By Fenter Northern
Can you identify with Paul where he said: “the good that I would, I do not.” and who would delivery me from this wretched body of sin and death? Is there any word from the Lord about that? It is the demand that is thrust upon the church in this hour? Are we measuring up to it?
It is critical that we do not lose our courage when everything about us seems to be coming loose at the seams, when those seeking to rule over us in politics seem to be fugitives from a mental asylum—and millions of voters would have it so.
We Christians cannot afford to listen to the mournful voices that cry about this dissolute generation as if all hope is gone and God is on vacation. Like Esther in her critical time was reminded that to that hour she was born. Is this not the same for the church today?
When a generation has been overwhelmed with the gods of materialism, and self-sufficiency, or when Christian are nauseated by professional pulpiteers who want to heal someone for an amount they specify as a love donation, and when the popular evangelism is to grow a church by the gospel of “have it your way,” then strikes the church of Christ’s hour to rise up to meet the giant of error with the smooth stones of truth and shout in the name of God, there is still a God in the land and his church that is alive and well.
The gospel of Christ has always had a negative to bear that must be considered. Jesus was clear about this telling followers that each had a cross as a burden to bear when they choose to walk within the n arrow lane of righteousness with Him. The consolation offered the disciple is His help in bearing whatever your cross might happen to be. He assures the disciple that being yoked together with Him is much easier than being yoked with an unbelieving world. All faithful Christians who have been under the yoke for a while would shake the world with amen to that truth. The gospel has been a stumbling block from the beginning to those who want to dress up Jesus in their robes of worship.
There are those who would warm themselves in the Fatherhood of God and Jesus as their Savior, yet flee from sermons that confront them with the demands in God’s word for holiness, morality, modesty, and His all authority. Sin, Satan, and eternal judgment have been eliminated from worship where Jesus is praised as the rock of their salvation.
Remaking Jesus into a Deity that is “your kind of Jesus” is popular because it allows man to design eternal life into a fantasy place where God and Jesus lives with Man’s creation and not man with God and Jesus as their creation–this is a stubborn stronghold to overcome.
Jesus wants us to grow in righteousness and let Him in His perfect righteousness judge by His word who are the righteous. He alone determines “the increase.” Filling a million dollar cathedral with thousands of people who praise is name cannot change the fact that the Holy spirit closed the holy library saying, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Rev. 22:18-19).
The church is described by those inspired by the Holy Spirit as “the pillar and support of the truth,” When it forsakes this calling for whatever excuse it forfeits the right to the name “Church of Christ.” The task of the church of Christ is not to send souls away saying, “That was a lovely sermon, or what an eloquent discourse,” the only thing that matters when souls leave the worship is: were they confronted with the whole saving message of God in Jesus Christ. Regardless of the huge number present, or the ostentatious religious ambiance in the sanctuary, it is a sham when the gospel is truncated.
When Peter finished his sermon in Acts two, it is not written that they were spell bound by his eloquence, or that he had an interesting presentation. What is read in the context is that those who heard the message were cut to the heart when Peter revealed to them the person they had murdered was the Son of God.
And so must preaching continue to show: “that body of people you have been ridiculing is the Lord’s blood bought people; that doctrine you have been speaking light of is the word of God. Many will continue to scorn but Jesus says there are a few out there, the fertile soil, the searching heart that will be open to the truth, and that is what being a Christian and the church of Christ is all about. Arise the Master calls for thee, the harvest day is here.”