Isn't the internet great, over the weekend I finally found the original
source of one of my most quoted lines. It was presented in a sermon by Bishop
and the Right Reverend Raleigh Wright in 1830 in Port Glasglow, Scotland. From
the pulpit of the First Nonconformist Presbyterian church, Reverend Wright
spoke these unforgettable words: "We
don't smoke and we don't chew and we don't go with girls that do!"
Once I get the links to this sermon straighten out, I will be more than happy
to forward it to you. The title of this sermon was "The
distinction of being a Wright and being right." This
masterpiece, so I am told, was preached accompanied by dramas of unholy
behavior and the appropriate righteous responses. It took over two hours to
present but no one left their seat for it was a convicting tour de force. One
of the participants was one Margaret MacDonald who had a segment on dreams and
visions, but the rumor that Peggy had envisioned more than just a platonic relationship
with Raleigh could never be substantiated. Perhaps, again not verified that she
smoked cigars.
Like Raleigh, we are many times proud of our religious distinctions. It is
really great to understand that John the Baptist, was also a Baptist. From time
to time many preachers get this idea that if they sound like John the Baptist
they will be as effective as John the Baptist. I'm sure that somewhere in our
modern American religious structure, Pastor John has approached his plastic
podium clothed in a camel's hair tunic to expound the preaching of the real
John in Luke Chapter 3. "And even now the
ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." But Pastor John fails to realized that Christian
baptism in not solely the work of repentance from evil works, but a baptism in
to the justification of grace by faith in Jesus Christ. In John the Baptist we
see the transition from the Mosaic covenant to the seal of a better promise offered
in the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth. Preaching law without the
offering of grace is a distinction used by many to control their congregations.
"After all we do not want to stumble the
weaker brother!"
Perhaps it is time that American Evangelicalism, with her exported powdered
milk gospel, let God take care of the weaker brother and instead preach Christ
crucified and Christ resurrected. At the foot of the cross there are no
descendants of John the Baptist, Baptist, there are only adopted sons and
daughters of God reborn from death to eternal life by the blood of the spotless
lamb. Now since we have two thousand years of church history with only about
500 of Baptist Baptists, some of our new family might have only been sprinkled
and only as infants. We could go on into other issues, but it bears repeating
our distinctive statement from last week., "God
creates diversity to show us a piece of himself, through man's eternal
personality. Distinctives are developed by men to show others our differences."
I heard Chuck from Olympia say last week that his wife had a saying to him
when he was having trouble with other people's, diverse personalities (my
words) "Build a bridge and get over
it!" Now that makes a lot of sense. Christ built the bridge of
grace to redeem sinners. And over time many have crossed over into a new life.
But others have rejected that bridge into their lives. "No
thanks Jesus, I'm doing fine all by myself." Now the question is, could our religious
distinctiveness turn others away, whom God has chosen to administer grace into
our life? "No thanks Jesus, that bridge is
from those people and you know they are not me or John the Baptist,
Baptists."
Chuck and I also talked on Tuesday afternoon about how to build a bridge to
a Christian couple that were living together without being married. While a
number of Christians had told them, including myself, about the situation,
there truthfully were a number of difficult circumstances that needed to be
worked through in love without drawing some toll bridges of distinctiveness,
truly stumbling the weaker brother. Well in the grace of God on Saturday
afternoon, I had opportunity to attend their wedding. God had been working on
it for a long time and in just a few short days it all came together.
Craig from Mulketo, describing himself as a conservative Christian minister,
as part of his ministry, provides weddings to those who for some reason fall
through the distinctiveness of our marriage programs. "Since
marriage is a gift ordained by God, He has given me the opportunity to minister
to many lives at this time, when a couple may have no where else to turn." In this particular case the bride had given birth
to a child less than two months ago, by a father who was not the groom. I was
reminded that on this Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) a year ago, I was
also at a wedding in which a pregnant woman was not only befriended by her now
groom, but one of the few friends this bride had during this time. Perhaps, I
know of a similar circumstance going on now. As Craig mentioned, the Jewish
custom of marriage was that the one year period that we would call an
engagement was to prove that the woman was not pregnant. Then he would one day
show up and take her to his home and they would be married.
Now what would have happened if the good Jewish father of Jesus, would have
maintained his religious distinctiveness at the birth of our Lord. "Well Joe, I see that girl you were to marry is
not really a girl at all. I understand she says that God made the baby. You
know these women Joe, they always get the voice of God confused with the devil.
Pretty soon she will say,'The devil made me do it!' My advise to you brother
Joe, is to have her put away quietly. You know that she should be stoned, but
you must make a stand or your life of ministry will be ruined. Do you really
want to be a carpenter forever? After all a righteous descendant of David like
yourself should be a leading rabbi. Let me tell you Joe, as your friend, if you
don't do this now no one will ever hear of you, you will die just some no
account from Nazareth."
But thanks be to God that Joseph obeyed the angel of the Lord and not the
religious distinctions of his synagogue. For through that obedience the holy
one of Israel became a man. Now having the opportunity to leave the religious
atmosphere of Nazareth to go to Bethelem, I'm sure Joe was not really looking
forward to returning after the census. But way back in the time of the Exodus,
God had a plan. "Out of Egypt I called My
son." a reference to Numbers
24:8, Hosea 11:1. So God sent Joe, Mary, and Jesus to Egypt until the death of
Herod. Returning to Nazareth a few years hence, I'm sure he still had to deal
with what was looked upon in the community as his bastard son. But it was a
path of obedience that he had walked and even though Joseph as best as we know
remained a carpenter. That path took him to Mary's residence to pick up his God
given bride, from there to Bethelem, to Egypt and back to Nazareth. His name
surely has not been forgotten, as has his well meaning friends, men of
religious distinction.
So we can see that God works through the individual man and woman to
accomplish His glory. They may be remembered for the great works God
accomplished through them. But it is the natural tendency to bring that work of
God into the human frame of reference. We create a path of distinction for
those who come after to follow. It happened with the reformers and it continues
to happen today. Perhaps the greatest sin of the whole Protestant movement is
our need to promote our individual, denominational, and related distinctives at
the expense of the community in Christ, the communion of saints. The only way
to overcome that natural tendency is to major on the gospel with both our mind
and our hearts, build bridges and get over it, to those who will accept that
bridge head, and just by pass those stuck in the ditches of their sinful path
of distinctiveness.
In all the cases mentioned above those people who were able to put aside
their distinctions of religion and their distinctions of culture were able to
receive a blessing in measure to their willingness to participate. Trying
circumstances provide insight into the giftedness of other people. Those
insights will help all those who are willing to walk the path that God alone
provides. And through those diverse circumstances He creates His adopted sons
and daughters, able to prosper no matter what others may think or say. May we
all be able to becomes those eternal personalities and not be constrained by
our desire to be just a people of distinction.
Next week we will begin the Bible studies with something from Jeremiah,
followed by a New Testament study, a Psalm and a Proverb, somewhat in the
context of a Yearly Bible Reading Calendar published on the web site.
Hopefully, these studies will entice or convict you, it does not matter to me,
to read your Bible through each and every year. Even though the Reformation
gave us the Bible to read in our own language, probably the greatest reason the
church is in the sorry shape it is today, is that we have produced several
generations of Bible illiterates, especially in the church. This reading takes
a commitment that Godly symbiosis will bless, but requires a stepping beyond
the distinction of our path of understanding.
The money that arrived last week, along with
some other work I performed, will essentially get me to about the 20 something
of the month. At that time all the jobs I have any knowledge of will be
completed and I have no idea or hope for more except going out to get a real
job. While I will still be owed a goodly amount of money, when and if I will be
able to collect it all, truly rests within the Lord's provision. That basically
puts us back at the situation described a few weeks ago on the north end of
Lake Christina. Unless the Lord makes a way, camp will have to be made there
with winter coming on. Of course the idea has crossed my mind to go back and pick
up the SUV that ran in the ditch, just outside of Orient. But I know that it
was a Ford Explorer with Firestone tires and since I only rented it for the
week, someone else will probably have to deal with those hazards. Perhaps the
best thing is to remain at the end of the perceived road and pray for direction
and ask all of you to intercede to the same end.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole
spirit, soul and body, be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians
5:23,24)