Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the rapid and ceaseless change going on around you? Does all the new technology constantly bombarding our senses and demanding our attention, ever seem just too much for your comprehension or coping capacity? Does the contemporary emphasis upon the necessity of those who wish to be with it to be hooked up and tuned in, sometimes leave you bewildered and bemused? After all, it seems if you are not on-line and surfing, you are missing the main thing in life these days! To those of us whose lives have spanned the eras of the invention and development of most of the major modern technologies taken for granted by their grandchildren, it can all be more than a bit confusing. But is change for the sake of change necessarily a good thing? Have all the gadgets and gizmos spelled success and happiness for members of modern day communities?
As we see the cracking of the moral foundations of our society, the functional breakdown of our traditional institutions and the tearing apart of the very fabric of our culture, we are made to wonder if the much heralded blessings of change have become curses instead. Many recognize that in the midst of the changes designed to attract the attention and procure the patronage of a materialistic consumer society, it is necessary to test, try and prove new products and procedures to determine if they are really beneficial or worthwhile. This is true simply in the sense of getting value for money. If we are going to spend hard-earned money we do not wish to squander it on inferior products of little reputation or worth. For this reason, many of us usually go for the tried and true, especially after we have suffered a few so-called bargains. If we are to be cautious about change in our secular life, we should be doubly cautious in spiritual matters.
In our Christian endeavors we are also surrounded today by what many of us feel is change just for the sake of change. It is not just new methodology we must examine to determine it's efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy, but organizations and movements, obviously based upon principles of compromise, are vying for the attention and support of those who once were known as fundamental, Bible-believing Christians. I tend to want to stick to the tried and true, especially in matters of eternal significance. As the old saying goes, "Give me that old time religion." If it was good enough for Paul and Silas and our forefathers in the faith, it is good enough for me. If I am going to spend my time and energy contending for a faith, I want it to be the faith of our fathers as it was once delivered to the saints. If I am going to pay the price of real committal, I want to purchase the approval of God, not the praise of men. If I going to preach a gospel, I want to ensure I only proclaim the powerful gospel of Christ. As we examine this proliferation of what might be termed bargain basement type religions, and listen to the extravagant claims that press in upon us from all sides, we must make a maximum effort to examine the scriptural compatibility of their claims and the Biblical basis of their boastings. But how are we to know? In what crucible can we analyze them? In what test tube can we test them?
In considering the myriad of claims being made today, just exactly what tests will assure us we have the right stuff? Just one test will suffice. The very Word of God is the only sufficient rod, rule and measure of faith and practice. Only the sharp and powerful Sword of the Spirit has the capacity to dissect and analyze every claim and counter-claim and ascertain scriptural validity. Our standard must always be the grand old Book of the grand old faith. When Paul tells young Timothy to rightly divide the Word of truth, he uses an expression that implies the need for exhaustive testing and analysis. An analysis based upon the principle of let God be true and every man a liar. It should be thus saith the Lord before we even entertain it.
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