Chicken Little or faith in God?

I have been reading and listening to many of the reactions of my brothers and sisters in Christ, including some ministers, concerning all the controversial things that have been occurring in the recent weeks that has been causing such a hullabaloo and I've read through and listened to discussions on the need to "protect" our church by writing a policy stating what our church believes about marriage. I've read and heard discussions about how we as a body need to have a "statement of faith" that clearly identifies the source of our "religious authority" for matters of faith and our conduct or behavior.

I read and heard how that as a body we need to have a "statement of membership" that defines what is needed to become and remain a member of our local body and I've read we need to have a statement defining what marriage is and I've heard of the need for the matters of business of the church, both secular and religious to be clearly stated and for all individuals who have authority in the body such as pastors, ministers, bishops, elders, deacons and the like to be clearly designated as such.

Yes, I have been following the discussions (arguments?) everybody has gotten into about who is "on the right side" and who is "on the wrong side" and what these things they are discussing mean as far as the effects on society, the nation, the church and the world at large are going to be. But I suppose what surprises me the most about all the discussions, articles I've heard and read about was the total lack of faith and trust I saw / heard in all of them. Yeah, sure, go ahead. You can have a moment or two to catch your breath, but I meant every word I said.

To be a member of the body of Christ is simple -- Jesus said it in John 3:3 when he was talking to Nicodemus, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He said in John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." All who have been born again are members of the body of Christ; putting one's name on a" membership list" someplace doesn't.

As far as needing a paper defining to us a statement of faith clearly identifying what is the source of our authority for matters of faith, I think it's pretty much summed up in what Paul wrote to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

The need of a document defining marriage, for listing those with authority among the body, the pastors, elders, deacons and who is qualified to fill those positions, I rather think there's no need to write one, we already have one and we have had one for quite some time. What document am I talking about? Why, the Bible of course.

What I'm having the hardest part understanding is that instead of running around like Chicken Little or Henny Penny in the children's story essentially crying "the sky is falling, the sky is falling," publishing all kinds of articles speaking of how many problems the things that have been occurring is going to cause, is why NO ONE is standing up saying as did Moses "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever." Exodus 14:13

It seems to be the prevailing attitude of most that I've heard or of the articles I've read as it was with the spies in Numbers 13:31-32, "But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature."

What happened to those who believe God when He spoke to us in Isaiah 54:17: "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD"?

Do we no longer believe Jesus saying to us in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world"?

What happened to believing Paul writing to the Romans in Romans 8:31: "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Or is it going to be true what Jesus said in Luke 18:8: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Well? Is it? IS IT?

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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 07/08/2015