Why did people who participated in the riots across the country do it, what was their motive? How about those who participated in a demonstration, why did they do it? There were for sure a variety of motives, some very selfish and greedy and others with a very strong and sincere desire to have a positive influence in changing racism. The question that zealots ought to ask is, ”what works?” what actually moves things in our culture in a positive direction. In 5 years from now will there be positive difference in the level of racism in our country because of the riots and demonstrations that have taken place in the last two weeks? Demonstrating and rioting just to “make a statement” is a colossal waste of time, energy, money, life, and often actually moves things in a negative direction. True leaders, those who are the most powerful and effective change agents ask the question constantly, ”what works?” They are true leaders because they are not concerned with just making noise, but in producing lasting change, so they ask, ”What works”? Just making noise without actually changing anything is one of the Biblical definitions of a fool. Most of the “noise makers” we have seen in the news in the last two weeks aren’t really driven by the desire to change injustice, though they are certainly inflamed by the injustice, they are being driven by the selfish desire to be noticed, their involvement in a “cause” is driven by the selfish desire to bolster their own sense of worth and value by their involvement in a noble cause. What really makes them fools is that they are totally ignorant of their own motives.

True leaders have a “mindset”, that is a way of thinking that is different then most other people’s. They think, “what works”, what changes things, what influences the behavior of others, what persuades others to change? Their thinking is generally free from ego gratification, being genuinely concerned about the well being of others. They have the attitude of Jesus described in Philippians 2:5-7 ”Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself.”

So, what does work, really work, in making lasting change?

One of the really interesting and funny stories in the Bible is the one about the “seven sons of Sceva”.

Acts 19:11-16 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

So, the obvious question is, “why could Paul command demons to leave and they fled, and when the seven sons of Sceva attempted to do the same thing they end up naked and bloody.

2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.

Again, the same question, why did God strengthen and use Paul in such an extraordinary way? Can I get that privilege, have that power, do what he did or will I be devil food if I try.

1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,

Jesus considered Paul faithful. That means that the Lord examined Him, as it were, that Jesus has standards or requirement for those whom He is going to use to accomplish His will. The most important question is, “am I qualified to be a warrior for Jesus”? I so much want to be! I want, I want, I want more than anything else to be used by Jesus to change the world. It is a character issue, it is a holiness issue. I will press on to maturity, I will hunger and thirst for righteousness, I will, because I want.

When I was a kid growing up on the farm one of my Dad’s regular admonitions was, “don’t just stand there, do something”! Just standing around doing nothing was a sure way to get extra chores, the real nasty ones that nobody else wanted, like cleaning out calf pens.

As we live our life as a warrior for God, being an overcomer, a conquerer, most would recognize that we are not going to do it in the same way that David fought against Goliath. In fact in the New Testament there are some very clear “rules of engagement” that God has established if we are going to win against our enemy.

2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.

2 Corinthians 6:1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The basic principle of spiritual warfare is God does it, but He works when we do, He amplifies what we do. If we stand around doing nothing expecting God to work, we won’t see much. So God’s admonition to me is pretty much the same as my Dad’s, “Do something”!

The cool thing about fighting against the kingdom of darkness is that if we do it right we can’t lose, a guaranteed win. So, the most obvious and clear signal that we can send to God that we are charging ahead to stomp the devil, but with an attitude of dependence and trust in Him, working together with Him, is prayer. We are praying for wisdom, strength, and protection for ourselves. We are praying for justice in situations where we see injustice. We are asking God to Commission and energize angels to fight, bind, and resist the kingdom of darkness. We are asking Him to give spiritual sight to the spiritually blind so they can know the truth.

Being an “Overcomer” for Jesus is a great privilege, and nothing we do will amount to anything without much prayer.

God is Sovereign, that means He knows everything, he knows what I think, He knows what I am going to think before I think it, He knows what I am going to say before I say it, He knows my heart, my motives.

Psalms 33:11 says, ”The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.” God plans my life; he plans the future, and because He is Sovereign, what He plans happens. So the million-dollar question is, ”so what do I do, is there any reason to do anything, God has it covered, just relax and enjoy the ride.”

It truly is a mystery, how the sovereignty of God and the free will of men fit together, how the Sovereignty of God works with my goals for the future, and how the sovereignty of God fits with my diligence and faithfulness. It sure would be easier just to let God do His thing, go along for the ride, and get off in heaven.

One of the words that God uses to describe His sovereign will for us is ”warrior, ” He wants us to be warriors, that is we fight against injustice, we fight against evil, we fight against the enemy of God and all humanity, the devil. God created the devil to do just exactly what he is doing, and gave him the title ”our adversary”. Fighting, resisting, standing firm, conquering, overcoming, are used often in the Bible to describe who and what kind of people God wants us to be. The story of David and Goliath is a picture of our life. The story of Samson is a story of us.

Some will say to me, Jesus is the Lamb of God, therefore we need to be lambs not warriors. Revelation 17:14 says,m”These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

So, how do I wage war against our adversary, the devil now. God created us for days like the ones we are currently living in. Romans 16:10 says, ” we will trample satan under our feet”. How? Tomorrow.

The devil is a very real being. He is powerful, he is invisible, he has a host of demons serving him, and his goal is to destroy our lives by stealing every ounce of joy and peace out of our life. He does that by causing chaos, confusion, and conflict. He controls and shapes our culture by infiltrating it with lies. Jesus calls the devil ”the father of lies.” When we believe any of those lies, even just a few, even only one, we become his victim. Rules govern the entire universe. There are physical rules or laws, such as gravity, there are social or relational rules, and there are spiritual rules. It is sort of like playing Monopoly, the rules are on the inside of the lid, and everybody plays by the rules. One of the rules is that if you believe one of satan’s lies to be true and live by it, you become his servant, his slave. The result of that position is that now you will believe more and more, and you will become more and more in bondage to him. That is just the way it is. This rule ought to scare the heck out of you, if it doesn’t, you are naive.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible has a theme running through it, ”Seek Wisdom.” Those who are wise know what is true, really true, and they know what is a lie. When I am sitting in church listening to someone sing a song on stage and they sing a little flat, I have this little shiver go up my neck. People with wisdom have a similar reaction when they hear a lie; there is this discord inside of them.

There are several words used in Proverbs to describe a person without wisdom. One of them, obviously is being a fool, another word used frequently in Proverbs is being naive. Proverbs 14:15 says, ”The naive believes everything.”

Very little information on Social Media is true, but many believe it. Very little of the information given out by the News media is true, but many believe it. Very few of the popular and well known movie stars, sports stars, and politicians say anything remotely true but most believe it. Let me repeat the rule, ”when you believe a lie of the devil and live by it, you become his slave, and he will use you to further his cause.”

Seek wisdom like gold, silver, and precious treasure. Read the Bible everyday, it is the ultimate source of wisdom, memorize portions of it so the wisdom of God’s Word is in your mind and heart. Pray everyday and ask God for wisdom He loves to give His wisdom to those who seek it, and to those who ask Him for it. Listen to wise people, not fools, which means that we limit our time on Facebook and the News.

As you do watch or read the news ask yourself the question, what is causing this chaos? Is all of this just sort of happening without any force behind it or is their a powerful, intelligent, and evil being driving all of this evil, wicked anarchy.

As things go the way they are going and pick-up speed rapidly, it is so important that you know who you are following, and serving. Every morning I declare Jesus to be the Lord of my life, and that I will serve and follow Him. I do not want to be a dupe for the devil, furthering his cause. I choose not to be stupid, a fool, or naive.

I have been a pastor for 44 years, and during those years I have done a ton of counseling, most of it was marriage counseling and family counseling. Most of the families were dysfunctional , which simply means that there were a lot of conflicts. Every relationship and every family has conflicts to some degree, but in a dysfunctional relationship or family conflict is the norm. There are several common denominators in dysfunctional families that cause the culture of conflict to exist.

1. One or more members of the family regularly throw ”fits” or ”tantrums” to let it be known to all that they are not happy with a decision or situation. What makes the family dysfunctional isn’t the fact that someone throws a fit, but that the rest of the family makes concessions for the tantrum thrower, not because there is any validity to the reason for the ”fit”, but because ”fits” are so disruptive to normal life that the concessions given seem a small price to pay for some peace.

All children throw fits and have tantrums, that is what kids do, that is the only way they know to have some control over those around them and get what they want. As we raised our 8 children there was always immediate consequences to fit throwing. There wasn’t any discussion, there was no counting to three, there were no warnings, just an immediate consequence. It didn’t take very long before our kids didn’t throw fits because it didn’t work. Once we were a ”fit free” family we were a family of peace, joy, and unity.

2. Members of dysfunctional families exaggerate an event to make their point and to control the other members of the family. Dysfunctional statements such as ”you always”, or ”you never”, are common. When I do counseling, I will point out the use of these ”dysfunctional statements,” and we then outlaw them from being used.

3. The name of the game in dysfunctional families is controlling the other members so that I can get my way, my wants. A major tool for controlling others is ”blame and shame.” No one ever takes responsibility for anything, it is always someone else’s fault. The ”blame and shame” practice is not merely pointing out mistakes, but it is character assassination, it is attacking the motives of others. The goal is to hurt others with our words, to shame them, to punish them so that they will think twice about going against our wishes. If you were able to observe a dysfunctional family function for very long you would see many ”fist fights with words”.

Many marriages are dysfunctional, which leads to their families becoming dysfunctional as well. Companies and work places are often dysfunctional which has a huge impact on performance and productivity. Many churches are dysfunctional which obviously will result in a loss of blessing from God.

Probably most of you would agree that for the last couple of weeks we have watched a major display of dysfunctional behavior in our country. It takes a lot of work and time as a counselor to move a dysfunctional family to the point of healthy. I can’t imagine much of anything working in our nation except a major work of God as a result of prayer on the part of many disciples of Jesus so that many dysfunctional people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Last night and today we had 5 services, 2 on Saturday night and 3 today, with 4 different locations on campus in each service where 25 people gathered. The preaching and worship were live in the main sanctuary and “piped” to the other 3 locations. We had designated “hosts” at each location who helped people fill out prayer cards, get sermon notes, collect stuff for their kids to do during the service, to offer hand sanitizer and bottled water if they wanted it. We also had the 9:00 am service live online so those who still preferred worshiping at home could watch it on You Tube, our Church Website, or on Facebook, and be part of what was happening at JBC. This last week I was thinking that this was going to be a very confusing and chaotic event, and I was frustrated that we even had to do it, but the whole thing went off very smoothly and successfully, and I am sure all who came had a blessed time. I was so impressed with all the volunteers who worked so hard on planning, setting up projectors, WiFi systems, hosts, cleaners, greeters, and those who prayed for the weekend to be blessed by God. Even though it was labor intensive, it was an adventure and the new format was a challenge that now that it is over was fun. It always amazes me what a group of people who love the Lord and want to serve Him well, and who love each other and know how to work together in unity, can accomplish together. We probably are going to be able to expand the number of people meeting together this next week so this weekends event of 25 people in multiple sites will be a one time event and a story we will tell for years.

Tonight we had a worship service at 5 pm and 7 pm, and each of the hours was made up of 4 locations with 25 people in each spot. We will do the same at 9 am and 11:30 am tomorrow morning and again at 6 pm. This whole thing is a major logistical nightmare. What made me irritated is to read that our Oregon Governor, Kate Brown is encouraging the thousands of protesters who are packed together like cordwood, and who certainly are not practicing any kind of social distancing. That bit of injustice had me irritated all evening. Then I thought, most of the people that I have gotten irritated at over the last couple of days are not believers and are going to be facing “eternal destruction” in the “Lake of Fire”, away from the presence of the Lord.

One of my favorite fishing experiences each year is the Shad fishing on the Colombia River below Bonneville Dam the first week of June. There are over 2 million Shad that go up the fish ladder at the dam and the peak of the run is usually the first week of June when 100,000 fish a day are going through the place we are fishing. I fished with different people Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 4 each day and the total fish we all caught was 500.

Most people use Shad for crab bait, but I filleted 50 of them, brined them, smoking them now, and then I am going to can them. I hope they turn out good, that is a lot of fish to feed to crabs!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were such good days. When I am fishing I don’t read the news, think about the news, or care about the news. As far as my mind knew there was no virus, no riots, no shut down, no politics, just a beautiful day on the river catching fish.

For some reason the link to my blogs on Facebook don’t seem to be working.