West Park Baptist Church

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West Park Baptist Church

Local Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 3

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Fear Not by James Lynch

We have all probably heard the term “unprecedented” more in the last several weeks than many have in our entire lives before 2020. Although we may be tired of hearing it and other-like terminology, it is fitting, at least in reference to modern times. Possibly one of the most difficult aspects of this pandemic is the unknown. Some of these unknowns are concerning the virus itself, some are concerning the impact of this virus on our way of life, our finances, and our future. There are more questions than answers right now, and the answers we do have seem to change quickly as new information becomes available. Circumstances like these can certainly be fertile soil for fear to grow, and the harvest of that crop can be very detrimental on a person’s emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Fortunately, we serve a God who delights in saying to His children, “Fear not!” In the Scripture, this phrase appears 33 times, if you combine it with the phrase, “Do not fear”, it amounts to 70 times that someone in the Bible is told not to fear. The very first time “fear not” is used is in Genesis 15:1. Abram has just defeated the 5-king coalition who carried off his relative, Lot. He was blessed by Melchizedek, and then refused to take any of the spoils of the battle for himself. Then the Bible says, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”” (Gen. 15:1). What was the antidote to fear? It was the knowledge of the character of God. In other words, “Abram, fear not because I (God) am your shield.”

I have been so impressed by our senior saints here at West Park, who recognize that God is their shield in this uncertain season, and are living out their faith in real time. Some that I have spoken to are confined at home with family members bringing groceries and supplies as needed. One family drops off the delivery in mom’s garage and leaves so they don’t run the risk of bringing her the virus. One senior brother has made his own mask with several layers of material, and is using great care as he does his own shopping. Another brother shared with me that he calls ahead to his favorite eatery close by, and drops by to pick up his meal without even having to get out of his car. So, what do these saints have in common? They have adapted to this current difficulty in various ways, but none of them are being controlled by fear. They are making wise choices and trusting God to take care of them. I could go on to tell how a nursing home has planned a day to bring a dear wife down from an upper floor so she and her husband can see each other through the glass while they talk on the phone, or how an ABF is supporting another sweet sister with phone calls to her rehab room since visits aren’t possible.

The social distancing has certainly presented challenges, but what I have seen in West Park members has encouraged me. Our deacons have had to move from visiting the sick to making phone calls, and many have been so faithful to pray for one another. We may not know what the next few weeks or months hold, but I am confident that the Lord will continue to guide us as we discover new ways to minister to one another and serve our Lord during this very unique situation.

 

Local Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 2

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“Don’t Go There!” by Sam Polson

It has been a long time since my “glory days’ as an athlete … not that there was ever that much glory in any of my days in athletics! But one thing I did learn from those days that has helped me many times over the years is that it is the lines on the field or on the court that make the game understandable, measurable and enjoyable. Playing within the lines kept the competition from turning into chaos. The Bible is very clear that as we draw closer to the end of the age the chaos in the culture will increase. Paul said, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (II Timothy 3:1) In the verses that follow, Paul describes those days as filled with a spirit of self-indulgence and that this self-focused and self-absorbed philosophy of life will contaminate the church with teachings that are devoid of a focus on the gospel and on godly living. In fact, the greatest danger to the church will be a drift from the essential and timeless principles that are Savior-focused and Scripture-focused to man-centered and meaningless discussions that not only do not promote “sound teaching,” (v.3) but also cause believers to “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (v.4).

What was the essence of Paul’s challenge to Timothy and faithful believers in such a culture of chaos? To summarize, in effect he said, “Don’t go there!” His warning was a personal one, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…” (II Timothy 3:14). He directed Timothy, those early believers, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he is directing us today back to the fundamental principles (the lines on the field and on the court) of gospel living. My friends, there exists right now a media-driven, social networking pandemic of unhelpful, unedifying and unbiblical discussions that do nothing to promote the cause of Christ. At best, they waste our time and at worst, they weaken our testimony. “Don’t go there!” Let’s resolve to spend much less time on Facebook and much more time with our faces in the Book. When we do participate in social networking, let’s make sure it is a spiritual discerning networking that is not a waste of our precious time and is also worthy of our precious Savior.

 

Local Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 1

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Project Jerusalem by Audra Chaney

Picture with me West Park’s gym, the one in our Children’s Ministry Center we all know & love.

As you picture our gym, you may see your AWANA clubbers sitting at their color line hoping to be picked for the game, or maybe you see your first-grade class singing and dancing to the worship music during Kidz Klub on Sunday mornings. Maybe you picture your family sitting around a table during one of our Family Gathering socials on Sunday evenings, eating Tee & Kendra’s delicious tacos while keeping an eye on your excited three-year-old. Maybe you see the gym full of people in red, green, and blue t-shirts, eating popcorn and mingling with community members during last summer’s VBS, or maybe you see the gym filled with missionaries sipping Tee & Kendra’s delicious lemonade and sharing about lives that have been changed by the Gospel.

However you see the gym right now, I want you to clear the bouncing basketballs, AWANA pins, Styrofoam cups, and your running three-year old from your mind. Project Jerusalem - April 15, 2020Now, picture this same gym filled instead with long tables, boxes upon boxes stacked on the floor, rolls upon rolls of empty tape from assembling those boxes, cans upon cans of veggies, fruits, and many other essential food items, many masked volunteers trying to keep a 6-foot distance, but thoroughly enjoying the social interaction, and hours of behind-the-scene prep spent to ensure a smooth system of unloading and organizing food from a large truck. What we are picturing together is yet another form that our beloved gym has become for this new season.

This unforeseen crisis has left many families in our communities without their daily bread and the means to obtain it. But since our God is the giver of daily bread and cares so deeply for these hungry people, He has a plan. So, in West Park’s Heaven-ward plead, asking God how we can help, He pointed us to our gym, our already successful Bread of Life Food Pantry, our already established friendships with community members through CedarBrook Outreach, and our partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank to reveal His plan. And this plan for West Park’s response in this time has a name. This name is Project Jerusalem. Because our Jerusalem is in need.

Those involved with Project Jerusalem have already seen God largely at work by how fast loads of food, volunteers, resources, and space were available in such a short notice to make this feeding of Jerusalem a reality. God is at work through the smiling faces behind those face masks that have come from all over to drive the food truck, unload it, organize the food, build the boxes, pack the food, place information about our church and a Bible tract inside each box, and drive it to the houses of the hurting. So in the depths of this crisis and hurt, our Sovereign God gave us a God-sized vision and the resources to make it happen. Oh how we praise Him and rejoice that families are being fed, not just physically, but spiritually from the heart of a Father that has not forgotten them.

Audra Chaney is the Director of Student Ministry at West Park Baptist Church.

Global Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 2

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Tony takes time (because he’s got a lot of it on his hands right now) to help us use our time in quarantine well. Best of all, the contagion of the Covid-19 virus isn’t the only contagion going around right now. Read on to find out more…

A Time to Trust God

Do you know what it’s like when your phone wakes you in the middle of the night, when you’re in a strange bed, in a hotel room, after 24 hours of travel, several time zones away from home, in Madrid? No? I didn’t either until it happened to me at 2:30am on March 12.

Joy, my wife, said over the phone, “The president just announced no more flights from Europe. I thought you’d want to know sooner rather than later.”

Wow! That was quite a wake-up call! I was traveling in Spain on a tour with my father and my son Teddy. We had arrived in Madrid the previous afternoon. During those first minutes my mind raced through what ifs, what abouts, and worst-case scenarios. A film festival of disaster movies started to take over my brain. Then we stopped and prayed. My focus changed, and God moved into the picture. I went back to sleep. I felt confident that God would provide a path home and would guard our health and safety, or he would have a good reason not to do so.

We learned more details about the restrictions in a few hours. The situation wasn’t as dire as we thought at first. During the next two days, we had the privilege of touring Madrid, Córdoba, and Sevilla, and then Spain’s government started going into lock-down. By Saturday we had tickets to JFK. On Sunday we were on our way home. Monday night my son and I were back in Tennessee sleeping in our own beds.

As we stepped off the plane at JFK airport in New York, we were greeted by people in protective gear. One of them took the form I had filled out about my state of health and our itinerary in Europe. A young man scanned my temperature, and a woman handed me an instruction card. “Stay home for 14 days. Take your temperature twice a day. Call your doctor if you feel sick.” So that’s what we’ve been doing. We show no symptoms seven days later. God is good!

Psalm 40 has come to my mind multiple times over the past several days.

  1. I waited patiently for the Lord (v. 1). When you’re waiting on God, you’re not wasting time. Our waiting should be purposeful and expectant. God is going to do something amazing!
  2. He inclined to me and heard my cry (v. 1). If you only get to make one call, make it to God. He’ll hear your cry. He leans in, listens to your plea, and comes to help.
  3. He drew me up from the pit of destruction,out of the miry bog (v. 2). When you’re up to your ears in mud, feeling hopeless and helpless, raise your hand. God will grab hold and pull you out.
  4. And set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure (v. 2). Faith isn’t built on thin air. When you stand on God’s promises, you’re on solid rock.
  5. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God (v. 3). Sing and praise God. Your spirit will be renewed whether your circumstances improve or not.
  6. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord (v. 3) Your trust in God will be contagious. When fear and insecurity are prevalent, a testimony of confident trust in God will be a beacon of hope.

On Saturday morning March 14, everyone in our tour group was busy trying to make plane reservations. Teddy was on his laptop. After working hard to arrange travel for the three of us, he helped others. He made a great impression on people. Our tour guide said, “He restores my hope for young people.” That made me happy. I think it pleased his heavenly Father too.

I was sitting off by myself on a hotel luggage cart, with head bowed and eyes closed. “Are you sick?” asked one of the other travelers, probably worried that I’d caught the virus.

“No,” I replied, “I’m praying.”

“Oh! Then say a prayer for me!” he laughed.

I did.

Like most people, I have a hard time accepting when things happen that I don’t control. When I stop and think about it, I realize that nearly every variable circumstance is beyond my control. I want to think that I’m analyzing, planning, and acting in charge, but in truth I’m wholly dependent on the sovereign God who loves me more than I can imagine. He works all things for my good and for his glory. Why do I often struggle against his will and doubt his good intentions?

I don’t know when this will all be over or how it will turn out, but I’m blessed to be trusting the God who does.

Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told.

(Psalm 40:4-5)

 

Life Interrupted: Personal Stories

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Yesterday I preached a message on the theme “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37), even when life seems impossible to live. There are two great testimonies that I’d like to share with you to keep reinforcing that truth. Both beautifully glorify the Lord Jesus.

Joni Eareckson Tada – 50 Years Later

To parallel the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, I shared the story of Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni’s testimony is so rich and bolstered by 50 years of faithful ministry. Here’s the article that I quoted from yesterday: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of My Diving Accident.

Sarah Walton – Life with Chronic Pain

Sarah writes: “If you find yourself on an unwanted path — one that tempts you to wonder if following Christ is worth it — take heart. By God’s grace, you can be confident that you are not here by some cruel twist of fate…” Read more of her article The Road I Would Never Choose.

Finally, do you have a story to tell of God’s grace in your impossible circumstance? Please share in the comments section below or let us know how we can pray for you.

A Christmas Card from John the Baptist

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I loved visiting my great-grandparents’ home when I was a little boy, especially at this time of year when they taped their Christmas cards all over the door frame in their living room. So many Christmas cards! S0 many colors! And way too much glitter!

Growing up I started to receive Christmas cards too, and once I shook them to see if any money or checks would fall out, I followed my grandparents’ model and used them for decorations. 🙂

But I didn’t read too deeply into the messages on the cards. Honestly, I hardly read what they said, for they were pretty predictable: a generic “Season’s Greetings!”, a Christianized “Blessed Christmas!” or some goofy photos of elves and reindeer.

This week I’ve been wondering… what would a Christmas card from John the Baptist say?

If you got one in your mailbox, you’d tear the envelope open and pull out a card with a scene of the Judean wilderness on the front. A short poem would start out like this:

“Christmas has come once again to our land

And I’m sending a message you must understand”

Then you’d open it up. There would be no check or cash, but something much more important:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”

Okay, so that could arguably cross the border of sacred and goofy, but I’m sure John the Baptist would settle for nothing less than that in a Christmas greeting.

Matthew 3:1-12 introduces the adult John the Baptist, who we read about last when he was a baby in Luke 1. John was prophesied about in Malachi 4:5-6, and we’ve seen that God fulfilled His promise to send John ahead of His Son Jesus to prepare people for His arrival.

What does John preach? The same thing he’d likely put in his Christmas cards (Matthew 3:1-3):

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is He who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.’ ”

We’re right in the middle of the time to prepare, friends. That first advent of Jesus was preceded by John the Baptist and his proclamation of the necessity of repentance from sin. As we prepare for Christ’s second advent, we need to heed and obey that command to repent.

“Repent” is a command with force. You must hear it as from a drill sergeant: “Re-PENT!” You would stop in your tracks from such a command. You would turn around to see who was issuing that call. And that’s what repentance is: turning from your sin and turning to Jesus Christ. Repentance is decidedly agreeing with God that you are going your own cursed way and then turning toward Him to yield to Him in humble faith.

Repentance is humbling, for we must admit we are not right. So hard for each of us! Yet that is the command.

But the command leads to life: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

In that day, this expression meant that the fulness of God’s plan to rescue sinners and glorify Himself was taking place as His Son Jesus arrived to walk the earth. To heal the sick. To show His rule over all nature. To raise the dead. To die Himself for sinners and come back to life.

In our day, this expression is a gracious warning and announcement of Jesus Christ’s second coming as King of all.

Will you respond with humility to John the Baptist’s Christmas card? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Week 1-Day 2: the Silence of God

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“It’s enough to drive a man crazy, it’ll break a man’s faith
It’s enough to make him wonder, if he’s ever been sane
When he’s bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the Heaven’s only answer is the silence of God”

So sings Andrew Peterson in his song “the Silence of God.”

I’ve listened to that song many times over the years, mostly on repeat on one of Andrew’s albums. I’ve pondered on how times of silence from God can cause any one of us to wonder if we’ve ever been sane. So much can happen in that silence that serves to break us, things from seasons of job loss to the death of loved ones. In those times it seems like God is not there. Or worse, that He doesn’t care.

But I was reminded this past Sunday at church from our lead pastor that “God’s silence is not God’s absence.”

Consider how God broke his silence in Luke 1:5-25 and how that passage informs us about what God does in the silence.

Zechariah was a man who was used to the silence of God:

He served as a priest, ministering in the temple and upholding the law in spite of 400 years of silence with no legitimate prophet speaking from God.

He was also an old man who for years had prayed for a child, but his wife remained barren. Again, he was used to the silence of God.

But God confronted Zechariah that day in the temple with the truth: even though he was silent, he was always present and active.

What did God at last say to break the silence?

In one announcement God spoke into both of Zechariah’s longings:

“…your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son” (Luke 1:13), and “[your son] will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16-17).

How amazing! God once again reveals Himself. And He reveals that in the silence He was setting things in motion. The word we looked at in Malachi earlier in the week as a promise is here fulfilled in the gift of the the baby to Zechariah and Elizabeth. What an amazing, faithful, promise-fulfilling God!

Time escapes here to dwell more on  Zechariah’s silence that ensued due to his unbelief. Please do go to our sermon page and catch Sam Polson’s message and the teaching about how we can respond to God in repentance over our own unbelief.

For now, I hope two things can encourage you:

  1. God often seems silent in our lives, but He is, in truth, actively working in us. He wills to grow us in times when He’s silent, for it is in those times that He tests our faith in what He has already said. Read those promises in the Bible and place your faith in the God who spoke them and will bring them to pass.
  2. Ultimately, God has spoken definitively in His Son. The ultimate news God willed to break the silence is that He would share His dearly-beloved Son. He was coming! John would prepare the way for Him. And oh, what a Savior! Jesus Christ came once, lived a sinless life, died for the sake of sinners, and now lives eternally to intercede for His beloved people: those who have repented and believed in Him but still at times here feel the silence of God.

I’m pretty sure that’s why Andrew Peterson ends his song the way he does:

“And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain but the breaking does not
The aching may remain but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God”

Week 1-Day 1: Family Tensions Around the Table

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The holidays usher in a time of family connection and renewal of our closest relationships. Our hope is for a Norman Rockwell-style perfect family gathering.

But what if the reality is closer to WWIII for you and your parents?

What if your adult children won’t even send you a Christmas card let alone come visit you for the holidays?

Maybe a prophet like Elijah could help you.

As the Old Testament draws to a close, God says these final words through Malachi to a people at war with him and with one another:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:5-6).

God will win in the end.

That’s a great source of hope for all who put their trust in Him and a source of terror for those who tragically do not.

But before the end, God shows mercy again and again. He calls us to Himself in special ways. One such way was a prophet who was to come before the final day: Elijah. Ultimately I believe this coming of Elijah will be in two stages: First in John the Baptist (see Luke 1:17) and much later second at the end of history (see Matt 17:11).

What does the ministry of Elijah or John the Baptist or any other prophet have to do with your family tensions and mine?

God aims to capture the hearts of fathers and children.

In Malachi’s day parents were estranged from children. Children, younger and older, were not respecting or honoring their parents. In our day not much has changed, and you may either be feeling that estrangement or perhaps even the cause of it.

Please pause today and pray to God once again. Seek Him humbly.

Every prophet truly sent from God calls the parents, the children and everyone else to repent before Him, to humbly fear Him (Mal. 3:16). When John the Baptist came, he called on people to look to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who came to die for those who had rejected Him and rebelled against Him. He is the hope the prophets point us to. Jesus Christ is the answer to our family tensions and troubles.

So, friends, I don’t have any practical tips for how to manage your family tensions around the table. But I know the one who can transform the hearts of all in your family. Will you yield to Him this December? Will you seek Him for the heart transformation that will unite you and your estranged family members around the worship of the King?

Through Christ, God has proven that He’s already turned His merciful heart toward you.