Redeemer Bible Church Blog

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

Mid-term election season is just a few weeks away. I begin this article with Psalm 20:7 because the overarching issue that we must never lose sight of during election cycles is that nations do not rise and fall related to politicians, war, or economics. Nations rise and fall according to their fear of the Lord, or lack thereof. In all of this, the Kingdom of God is coming. This kingdom was inaugurated by the ministry of Jesus, continues to unfold now, and will be completed in the second coming of Jesus. The purposes of God cannot be derailed by the sinfulness of humanity (Psalm 2). I say that to put election season in perspective. Political involvement as a citizen is important, but of secondary importance to the Christian’s citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

Election season always gets a little crazy, and when emotions and anxieties rise it’s important to focus on fundamental truths. I want to remind us, as Christians, about some of these fundamentals. First, it is an unusual privilege historically that citizens have a peaceful way to participate in the direction of their government. We should be thankful for this opportunity. Our voting process is not perfect, and is always being pushed, pulled, and refined as a part of the political process itself. But no system of people is perfect or static – meaning unchanging over time. This can be compared to our justice system, which is also flawed as a system devised and directed by sinful human beings. However, I would rather cast a vote or go to court in the United States than in any other country in the world. This system is held accountable and continually refined through the engagement of citizens. The most basic form of civic engagement is voting. I encourage you to make an informed decision and vote in the upcoming November 8 midterm election.

Engagement in the political process through voting is the honest effort as a Christian to see progress made publicly toward a more just, free, equitable, and virtuous society. As Christians, we believe the roots of all these good things are found in the character of the Lord God. Therefore, we seek honorable, virtuous, and courageous people of Christian character to hold public office. We seek progress not completion. No election will ‘win the day.’ No election is ‘the most important in our lifetime.’ Each election is an indication of the direction of the hearts of the people in the nation. I encourage you to be an engaged, virtuous, courageous, and peaceful Christian.

Second, casting a vote for a candidate is not a wholesale endorsement of everything that person has ever done or will do. Every ballot has a very limited number of candidates on it. Casting a vote relates to supporting the candidate who is most likely to act toward justice, freedom, virtue, and equality. I think the only time we would be justified in not voting would be if there were only candidates that did not meet any of these criteria. Thankfully, we are not in a time like that yet. Apathy or ‘being tired of the process’ is not an excuse for a Christian to withdraw and choose to not be involved with the world around them. If all the hype is too much for you, then turn off TV news, change your internet habits, and go to trusted sources when you need to, so you can cast an informed vote. Twenty-four-hour news organizations have a major financial motive to present every news story as a crisis emergency. They want you to leave the TV on forever to make sure you don’t miss any breaking crisis and they make millions of dollars. In reality, every day is not a crisis and those who choose to live this way are robbed of much of the joy of living a peaceful and fruitful Christian life. I believe this is particularly a temptation for our seniors who have more discretionary time on their hands and can be drawn into this cycle of living in ‘Newsstand Crisis Mode.’

The next three fundamentals relate to how a Christian should vote. I will cover one this week and two more next week.

The first issue that should be in sight for Christians voting next month relates to sexual ethics. There are many lists of sin in the Old and New Testaments and nearly every one of them recognize sexual immorality. The bottom line is that the Bible clearly places how we conduct ourselves sexually in the moral category. Sexual actions are not neutral. Sexual actions are not just a matter of personal taste. Sexual actions are either according to the will of God and blessed, or against the will of God and sinful. The Bible is abundantly clear that from the creation of the world to this day God created the sexual relationship to only exist between a biological man and a biological woman within the covenant relationship of marriage. This is biblical sexual morality. Every other conceivable sexual union is out of bounds and is sinful.

Sexuality is blessed, joyful, binding, and life producing only within the design of marriage. In any other context this emotionally powerful and biologically important (producing children, transmitting disease, etc.) action produces anxiety, separation, economic hardship, disease, and even death. People argue that this is terribly narrow because they do not really believe the sexual relationship is designed by God. No one argues that a gasoline engine is restrictive. It was designed to run on gasoline and will only run on gasoline. If you pour diesel, kerosene, cooking oil, water, pancake syrup, or any other liquid in the fuel tank it will not run. So it is with marriage. God’s design cannot be altered.

It goes without saying that biblical sexuality is under a full aggressive assault from almost every corner of society. If this nation abandons biblical sexuality, it speaks to the soul of our nation. God has never, and will never, bless a sexually depraved and decadent nation. As Christians, we know that how we conduct ourselves sexually matters. We should also hold our leaders to this moral standard. As Christians, it’s not enough to be fiscally conservative. What we primarily stand for as Christians is moral holiness. In voting we must stand against, and vote against, the onslaught of LGBTQ positions and platforms. This is not a political matter, or a matter of phobia, or a matter of anger – this is a matter of being faithful to biblical Christian morality. A Christian cannot vote to support, fund, or praise what God has declared to be sinful.

Next week, I will discuss the connection of sexual morality to abortion and matters of limited government.

May the Lord make us wise and help us to be light in darkness,
Pastor Vic

“The Connected Parent: Real Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment”
By Karyn Purvis, PhD. & Lisa Qualls

I highly recommend that you read “The Connected Parent.” This book was specifically written to help adoptive and foster parents care for traumatized children, but it is filled with excellent, biblically sound, practical advice for how to connect with the hearts of children. This compassionate and practical advice is helpful for parents with children of any age and would also be helpful to any grandparent in their interaction with grandchildren. As we parent, it’s wise to regularly read new resources to freshen up our outlook on parenting. Regularly reading new material will cause you to re-examine blind spots in your habits and perhaps give you new possible solutions to particular points of struggle.

This book is written as a two-part conversation between Dr. Purvis and Lisa Smith. This book represents the culmination of Dr. Purvis’ remarkable life and work, but it was not completed by Lisa Qualls until after Dr. Purvis’ death from cancer. Dr. Purvis cites and explains the scientific research-based reasons for each of her conclusions, while Qualls explains the practical outworking of each principle in a busy home.

The entire book focuses on ‘Trust-Based Relational Intervention.’ The important focus that jumps off the pages to me as having been so essentially true in raising our children, is the vital need for connection with your children. As parents and grandparents, we must authentically connect with the hearts of our children. As we care for, train, educate, and direct our children, along the way our heart as a parent must truly connect with the hearts of our children. This is difficult to quantify, but every parent or grandparent knows what distance or nearness feels like. Dr. Purvis instructs the reader in a clear, compelling, and personally experienced way how to make these connections with traumatized and struggling children. However, the advice she gives is also generally helpful to parenting, even if you are not raising a particularly traumatized child. 

The authors write about:

1. Empowering: They begin by speaking to the basic science of nutrition, hydration, food, and sensory input. If a child’s nutrition, hydration, and stimulation are all wrong, the parent is fighting an uphill battle in connecting with their child and correcting problem behavior. Simple steps are given to help correct some of these major imbalances.
2. Connecting: Parents meet the connection needs of their child by focusing on the relationship in every interaction. The goal is not behavior modification in the child, but first establishing authentic relationship between parent and child so further parenting guidance is possible.
3. Correcting: This part of the book is specifically focused on traumatized children. Standard parental discipline is both ineffective and inappropriate in the lives of most traumatized children. Dr. Purvis speaks to the fear and detachment of children that are trying to protect themselves from further hurt. Disarming this fear is vital, so the child can develop trust with the parent and through relationship enjoy a balanced childhood.

You may not be parenting a traumatized child, but many in our church are. We want to be a church that constantly is working to care for orphaned children. We want to demonstrate the sacrificial love of Jesus by helping the weakest and outcast of our society. This will involve everyone at Redeemer grasping these concepts to a certain extent. Everyone needs to read a book like this to develop compassion for traumatized children and to take even a few small steps toward knowing how to care for and react to children with these needs.

This book does not cover traditional aspects of discipline. It’s not an all-encompassing parenting book, but it’s extremely valuable for those that feel detachment from their children and are struggling with how to bridge that gap.

“And calling to Him a child He put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea … So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” —Matthew 18:2-6, 14

May the Lord help us as parents to love our children well that they may each come to salvation,
Pastor Vic

Church,            
Periodically it’s important that we all be reminded of Jesus’ mandate to forgive each other. In Christ we have been forgiven all our sins by grace through faith. Because of the grace shown to us, we must also be willing to forgive those around us. The forgiveness of a Christian is supposed to follow after the incredible mercy of Jesus. We are required to forgive others over and over again, because we ourselves have been forgiven much more by Jesus.

In this teaching there is no room for bearing grudges. There is no place for conditional love – “if you do this for me, I’ll do that for you.” Instead, it’s very clear. You have been forgiven, so you must forgive others. If you refuse to forgive another person, and instead choose to remain in anger, nurse hopes of retribution, or simply cut the person off from your life, you are not displaying the love of Christ. If this goes on for a long time it should give you grave concern over the condition of your soul (v.35).

No passage better teaches this than Jesus’ ‘Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.’ I hope you will read this parable and consider if it describes any aspect of your life. Take seriously the final warning in verse 35. By the work of the Holy Spirit in you, you must forgive – from the heart.

Matthew 18:21-35 — The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’  So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’  He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.  When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

May the Lord give us authentic love for each other, a love that will forgive like Christ,
Pastor Vic

“And now I will show you the truth …” Daniel 11:2a

Daniel chapter 11 is a prophetic revelation giving – as I have said before – enough information for us to clearly know that its telling reveals to us that God knows and is causing the future to come to pass according to His determined will. But the prophecy has an intentional lack of clarity to keep the hearer walking by faith. This chapter deals with the time in which Daniel receives the vision (approximately 527 BC) up to at least 164 BC. From our period of history looking into the past, the revelation is so specific that scholars have been forced to conclude one of two ends. First, Daniel was written nearly at the time of Christ by some unknown author because the prophesied events were concluded by that point. This view is problematic from both a biblical and archaeological point of view. Daniel is referred to and known in Jewish heritage from a much earlier time than Christ. Also, Jesus Himself spoke of Daniel in the context of the setting given in Daniel – affirming his historicity.

The second option is to believe the revelation was written by Daniel as stated, and God really does know and cause the future. This belief requires faith but is deeply encouraging and instructive to the soul. This view faces the reality that God is shaping the future for His glory and gives hope to all who believe in Jesus.

I will here briefly review the connection between chapter 11 and historical events. I believe you will find the parallels amazing.

(Verse 2) The text refers to three more kings of Persia after Cyrus. These were Cambyses (530-522 BC), Gaumata (522 BC), and Darius I Hystaspes (522-486 BC). Then rose a fourth king richer and more powerful than the previous three. This king was Xerxes I (486-465 BC), known as Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther. Xerxes I, in his establishment and wealth, warred against Greece seeking to conquer it, but was repelled by the efforts of Philip the Macedon.

(Verses 3-4) A “mighty king” shall arise “with great domain and do as he wills.” Alexander the Great was the son of Philip the Macedon. Xerxes I does not succeed in conquering Greece, but Alexander defeats Medo-Persia by 331 BC (Daniel 8:7, 20-21). Alexander rose to great imperial power but died at age 32. His Kingdom was divided into four parts ruled by four generals not of his “posterity.” These generals were Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus, and Cassander. Seleucus I ruled in the “north” covering Syria and Mesopotamia. Ptolemy I ruled the “south” covering Egypt and Palestine.

(Verse 6) The next generation of rulers, (north) Antiochus II and (south) Ptolemy II, made “an alliance” in 250 BC promising the daughter of Ptolemy II (Bernice) to marry Antiochus II. Antiochus II instead chose to abandon the agreement and return to his previous wife who allegedly eventually poisoned him. This drama is outlined in verse 6.

(verses 7-18) These verses are full of drama that make the stuff of history. There are back and forth wars working through the generations of Ptolemy III, IV, and V of the southern kingdom and Seleucus II and III / Antiochus III of the northern kingdom. It is Antiochus III who would eventually enter and conquer Israel (verse 16). It is this Antiochus III who “turned his face to the coastlands” (verse 18) in 196 BC in an effort to conquer Turkey and Greece. In response to this aggression, Rome sent warnings for Antiochus III to stay his advance, but he did not. So, Rome sent “a commander” to “put an end to his insolence.” This commander was Lucius Cornelius Scipio. Scipio defeated Antiochus III in 191 BC, forcing him to pay tribute to Rome and send his oldest son as a slave to Rome.

(Verse 19) During passage back to the “fortress of his own land” he “stumbled and fell” attempting to sack a temple of Zeus in modern day Iraq to gain revenue. The local people defended the temple with passion and killed Antiochus III. The remains of his kingdom were ruled by his next son Seleucus IV (187-175 BC). Seleucus IV was “broken in neither anger nor battle” as he was poisoned to death by his finance minister, Heliodorus.

(Verse 21) This verse speaks to the rise of “a contemptable person to whom royal majesty has not been given.” This king is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC). He did not ascend to the throne through normal channels, but by drama and murder.

(Verse 25-28) “He shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south.” Antiochus IV set his heart on attacking Egypt and conquering Ptolemy VI. Antiochus IV had a vast army, but was defeated as a result of his war plans being leaked – (verse 25) “plots shall be devised against him.”

(Verse 29) Antiochus IV attacked Egypt a second time in 168 BC. “He shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before.” Aided by Rome, Ptolemy VII defeated and humiliated Antiochus IV sending him back to Palestine empty handed. Angered by his defeat, Antiochus worked vengeance on the Jews in Jerusalem under his rule. From 167 to 164 BC he implemented a severe campaign of forced Hellenization on the Jews. This involved profaning the temple, ending daily sacrifices at the temple, forbidding the reading or use of Scripture, forbidding circumcision, and forbidding Jewish festivals. The penalty for violating these laws was death. It was during this period that the prophecy from Daniel 8:13 was fulfilled concerning “the abomination that makes desolate.” On December 6, 167 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes set up an idol of Zeus in the temple. On December 16 of the same year, he had pigs offered as sacrifices on the temple altar as blasphemy. It is my understanding that this desolation of the temple fulfilled this prophecy given to Daniel and was a type of the prophecy spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24. Jesus also spoke of the “abomination of desolation” which was the complete desecration and destruction of the temple in 70.

(Verses 32-33) “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” Apostate Jews sided with Antiochus IV for political power, but the faithful resisted and formed up into armed rebellion. This rebellion was led by the five sons of the priest Mattathias. One of those sons was Judas Maccabeus – Maccabeus meaning ‘Hammer.’ The Maccabean Rebellion (166-164 BC) succeeded in recapturing Jerusalem and the temple. The temple, and its grounds, were rededicated on December 14, 164 BC. This reconsecration is remembered in Jewish custom by Hanukkah.

(Verses 36-45) These verses are more unclear and do not clearly align with historic events after Antiochus IV, but do lead in the text up to the final events of the judgment. It is my understanding that the text transitions here to refer to future events. This would explain their lack of clarity.

I have significantly abbreviated all that could be said here but hope that enough was given to significantly encourage your faith that the Lord our God revealed the future before it came to pass. He who is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, is able to make known what He intends to accomplish before He accomplishes it.

“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done …” Isaiah 46:9-10

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Vic

“… They continued to preach the gospel.” Acts 14:7

Over the next few months, in the newsletter, I will be commenting on and leading us through an excellent book on evangelism – “Evangelism; How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus” by J. Mack Stiles. This outstanding concise book will help you to better understand both how to share the gospel and how evangelism works best in the context of the local church.

This book opens with the basic question of, “What is evangelism?” Christians have many different ideas of what evangelism is, but for most Christians evangelism is something reserved for a professional. People often associate evangelism with large, focused events led by famous people featuring a big show and an emotional invitation at the end. Some people associate evangelism with pressured and choreographed calls at the end of a church service.

Stiles, correctly, gives a much simpler definition of evangelism: Evangelism is teaching the gospel with the aim to persuade. Teaching the gospel can come in many forms – preaching, digital communication, one-on-one personal communication, family interactions, and more. The gospel is the good news message that leads us to salvation and is not shared in a neutral or disinterested way. When we teach the gospel to others it’s always with the desire to see that person be convicted of these truths and believe. Often teaching is not associated with evangelism, but right knowledge about God and our own sinful situation is the ground of true belief. No one can believe in a Jesus they do not understand.

It is necessary that every Christian be able to concisely explain the gospel. If you can’t express the gospel in clear concise terms, you may not really understand it. An accurate and concise explanation of the gospel is not too little or too much. An explanation that is too small leaves out essential aspects of the gospel. An explanation that is too big adds more than is necessary to pass from death to life, and can be very confusing to a person that knows little or nothing about Jesus.

The basic gospel message answers these four basic questions:

God  —  Who is God?
Humanity  —  Why are we broken sinners?
Christ  —  What did Jesus Christ do?
Response  —  How can we get back to God?

God: God is the Creator of the world and all life in it. He is holy, loving, just, and merciful. God will one day judge the sin of the world according to His perfect justice.

Humanity: People are made in the image of God. Human beings are valuable and amazing creatures created, male and female, with inherent worth, dignity, and value. But through willful, sinful rebellion against the will of God humanity has turned from innocence and belonging with God, to being separated from God as His enemies. All people are under the condemnation and guilt of their sin but possess the capacity to be restored to a loving relationship with the Lord God.

Christ: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Being fully divine, Jesus also lived a fully human life. He lived a perfectly righteous life and being without guilt could serve as a substitutionary sacrifice. Through His death on the cross Jesus Christ ransomed sinful people. Christ’s death paid for the sins of all who come to him in faith. Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the ultimate vindication of the truth of these claims.

Response: God requires that we acknowledge our sinfulness, repent (or turn away) from our sins, and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. We turn from sin, especially the sin of unbelief, and turn to God in faith. Authentic faith purposes to follow God for the rest of life. Authentic faith is not an outward show for others.

This is the gospel as a concise teaching. We teach this to others not as a curiosity, but as the hope of that person’s salvation before God. We teach, preach, or personally speak to others to persuade them of God’s truth. We sometimes start this process by ourselves talking with another person, but it always results in the new Christian believer coming into the local church. In the church the new believer should find truly converted and born-again people. A truly converted church loves the Lord with a passion and wants others to know Jesus as well. A truly converted church has a natural culture of evangelism.

May Jesus move us to be evangelists together for the sake of the lost and the glory of God,
Pastor Vic

The elders would briefly like to keep you up to date on our building process.

Land: We have fully raised the purchase price of the 3.5+ acre lot located in the Spotsy Village community next to the Planters Bank and facing Courthouse Road. We have a firm agreement with Vakos Properties to purchase the land. However, no money will change hands, and the land will not close, until we have a fully approved site plan.

Site Planning: Our new church sanctuary and educational buildings will be right in the center of the Spotsylvania Courthouse Village high-density development. This means two things. First, we’ll be surrounded by people and residential housing. Praise the Lord! We will never have to cast far as fishers of men. Second, site planning must be exact and meticulous. All our site plan must physically be designed to fit in a tight space and have a look that matches the community. As a church, and with Vakos Properties, we have talked through the basics, but now it’s time to get an architect involved. Elder Michael Shively, who is a commercial architect, will be working with the main site planning architect that has overseen the design and build of the entire community so far. This will be a back-and-forth process and we’ll keep the church informed at each member meeting.

Once a site plan, building elevation, and building architectural plan are complete, those plans will go the Spotsylvania County permitting board for approval. Once we get approval of all these plans, then we will be clear to close on the land and build on the land. Vakos Properties estimates that the total architectural development and final plan approval process will take nine months at least.

Building and Budget: The period of time that it will take to design the buildings and permit the buildings gives us time to raise money to build the new church. We remain committed to our core principles of committing our needs to the Lord by prayer and to the church in a basic unpressured way. We also remain committed to never getting into debt that would compromise the spiritual priorities of the church. At a minimum, we will not build until the mortgage payment is at least the same, or less, than what we currently pay in rent. In this way we know that the change will not affect the ministry priorities of the church – which is why the church gathers and exists.

We have a designated building fund, and all contributions to that fund will be used exclusively for the church building. Please prayerfully consider making regular contributions toward achieving this major goal in the life of the church.

Prayer: Please pray for this process! Anyone that has ever entered into a major building project knows that a million things can go wrong. Pray that above all the Lord Jesus will be glorified by having a Christian church raised in the center of this community. This is how communities used to be in America. Redeemer will truly continue to be a community church! Pray that adequate funding will come in and will come in a way that glorifies the Lord. Pray that the process would not be unnecessarily prolonged. Pray for the salvation of souls and the discipleship of Christians throughout this process. Pray that in all things Jesus would be glorified!

The Elders of Redeemer Bible Church,

Nick Bultinck

Victor Carpenter

Clay Hicks

Mike Patterson

Michael Shively

Rodney Swann

Eric Wright

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12

This passage is classically known as the ‘Golden Rule.’ It’s a command laid down by Jesus in His great sermon on the mount and is called the ‘Golden Rule’ partly because its truth is self-evident. Even a child can understand the idea of projecting your self-interest onto others in order help you understand how you should act toward them. This command becomes a rule of thumb generally guiding us to die to ourselves and look to the best interests of others. Paul expands on this concept in his letter to the Philippian church, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (2:3-4)

Understanding what Jesus is getting at is not difficult but living this out is impossible apart from the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Each of our lives will trend one direction or the other. Either by faith, through the grace of Jesus Christ, you will come to salvation becoming a new person with a new heart toward God and your neighbors. Or, you will increase in indulging your own self-interest believing fully that you are justified in looking to your own self-interest before the interests of others. One is the result of salvation, the other is the way of damnation. One is the way of Christ, the other is the way of the world. One looks to our neighbor, the other looks to self.  

I felt the need to write about this today because of what I feel is an alarming increase of public anger and selfishness. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is not what we normally encounter in daily American life. The more godless a country becomes, the more selfish it becomes. Society cannot thrive around selfishness. Everyone pushing, and pulling, and shoving, and abusing, and stealing to take advantage of the people around them is part of the moral chaos displayed in the godless book of Judges in the Old Testament. A serious part of us living for Jesus in society is living out this basic golden rule guiding us to show everyday love for our neighbors.

I challenge you this coming week to truly evaluate your actions according to this command of Jesus. Are you acting out of self-interest or looking to the interest of others. Are you counting others more significant than yourself or counting yourself interest as most important. When you follow the command of Christ it will dramatically reshape the words and daily actions of your life. Following this rule will dramatically impact on your home, neighborhood, workplace, and church for good. Consider such everyday situations:

• Would I want someone to greet me as I pass by?
• Would I want someone to let me in, or cut me off, in traffic?
• Would I want someone to treat me with disrespect acting like I’m a fool?
• Would I want someone to gossip about me?
• Would I want someone to make a mess and leave it for me to clean up?
• Would I want my family members to come into the house angry and yell at me?
• Would I want someone to visit me when I’m sick or grieving?
• Would I want a friend or family member to constantly criticize me?
• Would I want someone to tailgate me in traffic?
• Would I want someone to yell at me when they’re angry?
• Would I want someone to cheat or steal from me?
• Would I want someone to step in and help me when I need it?
• Would I want someone to remember me with a call when I’m gone for a while?
• Would I want to receive a note of encouragement from a friend?
• Would I want someone to manipulate me for their own self-interest?
• Would I want someone to do half a job and leave the unfinished part for me to finish?

You get the point. In each of these cases turn the table. Do to others the things you would want them to do for you. For Jesus’ sake, because of the endless grace and mercy He has shown to us, look to the interests of others. This begins by simply being observant. No one can do this perfectly, but if you love others like Jesus did, it will become the dominant and increasing pattern of your life. When we press hard to do this in the church toward each other, it will spread from there outward to affect society. A big part of pushing back the darkness around us starts with obeying this basic command and treating even everyday strangers with Christian respect.

May Jesus change our hearts and help us to treat others with Christ-like honor,
Pastor Vic

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” —Matthew 6:33-34

This week I have had many conversations with friends that are feeling the pressure of anxiety. Anxiety over young children, adult children, personal finances, situations of physical sickness, mental struggle, positions at work, the state of the country, the state of their marriage, and the list goes on. The struggles of everyday life are very real. It’s part of the human condition to realize that no matter how hard you strive, so many elements of everyday life are completely out of your control. This sense of not being able to ensure the outcome that you want, concerning people and issues that matter very much to you, can cause serious anxiety. In the end anxiety is fear. It is fear of an unknown future.

But in these verses Jesus commands us to not be anxious. Jesus commands us to not fear the future. These are stern words. Often when the disciples found themselves caught up in fear or disillusionment, Jesus did not just comfort them, he would rebuke them. “Oh, you of little faith,” He would say. Why do you not believe that the Lord is sovereign over the affairs of the world? Why do you not trust in the goodness, love, omniscience, and omnipotence of Jesus our Lord? If we are honest with ourselves, when we let anxiety get the better of us we are failing to believe in at least one of these attributes of the Lord. Perhaps the Lord is not really good, or He no longer loves me. Perhaps Jesus is not really aware of my situation, or if He is, He’s powerless to act.

In this passage Jesus calls for the disciples to rise out of the common situation of humanity and stop fretting by seeking first after the Kingdom of God. Before you focus on the struggles of the day you should begin by fixing your mind’s eye on who the Lord is and what He is doing in the world through the cross of Jesus Christ. This is a walk of faith. Believing in the work of Jesus Christ in the world will cause you to take your eyes off the anxieties of your own life and put them in perspective in relationship to God’s work in the world around you. So many of our anxieties are self-inflicted through seeking after the things of this world. Anxieties that arise from wanting the approval of a fickle world. Anxieties over wanting to compete with others over worldly possessions, or compete over the accomplishments of children, or compete over positions of status. All of these things are immediately put to death with godly contentment which comes through seeking first the kingdom of God.

However, even in seeking Christ first there are many troubles and struggles in life. The promise of this passage is that those who seek Christ first will have added to their lives what is needed. Jesus Christ is faithful and will meet the needs of His people. Our call is to live for today. This is not hedonism because we aren’t living for our own personal pleasure. It’s “in the moment” Christianity. We are striving to obey the greatest commandment of loving the Lord our God with all our heart. Doing anything with all your heart requires that your focus be in the moment. Here Jesus is admonishing us to not try and spin out future events that we cannot control. By faith we trust the Lord for the future and live with godliness, hope, and joy today.

If you find yourself struggling deeply with anxiety, recognize it for the lack of faith that it is. Confess your anxieties to the Lord as unbelief and ask for the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith for today. Abide near Jesus Christ (John 15) through Bible reading, prayer, being with other Christians in church, singing songs of worship, and partaking of the Lord’s Supper. As you abide with Christ, pray for the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24), and live for Jesus with hope in the day. In this, you will find that the peace of Christ Jesus will guard your heart and mind.

Tomorrow will be full of trouble. Trust the Lord and His provision for tomorrow. Live for the Lord today and lay your head on the pillow tonight resting in His perfect peace.

The peace of Christ be upon you dear friends,
Pastor Vic