|
People of The Living God |
|
July 2020
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
TODAY’S SLEEPING GIANT
Leonard Ravenhill
Solemnly and slowly, with his index finger extended, Napoleon Bonaparte outlined a great stretch of country on a map of the world. "There," he growled, "is a sleeping giant. Let him sleep! If he wakes, he will shake the world." That sleeping giant was China. Today, Bonaparte's prophecy of some one hundred and fifty years ago makes sense.
Today, Lucifer is probably surveying the church just as Bonaparte did China. One can almost behold the fear in his eyes as he thinks of the Church's unmeasured potential and growls, "Let the Church sleep! If she wakes, she will shake the world." Is not the Church the sleeping giant of today?
Some years ago, the newspaper headlines carried the story of a young Chinese student who "flunked" his exams here in America. So humiliated was he and so withered by anticipated scorn that for three years the youth hid in the belfry of a church and became skin and bones. Because of his shame, he froze in winter and blistered in summer under that church's thin roof. As today's Church of Jesus Christ thinks about the day of reckoning that is surely coming, oh that a holy fear would come upon her (even if it drives her to extremes) in order to arouse her from her present paralysis!
Consider Samson's fall. He didn't get drunk; he didn't commit murder; he didn't steal. Samson fell simply because he succumbed to the natural, and fell asleep.
That one small act put him into captivity, made a false god popular, and scattered the forces of the true and living God.
If even yet you feel a hangover of the old interpretation that the Samson of the Bible is a distant relative of Hercules or Atlas (famed in mythology for carrying the world on his back), then think again. Samson was no human monstrosity. He was no super-edition of a Goliath. If Samson had been a colossus, then why did Delilah ask the question, "Wherein lieth thy great strength?"
Let the final word be from the Word of God itself, for in telling the story of men mighty in faith, the writer to the Hebrews says: “Time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson…who through faith…stopped the mouths of lions" (Heb.11:32-33). Only two men in Scripture stopped the mouths of lions – Daniel and Samson. But no giant could single-handedly, as Samson, "put to flight the armies of the aliens," or toy with opposing armies.
Here, Samson slays a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass; there, he kills another thirty men. Here, he takes the gates of Gaza for a ride; there, he tears a lion like paper.
To add insult to injury, the Spirit's comment is "he had nothing in his hand."
Note well, yea, read for yourself the whole story of the secret of this mighty exploiter, this more-than-conquering believer: "The Spirit of the Lord rested mightily upon him." Everything in the story adds up to this staggering fact: Supernatural power was upon Samson.
Now, turn back ten chapters in this wonder book of Judges and have a little peep into the life of Gideon. Surely as a boy, Gideon had heard from his father the hair-raising stories of a mighty Deity. In Judges 6, Gideon is older, and while threshing corn, is fearing an attack of the Midianites. For seven years, the once liberated slaves of Pharaoh had again become captives. Dens and caves were their homes. No longer were they able to sing the Lord's song.
It must have sounded like a fairy tale when that angel appeared to Gideon and informed him, "God is with thee, thou mighty man of valor." Yet he shot back the answer, "If God be with us, where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of?" This answer makes clear that Gideon was expecting some supernatural evidence. To him, the seal of the Lord's presence would be something that could not be rationalized.
Alas that today there is more evidence of religious sensation before our eyes than evidence of spiritual regeneration and supernatural phenomenon! Not many Christians today can forget the fact that the devil goeth about as a roaring lion, but we seem to have lost sight of the fact that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has defeated the roaring lion of hell, and therefore every anointed Samson or Gideon or church can also slay the lion of hell. Though wicked men are doing wickedly, God's promise to us is that "the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits" (Daniel11:32).
This much is sure: If we could merit revival by fasting, there would be many martyred by starving. If we could organize revival, we would pool our thinking to outwit the powers of darkness. If we could buy this elusive revival with the mammon of unrighteousness, we could get a score of what we call Christian millionaires to underwrite the thing for us. If we could blast the devil from this present world, we would pledge the politicians for an atom bomb.
God pity us that after years of writing, using mountains of paper and rivers of ink, exhausting flashy terminology about the biggest revival meetings in history, we are still faced with gross corruption in every nation, as well as with the most prayerless church age since Pentecost.
This is a plea for the return of the supernatural; but I must also give this a word of explanation. For a decade, all over this land there has been a ministry of the miraculous (more or less), and thank God for all who honor Him and remain faithful. But having said that, here is a plea for sane thinking and a spiritual evaluation of the evangelistic field. To a large degree, have we not substituted seeing for hearing? In Acts, Philip the evangelist could have transferred the Ethiopian eunuch to a city seething with revival fever where the eunuch could have seen "the lame leap like an hart and the tongue of the dumb sing." Instead, he pitched right into the Word of the living God, and beginning at the same Scripture preached unto him Jesus. We need the miraculous, but we also need Christ-centered teaching. Our crucified, exalted Christ must have preeminence over all other slants of truth, for while the Church is languishing, the world is perishing. "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord" (Isaiah51:9).
Again let me say, Samson's was not the secret of his strength. The fact that he was the same after he backslid negates the idea that he was a giant. His only external peculiarity was his long locks, uncut because he was a Nazarite. Nor had his long hair in itself any abnormal power. Samson's secret was obedience. As long as Samson trod the straight and narrow path of obedience, he was invincible.
Let us remember, too, that Samson, who began in the Spirit, fell into the flesh, and so had a prison term to bring him to his senses. Finally, by one last mighty miracle, he finished in the Spirit. Backslider, this is a word for your recovery, for God can restore the years that the cankerworm and the caterpillar have eaten. He who is able delights in mercy.
Samson's final act of power was the crowning achievement of a spectacular life’s work. After he had slipped out from under the harness of obedience, he was forced into separation from the world in a prison. Once an army trembled at his very sight; later a single boy came to lead the blinded Samson into the temple of Dagon, the fish-god. How the mighty had fallen! Yet, now, God took this "weak thing" into a temple full of lords of the Philistines and set him between the pillars. "Samson took hold of the pillars…the one with his right hand and the other with his left…and he bowed himself with all His might" (Judges16:29-30). Holy jealousy gripped him. Mighty as he had been in other things, Samson now proved mightiest in prayer: "Lord, strengthen me…this once!” (vs. 28) Would to God that every professed believer in the whole of Christendom would borrow this prayer and mean it. Then with dramatic conclusion, Samson sealed the doom of many more of the enemies of God in his dying than in his living.
Is this the dying hour of this dispensation? Many say it is. Some Christians have already hung their harps on the willows, and yet others seem to delight in speaking of the Church's present lapse as a proof of divine inspiration. But I myself believe that if the Church will only obey the conditions, she can have a revival any time she wants it. The problem of the Church is the problem in the garden of Gethsemane – sleep! For while men sleep, the enemy sows his seed through his cults. Lest men sleep the sleep of eternal death, Oh arm of the Lord, Oh Church of the living God, awake!
If the church is going to attain to her potential in this last hour, it is apparent that we are going to have to dust off an old word that many of us have forgotten; it is in the English language – DISCIPLINE! To some, this word discipline will have a monastic flavor, for it smells of the Middle Ages or throws onto the screen of the mind a picture of an unwashed hermit or a hollow-eyed anchorite. Be not deceived. Every smart "top brass” military expert has arrived there because he wore the harness of discipline. Leonard Bernstein in his music-talks holds his baton like a magic wand over mesmerized millions because of discipline. This brings to mind the words of the poet:
“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward through the night!”
If any man wants to write a bestseller, let him attempt a book on How to be a Saint in Six Easy Lessons. Such a writer would be fishing with bait that this generation of believers wants; but I, for one, would not swallow it.
In a brilliant sermon called "Discipleship," G. Cambell Morgan says, "Jesus Christ could speak to the sorrow-burdened heart of humanity words so full of mother-love and father-love as to make men crowd and press round Him. On the other hand, He could suddenly speak words that flashed and scorched and burned until men drew back in astonishment." Bracketed in the last group would be these two commands: "Take my yoke upon you" and "My disciple, take up your cross and follow me." Both of these words imply discipline.
When we sing in a sunlit church "Oh to be like Thee; Oh to be like Thee," we get weepy and feel an emotional lift. But permit this simple challenge:
Do we really mean “Oh to be like Thee” – like the Christ of God, who was a man of discipline?
Do we really mean “Oh to be like Thee” – fasting alone in the desert?
Do we mean “Oh to be like Thee” to touch the depths of prayer that make us cry, “All Thy billows are gone over me”?
Do we mean “Oh to be like Thee” – to become habituates of the fastness of the prayer chamber?
Do we mean “Oh to be like Thee” – in a will like His, for He said, "I always do the will of my Father." Is that not discipline?
The religious sentimentalist who sings "Just a closer walk with Thee" but walks close to the ungodly and sits with the blasphemers, is not taken seriously in either heaven or hell. Be very sure, friend, that this vile world is not "a friend to grace to help on to God." We need to pray the Father to put some blood into this "water" that runs through our veins. Our Simon-like natures need the Upper Room fire to clean us out and the discipline of the Spirit to shape us into soldiers.
Twenty-five years of discipline in a crow's nest of an office up behind his church in Chicago brought about a Dr. A. W. Tozer, who produced a book, The Pursuit of God. This in turn produced on the ocean of spiritual teaching, waves that lap their way to the ends of the earth.
After I spoke at a session in the Bible School of Wales, Mrs. Rees Howells called me for a private talk. We stood on the veranda of her home overlooking beautiful Swansea Bay. I can see her finger upheld as she said, "Many talk of my husband's buying this place with a shilling (fourteen cents) in his pocket. What they forget is that he prayed twelve hours a day for eleven months to know the mind of God." Brethren, that's discipline!
Today, immediately when one gets out of step with a nearby Christian, he is considered a legalist. Just remember, in "that great day of Judgment" when we must stand before His throne, no man will be ashamed he was dubbed over-spiritual, though many will weep, groan, and "suffer loss" because of lack of discipline. Discipline is a harness by which we enable the Spirit to get the best out of our frail humanity. The Apostle Paul was a disciplinarian like his Master:
He disciplined his body: "I keep my body under."
He disciplined himself to loneliness: "All men forsook me."
He disciplined himself to scorn: "We are fools for Christ's sake."
He disciplined himself to poverty: "We suffered need."
He disciplined himself to rejection: "We are despised."
He disciplined himself to death: "I die daily."
He disciplined himself to suffering: "Persecuted, but not forsaken."
May this be our prayer, "Oh Lord, I bow my neck to Thy yoke!"
Since the hour Adam first rose to his feet, man has not stood, as today, between such potential and such peril. America is still the richest nation in the world. It is a mighty crucible into which refugees of almost all modern nations are poured. It has far more Bible schools than any other nation. In these Bible schools is dedicated manpower. Here, too, is wealth to get this manpower to the ends of the earth, and here is linguistic ability unmatched in the annals of time.
Even the gathering at Pentecost had not the potential, humanly speaking, that this vast nation has. Do you wonder, then, that from every angle, hell has America under cross fire? This mighty land is cursed with blessings. I fear that unless she awakens, repents, and puts on the whole armor of God, she will be blessed with cursings. Already other nations are in the slavery of oppression. Can America and Britain long remain free? Unless we are to have the war of wars that will usher us into the night of nights and the judgment of judgments, we must have the revival of revivals. Pale, pathetic, palliating preaching must be driven from the church like the idols it promotes. It is time for the church to cry again, "Where is the God of Elijah?"
Ambrose Fleming called the resurrection of Jesus Christ "the best attested fact in history." Yet at Easter time, vain effort is made to rationalize the stupendous event of the Resurrection in order to try to save face before pseudo-intellectualism, which boggles at the fact that the Lord of glory died and rose again, triumphant over death, over hell, and over the grave. Who, then, can dispute the following biting statements of Murdo MacDonald in his book, The Vitality of Faith: "Ever since the Renaissance, men have been trying to water down the Christian creed. Give us a religion purged of everything that defies logic, a religion stripped of the supernatural and emptied of miracle, a religion that is smooth and palatable and rationally acceptable – this has been the popular cry." Surely the church, weak in heart and courage, has gone out of the way to oblige.
The doom of this decaying civilization is spelled out in our crowded divorce courts, our all-time high of alcoholics and drug addicts, the number of illegitimate births or the number of abortions. A Gallup poll shows that these days most people accept lying as part of everyday business. Virtue is scorned.
Truth lies fallen in the street!
Somewhere in the archives of the British Admiralty at Whitehall, London, they have the record of a fine piece of maritime strategy. Ships of five nations were anchored in a bay in the South Pacific. A fierce storm was gathering offshore. The British captain decided to run, not away from the storm, but into it. Everything available was battened down. Out crashed the ship into the boiling seas – pitching, tossing, rolling, and shuddering. Indeed, she did everything but go down. A couple of days later, buffeted but not broken, she returned to the port to find the ships of the other nations piled up on the beach.
The storm of the ages is about to break. Let the church call its crew to a new dedication. Remembering that Christ is at the helm, and with Christ's Crest as our ensign, let us run into the storm. After the storm, we, too, shall return-to see upon the shores of time the battered, piled, wrecked, hell-inspired ideologies of the hour. (Copyright © 1994 by Leonard Ravenhill)
IS THEOLOGY STILL TAUGHT IN CHURCH? (Part One)
Alfred King
Recently, an article came across my desk that I found troubling, for it exposed a problem that is increasingly seen in many Christian churches, not only in America but around the world. As I read the article and the confessions of a man (whose name I will not mention) who is the lead singer of a contemporary Christian music group, it was another example of the lack of theology in America’s churches. (Theology is the study of God. There are, and have been over the past few decades, many religious groups that state that doctrine is of little importance, some saying it is not important at all.) This young man is the son of a pastor and, therefore, was raised in a Christian home, attended church regularly, and was exposed to Biblical teaching (or possibly the lack thereof) throughout his younger years. I do not find a problem with the young man’s confession, nor in the questions he honestly asks, or those questions which brought him to the place where today he states he no longer believes in God. Let me give you a few quotes from his lengthy Instagram post: “I’ve been terrified to post this for a while – but it feels like it’s time for me to be honest, I hope this is not the end of the conversation, but the beginning. I hope this is encouraging to people who might feel the same but are as afraid to speak as I am. I want to be open. I want to be transparent with you all – and also open to having my heart changed in the future. I am not looking for a debate at all – just a chance to share my story in the hopes some good can come from it. I love you all.”
So far in his post, he has only expressed what many (sadly too many) young people have come to believe and experience as they have entered adulthood. It is an established fact that many, if not most, young people who have been raised in church, cease attending in their twenties and early thirties. But in this case, the man’s reasons for his departure from his Christian roots is what is troubling. Let’s continue with his Instagram post.
“I remember being uncomfortable with certain things. Praying in public always felt like some kind of weird performance art. Emotional cries such as ‘Holy Spirit come fill this place’ always felt clunky and awkward leaving my lips. A youth conference I attended encouraged every team to sign a pledge that they would ‘date Jesus’ for a year. It felt manipulative and unsettling to me. I didn’t sign it.” (emphasis mine) “Date Jesus”? This man is being profoundly honest. “It felt manipulative and unsettling”. And he is absolutely right. This is the sad part. Where in scripture do we read about any of the prophets, Jesus Christ, or the Apostles using such tactics to urge people to believe the gospel? Where does the gospel encourage men to “date Jesus”? But this singer continues.
“If God is all loving, and all powerful, why is there evil in the world? Can he not do anything about it? Does he choose not to? Is the evil in the world a result of his desire to give us free will? OK then, what about famine and disease and floods and all the suffering that isn’t caused by humans in our free will? If God is loving, why does he send people to hell? Why does God seem so p____ off in most of the Old Testament, and then all of a sudden he’s a loving father in the New Testament? Why does he say not to kill, but then instruct Israel to turn around and kill men, women, and children to take the promised land? Why does God let Job suffer horrible things just to win a bet with Satan? Why does he tell Abraham to kill his son and then basically say, ‘just kidding! That was a test.’ If God can do anything, can’t you forgive without someone dying? I mean, my parents taught me to forgive people – nobody dies in that scenario.”
The questions he asks are not new. These same questions have probably crossed the minds of many Christians at some time in their Christian lives. Questions concerning scripture is not sin nor is it wrong. In fact, it is because we have questions that we seek for answers. It is the responsibility of our churches and our church leaders, pastors, and teachers to find answers to the questions that arise by members in our congregations. It’s not that every question can be answered in a manner that every person will be satisfied or convinced, but we should at least have a reasonable response.
The sincerity and honesty of this man is something that is to be admired; rather than continue living a hypocritical life he chooses to be open. At the same time, it is very sad.
Since we know these types of questions arise, we should attempt to address them at times in our Bible classes and sermons. However, let me digress a little and at least mention a fundamental problem that is even more essential than answering every question which arises within our hearts. For anyone to truly believe in God and find satisfaction in scripture, he must be born again. Without this critical and essential rebirth, he can be a great expositor of the Bible and have very sound reasoning in explaining the various difficulties of scripture and yet be as lost as a goose in a snow storm. Jesus said, “You must be born again” and without that conversion, one cannot truly understand the things of God. With that digression we will continue with the issue at hand.
The Issue of Sin
The fundamental flaw in this man’s reasoning is that he does not understand the seriousness of sin nor the effects that sin has had on mankind. (In fact, I doubt that any of us fully grasp the seriousness of sin.) He does not see that sin has separated man from God in such a way that man has become God’s enemy. Notice how the Apostle Paul expresses it in his letter to the Ephesians: “And you hath he quickened, (made alive or resurrected) who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Eph.2:1-3) Paul clearly tells us that all men are “the children of wrath.” What does that mean? It means that God’s judgment rests upon all men. Why? Because we have all broken God’s law; we have transgressed His commandments.
Some people teach that sin began with Adam. While it is true that sin came into this world when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin first began in heaven with Lucifer, more commonly known as Satan or the devil. You will find this in Isaiah14. While Isaiah’s prophesy speaks of the king of Babylon, verse 12 expresses to whom the prophecy is actually referring; it is referring to Lucifer. Also, in Ezekiel28 we have another prophecy revealing some events which took place in heaven before the world was created. While Ezekiel addresses the prince of Tyrus, it obviously is indicating Satan or the devil, for it says that he was in Eden, the garden of God (verse 13).
One of the reasons this is important is that sinners are designated in scripture as “children of the devil.” Why? Because man has and is following in the footsteps of Lucifer; they transgress God’s law. When Adam sinned, he submitted himself to Lucifer’s order and control. Adam was created in the image of God and, at that time, was “very good” according to Genesis1:31. He was sinless. However, after he sinned, he was cut off from God and he died spiritually. It is for this reason that Jesus said a man must be born again, or born from above. It is this rebirth that removes one from the kingdom of darkness and translates him into the kingdom of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (Col.1:13). We are no longer children of the devil but children of God. Without this transformation, or conversion, a person can never experience a genuine walk with God. I truly wonder if this singer ever experienced the new birth. Missing the redemption purchased by Jesus Christ through the shedding of His blood, this man’s “Christianity” was just an empty shell of religion.
Why Is God So Austere In The Old Testament?
It is important that pastors and Bible teachers address this and other questions that people struggle with. I want to give some reasons for the questions with which this man has struggled in hope that it will help others who may be struggling with the same questions. Over the next few months, we will approach each question and at least present some food for thought. My thoughts and opinions are certainly not infallible, nor do I claim that they fully remove all questions relative to the topic. They are merely my views which have helped me understand scripture and gain more faith in God’s word as being infallible. I welcome other thoughts or any input that others may have regarding these questions and also any questions which may arise relative to what I have written.
I also want to bring our attention to Isaiah55:8-9. In it God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” As humans, we cannot possibly understand everything about God, His wisdom, knowledge, or His actions. God is not finite as we are, but infinite. In Isaiah40, God asks a question: “To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” God is God, and we are extremely limited in our understanding of Him and His ways. That is why we must walk by faith.
Let’s begin where the Bible begins, in Genesis. When Adam was created, God gave him one commandment, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent deceived Eve and she ate and gave some of the fruit to Adam and he ate. What was so bad about them eating of this tree? They gained knowledge of what is right and what is wrong: Is that not good? This was not the problem, the problem was that they sinned. They disobeyed God. This brings us to the real issue. God is perfectly righteous and His kingdom is pure and holy. The earth which God had created was also very good. But now sin had entered into this “very good” creation.
God’s law is absolute. By that I mean that He is just, and as a just Being, His justice demanded that the lawbreaker receive punishment. To make a law and not bind to it a punishment is to make the law of none effect. Justice required retribution. Adam was cast out of the Garden of Eden, and he was cut off from the life he possessed in God. God had warned Adam that in the day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. Some say God did not keep His word because Adam lived for centuries after his disobedience. It is true he lived physically, but he died spiritually the very day he ate. The spiritual life he had possessed departed from him and from that day on, he was spiritually dead.
Adam is the father of all men. Because he was spiritually dead or cut off from God, all of his offspring were born spiritually cut off from God. (This is why we must be born again.) Paul expressed it this way in his letter to the Romans: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Rom.5:12). Notice it was by one man who transgressed that sin entered into the world. That one man was Adam. Death also entered into the world and death entered because sin entered. Death is the result of sin. You may ask, “Why?” Death is the penalty for transgression. Death is God’s justice exercised upon transgressors. God’s law is absolute and the penalty for disobedience is punishment, and that punishment is spiritual death. The end of spiritual death in this life is that when one dies, his dead soul will be sent to hell. Again, this is why we must be born anew, for it is the soul of man which is dead, and if it is not revived or resurrected by the Spirit of God, it will suffer eternally. But if one is born again, his soul is resurrected from its previous state of deadness.
This brings us to why God destroyed nations, men, women, and children, and in some cases, even the animals were slain. Several centuries after creation, civilization (if we can call it that) had become so evil that God saw there was no remedy. Man could not be coaxed into doing what was right. They knew right and wrong but they chose evil continually. Genesis6:5 says that the evil was great and the imaginations of men’s hearts was only evil continually. The world had become to a place where sin abounded, and there was no remedy for man’s corrupt desires.
Scripture states that Noah found grace in the sight of God (Gen.6:8). Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He tried to warn people that they would be destroyed if they continued in the path they were walking. However, the people did not listen. God gave them ample opportunity to repent but they refused. He sent Noah to preach and admonish them, to warn them of impending judgment but it fell on deaf ears. Therefore, God sent the flood upon the earth and destroyed every man, woman, child, and every animal. Was God just in doing this? Absolutely!
Another account where God brought judgment upon certain cities is found in Genesis19. God sent fire down from heaven and destroyed all the people in Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because they had become so evil there was no remedy. Yet, notice the goodness of God. In Genesis18, the Lord came to Abraham and told Abraham that He was going to destroy the city of Sodom. Abraham asked the Lord if He would destroy the city if there were fifty righteous people there. God said He would not if there were fifty. Abraham continued to intercede for the righteous in the city until he got down to ten righteous people in the city. God said that He would spare the city if there were ten righteous. However, there were not even ten and God’s judgment fell. God was merciful to Lot and his family and sent angels to take them out before the judgment fell.
In contrast to this event in Sodom, we have the account of Jonah who was sent by God to Nineveh to warn them about pending judgment. In this case the king and all the people fasted and repented before the Lord, and God spared the city. God will repent (turn away His wrath) if people will repent (confess their transgressions and turn from them). God always gives people time to repent before judgment falls.
Why Did God Command Israel To Kill?
Why did God command Israel to completely annihilate the inhabitants in Canaan? God had given Israel the Ten Commandments, one of which stated, “Thou shalt not kill.” Why didn’t God bring judgment upon Canaan as He did with Sodom instead of ordering Israel to do the job? This seems to contradict the sixth commandment.
First, there is a difference between killing and murder. Murder is a premeditated action. It is deliberately determined and stems from an evil heart. To kill is not necessarily murder or premeditated. For instance: a person may have an automobile accident, caused by his error, and someone is killed. It is completely accidental. Many times when this happens, the person whose mistake caused the accident wishes it were them who died instead of the person who did die. There are also laws in some nations or states which demands capital punishment for a person who murders another. The person, once convicted, is then killed to fulfil the law. It is most often grievous to the judge who has to pronounce the judgment, but they are merely holding up the law of the land.
This same principal holds true to God. In Ezekiel33:11a, “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” This is Old Testament. God did not, under the Old Covenant, hate His creation but would that none should perish. His desire is that they would turn from evil so they could escape physical death here and spiritual death in eternity. It was for this reason that God gave His only Son so the world might be saved. Christ’s death was not only for those living after His death, but those before as well.
Concerning Canaan (and other nations, such as the Amalekites in ISamuel15), God told Israel to destroy them completely. Leave none of the people remaining. God told Israel one of the reasons in Deut.20:16-18: “But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee: That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.” The Canaanites committed practically every sin known to man. They were sexually perverted, they offered their children as living sacrifices to their god, Molech. Violence and evil were everywhere, and there were none that sought after God nor desired to change their ways. This is one reason God commanded Israel to completely destroy all the people. There is another reason also. In Genesis, God called Abraham out of the city of Ur to go to the land of Canaan, which God promised to give to Abraham’s seed. God told Abraham that it would be four hundred years before his seed would possess the land, and in Genesis15:16, He tells why it would be four hundred years. “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” The sin in Canaan was great but it was not full. God foresaw that their sin would continue to increase and eventually would become so great that justice would demand its annihilation. God used Israel as the means of carrying out this judgment.
Still the question remains: Why did God command His people to kill the inhabitants in Canaan? Did the inhabitants have opportunity to repent? Were they warned? Before Israel crossed the Jordan River they set their eyes upon Jericho, and two spies were sent to take inventory of the situation in Jericho. Rahab, a harlot, protected the spies and hid them, allowing them to escape safely. Rahab told the spies, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” (Josh.2:9-11) If Rahab knew and understood, then the rest understood as well. They just did not want to turn from their sins and forsake their gods.
We have another record of the people of the land being given warning in Joshua5:1, “And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.”
Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart each time God demonstrated His power, so the Canaanites hardened their hearts, refusing to acknowledge that Israel’s God was the almighty, omnipotent God of creation. Their hearts melted and they recognized the futility of their gods and their strength. All they possessed in military strength, wisdom, and ability fled from them in the face of Israel’s God. Yet, they did not even attempt to repent or turn and call out to Jehovah for deliverance. God gave them opportunity to repent but the record shows that only Rahab repented, and she and her family were spared. This shows God’s mercy and grace. Rahab believed and received God’s grace (Grace is found in the Old Testament as well as the New.).
The iniquity of the Amorites and the Canaanites reached its full capacity, and God used Israel as the means of judgment. God used Israel for a couple of reasons. It is an example for Christians today. We must completely destroy all evil influences in our lives or they will eventually be the means to our failure. I think this is especially true in regard to the Christian church. If we tolerate and do not address sin in our congregations, those sins can and will overtake us. In the seven letters to the churches in Asia, we find Jesus warning the churches of impending judgment if they did not deal with the sins He pointed out. Jesus warns His churches because He loves them. He does not want to see them overcome by sin, wickedness, or idolatry, but He knows the dangers of those things and the proclivity of man’s heart.
Another reason I see that God used Israel in the manner in which He did, is to show us today, under the New Covenant, that we have enemies in the spiritual realm that must be completely destroyed. We must recognize and resist evil spirits which are set on destroying truth, morality, righteousness, and all that is good. Today we live in a world where good is called evil and evil good. Truly the words of the prophets are manifested. The greatest danger Christians face today is that we are in a spiritual warfare. It is not merely the ideology of carnal men, but carnal men and women are being influenced by evil spirits. The absolute ridiculousness of some of the things we see today are sure signs of evil spirit influence. This is a battle in which the church is to engage, not with weapons of this world, but the weapons which are spiritual and heavenly in nature and mighty through God. Put on the whole armor of God and stand in the victory Christ has provided for His people. The violence we have seen in the last few weeks with our cities burning and businesses destroyed are not logical nor productive. They are evidence of evil spirit activity working through evil men and women. We must pray that the church will awaken before it is too late and push back the forces of evil which seem to be gaining ground every day.
WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
Rich Powell
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.(Rom.8:5-8)
In terms of genuine change, transformation is infinitely more powerful and productive than conformity. A caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly and can then fly. But until it is transformed into a butterfly it cannot fly no matter how hard it may try. The thrust of the New Testament is the transformation of the individual according to God’s grace as opposed to following religious regulations through human effort. So if we are to be molded into the image of Jesus Christ in holy character and conduct, it will not come through regulation but through the Holy Spirit who indwells each believer.
Now – as children of God, reconciled to God – we love Him and desire to please Him. Pleasing Him is antithetical to anything that the flesh (self-centered passions and desires) demands. To not fulfill the desires of the flesh we must walk in the Spirit because overcoming these strong urges (you know what yours are) is not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord (Zech.4:6). That God has put His Spirit in us and made us partakers of the divine nature is a key benefit of the new covenant as opposed to the old (Mosaic law). So “if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
We will explore this profound and dynamic truth by considering three ways that the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ – is described in the New Testament record; He is 1) the Spirit of truth, 2) the Spirit of adoption, and 3) the Spirit of power.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Gal.5:25). The biblical action “walk” is reference to a daily, continual, habitual, diligent movement. It is not so much event related as it is a description of a person’s overall manner of life. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the trinity – God, and, as a member of the triune, perfectly other-focused, eternal community, it is His delight to glorify the Father and the Son. So, as we walk in the Spirit – keep in step with the Spirit – we also delight to glorify God. Pursuit of the glory of God becomes not only our modus operandi (method of procedure) but our modus vivendi (manner of living). This is consistent with the apostle Paul’s imperative to “be filled with the Spirit.” The verb “filled” is a present and active verb – to keep on being filled – a modus vivendi.
If a person in today’s theological context were to ask: “Is your church Spirit-filled?” He or she would most likely be referring to what a congregation practices in the event of corporate worship. The apostle’s command, however, is not in that limited context. Being Spirit-filled is a manner of life – walking in the Spirit. The answer to the question: “Are you Spirit-filled?” can only come from an individual who is indwelt with the Spirit of God. Let me rephrase the question: “Is your manner of life a habitual diligence in the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of adoption and the Spirit of power?” Walking in the Spirit is not an event – it’s doing life.
In outlining the practical meaning to walking in the Spirit we need to consider the essence of the Spirit, the objective of walking in the Spirit and the practical benefits as well as the fruit of walking in the Spirit.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you”(John14:16-17).
The Holy Spirit who indwells each believer is the Spirit of truth (cf. John15:26; 16:13; IJohn4:6). He is God – the divine nature – who takes up residence in the believer; therefore He is the same essence as the Father and the Son. The triune God has revealed Himself – Truth – to His creation. The primary objective of walking in the Spirit of truth, then, is to know Him – the Creator/Redeemer who created us for Himself. The Spirit of truth teaches us the word of God (IJohn2:27), brings to our remembrance the words of Christ and illuminates our understanding of God’s revelation. Jesus said of Him (the Spirit of truth) “He will glorify Me.” Why? Because “He will guide you into all truth.”
There are two key practical benefits to walking in the Spirit of truth. 1) Discernment. As the Spirit glorifies Christ in our hearts and minds, the preeminent Christ becomes the infinite reference point and standard for all that claims to be true as well as all attitudes and behavior. What ever does not measure up to the character and words of Christ is not of God. 2) Liberty. Jesus said: “the truth (My words) will set you free.” Grasping the truth as found in the character and purpose of God engenders transformation that liberates the believer from the bondage of God-ignoring desires and ambitions, and creates an awareness of one’s freedom to function according to the Creator’s good and gracious design.
The fruit, then, of walking in the Spirit of truth is faithfulness: being faithful – consistent and committed – to that which is indeed true as well as to the developing character of Christ in the believer. “The fruit of the Spirit is …faithfulness.” Walk in the Spirit of truth by letting “the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!”(Gal.4:6)
In the daily practice of faith, do you delight in God? The beauty of the benefits you have as a New Testament believer is that God equips and empowers you to do the very thing for which you were created – to love Him. He “has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your heart crying Abba! Father!” This is an endearing term which points to an engaging relationship – a position and qualification for deep, personal communion with the Creator! This is the Spirit of adoption (Rom.8:15).
To walk in the Spirit is to walk in the Spirit of adoption. To walk in the Spirit of adoption is to walk in God’s presence. Remember, “walk” is a daily, continual movement – a manner of life. In line with “walk in the Spirit,” James instructs you to “draw near to God” and Jesus directs you to “abide in Him.” Why do you walk in His presence? To love Him. How do you walk in His presence? First: by an unending consciousness of God’s loving, gracious presence in all events and circumstances of the day. “Where can I go from your Spirit?” (Psalm139:7) is a deeply comforting and empowering truth for the child of God. Be diligent to maintain that consciousness. Second: because of His presence, fellowship with Him in all events and circumstances of the day. “Pray without ceasing”is not a glib spiritual platitude but the profound privilege of unending communication with your Creator/Redeemer. “How precious are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them” (Psalm139:17).
You must be very clear on this next point: being busy for God is not equal to walking with God. God did not create you for the things you can do for Him – He is absolutely self-sufficient. You were created specifically for fellowship with Him. Pursue that now that you are indwelt with the Spirit of adoption. When you do, the fruit of the Spirit you will know is “love, joy and peace” – in all events and circumstances of the day.
“You will make known to me the path of life, in Your presence is fullness of joy”(Psalm16:11).
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Eph.3:20).
The apostle Paul was straight forward: “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” The good news for the believer is that because you are indwelt with the Spirit and a partaker of the divine nature, you can walk in the Spirit (by His power and under His control) and please God – which is why the apostle affirmed: “we make it our ambition to be pleasing to Him.” To love and glorify God is the highest function for created humanity. Once again, it is God who equips you to fulfill that function, and the earnest prayer of the church ought to be that each of its members would be strengthened“with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” The Spirit in whom and with whom you walk is the Spirit of power so that you can please God as you obey Him with abandon (see Acts1:8; 10:38; Rom.5:13, 18-19; ICor.2:4; Eph.3:16; IThess1.5).
Paul also pointed out to Titus that Christ redeemed us to be “His own special people zealous for good works.” It follows that when you walk in the Spirit of power this statement is descriptive of your life. He is the Spirit of God at work in you equipping you with gifts to be fanned into flame with boldness, love and self-control (IITim.1:6-7). To walk in the Spirit of power is to boldly engage your spiritual equipping (gifts) in order to be a light to the lost and a help to the church. “Boldly”, of course, does not mean arrogantly, abrasively or by imposition, but with confidence – absent the fear of man.
Finally, walking in the Spirit of power, the believer will realize the fruit of the Spirit and engage life (with all of its pleasures and adversities) with “patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.” These are virtues as a package and a manner of life (walk) that only the Spirit of God can produce, so walk in the Spirit of power. Pleasing – loving and glorifying – God first comes only through faith, “for without faith it is impossible to please Him.” But once you, the believer, are in the eternal grip of God’s grace, then you are endued with a clear purpose and His inexhaustible power to accomplish that for which you were designed. Surely, this is part of the surpassing worth of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, the Lord!
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” – of truth, of adoption and of power.
SYSTEMIC RACISM
Warren Berry
My aim in writing about racism is to show that society is made up of people; the order or laws under which those people live and are governed, and their adherence or non-adherence to that order, make the society what it is. As Christians we understand that we are all created in the image of God and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Evolution has attempted to destroy this truth or bury it so men believe we evolved from apes. Evolution contributes to the false narrative that all men are not created equal. Some men are more primitive than others. This very concept was what convinced Hitler to kill those whom he considered “second class,” specifically the Jews and those who had physical and mental handicaps. Ultimately, however, it included all those who questioned Hitler’s authority. What is taking place in our country and around the world actually goes beyond racism, but it is important because what becomes of this present chaos will ultimately determine what the American society will become. Some are calling it, “The New Norm.”
I want to begin by saying that I was raised in the south, and my dad was somewhat prejudiced, a characteristic which found its way into my mind as a young person. I remember watching the TV show, “All in the Family” in which Archie Bunker constantly displayed his disdain for black people and the hippies of the sixties. While it had its humor, it also portrayed the prejudice of Archie Bunker. Actually, to all who valued all lives, the TV series served to expose prejudice by the extreme hyper-prejudice of Archie Bunker. That was the effect it had on me. There was also at the same time another series called, “The Jeffersons,” which was about a black man, George Jefferson, who was prejudiced against white people, especially a British neighbor who was married to a black woman. George Jefferson often referred to white people as “honkies”. It seemed to me that the purpose of these two shows was to bring to light the foolishness of racism in all its forms. However, it was not until a few years later when a black brother in the Lord named Bill Peters came across my path, that all prejudice was erased from my mind and heart. Let me begin by telling how greatly Brother Peters impacted me. He and his wife were extremely happy in the Lord, some of the most joyful people I have ever met. Their genuine love and joy radiated from them and warmed the hearts of those who knew them. Their only purpose in life was to serve God, and they sacrificed much for God’s glory.
Brother Peters began working at a school where I worked in New Orleans. I was a mechanic for the school bus service and also had the duty of hiring and training bus drivers, and making sure that substitutes were notified if the regular driver could not drive. When opportunity arose, I would speak to the different drivers about the Lord and I gained the respect of some for my religious convictions. One day I received a call informing me that one of the drivers, named Brenda, would not be able to drive that morning. There was no reason given but we had a substitute take the route. It was shortly after school began that I received a call from Diane, a good friend of Brenda and also a bus driver to whom I had spoken of the Lord several times. She told me that Brenda was in the Intensive Care Unit at Jefferson Parish Hospital. She had slipped into a coma and, as I recall, her heart was failing and her organs seemed to be shutting down. The doctors did not know the cause but knew it was serious and did not expect her to survive. Diane asked me to go and pray for her. I was very busy that day and had several pressing jobs on my list, plus I was in my work clothes and didn’t even know if the hospital would allow me to go in to see Brenda. Diane begged me. I told her I couldn’t but assured her that I would take time to pray and would continue praying throughout the day as I worked.
I hung up, but I was troubled in my spirit for about an hour. Finally, I told the Lord that if Brother Bill Peters would go with me, I would go. I found Brother Peters painting an overhang on one of the buildings. He was singing to the Lord when I approached him. I told him the situation and asked him if he would be willing to go with me to pray for Brenda. He, without any hesitation or thought, jumped down from his ladder and was more than excited to go. As we drove we talked about the goodness of the Lord and he told me how God had blessed him so greatly. We went into the hospital, he with pants and shirt sprinkled with paint and me in my mechanic clothes; we certainly didn’t look like ministers. We asked about Brenda, told them we were ministers, and asked if we could go in and pray for her. Surprisingly, they allowed us, no minister’s license required.
As we entered the Intensive Care Unit, we saw Brenda lying there, hooked up to several monitors and a breathing machine. She was motionless. I spoke to her but there was no response. Brother Bill then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of anointing oil. He was always ready to pray for the sick. We anointed Brenda with oil and we both prayed over her. There was no change as we left.
When Diane came in to drive that afternoon, she stopped by the shop and told me that she was so happy that I had gone to pray for Brenda, and she told me that it really hurt her when I didn’t want to go and caused her to question my sincerity as a Christian. We don’t always see how easy it is to damage our testimony for God. We had a substitute driver for Brenda that afternoon and scheduled one for the following morning. It was the next day around noon that Diane called the shop again. She was so excited and overflowing with joy. She told me that shortly after Brother Bill and I left the hospital Brenda began to recover. They released her the next day and she was back driving the third day. Praise God! His mercies are everlasting and His power unmatched and forever available for those who believe.
In all sincerity, I needed the faith that Brother Bill Peters exuded to strengthen my faith. There were many other things that happened with this black brother which ministered to me considerably through the years. He preached some of the best messages I’ve ever heard and had a way to bring conviction while expressing God’s love, and his love at the same time. I have met other black brothers and sisters since those days and any prejudice I had was washed away through the mercies of God, and God used Brother Bill to cleanse this curse from my life. I still love this brother and, although I have not seen him in years, I think of him from time to time and those memories are fond.
This brings me to the topic of this article. Before I present the things I have on my heart, I want to assure every reader that I am free from prejudice. With the turmoil that is raging across our land, the anger and hatred is growing more intense daily. It is a time for cooler heads on both sides of these issues to come together and seek for the truth. However, I honestly believe there are some who don’t want this problem to go away and if the truth hit them square in the face, they would reject it. Hatred, and the anger stemming from and created by that hatred are not able to be conquered by truth or common sense unless something happens which awakens the individual to reality. Violence is not the best means to address racism in America. If total illumination of racism is to ever exist, it will be accomplished by finding the root cause of racism and begin dealing with that corrupt root. Racism will not be destroyed in one generation, but it is worth the time and effort it takes to erase it from our personal lives, as well as America as a whole.
Actually, making sense of it all alludes me, for the initial cause of the protests (the murder of George Floyd) has been nationally agreed to be wrong and a disgrace to the men in blue. Derek Chauvin has been charged, yet riots continue. As Christians, we must always look at things the way God’s word instructs us and not by political or racial bias. As Christians, we are called to be watchmen and to cry aloud and spare not. Spare not means to present truth. It is to lift up the standards of the Lord and warn people of the judgments that will fall upon our land if we continue to pursue the path of wickedness. Violence does not accomplish anything and the destruction of property is certainly a wicked deed. To loot stores and steal merchandise does nothing to further one’s cause, even if that cause is a noble one. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for a right and just cause, but he always called for peaceful demonstrations. So let’s take a look at the real problem and try to understand better the root of the contentions which are before us.
Societies or People?
I recently read an article in which the author took offense with the left, stating the progressives wanted to change society. It was claimed that society is the culprit that has kept the black community in poverty. The author then stated that society was not the problem, because people are what make a society what it is. That is true to a point, but when we examine the statement more closely, we find it is not the whole picture nor is it completely accurate. Let’s consider it more thoroughly.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a society is: “a large group of people who live together in an organized way, making decisions about how to do things and sharing the work that needs to be done. All people in a country, or in several similar countries, can be referred to as a society”. America is a society where we all work together for the good of the whole, with a constitution which assures freedom and liberty for all those within its borders. It is a society in which we have a certain affinity.
Societies evolve over time into something it was not originally intended to be. This is true to some degree with every nation in existence today. America is not exactly what the founding fathers of America had in mind when they wrote the constitution. It was impossible for them to perceive where our nation would be two hundred and thirty years later. So they set forth certain universal and foundational principles, which are practical and eternally right for all moral beings, upon which all later laws and order should rest. If the foundation is firm, the building which is built upon it will stand. However, if those foundational principles be neglected, that erected upon it will eventually collapse. Our forefathers laid a foundation which has proven to be firm for over two hundred years and has produced the most powerful and most prosperous nation that has ever existed. America is the envy of the world, and people from all nations desire to immigrate to the USA. In fact, we are a nation of immigrants. But to gain a little better concept of what societies are, let us briefly consider a few other societies in the world today in order to make a comparison.
If we look around the world and examine other nations or societies, we find societies which are considerably different from our own. Considering communist societies such as Russia or China, we find totalitarian regimes, societies which are set up and controlled by powerful dictators in government. Ponder the difference between these societies and that of America. In communist countries, children are taught from a young age the ideas and philosophies of communism. They are taught that communism is the best system of government and that which will bring universal good for all mankind. They are taught that those in power or government know what is best for the people and, therefore, citizens should listen and obey those “wise men.” Most communist’s regimes believe what they are taught and would fight to preserve their way of life. They are not allowed to study other forms of government and certainly are not to believe in God. Their news sources are controlled by the government and are the means by which the government controls its populous. They are locked in the prison of ignorance because the society in which they live refuses to give freedom of thought or freedom to study anything other than that which the men in power allow. Those that do not stay within the assigned boundaries are imprisoned and sometimes killed.
Other societies we might consider is those of the Middle East. The Islamic Republics are theocratic societies. Theocratic means their government and nation is founded upon a religion, and in this case, the foundation is their god, Allah. The society then is religious in nature. Those nations are Theocratic totalitarian, for they are governed by the teachings of their prophet, Mohammad, who they believe gave them god’s order. The governments of those nations force their citizens to obey the laws of the Quran and a few other religious books from which their societies are created. Children are taught from a young age to believe the teachings from the Quran and to accept their lifestyle and religion as the only one which should exist upon earth.
Both communism and Islam are totalitarian for they reject free thought and demand everyone accept and abide by their ideology. They are not content to keep their society confined to their specific geographical boundaries, for they desire world domination. Communism and Islam are worlds apart, for one is atheist and the other is fanatically religious. We could go on and discuss other societies such as those in third world countries, but the above should be sufficient to help us understand that we live in a world with many different societies. However, the object of this article is to better understand societies, how societies affect their citizens, and see in what ways our society is faulty. Where we find discrimination or any other fault, we need to address those faults and seek a solution. It is my opinion that the American society overall is the best the world has ever experienced in spite of the problems we face today. Most of America’s citizens have had the opportunity to achieve the “American dream.” But the facts are: some have had great opportunity while others have been restrained or deprived of those opportunities, and this is where the complaint lies.
Systemic Racism
The issue that is at the top of the complaint list is “systemic racism”. “Systemic racism is both a theoretical concept and a reality. As a theory, it is premised on the research-supported claim that the United States was founded as a racist society, that racism is thus embedded in all social institutions, structures, and social relations within our society. Rooted in a racist foundation, systemic racism today is composed of intersecting, overlapping, and codependent racist institutions, policies, practices, ideas, and behaviors that give an unjust amount of resources, rights, and power to white people while denying them to people of color.” (Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara – June 11,2020) I use this definition of systemic racism because it is an up to date definition, and it is one given by a person who fully believes the definition she presents.
If Nicki Cole’s definition is true, that America’s foundation is racist in nature and is “thus embedded in all social institutions, structures, and social relations” then there is definitely a problem and systemic racism is a fact and needs to be addressed. However, her definition is not completely accurate. If “the United States was founded as a racist society,” why did Thomas Jefferson write in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal?” While Thomas Jefferson is known to have had slaves, it does not necessarily mean he thought it was right. He grew up in a society where slavery was common, a society where people were sold like cattle at a cattle auction. Whether Jefferson felt the pain of those slaves or understood the horror which those men and women faced, is unknown, but his acknowledgement that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights and that those rights are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, he knew the society as it stood under British control, had to change. This clearly shows that there were men and women who felt the pain slaves experienced, and they began to make their voices heard. Less than a hundred years after the United States became a nation, the time came when slavery was to be addressed and abolished. Thousands of men died fighting to free the slaves. It was a noble cause and one worth fighting and dying for.
One other little known fact is that only 5% of southerners owned slaves. The other 95% were common people trying to make a living and working to provide for their families. The reason most southern men enlisted in the confederate cause was because the North threatened to invade their land. Most southerners were not in favor of slavery.
There is no earthly government or society or nation that is perfect, and all societies are evolving with time. As the means of communication have improved, especially in the past few years, we are all given opportunity to more clearly see what it is to walk in another man’s shoes. Let us use these means to share the love of God and not as a means to spread hatred, anger, and racism. We were all created by the same God, and Jesus came to redeem the world and reconcile all races to God. He came preaching the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” His kingdom was to be a society in which people would live under His government. His government is a rule of genuine love, not this so-called emotional puppy love that is so common today, even among Christians. It is to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself. Jesus’ kingdom is the only perfect kingdom, and if all people would live by the principles He set up and the laws He established, the world could be a utopia.
A LOOK AT THE SECTARIAN SYSTEM
Harry Miller
It is a sad fact that the Protestant church, in its present existence, is a “house divided against itself,” and any attempt to even slightly alter or change its foundation principles will only end in dismal failure. Extreme sectism has been the downfall of great churches which fled from the tyranny of Rome: from the mother churches, many offspring were born and their children’s children have multiplied the schisms and factions. Today, sectarianism is hopelessly divided, and Christ declared that such a “house” cannot stand (Matt.12:25; Mark3:25).
The complete system upon which sectarian churches are founded is impractical, unscriptural, and ungodly. This may seem like a wild, unfounded statement, but we offer the following as worthy of your consideration: True Christianity is not competitive – sectarianism is very competitive; true Christianity is of such an unusual type that when manifested, it is very convincing proof – even to men of the world – “that ye are my disciples” (John13:35). The sectarians talk Christian love and brotherhood, but they are not convincing the world of anything except that most professing Christians are hypocrites! Much that is carried on in the name of Christianity is but a travesty of the apostolic faith; sanctimonious ritualism is often nothing but a mockery performed before a crowd of licentious church members to appease their consciences.
Any man who denies the lucrative value of the sectarian priestcraft just doesn’t know what he is talking about; oh, yes, it is true that there are still many ministers who have not bowed the knee to Baal (Baal – the organization, the prestige, the pay). These are individuals who, being caught in the web, just don’t know how to extricate themselves. Not all ministers are corrupt – but the system is. And Sectism has made many men financially independent: often, living in comparative luxury, they have become lords of God’s people.
Sectarianism fosters rivalry, division, and all manner of carnal developments; in such a system the hypocritical Pharisee is born and developed. The self-protective structure engenders a self-seeking priesthood; the priest who most ardently supports and defends the constitution of the hierarchy rises to the most prominent places, and he is considered the most dependable, and “sound in THE faith.” Secular fidelity is developed to an amazing degree in old and entrenched defenders of “THE faith” of a sect. Saul of Tarsus was an extreme fanatical sectarian: only the intervention of Providence saved the man from becoming completely bound by his fanaticism.
“Church fear,” disfellowship, excommunication, are inventions of sectism, used for the purpose of holding religious subjects in bondage to the system. Compare Russian communism with sectarianism and take note of the similarities: force, fear, and ignorance are indispensable weapons of tyranny. The masses under the Communists or the masses under the sectarians could never be held in bondage were these three ungodly elements exchanged for moral persuasion, love, and the plain truth.
In Russia, crooked officials never fear exposure through the press, for under tyranny there can be no free speech or exchange of ideas; every dissenter is silenced by fear or liquidation. (The Russian press is a ruled organ of official propaganda.) Name any denominational system and compare the likeness to the Russian system of tyranny: no lay member, teacher or minister dares to express any thought contrary to the voice in power.
For years, Protestants have criticized the Roman Catholics because they refused all reasonable scriptural arguments, and they accepted the voice of the powers that be. Roman Catholics set up a pope; the Protestants set up a creed: both Catholics and Protestants claim their authority to be infallible. As a “wayfaring man,” I thank God that He did not invest any earthly institution with the absolute power of interpreting the Word of God to me or to any other individual.
It is not a dishonor to the Creator if we investigate, examine, test and scrutinize His Word: “Let us reason together, saith the Lord” (Isa.1:18). Faith is not the submission of the soul to blind forces or emotional impulses – faith is “the evidence” of thing hoped for, but it is based upon a reasonable understanding, not of man’s word, but of the Word of God. Ecclesiasticism demands that man blindly and unreservedly accept its statements. This is unscriptural, for “cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm” (Jer.17:5). No more in Samaria nor in Jerusalem will the “true worshippers” worship the Father (John4:21,23), but they will worship Him in spirit and in truth (Truth – is His Word).
The sectarian system has built assemblies of believers upon the foundation of the one-man ministry. Such a ministry is then governed by democratically selected officials who, in turn, give allegiance to a strict set of rules, the product of other democratic proceedings. The lone minister acts as a go-between, or mediator between the people and their constitution. The creed or constitution is the voice of authority: as a matter of fact – it is god, to many professing Christians. Touch the creed and you touch the apple of the church’s eye – you desecrate their god when you begin to shake their creed.
You see, it is the peculiar doctrinal twist that distinguishes a sect from the one universal body of Christian believers. If the “twist" can be removed from the internal doctrinal beliefs of a sect, the assembly no longer has its distinct sectarian mark – it is, then, just plain Christian. As long as a one-man ministry, dominated by the powers of the overlords, rules the people, there will be no reform of the church; neither will there be any remedy for its ills.
The only hope of the church is that she return to the one apostolic order set forth in the book of Acts. True ministers of Christ rarely ever ministered singly or alone, even in the brief ministry of the twelve and the seventy – they were sent out two and two. But when the church came together, the order of the service was a Christian congress. Among a number of ministers the Scriptures were discussed, issues were debated, and minds were given to reasoning together. These apostolic discussions were not carried on within closed doors where men could come to “an understanding” (a collusion of policy makers), but were held in public, as a preventive measure against truth being “sold down the river” for expediency’s sake.
Open and aboveboard discussion does not confuse the minds of the people, for there is nothing that will so clarify the doctrinal atmosphere as open, unbiased discussion and investigation. Certain fighting elements engaged in contentious debate do not constitute a discussion, and such elements can be made to look ridiculous in the presence of sound reasoning by Christian ministers.
Let every minister and saint labor to restore the Christian congress to the church of Christ and we will see a true revival of apostolic Christianity.
SPECIAL NOTICE
Brother Jimmy Windom would like to express his deepest gratitude for all of the support and prayers on his behalf. This is to notify all of his release from prison. He has received a parol after thirty-plus years of incarceration. His desire is to begin a prison ministry to help the other inmates to find his savior, Jesus Christ, his Lord.