Goodbye Times Square

It goes without saying that New York is a busy place. It is even busier during Christmas. But New York City during Christmastime is a beautiful and nostalgic place to be. Despite that, I am writing my last post from this Times Square Church blog. John Jenkins and some of the guys from His Place drove up to Manhattan this past week, and they offered me a ride home. After some thought, I took the offer on one condition: that I could leave with the blessing of my boss, Earl. After being given his blessings, I packed my things and loaded the van. At first, I didn’t think I would be able to go with them since there were six guys in the van already. But since two of those guys stayed in New York, I was just able to fit my things and myself in the van. Fortunately, I was able to work it out for my arrival to be a surprise to all! As I write, I am at the Starbucks where my beloved fiancé, Helen, is employed. I walked in without her noticing, snuck to the back with roses in hand and said, “Surprise!” It was great!!! HA HA! She nearly fainted! So now I am happily in sweet home, Alabama, with my family, friends, and fiancé.

The day before I left New York (Saturday, the 12^th of Dec.), I certainly had a lot of nostalgia and time to reflect. I had a unique experience that day. I strolled over to Rockefeller center, sat near the 72 ft. Christmas tree, and smoked a pipe, while wearing my wool overcoat and brown fedora. I just sat and enjoyed the festive scenes and happy people. I watched as so many couples showed warm affection, and for the first time ever, I beheld those sights with joy knowing that my own lovely bride was waiting back at home for me. I can definitely say with the psalmist that “the Lord has caused the lines to fall in pleasant places” for me. He has surely directed all my paths and has kept me to this day.

It’s been a good time at Times Square Church. I have left with a sense of accomplishment from my work, with the blessing of my boss and co-workers, and with a deeper work of sanctification. I’ll miss it. I will miss the urgency of prayer which consists there. I will miss the refreshing words from the man of God, David Wilkerson. I will miss the prophetic sensitivity of the pastoral staff. I will miss the sound teaching and exposition of Pastor William, especially in the context of the Ministerial Intern Program class. I will miss the leadership of Earl and Rick. I will miss the mentorship and compassionate advice of Joshua. I will miss Hector’s consistently joyful attitude and constancy in prayer. I will miss Larry’s background music (he sings praises to the Lord at all times throughout the day). I will miss the friendship of Billy, Ramesh, Louie, and others. I’ll even miss opening and closing the church at the Friday night youth service, The Gate.

If I could carry away some thoughts/principles/memories from my experience in New York City, what would I seek to retain? It would be foolish and a failure on my part to claim that I didn’t learn anything new while I was there. I became adapted to big-city life—learning the subway system, the right places to shop, and how to drive in Manhattan. I also learned from Larry and Joshua how to plaster walls properly. In addition, I became aware of how a mega-church operates. But more importantly than those things, what spiritual lessons did I learn? I may be presumptuous if I am too quick to answer that question comprehensively. Perhaps I may not know all that I have gleaned from being at Times Square Church until years from now. But stay tuned, and I will try to convey that as time passes. Right now, I am in the process of getting re-adjusted in Alabama with my wonderful fiancé. Pray for me as I look for a new job.

I will be concluding this particular blog, but starting another one. I’ll give details as I decide what to call it and what the purpose and theme of it will be.

Until then, grace to you all.

The Desolation of Rape and God's Ultimate Justice

I had initially desired to write today about some interesting and inspirational items that the Lord has been showing me in His word. However, I now feel compelled to share with you a true story which I was made aware of just a few minutes ago.

My friend and co-worker here at TSC, Louie Perez, knocked on my door just about a half hour ago. When I opened to him, he proceeded to tell me that his friend “Kate” from California (I’m not using her real name for the purpose of protecting her) was raped last night by six guys while she was jogging in a park. Louie asked for prayer and would have asked for so much more if more could be done or given in order to aide Kate in her dire situation. Kate was a virgin; only 18 years old. To make things worse, Kate has been in and out of the hospital this year with scares of heart trouble and breast cancer. She has already gone over the brink of a nervous breakdown which nearly incapacitated her in this, her senior year of high school. I need not ask this, but PLEASE pray diligently for her. She is not saved and Satan has inevitably made major inroads into her soul from these things that she has suffered. Pray and fast for the healing and salvation of Kate.

The most prevalent question which arises in our hearts like steam exploding out of a kettle is “why do things like this happen? Why would God allow this?”

If it had only happened to Kate, those questions would still resonate with as much searing vehemence as if no one else in the history of the world had ever been raped. But the even more tragic fact is that Kate is not alone. If only she could find some consolation in knowing that so many others can relate to her.

The fact is, every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. This is the calculation made by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), based on the 2000 National Crime Victimization Survey, performed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice. In fact, 17.6 % of women in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape (that’s just about 1 out of every six American women!) And according to the FBI, it is estimated that only 37% of all rapes are actually reported to the police. The U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials. So the number of rapes among American women is even higher than the available statistics can show. I know at least two people myself who have avoided the statistics, but have survived completed or attempted rapes. Actually, the number of sexual assaults per year has decreased over the past 30 years, but there is still much violence in the land.

Can’t you hear the cry of the victimized in the words of Tamar, the daughter of King David?

“No…do not force me! For no such thing should be done! Do not do this disgraceful thing!”—2 Samuel 13:12.

Tamar was raped and used by her own brother, Amnon. He burned with lust for one moment of temporary ecstasy, promising that he loved her, but afterwards he hated her and cast her aside like an old, dirty rag. And this is exactly how she was made to feel. The Scriptures say afterward, “So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.”—2 Samuel 13:20. And this is the awful, final state in which we find Tamar; she is never mentioned in any other way again in the Bible. In fact, the last mention of David’s daughter, Tamar, is that Amnon had forced her to lay with him (2 Samuel 13:22). She would forever be known as a rape victim. Tamar was the virgin daughter of the king, but she remained in that state of desolation, apparently, ever after. But Amnon’s fate was no better. Tamar’s other brother, Absalom, had Amnon murdered for his disgraceful act. Eventually, Absalom too was killed in an insurrection. This portion of the narrative of King David’s family does not have a happy ending. And the question still remains: “Why?”

It is almost impossible to consider all the possibilities as to why such a thing is allowed to happen, for we cannot see the end result of all things. We live in a sinful and fallen world where people have free will and cannot be forced to do either good or evil, but where God can redeem any person from any situation. God is still able to work all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), but it is a very complicated answer which must be made personal and specific to the individual. A better question with a more comforting and definite answer is “Will justice ultimately be done?” And the unequivocal answer is a resounding “YES!”

Consider the destiny of Sodom and Gomorrah. Concerning these cities, the LORD said to Abraham,

“Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”—Genesis 18:20-21

Indeed, the LORD already knew, He merely wanted to assure Abraham, to whom He had been revealing Himself, of that fact. After the LORD says this, then an intimate dialogue between Abraham and his God ensues.

“Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ...Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”—vs. 23, 25.

Again, the LORD assures Abraham that the Judge of all the earth WILL do right. God responds:

“If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”—v. 26

Abraham narrows the amount down to a mere ten people, but in fact there was found in Sodom only one righteous person: Abraham’s nephew, Lot. Lot’s daughters also escaped with him, although, afterwards, they showed themselves to be corrupt like the citizens of their home city. Sodom and Gomorrah were deeply depraved in violence, pride, and sexual immorality of all kinds. Their citizens were even willing to gang-rape male visitors in the streets—(cf. Genesis 19:5). The angels of the LORD declared the verdict on Sodom and Gomorrah:

“We will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”—Genesis 19:13.

When the outcry of the innocents, the victimized, and the righteous grows great in the face of the LORD, He will send His judgment upon the wicked. Do not think for a moment that those who rape, murder, and commit acts of violence will escape God’s righteous judgment. God will not be mocked; they will reap what they have sown. Like Amnon, and like the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, they will be crushed by the weight of their own sin. In the end, EVERYONE will be judged according to his or her own ways. God keeps very detailed records. He knows all. It is written:

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire… [And God said] ‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’”—Revelation 20:11-15; 21:7-8.

So, in the end, justice will be done; the wicked will be punished with everlasting destruction and the righteous will inherit eternal life in God Himself. The real question now is, “Has the outcry against violence and immorality in America reached its pinnacle yet?” When it does, woe to those people, for destruction will come from the Almighty upon them. But for the sake of the righteous, judgment upon this nation is withheld. Yet the cowards who perpetrated that rape, who left Kate desolate, will by no means escape punishment, whether it happens here or in the hereafter. The Judge of ALL the earth will do right.

Thanksgiving Break

I was blessed this week to be able to come home from New York for Thanksgiving. A friend of Helen's family donated me frequent flyer miles in order to fly me home for free, for nine days. It's been great! Helen got to meet some of my family for the first time and we were able to spend a lot of time visiting our families and mutual friends. Helen and I had our first double date with our friend Misty and her fiance, Sam. It has been appropriate to come home during Thanksgiving, as I am certainly thankful to be home and to be with our loved ones. I was telling my future brother-in-law, Jeff, what Dr. Ravi Zacharias once said, and it was very relevant to our circumstances: "Relationships give us a clue to meaning in life." I went on to quote a phrase of which I am fond of reminding myself, "after all, people are the only things we can take to heaven with us."

I cannot emphasize enough that I have very much enjoyed spending time with my fiance, our families, and our friends. Needless to say, I am not in a hurry to get back to New York. I love it here at home, not merely because of the quiet beauty of the South, but because of the people who I love.

The evening I arrived back in Alabama, Helen took me to a beautiful botanical spot, not far from her parents house in Vestavia Hills. She and I had had a "phone date" there before, but I had never physically been there. The name of the place is Aldridge Gardens, pictured above. Immediately, I was able to appreciate the peace and quiet there and the calming sounds of nature, of which I have been deprived for 5 months. You do not hear crickets, frogs, or birds chirping in New York City. You hear jack hammers, fire trucks, and car horns. Where Helen's parents and mine live, you can see the constellations at night. In New York City you can see Times Square's billboards and a haze over the city. On Sand Mountain, at my Mom's house, Helen and I burned a nice bonfire and had some hot, homemade cider. Fresh air vs. Times Square? Do I even need to make a comparison? It's striking to me to hear of the large amount of retirees who immigrate from New York. And where do they move? To the South, especially Florida. To each his own. So I guess all I'm saying is that I love to travel, but Alabama will always be home. Sweet home Alabama.

A week late

Sorry. For those of you who are attempting to keep up with me and Helen, I haven't updated for two weeks. But you are basically up to date. Helen, her sister Melanie, and their good friend (Helen's mentor), Stephanie, are busy planning our wedding. I have a little to contribute, but can't get too involved because of distance...thankfully! It stresses me out. They are doing a wonderful job of taking care of everything: Melanie and her husband Jeff are preparing the food; Helen has got her dress and shoes; Marie is doing photography; and Stephanie is doing all the important behind-the-scenes stuff. As a matter of fact, I know very little about what all is going into my wedding! LOL! But I know without these people and others, we would be better off just going to the courthouse! So thanks to you all!

Two weeks ago, on Halloween, I thought it wouldn't be inappropriate do a study of the doctrine of Hell. I did this, rather than go outside to experience the mayhem and debauchery of Halloween in Times Square. As an aside, it was not surprising to see a man dressed as a bloodied Christ walking by the church (Billy told me about this guy. I didn’t actually see him). I don’t know what this man’s intentions were, but it only serves to remind me that even in New York City, the public’s awareness of Jesus Christ is alive and well, even if they do not wish to be mindful of Him.

About three weeks ago I noticed the new billboards which have been proudly hoisted on the dingy subway corridors of Manhattan. The billboards were sponsored by the Big Apple Coalition of Reason, and they read: “A million New Yorkers are good without God…Are you?” It initially makes me think of what Paul points out in Romans 1:18-32, but I’m only going to quote a portion from verses 18 and 28:

“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them… And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind…”

Apparently, over $25,000 was spent on this billboard campaign—(see http://friendlyatheist.com/2009/10/19/atheist-subway-ads-get-publicity-in-new-york-city/). My big question is WHY? At a time when money is scarce anyway, why waste time and money promoting something like this? If you ask the Big Apple CoR, they will tell you it is “to increase awareness of secular-minded groups throughout New York City.” and to “[promote] wider acceptance of a more rational and realistic view of the universe.”— (see http://newyorkcity.unitedcor.org/). Now I can understand why evangelicals would be willing to spend that much money on a billboard campaign, since it would serve the purpose of reminding people of God and their need of a Savior, and to produce faith in them towards Jesus so that they can be saved from sin and death. The cost is worth it in that case because the outcome and the rewards are eternally significant. But I cannot understand why atheists would bother to spend ANY money to discuss something in which they do not even believe. For that reason, a billboard campaign smacks of something more than meets the eye. At least I can appreciate the honesty of the billboard’s statement. Notice that it is not making the oft tried and audacious claim that God does not exist. Instead, the atheists are merely denying God; they are proudly asserting their independence from God and proclaiming that they are “good without [Him].” But if they were really honest they would just come out and say what their real desire is and their real reason for being so willing to spend so much money on atheistic propaganda. It is because they want people to rebel against God, like they themselves do. Despite their obvious rebellion against deity, they—dare I say—arrogantly maintain their own goodness without God. Proverbs 20:6 clearly says that most men will do this:

“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”

Who, indeed, can find a faithful man? Who is even looking for one? Jesus asked a provocative question, (as He was known to do), in Luke 18:8,

“When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Needless to say, when Jesus comes back, He will not be looking for “good people.” Jesus is looking for people who are full of faith towards Him; He is earnestly searching for “the faithful man.” That brings me back to the issue of Hell which I was studying on Halloween.

I began my perusal into Hell with C. S. Lewis’ classic work, The Problem of Pain. I reread the chapter on Hell. Contained therein is one of the most eloquent and witty treatises about the doctrine of Hell. In it, Lewis deals with some common objections to this “most intolerable doctrine.” The whole chapter is good enough to quote at length, but since I wouldn’t want anyone to rush through or circumvent Lewis’ writings, I will quote but a brief, yet poignant, excerpt:

“I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside…In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell, is itself a question: ‘What are you asking God to do?’ To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does.”—(Problem of Pain, pg. 130)

By far the predominant argument against the existence of (i.e., surrender to) God is the problem of evil—the very theme of Lewis’ book. The problem is indeed felt, but it is not reasonable, for how can the atheist raise the problem of evil? For the atheist denies the very moral foundation by which he condemns God as unjust; the atheist, in his naturalistic, humanistic framework, has no moral basis for judgment one way or the other. I cannot here expand on that question and its entailments. Furthermore, much abler men and women have dealt with that problem and I would merely be borrowing from their surplus of knowledge in order to answer the question. Suffice it to say that the atheist and the rebel often times wants to indict God for being immoral and unjust for allowing things like Hell, and events of seemingly meaningless or unmerited evil and suffering. But the fact of the matter is that Jesus endured damnation—complete separation from God by becoming our sin on the cross—for them and all of us. They have no excuse to remain angry with God about the reality of Hell. Jesus says it so plainly:

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”—John 3:17-20

It is not because God hasn’t done everything that He can to save people. He has. Some people, as Lewis points out, will not to be forgiven. They are not condemned any longer because of their sins; they are condemned because they have not trusted Jesus as their salvation. Elsewhere Jesus explains that Hell wasn’t even made for men; it was made for the devil and his angels. But what else can God do with men who adamantly do not want to be with God? To force them to come to heaven apart from their free choosing of it would be equally as torturous to them as hell itself, and worse I guess they would even disrupt the joy of everyone else who loves God and wants to worship Him forever.

I ended my exploration of hell with the video testimony of Bill Weise (it can be found on YouTube or at http://www.soulchoiceministries.org). In November of 1998, at 3:00 in the morning, Bill Weise had an out-of-body experience of hell. His testimony is called 23 minutes in Hell and is one of the most sobering and terrifying, yet hopeful testimonies I have ever heard. (I also supplemented my study with two articles; one by Timothy Keller and one by the Catholic Encyclopedia. They can be found at http://www.redeemer.com/news_and_events/articles/the_importance_of_hell.html and http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm, respectively.)

Hell is real. Jesus doesn’t want us to go there. He paid our way out, if only we’ll take it.

Pray for the 200 plus Times Square Church members who are on mission in Greenock, Scotland as I speak. People are being saved from hell daily because of their outreach. I rejoice in their work! Also pray for Pastor Rick Hagans and our friend Sunil McWan as they are in India on a mission trip. I’m praying for God to do mighty works through them and that the Lord will separate for Himself many Indians whom He will call through them. So far the trip hasn’t been easy. Pastor Rick has already been deported once. But in typical Rick Hagans fashion, he returned to India only 2 days later after getting the problem with his VISA fixed. God is moving and I believe He is bringing in the fullness of the Gentiles into His body, the Church. We need to get involved. The Holy Spirit wants us to co-labor with Him to preach the gospel to all people. And then the end will come.