trainwrecked
Overcrowded trains like this are common in Bangladesh, and that's why I never opted to ride one when visiting this country. I stuck with private vehicles going out to the countryside. Can you imagine a train wreck with this many crowded onboard?
Greetings, dear brethren. Have you ever seen a train wreck? There have been some really bad ones in South Asia over the years and watching one can be both intriguing and horrible at the same time. The only thing to do, it seems, is pause and reflect. Here is a strange and interesting footage of some 2019 train wrecks from around the world, recorded by various web cams or pedestrians. Call me weird, but I find it fascinating:
America is a train wreck right now, and undoubtedly, like for me, many of your plans have been trainwrecked these past couple of months. Maybe your future plans, like mine, are trainwrecked for the summer. Is it possible that God sometimes wrecks our ministry plans to minister to us or even to do something as simple water a widow’s garden? Perhaps an answer can be found in this newsletter that I pray proves a blessing to you in spiritually dark times.
When there is societal trainwreck, what Christians need to do, instead of lining up with agitators on one side of the tracks or the other . . . what we need to do is PAUSE and REFLECT, just what we would assuredly do the moments after watching a train wreck in real time.
Billy Sunday, the famous revival preacher God raised up in America, along with many others, before the dark days of World War I, was once invited to preach to the entire student body at the University of Pennsylvania and spend a whole day on campus. The leaders of the university reached out to him because of a slough of suicides that had taken place at the school, and there was much fear and distress amongst the faculty and students. Add to that the ominous forebodings of the conflict that was breaking out in Europe. Mr. Sunday would later recall this day, March 30, 1914, as one of the greatest of his entire Gospel ministry. He preached three messages in the auditorium that day, one of them entitled Real Manhood, something all these punk college kids today need to hear. Anyway, in one of these messages he told the story of a man who recklessly tossed a precious gem high into the air over the side of a ship to catch it in the air as it fell. Time and time again he caught it to the amazement of the little crowd of highfalutin bigwigs who gathered to watch and cheer him on. Suddenly and unexpectedly, however, the ship swerved, and he missed. The precious gem disappeared beneath the waves. Mr. Sunday preached, “Boys, that man lost everything just to gain the plaudits of the crowd. Are you doing the same thing? That is the condition of thousands of people beneath the Stars and Stripes today—losing everything just to hear the clamor of the people, and get a little pat on the back for doing something the mob likes.” WOW, is that not the truth right here, right now under the Stars and Stripes? Wouldn’t it be great if a prestigious university begged a revival preacher to come and preach God’s Word because nothing else can be found to fix the school’s problems? It did happen in this country before.
Brethren, we cannot be those who throw away everything we have known to be right and true just to gain the plaudits of the Facebook crowd or a pat on the back from the Twitter mob. This nation is a train suddenly swerving into a train wreck. Are we tossing a precious gem up in the air with the agitators or pausing to somberly reflect upon God’s righteous Law, the Gospel, the Judgment of the LORD, and oh how much this world needs a Messiah?
Billy Sunday (1862-1935)
As a missionary to the JEWISH PEOPLE FIRST (and also to the Gentiles), I reference the Book of Deuteronomy often when witnessing to Israelis and explaining the difference between manmade Rabbinic Judaism and the faith of Abraham, or BIBLICAL Judaism. The Law given to Israel from Mt. Sinai was given to DECLARE GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, not to make men righteous or to somehow replace the promises made to Abraham and the faith that God counts for righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
The Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5) show that God’s standard of goodness is absolute perfection, and none, therefore, can measure up. In fact, CURSED are those who don’t keep every piece of God’s Law at all times (Deuteronomy 27:26). Without a Messiah, we have a big, big problem. Therefore, Israel was to look for another Prophet who would one day come to eternally fix that problem, God’s own blood sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:15-22; cf. Genesis 22:8). Works have never justified men before God: not Cain’s works, not rabbinic traditions, not manmade religion, not mitzvoth or karma. However, the good works of God do justify men before other men and point them back to the Maker of Heaven and Earth. That’s why the Apostle Paul affirmed, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable UNTO MEN.” (Titus 3:8). That’s also why God told Israel He was giving them His statutes and judgments, not to make them righteous, but to testify of HIM to the Gentile nations, to declare His righteousness and His character to the whole wide world, and to teach the nations how to govern themselves in a way that brings blessings and not curses:
“Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding IN THE SIGHT OF THE NATIONS, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).”
If we understand this purpose of the Law, then there is zero conflict between the Book of James and the Book of Galatians. Faith justifies men before God, the Judge (Galatians). Faith demonstrated by good works justifies men before other men, the accusers, and points them back to the God who justifies by faith (James). This purpose of the Law also affirms that all of Israel’s history is TYPICAL. Israel’s example is “wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations,” and by looking to her successes and failures and God’s dealings with her in blessing and in judgment, we can pause and know exactly what to expect in a nation like the United States where we, like Israel of old, have turned our backs upon the God of our fathers. We can expect a train wreck. God’s Law and Israel’s history define in detail God’s judgment upon nations and highlight the only means of reprieve—HUMILITY & REPENTANCE.
Instead of judging Israel's history, Americans ought to be learning the lessons of it. God doesn't change, and He judges all nations, especially those who once knew Him and have since turned their backs.
America is a big mess right now, a train wreck, one crazy thing after another; and if we take God’s Law and Israel’s history seriously, we would be foolish to think that it is going to get better or just go away. For we are a nation with many symptoms of one big problem, and it’s A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM. Moreover, we are already a people under judgment. There is no clearer evidence of that in a Gentile nation than mass confusion and a house divided against itself with its people devouring one another. There are abundant Old Testament examples of this—Sodom (Genesis 19); Midian (Judges 7); the Syria-Moab-Edom alliance (II Chronicles 20); Assyria (II Kings 19); Babylon (Daniel 5), etc. I have been preaching this very thing lately at a stoplight here in Hickory, North Carolina and also at a couple of recent local protests where confused people gathered to scream, holler, chant, and “take a knee” about something that isn’t even a problem here in Catawba County, yet another symptom of our society’s grave spiritual problem. And, I have said many times in such venues: God’s judgment always reaches across the aisles and falls upon one end of the political spectrum to the other. Therefore, as Daniel once declared: “to us belongeth confusion of face . . . because we have sinned against thee” (Daniel 9:8). Our nation has a serious spiritual problem and our future is a train wreck if we refuse to repent.
Interestingly, God’s Law given to the nation of Israel as a means to govern themselves (not to make them righteous) and to be a light to the rest of the world has the answer for how a nation or a society can successfully deal with every single problem the United States is facing today, from pandemics to protests, but we are too full of pride to “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read” (Isaiah 34:16). Notwithstanding, and I’ll shout it loudly, the solution ain’t in taking a knee to anyone or anything other than the GOD OF THE BIBLE, the GOD OF ISRAEL. Protesting and solidarity with a car stuck on the tracts can never stop the oncoming train at full steam.
The United States of America has a serious SPIRITUAL PROBLEM.
Yes, my friends, the United States of America has forsaken God and the days are very, very dark. Moreover, God isn’t taking sides in this train wreck. He never takes sides in the vain arenas of men. The last time our nation was so divided, the Almighty didn’t take sides and 600,000 men “officially” ended up dead, the true number probably in the millions. And at that time, President Lincoln (who had once believed the boasts of his political advisers and his generals that the “war” would be over in a week) heard someone flippantly remark that God was assuredly on the side of the United States. Lincoln immediately rebuked this individual and responded: “I am not at all concerned about that, for I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord’s side.”
Dear believer, the LORD isn’t taking sides on America’s present-day cultural and political train tracks. He doesn’t take the side of Democrats or Republicans. He doesn’t take the side of “Black Lives Matter” or the police. He doesn’t take the side of the health care worker or the small businessman. God doesn’t take sides. And, as Christians, we ought not to be those who take any side but that which is right according to the Word of God, whether the side of what is right and true is embraced by none or a million. The question is not whose side is God on? The question ought to be whether or not we are on God’s side. If not, expect only confusion, conflict, judgment, and a terrible train wreck for this Gentile nation to whom God made no promise of ultimate blessing and restoration as He did to Israel according to the promises made to her fathers. Sadly, the end of all Gentile nations, including the United States, is much like a train wreck (Daniel 2). The American Church ought to be living with that in view and preaching that while calling the nation to repentance. Instead, many walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners, and sit in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1), giving the benefit of the doubt to the vilest of men long before they would give it to their brother and sister in Christ.
God didn't take sides in America from 1861-1865, and He doesn't in 2020.
But, dear brethren, do not despair over the train wreck! I hike a lot, and sometimes the hikes are very, very long. We recently slogged 23 miles across South Mountains State Park on a hot and steamy Saturday. My personal record is 30 miles in a single day along the crest of the Great Smokies, and I hope to break that this summer. Now, before you think this is some sort of boast, it’s not. Back during the Civil War, soldiers marched 30 miles on a single hot summer day, some without proper shoes and while wearing a thick wool uniform, and then they went straight into horrendous battle. A 30-mile hike with no ferocious battle at the end really is no big deal. How weak we are as a people today, and that’s a big part of our problem! Anyway, those long hikes often mean walking in the dark, so packing a HEADLAMP is pretty important.
This was around Mile 25 of that 30-mile day in the Great Smokies (2015).
Now, I wear that headlamp and turn it on at dusk, but its beam won’t be that evident on the path. It’s obscured by the twilight. However, the darker it gets, the brighter that light shines. Hiking at night with a headlamp is easiest when it is pitch black, no moon and no stars. That little light falling on the path makes the way bright and clear. It’s the same with the light of the Gospel. The darker the days in our nation, the brighter that light shines. And, it’s when a nation is especially “crooked and perverse” that we have unique opportunity as the Church to “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).
As mentioned, the last time this nation was so divided and the last time the horizon was so dark in the United States was during the bloody brother war of 1861-1865. But what you may not know is that at this same time was also one of the country’s greatest revivals. Copies of the Bible went out in droves in the Confederate and Union camps, and many thousands came to Christ. There were even baptism services while cannon shot was flying overhead. People fasted and prayed on both sides of the line, and even the Presidents of both countries (United States and Confederate States) were driven to their knees in the privacy of their own bedrooms before God. When it was darkest, the light of the Gospel shone brightest. Oh that our President today would be driven to his knees and say as Lincoln once did: “When everyone seemed panic-stricken, I went to my room, and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed.”
That being said, some of the greatest and most important qualities a missionary can embrace when the times are darkest are qualities that were displayed quite often by the Apostle Paul in his missionary journeys: patience, flexibility, spontaneity, contentment, and resolve. Since things came to a halt with the shopping malls on our cross-country road trip back in March, the LORD has been teaching me these things. Some of the questions I have been asking myself include:
Am I PATIENT enough to pause and wait upon the LORD to direct my steps?
Am I FLEXIBLE enough to allow the LORD to change “my” ministry plans?
Am I SPONTANEOUS enough to seize the opportunity to preach in circumstances unforeseen?
Am I CONTENT to serve the LORD in venues the world deems insignificant, small, and unimportant?
Am I WILLING to stand alone?
The darker the night on the trail, the brighter the headlamp lights the path.
Notwithstanding, and despite trainwrecked plans, I can honestly say these past weeks have been some of the most special over my entire 17-year period of service with FPGM. The elders of our local church sought the LORD at the beginning of the pandemic madness and chose not to close down or to change anything with regard to assembling together. As mentioned, it’s always wise to look to Israel’s history as recorded in the Old Testament when we seek the LORD. The faithful Jews gathering to rebuild the Temple and hear the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were ordered to cease doing so by the appointed governor over the land. Like the governor of Kentucky, that governor even sent law enforcement to get the names of the people continuing to gather. But, God’s eye was upon the people who defied the governor, and the work continued. It’s a really interesting series of events that takes place in Ezra 4-5. When the people stopped gathering, God sent prophets to rebuke them. When they resumed doing what they had been commanded to do, God blessed them and rendered those trying to stop them powerless to do so. The Apostle Paul tells us that all Israel’s history recorded in the Old Testament is written for our admonition or as a warning (I Corinthians 10:11) AND for our learning or comfort (Romans 15:4). Therefore, we must be careful to consider that context when we look at any of Paul’s other exhortations, including those at the beginning of Romans 13. So there, that’s my two cents. Maybe it ain’t worth even that much.
Anyway, our church didn’t talk about what we were doing, try to tell other autonomous local church bodies what they should or shouldn’t be doing, or post publicly about our doings. The elders simply sought the LORD and continued doing what they believed to be right by and for the body of believers. Fortunately, we meet in a large home at the end of a dirt road, and we live in a good county where the sheriff takes his oath to the federal and state constitution seriously. For all of this, I must say, I am thankful. These past weeks have resulted in some of the most cherished fellowship and convicting preaching that I can remember, preaching that I really needed to hear. Folks, the missionary needs to be fed spiritually as much, if not more, than the next man. I needed to be preached to, and I wouldn’t trade all my ministry plans for 2020 for the Word of God I have been privileged to hear in my local church these past couple of months . . . you know, the kind of preaching that really, really steps on your toes with a high-heeled shoe. And by God’s grace, not a single person in our body has gotten sick or showed a single symptom of any virus. To God be the glory. Moreover, I speak not these things to your shame but to your comfort and encouragement.
Over the next few weeks, Eric Trent is going to be preaching exegetically through Titus 1. I am really looking forward to those messages and to sitting as a student under his teaching.
I personally sought the LORD and chose not to close down my martial arts classes in Hickory during this pandemic because my students, mostly ladies, including an 88-year old widow, asked me to keep them open. Some folks may take issue with that, but suffice it to say that I sought the LORD and I maintain that we were not in violation of the wording of any North Carolina law or executive order. We didn’t shout about it, publicize it, or make a big deal about it. We just kept doing what we have always done, and I was prepared to give an answer if the governor came knocking. You may not be aware of this, but years ago the IRS threatened to fully and finally revoke FPGM’s tax-exempt status, accusing us of violating that status. This was back when the IRS, under President Obama, was targeting a host of conservative non-profits. It happened to a lot of folks. Anyway, I sought the LORD and decided to challenge the IRS without hiring an attorney. I simply made a written appeal, stated my case clearly, showed them line by line where they were wrong, and took them to task. It took a whole year, but they recanted and retroactively reinstated our status as if the matter had never even transpired. And, I have the paperwork to prove it. So, by God’s grace, I have had a little practice in these areas and to this day, I try to remain prepared to give an answer instead of just defaulting to the “do as you are told” mantra.
Anyway, as with the local church, the past couple of months in the dojo have seemed some of the most special of my entire martial arts career. The training has provided an escape for some seriously stressed-out people, and the opportunity for discipleship and to use martial arts as a tool to point others to stronger faith in Jesus Christ has been good. I even believe the classes during the lockdown have also helped to save someone’s marriage. I was actually taken aback just the other week when one of my students reported on a telephone conversation he had with one of my teachers out in California, a highly decorated martial artist with more rank than I will ever attain. He said they both agreed “Jesse Boyd, the greatest martial arts teacher in the world today” (definitely his words not mine). I replied immediately that this is FAKE NEWS, but at the same time, I was humbled and thankful for all the trainwrecked plans that occasioned this undesired compliment. And again, by God’s grace, not a single student has been sick or showed a solitary symptom. And martial arts ain’t exactly something you can teach or practice while “social distancing.”
None of our martial arts classes begin without prayer, and closing down this avenue of discipleship wasn't an option during the lockdown when I had students who wanted to be there. We didn't shut down for a single class.
Believe it or not, God can even provide opportunity to sow seeds of the Gospel with Jewish folks when your customary avenues for doing so are closed tight (the shopping malls in America and the backpacker trails in Peru and Colombia). A couple of weeks ago, and out of the blue, I was asked by a Facebook friend to participate in a roundtable discussion on an internet radio show hosted by a Jewish rabbi. At first I was hesitant to accept the invitation, but the LORD brought to mind Romans 11:11 and the genuine ministry of Gentile believers to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. I prayed for wisdom to spare my words (Proverbs 17:27), to give a clear answer for the hope that is in me with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15), and, in all things, to just point to Messiah and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2). Messiah crucified is a stumbingblock to the Jewish people and foolishness to the Gentiles. But to those of us who are saved, it is the power of God (I Corinthians 1:23-24). Some of you prayed for me in this, and the LORD, I believe, answered those prayers. Thank you. A lot of the discussion went off on tangents from the main topic, but I just tried to emphasize the authority of the Scriptures and that access to God only comes through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Amazingly, I have been asked to come back and be a regular guest on this program, and this has opened a door with a local Jewish man who only lives about a half an hour from me. Thus, I wouldn’t trade this open door for all those ministry plans that got trainwrecked in recent weeks. Here is a the episode of that roundtable if you are interested:
While “stuck at home,” there have also been some good opportunities lately for local outreach, for speaking the Gospel at local “police protests,” and for catching up on some things I have needed to do at the house for a few years. Eric, Bethany and I have also been able to better our rock-climbing skills for when things do open up and we can again again use this very useful tool for sharing the Gospel with Israeli backpackers always looking for a new and exciting experience. And, of course, every practice outing is an opportunity to share Christ with fellow climbers. I recently gave my Trekker Tract to a young couple from Greensboro climbing at Rocky Face park in Hiddenite. She said, “No thanks, I am not religious. I won’t read it.” I replied, “That’s a good thing because manmade religion is the problem and not the solution. What you find in the Bible is not manmade religion; it’s the answer to all of the problems in our nation today.” She said, “Ok, I’ll give it a read.”
While I was witnessing to those folks, Bethany was belaying Josiah up Twins Right (5.9+) at Rocky Face Park.
The unconstitutional lockdowns and the widespread protests have also provided a unique opportunity for me to connect personally with the police chiefs of both Newton and Hickory, the Hickory mayor, the County Sheriff, and a few local officers. In fact, one police captain actually texted me last Saturday morning and asked me to pray for him ahead of a scheduled protest. I got our local church involved, and we did. At that same protest, I reminded the Hickory Chief (not the same guy who oversaw my arrest for handing out Gospel tracts back in 2008) that his department had arrested me and my brother some years ago but that we hold no grudges and that they could count on us as friends who pray for them and support them as they act to restrain evil in our community. He was moved. In the presence of other city officials, I was also able to declare what I said above, that America is a train wreck with a SPIRITUAL PROBLEM and that we need to turn back to the God of our fathers.
My friends, in times like these and if at all possible, it’s always good to have personal and positive rapport with local government officials. I wouldn’t trade the rapport we have been able to nourish these past weeks for all those trainwrecked 2020 ministry plans. If it weren’t for a lockdown and all the protests, perhaps there wouldn’t be police officers in Hickory reaching out in person to local believers for prayer. Please pray for us in these relationships.
Speaking with the Hickory Police Chief at a Local Protest
Eric Trent recently turned in his monthly ministry report to FPGM’s Board of Directors, and he spoke therein of contentment and service in dark times in a way that I found quite convicting myself, and it deserves to be reproduced here:
A WIDOW'S GARDEN
“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21).
Are you being faithful with what the LORD has tasked you?
This is a question I have asked myself lately. No, my family and I are not on a long road trip across the country preaching the Gospel to whoever crosses our path. No, we are not on a plane to South America to witness to the traveling Israeli backpackers. Because of the current circumstances surrounding this so-called “pandemic,” we are parked in Catawba County, North Carolina and living with an 88-year-old widow from our local church. She has been so kind to open up her home to us against all the world’s Covid-19 conventional wisdom. And, it’s a great source of comfort as a father and husband to know that my wife and child have a safe place to dwell during these uncertain days. We are blessed beyond measure by her hospitality toward us.
However, as the sedentary days have droned on, I have grown antsy. Yes, we have tried to be faithful witnesses in our hometown. Jesse and I have been preaching at a busy intersection here in Hickory. The Lord provided us with a half-mile hailer, the perfect tool for preaching on a street corner! But in my downtime, I often find myself longing to hit the road. I want to be traveling and taking the Gospel message to Israeli backpackers in far-off lands as we had planned to do. I had prepared myself to jump on a plane with my family in May and go where I THOUGHT the Lord wanted me. But those doors remain closed.
One recent morning, while I was watering the garden of the widowed sister housing us, the Lord slapped me with a hard truth. Here I am desiring to do all of these big things in ministry, and yet I am discontent while ministering to the needs of a godly widow from my own local church. James 1:27 immediately came to mind, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” Visiting the widow and the fatherless does not mean dropping in for a quick visit and just leaving. It’s MINISTERING to them, meeting their needs, even in something as simple and seemingly insignificant as watering a garden. In my selfishness, I wanted to be busy about what I believed to be important in ministry. I desired to be on the road or in a plane taking the Gospel to the lost sheep of the house of Israel wherever they were. And I found myself unwilling to stand still and just take this time to serve a widow whom the Lord had placed in my life.
I was hit with a heavy dose of conviction that morning. And my wife and I praised God for the instruction and direction He gave to us that day. We will continue to be faithful in Catawba County, NC as long as the doors of our plans remain closed. During the times we have open air-preached at the stop-light, many people passing by have offered the a thumbs-up or honked their horns. Some, both black and white, have blessed us by pulling over and personally thanking us for the bold witness. One woman even stopped and gave Jesse and I cold Gatorades to refresh ourselves. What a blessing! I wouldn’t trade these things for all my plans.
Reader, are you being faithful where the Lord has you? Or are you itching to be about YOUR business rather than His? I want to encourage you to be faithful in what the Lord has tasked you at this moment. If you do not, you may miss a tremendous blessing. And you may be found unworthy by the CERTAIN NOBLEMAN to be tasked with something greater (Luke 19:11-27). How can we be used of God in a mighty way for His kingdom if we cannot even be content to water a widow’s garden?
Eric had his work cut out for him in this widow's garden.
My friends, God’s ways are always higher than our ways; and His thoughts on a matter are always far higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). One hundred percent of the time, it’s better to have Him order a man’s steps in ministry than for him to do so himself (Proverbs 16:9). The Apostle Paul learned this valuable lesson on His Second Missionary Journey where a period of seemingly aimless wondering, closed doors, and trainwrecked ministry plans ultimately put him right where he needed to be, in Troas where he heard the Macedonian Call. There, he also picked up Luke who would stay with him until the end of his life (notice the change of pronoun in Acts 16:10; see also II Timothy 4:11).
While stewing in disappointment over not being able to go to Peru this summer, God reminded me of a message I had sent to someone back in February asking for prayer, before Eric and I left on that road trip. I wrote: “I had a real panic attack last night about our upcoming ministry plans for this year. It’s a bit weird and yet unimportant what triggered it. I am struggling and would give anything for a break.” Around that time, I sat down and did some figuring. From 2003 (when I started that first cross-country bicycle ride) until 2020, seventeen years, I calculated that I had literally been on the road and away from home 109 out of 204 months, or 3330 out of 6209 days—nearly 54% of the time (some of that time with my family, some of that time not). During this period, I traveled overland across America sixteen times (the most recent trip makes seventeen, nearly averaging once per year) and labored in forty-eight different countries. To put this in perspective, if a man works the average 40 hours/week outside the home during a calendar year, that is only about 24% of the time away from his domicile. Needless to say, I had been struggling back in February ahead of another summer overseas. Because of the nature of our missions work, we have not and do not stay planted for long periods of time in one place, so unlike many other foreign missionaries, we aren’t exactly able to establish a true home away from home; and that can be difficult—very, very minor compared to what missionaries of bygone days have experienced; very, very minor, but still difficult. About ten years ago, a dear pastor friend of mine suggested that I take a 6-month time of sabbatical. Back then, he sat on FPGM’s Board of Trustees and did so faithfully. I appreciated the advice but ultimately failed to listen to it and just kept on going. These past six months or so, it has caught up with me, and my health has even suffered. My family and I really did need some down time this summer, but we weren’t going to take it. Then BAM! The Lord stepped in, and we have had no choice. I wouldn’t trade these past weeks at home for all the treasure in the world; they have been precious. And the best part is that at no point have I had to concern myself with packing a suitcase, booking a plane ticket, or putting together an itinerary. The Lord has blessed me instead with lots of time in His Word, lots of reading, lots of good exercise, lots of time at home with my family, and lots of good local opportunity to shine the light of the Gospel in these darkest of times. He is good and knows exactly what we need when we need it. Be encouraged in that dear brethren.
Growing microgreens is something I have picked up while "stuck at home." Very nutritious! This is oriental mustard, kale, and collards.
Now, make no mistake. Since we can’t travel back to Peru or Colombia this year, Eric and I will probably end up back on the road sometime this summer. I still consider our recent preaching and mall circuit unfinished. And, like Ishmael in Herman Melville’s classic work, Moby Dick, “I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote.” To travel and preach is in my DNA. Notwithstanding, we are still seeking the LORD and waiting upon Him to order these steps. Your prayers and support in this are much appreciated. The time to travel again will be soon, for more than anything the United States of America needs Bible-thumping and Bible-preaching, not from behind pulpits but in the highways and byways and even to the remote ends of the road. And the greatest gift we can give to one of our confused and fearful fellow-citizens, black or white, Jew or Gentile, is a printed copy of God’s Word. How precious it was to put two copies of God’s Word into the hands of two #BlackLivesMatter protesters just last week down in Newton. They thanked us for “standing alongside their movement.” My brother appropriately responded, “Oh, we don’t support your movement nor do with stand with it. We aren’t out here for you; we are out here for the LORD and for people, not movements.” After the Law and the Gospel were clearly spoken, these received Bibles. And hey, I wouldn’t trade that for any of my trainwrecked plans.
While this local "pastor" was riling up the protest crowd with talk of solidarity and asking God to bless the "movement," while saying nothing about the Gospel, we shook out heads and stood quietly by. Afterwards, the Gospel was declared to two young men, and printed copies of God's Word went into their hands.
These are dark, dark days for America that won’t be fixed with an election. But as with the headlamp, the darker the night, that brighter and clearer the light shines. Jesus the Messiah affirmed this simple truth when He said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). In fact, this simple statement sums up Deuteronomy 4:5-8 and the purpose of the Law that Israel, for the most part, failed to embrace. We, the New Testament Church, need to learn from Israel’s history and stop making that same mistake. Instead, in these evil days of trainwrecked plans when many people are asking a whole lot of questions, let us:
"Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ (I Peter 3:16)."
Giving an answer to two masked protestors who asked in downtown Hickory.
I know this is a long newsletter, but since I have referred back to our nation’s period of Civil War several times already, let me end by doing so once more. Now, let me be clear. I have my problems with Abraham Lincoln and the many ways he overstepped his constitutional authority as President. It can be argued that he was every bit the tyrant that we see today in many of our state’s governors, and many of the problems we face today because of an overreaching federal government can be traced back to Lincoln (I do sometimes wish, however, that Mr. Trump would overstep his constitutional authority and follow Lincoln’s example by shutting down media outlets and throwing the media terrorists in prison). Notwithstanding, I do believe, and history records, that the LORD did a work in his life after he visited the battlefield at Gettysburg. Shortly thereafter, a preacher asked the President if he was a Christian. He replied, “When I left Springfield, I asked the people to pray for me; I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there, consecrated myself to Christ. I do love Jesus.” From that point on, Mr. Lincoln’s attitude toward the war changed as did his attitude toward the southern states. His assassination was a terrible thing for the South, for he was the greatest friend she had left in Washington at that time. Had he survived, Reconstruction would have looked much different and perhaps today’s racial tension would be diminished. Anyway, Mr. Lincoln had plans after Appomattox and they were terribly trainwrecked. He went to Ford’s Theater with his wife on April 14, 1865 and spoke of those plans. She recalled: “He said he wanted to visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footprints of the Saviour. He was saying there was no city he so much desired to see as Jerusalem. And with the words half spoken on his tongue, the bullet of the assassin entered the brain.” Would Mr. Lincoln trade his trainwrecked plans for the New Jerusalem? Most assuredly not. Neither should we.
I have been blessed to do four times what Abraham Lincoln wanted to do but never got the chance.
As for our nation and us, we should pause and reflect on some of General Robert E. Lee’s last words, spoken not long before his death in 1870. These are especially powerful in light of the pandering blathering of an old fool of a general named David Petraeus who was forced to resign as head of the CIA under Obama because he was cheating on his wife with his secretary. This disgraced toy general recently wrote an op-ed for a well-known media rag (I refuse to even say the rag's name) whereby he lectured the rest of us Americans on who should and should not be an inspiration to us and why monuments and names like Robert E. Lee should be erased from our history. The sad fact that David Petraeus and many of those hollering in the streets don't care about, hey, they are probably even ignorant of it, is that Ulysses S. Grant, who didn't free his wife's slaves until AFTER the passage of the 13th Amendment, found General Lee, who freed his wife's slaves BEFORE the Civil War, to be an incredible inspiration and paroled him with dignity. Even some of the Union troops saluted the General Lee and his men as they stacked their arms at Appomattox. Andrew Johnson offered complete amnesty to General Lee and other high-ranking Confederate officers who survived the war provided they followed a few simple instructions. General Lee did so, but the paperwork fell through the cracks in all the ruckus surrounding the impeachment madness of President Johnson's Presidency. President Eisenhower referred to General Lee as one of the four greatest Americans of the past and had a portrait of him beside Franklin, Washington, and Lincoln in the Oval Office. In 1975, (Are you listening "General" Petraeus, you old fool?), an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Congress voted to formally restore Robert E. Lee's American citizenship posthumously, what had fallen through the cracks after 1865. This was done with the blessing of President Gerald Ford who had a braggadocio Yankee General ancestor who got his tail whopped by Robert E. Lee at Chancellorsville. Ford addressed both houses of Congress and said these words: "General Lee's character has been an example to succeeding generations, making the restoration of his citizenship an event in which every American can take pride."
With this in mind, including the thoughtful words of President Ford, I would add that I’d add that Robert E. Lee was one of the godliest men that Virginia ever produced, going all the way back to Virginia Dare, the first colonist born on Virginia soil. And these, some of his last words, reflect his character, and ought to give us pause in our nation today. I am reminded of these words every time I leave FPGM's office to enter the mission field and see his portrait hanging by the door:
"We poor sinners need to come back from our wanderings to seek pardon through the all-sufficient merits of our Redeemer. And we need to pray earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit to give us a precious revival in our hearts and amongst the unconverted" (Robert E. Lee).
My friends, the United States is a train wreck with big spiritual problems. What Lee said is our only hope. We are helpless without the Messiah but only hopeless if there is a Messiah. There is a Messiah, and He will make all things right. Just the other day, I looked out that same window as was reminded of this in a powerful way:
Thanks for your prayers and support! Maranatha!
Jesse Boyd, Full Proof Gospel Ministries