Posts

Posted on

What Is Evangelicalism?

The overwhelming majority of white American evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in the last presidential election. This fact is as controversial as the president himself is, and, to many, it sullies the reputation of evangelicalism.

The important thing to note here is that we are talking about the majority of “white” evangelicals in America. It’s very important to note that there are also African-American evangelicals and Hispanic-American evangelicals who have a very different perspective.

Please also consider that all of the above are “American” evangelicals. There are also Korean evangelicals, African evangelicals, European evangelicals, Chinese evangelicals, and so on.

This shows us that evangelicalism is something independent of America, ethnicity, nationality, and even Donald Trump. Continue reading “What Is Evangelicalism?”

Posted on

No Room at the Resort

Clay and India Huddleston. Saint Simon’s Island, GA. Those were the names on the online registration form for guests of Evergreen Church (where I pastor). Clay and India were planning to visit on Sunday, March 24th.

I quickly emailed them back. “I’m excited to have you.” I wrote. “We have some Huddlestons in our church, and, ironically, we’re planning on coming down to Saint Simon’s Island on April 2nd.”

I had planned to go to Saint Simon’s Island on our way to Florida for spring break. This was my daughter Anna’s first year in public school, and I thought it would be a nice gift to bring her and two of my younger daughters down to Florida to enjoy the ocean and warm weather during spring break.

About 6 months prior to spring break, I had gotten a great price on a hotel at Daytona Beach and so made reservations to stay 3 nights at the Grand Seas Resort. This was going to work perfectly, I thought. Continue reading “No Room at the Resort”

Posted on

War, Peace, and Easter

I am not a pacifist.

I believe that war is sometimes necessary in a fallen world.

As I think of my ancestors, I remember the multitude of men who fought and who even died in military service. My Grandfather Lloyd Babb was a decorated soldier who did tours of duty in World War 2, Korea, and two in Vietnam. I think I justly feel some pride at his ability and willingness to serve in this way.

However, war can also be terrible. I think of my 3rd great grandfather Levi Parks Keith. He served in the Illinois Cavalry in the Civil War. He, like many others, succumbed, not to bullets or cannon, but to disease. In the midst of the Civil War, Levi grew ill. Here is how my cousin described the story as it came down to her:

My father related a story told him by his father, James Mason Keith. Grandpa said the only memory he ever had of his father was when he lay on his death bed. Levi was sick in Missouri and wanted to come home. They put him on a train for Crothersville, IN. This was the winter of 1863. The family met him with a wagon, filled with hay and lots of quilts, and took him home to Paris, Jennings Co., IN. This is how Grandpa remembered him, and this is where he died on 2 Jan. 1864.

Levi left behind four young children and his wife Charlotte. This is so often the legacy of war.

If you research your ancestry, one thing you will quickly find is that you don’t have to go very far back in time to find farmers. Most of my ancestors were farmers of one sort or another. Even those who weren’t farmers farmed.

There is a whole different glory in farming than there is in war, but there is a glory nonetheless. I was reminded of this recently as I labored to remove a small stump of a relatively small tree from my yard. It was hard, grueling work. It made me appreciate what my ancestors had done in clearing this continent for productive farming. Continue reading “War, Peace, and Easter”

Posted on

Power on the Way: Thoughts on the Holy Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit?

When people hear the word “Holy Spirit” today, it may seem strange and mysterious. This is especially true when we use the old English term, “Holy Ghost.”

As mysterious as the word may sound, it’s really no more mysterious than God Himself is. There is mystery, but the Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us for comfort, encouragement, guidance, and power.

Christians believe that God is one, but we also believe that God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (read more about this here).

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed forever. You can find references to the Son (as The Angel of the Lord among other references) and the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. However, the Son is uniquely revealed when He comes in human form and reveals Himself as Jesus, the Son of God. The Holy Spirit comes into the world after Jesus’ resurrection as the unique revealer of Jesus to the world (see John 14:15–18 and Acts 2).

The Holy Spirit is the one who makes Jesus real, known, and believed in by human hearts. People from all over the world with different languages, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and educational levels have embraced the crucified Jesus as “the unique Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). How can this be? The answer is: the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not merely the one who reveals Jesus, He continues to apply Jesus’ love and care to Jesus’ followers throughout their lives. He is the one who brings His followers love, joy, and peace. These are all “fruits” of the Spirit in their lives (see Gal. 5:22–23).

However, the Holy Spirit is there not merely to give us personal peace. He wants to use us to spread the love of God and bring restoration and redemption to a world in need of hope. He invites us to be a part of a larger project. Continue reading “Power on the Way: Thoughts on the Holy Spirit”

Posted on

Encouragement for Those Who Feel Helpless

I began this week feeling a bit helpless. I was struggling with a cold. It’s one of those colds where it’s not so bad you have to lay down, but you’re not sure if you should go full steam ahead and risk making it worse.

Because of that, I felt a little bit helpless. For me, the feeling of helplessness is the feeling that you have when you feel that you don’t have the power or strength to do the things you need to do.

So, I started working on my sermon. This week, my sermon is on the work of Jesus Christ as outlined in the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (15:1–11) and in the Apostle’s Creed. The Creed states that we believe in one Lord Jesus Christ who was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate . . .” It concludes with the confession that “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

I began to think about each statement of the creed. I was helped in this by remembering the Heidelberg Catechism.

I was first introduced to the Heidelberg Catechism when I attended a Reformed Church during college. In many Reformed Churches, they still preach through this catechism roughly every year.

A large part of the catechism is a series of questions and answers about the Apostle’s Creed. Here are few examples:

Q & A 38. Why did he suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge? A. So that he, though innocent, might be condemned by an earthly judge, and so free us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us.

Q & A 39. Is it significant that he was “crucified” instead of dying some other way? A. Yes. By this I am convinced that he shouldered the curse which lay on me, since death by crucifixion was cursed by God. . . .

Q & A 49. How does Christ’s ascension to heaven benefit us? A. First, he is our advocate in heaven in the presence of his Father. Second, we have our own flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that Christ our head will also take us, his members, up to himself. Third, he sends his Spirit to us on earth as a corresponding pledge. By the Spirit’s power we seek not earthly things
but the things above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.

I had never really thought much about these sorts of details before I studied the catechism. In addition, I began to see how each thing Jesus does is for us.

As I remembered all this and began putting this together in my sermon, I realized that I didn’t need to feel helpless. Jesus is alive. He has ascended to heaven and is reigning. He is interceding for me at the right hand of the Father. He is for me and wants to partner with me in bringing the effects of His reign into this world. Not helpless at all.

It all reminded me of a statement by Presbyterian Pastor Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie: “We are not a powerless minority in the face of evil. We can change the course of history, we can alter the trend of evil in our society, we can liberate people–if we will pray in the name of Jesus Christ.”

I found myself so encouraged by meditation on what Jesus has done and is doing for me, I thought, “I should think about this every day.”

Proudly powered by WordPress