May 2008 #5

E-MAILS ABOUT OBAMA – I keep getting e-mails forwarding information from missionaries in Kenya declaring Obama to be a Muslim. I haven’t read Barack Obama’s books about his life, nor do I plan too, but I understand he had ties there as a small boy. I also know that he now professes to be a Christian. I know people make pretenses relating to faith to be Christians for business and political purposes. Whether this is the case with Obama I do not know. With the continuing discussions about his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, questions are certainly raised relating to hate America speeches. I do know that Scriptures tell us we will know people by their “fruits.” I keep looking for the “fruits” that will verify the claim but I have not seen them yet. These things will no doubt become clear as the election process grinds on.

OBSERVING PEOPLE – I suppose most of us have taken pause and watched people passing by and trying to determine things about them, wondering if they are Christians, etc. when we are at the shopping mall. We may also be observant of people in church, not trying to be critical or judgmental but rather to manifest our concern for needs. Not playing an active part as in the past, I have a little more time for observations than in the past. The sad eyes of a woman attending Bible study, or perhaps it was just weariness from her many duties and home schooling of her several children. Her clothes were modest and clean and she did seem intent upon the lesson. I know she loves the Lord and her family. I sent up a prayer for God to strengthen her for her tasks of caring for the family and serving in her local church. It might be the recognition of a need or heartache of those with whom we worship and study God’s Word. We don’t have the interaction in one another’s homes as much as in years gone by and consequently we may miss an opportunity to minister to the needs of those in our own church family. We really do need to pray more for one another and care for one another as needs are recognized. Such care in the early church made them distinct from the world around them. That closeness made an impact on their world that is missing in so many churches today, minimizing the churches impact upon their community. Strong and outstanding churches have developed practical concerns for their people as well as their neighbors that many gospel-preaching churches have failed in doing. This is something to think and pray about.

SEPARATION – In years gone by we use to hear and read considerable about the doctrine of separation. I know I preached my share of sermons on the topic as well. I seldom hear anything about it any more and I wonder if this isn’t a part of the “falling away” or “apostasy” of the last days. It was probably never a popular teaching among Christians but it was a vitally important one. It was usually divided into two separate conditions: Personal separation, which most believers understood quite well because it involved all the don’ts of faith that preachers continually laid out before them. At times they often got mixed in with cultural issues of the times such as men with long hair and women wearing pants, that was taken from the Old Testament admonition about women not wearing what pertains to a man. The second was ecclesiastical separation, separation from the many false and misguided religions. Today we have been led to believe that we should not offend anyone by making the Biblical distinctions that are so clearly delineated in our Scriptures. Both the media and today’s churches have repeatedly brought us to this false belief of making no offense. At the same time, repeatedly, sacred Scriptures clearly draw lines that were needed at the beginning of time and they continue to be needed to this very day. Human nature being what it is, humanity has a tendency to move away from God’s established standards. Our national constitution has probably been partially responsible for this by allowing so many strange religions contrary to our Christian moorings, declaring freedom of religion and freedom of speech. This is something we want to preserve but it has allowed for some strange religious practices in the land. Even with that being the case, there are times when we need to draw lines of personal practices and ecclesiastical differences. I am fearful that Christianity has lost much of it’s effectiveness by no longer declaring distinctions of separation. We don’t want to be known for our continual harping, nor should we want to lose our Biblical distinctiveness that makes us true Christians. When we walk the walk of separation it is noted by those around us and will often open the door to questions and discussions through which we can declare our faith. An example from the past, not being a Methodist, but recalling a practice from their past, when quarterly, by sermon or in their Sunday school material, they would have a “Temperance Sunday” when the use of alcohol and it’s harm was dealt with. I doubt that practice is still continued today but it does speak to churches of the past maintaining their moral and biblical standards. I am confident the local saloons, bars and those who frequented them did not appreciate being marked by those quarterly messages or lessons but they did have an impact in those days. Are we making a moral impact by our practices of separation and Distinctives today?

LIST OF DON’TS – I remember one church I pastored having a list of don’ts drawn up in its constitution before I came on the scene. These types of practices can lead to a legalism that drives people away before they can be taught Biblical truths and practices. As an example of what I mean, there was a lady and her young teenage son who attended our church and both were believers, though her husband was not. He was a farmer that never did attend our services and we prayed often for him. That dear lady and her son wanted to join our church but there in the constitution was that list that made playing cards one of the churches don’ts for its members. Playing cards with their farmer neighbors was one of the few social outlets this lady had with her unsaved husband and teir neighbors and she could not honestly meet that requirement of the church. Had there been gambling associated with the practice that would have been one thing, but as a social outlet of playing bridge, that was another. I was eventually able to take care of the list and the lady and her son were united with our church. In times gone by playing cards were shunned and considered taboo because of their original design to placate a mad king and their association with gambling and drinking alcoholic beverages. Our younger generation does not know about those distinctions from the past and there were reasons for them. Most taverns or saloons in days gone by had card tables and gambling was central to playing card games. Whether that is still true today I don’t know but you can see why the strong opposition to playing cards in times past. Of course today’s casinos that I mentioned recently, that would still be the case and Christians certainly should not be associated with those types of things. Though I don’t like to see legalistic lists of don’ts included in church constitutions, I do believe our preaching, teaching and example, as Christians should provide guidelines to a believer’s style of living distinctively from that of the world.