Family Update October
Greetings, Saints of King's Church!
Praise the Lord for his goodness in so many ways! One of the most prominent blessings is that this past Tuesday, Sept. 30, King's Church was formally particularized at the Fall 2025 Knox Presbytery meeting in Moscow, ID. Both Ken and myself were present as we gave a brief picture of our congregational life of the past two years, and were welcomed into the CREC as a full member congregation. Please give thanks to the Lord with us as we give thanks to Him for the past, and look to His grace for the future.
Also, with significant events of the past month, including the deaths of Charlie Kirk and Voddie Baucham, please consider what it means to trust the Lord rather than become overcome with anxiety or fear in such circumstances. While both men's deaths were unexpected, they were radically different from each other. And while both ministries will continue, if the Lord wills, they will do so only by the grace of God. And that's true for any of us, whether the "us" is a family, a church, or an individual.
So praise God from whom all blessings flow, take courage from the Lord, and enjoy the devotional thought below. May the Lord bless and keep you all.
Ben, for the elders
Also, with significant events of the past month, including the deaths of Charlie Kirk and Voddie Baucham, please consider what it means to trust the Lord rather than become overcome with anxiety or fear in such circumstances. While both men's deaths were unexpected, they were radically different from each other. And while both ministries will continue, if the Lord wills, they will do so only by the grace of God. And that's true for any of us, whether the "us" is a family, a church, or an individual.
So praise God from whom all blessings flow, take courage from the Lord, and enjoy the devotional thought below. May the Lord bless and keep you all.
Ben, for the elders
Fuel for Life and Joy
Every generation has moments or events that shape the way they perceive the world. Sometimes those perceptions are correct, and sometimes not, but the way we look at the world is due, in part, to what goes on around us. To take a few examples, The Great War and World War 2, Vietnam, the recessions of the 1980s and 2008, Trayvon Martin, the SCOTUS Obergefell decision, Trump’s re-election, and Charlie Kirk all provoke the question, “What is going on in the world?”
This is not just true of tragedies or adversity, but is also true of heroism and success: these events shape us. Charlie Kirk’s death from another vantage point is heroic, in that he died pursuing good things to the best of his ability. Also in this encouraging vein are things like the planting of King’s Church, weddings, the birth of a child or grandchild, along with special occasions that happen, quite literally, all the time (anniversaries, graduations, the beginning of kindergarten, a winning baseball season, a new or first job, etc., etc., etc.). So what do we do when, like recently, national or local events cause us to question our very way of life? Are subways safe to use? Are the days of public debate over? The psalmist expressed such questions like this:
“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3)
But before we get carried away with his lament, notice that he began the psalm like this: “In the Lord I put my trust.” He went on, in that confidence, to rhetorically ask his fearful bystander (we presume there is one next to him),
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do? (Ps. 11:1-3)
In other words, “Why do you encourage me to be afraid? Yes, the wicked strategically strike at me, but I’ve already put my trust in the Lord. What else can I do? Where else could I turn? You’re counsel to run for the hills or to flit away like a scaredy-bird is ridiculous.”
So, what’s the answer? What can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed? The psalmist replies:
"The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.” (Ps. 11:4)
Interestingly, the righteous man here responds to the destruction of his foundations by doing nothing more (or less) than what he was doing in verse 1, which was to put his trust in the Lord. That’s what he does: he trusts in God. And what’s more, he does not take vengeance into his own hands. The Lord sees, the Lord knows, and the psalmist is content with that. He concludes this way,
"Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright." (Ps. 11:6-7)
The wicked will get what they deserve (or, alternatively, what they deserve will fall upon Christ as they repent and trust in him). But God, not himself and not we, will be the one to mete out that judgment. Fire and brimstone will, indeed, be his cup, because the Lord is righteous, and he loves righteousness. He will not excuse, overlook, or incorrectly judge the sins of anyone. As the apostle Paul said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19)
And, to be sure, his countenance beholds the upright: your Father sees you. The Lord will bless and keep you; he will make his face to shine up you, and be gracious to you. The Lord will lift up his countenance upon you, and will give you peace, even if presently you are in the crosshairs of the wicked. And it will be goodness and mercy that will hunt you down all the days of your life, and they will catch you. As Jesus promised, we will be hated, and we will be kept safe,
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.” (Luke 21:17-18)
What, then, can the righteous do when their foundations are shaken?
As you work, as you grocery shop, as you pay bills and play games, as you worship, as you hire and fire employees, as you marry and have children, as you graduate or officiate ceremonies, in all that you do, believe God’s word of promise in Scripture. This is what the psalmist means by saying,
“In the Lord I put my trust.”
He’s going to live his life knowing, by faith, that the Lord knows all things, will judge all things justly, and will let no undue harm come to him in any way. Why should he act like a scared bird, if that’s the case?
Remember also when things seem unstable, or that the world is on shaky ground, that the author of Hebrews says, the Lord shakes things up in order to expose the stability of what has already been secured:
but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Heb. 12:26-27)
This is not just true of tragedies or adversity, but is also true of heroism and success: these events shape us. Charlie Kirk’s death from another vantage point is heroic, in that he died pursuing good things to the best of his ability. Also in this encouraging vein are things like the planting of King’s Church, weddings, the birth of a child or grandchild, along with special occasions that happen, quite literally, all the time (anniversaries, graduations, the beginning of kindergarten, a winning baseball season, a new or first job, etc., etc., etc.). So what do we do when, like recently, national or local events cause us to question our very way of life? Are subways safe to use? Are the days of public debate over? The psalmist expressed such questions like this:
“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3)
But before we get carried away with his lament, notice that he began the psalm like this: “In the Lord I put my trust.” He went on, in that confidence, to rhetorically ask his fearful bystander (we presume there is one next to him),
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do? (Ps. 11:1-3)
In other words, “Why do you encourage me to be afraid? Yes, the wicked strategically strike at me, but I’ve already put my trust in the Lord. What else can I do? Where else could I turn? You’re counsel to run for the hills or to flit away like a scaredy-bird is ridiculous.”
So, what’s the answer? What can the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed? The psalmist replies:
"The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.” (Ps. 11:4)
Interestingly, the righteous man here responds to the destruction of his foundations by doing nothing more (or less) than what he was doing in verse 1, which was to put his trust in the Lord. That’s what he does: he trusts in God. And what’s more, he does not take vengeance into his own hands. The Lord sees, the Lord knows, and the psalmist is content with that. He concludes this way,
"Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright." (Ps. 11:6-7)
The wicked will get what they deserve (or, alternatively, what they deserve will fall upon Christ as they repent and trust in him). But God, not himself and not we, will be the one to mete out that judgment. Fire and brimstone will, indeed, be his cup, because the Lord is righteous, and he loves righteousness. He will not excuse, overlook, or incorrectly judge the sins of anyone. As the apostle Paul said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19)
And, to be sure, his countenance beholds the upright: your Father sees you. The Lord will bless and keep you; he will make his face to shine up you, and be gracious to you. The Lord will lift up his countenance upon you, and will give you peace, even if presently you are in the crosshairs of the wicked. And it will be goodness and mercy that will hunt you down all the days of your life, and they will catch you. As Jesus promised, we will be hated, and we will be kept safe,
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.” (Luke 21:17-18)
What, then, can the righteous do when their foundations are shaken?
As you work, as you grocery shop, as you pay bills and play games, as you worship, as you hire and fire employees, as you marry and have children, as you graduate or officiate ceremonies, in all that you do, believe God’s word of promise in Scripture. This is what the psalmist means by saying,
“In the Lord I put my trust.”
He’s going to live his life knowing, by faith, that the Lord knows all things, will judge all things justly, and will let no undue harm come to him in any way. Why should he act like a scared bird, if that’s the case?
Remember also when things seem unstable, or that the world is on shaky ground, that the author of Hebrews says, the Lord shakes things up in order to expose the stability of what has already been secured:
but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Heb. 12:26-27)
| Table Talk Question |
Two great pieces of writing have been composed regarding death’s impotence for Christians since the New Testament was first composed. One is from the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:54-58) and the other is by John Donne (“Death be not proud”), and are below for your convenience.
Each in their own clear way point out that death itself one day will die. We often fear death because of what we think we lose by it. What we ought to think of is what we gain by it. So the questions are, “What do we gain when we die?”, "How does that surpass all that I lose when I die?", And, “How will that knowledge help me live better now?”
As you ponder those questions, notice that Paul’s encouragement after reminding us that death, too, will die, is to “abound in the work of the Lord,” which is like saying that we should, “Keep on with your work as before, faithful, steady, unflappable, and constant.” A kind of “no frills” faith. And may the Lord bless you in that.
So, What do you gain when you die, How does that exceed in value what you do lose?, and How does knowing that you gain that thing later (i.e. after you die) help you live more faithfully to Christ now?
1 Cor. 15:54-58 —
“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
“Death, Be Not Proud”
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Each in their own clear way point out that death itself one day will die. We often fear death because of what we think we lose by it. What we ought to think of is what we gain by it. So the questions are, “What do we gain when we die?”, "How does that surpass all that I lose when I die?", And, “How will that knowledge help me live better now?”
As you ponder those questions, notice that Paul’s encouragement after reminding us that death, too, will die, is to “abound in the work of the Lord,” which is like saying that we should, “Keep on with your work as before, faithful, steady, unflappable, and constant.” A kind of “no frills” faith. And may the Lord bless you in that.
So, What do you gain when you die, How does that exceed in value what you do lose?, and How does knowing that you gain that thing later (i.e. after you die) help you live more faithfully to Christ now?
1 Cor. 15:54-58 —
“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
“Death, Be Not Proud”
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Pulpit Supply & Scripture Readers
Here is a schedule of who will be filling our pulpit for the next several weeks. Please pray for them and their families as they prepare to minister to us.
Oct 5: Chase Fluhart
Oct 12: André Fowlkes
Oct 19: Samuel Davidson
Oct 26: Ben Tate
Scripture Readers
Oct 5: Ben Tate, Joshua 1:1-8, Eph 6:10-18
Oct 12: Ken Trotter, Psalm 72:8-19, Eph 3:8-21
Oct 19: Tim Ansett, Amos 6:1-7, 1 Tim 6:3-12
Oct 26: Warren Lewis, Isaiah 40:1-11, Jn 15:1-11
Oct 5: Chase Fluhart
Oct 12: André Fowlkes
Oct 19: Samuel Davidson
Oct 26: Ben Tate
Scripture Readers
Oct 5: Ben Tate, Joshua 1:1-8, Eph 6:10-18
Oct 12: Ken Trotter, Psalm 72:8-19, Eph 3:8-21
Oct 19: Tim Ansett, Amos 6:1-7, 1 Tim 6:3-12
Oct 26: Warren Lewis, Isaiah 40:1-11, Jn 15:1-11
Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns...
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
'King of kings and Lord of lords'.
~ Revelation 19
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns...
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
'King of kings and Lord of lords'.
~ Revelation 19
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