What Charlottesville Teaches Me

There are many articles about Charlottesville and its symbolism of current race relations in our country, from what the president said to our nation to what pastors are saying in their pulpits, from what families are discussing at their dinner tables to what our Facebook friends are saying on their feeds. While many events have arisen since that fateful day, I still think there is something I need to say. I am not sure I can add anything to the discussion that hasn’t already been said. But I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to add my voice to the mix about what this event in our history has taught me and is teaching me still.

One thing Charlottesville has taught me is that I need to reprove the works of darkness (Eph. 5:8-11). This was so eloquently done by a preacher who recorded his reaction to the events on YouTube that one of my Facebook friends shared on her feed.[i] Pastor Mike Kleitz of Calvary Road Baptist Church in New Albany, Indiana, doesn’t have thousands of Facebook followers. I don’t know him personally. He’s not a known TV personality with millions of followers on Twitter nor does he have his own late night TV show. He is a pastor who is charged with the care of a flock of people God has brought into his church, and he spoke against the works of darkness in the white supremacy movement, emboldened (but not new) in our day. He took a stand, and that spoke volumes to me that I, too, must do the same. My Christian testimony is on the line and my witness is being scrutinized through the lens of Charlottesville. So, let me say, very simply, like Timothy Keller did in his own reaction to the events, “Christians should look at the energized and emboldened white nationalism movement, and at its fascist slogans, and condemn it—full stop.”[ii] The Bible tells me so.

Another thing that Charlottesville has taught me is that I am afraid to speak what I believe because I care about what people think of me, not necessarily what they think of my Savior. I live in a climate that is so divided and split—even among my friends and those I love—that if I even hint at an unpopular opinion that goes against one side or the other, someone is going to be offended, get mad at me, think I’m not a Christian worth my salt, think I’m holier than thou, etc. This ought not be the reason I remain silent. So, let me say the white supremacists were in the wrong at Charlottesville because their philosophy is wrong. They do have the right to speak what they believe. The counter protesters also have that same right and some of them were in the wrong, too, in how they demonstrated their opposition. The supremacists were itching for a conflict to happen, and this leads me to believe guns or weapons should not be a part of free speech gatherings because of it. Largely in part because of our current racial climate, I’m okay with Confederate flags and statues of past Confederate leaders being taken down in public places, as well as in private places if the organization that has these wants to do so. Individuals have a right to their own personal decision to fly a Confederate flag or honor the Confederacy how they wish, and people have a right to protest that. Propagandists are having a heyday with changing the narrative of the events[iii] that even good people I know are being deceived. Our president is also changing the narrative and making this event like many, if not all, things in his work as president, about himself not our country and is using it to continue to demonize those that disagree with him or are critical of him. Most importantly, this event has shined a light on my own apathy of race issues in America and convicted me of my silence. God has much more to show me as I reflect on these events, and He’s going to turn it into good for me and for those who love Him (Ro. 8:28).

The main issue God spoke to my heart about through these events, however, is the nature of sin, its consequences and our reactions to sin and the sinner, including in ourselves.  God used John 3:16-21 and v. 36 to teach me this point in my own heart:

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. … He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

What spoke to me in particular in this section of Scripture is that all of us are loved by God. While we ought to and should condemn the philosophies of hate and the reactions of hate they inspire, we ought not condemn the individuals who hold those philosophies. Jesus didn’t come into this world to condemn us but to save us, so I ought to live in accordance toward others to reflect Christ’s mission. I read those verses this way in context to Charlottesville. God loves the white supremacist protester and he loves the antifa protester. He loves Heather Heyer and he loves her killer, James Alex Fields Jr. His overwhelming love for humankind is more astounding to me because He loves us while we are under His wrath. And we are under His wrath because of our sin (and none of us are outside of that wrath (Rom. 3:23)). He knew we could not in ourselves remove His wrath, so He sent us His Son to remove that wrath for us. That wrath remains on us unless we trust that Christ died in our place to atone for our sins, that He paid the penalty for our sins. Because we live in the church age, like Jesus, God is not calling us to condemn one another, but to condemn sin. All this so we see we all have need of a Savior. You see, in our time, God is calling people to salvation not condemnation. And if I don’t act like I understand His mission in our current time, I will only react in a way that does not bring Him glory and honor. In other words, on the one hand, if I don’t reprove the works of darkness (namely, the hate filled rhetoric I saw on part of many protesters that day[iv]), and on the other hand, if I don’t come to a place where I can be a testimony of God’s love for even the individuals I disagree with, I am not being the testimony I need to be for my Savior.

Beyond that, I see one more vital lesson. God showed His love for us that day in providing His protective Hand over the Charlottesville protests. While the events of that day were tragic and horrifying, they could have been much worse. I read an article on the Intercessors for America website that really inspired me and drew me into the call of God for all His children to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).[v] The article reports on a group of Christians who were also counter protesting, only they were doing so by prayer and by song. In response, the hate-filled rhetoric on both sides came to a stop for a time. People didn't know how to respond to them and so were silent for an hour. Who knows how else God used that form of protest that day.

I’m sure the days ahead will bring more lessons from this and other events that take place in our nation and our world. I only hope I am willing to continue learning from them and then to boldly take a stand when God asks that of me. For His glory and His alone.

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[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=CLPUA0nE6bc&app=desktop.

[ii] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/race-the-gospel-and-the-moment

[iii] http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/21/fake-news-charlottesville-215514; http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/witness-charlottesville-death-threats-conspiracy-theories-began/

[iv] http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/08/17/the_viral_vice_documentary_was_the_perfect_rebuke_to_trump_s_charlottesville.html

[v] https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/charlottesville-intercessors-take-a-stand-and-sing/

Words of Knowledge

“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the 

words of knowledge.”—Proverbs 19:27

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”—Hosea 4:6a

Christianity is a belief system in which its adherents are encouraged to study. That does not mean we need doctorate-level (or even college-level) studies in order to practice our faith more perfectly. No. All of God's children have varying degrees of intelligence and varying degrees of interest. One believer may have a moderate level of education, for example, and loves to delve into the Scriptures by way of word studies. This believer may know he needs to understand God's view of patience more clearly, so that he may apply that quality to his own life. He would then seek out verses that use this word, read and memorize those verses, and then read those verses in context to the verses surrounding it for a deeper perspective and a clearer understanding of how patience applied in each of those circumstances.

You may also have a believer that just can't get enough of theology and how individuals down through history approached their faith. She would study the lives of great theologians and learn the concepts they defined and then learn the concepts of others (contemporary or not) who may or may not agree with this theologian's concepts, and then begin to study what they believe. From there, through her own knowledge of Scripture and by way of much prayer that God would guide her into all truth (John 16:13), she would seek God and ask Him to show her what He thinks of these rich theological concepts by way of His word.

There are Christians who love studying the end times and can't get enough of learning about current and future events and how they relate to biblical prophecies. There are Christians who love poetry and wisdom and so want to read the poetic books of the Bible, over and over and over again, so that the truths in these passages (of Proverbs for example) just start to become his own thoughts as he goes about his days. There are Christians who love to read missionary tales of current and past individuals who lived their faith out loud to a lost and dying world. Simply said, there is so much we can be fascinated with about God and His word that would encourage us to study deeper.

Studying God's word also protects us from the lies that we come across in false doctrine and false teachings. God expects us to study to show ourselves approved unto Him so that we can rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This is key in our age of too much information because there are many voices and many ideas out there in our world that are clamoring for our attention. In order to clearly maneuver in these waters, we need to make sure our ship and our sails are without damage, and that our anchor is sure. That ship, sail, and anchor can be said to be God's holy and precious word and the basic truths He communicates to us through His word. Without knowledge of His truth to steady us, we will be like children, the Bible says, “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

So, how do I cease from hearing instruction that leads to my destruction? I feel very fortunate because I happen to love studying. I love learning and diving deeper into subjects that interest me, and I am blessed with a thirst to know God's ways and to know His word. He has blessed me over and over in my own personal life with deeper understandings on this or that subject. But that thirst is not constant and it does change as far as what subjects I want to study or that He’s leading me to study.

For example, in my earlier walk with the Lord, I loved studying other religions and all the different views even within Christianity. That changed into a desire to know and understand my Bible better, and then led me into the discipline of reading my Bible every day. As time went on, I was then led to take a three year Bible college course that taught on every book of the Bible and how each book fit into the other to make the whole Bible. That was a beautiful and enriching study. I also love preaching, so I am someone who actually likes to attend church and listen to the biblical messages God has given His man to speak on in the pulpit. Today, though, I haven't been as thirsty, and I began to ask God to revive my thirst to know Him more and to live for Him better according to His word. I can speak honestly that God has given me a couple lessons this week alone that have begun quenching a newly growing thirst for Him and His ways.

But even if I'm not thirsty, I try to read my Bible every morning. It may be a chapter or two or several chapters. Lately, I have been reading one chapter in the Old Testament, one chapter in the New Testament, my daily Proverbs chapter, and as many as five chapters in Psalms. Before I read my chapters, I pray Psalms 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” With that prayer comes an expectation that God will bring to light any subject my spirit needs to feed on before I begin my day. And I think that's why I have a love for His word. He has used my morning Bible readings over and over to speak truths to me that I desperately needed or didn't even know I needed until He showed them to me.

So, as God's people, we need to study His word. This is a truth we see throughout the Bible. We need it so that we understand our place in the world and so that we understand His will for our lives better. But, perhaps most importantly, we need to study His word because if we don't, our knowledge of Him will slowly fade away and we will be setting ourselves up for destruction.

Let us be Christians who study God's word. But more than that, let us be Christians who love His word.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

—Joshua 1:8

John 6:13 in my Bible

Sparing Your Words

“He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”—Proverbs 17:27-28

Have you ever desired to be wise and have a mouth full of wise words? I sure have and I still do. As I began to acquaint myself with the Bible soon after surrendering my life to the Lord, my first favorite Bible character was Solomon. Even today, he holds a special place in my heart. I love how when asked by God for any wish, he asked God for an understanding heart to rightly judge God’s people. And God gave him that and more. (1 Kings 3)

It could be said that because of this prayer request, we have the book of Proverbs, which was largely written by him. Tradition also ascribes the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes to him as well. In thinking about that, those portions of Scripture don’t even account for a large section of the Bible. In that, we can see the truth of these words above. 

Knowledge and wisdom are not necessarily found in grand words, lengthy speeches, or long pontifications about this or that point but are found in salient and direct thoughts that apply to all generations. Or in silence.

Think of it this way. Have you ever thought to yourself that the Bible should be a bigger book? The last verse of the Gospel of John even alludes to this thought: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25)

Wisdom, knowledge, and truth do not need large shelves or many volumes in which to be placed. It’s a beautiful thing that we have many books written from different perspectives to help us understand truths better. But I believe all we need to know can be found in Scripture, which has just the right number of pages and just the right amount of words to accomplish God’s desire to pass His wisdom to His children.

In application to my own life, Lord, help me to understand my own thoughts and words in light of this truth, that sparing my words – and holding my tongue – is often the wiser and more knowledgeable choice.  

Sibiu, Romania (December 2005)

Refraining My Lips

“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”

Proverbs 10:19

The book of Proverbs helps my walk with the Lord so much. I try to read one chapter every day, and despite the fact I’ve read this book over and over, God’s wisdom found in these pages of Scripture always teaches me something. Whether a proverb grounds me for the day’s events, whether a verse brings me to conviction, or whether a truth enlightens my understanding of circumstances that make my heart heavy, I often walk away from reading Proverbs with a word from the Lord that is just for me.

Today’s verse is such an example. I read it a few days ago and have been trying to commit it to memory ever since. Why? Because it has been a recurring theme in my dealings with others lately. I often get this sense of pride when sharing my “wisdom” with loved ones in which I think I have the answers to their problems. Without their request for advice, I happily pour forth all the wisdom I think fits their particular situation with such a self-righteous and judgmental countenance. Afterward, when I really take a good look at myself, I get so discouraged (disgusted more like it) because here was another instance I did not keep my mouth shut when I should have.

Now, I do not mean to imply that we should always be silent. For the Bible says, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)

On the one hand, some situations call for boldness, but a speaking-the-truth-in-love boldness—a God’s-clear-direction-to-speak kind of boldness that is free from self-righteous and prideful judgment. (Ephesians 4:15)

On the other hand, some situations call for our silence, perhaps because that person is not ready to hear the truth. They have not yet come to the end of themselves, which is precisely the place God wants them to get to so He can begin to heal them.

Perhaps it’s because we are not the vessel God will choose to use to bring a person to Himself and His will for their lives. I don’t know. But there are times I can feel a catch in my spirit that leads me to not speak God’s wisdom and counsel to an individual. It’s when I know it’s not my place to speak and do so anyway, that I know I have a lot to learn myself about the wisdom of learning to keep my mouth shut.

In the end, I know the one thing I can do for those I want to “help” is to pray for them. While I refrain my lips toward them, I do not have to keep quiet before God on their behalf.

“There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword:

but the tongue of the wise is health.”

Proverbs 12:18

Stehekin, WA (August 2008)

Inspirations and Grand Gestures

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”—Matthew 5:16

Pastor Jerry Scheidbach, my very first pastor, inspires me. His walk with God was so expressive that I found it very easy to follow his examples. He taught on restitution, not just repentance. He taught me that when you ask someone for forgiveness, you should also ask how or what you can do to restore the loss or ill you did to them. If you stole, give back, the Bible even says fourfold (Luke 19:8). If you put a hole through someone’s wall through anger, pay for its repair. If you hurt someone with your words, fill your mouth with kindness toward them. You should follow up with restitution at any time even if you come to it years later in your understanding.

He taught me how to read my Bible. The way he taught Scripture was so profound to me. He could take a verse and travel the pages of the entire Bible and show you where that verse fit across various books of the Bible. He could also take a swaths of history and illustrate many Bible principles through his observations. He often taught on passages of Scripture I usually overlooked because I didn't really understand them.

He taught that the simplest acts of kindness were great ways to be a Christian. Take your shopping cart at the grocery store, for example, and put it in its place. Take someone else’s cart and put it in its place. Pick up trash where you see it, and not just in your church. But anywhere. Be a Christian in all things, great or small.

He taught me the importance of reading God’s word, every day. A discipline I didn't have down until I went to Romania, where I knew I needed it the most. His sending verse for me going to Romania was “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4b).

He inspired me to read God’s word, through his own example. When he was a younger pastor and studying to get his Masters, I believe, he became so discouraged about what he was studying. He surveyed the shelves in his library and was sickened by what everybody else was saying about the Bible and so committed to only read God’s word for a season to find out what it said without the chaos and the noise of other people’s opinions. If I remember correctly, he only allowed himself to reference a Strong’s concordance, a Bible atlas, and the old 1828 Webster’s dictionary. What he gorgeously got out of this passionate commitment to know God and His Word more was that the central theme of all Scripture from Genesis to Revelation was Calvary. That touches my heart so much, even to this day. I call it his grand gesture to God, something I think every Christian should do at least once in their lifetimes.

(I don’t think I've made mine yet.)

Other grand gestures that inspire me come from God’s word: Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and the woman with her alabaster box of ointment that she poured at Jesus’ feet.

I love the story of the woman and her alabaster box offering to Christ, when without fear of reprisal, she poured her love out to Jesus without pretension, but freely, without inhibition. It was an exorbitant gift as the cost of that perfume was very expensive. It is one of the best examples of how Christians ought to be thinking in terms of their own giving before God.

And then Jesus with His washing of His disciples’ feet. How that Peter felt Jesus should not be doing that, but Jesus did it anyway, as He was illustrating an example of how we are to serve one another … and also how we ought to keep clean from the world. When Jesus told Peter he was none of His if he wouldn't allow Him to wash his feet, Peter then responds, then Lord, wash my hands and my head also, but Jesus put his zealousy in check--no, you are clean every whit, but let me just clean your feet.

I think this is a wonderful example how that as Christians, we are clean before our God, as He has forgiven us of our sin debt, but how when we minister in this world, and live in this world, we still get a little dirty, and that we need to occasionally go to Jesus for a little foot washing. (This, too, was a lesson taught me by my first pastor.)

In my current church home, Faith Baptist Church located in Spokane, WA, a visiting preacher gave testimony of his grand gesture toward God in that he personalized the commandment in the law where it required the kings to write out their own copy of it. This preacher took this principle to heart and is writing his own copy of God’s word, a chapter a day, in fact. That inspires me. How great his understanding of God’s word must be through this very simple act.

Brother Jerry Castro also inspires me. During a missionary conference at our church, he was one of those visiting us in order to share his ministry. He is a Philippino missionary to a fervent Muslim city in Indonesia. He stood at our pulpit, in the clearest English with the coolest accent and told us that he was a product of American missionaries and the money sent to them. He was called to preach the gospel to a CIA blacklisted Muslim city in Indonesia to be a witness to them. It was a city that when one Christian work went up, hundreds of Muslims would come surround that building to scare off the work, and if I remember correctly, even throwing rocks along with verbal threats into the building of the new work, until they stopped their ministry. His prayer request to me: 10 open Muslim families in a year. He didn't say their salvations, just their openness of heart. Why? Because to him, winning a Muslim to the Lord is like extracting a diamond from coal. A grueling work, but a treasure so fine, it’s worth the wait. What an inspiration to me.

I asked the Lord what to share on my blog next, and this is what I believe He laid on my heart. I actually wrote this in a letter to an acquaintance some time ago.

So much of my walk with God is bottled up within me. So many sermons, so many experiences over the years, so many lessons from His precious word. The chance to even share a little bit of that with you, for whatever reason, for whatever purpose, for however long, is a blessing.

I wonder if I’ll ever write a book about it someday. Perhaps that will be my grand gesture to the Lord.

For now, though, I will continue writing blog posts, which is just one small gesture from me to you, for which I hope to be a little inspiration.

Morro Bay, CA, February 2009

(There may be some misrepresentations I've made in remembering some of these events, and I want to clarify that they are my own and not another's. They are how I remember them, however.)

Into All Truth

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:”

John 16:13a

So many Christians I know carry in their hearts a life verse, some salient thought that speaks to their whole being about who God is in their lives or the direction God has given them along their journey. This verse is tangible evidence they have a personal God who communicates with them.

The issue for me has always been there are too many verses from which to choose. God has spoken to me and given me rest and comfort through many verses. Proverbs 3:5-7, for instance, is about trusting God with all my heart, not leaning on my own logic and understanding, and committing my paths, my thoughts and my actions unto Him so that He can direct my paths. I love that section of Scripture. This passage of God’s word steadied me as I was dating my husband.

How about “The Lord knoweth how” from 2 Peter 2:9? This small section of Scripture helped me through a very dark time in my Christian ministry, when I was looking through the lens of my flesh and not the Spirit, when surveying what was before me.

And then there is John 14:27, which is often quoted by me. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” What a gorgeous verse when you’re in a valley and the only way to look is up to the Lover of our souls, who gives us perfect gifts in our times of need.

All that to say, I think John 16:13a is the closest Scripture passage I have to a life verse. There was a day this verse was spoken to me, and it has never left my heart. The background of that day was that my church in California had just purchased a new building. The church members had gotten together to sell the old lumber and hardware left from the previous owner, along with home items brought in by the members for a very large garage sale. My pastor was talking with another pastor that day, and I had asked my pastor a question. I can’t remember the details of that question, but I believe by the Holy Spirit’s leading, my pastor knew I could only get the answer from God. I could not just take someone’s word for it, pastor or not. That’s when he said this verse to me, and I have never forgotten it.

Whenever I am perplexed over some doctrine or some difference among faith families in God’s beautiful Spiritual Church, I remind myself, that God, by His Holy Spirit, will guide me into truth. I like to say, not 75% of the truth, not even 99% of the truth, but “all truth.” What salve this verse has been to me, as God has gently guided me on paths of study since I gave my life to Him when I was 23. I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was eight, but I didn’t commit myself to His ways until much later. At that turning, my life has never been the same. Oh, there has been much heartache in the studies He’s taken me through, but they have produced in me a confidence in His Word, along with fruit-bearing Bible readings. He blesses my heart while guiding me into all truth—not at once, mind you—but, little by little, when He sees an open heart and a readiness to take in and absorb what He has to tell me. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:10)

Lake Pend Orielle, Ione, Washington. (Fall 2007)

(I linked this up with Christian Mommy Blogger.)

Thought of the Day

Today's thought comes from Charles Spurgeon's morning devotion for November 19. I read it this morning (actually, technically, it was yesterday morning) and have been meditating on what he was trying to convey about "avoid[ing] foolish questions" from Titus 3:9. Here is an excerpt from his devotion.

"Our days are few, and far better spent in doing good, than in disputing over matters which are, at best, of minor importance. The old schoolmen did a world of mischief by their incessant discussion of subjects of no practical importance; and our Churches suffer much from petty wars over abstruse (not easily understood) points and unimportant questions. ... Questions upon points wherein Scripture is silent; upon mysteries which belong to God alone; upon prophecies of doubtful interpretation; and upon mere modes of observing human ceremonials, are all foolish, and wise men avoid them. ... and if we observe the apostle's precept (Titus 3:8) to be careful to maintain good works, we shall find ourselves far too much occupied with profitable business to take much interest in unworthy, contentious, and needless strivings. ..."

He did say that there were questions we should ask, though, and I quote him directly:

• Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
• Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind?
• Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit?
• Am I growing in grace?
• Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Savior?
• Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master?
• What more can I do for Jesus?

This devotion was a good gentle rebuke for me today.