Redeemer Bible Church Blog

“Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 9:7

In this passage, Isaiah speaks of the coming Messiah and of the kingdom He will inaugurate. I did not have time in last week’s sermon to speak to the important hope of the coming government of the Kingdom of God. I spoke last Sunday about the necessity of striving for limited government in this fallen world because the unlimited government of sinful people will always come into conflict with the final perfect authority of God. If we are always striving to keep civil government in check, how is the idea of the unlimited government of God a blessing? It’s worth considering!

At the second coming of Christ, Jesus will return as a conquering King. The Kingdom of God will not be a democracy, but a perfect monarchy with a perfect King. Monarchy, as a form of government, never works in this fallen world because the king is always sinful. As Lord Acton famously stated, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!” He’s right because no king that has ever ruled has been able to escape his own corrupt heart. Apart from real accountability, sinful people will abuse power for their own self-interest. In contrast, the perfect kingship of Jesus will work in the opposite direction. Jesus in His glorious redeeming perfection will be worthy of worship – unlike the hollow praise directed toward human monarchs.

Jesus will not use His throne to enrich Himself. Instead, from His inexhaustible perfection and riches will bestow upon His people places of inheritance prepared for them (John 14:1-3). King Jesus will go well beyond the material to fully glorify the body and souls of His people. In the Kingdom of God our hearts will be rid of the presence of sin and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. King Jesus will conquer Satan, our great adversary and accuser, ushering in an eternal reign of peace. To His reign of peace there will be no end. There will be no enemy from without or within that can come against King Jesus. In the eternal living triune existence, Jesus will never grow old, tired, or senile. He will forever be wise, good, and just.

This same glorious coming reality is hinted at throughout Scripture. In 2 Samuel 7:13 King David is told by the prophet Nathan that the Lord God will establish the throne of his kingdom in a way that will never end. David rejoices in this news but cannot understand from his perspective how this could be. All the dynasties of earthly kings come to an end. But in Matthew 1 we are given a tracing of the linage of Joseph, the “the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ” (Matthew 1:16). Jesus is the fulfillment of the word of the Lord to David. In Luke 1:32-33 this is clearly spelled out. Jesus will reign “forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

In Daniel 7:13-14 we read about Daniel’s vision of the “Son of Man” (the most common name of Jesus in the gospels) being given everlasting dominion over all the nations. The dominion of Jesus is an authority that will not pass away and cannot be destroyed, but this dominion will be for the blessing and joy of those that are brought into His kingdom. In verse 27 we are told how the saints of God will reign with the Son of Man in this coming kingdom.

We are not used to hearing of the Kingdom of God in our day. Most of the emphasis of the “good news” of the message of Jesus is related to benefits in this life. But this was not so in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus was constantly directing people to consider the coming Kingdom of God – the divine, promised, and eternal rule of God. Most of the parables of Jesus worked to relate known realties to the unknown reality of the Kingdom of God. It is very important that we reset our thinking about heaven to relate to this idea of eternal life. Heaven is over and over expressed as the eternal reign of the resurrected and glorious King Jesus, not a nebulous undefined endless existence.

Let’s hear the command of Jesus and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Let’s be reminded that the corruption of the governments of this world will one day come to an end. We struggle now against evil and those that reject the authority of Jesus – but it will not always be this way. Render to Caesar the tax due Caesar, for in the end these earthly things will all pass away. Live in service to Jesus to gain an eternal reward that nothing can destroy. Be grateful and offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for receiving by grace alone a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:27-29). Let us walk by faith, never losing hope in the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!

As Jesus has come once, He will come again,

Pastor Vic

2022 Recommended Reading

As we enter into 2022, I would like to continue to challenge us as a church to be a reading people. Various forms of video and audio technology are threatening to completely press out of people’s lives the discipline of reading the written word. Yet God has revealed Himself to us by the written word. This is not a coincidence and cannot be effectively “evolved forward” into a better form of revelation. We must discipline our minds to be critical, thoughtful, and effective readers. Reading other books regularly will help you read the Bible more clearly and thoughtfully. Every year around this time I will share with you some of the books I most enjoyed last year. Also this year, other leaders from around the church will share their recommendations.

Most of these books are available in the church library. We maintain a church library to facilitate the reading of good Christian books. Many thanks to Karen Robinson for managing this effort. I would ask that as you take books from the library that you follow the basic lending procedures and return the books you have read in a timely manner, so others can enjoy them as well. Part of the library ministry is giving away Bibles. We want everyone to have a Bible to read. If you know someone that does not have a Bible, please ask Karen for one from the library and give it to the person in need. If you struggle to understand the Bible, Karen can give you a study Bible to help you better understand what the Bible is about and how it is organized.

May you love the Lord your God with all your mind! Let’s all aim to read more quality books in 2022.

• Pastor Vic

Favorites from Pastor Vic:

Setting Our Affections Upon Things Above; Nine Sermons on the Gospel and the Church, by D. Martin Lloyd Jones. Insightful, inspiring, and Christ-honoring sermons by one of the greatest preachers of all time.

Evangelism; How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus, by J. Mack Stiles. This is a very encouraging and practical book on how our entire church must work together to bring lost people to Jesus. You’ll hear more from me this year on this book. Let’s have a joyful and mission focused heart toward the lost!

George Whitfield, by Arnold A. Dallimore. This outstanding biography examines the inspiring life of one of the greatest evangelist to ever be used by God. Whitfield was one of the most important figures in the first great awakening. He preached to more people without voice amplification than any other person that has ever lived. This biography is available in a two volume set, or a condensed one volume paperback.

Martin Luther; The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World, by Eric Metaxas. This up to date and very well written biography helps the reader understand the evolution of one man’s life from lost in religious formalism to salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ our Lord. Martin Luther is one of the most important characters in church history. If you are unfamiliar with his life, you should read this book.

Gentle and Lowly, by Dane Ortlund. This book explores the often neglected aspect of the character of Jesus in being gentle, merciful, and kind. The fruits of the Spirit include gentleness, kindness, and goodness. These qualities won’t get you very far in the high pressure competitive world we currently live in. However, they are a central part of the character of Jesus and must be a central part of our spiritual development.

Out of Many, One; Portraits of America’s Immigrants, by George W. Bush. In this inspiring book President Bush paints a (literal) portrait of each immigrant then briefly tells their story. This book will inspire you and bring you to tears as you read story after story related to courage, intense hard work, hope in the goodness of God, and the merciful helping hands of one neighbor helping another make a better life. This book will reset your mindset toward immigration, love of neighbor, and how, as Christians, we must relate to these important issues.

Alongside; Loving Teenagers with the Gospel, by Andrew Hill. This very passionate and practical book will help parents and grandparents understand how to bridge the gap between the generations to effectively love our teens and share Jesus with them. If you have a teenager, you need to take your time reading this one.

Other Recommendations:

Mike Patterson – Elder

Autobiography of George Muller, George Muller. This is the story of George Mueller and his journey from a life of sin and rebellion to his glorious conversion. In the middle of both struggles and triumphs, he established orphan homes to care for thousands of poor children of England. He depended upon God’s daily miraculous responses to his prayers to supply all their needs. George Mueller’s unwavering faith and childlike dependence upon his heavenly Father inspired me to confidently trust the God of the impossible to meet my needs in every area of my life. George Mueller was an ordinary man who did great things because he trusted in an extraordinary God.

Prayer, by John Onwuchekwa. Of all the books that have been written on prayer, this one had a very specific purpose: examining how prayer shapes the life of the church. The author goes on to explain how a church’s commitment to prayer is one of the greatest determiners of its effectiveness in ministry. This book is personal and practical yet interesting and easy to read; mostly about corporate prayer in the church but loaded with personal stories and illustrations. 

The author makes the most compelling statement on prayer when he says, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Breathing, like prayer, is necessary for everything that we do.

Bob Sawyer – Elder

The Pursuit of God – Updated Edition, by A.W. Tozer

Sherry Morgan – Children’s Ministry Director

Twelve Extraordinary Women, by John MacArthur. This book highlights some of the best known women in the Bible. The women he chose to write about are: Eve, Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, Hannah, Mary, Anna, The Samaritan Woman, Martha & Mary, Mary Magdalene and Lydia. MacArthur writes a chapter about each woman with Martha and Mary sharing a chapter. The single, central, dominant truth that emerges is that their faith and hopes were completely Christ-centered. They were ordinary women who were made extraordinary because of their life-changing faith in God. None of the women were perfect, but their stories are comforting because they are a reminder

that God has always used imperfect people, “that the excellence of the power may be of God

and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Rodney Swann – Men’s & Missions Ministry Director

What is Reformed Theology? Understanding the Basics, by RC Sproul. In this book Dr. Sproul explains the biblical basics of this often misunderstood system of doctrine. He examines the Bible to bring clarity to many passages that are often skipped or wrongly understood by the church.

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”  –John 15:15

This past week I read a disturbing, lengthy article documenting the loneliness that is dominating our period of American history. It explored the way Americans are constantly around other people in daily work and on social media looking in on other people’s lives, but how there is a deeply isolating lack of real and personal friendships. It has come into stark focus over these years of COVID that God created us for real, face to face, regular, and meaningful personal relationships. I would like to spend some time in this newsletter and the next outlining what I understand the Bible to teach about the ordering of relationships. This ordering cannot be broken. The extent to which you reject God’s plan for relationships will determine the level of relationship disfunction in your life. The more you reject and rebel against God’s relationship designs, the more pain and sadness you will bring into your life. However, the more you accept and pursue God’s design for relationships, the greater happiness and blessing will develop in your life. The order of relationships are as follows: God – spouse – children – local church – general friends / non-Christian family – pets.

By far, the most important relationship in your life is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a relationship entered into by faith, through the grace of Jesus toward you. When you confess your sins to Jesus they will be forgiven. When you believe that Jesus is who He said He was – the Son of God – you will enter into relationship with Jesus. You are no longer an outsider, but a friend. You are no longer a stranger, but an adopted son or daughter of God. The Bible continuously uses personal language of relational nearness to describe our relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Christianity is not a matter of learning facts about God. Jesus is not a curiosity to be studied, but a Savior to be loved and cherished.

Prayer is personally speaking to God. The great characters of the Bible authentically poured their hearts out to God. They asked God deep and heart-troubling questions. They praised God in times of blessing, gave thanks in times of abundance, and called out for deliverance in times of need. They knew God by name and were known personally by Him. Does this describe your relationship with God?

This God-to-person relationship is the supreme and guiding relationship of your life. If your life at its core is characterized by rebellion against God, every other relationship will be out of order. You cannot be at odds with God and at peace with other people. However, being at peace with God will create peace in all the descending relationships in their order.

The second most important relationship in a person’s life is their relationship to their spouse (husband or wife). Statistics were recently released documenting that America now has the lowest marriage rate since statistics have been kept on the subject. The national population is increasing, but fewer people are getting married than ever before. The causes of this are many, but at the core, people are rejecting God’s plan and normal purposes in Christian marriage. The Bible has no category for long-term ‘recreational’ singleness. I define recreational singleness as putting educational, career, or pleasure goals ahead of God’s clear commands toward sexual holiness. Recreational singleness is the path of being sexually involved with various partners, but not marrying, in order to accomplish goals you have set up as supremely important. The non-Christian world has trained generations to accept this as normal.

However, this pattern violates the first relationship – the relationship with God. You cannot live in sexual sin and have peace with God. The countless cohabiting couples in America are saying that their greatest happiness will come from their self-defined partner relationship, rather than from a personal relationship that honors God and believes by faith that marriage is good. Marriage is a step of faith. It’s a step that says, “I believe God’s ways are best. I will act in purity and faith and pray for God’s blessing on this relationship.” A husband and wife that individually love Jesus Christ and then love each other in marriage will be blessed. A marriage where a husband or wife idolizes the other person will fail. This means that one spouse is seeking from the other spouse something that only God can give. When we ask of our spouse something that we should be asking of God, we ask too much of our spouse and will drive them away. When, instead, we go to Jesus with the deepest struggles and pains of our life and are forgiven and filled up by the Holy Spirit, we can then love and serve our spouse instead of wear them out.

Concerning singleness, the biblical category for singleness is a person so devoted to Jesus in personal relationship that Jesus meets all their deepest personal relationship needs. This rare person can live happily doing God’s work fully without the normal need for a spouse or children. This is an exceptional category in the Bible and one primarily for devoted vocational Christian service. Singleness that has resulted through fear, selfishness, or laziness has no biblical category. If a single is lonely and desires marriage, it is right that they should take this to God (the first order relationship) and actively seek marriage. The normal pattern of God is for people to desire and enjoy marriage and children.

The third order of relationship is children resulting from marriage. The Lord God is clear that children are to be considered a blessing. Children are never convenient or easy, but they are a blessing. They are often a spiritual blessing that work toward our holiness by forcing spiritual growth in our lives. However, children will only be the full blessing they are designed to be if the first two ranks of relationship are in order. If dad and mom love Jesus individually, and they love each other sacrificially and with joy, the children will thrive in such a home. Children that are raised in homes where God is rejected and the marriage is broken or without love, will struggle greatly. Parents that don’t look to God and don’t look to each other, but expect from their children what they should be seeking from God or their spouse, will drive their children away by placing too great a relational burden on them.

The fourth level of relationship consists of friendships in the local church. Friends in the local church are closer, ultimately, than non-Christian blood kin because we share with Christian brothers and sisters the chief relationship – the love of Jesus Christ. What does light have in common with darkness? Nothing. However, we have all experienced the instant bond of Christian love with Christians that we just met but are otherwise strangers. In the same way as stated before, there is an ordering here. If we expect of our Christian friends an intimacy of friendship that should be coming from our spouse, we expect too much from the friendship. The misplaced expectation will destroy what could have been a joyful relationship given the correct proportional weight.

Fifth is non-Christian friends and family members. We have all felt the awkward distance between ourselves and those with no love of Christ. We cannot actively talk with them about what matters to us most. Our relationship with them will always be severely limited. We work to reach them with the gospel, never enjoying their friendship without deep concern for their soul.

Sixth is pets. America has reached the place of radical relational disfunction where people have sinfully chosen to isolate themselves from, and reject, every personal relationship from God all the way down. These people will often take in a pet and call it their child. They will walk the dog on Sunday rather than worship the risen Jesus. They have taken a non-human being and projected onto it human qualities. A pet has a place to be loved, but it is the last place. A pet can be enjoyed and rightly loved after we love God, our spouse, our children, our church members, and our fellow man. Only then can a pet be truly enjoyed. People who are deceived into thinking their pet is a human child or is able to take the place of a spouse will be bitterly disappointed.

I’ll discuss more next week some of the implications of these things, but let it suffice for now to say that we are all sinners. Every one of our situations is scarred by sin and brokenness, but this must not cause us to give up and abandon God’s design. I urge you to examine this divine ordering of relationship and pursue it. Begin by seeking to earnestly renew your personal relationship with God, then work down from there. At each level, work to prioritize according to God’s design. When we work with the Lord, instead of against Him, there is joy and blessing.

May the Lord God strengthen and protect our personal relationships for His glory and our happiness,

Pastor Vic

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Michael Eudy died yesterday. He was seventy-three years old. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, neighbor, church elder, and he was my father-in-law. Mike grew up in the humble house of a western North Carolina textile worker. He was a smart, determined, and independent young man that with very little financial means made his way to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, Mike met a young nurse, Linda, and the two married. When Mike graduated from the School of Pharmacy, he and Linda moved to the mountains of NC to begin his lifelong work as a Pharmacist.

After college Mike and Linda became Christians and began a family, eventually having twin sons and a daughter. Much could be said to describe the details of his life, but I prefer to ask, “Who was Mike Eudy?”

Mike was a Christian. Everything about Mike’s life was shaped around being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. Mike was serious about knowing and understanding the Bible. He was devout in holiness, full of joy, and a man of prayer. Mike was a founding member of Grace Alliance Fellowship, where he faithfully served as an elder and Bible teacher for decades. Mike was a pillar and support of the truth, loving Jesus His Savior and serving the people of the local church with persevering joy.

Mike was a loving husband and father. He was devoted and faithful to one good Christian woman his entire life – his wife of fifty years – Linda. Enduring love of this type has always been rare, and only comes to pass as a work of the Lord. Mike and Linda went through many of life’s struggles but took heart always in Jesus Christ who has overcome this world (John 16:33). Mike led and provided, while Linda made a true home full of hospitality, education, home cooked food, and Christian fellowship. Mike’s twin sons would eventually join their father in his local pharmacy business, working together in prosperous partnership for many years. Mike had a special and tender love for his only daughter, Maria, my wife.

Mike was an independent man, a hard-working risk-taking businessman. He was smart with numbers, frugal with his money, and exacting with details. Through many years of discipline and industry, he and Linda achieved many of their life-long dreams without debt. Mike sought after the classic American dream – a good plot of land all his own, some cattle, a tractor to cruise around on, and a pond to fish in. By the grace of God, he and Linda achieved these goals, including building his own home. Much of the house he built himself, including a walnut paneled library which was paneled by walnut cut from his land and milled by his own hand. A long journey of success from where he began!

Mike was a great American and a passionate patriot. He loved, and fought to preserve, the Christian constitutional foundations of this great country. He zealously encouraged others to learn about the founding of America and care about principled governance. He understood the necessary connection between Christian moral character and constitutional government. One cannot exist without the other.

Mike did not plan to die this week. Man knows not his time (Ecclesiastes 9:12). He was suddenly taken to the Emergency Room and had to be put on a ventilator due to aggressive pneumonia. He didn’t have any final conversations with anyone – but he didn’t need to. He didn’t need to resolve things or make things right. He had lived with resolution and conducted himself with honor. His wife knew he loved her and was left well provided for. He had no embarrassing secrets to hide, instead a long line of people coming forward to speak of his Christian character and goodness. He was an honorable man that finished his life well. He went out with his boots on, which was the way he wanted it.

He is now unquestionably with Jesus Christ. Not by some vague notion, but by faith in the finished atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Because of the resurrection power of Jesus, Mike now also lives, even though he has died (John 11:25-27). What was faith is now sight. What was seen dimly and from afar, is now seen face to face (1 Corinthians 13:9-13).

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe In Him and rejoice with joy inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”– 1 Peter 1:8-9

We all miss you Mike, but we will see you again soon in glory!

Vic

“For you formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; My soul knows it very well.”–Psalm 139:13-14

Every year Christians across the country take one Sunday to dwell on and speak to the sanctity of human life. In the midst of the dehumanizing culture we live in, we must look to the Bible, God’s word, to tell us what is the beginning, meaning, and purpose of human life. We must protect human life, foster a life well lived, and live a life of truly eternal purpose. These big and important questions begin with the simple question of, “When does life begin?”

During recent Supreme Court oral arguments related to abortion law, Justice Sotomayor worked hard to cloud this question. She said the nature of life and when it begins has been debated by philosophers, scientists, and religion for millennia and there is no clear agreement. Her line of reasoning is meant to cast doubt on when life begins, to help relieve the guilty conscience, and give moral ground to killing unborn children through abortion. But everyday people know in their hearts what the Bible teaches – life begins at conception.

Determined pro-abortion activists have sadly made much headway under the Biden presidency in making abortion more available by pill. This pill will usually kill the unborn baby, but must be taken early, soon after conception. These abortion advocates know that life starts at conception. If that life is not quickly snuffed out, it becomes increasingly difficult to kill the baby medically and politically, and for the conscience of the mother. Modern medical technology constantly produces images and data that make clear an unborn child is not an undefined blob, but an individual human being with a beating heart, distinct DNA, and their own little personal fingerprints. Often when you look at 3-D ultrasound images of a child in utero, you ask yourself, “How could anyone think that is not a child?” Yet, abortion advocates all across this land argue passionately that abortion is a medical right of the mother for any or no reason, all the way up the point of full-term birth.

Even if you struggle with the idea of life beginning at conception, no true Christian can be at peace with a full-term baby being purposely cut to pieces inside their mother’s womb. Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) exist all across this country and every day effectively bring these premature children into healthy adult lives. Intentionally ending such a life is not a right, it’s murder.

The Bible speaks to how we, as a culture, can end up in such an astonishingly conflicted place. How doctors coming out of the same medical school can work to save prematurely born children or kill them, depending on the mother’s choice. In the first chapter of Romans, Paul begins his explanation of the gospel where the explanation must begin, explaining the sinful depravity of humanity. He writes that sinful people “suppress the truth” (v.18) actively. They reject God and hate His ways. They are aware of the divine nature of God, but they do not honor or obey Him. Because of this, “they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (v.21-22).  God is truth and His ways are right and good. When we reject God, reject His truth, and reject His morality we end up in a conflicted and self-destructive place. We end up living a life that leads to death and is full of contradictory decisions.

This futile and contradictory thinking begins before pregnancy. The Lord created men and women, and He created sex to produce children by design. According to the moral will of the Lord, sex is not to be entered into before, or outside of, marriage. Inside of the bonds of marriage the God-blessed sexual relationship of marriage is designed to produce children, resulting in family. In this context, children are to be rejoiced over and can be nurtured, protected, educated, and raised in hope.

However, in our era, every advance of science possible has been brought to bear to divorce child-bearing from sex. The ungodly want to have sex with anyone they choose, any time they choose, with no consequence. Sex is no longer seen primarily as a means of creating family, but an event of personal pleasure. But God will not be mocked, and His creation purposes cannot be shut out. By the tens of millions around the world each year, despite their best efforts, couples having sex get pregnant and they don’t want the child. The child is seen as a serious roadblock to their personal goals of affluence (accumulating more money and possessions), completing an educational degree, disrupting their career, or (yes, this was seriously argued this year) would get in the way of playing sports.

The obvious answer here is to advise people to be abstinent. Abstinence equals no pregnancy. But the ungodly desire sexual sin. They run to the darkness and fan into flame their sinful passion – and very literally – they are willing to kill as many children as necessary to continue their sexual hedonism. This is the hardened, deceived, and (as the Bible describes it) lost place so many people live in today.

What are we to do with this situation? We are living in it every day. How should we then live? First, we must clearly define, and never give up on, biblical sexual morality. We cannot accept the salvation of Jesus and reject the ethic of Jesus. When we declare “Jesus is Lord” we submit to His mandates for how we should conduct even the most personal aspects of our lives. We MUST hold the line on virginity before marriage and faithfulness in marriage.

Second, we must celebrate marriage and children. In the church we must not shy away from, overly delay, or overly hinder the path from singleness to Christian marriage. In the church, we must celebrate children, cherish their coming, and work together to raise them up in Christ. We must understand that entering into marriage, and the good privilege of sex, means accepting the possible responsibility of having a child. If you are not ready, in a basic way, to have a child, you are not ready for marriage.

Third, as families and as the local church, we must actively and sacrificially support marriage and children. The Lord designed us to function in the communities of extended family and the local church. These communities are a two-way street. We must not separate or estrange ourselves from family or the church, and then as members of these communities we must help each other. My wife and I have been, and are continually, helped in material, emotional, and spiritual ways by our extended family and local church. This help is usually with caring for children. As we sacrifice to help each other, we show love and bonds of friendship are built. This is entirely different from paying a worker to do something for you.

Fourth, from a position of strength in family and the local church, we must help those in need. We must have compassion on the lost and those experiencing unplanned pregnancies. This can come in the form of a teenager, a college student, or a married couple. In each case we must speak to them about the good truth of God and help them. They need to hear about the mercy of Jesus, be called to turn away from sin (repent) and ask for forgiveness. When all seems lost, we must press such people to not add death to an already difficult situation. There can be hope from the ashes. There is life in the cross of Jesus Christ, hope through repentance and faith. We need to direct those with unplanned pregnancies to excellent local Christian crisis counseling centers (Choices Women’s Center). We must truly be willing to open our homes and adopt unwanted children that are not aborted but are born with no home.

In closing, some speak lightly on this subject desiring to remove a “stigma” related to it. Let me be clear, we can lie to each other about the subject of abortion, but the “stigma” will not be removed. The guilt we feel being party to killing an unborn child is laid on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. There is only one way to remove such guilt and have true peace. You must recognize your sin before God and call out for forgiveness. You will find Jesus to be a merciful Savior, a Redeemer that will heal your broken heart and set you on a new path of life.

Human life is sacred before God. Let us never give up fighting for the life of every unborn child, adopting every orphan, and pointing every broken sinner to Jesus the Savior,

Pastor Vic

“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And called his name Jesus.”–Matthew 1: 20b-24a

              Christmas is that joyful time of year we set aside to focus on the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Incarnation means, ‘in flesh.’ We must not take for granted the astonishing goodness of God to send His only Son, Jesus, to live in humility with us. He came as the long awaited and long foretold Messiah. God with us, Immanuel. The prophecy quoted here by Matthew is from Isaiah, written approximately 800 years before Matthew wrote his gospel. The faithful in Israel never lost heart in hoping for God to send a Savior, one who would fully and truly make a way for the sins of God’s people to be forgiven. But there was mystery. How could a virgin bear a child? How could the fearful God of Moses who often displayed His presence as fire in the Old Testament, come and live in our midst?

              Yet, at the appointed time, there was a shift from waiting for, to accomplishing God’s will. Everything began to change. An angel appeared to Zechariah. Elizabeth pregnant in her old age. An angel appeared to Mary. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. Suddenly, the normal patterns of life are altered by the Lord breaking in to accomplish the salvation of His people! I want us to see the continued pattern of the Lord to involve and work through normal faithful believing people to accomplish His perfect will.

              Who were Joseph and Mary? They were not exalted special people. They were not at all the type of people that any of us would choose if we were writing this story! They were poor, working-class people, from a little-known town, from families of no particular importance during their lifetimes. They were not people of great learning or great accomplishment. How is it that God chooses to send the mighty angelic messenger, Gabriel, to visit young Mary and proclaim to her, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” Mary is naturally terrified of this angelic messenger, but also seems confused, trying to understand what this all means. She doesn’t see herself as one greatly favored of the Lord. Nothing about her physical life indicates that she is greatly favored of the Lord.

              Why is the eye of the Lord, which is constantly looking upon the earth to see and strengthen the righteous (2 Chronicles 16:9), turned toward this betrothed couple of no earthly account? From the accounts of Joseph and Mary we learn a number of important things about them. First, they were poor. They had no earthly wealth to give Jesus, such that He was born in the poorest possible situation – with animals in a stable. Shortly after the birth of Jesus, according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary present Jesus at the temple for “purification.” They present two birds, instead of the prescribed lamb. This is a permissible sacrifice, but the sacrifice prescribed in Leviticus 12:8 specifically for the poor, who cannot afford a lamb.

              Second, Jospeh and Mary had no earthly status. Though Joseph is in the linage of King David, to fulfill prophecy, but at the time of Jesus Joseph is far from royalty. Instead, he is a working-class man. We assume that Joseph was a carpenter because Jesus was trained as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). Joseph is a working craftsman, who teaches Jesus to also work with His hands. Third, Joseph and Mary are not people of any educated status. Throughout the ministry of Jesus the crowds marvel at His theological learning, because he did not come from a background of formal education.

              If nothing about their lives points to worldly “favor,” why are these two people so blessed of the Lord? The overriding answer is that they are appointed by God for this task, but in that appointment, they live out what is most valued by God. Jospeh and Mary are both humble, devout, godly, and pure people. The Lord does not look to the outward appearance but looks to the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). First, the heart of Mary and the heart of Joseph, are both earnest in their love for the Lord. Their earnest godly hearts are proved out in the same way as every other truly godly person. Their devotion is proved by their obedience, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” For Mary, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). By faith they believed and obeyed the Lord. Second, the various passages about them speak directly to their sexual purity. Part of their obedience to the Lord before this calling was their obedience to the sexual morality that the Lord had commanded. This purity was part of why the favor of the Lord was upon them.

              In the same way that the favor of the Lord came to Joseph and Mary for spiritual reasons, the favor that was granted to them was of a spiritual nature. In the birth and life of Christ, earthly favor does not seem to be upon Joseph and Mary. They lived a working-class life, with a large family (Mark 6:3), in a small town, and apparently Joseph died before Jesus’ ministry began. Gifts worthy of an earthly king were only given once early in Jesus’ life. The rest of the time there was daily work. There was no palace. There were no servants. There was no luxury and ease. The kingdom of God is not of this world.

              It’s likely that Joseph never understood the ministry of Jesus, but he believed and obeyed. We still now struggle to understand the spiritual work of Jesus in our time. We naturally want to see a very visible work, a work that fully transforms the here and now. But now as then, the work of Jesus Christ continues to be primarily a spiritual work. The salvation of Jesus is a work that begins in soul, transforming that most important part of us – the seat of our person. From the salvation of the soul the entire person begins to change. That change is certainly real, and the salvation of the soul changes all our priorities. Whereas once we were people of a worldly mind, loving the things of the world, we become by the grace of Jesus, people who awaken and look to heaven with new eyes. By the Spirit of the Lord, we understand new realities and live in a new direction. The Lord promises to provide our physical needs, but accumulation of what the world offers is no longer a priority. The Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, beginning so small and only much later growing into an overwhelmingly large reality.

              As we look to Christmas this year – over 2,000 years after the heavenly visitation of Jospeh and Mary, long after the birth and ministry of Jesus – is the Lord still accomplishing His saving work? We have been met late this year with unsettling news of dramatically rising violent crime, the lowest per capita attendance in Christian churches that has ever been recorded, young people abandoning Christianity, the lowest rate of marriage ever recorded in America, fear of disease, fear of war, and fear of crumbling social structures. And yet there is the promise of Jesus, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

              In the midst of the struggle of our time the Lord Jesus continues His spiritual work of salvation! Not among the rich and powerful, but in our very midst. Amidst the struggle of my life and yours. For such a time as this the Lord Jesus has formed our local church. A local church where many people may hear the good news of the salvation of Jesus in the midst of endless angry rhetoric. A place where people may experience the real peace and safety of Jesus in the midst of rising turmoil. A work that has more than doubled in the past year instead of fading away. A work that displays the power of the Lord instead of the weakness of humanity. A work where youth gladly proclaim, “Jesus as Lord” and are not ashamed to live for Him. A church where marriage is held in honor and sought after (I’ve performed five weddings in three months, and as a church, we have four more on the horizon. Rejoice!). A church that is pressing outward to new places to new people. A church that loves the weak and is not ashamed of the poor. A church not characterized by fear of the world and division, but one filled by the fruit of the Holy Spirit which brings love and unity and joy.

              Yes, the salvation work of Jesus continues in our time! Come near. Be a part of what Jesus is doing in our time!

May Jesus be exalted in our hearts this Christmas,

Pastor Vic

Thanksgiving

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

              I have recently been inspired and encouraged reading the short biographical accounts of US immigrants written by former president George W. Bush. In his book, Out of Many One – Portraits of America’s Immigrants, Bush recounts story after amazing story of people coming to the hope of America from every country imaginable. The stories have common themes of tenacious hard work, help from friends and family, faith in the Lord God for a better future, and deep thankfulness for the opportunity to live in the United States of America. On Thanksgiving Day, I offer to you this excerpt about the life of Thear Suzuki. May we each be reminded of the goodness of God and that it is His will that we be a thankful and content people.

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              Thear was born in Sokunthear Sy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in either 1972 or 1973—she doesn’t know. “The first eight years of my life were spent in war and refugee camps,” she explains. “Upon their victory of the civil war, the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime led by Pol Pot, drove millions of people out of cities and into the countryside, where men, women, and children were forced into labor camps.” The crazed, craven dictator tried to reset time to “Year Zero” when he seized power. By year four, he had presided over the deaths of two million of his people. “The Khmer Rouge wanted to turn the country backward into a socialist, agrarian society where all citizens were expected to work for the common good, living arrangements were communal, and meals were rationed,” Thear says. “They persecuted the educated, outlawed schools, and targeted Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims.”

              Thear’s family of seven managed to survive the genocide, which took place on sites across Cambodia now known as the Killing Fields. They worked in forced labor camps and lived in the jungle for years before escaping to a Thailand refugee camp in 1979. After two years bouncing from camp to camp, they found support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Service, which sponsored their move to the United States. “They helped us find housing, secure food stamps, find jobs for my parents, and register us into school in Dallas.”

              Thear’s family only needed the food stamps for three months before becoming independent. “My father and mother worked minimum wage jobs to support our family,” she remembers. Her dad spent twenty-five years working as a janitor at Bradfield Elementary. Her mom took jobs at a local restaurant, Highland Park Cafeteria, and as a maid at the Mansion Hotel. She learned English by watching The Price is Right. The five kids pitched in by rooting through trash and redeeming cans for a nickel and bottles for a dime. They wore clothing donated by Bradfield Elementary families and dresses sewn by their mother.

              Like so many immigrants, Thear struggled with the new language and the strangeness of the food. She remembers repeating a grade to get a better grip on English and scrapping the toppings off her pizza. Eventually, she mastered the language and even took a liking to fried chicken.

              The family initially lived in housing projects in West Dallas, where they feared for their safety. “We often received phone calls telling us to go back to our country,” she says. “We moved out as quickly as possible.” Others in the new community were more welcoming. Thear’s parents had “heard the Good News” in a Thailand refugee camp and converted to Christianity. In Dallas they found a church that embraced and supported them. When Thear was a teenager, Ron Cowart, a police officer who patrolled their neighborhood, got her involved with a scouting group he had started for Southeast Asian students. The program, Exploring, taught Thear about community service and helped her study for her citizenship exam. She aced it and became an American on June 16, 1992.

              Thear credits her third-grade teacher, John Gallagher, as another inspiration. “He helped me through my formative years and helped my family rebuild our lives. Through his kindness and advocacy for my education, my life was completely transformed.” When Thear graduated from Skyline High School in 1992, after serving as student body president, Mr. Gallagher nominated her for a scholarship to Southern Methodist University. “I have been able to achieve some level of success because so many have helped and took a chance on me,” Thear says.

              With her degree, Thear went on to work as a technology consultant at Accenture for sixteen years. She’s currently a principle and talent leader at Earnst & Young. She serves with more community organizations than there’s room to list. She and her husband, Eric, are raising their four boys. Thear says, “We have come full circle, from receiving help from others when we were in need, to now serving others in need. My father has dedicated his life to sharing God’s Word and building disciples. He led the efforts to translate the first Cambodian study Bible. My mother has built water wells and churches in Cambodia, and at age eighty-one, she still goes on mission trips.”

              “Being an American means I am free,” she concludes. “I have rights. I can believe what I want and make choices for my family. I can use my skills and resources to help others improve their lives.”