43. The Modern Church

To Put It Bluntly

Since Joshua has led us directly into the functioning of the Christian church we may as well continue in that theme. 

Those of you who have read my posts for awhile must certainly believe that I am against everything the church does and believes and that I never attend a church of any kind.  To put it bluntly - that is not true:

I believe that:

1. Christianity has had a more positive effect on the well being of humanity than any other organization has ever had.

2. Children brought up in Christian homes are much more likely to "walk the straight and narrow path" than those who are not.

3. Christians who spend time worshipping Jehovah in prayer and songs are much less likely to be despondent than those who do not.

4. The Church also has many other positive traits; for example:

a) such as near equality for women and men;

b) the Church led the way in setting free slaves;

c) the Church led the way in creating orphanages and hospitals;

However, let's not close our mental eyes to the fact that the church has also failed or even gone astray in many areas.  Those are the areas I keep on picking at.

At first, the early Protestants did not want to leave the "mother church" when they found fault with it; they wanted to change it.  However, because they could not change it, they protested against it and some of its beliefs and practices.

We, who are fifth century Protestants, must not let ourselves believe that we've got everything right; exactly the way Christ would do it.  Because many religious people insist they "have it right", beyond question, I am pushed into finding fault with the church in my posts. I will continue finding fault with the church at large, and criticise her because, according to the Bible, many of her doctrines and methods are totally wrong.

Doing church the Jesus way

Jesus moved about. Most churches stay stubbornly in place.

Jesus talked about wealth and power. We talk about sex and ordination.

Jesus formed radically open circles of friends. We erect institutional barriers and admit only those we deem worthy.

Jesus dodged calls for laws and doctrines. We codify and dogmatize.

Jesus fed the multitudes without conditions. We marginalize those who fail our moral litmus tests.

Jesus stood up to the religious establishment. We are the religious establishment.

Jesus told stories that engaged people in the mystery of God’s kingdom. We quote chapter and verse to declare certainty.

Jesus ventured outside the approved realm and touched the untouchable. We stay close to home, adopt lofty goals for spending small amounts of money on high profile needs, and applaud ourselves for being mission minded.

Jesus endured rejection, suffered for all to see, and sent His Spirit to give His disciples courage to do the same. We crave acceptance, try to build large crowds by pleasing people, and proclaim the promise of prosperity and tribal superiority.

Jesus owned nothing. We at various times have insisted on owning everything.

Could we possibly get it more wrong? It’s no wonder that church participation has fallen to single digits in Europe and are dwindling steadily in America. No wonder politicians see us not as a bold counter-voice calling them to repentance and mercy but as allies in mean-spirited campaigns.

Here are five basics we could tackle today:

First, it is time for congregations to focus on people, especially on their joys and sorrows, their wounds and yearnings.

Second, it is time for us to move about, to place less importance on stability and more on being present to humanity.

Third, it is time for us to abandon our prideful barriers and restrictions, to stop worshipping at the altar of right opinion and to hear what God needs from us today in the actual fields of hunger and heartache.

Fourth, it is time for us to start fighting about the Bible and our claims to holiness. We render ourselves impotent by our divisions and absurd in our hubris. (hubris - high opinion of our self worth).

Fifth, it is time for us to stand and sing, kneel and pray together, not because we like or approve of each other but because Jesus called us to be one.

Until we show a capacity to love one another, our neighbors will rightly see us as hypocrites Until we join hands and plow facing forwards, our neighbors will see us as being mired in as safe and self serving past and frightened by a challenging future.

Just Wondering, Jesus. Tom Ehrich, Author

42 A Different Altar

Your Church Is All Wrong

This Old Testament story, (Joshua 22:9-31), reminds me, so much, of the activities of the Christian church at large.  

In this post, I have taken the liberty to dovetail some of my ideas (pink) of part of the history of the Christian church into this rather lengthy story from the Bible.  I hope you can follow my line of thinking.

So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, (to the Eastern side of the Jordan river) ... to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession.  Moses had promised this to them before any of the Israelites crossed the Jordan River for the first time.

And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, they ... built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar.  It looked like there was a new denomination in the land.   A people who worshipped differently than they had been brought up to worship. Not only that, they were egotistical, they built a large, impressive meeting house with high spires.

Now ... when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.  The nine and a half tribes who were not moving to the East of Jordan believed that the two and a half tribes, that were moving were starting a new religion.  They were ready to fight their own kin to the death, because of a misunderstanding.  How like the history of the Christian church!

• As early as the fourth century some leaders in the church killed some of those who did not accept the doctrine of the Trinity; 
• the crusades of the dark ages were merely an excuse to make the whole world worship the way the "Christians" thought others should worship; 
• when the Protestant church was first born, many protesters were killed because they insisted that the truth lay in the Bible, not in the church's traditions. 
• Some in the established church killed their own "brothers in Christ" over non-consequential differences.

Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas ... the priest to them (the two and a half tribes) and with him ten rulers.  Here, common sense prevailed; rather than going directly to war, they sent a "fact-finding team".  

Then they came to them ... and they spoke with them, saying, “Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: Those of us who are not moving over the Jordan are the whole congregation of the Lord, you are not, you are just a "cult" if you do not believe exactly what we believe; if you do not do religion like we do religion, you are not a follower of the Lord.

‘What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel?  Whatever possessed you to turn your back on Christ?

to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the Lord? We are sure that in your church you do not really worship the Lord. 

‘Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over (come back) to the land of the possession of the Lord, Jehovah owns our church, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and we worship in HIS church, not like you, in yours, and take possession among us.  We can easily see that the place where you worship is evil, but if you repent and come back to us, we will gladly forgive you for your wickedness.  

But do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God.  Don't continue with this evil set of doctrines you hold. We hold all the right doctrines, and if you worship with us, you will also worship the Lord properly.

We Still Preach The Same Gospel

Then they ... answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel: “The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, We worship the same God you do! He knows, and let Israel itself know. Jehovah knows that this is true, and you should know it also. But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel?  Actually, we have not left off worshipping Jehovah, but your style of worship did not suit us, we needed a fellowship service that is more lively; or, for some, more subdued than yours.

“For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between you and us.  We admit that there is a line drawn between you and us but it is the Lord who has made this border.  So it is not right for you to say, You have no part in the Lord. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, a place to worship, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice.  We are not replacing the Christ who offered Himself as a sacrifice for us.  We will still preach "Christ crucified, risen, ascended and returning".  Only, we will have a different style and use different words than you do.

they ... built an altar there by the Jordan.  We have placed a cross at our church, just like you have at your church, that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him.  Why than do you say, “You have no part in the Lord.” ... “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn from following the Lord this day.”

Now when Phinehas the priest and those ... who were with him, heard the words that they spoke, it pleased them. Then Phinehas ... the priest said to them ... “This day we perceive that the Lord is among us.  Your denomination and ours stand united in doctrine, even though we may have cultural or emotional differences which cause us to worship in different methods.  We are so pleased that you have not committed this treachery against the Lord.” Joshua 22:9-31.

Denominational separation used to be very strong.  Some Christians thought, some still do, that they could not be friends with someone from a different denomination.  A very devout Roman Catholic Christian lady, in our town, has many Protestant friends who respect her thoroughly.  And why shouldn't they, if none of them are hung up on minor issues?

It is refreshing to see that some can overcome denominational barriers.  For example, not far from where we live, a Seventh Day Adventist group uses a building on Saturday to worship the Lord, and then on Sunday morning, a Presbyterian group uses the same building, to, also, worship the same Lord.  What would be really neat is, if then, because the Jehovah's Witnesses gather on Sunday afternoons anyway, they would use the same building, to worship Jehovah.

There seems to be an idea that the way we worship the Lord is the only right way to do it, and that anyone who does not do it our way is not really doing it at all. 

This reminds me of a poem I learned many years ago:

How to Pray

"The proper way for a man to pray,"
said deacon Lemuel Keys,
"His only proper attitude,
Is down upon his knees."

"No, I should say, the way to pray,"
Said Reverend Doctor Wise,
"Is standing straight with outstretched arms
and rapturous, upturned eyes."

"It seems to me his hands should be
devoutly clasped in front,
With both thumbs pointing to the ground."
Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

"Last year I fell in Hodkin's well,
head first," said Cyrus brown,
"with both my heals a-sticken up
and my head a-pointen down.

And I made prayer right then and there,
best prayer I ever said,
The prayenest prayer I ever prayed,
was standin on my head."

author unknown

41. Thou shalt! Thou shalt not!

Liberty In Christ

The Muslims must face Mecca when they pray, they must be on their knees and bow down, head to the floor. 

All Muslims must attempt to do the Hajj (visit Mecca) at least once in their lifetime. 

While I was preparing to write this post I visited the Muslim rulebook and found a list of 735 rules. In Christianity we do not have those items as rules; however, some of those items we also follow because of common decency or proper etiquette.

Christians also keep many of the Muslim laws, because we, like they, have high moral standards; but we do not keep them because they are written as rules.  I wonder if this is what Christ was referring to when he said, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26. 

So, since Jehovah's spirit is indwelling Christians they do not need a long list of rules; they have supernatural guidance, if only they will take the time to nurture Jehovah's presence. 

Our leader, Christ, did not like rules.  He turned the whole idea of rules on its head.  Instead of making rules, Christ reversed that way of thinking.  Instead of saying, Do this or Do not do that, He said, Blessed are those who... However, because it is Christians' desire to please Christ they will follow the guidelines of the New Testament.

Christ reworded one very impressive Old Testament rule, And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. Luke 6:31. This rule covers common decency, honesty, etiquette, and all other areas of life.

For the Israelite community, there were the ten major rules.  There were some other mundane rules also, but, it was the Jewish leaders, who over the years, devised many arbitrary, Thou shalts and Thou shalt nots.  They ended up with 613 rules, including the Ten Commandments.

All but one of The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament are repeated, in different words, in the New Testament; the book which Christians are to follow.  

The one not repeated is Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Ex. 20:8. The remaining nine are enlarged upon by the New Testament preachers and writers.  It is perhaps not surprising that the New Testament has as many rules as it does, after all, most of the New Testament writers were Jews.

Christ came to set us free from man-made rules.  About this Saint Paul wrote, The Jewish law had many commands and rules, but Christ ended that law. Eph. 2:15 (NCV).  Christ proved this when He performed the miracle at the Pool of Bethesda. John 5:1-15.  It seems Christ could have healed the crippled man any day of the week, but no! He chose the Sabbath, to show the Jews that their man-made interpretation of the rules were of no consequence to Him. 

The Pharisees were so upset that Christ had done the healing on the Sabbath, that they could not even appreciate the fact that the man who had been a cripple for 38 years, could finally walk.  The best they could do is find fault with him for carrying his "roll-up" mattress on that holy day.

Christians do not need many laws about what to eat.  The New Testament has only two laws about food:

Do not eat meat offered to idols. 1 Cor. 8. 

Do not eat meat with blood in it. Acts 15:19.

We have no specific rules as to what to wear, or how to dress; except, to say, high Christian moral standards must always be maintained.

Become a Slave if You Choose

What has the church, since Christ's day, done about making rules?  There are many, many, and each separate group has its own set of man-made rules.  Here are a few of them. I did not invent any of the following rules, they are all real!

• You must never eat meat from warm-blooded animals on a Friday. (Roman Catholic) 
• You must never eat pork. (Seventh Day Adventist) 
• You must not drink caffeinated coffee or coke. (Mormon)

• Priests, bishops, cardinals and nuns must not marry.  Before the Roman Catholic Church had even begun to exist, Paul already warned Timothy about such an ungodly law.  People will be forbidding to marry. 1 Tim. 4:3.  

It is, in large part, because of that ungodly law that there has been such widespread immoral conduct among Roman Catholic priests and nuns.    That is also why there have been so many unwanted babies killed inside their "sacred" walls.

• If one invokes the holy trinity and makes the sign of the cross the sign must flow from the top down and then from left to right. 
• No way! It must flow from right to left.  Ostensibly because the Son of God is more important than the Holy Spirit is.   And people have argued, and are still arguing, about that!

• A newborn must be baptised as soon as possible, in case it dies, at least it will go to heaven, not to hell! (Roman Catholic)
• Young people should get baptized before they get married. (Some Mennonites)
• People should never be baptised until they have made a personal choice to follow Jesus.  Certainly, never as an infant! (Most Evangelicals)
• Unless you are baptized by immersion you are not really baptised and certainly not born again. (Some offshoots of the Evangelical group)

• Men must have short hair, women must never cut their hair. (Some Mennonites)

About this rule, the Apostle Paul wrote: Does not even nature itself teach you that if man has long hair, it is a shame to him? But if a woman should have long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her in place of a veil. But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God. 1 Cor. 11:14-16.

• It is alright for Christians to own and drive cars. (Most Christians)
• Yes, but the bumpers must be black; black indicates humility. (Black Bumper Mennonites)
• The Christians in the Bible did not own cars and neither should we. (Some other Mennonites)

• Musical instruments are not allowed in a worship service. (Some Mennonites)
• Praise the Lord with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Psalm 33:2.

• Women should ... not come (into a church) in dresses that are too short or revealing or in slacks. Even before entering the church women should wipe off their lipstick. OrthodoxPhotos.com. 

This makes one wonder, though, is it OK for women to wear dresses that are too short when they are not going to church?

• Rules are made and disagreed about to a point where congregations break-up; 
• people who used to be friends can be friends no longer; 
• families who used to be united are now scorned by each other simply because they hold some different theological or practical viewpoints. 

Do we really need to be so hung up on so many little meaningless incidentals?

   In the Gospel of John Christ prayed for The Church.  His prayer has not yet been answered; He prayed, I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. John 17:11.

40: This Book of The Law

How Yo Be Prosperous

In one of the last posts about Moses I mentioned Isaiah, and my thoughts in Isaiah took us directly to the doctrine of the Trinity, and so we spent some time with that doctrine.  Starting with this post I want to return to the book of Joshua, that is where we left off with the death of Moses.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8.  

When Joshua charged the sons of Jacob with these words, he was speaking to the whole nation, and the obligations and the blessings he spoke of are for the nation as a whole.  Of course, nations are made up of individuals, and so these words by Joshua also apply to every person separately.  

Yet it seems that in the Old Testament at least, Jehovah's interest was much more on the national level than on the individual level.  What He did for, or through, an individual was done for the benefit of the nation; the nation He had chosen.

Notice a few points:

1. The commentaries I checked all inferred, or stated, that when Joshua referred to This Book of the Law he meant the complete writings of Moses.  The writings of Moses now constitute that part of the Bible which is called "The Law".  

According to that idea, Joshua included in his statement all the history, the wilderness wanderings and the blessings which are also found in the Pentateuch; the Book of the Law.  

The Church has expanded the meaning of the words "The Law" to include the whole Bible.  In a very loose sense, the Bible is the law book for Christians.  However, in saying that, one does not want to imply that Christians are bound by many and various laws, as Muslims are, and as the Israelites were (and are).

In Deuteronomy 6:20-23 Moses says, When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What is the meaning of all the laws we are to keep? then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord ... brought us out from there, that He might bring us in (into Canaan).  Now Joshua says, you shall meditate on your history; on the fact that some of our elders met with Jehovah; on Jehovah's many blessings to us. If you do meditate in it (the law of Moses) you may (in Hebrew it is, you shall) ... do it.

2. For then you will make your way prosperous.  We should probably think of this statement as a proverb (probability) rather than as an oath from Jehovah.  

On the individual level, we certainly know that there are many cases where it is not a fact.  There are many Christians who distinctly follow the teachings of the Bible, who, one turn after another, experience physical or economic setbacks to the point of despair.

Still, as a probability, it is true that people who follow the teachings of the Bible have a better chance of having a successful life than those people who hang out with mean spirited street gangs; with those who do drugs; with those who cheat, etc.  Christ's list of things to avoid sounds like this, evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. Mark 7:21-22.  

If you avoid those things then you will have good success.  It is our narrow mindset that tells us that the word, success, means material wealth.  In the Hebrew text, this phrase is, then you shall proceed intelligently.

Earlier Moses had given the same basic rule to the Israelites with these words: And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  Parents, you must know the Bible before you can teach it to your children.  If you teach the Bible to your children from their earliest years, the biblical moral codes will be in their hearts, and your children will be much less likely to follow the path that leads to destruction.  They will be much less likely to join groups such as ISIS.

You shall teach them diligently to your children.  We all agree that it is not enough to tell our "kids" once, and then hope they will live the way we know they should live.  They need to be taught, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. Isa. 28:10.  By word and by lifestyle.

Why is it that in North America we do not allow the teachers of our children teach them the rudiments of our nation's basic religion (Christianity).  Just because a few teachers do not like to hear the prayer that our Leader taught us we have removed it from our schools. 

Where will our children learn the basic elements of decency and Christianity if the people who spend six hours a day with them are not allowed to suggest they should follow the guidelines taught in the Bible?

Understandably some, even of those born in North America, find the Bible objectionable, but should those few be allowed to overrule the majority who still believe that a nation's security rests on honesty, kindness and following the precepts of the Bible?  

However, because North America has allowed the education system to be so totally degraded, the pressure to teach their children high moral standards lies much more heavily on the parents than it used too.

• You shall talk of them when you sit in your house; when, you, parents have them at home and are relaxing with them, talk to them.  There must be some time when you and they are together, conversing, and their thumbs are not busy on that handheld device.  
• Or when you walk by the way, going for a walk with them, 
• when you lie down, at bedtime; 
• or when you rise up.  What do you talk about the first thing in the morning; the greatest movies or sports heroes? The decline of the value of your currency?

How about afew conversations about decency and honesty?

You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God.  Not only should you talk religion to your children, but you should also live in accordance with the commandments of the Lord your God.  

Christ summed these up very tersely: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mat. 22:37-39.

Again, if you follow the teachings of the Bible and do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, the chances are much better that it will be well with you. Deut. 6:6-25.