— Critical issues concerning the Church —

Fellow Soldier,

One of the lingerings of my first career (electronics engineering) is what I call “block diagram thinking.”  Orderly and logical for sure, but that isn’t what some (especially the liberal) find so annoying.  It contends that a woman cannot be “almost” pregnant; she either is ... or she is NOT.  It’s black or white; in or out; up or down; yes or no.  Period!

To my delight, God’s word reveals the same kind of is-or-isn’t thinking ... for sure, tempered by His mercy and grace.  However, these cushions do not change his “either/or” commands, ordinances and decrees.  He tells us precisely the way things must be: HIS way;  no substitutes, maybes or half-ways are acceptable (Nadab and Abihu come to mind, Nu 3:4).  In His economy, one cannot be “almost” born-again, etc.

Church of Almostarians

“Almost” counts only with horseshoes & hand grenades

"What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?  For we are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” — 2Cor 6:15b-17a

Beloved, it genuinely grieves me to so often feel led, to, in a sense, “chew on your ankles” about one thing or another.  It would be much more pleasant for the both of us if I were allowed to deliver up some A-B-C way to con (ha!) God out of a house, the perfect mate or to give you a way to boost self esteem.  But, I cannot.  Sorry to say, you and I are both on the losing end of the either/or choice of who to please.  In consolation, let’s remember .. our loving Father is more interested in eternal well-being than our temporal comfort.

The “Almost” Life

In defense of we imperfect souls (bear with me, Father) we’ve all been raised in and trained by a largely merciless system of rules, laws and ordinances; not a problem for God, that system derives from Him.  That, not being a pagan consideration, or for that matter, even with most Christians, we’ve developed manifold ways to push the legal envelope for our short-term gain: we squeak through traffic lights on very dark orange; almost come to a full stop at the red octagonals; we almost obey the speed limit; almost tip and tithe ... and report most of our taxable income.

It’s commonplace for some to see just how close they can operate to the letter of the law; on the very cusp of criminality, without getting caught.  Never mind its spirit! That IS the way some live and, in defense of us more cowardly, it’s also the way our minds had been conditioned.  It tries to get away with as much as possible without getting caught.  With most, this is done under the self deluded guise of law-abiding, honesty and respectability.  It’s all quite natural to the fallen nature ... the norm of Adamic society.

THIS is the mind-set we bring into our Christian lives and into the Church, where once again we are confronted with the absolutes of Christ Jesus.  It’s therefore not surprising we tend to operate in the same manner.  We hear the “be ye separate” command as, “almost come out” of the world.  Since that thinking oft prevails from pulpit to pew, we corporately and hypocritically live in a state of marginal, spiritual criminality.  We smilingly come together with our best sides and finery on display in the hope they’ll hide the grime of our crime.  “Crime” ... oh yes; that’s merely another word for sin in the moral realm.  In this instance, the sin of self righteousness.  As the prophet reminds:  "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" — Isa 64:6.

Oh, how dearly I would rather be telling you how well we’re doing; how wonderful we’ve become and focus on heavenly rewards.  But I simply cannot foster delusion.  We are all yet so pathetically needful of cleansing and the Lord’s wholeness.  But beloved, how can we attain to His standards if we are forever trying to convince ourselves and one another that we’ve already “arrived”?  Worse yet; we try to persuade God that we are living in accord with His will.  We have GOT to get real with all three parties ... especially our Father.

Whether looking into our bathroom mirror or that of God’s Word, we must come to grips with the truth of our “almost” lives.  It’s a fraud!  We might succeed in deceiving ourselves and some others, but we will never pass inspection before God’s throne.  What could possibly be more important than that?  It’s He Whom we must please; not others or our egos.

“Be ye separate”

Raised in the greater New York/Philadelphia area and having also lived in Pennsylvania’s Amish/Mennonite region ... I know, first hand, what ethnic and religious enclaves are.  Many of last century’s immigrants clustered so that eventually, entire neighborhoods became distinctly Italian, German, Irish, Norwegian, Jewish, and so on.  One had no trouble in readily identifying another’s ethnicity.  Peoples were distinctly different, one from the other ... as are Amish and Mennonites.  We Christians are to be as distinctive TODAY as were members of the early Church.

Do you know what set them apart?  Jesus!  Anybody who spends time with Christ, becomes more like Him (2Cor 3:18).  They did and they were!  His essence, being the very distillation of God Himself, could not be hid by human packaging.  His holiness, His righteousness, His wisdom, obedience, wholeheartedness, love for the Father and His power, flowed into those around Him.  Now, hear this: bystanders also knew it!  When growing up, we could smell an Italian’s garlic, hear an Irish brogue and easily spot a rosary ... and one can quickly identify those who regularly spend time with Jesus.  They are distinctive "... when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" — Acts 4:13.

Friend, saints today who daily spend time with Jesus increasingly become as conspicuous as He and their most outstanding distinctives are consecration and devotion.  God intends we be set apart from the world for his pleasure.  "Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives" — Ez 10:11.  Without doing violence to scripture, I suggest “wives” are anything one is married to.  A-ha!  Right here is the crux of this matter of we Christians being “worldly.”  Upon our marriage to Christ, some do not get divorced from the ways and things of the world ... therefore live in spiritual bigamy.

No spouse has to strain to imagine the heartbreak of being yoked to one who has divided affections; who isn’t wholeheartedly committed to their mutual relationship.  Well then, how do you suppose OUR spiritual infidelity plays in heaven?  By that, I mean, we act and claim to be monogomously married to Christ, but have a surreptitious love.  We might even function in the body of Christ with considerable delight and benefit to others ... while cloaking secret interludes with our unregenerate life: ideas, things, activities, even persons in conflict with fidelity and kingdom living ... ungodly relationships.  Bigamy!  To the degree they bind and anchor us to the world, is the measure of our intimacy with Jesus.  Him to Whom we’ve been betrothed!  We therefore live the “almost” Christian life of bigamy and attend the Church of the Almost on Laodician Lane.  The Lord, its Husband, wrote them a letter.  In part, it says: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm ... neither hot nor cold ... I am about to spit you out of my mouth" — Rev 3:15,16.

“Come out from among them,” and “be ye separate” are standing divine directives from Noahadic times and God hasn’t altered His position.  Our options are, either “for” or “against” Jesus (Mt 12:30; Lk 6:23) ... and that choice determines our reward and eternal destiny.  Scripture provides at least two reasons for needing a clear-cut decision: our Father is a jealous God (Ex 20:5) and, "Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" — Lu 9:62.  For a Christian to be deceived into thinking they can “cheat” on God and get away with it is the height of folly.  To the monogamous and faithful, the time of our “husband,” Jesus’ return is wonderfully close ... fearfully so for the bigamist.

Dear brother or sister, we beg you to hear the Lord in all this.  Although He is demanding in His ordinances (for our good) He is equally gracious, merciful and forgiving (2Cor 12:9,10).  As One Who lived on earth in fully human form, He faced all its temptations, pit-falls, disappointments, struggles and surely ... its cruelty, pain and agony.  As the writer of Hebrews reminds: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are ... yet was without sin" — Heb 4:15.  Jesus knows exactly what we’re faced with and the Spirit stands ever ready to help us overcome.  God also knows the details of our infidelities.  Moreover, He forgives the sins and trespasses of ALL who call upon His name (1Jn 1:9).  To the woman caught in the act of adultery he said, "go, and sin no more" (Jn 8:11).  To us today, He says the same.

This planet’s experiment with self government will soon come to a cataclysmic end with each  inhabitant having chosen their eternal destiny.  Scripture therefore implores: "... come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you ... Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (2Co 6:17; Rv 22:20).

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