A Post-Faithful Report from Lipscomb University - #2

Report & Analysis

28 July 2017 - Gospel Call Media - (Charlotte, NC) - Last month in Nashville, TN on the campus of Lipscomb University there was a pro-denominational gathering known as InterGenerate 2017 (TM).  It was a purposeful, proactive, and plotted yoking of the universities "Institute for Christian Spirituality" with the radically pro-sectarian organization known as GenOn Ministries (TM).  The director of this conference herself, Dr. Holly Allen of Lipscomb University, disclosed in my hearing that the entire conference was made possible by a $5,000.00 grant from the president of Lipscomb University, Dr. L. Randolph Lowry.(1)

This reporter was there.  I was determined to hear with my own ears any evidence of movement away from the "faith once for all delivered to the saints" at Lipscomb University.  What I heard was far worse than my greatest fears.  Though there are many faithful faculty, staff, and students remaining at Lipscomb, the leadership of the Bible Department has gone "retro."  What I heard has more in common with 2nd century Gnosticism than it does the the "pattern of sound words."

The conference essentially is attempting to replace, not only the essence of the gospel, (2) it seeks to aggressively change how that gospel is conveyed.  Paul asserts in Romans 10.17 that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."  The eunuch in Acts 8, when asked if he understood what he was reading, replied; "How can I, except some man should guide me?"  The spoken and heard Word of God is the chosen conveyance of God.  It has not changed.  Sadly, this conference is interested in every form of communication EXCEPT biblical preaching for "ears that hear."  Among a number of un-biblical portals, I heard conference presenters advocate uber interactivity, the use of children in worship services, and drawing out of prayers with crayons for adults.  It was like being at a "magical mystery tour" of extreme spiritual experimentation.

Sadly, Origen, Augustine, and Aquinas would have been far more comfortable at this conference than would have Peter, Paul, and John.  In the 2nd century the Gnostic's claimed both an exclusive and higher knowledge than that which was common to ordinary Christians. Now, as then, those who see themselves as the "best and the brightest of all time," have a "buzz word" language to confuse traditional and understood meanings so as to "sound" faithful as they attempt to force the "car over the cliff."  Here is a list of novis-Gnostic words and terms I heard (along with definitions) (3) while at the conference.  (I'm sure there were others, these are the ones I caught.)

• "Cross-denominational" - The transference of truth across conflicting denominational lines without objection.
• "Spiritual" - Feelings of religion in lieu of trust, obedience, and faithfulness.
• "Intra-denominational" - Conflicting doctrines within a singular denomination.
• "Multi-denominational" - All denominations are equally viable, one is good as another, truth is in multiples and not in singularity.
• "Traditions" - In lieu of the Bible, this is where conflicting denominations justify their existence.  All "traditions" are all equally worthy.
• "Faith Formation / Spiritual Formation" - Takes the place of obedience to the gospel, an evolution and not an event.  As you may have heard; "Faith is a journey, not a destination." (4)
• "Historical Roots" - The foundation of conflicting denominations is rooted in history and not upon the Bible.  The novis-Gnostic's reject the existence of singular, revealed, inerrant, and inspired truth.
• "Explosive Free Range Worship" - The 21st century version of the "silence of the Scriptures" is a license for never ending progression away from revelation.  ("We can do anything we want as long as the Bible doesn't expressly forbid it.")
• "Accommodation" - The act of dumbing down worship, preaching, and teaching to the lowest common denominator,  i.e.don't put anything over a 4th grade level.  This is also known as "Changing forms to suit the capacity."
• "Paradigm" - That which comes from the past and must be discarded at all costs.  All things from the past are counter-evolutionary and therefore must be considered useless.
• "Story" - A term that is associated with fiction that is applied to all the historical accounts found in the Bible.
• "Testimony" - "My story" trumps revealed Scripture.  What I feel is more important than what I can learn from the Scriptures.
• "Practical Theology" - The pragmatic tail that wags the theological dog.  What works is more important that what is revealed.
• "Pragmatic Academic" - Outcome based educator who practices "practical theology."
• "Narrative of Scripture" - The Bible is a story from Genesis to Revelation devoid of interpretation of the Holy Spirit, devoid of dispensation, and testament. It overtly rejects the concept of II Timothy 3.16 - 17.
• "Re-clothing Communion" - The radical change of the Lord's Supper to include, integrate and accommodate the mindset of very young children. 
• "Collaborative Theology" - In lieu of studying the Scriptures, this is the blending of many conflicting doctrines so as to render them all devoid of conviction.  For years this has been also known as the "unity in diversity movement."  It is based upon human wisdom and ignores the Scripture entirely.
• "Tribe" - A term used for referring to people of conviction as being somehow backward for the faithfulness to revelation.  When one admits to belonging to a "tribe" one can then "admit" that there are "Christians" in all "churches."  

These are "smooth words" and we must be wary of them!

Remember Isaiah 30.10b: "Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:"

[Lord willing, this will be an on-going series.  The next report will deal with the theological assumptions of Dr. Leonard Allen who is the head of the Bible Department at Lipscomb University and is married to the conference chairman, Dr. Holly Allen.] - RM

NOTES:
(1) These facts were all verified in detail in our first report 13 July 2017 and available on this same blog.
(2) There were many denominations in attendance, all advocating "different gospels."  There were Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics, Disciples of Christ, Anglicans, Episcopalians, et. al.  The theme, stated numerous times and numerous ways was, "truth is relative, it is multiple, ever changing, evolving, emerging, and is individually defined."  The only truth I did not hear was that "truth is revealed, unchanging, singular, and is not individually defined."
(3) The definitions are mine based upon how these words / terms / phrases were used at the conference in my hearing. As there is no such thing as a "New-Gnostic" dictionary, I WELCOME your better definitions that I can use to update any mis-definition on my part!
(4) The radically emergent ETHOS CHURCH in Nashville, where Dr.'s Leonard & Holly Allen attend brags about having an atheist leading a mission team to Kenya a couple of years ago!  You see, he's on a "journey" to faith and his "journey" is just beginning.  (Verifiable on the 3rd session of Leonard Allen at the 2016 Pepperdine Lectures, if you care to look it up.  It's on YouTube.)

A Post-Faithful Report from Lipscomb University #1

13 July 2017 - Gospel Call Media - (Charlotte, NC) - I heard it with my own ears in person.  The InterGenerate 2017 (TM) conference was held on the campus of Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN and I was there June 25 - 27, 2017.  Not wanting to print "hear-say," I was there in person with reporters pencil in hand.  The purpose for going?  To verify one way or the other whether the university which claims to be "affiliated with the churches of Christ,"(1) continues to adhere to the "apostles doctrine" or not.  This is why I was there.  To claim "affiliation" without "faithfulness to the apostles doctrine" is simply existential, chaotic, and contradictory nonsense.  Sadly, from what I heard from the very opening of the conference, the answer is "no," Lipscomb is no longer faithful to what she once was.

From the very moment I arrived, I was perplexed.  I found not a single confessing member of the church of Christ on the program.  Other than brother and sister Ireland from my home congregation (present with me the first night of the conference), I did not meet even a single confessing member of the Lord's church among the 150 attending.  Most disturbing of all, we were the only ones present with Bibles.  The last two days of the conference, as far as I could comprehend, I alone came with a copy of God's Word.

The conference was a collaborative effort between the universities "Institute for Christian Spirituality" (2) and the openly pro-denominational GenOn Ministries (TM) organization. (3)  The purpose of this first ever InterGenerate Conference (TM) was to promote the bridging of generational gaps as a primary tool for more effective church growth, regardless of denominational affiliation.    

This pro-denominational / inter-denominational conference being at Lipscomb University was no accident nor was it incidental.  In fact the conference was orchestrated by Lipscomb faculty member Dr. Holly Allen (4) and overtly funded by a $5,000.00 grant from the institutions president, Dr. L. Randolph Lowry. (5) (6)  Despite the inspired apostle Paul's clear warning against "unequal yoking" in II Corinthians 6.11 - 7.1, Lipscomb University, Dr. Allen, Dr. Lowry, et al have unequally yoked themselves with the non-Christians (7) of GenOn Ministries (TM). to openly endorse and promote sectarian division.

Even more disturbing than the open acceptance of religious division, Dr. Allen on at least 3 occasions that I heard during the introduction focused, reiterated, and insisted upon the "multi denominational" and "inter-denominational" emphasis of the conference in a most overt way. (8)  Most upsetting of all, though, was the comments made by Dr. Holly's husband, Dr. Leonard Allen. (9)  He welcomed the approximately 150 participants on behalf of the university.  As the head of the Bible Department at Lipscomb he told the assembled denominationalists that the university was "affiliated with churches of Christ" which is one of three "denominations" that came out of the 19th century so-called "Stone-Campbell" movement.  In my hearing Dr. Leonard Allen purposely and overtly asserted that the Lord's Church was nothing more and nothing less than just another denomination. (10)  By so doing he surrendered ground to error and declined to share the one true gospel with those who are lost.  Of course, had both the Allen's stood up for the truth, the conference would not have been possible or even conceived of.

There are individuals at Lipscomb University that remain faithful but they are not in the Bible department. We must pray for their continued faithfulness.  We must also pray that faithful Christians, especially in Nashville, will warn others of this departure lest they come through many a "Jude's side door." (Jude 1.4)  This reporter will follow with more reports from Lipscomb University detailing their collective departure from the faith "once for all delivered to the saints." 

NOTES:

(1) http://www.lipscomb.edu/about/fast-facts
(2) http://www.lipscomb.edu/ics
(3) https://www.genonministries.org/blogs/blog/intergenerate-reflections (This links to a blushing pro denominational blog post about the conference)
(4) http://www.lipscomb.edu/news/filter/item/0/31716 (The very pro-denominational nature of this conference is admitted here on Lipscomb's own website.  Biographical info on Dr. Allen is included in the post)
(5) Per comments made by Dr. Holly Allen as she introduced the conference on the evening of 25 June 2017
(6) Bio on Pres. Lowry: https://www.lipscomb.edu/president/biography
(7) [In the New Testament sense of the word - no participating denominations present preach and teach that one must "repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins"]
(8) Per comments made by Dr. Holly Allen as she introduced the conference on the evening of 25 June 2017.  Interestingly, even though that both she and her husband both having backgrounds in the church of Christ, neither her or her husband acknowledged this fact at any time during the conference in my hearing.  All the other participants affiliation with sectarian denominations were clearly noted.  According to comments made at the 2016 Pepperdine Lectures, Dr. Leonard Allen, Dr. Holly Allen's husband, openly admitted to their attending the radically emergent ETHOS CHURCH (http://www.ethoschurch.org/) in downtown Nashville, TN.
(9) Bio on Dr. Leonard Allen: http://www.lipscomb.edu/www/bio/detail/1248
(10) Per comments made by Dr. Leonard Allen as he welcomed the conference participants to Lipscomb University on the evening of 25 June 2017.

12 Polemicists of the New and Old Testaments

“Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.”

– Alexander Hamilton

A debate is an examination of the perceived benefits of one opinion as opposed to another.  At the end of a debate there is often a common ground established between the opposing parties forming a framework for a final consensus.  A good illustration of a debate is a legislative process known as reconciliation.  The Senate has a bill as well as the House.  Reconciliation finds common ground that becomes the final bill.  Everyone “wins” and everyone “loses.”  Think of a debate as “verbal negotiation” where both parties surrender some ground to the other party in order to achieve a common goal.  The result?  Two winners, no losers.

On the other hand, a polemic is a verbal contest of one conviction versus another.  There are no compromises, winner takes all.  Wikipedia defines “polemic” thusly; “…a polemic is intended only to establish the truth of a point of view while refuting the opposing point of view.”  Think of a polemic as “verbal combat” that “takes no prisoners.”  The result?  Victor and vanquished.  In fact, the word “polemic” comes from the Greek word polemos meaning “war.”  According to Merriam Webster on line dictionary the first known use of the word “polemic” is traced to 1638.  Wikipedia asserts that “polemic” did not come into common usage until 1815 – 1820.  It’s use was not common early on as it is not listed in Webster’s 1828.

In our day and time, the clear difference between debate and polemics is blurred nearly to extinction.  Our post-modern existential culture, not recognizing truth of any kind, asserts that there is no such thing as a “conviction,” there is only the ever changing opinion.  Increasingly those holding true convictions, the polemics among us if you please, are seen as “narrow minded,” “judgmental,” “bigoted” and “hateful.”  To espouse any kind of “absolute” assaults the primary “virtue” of our culture…”tolerance.”

Spiritually speaking, even a casual examination of the Bible reveals a multitude of polemic episodes from Genesis to Revelation!  The first polemic contest in the Bible takes place while Adam and Eve are still in the garden, though not for long.

 

God: “...thou shalt surely die!”

Satan: “…thou shalt NOT surely die!”[1]

 

God took no prisoners, as the polemic promise of Christ striking Satan’s head took place on Resurrection Morning!  Nearly every page of the Bible is polemic in nature.  Good vs. evil, light vs. darkness, bitter vs. sweet, truth vs. falsehood, obedience vs. rebellion, faith vs. unbelief.  Many scriptures set the Christians polemic paradigm but two are prominent, II Corinthians 6.14 – 18 and I Peter 3.13 – 16.  In the II Corinthians passage Paul sets the polemic stage in the most stark contrast possible in the rhetorical question format. Peter pulls out his “metaphorical sword” and challenges us all to be ready for the polemic contest.  For those inclined to “tolerance,” “coexistence,” “opinion” and “accommodation,” the Bible will prove unsettling.  If one finds polemics uncomfortable, one will certainly find the Bible even more disturbing.  Polemicists abound in God’s Word!   Let’s examine 12 of the Bibles most prominent polemicists:

1.   CHRIST – Our Lord and Savior uttered the most polemic statement of all time: “I am THE way, THE truth and THE life.  NO MAN comes to the Father EXCEPT by me!” – John 14.6

2.   PAUL – Paul had polemic encounters nearly everywhere he went: “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent…” – Acts 17.30

3.   JOHN THE BAPTIST – The tenacity of John was admired by Christ as he truly was a polemicist “faithful unto death.” – “…Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” – Matthew 14.3 – 4

4.   PETER & JOHN – After being threatened by the Sanhedrin for speaking in Jesus’ Name, Peter and John offer up a polemic remembered by many even today: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4.12

5.   STEPHEN – Having been arrested for speaking in the Forbidden Name, Stephen issues a polemic challenge to the Sanhedrin: “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.  Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?  They killed those who previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” – Acts 7.51 – 53

6.   JEREMIAH – The “Weeping Prophet” never converted anyone but his polemics are still honored by God’s people.  He stood up to the king and his entire nation issuing one polemic challenge after another.  “Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.  You will not escape from his hand, for you will surely be captured and delivered into his hand; and you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak to you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’” - Jeremiah 34.2b – 3

7.   MOSES – The polemic war between Moses and Pharaoh is iconic.  Who could ever forget; “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.  But behold, you have not listened until now.” - Exodus 7.16

8.   ELIJAH – As polemics go, no confrontation between good and evil is more poignant than the face off on top of Mt. Carmel between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal! – Observe  his polemic public prayer shouted out loud for all to hear; “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.  Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God , and that You have turned their heart back again.” - I Kings 18.36 – 40

9.   SHADRACH, MESHACH & ABEDNEGO – It was like a spiritual “shoot out at the O.K. Coral.”  With a backdrop of the “Fiery Furnace,” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego drew a line in the sand for King Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man in the world: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” – Daniel 3.16b - 18

10.               JOSHUA & CALEB – Jesus enjoins us all to remain “faithful unto death.”  When Joshua and Caleb were faced with death by stoning they continued to lay down their polemic challenge to the rebellious Israelis; “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us – a land which flows with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey.  Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” Numbers 14.1 - 10

11.               SAMUEL – One man of God transitioned Israel from foreign subjection to the dawn of power and prosperity.  The first king of Israel, Saul, turned out to be a rebellious apostate requiring Samuel to polemically challenge him.  “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel?  And the Lord anointed you king over Israel, and the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’  Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” - I Samuel 15.17 – 19

12.               NATHAN – One can imagine just how difficult a polemic is when    the opposition is a good friend and brother.  Such was the case with Nathan the prophet.  He was the personal prophet and confidant of his good friend, King David.  Despite his personal feelings towards the king, Nathan does not shirk from his polemic responsibilities.  "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.  And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.  Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'  Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.  For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'"  - I Samuel 12.1 – 14

 

Thank God He speaks to us through His word polemically, candidly, forthrightly and clearly!  We are challenged by Him to speak the same way to those who are outside of Gods will for “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!”   May those hearers have “ears to hear” the polemics of God.

 

-      Russ McCullough / 9 April 2013

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[1] All Scripture references are from either the King James, English Standard or New American Standard versions.

REVIVAL!

Should time continue, our gospel meeting at the Archdale church of Christ in Charlotte begins tomorrow night, 2 September, 2012, at 6 p.m.  It is entitled; "That Ye May Be Healed."  We are making no political statement whatsoever.  Our goal is to publicly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to a city in the world spotlight this week as the DNC is holding its national convention here.

We do not call our gospel meetings "revivals."  "Revivals" in the American tradition are public, contrived and staged events.  They are dominated by various forms of religious entertainment and wild emotion.  "Revivals" are events that attempt to manipulate a "reviving" of the collective heart and soul.  Biblical revival, on the other hand, is a private, humiliating and mournful experience between an individual Christian and his / her God.  The church is revived only when the individuals within Her bring their broken and contrite souls back to the Father begging Him to restore their spiritual lives.  Biblical revival is a gift of restoration from the Heavenly Father to His ailing child.

Why is revival so urgently needed?  Peter puts it very simply in I Peter 4.17 - 19:

1. Judgement begins at the House of God

2. The righteous will scarcely be saved

3. The ungodly and the sinner have no standing at the Judgement

I need reviving and you need reviving so that we, first as individuals and then as a congregation, will speak of God's amazing grace to the vast ocean of sinners around us every day.  

Tomorrow morning we will study the revival of just one man, King Josiah, who by asking for and receiving God's revival kept an entire nation from destruction for 31 years!  What will YOUR revival do?  Or will you have one?  The choice is yours.  BE THERE!  Our texts are from I Peter 4, Psalms 85 and II Chronicles 34.  Read them ahead of time.

A Case For Engagement

During the War Between the States there was a cavalry engagement at Thompson's Station, TN near Nashville.  The Southern force was being pressed from both their front and rear.  When asked for orders the Southern commander replied; "Charge in both directions!"  They won the day.

I am reminded of that line in the great hymn, Just As I Am.  

Fightings within and fears without, oh Lamb of God, I come, I come!

The church of Christ today continues to face the foes of sin and strife from outside the body of Christ as she has since the beginning.  She is also facing today those within who are attempting her destruction.  Jude refers to these as those "who have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation..." - Jude 4 (ESV)  In a way of speaking, they "came in through the side door unnoticed."

None of us can judge anyone else among us, that is up to God and only God.  However, there are those who insist upon the division of the Body of Christ in order to possess the instrument.  It truly is an "instrument of division."  They must be confronted, engaged and stopped!  Paul clearly teaches in Romans 14.23 that if any Christian holds a divisive opinion he "should keep it between (him)self and God." (ESV)  Regardless of all the biblical reasons to reject the instrument, it should NEVER be adopted for it divides the Body of Christ.  Not only does it divide the Body as a whole, it often divides congregations.  Many "double minded" elderships purposely divide their flocks between so-called "traditional" and "contemporary" worship hours.  Two worships, two assemblies and two interpretations of the Bible. Which is right?  Which is wrong?  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  James tells us that "a double minded man is unstable in all his ways." - James 1.8.  Elijah the great prophet asked the Baal worshiping Israelites of his day; "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?" - I King 18.21b (ESV)  There is no such thing as a "multiple truth" where both parties can be right before God simultaneously while advocating two different things.

The instrument cannot be both right and wrong!

 "IF" we assert that the instrument is wrong we must say so!  If we no longer believe it we must adopt it's use and begin teaching that those who fail to use it are in error before God.  Compromise is not an option for compromise is just another word for surrender and lukewarmness.  It is time we engaged the dividers of the Body with the truth proclaimed in love.

In times past brethren who disagreed would hold a public, logical, reasonable and monitored debate so that ideas and facts could be presented in a non-emotional setting.  Today, debates in the true sense of the word are nearly extinct.  Taking their place today are  un-monitored, emotional and opinionated rantings in the most prominent media vehicle among churches of Christ, The Christian Chronicle.  In the current on-line edition of the paper (today being 14 May 2012) there appears an article examining the question as to whether or not the instrument faction is seeing a rise in attendance because of the devise.  As I am writing this article there have been 36 responses.  Of those responses, only 4 quote or refer to any Scripture!  That makes only 11.1% of those responses, at least partly, based on Scripture.  This writer attempted on several occasions over the last two days to post Scripture based responses but, for whatever reason, they are no longer there.

Why assert engagement?  James makes it simple; "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." - James 5.19-20 (ESV)

Won't YOU engage?  Just go to this link, scroll to the bottom and write your Scripture based comments for all our erring brethren to see.  Perhaps some will repent!

http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2012/05/are-the-instrumental-christian-churches-really-experiencing-phenomenal-growth/

The general flavor of the comments posted rest upon the assumption that to use or not to use the instrument is just an "opinion."  God does not really care if we do or not use it - so appears the typical sentiment.  In fact, there is a certain syncretistic overtone to all of this, a sort of "we can have it both ways" if you please.    This reminds me of the syncretism of the State of Israel from the time of Jeroboam until the Babylonian exile.    Websters On Line Dictionary defines the term as: "the combination of different forms of belief and practice."  ["We will take the instrument while you do not but your'e o.k. and I'm o.k.  We both can be right though our faith and practice is 180 degrees apart."]  THEY wanted it both ways; "We can serve Yahweh AND Baal!"  "Not only that we can change the priesthood, we can alter the focus of our worship and we can change the place of worship.  God won't care..."  Well, He DID care.  He sent prophet after prophet, not to those outside of the covenant, but to those "wandering sinners" inside the covenant.  These prophets were not so-called "defenders of the faith," they were proclaimers of a message of repentance.  That, my friends, is OUR role as we seek to lovingly engage the advocates of the "instrument of division." Our engagement is one of repentance, renewal and restoration while God's mercy tarries.  The need is eternally urgent for we can see, as it were, the dust of the approaching Babylonians just over the next hill. 

Ezra Chapter 7 - A Man Prepared for Change!

Change hurts. It makes people insecure, confused, and angry. People want things to be the same as they've always been, because that makes life easier. But, if you're a leader, you can't let your people hang on to the past.(1) - Richard Marcinko

We all experienced radical change in 2010. If nothing else, should the Lord's coming be delayed, we will certainally experience more radical change in 2011. As Richard Marcinko observed, change does hurt. As we begin this new year of change we can learn a lot from a man who epitomized change - Ezra the priest of God.

Few men experience more change than did Ezra, finding himself transferred from the palacial halls of Cyrus the King of the Medo - Persian empire to the broken down rubble of long abandoned Jerusalem. Ezra was not intimidated by such change, he was inspired by it! Inspiration is preceded by preparation.

Ezra Chapter 7 details Ezra's preparation and we can learn from it. Ezra knew who he was, he knew the Word of God, he was willing to leave the familiar, he did God's will, he took direction from others, he was thankful and he took courage for the Hand of God was upon him!

Ezra 7:1 - 5 - Ezra Prepared for Change By Knowing Who He Was - A Son of Aaron

Here we see Ezra's family tree, he was a direct decendant of Aaorn the High Priest of God. Though we might define Aaron by his temporary lapse into sin regarding the "golden calf," God did not. In fact God's view of Aaron is revealed in Hebrews 5:1 - 4, Aaron was a man "called by God.!" Everyone has an "Aaron" in their family tree, even if it is you! Thank God He doesnt define our worth by our worst deed! We can prepare for change in 2011 by knowing who we are and being proud of it like Ezra.

Ezra 7:6 - Ezra Prepared for Change by Knowing God's Word

Preparation requires knowledge, especially when it comes to the work of God. Ezra, perhaps more than anyone in the Old Testament is equated with theological excellence. In fact, Ezra focused on "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" with Pauline dedication. He "set his heart" to "study the Law of the LORD," to "do it" and to "teach his statutes and rules in Israel." We can prepare for change in 2011 by knowing God's Word like Ezra did by studying, doing and teaching it.

To Be Continued...

(1) Source: http://famousquotes.com
Picture Courtesy of: http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/Picture.htm