Weekly Articles

Do you ever find yourself exasperated at the thought of how some people seem to be able to live however they like, doing whatever they want, without having to suffer the consequences for their wickedness?  I certainly do!  I recently read an article on the Fox News website - “Pop Tarts: Nobody Cares About Holly Madison Without Hugh Hefner,” by Hollie McKay (http://www.foxnews.com).  The point of the article was that this woman was no longer able to be center stage in the nightclub scene because all of her “star power” really came from being attached to Playboy Magazine mogul Hugh Hefner.

Now in all honesty, I am fairly unsympathetic to Ms. Madison’s plight (that’s the results of living that life), but I do find it frustrating that a man who has built his wealth on using young women’s bodies to prey on the darker side of men’s sexuality never seems to be called to account.  I do not wish the man any harm, but it would be satisfying to hear about him suffering the consequences of being a pioneer in the commoditization of sex in America.

No, we are not likely to get that satisfaction.  We are told in the Bible many times that what we see here on Earth is only part of the picture.  This means that we are likely to see unfairness in the way things work out; for example, Hugh Hefner has been using up young women (and thereby a great many men) for decades now, without any apparent stigma attaching itself to him:  he is a fairly popular cultural icon, an invitation to his mansion is much sought-after, and he is a man in his eighties who has young, beautiful women flocking to him.  But that is only what we see here.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  (Matthew 5:45 NIV)

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NIV)

So, on the one hand we see that God causes many things in this world to work out for man regardless of his actions.  So, whether in politics or the business world or in the entertainment scene, a wicked man can prosper just like a just man.  But on the other hand, there are eternal consequences for the lives we live here.  It is because of those consequences that we should thank God whenever our evil schemes land us in trouble – God may be disciplining us!

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children?  It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child.”  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.  For what children are not disciplined by their father?  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all.  Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it.  How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!  Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12:4-11 NIV)

God only humbles and disciplines those he loves!  There is a Day appointed on which the whole world will be humbled.  But on that day, those who have humbled themselves towards God here on Earth will be exalted as the sons of God.  God wants you to be in that group, so he disciplines you here.  Those who reject God are not humbled – they prosper or are destroyed, but they are not disciplined.

Now as for Mr. Hefner and Ms. Madison and any others out there, we should truly pray for them to come to repentance; do not wish them any harm.  But also, do not lose any sleep over the lack of consequences – we do not see everything, nor do we need to.  What we need to see are the problems and consequences in our own lives that serve to discipline and humble us – learn to listen to God, and he will help you become the person you were intended to be!

-Charles Peterson

On August 24^th the world ended – at least, it did for the more than twenty- thousand  inhabitants of Pompeii.  The year was 79 AD, and Pompeii was a popular vacation spot for wealthy Romans, as well as an active port.  The area had a healthy economy, rich social scene, and was well-protected in the heart of the Roman Empire.  But money and power could not save Pompeii; all of that wealth and influence served only to give the residents a false sense of security.

In the last years of his life, the Apostle John wrote the Revelation letter, including a passage for the church at Laodicea.  This town was well-known for its medicinal salves, wool products, and banking institutions.  Thus were the Laodiceans ripe for possessing a false sense of importance and security.  And since the town was peaceful and prosperous, the church there lacked the sense of urgency that characterized so many other congregations.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:  these are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest, and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  (Revelation 3:14-22 NIV)

Jesus said “I know your deeds” and indicated that by their deeds they were shown as being lukewarm in their love and obedience of Christ.  The “ruler of God’s creation” was telling them that he wished they would be hot or cold, but not ambivalent towards his commands and commission; not a good situation to be in, but one that is more and more common today.

American Christians live lives of wealth and safety that have no parallels in history; we do not have to worry much at all about the freedom to worship or the ability to talk about Jesus.  We do not have to fear being imprisoned or killed for our beliefs, nor do we have many conflicts in abiding by the laws governing our land – inasmuch as those laws do not prevent us from being Christians (even if some are immoral, such as legalized abortion).  We have been blessed beyond belief, but that has also set us up for the temptation to become lukewarm in our devotion, just like the Laodiceans.

Jesus does, however, present for us the answer to this problem:  use that earthly wealth and power to obtain heavenly wealth (Luke 16).  Jesus also states that he only rebukes and disciplines those that he loves – do not be dismayed by the Lord’s discipline, but rather be encouraged by the fact that he has not abandoned us.  He says that he wants us to buy from him gold refined in the fire, obtain from him white clothes to cover our shame, and his salve to heal our eyes so that we may truly see (John 9). 

What do our deeds reveal about us?  Are we depending on our safety and security in worldly things?  Do we simply go through the motions, attending church services as just another activity in our week?  Or do we try to learn and grow every day, seeking God in all that we do?  We have to remember that America is not our protector, but rather the same “ruler of God’s creation” that warned the church in Laodicea.  It is this same “faithful and true witness” that stands at our hearts, knocking on the door.  Make sure that you invite him in.

-Charles Peterson

Some of the most engaging stories are those dealing with perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  We remember heroic leaders such as General Washington, as he kept up the war effort despite every problem from shortages of pay, food, and clothing, to a lack of solid support from the Continental Congress – not to mention fighting the strongest and most advanced army in the world at that time!  We look at business successes such as Sam Walton, who endured scathing ridicule when he proclaimed the desire to build the world’s largest retailer, a distinction that belonged to Sears until Wal-Mart eclipsed it in sales shortly before Walton’s death.  Even the tales we tell our children ring with this image – remember that it is the “little engine that could”, not the “great big engine meeting no resistance”.

The church at Philadelphia was not known for great wealth or political power; the town was situated in fertile farming lands.  They seemed to be an out of the way small town church.  What they did have was faith. 

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:  these are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David.  What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.  I know your deeds.  See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.  I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.  I am coming soon.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.  Never again will he leave it.  I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. “  (Revelation 3:7-13 NIV)

Jesus, through their example, gives us three important lessons for Christian perseverance:  God controls opportunity (“I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut”); God expects us to obey him and to acknowledge him no matter how great the persecution or how weak we seem to be (“you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name ”); and all we have to do is to hold on to his teachings in reverence and patience, and we will receive an eternal place with God (“hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown”).  We are therefore told that if we do these things (as the Philadelphians did), God will shelter us from the trials that the world will have to undergo, and that the enemies of God will acknowledge that Jesus loves the church (meaning that the church is the one true bride).

We should not measure the trials that we face by how large the enemy is, or how powerful, or how numerous.  We should instead recognize that the enemy is indeed larger, more powerful, and more numerous than us, but that God is greater than any enemy and that he guides and protects his children.  We do not need to worry about making the opportunities for us to be faithful to God; God will make those opportunities for us.  And we do not need to worry about how to overcome the forces arrayed against us; God will overcome them for us.  It is not the strong, numerous, or famous who get God’s opened doors, but rather the faithful.

Jesus is holding the key of David, and is opening doors for us that no one can shut, and closing doors that no one can open.  We simply need to have the faith to enter the opened doorways, accepting our path to becoming pillars in the temple of God.

-Charles Peterson

A couple of years ago at my parents’ house a tree fell against the deck, narrowly missing the garage and thankfully causing minor damage and hurting no one.  It had been a particularly strong windstorm that caused the incident; the tree had been one of the tallest near their house.  In fact, only the top half of the tree fell, with the remaining half still towering up with the taller trees.  When we had looked at the tree before it had seemed healthy and strong; afterwards, it was easy to see the evidence of damage and rot that the core had suffered.  After years of decay, the structure was compromised and the tree lost its ability to remain whole.  And my parents’ deck needed a new railing.

Isn’t it amazing that appearances can truly be deceiving?  What seems to be strong and healthy can actually be weak and dying.  Every year hundreds of hikers fall to their deaths because the glacial surface of ice and snow they were traversing hid a crevasse hundreds of feet deep with a thin cover.  What is on the surface is not necessarily a good indicator of what lies beneath.  In fact, isn’t this the reason we developed x-ray machines and MRI’s?  How many people have looked to be the picture of health only to find out that beneath their healthy appearance lurked the ravaging scourge of cancer?

God’s word and spirit is received and grows within us as we mature in a healthy way.  But when we lose sight of God’s will and his commands, when we stop hearing his call and following his ways, we grow coldly apathetic and spiritually lethargic.  This doesn’t always manifest itself in an outward manner, but can remain unseen for quite some time.  Jesus warned the church at Sardis of just this sort of problem:

To the angel of the church in Sardis write:  these are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.  I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up!  Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.  But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.  Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.  They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.  He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.  I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  (Revelation 3:1-6 NIV)

The Christians in Sardis didn’t suffer under persecution like those at Pergamum, or have to fight great heresies like those at Smyrna.  No, the Christians in Sardis were being afflicted by apathy!  They were becoming more and more indifferent, so much so that they were dying spiritually.  Though they were known as a church that was alive and growing, they were in fact dying in unseen ways.  They were falling asleep and were in danger of being cut off from the root that supported them (and which they had earlier received – that being Christ and his gospel message).  Just as with that tree in my parents’ yard, the Christians in Sardis were rotting away in their core.

Jesus gave them the warning to wake up and not to let the spirit within them die; he also gave them encouragement.  The Christians in Sardis were falling asleep spiritually and were thus soiling their clothes with the mud and filth of the world.  To the ones who were not, who were mindful of God’s laws and Christ’s teachings, Jesus promised clothes of white and to never blot their names out of the book of life (implying the danger the others faced), but promising instead to make them known to God! 

We have to be ever vigilant against the insidious rot of apathy towards Christ and his great commission.  We must renew with vigor our love and devotion to him and not neglect his work in the harvest.  Remember that he who comes like a thief in the night will be checking to see if you kept yourself pure, or if you got soiled with the concerns of this world. 

-Charles Peterson