Tag: Bear Valley church of Christ

Only In God Is Rest

The governing hand of God

Traversing the universe wide

Can calm the wildest storms abroad

While standing by my side!

The discerning Eye in heavenly portals

Who watches all by day and night

Can see the trials of us mere mortals

Viewing His creatures with encompassing sight

The swelling heart of our Heavenly Monarch

Reigning with His powerful Arm

Will lead His children from the dark

And protect us from the threat of harm

Why would one search for any safety

In another port or fortress?

The Heavenly Father faithfully

Makes and offers and gives us rest!

“HAVING OUR ‘I’S’ ON THE DAY OF THE LORD”

Neal Pollard

The Thessalonians had a misunderstanding about the day of the Lord as it related to their dead loved ones.  Paul, moved by the Holy Spirit, set the record straight for these Christians.  As he helps them with their struggle, he gives the faithful great heavenly perspective to help them along.

  • INFORMATION–Paul helps them overcome ignorance concern- ing their dead loved ones and the Day of the Lord (13).  The information should alleviate suffering and instead bring hope.  So many are improperly informed about the Day of the Lord.  Information brings proper perspective.
  • INVITING–Our belief in the resurrection of Christ and the power involved in it to raise the dead in Him makes the prospect of the Day of the Lord more attractive (14-15).    What Paul says about that day for the living and the dead makes it something for which the spiritual mind should long.
  • INCREDIBLE–The description of the details of that day are amazing (16-17).  We can try and imagine it, but what we experience goes far beyond that.  Yet, these images do not frighten us.  They are an assurance to us.
  • INSPIRATIONAL–The net effect of Paul’s words in this paragraph is “comfort” (18).  Contemplating how that Day will be for the saved makes us long for it.  We are not living for here and now.  We live now for that endless Day!

How Do We Avoid Going Into The Wilderness?

Neal Pollard

I thought about this question as I meditated today on the state of the church in our nation.  Composed of so many dedicated, wonderful people, the church as a whole, nonetheless, is tempted to drift from biblical moorings. It is anecdotal to observe seismic philosophical shifts in the leadership and direction of various congregations, pulled for one reason or another from the place and being the people God wants it to be.  The whole wilderness analogy is drawn from the events in the book of Numbers, a wandering that went for forty years in the wake of a 40-day scouting trip.  It might have been different for Israel, and it can be different for us.  Return with me for a moment to that fateful event that would forever shape their nation.

  • It begins with leadership (Num. 13:25ff).  The spies chosen were “leaders” among the 12 tribes (13:2).  Obviously, they had sway with the people (14:1).  Because of their negative influence, the people went the wrong direction–into the wilderness and ultimately to their deaths.
  • It involves faith-driven obedience (Num. 13:30). Caleb understood this and argued for the people to proceed on that basis.  Yet, their reaction was the opposite of obedience.  Moses, Aaron, and Joshua warned them, “Only do not rebel (emph. mine) against the Lord…” (Num. 14:8).  That very rebellion, called “iniquity” by Moses in his prayer to God (Num. 14:19), cost them the promised land (Num. 13:23ff).  Instead, they earned a trip into the wilderness. Why? Hard-hearted disobedience and unbelief (Heb. 3:15, 18-19).
  • It includes courage (Num. 13:25-33).  The majority of the spies lacked the courage to act and obey.  They were content to go back to Egypt (Num. 14:2ff). They would rather face bondage alone than Canaan with God.  So, their cowardice was not only wrong but misplaced. They were afraid of the wrong things and the wrong ones. This fear led them into the wilderness (cf. Num. 14:9).

We live in daunting times, yet in them God still has given us a job to do.  If we do not do it or if we fail to do it the way He has commanded, we will wind up, like Israel, in the wilderness!  God give us the leadership, faith-filled obedience, and courage to follow Christ and thereby miss the wilderness.

My Study With Armando

Neal Pollard

This morning, I had the opportunity to have an impromptu Bible study with a man who introduced himself as Pastor Dr. Armando.  He wanted to find a congregation who would allow his ministry and followers a place to work and worship.  Prayerfully, I listened to him and looked for my opportunity to turn the conversation from his program to the Bible.  After hearing him out, he asked if we would be interested.  I told him that he saw some great needs and had some intriguing methods of providing benevolence to our community, but the problem would come regarding what they taught and how they worshipped.  As gently as I could, I tried to show him what Scripture said about both–since both were matters he brought up in our discussion.  Judging from his facial expressions, he had never heard of a preacher or church approaching the plan of salvation or how to worship or anything else using nothing but the Bible. I told him we had no creed, council, synod, or earthly head who governed or gave us religious traditions to follow.  While he seemed very interested in the concept, his “pragmatic” side did not allow him to see how that would work with the group with which he already worked.  There were nearly 100 people, black, Hispanic, and white, who he said worshipped with him.  They believed how or when one is baptized was not important, and they were very drawn to their drums, guitars, and other instruments in worship.  Yet, as strident as he was about their beliefs, this idea of non-denominational, simple New Testament Christianity intrigued him.  We ended our hour-long discussion by agreeing to meet to talk further about these things in a more systematic way.  I’m optimistic and hopeful!

Perhaps we have bought into the idea that the “restoration plea” has been tried and has failed to find a following.  If Dr. Rangel is in any way representative of the religious world, and I have reason to believe he is, there are a great many who are totally unaware of that plea.  Could there be a whole world of religious people out there, disenchanted with mainline evangelical denominationalism, who would be open to New Testament Christianity?  Let’s pray for opportunities to share it and see what happens!

GODLINESS IN 1 TIMOTHY

Neal Pollard

  • We are to be godly in relationship to the world (2:1-7)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to our roles in the church, men and then women (2:8-15)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to the church by leadership (3:1-13)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to Christ (3:13-16)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to doctrine (4:1-6)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to priorities (4:7-16)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to family matters (5:1-16)–specific here is widow care and her need to be godly
  • We are to be godly in relationship to leaders by members (5:17-26)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to financial matters (6:1-19)
  • We are to be godly in relationship to self (6:20-21)

Better Than The 9-Year-Old Stowaway

Neal Pollard

In a post-9/11 world, how does a 9-year-old boy slip through TSA, a gate agent, and the flight attendants to board a flight from Minneapolis all the way to Las Vegas before being discovered?  That’s what everyone wants to know, but that is what the “street smart” minor did.  Only well into the flight did flight attendants have sufficient suspicion to take action, having him delivered into protective custody once in McCarran Airport in Nevada.  Back in Minnesota, surveillance video showed the boy talking to a gate agent and when she got busy doing something else, he walked down the jet bridge and boarded the plane (some info via http://www.aviationpros.com).  While that might shake our confidence in airport security, we have to be pretty impressed with the savvy and moxie of the little boy to get as far as he did.  He outsmarted a pretty sophisticated series of security measures into which the U.S. Government has poured billions of dollars since 2001.

Can you imagine what the reaction was in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago, when Jesus stayed behind instead of returning with His family’s caravan back to Nazareth.  It took everyone a full day’s journey before detecting that Jesus was not in the group. After three days they found Him in the temple.  Here was Jesus, “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers” (Luke 2:46b-47).  Of course, the sinless Christ had committed no crime or sin.  His answer to His questioning parents was both respectful and logical (Luke 2:49). “He continued in subjection to them” (Luke 2:51).  How many 12-year-olds would have thought to do what Jesus did, much less in the masterful way in which He did it.  Looking back, we know this was but one of an endless list of things Jesus did which points to His Deity.  In fact, thanks to it being preserved in Scripture, we still talk about this 2,000 years later.

It is remarkable to see what young people can do. It shows how we can underestimate them and sell them short, though we should not. What the boy on a plane did was incredible, but illegal.  What Jesus did in New Testament times was unsurpassed, but not unlawful.  May we hold up the latter as a role model to spur our youth on to dream bigger dreams and do greater things to the glory of God, “wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil” (Rom. 16:19; cf. 1 Cor. 14:20).

LEARNING FROM LENINGRAD

LEARNING FROM LENINGRAD.

LEARNING FROM LENINGRAD

Neal Pollard

Anna Reid has written a gripping book chronicling one of the least talked about devastations of World War II.  From 1941-1944, the Russian city of Leningrad, along with surrounding villages, were besieged by the German army.  Leningrad, being encircled, was cut off by land and water from adequate resupply of food.  This created a famine that cost hundreds of thousands of Leningraders their lives.

One of the survivors of this prolonged plague was Dmitri Likhachov, a Russian scholar who would live to be almost 93 years old.  He chronicled one of the most detailed accounts of the siege, both the heroic and horrible actions of people facing starvation and death.  Reid shares one of his quotes:

I think that real life is hunger, and the rest a mirage. In the time of famine people
revealed themselves, stripped themselves, freed themselves of all trumpery.
Some turned out to be marvellous (sic), incomparable heroes, others–scoundrels,
villains, murderers, cannibals. There were no half-measures. Everything was real.
The heavens were unfurled and in them God was seen… (Leningrad, 194).

It is truly hard to imagine the kind of hunger and privation these Russians endured, even reading it in detail.  But, what Likhachov says about the extremes of starvation seems to apply to people in times of any tragedy or death.  Adversity brings out the best and worst of people, or rather it has a way of “stripping away” the facades people project to reveal what is beneath the surface.

Jesus taught, “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:20-23).  So, while controlling our actions is always a spiritual necessity, Jesus urges us to achieve an inside-out makeover!  We may or may not ever endure tragic circumstances in our lifetime, but the Bible tells us a day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Rom. 2:16).  Let us take greatest care of that part of ourselves which, though “stripped” and “freed…of all trumpery” will reveals us to be “marvellous, incomparable heroes” of faith!

NO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN EVER!

Neal Pollard

Depending on your point of view, “government shutdown” may mean an undermining to your livelihood, a reduction of Washington interference, or a symbol of partisan politics.  Questions arise as to what government services and civilian activities will be impacted, and tensions are ratcheted from Pennsylvania Avenue to Wall Street.  A government shut down is so rare that it is headline newsworthy.

Of course we know that the strongest, largest empires the world has ever known have toppled, in some cases forever shutting down their governments.  Even countries that were once the seat of world power are now led by a much-weakened and much-reduced governmental authority.  Did you know that there is one government not in danger of ever facing a shutdown? It is not China, Russia, or Switzerland, either.  In fact, this government is ever-increasing and that is even a good thing.  Isaiah foresaw this, prophesying, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;  And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (9:6-7).

The Holy Spirit through Isaiah looked ahead to the birth and reign of Christ.  He refers to Him by a couple of names that reveal His Deity–Mighty God and Eternal Father.  He refers to Him by a couple of names that demonstrate His work–Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace.  Then, He turns to His coming reign as King.  Words like peace, justice and righteousness describe it.  In this, He also says “there will be no end to the increase of His government.”  Jesus wants to reign and rule over His creation.  The more He has control of our lives, the better our lives become.  The more fully we submit to Him, the greater good can be accomplished to His glory!  The best news is that, so long as He lives (and that’s FOREVER!), His reign will continue (cf. Dan. 2:44).  No matter which side of the aisle of American politics you stand, you should agree that this is the kind of “Big Government” we should all enthusiastically support!

WORSHIPPING LIKE A WISE MAN

 

No, we do not know how many there were.

 

Neal Pollard

At the birth of Christ, some men came from the east because they knew He had been born.  Many versions refer to them as “Magi,” “…originally applied exclusively to members of a priestly caste of the Medes and Persian who had esoteric skills in interpreting dreams. However, the use of the word broadened to embrace various categories of persons who were marked out by their superior knowledge and ability, including astrologers, soothsayers, and even oriental sages” (Nolland, NIGTC, 108).  Whatever their secular aptitudes, they are memorialized as some of the greatest worshippers of Deity of any time period.  What was it about their worship that made it great and worthy of our imitation today?

First, it was planned (Mat. 2:2).  Upon seeing “His” star, the magi came to Jerusalem seeking Jesus.  Persia, which is modern-day Iran, is more than 1000 miles at its center to Jerusalem.  Given the much slower rate of travel in ancient times, these men, who might well have had a large entourage in tow, did not arrive at the place of worship haphazardly. What an example for us.  We may not have very far to travel in our cars to attend a worship service, but do we plan for it–our minds and bodies by proper rest, meditation and preparation?

Further, it was praise-filled (Mat. 2:10). The star guided them to the place where Jesus was.  The prospect of coming into Jesus’ presence caused them to rejoice “exceedingly with great joy.”  No hint of apathy, drudgery, or dread!  Apparently, there was no place they would rather have been.  What an example for us today!

Their worship was prostrated (Mat. 2:11a). “They fell to the ground and worshipped Him.”  The posture is not bound on us–as worshippers are apparently upright in other settings–but the disposition of heart that drove them to the ground is!  When we realize just who we are worshipping, it will draw our deepest reverence and praise.  Our Maker and Redeemer allows us to come into His presence to worship Him.

Finally, their worship was productive (Mat. 2:11).  It was active and involved.  They fell, worshiped, opened, and presented.  What a reminder that worship requires active participation and is not a spectator sport.  We benefit from worship, but that is derived from our full engagement and effort to honor Almighty God.

Sadly, some of what is packaged and presented as worship falls short of what we see in this text.  If we want to be truly wise, we will demonstrate the kind of heart and action modeled by the Magi.  Let us worship like wise men (and women)!

 

Thrown Down On Naboth’s Plot

Neal Pollard

Naboth must have been shocked and baffled as the charges of blasphemy and treason rang in his ears.  He must have felt jostled and panicked as he was grabbed and thrown outside the city of Jezreel.  Surely he was filled with the acutest sense of injustice replaced only by the undeserved pangs of pain as his own brethren stoned him with stones (1 Ki. 21:12-14).  He had been set up by wicked King Ahab (though Jezebel was really the “brains” behind the operation).  When Ahab took possession of “his” ill-gotten vineyard taken only by the brutal plot that claimed innocent Naboth, did Ahab ever think about the murdered man (cf. 1 Ki. 21:19) as he puttered around his vegetable garden?  Could even Ahab have thought that it was worth it?  Whatever Israel’s king felt, Elijah the Tishbite, God’s mighty prophet, is sent into “the vineyard of Naboth” (1 Ki. 21:18; interestingly, God still saw dead Naboth as the rightful owner) and foretells of the bloody, ignominious end of Ahab’s house.  Though God showed remarkable mercy in not ending Ahab’s dynasty in the wake of the wicked king’s humble plea (1 Ki. 21:28), the decree was only delayed.  Ahab died in his chariot, a casualty of a circumstance God used to execute His judgment (1 Ki. 22:34-38).

Some time later, though now Ahab’s second son to reign currently sat on Israel’s throne and Elijah had been replaced by Elisha, the judgment on Ahab’s house transpired.  Jehu “conspired against Joram” (2 Ki. 9:14), encouraged by one of the sons of the prophets (2 Ki. 9:7-10).  Jehu meets Joram at an interesting site:  “the property of Naboth the Jezreelite” (2 Ki. 9:21).  God says He repaid Ahab on Naboth’s plot (2 Ki. 9:26).  What a powerful lesson and warning from God!  It is a message that says not only that you reap what you sow, but that there is sometimes irony in this sort of reaping.  Another example is Haman in the book of Esther.

Let us consider this lesson first taught on Naboth’s land.  Does the gossiper, intent on spreading rumors and divulging details about another, ever become the victim of his own methods?  Does the hypercritic and unjust judge ever fall into a sin problem, only to find himself treated as he has treated others?  What about the greedy or the unethical, who climb the corporate ladder by stepping all over whoever is above him on it?  Does he ever meet the same, ironic end?  There will be some Naboths, men and women who are unfairly and unjustly treated despite their innocence.  Yet, there will also be some Ahabs, too, men and women meted out the same kind of end they inflicted on someone else.  If you have to identify with anyone in this biblical account, let it be Naboth and not Ahab.

 

 

Blessed Assurance

from a different Ukraine trip (2003)

Neal Pollard

In the spring of 2002, I went with Keith Kasarjian, who is currently the assistant extension director of our Bear Valley Extension Program, to Kramatorsk and Slavyanagorsk, Ukraine.  One of the first things I recall doing the day after arriving there was meeting to fellowship with the Christians from that general area of Ukraine.  Several other foreigners in addition to Keith and me had travelled over for the first graduation of the first Bear Valley foreign extension in Kramatorsk, but they had travelled up to Slavyanagorsk to see the Christians there.  That gave the small room of the house where that church met an international if an over-filled feel.  It was decided that we sing some hymns.  The first hymn sung, as I recall, was “Blessed Assurance.”  Most present sang the song in Russian.  The Americans scattered around the room sang in English.  As Italian Sylvia Gaddio and French Canadian Sylvain Arsenaux were in the room, they each sang in their native tongue, too.  At one point, I stopped singing to listen to the voices blending in multiple languages.  I remember being completely overwhelmed and overcome at the thought of what tied us all together.  People native to Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Italy, and the United States (we also had a Romanian and Chinese who came over for the graduation who might have been in the room, too) were hampered in their ability to interact by their language limitations, but the love, unity, and spirit of fellowship created by our common bond in Christ seemed to eclipse whatever our differences may have been.  Never before that moment had I felt the power of the oneness Jesus causes.

In our congregations, we have different interests, incomes, spiritual backgrounds, education levels, temperaments, personalities, ethnicities, maturity levels, and dozens of similar variables that make us unique, even dissimilar.  But, do we emphasize often enough how our service, obedience, and allegiance to the Lord is meant to overcome all these?  The Philippian congregation needed the reminder that practical unity was necessary and not just desirable (see Philippians 2:1-4).  We need to frequently emphasize the beautiful nature of unity in Christ (cf. Psalm 133).  It’s as touching to think about how the Lord makes all of us in our local congregation one as to think about times like that special moment I recall from a tiny house in a tiny town across the world!  That’s the power of Jesus, His blood, and His church.  “O what a foretaste of glory divine!”

A PLEA TO THE OLDER AND YOUNGER GENERATIONS

Neal Pollard

I am at a unique crossroads at which I cannot hope to long remain.  Currently, I am young enough to exercise vigorously, play sports, appreciate indie music,  vaguely cope with technology and its changes, and not feel old.  Yet, I am old enough now to have seen all my children reach the teen years, accumulate some life’s experience, and deepen my appreciation for the living history and wisdom that is our senior citizens.  Subtly, but surely, I will loosen my grip on youth and embrace old age.

As a 43-year-old, I still am able to hold hands with both sides.  No generation is perfect, nor does any have the clear advantage over the others. There are things all of us should keep in mind, no matter our age.

To our older Christians, may we appreciate that our youth and young adults need so much more than a constant diet of teaching and preaching on sexual and moral sins.  They need a larger diet of Christian evidences, how we got the Bible, and similar subjects in a post-faith world that is increasingly hostile to biblical principles. They deserve as many textual and deeper studies as anyone else. May we further appreciate our need to meet the younger people of our churches with technological savvy, newer (though scriptural) songs, and an empathetic view of the challenges they face in the culture. They need us to believe in them, listen to them, and go to bat for them.  May we view them as “innocent until proven guilty,” hoping the best for them.  May we value them, empower them, and use them in meaningful service in the Kingdom today!

To our younger Christians, may we appreciate that the church is comprised of more than those 30 and younger. There may be some things that are lawful but are not expedient. The fact that you are a part of your culture does not mean you should not strive to rise above it, excel, and be an example to it.  That even should impact how you dress for worship (not meaning coat and tie, but meaning doing better than ratty shirts, “holey” jeans, and flops).  Remember that the church has more than one generation in it, and the servant-hearted does not insist on his or her “rights” or liberties but rather strives to serve through love. Wisdom should propel you to “rise up before the gray-headed and honor the aged” (Lev. 19:32).  As was said of Lot’s wife, so we do well to “remember Rehoboam” who listened to his peers instead of his elders (1 Ki. 12:8).  Beware the temptation to hold the “older generation” in contempt and disrespect the greater wisdom that usually accompanies the accumulation of years.

We all truly need each other, now more than ever!  There must be empathy for everyone else, a love that seeks the best for others. Let us look through each other’s eyes as best as we can and so “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (cf. Eph. 4:3).

His Name Meant “Comfort”


Neal Pollard

Whose name meant “comfort”?  Noah’s! Lamech says as much.  When Noah was born, Lamech proclaimed, “This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Gen. 5:29). The NIV and KJV, among others, puts the word “comfort” for “rest,” Lamech was optimistic that Noah, would help alleviate the labor pains of farming in cursed ground.

Have you stopped to think about the meaning of Noah’s name and the mission of Noah’s life? What was his task? He was to build the ark, but he also preached (cf. 2 Pet. 2:5). Now, as to how many people Noah preached to, the Bible is silent. One might assume that he preached as far and as widely as a man engaged in such an enormous building project could. Or, one might say that he preached by the example of his righteous life (cf. Gen. 6:9).  The best understanding of 1 Peter 3:18-21 may be that Christ preached to the disobedient ones through Noah’s efforts prior to the flood.

If Noah did preach to the disobedient, and/or admonished and exhorted onlookers and scornful neighbors to get on board the ark, he still was seeking to provide comfort. The thing to understand about giving comfort is that it does not always mean speaking soothing words, placating people, or telling them what they want to hear. That is, at times, a very appropriate and needed response–especially when people are suffering or trying to stay faithful. Yet, comfort can also be the fruit that only comes after a warning or rebuke. When a person is on a self-destructive course, they are destined for something inconceivably awful! What can a compassionate Christian do but try with tremendous effort to steer them back on course? That may be the only way that wayward sinner comes to the place where eternal comfort is once more a possibility.

Remember Jude’s teaching. He said, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 22-23). Sometimes, comfort is in the product and not in the raw material or the manufacturing. Always being loving, let us risk offending now so that eternal comfort can be had later! The Christian’s name, nature, and business centers around that real, spiritual comfort, both for the Christian and those whose lives he or she touches (cf. 1 Tim. 4:16).

Why Ridgedale church of Christ Is Getting Slammed

NOTE: SOME TIME AFTER THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN, THE RIDGEDALE CHURCH OF CHRIST FACEBOOK PAGE WAS HACKED.  THE CONTENT THERE NOW CONSTITUTES AN 180-DEGREE TURN FROM WHAT THAT GOOD CONGREGATION BELIEVES.  DON’T BE DUPED BY THIS PERSON WHO, IN EFFECT, IS COMPOUNDING THE PERSECUTION UPON RIDGEDALE FOR SIMPLY TRYING TO FOLLOW GOD’S WORD.  –NEAL

 

Neal Pollard

In the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus wrote, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mat. 5:12-13).  Persecution takes many forms, but if you want to see one form of it simply go to Ridgedale’s Facebook page and look at the dozens of examples of tolerance from broad-minded people as they help that congregation face what the world thinks of them.

An article by Kevin Hardy in today’s Times Free Press online (http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/aug/21/repent-or-leave/), which reflects some basic ignorance of what the Bible teaches about church discipline, unleashed a firestorm of hateful response by readers who are on Facebook and who in turn posted their remarks on the aforementioned page.  My prediction is that things will get worse before they get better for the good people at Ridgedale.  Understanding that we do not have all the facts of the case and would not expect a person in the world to give them to us, what we should do is focus on what is alleged.  A professed lesbian’s family that attended Ridgedale was approached by church leaders after the woman’s mother publicly supported her daughter as she sought same-sex benefits from the city of Collegedale.  As the family’s support of their daughter was public, the church felt compelled by scriptural mandate to ask the family to repent or be subject to church discipline.  The family publicly made their exit and a congregational matter is now being splashed across news outlets.  But, why is this congregation facing such an outcry and disapproval?  The answer will differ from individual to individual, but here are some broad reasons evidenced from people’s responses.

Ridgedale is getting slammed because of the cultural sickness of subjectivity.   One woman writes, “I think the decision makers of this church will one day pay for their sins…” Another woman writes, “I think the Cooper’s will be far better off without a church who punish’s them for not turning their back on their child….” Another puts it, “In my world, my God accepts, doesn’t judge and loves all his children!” Still another says, “Wow! I guess we know different Gods. My God offers unconditional love and tells me not to judge others….” (misspellings and grammatical errors made by the original writers). Others’ subjectivity is more subtly expressed, but here is the common thread.  People think they get to co-opt God and make Him over in their image.

Ridgedale is getting slammed because of society’s warped view of tolerance.  Certainly, so many who commented on that page are not tolerant of anyone who interprets Scripture literally.  They are not tolerant of this congregation’s autonomy. They are not tolerant of the view that homosexuality is a sin.  It is abundantly clear from the comments.  You will read such slurs as “bigot,” “hoping the church burns in hell,” “Scumbag Church,” “group of horrible people,” and more.  This is dripping with irony.

Ridgedale is getting slammed because the average person does not know the Bible.   People speak of God loving unconditionally, Jesus accepting everyone, and that one’s sexuality does not matter.  There is a famine of hearing the words of the Lord in our land (cf. Amos 8:11). Such lack of knowledge will destroy a people (Hosea 4:6).  God’s unconditional love does not mean unconditional acceptance if someone lives in rebellion to His will.  Jesus will not accept everyone.  To the majority, He will say, “Depart from Me” (see Mat. 7:13-14, 21-23).  Apparently, one’s sexuality does matter (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). But people are grossly uninformed about the only book that reveals the heart and mind of God.

Please pray for Ridgedale.  Encourage them and show them love.  The detractors are popular and validated by a world separated from God.  Let us have the courage to stand by God’s people who are willing to stand up for His will.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR TEACHING

Neal Pollard

 

  • Take the time at the beginning of class to break the ice, exude warmth, and build rapport.
  • Make sure you have done due diligence, entering the classroom with ample preparation.
  • Strike the balance of being “open” and “approachable” as a teacher without putting out the vibe of vulnerability or uneasiness.
  • Guide the direction of the class rather than letting the class direct you.
  • Always ask questions that are meaningful and not those that are either fillers or those that insult the student’s intelligence.
  • Avoid embarrassing or putting the student on the spot, as you cannot know the frame of mind or circumstances that may be weighing on him or her in that moment.
  • Never fail to draw conclusions and take a stand on matters of faith.
  • Do not overly press personal convictions or judgment calls upon the classroom.
  • Keep the specter of pride away from your heart so that you do not always feel the need to be right and for the student to be wrong.
  • Do not let blatantly false statements by the student go unanswered–speak the truth in love, but remember the utmost need for truth to be upheld.
  • If you make the class interesting (this is the product of study and preparation, including searching for appropriate illustrations), class feedback and discussion takes care of itself
  • Budget your time, neither glossing over or bogging down in material
  • While forced excitement will seem artificial, generating genuine passion and enthusiasm is infectious and aids the learning environment.
  • Leverage the resources in the room, looking to mature, knowledgeable Bible students to assist you in making particularly difficult or controversial points.
  • After properly interpreting and teaching the biblical text, be ever the gleaner for application–material the student can take and translate into daily living and personal use.

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The Vicious Cycle Of Pornography

Neal Pollard

Dr. Les Parrott III, in the book Helping the Struggling Adolescent, discusses the four-step cycle of pornography addiction. It is (1) preoccupation (with thoughts and a search for sexual material), (2) ritualization (the specific, immoral routine), (3) compulsive sexual behavior (the culminating act), and (4) despair (utter hopelessness or powerless about one’s behavior).  It is not just adolescents, but also teenagers, young adults, and the middle-aged who are caught in this vicious cycle.

Sin is described as a powerful, but deadly, attraction (Js. 1:13-15). It is described as an entanglement that can overcome one (2 Pet. 2:20).  Sin is destructive, though it promises life and pleasure (cf. Ecc. 9:18; 2 Pt. 2:19).  Pornography is one of the devil’s sharpest tools, slashing and cutting hearts, lives, marriages, families, and other relationships.  It destroys trust, can actually hurt natural, healthy desires, desensitizes the user, and alters how the user views other people.  Many experts say it leads some to act out on desires kindled by feeding the addiction.

The thing about Parrott’s observation is that the hunger so deeply felt by one addicted to pornography is ultimately followed by the acidic reflux of remorse.  However, the pain of remorse is forgotten the next time the hunger pangs are felt.  Each gluttonous indulgence in dark desires risks internal and external trouble like that already mentioned.

Like any other addiction, to food, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc., success comes in breaking the cycle.  That means changing habits, retraining thinking, removing temptation, and clinging more closely to one’s relationship with God.  He will help those who humbly and honestly come to Him for help.  Anyone who has struggled with an addiction knows that the low that follows quenching it is lower than the euphoria that precedes it or occurs during it.  Sin simply cannot fulfill.  It can deceive, but it hollows out and leaves a wake of harm and destruction.  True satisfaction is built only by channeling our hunger and thirst for that which is righteous (Mat. 5:6).  If you are struggling with this (or any) addiction, break the cycle!