Thoughts on the Destruction of Statues

Those who destroy statues of sinners forget that they are sinners themselves.
Destroying the statues won't change history or hurt the people depicted.
Those people are either going to be judged by God, or they are forgiven sinners who are with the Lord (if they were believers).

The hate inside those who destroy (or those who want to overthrow the country due to the imperfect history it has) will more likely destroy the destructive angry people themselves.
It won't change their own prejudices or the prejudices of others.
Only God can tranform hearts and behavior and prejudices.

I believe some would be surprised to know that there will be people in Heaven who were sinners just like some of those depicted by the statues.  

There will be those who had slaves or supported it like Philemon, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield, etc.

There will be those who had multiple wives like David and Jacob/Israel, etc.. 

I'm not excusing sinful behaviors or practices, but it is a good reminder to think about that those things were in those God used greatly when they were on earth. 

In this day of canceling and writing people off quickly, we should be thankful that God doesn't treat His children that way when we sin in thought, action, word, or deed.

He even shows mercy and love to enemies by providing the sun and rain and food while they are on earth.

He is much more patient with us than we are with others.

The statues mean little and should not be worshipped, but they are a reminder of history ...both good and bad.

Not only is it wrong to destroy what doesn't belong to you, it also ignores that even out of the mixture of good and bad in history there are traces of God's handiwork to be found.

You can petition for things like statues to be moved to museums if you want.  

That doesn't bother me.

You will never be able to create a perfect country untainted by sin by destroying historical pieces or making demands to defund the police or completely change the government or justice system.

The Christian realizes that Christ will return, and His Kingdom will be better than anything previously known since the fall of man.

Anything that people come up with today will fail either immediately or eventually.

It will be tainted by sin.

The reason why is that sin infiltrates even the best of governments.

Even if the United (or not so United) States is allowed to destroy itself as a judgment of God, I know that my hope is in the Lord.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.
Psalm 118:8 NASB

John MacArthur on the Riots ➕ Free Expository Preaching Lectures

"Who's to Blame for the Riots? "

On Sunday, John MacArthur gave a message which outlined the restraints that God has given for people and society.
If you missed it, you can listen HERE.  I was watching it with family (live-streaming) Sunday afternoon, and I later saw comments by others about it online.  I recommend checking it out.

John MacArthur talked with Larry Elder about the message above:

Part 2: John responds to questioning from Larry Elder.

Free Lessons on Expository Preaching

The Master's Seminary has free lectures online which should be helpful for qualified men to learn the fundamentals of preaching.
You can find them HERE.

Should Respect for Governmental Authority Be Ignored in Times Like These?

The short answer is "No."

I watched some of the "news" this morning.

The media continues to undermine Presidential authority and the respect that should be shown to authority (as Scripture teaches).

I also notice that they have all but abandoned concern for the health of people.
You don't see them complaining very much about the mass gatherings or the risk of COVID-19...only maybe a brief mention.

Breaking the law is not peaceful.  

Yes, that means that people breaking curfew are not doing God's will (Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2:13-17).

If they are asked to disperse and refuse, law enforcement is perfectly justified in dispersing them.
Meanwhile, people's businesses have been damaged or ruined, people injured, and even murdered...in the name of protest. 

People have damaged monuments and police vehicles (which is something that costs the taxpayers money).

Can people not see the hypocrisy of those showing hate and doing damage to people and property? 

The police are recruited from the same sinful human race as everyone else, and those who protest them are not any less prone to sin. 

There are those in law enforcement who do their best every day.  

The main thing that is systemic is sin's presence in all of humankind.

The Bible teaches me to obey authorities.  It doesn't even say "just the ones who are nice."

It teaches us to love our neighbors.  It teaches love and prayer even for enemies.

America has the blessing of allowing people to address things in a lawful and peaceful way.

So, those who see bad things that they want to address can do it without breaking the laws or disrespecting authority.

Many countries do not have nearly as much freedom as we have.

The most common injustice in America that causes death is against babies in the womb.

Sadly, that has been made legal.

Some people seem to think they can be anarchists when they see something wrong, but this shouldn't be the case with Christians.

Have you ever hated or been angry with someone?

Matthew 5:21-22 shows that in God's sight anger can be as bad as murder.

Even righteous anger can quickly turn into unrighteous anger.

Have you ever lusted?

That is as bad as adultery in God's eyes.

God's justice always will prevail, but the whole human race is sinful regardless of color or ethnicity.

There is none righteous.

We are born a sinful race.  All of us.

We need forgiveness and mercy, and the only way to have that is through faith in Christ ... to have His perfect righteousness credited to our account.  He died to satisfy God's just wrath against the sins of all who put their trust in Him, and He rose again (Romans 4:25).

Please watch this ➨What is the Gospel message?

Doctrinal Danger & Lost Friendship

Since I used to endorse and share things from Tony Miano in years past, I believe it is right to share the following two videos.

I know I'm rather late saying anything about this on my blog, but I would encourage people who are familiar with Mike Reid or Tony to watch the interviews and strongly consider them.

I truly care about Tony Miano, his family, and the others in the church he is in (though we are no longer online friends).
I could not support his move to that church, and now, I see the red flags even more.

Sharing these is not about my personal hurt.
This is not about wanting to hurt others.
This is not about slander.
This is about researched information and testimony from different people.
My hope is that God will work in the hearts of people and that truth will prevail.
I care about people enough to share these things.

I have been removing posts related to Tony until such time as things turn around.
I cannot guarantee that I haven't missed some of them for those checking.
I hope that I will not lose friends, but I believe this is the right thing to do.

 Please hear what the doctrinal views and practices are of the church mentioned, and please consider the risks to people due to them.

Those Who Love Me & Those Who Don't

I don't put a lot of credit to my dreams.  

Sometimes my dreams do reveal things that are fears or insecurities that I have. 

I had a dream this morning where I learned that someone was rejecting me for my lack of eloquence and interesting conversation.  

What with brain fog making thinking unclear and never having had any confidence in the skill of conversation making, it is easy to see why this kind of dream would disturb me.

I have less going on in my life than when I was young, and so the quantity of topics I have to share about even online is quite limited.

I realized it was only a dream, and I can't really read the minds of those who choose to not respond to me.

It made me think about how people actually do show partiality and reject others, and so I looked up some verses related to various kinds of partiality as addressed in Scripture.

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
James 2:8-9 NASB

James was warning about not holding our faith with an attitude of personal favoritism - giving an example of how someone might ignore a poor person and show favor to the rich.

Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
Acts 10:34-35 NASB

God saves people of all ethnicities and colors, and so the Gospel is to be proclaimed to everyone.

Unity in Christ also includes every believer without distinction.

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Matthew 5:44-46 NASB

Even when people reject us and are mean to us, those of us who are Christians should remember that we don't deserve God's mercy and grace.  We must remember that we were once enemies though chosen of God.  God even gives rain and food to those who do not receive His truth and trust in Him.

We are to love our enemies and pray for them.

In many cases, it is often God that people are objecting to the most.

They reject us as we represent Him.

Do I love only my friends and not others?  

Do I love those who do not show love back to me?

Do I forgive people who hurt me?  

Do I love those that I have little in common with outside of their being fellow Christians?  

Do I show love to my enemies?  

Do I love those who say things that make me angry?  

Do I love the lost who are blind to the truth and spew out evil or rude things?  

Do I pray for them?

I'd have to say that I'm not always consistent on this, and I certainly don't always react right immediately.  

I still have a long ways to go in sanctification.

Do you struggle with this?

Christians, please pray for me, and let me know if you would like prayer in this area (or any other).

Adoption Deferred, American Puritans, & a Live-Streamed Hymn Sing on May 13, 2020

Hope Deferred 
I've been praying about a young girl's adoption for a long time now, and the article linked below filled in some of the gaps in my knowledge of the situation.
It is all of God's plan, but it has been difficult for the family.
COVID-19 Ruined OUR Adoption Plans - Peter LeDuc

The American Puritans
Nate Pickowicz has teamed up with Dustin Benge to write a new book about some of the New England Puritans.
I have not read this particular book, but I know that Nate is an excellent writer.
I've also seen Dustin Benge's presence on Twitter, and so I know he has good things to say as well.
The American Puritans (on Amazon)
The book is also available to order on the Reformation Heritage Books site HERE.

Hymn Sing 
Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield, California, has been having a time for singing hymns live-streaming online on Wedenesday nights for a few weeks.

I've been enjoying participating by singing at home, even though it starts at 10 PM where I live!
It begins at 7 PM Pacific time. 

If you are able to be online and to sing along, I highly recommend it!

Immigration from the Soviet Union - God's Faithfulness in Harrowing Times

Their parents were arrested as Christians in a communist country.

Christian literature was hidden under one of them as a baby (and discovered).
This is a really interesting account of how God brought Mark & Joe as children to the U.S. from Russia (Latvia) 30 years ago, and how it can relate to our own difficult situations.

Thinking Biblically with Mark and Joe Zhakevich
Mark and Joe Zhakevich, elders at our church and professors at The Master’s Seminary, reflect on God’s faithfulness, family, and immigrating to the United States.
Posted by Grace Community Church on Saturday, April 25, 2020

When I was young and went to Grace Community Church, letters were sent to encourage Christians in the Soviet Union.
I later met some others who came from Russia and were trying to minister to people still there.

Before glasnost and perestroika, I used to listen to the news in my youth and about how close war could be with the Soviet Union.
I also remember imagining as a young person about somehow being a missionary in Russia, but then young people often think they are braver than they really are or turn out to be as adults.

I found the story of these guys fascinating.
I'm sure it was frightening in reality for the adults, and yet, God was faithful!
That doesn't mean that God isn't faithful when people do get imprisoned or sick or in hardships.
The Lord is still the faithful Shepherd of His sheep.  He will be with us and help us.
I know I need to keep reminding myself of these things.