Are we really persuaded?
18 August 1999
As I completed last weeks message, I had the feeling that this whole
Chronicles of Diversity thing was entering into a time of transition. Not only
have I communicated to some extent, what I believe the church should address as
we enter a new millennium, but I had also run out of personal funds to
continue. Well, even though I spent a couple of days with only a couple of
bucks, the Lord has provided, like he always does and the remaining bills,
including one I had overlooked have been paid. Doors seem to be before me
through which I shall be able to move forward as the Lord provides. Just which
doors will be opened and when, is for God's providence. but I am persuaded.
One of the things that helped persuade me is the following message I got
from Michael Bryan in Smolensk, Russia. Michael and his wife Mary Lou and their
four children started and are pastoring a church there for the last couple of
years. If even a small percentage of the church pulpits were, or are occupied,
with men of his dedication, the church would never be in the mess we see today.
His message has helped me focus on what has been said more in these electronic
bits and bytes pretty much from the beginning. That is we as the church are
supposed to be a diverse body of eternal personalities, living in a community
that the Bible calls the Body of Christ, Jew and Gentile. Much of protestant
church history shows us rather than iron sharpening iron, one or all the
parties involved go out and form there own church, denomination, sect, cult or
God only knows. We focus on our differences, not on Christ, the Cross and the
Word.
by Michael Bryan
Always remember that the "Reformation" failed in this one aspect.
It didn't reform the church, it just created another faction similar in form
and function, with a few exceptions. The priesthood and Sacraments were given
different names, the wars continued, the factions within the churches remained,
and the priests were just as lude and irresponsible many charged with drunkenness.
The Bible was often shunned and for the most part the common people were
excluded from the church structure. Church Laity and Clergy had their places,
this was never taught in the beginning of the church. And if you've read the
early church fathers, one said: We have all things in common. . . except our
wives!
One thing is certain the Reformation made common enemies of those who didn't
join them. Calvin was determined that unless you were of his persuasion you
were a heretic. Ask Michael Servetus, I'm sure he didn't want to burn in the
flames though he thought differently than Calvin. I suppose you may say that
was a justifiable excuse in his time! Then abortion is justifiable in our time
for Christians. Homosexuality is justifiable or any number of distortions that
can be turned into spiritual truth. One thing is clear in all of this, the
demise of western civilization. With the Reformation came the enlightenment.
New ways of thinking entered the universities and before long Man became the
center of attention. God was excluded, existentialism was born and now God is a
relic of the past. We have forgotten the fear of God. Like Israel we have
embraced other deities, other Idols. Human reasoning, pragmatism or any number
of other philosophies that have come into our reach. Romans 1: 18-28.
The decline in the west is no new beginning if you understand Frances
Schaffer's insight. How often he warned us of impending doom. We however, have
shut our ears and our eyes. The day is almost upon us when standing up for God
will be a crime punishable by death. Or perhaps you are under the impression "It will never happen in America!" Our
sad demise is nothing new, the Nation that forgets God (Proverbs 14:34 &
Isaiah 60:12), forgets that He judges impartially. One old time preacher put it
this way, "If God doesn't judge America, he'll
have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!" But many Americans today
want security and wealth to hedge against the future. Their main goal is to
save enough to keep them secure from all harm. How foolish to assume we can
defeat God. Or fill our pockets with enough to sustain us against that day.
Only when we begin to see our need to Fear the Lord and to turn away from sin,
then there will be any lasting change. You can stand on the street corners but
that won't draw them from the fires! One needs look at the moral decay in our
legal system to see that we aren't far from destruction. When the nations
leaders can lie under oath, and walk away from perjury, when after committing
the act says, "I couldn't help myself."
And the nation says, "That's O. K. we're with
you." Nixon didn't get off that easy for spying on another party,
why should Clinton do something worst than spying and be set free?
The "Real Reformationists were the hunted
and despised Anabaptists!" Calvin labeled all Anabaptists with the
Munster Rebellion of 1527, and concluded that any [Anabaptist] was a heretic.
Yet their simple testimony even from the lips of Malancthon, Calvin's right
hand man; was that he could find nothing to condemn them in their pure way of
life, except that they were heretics, they lived morally pure lives as the
gospel commanded them to live. Yet Calvin burned in his heart to condemn them
throughout Europe and Luther wasn't far behind. Meno Simons was a wanted
criminal for 12 years, thanks to Calvin.
What the Anabaptists wanted and what is needed today is a simple turning
back to the beginnings of the gospel. Read Acts, is this where the church is at
today? Ask yourself, are we on common ground with each other, do we have all
things in common except our wives? Are we burning with a passion to share our
faith to the ends of the earth? Are people keeping themselves at a safe
distance less they be killed like Anaias & Sapphira, yet many more are
joining the church because of God's purifying fire?
Look at the great revivals in America. Two of them changed the conscience of
America, today many people go to church yet their conscience remains worldly
and unwilling to change for righteousness. There are many examples to look
from, but we must all ask what are we doing to change ourselves to have an
effective life on earth?
There will be no Catholics in heaven, nor Protestants, nor Baptists,
Lutherans, Anglicans, just believers in Christ. Those who fervently followed
and believed. The City as described in Revelation 21 & 22 isn't
compartmentalized, nor is the expression hinted there, of a place for this
group and that group. Just a place for those who have done the will of God.
Galations3:27-29. "Well done thou good and
faithful servant!" That's all the saint has to look forward to! An
all in commonness, all in agreement with God and each other.
The Catholic church is in the fore-front "of
setting itself up for a one world religion!" To homogenize the
church on earth, yet it will be devoid of Christ teachings! A pseudo-christian
blend of Buddhism, and anything else to make peace. What will become of
Christians who oppose such a merger, what will be thought of those who stand in
the way of peace on earth, no matter what it costs? Already the polarization in
America has occurred between the believer, church, and state.
Europe is aligning itself with other nations within itself to establish a
one world monetary system of exchange the "Euro
Dollar goes into effect next January 2000!" There are so many
things coming to the surface that there's little time to evaluate what tactics
are necessary to approach street evangelism. But if there's no heart felt
change to fearing God for his coming judgements who will change?
Luther didn't go far enough to destroying the apostate church, that's why he
escaped martyrdom. He realized that this was too radical to scrap the whole
system so he changed it slightly, but that didn't break the framework that
already existed within the superstructure. And therefore the Lutherans have
forgotten their differences and are slowly merging together. Leading to one day
unite, together against all who oppose "the
world order" and its edicts.
Peter was given a dream, but not like any other dream. Peter was hungry, he
sat on Simon the Tanner's roof to wait and while he waited he began to pray, He
fell into a trance, God had to change his view about some people! People who
were mutually excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. Gentiles! Gentiles were
unclean, sinners and reprobates. They ate with unclean hands, and it was
forbidden to associate or even enter their homes or businesses. Gentiles who
converted to Judaism were still excluded for some time till they performed
certain ceremonial washings. And in general they were excluded in the
Synagogues when they came. Peter says it all, "Surely not, Lord!" He
was under the same impression as all Israel, but God showed him what to do!
What is God showing us today? Look up for our redemption draws nigh, there's
little time left!
The greatest sin in America is - Religious apathy! I think along with this
is the perception that God does all the work and we recline back and let God do
the work. But to be an eye-witness you need to be in a place where something is
happening!
Amen and thanks brother!
Michael & Mary Lou Bryan
mandm04@keytown.com
Thank you Michael. May we all use this as this message from you to focus on
who we are, where we are going, and who is our head.
For this reason I also suffer these things;
never the less I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believe and am
persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
(2 Timothy 1:12)
Hermeneutics: The study of the methodological
principles of interpretation (as of the Bible).
As far as I know everyone who gets this letter first hand believes quite
strongly the above quotation from Second Timothy. Differences develop however
in our interpretations not so much from this verse, but in the underling model,
by which we see what we read, teach and preach, the great Biblical truths.
To carry Michael's thoughts a little farther. In last weeks ecumenical
paper, was mentioned a model utilizing the Reformers and the Roman Catholic use
of a Augustinian, amillennial or realized millennium (Very simply, Christ now
reighs the millennia kingdom from heaven.). These two hermeneutics regard the
"City of God" and its eschatology, striving in opposition or tension
with the "City of man". Since this has been the dominate view of the
church since Augustine or Constantine, or way back when, those real world more
than 15 or 16 centuries, does make it a valid model to study in the development
of Meyers Falls, Oikosvirtual. My questions however are: Are these the best
hermeneutics for the church and community as we enter a new millennium? Is this
model really a man centered, or God centered, and what does that depend upon?
And to put this in a real hermeneutical quandary, what does the Bible say? Is
there anyone out there who would like to venture into this field and plow some
long fallow ground. Tension that thought with Psalm 133, which we will use as
this weeks benediction.
For I am persuaded that with Christ as the head and center of the church,
many of our walls will dissolve in our understanding of his holiness, our own
frailty, and the beauty of the free gifts we have been given, salvation and the
Word of God, the Bible.
As this nonconformist Irish man continues along these ecumenical lines (Oh,
God how much grace you bestow!), and to reach out to those of you who might not
know these people, the July/August issue of Modern
Reformation published by the Alliance
of Confessing Evangelicals (ModRef@AllianceNet.org;
or 215.546.3696), focuses on Hermeneutics.
Psalm 133
A son of ascents. Of David
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion:
For there the LORD commanded the blessing -
Life forevermore.