As we have said before, so I now say again; if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:9-10, ESV On November 29, 2016, left-leaning infotainment website Buzzfeed published a now-infamous article calling out a sermon delivered by pastor of Antioch Community Church Jimmy Siebert - notably because the church is attended by HGTV star couple Chip and Joanna Gaines. The article quickly made its rounds on social media, instantly outraging masses of websurfers, who made haste to either defend the television stars or to tear them down verbally for the perceived "homophobia." This prompted a response from Chip Gaines on January 2 that was both a non-apology as well as a non-stance. While the message contained within is one of positivity and feel-good energy, it fails to satiate the need for a hard-line stance on this troubling and controversial issue for so many on both sides of the argument. However, Gaines concludes, almost damnably, "The bottom line is, I'd rather be loving than be right."
There's little mistaking the words of Scripture when it comes to homosexuality. It is a grave sin, one of many, as Paul addresses in Romans 1:24-32, or in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. All attempts to resolve homosexuality in light of these passages must be done through a theologically liberal point of view, either assuming Paul's writings to be uninspired, or by drawing far-reaching conclusions through extremely suspect interpretation of language, verbiage, and syntax. There's also little mistaking the personal risk Chip and Joanna Gaines would be taking by standing firmly on a literal interpretation of the Bible, considering their employer, which frequently both features and stars homosexuals front and center in their shows. So, was this compromise in writing acceptable, given the circumstances? In a word, no. It was not. I will be careful not to discredit or condemn the Gaines, as Paul wrote in the aforementioned passage: "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1. Cor. 6:11, ESV) Remember, this was written to church actively embracing such sins as incest (1. Cor. 5:1-2). The Gaines' response was indeed a poor and ill-advised compromise, but it signals an opportunity for spiritual growth in their lives and the need for prayer. I should hope and pray that God continues to work in the Gaines' lives during this certainly difficult time and strengthen them for the future. Nonetheless, the Gaines' are clearly on the wrong side of history by altering or watering down the message of the gospel to make themselves appear more attractive to a fallen world or to make it more easily palatable. For one thing, the message of mankind's natural, fallen state and its propensity to sin is a core part of the gospel message as a whole. The love and grace of Jesus Christ is that He came from heaven as a Man and died and rose again as the kind of acceptable sacrifice for the debt of sin that we could never adequately repay (John 1:1, John 3:16, Rom. 5:18, 1 John 2:2). That debt of sin ranges from the minute - a hasty, critical word or an otherwise innocuous lie - to the massive - murder, thievery, and yes, sexual deviance. The end result of all of mankind's sins is that every individual is destined to an eternity apart from his Almighty Creator, unless one is merely called out by God, repents and turns from his sin, and believes in the person of Jesus Christ as His eternal Savior (Rom. 3:10, Eph. 2:4-10, 1 John 1:9). While no one really likes to be told that the lifestyle they live in is contrary to the eternal moral authority of God, that truth is central to the message of Jesus Christ. However, the other reason that the Gaines' compromise is just not acceptable as a defense for scriptural truth is that compromise will never be enough. In a society that has long held to a generally Judeo-Christian set of ethics and has started to crumble internally, a compromise might be seen as acceptable - for now. But the inevitable conclusion of this societal breakdown is that the world will desire to see the message of Jesus in its entirety eradicated. It is already more than evident in the media's treatment of Christians that believe that Jesus Christ is the only Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6) that such exclusivity is totally unacceptable to a society that ironically sees itself as "tolerant" and "loving." Jesus even prayed for His disciples and every successive generation of followers in his prayer in John 17:14-17: "I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (ESV) The truth is something the world never has tolerated - if it did, Jesus would not have been crucified almost two millenia ago. We are sanctified through the holy Word of God, which, as Jesus said, is the truth. When our mostly comfortable and tolerant society gives way to progressively more aggressive and intolerant generations of non-believers, we cannot afford to compromise on the Word of God - we must be, more than ever, willing to stand up for it. References: (1) - Kate Arthur, "Chip and Joanna Gaines' Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage," Nov. 29, 2016, Buzzfeed Entertainment. Accessed Jan. 29, 2017. (2) - Chip Gaines, "Chip's New Years Revelation," Jan. 2, 2017, Magnolia Market. Accessed Jan. 29, 2017
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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. - Matthew 13:45-46 (ESV) Every electric guitar enthusiast knows about and dreams of one day coming into ownership of one very specific instrument - the famous 1959 Gibson Les Paul in a cherry sunburst finish. Early Les Paul guitars were known for their meticulous and made-in-USA hand-crafted construction, gorgeous finish, immaculate neck- and fret-work, and amazing sound. The relative rarity of these instruments, as well as the legendary status they have gained over the years through use on some of the largest stages in music performance history, have made these into highly sought-after collector's items. A well-kept model can easily bring hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, pushing one million for models owned by famous artists. So imagine, if you will, an enthusiast stumbling upon one of these 1959 Les Paul guitars while casually browsing an estate sale, and being offered the antique instrument for "only" a few thousand dollars - would he not immediately do whatever is necessary to scrape up the funds necessary to purchase it that very day?
Scenarios such as this one are what many hobbyists dream of - art aficionados may dream of discovering a previously-unknown original Picasso, or a car gear-head may dream of finding a Ferrari 250 GTO covered up in an old barn. Regardless, when something of significant and life-altering value is found, a person will go to his absolute limits to own it. "Indeed," the apostle Paul writes, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in Him." (Phil. 3:8-9a) Infinitely more than any material possession, a life spent knowing Christ and being known by Him is of incredible, exceptional, and all-surpassing value. In the culture of materialism that our society has created, many see their presumed walk with Christ as a means to fill some need or want in their lives. It's a cultural "Christianity" espoused by millionaire television personalities, "spiritual" self-help authors, and successful musicians - follow after God, they might say, and He will bless you with everyone you could ever need or want. They might quote Jeremiah 29:11 as a promise of financial prosperity, or use Proverbs 22:6 as irrefutable proof that good parenting will result in righteous living by their children, or twist Philippians 4:13 into an assurance that God will bless every business and employment endeavor. The problem with this kind of thinking is not that God is unable to bless those who love Him financially, or with good health, or with a strong family. He most certainly is. But we are not guaranteed such luxuries, nor are we owed them by our Heavenly Father. "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves... They will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues," Jesus said. (Matt. 10:16a,17b ESV). God spoke to Paul in his chains, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2. Cor. 12:9b ESV) Paul responds, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2. Cor. 12:10 ESV) Moreover, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness," Jesus said, "For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:10 ESV) Could it be that this very same kingdom of heaven, one which seeking may result in "weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities," is the same one characterized as a pearl that a merchant would sell all his possessions to afford? Absolutely - but it is because the kingdom of God is so worth everything that we can give for it, that living in and serving it is infinitely more satisfactory and fulfilling than anything else the world can offer, persecution or not. God may very well choose to bless us financially, or with health, or with fame, or with any other material blessing. He also may not. Regardless, we should "count everything as loss" in lieu of the value of serving the kingdom of heaven - because this pearl is not one we take hold of and then turn around and sell to make a small fortune, or to show off to receive praise from others, or to lock away as future financial security. No, it's a pearl we share, so eagerly, in fact, that we are willing to endure any hardship necessary in order to do so. We know that it is more than enough that God saved our souls from hell, and how much more that He chooses to have a relationship with us! Who cares about fleeting pleasures and petty luxuries in our short lives? We should only find our pleasure in seeking and serving His kingdom - it is truly, entirely, and wholly worth it. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:8-9 (ESV) In 2016, I had the honor and privilege of becoming the interim director of music for Ezra Baptist Church in Oak Grove, AL, a church my father-in-law pastors and my wife and I regularly attend. Beginning 2017, I have opted to step down from that position and turn the majority of the music program over to our youth pastor, in order to free up time in anticipation of a new arrival in May (our Lord willing), and to focus on this blog and building this online ministry.
If there is anything this year has taught me, it is that there is great uncertainty for the majority of the American people going into the 2017th year of our Lord. Following one of the most emotionally and spiritually brutal election cycles in American history, I feel it is only right that I refocus my blog to tackle more specific political, societal, philosophical, and historical issues that the past year has brought into view. To that end, starting no later than February, I will plan on doing the following to this blog:
The year of 2016 has had me thinking on spiritual matters more than ever, and yet the constant tug-of-war between scriptural truth and societal influences has left me exhausted and spiritually stagnated. I pray that God give me greater wisdom and insight into His Word, and give me greater energy and desire for reading His word, communicating with Him in prayer, medidating on truth throughout every hour of every day, and in being the righteous person He desires me to be. Truth is truth, now as it was when the words of each part of the Bible was penned. I just want to be used to help proclaim it, Lord willing. References: (1) - Switchfoot, "Selling The News," Vice Verses 2011, Atlantic Records / lowercase people records |
Clifton J. Gardner lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife, Courtney. He is a Registered Nurse, musician, and writer, as well as an active member of Ezra Baptist Church in Oak Grove, Alabama. Archives
January 2017
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