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We have all heard the "old timers" say something like this: "Time was when a man could be trusted." Or they might say, "Time was when a handshake was all that was needed." "Time was...". Yes there was a time when things were quite different in our society, particularly where our religion and moral values were concerned. I want to make mention of a few things which have taken place, and not for the good either. So for a few lines I will discuss some "Time Was" things.
"Time Was" when truth was recognized as absolute. In fact, no other kind of truth was even discussed. If a person even suggested that truth was something which was relative or that it existed on a sliding scale, they were looked at askance through "narrow eyes". In such days the validity and truth of scripture was not questioned. No one ever thought of saying that the Bible is truth but that not all of it is true. That, in a simpler day, was a thought process which would not compute. Recently, I heard of a person who said that they were not concerned with whether Jesus was born of a virgin or not. They explained their confusion away by saying something like this: "I am not as concerned with the facts as I am with the truth." It sounds to me as if that person is educated beyond their intelligence and has become a part of the "intelligensia." The essence of truth is that it is stable; it is firm. It does not contain even the slightest amount of error, because the moment it is tainted by a micron of error, it no longer can be defined as truth. The mind set which strives to make everything relevant by rationalization will not work when it comes to truth. It cannot be changed to meet a certain situation and still be truth. The world is struggling with the concept of truth today. Modern education has taught the public that there is no such thing as absolute truth, but the people keep confronting it every day and don't know what to do with it. So, they try to rationalize it or run from it or change it to their own destruction. Yes, "Time Was" when truth was absolute truth.
"Time Was" when Biblical preaching was the primary thing a church must provide if it was to be considered for membership, but in today's world solid, expositional preaching of the Biblical text rates somewhere down the scale when being considered by those searching for a church home. Now, I am not suggesting that that is the only thing a church should have as a characteristic, but I am suggesting that it should be the most sought-after requirement. People are made to think that if you attend church today, it does not really matter why you were there, but that you were. "Time Was" when people sought out and desired to know the Bible and sit under the preaching of someone who held preaching as his highest priority. In many situations today, preaching is the thing you have to go through to get to the more appealing things which have been offered to entice people to join a particular church. This is the reason we have so many churches around us today which are spiritually powerless , but visually prosperous. I would remind you that man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart. We, as Christians, will begin to have the proper impact on this sinful society we live in when we get back to the days when preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ was the most important ingredient being sought by our people. "Time Was" when authority was something which was respected and not something which had to be forced upon people in order to get them to recognize it. In earlier days, people respected authority and acquiesced to it willingly. Today they see authority and those possessing it as something to be challenged and overcome. They view it as something that they must obey after all other options are exhausted. This attitude is now affecting a large segment of society. By and large, those raised during the fifties are the last generation to automatically honor authority. This is one of the main reasons that there is so much chaos in society because the people recognize no authority and without someone being in authority and control then everyone is, and when everyone is in control, no one is. Yes, "Time Was" that authority was respected.
"Time Was" that the commitments people made were as solid as Gibraltar. One of the earmarks of the post-modern frame of mind is that people do not want to be "put on the spot" by being asked to make a commitment. This lack of discipline in society has gradually infected the church. Now, we have many churches who don't want to put people on the spot by asking them to make a public profession of faith. I want to remind our readers that Jesus expected us to make a public profession, (see Mt. 10:32-33). Commitment means that one plans to do something from now on. They will not stop. But, in today's post-modern world a person does not want to be tied down to any one thing because of other options which may come up later, and they want to be be free to actualize themselves to the fullest extent as society teaches. Not only does this affect their Christian commitment, but it affects the solidity of marriage and the viability of the family. "Time Was" when a commitment from a person was better than a written contract because, in those days, if you asked a person to sign a contract it implied to them that you did not accept their word as their bond, and that was an insult to them. We need a new dose of the old "Time Was" commitment. Well, the truth is that "Time Was" when we had a society which was far more pleasant to live in, but because of the demise of the things mentioned herein and others as well, we are living in the most perilous times ever. It was safer on the streets of Dodge City in the old west than it is on many of our streets today. Far fewer people were gunned down in those days of lawless gunmen than is true today. Far more violence is evident than we have ever had to deal with before. What school teacher forty years ago had to worry about being confronted by a student with a gun who had no respect for human life? I never heard of such until the last few years. Quickly, now, before it is too late we must go back to some "Time Was" values if we are to rescue our society from internal destruction. Wm. F. Harrell |
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September 2010 |
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