Jump Start # 3378

Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.”

I grew up watching some great boxing matches. Ali was the greatest, at least he thought so. But outside the boxing arena, fighting is ugly. We see this in politics with name-calling, character assassinations and mud slinging. Much too often we see this in the home. Instead of peace, there is turmoil. Instead of a haven of rest, it’s a battle for survival. Dysfunctional and wicked hearts can say the cruelest things to one another.

Our verse today takes fighting to let another place, among the brethren of God. I see in this verse the images of zombies who bite and eat the living. I doubt the Holy Spirit had that in mind. Rather than fighting the enemy, the Galatians had turned on each other. All the enemy had to do was sit back and watch the churches fall apart.

I have seen the spirit that wants to destroy each other. Usually folks leave, and they leave upset and angry. Often, another congregation is formed. The two congregations do not acknowledge one another nor will they have anything to do with each other. Some would rather see a person return to the world than to go and worship with “the other group,” as they refer to it.

Some thoughts:

First, the differences that caused the differences is lost in the emotions of trying to hurt the other person. Biting and devouring are not love taps. They are intended to destroy. Why can’t brethren sit down and talk? Why is it that pride keeps us from apologizing? Why is it that with an open Bible we can’t set before us what the Lord would want us to do?

Second, when there is a civil war taking place within the congregation, focus, energy and other efforts are all centered on defending your position. Evangelism halts. The glory of the Lord is forgotten. Worship becomes tense and stressful. Shepherds become weary. Preachers get discouraged. Sadly, when we turn on each other, we tend to toss God’s word out the window. Gossip, slander, malice and evil surmising is justified because of what the other side said. Deeper and deeper we sink in the pit of trouble.

Third, calm voices need to be spoken and a reliance upon what the Lord would have us to do must be uttered. There comes times when a stake must be put into the ground. Here is the hill that we will die on if necessary. We stand with the Lord.

In the home, when the kids are fighting, it’s time for dad to step in, break it up, practice discipline and get everyone calmed down. In the church, when we get out of line, we may need to be disciplined. Certain things are not acceptable in the home and certain things are not acceptable among brethren. We would not tolerate any deviation in worship, yet, much too often, we look the other way to the slanderous things brethren say to one another. That should not allowed.

Lincoln was killed just days after the American Civil War ended. But he was asked how he planned to treat the South. His response, “As if they never left.” Olive branches, love, forgiveness and grace gets one through those tough periods of fighting. Families go through it. Congregations go through it. Stay the course with the Lord.

Fourth, the only one who wins when we devour one another is the Devil. He loves it when we do his work for him. The enemy is Satan. He seeks to kill and destroy, the Lord said in John 10. Keeping that before us ought to help us in how we treat one another.

There are sprinkled throughout the country small struggling congregations that ought to consider merging with a nearby congregation. But decades ago, something happened. People left. And, now in the same small community, two struggling congregations, trying to heat and cool separate buildings, and with every funeral they become smaller and smaller. Maybe it’s time to get out the peace pipe and come together and become one larger congregation.

The biting and devouring has generational consequences, that can lead to eternal consequences. Maybe it’s time we locked arms and went after the real enemy, the devil.

Roger

Jump Start # 2425

Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”

So, here is a blast out of the past. When I was in college, bored, not dating any one, a few of us preacher boys sat around are rewrote modern songs to have a preacher twist to them. This was long before Weird Al, or, Tim Hawkins. For instance, the country song, “Mamma, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys,” became “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be preachers.” Lionel Richie’s “Once, twice, three times a lady,” became “Once, twice, three times a preacher.” Kenny Rogers, “Don’t fall in love with a dreamer,” became “Don’t fall in love with a preacher.” Even Dr. Hook’s, “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” was turned into “Cover of Truth Magazine.”

The best and easiest was Neil Diamond’s “Love on the rocks.” That quickly became, “Church on the rocks.” Some of the lyrics remained the same:

Gave you my heart

Gave you my soul

You left me alone here with nothing to hold

Yesterday’s gone

Now all I want is a smile.

First, they say they want you

How they really need you

Suddenly you find you’re out there

Walking in a storm

When they know they have you

Then they really have you

Nothing you can do or say

You’ve got to leave, just get away…

Church on the rocks

Ain’t no surprise…

Church troubles dominate the New Testament. Corinth was a mess. Our verse today from the Galatian churches is not good. Philippi had two sisters who couldn’t get along. Ephesus left their first love. Laodicea was lukewarm. Jerusalem had complaints. Fussing, and fighting, and “church on the rocks.” Even today, few things have changed. Churches start out with much excitement and hope. But in time, the momentum stalls, people complain, preachers leave, elders quit and you are left with “church on the rocks.”

Why is it this way? Why are so many experiencing these things? What can be done?

First, church on the rocks, naturally happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. We begin to think too much of self. Pride enters. We push our opinions. We don’t want to cooperate or be subject to each other. We forget that we are family in Christ. We say things that we shouldn’t. We stop praying for each other. We get ugly with one another. This was Paul’s concern in our verse today. Instead of fighting the enemy, they turned on themselves. A long time ago, before I was around, there was a cartoon strip called, “Pogo.” One famous Pogo statement was, “We met the enemy and it’s us.” However, it shouldn’t be that way. We are not the enemy. We are on the same side.

Second, church on the rocks happens when we focus more upon our problems than we do the solutions and the unity we have among us. Like a scab, if we keep picking and picking at it, it will never heal. We have to keep teaching, preaching and being thankful for the abundant blessings we have in Christ. None of us are perfect. We need to put the radar gun down and look into the mirror more. Focus upon our walk more than the other guy’s walk. Stop being so judgmental and learn to be helpful, kind and compassionate.

Third, church on the rocks often times is a result of not having gifted leaders. Oh, there may be men in that position, but they don’t lead. They sit back and manage. They complain. They push. Rather than being among the flock, the flock is scared of them. Being a leader, whether in the home, or, in the church, means following Christ. You won’t always be the fan of everyone. You must draw lines in the sand and make tough calls. You have to have the heart to help and restore. Your goal as a leader is not to get people to love you, but to connect them to the Lord. And, when leaders are too busy with paperwork, budgets, changing light bulbs, then the sheep fall through the cracks, they scatter and the church suffers. Church on the rocks. The number of congregations today that are hurting because of this one point is unbelievable. Poor leadership is killing us. Any fresh or new idea that doesn’t look like the 1970’s is immediately cast aside. Amazingly, our cars are different than 1970’s. Our phones are different than the 1970’s. The way we shop, bank, use social media—so different than 1970’s. Yet, some leaders are content to keep things as they have always been and as the ship begins to sink, they will make no adjustments. We are not talking about changing the message. It’s the method. These Jump Starts are an example. Couldn’t do that in the 1970’s. Live streaming. Using Facebook, Twitter, videos as tools to get the message out—better ways than a sign in a yard or postcards mailed to neighbors that will be tossed in the trash. Yet, many leaders won’t even consider such things. Things worked well in 1970 and they will work well today. And the ship sinks. Church on the rocks.

Fourth, church on the rocks really comes down to each of us. Our hearts. Our faith. Our commitment. Our engagement in the kingdom. What are we doing? How hard are we trying? How much progress are we making? Blame the church. Point fingers to the teaching program. Fire the preacher and hire a new one. Yet, some things will remain the same. The reason is the problem is within us. It’s our hearts that are filled with the here and now. It’s our hearts that have lost the awe and wonder of our Lord. It’s our hearts that long for shorter services so we can get back to doing what we want to do. The alcohol industry came out decades ago with lite beer. Today, some are looking for a “lite–church.” Less doctrine and more fun. Less services and more free time. Less doing. Less teaching. Less sermons. Less Lord’s Supper. Church-lite becomes church on the rocks.

Have you noticed some of the songs we sing: “More, more about Jesus.” “Let me walk closer to Thee.” “Just a closer walk with Thee.” “Draw me nearer, nearer.” “Nearer my God to Thee.” “O to be like Thee blessed Redeemer, this is my constant longing and prayer.” “As a deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for Thee.” We sing these songs, but sigh if we must sing all the verses. We complain if the prayer is long. We notice when the preacher “goes over” the normal time length. What’s the hurry? What’s more important than God? Where do we have to rush off to? Feed ourselves? Ballgames? Secular stuff?

Church on the rocks—it’s a problem. It can be fixed, if we roll up our sleeves and put some effort into putting God back where He belongs. But until then, “You’ve just got to leave, get a way” seems to be the only thing left.

Church on the rocks, ain’t no surprise!

Roger

Jump Start # 2179

Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.”

I was flipping through a hymn book the other day and stopped at the song, “The World’s Bible.” That song is based upon a passage from 2 Corinthians where Paul declared that the Corinthian brethren are “our letter…known and read by all men.” There is a lot of truth to that song. The only thing many people know today about the Lord is what they see in others. We have become the only Bible the world will ever know.

In that hymn, there are two penetrating questions, “What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?” What if our impression of Jesus, our example, our influence, our light-shinning, isn’t so bright? The answer is obvious. We leave the wrong impression. Our faith can be a joke and many will wonder why do I need that? We can stand with one foot in the world and one foot in Christ and that certainly seems inconsistent, convenient and compromising. Why the call to leave sin, when you Mr. Christian embrace the sin of your choice?

Blurred print and crooked type. I have some old books in which the print is blurred and the type is crooked. It is very hard to read, and it doesn’t take too much to get a headache. It’s hard on the eyes. And, when that’s the impression of our influence, we are really doing more harm than good.

Here are some thoughts:

First, there are times when Christians can act very unchristian. Our verse today is a sad reminder of that. Instead of standing together. Rather than being united, they were destroying each other. They were biting and devouring one another. They had turned on each other. They were shooting each other, not the enemy. It wouldn’t take too long until they would destroy each other. You may have seen this repeated in our times. Ugly business meetings. Brethren leaving angry and slamming doors. Finger pointing. Shouting. Gossip. Trying to gather support against the other side. Tears. And, finally, some quitting and never coming back. Those are dark days. Hard to get excited about bringing someone into such a mess like that. Jesus had to deal with similar attitudes among His disciples. On one occasion some wanted to destroy a town with fire. Jesus would not have any part with that. Other occasions, they tried to stop some from doing good. Blurred and crooked can leave the wrong impressions.

Second, we are not the perfect example, Jesus is. Jesus has always been. Each of us is a work in progress. Some areas we may be doing very well in, others we tend to look a bit crooked and blurry. It’s not the church that saves, but Jesus. It’s not the church that is perfect, but Jesus is. The church may let us down, Jesus never will. The church may neglect you, the Lord won’t. The church may even hurt your feelings, God won’t. Too often we place the credibility of Christianity upon the people and not upon the Lord. Someone will say, “I know someone who goes to your church, and he sure cusses at work.” Blurred print. Crooked type. Those statements used to silence me. I didn’t know what to say. Any more, I respond by saying, “I can tell you more horror stories, but you’ll never see Jesus cussing in the Bible. In fact, one of His apostles did, Peter. So, it doesn’t surprise me that today, some still do it.” Then, I add, “Because he cussed, do you think it’s alright for you to cuss?” “Well, no,” he’ll say. “But, he’s not being a very good member.” And from that, we can get into a discussion of perfection. The perfect dad. The perfect husband. The perfect worker. The perfect citizen. And, before long we both realize that we blurred print and crooked type, yet Jesus loves us and invites us. Everyone needs Jesus.

It is important to draw the attention away from the church to the Bible and to Christ. Guilty church leaders who have been arrested and made the news is all a carnal world needs to say that Christianity is a sham. It’s not. Many are not serious about their walk. Many are hiding rather than confessing their sins. Many are following a counterfeit form of Christianity that is blurred and crooked to start with.

Third, crooked type and blurred print doesn’t change what the Bible says. So, there are some who are hypocrites. So, there are some who are not very serious. So, there are some who are not committed. So, there are some who have never left the world, nor crucified the old man. Does any of that change what the Bible says? Because atheism thrives on college campuses, does that change what the Bible says? Because same-sex marriages are now accepted by the law, does that change what the Bible says? Too many are crowd followers rather than disciples of Jesus. So nobody cares. What’s your excuse? You know what the Bible says. You are to do what God expects. God doesn’t give you a pass because others are not with you. There at Sardis, a church that Jesus declared dead, there were a few that were doing what was right. The ole’ Popeye cartoon, had Popeye saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” That may work for Popeye in a cartoon, but it’s not Biblical. You are to do what is right, even if you must walk alone. Joshua declared, “As for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.” He said this after telling the nation, serve whom you may. Serve the gods in this land, or serve the gods where we came from. My mind is made up. We are serving the Lord.

Follow the Lord, not the crowd. This may mean that no one is practicing hospitality, you can. You can invite folks over to your home, even though no one will invite you to their home. No one volunteers to teach. You can. No one will help clean the place up. You can. No one ever invites anyone to come to worship. You can. No one studies their Bible class lesson and comes prepared. You can. All around you may be crooked and blurred type. You can either throw up your hands and become that as well, or you can do what the Bible tells you to do.

I have found that often that’s all it takes. Someone takes the lead. Someone takes charge. And, soon, others are there as well. They have been waiting for someone to come along who cares. They have allowed themselves to become blurred and crooked. And, now, seeing you, they step up. There is a spirit that begins to run through the air. It’s like opening the windows and allowing the fresh air to come in. What a difference. Song leaders put more time, effort and energy into what they are doing. The Bible class teachers spend more time preparing their lessons. The whole place seems to take on a new attitude. Why? Because some refused to follow the blurred print society. Some decided, no matter what, they were going to do what the Bible says. God deserves the best and they were going to give Him their best.

To some degree, all of us have a bit of blurred print within us. It’s helpful when we recognize this and admit that we are a work in progress. It helps to point folks to the Lord and His word and not to us. We need to be examples. We need to let our lights shine, but ultimately, we must point folks to the Lord.

What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred? Even still, people can find the Lord, obey Him and through His grace, have the hope of Heaven.

Roger

Jump Start # 2156

Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”

Why do churches split and divide? It happens. It happens all too often. I saw a list a long time ago of more than 25 splits within our fellowship. Why? Let’s begin by understanding what we are referring to. If a congregation is getting too large for their facility or they want to begin a work in a new area and this is the common agreement and everyone is on board, this is not a split. Although technically, the church divided, it was planned, designed and a welcoming thing to plant a congregation where there isn’t one.

What we are looking at today is not a happy occasion. Folks are upset. Fingers are pointed. A few leave and begin another work, often very close to the place they left. The two groups have nothing to do with each other. Bad blood and ill feelings remain for a long time, often generations.

The recipe for division and splits sure existed within the N.T.

• In Acts 6, the neglected Hellenistic Jews could have easily split the Jerusalem church and started a church of their own.
• In Romans 14, the meat eating brethren could have divided from those who refused to eat meats. A meat eating church and a veggie church could have started.
• In 1 Corinthians the elements of division existed on many pages. They did everything except physically divide. It could have been done.
• Our Galatian passage shows that the churches in that region could have divided over Jewish leanings and Gentile leanings.
• In Revelation 3, the faithful few in Sardis could have left the dead church and started their own.

All the elements were there for division, however they didn’t divide. They were often divided in heart and the apostles had to unite them and remind them about who they were.

Why do churches split? There is no one specific answer. There are many reasons. Some times it no reason at all, other than hurt feelings and personalities that can’t work together. Misunderstandings, lacking patience, being too quick to condemn, all contribute to a spirit of wanting to pull out and start a new work.

If someone is teaching error and causing a person to violate their conscience in order to worship, it is time for some discussion. Maybe the teacher/preacher doesn’t full understand. Maybe you can help them to see things that they haven’t thought about. But if that door is closed and they continue to introduce things that you feel are wrong, then you have to make the decision to leave.

Some folks leave much too soon and much too often. They leave over things that they shouldn’t. They are not invited to a baby shower. Feelings hurt, they leave. New carpet is installed and they can’t stand the color. Upset, they leave. They don’t like who is invited to come and preach. So, they leave. Some, it seems live out of a suitcase because they are always leaving. Their history is one of leaving. In a large city, it is not uncommon to have a family or two that has been a part of just about every congregation in town. They leave one place upset, unhappy only to find a new place. They are so happy with the new place. But within a few months, something happens and all of that changes. Off they go to yet another congregation. With them are the sad stories of how terrible the last place was. Around and around the city they travel. This congregation, then that one. Their poor children never feel connected and grow up with a selfish and sour taste in their mouth from all the church hopping that has gone on.

Yet, for others, they stay too long. They are part of a dying church. It is their hopes to turn things around. But all the work and all the efforts are met with deaf ears and hearts that are content to be dead. The stale, lifeless worship drains all the passion out of the family. They hang on. They stay and stay until one by one all of their children fall away from the Lord and mom and dad become indifferent, critical, judgmental and dead. They have stayed too long. The words of Joshua, “As for me and my house,” didn’t sink in with this family. Their noble efforts of trying to turn a dead church resulted in their own spiritual death. There comes a time when one must pull the stakes and leave for your own salvation. If you are dying and do nothing, death is certain. It’s time for action and if it isn’t going to happen where you are, then it may be time to look elsewhere.

Now, for some, because of distance, there are no other options. They don’t live in a large city where there are a dozen congregations to drive to. For them, remaining is about the only option, other than trying to start another congregation. This often becomes two struggling small congregations in a town that can barely support one. All across this country we find this picture. Little towns with a couple of congregations that will have nothing to do with each other. Both have to have a building and a preacher and neither can afford it.

Why do churches split? The answer is because we often have a hard time getting along with each other. The number one reason why people switch jobs is not because of money or advancement, it’s because they can’t stand their co-workers. Toxic environments exist. Every year parents pull their kids out of one school for another because of the environment. Folks move, not because they need to but because they can’t stand their neighbors. Is it any wonder that some of this spills into the church. Too much of self and not enough of the team spirit causes one to be overly sensitive, touchy and ready to jump at the first moment.

I have preached at places where another church building was nearly in sight of where I was. No one from the other place would show up. They would as soon die as to do that. Yet both congregations were trying to reach the community and tell the world about Jesus. The world wonders why there are two of the same so close to each other. I knew a funeral director that got mad at another funeral director. So a new funeral home was built right beside the other one. They stand today, side by side, competing against each other. The community knows of the feud. If you use one funeral home it’s a statement against the other. Childish. Not necessary. Silly. And, exactly what the world sees and thinks when they see two congregations trying to compete against each other in the same area.

Are all divisions wrong? No. Sometimes it is necessary for the perseveration of the truth and to continue following God’s pattern. The call to come out from among them, and choose you this day who you will serve rings loud and true in this day of foggy teaching and prompting the ideas of false teachers rather than standing with the Lord and His apostles. Too many young preachers are being swayed by the academic superstars of today who deny common plain Biblical teachings. Their blogs are consumed and found filtering into Sunday’s sermons. Without thinking things out and thinking things through, they are following the pied pipers who are leading them away from Christ. I see what books others are recommending. I see what they suggest others read. I see what they are drawn to. Dark clouds are forming in the skies and they are blinded by their rapturous fascination with these religious super stars. Duds they are in my book. They are selling poison and killing faith. This current path that many are on will lead to more and more divisions. The blogs of error will rip the church as unsuspecting minds try to present ideas and ways that are not true to God’s book.

The study of church history, reformation and restoration, shows that some splits and divisions led folks to leaving error and finding the true pattern that is found in the Bible. In this, division was good for those who followed the word of God.

Will divisions and splits ever end? Yes, when Jesus comes. Until then, they are a part of our culture and a part of our make up. Many could be avoided. Many surround nothing more than personalities and the inability to get along and forgive. Others, are doctrinally based.

Understand the difference between personal conviction and collective action. There are some things that I do that I would not say others have to do. I don’t preach without a tie. That’s me. Does every preacher have to wear a tie? No. Do I frown upon those who don’t? Never. It’s me. There are some songs in the song book that I do not like. There’s nothing wrong with them except I don’t like the tune and I don’t like the words. Do I sing them? Yes. Sometimes our troubles come from trying to make my personal convictions your personal convictions. I force my ways upon you. I believe that my way is the only way. This is why eating meats or not eating meats was such a big deal in Rome. We all have zillions of things like that. If a husband and wife both work, can they use one check to contribute or must they each put in their own separate contribution? I know folks who fuss over that. The list is long of things that we feel ought to be a certain way, even though the Bible doesn’t specifically say. When we start demanding this of others, trouble brews. This is why “work out your own salvation,” rings so true.

We are converted to Christ, not a congregation. Our loyalty is to the Lord. We need to influence, encourage, teach and show the N.T. way. As long as we can do that, we need to work, help and be committed to a group that has that same spirit. If the time comes that we must make the choice of remaining and violating our conscience, or leave, the decision will be obvious. We must leave. Work for unity. Be diligent to preserve it. Hide yourself behind the cross. Deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Christ.

Division is ugly. Splits hurt. Do what you can to work through things without violating your conscience or dying on the vine.

Roger

Jump Start # 1857

Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.”

The Galatian church had a lot of trouble. It was mostly internal issues caused by Jew-Gentile conflicts and trying to figure out how the law and the grace of Christ worked. Our verse today, illustrates some of the trouble found within that church.

The passage reads on the surface as if Paul is describing a cannibalistic environment among them. Biting and devouring one another, is something you’d find in a zombie movie. He is not talking about this being done literally, but emotionally, spiritually and mentally. They were tearing each other up. If you destroy each other, there won’t be anyone left. The enemy was Satan, not each other. What they were doing was not acting like Christ. The spirit of love, forgiveness, patience—many of which are named at the end of this very chapter as fruit of the Spirit, was missing.

Internal bickering and fighting often results in people leaving and churches splitting. It becomes a mess. Now, instead of one congregation, there are two. Both want a church building, their own preacher, and now, after the divide, both can barely pay the light bill. Tempers flare. Blame and fault is pointed out. Lines are drawn in the sand, and now neither side will speak to each other. This will continue on for at least two or three generations. Small struggling churches that began because some couldn’t get along with each other.

All of this now takes us to a much larger issue. Those that witness these things, often younger people, and those from the outside, make grand declarations that the entire system is broken. It’s enough for some to go find a church that is really loose on things and doesn’t worry so much about the details of the Bible. Love is the only thing that matters. For others, it’s enough to give up totally on ever going to church again. Why, Christians can’t get along. Why, they can’t do what they preach. And, as a result, some declare that it’s not just the Christians that are broken, but the entire system. “Organized religion,” they profess, is a joke. They want no part of it.

This is not only true of life in church, but also life at home. Because folks have trouble staying married, does not mean that God’s design of marriage is broken and wrong. Our failure to stay married is not an indication that God’s plan of marriage doesn’t work. This has given some all the proof they need to justify living together without marriage or even to stand with the homosexual movement. At least, some claim, they can stay together.

God’s plan is perfect. It was designed by God. It was formed in Heaven. It was not a creation of our minds, but His. It wasn’t something that we developed, but rather something God gave to us. Our sins and our imperfections and our failures to live up to what He wants does not mean that it is impossible to be done, nor that it is broken. The failure is with us.

Critics love to point to Christians who fail as an indication that the plan doesn’t work. The plan is not wrong, it’s the people who don’t live up to it. There are always those who want to change things to their own liking. They want to open up the doors to more freedoms. They want more input into what ought to be allowed. They want less holiness and more happiness. They want to do what they feel is needed. More social awareness. More activism. More wholeness of life. More attention upon society’s problems. More dealing with getting drugs off the streets. More help for unwed moms. More options for the homeless. More cleaning up polluted streets and rivers. This is where the modern church has shifted. This is where the attention is. Building better lives for now. Building better schools for tomorrow. Yet all of this doesn’t come from the Bible. We don’t find the first churches following this agenda. The early church was spiritual. It equipped people for Heaven. Stronger faith built stronger families and stronger churches.

But it is pointed out that for too many this didn’t work out. Their faith struggled. They wandered from this. And because the people couldn’t live it, the system was abandoned and a new path was forged. Instead of sticking with the ancient Gospel, modern thinking and modern theology has become the new thought and the new direction.

The Galatians were biting and devouring one another. They were fussing and fighting. I had two brothers growing up. We used to bang heads a lot. My mom told us to go outside. It’s not fun fighting outside. That always cooled things. Paul didn’t change the plan because the Galatians were fighting. He didn’t call for an international conference and amend what he had been preaching. He forged ahead. The message won’t change. It’s up to them to step up and live as Christ wants. Their failure to live it did not mean the system was broken, wrong or needed to be replaced.

There is nothing wrong with the ancient message of Christ. It worked and it still works. Seeing some who can’t live up to it is no indication that all Christians everywhere are failing. That’s a blanket statement without fact nor proof. The Galatians were biting one another. The Corinthians were divided. Laodicea was lukewarm. Throw in the towel? Some in Sardis were doing right. Philadelphia seemed to be doing right.

Some of the failures are not really failures. There is some learning and growing that must take place. Getting the Jews and the Gentiles on the same page took some time. Working through differences such as eating meats sacrificed to idols took some patience. Not everyone is at the same place spiritually. We forget this. It’s like driving on the highway. There seems to always be someone ahead of you and someone behind you. Not everyone is right beside you. So, we are not all at the same place spiritually. Some are doing and understanding things better than I am. They are ahead of me. I can learn from them. Others are behind me. We need to look back and help them along. They can learn from us.

Be careful about painting the condition of your congregation with a broad brush. It’s easy to do. No one here cares, we declare. Everyone is dead spiritually. They are all worldly. They are all stuck in tradition. They are all hypocrites. Be careful. I doubt everyone is. Most may, but rarely is it everyone. Some are ahead of us and some are behind us. Follow those who are doing right and help those who are behind you. You may only be looking at those who are behind you.

God’s way is right. It is perfect. It never needs changing. Don’t give up on the Bible way because some folks aren’t doing what they should be. Don’t let others take you away from Christ.

The way of the Cross leads home…

Roger