A Christlike Perspective to Tragedy

In Matthew's Gospel, the 16th chapter, Jesus offers both praise and rebuke to Peter within just a few verses. The reason for Christ's praise of Peter was due to his awareness of who Christ was. "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (verse 16).  Jesus’ response was iconic to the Bible. "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (verse 17).

It is at this point that Jesus begins telling the disciples what fate He must face if He is to be utterly obedient to His Father's will for Him. The death of the cross was no fitting end for such a Savior and King. However, Christ's obedience to the Father's will was more important than His legacy among men.

When hearing the words of Jesus, Peter began rebuking the Lord. Peter's love for Christ was never seen more clearly. Truly, Peter held great emotion to the life of His friend and mentor. The thought of Christ's death was unbearable for Peter.

Instead of Christ embracing the true passion of Peter, He compared the flamboyant disciple to that of Satan. What was it that caused Christ to say to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me..." (Verse 23)? The remainder of the verse answers that question, "...for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

It was Peter's perspective of Christ's inevitable death that caused the Lord to rebuke him with such vigor. According to Jesus, Peter's vantage point was from that of the flesh and not of the Spirit. "...for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Jesus rebuked Peter because of the way He viewed God's will.

Why was Jesus so intense about His rebuking of Peter? The text reveals it was because Peter was not consistent in his perspective of divinity. In verse 15 Jesus asked the disciples a hard question: "...whom say ye that I am?" Peter's response provoked great praise from Jesus. Jesus said, "...flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Peter's perspective of God's will toward the life of Christ was spot on. It was easy for Peter to see the worth of God's Son as long as He was endowed with life.  

However, Peter's perspective of God's will toward the death of Christ was entirely different. In fact, it revealed a lacking of belief in God's will. Where Peter found it easy to locate God's will when it benefited him, he struggled to see God's will when it didn't.

How does this relate to our response to tragedy? Just as we see divinity in the good times, may we also see divinity in times of tragedy. To do this, we must maintain our focus on God's sovereignty. It's difficult to see God when things are less than positive. It's then that we must ultimately realize that nothing comes our way that isn't first filtered through God's grace. He never sleeps nor slumbers. He never takes a vacation or even a break. Regardless of our perspective, He is still God.


While our perspective of God doesn't change Him, it most certainly determines how we feel about Him!

Pastor Mike Carmody

Are church people stressing you out?

I've heard it said, "All churches are perfect... until you include people." I at least partly agree with that statement. It's true that church people can be very stressful. For the most part, everyone you work with are volunteers. Therefore, their time is precious and their service is precious as well. Also, because they may be voluteers, dealing with their particular quirks isn't as easy as with a paid staff member. Regardless, when it comes to working with those you worship with, Satan would love nothing more than to sever any good emotion you may have for them.


I love Proverbs 14:4, "Where no oxen [are], the crib [is] clean: but much increase [is] by the strength of the ox."  What great wisdom for working with people! It seems that the writer is offering a choice when working with church people. We can do away with our struggles completely by eliminating people or we can accomplish much for God... but deal with the stress of those around us.


The fact is, according to the verse, if you work with people, you will eventually have to deal with their... mess. Anyone who has ever worked with others will agree to this.  But don't let the stress that comes with  working with others be the demise of your ministry or church attendance.


Try this: try seeing them for who they CAN be instead of who they ARE. Right now, they are bringing you down and causing you much stress. However, believe it or not, they are an answer to prayer. Remember, you were the one who prayed that God would send laborours into the harvest (Matt. 9:38). That person is an answer to prayer. God saved them and is changing them for his glory. He has purpose for them... just as He has purpose for you.


So, before you begin to complain about the added stress, see them for their potential and try adding value to them. Remember, you can have everything your way if you want... but you may have everything all to yourself!


Pastor Mike Carmody

When Questions are Louder Than Answers

On any given day, and at any given time, news may come our way that will raise seemingly unanswerable questions. Interestingly, had the situation not occurred, the answers seem innumerable. But in the days following tragedy, the questions are often louder than the answers. When tragedy occurs, it's as if our ear holes are in the shape of a heart... and the answers are in the shape of a dagger. The hurting person simply can't hear the help that is being offered, regardless how true it may be. Few words seem to help bring resolve. So how do we help those who can't seem to find God in their darkest times?
When Lazarus died in John 11, Jesus brought comfort to his friends Martha and Mary. While we can not raise the dead, we can follow Christ's example of comfort in dark times. 
Jesus, on the scene
First we see that Jesus showed up to the scene of heartache. How important it is for us to be there for others in their darkest hours. Many times, our greatest comfort to others comes simply by being there for them. They may never forget when you came to their home or waiting room. When words wont do, holding the hand of the broken hearted goes a long, long way.
Jesus, the Listener
Long before hope is verbally offered, we need to be a people with listening ears. Martha was no different than we are. She very quickly began to make accusation toward God. Verse 21 says, "Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Jesus did not rebuke her, but rather, He listened. Imagine that; God listened to this hurting woman. How much more should we listen to those who speak words of pain in times of heartache?
Jesus, the Hope Giver
When Martha approached Jesus as He came on the scene of death, He offered her hope. Verse 23 says, "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again".  In a time of tragedy, everyone wants to know that this is not the end. Saying something like, "WE are going to get through this together... I am not leaving you... I will help you get through this" gives some reassurance that there is light at the end of their dark tunnel.
Jesus, the Refocuser 
In our story, Jesus asked a great question of Martha which diverted her attention from death to life. Verse 26 says,  "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" If the hurting person will even remotely listen, ask them questions about the faith. Making God real and big is important. It also allows them to see life instead of death.
Jesus the Sympathizer
Our story of Lazarus' death allows us an opportunity to see a side of Jesus that was never before, and never again, seen. Verse 35 says, "Jesus wept." How important it is for the hurting to see how we are affected by their loss. Strength does not have to come in words or deeds. Sometimes strength comes through our tears. Feel free to share how their loss means to you as well.
Jesus, the Prayerer
In verses 40 and 41, Jesus lifts His voice to heaven and begins to pray. Offering regular audible prayers helps to give comfort to the hurting. Holding some one's hand and asking, "May I pray for you" shows that God is not distant, but very, very near. In your prayer, confess that you lack the necessary answers at this time but have faith that God will reveal His purpose in time. 
For such a time as this, you have been called to be a person of comfort. When questions are louder than answers, your presence gives more comfort than you may know. Holding their hand, hugging their neck, listening to their questions and weeping with them will make the answers more tolerable in time. And they will never forget how you loved them in their darkest hours.


Pastor Mike Carmody

Please God While Ticking-Off Man

Often, as God's people, we feel that we can not please God without making someone angry. We read verses like Galatians 1:10 "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." and feel that we have only 2 options: please man or please God. Certainly, there are many times when pleaseing God will upset the hearts of men. Conversely, the same can be said about our pleasing man. However, this is not always the case.


Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him".  I believe our objective is not to tick off those around us in hopes of pleasing God, but rather to please God first, regardless of how it affects man. In other words, our chief concern is to please God first. We do this by seeking first God's kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Our hope is to do this while, at the same time, meet the needs of those around us in a way that will please our God.


Obviously, as it pertains to the sins of man, we can not condone or permit the wrongful actions of others. We must speak boldly about sin and its dangers. This is done by declairing the truth of God as it pertains to sin. And how do we do this in a way that it may glorify God? By not stopping short at simply declairing sin to be wrong, but also by declairing righteousness to be right. This can only be done by offering Christ as freedom from sin.  How easy it is to point out the failures of others without meekly offering the solution.


May we seek to please God today by revealing the truth of His love for all man kind.

In Love? Really?

I recently overheard a conversation between two love-birds. I wasn't listening on purpose... really, I wasn't. But the emotion of their dialogue was comically enticing. While their ramblings made me snicker, I found it somewhat relieving to know that two people could feel so open to express themselves with such vulnerability. It was obvious that this young couple were in love.

Later, their emotional jargon reunited with my pondering logic. In other words... it got me to thinking. Is there a difference between loving someone or something and being "in" love with someone or something? I mean, is it possible to have varying degrees of emotion for a person or thing?  We've all heard someone say something like, "I love them... but I'm not 'in' love with them."  The love that they have for the person has somehow faded to a lesser quality.

It seems to me that love is the most interesting of all human emotions. Our state of mind can dictate our level of love to someone or something... and can change without notice.  Therefore, if being "in" love is a desirable condition of the heart, it seems worth protecting. It can slip away without warning.

The word "in" is the complicated mechanism of this thought of love.  You see, the emotion of love is simple as long as it doesn't have varying degrees. But once the word "in" is introduced... love becomes a difficult thing.  In other words, the word "love" can be used to describe our emotion to many things in our lives. In the same breath a person can say, "I love my spouse" and "I love tacos."  While both may be true, surely there is a difference between the way we love our spouse and fast food.  So, what is the difference?

The difference between "love" and "In-love" is the position that the object of our love puts us in. You see, the word "in" describes a position or placement. In other words, when I express love to my wife I am expressing her position or placement within my heart. So, when I am "in" love with someone or something, they become the focus of the word love. When I think of love, I think of them. When I hear others speak of love, I think of them. This is being "in" love.

So, you may be asking, "How do I know if I love or am 'in' love?" The answer is fairly simple: do you love to love that person? In other words, is it hard work to love that person... or does it come natural? Being "in" love is a position of ease. It's not difficult to love the one your are "in" love with. In fact, you love to love that person.

If loving a person or thing is difficult, you might want to check their placement in your heart. Pray and seek counsel. If the state of your love for them doesn't change, you could find yourself "out" of love completely.

Pastor Mike Carmody