Christians, Awake!
“Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8b
This was not a man uttering words from a dark, gloomy, discouraging moment. This was the Divine, omniscient Son of God looking into our time, these last days, and raising a question for us to answer.
WILL WE LET OUR SAVIOUR DOWN?
Will be become so distracted by carnality that we lose sight of the supreme reason Christ saved us and left us on this earth to live for?
A good place to start is to look at where and what we are right now. If Jesus were to come today, would He find us faithful in our standing and service in His body, the local New Testament Church?
Should we not wisely consider how such a thing could happen, that the Lord spoke of, that the redeemed of the Lord have dwindled and lost their way?
In addressing “last days, perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1-7), it is not that all religion has passed from the scene, but rather it has become non-effective, due to having shifted to just having a form of godliness, that is denying the power of true godliness, which is the authority of God’s Word.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 goes on to tell us there will be an appetite for religion that caters to and gratifies the fleshly interests of man. This same religious zeal and expression is adverse towards sound doctrine, which is the heartbeat of the work of the Holy Spirit.
To only eat dessert foods all of the time, while refusing wholesome and nourishing food, will eventually lead to the deterioration of health and body. Likewise, just to pick out stories, characteristics, and promises from the Bible that are complementary to our hopes and well wishes, while ignoring sound doctrine, will lead to spiritual deterioration and a dead faith, lacking the authority of godliness.
SHARING
The Leaven Effect
“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-7a
The leaven spoken of, is not mere human imperfection, but the willful disobedience to the standards of God’s Word. For a church to be faithful in “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever God has commanded”, it cannot at the same time be permitting that which is a rejection and defiance of those teachings.
God’s command is, “Purge out therefore the old leaven.” This is to be considered a must, because, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”
The church at Corinth had an immorality problem in its membership, the sin of fornication, 1 Corinthians 5:1. Nothing had been done about it, 1 Corinthians 5:2. “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” Apparently, because of who these people were, no one was willing to take a stand against what they were doing.
So, now the church had two problems. It had the sin of fornication, which God says is not to be permitted in the membership (Ephesians 5:3) and it had the leaven effect of this sin–in that the people were so committed to favoring this person(s) that they were not obeying God in revoking his membership status.
In 1 Samuel 2:29-30, it was the leaven effect of Eli’s sons upon Eli that weighed in on him to prefer them above removing them in order to preserve the sanctity of the office of the priesthood. A member’s sin is a grievous matter. But when the leaven effect that weighs upon people’s feelings and positions, prevents them from taking their stand with God, this is what will get the church out of harmony with the Spirit of God.
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14,15
Loyalty to Christ requires purging out the leaven of sin, lest the church become leavened by the effect of its presence.
SHARINGThe Contest Of Wills
“…having…children in subjection with all gravity” 1 Timothy 3:4
“GRAVITY” is talking about control, having the upper hand. With children, you either get the upper hand with them, or they get the upper hand over you. How can parents lose the upper hand over their child? By failing to establish it, when the child’s will is contesting the will of the parent. Gravity is established by the outcome of what occurs in the contest of wills, as to whether or not the parent establishes the authority of their will over the will of their child.
In this contest of wills, no matter how good-hearted a parent is, if they do not establish the upper hand over the will of the child, the child will not respect the parent, but rather run over them as a weak-kneed pushover.
In the contest of wills, a child must consistently be subjected to the fact that anything the parent tells them to do, they must do it, for there will be no escape for not doing it. For example, in the use of a firearm for enforcement, the first rule is “never draw a gun on someone unless you have the will to use it” because all you will do is provoke the other party as they detect your lack of will to use the firearm.
In the contest of wills with your children, never tell them to do anything unless you have the will to enforce their doing it. Don’t tell your toddler to quit throwing their food on the floor if you are not prepared to put a stop to it. Don’t tell them to be quiet unless you are committed to making them be quiet. Don’t tell them to pick up their toys unless you are willing to do whatever is necessary to make them (not you) pick up the toys.
We have to win the contest of wills to have gravity, to have the respect of our children. To be a “softy” (too timid and heartless to subject your child to authority) is to lose the battle of wills with your child. To start losing the battle of wills with your child while they are in diapers will mean you won’t stand a chance of winning any of these battles when they are a teenager.
“Think not” that we can give in or fail to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. While doing the right thing may seem to be the hardest thing in the world to do at the moment, it is by far the easiest thing that can be done in the long run. Unless parents can hold themselves responsible to do the right things towards their children, they certainly will have no power to hold their children responsible to do that which is right.
Doing the right thing is essential to be a doer of God’s will!
SHARINGSave Them From The Curse
2 Kings 2:23-24 “And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.”
2 Peter 2:14 refers to cursed children. How tragic it is for parents to overlook the improper attitude and ways of their children while saying, “they are just a kid” and “they will grow out of it.” Where is there scripture for that in the Bible? God’s Word teaches that what one is as a child is what they will be when they grow up. That is why God emphasizes, “Train up a child in the way he should go” and “Correct thy son while there is hope.” God didn’t say that our children have a self-adjusting system unto uprightness, but He commands that parents bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He also says that a child left to himself will bring his mother to shame.
Conviction and faith in following the teachings of God’s Word for raising children God’s way has almost passed from the scene. Rather than a parent knowing God’s will and commanding their children in that way, parents are following the child’s dictates as to what they do or don’t want to do. Discipline is nothing more than a joke for many. Rather than children knowing what it is to respect and obey their parents, parents are trying to entertain and cater to their children to keep them happy. Why the problem with training and discipline? The parent is having a problem themselves. They are not distinguishing the difference between good and evil, truth and error. Thus the child will suffer all their life long and maybe for all eternity, due to the spiritual instability of the parent.
The question often asked is, “When do I start training them according to God’s Word, and how do I get them to behave in church?” God’s answer is, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept; line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” Isaiah 28:9-10 We must start right away with the basics and not allow wrong patterns to develop. By continually and consistently discouraging wrong behavior and promoting right behavior, the infant quickly responds. Even an infant knows by the mother’s tone of voice and look whether it is being praised or scolded, thus coming to realize what is acceptable and unacceptable to the parent. A baby craves and thrives on parental attention. They will repeat what has brought pleasant responses in the past, and gradually wean from that which is unpleasant. “Train them up in the way they should go.”
The early years of Moses’ life with his mother were especially important to him. In these formative years, at her knee, he learned of the true God. Her lips taught him the Word of God. It was from her that he knew it was better to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. She gave him the plumb line of God’s Word by which he tested all the learning and culture of Pharaoh’s court and found it wanting. No wonder Satan wants the children separated from a Christian mother in their formative years!
SHARINGThe Leaven Of Dissension
“Dissension” = to think differently; to be given to taking an opposing position.
Dissension amounts to the opposite of unity and accord. Rather than seek peace and ensue it, dissension looks for reasons to disagree, to raise objections, or vent unreconciled feelings. Avoiding reason and understanding, dissension will raise doubt and create confusion. Rather than promote the common cause, dissension will be the fly in the ointment. By passing the positive, dissension will accentuate the negative. Failing to strive for the objectives, dissension will divert attention unto that which is contentious.
In Joshua 7, Achan was a dissenter, not requiring of himself to uphold God’s will, but rather choosing to do his own thing instead, even though it disagreed with God’s Word. He did so, not because he found fault with God’s way, but rather he desired his way instead. This brought defeat, death, and disappointment to the congregation at Ai, as well as resulting in the destruction of Achan and his family.
In Numbers 16, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were dissenters, who cared not about allowing feelings to arise within them to the extent of leading a major rebellion against God’s leader, Moses. They not only ruined 250 princes of the congregation, but they also hardened the hearts of their own families, to their destruction.
In 3 John, Diotrephes was a dissenter in his church, to the extent that he sought the preeminence above all others. He set himself up as unapproachable. All had to yield to him, had to let him have the last say, or he would work to get them out of the church. This put him on a collision course with the Holy Spirit.
We must avoid raising dissension in thought, feeling, word, or deed. A little leaven works to leaven the whole lump. Rather, we must be given to those things that inspire peace and understanding. All dissension must be repented of in order that: “…ye all speak the same thing, and there be no divisions among you.”
SHARING
