Not Moved By What You See

I didn’t closely follow the Derek Chauvin trial but was a bit surprised with the outcome. The former Minneapolis police officer was convicted on all three counts for the death of George Floyd. I didn’t agree with Chauvin pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. However, fentanyl could have killed Floyd (similar to what happened to Prince five years ago). He had three times the lethal dosage in his system. The jurors may have rendered the guilty verdict fearing reprisals from protesters. 

Throughout history, innocent people have been imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. They were sometimes the victims of circumstantial evidence. One online dictionary defines that as “evidence not drawn from direct observation of a fact in issue.” An example could be someone running away from a murder scene with a weapon in hand. Unless witnesses saw him commit the murder, there’s a possibility the suspect wasn’t involved.

Hours before the Derek Chauvin verdict was delivered, I had an incident that reminded me how other situations can be misinterpreted. I went to the Apple Store because the power cord for my MacBook Pro stopped working the day before. Troubleshooting on my part convinced me the USB-C Charge Cable needed replacing. When an Apple Store employee tried a different cord, my laptop didn’t receive power from that. A closer examination revealed residue had accumulated on the Thunderbolt port. Cleaning that resulted in my cable working again.

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” In this day and hour, we cannot make decisions strictly by what we see in the natural realm where Satan can manipulate things. We need to be led by the Holy Spirit regardless of what our five senses tell us. Even when our prayers appear to go unanswered, standing on the word of God will produce results. As Smith Wigglesworth famously said, “I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe.”

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” - 2 Corinthians 5:7

Pray for the Police

Four years ago while staying at a friend’s place in North Dakota, he loaned me DVDs of old movies and TV shows. One of them had episodes of the original “Dragnet” series from the 1950s. I recalled watching the reboot from the late 1960s while growing up and started seeing them again on YouTube. That gave me greater respect for those in law enforcement.

Unfortunately, not every policeman does his job with excellence. Last Monday in Minneapolis, a white officer named Derek Chauvin pressed his knee upon the neck of a handcuffed African-American man for several minutes. George Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Judging from videos I’ve seen of this incident, Floyd didn’t appear to be resisting arrest. It wasn’t until four days later that manslaughter and third-degree murder charges were brought against Chauvin.

Meanwhile, riots broke out in Minneapolis and other cities. It brought back memories of the violence that erupted following the acquittal of the Los Angeles policemen who beat up Rodney King in the early 1990s. The mayhem in Minneapolis hits closer to home since I lived in the Twin Cities area for many years. (In fact, I flew out of Minneapolis last weekend.)

While I can sympathize with those mistreated by bad law enforcement officers, retaliating with violence is not the solution. It causes more problems for everybody. I also don’t agree with publicly shaming the officers involved with George Floyd’s death. One Facebook friend posted a meme on my wall labeling Chauvin’s partner “the scum of the earth.” I quickly took that down. George Floyd’s fiancée has spoken out against the violence and asked everyone to forgive the policemen. As Jesus said in Mark 11:26, “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Last year in Massachusetts, a man staying in the same house with me unexpectedly died. I briefly chatted with one of the policemen investigating the scene. In response to my telling him that I pray for those in law enforcement, Joe replied, “We can use all the prayer we can get.” I got to lead this officer to the Lord. 

While doing street ministry, I go out of my way to thank police officers for their service. Behind every badge is a man or woman who sacrifices their lives to protect and serve their communities. They deserve our respect and need our prayers.

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.“ - 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Obeying God vs. Man

Burger King once used the advertising slogan, “Sometimes, you gotta break the rules.” If you’re truly living for the Lord, He will occasionally lead you to do things that may seem risky and go against man-made laws. Sometimes I have evangelized in shopping malls even though security people will try to stop that because they consider it “soliciting.”

A recent exchange of emails with a Facebook friend about illegal immigration reminded me of a situation that happened fifteen years ago. In April 2003, I flew to Berlin to share the gospel in Germany. Originally I was scheduled to fly back to the U. S. a month later but opted not to despite my return ticket classified “non-refundable.” The Lord told me my leaving Germany then would be in His permissive will but not His perfect will. Eventually, He led me to visit other European nations.

By September I was in Spain and perceived it was time to come home. One day I went to the Madrid airport hoping the airline would let me use my old return ticket. The representative I talked to put a reservation into her computer, which was denied by the airline’s home office. But when I returned to the place I was staying, a friend had called saying the Lord instructed him to buy me another airline ticket!

When I started my flight back to the Washington, DC area, one concern I had was what to say while going through customs. I found out an American could legally stay in the European Union without a visa for only 90 days every six months. After changing planes in Amsterdam, I was given a customs declaration form to fill out. One question that needed to be answered was which foreign countries I visited. The form had space to write down only two but I had been in seven on this trip. I asked a flight attendant what I should do. She told me to put down the last two countries I’d been in. 

Later at Dulles Airport, the customs official examined my declaration form and asked me how long I was in Spain and the Netherlands (the total time for both was just over a month). He didn’t inquire about any other countries I visited. The only thing that raised his eyebrows was my post office box listed as a permanent address. I explained that I’m a missionary who lives in various places for short periods of time but uses a PO Box in Virginia to collect my mail. The man shook his head and waved me through.

This testimony is not to encourage anyone to purposely overstay their visit to a foreign nation. Whenever possible, we should obey the laws of the land that don’t violate Scripture. Still, God will give grace and favor to those obedient to the Great Commission. 

The laws of man are superseded by the higher laws of God.

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’” - Acts 5:29 

Standing vs. Kneeling

As a kid in school, we began the day by standing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Back then, none of my classmates made an issue about it. It would have been considered abnormal for refusing to do so. Patriotism wasn’t forced upon us. We were simply taught to honor our country and its leaders.

Currently, there’s a controversy over football players and the national anthem. This was initiated two years ago by Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, Kaepernick took a knee not to honor God or fallen soldiers but as a protest against alleged mistreatment of blacks by police. He told reporters, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” I admired Kaepernick’s playing abilities but disagreed with him dissing a symbol that represents freedom for all Americans.

Since becoming a free agent following the 2016 season, Kaepernick hasn’t been able to sign with another team. Perhaps he’d still be playing had he protested on his own time instead of his employer’s (the National Football League). Nevertheless, other players have knelt, sat on the bench, or stayed in the locker room during the national anthem. This has turned off many football fans including myself. As a result, TV ratings for the NFL have decreased. 

So this past Wednesday, NFL owners adopted a new policy. Players are now required to stand if they are on the field for the national anthem but can choose to stay in the locker room until the song is over. Just because you are free to do the wrong thing doesn’t mean you should. 

Perhaps all teams would benefit by emulating the example set by Bud Grant. Years ago as coach of the Minnesota Vikings, Grant directed all his players to stand still at attention while the national anthem played (they even practiced that along with the actual plays). This discipline helped them become one of the least penalized teams in the NFL. Grant actually started doing that during his previous coaching job with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the United States. Every NFL player should remind themselves that many soldiers gave their lives so they have the freedom to earn millions of dollars playing a game. If a particular player still feel “oppressed”, I suggest he move to a communist or Muslim-controlled country. See what happens when one refuses to honor the leaders and symbols of North Korea or Iran.

Regardless, everyone including NFL players and owners will someday kneel to the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s better they do so now on their own volition instead of waiting until Judgment Day.

“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” - Philippians 2:10

Armchair Pastors

A new NFL regular season begins in a few days. Armchair quarterbacks are already discussing how their favorite teams and players should do things differently this year. These self-appointed experts seem to think they know more about football than the coaches. 

Sadly, this sort of thing happens in the Body of Christ. “Armchair pastors” criticize ministers for doing or not doing certain things. This past week, the Internet has been (pardon the pun) flooded with unChristlike remarks regarding a well-known pastor in Houston, Texas. Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church receives enough flak from heresy hunters who disapprove of his ministry. Now Joel has been lambasted for his response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey.

Lakewood Church was criticized for not having services last weekend. Their website stated that was done due to “…concern for the safety of our members.” Many streets in Houston were impassible by flood waters. In the Upper Midwest where I’ve lived most of my life, churches of various sizes often cancel services because of inclement weather. 

Joel was also criticized for his church not immediately offering shelter to hurricane victims. Watchdogs make judgments without knowing all the facts and logistics involved. Lakewood Church’s website stated early on they are working with Samaritan’s Purse to provide disaster relief. Until a public announcement was made offering shelter, the church itself experienced flooding despite false reports stating otherwise. There are shelters in Houston better equipped to take in displaced residents. As Joel pointed out in a Fox News interview, “When the big shelter filled up, people started coming here [Lakewood].”

On a related note, I’ve seen a photo gone viral showing the Lakewood Church sanctuary with the caption: “Instead of building mega-churches, how about building mega-homeless shelters?” How about these critics put their money where their mouths are? Few of them probably do anything to help homeless people get off the streets. Romans 2:1 says,“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”

Among those in the fivefold ministry, pastors in particular have a time-consuming job that pays very little if their congregations don’t give in the offering like they should. Immature Christians expect pastors to be at their beck and call whenever they have a problem. This includes individuals who aren’t even committed members of a church. Then they often get offended if their problem isn’t addressed right away. 

If you don’t agree with how a pastor conducts his ministry, pray for that brother (or sister). If you believe he’s not doing something that should be done in his church, maybe God is calling you to help him out in that area. To put it bluntly, armchair pastors should either put up or shut up.

“Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” - Romans 14:4

Witnessing While Working

Two days ago I read in the news about a state trooper who was fired for proselytizing during traffic stops. Brian Hamilton (pictured here) was a 14-year veteran of the Indiana Police Force. During an eighteen month period, he was sued by two different drivers who were asked questions about their religious beliefs after being pulled over. Despite given a warning after the first lawsuit was filed, Hamilton insisted he was following the Lord.

This reminded me of an incident told by the evangelist who taught me to be a soul winner. Before Nick Kinn went into full-time ministry, he worked for the post office. One day while witnessing to a coworker, Nick was approached by his supervisor who asked, “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal?’” He then pointed out Nick was stealing company time by witnessing instead of sorting mail. Nick apologized and from that point on witnessed to coworkers only during breaks. 

As much as Jesus wants His people to share the gospel with others, we should avoid doing so in ways that leave a bad witness or disrespect authority. Over the years I’ve witnessed to waiters, clerks, construction workers and other people while they’re doing their job. Usually I’ll offer a tract and encourage them to read it when they take a break. Sometimes I’ve felt led to ask questions about their eternal destiny if they don’t appear to be too busy.

One day I stopped at a Ponderosa restaurant where (to my surprise) the woman behind the cash register offered to pay for my meal. Later when Jacqueline stopped by my table, she started weeping when I began ministering to her. Suddenly more customers showed up and Jacqueline had to get back to work. Immediately I got in line behind the new customers. When I came up to the cash register again, I shared Romans 10:9 with Jacqueline. She prayed to get born again.

As long as we remain teachable, we can increase our effectiveness in reaching the lost while in the marketplace. I pray Brian Hamilton will correctly discern when and how to witness on his next job. Perhaps he could become a police chaplain.

“You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?…do you dishonor God through breaking the law?” - Romans 2:21, 23