by Wade Crews | Aug 18, 2016
This election year is, in a word, interesting. In another word it is crazy! When it comes to the office of POTUS (President of the United States), I will not tell you who I am voting for, neither would I tell you for whom you should cast your vote. Suffice it to say I’m not a member of either candidate’s fan club. Even the polls indicate the country is divided and not very high on either one of them. Who can you trust?
As someone who has worked with my church’s ERLC (Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) group, I often get asked “Who are we endorsing?” or “What do we support?” What I would want you to know is, if those are the questions we receive, then the church needs to do a better job of equipping the saints. It should be a no brainer. We endorse Christ, and we support righteousness. We should easily be able to compare candidates and issues against a scriptural worldview and prayerfully discern how to cast a vote.
It is confusing today, as we are bombarded with so many messages and images from the world. They come from everywhere and every direction. The TV, embedded in movies, radio, social media, pop up ads, and coffee shop conversations are all tugging at you to be part of their message. I am asked all the time “Which way do you lean? What do you think the real truth is? Which side of the life issue do you fall on?” That gives me pause. I am convicted. I must not be living a testimony that is strong enough if people have to ask me those questions?
In a day when there seems to be no real champion of the people, perhaps we can point them to a Savior Who is the Champion of love, Who is not self-serving. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6) When we stop as the proverb says “leaning on our own understanding,” and trust in the Lord with all our hearts and when we acknowledge Him, then He will make our paths straight and the trail we must blaze will be obvious and very easy to see.
We need to stop hanging on every word that comes from O’Reilly and make sure we can hear the Almighty. Especially in a day when as Paul told Timothy “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).
“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgement which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).
I cast my ballot for Christ.
by Wade Crews | May 16, 2016
I know a bunch of people who are mad about the Federal Government telling all public schools they must allow transitioning and transgendered people/students to use whichever restroom facility they feel is the one they identify with. I hear there are a few people who are happy. There are thousands of questions which come to mind, not the least of which is “Why?” Apparently because they can, or at least think they can.
How do Christians respond? Most learned believers know this verse from the first chapter of Genesis, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Personally I could stop right there. We are made male and female – period, from birth. God knows us as He knits us in the womb. But obviously there is a confusion in a world that is not stable. The Lord is stable. As the writer of Hebrews tells us, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever…” We must stand on that and be faithful.
As my wife is a first grade teacher, one must wonder exactly when does someone “identify” with something other than what they are? Third grade? Eighth grade? I sincerely believe this is one more weapon in the war on righteousness and the family. Our government is being used as a tool by Satan.
This is not about someone’s right or discrimination. This is about conformity, getting in line and submitting to power. That broad over-arching, overreaching mandate would be like telling everyone in the nation they must install a tornado shelter or safe room in their homes. “Um, most of them happen in Oklahoma. What does this have to do with me?”
We could delve into the extortion and coercion being applied by the threats of schools losing their federal funding, or the fact that this was done with no debate in the public square or even the crafting of formal policy. At this point, no one knows exactly what they’re supposed to comply with. They just fear being destroyed by Caesar because they don’t comply.
How do we respond as believers? Just like we are supposed to respond to everything: with love and grace and a bunch of prayer.
My observation is we approach prayer much too casually and flippantly. If we really believed in the power of prayer, shockwaves would fan out from every Bible-believing church in the country as our knees slammed to the ground. The sad thing is we have been duped for decades by those we elect to “lead” us. And even worse, we believed them when they said they were not going to take control of our schools or our children, our families or our other constitutional rights. Apparently, today, if you desire it badly enough, it becomes a right, even if it is mentioned nowhere in our nation’s founding documents.
Are we now in a 2 Timothy world? “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim 4:3-4).
We can dwell on that, or we can stand on the Truth. You see, ultimately, we have the same charge Paul gave Timothy. Take a stand for righteousness. Speak Truth to a world bombarded with lies and confusion. “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” (2 Tim 4:1-2)
Ultimately the real “trans” issue is the same as it has always been. People need the Lord and are doomed if they do not transition from condemned to redeemed. God can wipe away all confusion. Until a person identifies with Christ, they will never know who they truly are.
by Wade Crews | Oct 5, 2015
Why does it take me so long to see things? I am 52 years old, and I have just now realized some things about the 23rd Psalm. Here it is to jog our memory…
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Ps. 23:1-6).
When I was a little boy I would hear things in ways they were not meant. I thought David meant he did not want God as his shepherd. I have known for a long time now that the opening line means if we will follow God, He is able and will provide everything we need. We will not “want” for anything.
It also speaks to peace and restoration and a moral compass. Still waters, a new and restored soul/relationship and being shown the “path of righteousness”, are vital to our existence. I retired from the Justice Department and dealt with numerous men (some whom you would know), infamous people who lived a life totally opposite of these six verses. There was no peace in their life, they had no rest or restoration for their souls and they were on the path to destruction. As AC/DC would later put it, they were on the “Highway to Hell”. Every year that went by, someone would come up to me and say getting caught and convicted was the best thing that ever happened to them.
Recently, social changes and less than righteous political and judicial decisions have caused many of us to lose hope and step away from the debate. Some do it out of fear, some respond out of frustration that it doesn’t matter what we do.
Just a few weeks ago, God revealed some truth to me about this Psalm of David. Do we all understand David was a shepherd? He knew about leading, feeding, and protecting the flock. He is not talking about walking through things as a man. He is putting himself in the place of the sheep. Even though I can hear the howl of the wolf and the growl of the lion in that valley, I’m not afraid! I know God is with me! He is my Shepherd! He is my defender! Until recently, I envisioned myself holding the rod and staff and fighting things off under my own strength.
Here is the truth. I am not brave because I can defend myself and can hold the tools to fight off death and evil. I have courage because God is with me, and He holds the rod and the staff. There IS no wolf, lion or bear that can get past my Shepherd! He is my shield and my strength and my refuge! He loves me and not only will, but does protect me daily!
We will pick up the second half of this Psalm next time.
by Wade Crews | Sep 16, 2015
From the “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” department, I wanted to blog on some things I have noticed on professional and social networking. As someone who has had to select people for positions, I can tell you it is more important now than ever to ensure your best foot is in front of you as you represent yourself in cyber space.
There is a verse which always convicts me, for I can be guilty of being its antithesis. It is “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Eph 4:29). I would entreat everyone who has an account on any of the professional or social networks to apply this to what you post as well.
Many people become “keyboard warriors” and say things from the protection of their nickname and behind their monitor they would never say in public or to someone’s face. I try hard (and sometimes I fail) to not say anything I wouldn’t say in front of my boss or pastor or wife. Consequently, there are a lot of bite marks on my tongue. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel. If you are a Christian, make that clear up front in your profile.
As a former Information Security Officer, I want you to remember, nothing is really private on your texts or e-mails. It is definitely not private on social networks. Here are some free tips from me to you. You must trust me on these…. We will start with your profile pictures. I have made some of these mistakes and upgraded my profile to be a little more graceful.
- Have grace and class. No party pics, beer bottles or swim suits; no shots at stadiums.
- No front seat shots. Quit thinking a selfie in the car is what makes you look cool.
- Cover up… nobody wants to see that while you pop your tats.
- Stop the Crop! If your pic shows parts of other people draped all over you, don’t use it.
- If you do crop from a larger pic – make sure it is a best reflection of you and you only.
- Don’t get too close. No one wants to see a mug shot. We need more than just your face
- Emulate success. Look at other people’s pics, see what you think looks good and do that
- Smile – Happy is as Happy does. No one wants to hire Debbie Downer.
- Don’t use your web cam. We can tell, and then we wonder what else you do with it.
- Have someone else take it, unless you really like it and it doesn’t look like a selfie.
- Wear your best suit/dress. No tank tops or pics of you at the gym or action shots at work.
- Your profile pic needs to be the best picture you have. Put everything else in an album.
One final bit of advice. Un-subscribe and remove yourself from any inappropriate web sites you may be toying with. Take down any links to goofy immature “naughty” web sites you have on your profile pages (See Ashley Madison hack). Post only positive. If you are job seeking, you need to be what “they” are looking for, not force them to accept the person you want to be on-line. Col 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
by Wade Crews | Sep 10, 2015
Now that we are finally entering into football season, I realized I have missed something. Didn’t it seem like every time there was an extra point or field goal during an NFL game you would see this skinny dude in a rainbow wig hold up a sign? …..and what did it say…? Wait for it….
JOHN 3:16
Where did he go? When did that stop? Now all we see are a couple of hands on the net from a national insurance company waiting to catch the ball, (hopefully with the proper amount of air).
Sure it got old and maybe he faded into analog heaven with the digital times. But that image became iconic, like “Where’s the Beef?” or “Meow Meow Meow Meow” and “When E. F. Hutton speaks….”
It started me thinking about John 3:16. It is obviously a section of the third chapter of John where Jesus is trying to describe to a very thick-headed Nicodemus who, bless his heart, doesn’t understand the paradigm shift Jesus is presenting to the world with His arrival and ministry. There are some basic assumptions we need to make here. They are not unlike the “givens” in geometry when you have to do a “proof”. 1. Jesus knows He is God in human form 2. He knows His purpose of propitiation or substitutional atonement for our sins 3. He knows our hearts and is helping Nicodemus and us understand what is required for salvation or in other words restoration of fellowship with God and man (gender neutral – feminists calm down).
Let me ask you something. What does John 3:16 say? Can you recite it in your head? If you blew through it in under 5 seconds, you are sadly in the majority. We are all guilty of just regurgitating this verse instead of honoring it and declaring it slowly. What it says is anticlimactic compared to what it means. Do we understand Jesus is pulling back the curtain to reveal to us a glimpse of God and their motivation?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God’s motivation is …wait for it…. LOVE ! They love us. The triune God, Father, Son Holy Spirit, He Loves us and the result is …. wait for it… He gave …. The Son. You see if we are to be Christ-like (like Jesus), we can have no hate of God’s creation in us. We must love…..and give. You cannot say you love and not be a giver. Conversely if you are a taker only where is the love. This is so much like James, where faith without works is dead.
You see, we serve the King of lovers and the Lover who is King. You can’t out give Him and you can’t out love Them. Maybe instead of holding up a sign, it is time to hold out our arms in love and give to someone who is hurting, even if it is only a hug.