“Days, Months, Times and Years”...the Wayfarer 3/2/14

“Days, Months, Times and Years”

3/2/14

“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.”

(Galatians 4:9-11)

Paul’s letter to the Galatians was prompted, as were most of the epistles by the concern, and love for a people, wandering from the true path that had been set before them.

Through communications from some of them, he knew of these departures from what had been taught, and what was taking root within the churches he had helped to establish.

Once again, they had begun to celebrate pagan holidays, and observances with those around them, not seeing the damage to their faith caused by this celebration.

They had wandered down the road of “go along to get along”, and began once more to accept the teachings of men over the tenants and commandments previously given them.

This was nothing new, as Israel continually did the same things over its history until being reprimanded and chastised for those actions by God.

They lacked the endurance of faith and love demanded by Jesus, and began to slip back into old habits, ignoring the fact that they were doing so.

He told them that before they had the knowledge and guidance given through the scripture, through his efforts, and those bringing that knowledge and guidance to light, they had had an excuse for such behavior and conduct in the past.

He reminded them that once having that knowledge and guidance, that excuse was no longer acceptable.

“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son, into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods,

But now after ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”

(Galatians 4:1-9)

Those professing to be Christians today fall well within the bounds of those being spoken to by Paul at the time of this writing.

Before the enlightenment that comes with a true experience of salvation, we see only through the physical eyes of a child, accept without question the things taught us by the men we are told have the education and wherewithal to guide us.

Concepts of ideology and the promises of a better world through concepts conceived by man through science and philosophies of various brands and breeds are the only guidance understood, however misinformed, however pagan, however nihilistic, however ungodly they may be.

All these things are the inclinations and musings of children, attempting to be the adult substituting their ideas for the tenants and commandments given through God.

Until being exposed to truth, as given us through the scriptures, particularly those given through the teachings given by Christ, acceptance of those things is understandable, and forgivable by God.

Once exposed to the truth, and having had spiritual eyes opened, those things are no longer acceptable.

It is no longer acceptable to chase each new philosophy, each new substitution offered for the truth, no matter how prettily cloaked in words such as spiritualism, tolerance, equality, and progressivism.

Far too many chase the “beggarly elements” of these teachings of man, which praise and accept abomination, while clinging to the appellation of Christian as their very acceptance of those things negates that appellation.

Many claim Christianity, mixing in pagan beliefs, ceremonies, and any teaching that would excuse behavior unacceptable to God, and his Son.

They seek to justify philosophy and theology contrary to what was given by Christ to assuage the need to continue to hear and obey the message given by my lord to:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

They take their itchy ears to those proclaiming some new age teaching, some new age philosophy or religion that would allow them to have all the “blessings” they seek…to include all the riches and pleasures of a world in denial of that required repentance.

Still others continue to hide blindly among the enclaves of their own cliques, apathetic and uncaring, making no attempt to seek out and teach the teachable and reach the reachable, even within their own families.

They excuse behavior of family members by means of seeing that which is done is acceptable to the rest of the world, therefore not to be condemned, nor reproached in regard to the violation of Christ’s teachings.

Some will take prayer requests to those cliques, but take no action to prove their love and concern, assuming none of the responsibility that comes along with the acceptance of Christ’s teachings and the adulthood expected of them.

These then bemoan the fact that they see a deterioration of our society and a descent into chaos and evil, without ever once having opposed or stood against that evil.

“What can one man do, Preacher?”

If I had even a penny for each time I hear that question, I would be far richer by the standards of this world than I am!

My answer to this is, “What did one man do?”

Though Jesus is, and was, the Son of God, and a manifestation within the Trinity, He still bore the burden of being a human man as well.

He did not apathetically accept the perversions of the law, despite the fact that He knew it would engender the hatred of those perverting that law.

He did not ignore the problems of those around him, but sought them out to give answers and relief of those problems.

He did not merely make judgment that men were sinners and ignore them or that sin, but sought out those sinners to show them the Way, Truth and Life.

He did not persecute those perverting the law, or those considered sinners, but sought to enlighten them all of the availability of redemption through repentance.

We need to cease observing days and months and times and years, giving way to the erosions of faith and erosions of truth that have always and will always come through that observance, and remember the timelessness and eternity of what has been given us.

Instead of seeking, and allowing others to seek out new justification for sin it needs to be identified and opposed with that truth we know to have been given.

Instead of identifying with this world, and its misleading concepts, if we are to be Christians, we need to identify with and emulate Christ.

Instead of allowing ourselves to be held within the bondage of the teachings of men, we need to return regularly and consistently to the teachings of Christ, and the commandments of His Father.

Instead of hiding heads in the sand and bemoaning evil, we need to resist that evil with the truth that we were given.

If we are not willing to take the chastisement of men for our belief, is it true belief, or merely lip-service and vain words with no meaning?

If the chastisement and derision of man is so unacceptable, how much more so will the judgment and sentence given be when we are then denied because of our own denial of Christ?

Take a stand, within the confines of family, the confines of peer group, the confines of assemblages calling themselves churches, but in denial of Christ, and within the confines of the society as a whole without fear of reprisal.

Fear instead, God, honor Him instead of all these groups of men who by nature are corrupt and transitory in the scheme of eternity.

Acknowledge Christ in word…in deed, and, action as well.

Then come back and ask me that question of “What can one man do?”

If you have done what is required it will suffice, if not then it is not sufficient, nor is it acceptable to God.

Days, months, times and years are relative, and are also relative to the eternity yet to come!

I close in prayer for each and all, that those days, months, times and years be filled with the joy that comes only through following Christ, accepting each failure to be what it is, and continue in the repentance required for the redemption already given.

I pray for a resurgence of true believers, unafraid of being called zealots, who will refuse to deny Christ, refuse to accept the substitutions offered, willing to make the needed sacrifice to assure the true reward, instead of surrendering to the poor imitations given in this temporal and temporary life and the body that experiences it.

I remain, as always, the same human, with human failings, a sinner in the eyes of my God, but a sinner saved by grace through the faith in His Son, accepting the necessity of repentance for the redemption given me.

I remain, also, as always, that unworthy soldier, standing on a battlefield littered with those who refuse to accept the days, months, times and years yet to come, striving  to reach those reachable, and teach those teachable of an eternity to come as well, clinging to faith and willing to endure until my service is ended.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer