A Christian Response To The Las Vegas Tragedy by Pastor Kevin

My name is Kevin Feder. I live on planet earth, the same one on which acts of terror and mass shootings happen on. My situation is made worse when I consider the love of my life, Karen, lives there too. She is the woman I fell in love with 16 years ago and stands as the most precious and lovely person I have ever known (my own mother is a close second). Do you know who else lives there? My three kids, Lydia, Elise, and Ben. Needless to say, I love them dearly. As I type that, it seems so trite. Is that all I can say about them? In short, yes. How can you put the love of a parent into words within a blog? You can’t, so you will have to imagine the boat-load of emotion that could never be expressed in the statement “I love them dearly.” On top of that I have parents, I have siblings, cousins, aunts, nephews, nieces, uncles, grandparents. In addition, I have friends, brothers and sisters in Christ that are precious to me. Beyond that, I have a common love for humanity. When I hear about innocent people needlessly getting torn apart with pieces of pointy steel, I don’t like it (does that get the understatement of the year award?). I really don’t like it and it doesn’t matter much that I don’t know any of them personally. It is still deeply disconcerting. It leaves me with a pervading sense of fear as I make my home on planet earth with people I love.

We mourn the mass shootings in Las Vegas that occurred this week. Normally, this sort of thing comes and goes. We mourn it, despise it, and ask why? Then life gets busy and we move on. Maybe moving on is just a nice way of saying that we deal with it by ignoring it. This incident, however, is a little different. Not only was it the biggest shooting to date (and that is, unfortunately, saying a lot) it also happened at the same hotel that one of our beloved GCF members was staying at. Shannon Ryks, with GCF from the very beginning, happened to be staying just five floors below where the gunmen laid his own head, with a room that overlooks the scene of the crime. Our emotions range from thankfulness and relief that Shannon is ok to grief and mourning for those who are not. You can decide for yourself if you would find it comforting or disconcerting to wake up to three SWAT team members inside your hotel room at 4:00 a.m. as they canvass the very hotel that you are sharing with a mass murderer. Shannon, on the other hand, doesn’t have a theoretical opinion on this. His nearness to us and his nearness to the massacre cause us to pause just a little bit longer on this one.

My intention in this blog is to help us occupy our collective mind with God’s truth as it is revealed to us through His Word. Scripture is authoritative and it is sufficient, that includes these times of terror that we find ourselves having to deal with. My goal is that this blog will help us to direct our hearts towards hopefulness and love during the darkest hours that we find ourselves called to be salt and light within (Matthew 5:14-16). 

Here are some Scriptures to guide our thinking: 

Isaiah 26:3-4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Distinguishing Biblical and Unbiblical Fear

As we deal with fear we have to distinguish between biblical and unbiblical fear. Unbiblical fear manifests in a number of ways: being emotionally paralyzed or crippled, hopeless, despairing, assuming the worst of people/situations, distress and anxiety, ignoring and avoiding lost people, consumed with self or controlled by safety. The temptation is to think that in situations as extreme as these we are exempt from biblical standards and expected to live in fear of evil, in the grip of terror. This is perhaps the motivation for ignoring such stories. It is the false assumption that if I truly embrace this ugly part of life it will inevitably lead me to being controlled by the fear of evil.  The dilemma that Christian's face is this: how do I embrace a world in which such evil exists but not be controlled by the terror it leads me to? 

Now, I say "controlled by" because it is right for Christians to feel terror at a gunman who is aiming to massacre innocent people. Thus, a distinction needs to be made between a right emotional response (terror) and a ruling and controlling fear of man that pervades the entirety of our lives and our outlook on life. Ultimately, we are not exempt to be controlled by the fear of man, by unbiblical fear, even in the extreme of this terrible horror. 

Consider the story of the disciples in the boat in Mark 4:35-41. The 24 foot fishing boat carrying 12 disciples plus Jesus was caught in a terrible storm. Jesus was asleep while the others were controlled by fear. Finally, Jesus' sleep is interrupted not so much by the storm but the commotion of the disciples freaking out. Jesus calms the storm and the disciples fear of the storm is usurped by their new found fear of God. There they stood, completely controlled by unbiblical fear and they realize they stand condemned in the presence of God. Suddenly, their unbiblical fear of the storm gave way to a greater fear, the fear of God. 

On the surface, this story completely offends our sensibilities. It confronts our temptation to make an exemption from biblical standards. Weren't the disciples justified to "freak out" in this terrifying situation? As I already stated, the feeling of terror may be appropriate and even good in certain situations but not when it is controlling. In this case, this unbiblical fear was so controlling it led the disciples to conclude something that simply isn't true: that God doesn't care about their well being (v. 38). Therefore, God makes it clear that fearing Him is:

1. Logically speaking, a higher priority and greater concern for humanity, even than wild gunmen

2. Fearing God is, ironically, the ticket to growing in confidence, hope, and freedom to love our neighbor.

God calls us to grow in fearing him as opposed to being ruled by the fear of man. The health of our souls and the advancement of God's kingdom are at stake in this: 

Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

Matthew 10:28-31 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Psalm 103:11, 13, 17 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him...As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him...But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children.

Psalm 23: 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

Hitting Close To Home

Having someone so close to us being so close to this horrible tragedy causes us to stop for just a little bit longer and contemplate some things. This hits home for us. It makes the world feel smaller which means these types of tragedies feel almost inescapable. It gives us the real sense of fear that can be crippling and paralyzing. I am glad that Scripture recognizes that this sort of fear isn’t a new experience for God's people. God’s people have been facing these fears ever since Adam and Eve started their lives outside of the Garden. Yet, growing in faith means growing in love, and growing in love means growing in the fear of the Lord. When Christians fear the Lord, we find freedom to love our neighbor even inside a world in which horrible things happen. Remember, planet earth is our home. In a cosmic sense it is the scene of the crime (or many crimes) where horrible things happen. At the same time, planet earth is also God’s home. Jesus was born here. He lived here. He died here and he is returning here! God has a plan for planet earth. He hasn’t given up on it and his people, Christians, play an important part in God’s kingdom being established upon this earth in peace and righteousness. 

Thus, we have some real causes for fear on this earth but even greater causes for hope and love. This is God’s way. God calls us upward. He commands us to “fear not” because we have greater things to fear by comparison and greater reason to hope. If you are a Christian then your sins are forgiven and you do not have to face God’s wrath. Hallelujah! Earlier I suggested that this tragedy can leave us with the feeling that evil is inescapable. In reality, God’s judgment is the most inescapable and most severe reality that all humans must face (this is the point of Matthew 10:28-31). The good news of the gospel is that Christ has occupied the most dangerous place through the most horrible act of terror in human history: the cross. Because he did so, those who put their faith in Christ have escaped the inescapable (God’s wrath) and their future is now paved with steadfast love instead of condemnation. If we are relieved of this then our controlling outlook on life can and should be marked by hopefulness and love, even in this broken world. Our Savior embraced the evil of this world but was ultimately controlled by the hope of the joy that was set before him (Hebrews 12:1). Jesus is calling us to follow in his stead.   

We Must Call It Evil

This section probably deserves a little more coverage but let me touch on something about the use of the word evil. Our culture is increasingly marked by secular humanism, a worldview that doesn't particularly agree with the notion of evil. As Christian's, we call this sort of thing evil. Yet, the discussion around motivations surrounding a shooting such as this one reluctantly calls this out, opting to cite other causes to blame such as economic and social factors or psychiatric and psychological issues. Inevitably, in this case, much attention will be focused on gun control. In other words, our current politicized world that we find ourselves in increasingly looks away from human responsibility and to factors outside of the person that help us understand why someone would do this. The real danger in this thinking is that it removes the offending individual  from bearing any real responsibility for something so horrifying and it removes our cultural mindset away from moral absolutes. The Bible does not leave us with such muddy water. It clearly identifies this as evil and helps us to understand why it is evil. The Bible clearly tells us that human behavior, which is certainly affected by circumstance and surroundings, ultimately flows from the heart of the individual (Proverbs 4:23) and motivated by their own desires (James 4:1-2; 2 Peter 1:4). Therefore, the individual bears full responsibility for their actions before the living God. Albert Mohler in his briefing for Wednesday, October 4 pointed out that the minimization of human responsibility and the minimization of what is clearly evil is not only irrational or illogical in the face of such tragedy but "evil itself." 

Learning to Lament

I am aware of the disparity between what is true and what is actual. Scripture even leaves room for believers to be in process from a declaration of holiness to actual holiness. The biblical word for this is called sanctification. This suggests we are in process, moving more and more towards Christ likeness. In a similar way, you may have read the Scriptures regarding fear but still find yourselves crippled by unbiblical fear, preferring to ignore this sort of thing rather than face it. If you detect some of the symptoms of unbiblical fear in you and wonder what you ought to do practically, here are a few suggestions:

1.     Confess: When you recognize unbiblical fear ruling your heart you should confess it to God. Change begins with confession. Confession is like a mechanic identifying the problem in your car. Once you pinpoint it you can deal with it. When we confess our sins of unbiblical fear ruling our hearts we can confess it in faith and ask God to begin healing us and rebuilding our trust in God. 

Psalm 32:3-5 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

2.      Repent: Confession is acknowledging sin. Repenting is turning away from sin. In this case, identify evil thoughts that are consuming you. Identify where your mind is not stayed on the Lord and every time your mind goes down the path of darkness and despair, turn your attention to God’s truth and to his love. You may need to choose one or two Scriptures to remember. Perhaps you mark them in your phone or put them on your screensaver or on a note card that you have in your pocket. Every time your mind goes down the path of crippling fear you will yourself towards God’s truth. This is the process of repentance and why repentance is linked to faith. In faith, we repent and believe God will meet us in our weakness to make real what we don’t yet feel. 

3.     Lament: This may be particularly helpful for the church as it seeks to help young people or younger believers answer the hard questions that this sort of event raises for them. Lamentation is a big part of Scripture and I am thankful for this. Lamentation gives voice to the parts of life that are dark and difficult (How Long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?). Lamentation in the Bible suggests to God’s people that living on this earth is hard and confusing. Scripture confronts us as sinners but also sympathizes with us as sufferers. We do sin but we also find ourselves as victims of sin. God has compassion for us in this. God understands that wild gunmen and the possibility of terror are horribly difficult for us to process and face. God gives us room to process, parents should also encourage their teens to process as well. Look at Psalm 13, 69, or 88, for example, and notice that God allows us to be in process from where we are to where we ought to be. The disorientation that we face as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death is natural. In fact, lamentation and our honest processing of our emotions before God is the means by which God brings us to a deeper re-orientation on him and his steadfast love. It is ok to ask why. It is ok to feel anger at God or difficulty trusting him. It is ok to express the challenge that we are having in squaring away God’s goodness with the reality of evil. It is important to remember that biblical lamentation is empowered by the Spirit and an expression of faith. True lamentation is free to question but not free to assume that God is evil. 

4.     Pray: Jesus taught his disciples to pray and this prayer is so incredibly relevant for us today. In Matthew 6:10-11 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. This prayer both captures and directs the hearts of every believer. What we should be aiming at and longing for is that God would empower his people to make heaven and earth one. This verse is a wonderful reminder that God has a plan for planet earth. It calls us to hope and hope is expressed in prayer. Even though we may seem far off from this, God can and will make it happen. The cross of Christ and the resurrection/ascension of Jesus is the down payment security that he is not done with this world yet. Another prayer that we can prioritize comes to us in the last two verses of the Bible. In Revelation 22:20-21 Jesus confirms that he is returning soon. To this, God’s people respond with this controlling desire “Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” In the meantime, we rely on God’s grace to be with us. 

Practically, we pray for the victims. We pray that they would find the right answers to their questions. We pray the survivors would heal and find comfort from God through his people (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). We pray that justice would be served and people would turn to Christ in mass. 

The Only Guarantee

Just last night Karen and I had an honest discussion about living in a world in which mass shootings and acts of terror are becoming common. We have children and we have our livelihoods and we feel the weight of darkness pressing into us from these tragic events. Shannon Ryks happening to be at this hotel hits home to all of us, reminding us all of something that we would rather ignore: that our lives are a vapor and in this world, there are no guarantees...except the love of God poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit and the hope of glory (Romans 5:1-5). If that isn't enough for us, then nothing else will be.

Let us meditate on some of these Scriptures in hopes that you will find comfort in our Heavenly Father. May we realize that our hand is still in his, the good shepherd, who is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death. May we all live lives wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16), able to embrace this world in the freedom of love rather than being controlled by the fear of man. 

For God's glory and our joy in Him,

Pastor Kevin