If you're looking for the perfect church, you're in the wrong place!

 

“You don't manage the truth. You tell the truth.” John M. Barry

 

One of the most amazing facets of the Bible is the lack of spin. Scripture is truly a “no spin zone.” Name nearly any hero or heroine in God’s Word and as you check the biblical records, you’re shocked that their history is never sanitized. The good, the bad, and the ugly are recorded. 

  The Bible is much like a true story from the life of Oliver Cromwell. When the Lord Protector was presented with his official portrait in 1656, he angrily rejected it. Thinking it would please him, the court painter had omitted Cromwell’s unsightly facial warts. “Take it away,” Cromwell demanded, “and paint me as I am, warts and all.” 

  Today we’re celebrating our 3^rd anniversary in this building. It’s an event that we believe is important to celebrate each year. God has been so good to us! It’s important that we remember and review God’s hand on our church and His blessings! What has happened here is truly of God and He deserves all of the glory. 

  Periodically, someone will say something foolish like, “I wish our church was like the early church” or “the New Testament church” (a lot of pastors say this) as if that was some perfect ideal. Read the New Testament and you will find back then, what we find today in the local church – failures, fights, disagreements, division, etc. Take for example the church at Corinth. There was division, problems with immorality, abuse of the Lord’s Table, misunderstanding the spiritual gifts, distorted view of marriage, squabbles over minute issues, etc. 

  Every church, even the best ones, has “history.” Ours does. We serve a perfect Savior yet our church is composed of redeemed sinners. With the power of God and transformation of the gospel, the “redeemed” side needs to shine, but sometimes it’s the “sinner” side that’s more predominant. 

  Sometimes it’s a sin problem. Sometimes it’s a matter of perspective or personal tastes. Every church though has some “warts.” Every church if they want to grow spiritually must work through biblical problem-solving. This is so vital to us that you can’t be a member of Grace unless you take the New Member’s class and there is an entire lesson on working through biblical problem-solving. Biblical problem-solving is part of our DNA. 

  Satan is the great divider. He first divided Adam and Eve from God, then from each other and the creation. His strategy has not changed. He loves to divide Christians and churches. 

  Shortly after I became the pastor of our church, I began looking back over the church’s history. Our church was started in 1955. I had the privilege of meeting the founding pastor, Dr. Reuben Kile and his wife, Sandy, and had him preach at my installation service in 1988. He was a godly man who loved the Lord. There was great commitment and excitement during those early days. Yet, no doubt there were issues when Dr. Kile was the pastor because people are people and sinners are sinners. 

  Dr. Kile moved on to pastor another church. But during the time with the pastor who followed him, a division flared up and people left the church. Who was at fault? I don’t know. If we could talk to those who were in the church, there, there would be various perspectives. When it comes to division, there are no innocent parties. That pastor was also a friend of mine and I greatly respected him (he’s now Home with the Lord). No doubt, he looked back with regret at decisions that he’d made. Probably, some of those involved who were so angry with him that they left the church also looked back later with regret at decisions that they made. Time has a way of healing wounds and giving us greater perspective. 

  Why am I sharing this? We all need to understand that while we’re so blessed and it’s exciting to see what God is doing in our church, we have problems and will have more in the future. When God works, Satan attacks. Our Enemy doesn’t put dead churches in his crosshairs but he loves churchianity. He loves it when a church is more interested in being a religious social club than a beachhead for the Kingdom. He hates churches who love Jesus and are serious about the gospel. 

  While I believe that we have great days ahead, we would be naïve if we were not on the alert for Satan’s attacks. In 2 Corinthians 2:11 we’re admonished to “not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” Like a married couple who finds that they can squabble about the silliest things, that’s often Satan’s strategy and attack of the church. How can we have victory and protect ourselves and our church? 

  We must first be humbly dependent. The Bible is clear that anything good in us is of God and the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. If we begin to think that we have spiritually arrived or get comfortable with a spiritual status quo, we’re foolish and setting ourselves up for failure. 

  When there’s a disagreement, suspect first the sinner that you know best. In 1 Timothy 1:15 the Apostle Paul wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” So am I…so are you. I’m continually shocked by the wickedness of my own heart, yet we shouldn’t be surprised at sin in our hearts or in our brothers and sisters. We must commit to showing grace to other sinners as our Savior has shown to us. 

  We must commit to biblical problem-solving. Two processes should never be started prematurely, embalming and church division. Most are committed to fighting for our families. We must be committed to fighting for our spiritual family, and its unity and health. The Bible compares a local church to a body. You don’t start amputating parts haphazardly. 
  We must thank God for church problems. Problems, confronting sin in our lives and in our church are opportunities for spiritual growth. God uses the fire to melt away the dross. It’s in the trials, that as we submit to Him and His Word, we become more like Jesus. 

  God has great things ahead for Grace Church! Know this though that where there are mountains, there will be valleys. It’s why we must be committed to Him and to each other! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The Injustice of the Impeachment Trial

 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”     

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Justice did not take place at the 2^nd impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate of President Trump. Please understand, this is NOT a political position. Injustice overruled because prior to the trial commencing before ever hearing any evidence, most of the Senators had already rendered their verdict. The trial was a sham and a circus to garner political points. Our elected leaders who are elected to enact laws and ensure justice were a horrible example of injustice to our country. It’s no wonder that a large percentage of Americans have so little faith in or respect for Congress. 

  Let me unpack this. Imagine that this was a grand larceny trial of someone accused of that crime in our community and there is a jury panel of 100 citizens. It’s far too large for this kind of crime, but nonetheless, just imagine that you had a jury of 100 persons. What does each of them swear to do? They swear to faithfully understand and evaluate the evidence in order to come to a just conclusion about innocence or guilt. 

  To put the situation into a contemporary context, imagine that the trial is to begin in the middle of this coming week, but when you pick up Sunday’s edition of the newspaper, you discover that of the 100 jurors who are named, something like 30 of the jurors say, “In anticipation of the trial, I don't need the evidence. He’s guilty. I'm going to vote to convict.” There’s another 30 who say, “I don’t care what the evidence might be. He’s innocent. I’ll never vote to convict.” Another 20 say, “You know what? I’m kind of leaning towards conviction, but my mind is open.” And then the last 20 say, “Hey, I’m leaning against conviction, but I’m going to keep an open mind.” There’s no other word for that but Injustice.

 Justice demands that there is impartiality until the evidence has been heard. Political bigotry not demonstrated evidence before the trial determined the outcome. That’s injustice! Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.” God is just, absolutely just! What does it mean that God is just? The Oxford Dictionary explains that someone or something that is “just” is “behaving according to what’s morally right and fair.” Other synonymous words might be “accurate” (as in measurement), “correctness” (as in a judgment), and, of course, “righteous” (as in a description of a person’s condition). That God is just means that He is consistent, virtuous, and right and since His justness is part of His unchanging nature. God is always right and just in whatever He does. 

  Because our God is just, His followers must be committed to justice, even if it means we go against the grain of our preconceptions or political perspective. It’s wrong to come to conclusions without hearing a full accounting. It’s foolish to be emotionally manipulated and failing to be objective before even stating an opinion. Proverbs 18:13 is very pointed, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” 

  Social verdicts and public opinion executions before evidence or trials are commonplace in our divided culture. The media is too frequently an accessory to this evil in that they prey on emotions, manipulate a story and try the accused in the court of public opinion. Rather than accuracy or objectivity, sensationalism is utilized to increase ratings. 

  Far too often the average person and general public are co-conspirators. For example, say a business is accused of some atrocious behavior that may or may not be true. The accusation is posted on social media. Soon comments concurring with the guilty conclusion are piling on, yet the accused has never been allowed to share their side. They’ve been accused, tried, and judged guilty in the court of public opinion. It’s injustice. 

  In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Because He is the truth and committed to truth, Jesus often irritated and antagonized even His followers and He incensed those who opposed Him. 

  As Christ-followers, we must be committed to truth and justice. We can’t let our own preconceptions or feelings contaminate us. We must not allow ourselves to be manipulated by public outrage. Justice demands objectivity. Justice takes time. It means slowing down and stepping back. It requires thinking, reasoning and weighed responses. How can we be committed to justice as our God is? 

  We must be committed to a biblical ethic of justice. Exodus 23:1-9 details God’s laws of justice: No false reports; Don’t follow the crowd; No favoritism in the law; Give true testimony; Show kindness to your enemy; Justice to the poor; No false charges; Don’t take bribes; Fair treatment for foreigners. While others can jump to conclusions, a commitment to justice for a Christ-follower demands not being influenced by the color of the accused’s skin or the color of their uniform. It means a commitment to equal treatment no matter one’s economic situation. Too often the poor suffer injustice because of their economic limitations in that they can’t afford quality lawyers, while the wealthy get off with a plea deal or a lighter sentence. The general attitude toward serving on a jury is very negative. But if Christians and those committed to justice won’t serve, can we count on justice for the poor or disenfranchised? 

  We must be willing to be unpopular by standing for what is right. When emotions are charged, we must not jump on the bandwagon. We must ask questions and refuse to be caught up in a tidal wave of public opinion. It demands wisdom and spiritual courage. It’s easier to go along to get along. Too often we’re cowed by a fear of fallout. 

  In our relationships being committed to justice means refusing to participate in gossip and giving others the benefit of the doubt, particularly if the accusation is out of character with their reputation. It requires objectivity, taking time to think and weigh the evidence. It often means restraining and not contributing because you don’t have enough information to render an opinion. 

  Though justice wasn’t done in D.C., it will be done in the Courts of Heaven. Christ-followers must be committed to pleasing the righteous Judge and increasing His Kingdom here by being committed to justice in this temporary world. While we can’t do everything, we can do something. So, this week, stand up, speak up and when you see something evil going down, don’t just pass by it. Seek to make a difference. Stand up for justice and when you do, the God of perfect justice will be standing with you.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

How's your Heart?

 

“The first and the great work of a Christian is about his heart. Do not be content with seeming to do good in ‘outward acts’ while your heart is bad, and you are a stranger to the greater internal heart duties.” Jonathan Edwards

 A little girl was brought to the ER with a severe cough. But as tykes sometimes do…she talked and talked and talked which made it difficult for the nurse to listen to the sounds in her lung. Finally, the nurse said, “Shhh, I have to see if Barney is in there.” The child looked up and calmly said, “I have JESUS in my heart. BARNEY is on my underwear.” 

  It’s Valentine’s Day. For the last few weeks, hearts of all shapes and sizes have been nearly everywhere reminding us that Valentine’s Day is coming and to remember to buy candy, flowers or a card for that sweetheart. 

  Imagine for a moment though that for Valentine’s Day a husband buys his wife roses and a card. Perhaps he takes her out for an expensive dinner. Yet, though he does all of these things for her, she senses that he doesn’t really love her. She doesn’t have his heart. Would she be pleased? Would it be meaningful to her? I don’t think so. 

  No one did the right things like the Pharisees. According to the Talmud, there were 613 commandments in the Torah and the Pharisees attempted to obey every one of them. Humanly speaking, they did all of the right things. 

  If we’re honest, we’d have to confess that most of us would make great Pharisees. I know that I would. Because it’s so much simpler to do the right thing than it is to be the right kind of person. Yet, God doesn’t want or need us to do anything. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” While it’s true that the Lord wants us to do the right things, but He’s much more concerned about our heart – that we be the right person. 

  Ours is a superficial world where we judge ourselves and others based on actions. Yet, if we prioritize our outer life and neglect our inner life, it will become dark and scary. We won’t know what to do with solitude. We’ll be deeply uncomfortable with self-examination and have an increasingly short attention span for any type of self-reflection. Our lives will lack integrity. 

  When we neglect our hearts, while outwardly we may project confidence, spiritual and emotional health and wholeness, inwardly we’ll be filled with self-doubts, anxieties, self-pity, anger, bitterness and old grudges. Unless we prioritize the inner life, we degenerate quickly into hypocrites. 

  Who are you? Where does your mind wander when you’re not forced to think about anything in particular? What roads do your thoughts tend to wander down? Old hurts, imagined offenses, irritated or feelings of impatience, covetous dreams? Or do your thoughts turn upward and contemplate God, His grace, love and goodness? 

  Perhaps you wish to be perceived as an upbeat, cheerful person. But do you habitually thank God for everything you have and praise Him for who He is? You may talk a great deal about what a “blessing” your faith is and how you really love the Lord, but if you’re prayerless—is that really true? If you aren’t joyful, humble, and faithful in private before God, then what you desire to appear to be on the outside won’t match what you truly are. 

  Giving priority to the inner life doesn’t mean living an individualistic life. It’s certainly not one that’s self-oriented. Scripture is clear though that knowing God can’t be achieved by yourself. Even marriage and our family can lull us into delusion as “we” become the standard of well-being. 

  Community reveals the chinks in our armor. It’s part of why God designed us for community, participation together in worship and smaller groups of believers, as well as private devotion. It’s serving together not as Lone Rangers that helps us grow. It requires studying Scripture together as well as personal, quiet meditation. 

  To be spiritually healthy our inner life with the Lord must have priority. It’s why that before a small group gathering, John Wesley would ask, “How is it with your soul?” That’s a very personal and deep question. Like a skilled surgeon, Wesley dove deep at the very start, cutting to the core issues and setting the tone for those group meetings. 

  Often Christians criticize a secular world for prioritizing symbolism over substance. Yet, when we focus on our persona and public face rather than our hearts, aren’t we guilty of the same? When we’re more concerned with what others think than what God thinks, are we much different? 

  So, what does it mean to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart? It doesn’t mean that you’re sinless. It means that you’re seeking after God, that your heart is open and submissive to Him. It means that when you do sin, you’re quick to confess it and repent. It means that you’re a man or woman of integrity, that you have a whole heart before God. 

  What you do isn’t what matters most to God. He first wants our hearts. Your heart is vital to your worship of God. Your heart is the most important. If you want to please God, you must first focus on your heart, work on your character, focus on the inner man, and spiritual growth as a believer. When the inner life is in sync, then God will use you. 

  Unlike us the Lord doesn’t desire some perfect outward appearance. He desires a mind and heart attitude willing to be used by Him in whatever ways we can in our specific conditions. While “beautiful” people may look at us and think we’re not very remarkable, God sees the inside as well as the outside. If we surrender to conforming to the likeness of Christ – praising Him and giving thanks even when life is incredibly hard, trusting His decisions for our lives, forgiving those who don’t understand our limitations – our spirits are beautiful and pleasing to God. 

  Yet, where does that strength, that heart come from? 1 Samuel 16 ends with, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord gripped David with power.” It’s those who are not full of themselves, either in arrogance or self-loathing. It’s not those who focus on doing the right things but those who start by being honest, humble, and surrendered who are available to God’s power. If our heart is right, then habit will follow. Focus on what truly matters. How’s your heart?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

 

 

Are Sports an Idol?

 

“Sports can be a source of distraction 
and even idolatry among us.”  Dave Miller

 

Recently, one of my childhood heroes, Hank Aaron died. There was nothing better than a hot night at County Stadium watch Hammerin’ Hank hit one out of the park. Some of my greatest  memories from childhood are attending an Atlanta Falcons game. My heroes were Greg Brezina, who’s a committed Christian, and Tommy Nobis. 

  No doubt it’s always been there to some degree, somewhere, somehow professional sports devolved from entertainment to big business. Professional sports were entertainment. They’re amusement. Muse means “to think;” a-muse means “to not think.” Professional sports were an opportunity to forget about life and just enjoy it. 

  Most people don’t want to be “preached” at by their amusement. Apparently, the NFL and other professional sports didn’t get the memo. If early reports on the ads coming for Super Bowl LV are to be believed, the funny, heartwarming ads of cute kids and heroic animals are being squeezed aside for “preachy” ads this year. The days of Betty White and Snickers, Budweiser frogs, or Dodge Ram’s “God made a farmer” commercial are being dumped into the dustbin of history, at least this year. 

  The popularity of professional sports has been waning for some time with salaries fit for royalty, players’ strikes, and abhorrent behavior. Add, the blackmail of asking taxpayers to fund new stadiums or they’ll take their ball and go elsewhere, hasn’t endeared them either. A few scandalous reports of abusing a girlfriend or drugs and the party has been pooped. 

  One blessing of this pandemic has been some honest evaluation of professional sports. Social scolding has given professional sports the same popularity as your annual physical. Who wants to watch their favorite team play only to feel like they’re being lectured about their cholesterol levels? 

  This spiritual gut-check has been greatly needed by the people of God. As John Calvin, astutely observed, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” Our human tendency is to take good things and elevate them to the place of gods. The serpent of healing of Numbers 21 became an idol in Israel’s later history (2 Kings 18:4). Satan loves to take the good and get us to give it a godlike status. Sadly, it’s often happened with sports, frequently we’ve been “conformed to the world” (Romans 12:2). 

  When the game has priority over personal time with the Lord or corporate worship, when we’re skinflints with our finances when it comes to worship, yet have no problem dropping big bucks for a sporting event or fan paraphernalia, we need a heart check. When we know players’ stats but are ignorant of God’s Word and eternal truth, there’s something wrong. 

  Sports have their place. Scripture uses athletics to illustrate truth. It’s idolatry when we prioritize them over God and allow His good gift to become a god. How do we know we’ve wrongly elevated them? 

  Sports are idolatry when they’re what we most want our children to be discipled in. If one sport is good, more is better. Parents, as early as pre-school, feel pressure to sign their child up. Many have them in a sport for each season. What’s often jettisoned is a focus on eternal matters, marital and parent-child relationships, and a child’s basic need for downtime, imagination development, and play. Most won’t be the next Aaron Rogers. Few will receive a college scholarship. Most will peak in high school. 

  If a child doesn’t develop a relationship with Jesus in those first 18 years, the statistics of that happening tumble in adulthood. With the secularization of culture, Sunday games and practices are normative. Parents would question a teacher about an overload of homework. They should question coaches about Sunday games and practices. If no one ever asks, no one ever will. At the very least, with the blessing of technology, schedule family worship via the internet during the season. 

  Sports are idolatry when they captivate our hearts and focus. God is jealous for His glory and anything that competes for His rightful place of first passion in our hearts. There’s a problem when our heart is centered on our “sport,” instead of on Christ and His kingdom. Jesus doesn’t want to be our highest passion. Imagine if I told my wife, “Of all my women, you’re my favorite.” Would she accept that? Do we expect God to accept that kind of fidelity? God calls us to love Him with ALL of our heart, soul, and mind. 

  There’s nothing wrong with breaks and relaxation. Time spent watching or playing a game is not, de facto, wasted time. When, though, we add up the hours spent watching sports, or the matters left undone while obsessing over sports, an unhealthy trend often surfaces. 

  Sports are idolatry when more important relationships are squeezed out. Rarely does a spouse have the same affinity for sports. Usually, one goes along out of love for their mate. Watching a game can be a bonding time or it can be a wedge. It’s all about focus. My mate or children shouldn’t feel as if they must compete. 

  Sports can be a bridge-builder for the gospel or an obstacle. Many lost professional athletes have been won to Christ by a colleague who was a Christ-follower. We can do the same. God designed us with our love for a sport. He expects us to be stewards of that gift and use it to share the most important love with a friend, God’s love. 

  Sports are idolatry when they greatly alter my mood. We all enjoy it when our team wins. Yet, when a loss affects our mood for hours or days, things are out of whack. It’s just a game, played by those on a financial level most of us can’t even dream of. 

  Do spiritual losses affect us like that? Are we as excited when someone comes to Christ or when spiritual ground is gained? 

  Sports are a good gift from God and are to be used in a way that pleases the Giver. Enjoy them yet don’t let them become an idol. To please God, we must keep things in balance. Are they in balance in your life?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.