Encouragement Email – Monday, Passion Week

¹²The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. ¹⁵On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?' But you have made it a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:12-17, NIV).

As your Lord enters Monday, the final Monday of His earth-bound life, He has already been inundated with hypocrisy. Yesterday’s entry to Jerusalem was suffused with worshippers and critics, most of whom will disown Him in but a few days. Thankfully His band of followers tag along by His side, listening carefully to Him whose every word was precious.

He makes his way down the hill toward Jerusalem. Surely there is sustenance for Him at this time of year in a fig tree. But the tree that promised figs by its showy leaf plumes yielded an unhappy surprise. What looked fruitful from a distance was in reality a lot of nothing. There were no figs to be eaten from that tree for breakfast.

So, Jesus uttered a curse upon it, likening the fig tree to Israel as Isaiah likely did in chapter 5 of his prophecy. “Okay,” we say. “That fits. The punishment was just; it was earned for obstinate rebellion.” It’s a punishment that is still in effect 2,000 years later.

So too, we would agree, with our Lord’s temple cleansing. Not a physical cleansing, mind you, but a spiritual cleansing. It too came with reproof, “you have made it ‘a den of robbers!’” I can’t help but wonder if His anger didn’t but burn hot. The temple, meant for men careful about their souls and anxious for God’s glory, was a fast-paced meat market. And is religion any less greedy for your money today?

And those are the two events on our Lord’s Monday recorded for our contemplation. Both were profoundly painful to the Lord who looked at all things not merely as a man does, outwardly, but also inwardly, as God does, to the heart. His soul is preparing for the cross.

As your thoughts turn to Friday’s cross, ask yourself a few questions.

“What is the condition of true religion in God’s name around me like on the surface, and then on the inside?”

“What is the fruit God wants, versus the fruit religious men admire?”

“How shall I love my Lord better in my heart, given that He was opposed to all hypocrisy?”

“What people shall I love better with my words and deeds, seeing that He has given Me His Son?”

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Sent on April 6, 2020 by the Pastoral Staff (Ted Bigelow, Pastor of Preaching and Development and Steve Ridge, Executive Pastor) of Grace Bible Church of Colorado Springs.

Encouragement Email – Sent on March 22, 2020

“Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with timbral and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” (Ps. 150:1-6, NASB).

“Let this be the one, true barometer of my religion,” says the Christian. “Though the mountains fall into the sea and the fig tree refuse to produce any fruit, though there are no cattle in the stalls and the fields produce no food, yet I will praise the Lord.”

“What?!” says doubt, with evident disdain. “Don’t you see how at risk we are all?”

“Indeed I do,” says the Christian. “And better than that…. God sees too.”

A long time ago, in a barren spot out in the desert, a forsaken single mom, clutching her crying and hungry baby boy, even while out of food and water referred to God as the “…God who sees. Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” (Gen. 16:13, NASB).

She learned what we all must, all we who profess to know God. That not only is our God the God who ordains deprivation, but He is also the God who provides Himself. He not only ordains all that comes to pass, He ordains that the knowledge of Himself covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

And what is it like to know Him? To rest happy in the truth that all He ordains is the very, very best. That all sufferings and blessings are subsumed under divine heading:  God is good. That He is so good that all that is in your life is the very best you could ever, ever wish for, if you knew what God knows. That anything He does in life that directs the longing heart to Himself is an extension of His intimate kindness the ancients yearned for but did not attain: “Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand” (Isa. 52:15).

All grace to you, beloved saints of God, on this strange Lord’s Day where we cannot gather as one to praise the Lord. But let’s not let that stop us, or else the rocks themselves will cry it out!

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Sent out by the Pastoral Staff (Ted Bigelow, Pastor of Preaching and Development and Steve Ridge, Executive Pastor) of Grace Bible Church of Colorado Springs.

Encouragement Email – Sent on March 20, 2020

“The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts” (Rev. 9:20-21, NASB).

John the Apostle wrote Revelation to bless and amaze us, because he too was amazed at what he saw coming in the end-times. Already in chapter six he wrote about future people who will prefer living in caves and under rocks rather than stopping the practice of their sins, while experiencing the end-times wrath of the Lamb. Amazing! And a few chapters later as God’s judgments continue, the people of the world will be still be making the same dumb choices. Amazing

Who in their right mind wouldn’t trade misery for joy? Or, who wouldn’t trade pain for relief? Or heinous plagues for holy pleasures? The answer is most strange:  pretty much everybody.

However, when a man or woman is delivered from their sins by God in this age and the next, they are given not only a new heart, but a new mind too. This “new man,’ of which you and I are a part by faith in Jesus Christ, is renewed in knowledge as it is “created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24 NKJV). Apart from that amazing new creation, wouldn’t we think and do just like the rest? Wouldn’t we all be young people acting recklessly on Spring Break?

So what’s really amazing is the grace of God in making you a member of the new man in Christ, a new creation in which “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Col. 3:11-15 NKJV)

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Sent out by the Pastoral Staff (Ted Bigelow, Pastor of Preaching and Development and Steve Ridge, Executive Pastor) of Grace Bible Church of Colorado Springs.

Encouragement Email – Sent on March 19, 2020

Then Solomon prayed…

"If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house; then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers” (1 Kings 8:37-40, NASB).

In the great dedicatory prayer of Solomon, sanctifying the temple to the great God of Israel, he admits in advance of the fact there will be severe testing that comes upon the people who serve and love the Lord. Some of them will be nation-wide illnesses, attesting that God’s hand is moving and He desires the immediate attention of His people. 

We might naturally think they must make sacrifice at the temple to show they’ve heard Him, and we would be right.

But I wonder, have you thought what it would be like to go worship Him only three times a year, at festivals help in concert with harvest seasons as stipulated in the Law of Moses? If one made a sacrifice at the temple when God did not ordain, it was rejected by Him and considered unholy.

Or to say it differently, Israelite worshippers could only offer gifts to the Lord when He ordained, and it might not be for months after the time of harvest, or months after plague. And all of a sudden, guess what? The gathering of people for worship isn’t quite so routine. For the pious, the heart grows faint, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (Ps. 42:2-3, NASB).

Truth is, God never wanted their gifts. He wanted their hearts, just as His Son said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:6-8, ESV). No wonder God gave them time off between worship services. He was giving them time to get their hearts square with Him and His high and holy commandments.

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Sent out by the Pastoral Staff (Ted Bigelow, Pastor of Preaching and Development and Steve Ridge, Executive Pastor) of Grace Bible Church of Colorado Springs.

Encouragement Email – Sent on March 17, 2020

During this shutdown, the Pastoral Staff (Ted Bigelow, Pastor of Preaching and Development and Steve Ridge, Executive Pastor) of Grace Bible Church of Colorado Springs has been sending out encouragement emails on a regular basis. This is the first one.

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"So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, ‘Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.’ And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.’ So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died” (2 Sam. 24:13-15 NKJV).

For both great and small and from age to age, God ordains all your experiences. In the Old Testament, when the King of Israel sinned, the whole nation could suffer punishment. This is the concept called “Federal Headship.” Today God extends grace to all through Jesus Christ, a grace even greater than escaping a plague. It is simply called, “eternal life,” and such life comes because Jesus Christ our king, like King David of old, is the federal head of a people. He is the One, we are the many (Rom. 5:12-21, 1 Cor. 15:22). We who believe in Him receive “every blessing in the heavenly places” as Ephesians 1 explains, so much so that we needn’t fear the “terror that stalks by night or the arrow that files by day” (Psalm 91:2). He is in control.

We are thinking of you, beloved of Christ, as we wait to see how bad this COVID 19 will be. We’re here for counsel, or if appropriate, a pastoral visit. Not only are these days of being prepared for safety, but also being prepared with the gospel. Do you tell yourself the gospel every day? No? Why not!? It’s good news no matter how bad “the pestilence that walks in darkness" (Psalm 91:6). 

LIFE FOR LIFE by Ed Cardwell

Would you be willing to accept that there is a Higher Justice than the Supreme Court of our nation? Or higher than any authority that the United Nations could create? If not, perhaps it might be because you feel more confident in a judge who can be swayed by argument, persuaded by influence, even bribed. 

In a global crisis of Biblical proportion, such as exists now, the underlying question remains: Why? Why are we fretting about the total collapse of the world’s society, and who can we blame for it? 

The fatality rate from this virus is frightening. Can we ask, “Is not life precious?” If not, why would we fear death and dying? Those who are alive think life is precious. Life is a gift. It is a gift from the Almighty. 

Our national leaders have bowed to the altar of political expediency, and the industry that murders the unborn has been allowed to move the yardstick further and further down the road toward the diluvial type response from the Creator of all that is in the world, who also is the final Arbiter in human affairs. 

What if the Judge of the Universe has decreed at this point – ENOUGH!!! 

So, there have been X number of deaths in the U.S. and X number of total deaths in the world today, primarily due to the coronavirus epidemic. How does that compare with 75,000,000 deaths at the hands of abortion doctors in the U.S. since 1972 and billions of deaths at the hands of abortionists worldwide. The numbers are staggering.¹

Does the Supreme Judge and Creator of Life execute judgment upon nations for their evil against His creation? Yes, He does. Will He bring this nation to its knees for its continued and expanding effort to deny precious life to the unborn. Yes, He will – in His time!

What is a relatively very small number of deaths due to the coronavirus compared to the number of deaths by abortionists? There IS NO comparison.

Should everyone suffer because of a few politicians and a few abortion doctors? Are the people of this nation complicit in the industry that murders children, born and unborn? Yes, we are, and we all will suffer. We continue in the U.S. to choose (elect) powerful legislators who bow to the altar of infanticide, and, yes, we are all culpable – to a greater or lesser degree. We even export our abortion propaganda and medical and technical expertise in addition to abortion funding to other nations around the world. It has become politically correct to support the abortion industry, whether directly, by a tacit agreement, or by indifference.

Maybe judgment has begun. There has been apparently no other way to gain our attention. But there is a remedy. As the ancient prophets told the people of God, repentance is long overdue, and by admitting our sin and failure, and by calling on the mercy of God and asking for forgiveness, who knows? Maybe God will relent. 

If not, how does LIFE FOR LIFE sound as an act of divine justice on an amoral and hedonistic citizenry? 

“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”<sup>2

1</sup> https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide 
² Thomas Jefferson

Second Amendment Follies

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states the following:  “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This amendment is part of the Bill of Rights, which consists of the first ten amendments. These amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights and place clear limitations on the government's power.

While almost all citizens appreciate most of the rights granted in the Bill of Rights, a disturbing number do not like the Second Amendment and would get rid of it if they could. In the processes, they twist reality into a convoluted mess of arguments against it. Some of their nonsensical arguments are listed below:

• “Since the amendment contains the word ‘militia,’ it applies only to members of the military.” This argument is patently absurd on its face, as are almost all of the anti-Second Amendment arguments. The reality is that our founding fathers preferred militias to a standing army. We cannot use 21^st century definitions to define what things were in colonial America. When the Constitution was written, a militia was made up of volunteers who came to fight, bringing their own arms and ammunition. Our founders knew better than to try and disarm the populace. Otherwise, there could be no militia
• “The ‘right of the people to keep and bear arms’ is a collective right rather than an individual right.” This argument falls flat when it is pointed out that it is a right of “the people,” not just of the government. In the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that the "Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home." It should also be pointed out that if part of the Bill of Rights does not grant individual rights, then consistent interpretation would mean such is true of the entire Bill of Rights. There would be howls of protest and who knows what else should such an idea be embraced by politicians.
• “Since our rights are granted to us by our government, that same government has the right to take those rights away.” This argument fails miserably, and our founders recognized the fact that rights are not granted by government but by our Creator and are then to be secured by government. The Declaration states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,,,” Our rights come from God, not from government. One of those rights is life, and we have the right to protect our lives and those of our loved ones, without interference from government.
• “The Second Amendment only applies to muzzle-loading muskets and rifles, not to ‘assault rifles.’” The absurdity of this argument is almost too obvious to need pointing out. Muzzle-loading muskets and rifles were the “assault weapons” of that day. Today, any weapon the anti-gun people want to ban gets referred to as an “assault weapon.” They need to at least know what they are talking about, but that may be asking too much. By the logic of this argument, the freedom of the press would only include primitive printing presses or quill pens and parchment. It certainly would not include computers with word processing programs, and it would in no way include television, radio, email, social media, or the Internet as a whole. Looking at the entire Bill of Rights through this lens certainly makes this argument about the Second Amendment look like the foolish drivel it is.
• “Semi-automatic rifles are not needed by civilians, because they have nothing to do with hunting.” The answer to that is that the Second Amendment likewise has nothing to do with hunting. Without the Second Amendment, none of the other parts of the Bill of Rights could exist. Experience told our founders that we would never have had a chance to gain our independence from Britain without an armed populace.
• “The Second Amendment is obsolete and no longer needed.” This implies that somehow people have changed for the better with time. It denies that there is a need to be alert and ready for attacks from those who would destroy life and limb and make slaves of others. The reality is that things are not getting better and “more civilized.” Instead, things continue to get worse, just as predicted in the Bible. “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13, NASB). This Scripture is talking specifically about those who would pervert God’s truth and deceive others into believing falsehood, but it also certainly describes the state of the world today.
• “Since Jesus was a pacifist, we should disarm ourselves and follow His example.” This statement is totally wrong, because Jesus was not and is not a pacifist. He came the first time to provide salvation by His grace because of the great love of God toward guilty sinners. This does not negate the fact that He will come back in power and great glory to bring judgment to unbelievers. He said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34, NASB). It is interesting that He said to His disciples, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one” (Luke 22:36, NASB). He also spoke of home defense. “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed” (Luke 11:21, NASB). “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house” (Matthew 12:29, NASB).
• “‘Common sense’ and ‘reasonable’ gun-control laws will prevent shootings.” The big problem here is that “common sense” and “reasonable” are, in many cases, buzz words for finding a way around the Second Amendment by infringing on the right to keep (possess) and bear (carry) arms. Disarming potential victims does not create fewer victims, but more of them. If a bully is menacing children on a playground, it would certainly do no good to tie the hands of all the potential victims behind their backs and then hope that would deter the bully. Such thinking is totally absurd, but it is common among those who believe in “gun-control.” They will put up signs that say, “gun-free zone” and expect those signs to deter criminals. If that kind of thing worked, it would be beneficial to put up signs that say “crime-free zone” all over the country and signs along the border that say “no trespassing.” Such would be naiveté of the highest order.

 Much more could be said, but the fact of the matter is that guns are not the problem in our society today. The problem is sin in the heart of mankind, and the only real answer to the problem is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its power to redeem sinners. The Gospel is “... 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” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NASB). Sinners need a Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can redeem us. Those who ignore that fact will continue to experience the meaninglessness and frustration of living, without answers, in this world full of evil. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore” (Galatians 1:3-5, NASB).

Other articles on this topic are found here.