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THE DAVIE POPLAR: [Ephesians 5:27]
Clearly the contemporary church in the Western world is not what she should be; in fact, she's pretty beaten up for a gal who's engaged to the King of kings.
Davie Poplar is a large tulip poplar tree, approximately 300-375 years old, located on the campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, named in honor of a Revolutionary War general, and founder of the university, William Richardson Davie.
The most enduring legend associated with the tree is that as long as Davie Poplar remains standing, the University will thrive. If it falls, the University will crumble. As such, many attempts have been taken to preserve the tree.
In 1918, it was struck by lightning, and fear that the tree was dying led the University to make a plant grafting, called Davie Poplar Jr. Later, another tree called Davie Poplar III was planted nearby from a seed of the original tree.
In 1996, Davie Poplar was badly damaged by Hurricane Fran, after which the trunk was filled with cement and strung with cables to keep it up.
The Church of Christ (not the denomination) was founded by another military hero, the Captian of the Lord's Host; this officer is far greater than Gen. Davie.
His Bride has also been hit by lightening, and on several occasions, out of fear that she was dying, grafts were talen. And her seed has birthed children everywhere.
But here in the last century, as a result of the beating the church has been receiving from the enemy, you would think she had also been "filled with cement and strung with cables to keep her" standing.
But, glory to God Almighty, He will neither forsake her or depart from her.
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DON’T FEED WILD BEASTS: [1 Peter 5:8]
Recently, the evening news (4/12/02) reported on another shark attack in Florida … only this one was a little different. Apparently, the victim was an internationally known shark expert who conducted live shark seminars on how to swim with and feed the beasts without fear or protection. Last report he was in a shock induced coma … his injuries were life threatening.
People who play with fire often get burned … they never cease to amaze us though, when they’re surprised that they did!
Like the shark expert, almost all of them have another thing in common … they are self-proclaimed “experts.” That is, they usually don’t know what they’re talking about and they don’t hesitate to let you know it.
Recent church-health related survey results have me worried. Evidently the church is full of self-proclaimed “believers” who don’t know they’re lost. Years ago, Billy Graham was prophetic when he said the greatest mission field in the world is the church on Sunday mornings.
Jesus put it another way:
Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS."
Matthew 7:22-23
If you’ve gone and declared yourself a lion expert you go ahead, you do your thing, just don’t bring your furry hang-ups around me and my house. Remember Peter warned you:
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
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HOPE RELEASED: [1 Timothy 2:13, 14]
For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. Zeus (Greek supreme god) ordered her creation as vengeance on man and his benefactor, Prometheus, to whose brother Epimetheus he sent her. Later, Zeus sent Mercury with a box for Pandora.
Zeus forbade her to open the box; Pandora disobeyed and out came all the world's evils, only hope remained in the box. Pandora said, “Oh well! What the heck!” She again opened the lid, and out came hope which soothed man’s griefs and suffering.
The first Adam was also given a woman, but this woman was from the one, true God, Jehovah. Likewise, this woman was commanded not to do something, she too disobeyed. But God had hope remaining, so He sent His Son to release it from the hearts of man to soothe the pangs of suffering eternal damnation.
TWO OPTIONS: [John 6:37; other topics - Aging, hopelessness, kindness, Memorial Day, respect, seniors, veterans, WWII]
They called him Pops around the Butte County, California, jail. However, his real name was Coval Russell. He was 92 years-old and serving 14 months for trying to kill his 70-year-old landlord over a petty dispute.
The report in The Los Angeles Times [July 11, 2002] claimed his year in jail was the best year of his nine decades long life; evidently, Russell had few positive life encounters prior to incarceration.
Yet, jailers and inmates alike befriended their senior citizen neighbor. His new family tried to make the tall, lanky Oklahoma native as comfortable as possible; they provided an extra mattress, first spot in the chow line, extra television time, even additional outside calls for medications (he had prostrate cancer). The younger men considered themselves his grandkids.
Upon serving his term, Russell petitioned the judge to be allowed to remain in jail. He told the jurist the people in jail treated him with more respect than those on the outside. “They treat me like a human being in there.” He supposedly said. His appeal was rejected.
As a result, the distraught man told friends he had but two options – either to violate his parole in order to return to jail or to take his own life. On Wednesday, 11 July 2002, Coval Russell, the WWII veteran, who risked his life for his fellow Americans, jumped from a bridge over the Feather River, to his death.
People (family, friends, and neighbors) who should have and could have given him a third option, didn’t; people who had little to give and little power to give at all, gave all they had. They gave him what they thought he needed but missed the mark by a light-year.
What Coval Russell really wanted and needed was hope, and hope is what a man gets when he has a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was abandoned and disrespected by a callused and indifferent world. Christ, the lover of his soul, would never abandon him and would give him all the respect a man could imagine.
THE WAY AROUND! [Hebrews 13:17a]
During a recent and tightly contested mayoral election in Long Beach, California, the incumbent, Beverly O'Neill, was prevented from running for reelection due to "term limits." In the end, however, the June 4, 2002, election results revealed she had retained her office. In the words of a spokesperson for her honor, "The mayor found a way around the law."
What, pray tell, is the mayor of California's 5th largest and the nation's 33rd largest city telling our young people? As a leader, she should be sending a message which encourages observance of the law, not how to circumvent it!
Isn't this just another sign for our time? Hasn't the word of God warned us there would be days like this? Isn't the pedophilia problem devastating the Roman Catholic body just a symptom of this day? Haven't the pervert-priests and the bypass-bishops just been finding a way around the Law?
SINKING THE SHIP! [
Galatians 2:5]
In 1974 the Lutheran Church International agreed it could allow for papal supremacy in the interest of reconciling with the Roman Catholic Church. Their leadership reasoned that the Pope was in a better place "politically" to represent their faith to the world for the remainder of the 20th Century, as well as in whole of the 21st Century.
This is quite typical of many well-meaning, ecumenical efforts on behalf of reconciliation, world peace, and unity. While the ideals pursued are commendable (as far as man is concerned) a conservative and biblical worldview should reject them out of hand as a desertion of the true Gospel.
Kingdom progress may not be achieved by temporal compromise or political expediency.
As someone said years ago, "The boat may very well be in the water, but the water may not very well be in the boat. So too, the church may very well be in the world, but the world may not very well be in the church."
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