Our Perilous Times

          In November 2012 both Colorado and Washington passed ballot measures allowing the sale of marijuana for recreational use, against strong opposition from several groups.  Now the implementation is underway with many issues and unanswered questions yet to be fully determined.

          From a strictly libertarian viewpoint it seems good to many to embrace and even celebrate this, and other freedoms.  After all, surely we can agree, freedom is a good thing.  It might be eye-opening to survey those who have championed the legalization of marijuana, as a political cause, and find out what other causes they have previously been involved with.  My speculation is that most of them are fairly one-dimensional when it comes to fighting for causes.

          I would invite you to take a step back from this specific issue of marijuana legalization for a moment and look at the even bigger picture.  The legalization of marijuana is just a tiny symptom tied to a much broader problem.  Paul writes, with remarkable perspective in the first century, concerning the age which was yet to come.  Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, addressing the young pastor Timothy in his second letter to him he writes “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”  (2 Tim. 3:1-4)  In the span of 3 verses (vs. 2-4) Paul lists 18 different characterizations descriptive of mankind and his behavior in, what he calls in vs. 1, “the last days.”  Specifically, in these “last days” it is said “perilous” times will come.  The word “perilous” means “Involving or full of grave risk; hazardous; dangerous.” (dictionary.com) Verse 1 then reads accurately each of the following ways: “But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come.”  “But know this that in the last days, hazardous times will come.”  But know this that in the last days dangerous times will come.”  “But know this, that in the last days, days of grave risk will come.”  Paul is alerting the reader to the fact that the “latter days” will be marked by unmistakable danger as men focus upon themselves, first and fore-most, while simultaneously ignoring God and hating all he represents, more than they have ever done previously in time.

          The days in which we currently live are days of “no holds barred” in the pursuit of pleasure.  It has often been repeated that America has become a “hedonistic” society.  “Hedonism” is “The doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.” (dictionary.com) Further, it is “Devotion to pleasure as a way of life.” (dictionary.com)  One of the mysteries of the ages has been wonder and intrigue concerning the fall of ancient Rome.  When you consider the splendor of that empire you wonder how it could have crumbled as it did.  Most historians conclude that Rome fell more from within than from without.  It is said that latter Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.  They withheld nothing from themselves that held the promise of pleasure.

          In America, for decades now, the formerly taboo practice of sex outside marriage has been chipped away little by little to the point most hardly even raise an eyebrow at once denounced practices such as premarital sex, cohabitation, extramarital sex, etc.  When the push for acceptance of homosexuality came along the nation had been creeping further and further out on a limb, away from the base of the tree (the standard of God’s Word) for several decades.  Once you are out on that limb it is easier to creep just a little further out than it is to turn around and go back to the secure and stable trunk of the tree.  Once people rejected God’s standard for sexual relationships (1 man and 1 woman in a committed marital relationship) and allowed their feelings and desires to fully guide them it was a very short step to embracing the latest twist or turn in the quest for full sexual hedonism.

          In returning to the specific issue of the legalization of marijuana for recreational use it is easy to see that, although the issue is often cloaked in libertarian rhetoric, it is really about plain old pursuit of pleasure.  My purpose is to point out how this micro issue fits within the bigger picture, particularly what God had to say about the “last days” of the world he created.

          Of the 18 words or phrases used in 2 Tim. 3:2-4 how many of them are applicable to the push for, and ultimate legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?  Once again they are: lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure instead of lovers of God.  Think of the push to legalize “gay” marriage.  Consider that issue through the grid of these 18 identifiers.  Think about the sexual revolution, in general, over the past 50-plus years.  Think about how even something as the evil practice of abortion fits within the grid of these 18 characteristics of the “last days.”  The babies themselves have no real voice, but the “already born” seekers of pleasure and convenience, operating within these “perilous” times control the entire debate and make decisions, almost exclusively, to their own benefit.  Unborn babies don’t vote, they don’t protest, they don’t lobby, and they don’t call for ballot initiatives.  They are convenient political pawns.

          Almost everything in this present culture boils down to people’s love for money, people’s love for pleasure, and people’s desire to avoid accountability to any higher power or authority as they are pursuant of their pleasures.  Two-thousand years ago, the New Testament, in a number of places, predicts these days in which we now live with pinpoint accuracy.

 

In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

The Importance of Standards

The Bible no longer serves as the standard it once did in American culture. Upon that I believe we can all agree. But the problem is actually worse than what many may realize. Before we look specifically at the movement away from the biblical standard, let us think just for a moment about the concept of “standards” in general.

If we lived in a world where there were no standard measurements how could we function? If one person says ‘I believe a foot is 14 inches because that is actually the size of my foot;’ yet another might say, ‘well I consider a foot to be 9.5 inches because that is the size of my foot.’ The only people who could then perhaps agree would be two people who had the same size foot! What about measurements in cooking? Teaspoons, tablespoons, pints, quarts, cups, etc. all have standardized meanings which have been assigned and universally accepted. A cook may say, ‘well, I think a cup really means the volume of a coffee can,’ but, most likely in that case, the recipe will not turn out well. When you are out on the highway and the posted limit says 65 mph. and you say, ‘well I think 87 mph. is going to be my speed limit on this highway.’ The highway patrol likely will have a different interpretation far more consistent with the posted limit on all the signs. In fact, they will go so far as to actually “enforce” a particular standard that is consistent with what is posted.
Standards are in place to protect us and help us. When the doctor prescribes medication it can be dangerous or fatal if not taken properly and in accordance with recognized standards of dosage. So we can see that laws protect us from ourselves and from others. It is against the standard of the law to steal from another. It is against the standard of law to kill another human being. It is against the standard of law to force someone into sex, etc. But someone may come along and say, ‘well I was hungry, therefore it was really ok to steal money from another to buy food’ or perhaps ‘I really did not like this person so I feel it was alright to kill them,’ or ‘I just really wanted sexual relations with this person and they would not consent therefore, I just did what I felt I needed to do.’ We would say this is madness, and that no culture can function for long without standards.
In the vast majority of cultures, down through the ages, there have been certain spoken or unspoken standards of morality. There were certain things people just did not do. On the rare occasion some actually did these things anyway, they were perhaps “shunned” or “banished” or otherwise disciplined by the community or by law enforcement officials.
The absence of or the rejection of an agreed upon standard is a very dangerous thing. The absence of standards breeds chaos. The period of the judges was a chaotic period in Israel’s history. When reading the Old Testament Book of Judges, one encounters man often at his worst. The final verse in that book reads, as largely a summary statement for that period and the book itself; “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judg. 21:25) The king was seen as the “standard” or “ruler.” The word “ruler” actually means “a person or thing that determines a standard.”
From the beginning, America has held the Bible as its standard, at times implicitly, while at other times explicitly. In reading the writings of the founding fathers one overwhelmingly sees that they sought for America to be a place of freedom to express religious conviction without the coercive involvement of the government. But it is equally clear that they believed certain standards of morality and thought were essential for the survival of the nation.
When considering the specific standard which has provided the underpinning for our nation, the Bible, we must not take lightly the fact it is not only the standard, but that it is actually God’s Word given to His very own created beings to guide their lives. My vehicle came with a thick manual addressing hundreds of issues that might have relevance in conjunction with my ownership of that specific vehicle. The vehicle was built by General Motors and the manual was also written by General Motors. Therefore, I assume their manual is accurate, and is the standard for information for my vehicle because they are the ones who actually built it. If God made us and gave us a manual to accompany our lives, we should assume it is accurate. In fact it is truly the greatest standard of all.
The increasing chaos of this world is predictable as society moves further and further away from a standard, and more specifically away from “the” standard, which is God’s inspired Word. Increasingly, mankind is rejecting any standard and instead doing what is right in his/her own eyes. When we view it in these terms it is not difficult to understand why many of the people of this world often seem out of control. The lack of a standard breeds chaos.

In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

Christian Influence in a Crumbling Culture

          In case you had not noticed, our culture is changing rapidly right before our eyes!  Acceptance of all manner of amoral behavior is rampant.  Society is not like it once was, seemingly a short time ago.  I heard a rather malevolent fellow on television, not long ago, proudly proclaiming that people need to wake up and realize this is not the world of “Howdy Doody” and “Leave it to Beaver” any longer.  What the man said was true, at face value; however it is important to note that he, along with countless others, have worked painstakingly hard to make it not that kind of world any longer.

          Culture itself is something we create.  Cultures can be based on any number of things from the deeply important to the totally unimportant.  They stem from commonly shared values and fan out across the masses.  In Puritanical New England for instance, in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds, the culture was decidedly Christian.  Writers and historians of the time recount how that it was not unusual for 100% of a given community to attend church regularly.  The Christian values of the community affected everything from local politics, to charity/benevolence, to work ethic, to child rearing and beyond.  There was no such thing as pushing for the Christianization of the culture, because virtually everyone was a Christian and he/she simply lived life according to biblical principles.  When issues did arise within the community, the elders and landowners made decisions based, not per se on the Bible, but on what they believed to be right.  However, their understanding of what was right was heavily influenced by the Bible and by what they had learned from sermons.  They did not compartmentalize.  They were the total sum of all their faith, knowledge, and experience.

          Fast-forward to late 20^th and early 21^st century America.  Society would be unrecognizable by our New England ancestors of about 2 - 4 centuries ago.  After they got over their initial shock, we might ask what they would say about the present?  We can only speculate, of course; however I believe they would start asking a lot of questions in an attempt to determine how things changed so drastically from the world they knew.

          I believe they would quickly identify, as a major problem, the lack of biblical instruction in the home.  Also, that professing Christians often do not act like Christians at all.  It would likely be hard for them to understand how commonly people could profess one thing and yet live out another.  Also, I have no doubts they would truly struggle to understand the apathy of our day.  They might look at the overinflated roles of churches and wonder when and why the church discipline they so faithfully practiced ceased.  My suspicion is the only way they could wrap their minds around the observable world would be to understand it in eschatological terms.  In other words, to simply say it is obvious the world has reached the end of time and the Lord’s return is at hand.

          When we look at the present culture all around us we shake our heads in disbelief. Is there any good news for us to attach ourselves?  Could it be that our hope has been placed in the wrong process?  Has God’s directives to the church ever been to go out and gain control of the world politically?  I think we have all observed many trying to do so, believing that was somehow the answer.

          What then is really our hope?  Is there any hope at all?  Perhaps there is more hope than we might think.  In his February 2014 newsletter John MacArthur writes “I actually believe the current situation is good news.  For years I’ve been concerned by the church’s pursuit of cultural change through political and social activities.  Large swaths of Christians have placed enormous time, energy, money, and hope in the wrong places.  Cultural Christianity has blurred the clear lines between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world, and has softened the hard demands of the gospel, making professing Christ easy and without cost.  As a result, churches have been filled with highly religious, superficially moral, self-righteous people who don’t understand the gospel and are self-deceived about their true spiritual state.” 

          MacArthur goes on to point out that while the façade of cultural Christianity is crumbling it is shedding new light on true Christianity.  The body of Christ is most potent when it speaks and lives the gospel in tandem.  The advancement of the gospel comes not by storming Washington D.C but by born again believers bearing testimony to their changed lives one person at a time, just as Scripture teaches.  When we think about the attempts to overtake the culture, spanning the last few decades, one has to ask why so much effort been put into such a temporal thing?  It brings to mind the adage/question ‘why rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic?’  Why put so much effort into a sinking ship?  Countries, governments, kingdoms, political processes and parties, etc. are only a vapor, quickly vanishing.  Only the souls of mankind are eternal.  In the poetic words of the song we are aptly reminded “Kings and Kingdoms will all pass away, but there is something about that name.” (“There’s Something About that Name;” Bill & Gloria Gaither; 1970) 

          Whatever happened to our old adversaries the world, the flesh, and the devil?  Somewhere along the line many have made friends and alliances with earthly institutions and made enemies of those who need the gospel of Christ.  God’s simple plan has always been for believers to faithfully and intentionally live their faith, thereby shining the light of Christ into a dark culture that is crumbling.  MacArthur writes “The gospel advances by personal testimony to Christ, one soul at a time.  When the church acts like the church; when shepherds preach Scripture and confront error with clarity and boldness; when believers are sanctified, built up, and equipped in truth; people are saved.  And that’s when the culture truly changes – nothing transforms the culture like genuine conversion.”

         

In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor