It takes a humble and honest person to admit that many of us preached things that were not really in the Book.

It seems, that those above us, seemed to have skipped some things, and added others. We all were admonished about taking away things, or adding things to God’s Word. Yet we did.

It was often due to a lack of knowledge or wisdom. or simply passing down what others before us taught. Often, we did as we were taught; not being instructed to search the Scriptures for ourselves.

It seems that we didn’t take to heart, what the writer said about placing bondage again on those who were set free by the blood of the Lamb. An attitude of either all in, or all out drifted among us.

It was Jesus who was the first to describe those who went to great length, to keep the law. They had pride in themselves for it, and they often bragged about how godly they were. He said that they went to extremes on some things, while ignoring all of the others.

Much of this among us, would not have been so bad, except that we made so much of our commandments, heaven or hell issues. It likely will not set well with some, but it needs be said.

Many folk who had been out of church, or still are, have looked at the church of today. What they often see, is something completely different, than what was in our time there. Things we were condemned for, shunned and pushed out for, are no longer a sin. There’s no need to go into a lengthy detail of those issues. But, there were many.

There is an urge to list all of these things. However, it would only cause more division and bring more strife. This note is not for those who yet subscribe to such rules and regulations.

It is for so many who were driven out, and wandered lost and forgotten for a long time. Not doing true restoration of fallen people, was a sure sign of trouble for ourselves, further down the road. There was a mass exodus, and many went to the total opposite of what they had been taught or instructed in. All the way in, or all the way out.

The middle of the road, may perhaps be a lost reality for so many. We may have lost the way of reasoning, that if we are too far off on one side, or the other side, we are out of balance.

There was a narrow path that the Word spoke of; walking the road that Jesus travels and loving as He loved. This journey, did not go way off to one side; it stayed with Him.

Is it not true, according to the writings of Jesus and His Apostles, too much to either side, would cause us to wind up in the ditch. Jesus, was to remain our focus; always.

It appears that we have changed some things written, to adapt to our beliefs of this day and age. We don’t look like the way those men and women dressed in the early church; we never did. There are things that do relate to customs of the time.

The problem is, that we change the way it was written at that time, but only to what we ourselves want. Picking, and choosing what suits our doctrine of traditional beliefs. The Word. The body of Christ needs to grow into a true Spirit-led interpretation of what is written, and what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. Reasoning together, in love.

 

~ Robert Blackburn

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Robert Blackburn

 

 

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