mholden – Page 2

Not at War

The year was 1914. Just 100 years ago. The Central Powers, led by Germany, were launching a major global offensive against the Allied forces of Russia, France, and Great Britain. The United States took a position of neutrality in an attempt to stay clear of the conflict.
On May 7, 1915, however, a German U-boat attacked and sank the Lusitania, a non-military British liner. 128 US citizens lost their lives, but Woodrow Wilson declared, “America is too proud to fight.”
During 1915-16 the American Congress worked to cut the military budget and in fact, defeated a “big navy” plan and scuttled the battleships.
January 31, 1917, German Ambassador to the United States presented U.S. Secretary of State a note declaring Germany’s intention to restart unrestricted submarine warfare. In February-March of 1917, German submarines targeted and sank several US merchant ships. On February 24, the British forwarded an intercepted German telegram to Mexico that promised war favors for attacking the US. Throughout this period the US maintained its position of neutrality. On February 26, Wilson asked Congress for the authority to arm U.S. merchant ships with U.S. naval personnel and equipment. While the measure would probably have passed in a vote, several anti-war Senators led a successful filibuster that consumed the remainder of the congressional session.
Finally, on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. Congress declared war on April 6, 1917.

War is not fun. The threats in it, the costs of it, the death produced by it; everything about it causes us to shrink back from it. Even when significantly impacted by it, we avoid it, and resist acknowledging it. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, “…and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

An aversion to war has been woven somewhere into the fabric of American culture. We can hear the rumble of cannons, feel the ground reverberating under our feet, hear of casualties laying by the wayside, even smell the stench of decaying flesh. But we still get up in the morning, have our coffee, continue our routine, eat out at our favorite restaurant, go on vacation, and life continues with no sense of impending struggle or loss.

Sunday, December 7, 1941 started quietly, as many days before it had. Although all of Europe and most Asia and Russia were deeply embroiled in destructive warfare, men in Pearl Harbor had been out the Saturday evening before relaxing, partying… ignoring. War was raging, but all of life was quiet and routine as a country awoke on that quiet Sunday morning. The rest is history, as they say.

The family, as we know it, as God designed it, is under heavy attack. The sound of artillery can be heard in the distance. Casualties lie all around. The evidence of the conflict is abundant. But dads headed off to work this morning, moms did their morning chores, put their children on the bus for the day, then headed off to their jobs. I believe that it is time to sound the alarm. It is time to unveil the enemy. It is time to develop wartime strategy. It is time to declare war.

The Delegating Character of God

by mholden

The Lord God is above his creation. He is wholly separate from it, although still actively involved in it. The fancy theological term attached to this truth is transcendence.

“To transcend means “to exist above and independent from; to rise above, surpass, succeed.” By this definition, God is the only truly transcendent Being. The “LORD God Almighty” (in Hebrew, El Shaddai) created all things on the earth, beneath the earth and in the heavens above, yet He exists above and independent from them. All things are upheld by His mighty power (Hebrews 1:3), yet He is upheld by Himself alone. The whole universe exists in Him and for Him that He may receive glory, honor and praise.” www.gotquestions.org “What does it mean that God is transcendent?”

“Our Creator’s transcendence is affirmed throughout Scripture and is reflected in today’s passage. When we say God is transcendent, we mean that He is separate from His creation and not dependent on the created order in any way. The Almighty made the universe and He is therefore its sovereign ruler (Gen. 1:1). A biblical view of transcendence does not mean that God is unable to enter into His creation or communicate with it. He is also immanent, present within the universe that He has made (Ps. 139:7). Nevertheless, creation is not God (pantheism), nor does God depend upon it. Creation, instead, depends upon our Creator for its continual existence (Eph. 4:4–6).” RC Sproule Denying God’s Transcendence Ligonier Ministries Blog

In his transcendence, God has designed to delegate responsibility and authority to mankind for the oversight of the created order.

Delegation was part of the first creative act of God

The very first thing that God said about man included the giving of authority and responsibility to him.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

The Source of All Authority

by mholden

Secular humanism screams against authority. The culture in which we live rejects the existence of any authority at all. Everything coming from nothing, with no source or purpose for anything, leaves the entire system without direction, without foundation, without right or wrong, without justice, without authority.

Authority, like life itself, however, cannot spring from nothing. Authority must be delegated from a higher source. The individual or entity that stands on its own and claims to have authority has no basis. The police officer who pulls you over for speeding gets his authority to do from the civil authority that enacted the law governing speed limits. The law makers that passed the speeding law gained their authority to do so from the documents that constitute the state that they govern. Those documents gain their authority from the Constitutional law under which our nation is established. The Constitution gains its authority from the Founder who established all law. Ultimately, all authority comes down from God himself. The is no authority, except that which comes from him.

Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had authority only because it was given to him. He said, “And [the Father] has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.” John 5:27

A Roman centurion understood Jesus’ authority by saying, “For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” Luke 7:8. Because the centurion had such understanding of authority, Jesus “marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” It’s amazing to consider that of all actions or statements that Jesus observed as he walked on earth, the one that receives his highest commendation is a man who understands authority.

All authority and power originate in the person of our God.

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?” Daniel 4:34, 35

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.… Acts 17:24, 25

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16

Who’s in Charge Here?

by mholden

You and I live in a culture that is in complete confusion about roles. Who is responsible for what? Who has authority and from where does the authority come? How far does that authority reach? How are authority and responsibility related? And what about accountability, that must come into play somewhere as well? What recourse exists when someone or something is over-reaching their authority? Where does the authority of the government begin, and where does it end? What about the church, or family, what authority do they have and how can that authority be defined and defended?

We are about to embark on one of the most needful studies of our day. The answers to these questions and more can be answered with the kind of confidence that will enable you to stand in boldly in your role, and also fulfill your ordained purpose on the earth.

The Unsung Song of Wayne Morrison

by mholden

April 6, 2012, my neighbor, Wayne Morrison died. My son, Isaiah, mowed the lawn for the Morrisons. We tended their chickens when they were away. They provided the invitations for my daughter’s wedding.

Wayne was a printer, but not just any printer. He was a walking antique. When Wayne walked the street of our small village, he looked like a page out of the history books that he printed. The presses in his shop were old when Teddy Roosevelt was president.

Wayne spent seven of his youthful years apprenticing under a master printer. That apprenticeship led him to a life-long vocation of putting thoughts, ideas, and history on the printed page.

When Wayne went to be with his Creator, I shared that information with the young men (seniors in high school) that work for me. They didn’t know him.

You need to understand that I live in a village of 442 residents. The print shop that Wayne operated was opened in 1815. His was the sixth generation of operation. He worked his trade here for 41 years. He loved his work, and delighted to demonstrate his trade to any who would take an interest. He wanted to teach someone else.

But the youth of our community missed out on Wayne. They didn’t know him. They will never have the benefit of his wisdom or experience. The educational system to which they are subjected is disconnected from providing actual life skills. The skilled laborers, craftsmen, and even professionals, both active and retired, are not available to our youths. Not only do these young people miss out on the vocational training that these folks have to offer, but also the wisdom, experience, and practical life skills that are stored up in them.

Rest in peace,Wayne. We will miss you. Our youth will never know what they have missed.

The Local Church: A Community of Individuals or Families?

by mholden

As was my Sunday morning custom, I stood just inside the church building door as the faithful were gathering for worship. I was saying my “hellos” as usual when a new family stepped through the door. My pastoral heart thumped a little faster as I took mental note of a sharply dressed dad with Bible in hand, a neatly, modestly dressed mom followed, with four well-trained and respectful children ranging in age from about fifteen down to two. Boy, oh boy, I thought, a dad who looks like potential leadership material, a mom who can contribute to the teaching force, or maybe participate in the choir, or work in the nursery. Fine young people to fill out the roster in the youth group, junior class, and nursery.

In my ignorance, I had just dissected a family in my mind. I had split them up and harnessed them for the purpose of furthering the programs in my little domain. I had been trained by my culture and by my church leadership mentors to respond in such a way.

I have come to recognize that the cultural approach to church life does not identify nor honor families as a unit, but rather, views those who walk through its doors as a group of individuals. Because we minister to individuals, and not to families, we continually move family members away from each other (as does our culture). Because we need workers to staff the programs that minister to individuals, we exploit the strength of the family unit by continually pulling the family leaders away from those whom they are charged to nurture.

In the Scriptures, the family is upheld as the foundational building block of all of culture. In the very beginning God proclaimed that it was not good, the man being alone. Wives became part of their husband’s family. Children found their identity in their fathers. Inheritance of land was divided according to family. Religious holidays were celebrated in homes.

The responsibility to nurture children was not delegated to the church; it was given to fathers. In the Bible, wives and mothers were not pulled away from their family to administrate the programs of the church, but rather were charged with the blessing of walking under their own husbands and keeping their own homes.

The destructive influences of our culture, and the church’s cultural approach to the family, are clearly evident. Divorce in the church exceeds divorce in mainstream society. Teen pregnancy, abortion, drug and alcohol abuse, spiritual fall out, all provide ample evidence of a dysfunctional and unbiblical view of the family.

My dear church leading brother, please consider your view of the folks that walk into your fellowship. Psalm 68:6says, “God setteth the solitary in families”. He does not take families and turn them into separated individuals. Instead of administering programs that divide families, consider discipling parents and nurturing families.

I have asked myself many times, “What does faithfulness in ministry actually look like?” I believe that the scriptures paint a clear picture. A man who is “equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry” will be training men to “love their wives as Christ loved the church”. Men will be learning how to lead with the spirit of servanthood. Ladies will be taught to walk under the leadership of their husbands, flourishing under his protective care. Moms will be flourishing in the care of their children, investing themselves in the next generation, teaching them how to minister from the home (1 Timothy 5). Children will be encouraged and trained to learn and to grow under the leadership of their parents, instead of taking on the identity of their peers or youth leader.

The world is starving for examples of fathers and mothers that walk together with vitality. They are eager to see children who have been taught to honor father and mother. They need to know that there can be peace inside the walls of home. They need to know that the gospel has enough power to make difference in their family.

Please show them.

Surrogate Parents

by mholden

Pastor John Gordon lay restlessly starring at a dark ceiling. The clock reads 2:43am. An encounter with Brent, a seventeen year old member of his youth group, was playing over and over in his mind. Brent has been struggling with his unbelieving parents and in a matter-of-fact comment declared that he would be much better off if he could move in with his youth leader.

John’s heart grieves as he recalls a youth sponsor workshop that he had attended with that same youth leader. The instructor of the workshop had challenged the workers to “win the hearts of their youths away from their parents”. The exhortation was specifically directed toward youths with unbelieving parents.

Now Brent was reflecting the successful implementation of that training. He was dishonoring his parents under the influence of the church training program. Pastor Gordon felt a tear trickle down the side of his face as he contemplated the reality that under his own care a young person had been led to violate the fifth commandment.

Outlandish? “That wouldn’t happen!” you say? “They don’t really teach youth workers to do that,” you rebut. I am sorry, but they do. Although it may not always be that blatant, it is true.

Pastor, ask yourself this question: “Are the activities of the church body for which I am responsible putting families together or pulling them apart?” The family is in enough trouble in our culture today without the church contributing to its demise. It is time to distinguish between that which is Scriptural and that which is cultural. It is time to rise up as a man of the Scriptures. Families are being led away as sheep to the slaughter and the Lord has placed shepherds in their role to protect and defend.

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