Dear Friends of FCC,
In the
Spring of 1947 our senators stood reverently
as chaplain Peter Marshall prayed:
OH GOD OUR FATHER, LET US NOT BE CONTENT TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN,
BUT GIVE US THE DETERMINATION TO MAKE THE RIGHT THINGS HAPPEN,
GIVE US THE COURAGE
GIVE US THE CLEAR VISION THAT WE MAY KNOW WHERE TO STAND
AND WHAT TO STAND FOR BECAUSE
UNLESS WE STAND FOR SOMETHING, WE SHALL FALL FOR ANYTHING.
The Chaplain’s prayer was as much a plea to the
Senators in Washington as it was a petition to the Sovereign of heaven. Apparently
moral myopathy and weak knees are nothing new.
Where To Stand & What to Stand For
We all have the feeling that we should stand for
what is good. But what is good?
We intuitively know that we ought to stand for what
is right. But what is right?
We have a desire to stand up for virtue. But what is virtuous?
Our eyes and ears are overwhelmed with images and
ideas competing for our attention and approval.
Reporters and commentators, educators and entertainers, philosophers and
scientists, believers and skeptics, even family and friends, speak with such
contradictory certitude that we are left with more questions than answers.
Because we are finite—limited in our abilities, our
experiences, and our knowledge—we often rely on what “feels right.” We look around for facts that support our
feelings. We ignore or discredit facts
that do not harmonize with our feelings.
We reason, but we’re not always reasonable.
But what is right, and what is good, and what is
virtuous cannot be left to feelings.
Nero felt he was right to order that his slave
would be castrated (an ancient world sex-change operation) so he could marry
him. Hitler felt that he was right to
quarantine and exterminate Bible believing Christians and Jews. Our prisons are
overflowing with people who did what they felt like doing. Homes are shattered and lives are devastated
because people did what they felt like doing.
The feelings of sinful men are notable for being
self-centered, self-justifying, and self-promoting.
If feelings are unreliable, and facts are
incomplete and subject to interpretation where should we stand? What should we stand for?
The Chaplain prayed that the Senators would stand
for something—it would have been better if he had had prayed that they would STAND
FOR SOMEONE!
It is when we stand for Christ, the loving,
sacrificing, crucified, buried, risen, ascended, and coming again King of
Kings, that we are standing for good—perfectly good.
It is when we stand for the Word of Christ, that we
are standing for what is right—always right.
And it is when we stand with the Lord Jesus Christ that
we are standing up for virtue—flawless morality. Even his executioner declared, “I find no fault in Him!”
Why Do So Few Stand?
Sometimes standing with Christ is easy. But often, standing with Christ is
challenging to say the least.
It’s easy to stand with Christ when He says, “Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven.”
It’s hard to stand with Christ when He says, “Go and sin no more.”
It’s easy to stand with Christ when He says, “I am with you always even to the end of the
world.”
It’s hard to stand with Christ when He says, “He that is not with me is
against me.”
It’s easy to stand with
Christ when He says to our neighbors, “Love
thy neighbor as thyself.”
It’s hard to stand with
Christ when He says to us, “Love your
enemies.”
It’s easy to stand with Christ when He says, “God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.”
It’s hard to stand with Christ when He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
It’s easy to stand with Christ when He
says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
It’s hard to stand with Christ when He says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me.”
It’s easy to stand with Christ when He says, “I go to prepare a place for you, and will
come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also.”
It’s hard to stand with Christ when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no
man comes to the Father but by me.”
We protest—that’s too narrow—too few will accept Christ. Hear Jesus, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
The world, the flesh, and the devil conspire to
deceive and to defeat us. It’s a lot
easier to go with the flow, than it is to stand against the tide. By nature we would rather please ourselves
than please Christ. And you can be sure
that the enemy of our souls is doing what he can to lure us away from Christ.
How Can We Stand?
First we must stand with an absolute unshakeable
confidence in the authority, inspiration, and veracity of God’s Word
written. THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD! We do not simply have “a high
regard for Scripture,” we have the highest regard for every divinely inspired
word in the book of books.
Our conviction that the Bible is the Word of God
compels us to read the Word, study the Word, and to hide the Word in our hearts
that we might not sin against God. (Psalm 119:11). Bible readers stand strong.
Second we must stand living our lives in harmony
with God’s Word—obeying not only the letter of God’s law, but acting on the principles
of Scripture.
We know
that God’s way is always the best way so we choose to live in holiness and
righteousness. We not only love the
Author of God’s Law, we love the Law He authored. We want to do the will of God. When God requires us to do what we don’t
understand, we obey Him anyway. “Trust
and Obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to Trust and
Obey!”
I read recently of a Christian college that decided
that their teachers and staff should no longer be forbidden from drinking
alcohol and smoking (who knows what).
Their rationale was that since the Bible nowhere specifically says,
“thou shalt not smoke Camel cigarettes” that they should no longer require
their employees be smoke-free. Their
logic would laughable if it weren’t so erroneous.
Think
about it. Does the Bible say “Thou shalt
not smoke crack cocaine?” or “Thou shalt look at online pornography?” You can’t find those forbidden anywhere in
the 66 books of the Bible. I suppose if
you worked at their school you could smoke crack and view online porn since the
Bible nowhere specifically forbids that.
How ridiculous. The Bible is a
book of specifics, “Thou shalt not commit
adultery,” AND it is a book of principles “What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For
ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your
spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:19,20. Holy men of God have throughout the history
of the Christian Church known that some deeds were off limits to God’s people
and they have gladly forfeited life’s pleasures for the joys of eternity.
Third, we must stand, with
sincere and pure love for Christ—loving Him with all our “heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Sincere
Christians embrace Christ without reservation.
They serve Him because they love Him.
They will not have divided affections.
When self-love challenges the demands of selfless-love, they cry
“cleanse me.” When self-righteousness
rises against Christ-righteousness, they cry “humble me.” When self-will asserts itself against God’s
will, they cry “kill that self-will that’s killing me.” “This
is the will of God, even your sanctification.”
Will
We Stand?
I pray for you. I pray for for the
salvation of those who are without God and without hope. I pray for the
sanctification of the believers. I pray
for the material needs of the congregation. I pray for the physical needs of our Church
family.
But in recent days I have found myself driven to pray that
God would strengthen those of us who have repented of our sins and believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Christians
at Ephesus. “...to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” (Ephesians 3:16ff). I am convinced that the day is not far off
when only those who are standing strong will resist the pressure to conform and
worship the Anti-Christ and his evil empire.
I’m praying that we
will not only stand, but that we will stand strong!
…That we will stand strong when tempted.
…That we will stand strong when tested.
…That we will stand strong when tried.
…That we will stand strong when persecuted.
…That we will stand strong when we face the Judge of all the
earth.
Let’s stand strong on the Word of God written. Let’s stand
strong for the Word of God practically—living obediently to all that Christ
commands. Let’s stand strong with hearts aflame with the Spirit of Love.
Stand up! Stand strong! Stand firm! Stand out! Stand still! “Having done all, stand!”
HOPE TO SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND AT FCC! If we can help
you in any way please let us know. We
love and appreciate you every one!
Onward!
Pastor Richard M. Jones
FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH – A Crusaders Church of America
2969 North Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, Missouri 63074 - Telephone (314) 298-5840; Cell (314)
607-1424
FINANCIAL
UPDATE: Just a quick financial update. As we close out the 3rd quarter we
are thrilled to report that God’s people have given $96,766 toward the mission
of FCC. With those funds we have paid
our monthly expenses, reduced our indebtedness to around $500,000 (our monthly
mortgage is now $2900, down from $4800 when our loan first closed), and
purchased a bus and needed equipment.
Insurance money paid for a new roof, gutters, and air conditioning
coils.
Yet as we begin the 4th
quarter we are concerned that our bills exceed our cash on hand by over $2,500.00. Thank you for making this a subject of prayer
and thank you for your sacrificial gifts to this mission. We pray God’s choicest blessings upon each of
you.
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
Sunday,
October 6 BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY
Sunday,
October 13 GRANDPARENTS SUNDAY
Sunday,
October 20 BIBLE SUNDAY – FREE
BIBLES
Sunday,
October 27 REFORMATION SUNDAY
Sunday,
November 3 TIME CHANGE (Back 1 hour
+ 100 years) – OLD FASHIONED DAY!
Sunday,
November 10 FAMILY FOCUS WEEKEND
Monday,
November 25 THANKSGIVING DINNER at WILD
ACRES, 7:00 p.m.
Wed, December 17 CHRISTMAS CAROLING
Sunday,
December 22 CHRISTMAS SUNDAY –
Programs, Choirs, & Teen Play
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