An Unexpected Harvest

 

W.A. Criswell was for many years the pastor at First Baptist in Dallas, TX. He once told a story about being asked by a lady in the church to come make a home visit. The woman was burdened for her husband who wouldn’t dare darken the threshold of a church and had a heart harder than steel. Criswell went, and they enjoyed the wonderful dinner she prepared. After the meal, Criswell talked with her husband for hours about giving his life to Christ. But the man resisted and said, “No.” Criswell went home a little discouraged, but at least he planted a seed.

The next Sunday, after preaching his message Criswell gave the normal invitation. Down the aisle came a boy. He told the preacher he was there to make a public profession of faith, in fact he had already given his life to Jesus and wanted to be baptized. Criswell asked the youngster, “When exactly did you repent of your sins?” The boy said, “Last Thursday night.” Criswell asked again, “Well sonny, who helped you understand the Gospel?” The boy looked puzzled, “You did sir.” Criswell corrected him, “No son, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Last Thursday I was visiting with some friends.”

Then the boy explained, “I know, that was my home. I was out playing ball with friends while you were eating. When I came home you were already talking to my daddy. My mother had sent me to my room while you were talking to him. But the whole time I was listening from my room. I heard everything you said. Even though my daddy didn’t want Jesus, I did. I knelt by my bed, bowed my head and prayed to Jesus that he would forgive me that night.”[i]

What a powerful reminder of Isaiah 55:11, “My word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” In the coming year there will be several opportunities for you to share your witness with someone. In the moment will you step forward and share, or slink back in silence?

We can be confident that when we do share Christ there is no loss and nothing is wasted. God will honor His word, whether we see it or not. When we scatter Gospel seed we know not where some of it will land. I am challenged by what Spurgeon in one of his classic sermons:

“Sow again and again, for many are the foes of the wheat, and if you do not repeat your sowing you may never see a harvest. The seed must be sown everywhere, too, for there are no choice corners of the world that you can afford to leave alone, in the hope that they will be self-productive. You may not leave the rich and intelligent under the notion that surely the gospel will be found among them, for it is not so: the pride of life leads them away from God. You may not leave the poor and illiterate, and say, “Surely they will by themselves feel their need of Christ.” Not so: they will sink from degradation to degradation unless you lift them up with the gospel. No tribe of man, no particular constitution of the human mind, may be neglected by us, but everywhere we must preach the word, in season and out of season.”[ii] Amen. 

-DM  

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[i] William M. Templeton, Understanding Acts, vol. 1 (2012), p.113.

[ii] C.H. Spurgeon, “What The Farm Labourers Can Do And What They Cannot Do,” A Sermon Delivered On Sunday Morning, June 12, 1881 at The Metropolitan Tabernacle <https://answersingenesis.org/education/spurgeon-sermons/1603-what-the-farm-labourers-can-do-and-what-they-cannot-do/>

Christmas and the Cosmic Conflict

Beloved Christian author C.S. Lewis wrote, “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”[1] Lewis was alluding to the invisible cosmic conflict that rages “behind the scenes” of the physical world.

One graphic passage that illustrates this is found in Revelation 12, where John records an apocalyptic vision of spiritual warfare. John describes three main characters: a celestial woman, her royal child and a fiery dragon.

The imagery is intense, and space does not permit me to define every detail of the symbolism, but only to point out what was really going in the spiritual realm when Christ came into the world. In the vision, the mother represents Israel, who would give birth to the Messiah (Jesus Christ), yet at every turn Satan, pictured by the Dragon, would be there in opposition trying to prevent the child from being born. 

From the very beginning, Satan’s purpose was to thwart the plan of God to bring His Redeemer into the world. In Gen. 3:15 we read the first prophecy of the Bible in which God formally declared war on the Serpent. God addressed Satan, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Satan knew then that he was living on borrowed time, and understanding the prophecy of the Redeemer, the Adversary did everything in his power to eradicate the child and the Jewish nation.

Soon after the fall, the Enemy incited Cain to kill his brother Abel (Gen. 4), in hopes that killing Abel would also kill the chance for a Redeemer. When that failed, Satan so corrupted the human race that God sent a flood wipe clean the evil run amok (Gen. 6). But, Satan could not touch Noah who kept God’s promise alive. Noah’s family repopulated the earth, leading to Abraham and the Jewish nation. Then came the Pharaoh who brutally enslaved the Israelites in Egypt. With the fervor of the Nazi’s, Pharaoh drowned the Jewish baby boys in the Nile River, but God was one step ahead raising up Moses who would deliver God’s people from bondage (Ex. 1-2).

In the book of Esther, we see Hamaan’s wicked plot to have the Jews in Persia exterminated. But that genocide was foiled by Esther’s courage. When the Redeemer was finally born in Bethlehem, Satan employed another puppet - King Herod - who decreed that all Bethlehem’s baby boys should be murdered (Matt. 2). But, God providentially intervened and in a dream directed Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt where they stayed until Herod’s death. 

In Revelation 12:5 the identity of the Christ child is revealed by clues in the imagery, “She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.”

First, we see the Son at His Incarnation. The first phrase points to Christmas, “She bore a male child.” In a humble manger, God entered this conflict as a combatant, and He chose the weakest form of all to defeat His enemy—a baby. The Christ who commanded armies of angels and held galaxies in His hand made Himself small, dependent and helpless. We can trace the scarlet thread of the redemption promise from Genesis 3:15, to Isaiah 7:14, to Matthew 1:23 and Galatians 4:4.

Second, we see the Son at His Ascension. The next phrase takes us to Jesus ascension after His resurrection, “Her child was caught up to God and His throne.” After a successful campaign against the Devil, defeating the Enemy at the cross with his favorite weapon—death—Jesus returned to glory a conquering King.

Third, we see the Son at His Coronation. Note the phrase, “Who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron.” This harkens back to the Messianic overtones of Psalm 2, in which we read a conversation between God the Father, and Jesus the Son: “7 The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

Jesus went from the cradle, to the cross, and today He wears the crown! At Christmas an invasion force of One came to turn the tide in the battle. At Calvary, the Enemy received a mortal wound and by Easter Sunday his armies knew that defeat was inevitable. One day, Christ will return having traded a crown of thorns for a regal diadem! The first time He came there was no room for him at the inn (Luke 2:7). But the next time He comes they will be saying, “Make way for the King of Kings!”  -DM

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[1] C.S. Lewis, Christian Reflections (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1967), 33.

When God Wants to Change the World, He Sends a Baby

 

In one of his books Dr. Charles Swindoll pointed out the significance of the year 1809 to the direction of world history.

If news networks had been invented in 1809, they would’ve covered one story: Napoleon sweeping across Austria like a wildfire. Napoleon was the talk of the world, on the move from Trafalgar to Waterloo. Everything was about the diminutive dictator. However, at the same time Napoleon was marching across Europe, whole cadres of world-changers took their first breaths in 1809.

In Liverpool, Baby William is meeting the world. No one has a clue he’s destined to become Great Britain’s Prime Minister—not once, not twice, not three times, but four times. William Gladstone, born in 1809.

Cross the Atlantic to Cambridge, and you’ll hear the cry of another baby named Oliver. A prodigy, Oliver enters Harvard at 16, graduates before 20, gets his medical degree, practices medicine, and begins teaching at Dartmouth and Harvard. Today, his legacy includes a long list of still-respected books. Oliver Wendell Holmes, also born in 1809.

Travel up and cross the Charles River until you get to Boston, where another baby, Edgar, is being born. Edgar’s father quickly abandons him; soon after, his mother dies. A family named Allan take Edgar in, and he takes their last name as his middle. He becomes the father of the American short story. Edgar Allan Poe, born in 1809. 

Back across the pond, journey to Shropshire, where a family welcomes their fifth child, a boy. Soon, they realize they have a young scientist on their hands. Before he dies, he’s spread his theory of evolution around the world. Charles Darwin an 1809 baby.

Over in Lincolnshire, Baby Alfred takes his first breath. Before he’s buried, he becomes the poet laureate of Ireland and Great Britain, still among the most admired and prolific poets. Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1809.

We can’t leave out a one-room log cabin in Kentucky, where Thomas and Nancy are thrilled to welcome their second child, whom they name after his grandfather. They can little imagine their baby will lead the nation through civil war. Abraham Lincoln began his journey in 1809.[1] 

Here’s the point - if you would have asked anyone on the street in 1809 what is the most important thing going on in the world back then, they would have probably all pointed to the Napoleonic war. But now many historians would argue that the most important events in 1809 didn’t happen on the battlefield, they happened in the cradle.

The same phenomenon happened some 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. Even though the ruthless rulers like Tiberius Caesar and Herod seemed to be the most important people alive, there was a remarkable birth that happened under their noses, and the significance of this child would eclipse them all. Jesus Christ was born in the lowest estate, yet this one solitary life has had more of an impact on the world than all other lives combined. After all, when God Son’s stepped from eternity into time, it became the dividing line of all history – BC and AD.

There’s an interesting pattern in the Bible, when God wants to do something great in the world, He doesn’t send an army He sends a baby. The Jewish nation was started when God promised the geriatrics Abraham and Sarah a son, Isaac. When the Lord delivered His people from Egyptian slavery, He sent baby Moses up the Nile. When Israel needed a judge to fight for them or a priest to guide them, there came Samson and Samuel, both supernaturally conceived.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman…” Galatians 4:4 says. It’s almost impossible to calculate how many lives were, still are, and will be changed by Christ. How odd and beautiful that Christ came as He did – tiny, helpless, poor, mostly unnoticed. If we were God, we probably wouldn’t have done it that way. But God always subverts what is expected. He baffles the wise with what seems foolish. He conquers strength with weakness. He shames the rich by choosing poverty. He changes history subtly, patiently, providentially.

A baby represents a fresh start, new life, untapped potential and of course the hope of what is to come. Christ was born, so that we might be born again (John 3:3). Through His transformative grace we can have a fresh start, a new life and a hopeful future. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).  -DM

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[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 40-41.

Christmas Hope for the Hurting

 

Just a few Christmases ago, I was introduced to the carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” For some reason, this song had eluded my attention until it randomly popped up on my Pandora Christmas music channel. The powerful poetry of the song and the crooning voice of Bing Crosby jerked on some tears and put a lump in my throat. With the world in such turmoil and so many searching for answers, the song’s message said exactly what multitudes were feeling.

I did some digging and the story behind the carol makes it even more meaningful. The lyrics were composed by the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. At the time he put pen to paper, Longfellow was at the peak of writing prowess. It was 1860, Abraham Lincoln had just been elected to the presidency, and there was a great sense of hope in the nation.

But things turned dark for America and for Longfellow personally. The Civil War broke out in 1861, and Longfellow’s wife died in a tragic fire. Longfellow had been so severely burned himself when he tried to save her that he was unable to attend her funeral. In a journal entry on his first Christmas without her, Longfellow wrote, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.”

The next year he wrote in his diary, “A merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me.” In 1863 Longfellow’s son joined the Union army and was severely wounded at the Battle of New Hope in VA. Longfellow’s boy, Charlie, was nearly paralyzed by a gunshot and Henry sat by his beside for weeks praying for recuperation. On Christmas Day 1863, Longfellow gave vent to his feelings in this plaintive carol as he and the country lay in ruins. The poet feels like dropping his head in despair, but then he hears the peal of the church bells. Their triumphant ring reminds him that God is still alive and that means there is always reason to hope. He wrote:

 

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men.”

 

No doubt thinking about his country, his deceased wife, and his injured son, he continued:

 

“And in despair I bowed my head;

‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;

‘For hate is strong

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’”

 

But then, gaining an eternal perspective, Longfellow penned this hopeful conclusion:

 

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

‘God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.’”[1]

Even today, I think Longfellow’s words register with many downtrodden hearts. Some reading this are mourning the loss of a loved one, some are worried about constant stream of bad news and the discouraging direction of this nation, others are beset with more problems than they can count.

Even so, there is great hope in the Christmas story because Jesus was born into a world no less bloody and dark than the one we experience today. The Romans had put their boot on the Jewish people. God had not spoken by a prophet for 400 years. History was just one endless conflict of one kingdom overtaking another. For the poor shepherds in Bethlehem’s fields there wasn’t much hope in the world. Then one night an angelic host announced to them: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

Despite all this doom and gloom – He came anyway! And the good news is that Christ will enter into your plight right now. That’s the meaning of Immanuel – God with us. -DM

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[1] Robert J. Morgan, Come Let Us Adore Him (Nashville, TN: Countryman, 2005), 96-99.

Pennies of Praise

 

12 Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:12)

A few years ago, I remember reading a short news blurb in USA Today about a Mr. Otha Anders, of Ruston, Louisiana, who spent 45 years bending down and collecting something most of us ignore—pennies.  In October of 2015, the 73-year-old Anders—a supervisor for in-school suspended children–took all the pennies he had collected to his local bank. They filled 15 five-gallon jugs and contained a grand total of $5,136.14. The bank’s coin machines took five hours to count all those pennies! But what’s truly moving about this story isn’t Anders’ thriftiness; it’s his thankfulness.  Each new penny on the ground served as a prompt to give thanks to God.  Anders told reporters: “I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful. There have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me.”[1]

 

Mr. Otha Anders

Wow! When was the last time you were thankful for a penny? That story points out something that can get lost in the never-ending desire for more and more, namely that thanksgiving is a matter of the heart that begins by acknowledging the small blessings from God that may go unnoticed. How different would our state of mind be if we looked for blessings throughout our day the way Mr. Anders scoured for pennies? Those tiny gifts of grace are there if we have eyes to see them, and they will be easier to spot if our souls are trained towards thankfulness. 

Max Lucado offers this insight, “The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night. Thank you, God. A miracle of muscles enables your eyes to read these words and your brain to process them. Thank you, God. Your lungs inhale and exhale eleven thousand liters of air every day. Your heart will beat about three billion times in your lifetime. Your brain is a veritable electric generator of power. Thank you, God. For the jam on our toast and the milk on our cereal. For the blanket that calms us and the joke that delights us and the warm sun that reminds us of God’s love. For the thousands of planes that did not crash today. Thank you, God.”[2]

I think he’s on to something. Being grateful for little things cultivates gratitude in all things. God isn’t just in the monumental moments. God’s goodness is also in the 1,001 “pennies” of blessings He’s dropped all around us. They are there waiting for us to discover, collect and count. How about the sight of calloused hands raised in a church service, the giggle of a happy toddler, the intoxicating smell of freshly brewed coffee, the wagging doggy tail or the purring kitten, sunshine on your back, a song or sermon that cuts straight into your soul. If we fail to notice these blessings, then we fail to notice God’s doting Father tendencies in our lives.

G.K. Chesterton summed it up, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”[3]  Amen. -DM

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[1] Frededreia Willis, “Man Cashes in Pennies He’s Been Saving for 45 Years,” USA Today, 28 October 2015 <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/28/man-cashes-pennies-hes-been-saving-45-years/74727160/>

[2] Max Lucado, “An Attitude of Gratitude,” 8 October 2013 <http://www.faithgateway.com/attitude-gratitude/#.VkIN5PmrSM8> 

[3] G.K. Chesterton, The Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton, vol. 20 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2001), 463.

Pearly Gates

 

I remember reading several years ago about a Filipino fisherman who made an amazing discovery off the coast of the Palawan Islands: a two-foot-long pearl inside a giant clam (26-inches to be exact). The article said that the fisherman took the treasure home and hid it under his bed – not telling a soul of his windfall. Then misfortune struck and his humble home burned down, but the 75-pound pearl survived. His next move was to take the pearl to a jeweler for a big payout. According to officials in the Philippines, the pearl was valued at $100 million!^[1]

Did you know that pearls are mentioned twice in the New Testament? Jesus told a short parable about “the pearl of great price” in Matt. 13:45-46 and in Revelation 21:21 we read that in eternity future, the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem are made of a single pearl.

What’s the connection? The symbolism of Jesus’ parable was meant to illustrate how He (pictured as the merchant), paid a premium price to purchase the pearl (a symbol of the church). Just as the merchant sought out the pearl, so too Jesus sought out the church and paid the highest price to claim her, by giving His life on the cross (Luke 19:10; 2 Cor. 8:9; Rom 8:32).

Interestingly, a pearl is a product of pain. Pearls are the only precious gems made by a living organism. A foreign object, such as piece of sand or grit, finds its way into the oyster. The oyster begins to secrete a substance called Nacre to build a protective cover over the object. The pearl cannot be extracted from the oyster until it’s dead. Just so, the Church was birthed from the pain and suffering of Christ (Eph. 5:25).

This insight sheds light on heaven’s pearly gates. The great preacher of yesteryear, W.A. Criswell, once pointed out, “There’s a sermon in those pearly gates. The pearl is formed by an animal in travail and suffering. Moreover, gates provide access. The pearly gates symbolize that our access into the city of God was formed through the suffering of Christ on our behalf. Each time we walk through the gates of pearl, we’ll be reminded that only reason we are there is because of the pain and suffering of the Lord Jesus, whose wounds granted us access to God.”^[2]  

A pearl is taken from garbage to glory. Just so, the Church is taken from the refuse of the world (1 Cor. 6:9-11). A pearl goes from depth to height. Just so, the Church will be raised incorruptible to be with Christ (1 Cor. 15:50-55). A pearl goes from darkness to light. Just so, the Church will shine as a trophy of grace throughout eternity (1 Peter 2:9) and become an item of adornment. A pearl is formed gradually, invisibly and indivisibly. Just so, the Church is being formed over time (1 Peter 2:4-5) and will one day be united in heaven with saints from all ages.

One more thing about those gates, the Bible also says, “they will never be shut” (Rev. 21:25). Praise God! In the ancient times, the main reason to close the city’s gate was to keep intruders out. But in that perfect state there will be no need for gatekeepers because sin and Satan will forever be defeated by the King of Kings! -DM

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[1] Roberta Nass “This $100 Million Pearl Is the Largest and Most Expensive in the World,” Forbes, 10 August 2016 <https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertanaas/2016/08/23/100-million-pearl-hidden-under-bed-sets-world-record-as-largest-most-expensive-pearl-in-the-world/#128273f979b0>

[2] W.A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1969), 130. 

A Fine-Tuned Earth

 

“It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.”  (Is. 40:22)

Scattered through the Bible are examples of prescience—that is, scientific statements made by Scripture that far exceed the general knowledge of the time. Obviously, the Bible isn’t a science textbook, however when it does speak about the creation it does so with stunning accuracy, even before the scientific method confirmed what the Bible already declared to be true.   

For example, in the above verse, Isaiah reveled that the earth was round. The book of Isaiah was written some 700 years before Christ, at least 300 years before the Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested in his book On the Heavens that earth might be a sphere. Two-millennia after Isaiah, it was this and other Scriptures that inspired Christopher Columbus to sail around the world. He wrote: “It was the Lord who put it into my mind. There is no question the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit because He comforted me with rays of marvelous illumination from the Holy Scriptures.”[1]

Recently, astronomers Guillermo Gonzales and Jay Richards authored the book The Privileged Planet in which they explain how the universe has been fine-tuned for life on earth. Let me cite just three examples concerning the proportions and placement of our little blue orb.

·         The earth is 93 million miles from the sun, stationed in a “goldilocks zone.” If earth were slightly closer to the sun, then most of our water would evaporate and life couldn’t exist. By the same token, if earth were slightly further away, she would be frozen tundra also making life untenable. 

·         Earth is the perfect size too. If she were any smaller, our magnetic field would be weaker and “solar winds” would quickly strip our atmosphere down to nothing so we would end up looking desolate like the surface of Mars. Consequently, if earth were any larger, she would exert a more powerful force of gravity, preventing any water, methane or carbon dioxide from escaping our atmosphere. Indeed, if earth were larger our atmosphere would be thicker, more viscous and oxygen-breathers would suffocate.

·         Then there is Earth’s 23.5-degree axial tilt. This is also key to life because this tilt lets most of the continents experience four seasons. If this tilt were altered to the slightest degree either way, it would cause surface temperatures too extreme for life.

Sir Fred Hoyle, the renowned British astrophysicist and mathematician who popularized “the Big Bang,” spent most of his life as an atheist. Yet when he examined the different settings that regulate our planet and the rest of the universe, he admitted:

“A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with the physics, as well as the chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature . . . The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.”[2]

I like to imagine a huge control panel for all the cosmological constants in the universe. The board is full of dials and settings that can be tweaked – the gravitational force, speed of light, number of stars, etc. When scientists look at the cosmic control panel, they find that every dial, button and leveler has been specifically fine-tuned so that life is possible. Truly, our planet is not some lucky evolutionary accident. A loving, super-intelligent Creator sits above it all.  

Our response should be gratitude, praise, and humility. Next time you feel the warm sunshine on your back, or marvel at the vibrant colors of a Maple tree in fall, or enjoy the sweetness of a juicy peach simply thank Him! -DM

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[1] Ray Comfort, Scientific Facts in the Bible (Bellflower, CA: Living Waters, 2001), 12.

[2] Sir Fred Hoyle, "The Universe: Past and Present Reflections," Engineering and Science, November 1981.

The Bible That Sustained 7 Soldiers

A recent story from Christianity Today told about a well-worn Bible that accompanied seven US soldiers through eleven tours of duty. It began in 1967 when 19-year-old Jesse Maple from West Lafayette, Ohio was drafted into the Army to fight in the Vietnam war. At the time, Maple was living a wild and backslidden life. But then a man with the Gideons gave him the pocket-sized Bible. His mother taught him to respect the Scripture, so he stuck it in his pocket and kept it there. 

It was still with him during one intense firefight when bullets ripped through the pack on his back. One round pierced a can of fruit but left him unharmed. Afterward, Maple was standing there, juice leaking on the ground, when a passing Catholic priest told him, “The Lord was with you today.” Maple immediately thought of the little Bible in his pocket. “You wouldn’t believe what that Bible has been through,” he said. All those close calls and the power of God’s Word converted Jesse into a true believer.  

When Jesse Maple’s tour was done, he gave the Bible to his younger brother Bill as he shipped out to Vietnam. Before Bill left Vietnam, he gave the Bible to his close friend Roger Hill, who also grew up in West Lafayette. Hill wrapped it in plastic to protect it from the monsoon rains and had it with him when he was severely wounded during his final tour. “I still pray to God every day and thank Him for another day,” Hill later said.

The Bible then went to another West Lafayette native, Cliff McPeak, who fought in the Gulf War. Next, it went to Zac Miller, who joined the Ohio Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in 2004. When Miller finished his initial tour of duty, the Bible was given to another pair of brothers from West Lafayette; they carried it into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan before finally returning it to Miller for safekeeping in 2019.

While that little Bible never stopped bullets or diffused bombs, it conveyed to each man a sense of God’s presence in the midst of the dangers they faced. As Iraq veteran Zac Miller explained, “In very trying times, having that Bible with you gave you a little ease that you were not alone and being watched over by God.”[1]

While ducking in a foxhole perhaps one of those soldiers turned to Psalm 119 for comfort and courage, where they would have read, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God! Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope” (Ps. 119:114-116).

During difficult times we turn to God’s Word, because it is strong enough to carry us through difficult times. Don’t wait until crisis hits to start searching the Bible for a promise you can cling to. Store up the Word of God in your heart and mind before the chaos of life’s battlefield begins to consume you.  

Charles Spurgeon said it better than me, “God never gives his children a promise which he does not intend them to use. There are some promises in the Bible which I have never yet used, but I am well assured that there will come times of trial and trouble when I shall find that that poor despised promise, which I thought was never meant for me, will be the only one on which I can float”[2] -DM

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[1] ADAM MACINNIS, “How Seven Soldiers Carried One Bible into 11 Combat Tours,” Christianity Today, APRIL 20, 2021 <https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/may-june/bible-battle-army-gideon-soldiers-vietnam-iraq-afghanistan.html>

[2] Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Sermons, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1983), 404.

The Days of Lot

²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹ but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.   

Luke 17:28-30

The Old Testament city of Sodom is synonymous with sin and judgment. While ancient Sodom may be a charred ruin near the Dead Sea, the spirit of Sodom is definitely alive and well today. As America continues to rot morally and spiritually, it’s clear that we are a nation that is slouching towards Sodom more and more every day.

During the 2020 election campaign, Joe Biden told a questioning voter that 8-year-olds should not face discrimination if the child decided to change gender.[1] I have an 8-year-old at home who can’t even decide his bedtime, much less his gender.

On January 4, 2021 Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver from Missouri delivered the opening prayer for Congress opting for an “inclusive / gender neutral” conclusion, “We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and (the) God known by many names, many different faiths. Amen, and Awomen.”[2] What? “Awomen,” that’s not even a thing… But neither logic nor biology need not apply anymore.

As Biden took the White House, he wasted no time making waves appointing the first transgender health secretary, “Rachel” Richard Levin. This is also ironic because medical data reveals that transgenderism is the very epitome of unhealthy! In fact, transgenders have the highest suicide rate of any US group; 41% attempt suicide.[3]   

Some states (like Oregon) have already passed laws giving transgenders the freedom to enter a public bathroom of their preference, allow minors to get a state-subsidized sex reassignment surgery without parental consent and recognition of bizarre marriages like the “throuple” - a marriage of three people.[4]

In Luke 17, Jesus mentioned Sodom in relationship to His promised return, citing that the world’s spiritual and cultural condition would be reminiscent of Sodom just prior to earth’s last days. The West is defiantly moving that way warp speed. As we think about “the days of Lot” let’s take note of these five attributes.  

Sexual deviancy – One verse in the little book of Jude sums up Sodom’s sordid story: “7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Billy Graham once said, “If God didn’t judge America for her sin, then He would have to apologize to Sodom.” Of course, he said that in the 1960s, how much more does that statement apply to our evil situation now?

Selfish disposition - The prophet Ezekiel spoke of Sodom’s pride and smug prosperity, “49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them when I saw it” (Ez. 16:49-50). The sin that used to slink down the back alley now parades down main street. We have rejected God’s authority and God’s design, and most have a cavalier attitude about it. We no longer value life because we hate the author of life, so kill a baby, but protect the speckled dace minnow.  

Skeptical disinterest - Did you know that people who study religious trends have invented a new category called “the nones”? There are more than 72 million Millennials in the US – almost 25% of the population. In 2008, researchers noted that 31% of Millennials described themselves as “religiously un-affiliated” or “nones” when it came to God. By 2018, that number had jumped to 42%.[5] Jesus said it was a “business-as-usual” mentality right up to the hour that God sent angels into the city to get Lot and family out. We ought to expect many to remain skeptical and hard-hearted to the Gospel even as we try to warn them of Christ’s return and impending judgment, but some will believe!   

Supernatural deliverance - Lot was removed from Sodom before the fire and brimstone rained down. 2 Peter 2:6-9 says that God’s saving of Lot from Sodom proves that knows how to rescue His people. This is a picture of what is going to happen at the Rapture. Just as Lot was taken from Sodom before God’s wrath engulfed the wicked, the church will be removed before the Tribulation as she is not destined for wrath (1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9).

Sudden destruction - Like Chernobyl or Hiroshima, Sodom was flourishing one day and then a smoldering ash heap the next. Lot may have been saved, but he was singed. He was what you might call a “carnal Christian.” He lost his wife and sons-in-law, his riches and his standing when Sodom when up in flames. What a warning not to love the world which is destined for destruction, and to take serious leading our family in Christ so that when the day of judgment begins they aren’t left behind!

-DM

 

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[1] CHRISTINA ZHAO, “Joe Biden Faces Christian Backlash Over Transgender Children Remark,” Newsweek, 17 October 2020 <https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-faces-christian-backlash-over-transgender-children-remark-1540072>

[2] Josh K. Elliott, “‘Amen and Awomen’: U.S. Congressman mocked for gendered prayer finale,” Global News,  4 January 2021 <https://globalnews.ca/news/7553949/amen-awomen-prayer-congress/>

[3] Jaime Grant et al, Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011.

[4] Erwin Lutzer, We Will Not Be Silenced (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2020), 165-167.

[5] David Jeremiah, Where Do We Go from Here? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2021), 97.

Occultism on the Rise

 

I recently came across the story of Catherine Sanders, author of the book Wicca’s Charm. Cathy was raised in the church but rejected its teaching in her teens. She lived in Salem, Mass., a place with a history of witchcraft and many practicing Wiccans. “I was always kind of artsy, different and non-conformist,” she says, “Wicca attracted my interest because it appealed to those facets of my personality. It was certainly non-conformist, and I liked the mystery surrounding it.” So Cathy found a Wiccan high priestess who took her under her wing and taught her how to be a witch. “She told me it was all white magic, and that’s all I was interested in.” 

But after a few years, things turned sour. “The more I learned, the more things started to spiral downward, deeper and deeper into darkness and black magic. I became very good at what I was being taught. My teacher never acknowledged Satan but did say there was something called ‘the abyss’ that we should avoid.”

However, Cathy drifted too far into the darkness. “One hot summer night I was lying awake in my bedroom when all of a sudden the room became very cold. I started to shiver and broke out into a cold sweat, although it was the height of summer. A cold wind blew in through my windows, startling me. Now I was terrified. I hugged my knees to my chest and gasped as a legion of what can only be described as black demons encircled my head, all laughing at me. I started screaming out my Wiccan spells to rebuke them, hoping they would disappear. That only made things worse. The laughter escalated with each spell I tried.”[i]

We will hear more about what happened to Cathy a little later. Her skin-crawling nightmare sounds like something for a Hollywood B-horror flick, but it may be happening more often than you might think these days. The reason is because all the metrics indicate that interest in the occult has taken a steep uptick in recent years. For example, just consider some of these headlines.

·         In 2019, New York Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), revealed that she regularly consulted with a psychic / astrologer. She also shared her birth chart on Twitter. (A birth chart is map used by an astrologer that shows the positions of the planets at the moment of someone’s birth.)[ii]

      According to a 2018 Pew poll, roughly six-in-ten American adults accept at least one of the following New Age beliefs – spiritual energy, reincarnation and astrology. Specifically, 40% believe in psychics and that spiritual energy can be found in physical objects, while somewhat smaller shares express belief in reincarnation (33%) and astrology (29%).[iii]

·        In 2018 A coven of Brooklyn witches publicly hexed Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh.[iv] Don’t forget the headline from left-leaning media outlet VOX a few years ago which announced, “Each month, thousands of witches cast a spell against Donald Trump.”[v]

·         CNN reported in Aug. 2021 on the phenomenon of astrologers garnering massive followings on TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms. Videos of rituals, spells, healing crystals, Tarot card readings and astrology predictions rack up millions of likes, while drawing in untold numbers of curious viewers. The TikTok community in which such rituals thrive goes by many names: "WitchTok.” Jade Sykes, an astrological reader for R&B singers SZA and Kehlani, told CNN her subscriber count on Patreon grew by 5,000 since the pandemic began. Meredith Grubb, a psychic with multiple viral videos on TikTok, told CNN she's done thousands of readings and business has been so good she’s gone pro with her horoscopes. Moreover, the astrology app Co-Star has been downloaded over 20 million times, nearly every 3 to 4 seconds in the United States.[vi]

What does all this mean? Bottom line: there’s a renewed interest in the occult and paganism in the West. According to the Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics the term occultism is applied to “attempts to gain secret or forbidden information or achieve spiritual powers and control through supernatural means such as astrology, fortune telling, psychics, spiritism, Kabbalah, seances, witchcraft, magic, paganism and Satanism. From a Christian perspective, occult describes any attempt to gain supernatural knowledge or power apart from the God of the Bible.”[vii]    

It’s not difficult to understand why the occult has gained traction in the US and Britain, because both nations have grown increasingly secular, unchurched and biblically illiterate. There are more than 72 million Millennials in the US – almost 25% of the population. In 2008, researchers noted that 31% of Millennials described themselves as “religiously un-affiliated” or “nones” when it came to God. By 2018, that number had jumped to 42%.[viii] “Nature abhors a vacuum” the saying goes, and the spiritual vacuum created by the decline of Christianity has been replaced by neo-paganism.

According to the Bible, the growing interest in the dark arts is predicted as a sign of the last days. Paul wrote 1 Tim. 4:1, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” Jesus also spoke in His prophetic sermon about spiritual counterfeits of all sorts memorizing the naïve, “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matt. 24:5). Granted, there have always been witches and paganism on the earth, but when you see many other prophetic signs emerging along this one, it does raise an eyebrow of concern. 

Of course, Christians understand that dabbling in the occult is forbidden (Lev. 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14). Jesus cast out throngs of demons during His ministry (Mark 5:1-20). Paul encountered Satanic strongholds of witchcraft on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13) and in Ephesus (Acts 19). Today is no different, we must stand firm against the Enemy and be dressed for battle in the spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10-18). If you are fooling around with horoscopes, Ouija boards, crystals, and spells then stop immediately – you are opening the door to demonic oppression or possession. If you know someone who is enslaved to these practices, then you must dutifully share Christ and faithfully pray for their deliverance. Only Jesus can break the chains forged by Lucifer.

In fact, that’s exactly what Cathy Sanders learned. Recall her night of demonic torment. She said, “All of a sudden I remembered my days in Sunday school as a child and the teachings of Jesus. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time. In a loud voice I called upon Jesus Christ to rid the room of this dark presence. Instantly they were gone, and my bedroom was once again calm and warm. My life was never the same after that.”

Cathy was led to the Lord, repented of her sins and today attempts to rescue the perishing who are trapped in the occult. She warned, “A lot of women think that by practicing Wicca, worshiping this so-called goddess, that they are celebrating their womanhood. I am here to tell them there is a lot more to it than that. Lots of them haven’t had the experiences I have. But they can and will if they stick with it. It’s like the warning on a pack of cigarettes: ‘Wicca is dangerous and could be hazardous to your health.'”  -DM  

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[i] CATHERINE SANDERS, “The Hidden Traps of Wicca,” Focus on the Family, 31 August 2019 <https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/the-hidden-traps-of-wicca/>  

[ii] TARA ISABELLA BURTON, “The Rise of Progressive Occultism,” The American Interest, 7 June 2019 <https://www.the-american-interest.com/2019/06/07/the-rise-of-progressive-occultism/>

[iii] CLAIRE GECEWICZ, “‘New Age’ beliefs common among both religious and nonreligious Americans,” Pew Research Center, 1 October 2018 <https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/01/new-age-beliefs-common-among-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/>

[iv] Erica Y. King, “Witches to 'hex' Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh; exorcists pray in response,” ABC News, 18 October 2018 <https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/witches-hex-supreme-court-justice-brett-kavanaugh-exorcists/story?id=58585740>

[v]  Tara Isabella Burton, “Each month, thousands of witches cast a spell against Donald Trump,” VOX, 30 October 2017 <https://www.vox.com/2017/6/20/15830312/magicresistance-restance-witches-magic-spell-to-bind-donald-trump-mememagic>

[vi] Neelam Bohra and AJ Willingham, “'WitchTok': Amid uncertainty, a new fascination with astrology and the occult bubbles up,” CNN, 21 August 2021 <https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/19/us/witchtok-astrology-covid-19-pandemic-trnd/index.html>

[vii] Ed Hinson & Ergun Caner, The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2008), 367.

[viii] David Jeremiah, Where Do We Go from Here? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2021), 97.