To Congregate or Not to Congregate

To Congregate or Not to Congregate

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

It is again Sunday. Again, many of us are following the admonitions of safety by practicing social distancing and sheltering in place. Yet, our hearts are torn because we long to join with other believers in worship. Some are clinging to the idea that it is all a conspiracy to keep believers from worshipping. The truth is that I am the only one who can keep me from worshipping. I can join others in worshipping in spirit and, physically, on-line, on the phone, etc.

Many are rightfully quoting Isaiah 26:20: “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past.” The context of this scripture is a messianic word to Israel about the establishment of God’s kingdom. The message promises the protection of God in the meantime. “(3-4) You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”

Whether or not we decide to congregate, our minds must be focused on the Lord. Remember that the Lord sees our hearts. Proverbs 21: 2 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” Whatever our decision may be, our motives must be pure and focused on our relationship with God.

Passover begins on April 8. It is reminiscent of not only our Lord’s passion, but also, of our current situation. To be spared from the angel of death who passed over Egypt, God’s people not only had to put the blood of the lamb on the door, they had to be inside the house where the blood had been applied.

Exodus 12:13: “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”. The Israelites needed both to enter into the covenant by putting the blood over the door and to be in place to be spared.

The blood is a sign of the covenant the Lord made with Israel. It is a picture of the covenant we have with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. To be covered by our covenant with God which was sealed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we must be where we are supposed to be, not only on Sunday, but every day.

The question we must ask is, “am I where God desires me to be?”

Again, in reference to Passover, if for some reason people could not celebrate the Passover on the designated day, they could celebrate later. Numbers 9:6-11: “6. Now there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron that day. And those men said to him, "We became defiled by the dead body of a man. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the children of Israel?'' And Moses said to them, "Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.'' Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: `If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a dead body, or is far away on a journey, he may still keep the Lord's Passover. `On the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”

If we are still to be sheltering when the Lord’s Resurrection is to be celebrated, we can celebrate in our sheltering place on the day and corporately with one another whenever.

Nothing on God’s calendar must be overlooked if we shelter in place until this storm passes by. I am worshiping God as I write this. I will be worshipping with you as you read this. We are one in the Body of Christ wherever and whenever. Let's worship Him today and every day.

Whatever Is Lovely

Whatever Is Lovely

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

As we practice social distancing, as we have more time to be within ourselves, it can be a temptation to indulge in self-pity, depression and anxiety. While we should not live in denial of the situation, we need to remember John 16: 33.  "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.''

While I do not have a favorite color, a favorite movie or even a favorite memory, I do have a favorite prepositional phrase.  After all, I spent more than 40 years as an English teach.  I am allowed my eccentricities.  My favorite prepositional phrase is “in spite of”.  In spite of everything that is going on, I can be of good cheer.  Not only has Jesus overcome the world, He has enabled me to be not only an overcomer, but more than a conqueror.

Romans 8: 37-39: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Therefore, in spite of the current situation, how can we keep our hearts with all diligence so that we become more than conquerors?

Philippians 4: 6-8: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things.”

Think on whatever is lovely.

“Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

And here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me”

(Chris Tomlin)

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Psalm 24: 3-5: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

It has been suggested that we should wash our hands for 20 seconds to cleanse them thoroughly.  Another suggested that we sing “The Doxology”  as we wash our hands.  I timed it.  Right on, 20 seconds to sing through “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.  Praise Him all creatures here below.  Praise Him above ye heavenly host.  Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

I suggest that we sing one verse or the chorus of our favorite hymns as we wash our hands.  What a joyful way to have clean hands, both spiritually and physically, and a pure heart.  The joy and hope we receive will be one of the blessings we receive. Our sink can be the holy place that we stand in.

One of my favorites:

Peace, peace, wonderful peace

Coming down from the Father above.

Sweet over my spirit forever, I pray,

In fathomless billows of love. (25 seconds)

‘Til the Storm Passes

‘Til the Storm Passes

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Psalms 95: 1-3:  Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.

Nothing lifts our spirits and encourages us more deeply than singing praises to our King.  The song that keeps arising in my spirit today is “ ‘Til the Storm passes by” written by Mosie Lister:

“In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face
While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place
'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry
Keep me safe till the storm passes by

“Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand
Keep me safe till the storm passes by

“Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try
For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"
But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise
Where the storms never darken the skies

“When the long night has ended and the storms come no more
Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore
In that land where the tempest, never comes, Lord, may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.”

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Declaring the Word of God over Our Nation

Declaring the Word of God over Our Nation

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Hebrews 4: 12.  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Word of the Lord is powerful. We are created in His image.  Therefore, our words our powerful.

In that light, the scriptures issue several caveats about the words we speak.  Matthew 12:36.-37: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.''

Currently, two areas in which we all,  liberal, conservative, middle of the road and libertarian, must guard our tongues are discussions of the media and the government.

Scripture declares in 1 Timothy 2: 1-3: “Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

Anger, insults and slander do not lead to quiet and peaceable living.  So, what shall we say?

First of all, if you think that our form of government finds no relevance in scripture consider Isaiah 33:22, “for the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.”   God cares about all three branches of government:  judicial, legislative and executive.  He desires for us to be well governed.

Therefore, we can powerfully pray and decree powerful words of God over our nation.  Consider the following:

Our media will be the result of truth and integrity in the lives of those who produce it. (Proverbs 8:6-9: Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things; for my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.)

We, too, are media, God’s voice crying in the desert, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”  Therefore, we will guard our words and live and speak with integrity.

We believe it is the role of media to inform, educate, investigate and report truth.  Therefore, we must do the same before sharing information.

Because we desire to lead quiet and peaceable lives, we declare that our government will be led by those who, like David, have integrity of heart and skillfulness of hand. (Psalms 78:70-72: “He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.”

Carefully consider the following:

Governance without morality is impossible.  This statement applies to both those who are governing and those who are governed.

The Church: The Media of the Lord

The Church: The Media of the Lord

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29; NKJV)

Each Sunday, our church makes declarations over the seven mountains of cultural influence. One of those mountains is the media. We are in agreement that much of the media is in need of revitalization. Therefore, we declare that the media we receive will be the result of truth and integrity in the lives of those who produce it.

Through our declaration, the Holy Spirit has convicted us that we Christians, too, are a form of media. God’s people are His voice crying in the desert, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Therefore, we must guard our words, and we must live and speak with integrity.

There are many Scriptures that have significant implications for the concept of the Body of Christ’s role as media to the world:

We are instructed on what things we should definitely speak up about: “Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9).

We are reminded to be guarded in how we speak: “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Prov. 13:3).

We must do all things—even speaking up for truth—in love, with gentleness and forbearance.

Perhaps most significantly for us these days, St. Paul extends caution about engaging in the divisive language such as the rude political diatribe that too often appears in the media, particularly in the realm of social networking. “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:23-26)

Consider Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Our words, both positive and negative, both truth and fabrication (fake news including unfounded rumors), bear eternal consequences.

Our words also expose our inner nature; they flow from our hearts and reveal what is actually there. (See Luke 6:45; Eph. 4:29)

The role of media is to investigate, inform, educate, and report truth. The Church’s purpose as God's media representatives is to do likewise. Too often, our conversations sound more like the gossip columns appearing on the back pages of the newspaper or heard on celebrity gossip shows.

Those types conversations can spill into our prayer groups. We do not have to know all the “down and dirty” details in order to pray. Some prayer requests should not go public. Just because we heard it in the beauty salon does not necessarily mean that it should go on the church prayer chain or be discussed in the coffee shop. The private, fervent prayer of the righteous also avails much.

We are the newspapers that our friends and neighbors read daily. We are to be the social network that joins together a disjointed community. We are the news commentators who bring hope in the midst of despair. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” (Isaiah 52:7)

As with all renewal, revitalization of the media must begin in the House of God. When individual members of the Body of Christ step out of the pews and become the media of God in our daily lives—when we speak truth and life—we will see that change reflected in the worldly media as well.

Lay the Axe to the Root

Lay the Axe to the Root

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes’ Man of La Mancha, was a well-meaning, anachronistic gentleman who longed to right the wrongs of the world.  However, his armor and his weapons were outdated and useless.  In his failure to recognize his enemy, he tilted at windmills from the saddle of a broken down nag named Rocinante. 

  

As Christians, many of us have been waging spiritual warfare in the same way.  We are struggling to wage warfare against the forces of evil with useless weapons and strategies.  It is time to move forward into victory.  It is time to lay the axe to the root of darkness.

Matthew 3:10:  "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Anger, vitriol, bitterness, ignorance, hatred and filthy language are the fruit of the tree of fear.  We must lay the axe to the root of that tree.  We each must lay the axe to that tree in our own lives before we can sally forth to conquer.

The battle began with the choice that Adam made in the Garden.  Genesis 2:8-9 (NKJV) 
^“The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” 

“Knowledge of good and evil” can be translated as “determination or declaration of good and evil.”.  The tree of the determination of good and evil allows man to decide for himself what is good and what is evil.  It places man above God and eventually sees man as god.

However, the tree of life is the pathway to an abundant life of love, joy and peace.  Its fruit is God’s guidance in avoiding the pitfalls of life

The tree of the determination of good and evil is the foundation of all paganism and worldly philosophies such as humanism and existentialism. Culturally, the two trees are manifested in the Biblical mindset and the Greek (worldly) mindset.

Satan began his attack on God’s system in the Garden of Eden.  He placed in man’s thoughts the desire for worldly wisdom and knowledge rather than a relationship with God that would bring us life. 

The Greek mindset is one of hopelessness and despair. In the Greek philosophy, each man is given a destiny at birth.  The destiny is always one of despair.  Someone once summed up the Greek mindset as, “Life is one damn thing after another and then you die.”

God’s plan is the opposite.  Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  The biblical mindset is one of blessing and hope.  John 10:10 (NKJV) “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Semantically, the Greek mindset is seen in the way we define our words.  We have defined darkness as the opposite of light.  Two things that are in opposition to one another must have the same value, the same weight, the same force.  If darkness is truly the opposite of light, then there is no way to overcome darkness, either physically, morally or spiritually.  Yet we know from experience that light dispels darkness. 

   

While the Greek mindset declares that darkness and light are opposites,  the biblical mindset declares truth:  darkness is not the opposite of light; it is the absence of light.  Light will be victorious.

The same is true with each of the following:

▪ evil is not the opposite of good; it is the absence of good.

▪ hate is not the opposite of love; it is the absence of love.

▪ despair is not the opposite of hope; it is the absence of hope.

▪ a curse is not the opposite of a blessing; it is the absence of a blessing.

Therefore, light, good, love, hope and blessing will prevail.

The tree of the determination of good and evil will always result in a pessimistic worldview.  Pessimism is not the opposite of optimism; it is the absence of optimism. 

Instead of tilting at the windmill of pessimism with whining and complaining, we can establish the Kingdom of God (which is love, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, first in our hearts, and then in the lives of others, by declaring truth. In Him, we are more than conquerors.

Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV) 
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”