Gospel Clarity and Focus - Patrick Malphrus
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! This is my first time writing for Seventeen82 and I am excited to be a contributor. Seeing as how this is my first article (and hopefully not my last), let me introduce myself. My name is Patrick Malphrus and I’ve been an ARP Minister since 2007. I am a member of Virginia Presbytery and pastor at Old Providence ARP Church in Steeles Tavern, Virginia. If you can’t locate Steeles Tavern on a map just know that we are in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The Blue Ridge is on one side of our church and the Allegheny Mountains are on the other. And yes, our view is spectacular.
Admittedly though, living in the country has its disadvantages. Our closest Wal-Mart is 25 minutes away. The closest Hobby Lobby is nearly an hour away (good news for me and my wallet, bad news for my wife). Our internet is either cellular or satellite, both of which are poor substitutes for high-speed service. But we do have at least one consolation…WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD BLOWS UP WE CAN HEAD FOR THE HILLS! I’m only kidding, of course. I don’t have a “bug-out bag” by the front door and I haven’t started stockpiling supplies. Besides, I lost all of my firearms in a boating accident anyway.
But in all seriousness, what a time to be alive! I wonder if you’ve reached the point at which I find myself. When I turn on the news or glance at headlines, I find myself asking “Well, what will it be today?” I wonder what new plague is coming. Murder hornets have apparently come and gone but what’s next? Squirrels with a new form of the Black Death? I wonder what new conflict will have sprouted? What scandal will have broken? Who said that inflammatory statement? Who performed that unbelievable political stunt? I’m referring, of course, to the goings-on of the secular world which are unfolding around us.
Even so, my sense of shock and disbelief are relatively mild as they relate to what I’ve seen transpire in the secular world. Psalm 14:1 is true, after all. The fool really has said in his heart that there is no God. We should not be surprised when a world that has rejected God acts in a foolish manner. In short, fools do foolish things. No, it’s not the world that shocks me anymore. Instead, I’m truly disturbed when I watch what is happening in so much of the visible church.
While the church faces many temptations, among its greatest is that of being distracted. And so much of the visible church has fallen to temptation. I’ll say that again just to be clear—one of the greatest temptations we face in the modern church is that of being distracted. Distracted by whom? Satan, of course. Yes, the devil is real. And no, his existence is not dependent upon your belief. As a matter of fact, if you don’t believe in Satan, I think he is rather pleased with you. Satan would be quite content for you to continue through life as if he poses no threat. After all, if Satan isn’t real then there is no need to resist him (as we are commanded to do in James 4:7). But again, Satan is real and does everything he can to hamper the church’s efforts of being the “salt and light” in the world that Jesus commanded us to be.
So, what are we to do in response to Satan’s schemes? Instead of becoming distracted the church needs to focus on what truly matters—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a time of great unrest, but also a time of great clarity. “Clarity?”, you might ask. Yes, clarity, for it has never been so clear in my lifetime that the world has no real solutions to its own problems. Its growing unrest, strife, and discord only reinforce the world’s great need for transformation. And the only one that has the power to transform, the only one that can bring hope to the hopeless and life out of death is Jesus Christ.
Instead of becoming distracted by politics, social justice causes, secondary matters of doctrine, arbitrary policies and practices, and other matters that inevitably lead to disagreement, let us instead focus on sharing the love and truth of Jesus Christ with the people in our lives. This doesn’t have to be complicated. Write a letter. Pick up the phone. Love people enough to tell them what the Lord has done for you. Point them to the truth of God’s Word. Share your life and the reason for your hope. It is these conversations that break down barriers and cause the light of the gospel to blaze forth. In the midst of the world’s hopelessness, offer the real hope of the Gospel. And in so doing, you will be filled with hope and purpose, instead of falling prey to distractions.