He Lives!

Here is an old Puritan Hymn I discovered some time ago. I saved it for a special occasion...and I think the special occasion has arrived. Can you guess why?

I know that my Redeemer lives;

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, He lives, who once was dead;

He lives, my ever-living Head.

He lives triumphant from the grave,

He lives eternally to save,

He lives all-glorious in the sky,

He lives exalted there on high.

He lives to bless me with His love,

He lives to plead for me above.

He lives my hungry soul to feed,

He lives to help in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply,

He lives to guide me with His eye,

He lives to comfort me when faint,

He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears,

He lives to wipe away my tears

He lives to calm my troubled heart,

He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,

He lives and loves me to the end;

He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing;

He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath;

He lives, and I shall conquer death:

He lives my mansion to prepare;

He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His name!

He lives, my Jesus, still the same.

Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,

"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

This song is packed with doctrine and theology and I commend it highly to your personal study.

Two Hills, Two Valleys, and a Shepherds Heart

In one sense, I am tired of college. I'd like to be done and in full time ministry. I know...I know..."I'm in the ministry now." Sounds like a song. Why should I be in college? Why should I seek to get a Masters Degree after spending 4 years and thousands of dollars on a bachelors degree? Do the people back home really care about all the things we sit in class and argue and otherwise "discuss"? Dichotomy, Trichotomy; Majority or Minority text; do you have to ask Jesus to be "Lord of your life" before you are really saved; what about the elect; the list could go on and on. And frankly, most people I know really don't know and don't care about these issues. I recently sat in a seminar discussing how to choose a seminary. For the first 35 minutes, the discussion revolved around whether or not we should go to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. There were two things I really got out of the discussion, or maybe three or four. We'll see how many I come up with. At first I was frustrated. I didn't understand most of what they were discussing...anybody know what the "new hermeneutic" is?. Why would you want to go there anyway? The guys asking the questions aren't Southern Baptists. They are independent Baptists. But for some reason they thought it would be good for them to consider going. Like I said, I was frustrated, ready to walk out, go home and teach the teen class where the issues at stake were whether or not these kids would decide to live for God or follow the world. So why should I go to seminary if the issues that are being discussed really don't seem to affect my peoples lives? As I pondered that question, I started thinking about my pastoral theology class. I am to be a shepherd. What does a shepherd do? Well among other things, he guards his flock. The sheep don't know all the habits and ways of the wolves and false shepherds out there. And at present neither do I. It is my duty to keep those wolves and false shepherds from getting anywhere near my flock. The only way I can do that is to know their ways. Once I know them, I can warn, or instill fences in the lives of my sheep so when they hear about, or see one of those wolves or false shepherds, they know automatically what is wrong with wolves or false shepherds.

There are two hill and two valleys that I can clearly see without the aid of photographs. The one hill is Monument Hill and the corresponding valley is the Quincy Valley. From my house it takes 15 or 20 minutes to drive to the top of it. Once you reach the top, you can see the Quincy Valley. Seated in the middle of the valley is the town of Quincy. And when I see it, I see lost people, hurting people, scattered sheep. I can see the people who are seeking the American Dream. Their gods are self, entertainment, ease of life. I see the Hispanics, seeking to better their lives but living in squalor. And in a small, human way, my heart is moved with compassion. They are all lost sheep, scattered with no shepherd to care, feed, and protect them.
The other hill is Castle Rock; the corresponding valley is the Wenatchee Valley. This hill takes a couple of hours to hike up to, but the view once you get up is of the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. And once again I see people. I see the rich people who go skiing on the winter weekends, boating and wine tasting on the summer weekends. I see the homeless people walking the streets with no hope except the hope that someone will give them a handout. And once again my heart is moved. Why not go now? Why should I stay and get more schooling? Because I need it to properly shepherd my people. I don't fully understand it all yet, nor will I ever, but my view of salvation, sanctification, and a whole host of other subjects directly influences the way I will witness and disciple the people I am given to shepherd. They may never realize how it all affects them but it does. There is a "new hermeneutic" out there. I don't know what it is. But I need to know so I can compare it with scripture and find out if it matches up. My people may never hear about it but at some point it could affect their lives in a way I don't know or see now. That is why I and most people need further education. To properly guard and feed; to properly shepherd their flock.

I don't have all the answers. I don't want all the answers. This way, I am forced to my knees and to the Bible--to the Chief Shepherd--so He can shepherd me in shepherding the flock He has given me.

Juan Illegal Gonzales: Dirty Mexican or Lost Sheep?

Several of my friends and I have talked recently about our response as Christians to illegal immigrants. How does one respond? I've heard Christians call them "Dirty Mexicans." Is that the proper Biblical response? Do you just overlook their breaking of US laws? What do you do when someone you have worked and sweated with, talked and joked with, tells you that they are not in the US legally? Do you turn them in? I'll tell you right now that I don't have all the answers. I'm still sorting some of it out. But there are a few things I do know. And I'm about to impart my knowledge to you dear reader, to take it or leave it as you see fit but if the words I write today compels you to consider this very current and worthwhile topic, my time will be well spent. (I sound like an introduction from a book written 100 years ago!)

First, we are all sinners in the sight of God. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned." We are all guilty of breaking God's law and outside of God's redeeming grace, headed for eternal damnation in hell. Read Romans 3:9-19 "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “ Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “ The poison of asps is under their lips”; “ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “ Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “ There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." According to a plain, literal interpretation, we Americans are no better than the Mexicans. Not even the Jews, God's chosen people, are better than the Mexicans. We are all the same in God's eyes. The only difference is if you are saved. But even then you must remember where you came from. I Corinthians 6:9-11 "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 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." That is the difference!

But what about the illegals? What about the Hispanics? Remember that Christ died for all men, not just white Americans. Yes illegal immigrants are just that, illegal. But what did they do? They broke mans law. What did you do? You broke God's law. Now you are probably saying, "If you break mans law, you are breaking God's law." You are right. But you broke God's law as well. We can't get all high and mighty about ourselves because we are no better than the illegals. And just as Christ died for you, Christ died for them too! Christ loved the world. He treated sinners with respect. The people Christ had no respect for where the Pharisees. And you know what we all too often are as white, Christian Americans? WE are the pharisees of todays world. We have our theological arguments we spend hours and thousands of dollars bickering about when what we are often arguing about are moot points of our traditions. You know who the "dirty Mexicans" where of Christ's day? The Samaritans. Who did Christ go see? A Samaritan woman with 5 husbands and who was living with a man who wasn't her husband. What did Christ do? He talked with her and let her get water for him, and showed her that she needed Living Water and shared with her and her people the way to that Living Water! NOWHERE did he EVER treat someone in need in a derogatory fashion. No...instead he wept over them; he had compassion on them. I once worked with a man I'll call Jose. He had a wife in Mexico, a wife in America, and a girlfriend in America. Dirty Mexican? NO!!! Lost Sheep? YES!!!! And that is what our focus needs to be! These are lost people bound for hell like you once where. But now you aren't. You have hope and a message. DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM DIRTY MEXICANS!!!

But there are laws on the books. Illegal Immigrants are just that, illegal. They have broken the law of this land. How do we deal with that? I don't entirely know. Often we do not know who the illegals are or aren't. And we can't ask. If they show identification, we have to take it and can't question it. I personally have never turned any illegals in. I don't know anyone who has, even those who call illegals dirty Mexicans. The only times I know of, in my experience, where illegals have been sent back to Mexico, have been when the Government has found out about someone being illegal. Someone said something very interesting the other day. They said that as long as a Mexican can earn 10 times more money in the US than in Mexico, there is no way you will keep them out, legal or illegal. And they are right. But that doesn't make the illegals OK. It is still wrong. So I don't know exactly what we should do when we find out that someone is illegal. I would probably strongly urge them to get things cleared up so they are legal. Especially if I find out that they are Christians or they just got saved.

That does raise another question that was recently brought to my attention. What do you do if you are planting a church that focuses on Hispanics? People start getting saved and then the illegals start getting convicted and turn themselves in or go back to Mexico their own. Your congregation is decreasing or always changing and fluctuating. That can make things difficult on the church planter and church. But that brings to mind the Jerusalem Church in Acts. A similar situation. The result of that scattering was the gospel spreading more places. So I say, get the Mexicans/Hispanics/Latinos saved and let 'em get back to their countries! We are to pray that God will send laborers out to the harvest field. God is answering our prayer if the Hispanics get saved then return to spread the gospel. So what if it makes things a little more difficult in our church plant. God will provide. Where's your faith?

So I guess I'll wrap this up now. Remember what you were before you were saved. Remember what Christ came to earth to do and what his response was to those rather less than savory individuals. We are all the same in God's sight. You are no better than anybody else. We need to share the gospel with everyone legal or no. And if you are still calling Hispanics "dirty Mexicans", I challenge you to go find one and make him your friend. Then let me know if your attitude changes.

(Josh, I hope it doesn't look like I plagiarized from your blog! If it does I didn't mean too.)