Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Sun, 4 Oct 1992 13:13:51 EST
From:         Kerry Stephenson <KSTE@PURCCVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Some thoughts on commitment

Hi all:

I am still nomail, but there is something that has been weighing on my
heart that I feel I need to share.

Increasingly, as I observe the world around me, I feel as though I am
being blessed (or cursed) to see things, if you will, "through God's
eyes."  What I see disturbs me greatly.  It seems as though the wickedness
of the world is running almost unchecked, with only the meekest attempts
made to control it--or, more accurately, to clean up the mess after the
evil is done.  As late as 5 years ago, there was a consensus in the society
that--at least--there was such a thing as good and such a thing as evil.
We may not have all agreed on what fit into which category, and people of
good conscience could disagree on these matters--but everyone recognized
the validity of the existence of the categories themselves.  Now I see,
again and again, from teachers, from the media--even from religious
leaders--a denial that there even is such a thing as absolute good
or absolute evil.  And I wonder at the consequences of such thinking
and teaching.

I also see a terrible danger to the Christian community in our willingness
to compromise standards and to quietly stand in the corner while others
denigrate our faith and our God.  You see, it is painfully clear that, in
the last days (whenever they may be), there will come a time when allegience
to Christ will be not only a question of eternal life--but of physical life,
as well.  The AntiChrist (whomever that may be) will welcome those Christians
who will compromise the deity and standards of Christ and will persecute
those who refuse.

If we, now, are afraid to speak up for Him, for fear of being ridiculed,
or embarrassed, or getting a bad grade--what will we do when the threat
is imprisonment or death?  If we cannot or will not speak against those
who claim that less than 10% of the words of the book of John attributed
to Christ were actually spoken by Him, what will we do when allegience to
those very words carries with it the threat of persecution, imprisonment,
torture, and death?

The Lord has said that he who is unfaithful in small things will be
unfaithful in greater things.  The time is now, before it is a question
of freedom and physical life, to commit ourselves to faithfulness in
those small things.  For Jesus did not give us an easy out.  He did not
say that, "if you deny Me before men, but you have a really good reason,
that will be okay."  He said "whoever denies Me before men, him I will also
deny before My Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 10:33).  We *must* *now*
(if we have not already) begin to learn absolute faithfulness.  We *must*
practice standing for Him in small things, or we will be unprepared (and
perhaps even unwilling) to stand for Him when it means the greatest sacrifice
of all.

This morning, during the time prior to communion, when music is played,
God spoke to me of His sacrifice.  This bread that we eat is our remembrance
of the sacrifice of His body--a body He created for that very sacrifice, into
which He incarnated His very Self as one of us.  Our bodies, too, were
created for His service--and nothing else.  This wine (or grape juice, or
whatever you might use) is our remembrance of the sacrifice of His blood--
the blood He shed for us as atonement for *our* sin (not His), the blood
*our* sin demanded be shed, and which *our* ancestors took by their own
hand.  Our blood, too, the very essence of our life, was poured into us
for His service, as His blood was created for sacrifice for *our* sin.
And it, too, may someday be required in service of God.

The Father who loved us, despite our unworthiness, gave us His son, the
greatest sacrifice conceivable.  Jesus came to us, walked among our
ancestors as a friend and companion, was betrayed by our ancestors, and
died for *our* sin.  God gave us His life, that we might live for Him
and with Him.

In the times to come (perhaps soon, perhaps very far off--we cannot know),
we may be called upon to do more than merely remember this sacrifice and
submit our lives to the will of God (by which we usually mean trying to
live up to his standards, failing miserably, and trying again).  We
may well be called upon to lay down our lives--not the *rest* of our
lives, as we mean today, not merely to offer our talents and our will
and our control to Jesus.  But we may be called upon to lay down our
physical lives without any expectation of continuing on this earth
thereafter.

When the time comes that confessing Jesus is a death sentence, will we
be able to do so willingly?  Or will years of compromise and silence
convince us that God will understand if we find ways to avoid that
particular draft?

I know I am repeating myself here, but there is an urgency to this message
that comes from deep within.  When I think of the phrase "deep calling to
deep," I think of the inevitable attraction of magnets.  God's spirit
calling to the spirit of man, and God's spirit motivating the spirit of
one man to speak words which others in His communion recognize and
respond to.  This urgency is a deep calling that I cannot avoid.  Please,
everyone, ask God to search your innermost heart for the answer, and
ask:  Am I being faithful to God in the small things now, in the easy times,
or am I compromising and denying the God who died for me?  Am I too afraid
to tell someone I am a Christian, because they will compare me to others?
Am I hesitant to object when those around me denigrate my God and my faith?
Do I contribute to the lawlessness around me by my silence?  Do I stand on
the sidelines and watch corruption taking place, even though I feel the
grieving of the Holy Spirit?  If asked to live out my faith, do I avoid
doing so because I don't have the time, the energy, the money--or because
I would be embarrassed by getting involved?  Do I promise God my life
during my morning quiet time and then avoid his service in the afternoon?
How many people that I interact with on a daily basis are aware that I
am a Christian?  Are there people from whom I have hidden my faith because
I know they would see me differently if they knew of it?

Please, people, sincerely go before God and ask these questions.  God gave
His life for us.  Would we be ready to do the same for Him?

Love, In the Name of Christ,

--Kerry

(If you have comments you would like me to see, please mail me privately.
I will be attempting to resume mail intermittently, but I cannot guarantee
that I will see all of it.  My address is KSTE@PURCCVM.  God bless.)
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