THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 23, JULY 8, 2001

THE AUTUMN YEARS

In my opinion, the most beautiful time of the year is autumn. What could be prettier than a tree covered hillside bursting with color as the leaves turn? What could be more invigorating than the crispness in the air as the wind blows away the smog and the haze of the dog days of summer? How interesting it is that the most majestic beauty of the leaves is not seen until the autumn, until the time when they are about to fall to the ground and be swept away. The last days of their lives are the most beautiful to behold. There is no sadness at this time because we know that the leaves will live again and the trees will once more be full.

How similar are the latter days of the faithful Christian. When the earlier days of toil and labor are but a memory and the promised rest does not appear to be too far in the future - is there ever a time when the Christian is more beautiful than in the autumn years, especially in those days when the leaf is about to fall to the ground? What a joy to speak to a brother or sister who has just about completed the race, who has almost finished fighting the battle, and who knows that henceforth there is laid up for them a crown that the righteous judge will give them at that day. Can anything make us feel better than the smile on the face of such a brother or sister in Christ? Can anything make us more confident of what lies beyond than the blessed assurance of one who has lived his or her life as a faithful servant of the Lord?

In 2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4, Paul wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." What an incredible description of our God. "The God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction…."

I strongly suspect that those autumn years, and the days right before the leaf falls, is the time of life when the faithful Christian really comes to understand the meaning of "The God of all comfort". Yes, parents and friends may be long gone; spouses may have passed away as well; maybe the body has worn out and doesn't function as it once did; maybe the mind wanders and conversations are hard to have - but in the lucid moments there is that comfort that comes only from a life of service to our God, "the God of all comfort". I strongly suspect that is why so many autumnal Christians have a smile on their face.

Greg Litmer

"Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me wrong; and how can I now blaspheme my King that has saved me?"
These were the words of Polycarp, a faithful Christian who had known the Apostle John, when given one last chance to save his own life by reviling Christ. When told that he would be burned for his refusal to denounce Jesus, Polycarp said,
"You threaten fire that burns for a moment and is soon extinguished, for you know nothing of the judgment to come, and the fire of eternal punishment reserved for the wicked. But why do you delay? Bring what you wish."

PROGRESS?

In a consumer driven business, if you want to be a success, you have to give the people what they want. It is necessary to have your finger on the pulse of the populace, to detect changing attitudes, and to be ready to respond to those changes with changes of your own. Even long respected products will be presented in different ways to stay ahead of the competition. Fail to do so and ultimately you will be left behind.

How does this apply, if at all, in the realm of religion, and more specifically, how does it apply to the Lord's church? The days of building a building, putting a sign out front, and automatically drawing a crowd are long gone. Gospel meetings used to be very well attended because there weren't a whole lot of other things to do. That is not the way it is anymore. So, how do we fill the buildings? How do we get the numbers? In the denominational world the cry is "Give the people what they want"!

What do people want today? People want their churches to serve the "whole" man. What is meant by that is that they want their church to serve their social, emotional, and recreational needs as well as the spiritual. People want to be entertained at services with choirs, solo performers, dramatic presentations, and exciting multi-media displays. The simple five acts of worship; prayer, giving, singing, the Lord's Supper, and preaching are often viewed as being "boring".

What people don't want today is any preaching or teaching that will make them feel uncomfortable. Don't use too much scripture because too much scripture is "boring". People don't want any responsibilities or obligations to accompany their religion. People don't want to be told that God requires us to do anything. Let me come when I want to come and let me do what I want to do.

Even in the Lord's church more and more people are chaffing under what they view as the "traditional church of Christ teaching". More and more Christians want to do things in "different" ways. Make things more appealing and more attractive to non-Christians and Christians alike. So among the liberal brethren we see "family life centers". These come complete with gyms and running tracks, weight lifting rooms and kitchens. They serve the "whole" man and attract many more people.

There are some congregations now that celebrate the denominational religious holidays and participate in ecumenical services. There are congregations now where the families do not worship together. They have "children's worship", which is just another way of saying baby-sitting and play-time. Congregations are now sponsoring athletic teams and holding special "come as you are" services. At a congregation in Louisville that has a name as being conservative, the decision was made to have sack races and other carnival type activities for their vacation bible school. The reasoning behind it was that people were bored with the "old" way of doing things and with this "new" stuff their attendance was way up.

Is every "new" way of doing something wrong? No, not if it is authorized under generic authority. However, if it changes the nature of the Lord's work and is unauthorized, it is most definitely wrong. That is true no matter how many people it attracts. What good is it to attract a lot of people to a church building filled with people who are no longer satisfied with the Lord's way? Truth be told, the people would be just as well off going down the road to the Lutheran church. Once a group of people leave the realm of that which is authorized, it is only a matter of degree.

I am reminded of God's admonition to the children of Judah through Jeremiah in Jere. 6:16, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls."

Greg Litmer