When Sticks and Stones Come Your Way, Duck

Social media can become pretty unsocial. I have noticed more and more people posting

negative things about Christians or accusing Christians not to care because of the actions of

a certain politician. The world has a negative view of Christians. Some of that is prophetic

and some of that is our fault.

Let’s first look at what we can’t fix, people not liking us because we are believers in Christ.

Jesus is speaking to the apostles and giving them one last lesson before He is arrested. He

speaks of how the world will hate those who follow him, “If the world hates you, know that

it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but

because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”. That’s

from John 15:18-19.

There are some things you don’t have control over. How someone feels about you based on your belief you can’t fix. You can try. You can treat them with incredible kindness and let them see Christ in you. But be prepared for it not to work. And that’s ok. As a believer we are commanded to try. As I mentioned in our Sunday night class recently, you can’t force someone to accept the Gospel.

Which takes us to the thing we can control, which we just mentioned. We can control ourselves. One reason non-believers don’t like believers is because over the years we have given off a bad vibe. Those Christians who think they are better because they have the Holy Spirit. Those Christians who have bad reactions in public or say the wrong things when the time comes.

We can have better control over ourselves if we do what James says in chapter one, verse 19, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Seems easy enough, right? I mean, how hard can that be?

Well, at times, it’s really hard. But we have to do our best, then pray God fills in the gap where we fall short. Remember what Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter two, verse 13, “13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” God is working in you. You are and will always be a work in progress. Don’t worry about sticks and stones. But be aware of your words that can hurt others and your

and Jesus’ reputation.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

Be An Influencer, Show Others Christ

Can you imagine teaching yourself Greek at four years old? Being the top of your elementary school at 5 or enrolling in college by 14? Now imagine, because of an illness, you pass away at 28 years old and you were such a positive influence on your community 7,000 people show up for your funeral.

That’s what happened in 1843 when Robert Murray McCheyne passed from typhus. McCheyne knew early on that God was calling him to something great. He committed himself to prayer every morning. He wrote poetry, hymns and letters concerning faith, God and the church. By the age of 22 he was the pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Dundee, which had over 1,100 regular attenders.

McCheyne was a great influencer of his day. This was before the internet, cell phones and social media apps. In 28 years, this young lad in Scotland had such a positive influence on his community, that men openly wept as they walked down the road after learning of his passing. What’s amazing is that he still influences us today.

When I think of McCheyne, I think of First Timothy chapter four. In verse 12, Paul writes, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Paul was telling a young Timothy to not let your youth be a stumbling block for people. They can and will look past it if you make these things a priority.

What is it that is a stumbling block between you and sharing the Gospel with others? We sometimes find that our minds work against us, and we convince ourselves that we are unworthy to share the Gospel, to act in a way that points people to Christ. Of course we’re not worthy, none of us are worthy. God chooses to use “unworthy” people for His purpose.

Sometimes we convince ourselves of some reason why we can’t share the Gospel or teach, or sing, or play or whatever the church may need. We need to stop making excuses. Go, live a life that points people to Jesus. Become an influencer for Christ, for the Kingdom, for God.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

Rejoice, even when it's time to punt

When I went on my first mission trip to Mexico, I went down with two crews. One crew was medical and the other a vacation Bible school crew. We were told that we would be in the same place the entire week. I was on the VBS crew and everything we set up for the week, all of the pre-work we did, was done with the understanding that we would be in the same spot all week.

Well, imagine our surprise as we got to Laredo, Texas, that we would not be in the same place all week and in fact we would be in a different location daily. Everything was packaged and boxed for the week. It was ready to go. Not anymore. One phone call told us everything we prepared for was all wrong. We immediately went into action, pulling everything out and re-packaging it to fit

our needs for the week.

It was a long night, but necessary because the details of our trip changed. That’s when I learned a valuable lesson, in ministry, sometimes, you have to punt. We can plan all day every day for months leading up to a ministry event, but all the planning can’t protect you from the unknown.

The things we can’t control, when they happen, throw us off. Those things weren’t expected, needed or wanted. But they happen. As my friend JD says, “What are you going to do? Quit?” Of course not. All you can do is press forward.

Let me give you a couple of scriptures that will make you want to pull your hair out. First, from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ” Rejoice always? Give thanks in all circumstances? Paul says it again in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Yes, always rejoice! No matter the circumstance, no matter the thing that happens that you have no control over. Just punt, regroup and repackage. Many times, someone’s opinion of you isn’t based on your daily walk. Many times it’s based on how you react in certain situations. Remember, you are always being watched, even when you can’t see the person watching.

So the next time something goes wrong or you have to punt the ball, rejoice. Again I say, rejoice!

See You Sunday!

Pastor Glen

 Learn from Failure, Lean on Jesus

Losing stinks. I didn’t like to lose when I played sports and I didn’t like to lose when I coached Grayson and Riley. And I’ll admit it, I’m a sore loser. You work hard to do your best and sometimes it just isn’t good enough. Sometimes there is someone out there whose best is better than yours. And yes, that stinks, because we want to think we are the best.

It also stinks when you try to do your best, to be obedient to God and you stumble. You have a bad thought, say the wrong thing or do something you know you shouldn’t do. And then you realize, your best wasn’t good enough. You failed.

Failure is a good thing. I know, for someone who hates to lose that is a tough thing to say, but failure can help us to be better.

First, it keeps us humble. A good reminder that we aren’t perfect and that sometimes our best isn’t good enough. Thankfully we have Jesus, who was and is perfect. Through His perfection, when our best isn’t good enough, His is. John wrote in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Second, failure is a learning experience. Riley was my goalie in soccer. We won a lot of games because he kept the ball out of the net. But we lost some games too. Every time someone scored on him, we would talk about what went right and what went wrong. Sometimes there was nothing he could have done and sometimes he knew he made a mistake. When we are honest about our failures and examine what went wrong, we can learn how to prevent it from happening again.

Finally, failure is a realization that we are human, and all humans fail. It should help us to find compassion for others. I’ve said many times that Christians should be more open about their failures and share with others. Do you know how many people are just like you who fail and think they are all alone in their failure? Don’t be afraid to share your failures.

It’s ok not to like failure. We shouldn’t. Jesus said in His sermon on the mount, “Blessed are those who mourn” Matthew 5:4. When we mourn our failures we will correct them.  Losing stinks. Failure stinks. But, what we gain from it can be invaluable. 

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

Whose light is it anyway?

I saw something on social media recently that said, “Your self worth revolves around your own ability to see your own light. So let it shine.” 

Do you see a challenge with this statement? There are a lot of yours in one sentence. Your self worth, your own ability, your own light. What should be a striking difference between those who believe and those who don’t, is where we find value. 

First, we should find greatest value in our relationship with God. Not only did He create us, but He provided a way for us to be reconciled with Him through His only son, Jesus Christ.  Romans chapter five, verse eight says “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That alone should give us ample reason to see the incredible value of our relationship with God. 

But it doesn’t end there. He is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. He provides protection, guidance, joy, hope, peace and the list goes on. My life is worth nothing unless I have a relationship with God. That relationship only happens through Christ.

Second, I have no ability except that which is given to me by God. Throughout my life I can see how God has worked to bring me where I am today. Read what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;  and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;  and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” All that I am is because of Him.

Finally, it’s not my light that needs to shine, it’s His. One of my favorite verses is John 3:30 and I like the NIV translation. John the Baptist is approached by some of his followers who are not happy that this new guy, Jesus, is pulling followers away from John. Look how John responds, “He must become greater, I must become less.”

What John knew and what we must understand, is whatever we do in life, it should lift the name of Jesus above our own. Our desire should be to point people to Jesus so they can discover what we already feel, the incredible mercy, love and grace of God. 

Your self worth revolves around Jesus, who died on a cross so we may be reconciled to God who provides us our abilities. Allowing the light of Christ to shine in a dark world. Let His light shine in you.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Glen

Let Love Rule

February is the month of love. At least that’s what the greeting cards say. In 2024, the Valentine’s Day industry was expected to reach around 26 billion dollars. That is a lot of flowers and candy. It’s America’s 9^th favorite day of the year. But did you know Valentine’s Day has Christian roots?

The Feast of St. Valentine is a celebration that takes place on February 14^th. It was originally a Christian feast that honored Valentine, a 3^rd century clergyman, who ministered to persecuted Christians. Valentine was arrested and later martyred. His body was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14^th. 

Sometime in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, the feast turned into a celebration of love between two people. That is when the rise of courtly love took place. Courtly love emphasized nobility and chivalry. In other words, show me how much you love me. It’s where we get the idea of knights going on adventures to earn their ladies love. For us today, men don’t have to slay dragons, just fight the lines at the flower shops and gift stores. 

Love is the main theme throughout the Bible. The word appears in some form over 500 times. Loving your family, thou shall honor thy mother and father, to loving your neighbor, as thyself, it’s all about love. That is because God is love. It is who He is, His inner being, His essence.

We are also supposed to be about love. “Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:14. Everything. Every action and word should be wrapped up in love. I know. It’s hard. But that is who we are supposed to be, reflecting the light and love of God. 

What we do is reflective on the church, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God. Either we are reflecting something that is loving, which attracts people to Jesus or we are reflecting something that pushes them away. 

Make loving others a part of your character, your inner being, your essence. Together, by showing the love of God, we might see some become saved.

- Pastor Glen

Bishop Wilke's Heresy Teaching of Homosexuality

Author Notes:

I briefly talked about homosexuality recently in a sermon. Afterwards I was approached by someone who asked me, “Why is everyone in the church talking about homosexuality?” I said I only speak on it when it comes up in scripture or when someone else is trying to get the Church to make changes in its doctrine and change our understanding of homosexuality when it comes to scripture.

I liken it to Trump. I have no idea what Congress is doing because all I hear about is Trump, how bad he is and his possible impeachment. Right now to the lost world it may seem all the Church talks about is homosexuality, they aren’t really seeing the Church for what it needs or should be. A body of believers loving on a lost world in order to show the love of Christ.

I wrote this because of what I see as false teaching by someone who has the ears of a lot of people in Methodist circles. I don’t expect it to get back to him or change his mind. I don’t expect it to really change anyone’s mind. I wrote it to correct wrong teaching. It’s just that simple.

Also, the point of this article isn’t to say that those who are homosexual or who have different views shouldn’t be allowed in church. All are welcome who want to know more about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, someone who is living in a homosexual relationship should not be allowed to serve in the leadership of the church, they should not be leading or teaching. To understand why, study 1 and 2 Corinthians where Paul addresses the open sin of a church member.

Finally, please do not take what I have written as hatred. I do not hate. It’s not what I was called to do. Do not read this article with an angry voice, because I was not angry when I wrote it. As a matter of fact, I read his article several times and took a few weeks to study the subject a little more in depth before I wrote this.

I have homosexual friends and family. I love them. I’m excited to see them when I see them. I hug them. I love on them. I do not treat them any different than I would treat anyone else. God calls us to love all people, all the time. God is love.

The definition of heresy is “a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine.” The early church was no stranger to heresy. False teachers were spreading all types of misinformation, many we can read about in Paul’s writings. After all, many of those writings were written in order to dispel the false teachers. Today, just like then, the church is facing heresy, false teachers who are trying to convince the church to accept homosexuality as normal and within God’s plan that homosexuals should be allowed in church leadership.

One such person is Richard Wilke. Wilke is a former Bishop with the United Methodist Church. He is well known in UMC circles. He has developed discipleship curriculum for UMC and he and his wife have worked hard for UMC and God’s kingdom. While I am about to write about how wrong Wilke is in his teaching of homosexuality, I have the utmost respect for him and his family and the amount of work they have put into reaching people for the kingdom.

Years ago, Bishop Wilke’s daughter came out to him and his wife as a lesbian. According to a recent article he wrote about his daughter coming out and his understanding on homosexuality in scripture, he was “amazed at my lifelong ignorance about homosexuality.” Bishop Wilke continues to give points as to why he feels the way he feels now. I am not going to address every single point but there are a few that I believe are important for us to understand and that deal specifically with scripture.

Bishop Wilke points to Leviticus and Deuteronomy where Old Testament scripture speaks against homosexuality. He writes, “This code was designed for the specific purpose of setting the Jews apart from the Canaanites. It was not intended as a universal morality.”

Leviticus chapter 18 deals with sexual immorality. Before God mentions homosexuality, there is a laundry list of people you are not to have sexual relations with, they are people related to you. God calls this depravity. Then homosexuality is mentioned which God calls an abomination. Finally, God rules out sex with animals, which He calls perversion. Four more times in this chapter, He uses the word abomination in reference to all of the above sexual immoralities.

In Bishop Wilke’s reasoning then, since homosexuality was not meant to be universal morality that means we are free to have sexual relations with anyone and anything. You see, in his reasoning incest and bestiality are ok too.

Bishop Wilke defends his position by using food, food that was once banned by God to be eaten is now ok. Keep in mind God gave Peter a vision that he then shared and that Paul later help teach, that foods seen as unclean before were ok to eat now. However, nowhere in scripture is homosexuality taken off the sexual immorality list.

As a matter of fact, In Acts 15, the church is faced with one of its first biggest challenges in false teaching, that a gentile must first become a Jew through circumcision before becoming a Christian. The Jerusalem council decided this was not the case and sent a letter to the gentile believers. In the letter the council encourages the new believers not to eat of food given for idol worshipping, not to eat food that has been strangled and not to participate in sexual immorality. The council, which contains the likes of Peter, John and other apostles, tell the gentiles not be sexually immoral people. By Wilke’s reasoning, sexual immorality no longer exists. So if it no longer exists, why would the council feel it important to mention it here?

So let’s say Bishop Wilke is correct, since the council simply used the phrase “sexual immorality” without defining what sexual immorality is, how would the gentiles know the definition? How would they know what was or was not permitted sexually? Because there was a universal understanding of sexual immorality.

If you reason out homosexuality from the list given in Leviticus, then the whole list of sexual immorality must go as well. Remember, nowhere in scripture is homosexuality taken off the list of sexual immorality. Nowhere in scripture does God reverse his decision that homosexuality is an abomination. And it is His decision to make, not ours.

One more thing that Bishop Wilke attempts to reason out, is why Paul speaks about homosexuality. He says Paul speaks of homosexuality because of wealthy Greeks who would buy young slave boys for the purpose of having homosexual relations. In order to stop this practice, Paul makes a blanket statement about homosexuality.

What Wilke fails to mention is that the act of homosexuality was an accepted practice in ancient Rome. Roman men were not only permitted, but expected to be interested in sex with both genders. For Romans, it wasn’t about the gender, but about being conquered. Those who were submissive were looked down upon, while those who were considered conquerors were given high societal status.

Again, with all due respect to Bishop Wilke, he subverts scripture by explaining why it is irrelevant do to historical facts or by trying to explain away Paul’s text by telling us what Paul really meant by his writing with no other scripture to back up his claim.

The Gospel is painful. It illuminates who we really are, a disobedient creation that falls short of the glory of God. Human beings who do not have the ability to live up to God’s standards.

But in the midst of the pain something miraculous takes place. In the pain we feel love. We feel a love that brings us into a right relationship with God.

In that right relationship comes truth. As God begins to transform us, we begin to realize the most important relationship that deserves our total focus is our relationship with Him. All other relationships pale in comparison. 

The Church today is splitting because the focus is on human relationships rather than Godly ones.

Sin is a selfish act. It’s putting your own wants and desires above what God wants for you and out of you. When we come into a right relationship with God, He wants us to put away the selfish acts and become a living sacrifice. Humbling ourselves to live the life He needs us to live in order to do the work He needs done.

No excuses. No justifying our actions. No complaining.

Just living for Him and Him alone.

(If you would like to read Bishop Richard Wilke’s article, I have included the link: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/bishop-gay-daughter-sent-him-back-to-scriptures)