I am a forgiven sinner who traces my forgiveness to the finished work of the cross through faith in Jesus the Christ, my lord and savior. I am not a fan, but a determined follower who accepts my responsibility to share the Good News of the gospel. I have a duty to tell the world about him and live out God’s earthly kingdom by channeling his love for me to others. It is easy to love God who first loved me and sent his son to pay the price for my sin. But I confess, lately it has been hard for me to love my neighbor as I much as I love me because I am angry. Jesus equates anger to murder. And I don’t want any part of violence, especially murder.

Admittedly, I am a flawed man desperately trying to follow Jesus in a Twilight Zone world; a world in which some would have us believe down is up and wrong is right. It is a world where the banner of Jesus and the Word of God is carried into the US Capitol by people shouting murderous threats. It is a world where the nation’s leader is sitting on Christ’s throne in the minds of many professed Christians and they have not yet realized they are worshipping a false god. It is a world where respected clergy equate elected men and women, who took a conscientious stand, with Judas.

That makes me angry. I am angry at the president and his enablers and apologists. I am especially angry at religious leaders who know it is the Church, not the USA that plays a role in God’s redemptive plan. Yet they continue to back a failed presidency and do nothing to stop the lies behind the chaos. Those who attacked the Capitol were largely, misguided sheep. It was the leaders, both the religious and secular shepherds who set them on a fool’s errand; sent them to attack our nation, once a beacon of democracy for the world. 

Yes, I am angry. I am angry at what I have lost. I can no longer fly an American flag without fearing my patriotism will be misconstrued as bigotry or treason. I can no longer celebrate my right to keep and bear arms without fear of being lumped in with the violent, Capitol mob. I  must now call myself a pre-Trump Republican for obvious reasons. But most of all, I can no longer self-identify as an evangelical for fear that will alienate others from the gospel I long to share with them.

Lastly, I am angry with myself because I struggle with loving those responsible for what I have lost. My anger is mostly fueled by guilt. I voted for Donald Trump in 2016, which implicates me in ripping babies from their mothers’ arms—some never to be reunited. It ties me to caging children. It links me to the alienation of our traditional allies in favor of friendship with evil dictators and despots. It makes me a party to lies, all of them, but especially the “stolen election” one that continues to divide us. Finally, the worst lie of all makes me culpable in the deaths of nearly 400 thousand Americans from COVID-19.

Sure, like most of my Christian friends, I can proudly proclaim that I voted against abortion, yet when he had absolute power to do something about it, he didn’t. Or I can brag that he secured our border. Next to, “Mexico is going to pay for it.” that’s one of the biggest lies he has spun as a success. Most recently there have been lies about vaccine availability and distribution. Non-existent stores were promised to states, further exacerbating immunization plans and threatening even more death.

I am still opposed to abortion, but not at the cost of my relationship with Jesus and the loss of our national prestige, democracy, compassion and self-respect. So, there it is. I am an angry, poor judge of presidents. (Yes, I voted for Richard Nixon in 1972, too.) Next time I’m voting for a moral candidate and leaving the moral policy changes to God. Finally I am praying we all pray for the new government and learn to leave politics  out of the pulpit. There you have it. I have made my public confession. Thankfully, our God is a God of second chances.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 | NIV). 

As we hunker down in our homes for self-protection, from concern for the more vulnerable, or perhaps simply bowing to social pressures or legal restrictions, many of us feel a need to do something. Yet, we don’t know what we can do to make a difference. We know where the novel coronavirus originated and we are slowly getting a handle on how it is transmitted and who is most affected. But we are still in the dark as to when it will end. Am I alone in wondering if there might also be a why? Could this pandemic be a Divine wake-up call? In many circles, talk of God is considered inappropriate, even offensive, except in times of crisis. If this virus and the resulting economic fallout is not a crisis, what is? 

On March 18, 2020 President Trump declared himself a wartime president. On March 30, 1863, another U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln was in the midst of a different kind of war—one that pitted brother against brother. In response to a Senate resolution, he declared a National Day of Prayer and Fasting. That resolution read, in part, “We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!”

The Judeo-Christian traditions have long practiced prayer and fasting as a means of petitioning for God’s intervention. Ezra (Ezra 8:21-23) prayed and fasted for humility, deliverance and protection. Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:3) for courage and guidance. The Ninevites (Jonah 3:5) as a demonstration of repentance. Israel (Judges 20:26) for victory. Jesus prayed and fasted for strength to persevere through testing (Matthew 4:2 and Luke 4:2) and told his followers that when they fasted (Matthew 6:16) it should be done with pure intentions, not for public acclaim. Finally, the apostle Paul and Barnabas fasted before commissioning others for ministry service (Acts 14:23). 

Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble ourselves in the sight of God. It is a demonstration of our sincerity and an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty. And we are not alone. Other religions and philosophies including: Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Jainism, and Hinduism also practice fasting. Please join me on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, in praying and fasting for victory and deliverance from this pandemic, wisdom for the world’s leaders, protection for medical personnel and first responders and finally that we will all persevere through this health and economic crisis. 

Caution: If fasting is medically ill-advised for you, don’t fast, but please consider praying and forwarding this to others.

(Note: If you want to read President Lincoln’s entire proclamation, you can find it at: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fast.htm)

“10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91 10-11 | NKJV).

I don’t go in for conspiracy theories, but if I was Satan, this Corona virus pandemic is the way I would mess with the world, especially the church. Furthermore, the actions being taken by the world’s leaders could also be inching us closer to the advent of the Beast. On the other hand, if it is by Satan’s design, it might backfire and give birth to a world-wide religious awakening. It seems that the media is deliberately stoking people’s anxiety. Every time we turn on the news, we see people wearing hazardous materials suits performing routine tasks and ambulances transporting the living to the hospital or removing the dead to make room for the critically ill. Following the September 11th attacks, many people returned to church for comfort and strength. Granted, most of them fell away once the danger had passed. But this time they have no place to turn. Church and other social gathering venues are closed to promote social distancing. 

Instead of looking over our shoulders in fear of the virus, perhaps we should pray “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” But while we eagerly await his return, we can be the church in our neighborhoods. Many of our neighbors must be feeling isolated and fearful. A simple call to check on them and offer assistance would demonstrate God’s love for them and could help ease their fears. Who knows? They might even allow you to tell them why you are concerned about them. I wonder what it must be like for people who don’t have their trust firmly anchored to Jesus, our rock. What is going on in the minds of those who have heard it many times, but repeatedly rejected the hope of the gospel? What are people thinking that have always thought they had no need for a savior? It would seem that with governments and medicine seemingly flying blind fear is taking over. 

For people who are uncertain about eternity, there might be a sense that they are truly walking in the “valley of the shadow of death.” When King David felt like that, he found the courage to proclaim, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” His trust was in God’s sovereignty. Whatever God sent his way was for his good. Even though his circumstances might not have changed he was comforted knowing that God was with him as he walked through that valley. Similarly, as Joshua contemplated invading the land God had promised, he was strengthened by this promise, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 | NIV). God’s promise to remain with his people, no matter what they face, is not limited to famous Old Testament heroes. His promise is for you and me today, as we stand in the shadow of Covid-19.

Fear causes worry and anxiety. The apostle Paul encourages us not to surrender to it. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 | NIV). Prayer may not change our circumstances, but prayer and trust in God will certainly calm our fears. God wants us to rely on him one day at a time. Corrie Ten Boom cautioned, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength-carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” God will help us through today if we trust him with today and leave tomorrow for tomorrow. He’ll be there tomorrow, too. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today” (Matthew 6:34 | CEV).

Worry demonstrates a lack of faith. When we worry we are not trusting God. Worry excludes God. Prayer invites God into our circumstances. Do you know you are saved? Do you know where you will spend eternity? If your answer to both is “Yes” but what you are seeing and hearing on the news is raising your anxiety level, I would only ask one question. How can you trust God for your hereafter if you do not trust him for the here and now? The apostle Peter encourages believers to, “Cast all your anxiety on him (Jesus) because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 | NIV). You can know you are saved and know where you will spend eternity by placing your faith in Jesus. And when this is over, uniting with a church that teaches justification by grace through faith. That just means that you are saved through faith in Jesus plus nothing else. For those without Jesus as both Lord and Savior, the future is uncertain. But for everyone who has placed his or her hope and trust in Jesus, a better world awaits.

It seems fairly obvious many of our friends and neighbors are panicking out of fear. But believers not only have have no reason to fear, we should be shining the light of hope into the surrounding darkness. “Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope” (1 Peter 3:15 | CEV). Jesus is not only death’s victor, but he is death’s loophole as well. He told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die . . . ” (John 11:25-26 | NIV). We cannot add a day to our life. God knows exactly how many we have left. If we have surrendered our life to Jesus, there is no need to worry about anything, including dying. The apostle Paul faced his certain death with these words. “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 | NIV). It doesn’t matter whether we live or die, either way we win. 

Our concern must be for the lost. Instead of worrying about ourselves we need to be praying for those around us who do not know Jesus. More than ever we ought to be sharing the gospel (over the phone or from a healthy distance, of course). We should join together in asking God to provide wisdom and protection for our nation’s leaders, those treating the infected and those searching for an effective vaccine. Don’t panic. God is in control. Our final prayer should be that from this pandemic a flame of revival will be kindled. Pray that America’s hearts and eyes will return to the one in whom we claim to trust and whose blessings we often invoke. Rather than trusting in surgical masks and the government there is no better advice than this from Billy Graham. “Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don’t be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do.”

Is there any bet that is truly a sure thing? Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) believed what has been called Pascal’s Wager was a sure thing when it came to helping others come to faith in God.  He was a French mathematician, physicist, and Roman Catholic theologian who opined, “Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true and then show that it is.”  

As only a genuine math geek might do, he devised a formula, Pascal’s Wager, to demonstrate the wisdom of placing one’s faith and belief in God. His “wager” has been closely examined and found to be flawed for reasons I will outline and briefly review below. As a result, many people, me included, recommend against using it for evangelism. Still, I believe that its logic works well as a conversation starter that may lead to sharing the gospel.  

Pascal’s Wager was contained in his Pensées, published posthumously in 1670. Apparently discounting the work of Anselm, Aquinas and Descartes, among others, he chose not to prove God’s existence. Instead, he argued that a person had nothing to lose and everything to gain if they simply believed God exists, whether or not he actually does. As we shall see, his rationale may be flawed, but it stands as an early, if not the earliest use of decision theory under uncertainty, which holds that both the environment and the individual determine the outcome of a person’s decision or action(s).

His rationale can be summarized like this. If you do not believe in God and you are correct, you lose nothing. If you believe in God and you are wrong, you gain hope and a better here and now, but lose nothing in eternity. If you do not believe in God and you are wrong, you spend eternity in hell. But, if you believe in God and you are correct, you gain a better here and now plus heaven for eternity. Regardless of the criticism it has received, Pascal’s Wager, along with Anselm’s Ontological Argument may be the two most famous arguments in the philosophy of religion. The wager may lead one to accept some type of theism, but not the Christianity Jesus taught and underscored with his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

Pascal’s wager only considers two options,  belief or disbelief in his God and the afterlife he imagines. Others include: belief in a different god or gods. Just as the possibility of infinite gods may exist, an infinite number of potential afterlife benefits and penalties may also exist. There is also agnosticism leaning toward belief and agnosticism leaning toward disbelief in Pascal’s God or other gods, along with any associated afterlife loss or gain.

Agnosticism adds an additional problem by leaving one to wonder how much of a “lean” toward belief is necessary in order to receive a benefit. Pascal’s wager potentially rewards even a slight lean toward belief. The cost of faith (eg. worship, study, prayer, meditation, etc.) is not considered in potential loss if Pascal’s God or other gods do not exist. Is the salvation obtained by belief a gurantee (eternal security) or can it be lost? Finally, perhaps some alternative between heaven, hell or final death exists (eg. reincarnation, a spirit world, a second-chance state of existence ).

After considering just these few criticisms, the most obvious unanswered question resulting from Pascal’s wager is this, if you believe the God of Christianity exists, is that belief sufficient to gain the promised reward(s)? Pascal’s unstated assumption is that belief in God guarantees those who believe in him a place in heaven. However, from a New Testament, Christian perspective the answer is a resounding, “No.” Jesus is not included in his argument. His assumption contradicts what Jesus said about access to God. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 | NIV)

People can come to an awareness of God through observing nature. Apostle Paul, said it like this “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” That passage, Romans 1:19-20| NIV, describes what theologians call general revelation. Many people have expressed belief in God upon seeing a beautiful sunset or other example of beauty or complexity in nature. But does that meet the standard for justification?

Certainly, faith in God is a good starting point since “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 | NIV). God rewards those who look for him by drawing them to his son. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44 | NIV) According to the writer of the Book of James, belief in God, at best, places you among a select group destined to spend eternity separated from God. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19 | NIV)

Christians believe faith in Jesus is sufficient and absolutely necessary for salvation. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 | NIV)

Belief in Jesus gets you in the door. Faith, however, is proven by what you do once you believe. The fruit you produce demonstrates that your faith is genuine. And the first fruit you must demonstrate is repentance. Repentance is turning away from what the world offers to begin living the way Jesus did and start doing those things he instructed his followers to do. If we are truly sold out to Jesus, God may perform miracles through us. But, even if the fruit we produce is less flashy, we will always produce fruit consistent with our faith. (John 15:4-5)

Jesus told his followers to love “the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37 | NIV) And it was not just any God, it was his father. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31 | NIV) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 | NIV) Jesus is not only God’s son, he is fully man and fully God, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 | NIV)

Jesus says if you love him you will do what he says. (John 14:15 and Luke 6:46)) Belief in Jesus is not passive. It carries great cost. His followers are expected to deny themselves (Luke 9:23) and surrender complete control to him.  They are expected to love him more than they love anything or anyone, including themselves. (Matthew 10:27, Luke 14:26, and 14:33)

We can not simply sit on a church pew listening and critiquing the Sunday sermon. We have been charged to love God, love others and make disciples. We are expected to walk the talk. In James 2:18, the author says, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (NIV) We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. But once we have been saved or justified, we are expected to walk in the footsteps of Jesus—to be sanctified. If people do not look at you and at least see a faint glimmer of the one you profess to be following, it may be time to reevaluate whether you are a genuine follower or one in name only.

If you are Jesus’s disciple you have been charged with making other disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Pascal’s Wager isn’t as helpful in doing that as John 3:16, but it may be used to open a discussion on what it means to follow Jesus. If so, you might ask a person,”Do you have any spiritual beliefs?” If they appear to be open to a discussion of God, then, using Pascal’s logic, you can build from there.