A Sober Distinction Between Lip Service and True Piety

-

Let us maintain a sober and necessary distinction between those who merely criticize the spiritual decay of the age and those who, in the fear of the Almighty, labor against it. There is a vast gulf separating those who simply affirm the existence of error from those who are truly broken before God because of the transgression! Verily, a great chasm separates those who merely attend the assembly and those who, in humility, worship God in Spirit and in Truth. As the sacred record laments, the wicked doth often surround the righteous, wherefore wrong judgments abound in the public square and even within the hallowed courts of the Church (Habakkuk 1:4).

Of such wrong judgments is born a grievous lack of urgency for the advancement of Christ's eternal Kingdom—a damnable disease we call complacency. This slothful spirit doth stand in direct violation of the LORD's solemn command to "occupy" our appointed posts until His glorious return (Luke 19:13).

We must affirm that the assembling of the saints is a duty of great importance, but not in the shallow manner that many do boast. For many of our dear brethren in perilous lands cannot gather their souls together save at the risk of their very lives, yet this lack doth not render them one jot less Christian than those who convene in comfort and liberty. Conversely, many do gather with great convenience, yet their formal attendance doth not make them any more acceptable in the sight of God than those who publicly blaspheme His holy Name! The final measure of the saint is found not in the outer convenience, but in the inner surrender and active devotion.

Take for instance this grievous matter: assuredly, all believers profess that the sacred ordinance of Baptism possesses no power to save the soul, yet the very manner in which they vehemently contend for its various modes do render their zeal suspicious, as if the water itself held the key to everlasting life! Whether one was entirely immersed, or whether the water was poured upon, or simply sprinkled upon the brow—this matter is not the essential issue. For the truly redeemed soul is washed not in elemental water, but in the precious, efficacious blood of the Savior! They are inwardly changed and continue to be remolded from the core of their being, fresh and anew, even as God's tender mercies appear every morning.

Likewise, all professing believers know full well that mere attendance in the assembly possesses no power to save, yet the relentless and anxious manner in which they argue for their presence, and condemn the absence of others, doth once more render their posture suspect, making it sound as if the very act of sitting in the pew doth secure their eternal inheritance.

Let us cease this idolatry of the outward form and cling only to the inward reality of Christ dwelling within us!

Let this truth be eternally settled upon the heart: Christ alone saveth, and none else. It is assuredly true that the redeemed shall gather together. And, alas, it is equally true that in most instances, the unsaved shall gather with the redeemed, for both the Wheat and the Tares must grow together upon the same field of this world. But mark the distinction, for it is eternal: the Wheat, being quickened by the Spirit, shall pursue the Kingdom of God zealously, even violently, with their whole being; while the Tares shall merely stand by and observe—and content themselves with attending the church assembly.

The heart, brethren, cannot render what it hath not received, nor can it truly be what it is not in its very nature. The spirit is either for the world or for Christ! It is either dead in the world and its vain pleasures, or it is alive in Christ and His eternal purpose. It is either against Christ or for Christ. There is nothing in the whole compass of existence that stands in between these two great, unyielding realities!

Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
Habakkuk 1:5  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Public Reading of Scripture

-
Image
It is most appropriate to begin public proclamation with scripture. Only then does preaching follow after. People need to hear God's word, not my opinion. Always after reading am I assisted mightily in power and in spirit. I have, in the course of my meager experience, compiled different portions of scripture that present the gospel in a linear fashion, so that it forms a singular paragraph and a consistent train of thought. Reading it alone is equivalent to preaching. If you have been given the heart to take the gospel to the lost but are afraid of preaching, I highly encourage you to read scripture. Anyone who can read can do this. If you want to kill the flesh, reading scripture in public is one of the best ways to accomplish this. But then again, keep in mind that carrying the gospel has a high price. Not one of perfection, but a sincere striving towards purity and holiness. If you have no desire in yourself to practice what you preach, or read in this matter, then it...
Read more

The Lamb's Book of Life, And The Eternal Will Of God For The Security Of Those Who Have Been Graciously Called To Come & Believe

-
Image
A journal entry. One early morning of October. A study on my readings, on John 1:13, Ephesians 1:4, Revelation 13:8, 17:8 and 21:27.  From eternity past, even before the beginning of the beginning, the Lamb wrote a book.    In this book were special names. Names He had elected, in His gracious sovereignty, to be His very own people. His divine, covenantal will, was to bless them with the continual light of His presence, and to bring them to Himself, there to dwell before Him in blissful glory, for all eternity. These names were written in tender affection, with great love, and with great zeal, amidst a great plan to reveal to them this love, through sacrifice. He had written these names down permanently, determined and precisely, without any intention to erase or blot them out. He had written them down from eternity, and there will they remain throughout all eternity. He who wrote them embodies eternity, for He is eternity, and whom He loves He loves with a love that kno...
Read more

The Fallibility of Ministers

-
Will not ecclesiastical rank and dignity confer infallibility? No—they will not! It matters nothing what a man is called. He may be a Preacher, Minister, or Deacon. He is still a fallible man! Neither the education, nor the anointing oil, nor the laying on of hands, can prevent a man making mistakes. Will not numbers confer infallibility? No—they will not! You may gather together princes by the score, and ministers by the hundred; but, when gathered together, they are still liable to err. You may call them a council, or an assembly, or a conference, or whatever you please. It matters nothing. Their conclusions are still the conclusions of fallible men. Their collective wisdom is still capable of making enormous mistakes. The example of the Apostle Peter at Antioch is one that does not stand alone. It is only a parallel of many a case that we find written for our learning, in Holy Scripture. Do we not remember Abraham, the father of the faithful, following the advice of Sarah, and takin...
Read more

When God Closes Doors

-
Image
It was but yesterday morning, whilst engaged in my most needful devotional exercise, that the Lord met me with such tender power. As I turned the sacred pages to the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, and my eye fell upon the twentieth verse, I could not restrain the rising tide of emotion—and I broke down entirely before Him. For weeks, the only sorrow that truly burdened my spirit, since parting ways with the congregation where we sought fellowship, was not the fear of any man’s opinion, nor any worldly concern, but this single, earnest petition: "Am I still in the center of your will, Father?" In that very moment of distress, my God came near and greatly, yet oh, so gently, comforted my soul. The Lord’s own voice seemed to leap right out from the very pages, wrapping me in a perfect peace that brushed away all anxiety. The Master of the wind and waves had spoken directly to the tempest in my heart, gently whispering eternal, assuring words: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” ...
Read more

I Did Not Pray

-
God is sovereign. When my son ran away for three nights I did not pray that he might return home, but that God would teach him what he needed to learn from it. When my wife was laboring for 14 hours in the hospital with our first baby and I was left outside waiting and wondering I did not pray for a safe delivery, but that God would give me reason to abound with joy in trusting him though I see not. When I slid into adultery 19 years ago my wife prayed for me to return, but God patiently changed her selfish petition to one of surrender. 14 years was the LORD witness to her pleas and cries. And when finally the fullness of her time in the school of secret prayer came, God then delivered me. When I received an incurable wound in my body because of my sin I did not pray to be healed, but that it should remain with me unhealed all my life, and that it would serve to remind me that I have offended God severely, yet in His mercy He forgave me. When my wife was diagnosed with a bes...
Read more