A New Day Dawning

It seems everyone loves a beautiful sunset or sunrise.  We constantly see posts on social media of the latest, greatest, most beautiful examples.  They are complete with all the appropriate colors – yellows, oranges, reds, violets, and deep burgundies.  At evening times, they bring restful and relaxing emotions.  At dawn, they awaken freshness and the excitement of a new day with all its possibilities.  We need that feeling every day, God's new day, His gift to us to share with our world and for His glory.

We are in desperate need of some new dawns for our world today.  Satan's machine of evil, worldliness, and godlessness has clouded over and hidden God’s wonderful love for us.  Many people do not see it anymore.  Neither do they hear it from those who know God personally but have given up sharing. Why?  Maybe it’s fatigue or fear of repercussions.  Whatever the cause, the fact remains that many of God’s people no longer share Him openly.  Especially, men.

Where are God’s mighty men who stand up to speak, who sit and teach, who walk forward to lead the way?  Do we need to get back to solid training and practice in the use of the armor that God has provided?  Is your church providing opportunities for these?  Have you put out the call for leaders and other men of valor to join together and begin groups for this purpose?  There certainly are many books available to get started.  With trained leaders, your church can sponsor groups to study God’s Holy Word together verse by verse. Discover together the possibilities. Feed your men the meat of God's Word and watch them grow.  As your men brainstorm ideas to reach out to more men, do not be overly afraid of letting them try new things.  Even a misstep can be a wonderful learning experience to grow from.

The world is doing its best to “sissify” men in general and eliminate Christian men in particular.  It is time to stand up to the tiger, to stand against the wiles of the Devil, to believe God can.  Our men need to be re-fit with God’s armor: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the footwear of readiness, the shield of peace, and prayer (Ephesians 6:10-18).  Then we can stand against the devil’s schemes and bring Christ to this lost and dying world.

2 Samuel 23:3-5 reads, “The God of Israel spoke, ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.  And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain.  Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant.’ ”

David had his “mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:8-12).  Do you have yours?  Have you begun their deliberate and specific training?  Have they been issued their armor and begun the training in its use?  Are they, along with you, ready for battle?

Pray that the young and old alike will step forward.  Remember Caleb, “I am today, eighty-five years old!  I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.  Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day” (Joshua 14:10-12).

Christian men, let us give our world, our churches, and our families a new day dawning!

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel 

Do You Believe in Prayer? Really?

Both God’s enemies and His children often make the same mistake— they underestimate the power of prayer.  As Christians, we put on false pretenses at times with regard to prayer. We believe, yet our actions tend to show more of an unbelief.  How often do we say, “I’ll be praying…” but then we do not really follow through?  Instead, we might find ourselves in other activities meant to alleviate, fix, or make the problem go away.  We gather all of our resources of knowledge, apparatus, money, and influence in this world to fight the battle.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with using any of these as long as they have been prepared, undergirded, and bathed in prayer.

Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed for some days (Nehemiah 1:4-11).  Hezekiah prayed on behalf of those who knew not to be cleansed, but set their hearts on seeking God (2 Chronicles 30:18-21). Daniel got down on his knees and prayed three times daily (Daniel 6:10).  Again, Daniel turned to the Lord and pleaded with Him in prayer, petition, fasting, etc. (Daniel 9:4-19).  From the belly of the whale Jonah prayed (Jonah 2:1-10).  Jesus prayed with His face to the ground (Matthew 26:39-41; Luke 22:42; John 17:1-26).

Have we invited and challenged God’s people to pray?  A Prayer Team during worship services?  A night and morning each week for Prayer Meeting?  Prayer Partners that join together, even over long distances?  We can be creative, but purposeful regarding praying.  Josiah, at the age of eight, began his reign as king.  He did not turn aside to the right or the left as he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and in humility before God and His Word (2 Chronicles 34:1-33).

Not sure what to pray for?  Pray anyway (Romans 8:26).  Afraid that you are praying wrongly?  Pray anyway (Jude 20).  Maybe you feel certain of what you are praying for.  Pray humbly (Psalm 131).  It is time to pray, God’s people, pray!  Our brothers and sisters may be saying, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  Will you lead them out of the underestimation of prayer and into an all-out onslaught of heaven’s gates?

Psalm 51:7-13, “… wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Perfect Gift

As we celebrate Christmas, the perfect gift that has been given to us is not wrapped in shiny paper.  We do not have to try to figure out what the gift is by shaking it upside down.  For the perfect gift we have been given does not lie under a Christmas tree, but was born under the stars of Bethlehem in a stable.

My friend: If God can reach all the way down from the throne of Heaven to the body of a teenage virgin; if He can enter time from eternity; if the infinite can become an infant … think about what He can do in your life. 

The One who created all things emptied Himself into a human being so that we could have everlasting life.  How did He do it?  I have no clue.  Mary didn’t know; Gabriel didn’t know; and you can’t know things like that.  You just have to leave them up to God.  And, as Gabriel says, “nothing is impossible with God.”  [read Luke 1:26-38]

May you have a very, merry Christmas … remembering always the reason for the season.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Good News and Joy

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people’” (Luke 2:10).

Though Christmas and its traditions may look different this year, there is good news and joy to be had with a little shift in our Christmas plans.  In stripping away some of the fluff of the holiday such as big entertainment events; parades; travel and huge gatherings, we may have just unwrapped the core of what Christmas was meant to be all along— “Good News and great joy.”

New traditions are popping up all over the world and old traditions are being revived. Some suggestions include: create a gratitude jar; include a virtual fundraiser for a charity during family game night; share cookie recipes instead of sharing cookies; volunteer; write more notes and letters.  Caroling is a tradition that has a new look online, either recorded or on a video conferencing platform.  Sharing music to the elderly, especially, is a great idea.

Here are some joyful ideas for the season that can be used through video conferencing with your friends and family:

1) During Christmas dinner and gift opening

2) While baking cookies with Grandma

3) While reading the Christmas story together

4) While making Christmas decorations

The money saved by having a dressed down Christmas can be given to charities. Another suggestion is to pay off a debt for someone or forgive a debt owed to you.  Take away the glitz and glitter and replace it with what God had in mind all along— peace, joy, good news, and love.

And to all a goodnight!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

HOLIDAYS OR HOLY DAYS?

It is that time of year – the Holiday Season.  Everywhere you go it sounds like the holidays: “Frosty the Snowman”; “Jingle Bells”; “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” Classics, to say the least, put us in the mood.  Wait, mood for what?  Why, shopping of course.  More and more our culture and world have shoved the Advent out of the season.

Holiday or Holy Day: What’s the difference?  It’s just all part of the fun and celebration. Certainly, there is not anything wrong with parties, presents, and lights.  But, have we also shoved aside our times of worship and holiness in the process of engaging with the others? What should be important in our lives according to God?  We turn to Scripture for answers.

Leviticus – Holiness, not happiness is the goal.  “Holy” from the Old English halig and the Latin word sanctus.  These refer to wholeness, being set apart for God and consecrated/sanctified.  We are called to be like God in our nature— defilement gone, erased, God’s perfect nature at work in us accomplishing His perfect will.  The book of Leviticus sets before us a Holy God, a Holy Priesthood, a Holy People, a Holy Land, and a Holy Savior. How well do we utilize our holidays to honor our God?

Luke – (2:8-12)  Awe has become a watered-down concept in today’s world.  Just about everything is said to be “awesome” and “perfect.”  These words get so over-used that they have lost their meaning and effect.  When you order your choice of coffee, the wait person says, “perfect.”  When you accomplish even a menial task, you are “awesome.” Compare this to the shepherds that Luke writes about.  At Christ’s birth, they were filled with awe and wonder at the announcement alone.  Their eyes were opened to see and hear the angel’s chorus (verse 13).

Matthew – Joy (2:10-12).  Matthew writes that the Magi were overjoyed to present their gifts after traveling so far to witness the Christ Child.  This level of joy is defined as full, exceedingly great, and uncontrollable.  This certainly reveals their priorities.

Our priorities lead us to either oppose or cooperate with God in His will and in His plans for us, as it was with the Magi.  And as with the shepherds, God should receive the glory from our responses.  He has placed awe in us to be seen by those around us.

Are you actively planning how to display God’s gift of the Savior to those around?  It is okay to be excited by the new present under the tree you received.  But really, how important is the new dress, latest-greatest tool, or even the new car for those around you to see?  Our families, communities, our nation, our world, need much more to be introduced to Jesus, God’s Son, the Savior.

Make your plan on how this can be accomplished by you and your family this Holy Day season.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Purpose of Purging

What comes to mind when you hear the word “purge”?  Some good, some bad of course.  The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines it in this way: “To clear of guilt, free from moral or ceremonial defilement, evacuate (as in bowels), make free of something unwanted, rid a nation by a purge, removal of undesirable elements, purify, sanctify.”

The United States of America seems to be going through some kind of purge.  Some seek to purge this nation of Christians and of God’s definition of what is good.  They seek to replace them with their own definitions and elements of what they call good.  Think of it in this way: They want to “sanctify” the nation of God’s sanctified people and His ways – a direct assault on God!  To purge Christians, prayer, and the Bible, is an attempt to purge God.

This has been attempted many times over the history of the world (the Garden of Eden, Babylonia, the Philistines, the Egyptians, Caesar, Hitler, Lenin, etc.).  Always with some limited success— then with ultimate failure.  God will not be removed from His creation nor from His people

Often at the target’s center is prayer and God’s Word— the Bible.  Nevertheless, no matter how many Torahs are discarded, or millions of Bibles burned— whether Jews and Christians are set aside, imprisoned, killed or simply scattered— the Law of God, the Good News of Jesus Christ and God’s people (the Church) continue on … even to flourish.

Though difficult, it is good that we as Christians are purged, especially by God’s Spirit and God’s Word within us.  We do not look to be purged from our land and buildings or nation, but we should be looking to be purged of the sin and dross in our lives.  At times these happen together.

Proverbs 25:4 reads, “Remove the dross from the silver and out comes material for the silversmith.”  

Let us look first at the need in our own lives for purging and purification.  When we have done that, then we work for the real purging in our nation also.  We have been, and are, sanctified in Christ (Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 1:2), but we certainly are not yet perfected. Becoming like Christ is a process, sometimes a very difficult and painful one.  The heat that silver or gold must endure for the dross to be separated and removed is extreme, but the result is precious purity.  It has been said the silversmith knows when the silver is pure when he sees his reflection in it.  Is that reflection of Christ Jesus seen in us?

Matthew 13:43 reads, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Christ-mas Traditions

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  Family traditions bolster joyous feelings.  They ground us as we remember Christmas’ past and the friends and relatives with whom we share them.  

Has secularism stolen Christmas?  Looking at where our favorite traditions have their roots, Christianity in Christmas is still very much alive and well, even if the world doesn’t acknowledge it.  Several favorite traditions are steeped in Christian belief.

Gift-giving is most widely thought of as the number one tradition of Christmas.  Ask any child and that will be their first answer.  Children circle gift ideas in magazines, stroll websites for ideas, shop on Amazon with or without parental guidance, and drool over toy aisles in the stores.

Around 336 AD, December 25th was established as the traditional day of Jesus’s birth. Gifts were tied into the day because of the Magi’s gifts presented to young Jesus.  An additional story of a fourth-century Christian bishop gift-giver became part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and other countries.  His name was Saint Nicholas. Gifts were given early in Advent, on Saint Nicholas Day.  This legendary bishop was known to help the poor and needy, especially children, and became regarded as a guardian of children.  Now, known as Santa Claus.

Christians adopted the use of evergreen trees as a symbol of eternal life.  The modern-day Christmas tree can be traced back to 15th-century Germany.  Americans will decorate 25-35 million live trees this year and millions more artificial trees will decorate many more homes.

Along with lighting Christmas trees, lighting homes inside and outside is a family favorite tradition.  Light is a symbol of Christ, the light of the world, as Jesus said in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” A friend and partner of Thomas Edison brought us the first Christmas lights in 1882.  By 1895 President Cleveland requested hundreds of multi-colored electric light bulbs for the White House family Christmas tree.  Hundreds of millions of lights will light up the globe this year at Christmas.  Christians are not hiding their light “under a bushel.”

As we embrace these traditions and others that we share, let us continue to find Christ in Christmas.  When there is a temptation to withdraw and shun the gaudy attempts of the world to paganize this holiest season, let us share the love of Christ.  Smile at every Christmas tree and know that the light is Jesus and the tree is His promise of eternity.  As we shop for gifts and give them to loved ones, hold dear the gift of God’s Son, and remember the Magi who followed a great light to the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Forgiveness and Reconciliation Are Not Synonymous

Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.  Given the current political climate, there is a great need for both.  Reconciliation may prove elusive in many arenas.  Social media is buzzing, the economics of inflation, war in Ukraine and Israel, corruption in the government, mass shootings, and more leave one gasping for relief.

The so-called “United” States is far less than united.  Opinions run hard and fast and hot. Has the vitriol of the political world compromised the unity of the home as well?  Are families taking “social sides”?  As people begin getting together over the holidays, will there be forgiveness and reconciliation, or will the fire be continually fanned?

In an on-camera interview with the editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro discussed issues facing families and our nation.  Cautioning that when a person lives in a godly community in which they treat people well then move away from that toward “that person offends me, and ‘I don’t like them, so I am morally superior’ their attitude creates a God-shaped hole in the American heart, filled with dislike for their neighbors.”

When a true Christ-like reaction can make the most impact, Christians often risk falling short with an exclusive “I’m right, you are wrong” attitude.

How, then, can Christians hold a line for Biblical truth and stand shoulder to shoulder with the people they most disagree with?  Be it family, friend, teacher, political leader, or criminal we take our lead from Jesus.  When Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive someone who sinned against him seven times, Jesus replied “No, not seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22).  The implication is that Peter is to forgive every time.  A bitter pill to swallow for those who passionately strive for morality and are constantly shut down, expecting justice in an unjust world.  Jesus also promises justice. In Luke 18:7-8 Jesus says, “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night...I tell you; He will see that they get justice…”

Forgiveness and reconciliation are not synonymous.  Christians do not have to “reconcile” themselves to another’s belief to forgive.  To be friends with the “enemy” it is not necessary to make your beliefs compatible with theirs.  To love your enemy as yourself does not demand surrender to the enemy, but a surrender to the heart of God.  

Reconcile where you can.  Fill the “God-shaped hole” in your relationships by showing Christ as Christ lived.  He too lived within a political hotbed and immoral society.  He never wavered in His compassion for mankind.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Woe to…

Webster's Dictionary defines ‘woe’ as “a condition of deep suffering, affliction, or grief. Ruinous trouble.”

Through the prophet Isaiah, God warns of woe to those who “take away the rights of the ones who are in the right” (Isaiah 5:23).  With this warning in mind, it is fair to say that those who blindly follow national and state standards of education should understand their destiny for their attempts to take away the rights of parents.  These standards are being pushed for public school boards to adopt for the present and the years to come. Their goals are reprehensible, and their actions are already reflecting their commitment to these standards.  The situation is already dire.  Parents, teachers, and churches should be on full alert and stand ready for battle.

Pastors, church leaders, and parents need to be encouraged to see for themselves the realities of what is being put forward in teaching our children.  In essence, school boards are telling parents that it is none of their (parent’s) business what they (school boards, teachers, etc.) are teaching your children.  Ungodly and vile acts of sexual activity, gender diversity, trans-gender beliefs, and confusing use of personal pronouns are enumerated and defined as important to our children’s public education.

Recall that God’s Word commands in Ephesians 6:1-4 that children are to honor their father and mother first – not the local school board.  Our children are our responsibility to raise and educate in the Biblical standards as taught in Scripture (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:24-27; I Corinthians 6:9-10; I Timothy 1:10).  We cannot ignore what God has written to us just to placate the philosophies of this world.  

It is not difficult to research what any local school district is adopting as its standards. We need to encourage the parents and grandparents of our churches to do their research, attend the district’s meetings, and make known their dissent.  Or better yet, run for a position on their local school board.  The worst happens when God’s people turn a deaf ear and ignore the truth and the reality of the directions of education.  

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!  Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink, who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!” (Isaiah 5:20-23).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

PRAYER – Some Assembly Required

Back on May 30, 2020, Franklin Graham called churches to pray for America.  What does this mean?  Are we doing it?  Have we really begun?  How does it work?

Many things have a mechanical nature to them.  Some are physical as in automobiles, washing machines, and scissors.  Others are figurative as in problem solving and prayer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:

“A child learns to speak because his father speaks to him.  He learns the father’s own language.  That is how we learn to speak to God, for God has spoken and still speaks to us.  His children learn to speak to Him in the language of their Father in heaven.  We begin to pray by repeating to Him, not in the false and confused language of our own hearts, but in the clear, pure language in which God speaks to us in Jesus Christ, and in that language He will hear us.”

Teach it—preach it—model it— then invite others to join in.

In Matthew 5:44 we are instructed to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  And in verse 48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Go into your closet and pray, but also pray in public.  Invite others around you to join on the spot and in scheduled prayer meetings; hand out appropriate Scriptures to read and pray; provide a list of specific needs for prayer, etc.  In Matthew 5:48 the word “perfect” refers to being whole and complete in your relations as in “growing up to be like Daddy.”

Acts 1:14 explains that “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”  Again, in Acts 6:3-4, “We will turn this responsibility over to them and give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.”

Do not miss this foundational truth and necessary step in the mechanics of teaching prayer. Certainly, do not pray in a pompous way, as found in Matthew 6:5, but in humility and grace. Psalm 25:9 says “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.”  And in Proverbs 3:34 we read “He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.”

In these times of national confusion, crime, and godlessness, let us lead in a call to “arms” – lifted up in praise; to hands – clasped in prayer; to knees – bent in humility. Who is leading and teaching your people to pray?  Be the teacher who invites others to come alongside and join you in prayer constantly, consistently, and regularly.

Pray first, during, last, and always!

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Don’t Blindly Follow

“And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem...And they went in their simplicity, and they knew not anything” (2 Samuel 15:11).

King David was many things, but a good father was not one of them.  This fact is evident in how he raised Adonijah (to whom he never said “No!”), Amnon (who raped his own sister), and Absalom (who tried to kill his father, David).

After David sinned with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan announced, “the sword shall never depart from thine house” (2 Samuel 12:10).  Fulfilling this curse, Absalom led a revolt against David.

It began with Absalom sitting in front of David’s palace, daily criticizing him.  With this steady and unrelenting flow of negatives, “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6).  The Israelites became so infatuated with Absalom that they followed him even though they didn’t know what he stood for.  “They went in their simplicity and they knew not anything” (2 Samuel 15:11).  The result was that they took David (who had brought them genuine prosperity and national security) and drove him out.

But we can hardly blame these ignorant Israelites, for they didn’t have the advantages of today’s social media to help them know what was true.  Absalom wasn’t tweeting out his beliefs, and without Fox or CNN to inform them, how were the Israelites supposed to know what Absalom really believed?

But social media apparently doesn’t make a difference.  After all, congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has one of the nation’s largest followings, with millions on Twitter[1] and Instagram.  Nevertheless, many today have no idea what she really stands for.

She is the poster child for modern socialism—a belief that 40 percent of the nation, 69 percent of Millennials, and nearly 80 percent of Democratic college students say they support.  But when asked whether they agree with the hallmark characteristics of a socialist government, only 2% of Americans actually support it.  They don’t really know what socialism actually is, but just “follow in their simplicity.”

Millions of people follow charismatic or likable leaders without knowing or understanding any part of their platform.  

The New Testament explains that: “They heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4-5).  And that: “[B]ecause they refused to love the truth…God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).

Far too many today make the same mistake the Israelites made by turning against what brings them the protection, stability, and prosperity they enjoy— but now take for granted.

We have to be different.  We must seek the truth and then share it with those around us— even if doing so is difficult.  As the Apostle Paul urged, “reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Am I Your Enemy?

One of the most emphasized virtues in the Bible is to love the truth, and to tell the truth.

We are commanded to “speak the truth to one another” (Zechariah 8:16) and promised that whoever “speaks truth in his heart” will be blessed and live with God (Psalms 15:2). Jesus Himself declared, “I am…the truth” (John 14:6) and asked God to “sanctify them [the disciples] in truth” (John 17:17).

Today it appears that Paul’s once-rhetorical question from Galatians 4:16 (“Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”) has become an accurate descriptor for a large segment of the culture.  This is especially true with social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, who regularly ban or block users from sharing Biblical truth.

Consider the case of PragerU.  They explain that their videos promote “what is true, what is good, what is excellent” (a quote from Philippians 4:8).  They have garnered a staggering two billion views, often featuring a presenter giving a Biblical perspective on events in the news.  Despite this popularity, YouTube actively restricts more than 100 of their videos.  They censor their videos that are pro-Israel, anti-abortion, pro-Ten Commandments, promote two genders (male and female), condemn the persecution of Christians, and other such topics.

But PragerU is not the only one being censored for telling the truth.  Candice Owens, a black Christian commentator and civil rights leader was cut from Facebook for sharing statistics proving that the presence of a father in the home is one of the most accurate indicators of poverty in the black community.  For sharing evidence affirming what the Bible teaches, she lost access to her account.

Additionally, Facebook has closed dozens of Catholic websites (with a following of nearly 8 million).  They also blocked a Gospel song called “What Would Heaven Look Like,” which called for unity among various people groups.  (Facebook claimed that the song had “political content” and deleted it.  There are many similarly ridiculous examples.

Social media platforms should advance freedom of speech.  Yet too many Americans have seen their accounts suspended, banned, or fraudulently reported for unclear “violations” of user policies.

Let us pray that this nation might return to a point where, along with the psalmist, we ask God to “lead me in Your truth and teach me” (Psalms 25:5).  When this happens, we will no longer consider those who proclaim Biblical truth to be enemies.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Come, Long-Expected Jesus

Expectation is defined as something that will happen or be the case in the future—the expectation of health and financial success and that of years to live and events to come.

There is joy and travail in expectation.  The joy of the culmination of an event is heartily expected as in the birth of a child.  The travail of expected goals not met and with little hope to transpire.

We are so comfortable with having what we want at our fingertips that we may forget to place those fingertips folded in prayer.  What is our path to a relationship with the long-expected one?  Perhaps laying aside what we don’t have and concentrating on the greatest gift ever given to man is the secret to expectation joy.

The Bible is a story told of great expectation.  A story of a coming Savior and King.  One who would save His people.  Many still expect Him to return.  Jesus’ birth was foretold in Isaiah 700 years before His birth, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.”  Micah prophesied as to His birth 800 years before He was born and told of Bethlehem as the birthplace (Micah 5:2).  Micah believed and expected Jesus to come.  Maybe in his lifetime.

Long, long-expected Jesus came to earth as a tiny baby.  Born to live as man lives and feel the joys and sorrows of life.  Jesus gave His life for us so that we can expect more. We can expect His coming again to take us home.  We wait for the promise of the 2nd Coming.  How many more years?  

Come thou long-expected Jesus.  Come.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Make Disciples of All Generations

In Psalm 83, David voices a personal conflict raging inside.  Perplexing things he does not understand are occurring around and within him.  He can’t seem to get the right perspective, and in frustration, he cries out to God:

“How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? … Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes” (Psalms 13:2-3).

According to a poll recently conducted in 2019 by the Barna Group, many young adults today, both inside and outside the Church, feel the same way.  And sadly, it appears that the Church is doing little to provide young adults with the answers they need.

For the rising generation, 47% of those with a Christian background find that the church is unable to “answer their questions.”  This includes not just daily issues in the world around them but even their own “spiritual doubts” as well.

This inability to “consider and answer” (using David’s words) the questions of younger generations is producing higher levels of apprehension.  Forty percent report they are anxious about any sort of large decisions, uncertain about the future, and harbor a significant fear of failure.  And 34% have intense feelings of loneliness, with 38% feeling disconnected from the world and society.

The result is that among those who grew up in faith, 58% no longer attend church or identify as Christian, with three in four confessing that the church seems “out of touch with reality.” They see Christians as judgmental (81%), not being useful to those around them, and even failing in the simple Biblical directive to help the poor (~60%).  Only one in seven young adults (ages 18 to 35) “attends church regularly, engages with the faith community beyond just attending worship services, trusts firmly in the authority of the Bible, is committed to Jesus personally, and expresses a desire for their faith to impact their actions.”

The Church and Christians should remember the mandate Jesus issued in Matthew 28:18-20: to go and make disciples of all people, teaching them to follow everything He taught.  This certainly includes what He said about salvation, heaven, and hell, but it also includes His teachings on economics (Luke 19), employer and employee relationships (Matthew 20), definitions of marriage and gender (Matthew 19), legal issues such as due process (John 8), and so much else.

We must share these teachings in the collective setting of the Church, but it is also our individual responsibility as Christians to communicate these teachings to others in one-to-one settings.  Each of us should find another person to teach and mentor—as Philip did with the Ethiopian official (Acts 8:16-40), Peter with the Roman Centurion (Acts 10:1-11:18), Ananias with Saul/Paul (Acts 9:10-19), Jesus with the woman at the well (John 4:4-16), and so forth.

Every Christian must accept the responsibility of forming personal relationships with those around them and then teach and disciple others on an individual basis.  Without this, the Bible (not to mention the church) will continue to seem increasingly irrelevant to rising generations.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Stand Fast in the Face of Apostasy

The Bible instructs believers that:

“We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14).

And elsewhere Christians are similarly encouraged to “stand fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13) as well as to “stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

If these exhortations to faithfulness were not enough, the Bible also warns believers in no uncertain words about abandoning the faith, explaining that:

“It is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

In 2019, Joshua Harris, a well-known pastor and the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye (a book that led to a nationwide Biblical sexual purity movement among millennials), divorced his wife of many years and decided to publicly renounce his faith, declaring:

“By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian … I regret standing against marriage equality … and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry.”

Other so-called “ex-vangelicals” (those who also renounced their Christian faith) used the occasion as a welcome opportunity to deride Biblical sexuality as “patriarchal ideology”—that is, as ancient, outdated, and out of touch.

Additionally, Marty Sampson, one of the leading song writers and musicians for the massively famous and influential Hillsong worship group, recently made a similar confession.  Taking to Instagram for “some real talk,” the author of songs to which millions of Christians have worshiped proudly wrote:

“I’m genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn’t bother me.  Like, what bothers me now is nothing.  I am so happy now … it’s not for me … I’ve never been about living my life for others.”

To be “happy” about losing one’s faith and belief in God obviously contradicts the commands of the Scripture.  Let believers in the Church never forget “the first principles of the oracles of God” (Hebrews 5:12), and always, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard … in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Let’s Continue to Talk Turkey

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to count our blessings:

“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;

I will tell of all Your wonders” (Psalm 9:1 NASB).

As Americans, we have more reasons than most to be thankful.  Yet even though we are blessed to live in the greatest country, anxiety seems to be more common than thankfulness:

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

Social media is frequently credited with the current rise in anxiety and depression:

Among teens who use social media the most (more than five hours a day), the study showed a 50% increase in depressive symptoms among girls (35% among boys) when their symptoms were compared with those who only use social media for 1-3 hours per day.

In fact, a Pew Research study found “One-in-five teenage girls—or nearly 2.4 million—had experienced at least one major depressive episode.”

Why is anxiety reaching epic proportions?  Because rather than find out why God made each of us and then seeking to fulfill that specific purpose, too many are busy comparing their own lives to those of others.  As one 21-year-old college student bemoaned: “I feel like I need to measure up to some kind of standard that's like Instagram-worthy.”

In fact, posting on Instagram has become “surrounded by so much angst” that one user candidly acknowledged: “I miss posting things I love and care about that just don’t bring in the likes that my other photos bring in.”

In an effort to combat this comparison anxiety, Instagram announced it would begin hiding from public view the “like counts.”  But not surprisingly, a new study found this new approach isn’t improving self-esteem.

We don’t need to hire consultants or conduct polls and studies to find the real solution: Thankfulness.  As the Scriptures urge: “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB).

Thanksgiving Day is a good start, but Americans should be thankful for more than just one day a year.  As the Apostle Paul reminded us, this should be our way of life: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15 NASB).

Now that Thanksgiving Day has passed, remember to keep saying thanks for all that God has blessed us with.

“I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness

And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17 NASB).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

God’s Reality in A World of Confusion

In Matthew 24:6, it says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

While there is scholarly and denominational disagreement about how to interpret this “apocalyptic” Bible verse, one thing is agreed upon by almost everyone: This verse assures believers that, although trouble will come, God’s kingdom will eventually reign on earth.

Although every century has its own problems, the ones of the 21st century feel more acute because of the spread of cross-continental information and the 24-hour news cycle.  Even if this is just the result of magnification, it does not change the difficulty of the situation or the fact that action must be taken.

If there is one thing that can be said for our current socio-political climate it is this: Members of our society no longer look to shared sources of authority on news, science, religion, or politics.

We read different news websites, believe different scientific authorities, follow mutually exclusive belief systems (including atheism), and trust politically opposed leaders.  As one meta-analysis noted, studies using data tracing have found that social media users are prone to mainly see posts and content with which they agree.  In other words, people experience a social media “echo chamber” that leads them to believe more people agree with their opinions than they actually do.

This fact is more concerning when read in light of Pew Research Center’s data indicating that 55% of Americans received at least some of their news from social media.  

In yet another example, on September 15, 2021, World Net Daily and CNN, two news sites on opposite ends of the political spectrum, ran the following contradictory headlines:

“Florida vaccine advocate loses 6 unvaccinated family members to Covid-19 within 3 weeks” and “News station gets flooded with vaccine horror stories: Startling turn after reporter sought to shame the unvaccinated.”

Who is to say which story is more true than false?  For an average person, being a moderate is no longer an option.  Sides have to be picked and lines drawn in the sand, especially when it comes to the issue of the COVID-19 vaccine.

From a religious perspective, there is less religious commonality among believers, even as the number of atheistic “nones” grows in our society.

In 2015, a professor of Greek history sought to swerve out of his academic lane by publishing a book titled Battling the Gods in which he claimed that atheism can be found in ancient Greece and is possibly as natural to humanity as religion.

Although the faithful know from Psalm 19:1 that the truth of this religiosity is obvious (“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands”) even secular neurological research contradicts this history teacher’s conjectures about human nature, suggesting that the human mind actually is hardwired to believe in religious experiences!

To top it all off, political polarization on matters like voting access has reached new heights as the distance between Republican and Democrat perceptions of the issues continues to increase.

What is a Christian to make of this mess?  An answer is found in the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:43-45:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Our only hope is to act in good faith, praying for our “enemies,” lest our nation tear itself apart. We know that our salvation is assured.  However, we also have a duty to reduce the suffering experienced by our society in the course of this life.

Salvation was made for all, not just the people we currently like.  If it is true that humanity is hardwired toward religion and faith, then we know that we at least share that point of commonality.

We can change our social media accounts, our news sources, our churches, our party affiliation, but we can never change the reality of God.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

The Christian Difference

It seems that in their bid to treat people fair and with love, many Christians have been swooped up into religious pluralism without even being aware of it.  We are so careful not to step on the toes of our friends or co-workers that we have washed away the essentials of our own faith.

What is religious pluralism and why do some embrace it?  Basically, it is the yellow brick road. Follow it and you will reach the wizard—God … as it were.  No matter how you walk the road or what you believe about the “wizard” you are still all getting there and that’s what counts.  To expand, let’s say that you are Dorothy the Christian.  You have received information that God can be found by following the yellow brick road.  Your Bible is your friend, Toto.  You bring it along in your basket.  Along the way, you encounter a Tin man.  He also wants to follow the road and find the wizard.  He brings along his axe which is the Koran.  He seems harmless enough.  You are both on the yellow brick road, so, it must be alright.  Along comes the Cowardly Lion.  The lion is very unsure of himself and cannot decide any belief, so he comes along with his emotions on his sleeve, but a big heart.  The scarecrow carries the five Pillars of Islam and is sure that his path to the wizard will ultimately prove to be the only path. Dorothy desires to build relationships with her companions.  She does not want to be judged, even though she knows in her heart that Jesus is the only way.  She believes Christianity teaches that God is three persons in one.  She chooses not to argue with her compatriots. Who is she to know what is truly the one path to God for each of them?

Is Dorothy tolerant?  Is religious pluralism tolerant and accepting?  Not really.  Its very nature is to prove that its own way is the right way and therefore boastful.  This isn’t tolerance; it’s a power play.  When asserting all religions lead to God, the distinctive and very different views of God and how to reach the divine in Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam are brushed aside in one powerful swoop.

Jesus Himself was humble and accepting of others.  However, He never wavered from the message of “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The Christian difference might be summed up with these three components.  First, other religions teach that a follower must earn their way to God.  Romans 5:8 reveals that we are still sinners and Christ died for us.  Next, some religions have numerous rules to follow to find their way to God.  Christianity fulfills our desires and saves if we believe and have faith in the fact that Jesus died for our sins.  And, last but surely not least, we have the cross and the resurrection.  The empty tomb speaks for itself of the difference.

The belief that religious pluralism is the GPS on the yellow brick road will surely not lead to God.  Christians, we are called to lead the way.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Feminism Shouldn’t Terrorize Men

Christians are called to be united by their shared faith, not divided by their physical differences.

The Apostle Paul staunchly denies superficial identity-based distinctions, explaining that, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)  For Christians, our spiritual identity is what defines us and trumps any factional barriers.

Unfortunately, America stands divided.  The divisive voices of identity politics have needlessly increased tension and animosity.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the surge of third-wave feminism which actively strives not for equality with men, but supremacy over them (most especially white men).

This attitude has become so pervasive that even self-proclaiming Christians will ignore the Bible if contradicts their agenda.  For example, some time ago a progressive woman theologian announced on Twitter in response to the laws protecting babies from abortion: “My thoughts on the abortion bills: men truly hate women.  The misogyny is breathtaking.”

Of course, she is ignoring the millions of pro-life women, and the fact that the vast majority of babies aborted are girls.  This means that when men stand against abortion, they actually defend millions of women.  In fact, gender-based abortions are so prevalent that in terms of its sheer toll in human numbers, sex-selective abortion has assumed a scale tantamount to a global war against baby girls.

Another vitriolic vein of “feminism” is presented by a female author employed by the Huffington Post who tweeted that her New Year’s resolutions were to: “1. Cultivate female friendships [and] 2. Band together to kill all men.”  Although she quickly deleted her post it reflects the boundless contempt often exhibited towards men.  As Jesus explains, “From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)

Similarly, that hatred for men has become a corrupting influence within other movements, including those that might have begun with good intentions.  For example, the #MeToo movement has rightfully exposed the terrible actions perpetrated by many powerful men, but soon that movement led to #BelieveAllWomen which advocated for the blind acceptance of any and all accusations (especially when it is politically beneficial for them such as in the Kavanaugh hearings).

Comments like those above, along with the many instances of high-profile false accusations, have caused increasing divisions between men and women.  In a study published by Harvard Business Review, approximately 21% of male employers report that they “are reluctant to hire women for jobs involving close interpersonal interactions with men,” largely due to fears of being falsely accused.

Some men have even begun speaking out against this new form of anti-man discrimination such as Monty Python actor Terry Gilliam. He explained: “I understand that men have had more power longer, but I’m tired, as a white male, of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world.”

Gilliam is hardly the only one who has noticed this drastic increase in hostility.  While certainly men must not be misogynists, neither is it acceptable for women to be misandrists.

Like all issues in life, the Bible provides us the way to reduce this swelling enmity between men and women, instructing us to: “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Life Should Not Be a Divisive Issue

In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah protested the role God was calling him to, complaining “I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.” (Jeremiah 1:6)  But God explained to Jeremiah that his value and worth was in the fact he was created by God, not in what he could do: “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NASB)

Each year, numerous events across America celebrate the fact that God is the Author of all human life and that it should therefore be protected and respected.  Perhaps the most notable of these events is the March for Life in Washington, D.C.  

On January 24, 2020, the march was historic in that for the first time since Roe v. Wade “legalized” abortion on demand 47 years earlier, the gathering was addressed in person by the President of the United States.  Trump told the tens of thousands: “We’re here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential.”

Such a statement should not have been controversial, for the Declaration of Independence promises that the protection of life is one of the inalienable rights to be solemnly guarded by the government.  Yet social media and news outlets found the President’s simple statement to be so appalling that they felt it needed to be censored. So, among broadcast media not only did CNN and MSNBC refuse to air the event but CNN’s national correspondent snidely observed: “Trump, by speaking here today, has really become the face of the anti-abortion movement...There is a reason that no other president in the last 47 years has come here.”

But that was kind compared to what Twitter did.  It flagged a video showing children calling on Americans “to build a culture that cherishes innocent life” as unacceptable, labeling it “sensitive material”—a designation usually reserved for particularly graphic images or hate-filled content.

By these standards, even Psalm 139 and its declaration that unborn life is from God would be censored.

Being pro-life isn’t just a political position, it is a Biblical one.  But to stand for unborn life today is now considered as launching an “assault on women,” which, of course, ignores the thousands of women in the group who marched with signs such as:

“Conceived in rape.  I love my life.”

“By choosing his life, I chose mine too.”

“I regret my abortion.  Ask me why.”

While opponents falsely claim that protecting unborn life is to “hate women” and “care about controlling women’s bodies,” it is our God-given responsibility as Christians to “defend the weak and the fatherless, and uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed..” (Psalm 82:3)

Even if the world forgets that “children are a gift from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3), God will not, saying: “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, but I will not forget you, behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)

May our endeavors every day for the remainder of this year be part of a March for Life.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

For the Love of God…Respect Men!

Modern culture has a definite tendency to separate people into groups based on outward characteristics, with some groups receiving more legal rights than others.  In fact, women today often enjoy a preferential legal status that men do not enjoy.  But the Bible teaches that all human lives, both male and female, are equally valuable and therefore to be equally protected:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

“Do we not all have one Father?  Did not one God create us?” (Malachi 2:10)

“God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Modern feminism often does not seek this equality but instead demands that men be demeaned, degraded, and punished.  The common narrative is that men are part of a nefarious patriarchy designed to keep women down—that they practice “toxic masculinity” and “misogyny” (which means an ingrained prejudice against women).  Yet, those most active in pushing this narrative may themselves be guilty of “misandry,” which is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against men (i.e. the male sex).”

Interestingly, while sexual assault is generally considered to be a crime largely committed by men against women, feminist researcher Lara Stemple analyzed several national surveys on sexual violence and found that when using forced sex as the standard, “the rates of nonconsensual sexual contact between men and women were basically equal.”  Nonetheless, modern feminists ignore those facts that contradict their one-sided narrative.

Legally speaking, white males are probably the only group in American politics today with no special legal standing.  The problem created by our identity-conscious culture was explained by a father in a recent blog post:

“My middle son is about to make his college choice.  He’s got some great schools that have accepted him.  He has some great ones that did not.  His dream school was Duke.  He also really liked Northwestern, Dartmouth, and UCLA.  He has a 4.05 GPA on a 4.0 scale (honors classes give you an additional GPA) and a 31 on his ACT (97th percentile of all kids taking this test).  He had the grades and test scores to get into all of those schools.  What he didn’t have was something else…Basically, he falls into this no-man’s land of what colleges and universities don’t want these days.  Male and White.”

As Christians, we should embrace the Bible’s teachings of equality and therefore teach our daughters to be respectful of men just as much as we teach our sons to be respectful of women.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel