Acts Church Northwest Acts Church Northwest is in Vancouver, Washington and is a body of followers of Jesus Christ. https://actschurchnw.org Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:02:48 +0000 Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:02:48 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com Tik Tok Theology No 1 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/02/05/tik-tok-theology-no-1 Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:17:14 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/02/05/tik-tok-theology-no-1
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Generations

“Kids these days!” The older generations have repeated this moan for probably as long as there have been older generations. One can imagine the old codger complaining about these newfangled horseless carriages ripping through the town at seven miles per hour.

“Why can’t these youngsters just ride horses like respectable ladies and gentlemen?” On and on the grumble grows: these “ungrateful youngsters” spending all their time listening to that latest fancy gadget: the radio.

The imagination need not stretch far, or the memory for that matter. I am only in my mid-forties (47 almost 48 is mid-forties and I will not hear any nonsense to the contrary), and I have recognized the “Greatest generation” (they may have named themselves, I am not sure) complaining about the Boomers, the Boomers complaining about Gen X. Generation X and the Boomers complaining about the Millennials, and apparently the Millennials are complaining about Gen Z! In every case it seems the younger generation has it “too easy” and is “entitled” and “just won’t work hard enough” and “needs to toughen up!”

This is probably not complete nonsense, in at least one sense: we are all probably a little soft and need to “toughen up” compared to most people in the world. We have very little perspective as a group in western first world countries. The fact is that Boomers and Gen Alpha alike have become accustomed to a lifestyle that would make a 17th century Russian Czar, blush over the opulence. The level of comfort and ease we have access to, in general, is an embarrassment of riches compared to most of the people inhabiting this Earth. Perhaps you protest at the sweeping claims here. Fair enough, maybe you have had a rough go of it. These observations are intended to set the scene for the main point, not to outline an exceptionless set of facts to shame us all.                                                                                           

Where has Truth gone...

I want to explore what it has caused, in a general sense, to have progressed, generation following generation, to increased access to ease. I want to analyze and consider how it may have left our bellies unguarded to the wolves.

We have, in this era, increased our cynicism, but “a hard heart is no infallible protection against a soft head.”1  The trusted institutions cannot be trusted now, if they ever could have been. Healthy skepticism is, well, healthy. But the postmodern philosophers have devalued discipline and soldiered on in their cynicism far past reason. They have replaced skepticism about some truth claims to an unanchored skepticism about truth itself.

In doing so, turning all sense to nonsense, they have led their pupils to abandon the idea of building their houses on the Rock, or even on the sand for that matter, to the fantastical venture of constructing castles in the air.

I will slow down and get to the heart of the matter. I contend that we have, as a culture, slipped the mooring of our ship and left ourselves to the will of the current. This is the real story of generational shift. The subject is complex, therefore I will begin with an example, and, if the Lord Wills it, go onto the broader theme in future articles.

Tik Tok...Tik Tok...Tik Tok...

Many of you, although likely not all, have engaged with social media to the point of discovering “reels” or “shorts.” I will refer to the whole of these short form usually vertical videos that fill the screen of a smartphone as Tik Toks.

If you like to giggle at a video of a cat flailing about after touching tin foil on a kitchen counter (the depiction may be real or output by some kind of AI) then Tik Toks are just the things for a few minutes of lighthearted fun. Tik Toks, however, cover much more ground than aiming to produce a lighthearted chuckle. There are political Tik Toks and literary Tik Toks, Tik Toks about psychology and Tik Toks about psoriasis. No doubt there are also a plethora of Tik Toks of a more prurient nature, although the algorithms have graciously spared me that rubbish to this point.

I have published plenty of Tik Toks myself, mostly clips of preaching. And therein lies the rub. Tik Toks are not just trying to entertain, many of them are attempting to persuade.

Traditionally, proper persuasion has taken more than a 30 second monologue with the latest popular music as a backing track. But with Tik Toks the pretentious, the petty and the polemic all aim for the pithy.2  Most fail, but the “user” often lacks the tools to discern the meaningful, the logical, and the reasonable, from the simply catchy.

And here is where the generational complaint may have its strongest point. It is not that the generations are any different in general. “There is nothing new under the sun.”3  The problem is that the discernment “built in” by education in past generations, is wholly inadequate to defend the current generation from the glut of “content,” they are receiving.

How do you match tools for discernment developed and intended for a person slowly reading a 400 page book with time to ponder with tools for a person furiously “swiping” through cat videos and videos on how to place your absurdly large fake eyelashes on correctly, and political diatribes and philosophical rants all at a pace that would dizzy the mind of the most astute logician?

How does one make the time to discern the good from the bad, the true from the false, the manipulative from the helpful?

Returning to reason

The postmodern removal of truth as a concept beginning in the 20th century then erupting and spewing its unreasonable “deductions” into the 21st may have begun in the towers of academia, but down into the culture at large the magma seeps.

We send our children to daycare and kindergarten, or let them mentally absorb the latest expressions of “content for kids” on the many screens that litter our homes.  We continue to journey to nowhere, the blind leading the blind, and all falling into the ditch.4 

A person posts a Tik Tok  of comedian, Ricky Gervais, claiming that Christians are just like atheists. It’s just that atheists believe in one less god. After all, people used to believe in thousands of gods. See! Christians are atheists about all of those other gods, atheists just include one more!

Quips like these could seem like wisdom but for the gaping holes in logic. Christians, of course, believe in God because of, among other proofs, the evidence of God in the world,5  and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.6  To suggest that characters like Odin and Thor are backed by equal evidence is ludicrously libelous. Christians do not choose among a pantheon of potential gods with equal evidence for the existence of each. Christians believe because their reason, not just their hearts lead them to Jesus Christ.

If I said I did not believe in Abraham Lincoln or Julius Caesar, and then added, after all other people do not believe in King Arthur or Helen of Troy, I just believe in one less historical person than them. Such a claim would show its warts, because the reason we believe in Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln is based on the evidence of their existence. In the same way, a Christian believes in God and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, based on the evidence.

Certainly, a skeptic can make an effort to point out flaws in the evidence, but that may take more than allowed by the average Tik Tok. Instead arguments like the one above are substituted.

These fallacies slip through the intellectual net of many Tik Tok users, either because of who says them, or how clever they appear without thoughtful discernment.

Perhaps this could be solved by simply using discernment concerning the source of our information. It may be wise to avoid getting your theology from the court jester (no offense to the court jester, Mr. Gervais is a talented comic) and of course it is possible that a court jester could bring out some truths others avoid, let us not stray into ad hominem. But, as a general rule, discernment dictates skepticism where skepticism is due.

This generality regarding what sources we look to for our content actually does very little to solve the more pressing problem. We have not been taught to reason effectively and so when reason is called for, we are ineffective.

Prepare for battle: Muscles and Armor

Tik Tok convinces us because the muscles of our reason are malnourished and emaciated.

Our muscles are weak because those who should have been servants and shepherds to the next generations, leading them to the thick and wholesome pastures of intellectual strength and development, abandoned those fields for stony ashen landscapes as soon as they substituted “my truth” and “your truth” for THE TRUTH.

In this “new age” they led us into, Tik Tok persuades and thoughtfulness fades.

The solution is not complicated. It is just difficult. Those used to ease must be shaken hard before they will abandon it for difficulty and discomfort. Every diet fad contrived or imagined is pushed to this culture, but we are excessively timid about stating the obvious. Eat less and exercise more.

In the same way, the solution here is simple. Learn to think. Learn to reason well. Read more, and watch fewer Tik Toks. Not complicated, just not easy.

Although the road may be difficult, the destination is likely to be more satisfying than you may now predict. Just as the person who follows the obvious path to physical health finds more energy and surprisingly more ease in the end by simply eating less and exercising more. The person who will labor in the intellectual life will find joys unknown and frankly unimagined by one who has never taken up the labor.

I do not know the likelihood that we will arrest the current race to the bottom in discernment for our culture. But I do know that you, the individual reader, can harden your head to make room for a softer heart and build the armor the wolves cannot get their canines through easily.

So, enjoy your funny cats and your cute kids saying the hilarious things they say in a Scottish accent, or the how-to Tik Tok on avoiding lines at Disney World (not that I would ever…). But guard your mind and guide your heart because the current that pushes this society’s unmoored ship is not a current of chance, but of an evil will.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood.7  So put on the full armor of God. He is, after all, the One who has given you the ability to reason.8   Do Him the honor of building it.
1. C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
2. Pithy: “having substance and point : tersely cogent,” www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pithy 
 3. Ecclesiastes 1:9(B) NKJV 
4. Matthew 15:14 
5. Romans 1:18-22 
6. Acts 1:1-3 
7. Ephesians 6 
8. Genesis 1:26-31 



]]> https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/02/05/tik-tok-theology-no-1#comments 1 Vocation https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/21/vocation Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:26:23 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/21/vocation
If you prefer to listen, click below:
Have you ever heard of Cherelle Parker? Unless you are from the northeastern part of the United States, and more specifically, the vicinity of Philadelphia, you probably have not. In fact, of the billions of people in the world, I would guess that less than a fraction of one percent of them have ever heard her name. If you include all the people who have ever lived it becomes a fraction small enough to be of almost no magnitude. And yet millions probably know who she is.

Cherelle Parker is the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Philadelphia is a city of 1,573,916 people. It is one of America’s great cities. And congratulations to Mayor Parker for being the first woman to take on that role in 341 years!

I personally know nothing about Mayor Parker. I simply Googled, looking for the mayor of Philadelphia, to make a point. Mayor Parker likely has aides and supporters and people of supposed wealth and power constantly vying for her attention. She likely ran a campaign that made her name very well known in that area of the country. A person may understand, that because of all those things, she could have excessive feelings of importance.

Mayor Parker probably rarely thinks about the fact that, if she was walking down the street in my town, Vancouver, Washington, it is unlikely that a single person would recognize her or know who she was, even if she happened to introduce herself. Even more significant is the likely fact that most people in Vancouver, Washington would probably not even recognize the Mayor of Vancouver, Washington, let alone the Mayor of Philadelphia!

But Cherelle is important. She is important beyond any of our wildest imaginations. It is not for her position, or her historical election win. It is simply and solely because she was made in the image and likeness of God, and because God loves her.

Genesis 1:26-28 (New King James Version) 
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

1 John 4:10 (New King James Version) 
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Twenty years from now, if the Lord tarries in His coming that long, Mayor Parker’s term as Mayor of Philadelphia will likely be a piece of trivia known by few and cared about by even fewer. But her importance will not have been reduced one iota. Because Mayor Parker’s importance does not have its foundation in her popularity or the things she has accomplished as a Mayor. The foundation of her importance rests entirely in the arms of a loving God.

This is good news for those who strive and who struggle with their importance. Questions like, "Am I doing enough,” and “Do people value me enough,” fall away in the presence of a Holy and loving God who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV)

Your calling is to follow the Royal law: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Luke 10:27(B) NKJV) Just live and do that. It may be that no one knows your name, and that no rich and powerful men and women vie for your attention. In fact, that will likely be the case. Consider the Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 1:25-31 (New King James Version) 
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (New King James Version) 
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

1 Corinthians 12:20-25 (New King James Version) 
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

As a Christ Follower, you are part of the Body of Christ, what could be better than that!

You probably are not called to be powerful and famous, but you are called. You are called to love God with all your heart and love others as yourself. (Luke 10:27 NKJV) Your life is eternal, you will not be judged on how many people knew you, how much wealth you amassed for yourself, how good looking you are or how talented you are. You will be judged first on whether you have called upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-13) and then on how you built on the foundation Christ laid. (1 Corinthians 3:9-15 NKJV)

1 Thessalonians 4:10(B)-12 (New King James Version) But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

Those who lead a quiet life, mind their own business, and work with their hands, are doing what the Apostle Paul commanded. Your ambition is for the Kingdom of God, for it is in His Kingdom you will dwell forever if you are His Child, having called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the Righteous for salvation, for forgiveness from sins, and for the gift of a “Born Again” Spirit from God. Do not chase after the fool’s gold this world offers. Neither ought you to look for what you see as positions of prominence within the Church. Simply Follow Jesus. Go wherever the Holy Spirit leads, without ambition beyond pleasing your beloved God and Savior Jesus Christ.

"Those who lead a quiet life, mind their own business, and work with their hands, are doing what the Apostle Paul commanded."

I will leave you with this scene from a book by C.S. Lewis. In the book Lewis is imagining an area on the outskirts of Heaven where saints, believers who are in Heaven, travel to talk with those who are in purgatory. (Do not get lost in the incorrect theology here, Lewis was writing a story, not trying to accurately depict what Heaven is like.) He describes the entry of a saint, coming toward him and his Scottish host in that place, author George MacDonald.
“First came bright Spirits…who danced and scattered flowers. Then, on the left and right, at each side of the forest avenue, came youthful shapes, boys upon one hand, and girls upon the other. If I could remember their singing and write down the notes, no man who read that score would ever grow sick or old. Between them went musicians: and after these a lady in whose honour all this was being done
…
But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face.
“Is it?...is it?” I whispered to my guide.
“Not at all,” said he. “It's someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green.”
“She seems to be...well, a person of particular importance?”
“Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things.”
C.S. Lewis – The Great Divorce
The woman was not Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, as Lewis first guessed. It was Sarah Smith, a woman he would never have heard of, but a woman of fame in eternity. She was a woman in the story who had spent her life sowing to the Spirit and not the flesh and she was now reaping the rewards of her faithfulness, in quiet living, following the Royal law, for her beloved Savior.

Galatians 6:7-8 (New King James Version)
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

It is in following Jesus that we find our vocation, not in aspiring to be important, for we are already more important than we can imagine.

Peace be with you all.

]]> https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/21/vocation#comments 0 Willing to be Pleased No. 2 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/20/willing-to-be-pleased-no-2 Tue, 20 Jan 2026 12:01:29 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/20/willing-to-be-pleased-no-2

“You must pay for everything in this world one way and another. There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it.”
― Charles Portis, True Grit

While the quote above is fire, especially in the context of the story recounting the seeking of justice against Tom Chaney in the book, or movie(s) that tell it, it is not entirely true.

The second part of the quote about the grace of God is a theological 10 out of 10. It is right at the center of the power of the gospel. We cannot earn grace, nor can we deserve it. The grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is free to all who call on the name of the Lord!

The first part of the quote, however, is mercifully untrue. It misses an important part of the grace of God. I have not paid for everything in this world and neither have you. Outside the context of salvation, there are a million mercies in everyday life that work to the benefit not just of every believer, but of every person. I will not here get into the theological world of common and prevenient grace, a subject for those more learned than I. The clear Truth God reveals to us in Scripture is easier for me:

Matthew 5:45(b) (New King James Version)
for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

We all get less than we’ve earned and more than we deserve. Woe to the peddlers of doctrines like karma, an idea, in another form, held even by Jewish contemporaries of Jesus Christ.

Luke 13:1-5 (New King James Version) 
There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus blows up ideas like “karma” and “just desserts.” The clear fact from Scripture is that in this fallen world, sometimes you will seem to get bad things you don’t deserve, and sometimes you will get good things you don’t deserve. Jesus focused on repentance rather than assigning greater sin to those who suffered tragedy. Repentance helps us recognize that we are all guilty before a Holy God and we all deserve the wages of our sin.

Romans 3:23 (New King James Version) 
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (New King James Version) 
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is here, in this second verse, that we find the truth in the quote True Grit hints at. It is not the murderer Tom Chaney that will pay “one way and another,” but every man, and every woman will pay what they owe, if they will not make Jesus Lord of their life and call upon the grace that was paid for with His broken body and His shed blood.

It is no shocker to find that evil befalls the people of this fallen world, even evil that seems to be undeserved. People twist themselves in knots over “The Problem of Evil.” Why would a good God allow bad things to happen to good people?

The simple answer is, there are no “good people.” Jesus claimed to be God by bringing out this very fact:

Mark 10:18 (New King James Version) 
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

God is the only One who is Good, therefore, bad things do not happen to good people. Bad things happen to fallen people. And God sent His only begotten Son so that whoever believed on Him would NOT perish but have everlasting life! (John 3:16) The real conundrum is the question: Why do good things happen to fallen people? And the answer is that God so loved the world. (John 3:16)

The grace of God is not just in salvation but in the million mercies we receive every day. It is in every breath that fills the lungs He gave us. It is in every smile turned in our direction. It is in every meeting of friends that warms our hearts. It is in every day the sun shines on our faces. Trouble is to be expected in this fallen world, but we should never have expected all the joy God gives.

James 1:17 (New King James Version) 
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

The good you experience (and you should not wait for Thanksgiving turkeys to ponder your blessings) comes from God. Even unbelievers are recipients of blessings. They may be unaware and ungrateful for them, or worse, arrogant, presumptuous, and entitled. (Romans 1:18-21 NKJV) The believer, redeemed and transformed by the Holy Spirit of God, ought never to let a day go by without thanking and praising God for all these mercies, Thanking Him for His love and praising Him for His provision. We are not only saved eternally, we are gifted blessings every day.

Why do good things happen to fallen people? And the answer is that God so loved the world. (John 3:16) 

Take the time to stop, think about His goodness, and thank God.

Philippians 4:4-9 (New King James Version) 
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Peace be with you, Brothers and Sisters.
]]> https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/20/willing-to-be-pleased-no-2#comments 0 Pool Rules https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/19/pool-rules Mon, 19 Jan 2026 11:11:06 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/19/pool-rules
I used to have a pool when I lived in Tennessee. There are many wonderful things to do in this world, and one of those things is sitting by a pool on a warm day, in privacy, reading a book or listening to music, and taking a dip whenever the desire rises.

The family pool had a purpose. It was for recreation and enjoyment. It was intended to bring joy and rest and pleasure. But there were rules. No diving in the shallow end. No running by the pool. No overly rough play. No peeing in the pool. I am sure there were more, but you get the point.

The younger the swimmer, the more tedious and annoying the rules were:

“Why can’t I run? I will be careful!”

“We weren’t playing too rough!”

“I don’t wanna have to get out and go inside to pee! There’s plenty of water to dilute it.”

These are the words and thoughts of those who have never seen someone harmed by reckless behavior. For those with experience the rules make sense. They are made to maximize the joy of the pool and minimize the potential for pain.

1 Timothy 1:8 (New King James Version)
But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,

You were made for a plan and a purpose. And the law of God was made to maximize joy and minimize pain for you and for your neighbor.

While the pool rules may be simple, and it may take relatively little experience to understand their value, the law of the Lord is much more complicated. To follow it requires trust in the Lord. We cannot always see the harm in our path that the law is protecting us from. We cannot always see the pain our sin may cause our neighbor.

The pool rules protect us from harm (no running, no diving in the shallow end). The pool rules also protect others, our neighbors, from harm (no overly rough play, no peeing in the pool). The law of God is the same.

God’s law also has another and arguably more important feature. It helps us to know God. The law flows from God. It is a revelation of who He is. If you want to know your Father, listen to what He tells you. The law flows from His nature and character. Justice and mercy mingled in perfection.

Psalm 1:2 (New King James Version) 
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 19:7 (New King James Version) 
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

Psalm 94:12 (New King James Version)
Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law,

The more you transform by the power of the Holy Spirit, the more you trust the law, whether or not you fully understand all the joys to be maximized or harms avoided. You begin to trust the Lawgiver, and therefore, you begin to trust His laws.

We are caught up in a culture war, quarrelling over sexuality and the “right to choose” and gender identities and more. The law of God speaks plainly and justly in these areas and God speaks for our good! It is for the maximizing of joy and the minimizing of pain for you and your neighbor that He speaks. His Word is true and faithful!

You hear these arguments all the time. Each of them is an argument not with you, but with God.

The first attack on God’s law sounded like this:

Genesis 3:1-6 (New King James Version) 
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

“The woman saw that the tree was good…” It is when we replace our broken sinful view for God’s perfect Word that we fall into sin and death. God said it; and that’s the end of it. We do not get to replace God’s perfection for our twisted worldly “wisdom.” How many times have I done this, God forgive me. The road behind me is littered with the pain I have experienced and the pain I’ve caused, because I have substituted my broken view of “good” for God’s perfect goodness. Praise God that He has paid for my pardon! Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV)

“God said it, and that’s the end of it.”

You may be just certain that you can run by the pool without falling on the concrete. You may be sure that no one will really get hurt when you play too rough. But you cannot be certain, and even if no one got hurt this time, you have violated the pool rules and therefore dishonored the owner of the house.

We all live in God’s house, His universe, His reality. Every breath is from Him and “every good gift!” (James 1:17 NKJV) 

Nobody may know that you cheated on your taxes or looked at that image on your screen. But God knows and God cares and God has made His law for your benefit. You cannot know better than He and I promise you do not know better.

You can act like a child at the pool, diving in the shallow end when no one is looking and peeing while pretending you aren’t. But if you do, you are a child, and you will find out the hard way that your joy will be decreased and your pain increased.

Follow the law with a heart that desires to love God more! That is the path to joy. Walk in it. Walk in Him.

]]> https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/19/pool-rules#comments 0 Willing to Be Pleased No. 1 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/17/willing-to-be-pleased-no-1 Sat, 17 Jan 2026 12:50:51 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/17/willing-to-be-pleased-no-1
A Christ Follower ought to be determined in the work of developing and maintaining a Christlike attitude. I confess and repent of my own failures in this important calling. I find it difficult to stop and take captive the thoughts that lead to a fleshly attitude.

We are commanded to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV) Every thought! In my case that is a lot of thoughts. By inductive logic I can assume with some confidence that you have lots of thoughts too. We are given what James the Brother of our Lord calls the “Royal Law” namely “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (James 2:8 NKJV)

“The problem is people.”

The problem is people. Other people, including my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, can really irk me with their attitudes and behaviors. By inductive logic I can assume with some confidence that you get irked as well. When we are annoyed, offended, put out, hurt, or betrayed, we react. A “re”-action is rarely a “good”-action. We may stew, we may become emotionally volatile, we may think negatively about the person who has caused our ire. Too often we also give voice to these frustrations and talk about the person. We rarely consider the consequences of letting our tongues loose in frustration.

James 3:5-6 (New King James Version) 
Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

When we fail to take our “thoughts into captivity,” we run the risk of letting our thoughts run freely through our tongues. The damage from un-captive thoughts and untamed tongues is vicious and ugly. Relationships are broken; communities are scarred; love is left behind.

A community of Christ Followers ought to be marked by love for God and for one another. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; … does not seek its own, is not provoked, … hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13 NKJV

“Without these two areas of expertise working together like a disciplined machine we would not have most of the conflict and so-called “righteous” anger and brokenness we experience in our relationships.”

If we are taking all our thoughts “into captivity,” we will look to the reasons someone may have harmed us. If you struggle with how to do this, would you believe that you actually do it with one particular person all the time? That person is you.

When you cause someone frustration or pain, you are quick to find an excuse or a justification for your action. Perhaps you were having a bad day, perhaps you think the person is being overly sensitive, perhaps you think the person deserved it … perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. We are experts when it comes to defending ourselves, while at the same time being experts at seeing the rude, or thoughtless, or insensitive, or just plain wicked motives of others. Without these two areas of expertise working together like a disciplined machine we would not have most of the conflict and so-called “righteous” anger and brokenness we experience in our relationships.

We are body, soul, and Spirit, but only one part of us will run like a “disciplined machine.” It is the broken part of us, the body, what we Christ Followers call the “flesh.” It is not hard to see the connection here. The reaction I just described: holding others fully accountable for their errors and excusing and defending our own errors is of the flesh. It is full of hypocrisy.

James 3:17 (New King James Version) 
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Much like a diet (another struggle for me) the directions are easy, but the hike is steep. Eat less and exercise more, a simple plan, but a challenging accomplishment. In the case of becoming more Christlike we must reverse the machine. We must do the opposite of our fleshly instincts (often the case for Christ Followers!). Instead of making excuses for ourselves and holding others accountable, we ought to consider excuses for others and hold ourselves accountable.

Peace costs something and the price is often paid through submission of the flesh to the Spirit of God. Ricky Gervais says, “Just because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re right.” If an atheist comic can see that, surely we Christ Followers ought to. Our personal offenses are often based on misunderstanding, a sense of entitlement, and refusal to develop and maintain a Christlike attitude.

Philippians 2:14-16 (New King James Version)
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

There is only one way to do all things without complaining and disputing. We each must ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to “take every thought into captivity” and to tame our tongues!

If we are going to be willing to be pleased, we ought to train our flesh to be pleased. We do this by submitting our flesh to the Spirit of God. We are people of love. We are people of hope. We are people of peace.


James 3:16-18 (New King James Version) 
Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The next time you feel anger and offense rising in your flesh, STOP. Recognize that your thoughts must be taken “into captivity.” Then tame your tongue. Wait for the emotions to pass. Then consider the “Royal Law” and:

Philippians 2:3-4 (New King James Version)
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Be willing to be pleased. Be willing to please others. Discipline the flesh as you become more Christlike through the power of the Holy Spirit of God to the glory of the Father.

Peace to you.

]]> https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2026/01/17/willing-to-be-pleased-no-1#comments 0 Be Humble or Be Humiliated https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2024/03/07/be-humble-or-be-humiliated Thu, 07 Mar 2024 19:51:33 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2024/03/07/be-humble-or-be-humiliated
I saw a meme the other day where someone was asking the question, “Did you guys really say ‘all that and a bag of chips,’” in the 90s. The sad answer is yes, yes we did. That brings up an issue of struggle that many people face. Not the struggle of using terrible slang that does not age well, but the struggle of pride.

People used to (and sometimes still do) say, “he thinks he’s all that!” What they mean is, he thinks of himself more highly than he ought to think.

Romans 12:3 NKJV
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

We struggle with humility. People use words like, “entitled,” “self-centered,” “narcissistic,” or “vain” to describe people who do not see themselves properly.

Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages
prop·er /ˈpräpər/ adjective
truly what something is said or regarded to be; genuine.

We see a book properly, when we see it as a thing to read. We see it improperly, when, as my little brother once did, we see it as a projectile to hurl into the face of your older brother. Books aren’t physical weapons, and humans are not God.

That is, in fact, where pride leads. It leads to human beings trying to place themselves above others and eventually, if pridefulness is given its head, above God. The Devil’s pride led him to believe he could be greater than God, and then led to his fall.

Proverbs 16:18 NKJV
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

That is where pride always leads, to a fall and to destruction. I have said many times, and others may have said as well.

“Be humble or be humiliated.”

We really only have two choices. God knows that it is not good for us or for anyone else to be eaten up with pride. God will fight you in your pride. That is a fight you have zero chance of winning. But, God will give you grace in your humility.

James 4:6 NKJV
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5 NKJV
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

The Romans were proud and boastful, their boasting was celebrated, and they fell, and they were destroyed. We, in the United States, seem to chase more and more after the proud. We tend to see the humble as weak. That is a dangerous road to follow. We know where it leads.

While nations rise and fall, so do people. The pride you need to discover and attack first is the pride in your own heart. Do you see yourself as better than other people? Are you more important than other people? Do you take advice and follow it? Do you accept accountability and correction graciously? Do you think about how to serve others or only how to maintain and increase your own comfort?

There are a hundred more questions you and I could ask ourselves. At the end of the very long day, the question is:

“do I think of myself more highly than I ought?”

If so, there is hope. Humble yourself. If you are wondering how to do so, my literary mentor C.S. Lewis, offers some clarity and help:

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.
If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.
Mere Christianity

There is much more joy in service than in pridefulness. Like many things regarding Christ Following, you must take the plunge, so to speak, into humility, before you experience the joy. The plunge takes faith. Faith that believes that living like Jesus Christ as a humble servant, willing to suffer for others, is a good and godly thing. Faith that believes God rewards those who seek Him in faith.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Everything the world tells you is perverted from the truth. The world tells you to love yourself above others. Our Lord tells you to love God the most and to love your neighbors as yourself, and to honor others better than yourself.

Luke 10:27 ESV
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Philippians 2:1-4 NKJV
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Because that is what it looks like to be like Jesus Christ our King and to have the mind of Christ!

1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV
For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

If your relationships are suffering, if you are having a hard time experiencing the joy of your salvation, consider whether you are thinking of yourself more highly than you ought. Consider whether you are thinking of others as sincerely and as often as you ought.

It is joy to find our value in and through Jesus Christ and nowhere and no one else.

James 4:10 NKJV
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

]]> https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2024/03/07/be-humble-or-be-humiliated#comments 1 Trusting Truth: Part 1 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2022/01/27/trusting-truth-part-1 Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:50:18 +0000 https://actschurchnw.org/blog/2022/01/27/trusting-truth-part-1
I have an anxiety disorder. That means sometimes things that do not work right in my body cause my mind and my body to experience the sensation of fear. The problem is that my mind and body experience fear when there is nothing to fear at all. It is a strange thing to try to explain to other people.

If you have never experienced panic attacks, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or Agoraphobia, or any of the other various disorders marked by anxiety and/or depression, you may have a hard time grasping the idea that people can be suffering feelings of fear or hopelessness when, as far as you can see, there is nothing wrong with them.

The best I can do for you, is to describe the experience:
Think back to a time when you felt the most fear you have ever felt. Think about how your body and mind reacted to that fear. Your heart rate probably increased. Your adrenaline began to flow. You may have started shaking, or sweating. You may have felt a sudden need to react by running away or by fighting. You may have also felt an impending sense of disaster or helplessness. For the person who suffers with anxiety, those sensations and experiences happen to them, without anything other than chemical reactions causing them. In other words all the feelings that a lion is chasing me are present in my body and mind, but there is no lion chasing me.
This is a truly painful and disorienting experience. My guess is that most people who experience serious anxiety or depression would gladly trade their malady for any number of other serious physical pains or diseases.

There are two reasons why I bring this up. The first is to give some practical discipleship to the many friends and family members of those who live with anxiety and/or depression as a result of this fallen world (Romans 7:24). Before you assume that your loved one is simply weak of mind or body, consider this:
  • Anxiety and depression are real afflictions experienced by millions of people, usually involving the misfiring or misapplication of certain chemicals in the body, chemicals like serotonin.
  • A person suffering from these experiences cannot simply summon the personal strength to will themselves out of these symptoms any more than you can summon the personal strength to will your ulna back together when you break your arm.
  • A lot of prayer and a little grace and understanding go much further to help a loved one who suffers with anxiety and/or depression than all the “advice” you could possibly give.
  • Loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27) demands that you show the same affection, care, love, and cherishing that you would long for your loved ones to show you, when you suffer serious and painful illnesses. 
  • Your loved one was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), and is your neighbor. Frankly, even if he or she was your enemy who was suffering, our Lord and King, Jesus Christ has commanded us to love them too! (Matthew 5:43-48.)
The second reason for this information is to give some practical discipleship to those who suffer from anxiety and depression, and to anyone who struggles with fear and worry.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

For the person who struggles with anxiety and depression, remember that the sensations, the pains, and the experiences are artifacts of your broken body, which you have because you live in a fallen, sinful world (Romans 8:22-25). The good news for those of us in Christ is that we will one day be transformed in body as we have already been transformed, redeemed, and made new in spirit! (Romans 8:18-21, 2 Corinthians 5:14-17.)
Remember that the fight is not yours, it is God’s. You are His child! (1 John 2:28-3:3.) You are His workmanship; you were created for good works (Ephesians 2:4-10)! We do all things we do through Christ (Philippians 4:13, John 15:3-5). When the difficulties come, and they will come, no matter the specific struggle you face, you must lean on the power of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, and provides the strength and power you need to live and move and grow and suffer and stand.

Romans 15:13 NKJV
 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Only the return of Jesus Christ the King will set the world right (Revelation 22:20-21)! But the sufferings you are suffering now do have a use and a purpose:
a.) they build patience, which leads to the perfecting of your maturity in Christ (James 1:2-4);
b.) they remind us of our need for God’s power and provision in our lives (Psalm 73:25-26);
c.) they remind us of our hope in God’s promise  that God will work all things “together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). What is the point of the promise, if there is nothing broken and painful that needs to be worked together for good?;
d.) They build us up for ministry to others, because our suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3-5);
e.) they keep us humbly relying on the Lord and recognizing the need for His strength. When we are weak, then we are strong, because He is strong for us and in us (2 Corinthians 12:10)!
You almost certainly did not ask to suffer, but if you love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, you ought to want to serve both God and your neighbor. That service takes strength, and strength comes from learning to abide in and trust God, and your temporary affliction can be just the weight God bears for you in order to strengthen you in real trust and real reliance on Him. That is what builds a beautiful relationship with Him and that is what gives you the tools to let Him work for you in the context of His Body, the Church, to minister to others. No work and no tribulation equals no maturity. No maturity equals no trust and faith. No trust and faith equals no useful ministry to your brothers and sisters in Christ.
So rejoice in your tribulations, trials, and sufferings, knowing the promises of Scripture that God will work all of these things together for good for those of us who love Him and who are the called according to His purpose, and all of these things make you mature and strong in Him.

Philippians 4:4-8 NKJV
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

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