Photo by Robbie Pruitt © 2011
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WaPo: U.S. forces kill Osama bin Laden, Photo By justgrimes,http://www.flickr.com/photos/notbrucelee/5680354671/
Guest Post By Pastor Trey Pruitt
I decided, based on recent events and many people approaching me on the subject, to comment on the death of Osama Bin Laden.
The Bible states, “Justice executed is a joy to the righteous but a terror to those who practice iniquity.” - Proverbs 21:15
It is certainly ok to celebrate justice. It is certainly ok for Christians to rejoice when there is justice in the world. However, this must be different than celebrating vengeance. “Vengeance is mine…” says the Lord.
In addition, we must be cautious… the Bible also tells us this, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles. Or the Lord will see, be displeased, and turn His wrath away from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18) The enemy here is terrorists and their idolatrous ideology founded in the religion of Islam. God does not want us celebrating death or else we will be no better than our enemy!
Where is the balance in these? First we must understand the difference between our response as Christians and the Government’s response to evil. The Bible states, “For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.” (Romans 13:4)
The Bible tells us that the execution of Osama Bin Laden is a good thing, and we can have joy in the fact that justice was served. What happened is good because it was carried out by God’s instrument for justice. We can also take joy in the fact that we live in a God fearing nation that promotes justice and defends the weak. I pray for the fulfillment of Proverbs 21:15… that the just acts of the United States has brought terror upon those who seek to work iniquity in this world. Military and law enforcement “use of force” is God ordained when it is carried out in a God honoring manner. I am grateful that our President recognized the need for justice and had the courage to act. We must continue to pray that God will guide President Obama! In addition, I am grateful for all of our veterans, our service members and our law enforcement professionals who do the Lord’s work in dangerous situations!
Now, we must not forget about our response as Christians. A Christian can certainly use force under the authority of government, when it is just. However, there is an even greater calling for the church of Jesus Christ! I am reminded of a quote from Henry David Thoreau, “For every one hundred men cutting the branches of evil there is but one who strikes the root.” The job of the church of Jesus Christ is to cut away at the root of evil. We are grateful to our military and law enforcement officers who consistently chop away at the branches of evil… but there is only one group of people who are equipped and called to address the root of the problem, and those people are you (Christians)!
The Bible tells us not to be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good. Love conquers hate! Forgiveness, and sharing God’s love with the world strikes at the very root of evil! As a church, we must do our duty. The only way to conquer evil is to see the hearts of mankind transformed by the loving power of Jesus Christ.
The United States has the Navy Seals and the CIA but the God of heaven also has His special forces; the Church and the angelic hosts under the command of Jesus. As this great nation exports justice with firepower, we must export the love of God with spiritual power. “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6:12)
We must share the love of Jesus Christ with the Muslim world. Yes, even to those who seek to do us harm. After all, they cannot terrorize us because we do not fear man but God (Matthew 10:28). And we are not of those who shrink back in fear but we are bold in faith. (Hebrews 10:38-39)
Take joy in justice but do not allow yourself to gloat and do not allow a vengeful heart… God will honor both you and our nation if we do this.
Pastor Trey Pruitt
Hope Baptist Church
Photo by jurvetson, Ants in Space!
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise . . .” –Proverbs 6:6
Every year at about this time in Virginia ants begin to invade. You may have experienced this before. As the weather gets nicer and the spring begins these little creatures wake up in the warmth and find their way indoors to look for food. Both in homes and in offices in Washington, DC and the surrounding suburbs, the ant’s takeover begins. These little creatures are nothing if not persistent.
If you watch the ant you can see they are disciplined, industrious, committed, hard-working, relentlessly crafty, and diligent. While looking at these creatures, it is also easy to reflect on Proverbs 6:6-11, which asks us to consider the ant and to be wise.
What does it mean to consider the ant? How would considering the ant’s ways make us wise?
Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of scripture puts Proverbs 6:6-11 like this:
You lazy fool, look at an ant.
Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Nobody has to tell it what to do.
All summer it stores up food;
at harvest it stockpiles provisions.
So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?
How long before you get out of bed?
A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
poverty your permanent houseguest!
Photo Rock Skipping by -Aero-Lite
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:17-18
"My wife Irene loves to skip rocks when we are backpacking in the mountains. Often we find ourselves at a river bank or at the edge of a mountain lake so that Irene can skip rocks. I usually find a place to rest and watch her as she skips rocks with childlike joy and wonder. The rocks skip across the water, the more skips the better, then they slow to a stop and sink to the bottom.
As I watched this for some time, it hit me that many us, go through life like skipping rocks. Many of us are skipping rocks in our relationships with God and with one another. We rush through life at such a pace that we hit the surface of interaction and relating to God and others and we bounce to the next person or the next big thing, only to bounce on . . . and on . . . and on. In the process we miss the depth and richness that God has for us. If only we were to slow down long enough, we would sink to the depth of relationship that God has in mind for each of us to have with Himself and with one another.
Paul relates this truth well in Ephesians 3:18 when he prays that the Church in Ephesus would 'have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ' for them. Would we also be given the power and ability to understand, grasp and sink to the depths of Christ's love for us and for one another.
Lord, we praise you for the depth of love that you have for us and for calling us into that depth of love for you and for one another. We confess that we often go through life like skipping rocks and barely skim the surface of what you have for us. Grant us Lord Jesus the power and presence of your Holy Spirit to slow us down and sink us to the depths of your love. Amen!
This past Super Bowl Sunday, February 6th 2011, Church of the Epiphany in Herndon Virginia participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring for their sixth year. The Souper Bowl of Caring is a national organization dedicated to supporting charities that feed the hungry and help the homeless across the nation and all over the globe. As of today, February 8, 2011, over five million dollars has been raised to help people in need.
The way the Souper Bowl of Caring works is through local congregations leveraging the excitement of the Super Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday by holding soup pots after Sunday services and collecting financial donations and canned goods for their charity of choice. Church of the Epiphany collected donations after their 8:00am and 10:00am services. They supported Western Fairfax Christian Ministries again this year and raised $372.00 and over 75 canned goods during their collection.
To celebrate the collection the Youth Ministries at Epiphany threw a Super Bowl Party where they collected more canned goods, watched the game, and had dinner and fellowship together. Over 47 people participated in the Super Bowl Party and Celebration and a wonderful time was had by all who participated, proving that service and celebration fit together beautifully!
According to the Souper Bowl of Caring web site, thousands of youth from churches all across the country tackled hunger on Super Bowl Sunday. Over 4,955 groups have participated so far. In 2010, youth across the country generated over $10 million for local charities through the Souper Bowl of Caring. In 2011, they hope to mobilize even more youth and generate even more money for those in need.
No matter the size of your congregation, or of your youth group, you can help provide shelter to the homeless, food to the hungry, and compassion to the needy by joining the Souper Bowl of Caring. So join the movement and act on Jesus’ call to care for our neighbors by going online today and check out the Souper Bowl of Caring: http://souperbowl.org/about/.
“And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” –Acts 26:14
When I was studying to be a cabinet maker at a trade school connected with my local high school, we learned a lot about wood and how to cut it, shape it, and finish it into cabinets. One of the most important safety lessons that we learned is that “kickback” is the number one cause of injury in a wood shop.
Kickback is a strong violent reaction that a saw has when wood binds the blade of the saw that is being used. This can occur due to operator error or through natural phenomena. When kickback happens, the saw can throw wood across a shop or into the operator, or into another person, and can severely injure or even kill them. A person can also be cut as a result of kickback if a saw gets out of their control.
In our relationship with God, kickback is also hazardous and is a momentous danger for the believer. The difference is that this type of “kickback” is not an “accident,” or a natural phenomenon, as much as it is operator error, or disobedience to the will of God. When we kickback against the will of God there is great consequence and risk to our lives, to the lives of others, and to our faith.
Saul experienced reprimand from Jesus for kicking back against His will on the road to Damascus. Saul was persecuting Christians and going against the will of God and going against His people. When Jesus met up with Saul on the road to Damascus, He said: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
In the Greek culture there was a proverb that spoke of “kicking against the prick,” or “kicking against the goad.” This meant going against what was required or against what was right or expected. We have a modern saying in our culture that is synonymous: “Going against the grain.”
A prick or goad was a long stick with a piece of sharpened iron fastened to the end of it. It was used to prod, goad, or spur mature oxen to do their work. If the oxen got off course or went or did something that they were not supposed to do, the plowman or worker would goad the oxen and it would be unpleasant. The oxen would then get back on track. If the oxen were stubborn, did not take the redirection, and kicked back against the prick, the result would be injury and would be even more unpleasant.
Often times in our lives, in our faith, and in our ministries, we “go against the grain.” We kick against the prick. We go against the will of our God. The result is not good. Going against God’s will can be devastating to our lives, to the lives around us, and to our faith. God has a direction and a way that He is trying to lead us that is best for us. God is leading. If we, like Paul and those with him, were to fall to the ground in humility and hear Him, then we would be far better off.
May we follow God’s will for our lives and not kickback at God. Would we be obedient to the will of God and not kick against the prick, the provoking of our Lord.
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” –Romans 8:15
It has been said that this current generation is a “fatherless generation.” According to the 2010 census, 34% of children under 18 do not live in a 2-parent household. Fatherlessness can lead to all sorts of fears and insecurities. Many people without fathers experience loneliness, a feeling of danger, distrust, and being unsure of life’s unpredictability and uncertainty.
Fear is an emotion that has relentlessly haunted humanity since the garden and the fall. It began with distrust of the Father’s love and our disobedience forcing its way onto the scene. The result of this fall was our hiding from our true Father out of our guilt and shame. We have been hiding in fear ever since then, “fatherless.”
God, in His love and mercy, chose not to abandon us, disappoint us, or fail us, as some of our earthly fathers have. God has sought us out in our hiding. When he found us, He drew us gently toward Himself, in His great mercy and love, in order to restore us and give us His resurrection life. As Jesus said in John 6:34, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
While we were rebelling against a Holy God and hiding in fear and shame, God gave us His Spirit to eradicate all our fears and insecurities and to adopt us as His very own sons and daughters, allowing us once again to walk with Him in the cool of the day and call him “Papa!” or “Abba, Father!” never to have to fear again.
Jesus, thank you for drawing us to yourself through your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your resurrection life, and for adopting us as your children, removing all our fears. May we allow you to be our ‘Abba, Father,’ listen to your teaching, and enjoy your everlasting life. Amen.
"Fear is the mind killer." - Dune
Photo: By Jimee, Jackie, Tom & Asha
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." -2 Timothy 1:7
In our day and age, especially in the Washington DC area, fear is an extremely powerful emotion. Fear can drive us to our automatic “fight or flight responses” that are designed to protect us. Fear can also paralyze us so that we cannot “move,” make decisions, or live “normally” or healthily. Fear can cripple us relationally and professionally. Fear can lead us away from boldly making intentional and well thought out decisions. Fear can send us running in the wrong direction, or in all directions, aimlessly, and unintentionally. Fear is deadly and must be dealt with.
A well known minister of the gospel and author A.W. Tozer said, “The prevailing attitudes of fear, distrust and unrest permeating our world are known to all of us. But in God's plan some of us also know a beautiful opposite: the faith and assurance found in the church of Jesus Christ. God still has a restful ‘family’ in His church." Tozer recognized, even in his day, the power of fear and its default position in our lives. He also recognized that God’s church is to be different. God’s people are to be the “beautiful opposite” of fear. The church is to be faithful, assured, and restful as God’s family.
The scriptures teach us so much about fear. We are instructed many times by God not to fear and it is clear from scripture that fear is not of the Lord. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul instructs Timothy that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but has given us the Spirit of power, love, and of sound mind. This is God’s will and the result of God’s Spirit at work in His church. God’s design is that the believer not be fearful but that they are powerful, loving, and of sound mind.
As we enter into a new year, would we be courageous as God’s church. Would we be “beautifully opposite” of fear and live faithful, assured, and restful lives that are filled with power, love, and of sound mind as we live as God’s family. May we, as Tozer put it, “Only fear being out of the will of God.”
