Ceremony To Honor Jonesborough Police
Independence Day - July 4, 2020
(The following is the text of the message by Pastor Perry Cleek on the steps of the Jonesborough courthouse in a ceremony to honor every member of the Jonesborough Police Department)
I am Pastor Perry Cleek of Lighthouse Baptist Church. Our church is unashamed to be a Bible believing church. We don't preach a message of hate, but a message of the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We believe that message is necessary for the salvation of every single person. The Word of God teaches there is only one race, the human race. When we each stand before God, we will not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the condition of our heart. The condition of our heart is determined by our response to the gospel message of the death, burial and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus Christ.
Our church stands for truth, we stand for righteousness, we stand for freedom and liberty, we stand for justice, we stand for the sanctity of human life, we stand for godliness and for law and order.
But in order to stand for these things, it is necessary to stand against some things. And now is the proper time to take such a stand. Historically, voices have thundered from the pulpits of America to condemn sin and evil, and to urge men to lives of godliness. But I fear today, we have entered the days prophesied by Isaiah the prophet:
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
In small town America, we have listened to the voices of those who should know better, appease and condone and even encourage those movements set on destruction and lawlessness and anarchy.
When you have graffiti on public buildings saying, "save a life, kill a cop!" Call it what it is, evil.
When you have the destruction of private property, stealing and looting as though all laws have been suspended for your cause. Call it what it is, evil.
When you have law enforcement rendered impotent because of weak leadership, abandoning tax payer funded public buildings to a destructive mob, call it what it is, evil.
When legitimate protest turn into police bashing, with rocks and bricks and molotov cocktails...police vehicles torched, and police equipment stolen...call it what it is, evil.
Romans 12:9 Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
That brings us here today, to express our outrage at the evil that has manifested itself in our land. And to cleave to that which is good, which is 99% of law our law enforcement personnel.
We do recognize there are bad police officers. Some of them have done terrible things, and should face the full justice of the law. But there are bad pastors also, bad clergymen, bad priests. Is the answer to burn down all the pulpits in America, or to get rid of the bad actors.
If reform is what is needed to dismiss a bad cop, then by all means, we call for reform. But to burn down the whole system is to invite lawlessness to sweep over this country like a covid virus.
I mentioned to Chief Street that about a year ago, one of his officers gave me a speeding ticket. He said, I want to ask two questions, were you guilty? Did my officer act in a professional way?
I have every confidence in Chief Ron Street, that he would never tolerate an abusive, racist, unprofessional officer. That is worth supporting, that is worth encouragement, that is worth celebrating, that is worth our appreciation and gratefulness.
We are here today to express that gratefulness. I feel like we speak for hundreds and even millions across this great land who are ashamed and horrified at the way our law enforcement personnel have been treated. Perhaps our act of appreciation today will help to stem the tide of antagonism toward law enforcement, and show our police personnel that we need them to be there when we call in the middle of the night.
We need someone to answer and to show up when harm is threatened to our family.
We need them to investigate when a grave injustice is done.
We need them there, driving up and down our streets while our head lies safe on our pillow.
We need them to carry guns, so we don't have to.
We need them to ticket the speeders, to keep our teenage children safe.
We need you to drag us out of burning cars.
We need you to patrol our schools, and keep our students safe.
We need to see you rushing in to a hostile situation, with the confidence that we have your back.
We need you there to talk us out of taking revenge ourselves.
We need you to be men and women of integrity, who are willing to lay your life on the line to protect those you serve.
We need you to stem evil by apprehending, arresting, and locking up those who do criminal acts.
We need you to do your part to ensure that liberty and freedom does not fall prey to anarchy. If anarchy and lawlessness are not stopped over there, in the big city, then how long before it invades small town America?
If those who disagree with us can intimidate us into silence, then how long before they come to vandalize, loot, or even burn down our churches.
Chief Street and all the personnel of the Jonesborough Police Department, you have our appreciation, our encouragement, our support. And our church wants to show that with more than words.
End of Pastor's Message
Mr. Rodney Metcalf, chairman of the Deacons at Lighthouse was then introduced, and presented to Chief Ron Street an envelope containing a check for $1,000 to each individual member of the Jonesborough Police Department. A video of the ceremony will be posted soon on our YouTube Channel.
Already Missing The Assembly - March 23, 2020
/God’s people are a people of community and fellowship. Where you find God’s people, you find them together in worship, singing and listening to the preaching of the Scriptures. Throughout the gospels, the synagogue is a central place of meeting that was crucial to the life and ministry of Jesus as well as the ministry of the apostle Paul. The word synagogue in Greek means to “bring together.” When the Christian church was born, it was patterned after the synagogues, gathered assemblies that came together in obedience to Christ.
Ecclesia, or the “called out ones,” is the most important New Testament word that describes the church of Jesus Christ. The church is a local assembly of those called out of the world who are called into the body of Christ—a body made up of regenerate believers who follow Christ in faith and obedience. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This doesn’t meant that every place where two or three Christians are gathered constitutes a church—it does mean, however, that when God’s people come together, there is a special bond, uniting Christians together in the Spirit of Christ.
The gathered assembly also gives the preaching of God’s Word center attention, and to the encouragement of the saints through the singing of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The Christian is most healthy when they are faithfully tied to the life of their local church. Before the coronavirus, I would have argued that YouTube is a lousy place to go to church. No electronic or digital social media platform can replace what happens when the people of God gather together physically. The commands of the Bible are clear—we are not to neglect assembling together.
At the same time, however, we must recognize that we are in a unique situation. Though YouTube is not church, I am still thankful for the technology available to us. I am thankful for the ability to go online and hear the preaching of God’s Word. To be able to listen to our pastors sermon online, in real time, is a wonderful treasure for Christians. But listening in on these gifts is not equal to what happens when we listen among God’s people, physically present together as we praise God and hear his Word proclaimed. For some time, under extraordinary circumstances, we understand that not meeting together in our churches is the right and faithful thing to do. It is an act of love for neighbor and good stewardship to cease all physical activates in order to resist the spread of this devastating virus. During this time, however, it is very important for churches to maintain their connection. Also, if you would like to be faithful in your giving to the church, you may mail in your tithes and offerings to this address: Lighthouse Baptist Church P.O. Box 665, Jonesborough, Tennessee. As a church family, let’s stay in contact with one another. Make a phone call, send a text message or email for encouragement or to offer assistance. And let us be praying together that soon we will be able to meet together again for worship and fellowship. Pastor Perry