Back to School

Standing outside a building at Moorhead State University

By this Tuesday, most learning institutions will be back in session. While in elementary school, I was considered one of the smartest students in my class. Later in my teens, my grades went down because I hated doing homework (although much time was spent reading encyclopedia articles). Still, I managed to graduate from high school. Then I took several college courses but never got a degree. Often the classes I liked best provided hands-on training as opposed to listening to lectures all hour long.

Before answering the call to full-time ministry, a few people suggested I go to Bible school. The Lord told me it wasn’t necessary. Many of the early apostles didn't attend the Rhemas and ORUs of their day. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” As an alternative, I put myself through “cassette seminary.” I listened to many sermon tapes while working at temporary jobs and then applied what I learned during evangelism outings.

I also used to attend various Christian conferences but in recent years cut back on that. Sitting in meeting after meeting does not automatically produce spiritual growth. As James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” I know a pastor's wife who once had a vision of 500-pound canaries sitting in church pews. Their beaks were open like they were saying, “Feed me!” Many believers today get fat on the word but hardly do anything with it. Jesus said, “Go ye.” He didn’t say, “Sit ye.”

Additional education can be a distraction if God hasn’t called you to attend a particular school. You don’t want to waste time and money on courses that won’t help you fulfill your divine destiny. When I first enrolled in a state university, a relative encouraged me to take out a student loan. He told me it was getting money back from the government. Instead, it resulted in a heavy debt load. “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)

Now I’m not criticizing all forms of higher education. Proverbs 1:5 says, “A wise man will hear and increase learning...” Often extra schooling is required to enter a particular profession. I have a friend who was inspired to become a lawyer in his late 60s. He went to law school at Liberty University and then became a staff attorney for the Alabama Supreme Court.

Just before dying in a plane crash in 1982, Christian singer Keith Green wrote a powerful article titled “Why YOU Should Go to the Mission Field.” In which, he stated... 

“Yes, God does call some people to go to college. Sometimes it's to get training for a ministry calling He's made clear to them. For instance, if you know what country you're called to, perhaps God would lead you to learn the language and culture somewhat before you go (although the very best place to learn is within the country itself - it's a definite ‘crash course’)!”

Ultimately, our teacher is the Holy Spirit. His textbook is the Holy Bible.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” - Romans 15:4

A Moral Problem

Matt Post at the Capitol

Last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people has not only triggered more calls for gun control but students leaving classes in protest. As part of the nationwide walkouts this past Wednesday, students gave speeches outside the U.S. Capitol alongside Democratic lawmakers. A video of the speech made by Matthew Post (no relation to me) has gone viral. This high school senior from Maryland declared, “We have a moral problem in this country…The adults have failed us. This is in our hands now. And if any elected official gets in our way, we will vote them out.”

I can sympathize with Matt’s anger and frustration but don’t agree with how he and others like him are reacting. Matt threatened to “shame our national policy leaders into protecting us.” No politician is perfect but we are supposed to honor and pray for those in authority. Many young people nowadays don’t respect their elders.

Voting out certain elected officials is a good idea. I would start with those that stood with Matt on the Capitol steps. Politicians wanting to tamper with the Second Amendment are hypocrites for having armed personnel protecting them. School shootings won’t cease if comprehensive gun control legislation is implemented. The city of Chicago has toughened their gun laws but the murder rate there has actually increased.

Terrorists have found ways to kill people without using guns. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, we didn’t hear proposals to outlaw airplanes. When two brothers killed and maimed multitudes at the Boston Marathon five years ago, we didn’t see protestors calling for a ban on pressure cookers. Many teens still die from texting while driving even though it’s illegal in most states. I haven’t heard any of their friends and loved ones advocating the elimination of cell phones (although a few fanatics want to get rid of cars).

Yes, Matt. I agree adults have failed you. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Ever since prayer and Bible reading were removed from American classrooms generations ago, we’ve seen an increase in crime, drug usage, and out-of-wedlock births. Homosexuality and gender transition are now taught in our schools as normal behaviors. God-fearing individuals who won’t condone these things are labelled as “haters.”

On the same day Matt gave his speech outside the Capitol, he posted on Twitter: “We’re going to keep marching. We’re going to vote. And we, the youth, are going to bring morality to this country’s politics.” Matt, I hope you do. You seem like a bright young man who has the potential of making a greater impact on our nation. But preaching morality without repentance won’t bring lasting change. It’s like putting a Band-Aid on cancer.

The real moral problem is sin. The solution is knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and planting the incorruptible seed of God’s word in the human heart. When people become born again, they have the supernatural ability to obey His commandments including "Thou shalt not kill."

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” - Proverbs 16:25

A Biblical Viewpoint on Bearing Arms

Whenever a mass shooting takes place, there is increased talk in the media about gun control. That is happening again following the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, Nevada. From two 32nd story hotel windows, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock used automatic weapons to fire upon a crowd gathered for a country music concert. 59 people died and over 500 others were wounded. This surpassed last year’s Orlando nightclub massacre as the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history.

Back in 2012, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before committing suicide hours later at the team’s practice facility. The next night during a nationally televised football game, NBC Sportscaster Bob Costas stated, “If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins [Belcher’s girlfriend] would both be alive today.” Some Americans think taking guns out of public hands will reduce the amount of murders in this country. One of my Facebook friends posted this interesting analogy: “Jim Jones killed a lot of people with Kool-Aid. Thank God Kool-Aid wasn’t banned or I wouldn’t have had a childhood.”

Although I'm not a gun owner, I strongly support the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects the right of civilians to keep and bear arms. President Ronald Reagan stated two years after surviving an assassination attempt, “You won't get gun control by disarming law-abiding citizens. There's only one way to get real gun control: Disarm the thugs and the criminals, lock them up and if you don't actually throw away the key, at least lose it for a long time...It's a nasty truth, but those who seek to inflict harm are not fazed by gun controllers. I happen to know this from personal experience.”

Back when Jesus walked the face of this earth, the sword was the gun of its day. Both civilians and those in authority carried them. According to Luke 22, Jesus was not a pacifist like some anti-war demonstrators want to believe…

36 Then He {Jesus] said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. 

37 For I say to you that this, which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”

38 So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

Of course, Jesus didn’t condone indiscriminate use of weapons. In response to Peter cutting off the right ear of the high priest’s servant, the Lord said in Matthew 26:52, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”  

The problem isn’t the National Rifle Association or gun ownership but wicked criminals who possess these weapons. Guns do not come alive and kill people on their own. Somebody has to pull the trigger. The solution can be clearly illustrated in this poem written by Darrell Scott whose daughter Rachel was killed during the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado…

Your laws ignore our deepest needs

Your words are empty air.

You've stripped away our heritage.

You've outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms.

And precious children die.

You seek for answers everywhere.

And ask the question “WHY”?

You regulate restrictive laws.

Through legislative creed.

And yet you fail to understand.

That God is what we need! 

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” – Matthew 15:18-19

Children’s Day

Probably a question most kids ask is, “How come we have a Mother’s Day and a Father’s Day but no Children’s Day?” Many adults answer, “Every day is Children’s Day.” One time I noticed a Children’s Day on a calendar given to me for Christmas. I eagerly showed it to my parents wanting another day to receive presents. Our family observed Children’s Day only once. My dad simply gave me money to go bowling that day.

According to Wikipedia, Children’s Day is observed on different days in different countries. Children’s Day in the United States actually predates both Mother’s and Father’s Day. Many churches started it in the 1860s. Today there are Americans campaigning for Children’s Day to be a national holiday. They believe there are physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual reasons for children to have a special day of their own.

Psalm 127:3 (NLT) says, “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Those involved with raising and teaching kids should be careful not to abuse that responsibility. One Canadian province just passed the “Supporting Children, Youth and Families Act of 2017.” Don’t be fooled by the name of this law. The Ontario government now has the right to take away children from families that don’t accept their kid’s “chosen gender identity or expression.” 

A friend of mine in Ontario who has two little ones himself informed me a child sex offender was in charge of crafting his province’s sex-ed curriculum. Earlier this year, foster parents in Hamilton had two girls taken from them because they refused to tell the girls the Easter Bunny is real. Is it any wonder why our public education system has become so messed up? 

There are serious consequences for those who mislead our children from the ways of God. Jesus warned in Mark 9:42, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” I pray that more parents, teachers, and social workers come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” - Matthew 19:14

Praying in Public

Once in a while I meet people critical of public prayer claiming it contradicts Jesus' teaching that praying to the Father should be in secret (Matthew 6:6). Christians do need personal time with the Lord. Still Jesus often prayed in public like when He multiplied the loaves and fishes (Luke 9:16) and when little children were brought to Him (Matthew 19:13). The reason Jesus rebuked the Pharisees' public prayers was because their motive was to be seen by men. 

Consider what has happened with U. S. public schools since prayer was removed from classrooms over 50 years ago. Darrell Scott, father of slain Columbine student Rachel Scott, wrote the following poem that he read before Congress... 

Your laws ignore our deepest needs, 

Your words are empty air. 

You've stripped away our heritage, 

You've outlawed simple prayer. 

Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

And precious children die.

You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?" 

You regulate restrictive laws, through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand, that God is what we need!

Do you feel uneasy when praying in restaurants before eating? You shouldn’t. If homosexuals are unashamed to “come out of the closet” and flaunt their ungodly lifestyles, then Christians should come out of their prayer closets and pray in public. 

The National Day of Prayer is this Thursday. Let’s all join our Christian brothers and sisters in praying publicly and boldly for the United States of America. Our prayers will have a greater impact when God’s people from all denominations are unified.

“How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?” -  Deuteronomy 32:30

The Anti-Christian Liberties Union

Certain activists have campaigned to have the Ten Commandments and other religious materials removed from government and public properties in America because of “separation of church and state.” Contrary to popular belief, that phrase does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. It originated in 1802 from an obscure letter then-president Thomas Jefferson wrote to a group of Baptists in Connecticut. He assured them a state religion would not be enforced upon all citizens.

Nevertheless, numerous legal cases have come up to undermine the Christian values this country was founded upon. One organization responsible for this is the American Civil Liberties Union. While the ACLU has defended religious people in a few cases, many of them were groups expressing views contrary to biblical Christianity such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Westboro Baptist Church. 

If anything, the American Civil Liberties Union is known more for their anti-Christian stances. Their lobbying resulted in the Supreme Court removing prayer and Bible reading from public schools in the early 1960s. Current positions of the ACLU include supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage and the right of homosexuals to adopt children while opposing the death penalty and government preference for particular faiths over others. With the latter, the ACLU doesn’t practice what they preach. They threaten Christians who pray and display crosses in public but have defended Muslims for practicing their beliefs.

In response to President Trump’s executive order to temporarily bar refugees and citizens of Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, a few companies have spoken out against that. One of them is Bandcamp, a website musicians use to sell downloads of their music. This past Friday, the California-based company raised roughly $120,000 in donations for the ACLU. That prompted me to close my Bandcamp account.

Christians should never let the American Civil Liberties Union and other secular activists stop us from proclaiming our faith openly. It’s part of the Great Commission. Even if you find yourself in court for that, don’t forget we have an Advocate in heaven who will defend us.

“Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.” - Luke 21:14-15

God's Not Dead 2: A Review

Twenty years ago I worked for World Wide Pictures, the film ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I saw firsthand how movies can be a powerful tool to reach people with the gospel. Many pastors who showed one of Billy’s films in their churches testified of individuals getting born again and/or recommitting their lives to the Lord. While it’s unfortunate many faith-based movies have been rather cheesy, others with higher quality productions have surprisingly done well in secular venues. The 2014 release “God’s Not Dead” grossed over $60 million on a $2 million budget. 

Yesterday I saw “God’s Not Dead 2.” Many of the characters from the original reappear in this sequel including the Newsboys. The main protagonist is a public high school teacher named Grace Wesley (played by Melissa Joan Hart). Grace is confronted by her superiors for quoting Scripture in response to a question one of her students asked regarding Jesus. Refusing to apologize for her faith, Grace is taken to court. She is represented by a lawyer who isn’t a believer himself but helps defend her First Amendment rights. The movie features appearances by Mike Huckabee, Rice Broocks, Lee Strobel, J. Warner Wallace, and a very aged Pat Boone who is now in his eighties.

While I personally prefer the original “God’s Not Dead” movie, this sequel is still worth seeing. It clearly points out how in today's culture, everything is tolerated in the name of inclusion except for those who express their faith in Jesus. Critics may complain of “God’s Not Dead 2” showing Christians having a persecution complex. Yet in this age of political correctness, God-fearing people have lost their jobs and businesses because of standing up for their beliefs. The closing credits include an extensive list of real life legal cases similar to the one shown in the film. There’s also a final scene that will likely be the subject of “God’s Not Dead 3.”

Let this movie inspire you not to idly sit on the sidelines as godless agendas try to take over society but to be a bold witness for the Lord.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” - 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Freedom of Religion

As we approach the 238th birthday of the United States of America, it’s important for Americans to remind themselves why our Founding Fathers came to this land. One reason was to avoid persecution from the Church of England. Although originally settling in Holland, the Pilgrims desired an English-speaking nation where they could worship God without man-made laws imposed upon them. Just before making landfall in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims drafted a document called the Mayflower Compact. One of its provisions was to protect the rights of religious conscience.

Nowadays God-fearing Americans are fighting for religious freedom again. Ever since prayer was removed from public schools over 50 years ago, our learning institutions have become more atheistic. One of the resulting by-products is business owners fighting for their right to make decisions based on Judeo-Christian principles. Earlier today, Hobby Lobby won a Supreme Court decision challenging an Obamacare mandate regarding birth control.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution still guarantees freedom of religion (not freedom from religion)...

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

No matter what kind of ungodly legislation ends up getting passed by liberal politicians and judges, that should never stop believers from preaching the truth and fulfilling the Great Commission. God’s laws are always higher than man’s.

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

Divine Connections Through David

Unable to fall asleep last Tuesday night, I stayed up until 4 a.m. doing various things on the Internet. One of them was searching for a man who was my best friend in high school. David Rask and I first met during an eighth grade art class at Central Junior High School in Moorhead, Minnesota. One of our assignments was to sketch a portrait of another classmate. David and I chose to draw each other. Although I wasn’t fond of how I looked, David got an “A” for his drawing of me. Eventually, we started hanging out together.

In the winter of 1980, David invited me to a Bible camp we went to along with other people from the Baptist church he attended. At one of the services during this weekend outing, a three-piece Christian band told a powerful story in between songs. It was about a bridge that spanned across a large river. Most of the time the bridge was in an “up” position allowing ships to pass through. The bridge was lowered whenever a train needed to cross over it. One day the bridge operator looked off into the distance and saw a passenger train coming. To his horror, he also noticed his son playing underneath the gears of the bridge! The train would go crashing into the river unless the bridge was lowered in time. Either the many people on this train or his son would have to die. The bridge operator decided to lower the bridge. As the train sped safely across the river, none of the passengers aboard were aware of the tiny little body crushed underneath them. 

The singer telling this story then pointed out this is what God did for us when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between eternal life and us. Hearing this train story made me feel very uncomfortable. The concept of sacrificial love was so foreign to me for I was very self-centered then. Nevertheless, it was the first time I truly heard the gospel.

A few months later, David introduced me to a man he worked with at McDonald’s. Bill Miller was a Concordia College student who was also involved with a Christian organization called Young Life. The following summer, Bill invited me to a week-long camp called the Castaway Club where I first asked Jesus into my heart. For the next few weeks, I attended a Bible study at Bill’s place but soon backslid after he and his wife moved away. (It would be another ten years before I committed my life to the Lord for good.)

It was also through David I first heard about the Peters Brothers, two Minnesota preachers who held seminars exposing the evils associated with secular rock music. Although I didn't agree with many of the claims made by Dan and Steve Peters, God used them to plant additional seeds in my heart.

Meanwhile, David got into personal troubles and ended up joining the Marines without finishing his senior year in high school. Following a two-year hitch, David returned to Moorhead. We went to a few parties together but gradually drifted apart. Before long I enlisted in the military and later moved to Minneapolis but occasionally returned to the Fargo-Moorhead area to visit family and friends. 

The last time I recall seeing David was in December 1988 when I came home for Christmas. By this time David had married a woman named Kim. The three of us got together one night at their apartment in Fargo.

In recent years I attempted to find David on Facebook without success. It wasn't until after searching through other websites I discovered what happened to my old friend. In 2002, David was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor (the above mug shot was the only photo I could find of him). Three years later, David died in a fishing accident. He was 41 years old and had been divorced from his wife.

I hope David Rask was in right standing with the Lord at the time of his death. If so, I look forward to seeing David in heaven and thanking him for connecting me with people God used to get the gospel to me. In the meantime, I will keep on fulfilling the Great Commission. Our time on earth is short compared to eternity.

“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” - James 4:14

Believers Are Not Bigots

Last month in Moorhead, Minnesota where I lived during most of my childhood, a Catholic schoolteacher namedTrish Cameron (pictured here) lost her job because of expressing support for same-sex marriage.  Several letters to the editor have since appeared in the local newspaper calling the school’s action “bigotry.” 

One letter writer questioned why some religious organizations continue calling homosexuality a sin when they have supposedly changed their views regarding other “abominations” such as wearing clothes of mixed fabric (which applied only to the children of Israel in Leviticus chapter 19) and slavery.  There’s a clear difference between forced and voluntary servitude. 

During Bible times, some individuals willingly became servants of others because they received provision and personal safety not available otherwise.  Unlike other ancient cultures, the Law of Moses provided rights and privileges for slaves regardless of their ethnic background.  While it’s unfortunate some early American church leaders twisted Scripture to support forced slavery, many others didn’t and became abolitionists.

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines bigot as “a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.”  It should be pointed out that same-sex marriage advocates are often guilty of being bigots themselves.  In recent years, numerous God-fearing individuals have been terminated, harassed, sued, and fined for “discrimination” because of not embracing alternative lifestyle choices.

As a Christian missionary, I believe every human being should be treated with love and respect.  But my conscience will never let me condone the practice of homosexuality, which is clearly forbidden in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  People of faith should not be afraid to take a stand for Judeo/Christian principles this nation was founded upon.

“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.” - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11