elder's pen

From the Elder's Pen

THIS IS NOT A HAMBURGER STAND

I had a call early Sunday morning and the person asked, “How long will your services last and do you serve the Lord’s Supper first or last?” They were probably traveling and wanted their crackers and grape juice to go. Many are demanding today that we be quick and convenient. It seems that many religious leaders are taking the Burger King approach “Have it your way”, but we’re not a hamburger stand. We’re the body of Christ. It is tempting today to apply the fast food approach but it will be deadly to the church. One church in California already has drive-in-services. You simply put the speaker in your car, listen to a brief message, hang it up and get on your way. Will some offer a drive-in window where one can get the Lord’s Supper and go fishing or hunting? Will we eventually have home delivery? Yes, the hamburger people say, “We can hold the lettuce. We can hold the pickle. We can hold the onion.” It seems that some even hold the patty. The same cry has come to the church: Hold the water. Hold the works. We want a grace only salvation. Hold the preaching. Hold the doctrine. Hold the singing. We are not at liberty to hold anything that God’s word specifies. Many in our great brotherhood today cry change, adapt, and conform or die. We must not panic because we’re not growing like the hamburger stands. We must not let the liberals exploit our frustration by saying, “You would grow if you were more liberal.” The Catholic church has tried to accommodate their people for years and every year their numbers shrink.
(to be continued July 2)

Walter M. Bishop, Elder