STAFF TUESDAY:

Each Tuesday, we will be highlighting a short thought, encouragement, challenge or devotional from one of our staff. Our First Staff Tuesday post is by our Senior Pastor Anthony Trask.

“I am in grief and disgust over:

• The back-to-back, violent mass shootings in our nation over this past weekend that left at least 31 dead in El Paso and Dayton;
• The 7 shot dead, and 46 left wounded in dozens of violent incidents in Chicago over the same weekend, and
• The 4 separate shootings in our own town of Salem, Oregon in less than 48 hours that have left 2 dead, and 3 injured.

Our nation is broken, hurting, and unraveling. Now more than ever The Church needs to be a beacon of Light in the dark world and days we are living in.

However, the enemy is trying his best to use our media outlets and our politics, in dark times like these, to divide us: Baiting us into blaming certain political parties, policies, skin colors, nationalities, religions, immigrants, ideologies (conservative/liberal), etc… for the problems that exist within our nation. But the more we divide over these things- The more violence and chaos we’ll experience.

But I’d like to tell you the truth: If it has flesh and blood; IT’S NOT YOUR ENEMY. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6;

“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Don’t take the bait of division Church. Satan is our enemy. Not others made in God’s image. As Christians it is not our duty to point the finger of blame at our neighbor, but to love our neighbor. I would encourage you, this week, to look for reasons to unite with those around you. Look for what you have in common with them. Listen to opinions different than yours without the need to tell them how you’re right and they’re wrong- We’re called to be quick to listen and slow to speak, after all. I would challenge you to go out and look for excuses to love and serve those in your community different than you. You may just discover that they are people, like you, and that they are not your enemy. You may see who our enemy truly is. I challenge you to turn off the “noise” of the news that tells you who you should hate and who you should love. I challenge you not to divide! Unite!

I guess what I’m really challenging you to do, is to follow the example of Jesus in how you treat people and interact with them. YES- Walk in the TRUTH (the truth of the Gospel, not your personal/political/social opinion)! But do so only with grace! Jesus did. And in His power, you can do the same.

And because I really believe that The Church is the salt and light of the earth… I believe that if… The Church grew in its capacity of looking for ways to unite with our neighbors instead of dividing with them… The Church began to call upon God for Him to make our neighbors, not like us, but like Him… If we really took to the streets to spread the grace, love, and hope of Christ, regardless of the danger, and with greater fervency of those spreading the violence… That we would see the evil violence and mass shootings of this nation decrease… Because people would begin to see that people are not the enemy.

Do not give in to the propaganda of division. Give your life to/for the love of Christ.”

– DIVIDED WE FALL