NRBC Blog

In preparing for my Sunday message on “Church Government,” I was reminded of how God’s people have departed from Him in the past. It was Ezekiel who saw in a vision the abominations of the Israelite leaders and heard the Sovereign Lord of the Universe say, “…have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ” (Ezekiel 8:12)

Can you believe it? “The LORD does not see us!” Idols have eyes but do not see; ears, but they do not hear; but, God is never in the dark! As David learned, you can neither go high enough nor low enough to get away from Him. He knows!

How uninformed and ignorant those Old Testament characters were! Couldn’t they learn a few things from our own age of “enlightenment?” Or, could they?

Recently, I preached on the unbiblical practice of anonymous letters that criticize, condemn, and bellyache! I pointed out that God’s plan calls for “face to face” communication that characterizes people who really love one another. Sure, we get crossways and disagree. We even offend on occasion. But, Matthew 5 and 18 are clear on how God demands that we handle such differences. Then, I hear from a friend that he received just such a letter the following week; no name, no love, no obedience to God’s directive. Does God not see? Does He not know?

Who do we think we’re dealing with? Has God changed, or is He still the One Who inspired the words, “It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!” (Hebrews 10:31) Sooner or later, his anger breaks out, and those who ignore Him are quickly swept away!

It appears that we are not as enlightened as we would like to believe! The sins of the fathers have been past down to the sons and daughters. Many are ignoring the God they say they know, and are being driven by the flesh rather than the Spirit. How we need an “awakening”; an old fashioned encounter with God! It’s time for those who SAY they believe the Bible to start LIVING the Bible they say they believe!

Opra, Opra, Opra, what have you done now! I never cease to be amazed at how gullible the public is. Just because someone has visual notoriety, has made a lot of money, and has achieved the title, celebrity, suddenly they are supposed to be an authority on everything. They can memorize a few lines and look good on camera, so they become political spokesmen. And, in Opra’s case, a theologian! Of course, she is a “Christian”, and was raised a Baptist. What more do you need to be an occult leader. Unfortunately, in our day, who is speaking is more important than what is said!

What was that famous comment, “If it walks like a duck…?” They didn’t say, “If it calls itself a duck…” Opra can call herself a Christian all she wants to, and certainly I am not her judge; but, it was Jesus who asked, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” The label, Christian, always meant “follower of Christ.” To say that you are a “follower of Christ” and then say Jesus is not the “only Way to heaven” is to call the One you say you are following a liar! Again, it was Jesus who demanded, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.” And, it was the Apostle Peter who preached, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) Who’s right, Jesus and Peter or Opra?

Hopefully, the windows are now open and people will be able to see the fallacy in joining Opra’s religious band. Maybe they will even chance to pick up a Bible and find out what it really says. I would certainly like to think so, but, then, I think I hear another actor criticizing the president and extolling the virtues of his/her presidential choice. And, I think I see the dust of another host of mindless followers trailing along behind! Where will all this lead?

Being a pastor is not an easy job. For one thing, there are so many people who think it is his responsibility to make them happy. They have likes, ideas, and expectations, and the pastor immediately falls out of favor if he fails to accommodate them. I never cease to be amazed at how biblically illiterate or downright disobedient some of those church members are. They hide behind anonymity, secret meetings, or gossip sessions to spew their venomous infection, never taking into account that the God they say they know hears every word! They have either forgotten or ignored the fact that the Holy Spirit Who struck down Ananias and Sapphira still inhabits the Church.

Yet, there is a far worse problem that continually inhibits the effectiveness of the local church. It is when the pastor pays more attention to the naysayer than to the Lord Who leads. When he shirks his responsibility to follow the word of God as well as teach it, he nullifies his position. And, when he becomes so embroiled in controversy that he fails to stand in Christ’s victory, he finds himself on the battlefield… alone!

How we need to remember that when the man of God earnestly seeks to carry out the Great Commission and does it biblically rather than culturally, God becomes his Rear Guard and the Lifter of his head. The Sovereign Lord is the Power in the church, not the ones who withhold their tithes in an effort to control it. And, God has always worked through a leader of His choosing, not a committee of man’s choosing. It is only when we “wait upon the Lord” that our strength is renewed. There is no perfect church, and the antagonists will, in this age, always be with us; but, it is time to end the war in the church and to focus our attention on the real work to which we have been called; “Go into all the world and disciple the nations…”