“Has It Come to This?” Luke 18: 7-8 9.25.12
“The absence of spiritual devotion today is an omen and a portent.
The modern church is all but contemptuous of the sober virtues--
meekness, modesty, humility, quietness, obedience, self effacement,
patience. To be accepted now, religion must be in the popular mood.
Consequently, much religious activity reeks with pride, display, self-
assertion, self-promotion, love of gain and devotion to the trivial plea-
sures.” (the late) A. W. Tozer, 2003
If we agree with the quote above, from this Godly, well-respected
Bible authority, the church and consequently, the world is in a pre-
carious state. We have become or are becoming the fulfillment of
our Lord’s words in Luke. “And shall God not avenge His own elect
who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the
Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?”
(Luke 18:7-8)
Given the condition of the visible Church of God (The apparent body
of Christ) in the West today we must concur, however reluctantly,
with Brother Tozer. He has given a realistic word picture of the rea-
lity in which we live every day. There is little evidence of a return
to Scriptural principle in that body. There is always hope that there
are the quiet saints who have not bowed the knee to Post Modern
shrines of “Higher Biblical Criticism,” Darwinian Evolutionary
"thought," Freudian-ism, and humanistic philosophy. It seems,
however; the leaders or noisemakers in evangelical and main line
denominations are sold out to an unscriptural world view and are
taking cue from that kind of "thinking."
Getting back to Tozer’s list, we find “virtue” of any sort to be out of
Let’s take one of these virtues, to define and dissect. The word
modesty is never used in polite/any circles today. Webster has it’s
meaning as;
“1. Freedom from conceit or vanity. 2. Propriety in dress, speech
or conduct.” An aside here; my wife’s late mother, Aileen K. Suther-
land, was the best example of one who personified this virtue. She,
although a gifted student and teacher of Scripture with wide know-
ledge of Bible Prophecy, was humble, quiet at the proper time,
self effaced and patient. Her meekness was befitting a Pastor’s
wife of over 60 years but this did not keep her from being witty when
appropriate and fun loving. She seemed always to say the right thing
at the right time. There was a steel resolve about her seen rarely in
of our time. So, modesty is not a sentence to a colorless, tasteless
existence, but a platform from which to serve our Lord in a manner
of life above reproach.
How then, do we arrive at the point where faith in God is no lon-
ger extant on earth? The lack of the virtues listed by Tozer is an
indicator, or barometer of the Spiritual condition of the local and uni-
versal church. While it is true not all members of any local body of
believers may, of a certain, be born again, it is also true; spurious
converts would be uncomfortable in a setting were most of the pari-
shioners Spirit-filled believers. If we take this one step further, we
might ask if a goodly number are not of the spurious sort. In Mat-
thew 7:20, He said, “...by their fruit you will know them...” Our
Lord put more emphasis on our walk and way of life than on profes-
sions or claims of Godliness. James says, "Yea, a man may say,
Thou hast faith and I have works: show me thy faith without thy
works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2: 18)
We may never assume one has faith if his works and manner of life
are not consistent with his or her profession of faith in Christ. In
the epistle to the Hebrews we read in 11: 6, “...without faith it is
impossible to please Him.” (the Father) We also read in James,
“...faith without works is dead...” (James 1: 20) Works, in this
instance, is putting legs to your faith by doing the work of our Lord
Jesus Christ and following His manner of life. Study His life...
(I must mention here for all of us to refuse to "judge" others on any
basis. We can see a life and realize something is not right, without
committing the act of "verbally" judging that one. Keep your con-
demnation to your self, and use God's Word to judge yourself.)
See Matthew 7: 1-2, James 4: 11
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father is this; to visit the widows and orphans in
their affliction and to keep himself unspotted
from the world." James 1:27
http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2012/10/salt-and-light.html
donporter,sr 9.25.12 (edited 9.26.15, 11.25.16, 3.24.17)
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