Jeffrey Smith's Blog

Injustice Beware

It is nearly impossible to try and explain the vastness of the world of sports. From physical fitness, competition, and teamwork, to leadership, merchandising, and downright national pride, sports is big business…huge business. The professional sports industry alone is twice the size of the auto industry and 7 times larger than the movie industry.

 

Sometimes an issue arises in the world of sports that transcends sports itself. The blog I am writing today will be considered by some as sports related. Although it is within the realm of the sports world, I feel it is more human related.

 

The dreadful story that has been developing at Penn State for the last week or so has been in my head for days. For those that may not be aware of the story I would suggest reading about it before reading the rest of this blog. Be warned it is graphic and sickening yet it is a story that cannot be avoided.

 

 Within this real-life horror story we find a man in a position of authority and influence that used his power to prey on innocent, at-risk children. We also see legendary leaders above him forever tarnishing their own legacies for failing to respond to the injustices in an appropriate way. Instead of talking about this story directly, I am choosing to make 3 critical observations based on these events.

 

 

1.            There will always be people in positions of authority that will abuse their power and influence to get what they want.

 

2.            There will always be people that prey on the innocent for their own benefit.

 

3.            There will always be people that know injustice exists, yet do little or nothing to prevent it.

 

I want to take these three heartbreaking statements and ask myself how I plan on responding to each of them in my own life.

 

1.            There will always be people in positions of authority that will abuse their power and influence to get what they want.

 

 

Other than Jesus my favorite Biblical personality has always been David. David had a tremendous love for God yet he was very human. David taught us how to worship yet he also showed us how far we can fall when we don’t cling to the one that we should be worshipping at all times. David used his authority as king to obtain Bathsheba, the object of his desire, he also used authority as commander-in-chief to have Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, murdered on the battlefield. David had one key element that I desire to have. He always turned to the Lord when he failed.

 

As a senior pastor I have a great deal of autonomy. Sure I have elders and a board of directors and I willingly submit myself to spiritual authority, but none of those people see my heart. It is my responsibility to make sure at the end of each day my heart is pure before God.

 

Having a pure heart before God is the only way to insure that we don’t use authority for my our benefit.

 

We can’t go back and rewrite history or change past events but we can make a decision to lead in a way that brings dignity and honor to whatever position of leadership we may hold.

 

2.            There will always be people that prey on the innocent for their own benefit.

 

My wife is one of my heroes. Not only is she an extraordinary woman of faith who inspires thousands weekly, she is a great mom, wife, and friend. Her faith is nearly unshakable. Few would assume this incredible woman grew up in an environment of sexual abuse. We have been together for 16 years and I stood beside her as she literally went through heartbreaking trials trying to overcome the devastation she endured for so many years growing up as a young child. The abuse she went through began when she was younger than my 9 year old daughter. To imagine someone taking advantage of a child is unconscionable…yet people do it daily. As a matter of fact every 2 minutes someone is sexually assaulted in America.

 

Deuteronomy 18 actually warns people not to sacrifice their own children to false Gods! That is so messed up I can’t even comment. We have to be aware of these types of people in the world. They exist!

 

Without becoming a jaded person I believe we can try our hardest to prevent abuse from occurring in the first place. Make it tough on these jokers!

 

For instance, our kids don’t spend the night with anyone. I don’t care who it is. Do other parents criticize us for that decision? Yes. Do we care? We couldn’t care less. Some of the atrocities that take place against children in particular are created when kids are put in awkward situations and they don’t know how to respond. I was sexually abused as a child myself, once with a relative and once at a friend’s house. I believe we should teach our children how to recognize inappropriate behavior and how to respond.

 

Sidenote

I am generally referring to American culture although statistics show that 75% of Aboriginal girls under the age of 18 were sexually abused. 75% of Aboriginal victims of sex crimes were females under 18 years of age. 50% were under 14 years of age. Almost 25% were younger than 7 years (Alliance of Five Research Centres on Violence, 1999).

 

We must be aware that these atrocities exist.

 

3.            There will always be people that know injustice exists, yet do little or nothing to prevent it.

 

It will be a great shock to many when they stand before the throne of God someday and they are judged equally as harshly for what they DIDN’T DO.

 

We are all very aware of sins of commission. We are taught from the time we are children that taking the Lord’s name in vain is a sin, stealing is a sin, murder is a sin. We get that. What we do not seem to get however, is that we are equally accountable for what we fail to do. We are accountable for not worshipping, for not honoring God with our finances, for not speaking up when people are talking negatively about others.

 

King Ahab did nothing to prevent the murder of a man that refused to sell him his property. His wife did most of the dirty work in arranging this man’s death but ultimately what we fail to prevent or intervene on behalf of, we become responsible for.

 

It’s not that people don’t realize that something is wrong. People don’t want to be inconvenienced. We all have been faced with awkward dilemmas where a child was being spanked a little too hard in public and we try to decide whether to say something or not or maybe someone is demeaning another person publically and we want to say something. We are not called to be Batman. We are called to be messengers of hope. People that are being hurt deserve to know about God’s love and hope. If that means intervening at times, so be it. Sometimes that is picking up the phone and calling the police.

 

I was in a theater in 1995 when a dad was cursing and slapping his son in the face before the film in front of everyone. A very large African-American gentlemen approached him and kindly said, “sir if you slap that boy again in front of me I’m gonna slap you in front of him”. The arrogant father told the man to mind his own business, proceeded to slap his son again and then got his jaws nearly slapped off for 5 minutes straight.

 

There is a difference between vigilante justice and vigilant justice. One seeks to punish the criminal personally, the other is committed to not only awareness of injustice but actively pursuing justice through legal means.

 

This year City of Life had an awesome opportunity to partner with Love146.org, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to ending child slavery and exploitation. A song I wrote was featured on their fundraising CD. One of our friends, Leigh Ramsey spearheads an incredible outreach called She Rescue Home. I am so thankful that there truly are committed people that dedicate their existence to the eradication of injustice.

 

I believe each person should try and find something to be a part of that makes a difference.

 

 

Here are my personal responses to the original statements I made.

 

1.             I always want to leverage my own authority for the benefit of the one’s I am leading.

 

2.            I want to value those that cannot help themselves and make life tough for those that would abuse them.

 

3.             I want to be a part of not just proclaiming what is good and right, but defending it as well.

 

 

We shouldn’t allow events like this to make us bitter in life. It doesn’t mean all leaders are bad. It doesn’t mean charity organizations can’t be trusted. It doesn’t mean you can’t trust anybody. It means we must reflect on our own lives and how we can make the greatest difference for God that we can in this short time we have on earth.

 

As much as our own hearts break for injustice, God’s breaks infinitely more.

 

Psalm 33:5
 says, “The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

 

Christ was sent that through Him ultimate justice could be eternally established.

 

I want to end my blog with the lyrics of “You Stand”.

 

For the brokenhearted

For the ones who are alone

For the weary stranger

For the ones without a home

You stand, You stand

 

For the ones who’ve been oppressed

For the ones without a voice

For the hurt and the abused

For the ones without a choice

You stand, You stand

 

Your arms are open wide

Your love is abounding

You are our hiding place

With the enemy surrounding

You stand

 

My sisters, my brothers

All nations, all colors

Lord, for every soul
You stand

The hungry, abandoned

Will someday see You standing Lord

You Stand, You stand…

 

 

Mirror

I'm not huge on poetry but I wrote this a couple of years ago after I went through a huge test of my faith. I may have failed the test in some ways but God's love has a way of running into me wherever I go.

 

The weight of failure presses on my shoulders

My crimes leave stains on my skin

Heavy laden with regret

Discoloration…nothing pristine anymore

I feel something like a magnet

Drawing my emotions to a realm unseen

A hope mixed with sadness and joy

I remember how much I love You

All You’ve done to love me

Pressure turns into an embrace

My skin dissolves as my spirit becomes material before my eyes

Restored.

Renewed.

It’s not about me.

I remember You.

This mirror has reminded me…

 

From the Inside Out

Today I have had an opportunity to sit back and truly think about what happened at City of Life through our Blink: The Door production.  It is one of the largest evangelistic outreaches in the history of our county. Since Blink began I have been getting dozens of messages every day from people who have found hope in Christ and that truly makes me happy.

 

One mom wrote me and said that her daughter had been taking boxing lessons before she knew the Lord at Blink. She came home after practice the next day and said, “Something doesn’t feel right anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone now, I’m different”. Now I’m not coming down on boxing or other violent sports, (like football =)) but I think it is such a powerful thing when God turns people’s hearts and their outward life begins to reflect the inward change they have experienced.

 

One young man said that he was addicted to pills for two years and he hasn’t even had the desire since he accepted Christ on opening night.

 

Another satisfying element of what just happened is the powerful sense of purpose our church members have felt to reach others with the gospel. People do not want this to be the end of inviting people to church and telling them about Jesus in day to day conversations. I believe that is why we have experienced a true revival here in Osceola County. People are changed from the inside out. Now we move on to the beautiful task of trying to help these people grow in Christ and finish the race that they have just begun.

 

I’ll write more extensively about this amazing season very soon but I will leave you with a story that touched my heart. Before the Saturday night performance a couple approached me. They introduced themselves and told me that they were married and worked for Campus Crusade For Christ. As we began to talk the lady told me that they were so excited to see Blink again because she saw Blink 10 years ago when she was a devout Muslim that had just moved here from Iraq. Her life was radically transformed and now they are over the Middle East ministries for Campus Crusade. Joy just overflowed from her heart. It overwhelmed me at how good and gracious the Lord is.

 

It got me excited for what stories we might hear 10 years from now.

 

Fear vs. Hope

Living life with a Biblical worldview can sometimes be uncomfortable when conversations with certain people reach a point of contention. Such a moment occurred with me the other day when I was asked, very frankly, by a self proclaimed atheist if I believed in a literal hell. My answer apparently enraged her. She considers the notion of hell to be a contrived means of manipulating weak minded people into following a bunch of made up rules so that organized religion can manipulate people to eventually drain them of all their money, intelligence, and free-will. (or something like that) Though it is not a very original argument, I was enjoying the conversation.

She told me that I can only compel others by fear because of the prospect of hell. This brings up an interesting point. Can we effectively preach the gospel without preaching hell? 

A couple of points to ponder.

1. Jesus clearly taught on hell.

 Matthew 8:11-12, Mark 9:42-48, Luke 16:19-31

2. Since God is omnipresent, hell is the presence of God in His full judgment and wrath.

3. Hell is just because God is just.

4. Hell is ETERNAL.

There is no such thing as just disappearing when we die. Jonathan Edwards said,  “Wicked men will hereafter earnestly wish to be turned to nothing and forever cease to be that they may escape the wrath of God.”

When I answered the lady I was talking with I told her that I am compelled to preach BECAUSE I believe there is a literal hell. I told her my favorite part of the preaching is actually the hope of finding Jesus.

We need to preach with a balance. Preaching only hell would promote fear with no hope. Preaching only hope would make people lax because they wouldn't understand what they were being saved from. Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. He came to save people from what??? Hell. 

Talk about hope, but don't back down from reality. People need the truth even if it is hard to hear.

The Sound of Heavy Rain

After Elijah called down fire against the prophets of Baal in the spiritual Superbowl, he informed King Ahab that there was a "sound of heavy rain". Ahab had just been through 3 years of being called out by God. Elijah had prayed for the drought and God brought it to humble Ahab and the nation. The Baal's they worshipped were specifically honored for things like fertility, harvest, and...RAIN. After Elijah proved, by God's mighty hand, that there is no question whose God is the strongest, there was no need for the drought so Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of heavy rain".

Even when you are a great person of faith who has seen the miraculous, there is always a moment where a huge demand is put on your faith. Elijah knew that God had caused the drought and he knew God would end it. Still, Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel (revisiting the place where God had done amazing things before ;) ) and bent down with his face between his knees. That is a posture of some soul-rending prayer right there. It was time to believe for the next great move of God.

He asked his servant to go look out over the sea to check if rain was coming. He was going to stay and fix his faith on what he knew God was gonna do. Six times the servant went and came back with  a negative report. (Do we sometimes give up after simply the prospect of a negative report?) On the seventh time he pretty much said, "Bro, I see something like a cloud, but it's about the size of a dude's fist". That was all Elijah needed!!!! He popped up and said, "Go tell Ahab, get ready you're gonna get hit by a monsoon".

Never question in the dark what God has spoken to you in the light. Some people would have thought, "A cloud the size of a man's hand? I give up!" Not you though! Not me! Not people who live for things that we cannot see. We say, "THAT"S IT!". I knew God would come through! If there has been a drought of hope in your life, do not fear. Revisit what God has done, fix your faith, and get ready for rain.

Can you hear it? I can. It is the sound of heavy rain.

Mistaken Identity

My responsibilities as a pastor give me the opportunity to talk to every type of person you could imagine on a weekly basis. As I do my best to try and help people navigate through life with a great sense of purpose and hope in knowing Jesus, I have found one issue that distracts people more than almost any other.  Farmville. I kid, I kid. The issue that truly confuses people is the issue of identity.

 

People want to fit in. As a matter of fact, according to psychologists, our desire for acceptance is greater than our need for food, water, or shelter. It is a need that drives us to do nearly anything. We will search for it anywhere imaginable, we will starve ourselves for it, punish our bodies for it, we will work for it, we will finance things we cannot afford to have it, and many times we will compromise our own values to get it.

 

I am so moved when I look at Jesus’ life because He had such a huge sense of who He was. Remember, He was fully God but He was also fully human as well. He was able to relate with all of our fears, shortcomings, our longings to fit in.

 

Hebrews 4:15

15            For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

 

As we go through life we tend to label ourselves pretty easily in order to find our own identity. From political views and musical tastes to sexual orientation and cultural behaviors, people latch on to almost anything that makes them feel a sense of purpose. Sadly, some people even define themselves from their weaknesses or failures, or even their strengths and successes. None of these things are a viable foundation for who we are. People fail to recognize the difference between what they do and who they are.

 

After 30 years of a fairly normal life Jesus steps on to the scene ready to embark on the most daring, beautiful three year span in the history of the universe. He encounters John the Baptist and asks to be baptized. As Jesus is coming up out of the water something extraordinary happens.

 

Matthew 3:16-17

16            As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

17            And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Listen to what the Father says to the Son. First He makes a statement of acceptance.

“This is my Son”. You are a child of God. You can look all over the world for a place to fit in but you will never find a more powerful revelation than the moment you realize what it means to be a child…a child of God.

John 1:12

12            But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God; even to those who believe in His Name.

 

God is speaking that same thing over you at this very moment. “You are my child”. That rules.

 

Second He makes a declaration of His love for His Son. “Whom I love”. How far have you gone in pursuit of love? How many dead ends have led to pain and brokenness when the Fathers love was there all along?

 

Romans 5:8

8            But God commendeth His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

The amazing part is that His love for us was the greatest at the worst moment of our lives. He knew or jerkiness, yet loved us.

 

Third He makes a statement of affirmation. “In whom I am well pleased”. During ministry times I have put my arms around dozens of sobbing men over the years that have admitted their whole life was lived vainly in pursuit of the acceptance their father never gave them. To simply hear an important person tell us that they are proud of us does something to the soul. My five year old son Jude will look at me sometimes and say, “Daddy you love me and you are proud of me”. I laugh out loud as I doubly reaffirm his statement. “That’s right son. Your Daddy loves you and I’m very proud of you. You’re a great man”. He usually says, “I already know that Daddy”. He has literally heard me say those things hundreds of times. What the Father spoke over the Son at the Jordan River He is still speaking over you today.

 

On our recent record there is a song called “Draw Me Closer.” I wrote this song in a very intimate moment of my life where I felt as if I could ask God anything and He would grant my request. I could never be so personal with Him if I didn’t know who I was in Him.

 

You are His child. He loves you. He is proud of you. Don’t be defined by anything that never had the power to create you. He knows who you are and who you were meant to be. That is enough.