There Always Seems to be Bad News, But...

(Originally written and posted in 2008, long before the coronavirus pandemic)

Some people are “news junkies” and devour news and commentary 24/7. I’m not, but I do try to keep myself aware of what’s going on around me in my neighborhood, the city of Lansing, Michigan, 

the country, and the rest of the world. I listen to commentary, mostly on the radio, but I also read extensively via the Internet. One thing is clear; most of the news is bad.

Even prayer letters tend to focus on the negative; they tell us who is sick, who has died, who has suffered an accident, and who is out of work. Of course, we want to pray for those who have needs, and the needs are many and often serious. Unfortunately, I fear that the better our lives actually are, the more we dread the problems we face. It’s almost like we are so close to heaven that hell should not be allowed to intrude, but of course the reality is exactly the opposite.

Three negative forces still dominate this world—our own fallen flesh, the evil one, and the world system itself. The best that this world offers is nothing compared to the “eternal weight of glory” awaiting us. We see glimpses but not in the wealth and property we might gain here. Even “perfect health” rapidly fades in a body that is not “like unto his glorious body.”  The company of good friends or the pleasure of a favorite activity cannot compare to the unhindered spiritual fellowship of heaven. Whatever problem, crisis, or tragedy that upsets our earthly well-being cannot touch the awaiting reality that we only see faintly now.

Two different friends asked me if I would be watching the first (2008) Presidential candidate debate, and I said probably not. I could find out later what happened and how the candidates performed, but I had no interest in being drawn into a situation where my sense of confidence about the future rested on what I heard. It does not! Even in the United States, God still vests his authority in those who rule. As important as I believe it is to vote, to express our wishes to those who represent us, and to fight for the values we hold dear, the final outcomes still rests in the hands of God. Those who oppose him will not prevail, whatever they may think or do; those who follow him will not achieve his purposes ultimately through politics.

If there is any bad news to fear, it is the spiritual negligence of God’s people when they become idolatrously devoted to celebrities, this world’s attractions, or even those we love, and I don’t just mean sexual immorality. Far too many believers are invested, literally, in their material wealth, possessions, and entertainments. For them, the bad news is anything that threatens their earthly treasures, but we are warned not to lay up treasures that won’t last. One risk is that we will become so attached to them that they will matter more to us that the things or people of God.

When our eyes are focused on Christ and on things of eternal value, when we care more about people than about possessions, professions, or privileges, then the news will never be quite so bad as the good news of the good life. I don’t mean to be spouting pious words; I am serious. “He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world” means our ultimate future is secure, even if the more immediate future seems at risk. No earthly mansion can match the eternal dwelling he has prepared. No physical illness or injury can prevent us the pleasures of eternity. There will always be bad news, as long as this fallen world endures, but a new heaven and a new earth is coming where there will never again be anything but good news forever.

P.S. I have focused here on the blessings of our eternal future, we who believe, contrasted to the ever-present "bad news" in this present time and place. We are not without hope in this moment either. Peter reminds us, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you,” while Paul recommends, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I have found, personally, that prayer and faith in God not only put my mind at ease but also many times results in good news.

You Can Tell Someone About Jesus

During this coronavirus pandemic, most everyone is thinking about a scary illness and possible death.  Some have already been touched by the loss of someone to this new viral infection  Injury, illness, and death are always all around us, reminding us that life and health, in this world, tend to pass quickly, as Isaiah says:  “The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.”  Isaiah also reminds us that some things last forever, particularly God’s Word.  As we face the unavoidable reality of our own mortality, it should inspire us to grab onto the things that last.

I can think of no greater tragedy than to lose someone we love for all eternity.  In fact, I regard the loss of anyone, however troubled in this world, as dreadfully sad.  Sin corrupts each of us, some in more open and unpleasant ways, but the cause is the same.  No one is inherently evil; every one of us is a creature made in God’s image but fallen from that high estate because of sin.  The man or woman I may despise for some earthly wrong is a sinner for the same reason as I, and it is wise for us to consider what precious soul lies beneath the burden of their sin, a precious soul that God loves, as He does each of us.

Still, I understand the person who is reluctant to offer the gift of grace to an enemy or a person who has hurt them deeply.  I don’t so easily understand those who simply don’t bother, who are too busy with their own affairs, or who have too little love to care about the many lost souls around them, perhaps even some they love dearly.  In writing that, I must confess I don’t so easily understand myself.

I think many of us avoid sharing the gospel because we feel inadequate.  People ask hard questions.  They react to our faith with scorn and skepticism.  They may even mock us.  We may have bought into the idea that “religion is a private matter,” an idea that the unreligious and unbelieving use to silence people of faith; unfortunately, it often works.  We may even conclude that those who really want to believe will find their way to Jesus without our help, except Paul tells us plainly that they need a preacher.

I have been thinking and writing about this, for some time.  In another posting, I discuss things that make the task easier and suggest ways to help get the job done.  To start, we just need to do it, to recognize that is doable, and to understand that as “sheep,” it’s our job to reproduce.  Just remember, that reproducing is the most natural process in the world.  It is a matter of life producing more life, and the life of Christ in each of us is sufficient to spark new life in another.

Yes, we do need to learn.  Gaining knowledge and skills will give us more tools, increase our understanding, and enable us to answer questions more effectively.  It is regrettable that, in an “information age,” so many of us despise the skills necessary to use the abundant information available.  If someone asks a question, and if I don’t readily know the answer or have sources readily in mind, I only have to Google it, and I will often be able to access precisely the information I need.

Of course, there are those who will tell you that the wealth of information makes our job harder.  They will imply that most of the available information is contrary to our beliefs, but that isn’t true.  If you believe, as I do, that the gospel is truth, the one accurate message of reality straight from the One who created it, then no amount of information will ever overwhelm it.

In truth, the task is easier today than ever.  We have an abundance of resources to draw on.  Given the deep problems and prevalent concerns about our economy, we have a great opportunity, as well.  When things are going well, people dare to rely on their earthly wealth for security, at least until reminded of their own mortality,  When things are bad, and they don’t get much worse than terrorist threats, a viral pandemic, or economic disaster, then people may be ready to look to something more basic and more reliable than this earth can provide. In this environment, and with these plentiful sources of helpful information, we can tell someone about Jesus.

It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming!

Dead. For anyone who's lost a loved one, especially a child, a beloved spouse, a dear grandparent or parent, a best friend, nothing is more devastating than death. Life itself seems finished. Nothing is left but time, empty, dreary minutes, hours, days, weeks...

We live under the curse, for by Adam's sin and all our subsequent sinning, death is our condition and our future.  Most of us fear death to some extent; many, without any hope of life after death, fear death almost beyond reason.

I'm nearly 71. My health is okay, but my knees have slowed me down to a lame stumble, and my back aches. My income is adequate (God is good!), but I've also gone through the worst times of my life on my own. I don't have any certainty about tomorrow. No wife, no children, no grandkids, not even a close friend in the area. My mother is gone, died at 89; but I wasn't much help for her. I am glad for my baby brother who looked after her, but I'm the oldest...It was my job! Men like me don't usually do well, at this stage of life. What does the future hold; why should someone like me care?

I tutor refugees, international students, and recent immigrants (though not right now with everything shut down). I have a vision...for a school to teach English to refugees and immigrants. What irony! I have very little and hardly anyone who cares. Why me? Is it a vision or a nightmare, a cruel joke to torment someone who has no chance of see his dream fulfilled? I used to think I could do just about anything I set my mind to do; in that sense, I've been an optimist. I believed in my abilities, and I believe in God. Now it's easy to wonder what I've ever really accomplished. Where are the signs of my success? For a man, a sense of failure leads to overwhelming misery. Most of my peers have retired. My lifetime in ministry didn't leave that as an option. How dare I, of all people, have a vision of the future?

We call it “Good Friday.” Outside of Jerusalem, an itinerant rabbi name Jesus, a lot like me in having nothing except a handful of followers, was nailed to a wooden cross from hands and feet, where he hung in appalling agony until he died from excruciating (a word for pain drawn from this event) torment and suffocation. When he cried out, “It is finished!” his followers were all gone but one, a guy named John to whom he'd entrusted his grieving mother. He died, as we all do in the end, alone. His death like no other was wrong, undeserved, and yet even his heavenly father abandoned him there on that cross. It was the end of hope...for him...for his followers...for the world!

Actually..."It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!"

Thirty or forty years ago, Tony Campolo used that phrase in a powerful sermon that I will shamelessly borrow: “It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!” Actually he borrowed the phrase. I think it was Campolo who wrote a song. The words are a metaphor but the reality is, well, more real than anything. Jesus death was not the end; his tomb, sealed, guarded, containing his broken, tortured body, is not a symbol for what was lost, only to be sadly remembered. It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!

Anempty tomb—I saw it, vacant, outside the old city of Jerusalem—is a symbol for hope, a hope that will not disappoint. Is that the same tomb? As a guide said when I was there, while we cannot be sure, on thing is clear...that tomb is empty!

Resurrection is not scientific. The dead do not live again, at least by our understanding of medicine. We may be able to bring people from the brink, perhaps even moments past the brink, but after 3 days? God isn't bound by the laws of science; he created them, spoke those very laws into existence, but he can overrule them. They exist only because he keeps them in effect by his word. Reality is greater than what we see, hear, touch, experience; his spirit is beyond all that. By science, dead is dead; but It's Friday, Sunday's Coming!

Unlike many who despair of lingering, impotent days of poverty and uselessness, I won't end my life or linger, just waiting for death to take me. If there should be little more for me, God owes me nothing more than what Jesus had. Death isn't the end, nor is the death of dreams. It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming! I've been forgiven. By grace through faith, I will enjoy life everlasting, filled with joy, body restored beyond what it never was, to be with beloved believers who've gone before. Even better, those whom I've failed or hurt and those who've abandoned me or broken my heart will be reconciled perfectly...no sorrow, no sadness, no pain, no suffering, no shame, no regrets, no death... I have no complaint. If only finally in eternity, It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!

However, I'm not just waiting for the blessings of heaven. I don't believe in retirement. I believe my vision came from God, and he's not finished with me yet. At this moment, when everything appears hopeless, even in those moments when I fall into self-doubt...and I'm good at those...It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming! I dare to believe, not just in his provision in whatever my circumstances, since God has promised to care for me, indeed, for all those who trust him; I dare to imagine my vision realized, to start a school for refugees and immigrants; he will lead, inspire, brings others to help, provide for its facilities and staff and everything it will need. Perhaps he'll alter my vision--I've experienced that, too, but dreams are not wasted by God. It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!

Furthermore, I feel, I sense in my soul, that he will do something amazing; in fact, I believe he already is! He doesn't have to do that; he's covered all the important questions with promises he will most definitely keep. I am watching and already proclaiming what he has done. I just have a feeling, based on nothing but  my heart and my faith, and a wild, enthusiastic, absurd but well-grounded hope, that he will surprise me...and you...and a lot of folks I will delight in telling that something remarkable, inconceivable, and awesome has happened. Yeah, I know it makes no sense...unless you know the God of the impossible, who is far more worthy of faith than a empty material, impersonal, uncaring universe, our loving heavenly father who gave his own son to defeat sin, rescue his beloved, image-bearing but sinful children, and then defeated death itself on a Resurrection Sunday two millennia ago... It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!

(Eight years ago, I dedicated this bit of encouragement to the memory of my cousin, Gary Green, who abides now in the presence of God, along with our grandparents and his two sisters who died in early childhood, and since then, his dad (as I get older, the list grows longer!) . I grew up with family reunions, but none will compare to the one coming...because It's Friday, and Sunday's Coming)

God of All Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

It's our normal human nature to want someone to make us feel better. It tends to sound like our younger generation has become greatly focused on such an attitude. I am deeply saddened when I hear so many looking to government and the often false promises of candidates to provide what they desire. They will be disappointed and find little comfort there.

Philosophers used to ponder the enigma of “man's inhumanity to man,” and considerable social and political rhetoric focuses on humans harming other humans, the stronger abusing the weaker, all kinds of neglect. While I find it equally puzzling to look to a government of such people to find a solution, let alone comfort, in the context of strong oppressing the weak, we shouldn't be too surprised at the heavy-handed methods those with power create to “fix” things.

The above encouragement begins with praise for God, a word, an idea,and for many a person who is ultimate power and an icon of fear, punishment, and control, deity made in fallen man's image. Paul follows that identification, however, with the words “Father,” “compassion,” and “comfort” 4 times. Not harsh demands from an autocratic, perhaps angry father, he is “the Father of compassion” and the “God of all comfort.”  By the way, the indicated links provide a larger passage from II Corinthians 1, where Paul shares his own troubles--"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself"followed by God's deliverance.

How does God's compassion and comfort work? It begins with revelation. He has arranged for us to have His Word filled with the truth of his love, compassion, forgiveness, redemption, grace, comfort and more. Yes, he warns us against trying to go it alone. Don't believe the lie, that we sinners so want to believe, that we deserve better. We don't need a message from God to know that is wrong, that we are not deserving of comfort in a world shaped by human evil (including our own!), or that human selfishness, anger, and wishful thinking always will fail to provide what only a loving and compassionate God ever will...and has!

I believe we also receive our heavenly father's love, compassion, and comfort spiritually, if we are receptive. I believe we can and will feel his presence and assurance of his compassion, if we turn to him. 

The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34.8), but the entire Psalm is relevant to this discussion. In the first 3 verses, David, the Psalmist, praises, extols, and glorifies the Lord, and invites “the afflicted” to rejoice. In the next 4 verses, “this poor man,” David himself, materially powerful and wealthy but poor spiritually, called out to God and, as do all who call, experienced relief, literally “deliverance,” from fear, shame, and all their troubles. In this context, David invites, “Taste and see....” and “Fear¹ the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.” Talk about comfort! He follows with a warning to the evil strong, symbolized by the lions, and his “holy” people to keep themselves from evil behavior. Verse 14 adds, “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

The rest of the Psalm compares God's attitude toward his righteous children and the evil outsiders. He hears and watches his own, but turns away from evildoers. He responds to the call of the righteous (we who are now adopted and made righteous through the blood of Christ); indeed, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” He rescues us from grief, not merely grief in the loss of loved ones, but grief over our own sin, guilt, judgment, and, without Christ, spiritual death. His righteous children he delivers from all troubles, but those who are evil, the enemies of the righteous, will be condemned (encouraging in this day where so many good people are mocked, criticized, and condemned). 

David finishes with, “The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.” 

Seeking comfort, consolation, relief from troubles, or even loneliness, here's a good list of how God is and will be there!  Whether the troubles are personal, family-based, community-based, or worldwide, as they are today, He is there for us, waiting for us to look to him, seek him, taste his goodness, and give all our problems, anxieties, worries, and fear to him.

1Simply put, fear in this context means respect as a young child for a firm but beloved parent, not shaking in your boots terror as with the child of abuse.

Right Time to Consider God's Gift

“For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

People don't like to think about death, especially if they believe either than something awful awaits them or nothing at all. Instinctively we want to keep living and to live pleasantly, not to suffer, so illness is also a fear, especially the potentially terminal kind. So it's not really surprising that we've seen a certain amount of fear and panic in the face of the coronavirus.

Paul's words from Romans (above) say nothing about serious illness. Rather he writes that sin causes death. Of course, the medium may be illness, accident, murder, or simply old age, but he means that, had there been no sin, we would not experience death. Now some think that sin is nothing more than the imagined, whimsical demands of a weak god, proving his power. Such folk haven't read the Bible (and sadly that includes some, if not many, so-called Christians), because few who had would not doubt that, what God calls evil, truly is evil! I don't know if they still do, but philosophers and thinkers once pondered what they called “man's inhumanity to man.” None of the so-called “lesser evolved” creatures exhibit self-centered, greedy, or hateful aggression or revenge like humans do. Why is that? The answer is one powerful reason why I do believe in God and humans as his creation, rebellious and disobedient men, women, and children, even the very youngest ones.

My undergraduate degree is in physics, and science also convinces me that this vast universe and all we observe in it, every creature, every subatomic particle, shows evidence of complexity not consistent with chance or random accidents occurring over millions and billions of years of time; I don't believe that incredible order came from chaotic disorder. Well, perhaps you don't think my credentials warrant accepting my opinion. Well, how about the brilliant Isaac Newton (You can find out more about him here)? He had the same opinion (This is a timely article and includes much about his reason for accepting the existence of God).

A common question people ask is how a supposedly good God would allow bad things, like say a coronavirus, to happen. One reason is the fall: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, but a longer discussion follows). I believe a second reason is to encourage the “lost” to return by heart in faith to their Creator. Like any creator or parent, our heavenly father hopes for us to become like him. For example, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” Galatians 5:22-23, Paul first lists the fruitless life; the entire chapter is insightful). God actively works to produce what is natural in himself, and no one objects to these—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness or loyalty, gentleness, and self-control. Awful, isn't it, that he should desire such things from his children, after we trust him and get adopted into the family. Holy rollers? I don't think so! Drearily pious and boring? Nope! I would call it powerfully virtuous!

So, in challenging and fearful times like these, we may rest and hope in God, concerned yet content, and, if we are living in the vital relationship he intends, we have the strength, courage, and wisdom to prevail and not panic! If instead, we hope only in what our time on earth may provide, which for many isn't much, if we can only cling to this life, then we really don't have much to hope for. Panic in the face of a contagious disease or war or some other earthly disaster isn't surprising. Furthermore, the end is worse than merely the death of the body, but spiritual death, which is the permanent, everlasting separation from our Creator and loving God.

What a person deserves, what he or she literally earns, from a lifetime of sin, of human evil, of inhumanity toward other humans, is death both physical and spiritual. It is my hope and prayer that, at times like this, people will recognize the end of their selfish striving and accept the “gift of God”, provided through the sacrificial death of the God/man Jesus Christ, which is to live eternally. This life begins with a spiritual transformation, adoption into our heavenly father's family, cleansing from all sin, past, present, and future, and the chance to live life abundantly now and forever. Oh yes, and in times like these that seem so perilous and uncertain, or even in your own personal crises, we have access to resources to seek help, relief, comfort, peace, and hope:

• Matthew 7:7-8 – We may seek God's help, and he will respond.
  
• Philippians 4:6-7 – He provides a divine prescription for finding freedom from fear, anxiety, and worry and gain genuine personal peace.
  
• James 4:2-10 – After warning what gets in our way, he points out we don't have because we don't ask him and, if we humble ourselves, he will lift us up.
  

I know people who are afraid, some panicked and desperate. Others seem to exhibit careless indifference, seemingly bold in the face of potential infection; I don't believe their outward show. Yet I also know some who are not afraid. They trust God and are confident their lives are safe in him. Like me, I'm sure they are fully aware of the possibilities, the nature of the illness, and that some will die—those who are elderly, others with weakened conditions, and even some who appear healthy. No one wants that, but with God's grace and strength, we can face it, knowing he loves, cares, protects, and assures our forever futures. So which seems the better perspective?

P. S. Since I posted this, I've been pondering the challenge of convincing people that God is real. Here I mentioned that, if we are the result of evolution, then human evil makes no sense, but sin as a rebellion against the Creator does. I also pointed out that the marvelous complexity of everything argues soundly against random chance as the ultimate cause. Even without seeing him, I know a creator designed the amazing things we are only beginning to appreciate.

Still, I somewhat sympathize with those who say they can't believe in something/someone they cannot see. Then it occurred to me that people, in fact, believe in many things they cannot see. For example, wind is only identified by what it does. Then it came to me that people indeed do believe many things they cannot see. For example, I recently wrote a blog in response to the irrational attacks some direct against Chinese people living here. They certainly didn't "see" them creating the coronavirus or intentionally spreading it; while racism is one of those "sins" I mentioned, this is plainly inspired by an imagined, invisible act by unseen actors, that is, an unseen but very much believed conspiracy theory!

Science is another example; many, who claim science to be the rational alternative to an unseen God, don't “see” many of the scientific ideas the claim to accept. Many nonscientists, ordinary laypeople, don't know much about science or understand the most basic principles; in fact, many simply accept the assertions of others, often no more scientifically literate or capable of truly “seeing” the ideas they almost religiously proclaim. Many simply believe. On the other hand, many legitimate scientists became explorers of nature because of their faith in the Creator and a desire to observe and understand his creation; others became believers in the Creator because of what they observed and learned, finding a creator made more sense of the complexities they observed.

An “elf” in TimAllen's “The Santa Claus” says, “Seeing is not believing; believing is seeing.” Sometimes wanting or just needing to believe is enough. That reminds me of “I know what you're thinking.” Talk about “knowing” what hasn't been seen! Thoughts are certainly NOT visible or knowable without the thinker telling us, and, let's face it, we don't always know ourselves exactly what we are thinking!

I'll bet you can come up with other examples that people believe without seeing. Certainly the media and politicians give us room to doubt. Feel free to post in the comments below...