Category: Uncategorized

Neal Pollard

My foray into the world of “pro wrestling” was relatively brief.  My buddies, especially the Jones brothers–Steve, David, and Michael, loved it and we would watch it together some Saturdays on a fledgling cable station known as TBS or on a local channel (we lived in Cairo, Georgia, which meant we picked up stations airing in Tallahassee, Florida).  The biggest and best of these programs was “Mid South Wrestling.”  It was there I saw such heroes and villains as Dusty Rhodes, Ole Anderson, the Great Kabuki, Wahoo McDaniel, Terry Funk, Sgt. Slaughter, Ivan Koloff, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Junkyard Dog, Ted Dibiase, and Bam Bam Gordy.  As my friend, Matt Cain, put it, “It was a male soap opera.”  As a grade-schooler, I was hooked (or held in a camel clutch).

The ritual was to watch the highly professional, flawlessly executed moves on these musclebound icons, then try to duplicate it.  The problem was that I was not as agile as these larger than life stars, and more than once I received a debilitating foot to the stomach or an armbar, a half nelson, or a face rake that pretty well shut down the match.  It was my wise mother who eventually convinced me that what I was watching on TV was a little less than authentic.  I was shocked, but ultimately came to believe her.  Pretty soon, Major League Baseball and college football replaced my fascination with those toothless, flabby athletes I had so admired.

More than once in life, we will be disillusioned.  We will think something or someone is the “real McCoy” only to learn differently.  People we held up as heroes will transform into goats.  People who guided and influenced us will be discovered in a situation that offsets the great good they had done.  This can even happen to us within the Lord’s church, whether locally or regarding some well known preaching brother.

While man may always disappoint us, there are some things we can always count on being authentic.  The Bible, the promises of God, the “divine design” for the church, the cross of calvary, the hope of heaven, the power of prayer, providence, the perfection of Deity, and the like will forever stand.  We can count on all of this, though it is all based on substantial faith (cf. Heb. 11:1).  We do not leap blindly in the dark, though we walk by faith rather than sight (2 Cor. 5:7).  “The arm of flesh will fail you,” but not the Almighty hand of God!  As long as you live you will continue to be disappointed, but not by our Father.  Hold to God’s unchanging hand!

[Special Guest Writer]

Wayne Burger

Next Monday is Memorial Day.  It is a patriotic holiday set aside to remember those who gave their lives in military service. It is observed the last Monday of May each year.  The government made it a Federal holiday in 1971. No one knows exactly when or where Memorial Day was first observed.  According to tradition, it originated during the Civil War when some Southern women chose May 30 to decorate the graves of both from the Union and Confederate Armies (World Book Encyclopedia “Memorial Day”).

We need to remember those who have given us the freedom and liberties that we enjoy in this country. You may have seen the following as it made the rounds in cyber space, but it is worth reading again:

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

Not only are we thankful for those who have given their lives for us, but we are mindful and appreciative of the young men and women who are serving us today through the military.  We are especially mindful of those from this congregation.

A Spiritual Memorial Day

Each Sunday faithful followers of Christ gather in the appointed assembly for the purpose of a memorial – remembering the death of Christ (Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:23ff). Without His death we would still be dead in our sins and iniquities.  But, because of His death we have freedom, forgiveness, and hope of a future home with Him in heaven.  Whereas it has taken the death of thousands to give us the freedoms we enjoy in this country, His blood was so powerful that it took only the death of one to give us spiritual freedom.

May we never let His death or this memorial become mundane.  May it always be a fresh and real reminder each Lord’s Day of the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

Neal Pollard

Often, the “golden verse” of the Bible is cited to show God’s love: “He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).  From the creation to the cross, God’s giving is faithfully recorded in the book He moved men to write.  Yet, it is an exciting discovery to see that God still gives.  Jesus and New Testament writers give testimony to the present tense giving of God.  Such teaches us to be givers and to be grateful for His ongoing benevolence in each of our lives.  Have you considered what God gives?  He gives:

–Life to the world (Jn. 6:33)

–Whatever you ask of Him (Jn. 11:22)

–To all life, breath, and all things (Ac. 17:25)

–An inheritance (Ac. 20:32)

–Life to the dead (Rm. 4:17)

–The increase (1 Cor. 3:7)

–The victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57)

–Life to all things (1 Tim. 613)

–Richly all things to be enjoyed (1 Tim. 6:17)

–To all liberally and without reproach (Js. 1:5)

–More grace (Js. 4:6)

–Grace to the humble (1 Pt. 5:5)

–The tree of life to him who overcomes (Rev. 2:7)

In teaching a child to have a good, strong character, wise and thoughtful parents will instill the habit and inclination of expressing gratitude for the gifts others give to him or her.  It is distasteful and crude not to do so.  Yet, how often and how long do we go without expressing gratitude to God for gifts like the above-mentioned things?  Let us learn from God’s generosity, appreciate it, and duplicate it.

Neal Pollard

Early this morning, I heard about Greenpeace activists storming the British Petroleum building in London, England, yesterday.  They were reacting to the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and unleashed a potential environmental disaster along the U.S. gulf coast.  On St. Jame’s Square, near Pall Mall, Greenpeace “campaigners” scaled the building and unfurled a banner with the words “british polluters” on it.  On their web site, the organization makes it clear that offshore drilling, “oil addiction,” and the extraction and development of oil and gas are offensive and undesirable.  A read of their charter leaves one with the unmistakeable impression that they would consider the cessation of drilling and manufacture of petroleum-based products (like oil and gas) environmental nirvana (some content from greenpeace.org and “The Guardian,” 5/20/10).  With all that in mind, I could not help but ask, “How do these activists get to these protests?”  Do they always walk or ride their bikes?  Do they ever take a bus, car, or plane to these events?

Consistency may be a jewel, but it is a rarity!  All of us struggle with making our message match our manifestation and making our declarations square up with our deeds.  We are all better at telling others how to improve themselves, even if oblivious to our own path to betterment.

The Bible often speaks about the greater need for “self examination” than “brother inspection.”  Jesus warned against speck hunting in the other guy, even as we struggle to peer over the lumber in our own eye (Mt. 7:2-5).  We can do this as parents regarding the way others rear their children (or we might have the audacity to try without the benefit of parental experience ourselves).  We might be eager and desirous of correcting a fallen brother, blind to spiritual impediments that hinder our effectiveness in such “outreach.”  Hypocrisy is distasteful, especially when our brother or sister is guilty of it.

We do not want to see wildlife destroyed in the production of oil, but such radical response is often fraught with inconsistency.  In our own lives, let us be careful not to own uneven scales.  Instead, let us be charitable, patient, and spiritual in our attempts to help others (cf. Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4:32).  We will be better respected and infinitely better received.

Neal Pollard

Bob Turner and I began running together around Labor Day, 2008.  We’ve already logged well over a thousand miles together, and as you might imagine in that distance and the length of time that takes to accomplish we have had some experiences.  We have run in cold, sleet, snow, rain, and more than once have tried to traverse layers of ice.  We see walkers, runners, and bikers of all stripes and varieties, but the furrier wildlife has been diverse and interesting, too.  We have run past elk, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, hawks, owls, prairie dogs, and squirrels.  Only once did we not try to shoo or run past an animal.  In a pre-dawn run a few months ago, we saw a skunk on the Bear Creek Trail.  What’s more, he had his tail in the air.  I have never felt more deference and respect for a creature than I did that fateful morning.  We waited patiently for him to assess us as a non-threat and to decide to meander away from the trail.  Then, we proceeded with hastened pace.

Why do you give more humble submission to a ten-pound stinker than a thousand-pound bull elk?  Both can do you harm, but the kinds of harm stands in stark contrast.  All those animals must be handled with care, but it is harder to do that with a skunk than the others.  They are equipped and ready to take aim at perceived threats in a way only time and tomato juice can heal.

We all encounter skunks on the road.  I am not talking about the little black ones with a white stripe down the back.  I mean the hypersensitive, chip-on-the-shoulder, perpetually offended, type.  The kind who are looking for slights and offenses to which they can offer ready retaliation–the lashers, the strikers, and the reactors.

When I think of Jesus, I cannot envision a Man listening for the barb in Thaddeus’ remark or looking for the slight in Thomas’ behavior.  He knew what was in the hearts of all men (John 2:25), but that did not make avoiding hypersensitivity easier.  Imagine how you would feel toward others if you knew with perfect clarity what they were thinking about you at all times.  He was truly offended by so many (1 Pet. 2:23), but He did not respond in kind.

I want to be more like Jesus.  That means I am going to be more like a lamb and less like a skunk.  I will try to put the best construction on people’s motives, thoughts, words, and actions.  I don’t have to be naive or fearful to do that.  I have to be patient, wise, understanding, and full of self-discipline to do that.  Surely, I will want to strive toward that!  It will help me not to be a stinker that others would rather avoid!

Neal Pollard

Never mind Genesis 2:18-24.  In a Reuters story with the above title is also the subtitle, “Earliest Known Human Ancestors Lived Thousands Of Years Apart.”  You may ask, “How could this be?”  That is exactly the question expressed in the article.  Along comes Peter Underhill and his Stanford University colleagues with some very interesting answers.  Underhill said, “They had different molecular clocks….”

They believe Eve lived 143,000 years ago.  Adam came much later.  According to Underhill’s research, “genetic bottlenecks” in the male genetic legacy may have shortened it.

Now, I am not a doctor or even a Stanford researcher.  But as I read the article, I immediately had a question that the article does not even attempt to answer.  “If woman appeared tens of thousands of years before man, how did they have children?”  When was there a shift in the biology of the male and female anatomy from the way children were born then to the way we get them today?  When did a woman have a male child, and how?  Or did man evolve separately?”
Evolution cannot explain how a fertile “homo sapien” male and fertile “homo sapien” female could appear in the same generation in the same place, come together, and begin to perpetuate the human race.  Perhaps this is their attempt at an end run around the plain record of the Bible.  But it raises more questions and provides fewer answers.  But, so many times, the point does not seem to be providing positive proof of anything so much as it is disproving the accuracy of the Bible.  It seems to me that they have done neither.

Long ago, Paul warned Timothy to beware of “worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1 Tim. 6:20, NAS).  While the KJV uses the word “science” rather than knowledge, the Greek word is “gnosis” (which it translates “knowledge” the other 28 times it appears in the New Testament).  The Underhill project would certainly seem to be “worldly chatter,” undertaken to prove a godless theory.  It also seems like “empty chatter,” a fruitless discussion about matters already firmly settled by the Bible.  It is, by definition, an opposing argument from that stated in the Genesis account.  And, without doubt, it is “falsely called ‘knowledge.’”  1 Timothy 2:13 says, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.”  Underhill says, “For Eve was first formed, then Adam.”  Remember when God warned Adam and Eve that, if they ate the “forbidden fruit,” they would “surely die”?  The serpent came along and contended, “You surely shall not die!” (Gen. 3:4).

Science, medicine and technology have brought us so far in increasing the quality and quantity of our lives today.  For that, be thankful!  But, be able to recognize arrogant attempts to disprove God and the Bible in favor of a rebellious humanism which desires to give no account of self to anyone.  Stay tuned, as there will certainly be other “stunning revelations” like this in the years ahead.

Neal Pollard

There are websites, forums, blogs, and Facebook pages devoted to what all we are doing wrong in the church of Christ.  These break my heart and they seem to me to be the height of unfairness. They judge the Lord’s church with a fine tooth comb while casually perusing the faults of other religious groups with a toothless comb.  Does the church need to do better in many regards?  Absolutely!  But, because we are trying to pursue the claim of New Testament Christianity, we get unfairly blasted and raked over the coals.

That said, there is an area we must collectively work to properly handle in church life.  How do we treat and minister to those of our Christian family who have been through the throes of divorce?  Certainly, not every divorcee is cut from the same cloth.  Some may have given up on their marriages, but many did not.  A great many are the victim of a mate’s sexual unfaithfulness.  Others did not ask for the divorce, but had no power or choice in the matter. Yet, whatever facts describe the divorced Christian’s circumstance, we must keep some important things in mind.

• Divorced Christians are still our spiritual family.
• Divorced Christians are likely struggling with loneliness and isolation.
• Divorced Christians are coping with several losses: loss of identity, loss of role and task, loss of relationships, loss of security, etc.
• Divorced Christians may be concerned about perception–how others view them or what judgments others make about them.
• Divorced Christians feel misunderstood, like others do not understand that through which they are going.
• Divorced Christians matter to God just as much as Christian couples and families.

What can we do to minister to divorced Christians?

• Do not pretend nothing has happened in their lives.
• Do not avoid them; to the contrary, reach out to them and love them.
• Do include them in church programs and activities, being mindful that divorced Christians are often overlooked.
• Do remember to include them when you pray.
• Do extend fellowship and hospitality to them.

God loves and cares for sparrows and says His children, all His children, are of much more value than those birds (Lk. 12:6-7).  Some of our most talented, useful, and caring Christians just happen to have been divorced.  Let us determine to show them that we know such a fact does not negate their value to the kingdom of God.  In some circumstances, it may increase that value.

Neal Pollard

The late V.P. Black related the circumstances of a preacher who came up to him and asked him for help in finding another place to preach.  Brother Black was surprised since the man had not been there very long.  Black asked why he felt the need to leave so soon, and the preacher cited a hypercritical attitude among the members.  When asked to give an example, the preacher said, “A lady came out the door with her furs on, and she shook me by the hand and said, ‘You just embarrassed the life out of me this morning. I was never so humiliated in all my life.'” The preacher wondered what he said or did, he looked to see if he was properly dressed, and then he asked, “What in the world did I say?” She replied, “In your sermon you used the word, britches.” She said, “That’s such a common word.  Don’t ever say britches in the pulpit, always say trousers.”  The preacher thought, “I don’t remember saying that.” He asked the lady, “What did I say before I said britches?” “Oh,” she said, “I don’t know what you said before you said britches.” “Well,” he said, “What did I say after britches?” “Oh,” she said, “I don’t know what you said after you said britches.”  The preacher said, “Well, I’m thankful I said britches or you wouldn’t have gotten anything out of my sermon” (adapted from “Back To Basics,” 13-14).

What do we get out of worship when we assemble on the Lord’s Day?  Can we count the number of cell phones that go off, the number of babies that cried, the awful outfit the lady wore, how low or high the song leader led the songs, or that the services went 8 minutes long?  If those are the bench marks of our worship experiences, we are in the same condition and of the same spirit as the woman in V.P. Black’s story.

I just cannot see Isaiah coming before the Great I Am with that sort of outlook in Isaiah six.  Can you?  Or envision Jesus entering a synagogue or the temple riveted in on the flaws of the Levites or the uneven tailoring job done modeled by a Judean brother.  Or imagine a member of the early church, huddled in the catacombs, fighting irritation over a restless child or uncouth brother or sister in Christ.

Let us be sure that why we come to worship is to praise the eternal God, stimulate one another to love and good works, and soak up the fellowship of our spiritual family as we obey the Lord in worshipping in spirit and truth.  Having such an approach to worship will cure a lot of the nit-picky, hypercritical ways we can too easily adopt.  When our motives and intentions in worship are purified, we will notice how little we notice the minutia.

Neal Pollard

It was my privilege to accompany Kathy to spend the weekend with the Lord’s church in Lancaster, New Hampshire.  The church there numbers about six on a typical Sunday.  Kathy spoke on a ladies day and there were about 20 ladies from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.  We had 10 on Sunday morning.  Tom Jackson, a Bear Valley graduate the Alpha Alpha Class (1979), is the preacher for the Northern Valley church of Christ.  He has spent many of his years since graduation persevering in the very difficult work that is ministry in the northeast.  A few weeks ago, in Utah, I learned the same about the state of the church there.  Less than two dozen congregations exist in that Mormon-dominated state.

My impression, worshipping with these saints, is that the sweetness of fellowship is intensified in how rare and precious it is.  In an area where there are tens of thousands of people, there are less than 20 Christians assembling.  You won’t find singing that fills the building with full, gorgeous voices.  You won’t the hustle and bustle of people filling up the seats and crowding in together.  You will find a handful of Christians thrilled to have each other’s company and longing for their numbers to grow.

God has made the church a place where this kind of fellowship and kinship should exist.    It should be a place where we know about each others’ lives and care about each others’ well-being.  If someone is missing at Northern Valley, everyone is concerned and finds out why.  That seems to be the approach of the first century church.  I am resolved not to take for granted the vital, fragile, and vibrant nature of the fellowship we enjoy with one another.  May we appreciate the tie that binds us together!

Neal Pollard

Recently, my family and I were able to take a self-guided tour of one of our nation’s treasures, Carlsbad Caverns.  This southern New Mexico attraction is in a dramatically different setting from those found in more lush places, places we have seen in days gone by like Wind Cave in South Dakota and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  No cave has ever made me feel as small or left me in as great of awe.

Thanks to the skewed agenda and view of science and the origin of the earth held by those in charge, this national park dates the cave as hundreds of millions of years old and those of the evolutionary ilk see it as just one impressive landmark of the annals of evolution.  There in the presence of God’s amazing handiwork is man’s feeble attempts to convince his fellowmen, “There is no God.”  The official park website says an inland sea 250 to 280 million years ago created this and 299 other limestone caves.

Yet, the early, modern “discoverers” of the cave had different feelings about it.  Jim White, a local Cowboy and explorer of the cave, frequently told people how amazing and awesome it was, but it took a long time and several photographs for people to come and see for themselves how amazing it is.  Then, word of mouth quickly reached to Washington, D.C. Finally, in 1923, a few decades after White “discovered” Carlsbad Caverns, the U.S. Department of the Interior sent inspector Robert Holley to investigate the cave and see whether it was as magnificent as billed.  It is said that Holley was at first a skeptic, but after viewing the cave he wrote, “I am wholly conscious of the feebleness of my efforts to convey in the deep conflicting emotions, the feeling of fear and awe, and the desire for an inspired understanding of the Divine Creator’s work which presents to the human eye such a complex aggregate of natural wonders” (http://traveloutward.com).

Given the water-related nature of the erosion and formations inside the cave, it is logical to conclude that a deluge of global proportions could have carved out this immense cave.  It is also possible that God sculpted many of its present contours during the creation week.  What is unnecessary and illogical to conclude is that blind chance gave birth to this amazing example of design and aesthetic appeal, the latter of which God placed within the human mind to appreciate the beauty and splendor of the place.  Man may discover feats of God’s strength, but he cannot adequately explain them away!

Neal Pollard

Fred Smith was a man with an ordinary name but an extraordinary idea.  He was a student at Yale when he wrote a research paper on the need for a national delivery company that could move goods as far as from coast to coast quickly.  The paper earned a “C,” but Smith held onto the dream.  He graduated, served a tour in the Marines, and soon bought an aviation company.  In 1971, he pooled his resources with that of investors to try and realize his dream.  He began in Little Rock, Arkansas, with full-page newspaper ads and TV commercials.  The business nearly failed several times but by 1980 was realizing a substantial profit.  Today, Federal Express (FedEx) is the industry leader, but it began in the 1960s as a college kid’s dream (some facts gleaned from http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/smi0bio-1).

When you look at others, what do you see?  Do you see what they are or what they might be?  What can you say and do to help them see the potential within themselves?  When God looks at you, He sees the you that you might become.  You should do the same, and you should do the same when you look at others.

When you have an idea, what can you see?  Can you only see the downside, the negative, and the roadblocks?  Or can you see past the impediments to the importance and the impact of the idea?  God saw His idea of redemption and the church from eternity.  His people through the ages saw that with God’s help even the most ambitious ideas could succeed.  When you conceive an idea for the glory of God, do you see “I do’s” or “I don’ts”?

When you look at the church, what can you see?  Can you see only what it has done in the past? Can you see its flaws and failures with ease, but fail when looking for its potential and possibilities? What do you see when you look at the elders, deacons, preachers, and members? Most importantly, when you look at yourself (you cannot spell church without “u”) what do you see?  Someone powerless and pitiful, or someone with purpose and passion?

The Lord cannot use those who only dream, but He does need the dreamers.  Caleb had a hope, a dream, and a vision.  Now, Smith did not keep his vision a pipe dream.  He invested.  He risked.  He struggled.  But, he had to see it before he could do it.  May I suggest that the same is true of us.  What can you see?

Neal Pollard

They made them so easy to spot in the old black and white cowboy movies.  They wore the bandana, the black clothes, and talked like bad guys.  Stagecoach robbers, bank robbers, and villains are usually depicted in such a way as to leave no doubt as to who they are.  Everybody knows a bad guys looks, acts, and talks a certain way.

As a Bible camp director for ten years, a Future Preachers Training Camp director for four, and nearly twenty years as a preacher trying to preach the whole counsel of God, I have been perceived to be the bad guy more than one time.  For years, I have said, “Nobody wants to be the bad guy.”  It’s terribly unpleasant and usually unpopular.  Whether enforcing the rules or proclaiming the truth, it can be rough business.  Rather than rail against the unfairness of being perceived as the bad guy, maybe we should ask how one can be a “good” bad guy.

DON’T RELISH THE ROLE.  Some enjoy being the bad guy.  They seem to relish making others uncomfortable, confronting, and rebuking.  They appear eager to bare their knuckles and jump into the fray.  That’s not a good bad guy.  The good bad guy would rather do anything but stand up for what’s right except displease and disobey God.  Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, and Peter were reluctant bad guys.  Such people do not have big chips on their shoulders, daring you to knock it off from there.

MAKE SURE THEY SEE YOUR HEART.  Are we afraid for people to know that we care about them, and that is why we are willing to play the bad guy role?  We should not fear being thought a sissy, tender-hearted, or soft.  Being a good bad guy does not mean bearing gritted teeth or railing and bitter speech.  That’s a bad bad guy.  People must know you genuinely love them before you will have any effect in bearing bad news.

BE WILLING TO TAKE A STAND.  Speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) still means speaking the truth.  Gently correcting those who are in opposition (2 Tim. 2:25) still means correcting.  In Ephesians six, Paul repeatedly urges the church to “stand” (11, 13, 14).  A good bad guy who knows what the Lord’s will is will stand with the Lord.  He is willing to do so at personal cost and sacrifice.

I want to be seen as the good guy.  It certainly “feels” better and is more enjoyable.  Yet, my highest priority is to be the guy who’s right with God.  I must do that, however others perceive me.  My hope is that some day someone will be in heaven to thank me for having been the “bad guy.”

Neal Pollard

Give me the Bible, as no other word will do,
No man can tell me differently to guide me safely through.
He may explain and rationalize to try to stifle and subdue
The revelation of God’s Will, His message to undo.
But I want to hear what “saith the Lord,” not what saith lowly man,
For he shed no blood and built no church nor left a saving plan
Designed and endorsed by God above, only He can breach the span
I trust what I see in His perfect Word, and I know I always can.
You may take and trust philosophies of men themselves defiled
Who try and change the will of God like the serpent who beguiled
But why not accept it as ’tis written trusting fully like a child
The message of the loving, holy God who wants man reconciled?
Give me the Bible, the only way today God communicates to us His mind,
Without it I am miserable and directionless and blind,
I could look the whole earth over and never elsewhere would I find,
The will of God for lowly man. Praise Him for this gift for all mankind!

Neal Pollard

Parents have heard this before and during a vacation or other long trip more times than they care to remember.  Children, “blessed” with a brief attention span, ask, “How much further?  When do we get there?”  Patience can be tried by not knowing how long before something happens and how long something will last. Yet, that is not simply something earthly parents encounter with their children.  The Heavenly Father will expect to hear that an infinite number of times from even His most faithful children.

In Psalm 13, David asks the question of His Father four times. What did He want to know from the Lord?

• How long will I be forgotten (1)?
• How long will I be neglected (1)?
• How long will I be sad (2)?
• How long will I be opposed (2)?

David wrestled with agony just as we often have. He needed resolution and longed for an answer. He is a child asking His Father, “How long?”

The answer was prayer (3-4), faith (5), worship and praise (5-6), and appreciation (6).  May I suggest that these will always be the answer when we are perplexed and filled with confusion? Our Father can always be trusted.  He will lead us safely to our final destination, even as we make it ever closer to home!  As we tell our children when they ask us “how much further,” “you are closer right now than you have ever been!”  Don’t give up before you get there!

Neal Pollard

If you did not know, today is “Earth Day.”  I understand that Earth Day is a politically-charged event, and there are strong feelings on both sides.  There is no doubt that zealous environmentalists were involved in its initial organization and development.  Ironically, as reported in today’s New York Times, organizers at the first annual event in 1970 held tech-ins “to challenge corporate and government leaders” but today corporations have their finger prints all over the activities of Earth Day (see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/science/earth/22earth.html).  Interestingly, too, that New York Mayor John Lindsay likened an earth day gathering to a “secular revival meeting” (ibid.), since environmentalism has become a religion to many and even has become a cause championed by a growing number in Christendom.

May I remind you of a few important facts as the world observes “Earth Day”?

First, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains” (Ps. 24:1; 1 Cor. 10:26).  This idea was first spoken in scripture by Moses to Pharaoh as part of the explanation for the ten plagues (Ex. 9:29).  David is focused on the Messiah in Psalm 24 as the third part of three looks at Him as Sufferer (Ps. 22), Shepherd (Ps. 23), and Sovereign (Ps. 24).  This Lord of creation holds ownership rights to it all.  Paul quotes this Psalm to help a troubled church fighting over inconsequentials and reminds them that meat is a part of all things on earth owned by the Lord.  God writes the rules about its usage and intent, which includes the use of trees for houses and buildings (Dt. 20:19-20; 1 Kings 4:33), the use of animals for meat (Gen. 9:2-3; Acts 10:13ff), and the use of mined ores, precious stones, and similar materials (Gen. 24:53; 2 Chr. 32:27).  As the brilliant Designer, God has made the earth a vast repository of natural resources for man’s use while here.

Second, “The earth is ours” (Gen. 1:26). Man was created to rule “over all the earth.”  We are stewards of its resources, but we should remember that it is here for our use.  Christians will not overly obsess over the earth, nor will we make environmentalism our chief cause.  May we never forget that our top priority is to “seek and save the lost” (cf. Lk. 19:10) and not to “save the planet.”

Finally, “The earth is temporary” (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10ff).  These passages above remind us that the God who made it all has the right and has made the promise that some day He will bring it all to an end (cf. 2 Pet. 3:10ff).  It is His to do with as He pleases.  Let us not get so fixated on it that we lose sight of the endless home of the soul where we all will undoubtedly go (cf. Ecc. 12:5).

What will you do on “Earth Day”?  A lot of that is simply up to you.  But, today and every day, make sure you are preparing yourself for that great and final day for which there is no day that compares (2 Pet. 3:10).

Neal Pollard

What is the “social gospel”?  Interestingly, Wikipedia has a concise, accurate definition on its site.  They define it as a “Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was prominent in the late 19th century and early 20th century.  The movement applied Christian ethics to social problems, especially justice, inequality, liquor, crime, racial tensions, slums, bad hygiene, child labor, weak labor unions, poor schools, and the danger of war” (Social_Gospel).  USA Today ran an article in their “The Forum” section on March 2, 2010, indicating that mainline Protestant denominations are in serious decline and searching for the reasons why.  Half of Protestant churches have fewer than 100 members “and in nearly six out of 10 congregations, it’s the Church of the Blue Hair. Or No Hair. A quarter or more of their congregants are 65 or older.  That’s three times the number for their more conservative Evangelical cousins” (10A).  This newspaper article pointed to the same “social gospel” accomplishments as did Wikipedia, trumpeting and praising their deeds of the past.  But, now, this once majority is now a minority (ibid.).  Their answer is to delve further into social issues, broadening their “reach” by championing gay and lesbian clergy, environmental issues, and postmodernism.  But is it broadening or a further watering down of their message?

May I suggest that the ultimate result of the social gospel is death.  As it is usually associated with changing the changeless message, it is certainly spiritual death.  But a toothless, conviction-less message also leads to its earthly demise.  The social gospel concerns itself with feeding and clothing the body,  but it avoids matters of the soul.  It is un-evangelistic such that it is extremely averse to “proselytizing” anyone who is a “person of faith” and shy about reaching out to unbelievers.

The first century church was interested in its community and “doing good unto all men” (cf. Gal. 6:10).  But, Jesus left them their primary mission in what we often call “The Great Commission” (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47).  The first and greatest order of business was to teach the gospel to the lost, and they did so even at great personal risk and ostracism.  Their communities often misunderstood them and rejected them, though the early Christians did such deeply impacting work that they were said to “turn the whole world upside down” (Acts 17:6).  The gospel was preached to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23).  Peter and John told a beggar they could not address his physical needs, but what they gave him was eternally better (Acts 3:6).

We need to reach out further and deeper into our communities, but to what end?  Let us meet benevolent needs as we can, but let us remember our mission is to seek and save the lost.  That was Jesus’ (Lk. 19:10).  Otherwise, we will gradually rust and crumble from decay until we are dead and gone.  If we doubt it, let us consider Protestant denominations as “Exhibit A.”

Neal Pollard

I had made my first visit to Colorado about a month before the Columbine shooting on April 20, 1999.  We went to the Southwest Plaza mall that weekend, but that was probably as close to the school campus as we came that March.  That fall, on a second visit, we saw the harrowing scene of the library still cordoned off and covered with sheets.  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold became names one could not say without feeling that strange tingle up and down the spine.  Worse yet, video uncovered of the teenagers’ target practice and hateful tirades gave a glimpse into a very dark place.  There were also a great many heroes, self-sacrificers who kept the massacre from being worse than it was.  Dave Sanders, Jon Curtis, Jay Gallentine, Adam Foss, Kent Friesen, Patti Nielson, paramedics, and other students and teachers formed a long list of heroes who either sacrificed their lives or put them on the line to resist and counteract the horrific actions of the killers.  There have been other school shootings, including some where an even greater loss of life occurred.  But, there is something unique about the events of 11 years ago that resonates when the name “Columbine” is even mentioned.

April 20, 1999, gave us a graphic demonstration of the ugliness of sin.  Though these events are stark and dramatic, all sin is ugly to God (cf. Hab. 1:13).  Sin put Jesus on the cross, separates us from God, and brings death.

April 20, 1999, gave us hope in man’s potential for great good.  Man is made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), and man often shows a glimpse of the compassion, mercy, sacrifice, and concern we see God show in a perfect way.

April 20, 1999, gave us a reminder that the world needs the gospel.  Where the gospel goes, takes root, and grows, there is goodness and love in the place of evil and hate.  Sin and selfishness are supplanted by sanctification and service where Scripture goes.

I hope you will memorialize these victims today.  I hope, too, that you will reflect on these events and glean from them the brevity of life, the endlessness of eternity, and the need to be spiritual heroes by sharing Jesus with whomever you can today.

Neal Pollard

-People began with the assumption that the mind of God rather than the minds of men was responsible for Scripture?

-People assumed that a God powerful enough to create everything in such intricate and amazing detail could preserve that Scripture throughout the wear and tear of the ages and the varied attacks of men?

-People assumed that Scripture constructed in just such a way was the sole authority for all religious matters?

-People tried trusting the simple, repeated claims Scripture makes for its own inspiration and authority?

-People treated Scripture as the breathed out message from God and not like it was a comic book, on a par with the works of Homer, Aristotle, or Shakespeare, or a literary work to be sliced and diced with condescending contempt?

-People read and studied that Scripture reverently and submissively rather than looking for ways to attack, mock, and undermine it?

-People approached Scripture as their guide for living and sought to have it reshape their thinking, renew their mind, and remake their character?

-People had such confidence is Scripture that they felt compelled to gently, persistently, and zealously share it with people in the world around them?

-People spent less time debating the authenticity of Scripture and more time demonstrating the altering ability of Scripture?

-People simply lived the Scripture rather than lumping it?

What would happen?  Would we generate a society full of hypocrites and charlatans? Would there be anarchy, chaos, and evil?  Would there be an epidemic of despair and unhappiness?  Would we be a people racked with guilt and emptiness?  If our premise was that the Bible is what it claims to be and we thus gave it the place such a premise deserves and demands, what impact would we have on this world and those whose lives we touch and influence?  What if?