CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
February 8, 2004
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR:
Our congregation Our college students
Our nation, military and leaders various friends, relatives and co-workers
The Stolte’s in Germany David and Leon in the Navy
Mick has struggled with kidney stones Pat Henderson is having knee problems again
COMING UP:
Feb. 25 - The Passion of Christ is released
May 6 - The National Day of Prayer
NOTICE:
In case you might have missed a bulletin, knowing that many of you are growing older and might have accidentally deleted one, Don Henderson has set up a web site with previous bulletins. It is at www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
BIRTHDAYS:
Bryce - 16th Michelle - 21st
TO BELIEVE OR NOT TO BELIEVE
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise” (Psalm 111:10).
One of my favorite commentators is a Jewish fellow, Dennis Prager. He wrote an interesting article recently entitled “How I found God at Columbia” (www.townhall.com - 12/02/03). Why do secular universities ignore or disparage “religious belief in God.” Here is what Prager wrote:
“Since entering graduate school, I was preoccupied with this question: Why did so many
learned and intelligent professors believe so many foolish things? Why did so many people
at my university believe nonsense such as Marxism?…Why did so many professors believe
and teach the even more foolish notion that men and women are basically the same?…And
why were so many professors morally confused?”
This led him to remember a verse he learned as a kindergarten student in a Jewish school. It is Psalm 111:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
“If our universities produced wise men and women, curricula of moral clarity, and professors
who loved liberty and truth, not to mention loved America – there is no question that my
religious faith would be challenged. I would look at the temple of secularism, the university,
and see so much goodness and wisdom that I would have to wonder just how important God
and religion were. But I look at the university and see truth deconstructed, beauty reviled,
America loathed, good and evil inverted, elementary truths about life denied, and I realize
that one very powerful argument for God is that society cannot function successfully without
reference to Him.”
I think that is very insightful in light of events that are happening today. Secular society as well as institutions are making a great effort to restrict or remove God. Not just any god but our Father in heaven. It is seen in the courts that make decisions or laws without the consent of the govern. They ignore morality and set their own standards or lack thereof. The Supreme Court is making a decision or two on how God should or should not be seen in our culture. “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is one. In politics, God has become a matter of convenience for most politicians. They invoke scripture and references to God but often lie and speak what we know as double speak. Truth telling is difficult for politicians for fear of not getting reelected. Universities are no better when courses are taught on sex and immoral behavior rather than on history and English. “Fly over” country is criticized by the elites of both coasts. Hollywood contributes to this. Just consider the lifestyles of the Hollywood culture and its associates in the music industry. Religious belief is mocked. Mel Gibson’s new movie is an example of this.
Why has all this happened? In part it is because God has not been a prominent part of our knowledge. Christians are partly to blame for this. We have been thoughtless in the way we speak to and about others. We have been more like Hollywood actors, saying one thing and doing another. That is the meaning of the word “hypocrite.” It has been stated that there is more divorce in the Bible belt of the South than any other section of the country. That says something. We have become judgmental and arrogant and certainly have not reflected Jesus living in us. A young man invited his fiancée’ and a best friend to church. One was a Catholic, the other a Baptist. The preacher preceded to ridicule both groups. Both people stated that they will never return to that congregation. What was accomplished by that? The preacher might have thought he was defending the faith but it certainly did not reflect Jesus Christ. But there is also the stereotypes of Christians that are not true. As Bible believers, we have been accused of being right wing fanatics, extremists, and fundamentalists aligned with Middle East terrorists. That is just not true! We have also been labeled as intolerant because we believe in right and wrong. That we will have to live with.
What then can we do? First, we need to reflect Jesus living in us, transforming us into His likeness (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 3:18). That includes developing a humble, serving life (Philippians 2:4-8). Second, we need to prepare ourselves to give answers to the questions that are being asked (1 Peter 3:15). I understand that we can’t answer everything but we can certainly learn from others. Third, we need to prepare ourselves for difficult times (John 16:2; Revelation 14:13). In many parts of the world, Christians are being physically persecuted. We can learn from their examples. In our country, persecution is more in the form of speech; ridicule, restrictions, and labels (see David Limbaugh, Persecution. Some think the title is misleading but he does list numerous examples of the latter example of persecution). Finally, we need to trust God. We need to pray for our leaders and for God to raise up godly people to political office. We need to make wise and godly decisions in choosing leaders, in selecting classes at college, in speaking to others about God. However, whatever God decides to do, we trust that He knows what is best.
George B. Mearns