@ the crossroads

There have been many natural disasters in the news over the past few weeks.  Large scale destruction and death forces people to think at a deeper level so I have formulated a brief response to some of these disasters.  The goal is to give followers of Christ a biblical foundation from which to process incredibly difficult and painful events that are affecting millions of people around the globe.  This response will also be included in this Sunday’s bulletin as a hand-out:

As of Tuesday, May 13 at Noon, there were reports of 62,000 people dead or missing in Myanmar as a result of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis.  The United Nations has estimated that the death toll will likely surpass 100,000 people.  These numbers are difficult to fathom.  Imagine if the entire population of the city of Lakeland was swept away.  Then, you can get a sense of the magnitude of this potential death toll.  However, the tragic news does not end with the disaster in Myanmar.  China has also been hit with a significant earthquake that registered 7.9 on the Richter scale.  At midday on Tuesday, May 13, the number of deaths related to the quake had surpassed 12,000 and over 18,000 people were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang. 

Tragedies of this kind always provoke the one word question: “Why?”  To dive a bit deeper into the realm of theology, the question then becomes: “If there is a God who is all-powerful and compassionate, how can He allow such horrible events to occur in the world?”  While we are never privy to the full answer on the ways of God in the world, we do need to have a framework in our lives that defines reality in a way that is true to the nature of God and the Bible.  Here are a few thoughts in response to the recent tragedies in Myanmar and China:

1)     The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all events and powers, even Satan and the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).  One aspect of God’s sovereignty is the setting of limits on the activity of evil.  In the book of Job, Satan approaches God with this question: “Does Job fear God for nothing?”  He goes on to say, “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?  You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”  The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger” (Job 1:9-12).  Notice how God sets the limits on Satan’s activity in Job’s life.  Nothing happens apart from God’s knowledge and care.  However, the God who calms the storm (see Luke 8:24) is the same God who allows some storms to exist, intensify, and bring about destruction.  He is sovereign over all circumstances.  Somehow, in ways we may never fully understand in this lifetime, God’s ways are designed to maximize His glory in the world.   

2)     Human rebellion against God has affected all aspects of God’s creation.  Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome: “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:20-22).  After Adam & Eve’s rebellion in the Garden (moral evil), God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you…”  In other words, the natural world has been involuntarily drawn into the corruption of the present world through God’s judgment (curse).  Cyclones and earthquakes that kill thousands of people (often called natural evil) are an indication of a frustrated creation that is in bondage to death and decay. 

3)     Natural evil serves as a constant reminder of our great need for the saving hand of God.  We often forget the seriousness of our sinful condition as human beings.  Our lives often go on for extended periods of time without any reflection at all regarding our desperate spiritual condition.  Natural evil (such as Cyclone Nargis, the earthquake in China, or even heart disease or cancer) is meant to remind us of the moral evil in our own lives and our need for a Savior.  We are much more apt to give God our attention after experiencing a tragedy than we are during the seasons of life when things seem to be sailing along.  Every time we are confronted by natural disasters, we should ponder the depth and gravity of sin.  The level of sorrow we feel toward those who are suffering in Myanmar should be of the same intensity as the sorrow we feel toward our own sin.

4)     God calls us to respond to tragedy with a spirit of compassion and generosity.  Romans 5:6 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”  God’s response to our sinful condition is one of sacrificial, abundant, generous love.  Christ’s torturous death on the cross stands at the center of history and we are the beneficiaries of His amazing grace.  Having received the benefits of becoming a new creation in Christ, we are then called to respond to desperate situations and natural disasters in a compassionate way; we serve as the loving hands of Jesus to the world.

My son Ross turned 10 yesterday.  He is excited about entering the realm of double digits; I am only partially excited as I realize what that means for the realm of life I must be entering…

Prior to my son’s birth 10 years ago, my wife and I had been praying for several years that God would bless us with a child.  In a miraculously fitting way, Ross was born on the National Day of Prayer, May 7, 1998.  He was delivered at 12:30 p.m. while Christians all around the town were gathered for prayer on that special day.  The birth announcements that we mailed to friends and family contained these words from 1 Samuel 1:27-28:

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord…

These are the words of Hannah, a woman who had previously been barren, but through the gracious hand of God was blessed with a boy named Samuel.  It has always amazed me how Hannah had the faith and strength to give her son to the Lord.  She never lost sight of the fact that her son was truly a gift from God.  One of the ongoing challenges of parenthood is to give our children over to God…for their entire lives. 

One of the most exciting aspects of being a pastor is witnessing the mobilization of people in mission and ministry.  Here are some of the gifts I have seen at work in the Crossroads body lately:

Generosity: Thank you for being faithful stewards of all God has entrusted to you.  Last week, Crossroads mailed off a check to Seeds of Hope International Partnerships in the amount of $5,500 for the digging of a new water well in Zambia.  More money continues to come in and there is the possibility of raising enough money to cover a second well!

(This morning I was reading through the book of Galatians and noticed that helping the poor was one of the common goals of the apostles.  Paul wrote in Galatians 2:9-10, “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.  They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.  All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”)  Local and global missions is a large part of the Crossroads vision.  Ministry to the poor and the oppressed serves as a unifying agent within the church. 

Service: Too often the “upfront” ministries of the church are singled out as being of more significance than the “behind the scenes” ministries.  Crossroads is full of people who are faithful in those “behind the scenes” areas.  Whether it is lawn maintenance, facility maintenance, bringing refreshments, caring for babies in the nursery, or straightening chairs in the auditorium, God is being glorified and people are being served.  A healthy church is one where the work gets accomplished and people are not clamoring for notoriety and attention.  There is tremendous power in humble, quiet service.

Missionary Gifts: We don’t often think of the missionary gift, but I believe God equips certain people by gifting them for cross-cultural ministry.  One of the reasons Crossroads values short-term mission trips is that God often calls people into ministry after they have experienced another culture.  My prayer is that some of the people going on the trips to Africa and Mexico this summer will sense God’s call to enter ministry as a full-time vocation.  Please continue to pray for the following missionaries in the days ahead: April Hershberger, Fred Cogdill, Kacey Lorton, Jon English, Mike Morrell, George Fraine, Amanda Percy, Jessica Brown, Bridgette Dreher, Jay Edgar, Ashley Ezell, Matt Ford, Tori Ford, Laci Leibe, Colleen Mattingly, Denise Mattingly, Ryan Persichetti, Travis Whirl, Stephen Ketelhut.

One of the blessings of being a Christian in the 21st Century is the abundant access to good Christian books.  Taking a stroll in a Christian bookstore is almost overwhelming when it comes to the sheer number of possible selections on a given subject (prayer, Christian living, finances, men’s issues, women’s issues, etc.).  Sometimes, however, blessings can hold a hidden danger if they become the end instead of a means to a greater end.  When it comes to books, Christ followers should strive to be primarily consumed with THE book, the Bible.  All other resources should merely supplement the growth we are experiencing by daily immersing ourselves in the scriptures.  Do you have a plan for spending time each day meditating on the life-giving word of God? 

This morning, as I was reading through the book of Hebrews, I came across this powerful verse:

For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)

This verse holds an amazing truth: God’s word is alive.  When we commit to read and study the Bible, God brings life to our soul and we are renewed in His presence.  Let’s all be challenged to open the Bible first, before picking up a Christian book.  Here are a few pracitical ideas to help you study the Bible:

1) Read through entire books of the Bible.  Understanding the context of a passage will help bring the truths to life and will also prevent taking verses out of context which can lead to misunderstanding.

2) Keep a journal and write down what God is teaching you. 

3) Write down key verses and spend some time memorizing them. 

4) Pray through/meditate upon the passages and ask God to give you understanding as you read.

As we read the Word, our hunger for God will increase.  When we “taste and see that the Lord is good” our appetite for God’s Word will grow!  If you haven’t spent time in the Bible today…go now and be revived!