The Sword Room

Got up at the crack of dawn yesterday and my Bible fell open to Psalm 11. Had a great time of reflection on the word and then pulled out Calvin’s Commentary for a little back up. I’ll change it up today with a little running commentary. Follow along in your own Bible if you feel like it.

In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain?”

This is one of several psalms of David, written while he was on the run from Saul. David had a solid basis for trusting God. He had been anointed king of Israel by Samuel. He had prevailed over Goliath, showing courage and strength based on his victories over a lion and a bear while tending his father’s sheep. And yet Saul had it in for him, and now others were telling him to flee like a scared bird to the hills.

Running from the Lord’s enemies is nothing new for men of God. We might mention Elijah and Elisha. Christ even ventured out of Palestine into Decapolis when opposition to His ministry heightened. In Hebrews 11:38 we read about the faithful ones who wandered in the mountains and caves. During the Reformation Luther found refuge in the castle at Wartburg.

David’s words make it seem like even though he is on the run he sees flight as incompatible with trusting God. In a sense it is, I guess. I am guilty of fleeing situations much less dangerous than those David faced:

For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

In modern language we might say they had a cocked loaded gun at David’s head, just waiting until the coast was clear to off him. Saul had his minions on the hunt for David and were under orders to kill him on sight. We do not see this level of persecution here in America, but in places where Islam rules the day the lives of committed believers are in constant danger. Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; rather, we are to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Maybe we are not to that point yet, but the day might be coming where these words ring true.

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

In the ancient world people lived in walled cities, so when David mentions foundations he is likely referring to the foundations of the wall of the city–destroy it and the populous within is defenseless. When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC they razed and burned the walls. The book of Nehemiah tells how when they returned 70 years later they were vulnerable to attack with no wall to shield them. Nehemiah petitioned the Persian king Artaxerxes in 445 BC for permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

David is speaking metaphorically in my opinion. He is saying that the spiritual and moral foundations of Israel were in shambles under Saul. The people were worshipping false gods and engaging in all manner of wicked behavior. Under such conditions the righteous seem powerless and defenseless; hence the temptation to flee. In America we have no solid spiritual and moral foundation. We are not a Christian nation. Our government is corrupt, and our culture is godless and humanistic to the core. The churches look the same cosmetically as they did a generation ago, but the similarity ends there. The word of God has been forsaken and abandoned or twisted to fit the pagan theories and literary diarrhea of wicked heretics like Paul Young and Rob Bell. In this climate those who would stand for true righteousness are asking, as the scripture says: What can we do?

The second half of the psalm gives us a corrective against total despair:

The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous.

The Pontius Pilates of the world in their arrogance think they have the balance of power on their side; but as Jesus pointed out to that smoldering Roman stub, his power was on loan from his creator and judge. Things are not as they seem. God’s kingdom is not always visible. Jesus is ruling in heaven now, and we are a kingdom of priests. It does not seem as if He is the ruler of the kings of the earth, but indeed He is.

Today I spoke with a young single mom who has endured unspeakable evil in her short life. Physical, sexual, verbal, and mental abuse over many years by those she trusted and who ought to have loved and respected rather than used her. Like Joseph she would say that they meant it for evil and God meant it for good. In her own mind she is a stronger person as a result of the trials she has faced. She is one of the hardest workers and most resilient human beings I have ever met, and she is a true inspiration and testimony to how God tests and refines us through trials.

But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will send coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

God lovingly tests the righteous with a season of trials; but he hates the wicked and punishes them with eternal fire. We might be inclined to see this as crass and hard; after all, did not the Lord from the cross ask His Father to forgive his murderers? Personally I believe that there is a place for invoking the wrath of God–we see examples of this in the imprecatory psalms. We do not have a right to hate the wicked but God does. And God does indeed hate the reprobates. What were you thinking? That God will throw sinners He loves into the lake of fire and then pine and sorrow for eternity because their free will overruled his sovereignty? On the other hand,

For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

Take courage and rejoice in the sovereign God of Scripture. He is in 100% control of your life all the time. You can trust Him no matter what.

I have been plodding through Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law for a few weeks now, and my thinking has been stimulated with regard to how the Law of God is to function in the life of the born again Christian. I plan to do a series of blogs soon on the place of law in sanctification. As a preface to this here are some considerations to be thinking about.

In the Old Testament the Law really is defined in several ways. First, there is the moral law, which involves the Ten Commandments (all but one of which are reiterated in the New Testament) and the other moral commands. Then there is the ceremonial law, which includes all the Levitical rituals and offerings. Lastly there is the civil law and case law which governed daily life in theocratic Israel and which form the basis of many of our own case laws. The question we should consider is: when Paul talks about the relationship of the Law to justification, what is he referring to?

This brings us to another point of consideration. When Paul talks about the law as impotent and obsolete in Romans and Galatians, he is referring strictly to justification, the once-for-all pronouncing righteous of the sinner at the moment of genuine saving faith. Sanctification is the progressive growth in holiness of the child of God throughout the lifetime, culminating at glorification. What role, if any, does the law play in the sanctification process? Many would say it plays no positive role. I believe this notion is based on a misinterpretation of the Romans and Galatians passages as well as a misunderstanding of the nature of regeneration.

Be thinking on these things and soon I will begin the aforementioned series. In the meantime: enjoy the nice spring weather while it lasts.

Some of what this priest says is true, but it falls short of really giving comfort. Your thoughts?

Here is a good article on suicide copied from another Christian site:

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Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one’s own life, or as some have called it, “self-murder.” Over the years, I’ve received several emails from readers with questions about suicide:

•”Does God forgive suicide, or is it the unpardonable sin?”

•”Do Christians who commit suicide go to hell?”

•”What does the Bible say about suicide?”

7 People Committed Suicide in the Bible Let’s begin by looking at the seven accounts of suicide in the Bible.

Abimelech – Judges 9:54 After having his skull crushed under a millstone that was dropped by a woman from the Tower of Shechem, Abimelech called for his armor bearer to kill him with a sword. He did not want it said that a woman had killed him.

Samson – Judges 16:29-31 By collapsing a building, Samson sacrificed his own life, but in the process destroyed thousands of enemy Philistines.

Saul and His Armor Bearer – 1 Samuel 31:3-6 After losing his sons and all of his troops in battle, and his sanity long before, King Saul, assisted by his armor bearer, ended his life. Then Saul’s servant killed himself.

Ahithophel – 2 Samuel 17:23 Disgraced and rejected by Absolom, Ahithophel went home, put his affairs in order, and then hung himself.

Zimri – 1 Kings 16:18 Rather than being taken prisoner, Zimri set the king’s palace on fire and died in the flames.

Judas – Matthew 27:5 After he betrayed Jesus, Judas Iscariot was overcome with remorse and hung himself.

In each of these instances, except that of Samson, suicide is not presented favorably. These were ungodly men acting in desperation and disgrace. Samson’s case was different. And while his life was not a model for holy living, Samson was honored among the faithful heroes of Hebrews 11. Some consider Samson’s final act an example of martyrdom, a sacrificial death that allowed him to fulfill his God-assigned mission.

Does God Forgive Suicide? There’s no doubt that suicide is a terrible tragedy. For a Christian it is an even greater tragedy because it is a waste of a life that God intended to use in a glorious way. It would be difficult to argue that suicide is not a sin, for it is the taking of a human life, or to put it bluntly, murder. The Bible clearly expresses the sanctity of human life (Exodus 20:13). God is the author of life, thus, the giving and taking of life ought to remain in his hands (Job 1:21). In Deuteronomy 30:9-20, you can hear the heart of God crying out for his people to choose life: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life…” (NLT)

So, can a sin as grave as suicide destroy one’s salvation? The Bible tells us that at the moment of salvation a believer’s sins are forgiven (John 3:16; 10:28). When we become a child of God, all of our sins, even those committed after salvation, are no longer held against us. Ephesians 2:8 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” (NLT) So, we are saved by God’s grace, not by our own good deeds. In the same way that our good works don’t save us, our bad ones, or sins, cannot keep us from salvation. Paul made it plain in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from God’s love: And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT) There is only one sin that can separate us from God and send a person to hell. In this article, “What is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?,” I explain that the only unforgivable sin is refusing to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Anyone who turns to Jesus for forgiveness is made righteous by his blood (Romans 5:9) which covers our sin—past, present and future.

God’s Perspective on Suicide A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a Christian man who had committed suicide. The experience gave me a new perspective on the issue of Christians and suicide. The man who had killed himself was the son of one our church staff members. In the short time he had been a believer, he touched many lives for Jesus Christ. His funeral was one of the most moving memorials I had ever attended. With more than 500 mourners gathered, for nearly two hours, person after person testified of how this man had been used by God. He had pointed countless lives to faith in Christ and shown them the way to the Father’s love. I left the service convinced that what had driven him to commit suicide had been his inability to shake his addiction to drugs and the failure he felt as a husband, father, and son. Although it was a sad and tragic ending, nevertheless, his life testified undeniably of Christ’s redemptive power in an amazing way. I do not believe this man went to hell. His funeral made me realize that no one can truly understand the depth of someone else’s suffering, or the reasons that could drive a soul to such desperation.

Only God knows what is in a person’s heart (Psalm 139:1-2). Only he knows the extent of pain which might bring a person to the point of suicide. In conclusion, it bears repeating—suicide is a terrible tragedy, but it does not negate the Lord’s act of redemption. Our salvation rests securely in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. So then, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13, NIV)

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A question on my mind is: how responsible are others when their actions seem to influence a person’s choice to end their life? We see stories daily about teenagers who have committed suicide after being harassed and bullied by peers. Some have suggested that Rick Warren’s son was gay and took his own life as a result of his dad’s stand against gay marriage and homosexual behavior. We know many young people with homosexual desires do in fact kill themselves for this reason. The question is: how responsible, if at all, does God hold those who seem to influence others to end their lives? Please try to back your response to this up from the word of God.

By the way, a pastor friend of mine has written a book about what to do when a friend is considering suicide. Here is the Amazon link to the book:

http://www.amazon.com/HELP-My-Friend-Suicidal-ebook/dp/B00CBPTJ7M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365787749&sr=1-1&keywords=Help%21+My+Friend+is+suicidal

Today is April Fool’s Day and no one has pranked me–yet. There is still time for me to think up a gag to pull on Connie when she gets home. Here’s one, but it wouldn’t be funny: put on a long face and tell her they gave me the pink slip at work. They’re closing the place down and laying everyone off, effective immediately. One hour to clean out the desk and hit the road. At age sixty that would be some really terrible news, and only a cruel jerk would string his wife along in that way.

But the older I get and closer to exiting the bone suit the more I understand the meaning of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:19: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable. If the resurrection is like a big April Fool’s Day joke we are wasting our time trusting in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins He provides. We are fools for going to church and worshipping a dead savior; and our message to others is without any power. This day after Easter has me thinking just how essential the resurrection is.

Not only must the historical fact of the bodily resurrection be true, but we must believe it to be saved: If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Last week Connie was telling me of a friend who is a JW who told her that they celebrated the Lord’s death on Thursday but do not observe Easter. I told her this is because (1) JW’s believe that Jesus’ death ransoms us from the bondage of sin, but does not cleanse us from the guilt of individual sins. We must earn forgiveness by membership in the Watchtower cult and by our own works of righteousness. (2) JW’s do not believe that Christ was raised bodily from the grave, but instead teach a spirit resurrection. Another friend was telling me how certain theological liberals he has met teach that Jesus was not raised bodily but somehow lives on in our hearts. But anything that falls short of faith in a Christ who was raised bodily the third day is a bankrupt system that is impotent to save us.

When my daughter Josie was around eight or nine years old she asked me how I knew Jesus is alive. I told her this was not an issue that could be proven in the same way as one might demonstrate the reality of, say, water. There is no scientific way these many years removed from the resurrection to empirically validate or falsify the claim that Jesus was raised bodily. I told her that this kind or knowledge comes to us when God imparts to us the ability to know and believe. What I told her I tell any other seeker: get on your knees and ask God to open your heart to believe in the risen Lord. He is faithful and will answer you because your desire to know the truth is an indication that He has initiated a work in your heart and is drawing you to Him.

I think of David Stanley, who went home to Jesus a week ago. He is face-to-face with the Lord now, and all the suffering he endured as a man born blind has faded from his memory; for even though he was born blind, the Spirit opened the eyes of his heart to trust the risen Christ. What a great hope and encouragement we have in our risen prophet, priest, and king!

Here is a video snippet from a popular evangelical men’s series. I would like you to watch it and comment.

There are some great points made in this short segment, but one comment beginning at 0:23 of the video got me thinking the minute I heard it: The number one reason why He (God) made me was to minister to this woman (my wife).

I would like you to think about this comment in light of a few questions. (1) What is the meaning of the word minister in this context? (2) How do you think this concept squares with the account of the creation of man and woman in the garden (Genesis 1-2, especially in light of Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9). (3) How does this comment compare to the answer to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever? (4) Seeing how the husband-wife relationship is analogous to the relationship of Christ to the church (Ephesians 5:22ff), do you think it is fair to say that Christ’s main purpose in existence is to minister to us? (5) If you think the comment in the video does not reflect the teaching of scripture accurately, what modifications would you make to bring it in line with sound theology?

The video segment is about leadership. Obviously one facet of biblical leadership is serving and ministering to those we are to lead. But is it fair to say that is the number one reason why God made us? If such a comment is not biblical, where did it come from. Can you see any cultural factors which might have influenced the pastor in the segment to speak thus?

Please comment.

Several weeks ago a friend invited me to attend a 10-week series at the Thursday night men’s group at his church. When he said it would be kicked off with a BBQ dinner I was hooked in. I had attended this church casually a few times over the past couple years because my daughter and family attend there, as well as a few of my friends.

First, I really like the guys in the men’s group. They are really regular guys like me. Most of them own guns, drive trucks, and eat red meat. More importantly, they all have a genuine faith in Jesus. Fellowship with these guys beats an evening home in front of the boob tube hands down.

The other thing I like about this church is the balance between singing and preaching. They do sing some of the newer songs, but they mix in some of the older hymns done is a more upbeat contemporary style. There is genuine praise and worship using songs screened for content and by musicians and song leaders who don’t get too wild.

But the most important positive feature of this church in my mind is that it is Bible-based. When I stepped down from full-time ministry in August 2009 we started visiting churches for the first time in over 32 years. What we noticed was that in many churches no one carries a Bible–not even the pastor. But at our current church most everyone brings a Bible, and you can hear pages rustling during the sermon.

This pastor preaches right out of a biblical text every Sunday. You have no idea how rare that is becoming–a pastor who brings a Bible and opens it. The other thing is that this preacher is not afraid to step on a toe or two. This week he made it very clear that Jesus is the only way to the Father and there is salvation no one else. I never thought I’d see the day when such categorical (and biblical) pronouncements would seem uncommon in evangelical congregations. Not only does this pastor stick to the word; but he does it with passion and conviction. Preach it, brother!

I have been in a free fall for going on four years. I am 60 years old. I have toyed with the idea of going back into some form of full-time ministry, but now I feel like I should keep my day job as a mental health therapist and plug into a church where we can get good fellowship and teaching and where we can use our gifts and talents to the glory of God and edification of other believers.

This church looks like a place where we can hang our hats, and I am thankful for it.

In the list of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) joy is second to love. Of course the idea of a loveless Christian is an oxymoron; but what about joyless Christianity–that dour, sour, long-faced version so common in the Prozac age? Where does joy come from anyway? From the Holy Spirit to be sure, but not through some mysterious mystical kind of hocus-pocus. Paul in his letter to the Philippians repeatedly expressed his extreme gladness, despite the fact that he was sitting in a Roman prison; and in so doing teaches us that the joy of the Lord does not come to us in an unmediated way. What then were the occasions of his joy? (1) 1:4-5: participation in the gospel with other believers. (2) 1:18: knowing the gospel was being proclaimed. (3) 1:25: knowing his fellow believers would continue to make spiritual progress. (4) 2:2: seeing other believers living in harmony with oneness of mind and purpose. (5) 2:17-18: reciprocal sharing of joy with others. (6) 2:28-29: being reunited with a beloved brother in the Lord. (7) 3:1: rejoicing simply in the Lord–in His person and work. (8) 4:1: other believers in and of themselves were Paul’s pride and joy. (9) 4:10: the care and concern of fellow Christians. As is true with any fruit of the Spirit you can’t produce it yourself and you can’t produce it alone. Fellowship with other believers is a key (but neglected) element. It was for Paul and it is for us. The joy of the Lord is contagious: when you are around truly joyful contented believers it cannot help but rub off.

Like love, Joy is not to be done solo. One of the best reasons I can think of for attending church on Sundays and other meetings during the week is to stimulate the joy of the Lord. Being around likeminded Christians and worshipping together has a way of rekindling joy. I hear many say that they don’t go to church to learn scripture because there is so much material available through books, the internet, blogs, and bible software. I think there is some truth to this. In the old days before the information age the church was the center of biblical instruction. But in our culture now so many people are lonely and feel disconnected from others. I know in my busy life it is often so. Even the seminaries are offering much of their coursework online.  For me going to church or a mid-week bible study, men’s group, or prayer meeting provides a joy-producing fellowship. I do not look for deep theology or exegesis in sermons but for encouragement.

So if you want the joy of the Lord you need to get around God’s children on a regular basis. Joy is caught, not taught. It is true that when Paul was in prison he could not be around other believers, but that is not the situation for any of us. Moreover, observe how the bases of Paul’s joy were rooted in the spiritual experiences of other believers.

The Roman Catholic cardinals elected a new pope this week, Jorge Mario Bergogliow, of Argentina. Conservative Catholics were elated to see a new pope who stands by traditional doctrines and values, while the more progressive elements are gnashing their teeth.

Right away people were lauding the new pope because he has chosen a meager dwelling instead of the mansion provided by the church and has shunned transportation by limousine for public transit. He seems to be genuinely concerned about the plight of the poor and downtrodden of his native Argentina.

Of course he must be a born-again believer–right? Here is where I see believers going wrong.  Some evangelical Tea Party members have embraced Glenn Beck, a committed Mormon, as a brother in Christ. For years I have heard Christian writers and preachers cite the righteous deeds of Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. as unmistakable fruits of spiritual regeneration. But is this sound thinking?

No.

We moderns have forgotten what scripture teaches about sin and its effects. We know all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that there is none righteous (Romans 3:10ff). Sure, no one is perfect, we all mess up, to err is human, and so on. But it is much worse than that. We are dead spiritually in our natural state (Ephesians 2:1), which means we are enslaved to sin and incapable of coming to Christ or even wanting to (John 6:44). We possess not a molecule of righteousness whereby we might commend ourselves to God. While any so-called good deeds we perform might be of benefit to other humans individually or society collectively, the fact is that such works are of no meritorious value before God. In fact God hates such so-called righteousness–it stinks to him like sour filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). This is because for all his love for man on the horizontal plane, the unbeliever has only hatred for the true God on the vertical plane.

When we see selfless loving deeds performed by others our human logic tells us these people must be saved–how could they not be? We think this way because our standard of righteousness is not the same as God’s. If justification/righteousness by good works were possible the pass/fail cutoff would be 100%. If any man keeps the whole law and yet offends in the smallest point he is as guilty before God as the one who transgressed in every point (James 2:10).

True saving righteousness is imputed to those who believe the gospel. Believing the gospel means believing what the Bible says about the nature of man as a sinner and the nature of God as holy and righteous. It means believing in the sinless-ness of Christ, his substitutionary death and bodily resurrection. It means repenting of any and all notions about our own righteousness and trusting completely in Christ as our only hope of eternal life. To even arrive at the place where we are able to consciously exercise genuine faith alone in Christ alone means God has regenerated our hearts and caused us to pass from death to life. These truths are so clear as to need no further explanation (See John 3:15-22; 5:24; 6:47; 20:31; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 5:13.). Once a sinner has been born again his good works are not meritorious, nor are they based primarily on a love for man. The believer loves God because God has first loved him; and from a heart of gratitude and heartfelt compassion for others he reaches out in service. That is the proper context for good deeds, and outside that context the so-called good deeds of any unregenerate sinner are a foul stench to the Lord because they are based on a prideful belief in one’s own righteousness and a denial of what God declares about the true nature of fallen man.

Glenn Beck denies the gospel. He is not a Christian. He might be a nice guy, and you might agree with him concerning social and political issues. But you cannot have genuine fellowship with him if you are a child of God because without Jesus he is a child of the devil. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very courageous man who died for his convictions; but he denied nearly every essential tenet of the biblical gospel. Mother Theresa likewise, despite all her humanitarian efforts, made statements repeatedly that demonstrated she did not believe in justification by faith alone. Like most Catholics she believed in the death and resurrection of Christ but she was not trusting in Christ alone and his finished work as her only hope of eternal life. For this reason I doubt that either Dr. King or Mother Theresa is in heaven at this moment. Their humanitarian service puts me to shame; but I am not the one they will be measured against come judgment day.

As for the new pope, I cannot comment regarding his faith. I do know that if he holds to standard Catholic theology he is not born again by biblical definition, despite his humble living quarters and meager means of transport.

My purpose in writing these words is not to hurt and offend anyone, but to bring us back to clarity about what it means to truly believe the gospel. I will not deny that unbelievers have performed many humanitarian deeds that we rightly regard as good and noble in a societal sense. In fact the unregenerate often put true believers to shame in these areas. But that is no reason to confuse the meaning of the gospel or expand the parameters of what it means to be a true believer.

Tonight as I sit in my favorite chair following a delicious meal I can’t help but reflect of how fast time goes by. I remember how as a little boy sitting through dreadfully boring services in the Lutheran church where I was later confirmed I envisioned heaven as an eternal church service. To me it seemed like a dismal way to spend eternity, but it sure beat going to hell. As far as heaven and hell went it seemed to me that if the Lord were to judge me based on my own goodness I would be a goner for sure. My strategy was to live it up while I was young and then when I was too old to have fun I would clean up my life, pray, read the Bible, and go to church. God would see I was trying and give me an “A” for effort. That day seemed so far away as to be almost unreal. I looked at my grandparents on both sides, now passed on, and could not imagine what it would be like to be so old and feeble.

Before I knew it I was looking back on sixty years. All my old friends are either talking about retirement or lamenting the fact that they can’t retire. As we look back across decades too quickly come and gone we mostly reflect on all the time and opportunity we have wasted. Yes, the Lord has been good. We baby boomers were pretty much spoiled up until the past decade or so. Some of us went to college, and others slid into jobs that paid the bills and offered good benefits. We bought houses and cars and had kids. Some of us did quite well financially. Quite a few of us were saved during the so-called Jesus movement of the late 60′s and early 70′s. We started out as hippies, then morphed into yuppies. Now we are oldsters. Hard to believe but true.

But we can be productive stewards of the remaining time on earth the Lord grants us. First and foremost, we can keep trusting and walking with Christ. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, unlike the creatures of change that we are. His word endures forever, and his truth principles are not altered by the sliding scale of morality that has made a shambles of our nation and the evangelical church. My exhortation to you, my brethren, is to stay anchored in your faith in Christ and his finished work on your behalf. Hold fast the faithful word, and do not be carried off by every new wind of doctrine. Stay the course, and join with others who are committed to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. In a word, avail yourself of genuine Christian fellowship whenever and wherever you can get it. Like David, encourage yourself in the Lord your God, and like Caleb do not let your age deter you from putting the deeds of the flesh to death daily. Keep kicking ass because it’s kill or be killed. No, you won’t roll over and die–God has His hand on you and He won’t let you crash and burn. He who began a good work in you will see it through to completion on the day of Christ.

Young people are watching you. You might feel marginalized and even irrelevant. I know in some ways I do. Booming technology and changes in education and technology render me in many ways unable to counsel young people looking for guidance in terms of career paths. But in the really important areas of life–trusting God, loving your spouse, walking in honesty–these are life habits best learned by observation. If you make it your ambition to live a godly life in Jesus young people will be drawn to you. Especially if you are Bible-based in your world view. Let’s face it, the culture has capitulated to humanistic pagan thinking, and the church is tagging along and aping the latest trends in the name of relevance. Go against the flow and you will ruffle a few people; but God is still calling out a people for His glory from the younger generation. They desperately need older Christians as mentors who have not thrown in the towel but have kept their hand to the plow and their focus straight ahead, fixed on the author and finisher of their faith.

The fact is that the next twenty years will fly by faster than the last twenty. If the Lord lets us see eighty-something we will be that much closer to glory. Sure, we will probably look back then and see all we didn’t do. But we can still make a difference if we avail ourselves of the means of grace He has provided.