YOU and GOD

It was an exciting day for me, the father of two beautiful girls (ages 4 and 2) when, on June 5, 1970, the doctor who attended the delivery of our third child at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas, announced, “It’s a boy!” There was no way of knowing, back in those days, what gender one’s child would be until after the birth. I was elated, and at the first opportunity made my way to a department store to buy an infant baseball outfit for our newborn son to wear home from the hospital. It was indeed a glad day. I would have loved a girl just as much but of course was hoping for a son, too!

We called him “Teddy” for the first few years of his growing up, the early years being spent mostly in Kansas—first Wichita, until he was seven, and then Newton until he was going on 10. Newton was an idyllic little Mennonite community just about 40 minutes north of Wichita, where I pastored a start-up church for two and one-half years after having shepherded a flock in Wichita for a bit over six years. Ted and I loved to play catch together at every opportunity in our back yard on Pershing Avenue, and later on Broadway Avenue in Newton. He became an ardent Dallas Cowboys fan when the legendary Tom Landry was coach there, and a Kansas City Royals fan when Hall of Famer George Brett was putting on the uniform each day and near the peak of his career.

When we moved to Indianapolis in 1979, his junior-class Sunday School teacher, Don Harris (who is still a faithful member of Thompson Road Baptist Church) welcomed Ted on his first Sunday in the junior department greeting him with “Good Morning, Teddy.” Ted promptly responded that his name was Theodore Marvin. That encounter was the beginning of a long friendship between the two of them that continues to this day.

One weekend, a businessman in our church, knowing that Ted loved the KC Royals, and that the Royals were playing in Cleveland one Saturday, got tickets for both our families to attend the game. We arrived plenty early, and the two teams were warming up, with the Royals on the first-base line. We spotted George Brett close to the first-base chalk line, and of all people, Hall of Famer (1991) Gaylord Perry was playing catch closer to the dugout and fence, between us and Brett. Our host said, “Ted, ask Perry to holler at George Brett for you to see if he will come over to give you an autograph.” We did just that, getting Perry’s attention; but wouldn’t you know that when we kindly asked Perry to wave Brett over to the fence so we could get his autograph, the great hurler walked away from us in apparent disgust! We never got Brett’s attention, but it was fun to see him in person and up close that day.

Ted, as we called him during those years, joined a little league baseball team, and he enjoyed playing in the Bechtal League baseball program. We told him when he began playing that he should notify his coach that any practices or games that were played on Wednesday evenings or Sundays he would miss because of his priority of church attendance. I do not know if that was his conviction, but he knew it was ours, and we never exchanged any contrary words with each other about it.  He still has some trophies of championships won on his LL team. Later, our church had a softball team that played in a church softball league. Ted played third base (like Brett) on that team, and TRBC won a good number of trophies during those years. Their most memorable game was two weeks before he left for college, when they won the championship on a last-inning, two-out hit by his friend Gary Brown, which allowed Ted to score the winning run from second base. A longtime member of the church, John Isom, was the team’s ace pitcher and captain that season.

Ted grew up at TRBC, attending Southport High School and graduating in 1988. He was editor of the school newspaper. He never played any school sports, though I think he would have liked to have played football. But he would have had to do so having gotten around his mother’s roadblock. I don’t remember him ever pushing the subject. During his high-school years he was active in the bus ministry of TRBC, bringing in boys and girls for Sunday school.

Ted applied to attend BJU in the fall of 1988, and in late August he attended an Indianapolis Indians ballgame at the old Bush stadium on 16^th street. He was not aware of it, but that happened to be “Used Car Night,” and during the 7^th inning stretch an announcer told every ticket holder to check his ticket # as he read off a string of ten numbers. Those who had one of those announced numbers on their ticket were told to report to a certain location behind the field and pick up the car they had won. Ted had one of those numbers and picked up a 1984 Ford Escort—a diesel stick-shift, taxes paid. He came home, woke us up, and said, “Dad, come take a look at my car.” Not knowing what he was up to, I followed him to the driveway and saw what looked like a new car! He got about 50 miles to the gallon (he never turned on the AC in order to save gas!), and drove that car for four years to and from Bob Jones University and for several more years through grad school. We had not even given much thought as to how Ted would get back and forth to Greenville, SC, but the Lord took care of it for us without any worries on our part!

Ted graduated from BJU in 1992 having majored in Journalism, and he stayed on a year following graduation to work at the BJU Press before enrolling in the masters program at IUPUI in Indianapolis as a history major. During these years Ted did quite a bit of research and writing for Polis, funded by the Eli Lilly Endowment, studying and writing about people, trends, and movements in Indianapolis-area churches. He then attended Yale University on a fellowship and graduated with a Ph.D. in history, focusing on twentieth-century U.S. religious, political, and intellectual history.

Before attending Yale, Ted met with us one afternoon to share with us that somewhere along the way he had come to the conclusion that he did not see the need for a relationship to a God that one prays to each day. His attitude was serious, somber, with no arrogance or hint of pride; he was near tears during our conversation. We were, of course, pretty much stunned by that conversation, but thanked him for his honesty. In the next few years it became apparent that Ted’s political views had become “liberal.” Again, it was not a rank, arrogant liberalism, but a sincere conviction, I believe, that liberals have a more compassionate view to the needs of the downtrodden. He believes that Christianity’s alliances with political parties and power structures are a betrayal of Jesus’s radical teachings about the corrupting influence of wealth, power, and worldly gain. We still have an amicable relationship, and he visits us several times a year. We respect the point of view of each other and have learned how and when to discuss issues.

In the past several years Ted has chosen to be called “Theo,” and he writes under the name Theo Anderson. He still does research and writing, much of which is published under someone else’s name, for graduate schools of business, university think tanks, companies, and various other organizations, including a high-speed-rail advocacy group. He’s also writing a non-fiction book, The Game, about how American politics became so corrupt, and a novel, May and October, about the midlife recollections of an ex-minor-league baseball player. He lives in Chicago, is a vegetarian, does not own a vehicle, and has a passion to see high speed trains (and rail transportation generally) become widely available. Many of you have assured Ellen and me that you pray regularly, some of you daily, for our family, including Theo. We are deeply grateful.

I believe my little baseball buddy was saved as a child, baptized, and active in our local church until he was, in his pursuit of higher education, infected by liberalism. Ellen and I and others are praying that Theo will return to the God of his youth and use his pen as a powerful tool for the cause of liberty, truth, and Biblicism.  Thanks for joining us in our prayers to this end.

*This brief bio was posted with Theo’s permission.

The well-known author and historian H. G. Wells was quoted as saying, “I cannot adjust my life to secure any fruitful peace. . . . Here I am at 65 still seeking for peace.”

George Vaillant, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has spent his career researching adult development and recovery from schizophrenia and addiction. His extensive studies led Vaillant to the conclusion that happiness is more important than diet, weight, or heredity in life expectancy, and that that there is a strong correlation between deep relationships and well-being.

God’s Word tells us that a right relationship to God through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the key to happiness and deep, abiding relationships. Jesus said, just before going to the cross: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Peter P. Bilhorn wrote 2,000 sacred songs, and one of the best known is the song that begins: “There comes to my heart one sweet strain, A glad and a joyous refrain; I sing it again and again, sweet peace, the gift of God’s love.” That same peace was proclaimed by the Psalmist: “Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.” (Ps.119:165) About 200 years later, the prophet Isaiah added: “Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandment! then had thy peace been as a river.” (Isa. 48:18) And, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.” (Isa.26:3) Scores of books in the Bible speak of peace, and almost every book in the New Testament either begins with or closes with, “Grace be unto you, and peace.”

As I write these words, peace in this world seems so very remote. Personal peace, national peace, world peace. Armies are squaring off against one another in the east, west, and Mideast. They are poised for war; some of them are battling in madness with missiles and constant bombings. World peace, until the Prince of Peace comes to establish His reign of peace, will ever be only a dream.

Poet and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson told of a storm off a rocky coast that threatened the destruction of a vessel at sea and its passengers. In the midst of the storm, a passenger dared to make his treacherous and forbidden way to the pilot house, where he caught a glimpse of the steer man “lashed fast at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled.” Then the daring passenger made his way back to his waiting fellow passengers and gave out a signal of victory. “All is well,” he said. “I have seen the face of the pilot.”

Seeing the face of our Pilot, Jesus Christ, will enable us to face with courage the despair, discouragement, disbelief, disintegration of culture and time-honored mores that we see day by day, as well as the world-wide death due to famine, war, and unprecedented outbreaks of disease.

Laura Halsey found it: “There is a place of quiet rest, a place of perfect quietness, within a world of fear and dread, where human blood is being shed, there is a peace in God.” That peace can come to anyone, because “being justified by faith we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) It is the peace that H. G. Wells and myriads of men will never find by seeking to “adjust” their lives to secure peace. Peace that passes all understanding (Phil.4:7) can only come through a personal relationship with the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, for we are “justified by His blood” and “saved from wrath through Him.” (Romans 5:8)

Jesus stood in the midst of His disciples, before His resurrected body ascended back to Heaven, and said: “Peace be unto you.” It is a peace that cannot be wrought by doing anything; it can only come by the grace of God through the gift of eternal life. It is available to all and anyone because of Christ’s death on the cross, and it is a peace that saves, satisfies, and secures.

Nicholas Ridley, a leader of the English Reformation, was burned at the stake for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. On the eve of his execution in 1555, his brother offered to spend the night with him in prison, but Ridley declined the offer, saying that he planned to sleep as soundly that night as ever—because he had the peace of God in his heart. Before going to the stake the next day, Ridley spoke to a fellow believer who was waiting the same death by fire: “Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.” They knelt in prayer by the stake, and in a few minutes were burned to death.

It is, without doubt, a “peace that passeth all understanding.”

“There comes to my heart one sweet strain, a glad and a joyous refrain, I sing it again and again; sweet peace, the gift of God’s love. Peace, peace, God’s peace, wonderful gift from above! Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace! Sweet peace, the gift of God’s love!” (P.P. Bilhorn)

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil.4:7)

Well, someone has designated October as “Pastor Appreciation” month. It has well been said that one’s pastor should be appreciated every month, but there is probably widespread agreement that it is well to set aside certain days to give special recognition and honor to those in our lives who are making significant contributions and differences for good. Pastors could be included in that category. I am not a senior pastor now, so I feel at liberty to speak to this subject, a liberty that I would not have had when I was in an active pastorate.

Paul spoke plainly to the first-century church in Thessalonica when he said: “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” (I Thess. 5:12,13)

In fact, in Galatians Paul said that the church there had received him “as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” He went on to say that had it been possible there were those who would have “plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” (Gal. 4:15) Talk about esteeming a minister highly! But Paul remonstrated, “Have I then become your enemy?” So, it would seem that sometimes those ministers we have held in high esteem may not always enjoy the deep regard once given them. That was the case with the Apostle Paul, and I am sure that almost every pastor has experienced the same shift in affection from those who once were very close in mind and spirit with their pastor—but, in the course of time, lost that esteem. I could testify to that fact. I do not doubt that every pastor could say, “Aye, me too!”

Sometimes a person will ask me, “How did you manage to stay so long in one church as pastor?” Well, my first response has to be, “The grace of God!”  Over the course of time, in any ministry, there are ups and downs, mountain tops and valleys, and when one is down in the valley, a temptation to hang it up or move on to another field might just creep into one’s heart and mind. The pastor who stays long-term just has to commit it to God, the Lord of the vineyard, and determine not to leave in those low times unless and until God makes it crystal clear that He is leading you to leave. Problems await you at the next church; people are the same there as where you are laboring, working through the same issues, struggles, and temptations.

Years ago, at a pastor’s fellowship, a pastor addressed the subject of long-term pastorates. I took notes, and he said that he had done a serious study of pastors who had stayed many years in one church, and he had come up with six characteristics that those men shared in common. They were: (1) pastors who focused on preaching; (2) men who worked; (3) men who read; (4) men who kept notes on a simple level; (5) men who wrote; and (6) men who saw the importance of getting away to pray and to plan. Ironically, the pastor who shared that message soon thereafter resigned his pastorate, after a short tenure, and moved on to another place of service! But there was merit in what he said that day and so, 40 or so years later, I am passing it on to whomever might deem it worthy of noting.

Pastors “which labor among you” have a challenging job description. George Barna, the church marketing expert, reported that churches expect their pastors to juggle an average of 16 major tasks. Another study revealed that 90 percent of pastors feel inadequately trained to meet the demands of their job. Most of them work more than 46 hours per week, and 70 percent say they do not have a close friend. (Fuller Institute of Church Growth)

James R. Webb, Jr., points out seven ways you can help your pastor in his ministry: (1) Let him know of spiritual needs. When sickness or death strikes, don’t hesitate to notify your under-shepherd so that he can minister to you and yours through your difficult times; (2) Criticize constructively; (3) Attend services consistently. Good attendance inspires good preaching; (4) Carry your share of the church’s load. Take some initiative yourself; (5) Tell him about new people in the community, or in your circle of acquaintances, that might respond to an invitation; (6) Share the visitation. No pastor can make all the calls that need to be made. (7) Be his friend. A pastor can know loneliness. The comradeship you offer will be cherished. 

I heard of a pastor that finally had all he could stand of ministering to a congregation that, he felt, did not appreciate him, so he decided to move on. He was starving to death on donations of catfish, ‘possum, and a $100 salary. He called a meeting of his flock and bid goodbye to his weeping congregation: “Brothers and sisters,” he said, wiping his eyes on his red bandana handkerchief, “I’ve called you together tonight to say farewell. The Lord has called me to another place. I don’t think the Lord loves this people much for none of you die; He doesn’t seem to want you. And you don’t seem to love each other, for I’ve never married any of you. And I don’t think you love me, for you don’t pay me my salary—and your donations are moldy fruits and wormy apples. ‘By their fruits you shall know them.’ So now brothers and sisters, I am going to a better place. I’ve been appointed chaplain to the penitentiary in Joliet. ‘Where I go ye cannot come; but I go to prepare a place for you.’”

So, appreciate your pastor. Speak well of him. Pray for him. Encourage him. Cooperate with him. Give heed to his preaching and teaching. Follow him as he follows Christ. He is God’s man. He is just a man, subject to all the temptations to which you are subject. He must give account for your soul, so do not take lightly what he is doing, nor why. Support him in every imaginable way, and don’t forget to lift up in prayer his dear wife and family. Make sure the church takes care of him financially. Don’t begrudge the time off that he may take. Love him. Trust him. Care for him. Be a part of a church-wide effort to build a great pastor; watch then as you and your pastor, through God’s enablement by His Spirit, build a great church.

“And He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry….” (Eph.4:11,12)

Ellen and I just returned from the annual meeting of Baptist World Mission, hosted by Calvary Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. It was a Sunday through Wednesday meeting for the church, their faith promise missions conference running concurrently with the BWM board meeting, or vice-versa. The theme for the conference was compassion. It was a mountain-top experience for us, as always, and (I am sure) for the missionaries, the 30 some board members and mission-board staff, and the dedicated church members and guests. Missionaries from most of the continents of the world, or at least those headed for the various corners of the globe, attended.

I have had the privilege to serve on this independent, fundamental Baptist mission board for more than four decades. In that time, I have witnessed the skillful yet humble leadership of Board Directors Dr. Monroe Parker, Dr. Fred Moritz and Dr. Bud Steadman; and now, just a year into his directorship, Dr. Ben Sinclair. Each has brought his unique experiences, backgrounds of service, missions vision, and careful training to the awesome task of implementing directives and policies, imparting counsel, and maintaining careful, loving relationships with each of the 300 servants of Christ whose pre-eminent desire and sole duty is winning souls, discipling saints, and planting and nurturing local, New Testament churches in the “uttermost part of the earth.” The blessings that have come through the privilege of knowing and growing with this world-wide family have been immeasurable and unspeakable.

The highlight of each annual meeting is the blessedness of hearing testimonies of veteran missionaries; sharing their victories (and, yes, defeats); bearing with them in prayer their burdens, heartaches, and needs; rejoicing with them in souls saved, churches planted, lives transformed by the grace of the gospel; and having time over meals and between meetings to renew acquaintances.

Add to that the joy of hearing the stories of young (and sometimes not so young) men and women who have been called of God, separated by the Holy Spirit, and commissioned and sent by their local church to take the gospel to the regions beyond. One such young couple—appointed at this meeting to go to the Ivory Coast under the auspices of Baptist World Mission—was Matthew and Susanna Schrock. Susanna is daughter of Dan and Joan Cuthbertson, veteran missionaries to the Ivory Coast, serving there for several decades and having been joined in their ministry by a good number of their children and their spouses. It is a unique ministry team that God is quite evidently using to impact the Ivory Coast with the gospel. The stated mission of this young couple—in their mid-twenties, with a small child and another one due in December—is to “glorify God as we seek to fulfill the mission God has given us of establishing healthy, self-propagating, self-supporting, independent Baptist churches in Cote d’ Ivoire, West Africa. The glory of God is our primary vision.” To hear testimonies of young people who want to spend their life in Africa, planting New Testament churches, is a soul-stirring joy! God is still calling young people to the mission fields of the world. The Cuthbertson family—mom and dad, their offspring and spouses —are a 21^st century benchmark in missions ministry, all to the glory of God.

Then we met Priscilla Gerber, soon to be the wife of Will Esanyenko—the two of them planning to make their home in Canada to engage in the ministry of winning souls, discipling converts, and planting of local, New Testament churches. We heard Will’s testimony last fall. He is a dynamic, dedicated young man whose passion is missionary service for a lifetime. It was not a difficult decision for the BWM board to appoint Will in April of 2021 to go out under the auspices of our mission agency. But it was apparent to all that he needed a helpmeet for this awesome ministry mission. At that time, he said there was no young lady he was interested in marrying on the horizon in his life, and he seemed secure and settled with his singleness. But in one of his meetings as he was visiting churches on deputation, Will met a young single lady—a Canadian farm girl—who was godly and personable and seemed to “connect” with this missionary in the making. It was not long before the two of them, after serious sharing of their deepest thoughts and hearts’ desires, realized that this was a “match made in heaven.” Will went to the Victory Baptist Church of Alberton, Canada, to present his burden for Canadian church planting, hoping for prayer and maybe financial support as God would lead. He left having found more support than he could have dreamed of in the person of Priscilla Gerber, with whom his heart has been knit together in love and admiration. They plan to marry in the spring of 2024.

Next, it was our pleasure to meet Joanna Smith, another young single lady who has been actively serving God in Crossroads Baptist Church of Columbus, North Carolina. Her service in her church is in music and various children’s ministries. She has taken a Mapper (missionary apprentice) trip to Colombia, South America, where she worked alongside her missionary brother. God used this experience to convince Joanna that she could serve on the field as a church-planting team member. She is an exceptional woman and is wanting and willing to go to Colombia, a dangerous country to be sure, to give her life in missions work. No pastor, no committed believer, could listen to Joanna’s testimony without being deeply grateful to God for young people today who are still saying, with Isaiah, “Here am I, send me.” Joanna is now on the deputation trail, raising prayer and financial support to go be a blessing in a part of the world where, frankly, most of us would prefer not to live. But God!

Our Lord is the example of compassion. He responded to the needs around Him, all the time, irrespective of one’s station in life. As one reads the gospels and looks at and listens to Jesus moving in and through crowds—dispensing His grace and mercy because He was moved with compassion—one is moved to want to do the same. It was thrilling to hear the testimonies of missionaries who have done and are doing just that. Missionaries such as Tom Latham and his recently deceased wife, Penny, were moved by compassion to respond to Brazil’s need, and they were honored by BWM for their 50 years of ministry in reaching Brazilians with the life-changing gospel. All to the glory of Jesus Christ by the Church.

“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:13)

Shakespeare, in “As You Like it,” wrote that “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, and every man in his times plays many parts.” The poet went on to say that man’s life has seven acts:

(1) “Infancy, when he is mewling and puking in the nurses’ arms;
(2) Whining schoolboy with satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwilling to school;
(3) Lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress’ eyebrow;
(4) Soldier, full of strange oaths . . . sudden, quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation;
(5) The justice, in fair round belly . . . eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws;
(6) The sixth age shifts into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon (pants), with spectacles on nose . . . his big manly voice turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound;
(7) Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion; sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”

Long before Shakespeare set forth the stages of the life of humans on earth, the Psalmist had said, “We spend our years as a tale that is told….” (Ps. 90:9)

In the Old Testament books of Kings and Chronicles, brief biographies are recorded of 39 kings of Judah and Israel that ruled over the northern (Israel) and southern (Judah) kingdoms following the passing of King Solomon. These histories are instructive and profitable for their lessons in life.

This post turns the spotlight on the eighth king of Judah, Joash, setting forth his providential rise, his privileged rule, and his pathetic ruin.

His providential rise

When Joash’s godless father, Ahaziah, was slain following his eight-year rule, his mother, Athaliah, slew all the royal seed of the house of Judah. (2 Chronicles 22) However, King Ahaziah’s sister, hid his young son, Joash, in the temple for six years until Jehoiada, godly priest, organized a coup against the wicked Athaliah. As a result, Joash was anointed king, and Athaliah was slain at the door of the temple. Young Joash was only seven years old when he was crowned king, but his mentor, Jehoiada, guided him wisely so that he had, for the most part, a “good,” 40-year reign in Judah. The Chronicler notes: “And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” (2 Chron. 24:2) The infant Joash was left fatherless and motherless; but God turned a tragic start in life into something that was, for Judah, a blessing. One can only imagine the story had Joash lived under the tutelage of his grandmother, Athaliah. It was a wicked age for, as we read in 2 Chron. 22:3, 4, Ahaziah was counseled in the ways of the notoriously wicked Ahab.

His privileged rule

As noted, Joash had a spiritual mentor—the priest Jehoiada—who lived to be 130 years old. Therefore, during the reign of Joash, badly needed repairs were made to the temple. Jehoiada made a covenant between “the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people.” (2 Kings 11:17) Altars built to Baal were broken to pieces, and Mattan, the priest of Baal, was slain. The revival brought a period of peace, and “all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet.” Joash reigned 40 years and “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” Jehoiada’s spiritual counsel, and his special concern for the things of God, was such that Joash heard and heeded his guiding words and ways all of the pious priest’s days.

His pathetic ruin

After the aged Jehoiada died, the princes of Judah presented themselves before King Joash sadly and “made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened to them.” (2 Chron. 24:17) We then read that the people left the house of the Lord and once again turned to groves and idols. Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, rebuked this U-turn back to idolatry, but the people, with the approval of Joash, slew Zechariah, whose dying words were: “The Lord look upon it and require it.” (2 Chron. 24:22). A full year had not passed before the king of Syria came to war against Jerusalem with a small force, and “the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.” (2 Chron. 24:24) When the Syrian forces left Jerusalem, Joash was full of diseases, and the sons of Jehoiada the priest finished him off by killing him in his own bed. His son, Amaziah, took the reigns of rule when he was 25 years of age, reigning over Judah for 29 years. Of him it was said, “he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.”

Such was the record of a king that had been providentially preserved, prepared, and presented to reign at the ripe old age of seven. Joash had such a privileged opportunity to live and die with God’s approval, primarily because of his closeness to the godly priest, Jehoiada. But, when Jehoiada died, Joash made critical misjudgments in departing from the covenant he had led the people of God to enter into with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His lapse of faith and obedience resulted in a tragic end to his life—and a dismal final chapter to his story.

All of these Old Testament biographies were written and recorded for our learning and admonition. (I Cor. 10:11) We can surely learn from the life and death of Joash, king of Judah, that a good start in ministry with God’s blessings, and a good life of service before God, does not guarantee a good conclusion. As Yogi Berra, legendary Hall of Famer for the New York Yankees, is known for saying: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Selah

“Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we received a full reward.” (2 John 8)

In 1989, through the political engineering of two heads of state, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union’s Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev, the impenetrable “Iron Curtain” began to crack. The opening made it possible in June of that year for Evangelist Ed Nelson and myself, with Natasha Vins and a few other believers, to take a blitz trip to several Soviet cities—including Moscow, Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov on Don, and St. Petersburg (Leningrad). We visited churches that Natasha had contacted ahead of time.

Natasha Vins’ father, Georgi, along with many other believers in Russia, had been imprisoned for believing in and preaching the gospel. Most of them had been in Siberian prison camps— suffering separation from their families and torture—for their refusal to deny Christ. I had heard of their plight through ministries like Dr. Carl McIntire’s 20^th Century Reformation Hour which, in the 1960s, was broadcast on more than 600 U.S. radio stations daily. McIntire, through his radio broadcast and publications, alerted his audiences to the persecution of thousands of believers in Russia, asking that his listeners pray for these brethren. He and other ministries published pictures and brief biographies of those, such as Pastor Vins, who were imprisoned for their faith.

Pastor Vins was deported from Russia in 1978 as part of a prisoner exchange between the Soviet Union and the U.S. State department. He was flown from his cell in Siberia to an interrogation room in Moscow and informed that if he did not renounce Christ he would be deported, never to see his family again. He refused to renounce his Savior, of course, and thus was promptly deported, along with four other “dissidents,” in exchange for five Soviet spies that had been arrested in the United States. Credit can be given to the then President of the U.S., Jimmy Carter, for helping execute this exchange. Eventually, Vins’ family was able to join him in America—including Natasha, who accompanied Pastor Nelson, myself and a few others on our 1989 excursion.

Since I had heard and read of their plight for several years, this was the trip of a lifetime for me, and I am sure for Pastor Nelson, too.* Having Natasha as our guide and trip coordinator was an extraordinary blessing. She knew the churches, pastors, and people, as the underground church in the Soviet Union had been very active and organized in translating, undercover, copies of the Bible and distributing them as widely as possible.

When our plane landed in Moscow on that beautiful June day, we made our way through customs—facing the dubious glares of officials—and were met by someone who directed us to waiting cars, which would take us to our hotel, 30 minutes away. It was incredible that, on the way (the driver drove like Jehu!), we saw a huge billboard not far from the airport that read: “In God We Trust.” It might have been a ploy by the Soviets, but it did give me some relief that in a nation whose official religion was atheism, there was a testimony that God was not dead there, at least for some.

Our first meeting with believers was in a crowded apartment room somewhere in Moscow, where 30 or 40 people—children and adults—packed into the small living room. I do not remember who spoke, but the service began at 7 p.m. and concluded at 10 p.m. The next afternoon, we met with 20 or 30 believers and talked about soul-winning and the Spirit-filled life. We enjoyed a meal of sausage, cheese, salad, and some Russian candy.

The next day, it was off to Kiev—a city that, along with Kharkov and some others that we visited, was not in Ukraine then but in the Soviet Union. We had a well-attended Friday night service in the backyard of a believer’s home, about 20 minutes outside of Kiev, with 100 or so people sitting on the 2×6 benches. Children sat in the front. Songs were generally sung in a minor key, but there were a few that we could sing along with, including “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” and “How Great Thou Art.” Saturday morning, we met with about 10 “preacher boys,” and Dr. Nelson spoke on “The Word of God.” He emphasized sermon preparation, and his talk was followed by a question-and-answer time.

Sunday, June 4, we had a service with upwards of 200 present, including some town authorities. A lady—a cousin of Georgi Vins—professed Christ as Savior. At the close of the four-hour service, the Lord’s Table was served. I am not sure what the common cup from which we all drank contained, but I noted that it “burned all the way down.” That evening, we met in a forest clearing and sat on logs for benches. Dr. Nelson preached, followed by a question-and-answer session. The local pastor read I Thess. 3:7-10: “Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God. Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith.” In every church we visited, there were pastors and lay people who had suffered in Soviet prisons for their faith in Jesus Christ.

 At train stations when we departed from Kiev and Kharkov, scores of believers showed up to express gratitude to us for coming to visit. They asked us to bear greetings to churches in America, thanking them for not forgetting their plight and for our prayers for them. That was more than 30 years ago. The world has changed so much since then.  Believers we worshipped with in Russia then expressed their belief that the then-open window would not remain open long. And, as we now know, it has pretty much closed in the former Soviet Union. But there are still masses of believers in many places who are now suffering for their faith. It behooves us, with our freedoms, to keep these saints in our prayers, and to not forget the admonition of Hebrews 13:3:

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in body.”

*Upon returning from our trip, Dr. Nelson arranged and campaigned for the printing and sending of Bible Concordances to Russian pastors.

Paul Harvey, the ABC newsman who for years ended his 5-minute radio program with the catchphrase “now you know the rest of the story,” once told of a man picked up in the middle of the night walking across a bridge naked. He was living in an area where there had been a drought. When the police found him, he assured them he was not drunk, but that the drought had made him hot and dry and he was “walking for rain.” Well, as the story goes, by the time they had gotten the man to the police station, it was raining! Harvey said, “The police let him go!”

When I heard that story, I chuckled. But it was not really any funnier than what I have heard people say when they want to do something and want God to approve of it. “Well, I have prayed about it,” they sometimes say. Or, “God is leading me to do it.”

I am a huge proponent of prayer, and there is no doubt that God leads His children in every step, major and minor. But He never leads contrary to His revealed will and Word. He will not lead a believer to do anything that would contradict a truth or principle set forth in His Word. For instance, God will never lead one to divorce his or her spouse, because God hates divorce. God would never approve of anyone verbally or physically abusing a child (or an adult for that matter), because God loves children and would never want them abused.

The truth of the matter is, we all need to heed the wise counsel of God’s Word: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” (Prov. 19:21) Job got it right when he affirmed that “with him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.” (Job 12:13)

Good counsel is imperative because “man at his best state is altogether vanity.” (Ps.39:5) Solomon wisely warns that “where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14) And, there is counsel aplenty from our gracious God, who reminds us: “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.” (Prov. 8:14)

We have all tried to go forward without having sought His direction, and the result has been, on occasion, disastrous. It surely was once for the Israelites, who were deceived by the Gibeonites as they lied about who they were and where they were from! (Joshua 9) Against God’s direction, Israel entered into an agreement with the Gibeonites, who were posing as a people from a far country. Here is what we read in Joshua 9:14: “And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel of the Lord.” It was a fault that Israel would regret and suffer the consequences of for generations to come. “Hear counsel and receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in thy a latter end.” (Prov. 19:20)

That proverb was driven home to me early in my ministry. I had been through Bible college and even through seminary, receiving two degrees from institutions known for their stand upon historic, sound Biblical doctrine. Before seeking a place of service, I contemplated attending a graduate school of theology in pursuit of one final degree. It was required, though, that I have a referral from a former professor. I asked one of my professors at Central Baptist Theological Seminary if he would give me a word of recommendation to fulfill the requirements of admission. The good professor denied my request because the institution I had applied to was not known for their stand upon, and defense of, the fundamentals of the faith. In replying to my request, he wrote: “I am going to meet my Lord someday, maybe soon, and I would not want to have to answer for recommending you to a seminary not known for its adherence to the truth.” That is not a direct quote but pretty close to it, as I remember. I did not continue my attempt to enroll in that graduate school, and I have always been thankful that my former teacher made the right call—and, in doing so, gave me good counsel.

I am glad that my professor’s refusal to endorse my unwise course of action did not offend me, so that I would have plowed ahead with my intended course, seeking another teacher who would be willing to comply with my request. My life, no doubt, would have taken a different course, and I doubt seriously that it would have been a good conclusion, 55 years later, had I gotten accepted to the institution, fulfilled the requirements, and received the doctoral degree that I had contemplated receiving. The professor who denied my request had pastored for decades before joining the seminary faculty; in his wisdom, he could discern the possible pitfalls that I would face, submitting my mind to a liberal theological indoctrination, and he would not wish that upon myself or any other student. I have lived to thank his memory a thousand times.

Good counsel, given in the spirit of love, is priceless. David said, “I bless the Lord who hath given me counsel.” (Ps. 16:7) Solomon underscored the need for good counsel because of the deceitfulness of our hearts. “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” (Prov. 19:20) One can only imagine how the course of Israeli history would have been different had the son of the wisest king, Solomon, accepted the counsel of the older men when he sought their advice on how to rule God’s people following his father’s passing. They advised the young king to “lighten up”; to be more compassionate and thoughtful, easing the burden that had grown considerably heavy under Solomon’s administration. Seeking counsel from his younger compatriots, Rehoboam was advised to make the burdens of the sovereign’s subjects even heavier. Unhappily, he followed the unwise counsel of his young cabinet, and the crushing result of the divided kingdom is history. Israel suffered immeasurably from Rehoboam’s neglect of good counsel, and will continue to suffer until their Messiah comes again. Rehoboam did not lack for a multitude of counsellors—but he chose to listen to the wrong ones.

“And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him, and spake to them after the counsel of the young men.” (I Ki.12:13, 14)

Almost 30 years had passed since Jacob—younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau—had left his kindred and homeland due to the threat his estranged brother had made on his life, after Jacob and his mother connived to cheat Esau out of the coveted elder son’s blessing from Isaac. It was a sordid story, with tragic results. But God ruled and overruled, bringing good out of bad, as He so often does.

Jacob, on his flight to Padan-Aram, met God, wrestled with him, and built an altar at Bethel where, after this life-changing experience, he vowed that God would be his God, and that of all that God would bless him with, he would honor Him with a tenth of it. Having served seven years for Rachel, the girl of his dreams—and being deceived by Laban, his father-in-law, so that he got Leah instead of Rachel at first—he served another seven years, finally marrying Rachel. He eventually made the journey back to his homeland, laden down with material prosperity. Before going home, though, Jacob was told by God to return to Bethel, where he had built an altar to worship Him years earlier, when he was on the run from the rage of his brother. Returning, Jacob built the altar of renewal and revival, and God changed his name from Jacob (supplanter, cheat) to Israel (prevails with God).

According to a Barna survey, Americans’ religious devotion is declining in the 21^st century. In fact, there is generally “spiritual complacency.” According to Barna: “Too many Christians and churches in America have traded in spiritual passion for empty rituals, clever methods and mindless practices.” (Baptists Today)

Could it be that we need to return to Bethel? Our churches, our pastors, our people?

Bethel was a place of obedience. God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there and make an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.” (Gen. 35:1) Jacob immediately told everyone in his house to put away any strange gods that they had left Padan-Aram with, that they were going to Bethel to build an altar to God. Leaving in obedience to God’s instruction, it is said that “the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.” (Gen. 35:5)

It’s always best to obey the clear commands of God in scripture. God gives plenty of instructions to His church today. For starters, “Be ye holy, even as I am holy.” (I Pet. 1:16)  Is it possible that we, as individuals and as a church, need to revisit that “altar” where once we made some holy vows to God to love, serve, and obey Him? Bethel, for Jacob, was a place of obedience.

It was also, as noted, a place of renewal. Strange gods were put away. One of the last admonitions in the New Testament is: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (I John 5:21) Are there idols that you have embraced, reader friend, that have sapped your love for, and obedience to, your Lord and Savior? Going back to Bethel means renewing your affirmation to love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind. One cannot do that clinging to idols—of materialism, pleasure, self, and any number of other objects of our heart’s absorption.

“We are many but not much—there is a reason for the disparity between our numbers and our real substance,” missionary and minister Cline Paden once wrote. “And the reason is not a pretty one. We could pour a lot of perfume over the situation and make the stench of our negligence seem less nauseous, but eventually we must face the ugly facts…with monotonous regularity…members present their bodies—not as ‘living sacrifices’—but for the Sunday morning body count. The problem is not that churches are filled with empty pews, but that pews are filled with empty people.” (Cline Paden, “What Lack We Yet?” Biblical Research Press)

There surely is a need for renewal, for returning to Bethel, the place where holy vows have been made to renew our commitment to His Word and will.

Revival. Renewal. It can happen today: “When the thorn tree of strife is rooted from the heart; when apologies are made for unkind, nasty words and grievances are adjusted in a manner pleasing to God; when the dead atmosphere of indifference, and lukewarmness is dispelled by a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit; when there are long vigils of prayer in which the soul is laid bare before God in humiliation and contrition; when self-discipline is practiced, and self is forgotten in service; when faith takes hold of God’s promises and resists every attack and accusation of Satan; when personal testimony is warm and is proven by a holy life; when we attempt great things for God and expect great things from God; when Christians are willing to face opposition, ridicule, persecution, hate, suffering and shame for Jesus’ sake, rather than compromise their convictions or soften their witness against sin,” then revival can and will come. (copied, unknown)

Hymn writer Fanny Crosby believed that revival was possible when she penned these words: “Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine; Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, and my will be lost in Thine.”

That’s what it will take. Our will, lost in His! Jacob finally got it. He had some dark stains on his past. He truly had been a deceiver and cheater. But his gracious God worked on Jacob—and later through Jacob—so that, at Bethel once again, God said to His servant: “And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.” (Gen. 35:12)

Returning to Bethel can be a spiritually life-changing event. Jacob’s life was never the same. He did suffer some faith-stretching events, even after this historic meeting with God. But his faith never wavered, and he lived to see his sons, his wives, his entire family live in peace and prosperity, testifying to Pharoah and to Pharoah’s people that there is an “Almighty God,” whose hand guides and provides His chosen flock, through the hardest of times as well as the best.

Back to Bethel. It’s the place to visit today, if you have not been in touch with God of late!

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10)