WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK?

It was a small and rather poor town with a small and rather poor church, so poor they could not afford their own meeting place. The only place they could find to meet was on the lower floor of a dilapidated old building with a dance hall on the second floor. It was a terrible situation, as the dance hall was almost always full of people with loud music accompanied by the stomping of many feet and boisterous shouts.

One Sunday the church was meeting and the usual melee was going on above them. Suddenly there was a loud crack and plaster falling from the ceiling as well as the lower portion of a woman hanging through a hole in the ceiling.

Immediately the preacher called out, "Any man that raises his eyes to the ceiling will be struck blind by the lord." Dead silence descended upon the congregation as everyone wondered what would happen next. Then in a shaky quivering voice an old man in the back of the hall was heard to say, "Well, I think I might risk one eye anyway."

I know it's a humorous story, but it speaks to a very serious problem in our world and sadly in our churches today. We are constantly bombarded by nudity and fowl language in the sanctity of our own homes now. The television programs seem to be trying to push a liberal view of what is acceptable and what isn't. Honestly, we have had to turn off and stop watching several programs in the past year, because of the sinful content of the programs. They know that sex and nudity grabs people and causes them to watch the programs. They know exactly what they are doing, but not living lives guided by God they really don't care.

One of the problems is that it is possible to become hardened to what is being shown and honestly we don't realize that we have been watching something wicked. God demands that we change the way we think, act, live and what we allow to influence us.

Paul writing in Romans 6:1 reminds us of the transformation we made when we decided to serve Christ. Notice his words, because his question is still valid for us today:  "Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?"(NIV) The old King James Version says, "God Forbid" that we should do such a thing.

The problem with far too many of us is that we are "willing to risk one eye," to indulge in just a little sin. Yet, that's not the way it works with God. You must be either 100% for him or you are against him, you can't be lukewarm in your commitment or he will judge you as guilty, (Revelation 3:16). Your kids might scream and holler that they like that show and all of their friends watch it, but God expects us to live differently from the world. The Psalms perhaps say it best in Psalm 101:3 here the writer says simply, "I will set no wicked thing before my eyes."

As for me, I think I'll try my best to keep both eyes where they need to be

Change

We live in a world where (almost) everyone wants change. We want to see new things, do new things, move to a new house, change jobs, learn new things, experience new thrills, challenge ourselves to do things we have never done before. Desiring change is not a bad thing, at least in regards to most things.

 

One of the more familiar quotes we see from time to time is: "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." (Doug Caufmann). There is truth to that statement. If you keep doing things the same way, you are not going to have change. Our society seems to think that the lack of change is a bad thing, but is that always true? Now, I'm no just being an "old foggy," who doesn't believe in change. I love change in my life and expect it in our world. My wife and I have lived in 7 states as well in Kenya, East Africa. We love to experience new things and different people. We embrace change in our lives for the most part.

 

However (you knew there would be a disclaimer didn't you), I cannot and will not embrace change to God's church or God's Word. I've been disappointed in churches and church leaders throughout our land who want to try and make changes to God's church. They go to extremes to try and make "church" more palatable to our young folks who desire change. And, if they don't get the change they want, they go somewhere they can find it. It's really not surprising, we were warned about it a couple of thousand years ago when the Apostle Paul wrote a young preacher, Timothy. Notice what he said, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy_4:3) 

 

Here is what we see happen so often. People who do not have a lot of knowledge of God's word start to desire change. They want more services that are more entertaining, something that makes them feel good. They approach the leadership and demand change in the church. The leadership either caves in to their request or they threaten to leave.

 

At some point we must realized that, yes, there are some things that we can change, but there are some things that we dare not change. Why? Because God gave us directions as to how things must be in His Word. He was not mistaken, he did not communicate unclearly, he was not just kidding when he told us what he wanted us to do. God doesn't think or act as we do as humans.

 

We tend to forget what we are told in Numbers 23:19, that: "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind." God has given us clear directions regarding what is necessary for our salvation. He it clear on what is morally and ethically acceptable. He is clear about marriage and sexual relationships. He is clear about the worship that is acceptable to him. These things are not given to change just because or society has decided that they want them to change.

 

What about those who demand change to what God has already put into place? Psalm 55:19 speaks of: "God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change, he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God. You see, it all boils down to having a "fear" for God and His Word. (Hebrew lit. "respect or fear to displease him").

 

Let me encourage you to be careful as to what you change rather than one day standing before God and being brought to your knees in shame, (humbled).