June 16, 2015
Savage Wolves
It’s not unusual for locals to
complain about people moving into our area who then want to change the
community so that it resembles the place they moved away from. During the interviews
I’ve been conducting I discovered that retirees who move here arrive with a
void in their life and join organizations in order to connect to their new
home. These organizations, in an effort to get the transplants involved, suggest
they serve on this or that committee, run for a board position, or better yet,
run for elected office. One man said, “I didn’t really want to run for county
commissioner, but they talked me into it.” I’m now wondering if we in the
church don’t do something similar when try to get new people plugged into fellowship,
and even encourage them to run for the position of deacon, or elder. Paul
warned the Ephesians to be on guard, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves
will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even
from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away
disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30 NIV).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----”And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another;” ( II Cor 3:18) “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” (II Pet 1:5-7) “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Eph 4:15)
-----But there is something about the natural, human spirit that does not like change or growth. Maybe it is that change insinuates current insufficiency. Maybe it is that too many things change leaves behind are things we too much like. Possibly it is because we too often have to change again after our old ways have recovered their lost territory. Maybe it is that change is just a lot of hard work and mental self-control. Probably it is some combination of all these.
-----It is also a very natural, human thing to deflect onto others life’s constant beck and call for our own change. It is the main nature of politicians and political wonks, especially those of the left-wing. Maybe they do have a little mindset about their own change as well, but they focus intently upon changing everyone around them. I can imagine the drive to change their neighborhood evokes a sense of their having arrived, of their being the accomplished ones, of their having practiced and now they’re performing all the correctness successful living requires. How big of them!
-----Sadly this type of “change by proxy” is seen in churches everywhere. I’m not talking about the edification of one another so important to growing together into a holy temple. That is different, and its difference is easy to see. For edification builds upon the aspects and characteristics of the one being edified. What I’ve been addressing, what I call “pomping on others” tries to reshape the aspects and characteristics of others into those of your own. It is like trying to replicate all your own interests and ambitions and ideas into other people, as if somehow you could clone your own mental being into the minds of others.
-----And that always requires the tearing down of what another already is. I think it is one of the subtler meanings of Revelation’s Nicolaitans: “nico” - “conquer”; “laitan” - “people”. I find it very sad that leaders eventually spend more time sensing their own elevated state of “having arrived”, and little to no time honoring who and what the people in their charges are. “So you also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” (Rev 2:15-16)
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment