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COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5
We live in difficult and unprecedented times. Christians today are facing moral decisions that no Christian has ever faced before. These decisions are coming to us rapidly in the areas of sexual ethics, technology, and medical ethics. God’s word is sufficient and church history has events that are similar for the sake of comparison, but at the end of the day, we’re in uncharted waters.
Wisdom is the application of biblical truth to particular situations. We are urged to pray and ask God for wisdom. In these days, we should all be praying for wisdom.
Our congregation is being hit hard this week by the presidential executive order which mandates the federal workforce be vaccinated for COVID-19. It’s the general position of the elder board that choosing to be vaccinated for COVID-19, or not be vaccinated for COVID-19, is a personal medical decision. It’s a decision that has many factors that relate to people as individuals. The personal nature of this decision has been complicated by the president mandating a vaccine for federal workers. This executive mandate has bled over to the government contract workforce as well. Many people that have chosen to not receive this vaccine now find their careers in government service threatened.
Faithful Christians are going to make different decisions here as to what is best for them. People are falling into four general categories:
- Those that already took one of the vaccines weeks or months ago as a choice to protect their personal health.
- Those that chose not to be vaccinated for personal medical reasons but do not believe those reasons outweigh openly opposing the executive order and possibly being fired.
- Those that chose not to be vaccinated and are now claiming a religious foundation for being exempted from the vaccine.
- Those that choose not to be vaccinated and for personal medical reasons and/or freedom of conscience reasons are willing to quit their jobs to not take any form of the vaccine.
I have Christian friends in all four categories. Members of our church fall into all four categories.
A few thoughts here that I think are important. First, we need to make room for fellow Christians to reach different personal choices concerning this vaccine. Intelligent, informed Christians are convinced of different things concerning the science of these vaccines. We must allow people to make their own medical choices and not divide from them over a significant, but not gospel oriented, choice.
Second, I believe this executive order is a serious overreach of government authority but complying with it is not a matter of worship. When Daniel and his friends refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol and when early Christians refused to declare that Caesar was Lord – these were issues of worship.
We face plenty of serious moral decisions in our day, decisions that clearly relate to moral right and moral wrong. Clear moral decisions that we can point to biblical chapter and verse to prove out the right or wrong of the decision. This is not one of those decisions. As a church we can, and will, make different individual decisions related to this vaccine mandate, yet we can still come together in Christ to love and support each other.
I firmly believe there will, soon enough, come a time where our religious liberties will be directly threatened. A time when rules will be put in place that attempt to bring the church under the coercive authority of government. When that day comes, and truly our allegiance to Christ Jesus as Lord is tested, we must stand together. May personal matters not divide us in these days. Let us strive to bear with each other in brotherly love.
Give us wisdom oh Lord,
Pastor Vic
Apostle’s Creed-part 7
Apostle’s Creed-part 7
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Luke 24:5-6
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, The Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead …
“He descended into hell” is the most controversial statement in the Apostles’ Creed. I’ll say a few basic things about this phrase. First, the Apostles’ Creed is a basic summary of belief. In its basic nature, much is left unsaid. For all these things we go to the Bible which is our authority and teacher. My understanding of what the Apostles’ Creed is seeking to affirm here is that Christ truly died and truly spent three days in the realm of the dead, from which He arose again to eternal life. Where Jesus was, exactly, during this time is not revealed to us. It is important that we hold back speculation where Scripture does not speak.
The Old and New Testaments use various words to describe the realm of the dead. The Old Testament word is sheol, and the New Testament word is hades. Both words refer to the temporary realm of the dead who are awaiting final judgment. The New Testament uses the additional word gehenna to speak of a place of eternal torment and punishment for those who died without the salvation of Jesus. However, the translation of hades into Latin and then to English often is rendered as “hell.” This can be confusing. The Bible is clear that Jesus died and entered the realm of the dead but does not say that He entered Gehenna (the place of torment and judgement). Some verses that relate to this subject: 1 Peter 3:19, Luke 16:19-31, Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:29-31 (which quotes Psalm 16:10).
From this real death Jesus rose up on the third day, never to die again. A real death and a real resurrection. In Colossians 1:18 Paul writes of Jesus as “the firstborn from the dead.” This means that Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead unto eternal life. By His living power, he has overcome the final and inescapable enemy of all humanity – death. Jesus had spoken of His coming death and resurrection often with His disciples, but they did not understand what He meant. This was in part because what He spoke of was completely impossible according to the normal course of natural life. The bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the defining event of the Christian faith. Because He lives, we also shall live!
On the third day after His resurrection, Jesus is walking down the road to Emmaus with two disciples. They are despondent, thinking Jesus is dead and their hopes are dashed. But, (not aware that Jesus is speaking to them) Jesus says to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scripture the things concerning Himself” Luke 24:25-27.
Sending of Jesus as Savior had always been the plan of the Father, and now the plan was accomplished! The resurrection of Jesus radically energized the disciples and powerfully validated the message of Jesus. There was no more talk from Jesus of “telling no one.” Instead, Jesus commanded His disciples to go and bear witness to the entire world that He had risen from the dead. We still carry that message today!
This resurrection power of Jesus Christ also relates directly to the doctrine of regeneration and new birth. It is by the same power that raised Christ from the dead that spiritual life comes to our souls and our nature is made new (regenerated). If this power does not really reside in Jesus Christ, it cannot be given to us as well. His immeasurable power toward us who believe, is the same power that worked in Christ to raise Him from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). It is an “immeasurable” power! So great that no unit of measure can comprehend or quantify the glorious power of God bringing one lost sinner from death to eternal life. What a glorious salvation we have in Jesus! A salvation that begins now, will be worked out in this life by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, and one day be completed in glory!
We serve a risen Lord Jesus!
Pastor Vic
< This is part seven in a series of articles on the Apostles’ Creed. If you have missed previous articles, they can be found on the church blog. To learn more about the Apostles’ Creed read: “The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits” by Albert Mohler. >
Parenting
Parenting
| Children, obey your parent in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor you father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4 (Sermon follow-up) For many of us, it is easy to honor our father and mother. For those of us who were blessed with godly or moral parents, they are worthy of honor because their actions are honorable. But some of us are not in this category; unfortunately, some of us were abandoned by our parents or suffered physical or emotional abuse growing up. How do we honor such parents? Should we honor them? With the help of the Holy Spirit, the first way to honor an abusive parent is to come to a place of forgiveness. We all must forgive those who have wronged us, no matter how grievous the wound. This will honor your parent and bring a measure of healing to your own heart. This does not mean that you should allow the abuse to continue. It is important to set up appropriate boundaries. If conditions allow, you can discuss those boundaries with them and explain why they are needed. In many cases though, this may not be fruitful or wise. It is not possible to provide good counsel for each individual circumstance in a general sermon or newsletter. If you have suffered abuse from a parent (biological parents or other caregivers), I would encourage you to seek a mentor or Christian counselor if you need help establishing proper boundaries and working through forgiveness. Honoring our parents means that we work to ensure that they are cared for, especially as they age. It does not mean that we meet their every expectation or desire. But we should maintain involvement and connection with them (again, assuming abuse or neglect is not an issue). Few people have ever expressed regret over giving their parents too much of their time, but many have regretted losing connection with their parents. I know how easy it is for the weeks to slip by, but I am reminded of how important it is to stay in touch. In closing, I want to address the discipline of young children. As I detailed Sunday, the Bible uses the word “rod” in describing how to discipline a child, but the “rod” itself is not described. It is important to never wound your child, so the use of a proper “rod” will ensure that you get their attention and correct their heart attitude without abuse. A good “rod” for young children is a simple one-gallon paint stirrer. Again, if you have questions, please reach out to older parents who have successfully raised their children. God bless, Bob Sawyer Elder |
Mission Update
Mission Update
| “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecution and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 This week in Rwanda has been tremendous and full of answered prayer. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for us while we are out of country. I’ve been posting daily updates to our church Facebook page. What I have not been able to post there, or write about here, is the strangulation of the Rwandan church through dictatorial government regulation. It’s death by a 1,000 cuts. We’ll talk more about this when we are together in person. For now, pray for the Christians here, and pray for the Luttrull’s mission to this country. Pray that both will know how best to share the share the Gospel with boldness and wisdom. On another note, I have been thankful throughout this week to be able to speak about the vibrant health of our church. I am thankful for your growing faith, increasing brotherly love, and steadfast Christian character. I am thankful for what God is doing in our church, so that I might go to other places and encourage them with what is possible. I’m able to speak with people about what the Lord is doing in our time and under the current world situation in realities, not possibilities. It is greatly encouraging for people to hear what the Lord is doing at Redeemer. We didn’t just read about these things in a book but have lived them and seen them happen by the power of the Holy Spirit in our town. Important Note: Josiah and Stephanie Luttrull, the missionaries we are visiting in Rwanda, are looking for in-country missionary partners for the next two years. The IMB has approved a position for a married couple, or two single men, to assist in the work of teaching and church-planting missions for two years. This posting is fully funded by the IMB. Do you feel the call of God to be involved in foreign missionary work in Africa? Here’s your open door! I’ll be talking more about this when we return and pressing to see if God will fill these positions from Redeemer. Sermon this Sunday: Many thanks to Bob Sawyer for filling the pulpit this Sunday. I am announcing this sermon because I know it will be of particular value to the church. Bob will be preaching from Ephesians 6:1-4 which speaks to Christian parenting. In an age when almost every cultural force is pulling our children away from Christ, this is vitally important teaching. We must struggle, according to God’s will, against the spirit of this age to see our children come to salvation and grow up in godliness. With four godly children and four grandchildren, Bob and Kim have much practical experience in this area as Christian parents. Sometimes the task of Christian parenting can be very discouraging. I urge you to come so that you can be both instructed and encouraged by God’s word in your Christian parenting. May the Lord Jesus strengthen His church in Rwanda, Pastor Vic |