Culture War

Culture War

Why the Church needs to help the broken and not add to the pile.

By Pastor Adam Fox

The Fox family has a president that they gravitate to normally. While there have been many men who range from good to below average - one is the favorite, Illinois' favorite son - Abraham Lincoln. 

Honest Abe was our 16th president and haled from Springfield - which is why we went to Springfield SO MANY TIMES growing up for vacations. We went there so much, I am pretty sure the Springfield Holiday Inn has a "Mike Fox Special".  We have done all the Lincoln things, read all the Lincoln books, seen all the Lincoln movies. We know Lincoln from his belief in God to his views on slavery. 

"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong" Abe. 

Thanks to our Greatest President, we are a free nation - each and every person in it. No matter what color of skin, what gender or where from. Freedom is a right for the citizens of this country and is one of the hallmarks that America brings to the rest of the world. 

While slavery is officially over - it still does exist in dark corners of the world and even in secret here in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Children as young as 7 and women mainly are still the primary target for disgusting people to rent for a season, buy and do unthinkable things with them.

For most of us, slavery is not something we think about, worry about or come in contact with on a day-to-day basis. Good thing we are not in the old Roman Empire then. 

One of the books on my desk that I read at in spurts is Paul and His Team by Ryan Lokkesmoe. This marvelous little book had a fantastic chapter on the book of Philemon. Philemon was written by the Apostle Paul around the year 60 AD and was written to a single person in a church named Philemon about his slave named Onesimus. 

Today we can read this letter and look at a Christian owning a slave and have more questions. But Philemon was still a citizen of the Roman Empire and when in Rome...

Apparently, men in Roman households ruled like an autocrat and their decisions were law for that house. As few of these men who were heads of their house as there were, the opposite is true of slaves. Slaves had nothing and in fact were considered non-human. 

The estimated amount of slaves in Rome during this time period was 20-50%. Could you imagine living in a country where 2-5 out of every 10 people are owned as slaves. Unreal! This over-run slavery problem did not stay outside the walls of the church though because Philemon owned Onesimus. And that is why we get this very short letter from Paul.

Because slavery in Rome was such a great problem, it brought up other issues as a result of - even for these believers. Onesimus was owned by Philemon and he had no rights. Lets review the circumstances of this tiny letter. 

Onesimus was a slave of Philemon and there was some type of conflict with between the two that is not mentioned in this letter. Onesimus ran away from his master and became a fugitive. The speculation is if Onesimus had to steal from Philemon to finance his get away. While on the run - Onesimus had to avoid slave catchers and some how made it to Rome and found Paul. The good news from all of this is that Onesimus accepted the Lord as his savior. 

Out of all this drama, we get the letter of Philemon and Paul's diplomatic actions to help the broken, hurting and forgotten and heal this division. But on a bigger scale show us how we can rise above the normalcy of culture to show love and help the marginalized and hurting.

Let's take some time and look at the single chaptered book of Philemon. 

6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Paul was a master of dialog, he takes time in verses 4-7 to praise Philemon for his spiritual maturity and expressing his respect for him but at the same time softening him up for a difficult conversation. 

8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ— 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,

Read this again - look at the tone used by Paul. This is what we all need to hear and learn about dealing with anyone and everyone in our modern world. Paul, the experienced and older believer could have ordered or demanded that Philemon to release and forgive Onesimus but instead appeals to Philemon's character. What a small reminder for us as Christians in how to act and behave when in dialog with anyone. 

Paul refers to Oneisumus in verse 10 as his son, a useful and valuable person to Paul. If Paul were to follow the rule of society, and jump onto the hate and self-centered society and take Onesimus back for a reward since he was a run away slave. Or perhaps go the opposite direction, demand that Philemon just deal with the loss of his slave and order him to get over it since it did not effect Paul personally or even the church. 

Does that sound like a modern American to you? Shoving down the values and morals that God instills in us to join in with the loud and angry crowd? Ignoring the hurting and need of a person because it does not affect you?

Verses 12-14 is a masterclass for us on being believers in God in a morally religious (and pretending to be Christian) country. 

12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.

Of all the ways Paul could have handled this situation, he leaves it up to Philemon. Letting this former master decide the fate of his slave, but also of a person who is now a believer in God too and fellow human who has become a large asset to Paul. By doing this, Paul is coaching Philemon and us in how we are to act and handle difficult and unclear situations. 

Philemon has rights as a Roman and a male and could or should be made whole by forcing his property Onesimus to come back to him and work for the rest of his life. Or Philemon could be completely counter culture and do what Christ would do and lay down his rights. 

To make things easier for Philemon, Paul even volunteers to ease any financial burdens that Onesimus may caused when he stole from Philemon to fund his escape. What a mensch! Paul did not need to do this but offered to do this as a way to help the two brothers in Christ. Paul is such a Godly generous example to all of us! Paul does not just talks the talk about being an example of God to the world but walks the walk with his actions. 

This tiny little letter from Paul to Philemon is an education on how we as believers in God should act in difficult situations. While the advice from Hollywood or Washington may be to get your pound of flesh and seek vengeance on all who cross you - that is not how God wants us to act. Paul is showing us how we as Christian influencers should approach difficult situations. 

Paul showed Philemon in this letter of how to see people as God sees them in an age where the value of humanity was varied. Instead of seeing people as Roman or not, freed or slave but rather as someone that Jesus Christ came to Earth and died for them so that they can have the opportunity to be forgiven. Nothing more. Paul writes as much in his letter to the Galatians. 

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

How would our world, our country, our city look if we applied with boldness what Jesus is teaching us and Paul is reminding us of?

As believers in God, the Church, we are called to be examples of God to all of the world. From friends and family, to neighbors and strangers  - the field of opportunity to witness is massive. But we cannot fall into the trap of acting like the world and culture does, of elevating some and demoting others. 

Look at Scripture for example on how we are supposed to act, as Christian Influencers in a sinful world. Because of Jesus death and resurrection, both Jews and Gentiles could worship together  - at the same time in the same location. Unheard of!

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, Eph. 2

God is our peace, we are all one race - not a divide and separated group. This is evident in all free people and all slave people in the world today as well as discourse with those we do not agree with too. 

These could be the driver in your commute who has those bumper stickers that offend you. It could be the actor who is promoting a person or organization that is un-biblical. And it definitely means with who we each vote for. 

Politics is an area that is difficult to talk about in our country lately. When an opinion is lifted into the air, it normally gets jumped upon and driven into the ground with much venom and lack of love and kindness, inside the church and outside of it. 

"We ought to avoid seeing one group as all wrong and the other as all right. We need to avoid unwittingly affirming divisions in our communities by not speaking out or by viewing them as the product of insurmountable problems. and we definitely need to become aware of how our modern political allegiances may be hindering our efforts in this area or shaping our rhetoric in unproductive ways. We must become the relentless voices of grace and unity in the name of Christ." Ryan Lokkesmoe

While I am not asking any of you to vote against your heart or against Biblical principles. What I am asking is that we stop joining in the chorus of tearing down people for how they vote or in any choices. If Neighbor Bob is going to vote for Kodos instead of Kang - that does not give any of us the right to talk about them on social media, call them stupid, attack the character or life choices... that is not what Paul shows us how to act. 

We are called to be salt and light to the world. Not to join in the song of hate, rudeness and discord that the world sings. Instead we are called to be Influencers of Christ and use diplomacy that we see in Philemon, love and kindness. 

Thanks to Mr. Lincoln, slavery is over officially in America but the astigmatism of better than and less than are not. If we are to be great examples of Jesus to all of the world, we need to start with our words and actions towards the people who are hurting the most. The ones who are clinging to the fringes of society, the forgotten and the ignored. Showing them God's grace, love and kindness no matter how much we agree with them or not. Because the same grace, love and kindness was shown towards us on the cross. 

Change the culture by ending the war of words. 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Can I forgive him?

Please Forgive Me

Reminding ourselves to forgive

By Pastor Adam Fox

I am a proud member of the Millennial age group because I was born in the 1980s meaning that I was old enough to experience and enjoy the 1990s. One of the better parts of the Greatest Decade, trust me, was the TGIF television lineup on Friday nights. While many shows came and left from this dynamo lineup, one of the powerhouses was Boy Meets World.

Boy Meets World was a show with a simple plot: "The show chronicles the everyday events and life-lessons of Cory Matthews. It also stars Cory's teacher George Feeny, best friend Shawn Hunter, brother Eric, and love interest Topanga."

Boy Meets World was a show that I loved as a youth and still own on DVD and have watched as an adult many times. While the life-lessons are still the same and transcends the years – nostalgia is a driving force in re-watching it.

In 2012,  ABC announced that Boy Meets World would be getting a spin-off show based on the life of adult couple Cory and Topanga Matthews and their children called Girl Meets World. While I did not watch it live when it came to Netflix; I did take the time to watch this spin-off show in hopes it would rekindle those childhood memories of nostalgia.

It was not nearly as good, but it did have a few stirring and touching moments - and one of them was the episode called "Girl Meets the Forgiveness Project".  The plot of the episode was a simple one, Teacher Cory charges his class to expresses their feelings on paper to someone they wish to forgive. For most this is a simple project, but for the main characters best friend Maya - it is a daunting project.

The Maya character contacts her father who left her and her mother when she was a child and attempts to forgive him and give him the opportunity to show remorse.  This brings up many great points for us to learn about forgiveness. Who do we forgive, how do we forgive or why bother... forgiveness is not easy.

The Bible is filled with examples and commands to us to forgive, from forgiving ourselves, to our neighbor, to everyone.  As Christians, God makes it very clear to us in multiple places in Scripture to forgive BECAUSE we have been forgiven. Look at Paul’s words to the brothahs and sistahs in Colossians.

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:12-13

Just meditate on those words of Paul for a second longer, as the elect - those who have been forgiven by God for our sins. We are to imitate or do the same as Jesus Christ did for us. Where Jesus willingly allowed men to harm Him and take on the punishment of the cross, even though He was blameless and perfect, out of His great love and kindness for humanity – for you and I specifically. God loved us before we loved Him! The sinful, terrible, selfish and evil people that we were and He still loved us and forgave us.

That is what true forgiveness is and that is one of our examples from the Great Teacher - the parable of the Unforgiving Servant found in Matthew 18. The parable is the result from a question from, my guy, the Apostle Peter in verse 21 of how many times should we forgive?

"22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt."

While Peter may have thought that 490 times is a sizable number - but Jesus shows us that true forgiveness has no ceiling or limits. We are not called to keep a record of how many times we have forgiven our boss, our spouse, our children or anyone. That is why the Almighty uses the real-world example - something that each person there could relate and understand of a king who forgives a debtor of a great amount owed. Not going to lie, if any member of our government would want to put this example into practice with my student debt... let me know.

If Jesus ended the example there it would be a heartwarming story of a rich and powerful person forgiving a poor person. Reality television has these moments of helpless people’s debt being wiped out from the well-off.  But he moves on, so that we do not just have the cockles of our heart warmed but understand the point of the parable.

"28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

There it is. Jesus shows us in an extreme example of how we are to live. This King forgave a mammoth amount of money in a person and then this newly forgiven and debt free person went right out and did not apply how to forgive for others.

The heart gripping reality of this parable should hit us hard. We have been forgiven greatly by God for our sin through Jesus death and resurrection. No longer guilty, no longer bound for Hell, no longer under the penalty for our actions BECAUSE Jesus willing took our place.

But we still live like this servant, are not applying and forgiving as we have been forgiven. We are still being rude, hurtful, unloving, unkind, lacking in grace that Jesus Christ showed to us to be through His example of love and forgiveness towards others.

Why are we not flowing with forgiveness towards everyone in our lives consistently? Why are we still acting like this wicked servant? We are believers in God, light and salt to a lost and sinful world, but if we are not showing the forgiveness, love, grace kindness that Jesus showed us - and the entirety of the World when He died for us - we are a terrible example of God to the world.

Forgiveness is hard, there can be a lot to forgive in our relationships with other folk but also with our self. We need to be able to forgive our past and our self completely. Paul tells us this plainly in Philippians 3, moving on from the hurtful scars of our sinful past and not letting us be bound by them any longer.

13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The people or hurts of the past are hard to forgive and move on from. As we get older, we become more hind-sighted in our victories and failures and we all have a habit of letting past mistakes, hurts and failures keep us prisoners in the now. Which is why Paul takes the time to tell the church in Philippi and us to not let our past sins make us prisoners of our current.

The past is hard to forgive, memories and ghost are hard to forgive but, in my opinion, forgiving yourself is even harder still. The Triune God has forgiven you completely, knowing each part of yourself - our past, our future and even our secret inner thoughts. Knowing all these private and intimate thoughts and actions - God still forgave you. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 that we have been saved by grace – a grace that is understood of having prior knowledge of who we were and what we have done. If God has completely forgiven you and I, why are we so hesitant to forgive our self?

Forgiveness is hard. It takes a lot of time and a lot of prayer to forgive our self, our past and others, it is not a quick thing. Completely forgiving is not something that we can do in a snap. We can tell our self that it is possible and that person has been forgiven in an instance, but seeing that person again usually brings up those memories and causes us to act un-Christianly. Keep forgiving and praying about it.

And of course, the greatest reminder is that God has forgiven you completely - and loves you unconditionally. Do the same.

"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ" Ephesians 4:32

We have seen a lot about many types of forgiveness today. From forgiveness of yourself to forgiveness to others and releasing yourself from past mistakes. For some of us, forgiveness takes a great deal of effort and repetition. But no matter how challenging forgiving and being forgiven may be for us - we have to be a people of forgiveness. 

How can you and I show true forgiveness - like Jesus Christ showed towards us? Is there someone in your life you can finally and completely forgive? Is there multiple people or maybe yourself? Seek forgiveness and escape from the self made prison that guilt and sin. And most importantly, imitate God in all things - especially in how He forgave you and I for our sins. Keep forgiving, Keep showing grace, kindness and love. 

Who would have thought that a spin-off television show from the 1990s would bring up so many thoughts? Boy Meets World - more like Boy Meets Forgiveness.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Anticipation

Anticipation

Anticipation

Staying Eager for the Right Reasons

By Pastor Adam Fox

Would not be the first time in which I have been accused of being extra eager - like a kid on Christmas morning. Each week during the months of November and December, Andrea and I have had appointment television for a new show on Disney +, The Mandalorian. 

This 8 episode show takes the viewer on a journey of a bounty hunter who has been faced with a moral dilemma - kill or not to kill a very important target. Without going into to many plot points and details, the show introduces us to a mysterious and unnamed character who has stolen the show, The Child.

The Child - or Baby Yoda as some refer to him - is every part adorable and hilarious and keeps you in your seat for the entirety of the show. In fact, when each episode ended it got me frustrated because I had to wait another week for more. My desire for more Baby Yoda content in The Mandalorian, eagerness or anticipation took over me and that is a good thing, just not a great thing. 

Anticipation is defined in the dictionary "as the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction." Anticipating something is a common human experience. The folks in Hollywood have been doing it to perfection for years now. We wanted to know who shot JR, What was in Capone's Vault, who shot Mr. Burns, even Captain America finally Assembling all the Avengers to beat Thanos. 

It is normal to be eager or anticipate something, but as believers in God should we experience the same emotions? I think we can do better. 

While being eager for more episodes of a television show, or for a sports game or big life event is one thing. Being eager and filled with anticipation of Jesus Christ's glorious return is something completely different and much better. 

As believers in God, we are forgiven from our sinful past and have an eternal future in Glory with the Creator and Author of our Faith. Heaven is a place that the book of Revelation describes in terrific detail filled with amazing things. In which the most amazing thing of Heaven is that we, plain old you and me, gets to be with God the Father forever. 

The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse from John the Beloved into what Heaven will be like and will look like. Chapter 21 gives us this big BIG point about Glory.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

There are plenty of things to be excited for about Heaven, streets and buildings of precious metals, mansions built for each of us, being with loved ones once again, being around Biblical figures that we have only read about - to name a few reasons. But nothing will be able to compare with spending eternity with the Triune God. The Father who loves us so deeply, the Son who died in our place and the Spirit who lives in us now. 

We will not only be in the suburbs of Heaven or in the background just lucky to be invited, but 21:3-4 tell us that God will dwell with us and it will be a place of no sin, no pain or illness. but a time of dwelling in perfection with our God. 

Wow.

While we may be eager to start school, the election, sports playoffs, a new job or even for another episode of our favorite television show. NONE OF THEM will be as great as spending eternity with God in a place of perfection. 

So then, if Heaven is as great as Scripture tells us (and it will be) then why are we not hyped up for Glory?

Is it because we are glued to the urgent and the immediate instead of what is truly important and what really matters? Is it because we laugh at the idea of death and cling to the idea that we are immortal? Both? Neither?

How can we anticipate and be more eager for Glory with God like we are eager for television or a date on a calendar? Look at what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 130 about the idea of truly anticipating.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
² Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.

³ If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
⁸ And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130 is a marvelous psalm written to show the depth of sin of humanity and the eagerness of receiving this divine mercy. Verses 5 & 6 show anticipation of receiving forgiveness and mercy from God and the amount of eagerness that this person has.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

This is where we need to be as believers in God. Eagerly anticipating and waiting just like the author of this psalm. The author shows the eagerness of anticipation for the hope that is in the Lord. Verse 6 shows that clearly, while we may see it as redundant – since it repeats, but it is actually a literary device to show the amount of anticipation, the seriousness of the hope that he has in God.

This is how we need to be, eager as the Psalmist is and not just on foolish or temporary things but in God and what is yet to come. Heaven is something that should give us hope and fill us with great joy on a daily basis. But I do not think it does.

Sure, when we sit in a hospital or a funeral setting our minds wonder onto what is still to come. But is Glory something that is on our minds daily? Does the idea of heading to Heaven – a place with no sin, with no pain, filled with love, joy and peace fill us with this overwhelming anticipation feelings?

Sadly no. We as a modern culture are in a fast paced culture. The news cycle for example can digest a serious issue and look at it from every angle and move on in a week.

Even for myself, my weekly to-do list dominates my life and work. It is easy to get lost in the tyranny of the urgent and the immediate and forget about what should be lighting my passions – Heaven and God.

The rapture is coming. The return of the Lord and all the rest of the Revelation will be coming too. We do not know when this will happen, only God does. But we are called to look forward to this day, to anticipate it, to be eager for God’s return and the rapture of believers. Peter writes that as such in 2 Peter 3.

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 

Peter is encouraging the church to look forward to this day. This reminder from the apostle is key for us because it shows that all of us, even the early church period forgets what motivates us or what our goal is. We are believers in God who are eager to be with Him one day in Glory. We need to be confident and comfortable in the fact of our God and of His promises in the Word.

While we have seen about the eagerness we need to have in what is to come, but we also need to have this eagerness in what God is doing in us today. Let’s look at the promises God has given to some of the Old Testament saints.

·       God told Abram that he would have a son in his old age and have a massive family.

·       God told the nation of Israel that He will be their God.

·       God promised prosperity to Israel for obedience.

·       God promised David that He will establish his thrown forever.

This sampling of Godly promises to individuals or to the nation of Israel show the trustworthiness and consistency of our God. But for the nation of Israel, the people of these promises, they had to anticipate God doing these things by faith and took comfort in the fact that they would be accomplished.

We need to be on that level of eagerness in our God. Eager for Heaven but also eager in the fact that what God say to us will come true in God’s time. While having faith in the unknown can be frightening if we think about what could happen – but knowing that God will keep His promises will bring us a greater comfort.

There is a lot to be eager about. While I have spent a few months anticipating a Friday night viewing of a television show, there is greater things still to eagerly anticipate. As fun and adorable as Baby Yoda is, this fictional creation is not even a drop in the bucket of the majesty of Heaven.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam