We are all heading in the same direction, learning from the tutor, and seeking to emulate the same hero (John 14:26 NIV  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.    Philippians 2:2 NIV  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.).  Thus while those within the Church can, healthily, disagree on the secondary issues, we are united, for more strongly than any nation, on the foundational ones.

3. Law abiding citizens vs. the Law of Love

Once a person becomes an American citizen, either by birth or naturalization, that person remains a citizen for the rest of his/her days (short of committing actual acts of treason, or renouncing one's citizenship).  Each citizen is as much a 'real American' as the next.  Given that we enjoy the protections of the Bill of Rights in America, as long as people don't break the law (or aren't unjustly convicted of breaking the law), there is no legal grounds to value the beliefs and hopes of one citizen over that of another {providing that they aren't advocating for anarchy or gross immorality}.  Our representative republic helps transfer that mass of opinions and beliefs into something approximating a functioning government, but those who hold minority opinions are not less American than those who happen to currently be in the majority.  In addition, what was once majority opinion can find itself in the span of a generation, or less, to be a minority view.  That being said, you can love America, and be a fully patriotic citizen of this nation, and still hold any number of political/economic/cultural viewpoints.  I know that many partisans, especially those sold on the Culture Wars, would strongly disagree here, but if we are to have a United future, ever increasing venom against the 'enemies of the people' cannot prevail.

It is not the same in the Church.  In order to be a real/genuine Christian, there must be concrete evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of what is known as the Fruit of the Spirit.  This term is derived from Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  If these qualities are not present, whatever the person in question might claim to believe, he/she cannot be a true follower of Jesus.  This is not in any way a partisan viewpoint, it isn't a liberal or conservative one, but a Truth derived from the very nature of the Church itself and everything we know and understand about what it means to be washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb.

Matthew 7:22-23 NIV  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV  If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

James 2:14-19 NIV  What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

1 John 2:6 NIV  Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

1 John 3:16-18 NIV  This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

The verses above but scratch the surface on how many times the New Testament addresses this topic, each time affirming the absolute need for heart conversion, not just head knowledge or mouth proclamations.  This then is why we must distinguish between 'so-called' or 'self-professed' Christians and the genuine article.  God chose to make it abundantly clear in his Word that checking a box on a survey, voting a certain way, or wearing a cross on a necklace isn't good enough.  Outward appearances and empty words are not good enough.  Unless true life changing Fruit of the Spirit is present, on an ongoing basis, there is no reason to belief that such a person is a Christian.  Conversely, if evil is present, tolerated and habitual, there is also ample reason to doubt the sincerity of any profession of faith.

This is actually not a change from the Old Covenant to the New.  The prophets of old wrestled with a people who believed that having Abraham as an ancestor was good enough, that it would guarantee their position before God, regardless of their conduct.  That lack of genuine faith led inexorably to the destruction of the Temple and the Exile in Babylon.  Unfortunately, Jesus found that same shallow attitude present in his own day, and reacted very strongly against it: Matthew 3:8-10 NIV  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

It is far easier to be a good citizen of the United States than it is to be a genuine Christian.  At the same time, the United States is a far more fragile vessel than the Church of Jesus Christ, and while divisions sown in either will bear harmful fruit, we know that the Church will endure, America has no such promise.

So, the next time you hear a politician, pundit, or regular person spouting off on social media about how 'we' are the REAL Americans and 'they' are not, don't be fooled, that road leads to self-destruction.  Likewise, the next time you hear someone proclaiming their bona fides as a Christian while still embracing hate, lust, greed or the like, and/or while not exhibiting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control, don't believe it, fruit-less Christians don't exist.

Sermon Video: How Salty Are You? Mark 9:49-50

 Having just warned about the impending danger of Hell, Jesus turns to the quality that sets his followers apart from those the path of destruction: saltiness.  Jesus uses salt as a metaphor, primarily of preserving and transforming, to warn/encourage his disciples that they are transformative agents in this world, that like salt in the ancient world, they have numerous life-affirming roles to play for the Kingdom of God.

Salt that isn't salty?  True NaCl is always salty, it always performs its function, so to with true disciples of Jesus, who all bear witness to the Spirit's transforming power through their adoption of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Sermon Video: Ashamed of Jesus? - Mark 8:38

 Can you demonstrate that you're not ashamed of Jesus by sharing a meme on social media or putting a bumper sticker on your car?  No, the hard truth of the matter is that allegiance to Jesus Christ needs to go much, much deeper.  If we are unashamed of Jesus and his teachings we not only repeat them (without changing them) but LIVE them.  We begin to think, feel, talk, and act like Jesus, to imitate him.  Unfortunately, for millions of self-professed Christians, the only difference between their lives and those of their unbelieving neighbors or friends are surface issues.  Wearing the 'team colors' so to speak, but not denying materialism, embracing sexual purity, or living a life of self-sacrificial service to others.  Ashamed of Jesus?  It isn't your Facebook feed that answers that question, but the life you're living.

Sermon Video: Take up your Cross and follow Jesus - Mark 8:34-35

 What does it take to be a follower of Jesus? The blessings are well known, but what about the cost? Salvation is free, 100%, but discipleship is costly. To be a follower of Jesus is to embark on a path of self-denial (not asceticism, but submission to the lordship of God, to his will), to take up your own cross of self-sacrificial service to others, and to follow after Jesus. Jesus went wherever he could help people, wherever he could make a difference, and he gave them what he had: truth, compassion, and love. We must do likewise.

Sermon Video: Isolation from, or Engagement with, the World? 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Having corrected the error at the Church of Corinth regarding the reality of the resurrection to come, the Apostle Paul concludes by reminding them that, "Bad company corrupts good character." Is it true that, "One bad apple spoils the bunch"? Or can a bunch of good apples help the bad one? Which was does influence flow? Good to bad, bad to good, or both? As Christians we have an obligation to be engaged with the world, building friendships and connections to non-Christian people for the sake of the Gospel. How can we be the salt that Jesus commands us to be if we stay safe in our salt shaker of isolation? At the same time, we must retain our salty nature by ensuring that the weightiest influences in our lives are ones that are righteous and holy. This is a balance between isolation (from the world's corrupting influences) and engagement (for the sake of the Gospel) that each Christian and each church must maintain in order to be effective. We do need to be salt (righteous influences upon those living in darkness), and we also need to surround ourselves with enough other grains of salt (mature Christians) that we never risk losing our saltiness.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: When we can't meet together - Hebrews 10:24-25

In this time of national pandemic quarantine, it is a powerful reminder to us of the immeasurable value of being a part of the fellowship of a local church. As a local church, it is our obligation to "spur one another on towards love and good deeds". We build each other up, we mentor and disciple each other, inspiring our fellow Christian to live as Jesus lived by doing so ourselves. It is an amazing asset that some are in the habit of neglecting, of treating as an inconvenience, or at least a choice when other more interesting ones are not there. We cannot afford this bad habit as a Church. When the church is doing something, we need to be a part of it, as much as we are able.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

The Truth will set you free: the context of a timeless truth

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)  The Gospel of John contains many memorable phrases, including Jesus' powerful "I am" statements.  The idea that truth is capable of making people free has penetrated Western culture to the extent that the two ideas, freedom and truth, have become inextricably linked, especially in the light of the penchant of oppressive regions for propaganda and outright lies.  For examples of the cultural triumph of a linkage between freedom and truth and conversely oppression and lies, see George Orwell's 1984 , Aldous Huxley's Brave New World , or Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.  In their own way, each of those novels is championing the ideal of Truth (with a capital T) and warning of the danger of falsehood to society.  In this they are certainly correct, for no society or government founded upon, or maintained by, lies can long endure apart from oppression.  While true, and certainly beneficial to society, this was not the reason why Jesus said that truth would set people free.  The concerns of Jesus were far more immediate, and far more specific, than championing the idea of Truth (as good and honorable a cause as that is).

By the point in the Gospel of John where Jesus says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  he has already declared, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35-48) and "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12, repeated in John 9:5) The Truth that Jesus was offering that would set those free who were willing to accept it, was that he did indeed come from the Father to warn them regarding their sins, and to offer them salvation by believing in him.  It was deliberately a very specific truth, embodied personally by Jesus, that had the power to set people free.  Free from what?  Not merely free from oppression, as wonderful as that is, but free from something far more universal and dangerous, free from slavery to sin.  As descendants of Abraham, and heirs to that Covenant, those who listened to Jesus believed that they were already free.  It was painfully true that they were not politically free, the presence of Roman troops in Jerusalem made that obvious, but they considered themselves to be morally and spiritually free as a people who endeavored to follow the Law of Moses.  They were wrong.  Jesus sought to shatter this false complacency by warning them, "If you were Abraham's children, then you would do the things Abraham did." (John 8:39)  Abraham believed God, and took steps to demonstrate that faith, even when difficult circumstances offered excuses to doubt God.  As a result, Genesis tells us, "Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6, quoted by Paul in Romans 4:3,20-24 and Galatians 3:6 as well as by James in James 2:23).
Knowledge of the truth is not sufficient.  Humanity is exceedingly capable of ignoring the truth, of subverting it to our own desires, and of paying lip service to it while continuing on our own path.  Without a commitment, without allowing it to change one's behavior, truth alone is powerless.  While that is true in many areas (for example: the advice you receive from your doctor; it doesn't help you if you ignore it), it is supremely true regarding our relationship with God.  There are many people who know who Jesus was (and is), who are aware of his life, death, and resurrection, but for whom those truths have no discernible impact upon their lives.  Unless truth produces transformation, it fails. 
Which brings us back to Jesus.  Belief in Jesus is the truth that will set us free from our slavery to sin.  Trust in Jesus is the beginning of the path of righteous obedience to the will of God, and hope in Jesus is what will allow us to live our lives confident that his vicarious death and resurrection are the keys to God accepting us into the kingdom of heaven.  The Truth will certainly set us free, we just need to make sure that our journey begins with a very specific truth, belief in Jesus.

Sermon Video: Building up the Church - 1 Corinthians 14:1-12

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul established the supremacy of Love, but how would one rank/evaluate the lesser gifts of the Holy Spirit?  In order to impart perspective, Paul compares the efficacy of two of these: prophecy and speaking in tongues.  Prophecy is designed to encourage, strengthen, and comfort, it 'edifies the church' by sharing with the people of God the Word of God.  Speaking in tongues (foreign languages) has potential, but without an interpreter it can only benefit the one to whom the gift is given.  Thus comparing the effects of the two upon the Church, Paul strongly prefers gifts that are outward focused, rather than inward, and gifts that help the many, rather than the few (in this case individuals).  This then is our principle: seek gifts from the Spirit that build up the Church, by building up the local church, through help that is truly beneficial, in particular the sharing of the Word of God.

To watch the video, click on the link below: