Council Grove Christian Church

5/27/26
Servants of God,
“For no good tree bears bad fruit…”
-Jesus (Luke 6)
The Marines tell us they are looking for a few good men. That is getting tougher because the world around us is losing the concept of the good man. We are constantly being taught by our money-hungry and power-hungry culture that it is those who are the most self-exalting and who dominate others that are to be held up the highest. What a tragedy. God desires genuine human beings who love him and do his will. The unregenerate world exalts the brash who talk trash and live wasteful and tawdry lives. Once the church understood that no matter how much the world pursued self-centered, performative behavior, we were called to something better—something good and true and beautiful. It has never been wise for Christians to fall prey to falsehood about the essential nature of humanity. When the church has influenced the culture to the glory of God, good and good men and women have been present. When the church has compromised, evil has reigned.
Humans were not intended to be crass and vulgar and prideful. All that degradation is a sign that humans no longer have a proper idea of who we are. The writer Carl Trueman calls this the “desecration” of man. Because humans no longer really believe they are made in the image of the Creator God, they have come to believe they are bodies with no real value beyond utilitarian manipulation intended to excite our fallen emotions. Proving who we are by our character has been replaced by proving who we are by accumulation of possessions and slogans and symbols stamped into our flesh with tattoos and body piercings.
As Western culture throws off Christianity, the average person can look more like a member of an aboriginal tribe or the witch doctors of old than a person who is careful about the stewardship of body as well as soul. I understand that the line between being prudent and being a prude is a fine one!
Has the church lost sight of the high calling of pursuing good and being good? When did it become the rage for Christians to mimic the world and to glory in transgressive lives? We must be careful about looking too much at the outward appearance, but it is ok to ask why so many who claim to be Christians look so much like the worldlings. Can we really advance the cause of Christ by mindlessly mimicking those who either deny God altogether or fancy that they can worship God in any way they choose?
 What is it that is coming out of you and me? What sort of a trail are you and I leaving? How does our day-to-day life indicate our ultimate desire? These are questions worth pondering.
The Memorial Day holiday can help us if we will be helped. It is a good thing to recognize the good that others do. Holidays can help us celebrate and remember the sacrifice that others have made for us. As Americans, we try to keep this notion alive with three separate but similar holidays. Each notes the important sacrifice of military service. Memorial Day remembers those who gave their all. Veterans Day remembers those who gave some—often  life and limb and opportunity—in the past. Armed Forces Day honors those who currently are sacrificing freedom, relationships and personal opportunities for the rest of us right now. These holidays are reminders of the fact that good can flow out of the lives of human beings as they serve others.
America needs a lot of good to flow out of her citizens. Our nation needs virtue. We need truth. We need healthy marriages and families. We need honest labor. We need just and equitable laws and the application of those laws. Without the guidance of God, a just and safe society is not possible. It is not as important that America be a Christian nation as it is for Christians in America to be faithful to Jesus. I want both, but one is more important than the other.
Regenerate hearts are necessary for righteous thoughts, words and actions. Jesus said that good flows out of the good treasure of the heart of the good person (Luke 6). Christians know we are not better than others. We know we still struggle to think, feel, and act properly. We also know that we have a supernatural power that helps us do exactly that. Of course, we are all still learning to be fully human because engaging in sin always degrades our humanity. We know that we need the intake of God’s word and the essential discipleship within the worshipping community of the church guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. Apart from the power of the Spirit of Jesus we can do nothing of lasting value (John 15:5).
What is a good man or woman? It might be as simple as saying, God graciously flows out of the good person. When others see a good man or woman they almost always know that they are seeing something wonderful. We should pray for more of the good and true and beautiful to be manifested in our world. We should work to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with our God. We must live good lives as instruments of grace and pray for the kingdom of God to come on the earth and for the will of God to be done on the earth. We must endeavor to be, know and do good.
Blessings,
Pastor John
Coram Deo