Let’s face it. The world has descended into chaos. If you only watch 30 minutes of cable news, you will undoubtedly come to that conclusion.
We have protests in the streets of the United States, for causes ranging from open borders to supporting Palestine. The Middle East is an ever-increasing powder keg, with tensions rising between Israel and Palestine, along with instability in other parts of the region.
Asia is unstable as well, with tensions rising between China and its neighbors.
Situations like this have us asking the same question that the Psalmist asked in Psalm 2, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?”
The psalmist answers in verse 2, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.'”
The reason the heathen raged in the Old Testament times is that they rejected God and rebelled against His will. The reason the world rages today is that the people have rejected God, and seek to pursue their own wills and desires instead.
The result, of course, is open rebellion against God which leads to the chaos that you see in the streets and on the world stage.
Now, it would be easy to sit back, watch the news, and say, “That’s awful!”
Unfortunately, too many Christians fall into the comfort trap of observing the evil in the world and denouncing it without considering their own Spirituality.
The Psalmist states in Psalm 2:6, “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.”
The world rages and rebels against God, but the Psalmist worships God and trusts in the Christ that is coming into the world.
The psalmist goes on to encourage others to do the same, saying in verse 12, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”
So, the message we take from Psalm 2 is that the world is chaotic, but the Lord is peace. The world may rage in rebellion against God, but we are to trust in Christ.
The world may seek its own power and glory, but we rest in the power and glory of the Lord.
So, don’t be disheartened by the news, the images of the riots, and the threat of war. Trust the Lord, and be at peace waiting for His arrival.
What is happiness? Can you define it? Or can you merely describe it?
The Declaration of Independence states that God endowed man with the right to pursue happiness, and today, many people are doing just that. The tragedy is that most people cannot tell you what happiness really is. They can merely describe a situation in which they believe they would find themselves to be happy.
The blessing is that God not only has given us the gift of happiness, but has also explained through His word how to unwrap that gift.
In Psalm 1, the Bible says “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the unGodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
That word “blessed” can also be translated “happy.” To understand what it means to be blessed or happy, we have to understand what those literal words mean. “Blessed” was translated from a Hebrew word that means “to be confident and secure.”
And when you think about the ways people describe the happiness they pursue, doesn’t that definition hold up?
How many times have you heard someone say, “I just want to be with my family.”
“I just want my kids to be safe and healthy.”
“All I need is a roof over my head and food in the fridge.”
People save for retirement so they can achieve a status where they don’t have to grind at a 40-60 hour per week job in order to make ends meet. People dream of winning the lottery, not so they can buy multiple luxuries, but for the idea that they will no longer have to worry about money and deal with financial insecurity.
The sad part is, both of those avenues to happiness often fail. How many lottery winners actually go on to “happily ever after?” Very few. Most will tell you winning the lottery actually ruined their lives.
Retirement accounts can be wiped out by market crashes, company collapses, or divorce decrees. Furthermore, even if you make it to retirement with a healthy balance, often the fixed income from that account fails to keep up with inflation.
So, is happiness unattainable?
Quite the opposite.
Psalm 1 actually gives us the formula to attain true happiness, true confidence and security.
Psalm 1:1, which I quoted above, tells us exactly how to undermine happiness. Happiness is undermined when we walk in the counsel of the unGodly, stand in the way of sinners and sit in the seat of the scornful.
Walking in the counsel of the unGodly means to follow and live by the advice of unGodly people. It is important to remember that Godliness has less to do with personal morality, and more to do with aligning oneself with God’s teachings.
One can be faithful to their spouse, have integrity in business, but have a heart in rebellion against God, thus rendering themselves unGodly.
When taking the advice of others, it is important to make sure that advice lines up with scripture. Following a course of action that contradicts scripture, even when you can logically and emotionally justify it, leads to disaster. Trust me on this one.
Following a course of action that is contrary to scripture, even when others validate and understand it, will lead to emotional and Spiritual devastation.
Standing in the way of sinners means to exalt and promote yourself the way sinners do. To stand, or to have standing, means to have prestige and honor. It means to have a right to something, and to belong.
We all want these things. The problem to happiness is when we seek these things the way the world seeks them. When we self-promote out of pride, we are hindering our own happiness.
Scripture teaches that the standing we have that brings true happiness is the standing we have in the Lord through the Gospel.
And sitting in the seat of the scornful means to rest in anger and bitterness. The poster children for this category are the political commentators we see on cable news. Do any of these people even appear to have tasted happiness?
When you sit back, look for flaws, and complain, you will never be happy.
So, now that we have covered how not to be happy, how do we achieve happiness? Psalm 1 answers that question in the next two verses.
Psalm 1:2-3 says, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Notice the man’s source of happiness. It’s in the law of the LORD (which is basically scripture, the Bible.) This man finds confidence and security in the Lord, and thinks about him all day and night.
If this sounds boring to you, that’s a pretty good indication that you’ve fallen into the categories listed in verse 1.
Getting your mind into the scripture goes beyond just rehashing the basic fundamentals of the faith and the do’s and don’ts of life. It also means contemplating God’s character, how He interacts with man, and by doing so, how He interacts with you.
The alternative is to spend the day focused on your anxieties and challenges in life. Either that, or trying to distract yourself from them through movies, entertainment, social media, retail therapy, excessive eating, or substance abuse. If we’re honest with ourselves, this has never worked, and has always robbed us of happiness.
On the other hand, you can get your mind into the scriptures, learn of God, and then face your challenges with the confidence and security of knowing that the eternal creator of all things is controlling what you cannot. And, you’ll have the peace of knowing that He has good will toward you. He loves you.
Do you have family problems? You can stay focused on those problems all day, or you can consider how God brought Abraham, Jacob, David and others through their family problems. Maybe you can consider the testimony of a Christian friend who went through their own family problems, and how God brought them through that.
And as God gives you hope through that meditation, you don’t go into a state of denial over your family problems, but you can learn to go through them with peace. And, by thinking on how scripture teaches you to work through those problems, you will be able to see those problems through to a happy conclusion.
Psalm 1 goes on to describe what it looks like when we do this. Verse 3 says the blessed (happy) man is “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
The picture painted here is of a tree planted by the river with a healthy root system that is continually supplied with life-giving water from the river. That tree is solid, produces fruit, and doesn’t wither.
Likewise, when we stay plugged into our source of life and happiness, we too experience Spiritual health and well-being, to the point that we bear fruit and make an impact to this world. And when that happens, we find confidence and security.
Our source of life and happiness is the Lord. As that tree’s root system gravitates toward the rivers of water, our minds should gravitate toward the Lord, toward our source of life and happiness.
This is where we will find stability and prosperity. This is where we will find happiness.
As of Aug. 31, I am the new pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hermleigh, TX. God has blessed me with a wonderful church family here, as well as good friends.
One of the biggest blessings in this is that God has also removed many of my other endeavors and career pursuits to allow me to focus on His will, helping His people, and promoting His Gospel. This blog will evolve as I do to reflect what God is doing here in Hermleigh.
Hermleigh First Baptist Church is located at 483 Harlan Ave. in Hermleigh, which is also Business U.S. Hwy 84. Sunday School is at 10 a.m. and Sunday Worship is at 10:50 a.m. Would love to see you there if you are in the area.
Like running into an old friend at the supermarket, I was delighted to see that the “He Gets Us” campaign ran another commercial during this year’s Super Bowl.
You wouldn’t think the campaign would continue to stir controversy, but it does. Sometimes, the mere existence of something can ruffle feathers.
When the “He Gets Us” campaign ran its first Super Bowl commercial two years ago, the controversy stemmed mostly from atheistic and anti-Christian groups prior to the Super Bowl. Their concern was that a game that celebrates achievement, pride, gluttony and pleasure would be ruined by a religious message.
That they got was this ad instead:
Something interesting happened after that. The dissenting voices of atheism and the anti-Christian communities died down, and voices of opposition rose from within Christianity itself.
The campaign was ridiculed for departing from mainstream Christianity, with many claiming it was theologically shallow and didn’t proclaim any real truth from the Bible.
Then, He Gets Us rattled the cages again in 2024 with this message:
The message that provoked response in this ad was the depictions of Christians, preachers, and the so-called good people of the world washing the feet of people who are living in sin. You see the feet of pro-abortion activists being washed outside an abortion clinic, of illegal immigrants feet being washed, while at the same time foot washings being shared between people of different races and people who obviously would be at odds with each other.
The commercial closed out with the caption that Jesus didn’t teach hate, He washed feet. This ad drew criticism, with opponents saying that Jesus did not merely go around washing feet, but that the foot-washing was performed on His disciples to teach them humility.
This discussion brought to light the central point of conflict between the He Gets Us campaign (funded heavily by Hobby Lobby owner David Green) and Christian fundamentalists. That point of conflict is this: The He Gets Us campaign lacks theological depth, drifts from what the Bible actually says about Jesus, and fails to present the plan of salvation.
If we’re being honest, those criticisms are not without merit. The question is, however, does that make the He Gets Us campaign bad?
Let’s consider that question with this story in mind.
Imagine there is a lady in your church. Let’s give her a name. She’s going to be Miss Martha.
Miss Martha is an 80-year-old widow who attends church faithfully, serves in the ladies auxiliary, and has a special pecan pie recipe that has become a staple of the church potluck dinners.
After church last Sunday, Miss Martha went to lunch at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken. As she ordered her food and paid, she noticed the unmistakable presence of a baby bump in her cashier’s abdomen.
Miss Martha asked when she was due, and how much she looked forward being a mother. The conversation was friendly, and Miss Martha learned a little about her new cashier friend.
Miss Martha then told the young woman, “I know you have to work a lot of Sundays, but if you get the chance, we’d love to have you at church next Sunday.”
Maybe Miss Martha invited the young woman to evening service, or Wednesday night prayer meeting. All would be typical in such a conversation.
Now, the question about Miss Martha’s interaction with the KFC cashier is this, “Did Miss Martha do a bad thing by holding the conversation with the young woman, inviting her to church, without presenting the Gospel to her or having a deeper Biblical discussion with her?”
Some would say yes. I think Ray Comfort may have some words to say about that.
However, I disagree.
It’s never a bad thing to have a conversation with someone, to express to someone that they have value and are loved, to issue an invitation to church, and to create an opportunity for someone to consider their faith and Spiritual condition. I believe if we actually took an interest in people, got to know them, and connected with them in an authentic way that was not merely for the purpose of notching a conversion on our belt, I think we may see some better results.
The mission of the commercial campaign for “He Gets Us” is not to place Gospel-centered content in a secular entertainment setting. (That’s actually something I aspire to.)
The purpose of the He Gets Us campaign is to snag the attention of those who are lost and are not considering Spiritual things, and get them thinking. It’s about presenting a side of Christianity that recognizes the brokenness of life, the differences in our backgrounds, and our propensity for conflict, but wants to work through that to find healing.
And while I whole-heartedly agree that the Gospel is absolutely essential to accomplishing that goal, and that deeper theological discussions must take place to bring salvation and transformation into the lives of the lost, I would be remiss if I didn’t relay the fact that the He Gets Us campaign does exactly that.
Take Miss Martha for instance. Suppose she comes back to KFC next week, meets the same cashier, has another light-hearted, pleasant conversation with her, and learns more about her. Maybe this continues for a few weeks. Maybe the baby is born, and the young cashier shows Miss Martha pictures.
Suppose Miss Martha takes the young woman one of her popular pecan pies, and maybe they meet outside of KFC for once. Maybe Miss Martha mentors the young woman, and ultimately takes her to church one day. What could happen?
Hopefully, if Miss Martha goes to a good church, that young woman will hear the Gospel, solid Bible teaching, and be saved and converted.
The He Gets Us campaign works the same way. It seeks to engage people who are not engaged Spiritually, ascribing value to them and proclaiming that they are loved. At the end of every commercial and YouTube video, there is a Web address. If you go to that Web address, you will find Bible teaching and content that steers you toward the Gospel. And, while you may not find that content to be deep enough or theological enough, it does provide the opportunity to connect with a Bible mentor, or counselor, via text, phone or email.
And here’s the best part. These mentors are not located in a call center in Oklahoma. They are in your hometown.
It’s true. Local pastors and Bible teachers can register with the site, and if someone from their area is wanting to be connected with a real person, He Gets Us connects the pastor with the seeker, thereby facilitating the teaching of the Gospel and deeper Bible content. Discipleship can then begin at that point, and the seeker can be connected and plugged in to a local church.
Is this the most economical way to do this? Is it efficient? Does it work?
I don’t know. I will say, having read two of David Green’s books, he doesn’t have much patience for things that do not work. To answer that question, we’d have to see the ledgers and the data that He Gets Us would keep concerning their reach and conversions. I’m not holding my breath that they’re going to make that public any time soon.
I will say, that having a business and marketing background, I can see how it would all come down to numbers.
One Super Bowl ad will cost about $7 million. That ad will reach about 125 million viewers. The cost per thousand on that one ad is $56. This is almost twice the cost of a Roku ad, which typically sells for $30 per 1,000 viewers, and almost six times the cost of a radio ad, which usually runs about $10 per 1,000 listeners. It’s expensive, but there’s added value in the fact that you are reaching the multitude simultaneously, something nearly impossible in other media.
Now, let’s suppose that only 1/2 of a percent actually go to the website. That’s 625,000 visitors to the He Gets Us website. If only 1/2 of a percent reach out to a local pastor, that’s 3,125 solid Gospel conversations that can take place. If only 1/3 of those result in a profession of faith, you have approximately 1,000 souls saved, on a $7 million investment made from the excesses of billionaire businessmen.
We don’t put a dollar figure on the cost of seeing a soul saved. But, if we calculated the amount spent per soul saved, it would come out to $7,000.
I realize this type of analysis may be a little provocative. I don’t intend to be provocative. But, I will say that many of my church’s outreach efforts were not near as fiscally efficient as that.
None of this means that you have to like the He Gets Us campaign, and it certainly does not mean that this is the best way to do evangelism. However, I hope this adds understanding of what is happening and puts some context on the commercials you see on TV.
Furthermore, I hope this motivates you and inspires you to find ways you can engage people in your community who are not currently being engaged with the Gospel.
Leland Acker 