Learning from the Pilgrims by Rev. Harvey Opp

by | Apr 5, 2023 | Uncategorized

Now with Thanksgiving approaching, the fear of “spreading Covid-19” by gathering together is nothing like the outlook and desire of the Pilgrims, whose celebration this holiday is to follow! For they knew that coming to the New World was a monumental task and a threat to their own lives! 

      Well, it should be of interest to recall what the basis of their celebration really was. For, we have all heard there was a fall harvest celebration with the bounty in crops and game the Pilgrims had after the first hard winter at Plymouth. However, we are not commonly taught much else about them.

      Above all, the reason for their journey to the New World was for religious freedom. The Pilgrims were Separatists, who dissented from the practices in the Church of England. The King of England was considered the head of that church who appointed bishops, who appointed the local clergy. Many were not spiritually minded, and did not follow the Scriptures. The principles of the Bible were being disregarded in many ways.

      Therefore, the Pilgrims came to America, first of all, to worship God rightly! That was also the thinking of the expedition to Virginia beforehand. The First Charter of Virginia declared their purpose was for the honor of God! They wanted to come to the new world for His glory “in propagating of Christian religion to such people, as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God.” 

      Likewise, the Mayflower Compact of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Bay Colony in Massachusetts declared they had come for “the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.” How contrary to those in our time who foolishly want no influence of Christianity in our nation!

      Instead, the Pilgrims faced the possibility of death in order to worship the Lord God as they saw the Scriptures leading them to do! One half of them died the first winter, after coming ashore on Dec. 21, 1620. Yet, later when the Mayflower was to return to England the surviving members refused to leave on that ship.

      Why would they do so? Because they knew what Jesus said was the first and great commandment. That is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30). Obedience to His word, in faithfulness and in our work, is then expected by the Lord!

      Yet, both of these colonies attempted at first to have a communal system of goods and food. The fruit of those who worked hard was gathered into a common stock and distributed to the whole colony. The result was laziness on the part of those who did not want to work. It almost meant the starvation of both colonies until each family was made responsible to work for themselves. They could no longer live off of the labors of others, when they were quite capable of working themselves!

           How foolish then are modern communalists, who desire a socialistic government, “free college, free health care”, and all manner of handouts. What is never worked for will never be truly valued. Socialism derives from man’s innate greed, which is instead to be kept under control when one must work to advance in prosperity.

      Of course, the idolatry of man experienced by the Pilgrims was not unique to them. Instead, the Bible proclaims the truth that human beings are made to worship our Creator. As in Genesis 1:26, God declared, “Let us make man in Our image”. Therefore, all human beings have a spiritual nature. Our sins have corrupted that understanding, yet you and I will worship something or someone!

      The first of the Ten Commandments counters the evil of worshiping or putting first ourselves or anything besides the one true God, the triune God of the Bible. All are commanded to have no other God, who is also the Redeemer of sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ! His perfect obedience and sacrifice at the cross, for sinners, is the only means to have forgiveness of sins and everlasting life with God!

      Also, when one has repentance and faith in Jesus, he or she will have thankfulness, of course! Then, we will want to do all things in life for the glory of God! We must then seek to support ourselves in our labors, to “work in quietness and eat (our) own bread.” (II Thessalonians 3:12).

      Oh, may we each understand more fully that to know the one true God, trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, is the only true way to live! To worship Him rightly, according the Bible, and to live honest, industrious lives, however God enables, is the way of thanksgiving!

      May the Lord bless you, through daily repentance from sin, seeking to trust and obey Jesus Christ! May that be your and my daily experience, to God’s glory and our good!

Pastor Harvey Opp serves Providence Reformed Church, 830 Madison Street in Vermillion. The service schedule includes Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and Worship at 10:30 a.m. He is also heard on WNAX, 570 AM each Sunday at 8:45 a.m., on “God’s Word is Truth”, and on sermonaudio.com.

HOW TO CONQUER THE GRUMBLES By Rev. Michael Herrington

by | Jun 25, 2015 | Uncategorized

Last week, in preparation to preach from Philippians, I began tracking how often I grumble. How often do I complain either out loud, under my breath, or in my mind? I’m ashamed to say it was far more than I would have suspected.

Paul says we should do all things without grumbling or disputing (Phil. 2:14). He then goes on to describe four characteristics of what we will become when we do so: blameless, innocent, children of God, and above reproach. He’s not talking about salvation with these terms; that was accomplished by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. He’s instead talking about how others will perceive us. He’s talking about an outward revelation of an inward reality. 

I’m a little surprised by Paul’s description of this outward revelation. Why not focus on bigger issues? Wouldn’t our salvation be better evidenced by things refraining from lying or stealing or murdering our neighbor? Actually, no. Societal pressures can limit all of these things, even in non-believers. But what comes out of my mouth when things don’t go my way indicates whose kingdom I serve.

In the context of that chapter, Paul has been talking about Jesus’s self-sacrifice and willingness to put others first. Paul encourages us to model this example with a humble mindset and unselfish behavior. But selflessness can be a rather abstract idea, and our loophole mentality can cause us to weasel out of considering the importance of others. So Paul offers us a practical, though nearly impossible, task: Don’t grumble. About anything.

Why We Must Stop Grumbling

Don’t grumble about anything? Even traffic? Even the long line at the DMV? Even the weather? Even politicians? Even that annoying church member? Yes, even those things. By not grumbling we shine light in the world for a crooked and perverse generation.

Is Paul really saying that if I quit grumbling about things, I will appear as a light in a dark world? I admit I was a bit skeptical. But I really do think that’s what he meant, since for me to stop grumbling several things have to happen.

First, I need to humble myself to realize that my small grumblings really are sinful and offensive to God. This kind of humility chips away at my pride.

Second, I need to get to the bottom of the issue. I need to ask God to graciously show me where and why I grumble. During my weeklong experiment, in every instance I grumbled because things weren’t going my way. Grumbling usually blames someone or something else: an inefficient worker, an unjust system, an inconvenient incident. But the thought occurred to me this week: Why do I deserve this line to go faster or that person to act a certain way or my day to have a certain type of weather? I don’t.

Awareness of my grumbling showed me where I desire my kingdom, rather than God’s kingdom, to flourish. That is always the issue. When I grumble in response to circumstances, I am stating that the values of my kingdom matter more than the values of God’s kingdom. I am stating that people should work better for my sake, that systems should function in certain ways for my benefit, and that the weather should conform to my particular desires. I am the focus of my life.

Grumbling Hinders Humility

Third, I need to recognize that tendency to focus on myself and, instead, look to Jesus. He is the perfect example of what to do when kingdoms conflict. He was God’s kingdom on earth—and the kingdom of the world constantly clashed with him. Yet he didn’t “consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself . . . he humbled himself becoming obedient.” 

Paul knew that to conquer the grumbles, you have to submit to God’s kingdom, to die to self. And when you submit to God’s kingdom, this attitude will pervade not only your words but also your actions. Conquering the grumbles may seem like a small part of building God’s kingdom, but because of what it requires, it’s a foundational building block. When in humility we seek to stop grumbling, we necessarily start building God’s kingdom instead of our own. Then his light shines through us in a dark world, allowing others to see God more clearly. 

At a local fast-food restaurant I visit there is an employee who always smiles as he cleans the tables and picks the trash off the floor. Instead of complaining or rolling his eyes at the mess that some people make, he sings about Jesus, quietly, almost inaudibly. He is a light, often receiving smiles in return from customers as he passes on to another mess. By refusing to grumble he is showing what it means to live in God’s kingdom. May his tribe increase and our grumbles decrease.