February 2025 Newsletter

Posted on February 3, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

The First Commandment
“You shall have no other gods before me”
Second in a series on the Ten Commandments by Donald P. Shoemaker

“…this commandment is the very first, highest and best, from which all the others proceed, in which they exist, and by which they are directed and measured…”

—Martin Luther, “Treatise on Good Works” Works of Martin Luther vol. 1, p. 194

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e’er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

— “Ancient Words” (second verse) by Lynn Deshazo (Hosanna! 2001)

#1 – The texts of the First Commandment

“You shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 5:7

Exodus 20 contains the first presentation of the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 5 contains the second. After all, the word “Deuteronomy” refers to a restatement of God’s Law (“deuteros” + “nomos”).

#2 – Why should the Ten Commandments be given a second time?

The listeners to the law in Deuteronomy 5 represented the second generation of those who came out of slavery in Egypt. At the most, they were children when Moses presented these commandments the first time.

“The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today” (Deuteronomy 5:2-3).

The covenant (its promises and commandments) was not for one generation alone but for generations yet to come. Here it is for the children of the first.

Truth worth its salt is worth repeating. Each year in January we might hear someone deliver Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. And so it is with other national holidays. What’s important bears repeating, lest we forget.

The Church is always just one generation away from losing its orthodox beliefs and/or behavior. Again, truth bears repeating, lest we forget.

Moses repeated God’s commands so the next generation would “fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments” (6:2).

“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand’” (6:20-21).

The trend in many churches is to segregate people by their ages, to help promote “relevance” of course. The loss is huge, as the intergenerational communication of God’s word and work and ways is seriously compromised.

#3 – The Preamble of the First Commandment

Before giving a command, God tells the people who he is and what he has done by grace in their behalf.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves” (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6). The commandment-giver is YHWH (“Yahweh” = “LORD” = “Jehovah”), the God who is there for us and always will be; the God who keeps his promises.

He is the God who delivers his people not only from another country but from the existential state of slavery and oppression. For the Israelites then, it was at the hands of the Egyptian pharaoh and taskmasters. Most people may think of the glories of Egypt and the pyramids. Israelites need to remember the inhumane slavery of her past.

For Christians, the slavery was to sin, and we were oppressed by Satan and other taskmasters that sin imposed on us. “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

#4 – The Meaning of the First Commandment

“You shall have no other gods before me” might imply at first notice a form of “henotheism.” Henotheism singles out one particular god among many for worship and obedience. This commandment would then be saying, “Don’t make any of the other gods out there equal to the God of Israel.”

But this is not at all the conviction that undergirds the First Commandment. Israel confesses Jehovah God as the only God (monotheism), not the top god among many. This is clear throughout the OT and NT scriptures.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
– Isaiah 44:6-7

I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
– Isaiah 45:5-6

For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
– 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

The words “no other god” simply acknowledge that the other nations worship idols as their gods. Israel must worship, obey and serve the only God.
The God of Israel is a personal living God who “will not be satisfied with anything less than a personal relationship with men and women whom he created in his image” (The Pentateuch as Narrative, p. 285).

#5 – The Positive Side of this Negative Command

The Ten Commandments are like batteries with two polarities—positive and negative. You need both polarities to get any value out of the battery. Eight of the Ten Commandments are negatives, so we must also seek and live out positive expressions of them. Only two are positive commands. They require that we avoid doing whatever negative things are opposite their demands.

The First Commandment is a negative—it tells you what you must not do. We must look for the positive side. What does the commandment, therefore, require us to do?

We must confess God as first in our lives, the only legitimate claimant to our loyalty—our love, our worship, our service, our devotion. (Please avoid the common testimony that “I made him Lord of my life.” He has always been Lord of all—we just get around to confessing him as such and living accordingly.)

#6 – Today’s false god: The Cult of the Self

Dennis Prager sees the wrongdoing of the First Commandments this way:

When anything else is worshipped, it is a false god. In other words, when anything is made an end in itself, rather than as a means to God and goodness (as defined, most especially, by the Ten Commandments) it is a false God. (The Rational Bible: Exodus, p. 228. Italics by the author)

Let’s focus on one primary “other god” in our time: self. We make “self” the center of reality in matters of morality. We make the ability to love ourselves an essential for fulfillment. Some even twist Jesus’ second love commandment (“Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39) to make development of “self-love” a priority and prerequisite to obeying the love command. In contrast, the Bible labels self-love as a sign of the perilous “last days” (2 Timothy 3:2).

The Apostle Paul warns of those whose “god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame” (Philippians 3:19). Some writers speak of the unholy false trinities of “sex, silver and stomach” or “pleasure, possessions and position.”

#7 – The “false gods” of Romans 1

In this sad but magnificent chapter, the Apostle Paul speaks of the witness of creation to the reality of God. His “eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (verse 21).

Humanity, however, suppresses this truth and exchanges “the glory of the immortal God for images” that look like man or birds or animals…”

At this point, God abandons those who suppress the truth and form false gods. As a consequence of this idolatry, a powerful litany of sins is listed in the last half of chapter one (verses 22-32) starting with sexual impurity that degrades the body and ending with ruthlessness. All are in contrast to the moral ways that follow devotion to the One True God.

#8 – Other “false gods” clamoring for attention.

What else clamors for a deity position at the head of the line? Love secularly understood, money and what it can buy, Americanism and blind uncritical patriotism, environmentalism and “Mother Earth” pantheism. Even life itself (a pro-life leader would end his letters with: “God is Life; Life is God”). Can you think of others?

Scientism is a competitor for the top spot. Remember the mantra by some in government: “We’ve got to follow ‘the science’.” As if science yields all the right questions and answers and deserves our unquestioned acceptance and adoration. But right and wrong, religion and God, love and hate, wisdom and foolishness—such quests are not subject to scientific inquiry. One who says, “I don’t accept what science cannot establish” is serving science as a god and his truncated life is to be most pitied.

#9 – A worthy quest and commendation

“…you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God…”
– 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Religious Liberty Vigilance –

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” – 1st Amendment

2025 Religious Freedom Day

January 16 was another Religious Freedom Day in America. Who noticed?

As a new resident of Temecula, California I went to the City Council meeting on January 14 to do what I did several times when I lived in Long Beach—I talked about religious freedom.

Here is the text of my 3-minute address:

Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council, city officials and fellow citizens, my name is Donald Shoemaker and I reside in the city’s third district.

My wife, Mary, and I moved to Temecula last year after living in our Long Beach home for 54 years. During those years I served as pastor of two congregations in Long Beach and Seal Beach and taught theology at Biola University. I also served for 23 years as chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department.

We feel very welcomed here in our new community. In fact, yesterday I was “welcomed” by getting a Jury Duty Summons in the mail!

Anyway, as part of our settling into “the good life” of this city, I want to address the council this evening to emphasize that January 16 is Religious Freedom Day in America. Each year since 1993 the President of the United States has issued a Proclamation on the importance of religious liberty and designated January 16 as Religious Freedom Day. *

Last year’s proclamation said this:

The constitutional right to practice our faiths peacefully and openly is a core tenet of our democracy and helps us fulfill one of our highest aspirations as a Nation: to be a citadel of liberty and a beacon of freedom.

Everyone must be free to practice their faith without fear, whether they are gathering for worship, attending a religious school, participating in the activities of faith-based organizations, or simply walking down the street wearing the symbols of their faith.

Sadly, it is not safe in some places in today’s America to wear symbols or words expressing one’s faith. Anti-Semitism has broken out on many campuses. Even in a country as free and tolerant as ours, the jungle of religious oppression is never far away. Therefore vigilance to uphold religious freedom remains our constant duty.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday tomorrow let us remember that his principled stands based on his religious beliefs led to his untimely death.

American history has had its religious intolerance. But overall our country has embraced a unique tradition of religious liberty that has prevented religious domination, conflict, and persecution and nurtured an environment where religion has flourished and where people have been left free to choose which faith they shall live by.

I urge the citizens of Temecula, the leaders of this city, and our local educators to make religious freedom a keystone of our civic life and experiences, and of our thinking and teaching. Thank you.

* The Biden administration issued this year’s proclamation belatedly on January 15.

Andrea M. Picciotti-Bayer, legal analyst for Eternal Word TV Network (Catholic television), said, “For many Christians, it will be a moment of bitter irony. Every president since 1993 has made this annual declaration to commemorate Religious Freedom Day. Sadly, none has harmed freedom of religion more than America’s second Catholic president.”

Back the Badge
LODD (Line of Duty Deaths) in 2024

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3

“Under 100” is a goal in law enforcement. All law enforcement should diligently train and carefully follow cautionary procedures so that the total number of LODD in a year can be under 100.

It’s getting closer but there is still a ways to go. In 2024 there were 145 LODD —a five percent decrease from 2023. The highest cause is gunfire (49) followed by automobile crashes (20). Third is 9/11-related illnesses—still a stubborn 14 after 24 years of statistics.

Very sadly, the final death of 2024 was on Christmas Day—Ohio Correction Officer Andrew Lansing, working volunteer overtime, died from an assault. Prisoner Rashawn Cannon stepped out of a line of prisoners walking to breakfast and approached Lansing, who was working alone in the prison yard.

Blunt force injuries to his head was the cause of Officer Lansing’s death. Lansing (62) was a 24-year veteran of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. A letter postmarked January 4 was sent to the officer’s home celebrating his death, encouraging violence, and ending with “Allahu Akbar.”

Some precautions to help prevent LODD and achieve the “Under 100” goal:
• Remember: Complacency Kills
• Know Your Surroundings
• Apply the WIN (What’s Important Now?) Principle.
• Avoid Working Alone. When you must, follow special safety procedures.
• Watch Your Speed
• Always Wear Your Seatbelt

“May God always have your “6:00” (protection from behind).”

“Back the Badge” is an occasional essay written by Donald Shoemaker, a police chaplain (now retired) with Master Certification and 23 years of experience, and an ordained minister with over 55 years of experience.

Political Commentaries

Political Commentary #1 – The Bishop’s Comments at the Inaugural Prayer Service, Washington Cathedral, January 21

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples.”
– Right Rev. Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington

Was the “Right Reverend” the “Wrong Reverend”? I think so. She shamed the sacred pulpit and brought discredit on the honorable service of clergy. *

As a pastor, I gave sermons for 34 years as I served two congregations. More and more, I was resolute that politics must be separated from biblical teaching and kept out of the church.

At the same time, l recognize that biblical teaching addresses moral issues that find their way into political arenas. So, it is hard sometimes to keep politics and biblical teaching absolutely separate. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is biblical teaching which needs to be applied “where the rubber meets the road” at many levels—home, businesses, civic life, governmental policy, etc. And this may lead to honest differences of opinion—all the more reason not to bring one side of a serious debate into the one-directional pulpit.

* For a well-expressed contrary opinion: David W. Marshall, “Bishop Mariann Budde Challenges Donald Trump and Religious Hypocrisy in Bold Sermon,” ThyBlackMan, January 28, 2025.

There’s another factor: propriety. Truth (assuming it is truth) must be combined with discretion. Notice what the Bible says:

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”
– Proverbs 8:12 (see also Proverbs 2:11; 3:21; 5:2; 11:12). “Discretion” (Hebrew: m’zimma) is shrewdness, resourcefulness that must be combined with “knowledge” (da’at) for disciplined wisdom to exist.

“Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard” – Daniel 2:14. This scripture is very relevant, in that Daniel was facing a life-or-death situation and needed a chance to present his case before the King. Discretion (Hebrew: t’m) seems to speak of doing something “in good taste.” It seeks to present the truth in the most effective and appropriate way. (Resource: New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis)

“Discretion” must guide us in how to present the message we want to convey. The pulpit may not be the best forum. Perhaps dialogue in a discussion group is a better format.

I emphasize that using a pulpit before a large audience in what was supposed to be a prayer service is not the wise format to direct a lecture to one person sitting there—in this case the President of the United States. This is no more appropriate than using a wedding to lecture the bride or groom on their political activities in front of guests. These all rise to the heights of insensitivity and lack the wisdom and discernment the Bible calls us to have. Jesus said, “Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” In contrast, we shouldn’t “be as harmless as serpents and as wise as a dumb animal.”

Issues like immigration and transgenderism are multifaceted and complicated topics. To aim one’s moralism on these topics at the President in attendance is incredible reductionism.

Finally, the bishop seems to lump all kinds of immigrants together. She does allow that some “may not have the proper documentation,” which trivializes the problems arising from illegal entry into the country. All too often immigrant issues are presented simplistically or one-sidedly. I’m more generous on immigration issues than the president is, but I personally would not want to be cared for at a hospital during the night shift by one who is not in this country legally.

Four good words: “High walls, wide gates.”

Bottom Line: The bishop was anti-ecumenical at what was supposed to be an ecumenical occasion. This may doom such services in the future, and lead to more separation of religion from state and people from people.

Political Commentary #2 – The Speaker of the House of Representatives and “Jefferson’s Prayer”

After a grueling process of getting elected Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson gave an acceptance speech, which was excellent. He is an excellent man.

But then Speaker Johnson quoted “Jefferson’s Prayer”:

“Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Speaker Johnson said Thomas Jefferson recited this prayer every day of
his presidency and afterward every day until his death. Mr. Johnson added:
“I wanted to share it with you here at the end of my remarks. Not as a prayer per se right now, but really as a reminder of what our third President and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence thought was so important that it should be a daily recitation.”

When he finished his fine speech I turned to my wife and said I wasn’t too sure about this prayer. It didn’t sound very “Jeffersonian.” And I doubt very much that Jefferson ended his prayers with “we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Further checking affirms my concern. The Jefferson Foundation labels this prayer “spurious” and on a website page about this issue says, “We have no evidence that this prayer was written or delivered by Thomas Jefferson.”

It’s actually found in the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer (1928) as a prayer “for our country.” In a book on Anglican prayers, Episcopal priest Christopher Webber attributed the prayer to Rev. George Lyman Locke (1835-1919), a minister in Rhode Island. Too late for Jefferson, who died in 1826.

I found this prayer under “Prayers for National Life” in the Book for Common Worship for The Presbyterian Church (USA). I also found it in almost identical form as a prayer for the nation in the Lutheran Service Book (The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod), page 313.

The speech was a great speech and the prayer is a great prayer. But it was not Jefferson’s prayer.

Whenever I teach on Christian social action, I have this as an emphatic point of guidance: “GET THE FACTS! GET THE FACTS! GET THE FACTS!” Never present a misstatement as a gift to your critics that they can then take and use against you. Be skeptical about what you read in a time of controversy. Check and double check. How you represent the views of your opponents should be so accurate that they will say that is, indeed, their position.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He has served as Pastor Emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (where he was senior pastor 1984-2012) and as Senior Chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department (2001-2024). He previously was an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University (1976-84) and chaired the Social Concerns Committee in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches from 1985 to 2019.

His graduate work includes a Master of Divinity magna cum laude from Grace Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary with a concentration in Christian ethics, and a Doctor of Ministry from American Baptist Seminary of the West (now Berkeley School of Theology) with a concentration on the Charismatic Movement. His law school studies included a course on the First Amendment.

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California after living 54 years in Long Beach.

January 2025 Newsletter

Posted on January 3, 2025 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

January 2025 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. … My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”

– Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter teaching his Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia

The Ten Commandments
An Introduction
By Donald P. Shoemaker

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

— “Ancient Words” by Lynn Deshazo (Hosanna! 2001)

This is the oldest existing manuscript containing the Ten Commandments.
It dates back to the 1st Century BC. The scroll contains the commandments as found in Deuteronomy 5. It is part of the 1952 “Dead Sea Scrolls” discovery.

#1 – Where do we find the Ten Commandments?
a) Exodus 20:1-17 (chapters 19-20 provide the wider context)
b) Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (chapters 5-6 provide the wider context)

#2 – Are there exactly ten? And are they all “Commandments”?
The Bible itself does indeed speak of ten.

Exodus 34:28 – So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Deuteronomy 4:13 – And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Deuteronomy 10:4 – And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.

But are they all “commandments”? Dennis Prager* carefully notes that they are actually “Ten Statements” (aseret hadevarim). We commonly use the word “DECALOGUE” as our name for the ten [“deca” = 10; “logue” = words, “logos” being the Greek term for “word” – note John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the word” [logos]). Hence, they may be called the “Ten Words.’

* Dennis Prager is the author of five volumes on the Five Books of Moses. The set is titled The Rational Bible and it is certainly his magnum opus. Prager is a master communicator with a strong grasp of the Hebrew language of scripture. Leviticus has not been published yet. I will be studying his teachings in Exodus and Deuteronomy for this series.

Prager has been away from his M-F radio talk show since November 13, when he suffered severe injuries in a fall, and he has been hospitalized since. My wife and I make his recovery a regular item of prayer.

#3 – Listings of the Ten Commandments (Words)
Note: these are abbreviated statements in most cases, as we will see. As summary statements they are easy for reading, learning and memorization. The extended statements need to be part of our more in-depth study.

The Ten Commandments in Judaism
1. You shall have no other gods besides me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness.
3. You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not commit murder.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Prager and a few others see the phrase “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2) as the “First Word.” It confesses strict monotheism and puts that confession at the head of the list. Verses 3-6 then become the “Second Word” (prohibiting idolatry).

The Ten Commandments – Roman Catholic and Lutheran
1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Some Protestants accuse Catholics by saying that the Catholic list deliberately takes out the prohibition against graven images in order to allow such images in churches. This is both unfair and inaccurate. The Catholic expanded first commandment contains the prohibition of graven images.

The Ten Commandments – Most Protestants and Eastern Orthodox
1. You shall have no other gods but me.
2. You shall not make unto you any graven images.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. Honor your mother and father.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This list follows the numbering of Origin in the 3rd century, whereas the Catholic and Lutheran list follows Augustine in the 5th century. No sinister notions are intended. “This is simply a matter of evolved practice. All the commandments are there in both; we just number them differently” (“In the Know with Father Joe [Black],” Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland).

My childhood Lutheran pastor was asked, “Which way should we learn the Ten Commandments?” His reply: “Just learn them.” Good advice still.

#4 – What about posting the Ten Commandments in public schools?
Louisiana law now requires posting the Ten Commandments in the public schools. The law specifies the language of the King James Version—hence, a Protestant list. What if parents in a district want the Catholic list? As of November, a court has placed a “hold” on this law. I expect the courts will void any “stand alone” displays of the Ten Commandments. We’ll see. . .

#5 – The way to salvation? Or because we have salvation?
The setting of the Ten Commandments in Exodus makes clear that these commandments are given to a people who have already experienced deliverance from bondage by God (“salvation”).

The first words are, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). Even more forcefully, God directed Moses to say this to the Israelites: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4). God then calls the people to obey him and keep his covenant.

Obedience to God’s commands testifies to a salvation already theirs. The Apostle Paul affirms the same. By grace through faith we are saved, not by our works. But then, “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

#6 – Are the Ten Commandments for “believers” only or are they standards for all people to follow?
To list the commandments stripped of their gracious setting seems to break their intended purpose. Still, we can’t avoid seeing that most of the commands are reflected in the social values and even laws of a decent society.

To put it another way, a secular society wouldn’t be a good place to live if it didn’t honor the role of good parents and the bond of marriage and have laws against murder, theft and perjury. Secular society can also uphold religious liberty so those who wish to worship God according to these commandments can do so without fear of punishment or coercion.

Wayne Grudem speaks of the value the Ten Commandments have outside the covenant community:

. . . the New Testament authors, guided by the teachings of Jesus and by the further leading of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’s ascension into heaven, understood that God, in his wisdom, placed within the Ten Commandments some broad principles that would not only teach the people of Israel what kind of conduct is pleasing or displeasing to him, but would also be useful for teaching others outside of Israel, and throughout all history, about such conduct. In short, the Ten Commandments radiate God’s wisdom for all of human history. [Wayne Grudem, “How and Where the NT Authors Reaffirm the Ten Commandments (Except One), Christian Ethics, pp. 241-42.]

#7 – What makes the Ten Commandments so unique?
1. The Ten Commandments are the first and only example of a covenantal relationship between a deity and an entire people. In them God reveals his will to an entire people who are then answerable to its terms.

2. Unlike other ancient treaties between a ruler and his people, the Ten Commandments focus not only on the people’s relationship with the ruler, but also on each individual’s behavior toward every other individual.

3. The Ten Commandments treat both religious and social obligations as expressions of divine will. In doing so, the religious conscience is expanded to include matters of interpersonal morality. Thus, one who is unethical cannot at the same time be religious.

4. Unlike other legal codes, the Ten Commandments are laws that are simple, absolute, and devoid of qualification.

* Summary of points from Prager’s Exodus, pages 219-220. Bold type mine.

#8 – The Ten Commandments and The Love Commandments
It’s easy to find versions of ethics that tell people to simply live by the promptings of “love.”

What the world needs now is love, sweet love.
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. – Burt Bacharach

The big problem is, love can motivate but it doesn’t educate. The world has too little love but it also keeps too few commandments.

Jesus taught that loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the two commandments on which all the Law “hangs” (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus’ words keep us from neglecting the law (“love without law”), but also keep us from cold, formal, legalist law-keeping that freezes out love in how we serve God and people (“law without love”).

#9 – Are Christians today supposed to “keep the law”?
Martin Luther and John Calvin, the two greatest reformers, both taught the abiding, continuing value of the commandments.

The Apostle Paul’s word, “You are not under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14-15) doesn’t mean we are not under the law’s moral standards. We can’t “love our neighbor as ourselves” apart from commandments like “you shall not commit adultery or kill or steal or bear false witness or covet” (Romans 13:8-10).

The New Testament, in one way or other, often reflects and affirms the Ten Commandments (see 1 Timothy 1:8-10).

There is one noticeable exception: the command to keep the Sabbath. But even in this case most Christians debate how to fulfill it, even if they practice how to avoid it. We’ll wrestle with this problem when we consider the 4th Commandment on how to keep the Sabbath.

#10 – Finally, what about those “two tablets”?
Moses brought two tablets containing the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai. He lost his temper a bit and broke them the first time, but God replaced them. What were they?

They were not:
• One tablet listing our duties to God, the other tablet listing our duties to one another.
• Numbered with Roman numerals.
• Written only on one side.
Most likely the tablets were small enough to carry in one’s hands. They were two copies of the commandments, written on both sides, resembling ancient treaty documents.

I look forward to examining the Ten Commandments one-by-one. We’ll be using the common Protestant listing of the commands.

Good Reading on the Ten Commandments:

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book 2, Chapter 8), “Explanation of the Moral Law (The Ten Commandments).”
* Kevin DeYoung, The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them. [192 pages, with simple and practical explanations of the commandments]
* Wayne Grudem, Christian Ethics. [Approx. 1200 pages of in-depth explanations and applications of the Commandments and related issues such as how to use the Old Testament for ethical guidance]
Michael S. Horton, The Law of Perfect Freedom (Relating to God and others through the Ten Commandments).
Martin Luther, The Small Catechism, “The Ten Commandments.”
Gilbert Meilaender, Thy Will Be Done—The Ten Commandments
and the Christian Life.
* J. I. Packer, Keeping the 10 Commandments. [Brief and practical]
Dennis Prager, Deuteronomy, pp. 67-110.
Dennis Prager, Exodus, pp. 219-77.

* Recommended

Good Guidance for
Setting Our Priorities in The New Year
By Harry Saltzgaver

“I remember that I’m not the one in charge — the ‘Big Amigo in the Sky,’ as one of my friends calls God, handles those duties. My job is to do the best I can to make the world around me a better place.

“That starts with family, and quickly moves to my various communities — church, charities, Long Beach, the job. I am truly blessed to have them all, and I’ll try to remember that in the coming year.”

—Harry Saltzgaver, columnist for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Grunion Gazette; a dedicated member of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach, California.

2024 – Hanukkah and Christmas Converge

A rare convergence of these two special observances just occurred. December 25 was the start of Hanukkah, the 8-day Festival of Lights that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness.

The festival takes us back to the Second Century BC, when the Syrian-Greek Seleucid Empire conquered Israel. When Antiochus Epiphanes came to the throne a time of tyranny fell on Israel. Her ancient Jewish faith and its traditions were suppressed. The Jewish temple was turned over to the worship of Zeus and desecrated.

This led to what is known as the Maccabean Revolt. When it succeeded, the Temple was cleansed of pagan statuary and its worship was restored, including lighting the menorah candles which symbolized God’s presence.

The Christmas story tells of the visit of the Magi who travelled to Judea to worship the Christ Child. King Herod would tolerate no competition and eventually slew the young male children in Bethlehem. But Jesus and his family had already escaped to Egypt (read the entire account in Matthew 2).

Both traditions celebrate the triumph of good over evil and underscore the importance of religious freedom that is protected from the excesses and opposition of secular governments. When the state forgets its limited role it often assumes the characteristics of a religion and oppresses all contrary voices.

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3

“Don’t Steal in Seal” – a city’s warning

Pro-active no-nonsense work by the Seal Beach (CA) Police Department stopped three thieves in their tracks in December after they walked out of stores with stolen items. Police car and body cameras show officers chasing the thieves and arresting them. The arrests drew national attention.

This action was greatly helped by voters who, in November, passed Proposition 36, which undid damage from earlier propositions that hindered good law enforcement. Prior to Prop 36, shoplifting of items valued at less than $950 was considered a misdemeanor. Worse in Los Angeles County, the District Attorney wouldn’t prosecute misdemeanors. So “Steal? Why worry?”

No longer. Such theft can be considered a felony if one has prior convictions. And hitting multiple merchants or doing it in concert with others (conspiring) also enhance the charges. Citizens should support the police on these points.

Two of the arrestees were recorded by video as they sat cuffed in the back seat of a police vehicle. “It’s a felony?” “Bitch new laws. Stealing is a felony.” “And this is Orange County. They don’t play.”

Lessons: “Don’t do retail theft crimes, and certainly don’t do them in Orange County and especially not in Seal Beach. California law won’t let you off so easy any more!”

Kudos to SBPD! I’m honored to have served this agency.

“Back the Badge” is an occasional essay written by Donald Shoemaker, a police chaplain (now retired) with Master Certification and 24 years of experience, and an ordained minister with over 55 years of experience.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

December 2024 Newsletter

Posted on December 3, 2024 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

December 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

A Thanksgiving Prayer to God…

“You enter our time to supply our needs, but you reserve eternity for us. You inspire with the sheer beauty of creation. You entice with redemptive mercy. You promise rewards as payment.

“All the praises I can offer do not suffice. I thank your majesty for the abundance of your immeasurable goodness, and I ask that you would continue to multiply your grace in me.”

– Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Message of the Month”

Our Christmas “Call to Worship”

When I was a senior pastor I would select the hymn(s) to be sung in our worship services each Sunday. For sure, when the first Sunday of Advent came along (December 1 this year), I would have our services open with “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – a remarkable Christmas carol summoning all worshippers to join the beginning of a festive season of song.

We’re not sure who originally wrote “Adeste Fideles” (Latin name). It seems to come from the mid 18th century. We do know that “Adeste Fideles” was translated into English as “O Come All Ye Faithful” in 1841 by the English Catholic priest Frederick Oakeley. Thank you, Fred, for this great gift.

These three verses are probably the ones most commonly sung by Americans:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

I’d like to focus on a theme from two verses—just who this Jesus is who has come to us in a manger?

Fourth Century Christianity was wracked by “The Arian Controversy.” Arius was a presbyter from Egypt. He argued that Jesus was not “co-eternal” with God the Father. Nor was he equal to the Father in essence. Jesus was “similar to” the Father (homoiousion), not of the same essence (“homoousion”). He indeed was “a god” created by God before all else and is subordinate to God.* Never would the presence or absence of a tiny “iota” [“i”] be so consequential! Think of that when someone says, “I don’t have a iota of interest in …”

* If you want to interact with a modern version of Arianism, just answer the doorbell some Saturday morning, and the two who will be on your porch (with others canvassing your neighborhood) will eagerly engage you in conversation!

Less obvious but more pernicious, much of modern professed Christendom has reduced the person of Jesus to that of a moralizing teacher.

Standing against Arius was Athanasius, a deacon of the church in Alexandria, Egypt. He argued that Jesus was of the same essence as the Father. Athanasius is properly regarded as “The Father of Trinitarianism” (One God— the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).

The controversy became so great that Emperor Constantine, wanting to keep peace in the empire, called for a conference in Nicaea, a city in modern-day Turkey, to deal with the problem (325 AD). Note that the Roman Empire was now led for the first time by an emperor who professed Christianity. It’s no longer Nero’s empire! And just a few years earlier Diocletian had brought the last Roman persecution against Christians. It’s hard for us to imagine political leaders in America being so concerned about doctrine as to call for a council to settle a matter. I can’t picture Gavin Newsom caring in the least!

The Council of Nicaea endorsed the Athanasian understanding of Jesus’ eternal existence and divine nature. The “Nicene Creed” was finalized by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. It is even today confessed widely throughout Christianity, more than any other creed.

What does the Nicene Creed confess about Jesus [see John 1:1-5, 14, 18; Philippians 2:5-10; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 22:12]?

[We believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance [homoousion] with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

When we read some phrases of “Adeste Fideles” the truths of the Nicene Creed shine through and are there for us to sing:

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore him…

True God of True God,
Light from Light eternal
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father [or: Very God]; begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.

With this great carol, let the praises of Christ this Advent season begin!

“80” on the 8th and Counting!
Some Help from Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is especially for all who reach 70 or 80 years of age. It sets God and humanity in very sharp contrast. God is eternal and we are but mortals.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
(Psalm 90:1-4 ESV)

And what if we reach the great milestones of 70 or 80?

The years of our life are seventy,
Or even by reason of strength eighty;
Yet their span is but toil and trouble;
They are soon gone, and we fly away.
(Psalm 90:10)

How should we then live, in light of God’s eternity and our mortality?

Teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
(Psalm 90:12)

To number our days is to treat each day as significant. We no longer have yesterday and tomorrow has not yet come (nor is it guaranteed). But we do have today.

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Jesus (Matthew 6:34 ESV)

Shouldn’t we begin our morning with a brief prayer for God to direct our day? Then, as Martin Luther suggested, pray “The Lord’s Prayer” and go on our way rejoicing.

As we progress through the day, how can we bless others today? How can we make our world a better place today?

Not every day brings sunshine, but rain is what brings growth. Look at every situation as a new opportunity to flourish.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.” – The Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:12-13 NIV)

Is there a person who should be called or texted (no, call that person as your first option)? Does someone need our apology or prayer or word of thanks? Do we have a debt or obligation that should be cared for today?

As each day closes, have we confessed our “sins of this day” and received his grace and forgiveness? Have we thanked God for the day’s opportunities and blessings?

A New Day

This is the beginning a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is very important because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever,
leaving something in its place.
I have traded for it: I want it to be gain – not loss;
good – not evil; success – not failure,
in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.

California’s Great Seal depicts a grizzly bear, the state’s official animal. The bear is feasting on grape vines, representing California’s wine production. But 100 years ago – November, 1924 – The last sighting of a California grizzly bear was reported in Sequoia National Park.

Coming in January and throughout 2025 . . .

“The Ten Commandments”

Please join me and other readers as we take time each month to look at these Commandments. Whether one is a “believer” or not, can we agree that these commandments have had a remarkable influence for good on the world even up to the present?

Picture: Moses (holding tablets symbolizing The Ten Commandments) is at the apex of the East Pediment of the U.S. Supreme Court building. He is between the Chinese philosopher Confucius and the Greek lawgiver Solon, representing three of the great influences on American law. This depiction of Moses with other significant historical figures should be kept in mind any time debate occurs over public display of The Ten Commandments. Moses with The Ten Commandments is also depicted in the courtroom itself, amongst many lawgivers.

“Transgender Day of Remembrance”
(November 20) and
“Transgender Awareness Month” (November)
now recognized
by Long Beach, California.

The flag will fly each November.

So said a resolution passed unanimously by the Long Beach City Council on November 19. This day will be “a time to celebrate, honor, and stand up for our transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse friends…and to remember those members of our community who have been lost to anti-trans violence.”

Thus all citizens with another voice are stifled by non-scientific thinking that impacts minors through social media. All reasoned arguments and life experiences contrary to the prevailing narrative are passed over by those who should represent all city citizens.

Better listen to Democrat Adam Sieff, once a counsel to the Biden for President campaign: “Tolerance matters… If we want people to respect the existence of different gender identities, we need to respect the normal reservations about performing irreversible sex-change operations on 12-year olds.”

These are violent mutilations of minors! Reminds one of the sexual mutilation of young women in some 3rd World cultures. Where is the outrage? One can sympathize with certain trans issues without accepting transgender ideology as “gospel” and its activism as “good works.”

What other flags now ought to be flown to support a cause or belief and to remember any who have been persecuted, discriminated against, or have suffered or died over it? Surely a flag supporting victims of anti-Semitism would qualify, among many others.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

November 2024 Newsletter

Posted on October 31, 2024 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

November 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

A Practical Word on Reformation Day
October 31, 2024

October 31, 2017 is the day, according to the reformer Philip Melanchthon, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses (written in Latin) to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, in the Electorate of Saxony. Intending to spark an intellectual debate, Luther instead sparked a reformation, in part thanks to the invention of the printing press.

In our day of narrow-minded activism and divisive causes, we might do the political process a favor by remembering a word of advice from Luther:

“He is a mighty poor Christian who for the sake of a single castle would put the whole land in jeopardy.”

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who maintain justice.”
– Psalm 106:3

Adieu to “Blue Bloods”
But NYC Law Enforcement Must Go On

My wife and I have been avid watchers of “Blue Bloods” (the NYC police department led by Commissioner Frank Reagan [Tom Selleck]). At our dinner table we even use the prayer that the Reagan household shares around their family dinner table:

Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts
which we are about to receive from Thy bounty.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Alas, the still-strongly-popular “Blue Bloods” will be gone from its network in December after fourteen seasons. Quite a run! We still will watch reruns, as we regularly do, but we wish the program would continue.

The series featured dramatized police work in many difficult situations. I saw one report that 95% of NYPD officers would never fire their weapons during an enforcement situation throughout the course of their careers. Detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg), on the other hand, seemed to dispatch a bad guy in every other episode or so.

Why going off the air? I wondered if perhaps its in-your-face anti-Woke scenes played a part. Production costs, however, seem to be the reason, even though the cast had agreed to pay cuts.

One perspective of law enforcement that stands out is what’s called the “broken window” theory—if enforcement of the law breaks down over smaller crimes, this will spill over into greater disrespect for the law and still larger crimes. Which leads to an ongoing debate over NYC law enforcement…

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities…
Rulers hold no terror to those who do right, but for those who do wrong.
If you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.
He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” – excerpts from Romans 13:1-5

“Gate-jumping” is no victimless crime. It deprived NYC transit of $690 million dollars in 2023. It violates a covenant of trust. It leads others to say, “Why then should I pay?” Or to justifiably feel unsafe and violated. Would you like to sit in a subway car with your family with several gate-jumpers around you?

Two officers took action, as they were supposed to, when a man jumped the gate on Sunday, September 15. When he later refused to comply with lawful orders, when a Taser was ineffective, and when he drew a knife and moved toward the officers, they opened fire. Tragically, a bystander was critically wounded. It took six officers 15 minutes to subdue the gate-jumper, who was also wounded by gunfire. The wounded suspect had 20 prior arrests.

Critics abounded, accusing the officers of endangering lives in an enclosed space, not de-escalating the situation, and for using lethal force.

But NYC mayor and former NYPD captain Eric Adams defended the officers. “He was not shot for fare evasion. He was shot because he had a knife and he went after the police officers. I thought those officers responded accordingly.”

Officers put themselves in harm’s way when necessary to protect others and uphold the law. They know that in an unexpected instant they could become the center of controversy that could spread near and far. Their careers, families and their own lives could be permanently altered. How tempting would it be to look the other way in such situations?

But that is not their calling or oath, or God’s will. Because of situations like what happened in NYC on September 15, we must all the more…

““Back the Badge”

Donald P. Shoemaker
October 2024

“The Apostles’ Creed”
(Part 10 – Final Lesson)

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

There’s a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

Somewhere.
We’ll find a new way of living,
We’ll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .
– 1957 Broadway musical “West Side Story”

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
– Dorothy sings in “The Wizard of Oz”

Statue donated to the United Nations
by the Soviet Union in 1959
Inscribed with the biblical words of Isaiah 2:4 –

“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.”

Humanity yearns for a brighter, better future “somewhere.” How can we not yearn for a world at peace in light of today’s turmoil? Jesus spoke of “wars and rumors of wars” until the end of this era—short-term discouraging but ultimately hopeful words (read Matthew 24:6 and Luke 21:9-10).

The answer to the yearning is found in how God will bring a Better Tomorrow.
That’s what the final two phrases of The Apostles’ Creed are all about as they highlights two major, essential teachings of Bible prophecy: Resurrection of the body and Life Everlasting.

10A – The Apostles’ Creed is a Trinitarian Creed.

Not, of course, Trinitarianism at the level of development found in later creeds, but certainly in essence, as the formula for Christian baptism is “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

The first segment of this creed focuses on God the Father, the second on Jesus Christ his only Son. Now the focus is on the Holy Spirit.

The third and final segment of The Apostles’ Creed begins with “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” We have tied these words to the phrases “I believe in the holy catholic church” and “the forgiveness of sins.” Now we complete this final part of the divine triad by linking the Spirit to resurrection and eternal life.

The Spirit is not “third and therefore last in importance.” The Spirit’s primary ministry is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, and this creed indeed does that in the main second portion. Thus, The Apostles’ Creed is a Spirit-filled creed.

The Spirit is not to be ignored or side-lined, nor is he to be made most prominent. So these two extreme tendencies in Evangelical thought and life must be avoided. Sadly, a large segment of the Evangelical community has not only made the Spirit most prominent, but has a made a particular understanding of the Spirit (post-conversion baptism in the Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues) a test of spirituality or even of true acceptance and fellowship. At the other extreme, a very different understanding of the Spirit (often some version of “cessation” of spiritual gifts) has likewise excluded those who disagree.

The Resurrection of the Body
10B – The resurrection of the body is uniquely the work of the Holy Spirit (or, if you please, the work of the Father through the Spirit).

The Apostle Paul taught in Romans 8:11 (ESV) – “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”

No Holy Spirit within, no resurrection to Eternal Life!

10C – Resurrection, not a disembodied existence in Heaven, is the goal of our salvation.

“Heaven” is the location of our “intermediate state.” This suggests a way-station prior to the ultimate goal of life’s journey. Much preaching and many songs present Heaven as the ultimate goal and journey’s end. This puts us, to use N. T. Wright’s rather blunt words, into a state of blissful post-mortem disembodiment. Yes, this is bliss, for we are “with the Lord.” But it is not the completion of our humanity. Resurrection and the attendant glorification are.

10D – Resurrection of the body puts Jewish/Christian anthropology at odds with other ways of understanding “who we are”.

Biblical anthropology sees us as “whole persons,” not as embodied souls or spirits. Our make-up is one of psychosomatic unity, not separation. Whatever “parts” we may have, God sees us as whole persons.

Our body and soul dimensions belong together. Death rips this unity apart. Resurrection rejoins it and completes our salvation as we become what God created us to be.

10E – Resurrection of the body is a miracle not dependent on the preservation of the body.

Certainly both ancient and modern humans realize that the human body decomposes. Only rarely is this process prevented or slowed through ancient and modern efforts to preserve the body.

Resurrection of the body will happen not because it has been preserved like canned vegetables or by cryogenics. Resurrection will happen because of Jesus’ divine power to subject all things to his will. “We eagerly await a Savior from [heaven], the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21).

There is both continuity and discontinuity between our mortal bodies and their resurrected essence. “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.” See 1 Corinthians 15:35-54 for extensive teaching on this.

The Life Everlasting

10F – The Creed simply declares “The Life Everlasting” and leaves us to search out the fine points of what this means.

The lesson I see from this is that a confession accepting the biblical reality of eternal blessed existence is essential. How we systematize the biblical information into ideas on what it will be like should not be made a test of orthodoxy or the basis for fellowship (such as for church membership).

Now for some “fine points”:

The Book of Revelation engages in “recapitulation” at times, which is to say that the writer hits the “rewind” button and backtracks to look at things in a different way (such as topically). But is a “rewind” justified in Revelation chapters 19-20? Or can we simply take the details sequentially?

If we take the details sequentially we will have: (1) Jesus’ second coming, (2) the binding of Satan, (3) the first resurrection (much preferred!), (4) the millennial rule of Christ on earth, with the saints as co-regents, (5) a final satanic rebellion and Satan’s banishment forever, (6) the second resurrection and judgment, (7) the eternal state in the New Jerusalem.

There. If that sequence is yours, you are a “Pre-millennialist,” which is to say, you believe Jesus will return and establish his millennial rule. There are other options (see the box below for one).

11F – “Pre-millennialism” does not speak with one voice. Rather, it has sub-options.

Church history shows developing forms of Pre-millennialism, A-millennialism and Post-Millennialism co-existing while jockeying for widest acceptance. It’s appears to me that Pre-millennialism was preferred in the Early Church. See Contemporary Options in Eschatology by Millard Erickson for a summary.

In the 20th Century “Dispensationalism” was a dominant version of Pre-millennialism. It sees the Millennium as a period of restoration and blessing for Israel, including a Temple and its worship particulars. Another version calls itself “Historic Pre-millennialism.” It sees God’s children enjoying millennial bliss without a sharp distinction between the Church and Israel.

The above summary is simplistic almost to the point of embarrassment. But the reader needs to grow in his or her understanding of “Bible prophecy” with these distinctions in mind. We need to understand the differences, depict each view fairly, and chose what appears to be the best option. I was not afforded this challenge in my theological education.

I do see a millennial role for a restored Israel, trusting in its Messiah and being a blessing to the world. I have many questions as to details. No, I don’t believe it is necessary to hold that a Millennial Temple will be built that reconstitutes sacrificial practices and excludes all who are “uncircumcised!”

Nor do I believe that a future restored Israel legitimatizes the current State of Israel as a prophetical fulfillment (but today’s Israel does have a historical claim for land and country). Nor do I believe in a rapture of the church at any time separate from Jesus’ glorious return, which is our “blessed hope.”

I do believe in a millennial world of remarkable abundance, peace and safety, with Messianic rule and justice and with never-seen-since-Eden harmony between a redeemed humanity and the created order. I don’t claim to understand how all the pieces will fit (I’ll still run from a rattlesnake).

“Peace” – 1896 Painting by William Strutt
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them – Isaiah 11:6

12F – How do we receive Life Everlasting?

“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the waters of life.” – Revelation 22:17

May God bless this study and fill us with hope for a bright Tomorrow of completed redemption. And may all of us be open in heart and mind to the thoughts that were expressed.

May the entire Apostles’ Creed become part of our understanding and regular recitation. Abundance of blessing will be ours.

Some suggested reading on biblical “Future Events”:

• Evangelical Theology by Michael Bird. Part 3 – “The Gospel of the Kingdom: The Now and the Not Yet.” (Pre-millennial)
• The Christian Faith by Michael Horton (my former student!). Part 6 – “God Who Reigns in Glory.” (A-millennial)
• A Case for Historic Premillennialism edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung.
• And if you are interested in the “rapture” question, my 2024 essay The Second Coming of Christ and The Rapture of the Church, is available to you free by email upon request. (Post-tribulational)

Fine reading on The Apostles’ Creed, among many good options:

• Affirming The Apostles’ Creed by James Packer.
• What Christians ought to Believe by Michael Bird.
• The Faith by Pope Benedict XVI.
• The Creed by Luke Timothy Johnson.

May the entire Apostles’ Creed become part of our understanding and regular recitation. Abundance of blessing will be ours.
Is there an answer?

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! …they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”
– Revelation 20:6 (English Standard Version)

Many Christians see this “rule with Christ” as a literal 1000-year period following Jesus’ “Second Coming.” So they are known as “Pre-millennialists.” Other Christians see this as a present “rule with Christ,” a non-literal Millennium. So they are known as “A-millennialists.” Actually, they are more accurately “Realized Millennialists,” for they see the “Millennium” being fulfilled in the “now.”

But I see a problem! The Book of Revelation says this millennial period will NOT be a time of satanic activity. An angel seizes the Devil (Satan) and casts him into a pit, “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended” (read Revelation 20:1-3). If the Millennium is being realized now, it cannot be a time of satanic activity throughout the world of nations!

No, the Devil isn’t a released prisoner with a tracking device attached to his ankle to monitor and limit his movements. The Devil is bound and sealed into prison!

What do the Scriptures say?

“The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.” – Matthew 13:38-39
Clearly, in this parable Jesus taught the devil is active and deceptive in the present age before the time of the end, striving to frustrate the work of God in the world.
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7
“Give no opportunity to the devil.” – Ephesians 4:27
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:11
A church leader “must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” – 1 Timothy 3:7
“Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit” – Acts 5:3 (Peter’s admonishment to Ananias)

And most significantly, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

Sounds like “Satan is alive and well on planet earth,” to use the title of a book by prophecy guru Hal Lindsey. Christians honest with themselves acknowledge the constant struggle with Satan that marks the present life:

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe.
His craft and power are great.
And armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.
– “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” by Martin Luther

The present age, as scripture testifies, is a time of significant satanic activity. The devil is on God’s leash, yes, but he certainly isn’t bound that he might not deceive the nations, let alone the church. This being the case, how can the present age be the “realized Millennium”? Maybe Pre-millennialism is a better option.

Food for thought! But perhaps A-millennial readers whom I respect have an explanation and will let me know.

Civil Discourse in a Political Season
Over 50 years ago, shortly after I arrived from Indiana to begin a pastorate in Long Beach, California, I was invited to give a prayer at the Long Beach City Council. I knew from reading the local newspaper that there was a lot of ill will in city government at the time that led to harmful speech, so I began my prayer with a reading from the Epistle of James (3:17-18):

The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

The words of James are still applicable to modern politics (and all conversations). As theologian Michael Brown says, “Coarse rhetoric may get the crowds going, but is fleshly, unproductive, and contrary to the Spirit.”

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California

October 2024 Newsletter

Posted on October 8, 2024 by admin

“A Piece of My Mind”

October 2024 Newsletter

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing, Activism and Reasoned Conversations

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Should Biblical Values Impact Secular Rulers?

Answers range from “Not at all” to “Only Christians are qualified to rule.” Neither extreme is acceptable in my view. But is there a middle position that is reasonable and good for a country and its leaders?

Here’s a thought: The Prophet Daniel informed Babylon’s king that God would afflict him with insanity because of his pride, misrule, and failure to see that God rules over the kingdoms of man. Read the Book of Daniel, chapter 4.

Daniel then told King Nebuchadnezzar how to avoid the coming punishment—words of wisdom for all rulers:

“Break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” – Daniel 4:27

“I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”
– Joel 2:30-31

I thought of this scripture as the apocalyptic scenes of incredible fires appeared recently west and north of where we live in S. California.

In the Old Testament’s “Book of Joel” God used terrible happenings to shake complacency and turn hearts to him (Joel 2:32 – “Everyone who calls on the name of the rd will be saved.”).

Politics and God’s Kingdom

Be involved in both, but don’t forget which has priority!
Temper your political activism with Kingdom values.

By Donald Shoemaker

We’re hearing a lot today about “Christian Nationalism” and most of what we hear is negative. I intend to study this topic more, though right now I think the concern is overblown and being used by critics to raise money.

Christian activism in the realm of politics is both necessary and fraught with dangers. Before we embark on it, and to give ourselves a periodic “tune-up”, we must ponder how the world of politics interfaces with the rule of God. The Apostle Paul’s words on the nature of God’s Kingdom are instructive as we do this.

“The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 14:17 NIV

What the Apostle Paul is teaching us here is, God’s kingdom rises above temporal issues like what we eat and what we drink. Our choices on foods and beverages are choices that belong to this passing age (not that we won’t eat and drink in the Kingdom—we will, I’m happy to report!). Decisions we make on things like these are not to become issues of spirituality or judging others (religious rules we create to the contrary). Jesus taught the same truth (Matthew 15:17) and Paul did elsewhere as well (1 Corinthians 6:13).

If issues of eating and drinking don’t matter for the kingdom, what about issues of politics? What about labels like “conservative” or “liberal”? What about economic systems like Capitalism and Socialism? What about political issues that, in spite of a careful search, don’t seem to be highly laden with moral concerns (like term limits)? What about when people of good will differ on various ways to address common concerns (such as health care or immigration or gun control or homelessness)?

Christians seem prone to confuse the limited issues of the political sphere with the sweeping issues of the Kingdom sphere. We confuse the time-bound and temporary realm of politics with the timeless and eternal realm of God’s rule. We confuse political Band-Aids with God’s decisive moral victories.

We regard some candidates for high office as messianic. We divide the Body of Christ improperly over temporal issues and solutions. When religious leaders go on the stump for political causes and do so in the name of the Gospel, they cheapen and dilute our high calling and our glorious announcement—the good news of the Kingdom.

Does this mean we withdraw and isolate ourselves and let everything “go to the dogs”? No, not at all. Christians are dual citizens. We do “polish the brass on a sinking ship.” Biblical imperatives and citizenship rights both drive us into the public and political spheres so we can speak out and influence the course of our society. The Kingdom message we profess is, after all, a comprehensive moral and social vision, not just a “personal relationship with Jesus” and an ethereal, other-worldly “heaven to come.”

Yes, we pray and work for the welfare of our community (Jeremiah 29:7). But we must look for incremental gains and not much transformation. We choose our battles wisely and graciously. We must save a lot of our idealism for the Kingdom and be “as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves” here and now. Thankfully, God may grant us a profound victory now and then, like the abolition of slavery. But William Wilberforce fought slavery a step at a time with no sure hope of beholding sweeping victory with his own eyes.

Politics is the art of compromise. It blends the ideal with realism and pragmatism. If we insist on the whole righteous pie, we are likely to get no pie at all. Political leaders are prone to sin like the rest of us and are out to serve self-interest. Sin is in all of us, not just in “them” on the other side. And God’s grace is working through “them” as well as us. No politician wears a white hat or a black hat like in the old “westerns.”

In light of the majesty of God’s Kingdom and the limits (yet God-ordained validity) of Caesar’s kingdom, we must lift up our eyes to the former and lower our present expectations with the latter. We must embrace and long for God’s kingdom while engaging and appreciating man’s.

That’s our calling and struggle, and I struggle with it all the time.

“Good Government Starts Here”

A Useful Guide in an Election Season

By Donald Shoemaker

Thomas Jefferson spoke in his first inaugural address (1801) of our need for a “wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”

In this spirit, I’ve thought about certain non-partisan values that should characterize good government and the officials who are elected and appointed to its many positions. Here are seven qualities I wish to see as I evaluate those seeking office this election season:

• Frugality – viewing public funds as a limited resource to be prudently handled with great care and not as a constant spring where there is always more to be tapped. It must always be remembered that every tax dollar, regardless of its source and our political good intentions, takes money from people and not from impersonal things.
• Accountability – recognizing that managing public funds and exercising power are solemn trusts. Those who do these things must see themselves as stewards answerable to the people. Most of us believe accountability is due “in the sight of both God and man.” But even if a politician doesn’t think God exists, he knows the citizen does. Accountability also measures actions by their impact on the future long after a term of office has ended.
• Integrity – being people of truthfulness and fairness and good character in light of reasoned principles acknowledged by almost everybody.
• Efficiency – getting the most “bang for the buck” by avoiding wasted time, squandered resources, incompetence and bloated bureaucracy. Jefferson’s call for “suppression of unnecessary offices, of useless establishments and expenses” needs to be heeded as never before.
• Productivity – ensuring that resources of funding, time and talent are used for intended and effective purposes and not, as examples, for self-aggrandizement or for programs likely or proven to fail. A good leader regards no program as sacrosanct and regularly evaluates them for both effectiveness and efficiency.
• Accessibility – demonstrating openness to the people they are selected to serve, whether these people are supporters, detractors or indifferent.
• Temperance – realizing that the state’s power to compel behavior is a great and potentially dangerous power and therefore exercising great reserve and wisdom in its use in our free society.

We may then move beyond these qualities to the issues we cherish and the inevitable partisanship of any election. But without these qualities even our most favored office seekers will be compromised in their missions, to everyone’s damage and cynicism.

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 9)
[I believe in]
“the forgiveness of sins”

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities”

– Psalm 103:2-4, 10

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins.”

– Psalm 51:1-2

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.”

– Psalm 32:1

“…we have sinned in thought, word, and deed,
and…we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition.
Together as His people let us take refuge in the infinite mercy of God,
our heavenly Father, seeking His grace for the sake of Christ,
and saying: ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner.’”

– Lutheran Service Book, “Divine Service, Setting Four”

9A – The Holy Spirit leads us to conviction of our sins.

The third and final segment of The Apostles’ Creed begins with “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” We have tied these words to the next phrase, “I believe in the holy catholic church.” Now we tie them to the phrase, “The forgiveness of sins.” God’s Spirit moves our hearts to conviction of our sins (genuine remorse leading to repentance and resolve to abandon the wrongs we have done).

9B – Forgiveness assumes that a standard of right and wrong exists.

Without a standard we would need no forgiveness. We’d only have mistakes needing attention: “I’ll drive more carefully and pay less for insurance.”

Our search for standards should start with The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). It should then consider scriptures that focus on human wrongdoings (e.g., Romans 1:18-32; Romans chapters 12 & 13; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-26; Ephesians 4:17-5:14). And nothing can replace our overall reading of the Bible to see how it confronts human evil then and now, by others and ourselves.

9C – God’s forgiveness is not for those who think they are good, but for those who know they are bad.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:8-9

Jesus told a story of two men who illustrate the verses above.

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I have.”

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.

9D – Forgiveness of sins is necessary for true reconciliation to occur.

Can we name one single word that summarizes the Christian faith as we understand it? I think that word may be “RECONCILIATION.” Reconciliation is when two sides at odds with one another are brought together by removal of the issue or issues that have divided them.

The ultimate reconciliation is, as we sing at Christmas season, “God and sinners reconciled.” How can this be? “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against him” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Reconciliation isn’t only vertical (God and sinners); it’s horizontal too—between people who wrong others and are wronged by others. Jesus taught the one who has wronged another: “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Likewise Jesus had a word to the one who had been wronged: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over” (Matthew 20:15). Jesus also set forth additional steps that should be taken (vv. 16-17—see next point).

9E – Jesus commissioned his church and its God-ordained leaders to play a vital role in the process of forgiveness.

Continuing Jesus’ teaching on reconciliation (or the lack thereof) found in Matthew 18:15-20, if a wrongdoer “refuses to listen even to the church [as it calls him to reconciliation], treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector [exclude him from the church for his unrepentant heart]” (Matthew 18:17).

Perhaps anticipating negative reaction to this, Jesus declared strongly,. “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (v. 18). When the church acts in accord with Jesus’ teaching and by his (delegated) authority, heaven will back the church when it retains or remits a person’s sin.

In our day of weak attitudes toward church authority, this strong word by Jesus (“I tell you the truth” or if you will, “truly, truly”) needs to be heard.

But there’s more! The Risen Lord gave to his disciples, as leaders of the church-that-is-to-come, a similar authorization (John 20:22-23)—one that causes many an evangelical Christian to have a severe allergic reaction:
“He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’”

NOTE: the future perfect passive verbs in Matthew 18:18 and here in John, rendered “they will be bound/loosed” and “they are forgiven/not forgiven,” are difficult to translate and no version does it more awkwardly than The New American Standard Bible: “shall have been bound/loosed in heaven” and “have been forgiven/retained.” Of these renderings the New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce said, “Whatever this is, it’s not English.”

The NASB would render the verdicts of heaven as prior to the verdicts by the church. It’s doubtful this is Jesus’ point. Regardless, the two texts are saying the verdicts of the church and its leaders are in tandem with the verdicts of heaven regarding retaining or remitting sin. This issue is bigger than my space here, and I leave it at that.

Many a church has “retained sin” willy-nilly when a member violates legalistic rules. This is not what Jesus authorized nor what the Holy Spirit would empower. But when a church disciplines its own by forgiving or retaining sin (positively or negatively), in Jesus’ name and by his authority, it is not an action to be taken lightly. Let’s liken this to a pastor’s refusal to unite a couple in marriage for some serious reason, versus his positive word in a different instance: “By the authority of the Lord Jesus, I now pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!”

9F – Thus, we are reminded that both forgiveness and the subsequent reconciliation are conditional.

Forgiveness isn’t unconditional, either vertically or horizontally. God forgives our sins based on the sacrificial death of Christ who bore our sins, and conditioned also upon our own genuine repentance. Forget the words of the old song: “Though it makes him sad to see the way we live, he’ll always say, ‘I forgive.’” No, he won’t.

So also it is with horizontal forgiveness. The notion “when someone wrongs you, immediately forgive that person in your heart” turns interpersonal forgiveness into self-therapy and trivializes the evil that people do against others. To the contrary, Jesus taught, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3).

9G – What does “The Nicene Creed” (AD 381) say on this point?

It throws water on “the forgiveness of sin”:
“I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.”

The Nicene Creed generally follows the points of The Apostles’ Creed but definitely enlarges most of them. This statement, which actually confesses Christian Baptism, certainly does that.

What can we say? We start with Scripture:
• John the Baptist preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).
• When convicted listeners to his sermon on the Day of Pentecost asked Peter, “What shall we do?” he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).
• Saul, who would soon be an apostle of Christ, was told by Ananias what his apostolic mission would be. Then Ananias said, “Now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). Baptism and calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9) were kept together.
• “Baptism…now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 4:21).

The sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion have outer and inner realities, sealed together by the Holy Spirit in the Words of Institution.

That is to say, the outward signs of water or bread and wine are united with the inner reality of remission of sin by the words “I now baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” or “Take and eat; this is my body given for you” and “This is my blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” (The accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and 1 Corinthians all teach the same truths though their specific words vary.)

Because of this union, it is just as valid to say “my sins were washed away in baptism” as to say “my sins were forgiven when I confessed Jesus as Lord.” (A married couple might speak of “the day we exchanged our rings” or “when we said our vows.” Same reality, two ways of expressing it.)

In our evangelism this union of outer and inner realities should not be broken. One way it’s broken, leading to confusion, is by having an unnecessarily long gap between one’s confession “Jesus is Lord” and one’s Christian baptism.

The Apostle Peter was caught off-guard when the Holy Spirit fell on uncircumcised gentiles as they heard the word of salvation (Acts 10:44-46). He rightly responded to this fait accompli by ordering the baptism of the converts. Peter kept the outward sign and the inner reality together.

Much modern Christian evangelism doesn’t even mention baptism, unlike the examples we find in the New Testament. (Acts 2:37-41; 8:12, 37-39; 9:17-19; 10:47-48; 16:14-15, 29-33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16)

Many evangelical churches have separated baptism from the saving confession in practice through the introduction of another “sacrament” – the “walking forward invitation” to receive Christ, followed sooner or later by baptism (hopefully) when one gets around to it.

Better that we invite one who wishes to receive Christ to enter the waters of baptism as soon as it is feasible (see Acts 8:34-38 for the baptism of the Ethiopian by Philip the Evangelist after he heard the Gospel).

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California

September 2024 Newsletter

Posted on August 29, 2024 by admin

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September 2024 Newsletter

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Advancing Christian Faith and Values,
Defending Religious Liberty for All,
Supporting Civility and the Common Good
through Preaching, Teaching, Writing,
Activism and Reasoned Conversations

LABOR DAY – September 2
A Liturgy For Those Who Are Employed

LABOR DAY

A Liturgy For Those Who Are Employed
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey

O Christ who supplies my every need, I praise you for all provisions and for the means by which they are provided.

For my current employment, in this season of life, I give you thanks. By it, may I meet my own needs, and contribute to the needs of others.

Let me work and serve in this position with mindfulness, creativity, and kindness, loving you well by loving all whom I encounter here.
Jesus, be ever present as mediator between me and my employer,
between me and my supervisors and co-workers,
and in all my dealings with others in this work,
reminding me that my treatment of them
is the strongest evidence of my affection for you.

Grant me therefore the patience to listen to others,
the humility to learn from them,
the compassion to consider their needs as my own,
and the grace to wear well the name of the Lord in this place,
remembering that I arrive here each day as an emissary of your kingdom.

And so I offer this small service to you, O Lord,
for you make no distinction between those acts that bring a person the wide praise of their peers and those unmarked acts that are accomplished in a quiet obedience without accolade. You see instead the heart, the love, and the faithful stewardship of all labors, great and small.

And so, in your loving presence, I undertake this task.
O God, grant that my heart might be ordered aright, knowing that all good service faithfully rendered is first a service rendered unto you.

Receive then this my service, that even in the midst of labors that hold no happiness in themselves, I might have increasing joy, Amen.

See “A Liturgy For Those Who Employ Others” in my September 2023 Newsletter or email me and ask for a copy. Used by Permission of Rabbit Room Press.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

2024: The Re-Paganizing of the Olympics?

Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (c. 1495-98)
Group 1 – Bartholomew, James, son of Alphaeus, and Andrew. Group 2 – Judas Iscariot, Peter, and John. Jesus.
Group 3- Thomas, James the Greater, and Philip. Group 4 – Matthew, Jude Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot

The Olympic games began in Greece in 776 BC. In 396 AD the now-Christianized Roman Empire banned the games as a pagan ritual in direct conflict with Christianity. 1,500 years later, in 1896, the modern Olympic games began.

I remember the fascination of reading The Iliad and The Odyssey as ancient works of literature in high school. I didn’t think I was acknowledging paganism in any way. Seems we moderns had demythologized the Greco-Roman gods. Or have we? A revival may be in the works. This was part of the opening ceremony of the Olympics:

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, condemned the drag parody of the Last Supper at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris.

“Blasphemy towards God is not progress, nor is it right to insult the religious beliefs of our fellow men,” the Ecumenical Patriarchate stated. “The spontaneous expression of aversion and disapproval by the world, hopefully, has sent a sufficiently loud message to those responsible and is a source of hope to avoid similar actions in the future.”

But the director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, insisted that “The Last Supper” wasn’t the inspiration behind the scene. “Dionysus arrives at the table because he is the Greek God of celebration and that sequence is called ‘festivity.’”

“The God of wine, which is also a French jewel and father of Sequana, the Goddess linked to the River Seine. The idea was to create a big pagan party in link with the God of Mount Olympus.”

If the above showed disregard for the 1st Great Commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, what happened when women’s boxing violated the 2nd Great Commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves?

Imane Khelif of Algeria, who a year ago failed a gender eligibility test by the International Boxing Association, went on to win Gold in women’s boxing after (earlier) defeating Angela Carini of Italy who, despite her skill and physical conditioning, lasted only 46 seconds in the ring. She would later say she had never been hit so hard (in the face) as she was by a blow from Khelif.

The Bible isn’t a manual on sports and gender issues, nor on questions about gender ambiguity or dysfunction. But it makes gender identity a foundational feature of our humanity as bearers of God’s image. “Male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Who would have thought that the push for equality would trample legitimate differences, prevent women from reaching their goals in sports, and countenance men pummeling women?

Reference: What does science tell us about boxing’s gender row?, Sofia Bettiza, BBC (August 9, 2024)[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 8)
[I believe]
…in the holy catholic Church,
the fellowship of the saints

We continue in the third section of The Apostles’ Creed. Remember that the first section is about God the Father. The second section is about The Lord Jesus Christ. The third section begins with our confession of The Holy Spirit and then quickly moves on to other points, all stated briefly.

8A – It is fitting that confession of the Church follows right after confession of The Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit there is no Church.

Sure, religious communities can go right on with rituals (now stripped of the Spirit’s presence) and messages void of the Spirit. H. Richard Niebuhr once said that the message of religious liberalism is:

A God without wrath brings people without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

The Holy Spirit is not necessary for such a message and would never empower it. Such a church should be called “Ichabod” (“The glory has departed”).

Here are some of the ministries of the Spirit in relation to the church:
1. The Spirit baptizes us into the Body of Christ, which is the church
(1 Corinthians 12:13).
2. The Spirit distributes various charismatic gifts within the church as HE so determines, not as WE determine or demand (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Pentecostals have often told us what the Spirit MUST do; non-Pentecostals may tell us what the Spirit CAN’T do. Truth is, the Spirit does what he WILLS TO DO in the church.
3. The Spirit indwells the church (Ephesians 2:21).
4. The Spirit guides and invigorates church worship (Ephesians 5:18-20).
5. The Spirit helps guard the truth of the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:14).

8B – What are the “Marks” of the true Church?

Protestants speak of different “marks” of the true church. Some reduce this to trivial things like calling your church by just the right name. More substantially, one common list (from Reformed, or Presbyterian theology) is that a true church will (1) teach the Bible as God’s Word, (2) observe the Sacraments, and (3) discipline its members. Good points!

The Apostles’ Creed gives us three marks of the true Church.

1) The Church is “One”

This mark draws from the teaching of Jesus: “I pray for those who will believe in me…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
– Jesus (John 17:20-21)

• This is more than a spiritual “oneness” which no one can see.
• It is more than an organizational “oneness”.
• It is more than an eventual oneness—together in heaven.
• And for sure it is not a “oneness” over non-gospel issues (like political or racial or cultural or social identity, etc.). These “unities” actually divide Christians and make things other than “The Gospel” the gospel.

No, Jesus said this “oneness” would be observed by the world of non-believers, who would draw right conclusions about God’s gift of his Son when they see genuine Christian oneness in life and action. If non-Christians walk into our church gatherings, would they see a true oneness that gives them positive thoughts about God? Or would they see _____ (fill in the blank)?

2) The Church is “Holy”

“The holiness that marks the church is both a divine gift and an urgent task,” says Michael Bird in his excellent book Evangelical Theology. He’s talking about moral, ethical holiness that separates us from evil, which we pray for when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Sad are the occasions, big and small, when the world of non-Christians observes the Church and wonders where the “Holy” has gone!

3) The Church is “Catholic” – we better make this a separate point!
8C – Wait a minute! I’m a Protestant! How can I say, “One holy catholic church”?

Several years ago my church got new hymnbooks. They had a page with “The Apostles’ Creed”. And that page changed this phrase to “One holy Christian church.” What’s going on? Well first, of course it’s correct to say “Christian” church. We are that and it should mean a lot to us.

But that’s not what the historical Creed says! Deep and wide and long in Christianity stands the confession, “One holy catholic church.” Small “c”.

The word “catholic” means “universal.” It comes from the Greek word “kathalou” – “entire, according to the whole.” So this is a confession of the togetherness of all true Christians and Christian communities everywhere, now and throughout history and into eternity.

“The church is not restricted by geography, ethnicity, gender, class or status. It is a universal assembly that is made up of people from every tribe, language, culture, and place.” – Michael Bird

Revelation 5:9 – “With your blood you have purchased people from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Please excuse me if quoting from Wikipedia is a problem, but this is well said:

Applied to the Church, the adjective “catholic” means that in the Church the wholeness of the Christian faith, full and complete, all-embracing, and with nothing lacking, is proclaimed to all people without excluding any part of the faith or any class or group of people. The adjective can be applied not only to the Church as spread throughout the world but also to each local manifestation of the Church, in each of which nothing essential is lacking for it to be the genuine body of Christ.

8D – What does “Apostolic” mean in the Nicene Creed?

The Nicene Creed adds “apostolic” to “one holy catholic…church.”
Ephesians 2:20 teaches us that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” So the apostolic office played a critical role in the founding of the Christian church.

One of the commendations of the first Christian community in Jerusalem is that “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). The apostles were selected by Jesus, taught by Jesus, observed Jesus, and promised by Jesus that the Holy Spirit would remind them of everything He had said (John 14:26). Being, then, an “apostolic” church means being faithful to the apostolic message about Jesus—who He was, what He did, what He taught. This deposit of truth is to be guarded and perpetuated by the church of all ages. “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14).

A doctrine worth our strong embrace is grounded in apostolic teaching and broadly held throughout the orthodox Christian world. Any so-called “Bible prophecy insight” [or other peculiar doctrine] that pops up late in time within a narrow segment of the Christian community fails these tests.
–From my essay The Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church

[Note: the issue of “apostolic succession” enters this word as well, and I don’t deal with that here. Also, it is important to note that The Apostle Paul’s apostolic credentials put him on a par with “the Twelve” but did not make him one of “the Twelve.” And the word “apostles” seems to include a number of believers on whom the Holy Spirit bestowed this charismatic missionary/church-planting gift. I also don’t deal here with the question of modern apostleship, which can lead to quite a debate—and lots of problems too.]

8E – “The communion of the saints”

This confession has both horizontal and vertical aspects. Horizontally, it refers to a bond of truth and love with all Christians who live (and sometimes languish in persecution) everywhere on earth. Therefore we sense a special bond with believers everywhere. And we have a call to be of service to all believers here and elsewhere, especially those facing suffering and persecution for their faith throughout the world.

For years I have said that prayer and care for The Persecuted Church is a great omission in many missionary circles today.

Second, this confession has a vertical aspect: our thanksgiving for and union with the saints who have gone on before us into Jesus’ presence.

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.
– “The Church’s One Foundation” by Samuel J. Stone (1866)

The greatest hymn to sing about the church “below” and the saints “above” is, in my opinion, “For All the Saints, Who from Their Labor Rest” by William Walsham How (1864). Be sure your church sings it around “All Saints Day”!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

I conclude our examination of this topic in The Apostles’ Creed with a warning about the church in our present world.

“The Western world has changed; [it is] very quickly becoming post-Christian and radically secular. The church is no longer the chaplain for Christendom; it is now a recalcitrant resistance to the secularizing agenda.” – Michael Bird

Our calling more than ever is to be salt and light in our world, offer a radical alternative to destructive establishments and trends wherever found.

A first-century critic of Christianity had this to say when Paul’s apostolic mission team reached the City of Thessalonica: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6). It was not a compliment. But it is always a witness to be sought by the “one holy catholic and apostolic church.”[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1724954989199{background-color: #dd9933 !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Can I be a part of the universal church without joining a local congregation?

Sorry, no (rare exceptions)! That’s a false separation. You can’t obey the many biblical commands or follow biblical examples without meaningful involvement with a local body of believers that displays the “marks” of the church. It’s like wanting to be a firefighter in the City of Long Beach but then refusing assignment to one of its 24 local fire stations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Are Churches Preparing Their People for
“The Coming Distress”?

“You have not yet resisted unto blood” – Hebrews 12:4

Theologian Robert McTeigue, SJ, considers the state of the contemporary church and answers…

I’d have to say no – for a variety of reasons. First, serious talk about serious topics would work against “Father Cheerful’s” commitment to forming “a welcoming community”; trying to prepare people for martyrdom would fail to “meet people where they’re at.”

What would happen to the “Typicalians” [members of the typical lukewarm church] if they ever had to face or surmount aggressive or even kinetic persecution? What if “bird flu” suddenly makes worship a “non-essential service” again? What if a federal agency suspects that “St. Typical’s” is a hotbed of “far-right…Christian nationalist domestic terrorism”?

The dearth of sound teaching and the trivialization of worship at “St. Typical’s” will not ready anyone for [martyrdom, whatever its form]. The bodies, minds, and hearts of the “Typicalians” are, humanly speaking, unprepared to receive the graces necessary for any form of costly fidelity—whether the cost of fidelity is paid all at once in blood or paid over decades of hidden yet heroic daily duty. “Fr. Cheerful” has made clear that he will not offer the necessary preparation; the “Typicalians” have made clear that they will not receive it.

Here I can’t help but recall the observation of A. W. Tozer: “A church that can’t worship must be entertained; and people who can’t lead a church to worship must provide entertainment.” “Fr. Cheerful” [has] agreed to provide the entertainment.
– Robert McTeigue, Crisis magazine (on line), August 12, 2024

Nickolas Kristof—“Progressive” No More

As I’d read Nickolas Kristof’s columns in the NY Times I came to regard him as a “Realist Liberal.” Not merely theoretical, he’s seen the world in real time from the streets and trenches.

Now Edward Felsenthal has reflected in the NY Times (May 12, 2024) about why Kristof no longer considers himself to be a political progressive.

Felsenthal: “You write that ‘as progressivism became an ideology of the educated, it distanced itself from the people it nominally championed’ and [you] criticize what you call a progressive impulse to ‘address problems by revising terminology.’ Do you consider yourself a progressive?”

Kristof: “No…five or ten years ago I might have. But the metric of progressivism should be progress. And in the West Coast cities, where progressives have dominated policymaking, we see regress.

“And I just think we can’t blame this on Republicans. Because there aren’t any in Portland. This is our mess. We created it. Seeing the challenges in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, have made me more wary of progressivism. Outcomes are what matter. And our outcomes on the West coast cities are not good.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California.

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August 2024 Newsletter

Posted on August 2, 2024 by admin

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August 2024 Newsletter

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The Black Family Reunion

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2062″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Colbert King writes – “I am setting aside this weekend to engage in a historic ritual: a Black family reunion.

“It is a tradition that grows out of the post-emancipation era when formerly enslaved men and women sought to be reunited with family members who had been separated from them or sold away by enslavers.”

The Washington Post (Jun 29, 2024)

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George Gentry—
A Soldier of Christ and of Country

A Bronze Star for Heroic Military Service

December 8, 1967 was special for me—my 23rd birthday. Half a world away in Vietnam, that day was also significant for U.S. Army Lt. George Gentry. While leading his platoon on an assignment he was severely injured by a land mine. With wounds and paralyzed from the waist down, George was taken to several hospitals. He retired from the Army in March 1968, and later settled in So. California. During one hospitalization he met his future wife, Chris.

I became George’s pastor in 1984 at Grace Brethren Church (later to be Grace Community Church) in Seal Beach, California. George had intense passion for the men and women in the armed forces and for our missionaries around the world. Knowing that our church was in a denomination that had a tradition of military “non-combatance” (derived from, but not the same as pacifism), George asked me early on if I supported that position. He was firm. If I did, he would have to leave the church, he told me. I didn’t and so he didn’t either!

George regarded each day of life after that December 8 as a bonus gift from God. He took his service for God seriously, all along supported by Chris, who shared in his travels, church ministries, many hospitalizations and more.

His recent years saw many lengthy hospitalizations at the VA Hospital in Long Beach, California. Finally, on June 7, he departed this life at age 82, to be with the Lord he had loved and served.

Citizens of our nation must honor and never forget our veterans, especially those like George Gentry who paid a high price for their service, and those who paid the ultimate price.

[PICTURE: George is honored by U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher at a “9/11 Remembrance” sponsored by Grace Community Church of Seal Beach in 2005.]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Soon the Summer Recess Will Be Over…
What Universities Should Be Doing
What Universities Should Be Doing

Students march and rally on Columbia University campus in support of a protest encampment supporting Palestinians, despite a 2pm deadline issued by university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S.,
April 29, 2024. REUTERS

1. Assure the safety and security of all on campus.
All, including Jewish students, should have access to all campus spaces (classrooms, dorms, libraries, cafeterias, extracurricular spaces). [Comments under main points are abbreviated.]

2. Clarify and enforce existing rules surrounding protest.
Provide appropriate avenues for protests and clarify consequences for those who opt to break the rules. Warn those who break the rules about next steps, including calling in civil authorities. Protests must abide by time, place, and manner restrictions and not create a hostile atmosphere.

3. University leaders and especially student-facing administrators must check in with their Jewish community on campus.
Ensure their needs are being met and concerns taken seriously and communicate with Zionist students whose Jewish identities are increasingly targeted for hostility and invectives at protests.

4. Administrators should never cede ground to protesters who break clearly-established campus rules.
Administrators must not tolerate tactics of rule-breaking, bullying, harassment and violence, or reward these protestors by treating their conduct as starting points for negotiations.

5. Administrators should communicate clearly and unequivocally about what constitutes free speech versus unlicensed disruption.
Interfering with access to campus spaces, occupying buildings, vandalism, cancellation of classes, interruption of scheduled events—all are disruptions that interfere with free speech and the free exchange of ideas.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Religious Liberty Vigilance

Weigh Church Activism Carefully
in this Politically-Charged Season

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

– Thomas Jefferson (1802) Letter to Danbury Baptists

Radical secularists like to raise “the wall of separation” against all religious activism, which is not what our founders envisioned. But the opposite extreme—churches heavily involved in politics—is not healthy either for the country or for the churches.

We are entering a political season where religious involvement will be active as never before. Some is necessary, much is permissible, little is prohibited by the Constitution. Let’s be careful. What is permissible may not be wise.

I recommend that pastors and activist lay members consider the counsel from Pastor/Theologian John Piper about patriotism in the sanctuary and pastors introducing politics into the worship experience.

The Sunday church gathering should be wonderfully and gloriously vertical in its focus. We gather to focus on God. But those gatherings can get horizontally hijacked by other good things…

If the Godward focus gets lost, Sunday becomes “man-centered” and “the vertical focus is blunted.” We need political activism, but not on Sunday morning. The Pledge of Allegiance, even American flags, do not belong in a worship service that is called to highlight the absolute allegiance that we have to Jesus.

– John Piper, Theocracy, Igniting Revolutions, and Patriotism in the Church
June 29, 2024

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“Idolatry” – Have we crafted an idol?

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods
[or: “This is your god”], O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”

– Exodus 32:7-8 (ESV)

“Idolatry” comes in several flavors. Here’s a common one: “Idolatry is our attempt to fashion the god we would like to see, rather than seeing God as he has revealed himself, whom we should honor and accept and, as appropriate , strive to exemplify.”

Fashioning a god to suit ourselves was Israel’s sin when it made the golden calf. They were not turning to other gods.They tried to fashion God into an image of their own making, which they could relate to more easily.

I was listening to a Christian contemporary music station recently. Now, listening to the music isn’t wrong. In fact, it can be quite uplifting and edifying (sometimes not!). But the chatter between songs can become tedious to listen to (like the guest singer you bring to your church who rambles on between songs). Worse than tedious, the host can speak nonsense or even heresy.

On this occasion the radio host used many words to say something like this: “I saw a painting of Jesus holding a little child who pinched his nose, and Jesus laughed and laughed. Now, that’s the kind of Jesus I can believe in.”

Now Jesus probably was a guy who could be humored, just as he could be sorrowful or angry. But the biblical revelation doesn’t present the humor.

Better to repent of this idolatry and look at the Bible’s depictions. Better to see Jesus weeping than laughing. I’m glad English translators emphasized “Jesus wept” by making these words the Bible’s shortest verse (John 11:35). Jesus deeply empathizes with our sorrows, as the Gospel song says: “He took my sins and my sorrows and made them his very own.” Paint him that way!

Don’t create an image of God; let’s BE God’s likeness (Ephesians 4:24+).

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 7)

I believe in the Holy Spirit
“Without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ is in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is simply an organization, authority is domination, mission is propaganda, worship is the summoning of spirits, and Christian action is the morality of slaves.”

– Ignatius Hazim, Patriarch of Antioch

We come now to the third and final section of The Apostles’ Creed. The first section centered on God the Father; the second on Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
The third section has only ONE STATEMENT on the Holy Spirit before moving on to other topics—topics not unrelated to the Holy Spirit, but not focused on him either.

How much of the Latin Creed is devoted to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
God the Father – 9 words
Jesus Christ, God’s Son – 51 words
The Holy Spirit – 4 words, out of 16 in the third section

“Credo in Spiritum Sanctum”

7A – Does the Creed minimize the person and work of the Holy Spirit?

Yes and no. Certainly, it might make it easier for us to pass quickly over the Spirit in our minds. Lots of Christians have done this, sometimes from sheer negligence or from fear because we think the Holy Spirit is overplayed in some churches and movements—and that’s not an unfounded fear.

But the way to respond to this fear is not to minimize the Spirit but to teach on the Spirit correctly, that we might then experience the Spirit genuinely. Are some congregations fearful of what might happen if the Holy Spirit ever got “loose” in its midst? We’d rather play it safe and keep the Dove in a cage!

7B – The Holy Spirit’s primary ministry is to direct us to Jesus Christ.

“When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth… He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
– Jesus (John 16:12-15)

“No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Of course, we can “mouth” the confession “Jesus is Lord” without the Spirit. Jesus himself said many will say “Lord, Lord” and not know him (Matthew 7:21-23). But a genuine, heart-felt confession/commitment to the Lordship of Christ, including in my opinion embracing Jesus’ deity, is only possible by the unction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: In 1 Corinthians 12:3 the confession “Jesus is Lord” is set against the absolute denial of Jesus’ Lordship—“anáthema Iēsous,” which is definitely not by the Holy Spirit. It is possible this can be seen in the context of persecution, where one who claims to be a follower of Jesus is called on to curse him. The curse can’t be by the Spirit, nor is the confession “Caesar is Lord” of the Sprit. But the confession “Kúrios Iēsous” in the face of persecution is definitely of the Holy Spirit (see Mark 13:11). It is hard for modern Christians who enjoy religious liberty and free speech to grasp how significant this confession induced by the Spirit would be in a world where Caesar is Jesus’ arch-competitor.

For a discussion of confessing or cursing Jesus in a persecution context: Oscar Cullmann, The Christology of the New Testament, chapter 7, especially pages 215-22.

I also note that this confession is at the introduction to the Apostle Paul’s very lengthy teaching on charismatic gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14). Being Spirit-filled is not proven by some kind of rapturous display—even pagans can do that, Paul says! No, the Spirit’s empowerment is evidenced by a credible, mindful conviction and confession that “Jesus is Lord.” See the opening three verses of 1 Corinthians 12 for this.

Since the Spirit is in the world to draw people to Jesus, it is fitting that the Creed devotes so much space to highlighting Jesus. In my mind, this doesn’t mean overlooking the Spirit. It means responding to the ministry of the Spirit.

“Where Christ is prominent, the Spirit is at work.
Where the Spirit is prominent, he is not being allowed to do his work.”

To put it another way, the Christ-filled church (the church where Jesus is highlighted and worshipped, taught and served) is the truly Spirit-filled church, whether that church be Pentecostal or not, Charismatic or not.

Ponder the parallel between the very well-known Ephesians 5:18 and the lesser known Colossians 3:16:

“Be filled with the Spirit” – Ephesians 5:18
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” – Colossians 3:16

I suggest: to be filled with the Spirit and to have the word (message) of Christ dwelling in us richly are essentially the same thing. Read the contexts.
The Apostles’ Creed is “right on” with its emphasis on Jesus!

7C – How does the Nicene Creed (381 AD) expand teaching on the Holy Spirit beyond the four words of The Apostles Creed?

The Nicene Creed is important is that it is the only creed proclaimed throughout the Christian world. Here are its clear words about the Spirit:

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.

7D – What was the “filioque” controversy?

The Latin text of the Nicene Creed (as recited in Western churches) says: qui ex Patre Filioque [“and the son”] procedit. Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father alone, or “from the Father and the Son”? Here is what Jesus said:

“When the counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth who goes out from the Father [qui a Patre procedit—Latin Vulgate], he will testify about me.” – John 15:26-27

So, Scripture is explicit that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. But from the Son also? The Spirit is sent by Jesus according to verse 26. And John 14:15 (NIV) tells us Jesus “will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor…the Spirit of truth.” Furthermore, Revelation 22:1 depicts the “water of life” flowing “from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

It seems to me that the Spirit proceeds from the Father in a direct sense, and proceeds from the Son in a supportive sense. But the explicit teaching of scripture establishes that the Spirit proceeded from the Father.

If you wonder why this issue (over one word in Latin) should split Christianity into East and West in 1056 AD, you wonder with me. But, as is typical in all church splits, there is more to it than what lies on the surface.

The surface issue: Should the phrase “and the son” be in the Creed?

The much bigger underlying issue: The question of where authority ought to reside in the church under the ultimate rule of Christ.

Here is a very brief summary of the controversy:
• The word “filioque” was NOT in the Nicene Creed of 381 AD.
• From the 6th Century on, many Latin (Western) liturgies added the phrase.
• In 1014 the pope approved adding “and the son” into the liturgy of Rome but this was rejected by Eastern Christianity.
• The phrase was an issue in the East/West division of Christianity in 1054 AD.

As I see it, the fundamental issue was the question: ”Who has the right to change the Nicene Creed?” The Eastern Churches insisted that a decision by an ecumenical council could only be altered by another ecumenical council. Nothing or no one else had the authority to do so, not even the pope.

Beyond this, some thought that leaving out the phrase diminished the position of God the Son. Others thought that including the phrase diminished the position of God the Father.

Very frankly, I have trouble making an issue over the “filioque” clause. Proper teaching can present the roles of God the Father and God the Son appropriately. The Nicene Creed is correct with or without the clause.

Am I missing something or being simplistic or in error on this? Your input to me is welcome. I’ve tried to think of an analogy. A newborn “proceeds” from the mother and father, but not in the same way. The father “issues forth” the seed; the mother “issues forth” the ovum and the newborn “proceeds from” her womb. The two “proceedings” seem to be on two different planes. But if we must pick one, I’d say the newborn “proceeds from” the mother.

7E – What are the key ministries of the Holy Spirit?

Rather than giving lengthy points, I simply pass on six important ministries of the Holy Spirit, the first four coming from Dr. James Packer. The Holy Spirit:

1. Convinces us of the truth of the Gospel
2. Assures us we are God’s children (Romans 8:16)
3. Moves us to bear witness to Christ
4. Bestows one or more spiritual (charismatic) gifts on every Christian
5. Intercedes for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27)
6. Will someday give life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11)

The Spirit also must guide and fill our worship services, empowering us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs from our hearts (Ephesians 5:18-20).

I fear that today’s trend toward technology, professionalism and showiness in worship can quench the Holy Spirit and make his presence superfluous.
What difference would it make in our worship time if the Holy Spirit didn’t show up at church next Sunday?

7F – What must I “do” to receive the Holy Spirit?

The first thing to do is toss away all the lists of things you may have tried that tell you what you must do to receive (or be filled with) the Holy Spirit, whether it is Kenneth Copeland’s seven points, Oral Robert’s four points, Campus Crusade’s four points, John Walvoord’s three points, Don Basham’s breathing exercises, or any others.

The second thing to do is read what Peter told the convicted crowd on the Day of Pentecost (the bold is mine, not Luke’s or Peter’s):

Now when they heard this [Peter’s message about Jesus—his death, resurrection and exaltation—read Acts 2:22-36] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

(1) Repentance (a “change of heart” about our sin and our rejection of Jesus) and (2) water baptism—these are the two “steps” Peter told the crowd of seekers to “do.” “Do” is in quotes because ultimately repentance and baptism are not works we do but rather God’s works in us and for us.

Baptism is better understood as the visible sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit rather than its effective cause. We see this from Acts 10:44-48, where the gift of the Holy Spirit preceded the gift of baptism. As I see it, the gift of the Spirit is not bestowed through baptism nor is it to be separated from baptism. Check it out in the New Testament, which is always a good thing to do. And remember this: “The idea of an unbaptized believer does not seem to be entertained in the New Testament” (F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, p. 70).

“The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church.”
“The Holy Spirit gives stronger or weaker evidence of the presence and
blessing of God, according to our response to him.”
“The Holy Spirit’s influence will be to bring a Godlike character or atmosphere
to the situations in which he is active.” – Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

Holy Sprit, ever living as the Church’s very life;
Holy Spirit, ever striving through us in a ceaseless strife;
Holy Spirit, ever forming in the Church the mind of Christ;
You we praise with endless worship for your fruits and gifts unpriced.

– Timothy Rees (1921)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] An Unexpected
Dinner Guest

As my wife and I dined at a popular restaurant in Old Town Seal Beach we realized we had a surprise guest at our table!

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus now a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California.

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July 2024 Newsletter

Posted on July 1, 2024 by admin

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July 2024 Newsletter

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June 6 –
D-Day plus 80 Years

I was but a gleam in my father’s eye and an embryo in my mother’s womb when Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. This invasion would prove, along with the Russian push from the east, to be the end of Hitler’s “Third Reich” less than a year later.

The Allied invasion included 6939 ships and delivered 156,000 troops. An additional 23,400 troops parachuted over France.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the parachutists was Lt. Col. Robert L. Wolverton, 29, from West Virginia. Hours before his battalion (3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne division) made its jump, Col. Wolverton addressed the 759 troops under his command and prayed with them.

Men, I am not a religious man and I don’t know your feelings in this matter, but I am going to ask you to pray with me for the success of the mission before us. And while we pray, let us get on our knees and not look down but up with faces raised to the sky so that we can see God and ask His blessing in what we are about to do.

God almighty, in a few short hours we will be in battle with the enemy.
We do not join battle afraid. We do not ask favors or indulgence but ask that, if You will, use us as Your instrument for the right and an aid in returning peace to the world.

We do not know or seek what our fate will be. We ask only this, that if die we must, that we die as men would die, without complaining, without pleading and safe in the feeling that we have done our best for what we believed was right. O Lord, protect our loved ones and be near us in the fire ahead and with us now as we pray to you.

After two minutes of silence, he ordered: “Move out!”

A few hours later Wolverton was killed by German machine gun fire as he hung with his chute tangled in an orchard tree outside of St. Come-du-Mont. Using him as target practice, the Germans put 162 bullet holes into him. Of the 15 parachutists who jumped from his plane, five were killed, seven were captured, and three fought on.

Though I was yet unborn on June 6, 1944, D-Day is an annual emotional experience for me. Veterans of this war who still survive* are now 100 years old, give or take. We need to keep the memory alive so that generations born after the war will appreciate the sacrifices made for their freedoms and not take these freedoms for granted or ignore them or, even worse, oppose them.

* NOTE: In 2023 there were 119,500 veterans of World War 2 still alive, less than 1% of the 16.4 million who served. (Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

In just two years we will celebrate, God willing, the 250th Anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. Will we live out its meaning?

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…

– The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

These compelling words about the values imbedded in the Declaration of Independence were delivered by David Boaz, long-time vice president of the Cato Institute, in his last official address before his passing on June 7, 2024:

For millennia, with few exceptions, the world was marked by despotism, slavery, hierarchy, rigid class privilege, and literally no increase in the standard of living over hundreds of years. And then, the Western world experienced the Enlightenment, a new perspective on the world based on reason, science, a belief in progress, and freedom.

And the ideas about freedom eventually came to be known as liberalism. Human rights, markets, property rights, religious toleration, the value of commerce, the dignity of the individual. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Peace, human flourishing.

That brought about what Deirdre McCloskey calls the Great Fact of human history, the enormous and unprecedented growth in living standards, starting around 1800 in the Western world. And these ideas spread to more aspects of society and more parts of the world. Europe and America to the rest of Europe, to Latin America, to parts of Asia…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who
maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3
Concluding My Chaplain Service

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”2054″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]After “Backing the Badge” for 22 years, 7 months as Chaplain for the Seal Beach Police Department, I retired from that role as my wife and I transitioned to our new home in Temecula, CA.

The police department and the City of Seal Beach were incredibly gracious in their appreciation acknowledgements. In May I was given opportunities to address members of the department at an awards breakfast, and the community and its leaders at a meeting of the City Council.

Here are selected comments I made at one or both of these gatherings:

“What led to my chaplaincy? First, I came across a scripture that would change the course of my ministry. Jeremiah 29:7 (my paraphrase) – ‘Seek the shalom (the well-being) of the city where I have placed you, and pray to the Lord in its behalf.’”

* * *

“Second, the board at my church made a recommendation that would change my life and refocus my ministry. ‘Don, you should find some avenue of service in the Seal Beach community.’ It was great advice. Pastors easily become insular. We already have a lot on our plates serving the needs of the church. So it was good to be told to look above the fence and see how you might serve the community around you.”

* * *

“When I did become chaplain, I often said that I’d know I had been accepted when two things happened: [1] the officers wouldn’t watch their language around me and [2] they wouldn’t spell ‘chaplain’ as if it were my last name and my first name was Charlie. ‘Chappy’ was how many officers came to greet me and I liked that.”

* * *

“An officer and I looked on the body of a man at an accident scene. The officer said to me, ‘You never get used to that.’ I’ve often thought, ‘That’s the way we must think.’ If we ever get used to it, we have lost a piece of our souls.”

* * *

“Police chaplains serve in several ways. But I think the most significant is responding to call-outs. The chaplain’s phone rings any hour of the day or night and away you go. What will I encounter and what should I say and do? Well, here’s a great word of encouragement to chaplains: ‘Yours is a ministry of presence.’ On the way to the location, I’d pray ‘The Prayer of St. Francis.’ Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace!”

* * *

“I’ve been at hospitals with parents whose little boy or girl just died. I’ve been to fiery accident scenes to comfort those who got out of the car in time but others didn’t. I’ve been to suicide scenes and to homes where a spouse awoke in the morning to find his or her partner deceased. And more.”

* * *

“I’ve prayed with police officers at their request, that they might have an extra measure of strength and grace to do whatever the job demanded.”

* * *

“The greatest challenge of all—the mass murders on 12 October 2011. Less than three months from my retirement as a church pastor the most traumatic event of my career unfolded. The stress, short-term and long term, on officers, dispatchers, and medical providers was beyond words. You were all doing God’s work. May he hold you up by his strong hand.”

* * *

“Don’t forget to support chaplains as they support you. When you debrief those who faced the traumas, debrief the chaplains. They may be emotionally out of gas. I would return home in the middle of the night after a traumatic situation and wake up my wife. She’s the best debriefer I could possibly have.”

* * *

“Our law enforcement officers are called on to do their best as they face a challenging and often evil and dangerous world. Our culture has been losing its spirit of civility and community values and its respect for authority. Your police officers are there to restrain and resist and possibly reverse this trend.”

* * *

“My prayer is that God would lead us all to ‘do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.’”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”2055″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 6)

[I believe] He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge
the living and the dead.

As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

– Acts 1:9-11 ESV

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
– The Apostle Peter’s Pentecost Sermon (Acts 2:32-36)

To my readers: if you recognize the painting above and can send me the name of the artist and the date, I’d appreciate it much! I looked at many depictions of the ascension, good and bad, and liked this one best.

I also looked at depictions of Jesus seated at the right hand of God. Perhaps I’m being legalistic, but I don’t like depictions of God the Father. Would he really look that old, like he’s “Father Time” in late December? Do the depictions violate the Second Commandment? The New Testament declares that Jesus himself is the proper depiction of the Father (John 14:9). He is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).

This Confessional portion of the Creed has three elements:

1) Jesus ascended into heaven.

6A – Jesus had a teaching ministry with his disciples before he ascended.

He taught about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:4-8). The disciples posed a question, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus gave a two-fold reply. Without challenging in any way the “restore the kingdom to Israel” part of the question, Jesus replied,

• The TIMING of the kingdom is not theirs to know. Given the amount of speculations by Christians in my lifetime and before, Jesus might as well have saved his breath. The timing and nature of “End Time Events” have often become topics of unhealthy speculation. So Jesus’ warning is unfortunately necessary and should be ever heeded.

• Instead of concern over TIMING, they should concern themselves with their upcoming TASK. Once the Holy Spirit comes upon them, these eye-witnesses to the ministry of Jesus shall testify to the Good News of Jesus starting from Jerusalem, extending through Judea and Samaria, and then throughout the world.

Important: Acts 1:8 is “time and place and personnel sensitive.” It is NOT a call for mission work by all generations to evangelize, beginning at home, then to their country, then to the whole world.

6B – Jesus ascended into Heaven before his disciples’ watchful eyes until a cloud hid him from their sight.

Luke’s account is powerful in its simplicity (Acts 1:9-11). Once the ascension commenced it soon became “cloud-concealed” and there is nothing more to be known or talked about. “Which way, how high, where?”

What they and all heaven-gazers in generations to come need to know is Jesus will return “in the same way” as he ascended. Nothing less than a visible, physical return to earth will satisfy this promise. Jesus doesn’t “return” when we die and go to heaven, or when the Spirit came at Pentecost, or at the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, or through the church’s words and ministries (in spite of these half-truth words in the great hymn Lead On, O King Eternal: “With deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes.”).

Just as the band of disciples watched his ascent with the naked eye until a cloud concealed him, so also “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him…and all the earth shall mourn because of him [due to the world’s evil ways]” – Revelation 1:7. More unanswerable questions come to mind, but this angelic word must suffice.

2) Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

6C – The Enthronement of Jesus in Heaven

Christians who observe Good Friday and Easter miss a chance to underscore vital Christian truth if they fail to observe Ascension Sunday. When we remember Jesus’ ascension we will also recall his enthronement at the Father’s right hand.

When Jesus ascended to heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand, it signaled the successful completion of his earthly priesthood ministry:

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… – Hebrews 1:3

Now at God the Father’s right hand, Jesus receives the honor that is properly his.The Apostle Paul explained Jesus’ exaltation this way:

God exalted him to the highest place
And gave him the name that is above every name,
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Jesus possesses the very name of God himself—the name above every name. When every knee is bowed before him and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord, the prophecy of Isaiah 45:23 is fulfilled, where Jehovah God says:

‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.”

Now his present heavenly priesthood ministry includes intercessory prayer before his Father in behalf of his followers (you might say, “He has God’s right ear.”). As our high priest, he is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

From his throne Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit to his awaiting disciples and upon his church ever more. This includes the impartation of spiritual gifts for the service and spiritual upbuilding of his church. This is what the apostles taught: “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Peter on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:33) and ‘“To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” (Paul in Ephesians 4:7-8).

Another thought on this point. In one unique instance Jesus arose from his seat and stood as the first Christian martyr gave his life for his Lord. Stephen testified before he died, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). I can’t dogmatically generalize this thought, but at least in this one case Jesus stood to welcome his faithful servant home!

6D – So, where is Jesus now?

Jesus “localized” is seated at the right hand of his Father. To that position he personally and bodily ascended. From that position he will, at the appointed hour, return personally and bodily to earth.

But Jesus has a “special presence” in certain ways:

• Where two or three (or more) are gathered in his name, there he is in their midst (Matthew 18:15-20), authenticating the church’s authority when it acts in his name. See the “disciplining presence” of Jesus with his church in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5.

• He is “with” his church always as she fulfills the Great Commission he gave her before his ascension (Matthew 28:16-20).

• Jesus has a Eucharistic presence when his church breaks the bread (“This is my body”) and drinks the cup (“This is my blood”). Rather than “tokens” or “symbols,” the Eucharistic bread and cup constitute a dynamic sharing together (koinonia) between believers and their Lord. Read Paul’s teaching on this dynamic encounter and how it contrasts with the dynamic encounter between demons and feast-goers at a pagan temple feast (1 Corinthians 10:14-22).

The time is long overdue for Christians to move from the “just symbols” notion of the bread and the cup at the Lord’s Table to recognizing this dynamic encounter between the church and her “really present” Lord.

3) Jesus will come from his throne in heaven to judge the living and the dead.

The version of the Creed that I recited weekly in church as a child said Jesus would judge “the quick and the dead.” And I was puzzled. The “quick?”
Here in California, pedestrians who would carelessly cross our busy streets are either “quick” or “dead.”

6E – In Jesus, God will judge all humanity.

I’m impressed that our Declaration of Independence not only refers to God as “Creator” but also as “Judge.” Humankind, male and female, are answerable to the God who made them in his image and who guided them by his laws and, ultimately, by the life and teachings of Jesus.

God will judge humanity through his Son Jesus—a delegated responsibility. At his sermon on “Mars Hill” the Apostle Paul said God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31). To speak of the “Judgment Seat of God” (Romans 14:10) or the “Judgment Seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10) is to say the same thing.

If naturalism dominates our thinking, we will regard any notion of final judgment as a relic of a superstitious, pre-scientific age. But science is ill prepared to call into question whether there is a Creator or Judge.

Biblical revelation in numerous places speaks of a final judgment. Christians will differ and dicker over specifics, but this much is clear: God will judge every person in fairness and justice for the deeds done while in our earthly bodies (Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Revelation 20:11-15).

6F – A word about “Living between the Two Advents”

The Kingdom of God was inaugurated in Jesus’ first coming. His enthronement in heaven displays his kingship over all things. We might call this inaugural phase of the Kingdom the “Kingdom in Mystery.”

The “Kingdom in Mystery” will someday yield to the “Manifest Kingdom.” The Second Coming of Jesus will usher it in. His return will be dramatic, powerful, decisive, transformative. The Lord Jesus will be “revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” See 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7, 19:11-16, 22:12.

When the church prays, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying for the Manifest Kingdom of God to arrive.

During the present phase of God’s Kingdom, God governs “behind the scenes.”
The rule of God is extended through the ministries of the church (be it ever so flawed) and the church’s faithful teaching about Jesus—his life and words and ministries, his death, resurrection, ascension and return. The Holy Spirit empowers and enables the church to fulfill God’s call and purposes.

God’s rule is also extended through human governments that establish and encourage justice even, if necessary, by force (Romans 13:1-7).

During this Mystery Phase the church does not seek to establish the Kingdom of God through force or politics, but through witness and godly living. But certainly the church supports religious freedom and the societal implications of biblical morality. Now during the Kingdom in Mystery the church seeks and shows “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). When we sing, “With deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes,” we must have this phase of the Kingdom in mind.
Theologian Michael Horton describes the present nature of God’s Kingdom this way: ‘”The Kingdom of God is no longer identified with any geopolitical kingdom on earth. It is no longer the era of driving the nations out of God’s holy land but of living side by side with unbelievers in charity. …It is the hour of grace, not judgment” – Michael Horton, The Christian Faith.
Just think of the neighborly implications of the present kingdom!

Both Christians and secular people who yearn for a new era of tranquility and peace are wrong if they think this “Manifest Kingdom” or “Golden Age” is fully achievable now, though we may make incremental progress. Isaiah’s prophecy that “the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together “ (Isaiah 11:6) is not attainable in the present age. If you attempt to mix animals that way now, you will need a lot of lambs and goats and calves!

Likewise, world affairs require that we strive for peace but at the same time not be naïve toward the power of evil. A state governed by peace principles alone will see itself subjected to evil domination. It’s too soon to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

June 30, 2024 – Ninety years since Adolph Hitler got rid of many whom he perceived as threats to his power in a purge known as:

“The Night of the Long Knives”

Chancellor/dictator Adolph Hitler, at the urging of Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Göring, ordered executions to consolidate his power. The violence from June 30 through July 2, 1934 was directed against the paramilitary group known as “Brown Shirts,” which had supported Hitler’s rise to power but which was seen as a threat by the German military. Other political enemies of Hitler were also purged by execution, including Gustav Ritter von Kahr, a political leader in Bavaria who had suppressed Hitler’s Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.

This example of extra-legal suppression of political opposition was a foretaste of much worst to come.

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and seven grandchildren, including a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California

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May-June 2024 Newsletter

Posted on May 27, 2024 by admin

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A Solder Worth Honoring
May-June 2024 Newsletter

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My Opening Prayer at the May 2 Awards Breakfast Seal Beach [CA] Police Department

Police Department “Our God in Heaven, we begin by asking your very special comfort and encouragement for the families of the four officers killed in Charlotte. Guide the law enforcement departments and their leaders through this very difficult time.

“We express our concern over the lawlessness on campuses which not only damages property but also damages our ability to have genuine freedom of speech and to discuss our differences with civility. Again, guide the law enforcement agencies and their leaders that are called on to uphold the law and enforce the peace in these difficult circumstances.

“Keep your workers safe and lead us, in the words of the Prophet Amos, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God. In his name we pray. Amen.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Deputy Sheriff Tobin Bolter
End of Watch: April 21, 2024

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who
maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3
A Line-of-Duty Death
Strikes Close to Home

Deputy Tobin Bolter, 27, served the people of Ada County Idaho. With Boise as the county seat, Ada County is by far the state’s largest county.

On April 20 at 9:00 p.m. Deputy Bolter made a traffic stop in Boise. According to Officer Down Memorial Page:

He had just exited his patrol car and was approaching the vehicle he stopped when the driver opened fire on him before fleeing. A witness to the shooting called 911 and performed CPR on Deputy Bolter before medics arrived and transported him to a local hospital.

The subject was located … a short time later. He was shot and killed by Boise police officers after opening fire on them as they attempted to take him into custody. It was later determined that the man was wanted.

Deputy Bolter succumbed to his wounds at about 10:00 am the following morning.

While he had seven years’ experience in law enforcement, Deputy Bolter had served the Ada County Sheriff’s Department for only four months. The Bolter Family said in a statement, “Tobin’s life has been a reflection of God’s grace. He was a selfless man of conviction, giving God the glory in all circumstances.”

Deputy Bolter is survived by Abbey, his beloved wife for almost six years. Abbey’s parents were part of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach when she was a child and before they moved. I was privileged to be their pastor.

We mourn this senseless killing and uphold this devastated family with our prayers and support as we also uphold the Ada County Sheriff’s Department.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 5)

Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he [the patriarch David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
– Peter’s Sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:30-32 ESV)

[I believe]
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.

5A – Here we see how New Testament preachers and writers viewed the Old Testament as reaching its fulfillment in Jesus.

Jesus walked with two men on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 21:13-27) and explained how the scriptures found their fulfillment in him – “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” Jesus had lots to say during a seven-mile walk!

In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost he reflected on the words of Psalm 16:10. There King David confidently says, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol [Hell], or let your holy one see corruption” (verses 9-10).

Any normal reading of these verses would conclude David is speaking of his own confidence in God’s care. And that’s correct. The New Testament, however, again and again sees a “fulfillment” (a “fill-FULL-ment”— a “Meaning” above the meaning) of these words in Jesus. Likewise, Hosea 11:1 clearly refers to Israel’s exodus from Egypt: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Yet Matthew (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) sees a “fill-FULL-ment” in this historical statement—he sees a prophecy of the child Jesus leaving Egypt (Matthew 2:15).

5B – “Hell” has various meanings, and this makes the creed’s words a bit baffling.

“Hades” (“Hell”; Hebrew: “sheol”) can simply mean the grave, which it probably meant in Psalm 16:10 (Acts 2:29 – “His tomb is with us to this day”).

But “Hades” also may refer to the realm of departed spirits (Luke 16:23).

So, does the creed refer to Jesus’ days in the tomb, or to a descent by Jesus into the netherworld of departed spirits? I can see arguments either way.

5C – If Jesus did, in his death, descend to the realm of the dead, what did he “do” there?

Now Jesus’ “descent into Hell” gets even murkier! Read these verses:

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which [spirit] he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. (1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV. See also 1 Peter 4:6)

Does this mean Jesus preached the gospel to departed souls in Hades, thereby giving the listeners a “second chance”? Or did he proclaim salvation to the righteous dead and then lead their souls to heaven? Or was a message of judgment proclaimed against the unrighteous dead?

Note that 1 Peter 3:18-20 only speaks of those who disobeyed God in the days of Noah. Perhaps Peter is saying that “the spirit of Jesus” was preaching judgment in the days of Noah to people who are now dead. This is reasonable and thus it doesn’t say that Jesus preached in Hell to all who have died.

The meaning of Jesus’ descent into Hell is problematic. To simply view this descent as referring to his burial fits the meaning of Psalm 16:10 in both its original reference to David and in its fulfillment in Jesus’s burial. And it avoids the speculations around a descent to a realm of spirits. So I prefer this view.

What did Jesus “do” when he descended into Hell? He remained in the tomb.

5D – So perhaps we can understand how some Bible scholars have suggested we leave this phrase out of the creed entirely!

Theologian Wayne Grudem favors omitting the phrase. For a few years I would leave this statement out when I lead my congregation in saying this creed. I thought that a creed should be clear on the basics of our faith and that this phrase was too opaque.

Many early versions of The Apostles’ Creed omit the phrase, as does the later Nicene Creed. In reality there is no “loss of truth” in omitting it.

In more recent years I’ve included the phrase. But if we’re going to include it, we had better teach from time to time about what it means. Death could not hold him!

There in the ground, His body lay. Light of the world, by darkness, slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave, He rose again.

– “In Christ Alone” by Keith & Kristyn Getty

5E – “The Third Day”

We may be puzzled at this if we believe Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose Sunday morning. After all, didn’t Jesus himself say, “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40)?

This isn’t the only “calendar” problem for Passion Week! It may just be that “three days/nights” is a pattern of speaking that refers to an experience that covers all or parts of three days.

5F – The resurrection of Jesus is part of the Gospel—Don’t omit it!

“If the Resurrection is removed from the messages of the early Church, then that message loses its center and its soul. The claim on which all other claims were based is invalidated, and there is little left.”

– William Barclay, The Apostles’ Creed

I’ve taken many evangelism classes over the years and have learned the “points” we are to share when we witness (like “The Four Spiritual Laws”). How many of these include the resurrection of Jesus? Just about none.

But if we read the Book of Acts we will see how “soul winning” includes the word of the resurrection all over the place. We confess it for salvation: “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

The Apostle Paul declares that the resurrection of Jesus is part of the gospel that saves us (1 Corinthians 15:2-4): “Christ died for our sins…he was buried…he was raised the third day.” Believe it; proclaim it; live it!

5G – Only an actual bodily resurrection will pass the Test of Truth!

Liberals within the Christian religion may choose to believe that Jesus lives on in the hearts of his followers or in the power of his moral teachings or in the abiding value of the life he lived. That’s all true, but that’s not the meaning of “he rose again from the dead.”

The Gospel proclaims a bodily resurrection. When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19) he was speaking of “the temple of his body” (2:21). After his resurrection he appeared to his disciples in his real but transformed resurrection body (Luke 24:36-43):

Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

Thus, Jesus proclaimed, invited investigation, and demonstrated that he was alive in the body (proclamation and apologetics are friends). This has enormous implications for Christian truth and ethics. I will explain this further when I comment on the creed’s “the resurrection of the body.”

5H – The meaning and value of Jesus’ resurrection.

It is often taught that Jesus’ resurrection was God’s “stamp of acceptance,” so to speak, on the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Yes, but there is more.

At Jesus’ resurrection he was declared to be the Son of God with power (Romans 1:4). He was displayed as God’s obedient Son at his baptism. Now Jesus is displayed as God’s Son with power. See the vision of the exalted Lord in Revelation 1:12-16 and read Philippians 2:6-11.
The resurrection of Jesus gives us assurance that, as we possess the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus, we will attain resurrection ourselves at the appointed time. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).
In 1 Corinthians 15: 12-18 the Apostle Paul considers the reverse: “What if Jesus did NOT rise from the dead?” Then (1) the apostolic message is hollow, (2) our faith is hollow as well, (3) the apostles have misrepresented God (a most severe sin), because they testified that God indeed did raise his son from the dead, (4) our faith is futile and we remain unforgiven, “in our sins,” (5) those who believed the message and have died are without hope, (6) believers are to be pitied.
We are justified (pronounced righteous by God) through Jesus’ resurrection. We often think of the Cross as achieving our justification, and this is true. But the resurrection completes this work of Christ in our behalf. Jesus was “delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
Jesus’ resurrection empowers us to live godly Christian lives. Our baptism teaches us that “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4; see 6:1-14).
Finally, Jesus’ resurrection is the foretaste (firstfruits) of our own, which will complete our salvation. “Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

How Government Desecrated Two Meaningful Days

1. Do we remember the Resurrection of Jesus or do we celebrate “Transgender Day of Visibility”?

Christians in the Western World overwhelmingly celebrate Easter Sunday as the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Good governments ought to respect this and not trample on it either intentionally or thoughtlessly. For example, the huge Long Beach Gran Prix is held on an April weekend every year. Easter, of course, is a “floating Sunday” on the calendar. Still, out of respect for this day and those who honor it, the big race is never scheduled to conflict with it.

But such considerateness didn’t register with the White House:

I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, …do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.

The proclamation says further:

On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.

Now, it might be claimed that government and religion don’t mix well. So the government has no duty to safeguard a day dedicated to religious observance. But the president’s proclamation does just that (mixes government and religion) with regard to “Transgender Day of Visibility.” He declares that this day honors our commitment to have a nation “where all people are created equal and treated equally.” Just where does that idea ultimately come from? Nothing less than from the biblical idea that God is our Creator and gave us value by making us in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). And God’s creative work did more: “Male and female he made them” – a distinction to be honored and upheld, not confused or erased.

“Mr. President, what in the world were you thinking when you took Easter Sunday and named it the ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’?”

2. Do we remember April 30 as a sad day, when South Vietnam fell to Communist North Vietnam, or do we celebrate “Jane Fonda Day”?

“Hanoi Jane” Fonda with N Vietnamese troops

On April 30, 1975 the armies of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong captured the city of Saigon, bringing an end to the Vietnam War. The large Vietnamese American community (over 500,000 in California) regards that day as Black April.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently designated April 30 each year as “Jane Fonda Day.” A member of the California legislature who is of Vietnamese heritage had this to say (Assemblyman Tri Ta, The Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2024):

By honoring Fonda on Black April, the supervisors disregarded the Vietnamese American community, America’s Vietnam veterans and countless others, aggravating wounds that have yet to heal. To have this solemn day overshadowed by the celebration of an individual who openly sympathized with the regime responsible for so much suffering is an insult to the memory of those who perished and those who continue to live with the scars of war. This decision demonstrates a lack of empathy for the Vietnamese diaspora and highlights a need for greater cultural awareness.

In responding to the wave of protests, the Board of Supervisors has moved the commemorative date to April 8. The questions remain, “Why should this be a Board of Supervisors matter? Should not the Board attend to the serious matters facing the county and resolve them, rather than lifting up a polarizing figure from the past like Jane Fonda?”

“Supervisors, what in the world were you thinking when you took Black April and named it ‘Jane Fonda Day’?”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

A Soldier
Worth Honoring
on Memorial Day

Veteran (Vietnam),
Pastor, Spiritual Leader, Friend

Randy Weekley

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”2043″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]I knew Randy as a loyal American and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Even more, I knew him as a Christian pastor and spiritual leader. I would see him every year that he served on our denomination’s leadership team, which would meet each January at my church in Seal Beach CA.

During those visits we’d always take time to talk. I learned about his physical sufferings, which seemed to be worsening. Sadly, I learned of the terrible villonodual synovotos * that severely affected his ankles. “How did this come about?” I asked. He was clear and firm: “Agent Orange!”

Agent Orange was a potent defoliant used by the U.S. in the Vietnam War to denude the jungles and thus expose the enemy’s movements. Unfortunately, it also affected many American servicemen and it took our government way too long to own up to the consequences.

While in Vietnam, U.S and Free World Military Assistance Forces soldiers were told not to worry about Agent Orange and were persuaded the chemical was harmless. After returning home, Vietnam veterans from all countries that served began to suspect their ill health or the instances of their wives having miscarriages or children born with birth defects might be related to Agent Orange and the other toxic herbicides to which they had been exposed in Vietnam.

There are various types of cancer associated with Agent Orange, including chronic B-cell leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancer, lung cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas. (Wikipedia)

I saw Randy’s ability to get around become more difficult each year. In 2015 his left leg was amputated below the knee. He said of this experience, “I have had the privilege of meeting many brave vets who are amputees. My relationship with the God of the universe helps me daily to get through. I am asking God to open a door of ministry into their lives.”

Randy (74) passed away and went to be with his Lord on October 19, 2023. Active in ministry up to the time of his passing, he gave his last sermon on August 13, appropriately titled “Absolute Necessity of Trials.”

Randy told me one very sad experience. Those who remember the Vietnam War era will recall the division in our country over the war. Sometimes it spilled over into protests. But it never should have turned against the troops.

On one occasion when he returned to the United States: A police officer spit on the ground in front of him. That should never be. The police officer should have been fired.

A “thank you” to all who have served our country through military service. And a big “thank you” to Randy, for serving God and the country he loved, for being a fine pastor and friend, for paying such a big price.

* https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/what-is-pvns-pigmented-villonodular-synovitis[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don and his wife Mary have been married for 58 years. They have two children and six grandchildren, plus a grandson-in-law. They recently moved to Temecula, California.

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April 2024 Newsletter

Posted on March 28, 2024 by admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”949″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”“A Piece of My Mind”” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:50px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”April 2024 Newsletter” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:30px|text_align:center|color:%232633ef” google_fonts=”font_family:Bitter%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Good Friday?

Jesus agonized in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
He was betrayed by Judas and delivered over to those who willed his death.
He was beaten and sentenced to death in Pilate’s Judgment Hall.
He was taken to Calvary and there he was crucified.
He died, after which a Roman soldier pierced his side with a sword.
He was buried.

So how can we call the day it happened “Good”?

See next what The Apostles’ Creed says about what happened on Good Friday.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“The Apostles’ Creed” (Part 4)

“…when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

– Luke 23:33-34 ESV

[I believe…in Jesus Christ, who…]
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.

4A – Not a word is said in this creed about Jesus’ life between his birth and passion (suffering).

Neither The Apostles’ Creed nor The Nicene Creed spends a moment on the life of Jesus. It’s as if Jesus’ life (33 years, including 3 years of intense ministry) is the silent hyphen between two dates (his birth, his death).

An interesting text in the Book of Revelation says even less: “She gave birth to a male child…and the child was snatched up to God and to his throne” (Revelation 12:5 NIV). Birth and ascension, nothing in between.

I see no error in what the creeds do. They catch two high points in Jesus’ life. A full Christology (the doctrine of Christ) and a study of the Life of Christ, of course, must do much more. Learning this is part of Christian growth; learning of Jesus’ birth and death is part of Christian initiation. If we ignore the life of Christ (as if to say, “He came to die”) we have truncated the Gospel.

4B – “Pontius Pilate” – from now on a “household name!”

Two people are named in this creed: the righteous virgin Mary, the unrighteous governor Pilate. How would you like your name mentioned this way in a creed recited by hundreds of millions over the millennia?

Pilate was no paragon of justice. He was self-serving to crucify Jesus. He thought he could wash his hands of his evil deed (Matthew 27:24), but no amount of water would ever remove this guilt.

Pilate once mingled the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices (Luke 13:1). Historians differ over whether he was an effective or cruel leader, or both. Putin comes to mind.

Summoned back to Rome for brutality against Samaritans, he never did come to trial and may have simply retired. The Coptic Church believes he became a convert to Christianity and venerates him as a martyr and saint. The Roman historian Tacitus references Jesus’ death under Pilate.

4C – “Crucified” is more than just a word.

We may say or read this word and pass on, missing its significance. People of the Roman world of Jesus’ day knew the horror behind the word.

Nailed to a cross or a stake by the hands (or wrists or forearms) and feet, the person under such a sentence of death would die after hours or days due to asphyxiation. The torturous hours would be spent in agony at the mercy of the heat and birds and insects as well as, in Jesus’ case, the taunts of others.

Rather than “on a hill far away,” crucifixion was probably done where the public would pass by, behold, and take heed. Don’t mess with Rome!

The Gospel accounts indicate that Jesus yielded up his life prior to dying by asphyxiation. John 19:31-33 indicates that a soldier broke the legs of the two crucified with Jesus, which would quicken their asphyxiation. But Jesus was already dead and the soldiers did not break his legs.

4D – No reason for Jesus’ death on the cross is given in this creed.

The Nicene Creed begins its confessions about Jesus’ birth and death with the words “for us and our salvation” (he was born, he died, etc.). It continues “for our sake he was crucified…” Other than these words we would not know from these creeds that Jesus’ death was salvific, not just a secular Roman penalty.

The Gospel of John, in its common effort to show “the Purpose” deeper than a “purpose,” tells us that a Roman soldier thrust a spear into Jesus’ side and at once blood and water flowed out. The word on this action is given to evoke faith in Jesus and to highlight the fulfillment of scripture (John 19:34-37).

1 John 5:6-10 contains a confession that may mystify us a bit:

This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.

I understand this as looking back to the soldier piercing Jesus’ side. The Spirit of God testifies to the truth of “the water and the blood,” and belief in the Christ who lived for us and died for us is a saving belief. I suggest that the water and blood that flowed from Jesus’ side bore witness to a real birth in the flesh and a real death on the cross. This countered heresy that denied a complete incarnation and actual death on the cross. This confession was important then and still is now.

We could state several answers to “Why did Jesus die?” Here are three. One does not exclude the others.

1) Jesus died “for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), that God’s just wrath against evil might be satisfied and God might be just when he justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

2) Jesus also died as an example to us who believe in him, so we might know how to face injustice and assaults on our faith as he did (1 Peter 2:21-24).

3) Jesus’ death was a climatic victory—liberation from Satan and evil. By the cross, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:15).

This third motif is often overlooked by Christians today, who focus on the first almost exclusively. But in the early church and in the church’s first millennium the idea that Jesus died the Victor (Christus Victor) was strong. If we taught this and believed it more intensely, our Communion services would be more celebratory and less like funerals.

5D. Jesus’ burial underscored the reality of his death and brought an end to his humiliation.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent leader of the people and a believer in Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Amazed that Jesus was dead so soon, Pilate verified Jesus’ death and then released the body to Joseph.

Joseph buried Jesus’ body in a new tomb after carefully removing it from the cross and wrapping it in linen. To me, this signals the end of Jesus’ humiliation and anticipates his exaltation. As if God said, “My son will now be treated with dignity.”

All four Gospel accounts record the burial of Jesus (see Mark 15:42-46). The word on Jesus’ burial is not just some afterthought—it is confessional (“crucified, dead and buried” in the words of the creed). Burial is an important pointer to the certainty of his death and this truth is part of the Gospel that saves us: “By this gospel you are saved…Christ died for our sins…he was buried…he was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:2-4).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1598373738095{border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood.
Sealed my pardon with his blood,
Hallelujah, what a savior!
(P. P. Bliss, 1875)

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
(J. Wilbur Chapman, 1908)

“The Entombment of Christ”
By Caravaggio (1603)
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea place Jesus in a tomb while Jesus’ mother Mary, Mary Magdalene
and Mary of Clopas look on.

A Word to Pastors, Church Leaders and Active Church Members…

“50+ Years of Ministry in Southern California – 1970-2024”
By Donald Shoemaker
Pastor, Professor & Police Chaplain

“Ministry” as I’ve known it is about to change in my life as my wife and I relocate soon. This reality gives me pause to reflect back on my ministry journey and now write and speak on it. Here I share three big observations as I look back on over a half-century of ministry in Southern Cal.

1. The Southern California culture has changed, and I changed with it.

In January 1970 my wife and I flew to California. At age 25, I was to candidate for the pastoral position at a church in Long Beach. We could call that our “SNOWPLOW” trip—the runway in South Bend IN had to be plowed for the plane to get in to take us to Chicago. It was our first plane flight—totally in the clouds from takeoff almost to landing.

“Long Beach is a pretty conservative city,” a host family member told us. Well, maybe at the start of my ministry here, but would this ever change over the years!

We moved to Long Beach in July 1970. I became a pastor and we bought a house nine doors behind the church, where we have lived until now.

A culturally conservative church in a conservative city fit me to a “T”.

My training at Grace Theological Seminary in Indiana was excellent, but basically it prepared me for service in a conservative cultural context, not in a cosmopolitan secular megalopolis. The church I pastored for six years was a good group of people. But it could have been plucked up from the Midwest and planted on the east side of Long Beach.

But then my notions of what it means to be spiritual and separated according to this conservative mindset dramatically unraveled.
• I ran into something called “The Jesus Movement.” Any pastor with an open mind couldn’t help but be influenced by this mostly-genuine spiritual revival.
• I participated in a “March for Jesus” that featured singer Barry McGuire. My assignment was to drive this sincere Christian with the looks of a hippie to the beach where he would sing. It was quite an “eye-opener” physically and spiritually.
• A year later I invited him to sing at my church. He stayed in our home for the weekend. His simple yet growing faith touched me deeply. Bias against long hair notwithstanding, our toddler daughter saw him and said, “Zeezaw [Jesus]!”

Preaching through the Gospel of Matthew was the final blow to the legalistic Christianity I was raised under and which was deep in the DNA of my church and my denomination.

Month after month I expounded Matthew without my culturally conservative glasses on.
Mt 15:11, 17-20 – “It’s not what enters into a man that defiles a man, but what comes from the heart.” Jesus meant what he said, and it couldn’t be explained away.
Mark 7:19 adds: “Thus he declared all foods clean.” I said in my sermon, “The teachings of
Fundamentalism are closer to the teachings of the Pharisees than to Jesus’ teachings.”

With this revolution in my thinking, my view changed on what musical instruments and styles are acceptable in worship. I wrote an article in our denomination’s magazine called “Music in Worship.” I said that opposition to guitars and “Jesus Music” made one a “weaker brother” by biblical standards. A reader’s Letter to the Editor said: “I couldn’t believe I was reading [our denomination’s] magazine.” A couple of months later a professor from our college wrote an article on music in the magazine as a rebuttal.

More important: my categories of clean and unclean people had to change (read the entire chapter of Acts 10). The Apostle Peter could never have ministered outside his conservative culture to Gentiles without the revolution in his heart that took place when a sheet descended from heaven full of clean and unclean foods and God’s word to Peter was: “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.” I call that “Peter’s Second Conversion” and I had a second conversion too!

Peter preached to the Gentile household of Cornelius and saw them converted. He told them: “God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean” (Acts 10:28). But would Peter ever get criticized for this foray into the Gentile world when he returned to his mother church!

This account about Peter and the Gentiles resonates with me. I had a similar experience!

2. My views on pastoral work have solidified against strong trends.

I still believe that most churches do best with “meat and potatoes” ministries and the pastor as a General Practitioner and a Bible expositor and “keeper of the peace.” There certainly are exceptions when churches find themselves in unique situations.

In 1984 I left a teaching position at Biola University and became pastor of the church in Seal Beach I retired from in 2012 and where I still serve.

“Church Growth”: About that time (1984), “The Church Growth Movement” (CGM) swept through churches and the pastoral profession. I can’t discuss the details here, but I quote Dr. Jim Borror*, one-time pastor of Lakewood First Baptist Church: “The CGM is the worst thing to hit the churches in my lifetime. It will drive a lot of good pastors out of the ministry.” Few good pastors are equipped with the talents, training or passion to be the kind of sodalic, visionary, compelling leader that the CGM tells us we must be. Whatever happened to “shepherds”? Read Ezekiel 34:4-5 on how shepherds/pastors can fail their task.
* Dr. Borror passed away on February 12 at the age of 90.

I adopted a thick skin on how pastoral work and success were defined in the CGM.
A missionary supported by our church told me that he had changed his understanding of what a “successful” church is. “Jesus taught us to love God and love our neighbor. A church leading its people to do those things is a successful church.” That is an encouragement to good, loving pastors who work hard at their churches—small, medium or large.

Preaching: (1) I moved away from rigid sermon prep based on the outlining of the text to prefer exposition that exposed the text through simple points people could easily grasp.
Preaching is not an effort to show our people how well we know the hidden truth revealed in Hebrew and Greek (a form of Gnosticism). Instead, we unfold the truths of the Bible they hold in their hands, so they can see it for themselves.

We are called to be simple preachers who can simultaneously feed mature saints needing the meat of the word and feed less mature saints still needing the “milk of the word.”

(2) I came to regard the most important part of sermon prep to be the hour or two I would spend developing the sermon outline—setting forth simple, organized, homiletically polished points that could be in their hands and projected on the screen and developed in the sermon. Pastors should never short-change their people by putting a piece of paper in the bulletin with only the sermon title and text on it!

(3) I decided that 30 minutes was long enough for a sermon. A 45-minute sermon doesn’t prove us to be more in-depth preachers. It may show we don’t want to organize our sermons more tightly. A 30-minute sermon takes more prep time than a 45-minute sermon.

A deep concern: I’m concerned about the deterioration of theological training and the decline of interest in theology amongst pastors. My denomination’s annual conferences used to feature a daily Bible hour, but now the focus is on methodology. Over a two-year time of study I switched my position on the rapture of the church from a pre-tribulation to a post-tribulation position. There was a time when this would have created a lot of controversy in my denomination, but I’ve heard such little reaction that I’ve had to wonder, “How much do we really care what a pastor believes?”

I thought I’d never hear what I heard a pastor in my denomination once say: “We’ve got doctrine coming out our ears.” As my grandfather would say, “Mark my words” – the seeds we’re sowing now will reap a bad harvest in a future generation.

Pastoral Care: Most won’t remember the sermons we gave (some will, for good or bad!), but they’ll remember our being there for them when their lives were upside down. They will remember my willingness to get up from finalizing sermon notes on a Saturday evening and go the hospital to visit someone in crisis (our current pastor is good at such compassion ministry). My mother was ill with terminal cancer in our home for six months and never got a pastoral call. I wouldn’t recommend her church to anyone, no matter how big it gets or how deep it is into Church Growth.

3. I’ve learned our churches must fulfill their mission to their communities.

I’ve been a social concerns activist for over 50 years. Not every pastor can or should have that level of involvement, but every pastor should be concerned about their communities and, more broadly, what’s happening in their country.

While reading the Bible through I came across Jeremiah 29:7 and it changed my ministry and our church’s focus. “Seek the shalom of the community where I have placed you and pray to the Lord in its behalf, for in its shalom you will have shalom” (my paraphrase).

Also, one year my church’s elder board, as part of an evaluation, made just about the best recommendation it could give. It recommended I find an avenue of service in the Seal Beach community. This led to my becoming the chaplain for our local police department—a service I still provide 23 years later.

When responding to a crisis “call out” I pray the Prayer of St. Francis: “God, make me an instrument of your peace…” Some chaplain experiences I’ve had:

• Many calls to homes during the night when a family member is discovered dead
• Call to accidents to be with families with injured or deceased loved ones
• Call to the hospital where a little boy or little girl wouldn’t survive
• Funerals for department personnel and their family members
• Having police officers seek me out for prayer as they faced tough situations
• The Salon Massacre of 2011 (I still meet with family members on the anniversary)
• Being able to open my church’s facilities in service to the police

Sadly, I learned from a person interested in being a chaplain at another agency:
• That department sent a letter to all area churches to see if any pastor had interest in being a police chaplain there. Results: zero.
• This person went to the leaders of her own megachurch and was told the church didn’t commission chaplains.

I’m pondering writing an article: “If you are too busy to serve your community, you are too busy.” The fields are white unto harvest, but where are the laborers who should be in the fields?

In summary, not every pastor is called to a community service position. But every pastor should be community-minded and lead his church in that direction. Politics has no business in the church, but the church must know what’s going in its community and how to respond.

God calls the church to judge its own and leave judgment of those outside the church to him (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). My job is to be a good neighbor, not a judge, to those outside the church. God will sort everything out on the Last Day.

For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted.
A time to break down, and a time to build up.
A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.

– Ecclesiastes 3:1-6, 11 NIV (excerpts)

Bottom line, after almost 54 years in our Long Beach, California home …

“The Time Has Come!”

We are moving soon to Temecula, California. Leaving our church and my chaplain work at the Seal Beach Police Department and the people involved at both are the two hardest parts of the change, followed by moving from our home, neighborhood, and friends and from the places that have supplied our needs and wants, most within a mile or two of where we’ve lived.

This picture shows the view from our second-floor bedroom deck …

The Time Has Come [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

www.donaldshoemakerministries.com

Don has been a member of the clergy in the Long Beach, California area since 1970. He now serves as Pastor Emeritus of Grace Community Church of Seal Beach (where he was senior pastor 1984-2012) and as Senior Chaplain of the Seal Beach Police Department (2001+). He previously was an assistant professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University (1976-84) and chaired the Social Concerns Committee in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches from 1985 to 2019.

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