July / August Newsletter 2021

‘Is There a God?’

This summer, my family and I were blessed to be able to see and experience parts of our country that we have never seen before. We traveled west to Wyoming, stopping in various places of interest along the way, each, it seemed, more beautiful than the last. A running joke of mine is to say, “wow….evolution!” when we see some piece of magnificent nature, poking fun at the absurdity of thinking that such beauty could be a result of a cosmic accident. How is it that every bit of nature around us is so beautiful? And why do we even have the capacity to appreciate it? Animals don’t wonder at the beauty of creation, but we do. It’s there, and we see it, and marvel at it, whether we are Christian, atheist, or whatever. This is precisely why the Bible says that man is ‘without excuse.’ What may be known of God is clearly revealed in the things he has made, ‘even His eternal power and Godhead’ (See Romans 1). It’s clear as day before our eyes, it’s in the night sky, it’s in the intricacies of our physical being, and in the wonders of our minds. There’s no doubt to any reasonably minded person that there is a God. One has to close his eyes with both hands tightly covering them to not see it. They ‘suppress the truth in unrighteousness,’ loving ‘darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.’

Exploring the ‘Bad Lands’ of South Dakota

With this in mind, it is often futile to argue about the existence of God with anyone. The Bible clearly reveals that nature is plenty enough to leave everyone without an excuse. Psalm 19:2 says, “Day unto day utters speech and night unto night reveals knowledge.” If they refuse the testimony of God, how will they listen to the testimony of man? Point to them the magnificence of nature and pray that God would be so merciful to open up their eyes.

Turn from Your Ways and Live!

For about a year now I have been praying that God would show me what specific message the world needed to hear and what He wanted me to preach. Once while praying on the subject I heard, “Turn from your ways and live.” Honestly, I wasn’t particularly pleased with this answer. I felt that it was too brash. Is this really God’s message to a dying world? But as a read through the scriptures this theme keeps reoccurring, especially in God’s dealings with Israel, the nation He longed for so greatly: “Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by ALL of His prophets, EVERY seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways…’” (2 kings 17:13, emphasis mine). And this isn’t just an Old Testament idea, for God commands ‘all men everywhere to repent’ (Acts 17:30), and only those who turn ‘from the error of his way’ will be saved from eternal death (James 5:20). The Church has, for far too long, preached an easy message, requiring no true repentance. This may result in fuller churches, but it certainly does not result in more disciples. Only those who ‘take up their cross, deny themselves, and follow Christ,’ walking the ‘narrow road,’ are truly saved. The rest are ‘goats’ who will be separated out on the last day. We do these people no favor by codling them into eternal fire. Instead, we must, in love, proclaim, “Turn from your ways and live!”

Sharing Jesus with a couple that approached me on the boardwalk

‘All the More as we see the Day Approaching’

We live in tumultuous times. Indeed, we ‘see the Day approaching’ when Jesus will return and judge the world in righteousness. Those that endure to the end will inherit a glorious future, but those who are overcome will face fierce judgment. Because these things are true, we ought to give more earnest heed to things we have heard, ‘lest we drift away.’ We also out to give more earnest attention to prayer, assembling together, and to the work we are called to do. The ‘night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.’ Armor is for fighting. We must fight for the souls of this world, the souls of our families, and, indeed, our own souls while there is still hope. Let us not be caught sleeping when our Lord returns. There will be an eternity for rest. Now is our time to work.