A Little Rant, If You Please

[Elder A.W. Bowman]

Today we are, as professing Christians, living in a New Covenant era, under which God has made with mankind through His son Jesus Christ. However, there seems to be a fundamental problem in how this covenant functions. Few seem to understand how this New Covenant is suppose to operate.

While few will admit to it, the general approach to the Covenant is basically this: God has provided a path to salvation through Jesus Christ. God has promised the blessings of Abraham to the Gentile believers. God has promised to provide for our health, wealth and welfare. God has promised to take care of us and to protect us. God has promised to answer our prayers, especially corporate prayers. God has promised to deliver us from our oppressors and from demonic oppression. God has promised to keep us from hell and provide everlasting life and peace in heaven.

What man is to do is believe and go to church whenever the doors are open. Hold fundraisers for a new building program; invite people to church so the pastor can get them saved, and what else?

We view the New Covenant where the Jew is marginalized in this New Covenant, even replaced. The Old Covenant writings are no longer sufficient for instruction or correction, much less reproof. Yet, they are still okay for listing all of the blessings we should be receiving and enjoying.

This attitude is called humanism, i.e. God exists to ensure the happiness of man.

Almost no one notices that there is a great difference between living “under” the Law of God (behavior by compulsion) and living “by” the Law (obedience out of love). God moved His Law in its written form, with its attending statutes and ordinances (which contain the penalties for transgressing the Law, the curse of the Law) to the hearts of His followers - without including the curses! Yet, while many will adhere too many of those laws, most will not even read their own hearts to see what is actually written there, much less obey those laws (Heb. Instructions in Righteousness) .

Under the Mt. Sinai covenant what God promised and what man’s obligations to accept and maintain the covenant were clearly stated. Under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ there remains a like list of obligations that man has to meet in order to be counted “in covenant” among the Sons of God. But, you most likely will not hear these obligations preached in church on a Sunday morning. Why, because while we draw close to God with our lips, our hearts are still far from Him.

Our approach is to worship Him in order to get what we need, want and desire, while God is seeking to get His purpose and will accomplished through you and I. It is not “what can we get out of God”, but rather what is it “what can God get out of us – individually and collectively.

What about those great moves of God in some services? Is it due to people manipulation, or simple crowd dynamics? Thank God He still hears and responds to the faith and love of individuals, otherwise a good many of these great moves of the Spirit in our assemblies would fall flat.

For me, I think it is time to find out what God expects of me, in terms of faith, belief, and submission to His will and purpose; to see just what God can get out of me for a change, rather than what I can get out of Him.

It is past time to throw the milk bottle away, and to sit at the Master’s table and eat solid food, and to become a productive member of the family.

May your studies be fruitful, and may our God be glorified.

[Elder A.W. Bowman]

My purpose in posting my little rant is to help shake off some of the complacency that has settled on the body of Christ.

My goal is to encourage, and even push, folks back into the Bible they think they already know, and to actually study it in order to find new insights, wisdom, and a desire for action.

The hoped for results is that individuals, and their assemblies, will grow beyond their current level and produce much fruit in the kingdom of God. Perhaps one or two will examine themselves to see if they are in the Faith, or not, and to take whatever corrective action that may be necessary.

My observation has been that we are all so accustomed to reading the Bible according to our cultural, social, denominational, and personal religious points of view I have to wonder "what does the word of God really say"?

We seem to love our pet proof texts and then either change or even discard anything that challenges our comfort zone. My attitude has for a very long time been, "Don't bother me with facts, I like where I am at." It is nothing more than a good dose of self-righteousness and complacency seeping into my bones like a cold chill..

I know that time is short. I know that Jesus lamented over the fact He "might" not find any faith when He returns. I know that there will be a great falling away, I also know that the evil one will be given power over the saints and defeat them. Yet, even with all of that doom and gloom, if we are truly members of the body of Christ, we, like Jesus before, must be about our Father's business - even to the end.

When the formal denominational divisions are counted to be somewhere between 38,000 and 42,000 world wide, what does it take to acknowledge that, "Huston, we have a problem!". And, look at what we have divided ourselves over! Garbage! If Jesus stood here today, I don't know if He would weep over the loss, or simply destroy it all.

Actually, I think He is going to pick out thous few who persevere to the end and then wipe everything out, and then start all over again with a brand new heaven and earth. But, until that day comes, let us regain our strength and focus on our purpose, and get on with the tasks at hand.