Music to My Ears

Yesterday my wife and I went to Chapman Middle School to hear our son Ethan sing, with all the other fifth graders, the songs that they had been learning throughout the year.  Exactly one week earlier, we had attended the spring musical hosted by First Baptist Christian School, where two of our other sons are enrolled.

The differences between the two programs were noticeable to say the least.  At the FBCS musical, there were about 130 kids performing, with the grades ranging from pre-school through grade 7. At the CMS program, there were over 300 kids performing, all of them fifth-graders!  All of the songs at the FBCS musical were gospel-oriented, whereas all the songs at the CMS program were all secular, American folk songs (unless one counts "God Bless America" as being a "Christian" tune).  The FBCS musical opened and closed in prayer.  The CMS program began and ended with a few simple remarks.  The FBCS musical included a verbal presentation of the gospel.  The CMS program had all music but no message.

More differences could be cited, but there are two main thoughts that we took home with us as we left the program yesterday.  First, we were reminded of how privileged we are to have a Christian School at First Baptist Church, and to have had all five of our children as students there at one time or another.  (Two of our children are still enrolled at FBCS.)  Second, we were reminded that kids are kids, and it's important that unsaved kids in the public school system rub shoulders with saved classmates.  Though initially we were reluctant to send any of our children to a public school (let's admit it - there are many down sides to it), we are happy to see three of our five children "slugging it out" in the secular sphere.  They are learning - much sooner and better than I did growing up - what it means to be salt and light in practical terms in a worldly society.  They are discovering that delicate tension of being in the world but not of the world.  There have been some bumps and bruises along the way - and there will be more to come - but God is teaching them some great things through their experience.  I'm proud of them, and I'm praying for them.

God in His providence has worked things out in such a way that we have experienced just about every type of schooling option:  public school, private Christian school, homeschool, and special education in a public school setting.  We have come to see "the good, the bad, and the ugly" in each of these situations.  For the most part, it's all been good - to the praise of God's grace.

I say this to encourage any parents out there who might be wondering if your kids are in the right school.  While we want to do what's best for our kids in consideration of their particular needs, be assured that wherever you have them enrolled, God can use them (and you) in that environment to bring Him glory.  God can use any person in any place to accomplish His purpose.  That's what's so amazing about grace.

The Cyclone that Hit Burma - 200 Years Ago

Yesterday I received the May 31/June 7 issue of World magazine.  On page 127 there was an outstanding article by Andree Seu entitled "Gospel Cyclone."  Recalling to mind the cyclone that hit Burma earlier this month, Seu recalled another "cyclone" that hit Burma two centuries ago through the ministry of Adoniram Judson.

Ever since I read Courtney Anderson's biography on Judson a number of years ago, he has become one of my favorite missionary statesmen from yesteryear.  Exactly 200 years ago, Judson was studying at Andover seminary right here in Massachusetts.  It was during this time that he read Puritan Thomas Boston and grew passionate in his love and service for Christ.

In her article, Seu brought back to mind some of the interesting tidbits on Judson's life -- like the fact that he started his own mission board, since there was no mission board to send him.  My uncle, Ted Fletcher, followed that same path thirty years ago.  Because he didn't have the necessary number of Bible credits required by most mission boards, Uncle Ted didn't "qualify" as a missionary with those boards.  So he started his own mission, which he started with his wife Peggy.  Their basement served as their headquarters.  Eventually, this mission of humble beginnings grew to become Pioneers, which now has 1,700 international members serving on 178 teams in 80 countries among 130 unreached people groups -- in partnership with more than 2,000 churches.  Amazing!  Only God!

Similarly, Adoniram Judson's missionary venture had a very humble beginning.  Seu sums up for us the difficulty of Judson's work:

Judson knew Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, but Burmese was a tough case.  He retained a tutor and studied 12 hours a day.  Ann [his wife] leaped ahead in fluency.  Four years later Judson held his first worship service.  He experimented with different customs for the gospel's sake (before anyone was emphasizing "contextualization").  He built himself a zayat of bamboo and thatch by the roadside.  He would sit in it and cry out in his best Burmese, "Ho!  Everyone who thirsteth for knowledge!"  The message was mostly met with total indifference.  Judson baptized one convert in 1819.  The couple's second child died.

More trials with increasing intensity challenged the faith of this young missionary.  In addition to spending 17 months in a "vermin-infested death prison," Hudson lost his wife Ann in 1826 and his third child six months later.  Just about the time he was ready to call it quits, Judson's faith was renewed when he got word from the States that his alcoholic brother had received Christ as his Lord and Savior.  When Judson died, there were 8,000 believers and 100 churches in Burma (now called Myanmar).  Today, this country has the third largest population of Baptists in the world!

May God give us the same tenacious faith as that of Adoniram Judson and other faith-filled servants of the Lord, many of whom "were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.  Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword.  They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated - of whom the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:35-38).  They were fools for Christ (1 Cor 4:10).  They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Rev. 12:11).

Thank you, Andree, for reminding us of these "heroes."  We praise You, Father, for saving us by Your grace and filling clay pots like us with Your empowering presence.  

More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!

Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee;

This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

"Come aside ... and rest awhile"

One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is the feeding of the five thousand. Through His teaching and example, our Lord gives awesome lessons in Christian ministry. One of the most striking things about this story, as recorded by Mark (6:30-44), is that one of the most famous miracles was preceded by a much needed time of REST:

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
- Mark 6:30-31

Imagine the scene: The apostles have gathered to tell Jesus all they they have said and done. They had been quite busy in ministering to the needs of others - so busy that they hadn't had time to eat! Have you ever been that engaged in the work of ministry?

Mary had a little lamb,
'Twas given her to keep.
But then it joined the local church
And died for lack of sleep!

Yes, people and programs at church can keep us constantly on the move! I don't think that what the disciples were doing was a bad thing. I don't think that they were "over-committed," as we here so often in a society that has all-but-forgotten what it means to be a poured-out-vessel for Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, these disciples were whooped! This goes to show that those who are truly committed to Christ and to meeting the needs of others in His name, will always be faced with formidable challenges in ministry that demand a huge investment of their time, effort, and concentrated attention. How do we cope with it all?

By listening to our Lord's wise and loving invitation: "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." The disciples had been busy serving and teaching others. Jesus, too, had been busy meeting the needs of the multitudes. Furthermore, we find out from Matthew's gospel that Jesus had just been informed about the death of His beloved cousin and faithful servant, John the Baptist. "When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself" (Matt. 14:13).

Jesus needed a break; His disciples needed a break. So what did they do? They took a break! But notice what kind of a break it was -- time alone with God and with one another. In other words, it was a time of physical rest as well as spiritual and emotional refreshment.

Do you get alone with the Lord on a regular basis? Do you refresh your spirit through Christian fellowship? Think of it: If Jesus and His disciples needed a break - time of refreshment with their heavenly Father and with one another - how much more so do we? I think of Jesus' words to Martha: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." That "good part" is time spent at the feet of Jesus, simply being still and knowing that He is God!

Of course you know the rest of the story. Jesus and His disciples returned to the crowd, where Jesus looked with compassion upon the people and taught His disciples to do the same. God worked in an amazing way. Yet it was all preceded by a time of rest.

My wife and I are headed away for our own time of rest this weekend. We are looking forward to it. We are tired. It will be good to refresh ourselves spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. We need these kinds of getaways every so often, but what we need every day is our quiet time with the Lord. What we need several times a week is refreshment through our fellowship with other believers.

I hope you, too, will heed our Lord's instructions. Get away from the crowd; get alone with Christ. Don't forsake Christian fellowship; pursue it. Who knows what miracle is waiting right around the corner?

Yesterday my two oldest kids came home from Weymouth High School and informed us that tomorrow (Friday) is “Gay Pride Day.”  Everyone is encouraged to where a Gay Pride T-shirt and to be silent throughout the day in honor of this special event.   Our initial response was “Well, don’t wear a T-shirt, and make sure you talk often and loud throughout the day.”

Of course there is a better, more biblical response than that.  But first, let me give you a quick overview of Youth Pride.  I paid a visit to the Massachusetts Youth Pride website and learned that “Youth Pride is the oldest and largest GLBT pride event in the nation.”  (GLBT stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bixesual, and Transgender.)  According to the Massachusetts Youth Pride Committee (MAYPC), Youth Pride is important for three reasons:

1) Youth Pride brings youth together to alleviate isolation: It's an event where thousands (YES, THOUSANDS!!!) of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth (and their allies) realize they are not alone. Realizing that there is support and people alike in the world are hugely meaningful for an isolated adolescent.

2) Youth Pride works to alleviate the social stigma associated with being a GLBT youth: 
In a world with so much hatred and animosity against things we don't understand, Youth Pride is an event that works to push pack the social stigma heavily associated with being GLBT. Increasing visibility works to push stigma back, to increase understanding and tolerance of the GLBT community….

3) Youth Pride brings community, higher education and social support resources to the youth: 
Youth Pride is a program primarily rooted in suicide prevention. The two goals mentioned above help to alleviate the risks of suicide. 

The 2008 Youth Pride Rally and Festival is scheduled to take place tomorrow, May 10, at Boston Common.  The event officially kicks off at noon. 

Up until yesterday, Massachusetts was the only state to legalize gay marriage.  It did so in 2004, and since then, 9,500 couples have taken advantage of the law.  As of yesterday, California became the second state to legalize gay marriage.  This has huge implications for our nation, considering that California residents make up well over ten percent of our nation’s population.  (California has an estimated 108,734 same-sex households, according to 2006 consensus figures.)

What are we to make of all these Gay Pride celebrations, court decisions and such?  Let me suggest three biblical responses: 

Hatred:  Not for the people ensnared in such sin, but for the sin itself and the tremendous harm it does those who are in bondage to the sin of homosexuality.  I find it interesting that Youth Pride “is a program primarily rooted in suicide prevention.”  These kids and adults who are caught up in this sin are among the most miserable people on earth.   While celebrating their “sexual freedom” on the outside, they are bound by the cords of their sin on the inside.  We should hate not them but the sin that enslaves them.

Humility:  In 1 Corinthians 6, the apostle Paul reminds us that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Then he lists various categories of sinners included in the realm of the unrighteous.  Among them are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.  But then in the same breath he immediately goes on to say, “And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”  Then over in Titus 3, a passage I’ve been studying this past week, Paul says “to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.  For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures….  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (vv. 2-5).  Any righteousness or victory over sin that we have attained is all owing to the grace and mercy of God.  Let us not react to Gay Pride with our own sense of Christian pride.  That would steal from God’s glory and make a mockery of His mercy and grace toward sinners like us.

Hope:  Isn’t that what these poor souls need and what we can offer them?  In Colossians 1:23, Paul talks about “the hope held out in the gospel.”  In Lamentations 3 we read, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks Him.”  Instead of pointing our fingers at sinners, we should be pointing sinners to Jesus Christ.  I close with these words from a song that Steve Green sang a number of years ago:

We are called to take His light

To a world where wrong seems right.

What could be too great a cost,

For sharing life with one who’s lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel

All the grief they bear.

They must hear the words of life

Only we can share. 

People need the Lord, people need the Lord;

At the end of broken dreams, He’s the open door.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord;

When will we realize -- people need the Lord.

Happy Birthday, Howie!

Today one of our beloved seniors at First Baptist Church turns 93. His name is Howard Robbins, and he’s no stranger to most of us.

Howard and his brother grew up in Randolph with his parents, where they attended the First Baptist Church in Randolph. In 1938, Howard was wed to Marion (the same year Howard’s future son-in-law, Harold Noyce, was born!). Marion remained Howard’s faithful companion – the love of his life – for 63 years, until the Lord called her home in 2000. In 1941, Howard and Marion bought a home at 14 Belmont Street here in Weymouth, where they raised their four children – Joan, Kenny, Nancy, and Janet. Howard still lives in this same house, along with his daughter Nancy and her husband Harold. (All three of them are members at First Baptist Church here in Weymouth, which is in the same neighborhood as their house.)

Incidentally, Howard started attending our church when it was still located down on Lincoln Square. Then, when his children were grown, he attended Tremont Baptist Temple in Boston for a few years. It was there, in 1975, that Howard actually committed his life to Christ – the year after his daughter Nancy came to know the Lord. Since then, Howard has been a dedicated Christian, living his life to the glory of God. Eventually Howard came back to FBC in Weymouth, where he has been part of our church family for decades.

Some of you know that, in addition to working as a gas station attendant, Howard also worked as a printer for a number of years. But did you know that he played the drums? Yes, indeed! His daughter Nancy tells me he was quite the drummer! (Keep that in mind, Pastor Nick, in case you ever need a back-up for Frank!)

I met Howard when I came on the pastoral staff in May of 1999, the same month Howard turned 85. I had never met an octogenarian with so much youthful energy! And he still has it! Shake Howie's hand at church, and you’ll find it’s as solid a grip as any other man you’ll meet! Plus, you’ll get a warm smile and a compliment that will keep you encouraged for the rest of the day. But my most memorable experiences with Howard have been the times that I have prayed with this wonderful man of God. I remember being in a prayer group with him during the Week of Prayer (I think this was in January, 2007) and being lifted up to the heights of heaven as I heard genuine, joyful thanksgiving being made to God for the gift of salvation in Christ. With no reservation whatsoever, Howard freely acknowledged what a "rotten sinner" he was, and yet what a remarkable Savior Jesus is! He was rejoicing like a man who had just been saved five minutes earlier, not half a century ago! I remember praying in my spirit even as Howie prayed that, if the Lord tarries and I live to be anywhere as old as Howie, that I would have the same unfeigned love and zeal that he has for the Lord. Truly, the joy of the Lord is his strength!

Men like Howard remind me of Caleb in the Old Testament. Remember, he was one of only two spies of the twelve sent into Canaan who believed that Israel would be victorious over the Canaanites and inherit the land as God had promised. While the other ten spies were saying, "We can’t do it; the people are too strong for us!" (Numbers 13:31, paraphrase), Caleb and Joshua said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of the land, for we shall surely overcome it" (Numbers 13:30, paraphrase). Forty-five years later, after the wilderness wanderings and the conquest of Canaan, Caleb stepped forward to claim his piece of land. "Give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I wil drive them out just as he said" (Joshua 14:12). When most men would have retired, Caleb was still conquering mountains!

What made this old veteran so young at heart? His walk with the Lord! Three times we are told that that Caleb wholeheartedly followed the Lord God of Israel. In his book, The Strength of a Man, David Roper writes,

Half-hearted men – those who fool around with personal ambition and enterprise and make retirement their chief end – don’t comprehend. They wither and die before their time. You see them around every town, dull and dreary old men with nothing to do, sitting on park benches or living on Park Avenue, with that dead look in their eyes – over the hill and never on top. Not so Caleb.

And not so Howard! The joy of the Lord is this man’s strength, and it is a joy for me to see!

Certainly a lot more could be said. With that in mind, I’d like to encourage you to leave a comment as well. Be assured that, before the day is over, Howard will be reading these himself.

Howard, thank you for being such a faithful and joyful servant of Jesus Christ. We love you, brother!

K. P.'s Prayer Meeting Experience

At our prayer meeting last Sunday evening, one of our elders, Lou Perez, shared the following account in the life of K. P. Yohannan, the well-known Indian evangelist. Some of you might have heard him preach at a nearby church several weeks ago, as he was ministering in the Boston area. Anyway, I thought this account was worth reprinting for the sake of those who haven't already read it. In fact, even if you have already read it, it's worth reading again!

East Indian evangelist K. P. Yohannan says he will never forget one of his first prayer meetings in an American church. He had come to the United States eager to meet some of its spiritual giants and leaders. One man in particular held his interest, a preacher known even in India for his powerful sermons and uncompromising commitment to the truth.

More than 3,000 people attended services on the Sunday Yohannan visited his church. The choirs were outstanding and the preacher was everything he'd hoped it would be. But he was especially taken by the announcement the pastor made about the midweek prayer meeting. He said there were some things lying heavy on his heart -- would the people come and pray about them? Then he announced the name of a certain chapel on the church campus. Excited, Yohannan determined he would attend.

When he arrived later that week, he brought with him some definite assumptions. The most basic was that prayer meetings are essential, of primary importance. In India, and in many other parts of the world where Christians are persecuted, the prayer meeting is the centerpiece of the church's life. Everyone comes, the meetings often last long into the night, and it is not unusual for believers to arise daily before sunup to pray together for the work of the church.

Fearing a huge crowd, he came early to get a seat. But when he arrived he was surprised to discover a chapel with a capacity for only 500 -- that was empty! A few people came in, but there was no leader, no songs or worship, just chit chat about news, weather, and sports.

Forty-five minutes later an elderly man, the leader, but not the pastor, walked into the chapel to offer a few devotional thoughts from the Bible and to give a brief prayer. The meeting was over, and as the seven attendees filed out of the chapel, Yohannan sat in stunned silence, his mind filled with questions: Was this it? Weren't they going to stay and wait upon God? Where was the worship? The tears? The cries for guidance and direction? Where was the list of the sick, and the poor, and those in need? What about that burden the pastor said was heavy on his heart? Weren't we going to intercede for a miracle? And where was the pastor?

I think if K. P. were to attend my church, he'd be both disappointed and delighted. He would be disappointed over how few attend our corporate prayer gatherings, yet he would be delighted to pray with those who do. I know how my own spirit gets a much-need boost as I enter into God's presence with His people through prayer. There's a dynamic to it that is different than my private prayers. I am built up in the Lord as I hear others pray and as they affirm my own prayers. Corporate prayer isn't just about God and me. It's about God and me and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

When you really think about it, K. P.'s or anyone else's opinion matters little in comparison to what our Savior thinks. As we are gathered together, He is right there in the midst of us. I wonder what impression He has of our prayer meetings. My guess is that Jesus, too, is filled with both disappointment and delight. He is disappointed that more of His people do not pray. He thinks of all the blessings that they could have from His gracious hand, yet they have not because they ask not (James 4:2). On the other hand, I believe that Jesus is delighted to commune with those who do show up, who pour out their hearts in praise and supplication to the One they love and know they need.

In light of what's been said on this subject, what's your opinion?

Preacher's Progress

"I would not recommend my book on The Antichrist that I wrote twenty years ago."

These words were written by Arthur W. Pink to a friend on December 20, 1943.  They caught my eye as I read the second-to-the-last chapter of his biography, because I myself had been studying Paul's teaching on the Antichrist ("the man of lawlessness") in Second Thessalonians chapter two.  This chapter is, admittedly, one of the most difficult chapters to interpret in all of the New Testament. Frankly, it is challenging many of my eschatological views, most of which were developed through my formal education at Bible college and seminary.  I've been doing a lot of reading, a lot of praying (though I'm sure not nearly enough), to try to reach a conclusive stance regarding the precise order of end-time events.  So far my study has raised more questions than answers. 

I'll say more about this in a minute, but first I want to get back to Arthur Pink.  After writing the above comment to a friend in 1943, he made these additional remarks in his publication, Studies in the Scriptures, four years later in 1947:

"If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2).  To the very end of his earthly pilgrimage the best instructed Christian has reason to pray, "That which I see not teach thou me" (Job 34:32).  Even the theologian and the Bible-teacher is but a learner and, like all his companions in the school of Christ, acquires his knowledge of the truth gradually - "here a little, there a little" (Isa. 28:10).  He too advances slowly, as one great theme after another is studied by him and opened up to him, requiring him to revise or correct his earlier apprehensions and adjust his views on other portions of the truth, as fuller light is granted him on any one branch thereof.

I am coming to see, now more than ever before, the veracity and relevance of Pink's perception, as derived from the Scripture verses he quotes above.  The inquisitive side of me wants an answer to everything.  The pastoral side of me - and ironically the beast of pride in me as well - wants to have all the answers for anyone who asks.  But I do myself and others a terrible injustice if I am not honest with God's Word and honest with myself.  The fact is, I don't have all the answers.  Nobody does.  "The secret things belong to the Lord" (Deut. 29:29a).  "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter" (Prov. 25:2).

Yes, one of the glories of this life is to swim in the infinite depths of God's revealed truth, all the while knowing that the glory of His secrets are greater than the glory of our searching.  But herein is where we find the divinely crafted joy and delight of it all.  For as we humbly and honestly search out God's truth, we discover God Himself.  We come to know Him in an ever more intimate way.  Is this not what Scripture itself teaches?

But just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."  For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." -- 1 Cor. 2:9-10

Amazing!  This text is not talking about heaven so much as it is discovering ALL that God has prepared and provided for us in Christ!  The Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13), and of course Jesus Christ Himself is the Truth!  How foolish it would be to stand on our theological high horse, "forcing" certain texts to "fit" our theological grid, rather than to discover in ever-increasing degrees the glory and beauty of our blessed Savior!  As Arthur Pink went on to say,

Like the rising of the sun, spiritual light breaks forth upon both preacher and hearer by degrees.  The men who have been most used of God in the feeding and building up of his people were not thoroughly furnished for their work at the outset of their careers, but only by dint of prolonged study did they make progress in their own apprehension of the truth. . . .  Certainly this writer is no exception.  Were he to re-write today some of his earlier articles and pieces, he would make a number of changes in them.  Though it may be humiliating unto pride to make corrections, yet it is also ground for thanksgiving to God for the fuller light [graciously granted] which enables him to do so.

God help us always to approach His Word with humility, not simply to get answers to our questions or to find proof texts to support our theological bias, but to KNOW HIM intimately and to help others do the same.

An Affair to Remember

The news is out. Longtime TV personality, news anchor, and show host Barbara Walters had an ongoing affair with U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, a moderate Republican from Massachusetts, in the 1970's. At the time, Walters was an aspiring journalist and rising star in television news. Edward Brooke was a popular politician -- the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate. According to an article published today in The Boston Globe, a colleague referred to Senator Brooke as "the Barack Obama of that day."

At the time that the affair took place, Barbara Walters had already been divorced twice. Right around the time that the affair ended, Senator Brooke divorced his wife as well. He eventually remarried and lives in Florida. (Brooke is 88 years old, and Walters is 78.)

In her newly released book Audition, Barbara Walters described Senator Brooke as "the most attractive, sexiest, funniest, charming, and impossible man." She goes on to say, "I was excited, fascinated, intrigued, and infatuated."

If you want to read Walter's recollection of the affair, you can buy the book or tune into The Oprah Winfrey Show, where Walters will share her a couch-side confession with the TV host in an upcoming episode (gag me with a spoon).

The point of interest for me lies in the reason for their breaking off the affair. It was in order to save their careers. Simple as that. No mention is made of God or of any moral convictions regarding the illicit relationship. This brings to mind the Clinton-Lewisky scandal. While most Americans were riveted to their television sets to get all the dirty details, the fact is that two-thirds of the American populace felt that what Clinton did was his business and nobody else's. This "majority opinion" spoke volumes about the moral terpitude of our nation and its low view of sexuality and marriage.

I pray that we who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ would reflect God's purpose and blueprint for marriage, as stated by Jesus Himself in Matthew 19:4-6:

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Jesus went on to say that the only reason God allowed divorce was "because of the hardness of your hearts ... but from the beginning it was not so," and that "whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery" (Matt. 19:8-9). These are hard words to hear, especially in a day of "no fault" divorce and no sense of commitment. The divorce statistics are as bad in the evangelical church as they are in the unbelieving world.

Oh, that we would shine as lights in this wicked and perverse generation! May our marriages reflect a passionate and holy love that portrays the love of Christ for His Church, and vice-versa (see Ephesians 5:22-33). I thank God for men and women in our congregation who refuse to give up on one another, but rather work through the struggles of marital love in this life, not to "save their careers," but to glorify Christ and to learn what it means to love one another as He loves us.

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. -- Hebrews 13:4

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures.... But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. -- Titus 3:3-8