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Dr. King and Me
By Pastor Andrew Gordon
Seven years ago, I sat in my college cafeteria after the annual Martin Luther King Jr. chapel and displayed my ignorance as I complained about celebrating a man who had several alleged character flaws. I remember saying something like, “I mean, I am all for civil rights. I want equality for all people. But couldn’t we pick somebody who had a little less of a sketchy past to be the one we commemorate every year?” To me, there was nothing inherently racist about this statement. To me, I was simply speaking truth to a taboo subject.
On that day during my freshman year, I lost one of the first friends I made on campus. The friend sitting across from me was a black man. How he managed to keep calm, while I spewed my ignorance can only be explained by the grace of God in his life and God’s mercy in mine. He skillfully and calmly changed the subject eventually, and we moved on. But when he confronted me later, I apologized that I had not been sensitive in what I said. But I still had no concept of how badly I had hurt him with my words.
To be honest, as I have grown from that day, I still don’t know that I will ever understand how badly my words cut him. The reason is because I have never been in his shoes. I know that one of the ways that I hurt him was by complaining about a man who stood up for what he believed in and lived sacrificially and peacefully to bring about change in a world of embarrassingly wide-spread prejudice and injustice in our nation. Without even realizing it that day at lunch, I still represented that same prejudice 40 years after Dr. King was assassinated. See, many of the freedoms that my friend did enjoy were direct results of the boldness and courage of Dr. King. And there I was complaining that we had to remember someone who left such an invaluable legacy to the citizens of this country…all because he was not perfect.
Many of you reading this have already begun to hate college-freshman-Andrew. Some of you still probably wouldn’t like me (I have not yet attained, but I press on toward the goal). But there are some of you probably reading this thinking, “Wait! I don’t know why what you said was so wrong. I have said (or believe) the same thing.” And I ask those of you in this latter category to bear with me with an open mind. I believe the ideas you and I once shared to be ignorant and highly damaging to interracial relationships, especially among believers.
Before I explain why we all should be celebrating the life of Dr. King, I ask you to be honest with yourself as I had to be in answering this question: Am I trying to explain away the character of this man so that I don’t have to do the messy work of putting myself in the shoes of my black brothers, sisters, and fellow citizens to really understand their lives (this includes other minorities, but it was revealed to me specifically in my interactions with black Americans)?
Black Americans can extensively document discrimination that has taken place against them or those close to them in their lives to this day. But I was too proud and too busy to listen. I never once asked my friend what he thought on this day. I simply assumed that my thinking was his thinking because it was “rational” by my calculations. And to this day, I know little to nothing about his life and his family. Why? Because I was too blinded to ask him questions while also offering a safe environment for him to answer honestly. By speaking against Dr. King that day, I was speaking against my friend. What I missed in 2008, I pray that we will not miss out on in 2015.
Why celebrate MLK Jr. Day?
This man exemplified turning the other cheek like our Lord Jesus because he believed that standing up for the oppressed must be done in a way that followed the example of Christ. He believed that peaceful boldness was the right alternative to violence. He stood up because his nation did not exemplify the values she claimed to stand upon.
We should celebrate because Dr. King’s boldness inspired thousands to stand up for the oppressed and thousands more to identify and destroy their own prejudices. He truly believed that the gospel had the power to reconcile people in a way in which the kingdom could be reflected in relationships here on earth.
We should celebrate because though he was not a perfect man and had alleged character flaws, the character flaws of those God used throughout Scripture to do great things are not “alleged.” Their sins are explicitly stated. Just look at the list of people that are given to us in Hebrews 11. Just to name a few: Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and should we even start on David?!
What’s the point? Sin is absolutely inexcusable from God’s standpoint. And all of these famous people of faith sinned. But there was One. There was one who lived in sinless perfection out of complete obedience and faithfulness to his Father. And through his death, our sins were paid for. Forgiveness became available. As I look upon the goodness of the gospel and the horrors of my sins, I am compelled to see people in a new perspective. One man’s sin does not make him equal to the sum total of those failures. Christ’s blood covers those who repent and believe just as it covered Abraham, Moses, David, and me.
The gospel urges us to rejoice in the way God uses people. It urges us to stop, listen, and try to understand those who are different than us, specifically those who are hurting or oppressed. The gospel urges me to stop using someone’s sin as an excuse to downplay everything he stood for publicly. The gospel urges me to shut up for a few moments and listen. May God use me in spite of my sin. And, Lord, please keep me from sin.
Head in the Clouds
By Pastor Andrew Gordon
Many of us have heard the comment, “He’s so heavenly-minded that he’s no earthly good.” Obviously this phrase is aimed at those people who are disconnected from their communities, using the guise of religion to excuse their lack of action. In reality, the culprits have the wrong view of heaven and are disobedient to God’s word.
Really, if one has a right view of eternity and heaven, it is impossible to be so heavenly-minded as to remove their usefulness upon this earth. In Colossians 3:1, Paul commands those who have been raised with Christ to seek things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God rather than on the things of earth.
He is not instructing a strict separation from their humanity. Here in chapter 3, Paul explains what is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth, and lies.
The new man we are to put on may surprise some. To be heavenly minded is not to put on our wings and halos and snub our noses at those “worldly people.” Rather, look at the list of “heavenly-minded” things: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, forbearance, Christ-like forgiveness, love, unity, and being filled with God’s word to help and correct one another–all highly relational qualities.
To be heavenly-minded is to be of eternal earthly good. See, when we care about others and we display the love and message of Christ to others, we are putting their eternal interests ahead of our own physical lives. When we die, certain aspects of our lives will die (prestige, occupation, money, other possessions, etc.), but others will live on. Any honor or praise we garnered for ourselves will be meaningless as we stand before the throne of God. But when we bear witness to Christ through our words and actions, we have an opportunity to effect someone eternally, long after we die.
When we choose to be heavenly-minded, we are choosing to forsake those things that will die when we die in order to live for those things that cannot die.
Applications
What do we do with this? How do we set our minds on things from above? First, we need to recognize that we are always setting our minds on something. Take an inventory throughout the day of where your mind is seated. What takes up the most of your thoughts? Take those thoughts captive. Examine them. See if they are things that help you life up the name of Jesus to those around you.
Second, we all make plans of sorts. Plans can be formally made in the form of a day planner or a 5- or 10-year plan. Sometimes, we just have a checklist of things we want to finish before the day is out. Making plans is a valuable way to be a good steward of the time and resources God has given us. But our plans are not immune to falling for “earthly things.” Look over your plans. List out your goals. Then test them for their eternal value. Do you want things that would define you as a faithful witness to Christ after you die?
To the parents reading this, my mom and dad taught me to do this for kids as well. All parents make goals or plans for their children. Then they teach their kids to value things that will help them reach those goals. What is it that we want for our kids? Are we more concerned with them gaining the whole world while ignoring their souls?
The starting point for thinking in a heavenly-minded way is always by studying God’s word. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word…I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9 & 11). God has given us his word for our growing in the knowledge of him and what he wants for the world.
As you read scripture, reevaluate your goals and aspirations in light of what you learn. Find out what God is passionate about. Are you passionate about those things? The only way to learn them is by reading and meditating on his word.
Finally, Paul bases this whole passage–in addition to the rest of Colossians–upon our identity in Christ. Remember these three things from verses 1-4. First, we have been raised with Christ to live for him rather than for ourselves. Then, the Lord we follow is at the right hand of the Father, in the seat of all power. Thirdly, our hope is in his future appearing, where we will be revealed with him in glory. Death and oppression are two of the greatest fears for people. But our identity is hidden in the one who raised from the dead and has all power, never abusing it. This gives us the freedom to set our minds on the things above without fear of what we will lose on this earth.
Today, set your mind on the Risen Almighty, in whom all hope is found.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” -Jim Elliot
God’s Word and the Church Buffet
By Pastor Mark Toole
There are many different stances on the traditional buffet. Many think it is a gross endeavor for multiple reasons; the fact that the food may have been sitting there for a couple of hours, and of course the young child that uses their hands for getting the food onto their plate rather than the utensil provided, just to name a couple. But many are like me. We see the experience of walking into a buffet as no other experience in the world. Paying a nominal fee at the door so that I can eat unlimited portions of a seemingly unending amount of choices? This far surpasses the normal restaurant experience of being forced to choose one specific meal, with its limitations, from the menu. Choosing the steak over the ribs, instead of the Parmesan chicken, and forgoing the Cajun shrimp pasta is one of the hardest decisions I have to make. This is because I want it all. My desire is to have my steak and eat it to.
That’s why it is awesome when we can walk into a restaurant and eat all of the above without paying for each individual meal! But it is a truly terrible thing when we take this “have it all and have it your way” approach to what we take from God’s word, but that is exactly what has been happening to our church culture. When I use the word “culture” I am speaking of the bigger culture that is the United States, and even the world as a whole, but I am also speaking of the specific culture that is our local churches, even here in West Virginia. We have a tendency to look at things that are happening throughout the world and think that they will never happen to us, but it is becoming more and more apparent that we are not impervious to the growing influence of secular culture.
So what do I mean what I talk about the Bible as being the church buffet? Much like the restaurant buffet, where I can walk through the line and put the steak and mashed potatoes on my plate, but walk right past the cauliflower and lima beans, we have begun to go through the Bible and take out and apply the things that we agree with, while we discard the things that contradict what the overwhelming culture says is true, and frankly, contradicts the way we would like to live our lives. By doing so, we are creating a “Christianity” of convenience, rather than a Christianity centered on Christ through the truth given to us in His word.
One of the predominate truths that is being compromised in the church for the sake of convenience is the church’s stance on homosexuality. As reported by Albert Mohler on The Briefing, there has been a new wave known as “The Third Way.” With this movement, churches are declining to take a stance on whether or not homosexuality is sinful, but rather are looking to coexist in light of differing views on the issue. This new position was spurred on by New Hope Community Church in La Mirada, California when one of the pastors of that church was faced with the decision of sticking to a truth he had held to for years or accepting his now openly homosexual son and his new lifestyle. The pastor, driven by his love for his son chose to support the homosexual lifestyle, but did not want to force that opinion on the church so he devised “The Third Way.” The Third Way is a stance that more and more churches are turning to, saying that they are a congregation that neither endorses nor condemns “homosexuality but viewing it as a matter about which sincere Christians can honestly disagree in the same way Christians differ in their understanding of the Bible’s teaching about divorce and remarriage in the 21st-century context.” Those are very dangerous words. We are not to interpret the meaning of scripture in light of our cultural context. When we talk about being culturally relevant, we are discussing relevant application to the unchanging truths of God’s word; not changing the truths of God’s word to fit our culture.
We may look at New Hope Community Church and see that they are based in California and expect that kind of thing from a church in California as it is a very “liberal” state, but many of us would be surprised that the same idea is permeating our churches, specifically through our younger generation. Parents, as a youth pastor, I see and hear these kinds of conversations from your students all the time. Culture’s growing acceptance of homosexuality has led to a growing number of “openly gay” relationships in our schools. Our students have been put in a situation of either supporting their peers (maybe even their close friends), or being labeled intolerant. Many of the students are conforming to society’s acceptance of this lifestyle because they may not know what the Bible says on the issue, or they may buy into the buffet of God’s word and be willing to throw away that truth thinking that it is archaic and should no longer apply to people. They have fallen victim to the same emotional sentiment that the pastor at New Hope Community Church has; they love their friends and are choosing “support” over truth.
What we must understand is that the Bible is very clear on the issue of sexual immorality. There is no room for “interpretation” when we look at what the Bible has to say about homosexuality and other sexual impurities. When we look at passages such as Romans 1:18-32, which says,
“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness…. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”
Or 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and 1 Timothy 1:8-10, it is very clear that God’s word does not leave any wiggle room on the issue of sexual immorality and that it includes homosexuality under the umbrella of sexual sin. These passages can be summed up quite simply by Leviticus 18:22, “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” The minute we choose to reject any one of God’s truths in His word, not limited to, but including this truth, we have rejected the very truth Jesus spoke in John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
Instead of responding in acceptance of a lifestyle that is so obviously opposed to God’s call to righteousness, we should love and support those who have chosen this lifestyle by sharing the truth of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t blindfold them so that they cannot see their sin, but help them to see the freedom from their sin that is offered through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. He has the power to set us free from the bondage of our sinful nature through the outpouring of His grace and mercy. Sharing the truth of the forgiveness of our sin and the freedom from our sin that only God can offer through His Son, Jesus, is the most loving and supportive thing we can do for those we know who have submitted to their sin nature in the form of homosexuality. As for those who have traded in the inerrant word of God for their own edited version, we should continue to share the dangers of this with them as well, allowing them to know that the same truth Jesus speaks in Matthew 6:24 in regards to greed and the love of money applies to God vs. the love of the world, or acceptance of secular culture; “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other…”
Although the focus of this discussion has been homosexuality, don’t miss the point; we are subject to the danger of treating God’s word and Christianity the same way we treat our buffet line. If we are not careful, we will pick apart God’s word and take only what we are comfortable with, and this is truly dangerous. Instead, let us have the heart of Paul as spoken in the famous passage, Romans 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Empty for Christmas
By Pastor Andrew Gordon
I am hopeful you will see this as a little more than just another “Reason for the Season” post. Those posts usually (and correctly) point out that Jesus is the reason for the season, and we must not get so caught up into the consumerism and entitlement of our society and take a moment to pause and thank God for his Ultimate Gift. Again, all of that is due this time of year. But I want to share a further reflection.
Jesus is more than just Christmas, right?
Jesus is more than just pause-worthy before our big feast, right?
Jesus’ birth is more than just one in a few billion, right?
He must be more, but what does it all mean?
I want to focus on a thought from Philippians 2 where I believe that Paul expresses beautifully what it meant and still means for God to become flesh.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Phil. 2:5-11, ESV.
I think Paul is reflecting on the first coming of Christ in order to draw out a way of life for those who are following Jesus. It’s truly beautiful. Let’s look at what Christmas was before we look at what it means. Christmas was the event in which God became man.
There have been many well written books, articles, and posts out there about the theological and practical implications of the Incarnation. If the Incarnation is false, we lose the rest of what we stand for. You can read more on this here. Yet, I want to focus on just one aspect: The Son of God “empties” himself to humility (even shameful humility on a cross) out of obedience.
The importance of Christmas is what occurred when God literally and truly became man, sacrificing dignity while maintaining perfect deity. He emptied himself of all privilege and prestige that comes with being God. Other places, we see that God did this out of love for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Here Paul tells us that Jesus’ humiliation -becoming man and dying on the cross- is the reason the Father has highly exalted him and given him the name above every name.
Christmas begins the earthly “humiliation” of God that leads to his glory renown (v. 11). God is always worthy of all glory, but it is fully displayed to the world in Jesus Christ. The Incarnation assumes that we have no hope outside of God’s intervention. The Incarnation proves that it pleased God for this to be the way of salvation. The Incarnation sets the tone for how Christians are to think and then act.
This Christmas, let me ask you something: When we were all headed for hell because of our sin, did Jesus ask, “Why should I die for those liars, thieves, adulterers, and murderers?” No. The plan was to save sinners. That’s just not fair though! God should never have to suffer just because we messed up and chose to sin! But yes, yes he did. He did not have to suffer and die because of any external obligation. Jesus chose to suffer, because it was decided before the foundations of the world that we would be chosen in him to be holy and blameless, adopted as his sons for full inheritance (Eph. 1:3ff).
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” As people of Christ, the incarnate God, we have no choice but to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. That means as a believer I don’t get the luxury of fighting for what I have earned. It means I am willing to lay down what is “due” me for the sake of others as obedience to Christ. Jesus said that if we wish to follow him, we must take up our cross and follow him. First and foremost our witness to Christ’s example is to display the gospel in word and deed. In our culture, we sometimes interpret “cross” as “soapbox,” “rights,” or “privilege.” But Jesus, the only one with the right to take up any of those three, denied that path for cross-shaped humiliation and beckons us to follow.
You are not God. I am not God. We cannot be anyone’s incarnate Savior. But we can be what God calls us to be as a voice for the voiceless. First and foremost our witness to Christ’s example is to display the gospel in word and deed. We should also be advocates for those who are being oppressed in his name. And we do not do it because we have to. We do not do it because we are the ones oppressing them (though I am far from blameless here). We do it because, Jesus was born as a vulnerable babe, wrapped in cloths, and placed in an animal feeding trough as a foreshadow for his ministry and death. We do it because Jesus said we were to follow his lead and bear witness to what we have seen in him.
If you want to send a shoe box to a kid on the other side of the world, awesome! If you want to donate to a shelter, do it! But I want to encourage believers this Christmas season to be open to potentially messy relationships with those who are oppressed or needy. Let’s empty ourselves of any privilege we think we “deserve” this season. We do not deserve it, but even if we did; Jesus gives us a higher example to follow.
Please share your thoughts or even some tangible opportunities for other readers to take and run with to follow Christ in emptying ourselves for others this Christmas.
Gospel of Mark – Part 1 – Preparing the Way
May 11, 2016 by Andrew • Gospel of Mark, Pastor David, Sermon • 0 Comments