John 2:13-25 - Beer with Vance or Brunch with Baker

        The church is desperate for authenticity, and genuine Christ followers.  Americans are desperate for good leaders, those who lead selflessly with hard work, intelligence, and grit.  We are sick of being lied to and sick of the hypocrisy.  It’s the same in the church.  The good news is that God shows us the way to authenticity and how to be good leaders.

        I heard a local pastor a few years ago tell the congregation that if they ever see him drinking alcohol in a restaurant they should call for his resignation.  I too am for moderation and I have no problem with those who don't drink.  Good, great actually.  Yet the same legalists who preach legalistic messages are sometimes gorging themselves at the buffet and care nothing of transparency and living above reproach.  We all need to walk the walk.

        Let's be honest.  We’d rather have a beer with JD Vance than brunch with Jim Baker (no offense, Jim, I don't know you personally).  And rightly so.  There is little more obnoxious than a self-righteous leftist (or legalistic Christian for that matter) who loves to virtue signal yet who is self-centered to the core.  Paul was authentic.  And he encouraged Peter to be authentic (Galatians 2:11-13).  Yes, be yourself, but more so be true to Jesus.  I pray that we can encourage each other to have steadfast faith, faith in Jesus alone (James 1:6).  Paul tells Timothy that it’s okay to have some wine - it's okay to be a regular bloke, normal, and authentic.  I really appreciate the Scriptures that remind me to not think too highly of myself.  I need that kick in the bum.

        You can’t get more authentic than Jesus.  The religious types hated Him.  Jesus drank (Matthew 11:19) and He ate with sinners - and people criticized Him for it.  Moses, Abraham, David, Paul, Peter, James, and all but a few of the heroes of the Bible drank alcohol and associated with those outside of their “tribe.”  Yet would we even let these men of God into our fellowships today - would they be up to our “high” standards?

        One thing I’ve noticed about the leftists and the legalists - they all love to get paid.  I watched Matt Walsh’s documentary this week, “Am I a Racist.”  Man, it’s good.  The DEI experts in that show demanded big bucks just to be interviewed (one lady demanded $50k for just a few minutes of her precious time).  But to be fair, if we can criticize the left let's make sure we give equal attention to our own side.  I'm well aware there are so-called evangelists today who will show up to preach but only if you give them $25k up front and first-class airfare.  As Oliver Anthony says, 'A damn shame!'

        Say what you want about Trump but I don’t think you can outwork him.  Being authentic requires hard work and paying your own way.  Don’t covet other people’s stuff.  Get your own stuff and be a giver, not a taker.  Hard work is a Christian ethic (Acts 20:33-35).  Leftists, legalists, and hypocrites preach one thing, but don’t follow their own standards and more importantly they aren’t willing to lift a finger if it won’t help them (or their kids).  I hear a lot of people criticizing Trump and Christians who support him or his policies - but do they use the same standard of their critique on themselves (Matthew 7:3-5).

        So many legalists and determinists have influenced Christians not to vote for Republicans because they claim our candidate is too much of a sinner.  Yet aren't these same Pastors who have backed all sorts of "perfect" politicians in the past (Romney, Bush, etc.).  Many who are preaching such perfection are themselves doing exactly what God says not to do (claiming jurisdiction over matters left only to God).

        To state the obvious there are stark moral differences between the platform of the left and the platform of the right.  By not taking a side I believe people are taking a side.  By all means have freedom of conscience, belief, thought, and speech.  Believe whatever you want to believe.  I'm all for freedom.  But let people assess for themselves what is evil and which side best reflects their views on issues - especially moral and religious freedom issues.  Sometimes things are just preferences, other times there are true moral differences between positions and actions.

        I thank God that the church seems to be waking up, engaged, and taking action.  That's a good thing and a biblical thing.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that there was something off with the extra 15 million votes in 2020.  And the lawfare against Trump was an injustice to the very concept of due process.  I truly thank God for men like Rudy Guilliani who put his life and livelihood on the line to fight for election integrity.  It matters.  We are to put our faith into action.  Even if it means sacrifice.  We know what God thinks about the lukewarm (Rev. 3:16) and we know what God thinks about those who claim they love Him but truly love the marketplace of the church and what they can get from God’s table (Matthew 6:24).  I'm thankful for you.  And I'm thankful for our God who loves us all and wants the best for us.

         I went to the Trump rally in Salem, VA last Saturday with our family and a group of friends.  It was fun to be part of the American story and observe the political process firsthand.  I saw so many ordinary people - people Jesus loves and the people we are called to associate with (Romans 12:16).  I love blue-collar people - all people actually.  I feel sorry for elites who look down their noses at ordinary people and then slander Republican voters with the claim that they worship Trump.  Who knows, maybe some do.  But what I saw at Salem, VA was ordinary people who clapped when Trump spoke about the issues, moral issues, that influence people's lives.

        Henry Blackaby (most famous for his book, Experiencing God) was a Canadian pastor who pastored and raised his family in Saskatoon.  I think Blackaby got it right when he instructed us that our job is to work alongside God in God’s work and ministry.  We are called to build - where God is building.  All of us - every believer.  We are not called to create celebrity pastors who do all the work as the sheep sit at their feet.  But Blackaby also said we need to get in the game.  We've gotta serve.  Whatever we do we must do it in love.

        If we have eyes to see we will see God at work all over the place, patiently building His Kingdom.  Our job is not to make ourselves God and to claim that we are the ones who determine a person’s eternal destiny.  That is God’s jurisdiction alone.  Yes, reject evil.  We overcome evil by good deeds.  We are to use our discernment to see corruption and to work against it.  But let's be careful not to get so ingrained in a system and a marketplace that we can’t get out or that we can’t see our own blind spots and contributions to the corruption.

        At the risk of sounding angry, I admit I'm not a fan of the entitled "Switzerlands".  They claim superiority via neutrality, but they do nothing to help and are pleased to profit off of misery.  Rather than choosing to fight alongside God in opposition to an evil system, they mock those who put faith into action.  Yes, it’s hard to tell sometimes and yes we have to ensure that we remember our battle is against spiritual forces.  But how we teach, lead, give, and influence matters greatly.  It matters for how we spiritually lead our family at the micro level and nationally it matters as well as a nation that honors God will thrive.

        I'm thankful the election cycle is over.  Thank God, it's exhausting.  But I'm also thankful for those who worked really hard for the good of the nation.  It takes a ton of work and a lot is at stake.  For all of us (preaching to myself)  I see a few practical applications from the Bible that can help us serve where God is on the move.  First, is dealing with our pride.  I've gotta stop thinking I know it all.  Obviously, I know little - I think my blog shows that well.  Second, let's all be encouraged by Jesus to abide in Him.  To grow up, if you will.  God loves us completely and He wants us to be the man or woman He designed us to be.  No, we don’t need to wallow in our victimhood (Matt Walsh's documentary shows what happens if we do).  We need to grow in God’s grace.

        As we see in John chapter two, Jesus couldn’t stand the self-righteous hypocrites in the religious system. He passionately opposed those making a buck off the church.  Today that is the big religious machine with millionaire worship pastors and lightshows.  Over the last two thousand years it’s taken many forms but in Jesus' day, it was the Sanhedrin and those men who wanted to make a buck off of God and who turned God’s house into a marketplace.  We've gotta serve God alone.  With God, it's possible.

        Yes, we are all flawed.  Donald Trump is a flawed sinner.  Shocker.   So was Henry Blackaby.  So are you and I.  Each of us will be judged by God for what we believe and what we do.  On Judgment Day Jesus will return and bring with Him rewards to repay all people according to their deeds (Rev. 22:12).  There is no way to the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6), but there is no genuine faith unless it is shown in good deeds.  We see that with Abraham’s life (James 2:23).

        The good news is Aslan is on the move!  Jesus is growing His church.  God takes great pleasure in revealing His glory and truth to us.  It’s a new day in America (and Canada’s turn will come shortly) - we have such a great opportunity as the church.

        We haven’t gotten even two chapters into John and yet we can see miracle after miracle.  We hear that term a lot these days, "miracle".  Speaking for myself, I can be so blind.  In what I'm hoping for I may be missing the miracle right before my eyes.  I can be so focused on myself, my theological systems, and my pride that I fail to see the real miracles God is plainly orchestrating and accomplishing as He victoriously builds His Kingdom right before our eyes.

        I heard a guy comment yesterday on X after the election results that God is testing the church by taking away one evil and replacing it with another.  Man, what shallow myopic nonsense.  There have been so many who have pointed out with moral clarity the differences between the platforms and to them I'm so thankful.

        God is Good.  Jesus created everything and Jesus gave life to everything that was created (we read that in the first chapter of John).  God is so Sovereign that He created people with free will.  And that free will is the moral ability to accept or reject God.  Each of us does that (John 3:18) - we all choose to accept or reject God.

        Scripture tells us that Jesus came into the world that He created to rescue us, to save us from this evil world, and to give us eternal life.  God is Good and every good thing in this short life is a gift from Him.  Like a bat in the light, our eyes and minds can struggle to see and understand.  It's okay.  We are human.  We ask Jesus for light and understanding.  We ask Jesus to forgive our sins and give us His light.  We trust He will give us one gracious blessing after another.  This includes growing our understanding and patiently giving us mercy and grace as we grow.

        I'm obviously thrilled with the election outcome.  I believe it is an amazing fresh start and opportunity.  It really is a time for unity.  Let's be excited for the opportunities ahead.  Be open to Him doing a miracle in your life.  Here’s how I define a miracle: A miracle is a supernatural event (out of the natural or physical law) caused a the direction of God for His purpose.  God can put an idea in your mind right now.  Pray that.  Thank Him for it.  God can step in and provide just what our families need.  God asks us to be persistent in our prayers.  Ask and ask again.  Let's be genuine.  There is untold power in an earnest prayer.

        Dear Father, thank You for Your way and Your purposes.  Help us to see your goodness and grace  And please help us to be the authentic people.  We hear You knocking.  The door is open.  We want to fellowship with You.  Amen.

Kari on Election Day in Nelson, County, VA.