I read something not long ago that really started me thinking; a statement saying faith is like the red corpuscles in the bloodstream carrying the life-giving oxygen to every part of the body and removing waste carbon dioxide. It also spoke of white blood cells seizing on dead and toxic matter and carrying it out to be expelled from the body.
As much as I love our country and our way of life, I find, in spite of myself, among a growing number of people who believe that our western civilization is on a fast track to destruction. This is becoming more apparent as day after day we witness one tragedy after another from one end of our nation to the other, even recently in schools in our area that have been, thank God, as yet unfulfilled. Our country has many commendable qualities, most of which has been borrowed from Christian ethics but there is one thing that is lacking; the moral wisdom to give it permanence. What is so unusual about this is that it seems to be the more we learn, the less wisdom we have. The question is, why?
One reason is we live in a day and age in which discernment is a sorely needed gift in the body of Christ and is a gifting that seems to have been misplaced somewhere. How can I say such a thing? All that is needed is for one to look at how many doctrines and teachings clearly against Scriptures are flourishing in churches. I'm not talking about teachings that are unclear, about which there has always been questions as to what is meant but those which are spelled out in no uncertain terms as being against the doctrines of Christ.
This is, in large part, due to Christianity today being man-centered, not God-centered. God is made to conform to the whims of men rather than a man having to conform to what God has spoken. When we bend the clear directives of Scripture to mollify those who desire to keep their way of life -- no matter how contrary to Scripture -- and add Jesus to it, then that Christianity (if it can even be called that) is man-centered.
In 1st Chronicles 12:32, it is written of "the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do" What the church desperately needs today is the "white corpuscles" of discernment, men of understanding of the times -- men of prophetic insight. We often say hindsight is 20/20 and that is true. Anyone can interpret the past but it takes prophets and discernment to interpret the present.
The most critical need the church has is men, bold men; men unafraid to stand for the clear directives of Scripture regardless of whom it offends. Not having such is a large part of why the church has almost (thank God we can say almost) lost her testimony. She has no longer anything to say to the world having been compromised by her unwillingness to say or do anything that can be construed as offensive or not "politically correct." The once forceful shout of "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" -- has faded away to an apologetic whisper lest we offend. The church needs to pray with humility for God to raise up men made of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made." Why?
A major sign of the times is the increase of the fact that "some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (see 1st Timothy 4:1) and this is evident by the attitudes and actions of many in the times we currently live.
How can we become like the children of Issachar? By building up our spiritual immune system! We need to ask for and develop the gift of spiritual discernment. We need to learn to be wary not to fall into the trap of spiritual laziness, thus failing to discern truth from error and so not identifying the enemy's deceptions, literally spiritual toxins which poison us. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
The ability to correctly analyze contemporary situations is what leadership is all about. Those who have this quality tend to rise to the top, and those who lack it lag behind. Every generation needs leaders who can understand the times and know what to do in light of them so the doctrine of the church is not compromised. That needs to be our prayer in our own generation; "Lord, help us to understand the times, know what to do, and for courage to stand against the pressure brought by the ungodly to compromise or keep silent."
Since we Christians ARE the church and whatever WE do is what the CHURCH is doing, the matter is for each of us a personal one. Any forward steps to purity in the church must begin with the individual.
The questions we must ask ourselves once again are these:
• Are we steadfastly following the Godly paths laid out for us in Scriptures or are we allowing society and its attitudes to shape and build our lives?
• Are we standing steadfastly on the clear teachings of Scripture and refusing to compromise or be silenced by the threats of the ungodly?
Those questions are summed up in this one to ask yourself: Am I influencing the world or allowing the world to influence ME?
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Editor's note: Charlie Newman is pastor of Avoca Christian Church. To contact him, e-mail [email protected], or write in care of The Times at [email protected] or P.O. Box 25, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.
Religion on 05/28/2014