Yesterday, USA Today reported that Chris Watts—a 33-yr-old man from Colorado who has confessed to killing his wife and two children—had been having an affair with a coworker and was planning to leave his wife. It was in the course of telling his wife about this that the situation turned extremely emotional, then lethal. Obviously, most people would never assume that a situation like that could turn so violent, but no one argues that his unholy sexual activity made the stakes incredibly high at that moment.

On the same day, it was revealed that one of the most outspoken proponents of the #MeToo movement is also being accused of sexual assault. Asia Argento—a woman who publicly and strongly criticized Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein for the disgraceful conduct of which he was accused—has been ousted for her own unholy sexual behavior with a minor back in 2013. One major player in the whole ordeal called out Argento for "a stunning display of hypocrisy."

On the same day, the organization Planned Parenthood tweeted: "Students deserve sex education that is medically-accurate, comprehensive, and inclusive. This is not a radical idea!" If you were to familiarize yourself with their stance on a huge number of issues relating to sexuality and reproduction, you would find that their idea here is a very radical one. (You can click here to view my response to their tweet.)

These stories and that tweet capture the spirit of an ever-increasing problem in our society—one that most people have yet to realize is a problem. It is the problem of thinking that sexual fulfillment equates to happiness, and that sex somehow brings more happiness when it has been "liberated" from its classically-enforced bond to marriage. But liberating the idea of sex in this way is like "liberating" a fire from the fireplace into the rest of your house. In its place, it is a wonderful thing: it provides warmth, comfort, and serene joy in the home. But out of its place, it only brings destruction.

The apostle Paul said, "Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body" (1 Cor. 6:18). Christians, we must not only believe this for others; we must live it for ourselves. No matter how tempting it sounds to give in to our sexual urges outside of monogamous and heterosexual marriage, we must believe that God's way is always the best way. "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled" (Heb. 13:4).

- Dan Lankford, minister

Whenever I get the opportunity to baptize someone into Jesus Christ, my emotions are all over the map. It's a combination of sincere, heart-deep joy and panicky, clammy-handed nervousness. Here's why:

In the past, a big part of my nervousness has been over petty stuff. I get nervous about sounding silly or looking silly. Admittedly, I have an ongoing fear that I'm going to drop somebody in the water. Irrational and silly? Yes. But true? Unfortunately, yes.

But in my better moments, when all of that is gone, rather than fading, the disquiet is often even stronger. My heart races and my hands often tremble as I realize the gravity of what is happening at that moment:

• I'm witnessing the moment that God saves someone's soul from Hell.
• I'm seeing the moment that God transforms someone's heart.
• I get to be a spectator to death of the old life and resurrection to new life in Jesus.
• I'm witnessing God's forgiveness of a lifetime of sin.
• I'm watching as God fulfills so many of his promises at once.
• I'm right there as God breathes life into a person's soul like he did to the first man he created.
• I'm seeing a testimony to the fact that the Devil has been defeated.
• And I'm rejoicing with the angels that one more sinner has repented.

And as all of that starts to sink, the thought that is always in my mind is, "How do I say something that even comes close to describing this marvelous reality? How do I communicate how astoundingly powerful God has made this moment?" I know what I usually say. And I know what I will probably say in the future. But I also know that those words fall far short of the real significance of the moment.

So, until the power and splendor of baptism into Jesus Christ fades from the scope of reality, I guess I will have to continue being nervous.

- Dan Lankford, minister

"All conservatism is based upon the idea that if you leave things alone you leave them as they are. But you do not. If you leave a thing alone you leave it to a torrent of change. If you leave a white fence post alone it will soon be a black post. If you particularly want it to be white you must be always painting it again; that is, you must be always having a revolution. Briefly, if you want the old white post you must have a new white post." (G.K. Chesterton)

Chesterton's illustration is a good reminder of the need to constantly teach the word of God in a way that allows it to be fresh, living, active, and powerful. If the church is going to be just like the first-century church in things like faith, evangelism, and love for one another, then we cannot be on auto-pilot. If you want it to stay the same as when it was new, you have to re-NEW it all the time. It takes constant effort to refresh, restore, and rejuvenate the group that God is saving.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." (2 Cor. 4:16)

- Dan Lankford, minister

*this concept came to my attention from a sermon by Wes McAdams*

"As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ."  (2 Corinthians 8:23)

The cooperation seen so often in Paul's life demonstrates one of the great imperatives of God's kingdom: that his people can and must work together to accomplish his purposes. Whether it was with Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus, or several others mentioned in his letters, Paul shows us the value of kingdom cooperation.

Obviously, we believe this is an important idea for evangelists. It's why we are financially supporting two men who are working together to plant a church in Harrisburg, PA. It's why our elders encourage our minister to spend time with other preachers often. It's why we bring in guest speakers and have some of our men preach on occasion. There is value in fellowship and cooperation between those who preach. As Paul said of Titus, we are partners and fellow workers for the benefit of God's people.

But the verse has value for everybody who lives in Christ. We are recreated (2 Cor. 5:17) in Christ to be in community and fellowship with each other. As Paul and Titus were fellow workers, we are all fellow workers toward the same goal: the glory of Christ. I encourage you to think about some good that you can do for God's glory. And then think of some other saints you can get involved in that. Make an effort to be fellow workers and partners in the gospel, so that in all things, Christ may be given the glory that he deserves.

- Dan Lankford, minister

The recent story of the Thai soccer team stuck in the cave was an international sensation, and rightly so. So many elements of the story touched our hearts and showed us that there is good in the species made in God's image. I'd like to highlight one more element of that story.

After divers discovered the boys and their coach were alive, many people made return trips into the cave to bring food, oxygen bottles, and lights to them. They also carried letters from their families who were anxiously waiting outside. One of the most touching letters is the one in the picture: the letter to the coach—the man who had been responsible for their children when all of this took place.

And I don't need to say much about it, except to point out that in any language, forgiveness sounds good. Those parents' common attitude toward the coach stands as a powerful example of how we, as Christ's people, ought to think about those who have made really bad choices.

Sin is a trap that we enter by our own choice and from which we cannot escape by our own power. And while it is tempting to stand in the safety of salvation and be bitter toward someone "who got themselves into this mess" as the coach had done, how much better would we be to learn the lesson of these parents (the same attitude that the older brother should have had in Jesus' prodigal story in Luke 15)? Our task is not to be upset at the sinner, but to be passionate & excited about his rescue.

- Dan Lankford, minister

"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice." (Prov. 16:8)

It is all too easy to look at our lives and focus on what we don't have. We feel like we do not have enough time, enough energy, or enough money. Maybe we feel that we do not take enough vacations, we do not have enough good friends, or we are not respected enough.

While there may be times of legitimacy to some of that kind of perspective, the verse above reminds us that it does not take much to have what is best for us. If our lives are governed by God's righteousness, we will find contentment in him. And so even if we do not have enough time to do all that we want to, if we use our time in righteous ways, it is enough. If we do not have as many friends as we would like, we can still be righteous with the friendships we do have, and it is enough. If we are not as highly revered in a particular realm of life as we would prefer, we can be an influence for righteousness in a small circle, and that is enough.

May God give us the ability to be perpetually content with whatever portion he gives us. And may we have the determination to be wholly righteous with our portion in life.

- Dan Lankford, minister

"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice." (Prov. 16:8)

It's all too easy to look at our lives and focus on what we don't have. We feel like we do not have enough time, enough energy, or enough money. Maybe we feel that we do not take enough vacations, we do not have enough friends, or we are not respected enough.

While there may be legitimacy to some of that kind of perspective, the verse above reminds us that it does not take much to have what is best for us. If our lives are governed by God's righteousness, we will find contentment in him. And so even if we do not have enough time to do all that we want to, if we use our time in righteous ways, it is enough. If we do not have as many friends as we would like, we can still be righteous with the friendships we do have, and it is enough. If we are not as highly revered in a particular realm of life as we would prefer, we can be an influence for righteousness in a small circle and that is enough.

May God give us the ability to be perpetually content with whatever portion he gives us. And may we have the determination to be wholly righteous with our portion in life.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Last week, I spoke to a minister from Florida who told me how much his church is doing to give and to help those in need around them. It reminded me again of the principles we talked about a few weeks back—of how important it is for all Christians to be giving, sacrificial people who are constantly on the lookout for ways to do good.

We talked about those matters in principle a few weeks ago, so I thought I would follow that up with a quick list of practical suggestions for ways to get busy doing good works (cf. Eph. 2:10).

• Volunteer for something at church.
• Donate blood.
• Support kids who need assistance to attend faithful camps, colleges, etc.
• Volunteer as a camp counselor.
• Donate to faithful charities.
• Volunteer at hospitals, shelters, schools, and other venues that assist the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the sojourner.
• Foster or adopt kids.
• Give to a church.

As we said in the sermon, don't try to do everything. You can't; you're not God. But don't let the inability to do everything prevent you from doing anything. Find ways to be a blessing. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

- Dan Lankford, minister

When the Lord called Gideon to do a great work in delivering the Israelite nation, he didn't call him because he had proven himself a great man of war. In fact, at that moment, Gideon was proving himself to be a scaredy-cat. And yet, God's first words to him were, "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." (Judg. 6:12)

Why did God call him a mighty man of valor when it was so clear that he wasn't that? The key to the second phrase is the first phrase: "The Lord is with you."

If you are doubting whether you have what it takes to do the Lord's will today, be encouraged by the fact that God has given the same promise to us that he gave to Gideon. Paul frequently ended his letters with this blessing: "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." And he will be.

Whatever the will of God has commanded of you today, know that the Lord is with you and will give you the strength to accomplish it, even if it's very difficult. The Lord is with you.

- Dan Lankford, minister

This past week saw the death of Alfie Evans, a two-year-old boy from the UK with a degenerative brain condition. His medical case received major media (and especially social media) attention for the following reasons: Alfie's life was only continuing with the help of life-support devices (ventilator, etc), and since his doctors believed that he would never recover, they decided to remove all life support and let him die.

That's very sad, but it's not the most interesting part of this case. Alfie's parents were adamant that their son's life be preserved, but the hospital staff refused to treat him according to his parents' wishes. The matter was taken to the British high court, who ruled in favor of the hospital, effectively removing all of the parents' rights regarding the life of their son. Alfie's life support systems were removed two Fridays back, on April 23, and he breathed on his own for five days before passing away last Wednesday, April 28.

There may be several things which we would rightly be concerned about in this case, but I will address only this one: as Christians, we should have some major concerns when society outright objects to the fundamental elements of the family unit. The most disturbing thing about this case is that Alfie's parents were legally prohibited from doing what they judged to be in the best interest of their son. Even when the parents' wishes were bolstered by support from the Vatican and the Italian federal government, the British courts doggedly stood in the way of their right to procure medical treatment for Alfie. One of my favorite preachers said just this past Sunday, "Parental authority is an indispensable feature of a society that is both stable and civilized." And he is right. This removal of parents' rights toward the lives of their own children should trouble people who believe in God's plan for the family (remember Eph. 6:1-4).

What do we do about that? Well, our votes may help to prevent the same problem in our country. Perhaps our common voice may be heard through social media and other outlets. Perhaps we can find ways that our efforts in sacrifice and giving (Sunday night's sermon) will help change the culture in this regard. All of those may have some value. But God gave us one instruction that will make a difference:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  (1 Timothy 2:1-4, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, pray for all who have influence in our culture. Politicians, college professors, celebrities, parents, courts & judges, social media tycoons... Pray for all who are in high positions, so that we may perennially live in a peaceful society that still values the God-ordained importance of the family.

- Dan Lankford, minister