Since the opening ceremonies at the Paris Olympic Games, there has been much discussion and debate about the very offensive mockery of Christianity and the last supper presentation. Yes, I too take offense to the mockery that was allowed to happen before the entire world publicly.
I have read many different social media posts, news articles, as well as blog posts across the internet expressing different opinions and defending the actions from the other side of the conversation. It seems unavoidable if we are going to be involved in the goings on of this world.
I have heard many believers state that they plan to boycott the Olympic games and just not watch any of it. Understandably, this is their reaction to the highly offensive mockery of our God. I too initially had the same feelings at first. But after some prayerful consideration and pondering the different reactions around the world. I have come to a different conclusion. At least as it applies to the Olympic games and my reaction to the offensive actions at the opening statements.
I often think about what I find in chapter 17 of John’s gospel. This is where we find the most powerful prayer that ever was said. John recorded how our Savior communicated with the Father on our behalf. In the middle of that prayer, we can find something very important for all believers to consider. I mean, that is if we desire to be in the will of God. Verses 14-18 say,
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As you sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” – John 17:14-18
As I am reacting to the events that were so offensive not only to me but to God Himself, I am tempted to “cancel” the Olympic Games from my life. I am tempted to boycott the games. However, as I ponder on the prayers of Jesus, I see that Jesus did not ask that we be taken out of the world. He did not ask the Father to separate us from the wickedness of this world but to give us the strength and courage to be in the world without being contaminated by its wicked ways.
The truth is that the world wants to “cancel” Christianity. More and more of todays society is working hard at limiting or erase Christianity from all areas of life. Anytime the world gets offended by anything that has to do with Christianity they try to “cancel” it. So, it does not make sense to me that we Christians actually “cancel” ourselves each time we get offended by the world. That is what we are doing sometimes when we boycott when we are offended.
I submit that Christianity and Cancel Culture cannot co-exist in the heart of the believer.
I am not saying that we must always be involved in everything that the world does that is offensive to our faith. However, I am saying that Jesus sent us into the world to be the witness. It is not possible to be the witness in the world if we continue to remove ourselves each time sinners do offensive and sinful things. After all, should we not expect those who are worldly to act that way?
More importantly, since we see that Jesus asked the Father not to take us out of the world, then why should we remove ourselves? No, I believe that God would rather us go into the world as commanded and be the light in a dark world. I think that it would be a missed opportunity if we boycott the Olympic Games. Because there are things happening that are offensive or that are sinful according to the word of God, it seems to me to be a good opportunity to engage in productive conversations with those in our community. A perfect opportunity to be the witness.
So, no. I do not believe I will boycott the Olympics. I will be offended by the things that offend God and pray for those who are the offenders. Not forgetting that there are many American athletes who have worked extremely hard to participate in their sport who may not have anything to do with the offensive actions of others. So as an American, the least I can do it support my fellow Americans as they compete and represent my country. All the while, being ready to have conversations about any and all situations that may happen along the way.
Let me just start this blog post by making something very clear. The purpose of this post is not to condemn the use of social media or any type of internet luxuries that we enjoy in today’s society. Although many preachers do in fact consistently speak against the use of social media or internet activities. That is definitely not me. I, like many of you, use the internet as well as social media to communicate with friends and family as well as getting the message out to the masses when possible.
Now, having said all of that. I do believe that any avenue of communication has its place and function in society as well as having its place in the work of the Kingdom of God. I am old enough to vaguely remember some of the old timey preachers who would condemn television as the devil’s work. Each time new technologies would break onto the scene it seemed like the church would preach against it as the devil’s tool. I am one who believes that all things can either be used for God’s work or the devil’s work. Man has been good at inventing great things and then contaminating their uses for sinful purposes.
I have noticed over the years, especially since the dawn of social media, that many of us who would call ourselves believers have made a lot of noise about Jesus on the internet. Now, as I mentioned before, this generally could be viewed as a positive thing. After all, if we are bringing Jesus into the conversation, how could that be a negative thing?
The main point that I want to encourage everyone to consider is this. If the believers, the body of Christ, is as bold as a lion on social media but is hardly noticeable in the flesh, something is wrong. Part of the problem with social media is that often times people seem to be more courageous about what they say online because they have the ability to hide behind the curtain of the internet without consequence.
What I mean can be a double-sided coin. One side applies to all the social media posts that have good intentions and would generally be seen as a comment that would honor God because it is full of truth and love for others. The problem with that kind of post is that it lacks the best part of the statement being said to those who might hear it. There is something powerful about a person who is saved by the blood of Christ who actually looks into the eyes of another person and actually says those words out loud. This way the hearer can feel the love and power of said true statement. Merely reading it on a social media post, although is not wrong, is lacking something personal.
The other side of the coin applies to all the social media posts that are mis-guided or come from a bad or incorrect understanding of the truth of God’s Word. Social media has given everyone and anyone the ability to say anything and everything without too much accountability. There are so many mis-leading posts or memes about God, Jesus, or the gospel it is a wonder that anyone will ever consider any real truth from anyone who dares to share actual truth about Jesus.
Some of the extreme examples would be those posts that encourage us to hit “like” and “share” and God will bless you. NO! That is not how God works. There is nothing in all of Scripture that describes God working that way!
Other not so obvious examples would be those posts that take scripture out of context and try to apply it to certain situations. This happens offline too. Many times, believers have this need to throw out some scripture in an effort to encourage, help, comfort, or sometimes even convict society. Unfortunately, if the text does not apply or is taken out of context, it is not helpful at all. In fact, it actually most likely is doing more harm than good.
The bottom line here for this blog post is this. It has been my observation for a while now that each time there is a significant event that happens in the world or even in a local community of people. Society as a whole takes to social media to share their immediate reactions. The Church, the Christians, are not to be left out of this somewhat new custom in our society. We all get tempted to respond, rant, and especially emote via our favorite social media outlet. After all, people need to know how we feel about everything!
From my personal experience, not many really even stop scrolling long enough to even see that post you just made. That is, if it even shows up in the middle of all the ads that dominate everyone’s feed. Of course, this last statement excludes all those posts that are intended to shock and offend others. Those are the ones that get all the “likes” and “shares”. Isn’t that what it is all about anyway? “Likes” and “Shares”.
I have noticed over the past ten plus years that I have been using social media that I get more attention and response when I post pictures of the food that I eat than when I post any Scripture or sermon video. Yep, it is true. The twelve hundred or so people that I am connected to on social media seem to prefer to hear about my dining habits way more than anything I might have to say about God or Jesus.
Again, I am not saying that we should stop using social media as a way to share truth or be a blessing to others. However, what I mean to say is that if social media is our only avenue in which we are trying to be the witness in the world, then we have missed the assignment. In other words, if we are bolder and more courageous with our online witness than we are in our personal in the flesh witness, then we have missed the assignment.
Yeah, I know. It is much easier to just type up a real quick post about Jesus or send out a meme about some part of scripture. That doesn’t take any real courage. Not compared to sitting down with a neighbor and looking them in the eye and having a real conversation about Jesus. Or sitting down and listening to another real live person who is struggling with some challenging or tragic situation and taking the opportunity to lead that person into the presence of God through prayer at some point in the conversation. It is really hard to emote with other people unless there is a personal interaction.
Jesus gave the command to all who would be His disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 28:19. Notice Jesus did not say go on social media and make a post.
He said go. Yes, it is true that social media and other internet forums give us the ability to go into all the world instantly. However, I will submit that in no way did Jesus teach any of His disciples to fall into the habit of making disciples solely online. In fact, I am sure that He intended for His disciples to be the kind of people to would get their hands dirty loving others. We cannot genuinely love others and love God and be disconnected from society. We must be the Church! We must be the actual hands and feet of Jesus in this lost world!
Although social media can be a great tool for sharing some truth to the masses, it is not and cannot become the replacement for living our lives the way God created us to live them. We are created to interact with one another in a very personal way. We are to look into each other’s eyes, hug those who need to be hugged, laugh with those who have joy, and grieve with those who have lost. After all, that is the way Jesus did it. We can be thankful that Jesus showed up in person, in the flesh, to physically go to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. There can be nothing more personal than that.
I suggest we all ask God for the courage to back up our social media witness with the boldness and courage to present an in-person witness that brings glory to God every day of our lives. I pray that we all present the reality of God and His Kingdom to our own communities and circle of people. After all, it is what Jesus died for.
Just one week prior to today, on July 14, 2024, I published a blog post entitled,“The Call for Prayer for Our Nation”. The purpose behind that blog post was to point out the real need. That need would be to encourage the Body of Christ to get busy about the Lord’s business. That is the business of making disciples. That is how I believe that any nation, including the United States of America, will be in line with the blessings of God.
As we all have been paying attention to the goings on in our nation and around the World, it is hard not to miss the obvious. That being, that many in society seem to be fading away from God or any idea of God in their lives. It seems to have become socially and politically unacceptable or at least undesirable to speak about personal faith in God let alone to claim to have anything to do with Christianity. In fact, it has been the impression for many, that Christianity of any form has been painted to be the enemy of today society today.
Franklin Graham speaks on the fourth and final day of the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., July 18, 2024. (Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)
As I mentioned in the last blog post, “The Call for Prayer for Our Nation” the best hope for this nation is for the body of Christ to be busy making disciples. It always has been the will of God to bring His loved ones to Himself. It has been His plan to use those who believe in His Son Jesus as Lord and Savior to help others to find Him. It is true. God does not hide Himself from those who genuinely are seeking Him.
The same is true for any group of people around the world. Any nation who pursues God will find Him. There is plenty of evidence throughout the history recorded in Old Testament scripture of God’s people being close to Him and then finding themselves away from His blessings. Each time this happened it is because they began to compromise and ultimately reject Him and His Lordship over their lives. When that did happen, the Israelites found themselves suffering at the hands of their enemies as well as suffering consequences from their sinful behavior. This did not happen because it was God’s will for them, it happened because it was their own will for themselves.
We can see, if we study the history of God’s people, that each time they strayed from Him, they would eventually come to face the truth and cry out to the Lord in repentance and He would restore them once again into His blessing. Some refer to this as the sin cycle. This sin cycle is evident with the Israelites in Old Testament scripture as well as every generation of people since Adam and Eve. Yes, even in today’s society. We individually as well as a people group or nation have been caught up in this sin cycle.
God has never changed. Sadly, neither has the human race. We still battle with sin and wrestle with the existence of God. We can have a few generations who draw near to God and surrender to His lordship and His presence is evident as peace is evident. But then there are generations who get too comfortable with His presence and all that it affords and begin to compromise. Compromise leads to neglect when it comes to our relationship with God. Ultimately, rejection is where we find ourselves. God is no longer welcome.
When a society arrives at this place of rejecting God, the peace and security is gone. Life is full of darkness and fear. Everyone begins to do what is right in his own eyes. Total chaos. All of the unthinkable ideas and acts suddenly are the norm. What has always been wrong is now right. What has always been right is now wrong. Anything that has to do with God and His will or His ways becomes the enemy of society. And it gets worse and worse as the generations come and go.
This is why it is urgent that the Body of Christ be busy about proclaiming the gospel to the lost! It is not until people start crying out to God that we as a people or a nation will begin to feel God drawing us into His presence again.
The Psalmist wrote this: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” – Psalm 33:12
This was originally written about the nation of Israel. Israel is who God chose to be His people for the purpose of bringing our Savior into the world! Then we read in the New Testament that since Jesus was crucified and resurrected completing the law, there is grace. We read in Romans that the blood of Christ is for all who will believe, Jews and Gentile. We also have plenty of evidence that it is God’s desire that all would be saved.
The Word of God is clear about who will be saved. Who will be called His children. Those who believe and call on His name. And, since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more, I believe that the truth of Psalm 33:12 is still true and applicable to any nation whose God is Lord!
Now I do not spend a lot of energy talking about politics. However, without promoting any party, agenda, or idea, I will point out that as I watched the Republican National Convention, I heard a lot of people talking about God and praying in Jesus’ name. Some even shared the gospel before all who were tuned in! Now, I do believe that there are people who believe in every political party. What stands out to me lately is when those who are in leadership of this nation have the courage to speak about God or even say the name of Jesus publicly is a big deal. And yes, it is true that I do not know if these politicians are saying these things as a political stunt or ploy. I figure that is between them and God.
One thing I will say about it all. It is obvious to me that there are some who call on His name and some who do not. That speaks loudly to me. Mostly, because as we all have been praying for our nation, I cannot help but wonder how God will draw us back into His blessings. Because, if we look into the book of Romans again, we will see that no one gets into leadership roles without God allowing it.
So, whether or not I approve of anyone who is on the political stage or not does not much matter. God has all the authority and sovereignty to use anyone whom He will to do His work to get the attention of not only this nation but the entire World! And, because He does not answer to me or anyone else, I suggest that those of us who are part of His church should stay busy making disciples and surrendering to God’s will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven!
I pray that God will continue to show our nation the way back to Him. Whatever that looks like and whatever that takes. Meanwhile, I will make every effort to help as many as possible to have the opportunity to know Jesus and call on the name of the Lord!
As I was working on the last bits of my Sunday morning sermon work on Saturday afternoon, July 13, 2024, I received a text informing me that President Trump had been shot.
I then turned on the news to see what was happening. It was indeed true. Yet he seemed only wounded, thank God.
What I had been praying against but also had been expecting had indeed taken place. It was only a matter of time before someone would resort to wicked violence against some politician in the midst of this political and social unrest in our nation.
While many are crying out in the streets and on social media that now is the time to pray for our country, I say it is long past time for that! I, one of many, have always prayed for our nation in many ways and for many reasons.
However, it has been made clear throughout the history of God’s people that it is when God’s people draw near to Him and turn away from their wicked ways, that is when God heals any nation. Including these “United” States of America!
Because of that fact, I believe the more urgent outcry would be that which Jesus Himself commanded us to go into the world and do!
That would be, get busy about the business of sharing the Gospel of Jesus to this hurting and chaotic world! If we the Church had been about doing that as expected, we may not be so far away from Him as a nation!
We should repent of our sluggardly approach to the command of our Lord! We are taught that as the world turns, things do not get better before our Savior returns! Therefore, the work of the Kingdom of God is urgent! There’s nothing new here. It always has been.
It seems as though many, yes even we believers, have more passion about politics and this nation than we do about the Kingdom of God and our Savior who shed His blood on the cross for true freedom!
We all seem content with tolerating the Godless nonsense that has taken a stronghold on society! As long as it doesn’t interfere with our comfort and entertainment filled lifestyles.
This is not a movie or some video game! This is life! It is time we all wake up and realize we are living in realville! In realville, wicked things happen because people do wicked things. That is why we all need Jesus!
Bottom line, the only hope for any kind of peace and joy in this world is to be a part of a great movement of revival among the body of Christ and get busy making disciples as we continue to pray for our nation and our leaders!
Yes! Pray for our nation. But pray that the Church would get busy and that the lost would be saved according to God’s Will! And that God would bless our nation again!
It has been a year and a half since my son’s funeral. I have decided to share some of his wisdom along with some of my own reflections about our life together in a book which was just published. The title of the book is called 30 Years. Sometimes 30 years does not seem long but sometimes it is a lifetime. The following is an excerpt from one of the chapters.
Paperback and E-book available on Amazon (click the photo)
As a preacher, I have had opportunity to preach many funerals. I am certain as long as the Lord allows me to have days, I will have many more opportunities. It does not much matter the age of the person who had passed on, the grieving family always feels that the passing of their loved one is too soon. That is because we can never really prepare ourselves for this kind of loss. Not even if we can see it coming due to extended illness or something of the kind. I often find myself telling families that this pain that we feel is simply the cost of loving people. It is definitely worth it.
At the beginning of this chapter, I included scripture from James 4:13-14 (NIV). “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” I believe that every word of the bible is absolute truth. I also believe that if we would consider the wisdom to be found in it, such as this particular portion, we would not only suffer less but see God more throughout the course of our journey.
Remember in the beginning of this book I shared the dreams that I had for my son even before he was born? Not only did those dreams get destroyed but I also learned that God’s plan for these past 30-years was much greater than anything that I could ever have dreamed! After all, since none of us really know how much time we will be given in this world, how could we possibly come up with any plan that would actually be good? I have learned many things over those 30 years, one of which is that God’s way is the best way, and that life is short.
It turns out that my son was a wise man. He lived life in high gear most every chance he could. He made the most of every opportunity and every relationship he had. He lived well and he even died well. He was a strong man. A great man. He was God’s man! He made the most of the 30 years that God gave him in this world.
The purpose behind writing this book is simply to share a small part of the past 30 Years and prayerfully hope that it might be of some help to others along the way. I pray that anyone who would read this book would be blessed.
In the beginning of August, I wrote a blogpost about the possibility of Another Great Revival in America? In that post, I talked bout the concern for the Body of Christ as a whole and the need for a spiritual awakening! Also, that post talked about the struggles of compromise and shrinking back in the face of persecution and the pressures of the world.
As I continue with that thought but go a little bit deeper, I want to expose a real concern that many either already see and chose to ignore or most likely due to the noise and distraction of the mess that this society has become about cannot see it.
It was a few weeks ago as I was scrolling through social media, I came across a meme that simply stated, “When church is optional for parents it will usually be absent in the lives of the next generation.”
The person who share the meme is a good friend and brother in Christ, Kurt Honican. He not only is a preacher in the local church in Eastern North Carolina, but a man of God who is loved by many. When he posted this meme, he also wrote these words.
“Saw this on a friend’s page and it brought to mind one of my major concerns over the Covid pandemic… will folks become comfortable staying away from the Body of Christ and as a result, negatively alter future generations of the Church?”
Kurt and I have talked a few times about the condition of our congregations since the arrival of this virus. We have each had to make some tough decisions along with our respective church leaders. This is true for every congregation of believers in the world.
In an effort to expand on Kurt’s thoughts and concerns, which are mine as well, I would like to present a reminder to all of us who belong to the body of Christ. A reminder of some responsibilities that we have as disciples of Jesus.
We are charged with the work of making disciples. Not only that, but to “go into all the world” as we find in Mark 16:15. It seems that there is no exception found that would apply to this command.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” As is found in Romans 12:2. The world is telling everyone be fearful and feel guilty. We are being told that being a disciple of Christ is wrong and not allowed. Our identity in Christ is being challenged and we are not to conform to this pattern. We are to be the salt of the Earth. We are to be different! We are to be the light in this darkness!
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Found in Proverbs 22:6. Many times this part of the scripture is taken and applied falsely. Too many believe that if you just take you children to church that they will always turn to God or that they will always be considered saved.
This is just simply not true. This text is part of a bigger statement about what it means to be a godly person. A godly person is one who has a genuine relationship with God through the grace offered by the blood of Christ! A godly person is one who is totally submitted to the Lordship of Jesus and the Kingdom of God is first in all things. Including our children.
It was that same brother in Christ, Kurt Honican, who years ago was my son’s youth minister, taught that our children are not really our children. “They are God’s children and we are just babysitting”.
I think that he made a great point from a great perspective for all of us who are parents. If we are going to be godly people, godly parents, then we need to make it a priority to bring these children up in the ways of our Lord! After all, we all will give an account for how we raised God’s children in this world!
Those are just three reminders of many about the responsibility we have as disciples of Christ to honor God with every part of our lives. Including how we live in this world while dealing with Covid 19, social unrest, and political strife. Not to mention the life itself which comes with its own dose of stress.
It seems to me that we spend a lot of energy praying about, speaking out about, and even acting when possible against the horrific act of abortion. We do this because we care about the unborn lives that cannot speak for themselves. I pray that we will continue in that effort and that God will have His way in that matter. However, I cannot help but think about our children who have been born into this world.
You know, the ones who live in our homes and eat all our food and spend all our money. Yeah, those children. Well, when it comes to their spiritual lives, they too in a way do not have a voice. They are subject to whatever influence they are born into and continue to be exposed to. They watch the adults in their life intently and begin to imitate.
That means that if there are parents who are not godly parents or even parents who claim Christianity yet never display the life of a disciple before these children. The option is never presented to them and therefore as they reach an age of accountability will have limited to no chance to even consider being a disciple before being sucked into the ways of the world!
I believe that just as taking the physical life of an unborn baby is wrong, so too is robbing any child of the opportunity to choose for themselves everlasting spiritual life! If our children never get to see the life of a genuine disciple of Christ through their parents or grandparents, the likelihood of them genuinely meeting Jesus in a life changing way is diminished at best.
Final thought. I have been involved with and interacted with many congregations. Most of them “smaller” congregations. It seems to me that the concern for all of the smaller churches is that they do not have any young people. The young people either moved away or are going where all the other young people are going which many times is nowhere.
I have often wondered if the reason that some of these churches are in this condition because the older folks failed to do the work over the last generation or two. I am not really trying to point fingers, but I cannot help but think that my generation and older must be responsible for the younger generations not having the desire to know Christ.
This is not a church attendance issue. It is not about going to church every Sunday. It is about knowing Christ in a way that changes lives and saves souls. It is about our children being led into the presence of God and having opportunity to receive His grace! Going to church on Sunday morning is simply evidence of a person’s spiritual health!
I encourage you all, do not allow your children to be innocent by-standers who become victim to the wickedness of this world! Show them the way, the truth, and the life by being genuine disciples of Christ who stay committed no matter what is happening in this world!
If you know me personally, then you already know that my wife and I have been dealing with the loss of our son, Dustin L. Gilmer. He was killed when his van struck a concrete barrier dividing the interstate on which he was driving. This happened just days before his thirtieth birthday. We received a call at around 4:30 am on Friday August 7th, informing us about what had happened just a few hours earlier that morning.
I am unable to explain the shock and overwhelming pain that came over us during that moment. Never in my almost 49 years of life have I ever experienced such a total loss of control of myself. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. I could not even try to stop what was happening and felt completely helpless and destroyed.
It has been about six weeks now since this happened. During that six weeks my family and I had to do what everyone does who loses one they love. We had to identify my son’s body. Then we had to plan a funeral. Then we had to deal with his estate. In the middle of all that, we tried to process and cope with the reality that he was gone and that this in fact was happening in our family.
August 13, 1990
I feel that I can say that things were and are, even in his death, a bit different for us in that Dustin was born with a disability that caused him to live his life in a wheelchair. He was born with a disability which caused him to break bones really easily. In fact, when he was born the doctor informed me and his mother that he was not expected to live more than five years.
Pam, my wife, and I always felt that there was a good possibility that we would outlive Dustin due to his disability. Even though he was able to fight through the challenges of his disability and earn a great deal of independence, we believed that over time it would catch up to him and begin to take a toll. I prayed about that a lot. I guess for the past thirty years we lived with and dealt with his disability in a way that it simply became a part of who we are, and I guess became normal for us.
I was not a Christian when Dustin was born. However, I did talk to God every now and then. You know, the usual cry out to God when things are really bad. From the day he was born until he, my wife and I all gave our lives to Christ.
Since Dustin was born, my thoughts and payers were everything from why this disability happened to him, my son to “Lord if I could only trade places with him”. I went through just about every emotion I could go through during the first ten or twelve years of his life. Trying to figure out how to cope with my son and his suffering with this disability. During those years and really his entire life, we all learned how to function and be a family who not only suffered together because of the disability, but also to be able to move away from needing answers to our “why us” questions.
Over the years of Dustin’s life, we all learned many valuable lessons about how God works and how he does not work. We were able to grow as Christians and I believe that because of that, we were able to accept that God had allowed this disability and to be able to stand in the fact that God does not make mistakes. Therefore, we began to live in a place that helped us fall in line with what God was doing with Dustin’s life.
So when that day came when I received that phone call at 4:30 am informing me that Dustin was killed in a car wreck, in the middle of that devastating moment, I did not feel the need to ask, “why me?” or “why my son?”.
In the days and weeks after his death, my wife and I got in our truck and drove. I mean we drove for about four days. During that time, I could not stop thinking about all the godly men in the bible that had experienced tragedy. I thought about people like Abraham who was willing to kill his own son trusting that it was God’s plan. I also thought a lot about David who lost his son due to consequences of his own sinful behavior. Yet when God said “no” to his prayer that his son would live, David simply ended his fasting and prayer and continued serving God.
I mostly thought about Job. I continued to think about how much loss he had endured and remained faithful to God. He lost all of his children. Even though he was blessed with more children, I have no doubt that the loss of the first children made a lasting mark. There were plenty more people in the scriptures that I thought about who had suffered loss or tragedy. Yet they continued to be godly people.
I am simply sharing all of this because I think it was important for me to be reminded of the lesson that God had been teaching me for the past thirty years. It was as if God was reminding me by saying, “why not you?”. This is the lesson that was constant throughout the thirty years of my son’s life.
If we think about all the people throughout the history of mankind who were godly people and suffered. We will find many that were used greatly by God for His glory and for His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven! After all, Hebrews chapter 11 lists many of the “hall of famers” of the Bible. I think it is safe to say that none who were listed there lived without suffering.
Dustin, my son, would be the first to tell anyone that life is not fair. He would be the first one to tell anyone that bad things happen to good people and bad people. And he would also be the first one to tell anyone that in the middle of it all, God is doing something.
You know, 2020 has turned out to be a pretty crappy year for everyone. Like everyone else, I began the year paying a little bit of attention to the impeachment proceedings and wishing that it would be over, and we could move on to talking about something else.
Well, be careful what you wish for. I soon found myself after about three months of adjusting to COVID 19 precautions wishing we could go back and talk about the impeachment hearings! It was not long that I found myself, like everyone else, being overly stressed about the current events going on in the world.
I remember thinking about how I just started a new preaching position at our church and was excited about getting the church to grow and be successful about making disciples for Christ. It all seemed to come to an immediate stand still and I began to have the attitude of how it was not fair or right that our church was being affected like this. Not to mention the affects that it has had on me personally, just as it has on everyone else in the world.
Looking back now, I cannot help but continue to hear the words in my mind, “why not me?”. I think about all the generations over the ages who had to struggle and deal with world changing events. Wars, sicknesses, disasters, political and social issues, loss, and the like. I keep hearing, “why not me?”.
There were many generations since Adam and Eve that experienced a sudden and drastic change in the world which affected their lifestyles and comfort levels. So, the question continues, “why not me?”. Why would I be exempt from any kind of suffering or challenge? I live in the same world as they did. The same world that is contaminated by wickedness and sin since Adam and Eve! Who am I?
So, I must continue to ask myself, “why not me?”. Why shouldn’t I expect to take my turn at suffering and pain? This is the way life has been since the fall of man in the garden! This is the world we live in. God does not make mistakes and He allows suffering at times. So, “why not me?”.
God has brought many great things out of pain and suffering. And all of those things end in God being glorified and many have turned to Him for His saving grace because of the suffering that happens in the lives of His disciples. For the past thirty years, our family bible verse has been Romans 8:18.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
So, I sit and think about the possibilities that God will use my suffering for His glory and for the sake of someone else’s soul! So, “why NOT me?”!
A final thought. I would not want this blog post to be taken as some kind of sad situation entirely. Certainly, it has its share of sadness, maybe m
Dustin L. Gilmer
ore than its share. However, if you knew my son at all, you would know that even though he lived in his wheelchair, he looked at the opportunities for success in his life and always asked the question, “why NOT me?”.
He lived his life well and also died well. I will forever be proud of my son and will forever give God the glory for the blessing that Dustin was for the last thirty years and will continue to always be.To God be the Glory for ever and ever! Amen!
Bob Beltz: Preacher at Valley Mills Christian Church Indianapolis, IN click the photo to listen to the message (the message starts at the 14:56 time mark)
I recently listened to sermon preached by a great brother in Christ, Mentor, and friend. His name is Bob Beltz at Valley Mills Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN. His sermon was powerful and thought provoking at least for me.
He preached from Lamentations and really brought some perspective to the table about where exactly to look when evaluating what we need as a nation, a society, and as the body of Christ.
“Judah has gone into exile under affliction and under harsh servitude; she dwells amoung the nations, but she has found no rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of distress.” -Lamentations 1:3
For the past six to eight years I have often thought of America as needing another great revival! What I mean is for those Americans who will readily and maybe even honestly claim to believe in God or call themselves Christians yet seldom or never attend church to return to putting God first in all things.
Often times these Americans will go most of their lives without ever opening God’s Word in the privacy of their own home. Somehow these Americans have fallen into the trap of believing that simply not denying God’s existence is enough to secure a spot in a place we all know as heaven. Not accepting the fact that it does not work that way.
I had often thought that if we would just pray that God would move in a way that brought about a great revival in the hearts of The Church in America then all of the wickedness and wrongdoing that seemed so overwhelming would be defeated.
The problem with that thought was that it was born and motivated by my own spiritual youth and naivety. You see, what I did not have a full grasp on was that revivals are what happen to the believers within the church, those who are actively working within the body of Christ and seeking the Lord. It is The Church that is to be the focus of a revival!
Maybe it is because I was raised in the 70’s and 80’s. Even then Americans were being taught that this nation was a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. Leading me to just assume that all Americans believed in God. At least that was the case in the Midwest where I spent a lot of my childhood.
Maybe I simply assumed that an American revival meant that many if not most would return to the Christian foundation that our forefathers stood on.
The reality of it all is simply that The Church, the body of Christ, are the people who need to be awakened. After all, according to the great commission, it is the responsibility of The Church to go into the world and make disciples!
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and peach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”” – Mark 16:15-16
To simply pray that God would change the hearts of those who have not accepted His gospel and do nothing else in regard to our neighbor’s salvation is a complete act of deflecting our God given responsibility back on God Himself!
What I have come to realize over the past five or six years is that it is The Church in America that is sick. After all, it is fool hearted to expect people who have never accepted God, His Word, and the Christian life to live according to the Christian way of life! It is The Church, the body of Christ, that has become complacent.
The believers have slowly given in to the pressures of the world and compromised bit by bit. All the while convincing themselves that we are good enough. We sometimes still go to church and sometimes give our tithes. Verbally confirming that we believe in God and even Jesus sometimes. All the while allowing the foundations of the Christian family to be destroyed by the world around us without any effort to actively standing up and call sin what it is. I do not mean in the public houses, I mean within the walls of our families, our own houses and churches. While at the same time, our behavior in society does not reflect what we say we believe.
Somehow the believers, The Church, arrived at a way of life that is complacent and maybe even blending in with the politically correct mindset of the American culture. Most Americans who are Christians will immediately reject the idea of political correctness, however when confronted with an opportunity to stand firm on our Christian principles, we shrink back for fear of offending our family, friends, and neighbors. An example of fearing what the world will percieve about the Christian who is supposed to be about love and kindness.
The reality is that the believers in these “United” States of America have shrunk back. I remember when I first started full time ministry about fifteen or so years ago. There were some of the older believers in the churches that I was part of who would tell stories about protesting and picketing outside liquor stores and XXX bookstores which had been starting up in their neighborhoods. They had great success in shutting them down. People were also getting saved back then!
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”
– James 2:17
I remember at that time I thought to myself, “that doesn’t seem like what God would have us do”. Even though what was being promoted by those businesses was not something that honored God and provided great temptation to sin in the community, I thought that it was a bit aggressive and might have given the wrong impression to the rest of the community about the church. Which is still the mindset of many church leaders today many times.
I look back now and think that I was probably half correct in my thinking. I was correct in thinking that it was a bit aggressive. However, I now see that it was and always is correct to stand up and call sin what it is! Maybe sometimes even when it is or would be perceived as aggressive. I cannot speak to the manner in which those older brethren took action were right or wrong. Only God will judge that.
I will however say that I think that I would rather stand before God and be corrected over the manner in which I stood firm in what is right or wrong than to stand before Him and try to explain why I just stood by and did nothing or said nothing.
I think that only much prayer and fasting will allow us to be in tune with the Holy Spirit as He leads us toward making disciples and bringing in the harvest.
If we would ever be able to surrender to what God is doing, we would be quick to repent, heal, and be made strong. And by we, I mean the believers.
I believe it would be the next great revival in the body of Christ!
We must seek the Lord. We must cry out for spiritual growth and strength to go into a world of wickedness and hurt and simply love people.
I recently read an article written by Andrew Klavan that was published on The Daily Wire. In that article, Klavan is pointing out something that I have been pondering for most of 2020 and maybe even a bit longer. That is this thing called “gaslighting”. What is gaslighting?
This type of manipulation is very subtle, effective, and dangerous. Often times a person who is being gaslighted finds themselves in a serious state of insanity or maybe even worse if there is such a thing.
As a preacher of the gospel and a committed Christian to the faith in which I have surrendered myself to, I find that a healthy pursuit of the truth is absolutely necessary for success as well as survival in this world. After all, the gospel message is all about what is true!
Having said all that, I will say that I find it very hard to accept that since before January 01, 2020, until the date of this writing, August 01,2020, that such a string of catastrophic situations would occur back to back or simultaneously.
It has only been a short seven months and we have and continue to deal with Presidential impeachment hearings, global pandemics, federal and local governmental abuse of powers, social unrest (some may say tyranny), as well as the relentless challenge of any authority, racial tension and riots in our streets, and let’s not forget the audacious attempts to simply erase the entire history of the greatest nation in the world, by force no less!
I personally find it very difficult maybe even impossible for all of these events and happenings to be coincidental. Yes, some are consequences of another, but it all seems to be laced with the idea that there is a “man behind the curtain” pulling all the strings and pushing all the buttons! I cannot bring myself to accept that all of this is just happening without some political agenda driving it all.
I do not pretend to understand all of it. I cannot even begin to start assigning blame or responsibility on any one group or individual as to who might be the puppet master’s in it all. All I know is that I feel that I and every other American citizen who disagrees with any left wing or liberal minded groups are being gaslighted as we speak.
As Klavan pointed out in his article, there are groups of people as well as political groups that are engaging in hatred and discord in an effort to gain leverage and power to push their agenda all the while preaching that it is me or “we the people” that are the one’s that are the haters and dividers!
We now find ourselves in such a position that any pushback or attempt to defend ourselves actually plays right into the hands of those who are attacking America! If I stand firm in who I am as a white Christian man who is also an American Citizen as well as a Preacher of the gospel, the fingers will immediately start pointing, “see, he hates everyone because he won’t agree or fall in line with what we want and believe”!
This scenario plays out in every part of our lives from debating about how we choose or not choose to protect ourselves from a very real and deadly virus all the way to whether or not a person will submit to the regime of the Black Lives Matter movements, Antifa, or any other Socialist/Marxist organization.
What does not seem to matter is what anyone really thinks or believes about any of it. There is simply a steady stream of information being fed to society by the government, media, and all the different groups of people out there. All of it controlled by “the man behind the curtain”. There is no discussion. No attempt to open mindedly understand each other. Simply all there is to remain is chaos and confusion.
Chaos and confusion are what the gaslighter wants. Division and strife are what the socialist/Marxist depends on. As long as the truth is not presented, the crowd is left to wrestle with their own thoughts of what exactly is reality and what is not.
Even when the truth is plain to all, anytime anyone begins to embrace what is real or true, the mob quickly pounces to shut it down and condemn the fact finder as racist scum and told to sit down and shut up, or else.
And because no one else in the crowd who also are being gaslighted, will stand in the face of the lies, neither will anyone else. It is evidence that the gaslighting is working.
The victims are afraid to speak out about any of it for fear of being accused of or maybe revealing to the world their state of insanity. Even though there is no insanity on their part. We are simply being told that 1+1=4. If we object with what we know to be true, we are smacked down and shunned from society and any connection to it!
The insanity lies in the minds of the mob, the gaslighters. They are the ones who have lost touch with reality. They are the ones who are living in a fantasy world filled with hate and discord and calling it social and political progress. Something that no one in their right mind would ever have thought would happen. Yet here we are. Here it is.
As an American citizen I am more than upset about all of it. However, because I am a believer in Jesus as Lord and Savior of all, I must consider the Kingdom of God first and foremost in all of it. So, what does that mean?
Well, as was stated in my previous blogpost, American Christians and These “United” States 2020, The kingdom of God is the priority. That means that I must be about the work of the Kingdom. Which is basically, loving God and loving people. Sounds simple right? Well, not so much.
I personally believe that we are to live the Christian life in such a way that we honor God in all parts of our lives. Good times and bad times. I believe that God has made it clear that there are certain moral and ethical truths which He expects the believer to stand firm on and not shrink back from anything that challenges that.
We find in scripture where the book of Hebrews calls the believer to persevere!
“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” – Hebrews 10:39
What is happening in the “United” States of America today is a direct attack on the very core values of the Christian faith! The very thing that the Christian is to stand firm on. Our core values are the foundation of not only the Body of Christ but this nation as well! We have a duty to stand firm on those values and beliefs, which by the way all are centered on Christ our Lord! See the letter to the Colossians.
Everything that the socialist/Marxist agenda proudly stands for is intended to dismantle the family unit as God Himself had established. All of the acts of the sinful nature which are obvious according to Galatians 5, are now condoned and promoted. At the time of this writing, there are some reports of bibles being burned in Portland, OR in the midst of the rioting in the streets!
If we sit back and say nothing. If we shrink back to our pews and pulpits and preach the “safe” message that the gospel is all about going to heaven and that what goes on in this world is not our concern, I fear that we will be in error at best. It is our responsibility to fight for the morals, truths, and principles of the Kingdom of God!
“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10
That is how the Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray! His will be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven! We are charged with stewardship of the gospel! The truth of the word of God! We must not simply shrink back and allow the wickedness in the hearts of those who think the gospel foolishness, 1 Corinthians, to simply destroy what God has established in the world!
It is not a matter of winning or losing a battle against the evils of this world. It is a matter of standing before a Holy God who will evaluate the hearts of each believer. He will call to account the stewardship of each one of us when it comes to the truths with which he entrusted in our charge! Refer to the parable of the talents which can be found in Matthew’s gospel chapter 25.
It is about how much are we willing work in the harvest fields even when they were on fire and being destroyed by the wickedness of the evil one. After all it is those who take the gospel for foolishness who are perishing, again 1 Corinthians, who really are the ones Jesus sent us after when He said to go and make disciples!
“…The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in to his harvest field.” – Matthew 9:37-38
In today’s world, in these “United” States of America, the Christian is faced with a choice. Either shrink back and allow the gaslighting to lead us into compromising the gospel and the moral foundation that Jesus died for. Or we can stand firm in Christ and stand firm in our convictions, loving God by loving people. That sometimes means speaking truth in the face of wickedness and evil. Often times if not every time it means taking harsh and/or brutal treatment from the enemies, the mobs, the gaslighters.
Here is what I know for a fact. God’s word is indeed absolute truth. His morals and principles are indeed good and trustworthy. Jesus did indeed die and was resurrected from the dead and is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven! These facts alone should be enough for me and every other believe to stand firm in truth.
Archie L. Gilmer
Call things what they are. Trust in the God in whom we claim to believe! Do not shrink back!
As an American Christian as well as a Preacher of the gospel, I am not only troubled by the current culture in the “United” States of America, but I am challenged by the thoughts about what can or should be done. What should the Christian’s reaction be? What should the American Christian be doing in response to any of it?
First, I will make it known that I first and foremost believe that every Christian around the world should always be about the Lord’s business. The business of making disciples. In that regard, it should be business as usual for the believer. We should be about the work of the Kingdom no matter the climate or culture around us.
Part of the dilemma in my mind is not so much about what we are supposed to be doing as the body of Christ but what could or should be done as Christian Americans. If anything. I have some issues when thinking about how the American believers have always stood firm on the fact that the country was founded on Christian values by Christian men and women.
We have always held those Christian men and women as not only American heroes but also heroes of the faith as well. We celebrate their accomplishments as they literally fought for their and our freedoms as people and as Christians. We for so long, I guess until now, have been proud of the battles and wars that they willingly fought so that they and we could enjoy a nation where we are free to believe what we want to believe. As well as anyone else for that matter.
We look at the men who signed the constitution as great Christian Americans who courageously stood in the face of tyranny and oppression in a forceful way, yet we now look at each other and simply say, we should just keep making disciples and focus on the Kingdom work. Which I agree with. However, I cannot help but ask myself, what if part of the Kingdom work is doing something about the tyranny and injustice that is happening against our freedoms?
I feel that the believers think it possible for that to be part of Kingdom work because we are always saying, “we need more Christians in office”, thinking that it will help preserve our freedoms. After all, isn’t that what we have always celebrated in our founding Christian Americans? Yet somehow, we seem to act as though that should be some other Christian instead of the one looking back in the mirror.
Do we not proudly cry out that “This country was founded on Christian principles; therefore, it is a Christian nation!” But now, when the baton is handed to us, we seem to be silent. We seem to be relying on “the vote”. All I hear is, “wait till November”. Although I still believe in the voting process, I do not trust the ones who are to manage that process.
Whatever happens after November, I am confident that our current culture will only get worse. If one group is elected, things will continue to get worse, if the other is elected, things may explode socially! It seems like we only have a choice between letting the wind blow the fire even bigger or pouring gasoline on the fire to help it grow. It just seems inevitable to me that evil will continue to abide and abound as long as godly people sit back and either deny that it is happening or have the attitude that someone else will do something about it.
Yes, I realize that scripture teaches much about the world being in decay due to sin and the consequences of wickedness. However, I do not know if I believe that it would be God’s will for the believers to just sit on the side of the road and not at least speak out against the ways of the evil one! Our current culture has become such that anyone who disagrees with “the mob”, Christian or not, will be smacked down and shunned from society!
I cannot help but reflect on Galatians 5:19 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:…” All throughout the scripture, the prophets, the disciples, the believers, and Jesus stood up and spoke against such things, boldly! Which leaves me with one question. Why not me? Why not the American Christian in 2020? What is hindering the church from their zeal? What is it?
Maybe it is just me. Maybe I am the one who should sit down and be quiet. Maybe I should join the ranks of other Christian Americans and just quietly continue to hold church services and act like the ways of the wicked are not destroying everything that we once considered a blessing from God.
Or maybe it really is me. Maybe I am one whom God is leading to do or say something in the darkness about the acts of the sinful nature, which are obvious! Until now, I have been silent about the goings on in this world publicly because I did not want to contribute to the non-sense. Nor do I want to participate in the loose lipped style of sharing opinions and rants which have no use except to fuel the current climate. Nor would it bring glory to God and His Kingdom. I just wonder if I am the only one of God’s faithful believers that He would lead to follow in the paths of our American forefathers? Or am I simply mistaken about it all?
We Americans have this bad habit of falling into the trap of believing that the worst-case scenario will never happen to us. After all, we are Americans. American Christians for crying out loud! I think we would do well to remind ourselves of the problems that God’s chosen people, the Israelites, had each time they thought too much of themselves simply because God showed them favor.
I guess I just don’t see how we lift up our founding fathers as great American Christians while at the same time conclude that for any or all of us to do the same things that they did for the sake of freedom would not be the right thing to do. Last time I checked; freedom of any kind is always worth fighting for.
I will say for sure, much prayer and fasting is needed.
Over the years of Dustin’s life, we all learned many valuable lessons about how God works and how he does not work. We were able to grow as Christians and I believe that because of that, we were able to accept that God had allowed this disability and to be able to stand in the fact that God does not make mistakes. Therefore, we began to live in a place that helped us fall in line with what God was doing with Dustin’s life.
