foodThe reason for this is obvious to our congregation, Pastor is fighting against the cancer that has invaded his body. It is understandable.
I have had a phrase over and over in my heart and head... "The Common Faith".
I will start with this, O.T. said that if one could put a thousand to flight, then two could chase ten thousand; by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established; you shall not follow the people (just because everyone is doing it). N.T. says that if two agree concerning anything in heaven, it would be done on earth; disciples were sent out by twos, perhaps for the purpose of agreement, as well as safety. Memory fails at the moment to recall other examples, sorry.
The point is that in OT as well as NT, the rules still apply. The strength of faith is multiplied exponentially with the number of souls added. So, why do I hear preachers speak of a weak church? Why do I hear preachers and people so fearful of the stuff of this world? Why do we who call ourselves Christian submit to the fear of the laws and rules of this life? Yes, we are to submit to mans authority, because God Himself set up the order of government, but why do we fear? Sure, we should mind the food we eat... I will not purposely drink poison or handle snakes. But I believe that if the situation arose, I could do it and not be harmed, just as Daniel and the lions, or the four men in the furnace.
There is an entire culture based on eating healthy foods, reading labels before drinking a beverage, commercials on TV cautioning to eat certain things if you want specific results... And it invades the church.
Did not Jesus Himself say not to worry about what to eat or drink? He said that we could not make ourselves taller or keep our hair from going gray- you won't be stronger, you won't live longer.
Apostle Paul said several times that we should not be offended at what some eat and what others don't eat. He also cautioned that in the last days perilous times would come when people would order you not to eat certain foods. (He was not speaking of chemically formulated foods and beverages, like nutrition bars or energy drinks, or sodas.) It was created by God and is fit to be recieved, he said.
My point is not so much the food issue. Eat what you want to. Don't eat what you don't want to. But leaning on science and saying that eating this will make you better, and eating that will make you sick, detracts from the pure faith. That goes in many different directions as well.
The saying is "once an addict, always an addict". "Jailhouse Christian, he'll go right back to his old ways as soon as he gets out". They believe that people are beyond help, and that even God can't help with certain types of people.
But that is a lie that even the church at large has believed. And so, instead of the common faith being one of pure faith that trusts God for everything, we trust in our own ability to keep ourselves healthy, safe, secure. Perhaps it is because we don't believe our treasure is in heaven? Or perhaps we think "Thy kingdom come" means that I have to defend Gods kingdom and temple, but we do it in our strength.
We submit to policy rather than grace and faith that believes. We submit to dietary rules, rather than believe what Jesus said. We submit to fear and keep people out, because it could lead to bad publicity, and it could cause our insurance to drop us. It could cause the congregation to split... Let it split, if the reason is fear of torment and faithlessness toward Christ to do what He said He would do.
I get e-mails telling me not to eat certain foods, drink certain drinks... Forget the food and drink killing me. I work in construction. I drive on I85. I live on the West side. I don't own a gun for personal protection, because I don't want to kill someone, which is what I would do if someone broke into my home or hurt any of my family, indeed, I would empty the clip and reload.( And, I have wanted a weapon for a long time, but know myself too well... so I have little choice but to trust God to protect us.)
Stop spreading fear. Don't feed the doubt. When you want to send nutritional information, or some forward about criminal activity, don't send it to me. You can keep your fear-mongering to yourself. Maybe you should pray and ask the Lord if you should send that next fwd... specially if you say you are Christian.
And that goes for "green" as well. Sure, do your best to preserve the earth God formed, but we are not the savior of the planet. God will send fire down from Heaven and purify this place... Revelation says plagues will come, some of them are environmental disasters. But in the end, for those who believe, all is well. Even the martyrs have a special place at the Lords alter.
Stop spreading fear. Start spreading faith.
Voted.
