Christ and Common Sense

Thoughts from a Central Valley Pastor

Category: Common Sense (Page 4 of 6)

Things to Look for in a Biblical Counselor

January 15, 2022 /

There is a growing desire here in the valley for Christians to find biblical counselors to help them navigate the difficulties of life. As people look for advice on different issues they will need to know the right questions to ask as they look for a counselor. Here is a list of distinctive to consider in a biblical counselor. This list has been adapted from pastor Paul Tautges’ article “Ten Distinctives of Biblical Counseling.” 

  1. The Sufficiency of Scripture. This is the foundation of good biblical counsel. You will need a counselor who firmly believes, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
  2. The Depravity of Man. It is important to understand the counselor’s philosophy of human nature. If he or she thinks you can “live your best life now” without addressing the reality of sin and the need for salvation and sanctification then you are wasting your time. 
  3. The Need to be like Christ. Biblical counselors need to set their sights on being like Christ. This is true of the counselor and of the person being counseled. “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) 
  4. The Work of the Holy Spirit. Trying to work spiritual change without the work of the Holy Spirit is a fool’s errand. He is the one who does the work of conviction and helps bring lasting change through the power of God’s word (John 16:8).
  5. The Need for Heart Work. God is ultimately responsible for a Christian’s salvation and sanctification, but each person needs to be obedient to God’s word and that means you want a counselor who will expect you to work hard to make changes where needed (Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13)
  6. Motivated by God’s love. Finding a counselor who is connected with a loving local church will help you understand the context that they are working in. You will be able to see that their desire to counsel comes from God’s everlasting love that was manifested perfectly in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). 
  7. The Body and Soul. It is important to find a counselor who understands the connection between the body and soul. There are physical realities that affect us spiritually and vice versa. The counselor must listen carefully to each situation and seek to apply God’s word carefully and appropriately (Hebrews 4:12.
  8. The Local Church. You will want to make sure that the counselor is a member of a local church. This provides accountability to the counselor and it lets you know he or she is counseling in a biblical context (Hebrews 10:24-25, Ephesians 4:11-13).  

There are several excellent resources available online that can help you in the search for biblical counselors. The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) has a counselor finder on their website (biblicalcounseling.com). The Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship has some excellent resources for helping to bring biblical counseling to your church (ibdc.org). The Biblical Counseling Coalition is another helpful organization to check out (biblicalcounselingcoalition.org). 

Investing in the Future

January 3, 2022 /

The New Year marks the perfect time to think about investing in the future. As the calendar flips back to January 1st, we can reflect on the past and consider our steps for the year to come. 

As Christians we need to be interested in both short-term and long-term investments. Jesus often taught about the importance of using money wisely. In Luke 14:28 he taught his disciples, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” This is common sense wisdom that is applied to financial investment. The fool builds before considering the cost. The wise man carefully considers what he has and builds accordingly. 

Most of Jesus’ financial teaching was focused on investing in the future. He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:19-21) The last line is the most important. We each show where our interests lie by where we spend our money. 

This is a great principle to consider as we look to the new year. Where are you going to spend the money God has given you stewardship over? How are you going to use the skills you have been given to bring back a plentiful return on your investment? Are you going to use the time he grants you this year for gain that is focused on this lifetime, or are you going to invest it in eternity? 

The Parable of the Sower is sobering because only one of the four types of soil yields a fruitful harvest. The first three types of soil are either too hard, too shallow, or too harsh to support the seed taking root and producing a healthy return. It is only the last soil, the good soil that bears fruit and yields a harvest “in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (Mt. 13:23) 

The meaning of the parable is that the first three soils are those who hear God’s word and do not obey it. The last soil is the good soil that “hears the word and understands it.” In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” 

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and makes it possible for him to yield a bountiful harvest. The Holy Spirit guides the believer through God’s word. This is the secret to investing in the short term and the long term. By obeying God’s word you will be able to live focused on others. You will be able to consider how God wants you to invest your time and money, and it will bring fruitful return today, tomorrow, and for eternity. Jesus said, “ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” 

Take Heart in the Justice of the Lord!

December 10, 2021 /

(Published as “A Solution for Injustice in the World” in the Hanford Sentinel)

Earlier this week my wife read a Psalm that struck a chord with me. As I listened I thought, “Where has this little gem been hiding away?” As I listened I became convinced that Psalm 37 was written as medicine for souls that have become sickened by injustice in the world. The author promises an ultimate end to injustice that depends solely on God, not on man-made solutions of power or politics. 

Psalm 37 says, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” When David wrote this, he had already experienced his fair share of injustice in life. His nemesis, King Saul, was out to get him. David literally had to go into hiding to stay alive. How did David do it? How did he survive such great persecution and turmoil? God’s word gives us a simple answer. David made his perspective line up with God’s.

Psalm 37 continues, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” A remarkable reality takes shape when we line our thoughts up with God’s thoughts. Our desires become his desires. This is how David could promise that the Lord would give his people the desires of their heart. It was not a promise for revenge or riches. It was a promise for a certain type of desires to be met, the kind that line up with what God desires. 

Isn’t it interesting that David’s command to “dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” comes in the context of him writing about the evil and and imperfections of this world? He didn’t give that command when everything was great and things were running smoothly. He commanded the people of God to stand firm in godliness because that is what God’s perspective requires. He was looking past the turmoil of the times to the days of peace that God will ultimately establish on the earth. 

Late in Psalm 37 David wrote, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” 

We know God can set all injustice right whenever he wants. We also know his timing is not our timing so he does not have to expedite justice on the earth. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

If God were quick to bring about justice, there would be no hope for any of us. God is patient, and so he gives time for justice to ultimately be accomplished at the end of time. We know from the book of Revelation that there will be a great white throne of judgment where everything will be set straight. No crime will go unpunished. Every wrong will be made right. That will be a frightful and formidable day for those who have not had their sin paid for. But for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior, it is not a day to fear because every sin they have committed has been paid for by Christ’s death on the cross. 

Having God’s perspective is how the author of Psalm 37 was able to end his poem with so much confidence. He wrote, “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” 

Those who take refuge in God will be able to thrive through the seasons of life. As Psalm 1 says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” The key question we must ask is this, “Do I have God’s perspective on this situation or not?” One perspective will lead to root rot that will dry out the soul and end in despair, the other will lead to a soul that is content, healthy, and fully dependent on God.

Marks of a Healthy Church

November 7, 2021 /

Later this month I’ll be going to a local church event called a “Weekender.” The 9Marks church network is hosting the event for pastors and church leaders who want to see the inner workings of how a healthy church is run. I had no idea “weekender” was even a word until a pastor friend told me about it a couple years ago. He said the training he received was one of the most helpful and practical events he had ever attended. So when I saw there was one within driving distance, I jumped at the opportunity. 

I’m looking forward to going to this weekend church event because it is a hands on, full-immersion experience of a behind-the-scenes look at a healthy, biblically-sound church. The 9Marks website says, “We encourage pastors and church leaders to attend because, just as every Timothy needs a Paul, so every church needs a model.” The apostle Paul certainly believed in modeling healthy Christian living. He wrote, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 3:19; 4:7 ESV) 

The 9Marks Weekender starts on a Friday night and runs all the way to Monday morning. Some pastors and church leaders come from out of state to have their questions answered about how to run a healthy church. The weekend includes attending elder meetings, which would normally be closed to outside eyes and ears, and teaching sessions that include practical, biblically-based insight into how to run meetings, prepare sermons, and lead the local church. 

You may be wondering why is it called a 9Marks Weekender? The reason is because it is hosted by a network of churches called 9Marks. Back in 1991, a pastor named Mark Dever wrote a letter to a church in Massachusetts encouraging them to pursue “nine marks of a healthy church.” It was so well received that it was developed into a book and then into a network of churches that all make a commitment to these nine marks. 

Now, you must be curious about what they are. You may be asking, “What makes a healthy church?” The book Pastor Mark Dever wrote doesn’t claim that the list is comprehensive in any way. It doesn’t say that these nine marks are the most important part of the church. It does say the book “focuses on certain crucial aspects of healthy church life that have grown rare among churches today.” As I list them for you today, I thought it would be helpful to expand on each of them with a series of articles focused on modeling a healthy church. The nine marks are Expositional Preaching, Biblical Theology, The Gospel, Conversion, Evangelism, Membership, Church Discipline, Discipleship, Church Leadership. 

I don’t have the space or time to write about each of them now, but over the coming weeks I will address two or three at a time with the aim of helping us all become more discerning in knowing what a healthy church looks like. We all know there is no such thing as a perfect church, but we can all appreciate churches that are trying to search Scripture and understand how God wants them to function. After all, Jesus Christ is the one who said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:8). There is no better way to learn how to be the church than to follow the guidelines he has given us in His word. 

Four Reasons to Read the Bible Correctly

October 15, 2021 /

There is a lot at stake when it comes to reading the Bible. If you read it correctly, we believe God can show you His holiness and the universal problem of sin. He can use His word to reveal the way of salvation through Jesus Christ to you, and He can show you how to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. 

But, if you read the Bible incorrectly, you may actually be led even further astray. You may become more entrenched in your own man-made religious beliefs. You may fall into the trap that has claimed so many cults and false teachers. You may become self-righteous and hypocritical, emphasizing a form of godliness without having the power of God in your life (2 Timothy 3:5 ESV). 

This is a frightening thought because reading the Bible incorrectly has moral implications. If you submit to how God wants it to be read, then you will be rewarded, but if you reject His word, you will be condemned. Paul made this very clear when he wrote the following inspired words, “Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:8) 

So how can we make sure we are reading the Bible correctly? It all starts with an attitude of submitting to God. It starts by opening the Bible and saying, “I am ready to hear and obey.” This cuts directly against the human tendency to read our own interpretation into what we see and hear. If we humble ourselves and recognize that the Bible is a supernatural record of God’s thoughts and actions in human history, then we will be ready to let the original author’s message impact our lives the way God intended. 

One reason I wanted to write about this is because I am going through a men’s Bible study on hermeneutics. Hermeneutics teaches believers how to study Scripture correctly. We are using a class developed by Dr. Abner Chou for the Institute for Church Leadership. He gives four reasons why we need to care about how we read the Bible. 

The first reason is this, “Hermeneutics drives the entire theological enterprise.” How we interpret the Bible is one of the most foundational aspects of understanding God’s word. If we make the mistake of reading our own thoughts into the passage or of creating an allegorical meaning out of every Old Testament passage, then the end result will be skewed. If we care about understanding God correctly, then we have to care about interpreting the Bible correctly. 

Dr. Abner Chou’s second reason for studying hermeneutics is because of how easy it is to interpret the Bible incorrectly. He gives many examples of people taking verses out of context and using a false interpretation for their own personal gain. Dr. Chou makes the sobering claim that the uninformed reader of the Bible will most likely come to the wrong interpretation! This is one reason why finding trustworthy teachers is such an important part of studying the Bible. You might spend years sitting under someone’s teaching, but if they have not been taught correctly, then you are probably wasting your time!

The third reason given for studying hermeneutics is because Christians need to live with conviction. How can a pastor say, “Thus says the Lord” if he doubts that he is reading the Bible correctly? Unfortunately, it is becoming more rare to find people who are committed to not only studying Scripture, but to studying it the way God intended. 

The last reason for learning how to read Scripture is because God cares about how Scripture is read. Deuteronomy 18:18 says this, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” Not only does God care about those who speak God’s word. He also cares about those who hear it. His word tells us he will hold those who listen accountable as well! 

The judgment of God should be discussed when teaching hermeneutics because if people study the Bible incorrectly, they will not be saved from their sin. The Bible makes it clear that those who reject Christ as Lord will be condemned before a holy God. This is what Paul had in mind when he wrote the following warning to Timothy, “Charge them before God not to war against words, which does not good, but only destroys the hearers.” (2 Timothy 2:14; Authors translation) Paul warned Timothy that spiritual destruction was inevitable if leaders allowed the church to war against the clear teaching of God’s word. 

This is a sobering message that Christians need to hear. Instead of defining hermeneutics as an academic issue for biblical scholars to quarrel over, we need to realize God has equipped each of us to be theologians who can study God’s word on our own. Not only are Christians equipped to study God’s word correctly, but we have a moral obligation to understand it and submit our lives to it. We need to have the words of God ringing in our ears, “But be doers of the word and no hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) May God give us the strength, stamina, and dedication to meditate on God’s word and put it into practice.

Being Discerning About Halloween

October 8, 2021 /

We’re approaching the darkest time of the year again. People have started decorating their homes with objects that look like they are from a crime scene. Fake body parts are littered over people’s yards. Imitation grave stones and skeletons are carefully placed near immaculate lawns and driveways. Giant spiders with matching spider webs are strung across the garage. All this is done to help the neighborhood join in the festivities of the darkest night of the year. 

I used to struggle to give an explanation to our kids about the carnage of October, but now I don’t hesitate. I tell them the history behind Halloween, and it all makes sense.

Halloween is undeniably connected with the occult. October 31st was chosen because of the ancient Celtic ritual of Samhain. It was the day that celebrated the end of fall and the beginning of winter. The orange and black of Halloween comes from the orange of autumn and the black of winter. Samhain was known as the day when the veil between the demonic world and the natural world was at its thinnest.

All Hallows Eve was established on Oct. 31st to distract from Samhain. It was supposed to prepare people for All Saints Day, which falls on November 1st. The name was shortened from All Hallows Eve to Halloween, but instead of distracting people from Samhain, the traditions became even stronger.

Many of the traditions surrounding Samhain were brought to America during the 1800s. Bonefires, soul bread, and wearing costumes to fool the evil spirits were adapted to feed the people’s desire for a night of ghoulish entertainment. 

In the early 1900s, Halloween became known as a night of mischief in America. Young people would roam rural communities stealing gates from homes and farms. This became so common that some communities began referring to October 31st as “Gate Night.” When Halloween came to the cities, things went out of control. Some American cities actually considered banning Halloween, but they were afraid of the backlash from the people. So instead they tried to organize it and make it “family-friendly.” After World War II, the candy and costume industries took hold of the holiday and began commercializing it. They were so effective in commercializing it that today, seventy-five years later, most people are unaware of the sinister history of Halloween.

The reason Christians need to be aware of the history of Halloween is because the Bible tells us to be discerning. Ephesians 5:8-11 makes it clear, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (ESV) 

What is the right way for Christians to think about Halloween? Just ask this question, “Are we celebrating something that is good and right and true according to how God defines them, or is this a celebration of darkness?” If you take the time to study the history behind the costumes and the candy then you will see that they do not help fill our children’s minds with what God wants. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

My prayer for believers during this dark season is that we would fill our homes and our lives with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the one who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) 

See the following article for more information about the history of Halloween (https://www.history.com/news/halloween-was-once-so-dangerous-that-some-cities-considered-banning-it).

New Evidence for the Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah

October 8, 2021 /

The biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction is one of the most dramatic events recorded in Scripture. Genesis 19:24-25 describes the cataclysmic event like this, “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

God’s wrath against the wickedness of those cities may be shocking, but it was completely justified. Psalm 98:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.” God defines justice. Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.’” God’s violent justice matches the violent wickedness of the people. If you know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, then you are already aware of the unconscionable evil that motivated God to respond with a cosmic dose of justice. 

We know it was a cosmic punishment because the Bible says God rained down sulfur and fire out of heaven. We know this is true because God’s word says so, but is it possible to have a scientific explanation for such a supernatural event? I believe the following archeological and geological evidence would support the biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

James Kennet is a distinguished professor of earth science at UC Santa Barbara. He has been studying the geology and archeology of an ancient city at a site called Tell Al-Hammam. It is located northeast of the Dead Sea in the country of Jordan. As scholars study this large manmade hill they are able to reveal history through the successive layers of the earth. James Kennet said, ““It’s an incredibly culturally important area… Much of where the early cultural complexity of humans developed is in this general area.” 

There is one layer of the Tell that has puzzled researchers for many years. It is a 1.5 meter thick layer that modern archeologists date to the Middle Bronze Age II (around 3,650 years ago or 1650 BC). This layer is remarkable because it contains evidence of extreme heat that is much higher than any temperature that could be produced by humans at that time. Philip Silva, a field archeologist and supervisor with the Tell-Al Hammam Excavation Project, found pieces of pottery that were turned to glass because of the high heat! In fact, he discovered pieces of a mineral called zircon that turned to gas — which requires 7,230 degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 degrees Celsius). 

Now how could this type of heat be produced in the middle of the Jordan desert? Philip Silva said, “The only naturally occurring event capable of causing such an unusual pattern of destruction is a cosmic airburst.” A cosmic airburst, also known as a meteor air burst, happens when a large meteor explodes as it hits the thicker part of the atmosphere. The most powerful recorded example of this happened in 1908 in northeastern Russia. The Tunguska event was a 12 megaton explosion that flattened an estimated 80 million trees over an area of 830 square miles. Eye witnesses recorded successive waves of intense heat, earth quakes, and thunderous sound. It is estimated that the meteor disintegrated at around 3-6 miles above the surface of the earth. 

Scientists believe the cosmic airburst that occurred above Tell Al-Hammam happened much closer to the earth because the area of destruction was limited to 200 square miles. If the meteor exploded less than a mile above the earth then the targeted area would have experienced the equivalent of 1000 atomic bombs (The Hiroshima bomb had an estimated value of 15 kilotons). This is staggering to consider and could explain why James Kennet discovered that even quartz, which is one of the hardest minerals on earth, was cracked under such high pressure. 

There is also a fascinating description of how the explosion caused salt to be disbursed over the entire area. According to a paper published last month in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, the researchers discovered an unusually high percentage of salt in the 1.5 meter layer at Tell Al-Hammam. James Kennet wrote, “The salt was thrown up due to the high impact pressures… And it may be that the impact partially hit the Dead Sea, which is rich in salt.” This would explain why a high level of salt appears throughout the area at this time in history, which is one reason why archeologists believe the entire region became uninhabited for the next 600 years (this is referred to as the Late Bronze Age Gap). 

As Christians, we are not surprised to read of discoveries that seem to confirm the biblical account. The Rosetta Stone, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Tel Dan inscription are just a few of the remarkable discoveries that confirm what we have already known all along. The biblical account is true and accurate in its description of history, whether it relates to the natural or the supernatural world. But even more importantly we believe that the Bible is true in terms of the theology it describes. The theology of Scripture teaches us that God is holy and humanity is sinful. It teaches that there is only one way to be saved from God’s just wrath against sin and that is by confessing our sin and trusting that Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary atonement for those who “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:9). 

So was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah a result of a cosmic meteor airburst? It’s possible that God used that to bring punishment on these cities, but it is also possible that there could be another scientific explanation for this event. What we can be certain of is that the Bible is accurate in its description of history, and the archeological and geological findings support the Biblical account.

The research for this article came from the following sources: “A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea” in the 20 September 2021 edition of Scientific Reports; https://scitechdaily.com/sodom-and-gomorrah-evidence-that-a-cosmic-impact-destroyed-a-biblical-city-in-the-jordan-valley/; https://www.livescience.com/64179-ancient-cosmic-airburst-middle-east.html

Standing Firm

September 3, 2021 /

Earlier this year I wrote an article arguing that the local church is essential. No matter what the government says, God’s word makes it clear that believers are called to continue gathering together for fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25). The government can tell Christians to stop stepping over the entrance of the church, but if the government decides to draw that line in the sand then they are the ones who have over-stepped their God-given jurisdiction. Romans 13 makes it clear that God ordains governments to reward good behavior and to punish bad behavior. But we must not forget that God is the one who ultimately defines what is right or wrong, not the government. As Christians, we must never forget that gathering together to worship God is always good. 

The County of Los Angeles did not agree with that last statement and so in August of last year they sued Grace Community Church for refusing to enforce Covid-19 guidelines such as in-person meetings, wearing face coverings and physical-distancing requirements. The church immediately sued the state and county for restricting their constitutional rights for religious freedom. 

Many Christians were confused about who was in the right, the state or the local church? Now the issue has been clarified considerably. Just this week, the LA County Board of Supervisors recognized they could not force churches to follow the health departments guidelines. The

board voted to pay the church $800,000 for legal fees (half will be paid by the county and half by the state). In total, the county will end up paying $1,350,000 in legal fees for suing the church. The board released the following statement, “After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some public health safety measures could not apply to houses of worship, resolving this litigation is the responsible and appropriate thing to do.”

I would completely agree with that statement. The county learned an expensive lesson about over-stepping their jurisdiction. The first amendment clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” As Christians we are to respect and uphold our country’s laws, but if they ever go against the law of Christ, as revealed in Scripture, then the outcome is simple. We must always obey God’s law over human law or run the risk of sinning against our conscience. 

That issue of conscience also came into play with pastor James Coates and the Alberta Health Services (AHS) in Alberta, Canada. You may remember that he was put in jail because he could not agree with the stipulations of bail, which required him to stop leading his congregation. He knew, before God, that he had to stay in jail because he could not willingly agree to stop preaching the gospel. 

On April 7, 2021 the AHS requested local law enforcement to seize the property of GraceLife Church. When church members continued to occupy the building the AHS ordered triple fencing to be placed around the entire campus. This did not stop the church from meeting. Instead, they found secluded locations where they could meet without being disturbed by the government. 

On July 1, 2021 the church was able to move back onto their property because the AHS rescinded the restrictions that had previously been placed upon them. Pastor Coates sued the health department, but in June a judge dismissed the case stating that James Coates’ religious freedom rights had not been violated. Pastor Coates plans to appeal the decision. 

Covid-19 has forced Christians around the world to confront their fears. Do we fear God and his command to continue gathering together? Do we fear a virus? Do we fear the government? 

The leaders of Grace Community Church and GraceLife are to be applauded for standing firm in the face of opposition. Their conviction to gather as the local church will always be a cherished belief of true believers. Throughout history Christians have continued to meet in times or war and plague and states of emergency. The apostle Paul gave us the right perspective when he wrote, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) 

Feminism vs. Femininty

August 6, 2021 /

Feminism steals from women the beautiful design of femininity that God intended for them to pursue. Instead of rebelling against God’s wonderful design, women can discover the beauty that comes from living the way God intended.


Rebecca Lemke is an author and blogger who writes about her struggle to live as a woman of God in a godless society. I was struck by an article she wrote titled, “Feminism tried to steal my femininity.” In it she describes how, “Feminism, not the patriarchy, was what tried to steal my choices and my femininity.” She included the following quote as an accurate summary of her thoughts on feminism, 
“I think there is a fundamental understanding that lies at the root of feminism. This has impacted women of all ages, but I think it has especially impacted these young girls. This sense that freedom is the ability to do whatever I want, whenever I want, and that the earlier I can experience this total freedom, the better. But we know that freedom is the ability to do what you ought to do, to do the good, to choose the good.” – Coleen Carrol Campbell (emphasis added)


Jesus Christ told his disciples, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) What a beautiful concept! The truth will set you free. The truth doesn’t restrict and burden God’s people. It liberates them to live the way God intended. The truth about femininity is that God has designed women in a wonderful way and he wants them to pursue the high calling He has given them. If a woman will repent of her sin and trust that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save her then she will be saved (Acts 2:38). If a Christian woman will commit her life to Christ, then she will seek to live the way God intended her to live. 


The Bible explains that the essence of femininity is to receive what God has given. God created Eve to be a helpmate for Adam (Genesis 2:18). She was to receive this calling and purpose and find great fulfillment in pursuing her calling as a servant of God by helping her husband in his unique purpose and calling. Unfortunately, Eve wanted to have more than God gave and so she fell into sin and took what had not been given to her. 


Mary, on the other hand, is a positive example of femininity in the Bible. When Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, she responded the way God intended. She said, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”(Luke 1:38) Her reply is the essence of femininity. She was ready to receive what God had given her, and she flourished as a result. 


Elizabeth Elliot paints a picture of femininity in a chapter entitled “The Essence of Femininity.” She writes, “Think of a bride. She surrenders her independence, her name, her destiny, her will, herself to the bridegroom in marriage. This is a public ceremony, before God and witnesses. Then, in the marriage chamber, she surrenders her body, her priceless gift of virginity, all that has been hidden. As a mother she makes a new surrender—it is her life for the life of the child. This is most profoundly what women were made for, married or single (and the special vocation of the virgin is to surrender herself for service to the Lord and for the life of the world).” Taken from Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1991). 


Feminism is at odds with the calling that God revealed for women in His word. The Oxford Leaners Dictionary defines feminism as “the belief and aim that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men; the struggle to achieve this aim.” Bell Hooks wrote that “feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” The last word of Hooks definition reveals how much modern feminism has been influenced by critical theory, which is a philosophy that divides the world into the oppressed and the oppressor. 


According to feminism, men are the oppressors and women are the oppressed. And any God who describes a purpose and roles for women that do not fit with the feminists ideals of equality is thus also considered to be oppressive. This makes the feminist ideology incompatible with Scripture. As Elisabeth Elliot writes, “The feminist theology of Christians (I cannot call it “Christian feminist theology”) is a Procrustean bed on which doctrine and the plain facts of human nature and history, not to mention the Bible itself, are arbitrarily stretched or chopped off to fit.” 
Feminism steals from women the beautiful design of femininity that God intended for them to pursue. Instead of rebelling against God’s wonderful design, women can discover the beauty that comes from how God intended both men and women to live. 

Let God Define Gender

August 3, 2021 /

The question of gender identity can be answered with the clarity that comes from the hard science of genetics and the firm foundation of the Bible. 

The “Trends vs. Truth” series at GBC Lemoore is off to a good start. Last week we looked at Critical Race Theory’s insistence that the world should be drawn with skin-colored crayons. Everything is about race, CRT proponents claim, and if you don’t agree then you are being racist. My article made the argument that God’s word encourages humans to look past someone’s skin and realize the problems in the world come from their sin! Each human is born in rebellion against God and each of us must repent and be made right with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

This week we are looking at the “Gender Question.” Proponents of gender theory like to pull out the crayon box as well. They argue that gender is fluid. You can color in your gender from a veritable rainbow of colors. Here is a partial list of the gender colors you can choose from: agender, bigender, cisgender, gender fluid, transgender, gender varient, and two-spirit. In case you are wondering, male and female don’t get their own color, they are both contained in the term “cisgender,” which means “a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth.” (Merriam-Webster dictionary) 

Did you notice what just happened there? The term “cisgender” assumes you will accept the notion that there is a difference between biological gender and biological sex. Gender theory is built on that assumption, but you don’t have to take that theoretical leap. The Bible certainly does not. Genesis 1:27 makes it very clear, “male and female he created them.” There is no difference between gender and sex. There are only two options and each person’s gender and sex are decided for them when the sperm enters the egg at the time of conception. 

Jenny Graves is a distinguished professor of genetics at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. She knows that if a human sperm has a Y chromosome it will join with the X chromosome in the egg and create a little baby boy. She also knows that if the sperm has an X chromosome the little girl will be a girl. Gender and sex are determined at conception based on the irrefutable evidence of human biology. 

In 2017, Moran Gershoni and Shmuel Pietrokovski published a research paper in the BMC Biology journal that made Jenny Graves realize her belief in the genetic impact of someone’s sex was much more pervasive than previously thought. The paper was titled “The landscape of sex-differential transcriptome and its consequent selection in human adults.” In it, evidence was given that shows that almost one third of the 20,000 genes that men and women share behave differently based on whether the individual is a man or a woman. So, not only does a man and woman’s brain tissue function differently. If I understand the research correctly, almost one third of human tissue behaves differently based on whether the original sperm had an X or a Y chromosome. 

Once again science and the Bible correct the coloring box of critical theory. In this case it is gender theory that needs to reduce the crayons in the box. Male and female are the genders that God has given humanity and we need to learn to live with the gender He has graciously given each of us at birth. Is it easy to live as a woman in this world of ours? No, it is not. Is it easy to live as a man, same answer. Why? Because we are all living in a fallen world. We all struggle to live the way God intended. We have all lied and lusted. We have all felt the pain of sin and death. There is sickness and disease. We are constantly tempted to follow desires that we should not pursue. 

This is not to say that one desire is worse than another. In God’s sight all sin is the same. Lust for someone who is not your spouse is sin. It is that simple. Marriage is given as a wonderful gift from God to encourage men and women to have companionship, hopefully have children, and make disciples among the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). We need to submit to God’s definition of gender so we can think and act in the way that He intended. 

This article was published in the Hanford Sentinel under the heading, “We all struggle to live as God intended, no matter what gender we may be.” The editor made the change and I am not too concerned because if you read the article you can tell I do not advocate gender fluidity.

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