In these two verses we see Godly men seeking the Lord, crying out to him, confessing sin to him, and seeking his mercy, grace and forgiveness for corporate sin, for the sins of God’s people.   Even through the individual men were not personally guilty of these sins, they bore the pain and shared the guilt as they identified with the community of God’s covenant people. 

Charles Spurgeon understood this reality as he said, “I firmly believe that, the better a man’s own character becomes, and the more joy in the Lord he has in his own heart, the more capable is he of sympathetic sorrow; and, probably, the more of it he will have. If thou hast room in thy soul for sacred joy, thou hast equal room for holy grief.”

This morning all Southern Baptists should be feeling some measure of holy grief.  Perhaps even more so we at Westwood should feel the weight of holy grief considering Sunday’s sermon from Ephesians 5. 

Yesterday afternoon an extensive and much anticipated report was made public.  The Report of the Independent Investigation  – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s Response to Sexual Abuse Allegations and an Audit of the Procedures and Actions of the Credentials Committee was authorized by the messengers at last year’s SBC meeting in Nashville.  (Four of our Elders were messengers at that meeting)  That action was prompted by numerous allegations from abuse survivors and calls for a comprehensive response from the convention’s leaders. 

The 288 page report, conducted by a third-party investigations firm, Guidepost Solutions reveals a disregard for abuse survivors and a relentless self-serving attitude by some SBC leaders.  The report begins with this scathing statement:   

For almost two decades, survivors of abuse and other concerned Southern Baptists have been contacting the Southern Baptist Convention (“SBC”) Executive Committee (“EC”) to report child molesters and other abusers who were in the pulpit or employed as church staff. They made phone calls, mailed letters, sent emails, appeared at SBC and EC meetings, held rallies, and contacted the press…only to be met, time and time again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within the EC.

Our investigation revealed that, for many years, a few senior EC leaders, along with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to these reports of abuse. They closely guarded information about abuse allegations and lawsuits, which were not shared with EC Trustees, and were singularly focused on avoiding liability for the SBC to the exclusion of other considerations. In service of this goal, survivors and others who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with the constant refrain that the SBC could take no action due to its polity regarding church autonomy – even if it meant that convicted molesters continued in ministry with no notice or warning to their current church or congregation.

Our pastors have reviewed the summary of the report but have not yet read it in its entirety.  We will do so within the next day or so.  We did want to make our members aware of the report and encourage you to join your church elders in seeking the Lord during this time. 

This is a critically important issue for us, not primarily because we are a Southern Baptist church, but because we are a New Testament church, a local assembly of the Bride of Christ, a local gathering of Christ’s sheep, over whom he is our Chief Shepherd.  Jesus invited all who are weary and burdened to come to him for health and rest (Matt 11:28-29).  We have a responsibility to shepherd and lovingly care for those for whom our Savior died and rose again to give eternal life, hope, healing, forgiveness and grace.   We have a special responsibility to those who have and are suffering because of sexual abuse. 

We want to encourage you to familiarize yourself with the report.  Do so by reading it yourself instead of relying on random posts, tweets and social media responses.  At least read the first section that summarizes the contents.  As James commands, we should “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (Ja 1: 19).   This is a volatile and sensitive topic.  Emotions will run high for all involved. 

The issue of sexual abuse prevention and response protocol has been a topic of much discussion within our Elders for the past several months. We require all our leaders and all those who are involved in our children and student ministries to go through specific training regarding sexual abuse prevention, recognition and response.  If you have not done so, please complete your log-in process so you can take the training.  If you’ve begun the training, finish it.  All our members are encouraged to sign up for ministry grid and participate in this training.  This report on the SBC only strengthens our resolve to be well equipped and well trained so we can glorify our Lord as we serve those under our care. 

If national statistics apply in our church (which they certainly do), the probability is very high that there are those in our fellowship who have been wounded and scarred through the sin of sexual abuse.  Please don’t carry that burden alone.  Christ came to change the lives of the captive and oppressed (Lk 4:16-21).  If you are a victim of sexual abuse, please know you will be heard, believed and loved as we seek to minister to you and your family.   

For far too long the cries of the victims were ignored and silenced.  Now they are being heard, and we must be still and listen.  

SBC leaders who were trusted betrayed that trust and now must answer for that. 

The public response to this report will be loud, strong and very critical.  It should be.  There is sin in the SBC camp.  We must own it and address it biblically and faithfully. 

The 2022 meeting of the SBC will be held in June in Anaheim Ca. It will be a difficult and historic meeting.  Please pray for all who will attend and participate in this meeting. 

Pray for God’s mercy and healing as well as his justice and righteousness. 

IT’S EASY, when you read or listen to the news to be discouraged and, while maybe not hopeless, at least not as hope filled as we should be. Inflation and interest rates going up, nations going to war, politics and politicians constantly going against each other, pandemic going on and on, fewer people going to church, the culture seemingly going crazy in ever-increasing ways…you get the idea. 

Simply observing the course of the world around us can press us down, and all too often, cause us to be tentative and unconfident, even scared to share the good news of Christ and the truths of his Word. Say the wrong thing or express support for the wrong cause and you will likely be labeled “far right” by some and “woke” by others.  

So, what should we say or do? What is the best strategy for reaching our community, our culture, even our own kids, with the good news of our gracious, holy God?

I appreciate Kevin DeYoung’s answer to that question: “I beg of you, don’t go after the next generation with mere moralism, either on the right (don’t have sex, go to church, share your faith, stay off drugs) or on the left (recycle, dig a well, feed the homeless, buy a wristband). The gospel is not a message about what we need to do for God, but about what God has done for us. So, get them with the good news about who God is and what he has done for us.”

In his little book, Amaze Them With God, DeYoung offers five suggestions on how to reach our community, our culture, and our kids, how to “get them with the good news about who God is”.

First, grab them with passion. DeYoung says the unchurched will not give Christianity a second thought “if it seems lifeless, repetitive, and uninspiring. They will only get serious about the Christian faith if it seems like something seriously worth their time.” God is passionate about his purposes and his people. The world needs to see Christians burning with this same passion. They don’t need to see self-righteous fury at constantly sliding morals – they need to see our passion for God. 

Second, win them with love. “The evangelical church needs to stop preaching a false gospel of cultural identification. Don’t spend all your time trying to figure out how to be like the next generation. Be yourself; tell them about Jesus; and love unconditionally. Love won’t guarantee the young people will never walk away from the church, but it will make it a lot harder. It won’t guarantee that non-Christians will come to Christ, but it will make the invitation a whole lot more attractive.” 

Third, hold them with holiness. DeYoung nails it when as he writes, “being experts in the culture matters nothing, and worse than nothing, if we are not first of all experts in love, truth and holiness.” His point here is that the one indispensable requirement for producing godly, mature Christians is godly, mature Christians. He says, “a lot of research suggests that the most important social influence in shaping young people’s religious lives is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents.”

Fourth, challenge them with truth. According to DeYoung, “The door is open like never before to challenge people with good Bible teaching. Whether they accept it all or not, they want to know what Christians actually believe. They want truth straight up, unvarnished, and unashamed. Shallow Christianity will not last in the coming generation, and it will not grow. Cultural Christianity is fading. The church in the twenty-first century must go big on truth or go home.” 

Fifth, amaze them with God. “If ever people were starving for a God the size of God, surely it is now. Give them a God who is holy, independent and unlike us, a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. Give them a God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. Give them a God with edges. Give them a God who makes them feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable too. Give them a God worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope, and love.”

Amaze Them With God ends with this simple but significant truth: “As you try to reach the next generation for Christ, you can amaze them with your cleverness, your humor, or your looks, or you can amaze them with God.” 

As we continue our study in Ephesians, we will see how we are called and enabled by God to amaze our kids, our community, and our culture with the reality of our amazing God as they see Him reflected in our holiness, in our unity, and in our families, and as they hear his truth in our conversations and gospel witness. Let’s amaze them with God!

All of us are, or should be, moved to hit our knees praying on behalf of the country of Ukraine. I have been moved by the courage and commitment of the citizens of Ukraine, and especially the Christians who have chosen to remain in their communities even as the imminent threat of danger and death marches in their streets. A few days before Russia attacked the nation of Ukraine, several seminaries from former Soviet Republics issued a statement condemning Russian aggression, confessing allegiance to Christ, and urging Christians everywhere to pray for peace. In part, their statement said:

The Christian Church has been instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Created by the Word of God and directed by the Holy Spirit, the Church confesses one Lord and Savior Jesus, his gospel and law. Therefore, as part of the Church and under the Lordship of Christ, we are called to speak the truth and expose deceit (Ephesians 4:15; 4:25).

We confess the real and unlimited power of God over all countries and continents (Psalm 24:1), as well as over all kings and rulers (Proverbs 21:1); therefore, nothing in all creation can interfere with the fulfillment of the good and perfect will of God. We, together with the first Christians, affirm “Jesus is Lord,” and not Caesar.

We ask you to pray for peace for the people of Ukraine and for courage and wisdom for Christian churches so that they continue to serve those in need.

We pray for our authorities and put our hope in the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who is, and remains, our refuge and our fortress, even in time of war (Psalm 46).

(You can read the full statement here)

Vasyl Ostryi is a pastor at Irpin’ Bible Church in a city near Kyiv. He is also a professor of youth ministry at Kyiv Theological Seminary. He and his family made the decision to remain in their city in order to serve as they were needed. He said this about their decision to stay, “How should the church respond when there is a growing threat of war? When there is constant fear in society? I’m convinced that if the church is not relevant at a time of crisis, then it is not relevant in a time of peace.”

Pray for Pastor Ostryi, and many other brothers and sisters in Christ who have made this same decision. This past weekend a video of a Ukrainian family singing He Will Hold Me Fast made the rounds on Twitter and social media. I thought of them as we sang this same song this past Sunday in our service. Separated by thousands of miles and vastly different circumstances, we stand in the same grace, rest on the same solid promises of Christ, and sing the same songs that confess our faith.

Westwood’s first foreign mission trip was in 1993 and it was to the country of Ukraine. Upon our return, I wrote the following in our church newsletter:

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to the former Soviet Union country of Ukraine. It was a real privilege to be able to minister among those dear people who have suffered under the hand of communism for so many years. These people know what it is like to be persecuted for their faith in Christ. The people of these former communist countries are spiritually starved and are open, as never before, to the love of Jesus Christ.

On one occasion, we had the opportunity to visit and preach at a military base that was a former nuclear missile site. Men who had been trained to hate and mistrust Americans were now embracing us and receiving with joy the message of Christ. I preached from Ephesians 2:13-14, and the truth of that passage was very clear as we stood together on that military base. Nations that previously had in common only their nuclear power now were experiencing the power of Christ to break down walls and bring together former enemies.

So, our church has personally been involved in the lives of brothers and sisters in Christ in Ukraine. Now we can continue that involvement with them through prayer, fasting, and the common bond we share in Christ as we lift up the people of Ukraine, Russia, all of Europe, and our world.  

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.  Psalm 46:1–3

In considering what it means to know for my dissertation, philosopher Esther Meek has provided me with such valuable insight. Over the last two decades she has developed something that she calls Covenant Epistemology wherein she seeks to recover the relational aspects of what it means to know. She speaks of knowing as a relationship, and because she is a Christian this relationship between the knower and the known is rooted in our relationship with God. While I will not get too deep into this system, I do want to share one aspect of it that has truly opened up to me what knowledge really is and how we should pursue it.

Meek refers to knowing as an event that takes place in three phases: knowing toward, knowing through, and knowing from. When we are learning something initially we are knowing toward that thing. At this point that thing is nothing more than a concept, something for us to consider. Now, we may study this concept to gain comprehension of it. We may memorize it. We may even come to affirm it as something that we suggest is true. But Meek wants us to see that we do not truly know it until we move through the other two stages.

We move from knowing toward something to knowing through it only as we decide to test it out—to exercise faith that the concept is really true. This is not only a willingness to affirm its truth with our lives, but to exercise that affirmation by acting on it as if it’s true. This is THE key to truly growing in full knowledge. Only as we lay out through a truth claim can we come to truly know if it is real and right. If we never actually lay out through it, we may affirm it with our lips, but it will never actually change the way we live.

The result of laying out through a concept and experiencing its truth is that we come to rest in its reality. This is another way of saying that we begin to live from it. We conform ourselves to what we have experienced and has been affirmed to us as what is true and real and good. This is a picture of worldview. This knowing event has shaped that worldview, perhaps even by altering it, as we have grown in our understanding of reality.

I realize this is philosophical, but I hope that you will consider this. I have struggled greatly in reading Meek because I am not very philosophical myself. But I believe that this truth about knowing is absolutely key to spiritual formation. Here’s the spiritual application of this. So often we stop at being content to know toward biblical truth—even toward theological truth (or truth about who God is). The Bible calls us to go further than that. Paul prays that our knowledge would go deeper than that. God has placed the Spirit within us to lead us not just to affirmation toward what is true, but to lay out through it in faith so that we might come to know through experience that it is certain, good, and what is really real. Only then can our knowledge of God begin to shape our lives as we begin to live life from the truth of who he is. He does not desire for us to know him in concept alone; he desires for us to yield ourselves to who he really is. He desires for us to know all things in light of who he really is.

Brothers and sisters, I want for us to know God–not conceptually, but relationally…fully! This is the why behind the way we shape our programs like Sunday School and Life Groups. This is the why behind the way we shape our weekly Worship Guide.  I don’t want us to know toward God’s love (for example) in concept; I want us to come to more fully and deeply know his love as we not only lay out through the certainty of that love by faith, but come to live from the knowledge of his love.

This is just the beginning of what I hope will be a rich conversation that we will begin to have together about what it means to pursue knowing God. I look forward to having that conversation with you and pursuing knowing him together!