Current Events

Like many churches around the nation, Lancaster Baptist had a time of prayer last evening for First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Less than six hours earlier, twenty-six people’s lives were taken during the worship of that church.

In the previous post, we looked at eight indicators of an unraveling culture. We don’t study the needs, however, to become discouraged by them, but to more effectively meet them. I would suggest eight ways New Testament churches should be responding to an unraveling culture.

Each year at this time, our ministry receives calls about liability for taking children to pumpkin patches, dairy farms, and other field trips. Is there a document that a church or school may have a parent sign whereby they will be released from all liability which arises in their ministry? NO!

I don’t think any serious, observant American Christian denies that our culture is on a fast downhill slide.

The miraculous history of the United States of America is due in part to the sacred fire of the American pulpit. It has been the preachers who have unashamedly preached the whole counsel of God’s Word.

As we come to the beginning of our 31st Anniversary and Spiritual Leadership Conference at Lancaster Baptist Church, I thought I’d take a quick moment to suggest a few ways that you could more fully benefit from this conference—whether you are with us in person or taking advantage of the live streaming.

In reading this passage, I was struck by the similarity of the treatment Jesus received under the religious leaders to what is happening all around the world today. The religious authorities’ treatment of Jesus is being repeated in surprising detail this very moment.

Sometimes as Christians, we wonder how we can make a difference in a time like this. How do we respond to the vitriol and rhetoric with clear thinking and Christ-like decisions?

Often when voting, we look for “the lesser of two evils.” Perhaps a better way to say it is that we should look for which candidate is more likely to support vital issues as related to the teachings of Scripture and is most likely to preserve religious liberty for those who desire to propagate Scriptural truth.

A lot of fear that Western Christians have about Muslims comes from a lack of understanding of the Islamic faith. Some Christians are deceived and pulled away from the faith. Others, such as Christians who burn the Koran, fail to show Christlike love and undermine missionaries’ efforts to win Muslims to Christ. There is a spiritual warfare raging between true Christianity and the Islamic world. We do not wrestle with flesh and blood, and this war will not be won through military might or political demonstrations. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to overcome the darkness of this world.

Last week President Obama made an interesting remark in the White House at the Nordic Leaders’ Summit Arrival Ceremony.

Christians across America are frustrated. Some are discouraged. Some are fearful. Some are hopeless. Our culture is shifting before our very eyes, and there seems to be little to nothing we can do to stop it. We see the decaying morals and we sense the intolerance toward Christians growing around us.

I don’t believe the response to every social evil is a boycott. But when a company publically and forcefully comes out on the wrong side of a moral issue, I don’t believe the correct response is to do nothing either. Especially in America, where we have freedom and our choices—whether they be at the voting polls or where we spend our money—make a difference.

Besides the looming presidential election, there are two key issues presently facing our country—both of which are issues in which you can make a difference. Of course, the most important actions Bible-believing Christians can take are to pray and to witness. These are the direct commands God has given Christians who live in any country and in every era of history.

I hope you’ve seen the pictures. Three-year-old Aylan washed up on the shore, drowned while escaping. Masses of refugees crowding streets under the shells of bombed out buildings. Inflated rafts spilling over with people fleeing war-torn Syria. The seventy-one suffocated bodies found in a refrigerated truck, all victims of human trafficking. Refugee camps stretched out acre upon acre of makeshift tents.

It is obvious that our world is confused about what is right and wrong. Of all the places in the world that one would think his faith has value and that he could practice it without fear of intimidation, it would be here in the United States of America.

The recent decision from the Supreme Court has raised many questions regarding the religious liberty of churches and Christians, including Christian businesses and schools, in America.

As a Christian pastor, I’m deeply grieved at the Court’s decision to ignore biblical revelation and redefine God’s institution. Indeed, marriage is God’s institution, and He has clearly defined it for us.

2 Timothy 3:1 states, “In the last days perilous times shall come.” The word perilous means “difficult to deal with.”

Pro Aris et Focis—it’s the motto of many military regiments and an oft-adopted motto for military families. It’s a Latin phrase meaning “For God and Country.” The English translation is the motto for the American Legion.