My grandparents rode a horse and buggy to church when they were children. They tell stories of killing chickens and getting them ready for Sunday dinner before they left for church. And of course, my grandfather tells the same story that every grandfather tells: “I remember when I walked four miles a day to go to school... in the snow... up hill... both ways... barefooted.” I tell my children similar stories about how rough I had it as a child - “When I was a child, I had to get up off the couch to change the channel on the T.V.”
How much has our generation forgotten (or never learned) from our grandparent’s generation? Most people in today’s world haven’t got a clue how to hitch a buggy. Most people in today’s world don’t know how to cook a chicken that’s not wrapped in plastic and says “Tyson” on it. And who knows how to darn socks? Who knows how to hang a door that is not pre-hung? Who knows which wildflowers are edible? Or how to use them for medicinal purposes? It’s pretty amazing how much information can be forgotten within three generations.
THE FIRST GENERATION
Consider the generation that conquered the Promise Land (Joshua 3-10). When God told them to cross the Jordan River at flood stage, they stepped into the river without blinking an eye. They knew God would part the waters. And when God told them to march around the Canaanite’s stronghold of Jericho seven times, they didn’t argue with God. They didn’t second guess God or question the strategy of His plan. They simply obeyed and the walls fell down! When God told them to purge the evil from among them at Ai, they took care of the sin promptly and decisively. Joshua had told this generation, “Fear God and serve him with all faithfulness” - and they did! Which is why they were so successful. They were bold! They were faithful! They saw God do mighty things among them! They were blessed by God.
THE SECOND GENERATION
Then arose the next generation (Judges 1-2). They were to take possession of the hill country. But the people of the hill country had iron chariots - so the 2nd generation couldn’t take possession. (Huh? Jericho had massive walls. The hill country had iron chariots. Are iron chariots a problem for God?) The Benjamites failed to dislodge the Jebusites. Manasseh didn’t drive out the people of Beth Shan. Some Israelites made slaves of the Canaanites instead of driving them out of the land as the Lord commanded. This generation seemed timid. They were compromising. They were disobedient. They lost many battles. As a result, God said He would NOT drive out the Canaanites. He said they would be thorns in the Israelites’ sides. Their gods would be the Israelites’ snares. (Judges 2:2-3)
THE THIRD GENERATION
After that generation, “...another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10)
And they did evil... They worshipped the pagan gods... they provoked the Lord to anger. They were plundered. Defeated. Sold into slavery. Oppressed.
What happened? How could they grow up not knowing the Lord? Not knowing how great the Lord is? Not knowing all the wonderful things the Lord had done for their grandparents?
WHICH ARE YOU?
It seems to me that there are two kinds of people. There are those who walk with God, listen to God, trust God, and they see God do mighty things in their lives (The First Generation). Then, there are those who can’t see God anywhere. They easily get involved in what the Lord calls “evil”. As a result, their lives are full of self-inflicted pain and misery. They are plundered and defeated. They become slaves to sin (The Third Generation).
But wait. There is a third kind of person. The Second Generation. They are the ones who act religious. They talk a good talk. They do some good things in the Name of the Lord. But they are not faithful to God. They are not really walking with God and trusting God. They are not glorifying Him or exalting Him with their lives. They just go to church. They think little about the impact their disobedience is having on others... their children - the third generation.
Which are you? Who cares if you don’t know how to hitch a buggy or kill a chicken. Do you know how to walk with God?
Go Bless,
Pete Baumgartle, Lanesville, IN
IS THIS YOU?
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:21
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Satan's 3 (Almost) Fatal Blows
Jesus told is disciples to “Go, make disciples.” And they did! Acts 2:41 tells us that there were 3000 additions to the church. Acts 4:4 says there were about 5000 men who believed. Acts 5:14 says “more and more men and women believed and were added to their numbers.” Acts 6:7 says “The number of disciples... increased rapidly.”
These believers were passionate. They were bold! They were obedient. And the world was changed forever! Christianity experienced remarkable growth - even while being severely persecuted. And, by an edict of Constantine in 313 A.D., Christianity became the State religion of the entire Roman Empire!
But today, many of our churches are not seeing much dynamic growth. Many of our churches are just barely staying alive. America could accurately be described as “post-Christian”. What happened?
What happened is that Satan has dealt the Church 3 nearly fatal blows.
Human Nature
The first blow Satan dealt was to appeal to our human nature; our desire for comfort... protection... convenience... We stopped making disciples because - it’s hard! And, besides, what will people think? We wouldn’t want our friends and neighbors to label us a “Jesus Freak!” So, being led by our human nature, we chose comfort over commitment, protection over personal involvement, convenience over our Lord’s command to “Make Disciples”
“Clergy” vs “Laity”
Secondly, Satan began to overemphasize distinctions of service in order to divide an army of believers. This was perhaps his most severe blow to the Church - dividing it into two groups. The small group became known as “Clergy”, and the large group, “Laity”. The small group eventually became empowered to do things the larger group could not. It was only the Clergy who were entrusted to serve communion, to baptize, to preach the Word of God. Making disciples became an exclusive right of the Clergy.
Once again, this appealed to our human nature. It appealed to the pride and ego of the Clergy to be considered valuable and needed. It appealed to the Laity to be lazy and allow the Clergy to do all the work. And as the years went by, less and less work was getting done. The Church’s ministry crumbled beneath the feet of men clothed in ecclesiastical garb.
The whole concept of “Clergy” and “Laity” is totally foreign to the Word of God. “...Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13), yet they turned the world upside down! What made the Church so successful in its early years was that every disciple was a witness for Christ. Every disciple was committed to making more disciples!
Institutionalism
The third and final blow was to turn the Church into an institution rather than the living Body of Christ. Houses that once hosted the glorious movement of the Spirit of God were replaced with rigid formality and cold cathedrals. Icy rigor mortis set in... It was known as the Dark Ages. And unfortunately, many of us are still living there today - at least so far as obedience to the Great Commission is concerned.
Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) He warns in Revelation, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! (Revelation 3:15)
Let’s live by the Spirit - not our human nature. Let’s make disciples - not religious people. Let’s be the Body of Christ.
Go Bless,
Pete
...you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
- 1 Peter 2:9
These believers were passionate. They were bold! They were obedient. And the world was changed forever! Christianity experienced remarkable growth - even while being severely persecuted. And, by an edict of Constantine in 313 A.D., Christianity became the State religion of the entire Roman Empire!
But today, many of our churches are not seeing much dynamic growth. Many of our churches are just barely staying alive. America could accurately be described as “post-Christian”. What happened?
What happened is that Satan has dealt the Church 3 nearly fatal blows.
Human Nature
The first blow Satan dealt was to appeal to our human nature; our desire for comfort... protection... convenience... We stopped making disciples because - it’s hard! And, besides, what will people think? We wouldn’t want our friends and neighbors to label us a “Jesus Freak!” So, being led by our human nature, we chose comfort over commitment, protection over personal involvement, convenience over our Lord’s command to “Make Disciples”
“Clergy” vs “Laity”
Secondly, Satan began to overemphasize distinctions of service in order to divide an army of believers. This was perhaps his most severe blow to the Church - dividing it into two groups. The small group became known as “Clergy”, and the large group, “Laity”. The small group eventually became empowered to do things the larger group could not. It was only the Clergy who were entrusted to serve communion, to baptize, to preach the Word of God. Making disciples became an exclusive right of the Clergy.
Once again, this appealed to our human nature. It appealed to the pride and ego of the Clergy to be considered valuable and needed. It appealed to the Laity to be lazy and allow the Clergy to do all the work. And as the years went by, less and less work was getting done. The Church’s ministry crumbled beneath the feet of men clothed in ecclesiastical garb.
The whole concept of “Clergy” and “Laity” is totally foreign to the Word of God. “...Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13), yet they turned the world upside down! What made the Church so successful in its early years was that every disciple was a witness for Christ. Every disciple was committed to making more disciples!
Institutionalism
The third and final blow was to turn the Church into an institution rather than the living Body of Christ. Houses that once hosted the glorious movement of the Spirit of God were replaced with rigid formality and cold cathedrals. Icy rigor mortis set in... It was known as the Dark Ages. And unfortunately, many of us are still living there today - at least so far as obedience to the Great Commission is concerned.
Jesus asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) He warns in Revelation, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! (Revelation 3:15)
Let’s live by the Spirit - not our human nature. Let’s make disciples - not religious people. Let’s be the Body of Christ.
Go Bless,
Pete
...you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
- 1 Peter 2:9
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