Good morning and happy Saturday. We had another great week in the life of the church. VBS went well again this week with several indicating they wanted to trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. We praise God for that. Last night, we had a lot of fun serving together at the cookout for the Westbrooke Apartment community. It is always a good time serving with one another, seeking to impact the community in a variety of ways. I am thankful for a church that desires to love God, love others, impact our community, and change the world. May God continue to guide us in all that we do.
A couple of months ago, a friend sent be an article about a decision Wheaton College made to remove a plaque that had been dedicated to the missionary Jim Elliot. Most of you probably know his story. Elliot, Nate Saint and three others were seeking to reach a remote tribe with the Gospel message. The indigenous tribe of Indians in Ecuador was known for their violence, particularly toward outsiders. The missionaries had made some initial attempts at contacting the tribe. They flew over them in their plane and even dropped gifts to them. On one occasion, a couple members of the tribe actually rode on the plane for a short flight. The missionaries thought they were making progress, so they set out to meet the tribe in person. Unfortunately, they were met with spears and not the welcome wagon. The men became martyrs for the cause of Christ. Their deaths actually spurred many others on to join the missionary efforts to reach the lost even in the most remote and hostile places on earth. Elliott’s widow Elisabeth, along with others went back to try to reach the tribe. Praise God, the forgiveness they extended to the men that killed the missionaries, coupled with the love of Christ and the Gospel message, won the hearts of the people. Soon, the people of the tribe were trusting Christ and began living for Him. Of course, as they did, some of their practices began to change, such as the killing of strangers.
So, after all of these years, why would Wheaton take down a plaque from the 1950’s dedicated to their alum that had given their life for the advancement of the Gospel? Because people were complaining that the plaque referred to the Indians as “savages.” The term offended their modern sensibilities and they petitioned to have it removed. They formed a committee and began work to rewrite the dedication to better reflect that the unreached people were made in the image of God.
If you look up the definition of the word “savage” you will discover that, “(in historical use) relating to or being a preliterate people or society regarded as uncivilized or primitive.” Other words used to define it are violent, vicious, fierce, frightening and ferocious. Hmmm. I am not very smart but all of that seems to fit the narrative about the encounter that the missionaries experienced.
At some point, all of this revisionist nonsense of the past has got to stop. We cannot go back and rewrite everything that is offensive to the people in the politically correct 21st century. Not long ago, I was reading some commentary about the conquest of the Promised Land. As you are aware, some of what they were told to do sounds alarming to us in this day and age. We read about the destruction of the people of the land, the annihilation of men, women and children, and we are at least surprised by the severity of it. Even though it gives us a clear and accurate picture of God’s utter disdain for sin, it still stands in stark contrast to how we currently live as the people of God. In the particular comments I was reading, the author sought to make the narrative more palatable to the modern reader. In fact, he proposed that in lieu of what we read happened, the likely scenario was more of a forced relocation of the people. I thought, “Really? You mean like some United Nations relocation of refugees?” Wow, that is clearly not what the Bible says. Furthermore, we read in several places of the consequences for them for not completing the assignment they were given.
Granted, there are parts of the Bible that are hard to understand. There are things, if we are honest, that we don’t like. There are a few passages that we probably wish weren’t included. However, we should not try to make the Bible say what we want it to say. We cannot rewrite portions of it to suit our modern ideologies. Unfortunately, part of the reason our country is in such a mess is because that very thing has been happening all around us. We are getting close to the point where people are beginning to think the greatest sin is believing what the Bible says. God help us.
16 All Scripture is inspired by Godand is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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