The Works of Darkness

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 02/02/2012

“Why do some Christians participate in occult practices?"

I know far too many believers who, out of ignorance, dabble in forbidden spiritual activities. Most often, these immature believers have yet to purge all remnants of occult or prohibited religious practices. Some of these things—on the surface—may appear spiritually harmless or even helpful.

In direct opposition to Christian teaching, they unwittingly consent to what God disallows. They are like those who see no conflict between having a wife and having a mistress. True marriage allows no competing lovers. Neither does true faith allow competing deities. Scripture is clear, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3).

Deuteronomy 18:10-13 spells out a short list of forbidden occult activities, including (either explicitly or by implication) child sacrifice, witchcraft, fortune-telling, conjuring spell-casting, prognostication, Tarot cards, tea-leaf or water reading, astrology, sorcery, snake-charming, the casting of spells, the manipulation of spirits, necromancy, black and white magic, consulting familiar spirits, calling up the dead, séances, and channeling.

Furthermore, God forbids idolatry (Ex. 20:4), not only the worship of images but also any participation in non-Christian religions. In the name of exercise, no Christian should ever invoke Yoga's Hindu deity, “Om.” The Yin-Yang, Self-realization, Transcendental Meditation, Tai Chi, and Centering prayers of Easter religions have no place in the Christian life. Calling upon spirits, angels, or power words, for healing, is inconsistent with Christianity.

In summary, any supernatural means directed toward supernatural ends—to be sanctioned by God—must be done God's way and in accordance with God's Word. Such shall have God's blessing.

My dear, precious, beloved fellow believers—I appeal to you: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime.” (Rom 13:12-13). Why use the low and dark means that God forbids when the God of the universe is ours to call upon. He alone is more than enough!

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)

Misplaced Faith

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 01/26/2012

“Can someone lose their salvation?”

No one loses their salvation like someone loses their car keys. Christ holds every believer in His sure and strong grip (John 10:29). However, those believers who persistently and willfully abandon their faith shall one day have their desire.

Now, before I proceed, let me point out that two schools of thought exist on the issue, and “never the twain shall meet.” One camp insists that God's sovereign election forbids our resistance. “Once saved, always saved” is their creed. The other camp emphasizes “free will,” man's autonomous ability to either accept or reject God’s grace. Few people adhere to the extremes of either position, but it is my conviction that the truth lies somewhere near the middle.

Scripture teaches both positions (Phil 2:12-13). God is sovereign, and His will cannot be thwarted (Eph 1:11). Man is responsible, and He can resist the will of God (Luke 7:30). Our finite minds cannot easily reconcile these two diverse positions. Nevertheless, this is the picture presented throughout the Bible.

On the one hand, let us have great confidence in God's keeping power. He is “the author and finisher” of our faith (Heb 12:2). He began the first chapter. Though our personal story is full of ups, downs, and detours, He is writing the book of our lives to the final sentence. God will never “leave or forsake” His people (Heb 13:5).

On the other hand, most agree that saving faith perseveres. The heirs of salvation continue to the end. Whether you were baptized, confirmed, “prayed the prayer,” or responded to an altar call, only those who continue to believe in Christ and follow Him in obedience have a secure faith (Rom 16:26).

No, faith is not so fragile that it is casually lost, but it can be willfully rejected. The book of Hebrews addresses Christians who were suffering for their faith. The book simultaneously encourages perseverance and warns against apostasy. Hebrews 6:4-6 describes those who at one time knew God but now, no longer follow Him. Hebrews 10:26-31 further describes those previously “sanctified” who now spurn Jesus and profane His blood.

These “once saved”—after a conscious, calculated, and unrelenting “about face”—have no legitimate claim to salvation. Jesus said: “No one can snatch [believers] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:29). All the same, God will not hold—against his will—the one who is determined to escape.

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)

The Beginning of Wisdom

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 01/19/2012

“Have You No Fear of God?”

At one time, watchful communities, moral education, painful consequences, shame, spanking, church-going, the death penalty, and the Judgment all worked together to limit the scope of evil behavior. One needs only to remember thirty or forty years ago when these restraints helped to deter evil and to promote good.

However, the more our government forces God (and morality) from the public sphere, the more our societal conscience grows calloused. Murderers, suicide shooters, rapists, thieves, hackers, liars, parents who kill their children, etc., face increasingly limited consequences for their heinous actions.

Today, many people—even some Christians—no longer believe that God punishes the wicked with everlasting hell. Well, I do! The fear of God makes people think twice before they act, and helps to foster “the better angels of our nature.” Better to do what is right now than to face heaven’s righteous Judge in the hereafter, culpable.

Proverbs 9:10-18 says: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” However, the villainous evil person that disregards God's commands will make their bed “in the depths of Hell.” “For it is written—each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:11-12).

“On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see His face” (Psa 11:6-7). Better to “see His face” through Christ's mercies than to face His fires of judgment.

Now, some of you may consider me a hell-fire preacher who takes pleasure in holding feet to the fire. Not at all! I would rather you heed God’s loving warning. For He takes no “pleasure in the death of the wicked.” Rather, God would have the evil man “turn from his [evil] way and live” (Eze 18:23). The fear of God helps keep us on the straight and narrow.

If I could accomplish one aim by raising this somewhat uncomfortable subject, it would be to plant a seed in the hearts of those contemplating evil, reminding them that “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10). That being the case, let’s make sure we don’t arrive with a smoking gun in hand!

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)

The Existence of God

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 01/05/2012

Does God Exist?

Does love exist? Does beauty exist? Does the mind exist? Can anything exist outside or beyond our physical senses? Knowing these things for certain, we must—literally—know everything before we can absolutely know anything. However, Christians and open-minded thinkers, humbled by the vast unknown, see much evidence that God exists.

Cosmologists wrestle with the great unknowns of the galaxy, and may teach us much humility and awe at the wonders of creation. The subjects of Dark Energy and Dark Matter blow their minds. They hypothesize that Dark Energy exerts the primary force in the expansion of the universe, and postulate that Dark Matter exists, based upon its gravitational effects. In fact, scientists identify 70-80% of all the energy and matter in the universe as Dark Energy and Dark Matter—though neither form of energy can be physically proved.

In other words, scientists typically agree that the largest force in the universe cannot be seen, felt, touches, tasted, or heard. No instrumentation measures or quantifies the effects of Dark Energy or the presence of Dark Matter, and yet, Something wonderfully large and powerful exerts enormous cause and effect upon all things.

Therefore, if such a comprehensive force defies physical description, how can any conclude that God does not exist, based exclusively upon sensory perception? Like Dark Matter, we cannot see God, but we see the effects of His Presence all around us. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psa 19:1-4).

Yes, all of creation declares God’s “invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature… from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Rom 1:20).

We see evidence of God in the vast systems and designs of creation—from subatomic particle to black holes and quasars. We see evidence of God in the innate religious disposition of all peoples—denied only by great effort. We see evidence of God in the blessings of life (Mat 5:45) and in its sorrows (Rom 8:20). We see evidence of God is the wisdom of His Word and in His plan of redemption (Rom 3:20-28).

A cartoon illustrates the point of this essay neatly. Two fleas are walking amidst a tall forest of a dog’s hair follicles. Obviously involved in deep discussion, the one turns to the other and says, “Do you believe there is a dog?” You see, these fleas, though living off the dog’s provision, questioned his existence, though he was all around them. How about you—is there a God?

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)

Total Makeover

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 01/05/2012

“Can people change?”

At one time, people thought that Psychology, properly applied, could correct all the maladies of the psyche. However, the growing professional consensus is that “people do not change.” Accordingly, counseling helps smooth out some rough spots, but—since “people do not change”—the best chance at a manageable existence lay in new and creative medicines.

Therefore, some "professionals" mock and scorn the Christian view of conversion, which insists that people can truly change. No doubt, psychological and emotional disorders pose formidable challenges—even for converts—but in Christ, people can truly change.

One need not have mental disorders to need a total makeover. Many people, unhappy with the hand dealt them, live in quiet despair. Some live lives broken by their own choices. Still others desire to have unwanted personality quirks changed: pessimism, anger, fear, loneliness, discouragement, compulsion, and addiction. They’re discontented with life but hoping for a better day. Can people really change?

The Scripture promises: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2Cor 5:17). Those believing in Christ are “born again,” made spiritually alive “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1Pet 1:3).

The Bible offers many examples of those changed by encountering God. Moses exchanged his fears for faith and became a mighty deliverer. Paul changed from an angry persecutor of the Church to her most prized theologian. John the zealot became John the Beloved. Moreover, since the time of Christ, billions of people have laid claim to new life in Him. While not laying hold of a perfect life (at least not yet!), they do lay hold of a new life nonetheless.

Now, the nature of change differs for each person. Some change immediately; others take more time. Either way, the life given to Christ begins the life-long process of transformation, by which it is renewed, becoming at last the whole and happy person which God intends (Rom 12:2; Col 3:10).

Perhaps you’ve heard the old joke that inquires, “How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?” “One,” we’re told, “But the light bulb has to want to change.”

What is true of the light bulb is true for all of us. We can change—if we truly want to.

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)

Christmas Incarnation

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 12/22/2011

What is The Wonder of Christmas?

Many children experience a certain wonder about Christmas. My fondest childhood memories of Christmas include the lighted décor of (seemingly) every house, songs of the season, like Jingle Bells, TV specials, caroling, Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, presents, wrapping paper, and the yearly reading of “The Night Before Christmas.” One Christmas eve, I woke in the night, crept into the living room, and actually saw "the big guy" putting presents around the tree. Yep, I saw him, and no one could persuade me otherwise.

However, some Christian parents fear the tainting of the true Christmas message by the secularization of the holiday. I say, let your kids dream. Too often, I've heard the concern that Christmas myths undermine faith. Quite the contrary. Investing in our child's imagination prepares them for seeing, by faith, the unseen realities of God. Moreover, if they see you living year-round for Jesus, you need not fear that they will confuse the myth with the Messiah.

No doubt, two Christmas traditions fill the December holidays. Reindeer, Santa, mistletoe, decorated trees, gifts, and frenzied shopping represent the one. The other focuses on the Nativity, the Christ Child, songs of redemption, and gratitude for salvation.

As fun and marvelous as this season can be, in the hustle and bustle, we can lose sight of the profound wonder that far exceeds every other Christmas wonder: God became man. Jesus, the fully divine Son of God (Phil 2:6), existed before all things (John 1:1). God established an eternal plan to rescue man from his sin (Rev 13:8). Jesus set aside His eternal majesty to set the plan in motion and entered our world as a baby.

Christmas celebrates, above all, the love of God reaching out to all humanity through the incarnation of Christ: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Whoever” means you and me. None need “perish,” if they place their faith in the Christ of Christmas.

Now that is truly wonderful!

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)

Evil's Exploitation

Clarinda Herald Journal publication date: 12/15/2011

“What good is the devil?”

Satan—a fallen angel, the personification of evil—plagues the world with many evils. We think, “Get rid of the devil and the world will be a better place.” And yet, God allows the devil freedom to carry out some of his evil schemes. It seems to me that—much to Satan's chagrin—God gets much good out of Satan's activity.

A greater good came to Job's life through Satan's oppression. In short, God allowed Satan to torment Job. Job endured great hardship. In the end, however, these circumstances produced for him much benefit (Job 42:12).

Israel benefited from oppressive enemies. Judges 3:1-2 says that the Lord left enemies in the land of Israel “to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience.” Therefore, we may reasonably assume that God uses Satan's tactics—opposite to Satan's intent—to train God's people in the spiritual warfare.

Joseph, oppressed by his brothers and sold into slavery, saw God’s purpose in his trying circumstances. To his bothers He said: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen 50:20). In the same way, Satan purposes harm, but God turns it toward the good.

In summary, “All things work together for good,” as the apostle Paul informs us (Rom. 8:28). Every Satanic trial and temptation earns the Christian another graduate degree in the School of Hard Knocks (Rom 8:28).

Yes, Satan has great power to work havoc, but Jesus, has even greater power (1Jn 4:4) to thwart every demonic design and to use hardship, not for our harm, but for our ultimate good and for the glory of God.

–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)