"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” - This quote is from the famous Berlin Wall Speech, delivered by U.S. President, Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987. The wall divided East and West Berlin. The famous iconic wall came tumbling down on November 9, 1989, which marked the falling of the Iron Curtain and eventually led to the end of the Cold War. 
 
Whether it’s the Berlin wall, the Great Wall of China, Israel’s West Bank Wall or the Walls of Alamo, walls have always been built to mark borders, protect kingdoms or keep out unwanted people. 
 
Walls are prevalent in the Bible as well. The Walls of Jericho (that came tumbling down), the Jerusalem Wall (which Nehemiah rebuilt), and all the fortified cities with high walls and gates which were conquered by Moses and the Israel army led by Joshua. 
 
We use walls in apartment complexes, hotels and high rises to section off businesses, office areas and living quarters. We use walls in our homes to section off different living spaces such as bedrooms, bathrooms, garages, etc. Walls protect us from the extreme cold or heat from the outer elements along with unwanted critters. Walls bring a sense of security, safety and privacy. Even tents have walls; RV’s, cars, airplanes all have walls. We need walls!
 
But walls also act as barriers. You can hide behind walls. You can be different behind walls. As the saying goes, “Who are you behind closed doors?” That’s the real you! The true colors of a person are revealed behind walls. The integrity of a person is not really what (or who) we see out in the open it’s the person inside; the person behind the wall. 
 
Individualism has always been an American ideal and part of the “Western” culture. We love privacy and alone time. The advancement in technology has greatly influenced individualism. We love our “I” phones, “I” pads and “I” Macs. Technology brings everything to us. These days we don’t even have to leave the home. Everything can be delivered right to our doorstep, even food! We can stream movies, videos, any and all data these days. We can stay connected with the world while sitting in our closet. We have zoom meetings, Facebook, Instagram and a host of other social media apps designed to get you connected, yet it feeds the individualism of our culture driving us further and further from personal contact and face to face conversations. “Technology makes life easier.” We have more time for ourselves and we don’t have to think as much. Technology creates robots to do the work for us. Have you seen how everyone tends to have their noses in their phones these days? I wonder who’s the robots? Albert Einstein said, “Why does this magnificent applied science which saves work and makes life easier bring us so little happiness? The simple answer runs: Because we have not yet learned to make sensible use of it.”
 
Covid has wrought havoc catalyzing our individualistic tendencies. Offices are closing down at alarming rates. According to the latest report from small business resource review site Digital.com, 69% of American businesses have permanently closed some or all of their office spaces since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, with another 39% planning to do so in the next six months. What do you think that will do to our office real estate across the country? More abandoned buildings, which affects the economy, which will affect me and you. What about the unforeseen social issues that develop through non-human interaction? Everything has been affected by Covid, including how we react and socialize with one another in stores, restaurants, hospitals, schools, churches, etc. Face to face interaction are at a minimal these days. Hugs? Out of the question. Division? THRIVING!
 
Yes, as scary and life-threatening as Covid is, the real plague we’re facing is individualism. Individualism focuses on self. It is self-made, self-centered and self-absorbed. It’s extremely “me” driven and self-ish. The world condones individualism saying you need to call the shots, you do it your way. Rebellion is applauded these days. But that goes against the very core of our nature and being created in the image of God. Individualism is the opposite of relationship. We were created for relationships; first with God and then with others… “It’s not good for man to be alone…” 
 
Individualism began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve decided to do things their way and please themselves. What happened after that? They hid from God. Sin brings guilt, fear, animosity and shame; it builds walls to hide behind. Sin breeds individualism. 
 
Satan has always opposed loving relationships because that’s how he can get people to distrust, disagree, hate and fight with God and one another. Psychologists can trace individualism to certain traumatic events or relational deficiencies of your past? Loving and nurturing relationships are taught first through parents and family, secondly, through peers and thirdly, through leader/mentor figures. The fewer loving, caring or nurturing relationships a person has in their life, the more walls go up. Traumatic events also bring fear, pain, and anxiety causing walls to go up. All our interactions in the world will make and break us. We tend to separate ourselves from things we feel threaten us. That’s where the “walls” of individualism come into play. 
 
My friend, Jesus wants to tear down these walls. He wants us to be free and to be all that He created us to be. The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus came to tear down the dividing walls of hostility between Jew and Gentile making the two groups, one (Eph 2:14-18). In the same way, we are all one in Christ. So let’s tear down the walls of individualism within our churches… the dividing walls of opposing doctrinal views, spiritual giftings, those of high social status or those dealing with certain sins and addictions. What about the dividing walls between republicans and democrats, social issues (BLM, CRT, LGBTQ, etc.), Covid mandates (vaccine or not). These are all issues that Satan uses to divide God’s church. Let us tear down the walls of denominationalism, racism and nationalism. It’s no longer Jew or Gentile, black or white, male or female, Baptist or Lutheran or Pentecostal or Presbyterian. It’s no longer us and them. We are all human. We all need Christ. We all need love and nurturing. We all have walls of hostility that we have put up. It’s time for the church to repent of our demands for everyone to see things our way. Our Christian walls of hostility has become a stench. MR. CHRISTIAN, TEAR DOWN THESE WALLS!
 
God help us! I know I have my walls. With your help I can tear down these walls. Help me to remember I have died to that old life of guilt, shame and hostility and have been raised to this new life in Christ. Help me to build loving, caring and nurturing relationships where people can experience you. Help me to look past those with opposing views and to love them as you would. Help us Lord, to tear down these walls. 

Have you ever been faced with a circumstance that seemed impossible to overcome? Maybe you’re going through one right now. When you measure the size of the problem compared to your time, strength and resources you feel there’s no way you’ll be able to get through this one.

Well, rest assured, we've all been there and felt like that. I know for me, it's the stories in the Bible that reminds me of God's power and victory. In this situation the story of Gideon comes to mind. 

Gideon’s story can be found in Judges 6-7, but let me summarize Gideon’s amazing victory. Gideon was one of the judges God used to wipe out the Midianites who were oppressing Israel. There were so many Midianites that they couldn’t count them all. They were so oppressive that the Israelites hid in caves. They stole their crops, their sheep, cattle, and donkeys and invaded their land. God's plan was to use Gideon to save Israel from their oppressors. But Gideon doubted that God could use him to do anything let alone rescue Israel from the powerful Midianites. So Gideon tested God. Gideon placed a fleece out at night on the ground and challenged God to prove Himself by only allowing the fleece to be wet and not the ground around it. So that night God did what Gideon asked. The next day Gideon still doubted so he told God this time make all the ground wet but not the fleece. God, once again, did what Gideon asked. So Gideon tested God and God passed the test. Sounds absurd doesn’t it? Well, I think there’s a little Gideon in every one of us, whether we’d like to admit it or not. 

But wait, that’s not the end of the story. Gideon finally agrees to lead his men to battle. Gideon musters up his fighters to a total of 32,000 men. But God told Gideon, sorry I can’t let you go to battle with all those men because then you’ll say you won the battle by your own strength. So Gideon tells the men whoever wants to go home can leave. At that point 22,000 men left, leaving Gideon with 10,000 fighting men. Gideon’s like… OKAY, now we’re ready for the battle! But the Lord says, sorry, you still have too many. Long story short, God dwindled Gideon’s army down to 300 men, then Gideon went to battle and he won.

In this Biblical account we see how God gave Gideon the resources, a plan and the victory and through it all God received ALL the glory and honor. God will often allow us to be in those situations where it seems as though this battle or trial we’re facing will surely do us in. But don’t sweat it! Even when such great odds are against you, know that God is always in control. Just remember, the story of Gideon who overcame a vast army with only 300 fighting men (and God). But even if he had only ten men and God, I’m sure Gideon still would have won the victory. 

What about you? What are you going through today? Stop depending on your mere strength, intellect and resources to fight these battles. Instead, trust in the Lord, seek His plan, call on His name and watch HIM WORK through you. May you be victorious in all you do but don’t’ forget to give God the glory when it’s over.

WHAT IS CHURCH?
The word church in the Bible comes from the Greek word Ekklesia. Ek “out of” and klesis, “a calling” … meaning “called out ones.” The word ekklesia, can also be used to describe a gathering of people. So, what is church? Church is a gathering or group of believers who are called out by God for His purpose. It is important to note when the Bible mentions the word church, it is never talking about buildings, religions, or denominations. Church is more about a relationship; with God and with people.
 
WHY IS THE CHURCH CONSIDERED A PILLAR OF CHRISTIANITY?
In the Old Testament, God used the nation of Israel to be His mouthpiece to the world. God established covenants to maintain His relationship with Israel. The covenants included sacrificial, civil and moral codes of conduct. The sacrificial system was all about maintaining their relationship with God, which included priests to carry out the duties to reconcile man with God and prophets who spoke God’s words to the people. The civil codes were all about maintaining their relationship with one another as they would become a great nation. The moral codes were all about human dignity and worth. But it was also to understand sin, it’s consequence and the blessings found through the sacrificial system that God provided. The most important point is that God used the nation of Israel to bring Jesus into the world. All the laws and commands pointed to Jesus. Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the law and ushered in a new covenant. The “old” covenants with Israel were all about works. The “new” covenant is all about faith in Jesus and being saved by grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” The new covenant tore down the “dividing walls of hostility” between Jew and Gentile. Gentiles (non-Jew) who were excluded from citizenship of Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise are now included through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The new covenant, filled with hope, blessings and salvation for all people, has made the two groups (Jew and Gentile) one. Through Christ, we can all come to God. Church is a “new covenant” people and the new covenant is the foundation of Christianity (Eph 2:11-22).
 
JESUS BUILDS HIS CHURCH
In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asks the famous question, “who do people say I am?” Then He asks His disciples, “who do you say I am?” This is a foundational question. Your answer to who you say Jesus is, not only holds eternal consequences but carries a rather weighty global impact. As the Biblical account shows us, Peter answered the question with a resounding, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Jesus blesses Peter saying that answer was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven. Jesus goes on to call Peter a rock. Then Jesus says on this rock I will build my church. A few things to note about this passage… 1) Your answer to who you say Jesus is will either be revealed by God or by man (the right answer as opposed to the wrong answer). 2) The church will be built on “the rock” … this is not speaking about Peter even though Peter’s name means rock. “The rock” is the foundational confession that Peter just made stating that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God. When a person confesses that Jesus is the Christ, that person becomes part of the church. 3) Jesus will build His church; means HE will build it not man and He WILL build it; it will not fail. 4) Since the church is “the called-out ones,” Jesus (God) does the calling. This is not something that man chooses, signs up for or is coerced to do but rather simply responds to the inner call that comes from God. God reveals His truths and man responds by believing and saying, “You are the Christ!”.
 
COMMANDS AND ORDINANCES FOR THE CHURCH
There are two commands for the church to follow: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37-40). There are two ordinances for the church to observe: Believers baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the outward expression of what has already taken place in your heart. It represents dying to your old self and being born again. It is also a public display that identifies you with the church and as a follower of Jesus (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 8:38, 9:18, 16:15, 16:33; Ro 6:4). The Lord’s Supper symbolizes the body and blood of Jesus that ushered in the new covenant. Observing the Lord’s supper is a statement of faith in Jesus’s atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins. After Jesus ate the meal with His disciples during the iconic “Last Supper,” He said, “do this in remembrance of me.” (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Co 11:17-34). 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH
The church are those saved by God through faith in Jesus and His “atoning” sacrifice made on the cross for the sins of the world (Ex 30:10; 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10). The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work that God has prepared in advance (Eph 1:13, 2:10; Acts 1:8). The church uses the word of God (the Bible) as the prophetic voice for the church and for the world (2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 1:1-2). The church is a nation in itself, a royal priesthood of believers, chosen by God to declare His praises (1 Pe 2:9). The church is the vehicle that God uses to display all His wisdom and glories to the heavenly and earthly authorities (Eph 3:10). The church is called to go into all the world making disciples of Jesus (Mt 28:19-20). The church is likened to a “body” with many parts (Ro 12:4-5; 1 Co 12:12-13) and Christ is the head (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18, 2:19). The church is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16). 

Christmas is a popular holiday observed in December by people around the world representing the birth of Christ. No one knows the exact date of His birth, but early theologians placed it somewhere in December around 4-6 BC. Food for thought… If BC means “before Christ”, how could Jesus have been born between 4 and 6 BC? Wouldn’t His birth set the timeline to ground zero? (LOL). Of course, now we don’t really call it BC but rather BCE (before common era). 
 
The word Christmas comes from two words, Christ and mass, the “Mass of Christ”, which was named accordingly by the early Roman church in the 4th century. 
 
Some say Christmas has a pagan background. Actually, when Jesus was born the Roman culture celebrated all kinds of holidays. The following is an excerpt from gotquestions.org 
 
"Saturnalia honored the god Saturn and was celebrated from December 17 to about December 24. Later, the Romans began celebrating Sol Invictus or the “Unconquered Sun,” associated with the winter solstice and observed on December 25. When Rome eventually instituted Christianity as the state religion in the fourth century, the Roman church converted Saturnalia and Sol Invictus to a Christian holiday, the Feast of the Nativity, in order to commemorate Jesus’ birth, thus providing a spiritually positive alternative to a pagan celebration. The sinful customs and debauchery associated with Saturnalia were “cleaned up,” and some of the customs were absorbed into the celebration of Christmas. Christians have “redeemed” December 25 and have celebrated it as the birth of Christ ever since the fourth century."
 
Where did the whole gift giving idea come from? Aren’t we contributing to the commercialization of Christmas? No matter what we do commercialism takes place. It’s a supply and demand concept. What about the sale of Bibles, Christian literature, curriculum and liturgical items? These can fall under commercialism as well. Our lifestyles are filled with commercialistic practice. Just because the markets have capitalized on selling products during the holidays does not mean we can’t participate in gift exchanging during Christmas.
 
The gift giving concept comes from the Christmas story where the wisemen gave gifts of gold, incense and myrrh to baby Jesus. Giving is a foundational concept for Christianity and commanded by God. God gave His Son. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for us. Paul said it is better to give than to receive. We are commanded to give to those who are in need. As Jesus has loved us and gave His life so we too must love others. Giving is a form of love for others and the releasing of idols, such as greed, pride, selfishness and covetousness. Gift giving is not a matter of obligation but always comes from the heart. The celebration of Christmas and gift giving should never be burdensome. How can it be? Christmas represents the greatest gift given and the greatest received, bringing joy to the world. Giving represents joy.
 
So friends, as you celebrate Christmas, be sure to stay focused on the reason for it all. And remember, it’s Jesus’ birthday, what gift are you giving Him? 

​The pillars of the Christian faith build a solid foundation that cannot be shaken. The first pillar is God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The second pillar is scripture (God’s word), which is authoritative, inerrant and infallible. When we understand and believe these first two pillars, everything else will build off of them. The third pillar is man.
 
“God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) 
​
CREATED BEINGS - Scripture tells us that man is a created being. If a person does not believe in the authority and inerrancy of scripture they are left to believe in science and evolution. The battle between creation and evolution has always existed. If man evolved from a single-celled amoeba, then we are able to call the shots; we can make up the rules as we go and ultimately decide what is right and wrong. If we are created, then we have an ultimate authority over us. This also means we were created with a purpose in mind. Throughout history man has been plagued by questions such as: What’s the meaning of life? Why am I here? How did we get here? Where do we go after this life is over? Apart from scripture anyone’s guess is as good as another’s. That’s why we cling to the pillars of our Christian faith. We’re not guessing. We go to scripture and we claim these pillars as our creed.

CREATED IN HIS IMAGE - The verse above tells us that we are created in God’s image. What does that mean? Does God look like us? When I look in the mirror, am I looking at God? Does this mean I am God? Of course not. That’s absurd. Yet many might believe that because of this verse. However, as we keep reading scripture, we are able to see how infinitely more superior God is from man. Created in His image means His likeness. He created us with the ability to reason and make decisions. Genesis 1:26, tells us we are made in His likeness SO THAT we can rule over (govern, manage, care for) His creation. There’s a reason for creating us with intelligence. Just as God is superior to us, we are superior to all other animals. And He has given us the authority and responsibility to care for His creation. Caring for His creation is one of our purposes.

CREATED FOR HIS GLORY – Isaiah 43:7 tells us that we are created for God’s glory. We are not just here for ourselves and for our own pleasures. We are here to honor, respect and obey our master and creator God. When we choose to do something that does not honor God we sin. At creation, man was created perfect and sinless but Satan, who was also present, tempted Eve to eat of the tree of which God told them not to. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and that brought sin into God’s perfect creation. No other animal had that capability. Only man has the freedom to make choices that will honor or reject God. We will be held accountable for all our decisions. Bringing glory to God is another one of our purposes.

CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIP – You can’t have a relationship with a hammer or a rock. An inanimate object cannot love. As loving as animals can seem, they do not have the intellectual capacity to love either. Only humans were created with the freedom to choose. All other creatures are created to do the will of God. They cannot reason like man can. A dog, bear or lion would maul an innocent little girl just as they would a thief. God created man for a relationship. Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us make man in OUR image…” The Trinity was present during creation (we talked about that in our first pillar). The Trinity illustrates the essence of relationship. The three are inseparable. When God created man, He created us to be like Him (them), inseparable and relationable. Genesis 3:8 illustrates the relationship that God had with Adam and Eve. That is, until sin entered in and split that relationship. Remember what we went over the first day of this series? God is a holy God. Sin separates us from God. We were created to have a relationship with God, but our sins have cut us off from God (Isaiah 59:2). There’s the dilemma. God wants a relationship with us, but we are dead in our sins. So what does God do? He provides a way for our sins to be forgiven so our broken relationship with Him can be restored. Having a relationship with God is another one of our purposes.

There’s more to talk about, such as, created male and female and how God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The creation account of man goes deep. For space purposes I’ll stop here. But hopefully this has given you thoughts and questions to keep you pursuing the truths of scripture. 

The Bible is unique in the fact that it claims to be inspired by God Himself. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
 
ALL SCRIPTURE – Scripture (graphe = writing). Some say Paul is talking about the Old Testament. Paul could not possibly single out only the Torah as God-breathed. All scripture means all the writings they have up to this point. Not just the Old or not just the New… ALL SCRIPTURE.
 
GOD-BREATHED – Written by men but inspired by God. Peter tells us, “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
 
AUTHORITATIVE – If all scripture is from God then it carries weight. God is the author and every word is supremely authoritative. Paul says that it is “useful”. I would prefer using the term vital. Since all scripture is from God it is vital that we use it to learn about God and His ways and as a standard to know right from wrong. 
 
INERRANT – Because God is the author, we can know that everything in scripture is without error. Yes, it was written by man and man can err. We must understand that God did not place man in a trance and mechanically use the hands of men to write the words. Rather, the same Spirit that has been working in you worked in these men to write God’s word. That’s why there are personality traits and unique perspectives in the different books, because God used men to write it. It’s the same with my writings, your writings and Billy Graham’s writings. We can all write about God, but we will have different versions and experiences. It doesn’t mean we’re lying nor does it contradict but it comes from a different perspective, each led by the same Spirit. All the more it’s a miracle to see how man has written words that not only claim to be the word of God but has proved itself to be reliable, factual and life changing. 
 
INFALLIBLE – Since God is the author, it will never fail us. What God said 2000 years ago still applies today. God never lies and His promises endure forever. 
 
CANON – The canon means the standard or rule. When speaking of the Canon we are referring to the 66 books that make up our Bible. There are thousands of different ancient writings. How do we know which is from God? The OT canon was agreed upon by Jewish Rabbis and leaders before Jesus came on the scene. By the time of Jesus, they already had the 39 books of the Old Testament. These books (scripture) were written by the leaders of the day, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, etc., and also the prophets. Every word proved to be the word of God by its accuracy. These writings became the standard for all other writings. When reading scripture, notice how Jesus, Peter, Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc. quote OT and other NT scripture. Throughout the Bible one author will quote another. These are evidences of the canon of scripture. We use the same criteria today… how do you know if something is of God? Well, it has to be found in scripture. How do we know how to interpret scripture? Scripture interprets scripture. Everything we claim to be of God has to come from the established canon of scripture, the 66 books of our Bible. 
 
CREDENTIALS – The Bible is a unique book. Actually, it’s not a book, its 66 books, written by over 40 authors from 40 generations over a period of 1500 years. These writings are written in three different languages from three different continents and are historically and archaeologically accurate. There are over 600 fulfilled prophecies and they speak on hundreds of controversial topics with complete harmony. The Bible is not a book that a person could write if he tried nor is it something a person would write if he could. The bible is unique and stands on its own as the actual inerrant and infallible word of God.
 
I hope this builds your trust and knowledge of scripture, but this only scratches the surface. There’s so much more to learn. Keep digging. Keep growing. Keep learning. Using God’s word to govern our lives and the church is the second pillar of the Christian faith. ​