The Encourager
“Concerning the Accomplishments of the Spasmodic Attenders by Harold Turner”
The "lukewarm" Christian/'spasmodic attender' accomplishes the following things:
- They frustrate the elders in the obligation they have to feed the flock (Acts 20:28).
- They set a bad example for their children, neighbors, and members of their family who are not Christians.
- They illustrate that the joy of service is not theirs.
- They treat the building up of the local church as though it was nothing at all.
- They prove by action that they have not counted the cost of their discipleship.
- They think that the minimum constitutes faithfulness, disregarding the Lord's teachings on the subject (cf. Luke 17: 10).
- They show his lack of concern for the faithful brethren who "break their necks" to be consistent and faithful in the matter of attendance.
- They parade — for all to see — the price tag they put on the local church, the work of the local church, and the overall influence of the local church.
"Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far-gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:11-12)
A Corrupt World
by Rick Duggin
Though no one can predict the future of our nation, we can say with confidence that God is in control, His cause will triumph, and He judges nations. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Psalm 9:17). "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).
Gibbon's famous work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, lists five reasons for the fall of Rome. There are several parallels between ancient Israel and Rome, and even more disturbing, between Rome and America.
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The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society. American families are under attack by humanists, homosexuals, and Hollywood. Some don't even know what a family is any more (Matthew 19:4-9).
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Higher and higher taxes: the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses or the populace. America is on the greatest spending binge in history. Many have forgotten how to work; they expect the government to support them (2 Thessalonians 3:10; I Timothy 5:8).
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The mad craze for pleasure: sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal. Many Americans are so obsessed with sports that they have no time for Bible studies (2 Tim. 3:4; Hebrews 11:25).
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The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within — the decadence of the people. Babylon's wall, water, and wealth could not prevent the Persian invasion (Daniel 5). No armament can protect a nation that has rotted from within — not even America's.
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The decay of religion: faith fading into mere form; losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people. Most churches have become social clubs, pursuing entertainment to attract bigger crowds. Many audiences no longer expect to hear book, chapter, and verse (2 Timothy 4:1-4). They have replaced the house of prayer with food, fun, and frolic (Matthew 2 1:12-14).Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.
