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Editorial
Byways
Editorial
Byways|
WATCH
AND BE FOUND FAITHFUL
READ the Bible. From Adam and Eve onward, even from
the beginning,
man has never been faithful to God for very long. Remember the
universal flood,
and what lead up to it. Consider the nation of
With the coming of the Redeemer and Savior into the world,
we
would think that things would be different. But the Lord warned of
“false
Christs” to come and said that “many false prophets shall rise, and
shall deceive
many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold. But
he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew
24:11-13).
He even asked the question, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find
faith on
the earth?” (Luke 18:8) The apostle Paul repeatedly warned of a
“falling away”
that was coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 Timothy 4:1-7; 2 Timothy
3:1-4:5).
He even said to the Ephesian elders, “For I know this, that after my
departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also
of your
own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples
after them. Therefore, watch, and
remember, that by the
space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with
tears”
(Acts 20:29-31). In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the Lord addresses
problems of
departure and potential apostasy in the seven churches of
These words are not written to be pessimistic or to
discourage,
but to be realistic. It is true that Paul affirmatively asked, “If God
be for
us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31), and Christ said that the
gates of
hell would not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18). (Yes). But,
at the
same time, remember, we are a fallen race of people. Our inclination,
if not
averted, is toward apostasy. (A child does not have to be taught to do
wrong;
he just does it—Proverbs 29:15). We must live close to the Lord and be
on
guard. In view of Paul’s
warnings in Acts 20:28-32, elders,
who are the pastors of the flock, were instructed
to “watch”
to safeguard the church. (And in this connection, they were pointed to
the Word
of God, Acts 20:32). Hebrews 13:17 says that “they [the elders] watch
for your souls.” This is their solemn responsibility. Likewise, in view
of
coming apostasy and in the same vein, Paul said to Timothy, “But watch
thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,
make full
proof of thy ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). Then, speaking more generally,
Hebrews
3:12-14 reads, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart
of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another
daily, while
it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of
sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of
our
confidence stedfast unto the end.” More than once, Jesus said to his
disciples to
“watch
and pray.”
Then these words are expanded to include us: “And what I say unto you I
say
unto all. Watch” (Mark 13:37).
Any way that we look at it, we need to watch. Because men
are
not watching, the church may plunge into darkness. Noble religious
movements
may fizzle out. Doctrines may erode and be lost. The trappings and ways
of the
world may be brought into the church. We may lose our convictions about
right
and wrong. Remember. History bears out that man has never been faithful to God for very long. Let us watch and be found faithful.  TheSwordANDStaff| |