The Woeful State of Our Words

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

I caught an interesting news cycle before leaving for work this morning.  The story was, more or less, on profanity of all things.

First, it featured the hapless news-anchor whose career had finally arrived as he was on-set for his first ever live broadcast. Naturally, he was nervous: the lights, the camera, the heat of pressure and the sweat it is prone to produce.  So before going on-the-air, he muttered a therapeutic curse word.  The only problem was that he was on-air, and now, along with going viral, he is unemployed.

That story was segued to David Ortiz–a prominent Boston Red Sox slugger–giving a “Boston Strong” speech for the throngs at Fenway following the Marathon tragedy. His own miscue wasn’t due to nerves; no, it was passion that had the all-star declare in “adult language” that Boston was his and the crowd’s city.  The FCC watched the tape of the incident and decided not to fine Ortiz or the Red Sox stating that Ortiz was speaking “from the heart.”

Well that’s just the thing of it, isn’t it?  What the FCC claimed not only boosted their public image, giving them a laid-back “every man” feel for the first time ever, but it revealed a much deeper truth: Truly all speech is from the heart.

In speaking to the high-brow religious types, Jesus said: “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matthew 12:34).

This weekend we didn’t discuss the shortest anchorman career ever or David Ortiz’s speech, but we did spend a spell on the Third Commandment and how it reveals our hearts.

You see, God isn’t some Cosmic FCC President censoring our speech and looking for language worthy of a fine.  He is not checking our motives because, God knows, our motives reveal us, and they do so through our mouths.  We are defined by what we say, and our words declare the inner-workings of our heart: our beliefs, our dreams, our desires, our philosophy.

And when viewed this way–from the inside out–it becomes very apparent that, in our modern speech, we do not value God.  We do not see Him as supreme and authoritative and creator and all-powerful.  We speak of Him irreverently as some superstition or a subject to be mastered or in jest, but we do not honor Him in our hearts as evidenced by the tattling rattle of our tongues.

Listen to the message on http://www.capebiblechapel.org on how we misuse God’s name and how to use it correctly.  But even more importantly, subscribe to what the Holy Spirit is saying and if it is congruent with the things uttered from your mouth. When we take a listen to our words, it perhaps becomes possible to take measure of all they are and all they aren’t, and, in doing so, see all our heart is in light of what it could be in Jesus Christ.

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What’s In the Name?

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

For Romeo and Juliet, names made all the difference.  The smitten pair just had the wrong last names is all.  If Romeo would have been Romeo Anderson or Romeo Smith, well, a happily ever after would have ensued and Disney would have bought up the rights to the Shakespearean play and turned it to some animated adventure–in space or underwater or some such thing.  But Juliet knew names mattered and attempted to rationalize her was around this fact, and while Romeo eavesdropped on his damsel, she uttered: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Well, we all know how the tragedy of the star-crossed lovers unfurled because, in the end, names truly do matter.

This weekend, we’ll jump back into the “Write It on Your Heart” Series in covering the Third Commandment which says: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

Why does it matter what we say?  It is just a name—just words—after all, right?

Well this weekend we will tackle why it matters and the honor due to the name of the Lord by honing in on His reputation, His character, and His authority.

We’ll also define how we take the Lord’s name in vain through our profanity, our frivolity, our forgery, and our hypocrisy.

Truly, this message will challenge our tongue, mind, and heart.  And hopefully, we will leave a more reverent people than we came, knowing, at least in one instance, what truly is in the Name above all names.

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Posted on April 16, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, remember all that?  Recall how God tactically went about creating things each day?  After each day, God would assess the day’s activity and nod with approval: “It is good.”

Then God made man, and remember what He said then?

“Very good.”  How great is that? Isn’t it awesome to think that God saw placid seas and majestic mountains and surreal, unpolluted sunsets and animals untold and all the rest, but in view of all these fascinating, good things, He looked at mankind and said, “While that was all good, this is very good.”  God truly is love.

But then in Genesis 2 God sees something He doesn’t much like and comments on it: “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

And hence, man and woman are linked together from that day forth.  Man needed woman, and woman was made to be a “life-saver” for man.  It is a beautiful picture.  Imagine Adam and Eve skipping around the Garden, subduing the earth and building dominion.  You can’t picture them too vividly for the perfect beauty of the scene.  We can only see it through fallen eyes, but they were there and there was much joy.

Linked they remained, even in sin.  Woman fell prey to the wiles of the serpent, and man stood passively by, waiting his turn to join in the disobedience.

And when the punishment came down from the Lord in the form of a curse, naturally it had consequences for this symbiotic earthly relationship.

For woman, pain in childbearing would follow.  She was made to multiply, yet now this mandate would be painfully undergone, as each mother on earth can attest. Furthermore, the woman was told that her “desire” would be for her husband yet he would rule over her.  This statement implies that what was meant as a peaceable, lovely relationship would somehow turn and the woman would be met with anguish and trouble rather than the unwavering joy which was intended for the relationship.

For man, dominion would be made difficult.  The earth he was supposed to subdue would no longer be a willing participant. Toil and hardship would dog the man’s steps.  And while the woman is not mentioned in the curse of the man, it is folly to think she was not affected.  As man turns repeatedly towards his toilsome work, it causes him to neglect and forget his partner, the very one given to help the woebegone soul!

And such is a picture of the modern marriage and a reason for the great divide that gender can be.  As we heard this weekend, men plod along neglecting the very gift given toward easing their existence.  Husbands neglect their wives in pursuit of promotion, identity, or some far-fetched goal they dupe themselves into thinking will make all the difference in life.

But there is hope for restoration in Christ.  While the world will remain fallen, our families can be havens, relics of a former world and a picture of the model of perfect union that is Christ and the Church.  And that isn’t to say we won’t slip up.  We’ll have arguments and make mistakes. We’ll sin.  But if a generation of men would look to Christ for strength and begin leading courageously, marriages would become more akin to their created purpose.

For bible-based instruction on how to be a courageous, godly man who honors marriage and family while striving for holiness, listen to the past weekend’s three Men’s Weekend Messages on the Chapel website (www.capebiblechapel.org).  We hope men will be blessed and challenged by God’s Word on the subject of biblical manhood.

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Men’s Weekend

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for our annual men’s weekend. What this means is that all three services will be unique and we invite you to attend all three services!  Ladies, even though we so rudely crossed you out to open this post, you are a big part of this!  We would like you to attend the services as well so that you can help hold the men in your life accountable.

After the Saturday Evening service, all men are welcome to stick around for a time of recreation and some delicious, free barbecue (it is always tastier when it is free, right?).  We’ll have ping pong, octaball, 9-Square in the Air, basketball and more, so whether you are an athlete supreme or you just want to see a good show, stick around for some fun and manly relationship-building.

We hope to see a full building all weekend, but even more so we hope to see families fully living the abundant life of the Gospel.  Come be filled this weekend and go and live filled in Jesus Christ.

Services are Saturday @ 5 pm, Sunday @ 9 am, and Sunday @ 10:30 am.  Recreation and meal time will be @ 6:30 pm and you can stay for as long or as short as you’d like.

 

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Wisdom from Talking Beavers

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

This weekend we focused on idols, and how we so love to worship them.

It is absurd, yes, to place God into some minute thing of which He holds prominence over, yet time and time again we bow before our little gods.  We do this to isolate, reduce, and control God, wanting to make him small, safe, and tame.

It makes me think of the talking beavers in CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  In discussing Aslan to the children who have stumbled into Narnia, Mr. Beaver says this:

“’Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver; ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’”

Isn’t that the way it is with God?  He was never meant to be controlled by our little ideas and conceptions and theories.  He is the One to whom we must surrender our little ideas and conceptions and theories. We, our very lives, are subject to Him;  He’s the King, after all.

And the problem with idolatry is that it places in objects what only the person of God can fulfill.  Idols disappoint, dominate, deform, destroy, duplicate.  And at the end of all that tired run of harmful alliteration, idols leave you empty and searching or dead and gone.  There is no life in them; there is no fulfillment.

No man, woman, idea, activity, nothing under or over the sun, no thing beneath or on the earth, is worthy of worship.  Only God, and He alone, deserves our praise and adoration.

Let us lay our idols down, trading once and for all the counterfeit for the real thing.

You can hear the message in the media section of http://www.capebiblechapel.org and we hope you will join us as we continue to study the ten commandments.

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You Don’t Have to Come to Church This Weekend

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

We don’t tend to say this, but I think it is a safe comment for this week so here goes: “You don’t have to come to church this weekend. The message probably isn’t for you.”

I mean, we’re talking about idols after all.  Surely, you don’t have any of those lurking around your heart, do you?  Try as I might, I can’t think of a single-solitary thing I put before my devout love and obedience of God . . .

Okay, so maybe I need to come this week and mark my calendar for the week we cover the ninth commandment.

The fact is I have idols.  But I just don’t have them, either.  No, I love them and care for them and nurture them and horde them and hide them and protect them.  That last might be the scariest, for it causes me, on a week like this when I know church will be about idols, to run the other way from God’s teaching.  Maybe I’ll get sick or find some other way out of confronting these things keeping me from the Lord.

If I do show up–and if you do too–we will hear from God.  We’ll hear about our propensity to worship lackluster gods, deities like sports, hobbies, celebrities, fashion, work, money, family . . . and the list could go woefully on and on.  We take bad things and put them before God and we take good things–things He created and gave us–and sully them unrecognizable from their intended beauty.

We’ll hear about all that and we’ll hear why these things harm us so.  We’ll hear how they leave us empty and searching and unfulfilled.

But, most importantly, we’ll hear hope.

We do not have to bow before tyrannical false gods.  We do not need to wobble in our worship of woebegone things.

So again, “You don’t have to come to church this weekend.”

But if you do, expect God to be there.  Expect to bow before him.  Expect to repent and offer Him–and Him alone–your first fruits.

Trampling idols can be cruel, hard business. But truly is there anything better than a refreshed heart bent in worship to the Almighty God?

We hope to see you this weekend as we allow God to “Write It on Our Hearts.”

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A Global Perspective Here at Home

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

By: Ty Williams

What does it mean to have a global perspectvive as a Christian? In Matthew 28, we are called to make disciples of all nations. This is a difficult task, but with Christ’s guidance and help, it can and will be accomplished. However, as individual Christians, and also corporately as a Church, it is important that we find and understand our role in this mission so that we are able to impact not just our nation, but many other nations as well.

Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to go to Northern India to spend time with some pastors. While I was there, I felt The Lord had really laid it on my heart that as a Christian it was important that not only must I impact my nation, but I also must in some way impact other nations as well. In saying all of this, first and foremost, it is important that we as Christians are engaging in Christ’s mission right in front of us by sharing Christ with our family, friends, and coworkers. Many times, people can become so focused on world missions, they forget the mission field that exists within their family, friends, and even within their own city.

Yet the opposite can be true of other Christians. Many times we can become so focused on the mission right in front of us, we forget about the numerous needs of the world. According to David Platte, “More than 4.5 billion people in the world today are without Christ. If this fact were not serious enough, more than a billion of these people have never even heard the gospel.”  Platte continues, “If this is true, then the implications for our lives are huge. If more than a billion people today are headed to a Christ-less eternity without ever hearing the gospel, then we don’t have time to waste our lives on anything else.” Because of this we must have a global perspective not only individually, but also corporately as a church.

As mentioned earlier, as Christians we are able to engage in the mission right in front of us interacting with our family and friends with the purpose of seeing them come to know Christ. We can get involved with the local mission by serving food in poorer areas of the city, and also by giving some of our clothes and extra belongings that we have to those in need, with the aim of showing and sharing the Gospel. But then the question still remains, how do we impact the nations when we still live here in the United States?

First, I think to know how to do this, we have to look to the Scriptures. In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest field.” From this verse it is clear that through prayer we are able to have one foot in the nations. We can pray that the Lord would send missionaries overseas, and we can pray that the Lord would raise up indigenous pastors, teachers, and laborers overseas who are faithful to the task they have been given.

Then in Romans 10:14-15, we find Paul saying, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” From these verses, we can surmise that a primary way for people to believe in the Gospel is through hearing it, and in order to hear, people must be sent to them. And so, even though we ourselves are not the ones going overseas, we are still able to send and support those who do. In doing so, we become the ones holding the rope for those who are overseas.

Another way we are able to impact the nations is by welcoming international students and refugees who come to our country. On Southeast Missouri State’s campus alone, there are students who hail from Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and many more. Hundreds of International Students right here in Cape! By simply welcoming these visitors into our homes, we can make a big difference in their lives, and open up doors for the Gospel in all sorts of places and with people we may never meet.

Along with this, we are able to have one foot in the nations by supporting indigenous pastors and teachers in their respective countries. A few more ideas include sponsoring children through Compassion, Kids Alive, or another Gospel-centered agency; adopting Scripture translation projects; adopting un-reached or un-engaged people groups around the world who are in need of a Christian witness. All of these things are easy for us as Christians to do, even while we live here in America.

We have been blessed to be a blessing to others (Gen 12), and by God’s grace He has given  us many ways that we are able to do this locally, but also among the nations. Remember, this isn’t merely a task of obligation, but should be done because we have been compelled by the love of Christ. Christ has given up everything to save us, may we be willing to have open hands to the resources the Lord has gifted us with, so that we may bless all the peoples’ of the world.

Some helpful resources include:

Books: Operation World, Let the Nations Be Glad, Radical

Websites: Joshua Project, IMB (Embrace), Seed company, Pioneers, Navigators.org, Urbana.org, http://www.travelingteam.org

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Today and Every Day After

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . .”

These were the words of Paul to the Church in Corinth, and these words echoed throughout our building, and many buildings like ours, on Easter Sunday. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and He rose again . . .”

We know how the Easter service goes.  We can guess what songs the choir or praise band will sing.  We know the passages the Pastor will preach; we can even guess at his illustrations.

It is Easter.  It comes and it goes, and once gone, we can turn our attention to baseball and spring and planning our summer vacations.

But what we must realize is that the truth celebrated at Easter is the same truth every day of the year, now and forever.  This fundamental thing, “of first importance,” must be preached daily into our lives, by others and by our very selves. The Gospel, like Jesus on that world-shifting Sunday morn millenia ago, is very much alive, each and every day.

The importance for the believer to live in light of Easter each day flows from the fact that many lead Easter-less lives.  Much of the world still hangs on the Cross that God sent His Son for.  Many are still encased in a tomb of death even though, in Christ, the stone has been rolled away.

Common responses to the truth Paul puts forth are:

1) To be skeptical.

2) To believe, but never respond in surrender to the truth and authority of Jesus Christ.

3) To follow Christ but not allow for the power of the resurrection to be unleashed fully in daily life.

For those in Christ, the response is clear: Celebrate Easter. Preach the Gospel to yourself on your commute, at work, at dinner. Allow for the power of the Gospel to become the focus of every task, and, in doing so, live a life of bold love which constantly gives off the fragrant aroma of Christ, hence prompting those around you to be in a constant state of decision: To join you in your love for Christ or neglect the truth.

For those outside Christ, maybe today is the day your world changes.  Perhaps now is the moment your eternity becomes sealed and you walk jubilantly out of the grave and into abundant life.  What a better day to surrender! It is, after all, Easter, yesterday, today, and every day after.

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Easter and Church

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

The Christian faith was founded on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And sure we could add all sorts of details and other considerations, and yes our knowledge surrounding that statement is always growing and deepening.

But at the heart of it all the message is simple: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). God sent Jesus into the world to fulfill the Law, pay the penalty for our sins, and rise from the grave to conquer death and validate our hope and faith in His reconciling plan for us.

We know this.

We’ll come together this weekend and sing about it.  We’ll have egg hunts and have a big lunch and hang with family, but always we will be careful to keep Christ at the forefront of it all because of the atoning sacrifice He made for us.

We know this.

But here is something else we know, but sometimes choose to neglect on Easter: just because we know the Gospel, doesn’t mean everyone does.

And that is another reason why Easter is so exciting.  For whatever reason on Easter, a bunch of people who don’t know about what Jesus did for them will mosey into churches.  They’ll sidle in donning Sunday best and sit uncomfortably at the back of the room.  But they will be there!  In the room!

Don’t believe me?  Look here: http://goo.gl/DkxXv 

Now this article says some things that likely aren’t true (like that 75% of Americans are Christians), but it does have one undeniable truth contained: More people come to church on Easter in America; they just do.

And who knows the spiritual condition of these people on this blessed Sunday.  But the fact remains, people are more willing to come to church on Easter Sunday.

So it makes sense to ask, who are you inviting?  Who are you making an entry for, not just to church–because really that isn’t the exciting part–but to the Gospel message?

Are you ready to invite and love and welcome others to the Gospel this Sunday?  Are you praying that what God has allowed you to know about Him and the precious gift of His Son might be made known to others even this weekend?

I hope you are and that this weekend we might rejoice in our births into the Kingdom of God, and that we might celebrate the new births of others into this Kingdom as well.

Happy Easter and we hope to see you Sunday at 9 AM or 10:30 AM.

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Healthcare, Gun Control, Same-sex Marriage and the Mission at Hand

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Cape Bible Chapel

There is a lot going on in the world right now.

Upheaval in the Middle East and Israel.

Staggering economic conditions in much of the world.

Fear-mongering and threats pouring from North Korea.

And here at home, of course, we have debates raging about gun control, same-sex marriage, and healthcare.

So which battles do we fight?  What do we lock arms on?  What do we post on social media and trumpet to friends and family, humming “Onward Christian Soldier” as we go?

I was thinking of this yesterday when, for a spell, I thought the pink equal sign many of my friends were changing their profile pictures to was some sort of united front against Sex Trafficking or another Breast Cancer Awareness stratagem. Turns out, it was a emblem for the cause of same-sex marriage. Though it was just an image plastered all over social media, the issue had hit home–People I know are posting it.  What is my role in all this?  What do I say about this?  What is my stance?  What is biblical?

I began scouring my Bible, as many of us have done in need of a “quick” answer.  Just give me one memory verse that speaks exactly to this issue and I will puppet it to the masses and be done with it.

But it is seldom that easy, is it?

I mean, truth is black and white, clear as the crisp morning air.  But when the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of a situation–through conscience and the Word of God–how do I proclaim it in a given situation? What circumstances of the world am I to fight for? Where is my forum for debate and do I bring my own bullhorn or is one provided?

What happens pretty easily is that I let issues rule my heart.  I am dismayed by the things going on the world because I have forgotten the battle belongs to the Lord.  And the victory He claims is ultimate.  He claims hearts and changes people from within.  I try to change them from without and fail.  Truly, this makes so much difference, and it defines our battlefield.

We are to take issues and circumstances captive to Christ and Scripture.  We are to have a worldview that is not of this world.  We are to be light and salt.  And ultimately, what this means, is that we are to wage war on the Spiritual front.  The Gospel is to be our cry, our defense, our hope in all things.  Social changes come and go but salvation is forever.  Our mission is to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, for in it lies power and authority; and not, as we so often dupe ourselves, in the power of our opinions, however “correct” they may be.

I guess a good test for your heart in how you deal with and involve yourself in issues of life and the world is to ask the simple question: “What is my motivation?” If your heart is bent on fighting for goodness as a means of pointing to Christ or if your motive comes from a place of love and kindness for your neighbors and enemies, it is very likely that you are infecting a secondary mission with the primary Gospel mission.  This should be our aim in all things.  Sadly, however, what often happens in my life is the propensity to care more for being “right” than being “righteous.”  I don’t come at things out of love, but rather from a position of pride, finding my identity in my facts, knowledge, and passion instead of in Jesus.

So in these troubling times, before trying to change the behaviors of the world, let us pray for the status of the heart.  Let us love one another, forsaking all things for Christ.  Let us make a difference for the Kingdom and let us stand for what is right, but let us stand in grace and love and hope, knowing the battle belongs to the Lord in all things.  And even now, when this shaking, groaning world is topsy-turvy, let us rejoice and be glad in Him and be about His business in our short little time here on this mortal coil.

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