Month: January 2021

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Georgia on My Mind

Psalm 121:1–2 (my paraphrase in CAPS)
1 I lift up my eyes to the THE NEXT ELECTION
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
 
Calvin:
I answer, that the thoughts of the godly are never so stayed upon the word of God as not to be carried away at the first impulse to some allurements; and especially when dangers disquiet us, or when we are assailed with sore temptations, it is scarcely possible for us, from our being so inclined to the earth, not to be moved by the enticements presented to us, until our minds put a bridle upon themselves, and turn them back to God.
 
The sentence, however, may be explained as if expressed in a conditional form. Whatever we may think, would the Prophet say, all the hopes which draw us away from God are vain and delusive. If we take it in this sense, he is not to be understood as relating how he reasoned with himself, or what he intended to do, but only as declaring, that those lose their pains who, disregarding God, gaze to a distance all around them, and make long and devious circuits in quest of remedies to their troubles. It is indeed certain, that in thus speaking of himself, he exhibits to us a malady with which all mankind are afflicted; but still, it will not be unsuitable to suppose, that he was prompted to speak in this manner from his own experience; for such is the inconstancy natural to us, that so soon as we are smitten with any fear, we turn our eyes in every direction, until faith, drawing us back from all these erratic wanderings, direct us exclusively to God.
 
All the difference between believers and unbelievers in this respect is, that although all are prone to be deceived, and easily cheated by impostures, yet Satan bewitches unbelievers by his enchantments; whereas, in regard to believers, God corrects the vice of their nature, and does not permit them to persevere in going astray.
 
The meaning of the Prophet is abundantly obvious, which is, that although all the helps of the world, even the mightiest, should offer themselves to us, yet we ought not to seek safety anywhere but in God; yea, rather, that when men shall have long wearied themselves in hunting after remedies, now in one quarter and now in another, they will at length find from experience, that there is no assured help but in God alone.
 
By the mountains, the Prophet means whatever is great or excellent in the world; and the lesson he teaches is, that we ought to account all such favour as nothing.
 
John Calvin and James Anderson, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, vol. 5 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 63–64.
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On Ravi Zacharias. “Lord, what about this man?”

Zacharias' ministry roiled by sexual misconduct scandal - Baptist PressOn Ravi Zacharias. “Lord, what about this man?”
 
Matthew 23:1–3 (ESV)
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.’”
 
We are all stunned and disappointed by the news that the sexual sins of Ravi Zacharias has been exposed, after his death last year. There will be no court of law to condemn him as guilty, but his ministry has hired a private firm to investigate the claims, and it was their conclusion that the charges made by multiple women were true. His ministry and his family have accepted those conclusions, and I am not in the position to second-guess them.
It may seem unfair to accuse a man after his death, but that doesn’t change the truth.
 
Now comes the question: if you benefited from his ministry—his books, recordings, sermons, conferences—what to you do with that? I have one of his books, and his writings, videos, and soundbites are “embedded” in many resources. The excellent Truth Project is one, for example. Perhaps you knew him personally and admired him–what then?
 
It is often easier to identify a false teacher than a false Christian, or, a false-living Christian. I can’t estimate his repentance in his last days and will not attempt to do so. I cannot say if he was a Christian, but I have an opinion which I will keep to myself. Some things must be left to the Lord:
John 21:21–22 (ESV): 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
 
We must look after our own following—what Zacharias did does not change that.
 
Jesus recognized the reality that people who are living false-lives can still speak truth. He instructed the people to do as the scribes and the Pharisees taught them, but not to do as they lived.
A few Recommendations:
If the books by Zacharias helped you, keep them. Don’t loan them out or give them away. Spend the effort to find other apologists for the faith who are just as helpful. The same goes for audio materials.
 
I assume his works will be removed from online ministries.
 
One of his problems was that he was a celebrity—and this is a problem in the modern church today. We love our celebrities. This creates a “too important to fall” mentality, and worse, “too important to criticize” adoration. The celebrity culture within evangelicalism is soul—destroying, but mostly to the celebrities themselves, not to us. If we love these men, we must not worship them.
 
If our faith and commitment to Christ is destroyed by the fall of another believer, our faith is not in Christ at all.
 
Pray for his victims and his family. I think the best course of action for RZIM is to liquidate its assets and create a fund to assist the victims.
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About Churches in Defiance of Lockdown Orders

There are generally two views of churches remaining open in Ontario, in defiance of the lockdown orders: 1) the church should obey them and 2) the church should defy them. I understand there are nuances to these, but generally, these are the options.

I am speaking today to those who take the first track. If you can remain closed in good conscience, I will not argue against you. This isn’t my purpose here.

What I do find unsettling are the comments in social media, from Christians, who seek to vilify churches that continue to meet (actual quotes)

“They should have the book thrown at them.”
“I hope they receive the maximum fine.”
“They are only doing this for attention.”

These are coming from Christians. I expect this from those who hate Christ and His church, but it is very sad to hear Christians call out other Christians in this way. Do we really hope for jail time and crushing fines for the brethren?

Now would be a good time to revisit Matthew 25:31-46 which is, contrary to Tony Compolo, not a call to social justice, but a warning regarding how Christ’s servants are treated by the nations in persecution—see especially vs 40:

40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these MY BROTHERS, you did it to me.’

How are we treating our brothers?

And if you hear yourself saying that churches are defying lockdown orders only for attention or to experience a sense of unnecessary persecution, you might want to reflect on the Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16). Unless you are absolutely certain of the wrong motives of those you condemn, ascribing evil motives to a person is actually bearing false witness.

Accept the reasons given by those who choose to worship tomorrow rather than reasons ascribed to them by those who hate Christ: local and national news commentators, or even government spokesmen. We have no reason to accept their word over other Christians.

Remember, the Scripture tells us to pray for and to submit to authorities who operate within their sphere of authority. Scripture never tells us to submit to avoid persecution. If you’re going to learn at the end of all this (if there is an end) that you were in error, it is best to err on the side of those who suffer for Christ.

©Scott Jacobsen