From The Pastor's Desk
How can we stop the Madness
“And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So, he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” (1 Samuel 21:12-15)
Greetings and God’s blessings to you as you read through this October newsletter.
Well, forgive me if I don’t do a “deep dive” into the above scripture reference of
1 Samuel 21. However, I am truly troubled by some recent news regarding over 20 young men who have been arrested on murder and gang related charges right here in the city of Springfield, IL. The ages reported for these young men range from teens to 29 years old. Please be mindful that these are serious charges for young men, who in many cases have not really discovered what life is really about and perhaps some may have been still living with their parents.
My heart truly goes out to the families who have been suffering through the grief of losing family members through violence perhaps by the hands or weapons of some who were arrested. It is my prayer that these families will experience some consolation and comfort through this unfortunate ordeal and the arrests that have been made. With that said, even the young men who have been arrested have opportunities to reflect on the error of their ways, repent and follow the Lord Jesus as Savior, while yet receiving the expected sentencing for their alleged crimes.
In Psalm 34:12-16, David declared with clarity these words:
“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good
days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling
lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are
attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.”
In 1 Samuel 21:12-15, David is pretending to be insane or want King Achish to think that he is some sort of madman so that the king would do him no harm or take his life. David is pretending…
Similarly, some of our young men and even ladies are “pretending” to be someone that God did not intend for them to be, thereby presenting themselves as “madmen.”
It is a great reminder of the great value of the Church and how the Lord intends for His people to be the light at all time with the hope that people will follow the light of Christ instead of the darkness of the enemy that leads to destruction. Our work is of a necessity that we cannot ignore reaching the young and not so young with the Good News of Jesus Christ. With this in mind, it is a wake-up call for us all to be mindful and vigilant in sharing the Good News but also in living out the Good News. Even if each of us can influence one person to follow Christ as Lord, what a difference this will make in our city and world.
In summary, sharing the Good News and living out the Good News is not the answer to all of the madness that we are witnessing in our society today but it certainly is a good place to start.
In His Care,
Roy Newman, Senior Pastor
Greetings and God’s blessings to you as you read through this October newsletter.
Well, forgive me if I don’t do a “deep dive” into the above scripture reference of
1 Samuel 21. However, I am truly troubled by some recent news regarding over 20 young men who have been arrested on murder and gang related charges right here in the city of Springfield, IL. The ages reported for these young men range from teens to 29 years old. Please be mindful that these are serious charges for young men, who in many cases have not really discovered what life is really about and perhaps some may have been still living with their parents.
My heart truly goes out to the families who have been suffering through the grief of losing family members through violence perhaps by the hands or weapons of some who were arrested. It is my prayer that these families will experience some consolation and comfort through this unfortunate ordeal and the arrests that have been made. With that said, even the young men who have been arrested have opportunities to reflect on the error of their ways, repent and follow the Lord Jesus as Savior, while yet receiving the expected sentencing for their alleged crimes.
In Psalm 34:12-16, David declared with clarity these words:
“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good
days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling
lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are
attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.”
In 1 Samuel 21:12-15, David is pretending to be insane or want King Achish to think that he is some sort of madman so that the king would do him no harm or take his life. David is pretending…
Similarly, some of our young men and even ladies are “pretending” to be someone that God did not intend for them to be, thereby presenting themselves as “madmen.”
It is a great reminder of the great value of the Church and how the Lord intends for His people to be the light at all time with the hope that people will follow the light of Christ instead of the darkness of the enemy that leads to destruction. Our work is of a necessity that we cannot ignore reaching the young and not so young with the Good News of Jesus Christ. With this in mind, it is a wake-up call for us all to be mindful and vigilant in sharing the Good News but also in living out the Good News. Even if each of us can influence one person to follow Christ as Lord, what a difference this will make in our city and world.
In summary, sharing the Good News and living out the Good News is not the answer to all of the madness that we are witnessing in our society today but it certainly is a good place to start.
In His Care,
Roy Newman, Senior Pastor