SIGNS OF THE TIMES

What has happened to our society? Why the great cry for conformity? We see the symptoms on every hand. We are caught up in a great rush for revolution, just for the sake of revolution. Change for the sake of change.  A time when political correctness is demanded of all who would participate in public discourse.  It sometimes reaches the proportions of the ridiculous.

It is reported that an old college grad. returned for a nostalgic visit to the Halls of Ivy. As he talked over old times with an old professor he noted a copy of an exam on the desk and was astonished to observe that it was the same final he had taken years before. He ventured to ask, "How could this be?" "How do you get by without changing the questions? It would seem that all the students would soon have the right answers from previous graduates." "Oh", replied the Professor, "We never change the questions." "We just change the answers!"

Today we are surrounded by a whole host of answer changers. But why not be a square? Why not defy the consensus if it is not a reflection of truth? Is the majority always right? A democracy (or mobocracy, the two are sometimes synonymous) crucified Jesus. The majority danced around the golden calf. The majority bowed down and worshipped the king in Daniel's day.  The majority also worshipped Baal in the days of Elijah.  Are we to assume that the so-called great religions of the world are valid just because of the masses who claim allegiance to them?

Oh, for those who dare to be a square on the issues and crises of our day! Contrary to popular ideas of our time, uniformity for sake of conformity is no more a desirable goal than multiformity for the sake of diversity. What suits one person doesn't necessarily suit another. The mountain and the squirrel need not quarrel. If the little rodent cannot carry a forest on its back, neither can the mountain crack a nut.  Who, but a certain group of liberal social engineers, would want all the shrubs and saplings of the earth suddenly to become towering Huon Pines? Multiformity is a law of nature and of nature's God.

But we are in an age when it costs to raise your head above the crowd. When the herd or its leaders may well turn and rend a dissenter with the horns of mob discipline. This is illustrated when a man in a Scandinavian country was deported from his homeland because he insisted on building his house just a little taller, two feet to be exact, than his neighbours. We have it in our country also. Have you ever noticed the "late risers" in informal business meetings? How many will look around to see how the question is going before taking their stand? Or have you ever noticed those who boast of voting the "winning ticket." When we all know the only winning ticket is the right ticket? -  Pastor John White

CAREFUL WHILE TREADING THE FINE LINE BETWEEN COMMENDABLE CAUTION AND COMPLETE COMMITTAL - THE COMMITTED MAY TAKE YOUR CAUTION FOR COWARDICE!

What Is Salvation?

It should seem simple enough to say salvation means to be saved. But sometimes it doesn't seem all that simple. In our day it seems that the most basic Biblical terms and concepts are considered archaic and unacceptable. It is out of fashion to talk about being lost, even in many so-called Christian circles. To speak of such vital Biblical concepts as being saved, converted or born again, is considered inappropriate and even offensive by many in our day of apostasy. One of the most well known television preachers of our era, virtually refuses to use the word sin and prefers to refer to man's sinful condition as a loss of self esteem. Instead of being saved, a man is said to need to discover his self-worth.  Such people speak of old-fashioned Christian jargon as negative and counter productive and advocate a complete revamp of the Christian vocabulary.

Those who believe that the Word of God is inspired and absolute authoritative on matters of the soul and spirit, view the situation from God's perspective and give no credence to such contemporary man made nonsense. Statements of Jesus, such as, "The Son of man has come to seek and save those who are lost," or, "Ye must be born again," carry much more weight than the sayings of those who are obviously pandering to the popular press and people with itching ears.

So what does the Bible say about our great salvation? Salvation is a real experience: an actual happening, occurrence and encounter, a sudden, specific, spontaneous, and often traumatic event that occurs in time and space. The simplicity and clarity of the word pictures used by Jesus is intentional. To illustrate the nature of salvation, He spoke of concrete items such as a lost sheep, coin or prodigal, being found, saved, and fully restored to a safe environment and relationship.

The same people who question the validity of such terms and concepts as spiritual salvation, seem to have no difficulty in comprehending what it means for a drowning man, carried out beyond his depth by a surging rip tide, to be saved and snatched from the jaws of death by a heroic life saver. When a frantic woman is plucked at the last moment from a burning roof by a brave fireman, no one seems question that her life was saved. When, against all odds, a little boy lost in the bush, is finally rescued by a brave and exhausted band of volunteers, everyone assumes his salvation is real.

The experience and encounter of salvation are inward but the expression is outward. The expression of our salvation is to be worked out with fear and trembling. Baptism is ordained as the first outward expression of an inward possession. When Paul says that after we are saved by grace through faith that God has ordained that we should walk in good works, I am sure he is referring to all the good and productive things a child of God should focus his life upon after salvation. These things express salvation to a sceptical and unbelieving world.

Simple Salvation

Man often complicates the simplest matters. He manages to muddle the mundane into a myriad of galactic proportions. In human affairs man is hopelessly complicated. A simple political assassination will precipitate a World War. A border dispute becomes the occasion for super power confrontation. One high flying plane torpedoes hopes for detente'. Religious fratricide erupts into a conflict that confounds all efforts for peace. A handful of sheiks hold the whole world for economic ransom. A sad little burglary shames and shatters the confidence of a mighty nation.

Around the world the man in the street often feels that if he could for a moment face his counterpart across a table they could cut through all the red tape and penetrate the smoke screen of officialdom and work it all out. It seems just that simple.

But man as an individual seems to possess the same penchant to perpetually muddle his own affairs. The ever increasing incidence of murder, mayhem, suicide, divorce, delinquency, political deceit and perversity, and other variants in the catalogue of sin, amply confirm man's ineptness to manage his own affairs.,

It's the same old problem. Man is a do it yourself creature. Philosophically this is best illustrated by his failure to come to grips with is most pressing problem. That problem is sin. He will not accept outside help. God has provided the solution, but man insists on doing his own thing. He will submit to any form or ritual, modern or pianistic, in order to save himself. He will burn himself on a street corner, throw a baby to the crocodiles, be christened, learn a catechism, join a church, burn some candles, be baptised, go into a trance, or invent one thousand and one different ways to bring himself to God. Just as long as he can do it himself. This is so sad because this is the only way he cannot be saved. He cannot because as he tries to save himself, he will not allow God to save him. He complicates the simple way of salvation found in God's Word.

The whole story of man's problem and God's solution is so simply told in the Bible that even a child can understand. (Matthew 18:3) We prove we are sinners each day of our life, over and over again. It is only logical that a sinner cannot eradicate his own sin. After all, can a leopard change his spots? God's solution to our problem is simply that His sinless Son died for our sins. (John 3:16) Based upon this simple fact, all we have to do is repent of our sins and in simple faith believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We just ask God to save us and take our sins away. When we do this, God provides the gift of' everlasting life. (Romans 6:23, 10:13)

JESUS SAYS SALVATION IS AS SIMPLE as opening a door. (Rev. 3:20) When someone is at the door we don't spend hours speculating about the caller's identity. We just open the door quietly and confidently and without fanfare. With a minimum of fuss. That's faith. Salvation is that simple.

JESUS SAYS SALVATION IS AS SIMPLE as a. thirsty man drinking water. (Rev. 22:17) When a man is dying of thirst he doesn't pause to investigate the molecular composition of H20. He's not interested in the details. He doesn't ask questions. He just drinks freely and without reservation. That's faith. Salvation is that simple.

JESUS SAYS SALVATION IS AS SIMPLE as receiving a gift. (Romans 6:23) A gift is offered and we reach out and take it. With no questions asked or strings attached. That is faith. Salvation is just that simple and easy. Why not open the door of your own heart by faith and receive the one gift above all others, eternal life. Those who do find their spiritual thirst eternally quenched.. IT'S JUST THAT SIMPLE.