The things of the Lord are treated as common
When one reads the Old Testament, there is a certain seriousness, a reverence that God’s holy nature demands of His followers. The apostle Paul wrote, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Paul also wrote about the sinless nature of the Lord, Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (Titus 1:1-2). God calls us to a life of holiness and to keep the holy things sacred. In an attempt to convert the thinking of early Christians, Peter wrote, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (I Peter 1:15-16). The holiness of the Lord and the holiness He calls us to aspire to live is not something to be taken lightly.
I know that as a Christian, I am under grace, but I cannot help but to pay attention to several Old Testament pronouncements from the Lord: And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name (Leviticus 20:30), They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy (Leviticus 21:6), and finally, Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD which hallow you (Leviticus 22:32). In this “modern” faith there is a lack of respect for the things of the Lord; the sacredness of the church house much like there was during the days of the prophet Daniel: And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting (Daniel 5:22-27).
While most Christians would never dream of throwing such a party in the sanctuary of the church, there is a widespread lack of respect and reverence for the things of the Lord. Whether it is by intent or ignorance, it really does not matter when we begin to treat the things of the Lord as being common everyday items. As we continued our discussion, the man said that he remembered a time when he was younger when a church workday had just as many people attending as did the normal Sunday morning service. It was considered an honor to have a part in taking care of the things of the Lord. He shared a story that when he was a young man, he had taken a few pencils and a bottle of glue from his Sunday school class. With tears in his eyes, he could recall the words his mother told him as she said that it was a sin to steal from anyone but to steal from God was terrible! His mother took him back to the church, nearly a three-mile walk one-way, to return the things he had taken and to make him apologize to the reverend. It was a lesson that stuck with him his entire life.
With a great conviction in his voice, he told me that the younger generation simply saw the church as another meeting and social place and not as a holy place to join in worship of the Lord. We began to talk about some of the things that churches now find completely acceptable that just even thirty years ago never would have happened – bingo and card nights, dances and co-ed lock-ins for teens, and other events and activities that are not worship or Christian fellowship around the word of the Lord. When I was stationed at Fort Lewis in 1993, there was a church that actually opened a “Christian bar” to reach the lost; at first, they only served non-alcoholic drinks, but before I was reassigned, they began to advertise they were going to start serving alcohol to draw in larger crowds. They had profaned church property by making it common – and by profaning the things of God they lost the protection and blessings of the Lord. Within three months of the “Christian bar” serving alcoholic beverages, the church literally collapsed and its property up for sale. They had been weighed in the balance and were found wanting.
The church should never conform to the world, just as the Christian should never conform to the demands of the world. Paul warns the Christian, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2). Two things remain certain – we must never fail to recognize the authority of the scriptures in our lives and within the church and we must always hold the things of the Lord as sacred and holy – worthy of our utmost respect.
