I am going to start off by letting you know today’s entry is going to be a little longer than normal.

Last week a white gunman killed eight people, most of them of Asian descent, at two massage spas in the Atlanta area. This is a tragic story.

The gunman who perpetrated this heinous crime was an active member of a Baptist congregation. The gunman grew up in the church, was an active participant of the youth group, played drums on the praise ministry, helped set up chairs, and was a regular in the Bible Studies of the church.

The gunman’s home church removed this individual from membership and fellowship, and has openly questioned whether this person ever knew Jesus at all.

As I read this story, I wondered what we would have done had this happened at our church. I wondered what I would have done as a pastor if the young men were one of our’s at the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace.

I can’t speak for the church as I haven’t had a chance to speak with the staff or session regarding this. However, I want to share with you what I would have done as your pastor.

First, in no uncertain terms, I would denounce the violence and heinous murders in the strongest terms.

• Murder is NEVER okay.
• Murder is NEVER acceptable.
• Murder is NEVER right.
• Murder is NEVER God’s will.

The gunman must be held responsible for the terrible crimes and the consequences of his actions.

Second, in no uncertain terms, I would extend grace and an opportunity to repent to the gunman. What the gunman did was atrocious. It is absolutely a heinous crime against humanity and against God. However, I would extend God’s grace and an opportunity for this young man to repent because that’s what Jesus would offer to this young man.

As hideous as this crime is, it is not the unpardonable sin. There is only one unpardonable sin: blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” (Matthew 12:31).

While these murders are terrible, they are NOT blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Did these actions go against the Spirit and the heart of God? Absolutely. But so does every lie, every thought of envy and jealousy, every feeling of hatred and prejudice. There are a multitude of sins. Every one of them goes against the Spirit of God. However, they are not blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. There is only one unpardonable sin: blasphemy.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the consistent and on-going denial and rejection of the Holy Spirit. When we go to the grave denying the Holy Spirit, that is unpardonable because we choose to reject God to our last dying breath. That is blasphemy.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the moment we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, our hearts, desires, and thoughts were automatically changed as well? When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, our status is absolutely changed from sinner to a child of God. When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, while our status is absolutely changed, our personality and character hasn’t changed. Our personality and character will need on-going change. This is called sanctification. We are made more and more into the image of Christ as the days go by.

The gunman was in the process of sanctification and made a horrendous decision. He will pay for the consequences. Lives were lost. Devastation ensued. Some failures have deadly and devastating consequences. But it is a mistake to equate deadly and devastating consequences with blasphemy.

Finally, I would lead the congregation through a time of mourning and lamenting. Mourning and lamenting does several things:

• One, it declares what is happening is unacceptable. It declares that what is happening is not God’s will. That the present circumstances goes contrary to what God’s will and purposes. So we mourn and lament what could be if we would all obey God.
• Two, mourning and lament accepts that even though God is at work, human freedom still acts out in heinous ways. We mourn and lament the presence and reality of evil and its work. We lament and mourn for the present knowing that there will come a time when God will make all things right.

The shootings in Atlanta, the gunman’s church removing him from membership and fellowship, all of it. All of it makes me sad.

For this pastor, I choose to side with God’s grace and forgiveness. I HATE the murders. I HATE sin and sin’s consequences. However, I choose to offer God’s grace and forgiveness to ALL sinners. Because when I don’t, I disqualify myself.

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16).

You smell.

Either an aroma of Christ that brings life, or a stench of death to those who are perishing.

Your smell is either an aroma of Christ or your smell is the stink of death.

There are two main ways we can stink and give off the stench of death.

• When what we profess to believe and how we practice our faith are inconsistent, we stink.
  • Instead of drawing people to the reality of Christ, we repel others from Christ because our lives bear little resemblance to Jesus.
  • You don’t have to say a word; our lives are the proof.
  • When what we believe and how we live are inconsistent, we stink.
• The second way that we can stink is when we compromise, water down, and present a Jesus of our imaginings instead of presenting the Jesus of scripture.
  • The Jesus of our imaginings is all about mercy, grace, and love. That is fine. That who Jesus is. But he is also a God of holiness, righteousness, and justice.
  • When we omit God’s call to holiness, righteousness, and justice because such a God is less palatable to our friends, we bear false witness. We stink. Such a Christ cannot save.
  • A compromised, watered-down presentation may win you friends, but it will not lead people to Jesus. Such a compromised, watered-down presentation of Christ is a lie. And it stinks.

There are two main ways we become the aroma of Christ.

• When our confession and profession is consistent with our practice and life, we give off the aroma of Christ.
  • It’s not that we live perfect lives. That’s impossible. But people can see a difference, they can smell a difference. Christ is present because he is present in us.
  • Others can smell the difference between those who make life about God’s glory and the care of God’s people. Such a life smells so different because our world is all about individual and self-care. When people come in contact with someone who genuinely cares and loves God and others, they cannot help but smell the difference.
• When the Christ we present to others is the Christ of scripture.
  • It’s not our job to make Jesus more presentable. It’s our job to faithfully present Jesus to others. It’s up to God and the Holy Spirit to convert. We are not responsible for converting others. We are responsible for faithfully presenting Christ.

You smell, Little Church and Lakewoodgrace. Let’s make sure we smell like the aroma of Christ.

Do you have a life mission statement?

Every healthy organization has a clear mission statement. It declares who they are, defines what they do, and articulates who they aspire to be.

The mission statement for the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace is “Make New Disciples and Grow Faithful Disciples who share the Love of Jesus with All people.”

That’s what we do. We evaluate everything we do as a congregation based on this metric.

Our lives should be the same. You should have a framework by which you strive to live your day.

Here is my life mission statement: I seek to glorify God as a husband, father, and pastor.

• First and foremost, it’s all about glorifying God. I desire to manifest God’s glory in and through my life.
• That happens most clearly as Helen’s husband. It doesn’t matter if the ministry is going well and I am failing as a husband. Such a life cannot glorify God. My first priority is to glorify God as Helen’s husband because that’s my most primary calling.
• Secondly, it’s to glorify God as my children’s dad. I seek to glorify God as a dad my kids can respect and honor.
• Third, I want my life to glorify God as the pastor to the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace.

The way this life mission statement works is, when I am considering to do something or pondering a decision, I ask:

• Does this glorify God as Helen’s husband?
• Does this glorify God as a father to Karis, Kaitlin, Kailey, and Kaleb?
• Does this glorify God as a pastor at the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace?

If the answer is yes, I do it.

If the answer is no, I don’t do it.

Well. That’s the theory. I don’t always succeed. I still do stupid things sometimes. But the point is, that the life mission statement gives clarity to what I aspire and desire my life to be.

Do you have a life mission statement? I encourage you to take some time to pray and think about writing your own mission statement. It will give greater clarity to how you can make the decisions today that impact where you aspire to be in the future.