The Dire Question for the Church

The Dire Question for the Church

4/5/14

This topic is guaranteed to step on some toes but it is one that needs to be addressed by each and everyone who considers themselves a part of the Church.  There are no denominational walls for this topic nor are there any regional artifacts that have to be taken into consideration.  It is strictly a question that one needs to answer in order to define their stance and presence within the Church that Jesus established and not the church that man has tried to ordain based upon human ideologies.  The question is a simple one yet it has the implications of life and death, and with the events surrounding our global community that probably means both physical and spiritual conditions.

I have been reading about the time period of 1774 through 1790 and all of the history that transpired through our nation’s borders.  The bravery of the colonists, both men and women, who had the courage to take a stand for their freedoms through their lives and what it meant to an entire nation to complete this task.  I was reading about the First Continental Congress that convened in 1774 and what their actions meant to the colonies and to Great Britain.  The idea of men standing up against a ruling king and demand that he rescind his troops, truncate his laws for the colonies, and play “fair” when it comes to taxes and other legal aspects of colonial rule.  The mere thought of electing such men to serve as delegates to this sort of rebellious event would warrant severe punishment to those that participated in the election process, not to think about what might happen to those who were elected.

The First Continental Congress did not convene for too long of a time but the signal that they sent to Britain was a beacon that could not be shut off and that was evident to the world that the cause of the colonists would not be denied.  Immediate response of distrust, anger and vile reparations soon followed from the king and those responses only deepened the wounds that had been opened from the first onset of strikes.  No colonist would escape the hatred and forced living conditions that Britain had placed upon them yet there were those who still defended the practices of their rulers and refused to participate in such rebellious events; but they too were included in the violence against the colonies, for no one was exempt.

The colonists then formed a Second Continental Congress and followed it up with a Third Continental Congress and with each session they brought new demands and regulations for Britain to concede.  At every turn Britain laughed in their faces and placed harsher conditions upon the colonists with the idea in mind that the more punishment that was being doled out the faster that they themselves would quell the uprisings and end their rebellious activities against the Crown.  Whether British Intelligence ignored the threats of the colonists’ demands or simply believed that the colonists were not strong enough to fend for themselves in such manners.  Both sides of the story are well documented and both sides are well debated but in the end it was strictly up to the colonists in how they would respond to the continual threats and harsh demands placed upon them by their distant rulers.

As most of us know that the next few years of our nation’s past were very rough and the decisions that were made in order to ensure our freedom from the distant rulers took nothing less than absolute bravery from each and every one who stood their ground in those decisions.  The tensions were so high that the men, women and children who actively participated in this campaign had effectively signed their own death warrants because of the decisions that they had made.  These decisions were not easy for everyone to make, for each person within the colonies understood completely what was at stake and at the same time fully understood what their decisions meant for themselves and for their families, possibly for generations to come.

Of course there were those that did not believe or could not believe that either side of this issue would ever go as far as to point a rifle at the other in order to demand their own wishes.  As history records this type of belief has dominated throughout humanity’s brains even while their families are burying those that refused to set up the entire scope of the human mind and set it into play.  It is ok to have these types of wishes, thoughts and hopes but one must draw the conclusion that when one deals with humans, one must always take into consideration every step that might be played out.

A further complication appeared when it was revealed that one third of the colonies wanted freedom, one third was indifferent about the situation and the last third wanted no part of the freedom movement and vowed their loyalty to the Crown.  This setting is a prime example of when there are more than two people in a room everyone knows that those people will not agree upon everything is questioned. Gaining or trying to gain independence from a ruling entity does not come cheaply and usually comes with great sacrifice.  While I believe that deep down inside basically every colonist knew that freedom was necessary not everyone of them was willing to accept the desire and the fight for that freedom.

The fight for freedom was long and hard with many disappointments along the way.  Many lives were at stake and many lives were taken in defense of this freedom and truth that the colonists desired.  Yes, there were still those who did not like the conditions that were being enforced upon their lives yet they refused to fight for the defense of this concept.  They still lived and accepted the results of this freedom after the tough situations were finished.  Their fight for freedom cost many lives and tens of thousands of families were affected by the outcome of that cause.  The colonists put behind their differences in order to unite themselves against a common enemy, which is exactly the purpose of why the Church was designed. 

Whether one draws the same conclusion to our country’s beliefs of not, the outcome was a great reward for those who sought after true freedom from a slave mentality.  Even though this country and its inhabitants were not officially considered slaves, their lifestyles of oppression and occupation did exist and it widely recognized that each move was under governed control.  How many of you understand that this type of setting is exactly what the Church has voluntarily drawn herself into?  I can guess that there are not many of you out there since the spiritual voice and the heart of the Church is dead quiet on the matter.

It is obvious that the Church does not see the dire circumstances that she is living in, nor does she feel the urgency in which God is telling her to get up and to leave the situation that she has created for herself.  There is a reason that the Church was created and there is a divine purpose for her existence on this earth, yet I also strongly believe that we have allowed selfish desires in overcome our true mission, even though we claim to be doing the will of God.  The early Church is a prime example of selfish desires and wants especially when it came to glorification of themselves.  How many programs of conversion arose from such thoughts and plans of mankind were exemplified to the dying public just to say that one had found the truth in one God.  The concept of relationship with God was thrown out the window in order to preserve the boundaries of religion, all of course was based upon uncertain historical beliefs and practices, instead of seeking God for true divine guidance.

How many fractures did this belief of self worthiness cause within the ranks of the Church?  This evidence cannot be denied even from the early church fathers.  Who would ever believe the truth that comes from the same mouth that says one must repent but even after you repent one must pay a certain amount of monetary servitude in order to be granted “free” access to God’s Kingdom?  I could list thousands of skirmishes, battles and wars all based upon the name of God and each time could refer to the lack of relationship those horrific events instilled.  Oh, we have got the divisive portion of God’s Revolution down and how we have thoroughly polished these divisions.  Many of us are actually proud of these divisions that lie between us, some even work to deepen the division while having a smile upon their physical and spiritual faces; of course, all in the name of God.

Will there ever come a time that the Church wakes up enough to hear the voice of God again and to hear what His message to His Church is?  The colonists fought battles on both sides of the war issue, one side being the British and the other side being themselves in order to muddle their way through a difficult decision.  The Church is fighting amongst herself in order to see who the best is and who can come up with the best plan of acceptance.  To be unified does not mean that one or another person is correct about a situation or belief, if fact what a unified Church means is that they have a common goal of proclaiming Jesus Christ as the savior to the world and that they represent Him through a daily life of holiness as an example to this dying world.  They do not pin themselves up within the walls of a building but go out and be a light to this darkness that surrounds the world.

It is this type of light that the colonists had to use in order to free themselves from the tyranny that the British was subjugating them under. It was this type of lifestyle that the Jewish nation lived under while working for the Egyptians, even though friendly terms had been the founding of those conditions.  Take for example the slaves that were brought over to this country and how they were tricked and lied to in order to voluntarily leave their homeland and mission in life.  It is these same conditions that the Church functions in with the world today. 

The Church has voluntarily succumbed to the lies of the world in order to be accepted by the world.  Do you understand what that means?  It means that at one time the Church understood that there was a difference in her status than from the world.  But for some reason, and there is a long list of them, she has forgotten this difference and has accepted the list of reasons within herself in order to be accepted by the world instead of being different from the world.  It is these items on the list that we have stared at for a long time and through the constant tugging of the world have allowed our eyes to take a serious look at the items instead of keeping our focus on the difference that God has set as our standard.

The colonists understood that they were different than the British and would not accept the British ideas and rule over their lives.  But as long as they continued to live in division their cause floundered and only caused further tensions for everyone.  The Church is in the exact same place with the exact same principles in play.  She is set apart from the world and is the prime example of what God wants from humanity, an individual relationship that is like no other.  God wants nothing to do with religion, He does not want anything to do with human theology all He has ever wanted is to have a relationship, a true relationship with His creations.  Having a relationship with us would be the ultimate slap in the face to His enemy and to ours for He understands that nothing else matters after the initiation and growth of this relationship.

The colonists grew together after they accepted each other and were placed within a common cause.  They understood that they had differences still, but those were placed upon the back burner so that the real cause of their lives could be fulfilled.  This is exactly what we are to be doing against our enemy.  Yes we will have differences but we must drop those petty and humanistic views and engage in the truth of what we as the Church are supposed to be doing.  Christ said that He was a sword and He was / is correct.  He will divide and He is supposed to divide.  And what He is supposed to divide is us from the world so that we may restore the line of communication with God so that we may understand His desire for a relationship.

It was evident that the colonists had the capability and the know how to gain their independence.  The main question for them was if they had the true desire to get up and stand together and get the job done.  This situation presents two questions about the colonists with the first question being if the colonists could muster up enough inner guts to realize that they could actually make a difference in their lives. Answering this question forms the foundation of our drive and how we will act or react to the future and in the case of the colonists it was a life or death answer that ensued.  The same goes for the Church in that she must realize that she does have the authority to get up out of the mud that she has placed herself into and take that first step to regain the life that her bride requires from her.  Now at this point the choice is still hers to make, just as the colonists did and as in the time of the colonists, the answer that the Church gives will mean life or death. This is a huge question that all of us have to answer about ourselves at some point in life, but while it is a huge question it is not the dire question that both the colonists and the Church must answer.

The dire question for the colonists was that even though they understood the task before them, and that they knew things were going to be tough they still had to ask themselves and then answer themselves if they had the willingness to set forth in motion their desires and mission. The colonists had very little to work with in terms of supplies but they did everything they could to muster enough support and supplies to get the job done over time.  It was not easy by any means and many of those who fought suffered greatly and many did not return to their families intact.  But it was a price that they were willing to pay for their freedom and to tell the truth of what was occurring within their lives.  What about it Church?  Do you / we have the desire to actually fulfill the mission that we have been given to do?  We have everything that we need to get the job done yet we continue sit back and refuse to get the job done.

Accepting the ways of the world into our doors is not what God has commanded us to do.  Yes, we should accept those people who are sinners and want to hear the truth about their lives but we cannot allow sin to voluntarily sit in the pews and solidify its presence within the Church without attending to its corruption.  Something to think about here and that is if we do not address the sin that is rampant within our own church walls then how can we truthfully call out sin while we are out in the world?  It cannot be done and it is this situation that begs the Church to answer the dire question.  Are you going to stand up and change your direction and focus and to use the gifts that God has provided for you, to go out and change not only your standing but those who want a true change as well?  In other words, whose revolution are you going to support, yours or God’s?

DLB