Today, I was sadly reminded of the state of God’s church
while reading about First Baptist of Greenville, South. As a graduate of The Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, which has its foundation in this city, I have a heart for
the heritage of this Southern Baptist Convention. I am often encouraged as I look back at those
who form the cloud of witnesses in the convention… to see those whose life and
ministry were defined by Bible. I am honored
to part of a group of imperfect people who have strived to rightly divide the
Word of Truth. This church was part of
that tradition. It was the home of the
first Southern Baptist Convention president and part of the early history of
the convention. Regrettably, in the
early 1990s it chose, because of doctrinal differences, to leave the Southern
Baptist Convention and to join the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. It strayed from its foundation and left its legacy
in the dust. It now bequest to us all an inheritance much different than the
one with which it was left. It now
leaves to all whom look to it as a beacon of truth, a legacy of deceit.
This church is only one glaring example of how the
Christian Church has forgone its responsibility. It has left the truth of scripture and has
been deceived by the fallenness around it.
For you see, the church ignored the reality that it must stand on the
Word of God or it will fall. Yes, the
church is a group of imperfect people.
It is a hospital for the sin-sick.
It is a place that calls out to sinners and bids them to find freedom in
Christ. It is that which invites sinners
to come as they are but it cannot be a gather of those who allow the sinner to
stay there. It must not forget that repentance
means turning from those way that are unpleasing to God and living in the way acceptable
to Him. Regrettably, like the First
Baptist of Greenville, the Christian church has allowed too many who live in
open sin to be those who lead and define the path of the body. It has followed the path of least resistance.
The church has called out to those
living in egregious sin but failed to call out those who are known for greed or
gluttony or a myriad of others sin. The
Christian church has declined to comment on the common sin and consequently sin
has polluted its ways. It has forgotten
the words of James, that “…whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just
one point is guilty of breaking all of it." The church has declined to call sin, sin and
therefore has lost both its way and its voice.
It is time for a change, for a revolution of sorts. It is time for God’s Church to rebel against
the culture. It time for those who call
themselves followers of Christ to become nonconformist. It is time for men and women to be sanctified
dissidents. I want to be among this
group… to be a man who daily who scarifies self for the cause of Christ. It is my prayer that I allow the Bible, the
written word of the living God, to inform me as to His ways. It is my yearning to surrender all that I am
to Christ and be a slave of His Word.
1
Corinthians 9:26-27
“Therefore
I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer
beating the air. No, I strike a blow to
my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself
will not be disqualified for the prize.”