There’s a popular meme currently making the rounds depicting the apostle Paul writing a letter. The text is, “Paul, an apostle by the will of God, to the church in America. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I really don’t know where to begin with you guys …”

It’s easy to throw stones at the church, pointing out its multitude of flaws and fallacies. It’s unfortunately equally easy, if not easier, to absolve ourselves from blame for the church’s shortcomings, in the process conveniently forgetting we are the church. As long as the church resides on this earth, there will be issues. This is the unavoidable byproduct of human beings, be they working as individuals or in a group. The hymn accurately says, “I need Thee every hour.” Although, to be entirely accurate, it’s every millisecond.

The latest edition of Cephas Hour (I apologize for the gap in between shows; spent much of February fighting a bug that, among other symptoms, left my voice suitable for little more than doing voiceovers for Billy the Bullfrog cartoons were there such a thing) looks at people who have spent most or all of their adult lives petulantly pouting in the church’s direction because parts of same became overly enamored with eschatology in the 1970s. Errors of enthusiasm happen. Being enthusiastic about rejoicing in the Lord is never in error.

You can listen to the show on demand at its website. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks.

Lately, I’ve been spending time listening to Bible teaching sermons by the late Chuck Smith, who was the pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and a leader in the Jesus Revolution of the 1970s. They are proving to be a profound blessing: enriching, informative, challenging, and drawing me closer to the faith. 

A lot of people who were once followers of the 1970s Southern California evangelical movement led by Chuck Smith have since drifted off into liberalism or complete disbelief. Many people who were once believers have fallen away, disillusioned by the fact that they’ve had to live out their lives because Jesus didn’t come back in the 1980s like they thought He would. They love to scoff, mock, and attempt to torment us who still believe, saying, “Where is your second coming? Where is your rapture? The world is in much worse shape now than when you were saying all the signs pointed to His returning to save the world from itself. So where is He?”

It’s true Jesus did not come back in 1984. It is now 2024. He is still coming, and His Second Coming is 40 years closer than it was then. Are you ready? Are you prepared? Do you know what’s going on? Because if you do, you will not be cocky.

Something I’ve learned in listening to Chuck Smith’s teaching sermons I mentioned earlier answered a question I’ve long held. In the seventh chapter of Mark, we find this passage:

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

That has always seemed rather harsh on Christ’s part. However, as Chuck Smith explains, the original text has two different words for dogs. The one Jesus referred to meant domesticated pets. Puppies, if you will. In comparison, when Paul mentions dogs in the third chapter of Philippians, he refers to wild dogs who roam and attack in packs. Today, we call them social justice warriors.

Most parents — not all, but most — believe they should give their children priority at the dinner table over the family pet or pets. Granted, the pets usually appreciate the meal more, but that is beside the point.

The two people Jesus most praised for their faith during His earthly ministry had one thing in common. Neither of them was a member of God’s chosen people. In addition to the aforementioned Greek woman, there was the Roman centurion in the eighth chapter of Matthew. It’s something to think about.

I came across this nugget in Proverbs the other day:

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but a person is tested by being praised.

Mull that over for a bit. A person is tested not through flames, or adversity if you will, but by flattery. Interesting.

Flattery can be truthful. It can also be the great obscurer. Only when you see things through faith’s eyes does one achieve clarity. Even when our eyes tire, Scriptural truths strip away the veneer and reveal reality. The reality is that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us, enduring incomprehensible agony on the cross so we could spend eternity with Him.

Not only is faith the only thing that makes sense, but without it, nothing makes sense. Nothing.