There are signs of a renewal spirit beginning to blow in a number of churches. It moves us to reflect on some basic truths the Lord bas given us in His Word that call us to follow His leading. At the beginning of a new year we need to listen to and follow His directions. This will lead us to recall the past, discern the present, and lift our eyes to the future. We may do this by following the sequence in scripture: CREATION, FALL, AND RE-CREATION (or RESTORATION).
Creation
Beginning where God begins in His word, at creation, we take a positive approach. In counseling, after many years of listening to people in my engineering job, in my family, and in my church, I have found that the soundest model to follow in my replies is the one given to us by Jesus. In Revelation 2 and 3 He addresses the seven churches. Where He finds a mixture of good and bad aspects in a given church He ALWAYS begins with the good, commending for it. Then He proceeds to deal with the bad. This appears to be the biblical pattern in Paul’s epistles also. God starts with the creature as He designed him. In our dealing with our personal relationships we need first to recognize the hand of God in creating the ability to function, to love, act, dream, and follow in His footsteps.
As we try to begin where God begins, we find that this is the point of our history where Satan has been most effective in neutralizing the record of Genesis 1–3. He has eroded the testimony of Jesus when He (Jesus) attributed to this record a real factual and believable quality in Matthew 19:4, 5. Today we have been asked by the ‘scientists’ and theologians to accept theistic evolution and higher criticism as the “new hermeneutics” A thorough analysis of Report44, accepted by our Synod in 1972, reveals that this study does not reject these two heresies. Does this mean our church has endorsed them?
Recent findings of science point to a young earth and solar system. The dust layers found on the moon show an age of 10,000 to 15,000 years. This is corroborated by the helium content of our atmosphere, the shrinkage rate of the sun at 4 feet per hour, Carbon-14 aging tests, etc. It is time we stop apologizing for creation. A six-day actual span of time to initiate the universe is becoming less–and-less a far–fetched idea of our fore-fathers. The world tried to explain it away by accepting Darwin’s guesses. Are we to follow the culture around us or are we to stand firm on the written record found in the Bible? If the Lord can re-create me in His saving act in a moment why should it be implausible to create man in an instant? The fossil record shows no transitional stages from lower to higher forms of life. All species were created at some point.
I find in my day–to–day outreach, as a beginner in a continuing witness, that the creation emphasis is well received by the unbelievers, most of them well–educated with college degrees. Just today I used this approach by observing to a colleague what a beautiful foliage we could enjoy in our New Jersey suburbs, pointing to what God has done. After such an approach we need to move on to the Fall to deal realistically with our human plight.
The Fall
As we examine the road map into 1984 we need to be aware of the Genesis 3 message that crops up in my life from day to day. We need to imagine a medical doctor trying to make a diagnosis of our present condition. The patient goes to a doctor when there is a pain or injury. We do the same when we hurt inside. Our spirit and soul has fallen. Why the misery and failure to achieve our best intentions? Genesis 3 bas the answer. Adam fell and so did we. I see that clearly in my own life. The doctor examines us and decides we have a ‘cancer.’ An operation is needed to avoid certain death. That is the condition of our souls. A ‘surgical’ procedure is needed to remove the ‘growth’ of sin and restore us to health.
The Scripture never teaches that if we stress the ‘positive’ and ignore the ‘negative’ all will be well. A surgical operation is a painfully negative experience for a positive purpose. The Ten Commandments are mostly negative—but for a positive goal. So, to be a realist, I must be negative, in this second step, repent of my sin, confess to the Lord (and my neighbor if he was involved) what I have done, and receive His forgiveness. Only then will I be healed in my inner being.
After living on two continents and in six states, I have observed a growing trend among the sairlts to sweep bad news under the rug. Be positive! Did I hurt someone in that congregational meeting 3 years ago? Did I bad-mouth a fellow member behind his back? Think no more about it! No need to confess! That‘s too negative. Just lift your head, look at the blue sky above, move ahead, and try to do better next time.
This approach, borrowed from the world, is a direct violation of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18. I must remind myself that this passage is not only for the use of the elders in church discipline. It is also for you and me to square away with our wives, fellow church members, relatives, elders, and work colleagues! Why make such a point of this? Because a very simple truth is forgotten in our daily practice.
Healing can only come after an ‘operation’ is performed! The diagnosis of ‘cancer’ is never followed by a ‘positive’ encouragement to go home and forget about it. Rather, a ‘negative’ act of putting A KNIFE to the offending problem can save the victim. In so doing, you and I can be restored to again become effective growing saints. After recognizing the Fall we need to advance further to our RECREATION or RESTORATION.
Re-creation
The GOOD NEWS, following our rebellion against the Lord’s leadership in our lives, is the gift of life through the death of Jesus on the cross. The RE-CREATION we receive when we trust Him is the greatest motivator we can enjoy in 1984. The once-for-all work of Christ when He came to us to bring us to heaven saved Nicodemus in John 3 and it can do the same for us. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:18). As the Lord invades our day-to-day life with His presence, His work, His miracles, His teachings, His death, His resurrection, we will see a new way open. A new energy to realize our visions, our dreams, our challenges, and our nitty-gritty grappling with today’s barriers. There is much opposition. Especially to you if you commit your way totally to the Holy Spirit of Jesus. The Lord will lead you to someone to befriend, to help, to counsel because He knows you will want to be a channel of His power.
The future is uncharted for you and me. I do a lot of forward planning for our company management, but the plans rarely come out as charted. Only One knows what lies ahead in 1984. He is the One who can show you a step at a time so that you can be the tool in His hand to accomplish His long-term goals. Psalm 23 is a road map for the new year. It contains no predictions for next month or next year. Only a guide for today, with the ultimate destination assured.
If we are faithful today in obeying Him when we say, do, and model His will, then He will let us build on that for a new opportunity tomorrow. He makes our future by adding many todays together to become a fabric of glory for the Father.
So let us take a step today to follow the SON who shines on our path into tomorrow.
Peter Sluis is a business man who lives at 27 Deerfield Road, Wyckoff, New Jersey 07481