Steps to Living in Freedom

Nelson Plasencia, Elder (and family)

The theme of freedom permeates this season we find ourselves in whether we look back at Juneteenth (June 19th) or forward to Independence Day (July 4th).

Independence Day celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.

On June 19th, 1865 the Union Soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and the slaves were free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which became official January 1, 1863.

Most of us are probably familiar with the old adage that “Freedom isn’t free”! Reflecting on our country's history helps us recognize three steps to living in freedom:

1- A Declaration of Freedom

2- Consequent Battles to Secure Freedom

Drafting the Declaration of Independence

3- Learning to Live in Freedom.

These lessons from history carry over into our spiritual lives. Take for instance when God delivered the nation of Israel from their captivity in Egypt. It all started with a Declaration of Freedom. God instructed Moses to go before Pharaoh and tell him “Let my people go that they may worship me”. When God declares us free it is so that we can worship Him! But God knew that Pharaoh would not let the people go except through “a strong hand”, that is, by use of force!

Just like in Exodus and the history of our nation, battles had to be fought to secure the freedom longed for. Throughout our modern history, many people have sacrificed so that all of us can enjoy freedom to worship God. We are told in the Bible “…you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 ESV).” Likewise, there will be spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:12) to be fought if one is to secure the freedom to worship God. At times our battles will be to secure our own freedom and at times it will be to secure the freedom of our loved ones.

Lastly, once the freedom is secured, one must learn to live in that freedom! The apostle Paul writes ‘What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound (Romans 6:1 ESV)? The implied answer and the one presented in the following verse is a resounding “NO”! Living in freedom requires commitment, courage and perseverance. In the spiritual realm this means a commitment to living life by the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2); the courage to take a stand for the things of God and the perseverance to endure to the end (Matthew 10:22)!

I Want A Human!

Mike Hosey, Elder

Bigness and smallness are not concepts lost on children.  They know their place in the world well. Unlike adults, they have not yet been poisoned by fantasies of self-grandeur.  And they are constantly reminded of their own relative powerlessness. In general, a child knows that he or she does not have the seeming omnipotence of his or her parents. 

This was illustrated to me in an exchange my wife and I had with our children a few years ago.

My in-laws were selling their home and needed our help on some repairs and clean up.  My wife suggested that we go help one evening, but then retracted the suggestion when she realized no one would be around to watch our kids if we became immersed in the involved task of making the property presentable.  I joked that we could just leave the kids at home. My daughter, Emily, who was four at the time, and my son, Caleb, then six, had overheard the conversation and joke.  Their response is telling:

CALEB: “You mean leave us home alone?” He asked with only a little concern, and a mildly devious grin.

ME: “Yeah,” I said.

EMILY: “But who is going to watch me?” She asked with a frightened voice.

ME: “Caleb will watch you,” I calmly told her.

EMILY: “Well, who is going to watch Caleb?” she asked, her voice growing with fear.

ME: “You are,” I answered.

EMILY: “Well I don’t want to watch Caleb! [short pause] “And I want a human to watch me!”

CALEB: “Hey! I am a human!” Caleb replied in offense.

EMILY: “Well I want a bigger human!” she retorted with a voice full of concern.

The moment was funny, and is a treasure to me. 

Emily realized that her brother, as smart and competent as she believed him to be ordinarily, knew that he was not a big enough object for her full trust in the absence of her parents.  She also realized that she could not take on the adult task of watching him.   

In modern society, adults place their faith in individuals, and governments, and money, and status and a host of worldly powers.  Are those powers big enough to really meet the needs that are put to them? Do adults, even Christian adults, in modern society view God as a big God? Is Jesus big in your life? Are you a child of God?

Being a Father: Spiritually and Otherwise

Mike Hosey, Elder

The Christian revolutionary, Martin Luther, once said, “No power on earth is so noble and so great as that of fathers.”  He was right, and all good fathers have tasted a small portion of that power and nobility. To good fathers, it is a frightening taste.

Until my adventures as a father began, I had never given much thought to the importance of the role.  Now, I think about it constantly.  From my behavior, my sons will learn how to be men. They will learn the concepts of right and wrong.  They will learn how to be citizens. They will learn how to treat women and children. Almost everything about life and manhood – for better and for worse – they will learn from me.

Learning About Missions From Dad

My daughter will learn much about her womanhood from me, too. She will learn how men are supposed to behave. She will learn concepts about gender and equity, morality and relationships. I will become a significant part of the model to which she will compare potential mates.  My good qualities, and my bad qualities, will find their way into that model. But the fruits of my responsibilities do not stop at my children. Not at all.  Posterity will show all my triumphs and failures. I have in my life the power to create a family curse, or to break old bonds. This is the power of which Martin Luther was speaking. I will transfer knowledge to my sons, and to my daughter, who will modify and transfer that knowledge to their children.  When I mess up, my errors of character will be transferred too. And errors of character usually get worse as they go down the line. They’re built upon until they become a huge, ugly and tangled mess. And that mess becomes a toxin to all of society and culture. George Herbert, the 17^th century poet and clergyman, put it aptly when he said, “one father is more than a hundred school masters.”

The Apostle Paul knew this concept well.  He picked good students and trained them diligently like a father (Philippians 2:19-22). He calls Timothy and Titus his children (1 Timothy 1:2, and Titus 1:4) and he mentored them to carry on his work long after he would be dead and gone. He knew that as a father his impact on the Kingdom was greater than a hundred seminary professors or school masters.  He knew that if he trained his children well, that the power of Christ would transfer exponentially through the centuries. 

You have this very same power and potential. Who are you fathering (or mothering)?

It's Dangerous Without A Life Jacket!

Mike Hosey, Elder

A few years ago, I dropped my kayak into the Suwannee River just north of Big Shoals.  My goal was to paddle 40 miles and take out at the Music Park before my three day weekend was over. Part of that adventure was to navigate the Big Shoals rapids while they were still a class III for the season.

As I approached the rapids on my second day, the kayak got sideways in the current.  I knew this was bad, but the mistake was already made.  The kayak got pushed against an obstacle in the current and was capsized.  My strength was no match for the current, and I couldn’t stop it.  The river took me to its bottom, dragging me for I don’t know how far!  Even with my life jacket on, I went beneath the surface.  But when the current finally let go, it was that life jacket that popped me back up to the world of air.

If I had gotten into that boat without that life jacket, it is highly possible, perhaps even probable, that I would have been in much greater danger of death in that moment when I found myself outside my boat in the current of a river that I could not fight!

Our spiritual walk is like this. Even though we are eternally safe once we submit to Jesus, we can still suffer significant injury in this world, and especially in our mission.  If each day we get into our boat without our life jackets, we are in significantly greater danger of drowning in a river for which we are no match. Once we’re submerged in that river, we don’t have access to air, and eventually our effectiveness is extinguished. We MUST keep our heads above the water, and a life jacket is the key to that. 

Our divine life jacket is the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 tells us that He helps us in our weaknesses.  Just like a physical life jacket helps us when we are too weak to swim anymore, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are too weak to keep our heads above those worldly troubles that impact our Christian mission.

Never ever get in your boat without Him.  By the way, the rapids did bruise me up pretty badly, but because I had the right equipment in my boat, I made it to where I was going. You can, too.