PAINFUL AND UNPLEASANT, BUT NECESSARY

Those who have had to deal with cancer or other serious health issues know that the treatments are often painful with unpleasant side effects. Yet they are necessary if the patient hopes to survive and find renewed health.

Today a cancerous situation has developed within the Lord's church.  The symptoms of this malady are a rejection of the faith, worship and preached of the past; an overwhelming desire for change in all aspects of church life and a willingness to embrace virtually anything new and different in the practice of their faith. Those smitten generally have their spiritual eyesight damaged so that they cannot discern the difference in Biblical Christianity and the counterfeit versions of religion that flourish around us.

If the church of Christ is to survive as a recognizable body, drastic action must be taken to excise the cancer of error that is rapidly metastasizing through out the body.

Painful as it is, we must talk about the problem.  Ignorance and denial are deadly in the face of this affliction. Brethren must know of the danger they face.

• We must begin treatment immediately. Each day treatment is delayed might mean souls lost, even entire congregations lost to the Lord's Cause.

• We must deal with specific symptoms, teachings and practice. Vague generalities will not cure the disease.

• We must change our diet; No more study materials written by change agents;  No more invitations for them to come, lest they spread their disease among us; No more bland diet of sweet words that do not address the real problem we are up against. We need sound, healthy doctrine (Tit. 2:1); strong meat (Heb. 4:14) that will strengthen our faith and convictions if we are to be able to resist this invading illness.

• We must cease to promote or patronize their colleges, lectures, seminars and books.  We must not lend aid nor comfort to those who would destroy that which is sacred to us (II John 11).

• We must not send our young people to their schools, camps and workshops lest they be infected with their virus.

• We must first isolate and then remove the malignant growth from each congregation, school and all other brotherhood activities.

• We must post a clear warning to all lest they be overtaken by the disease.

• We must inoculate every member young and old against this plague.

• We must create an environment where change agents cannot flourish. Those who are physicians of souls should make sure that their environment in their congregations is so thoroughly clean and healthy that carriers of the change ailment will have to flee to other bodies or be driven out.  Most of them could readily find a home among the Christian Churches, Baptists or Lutheran bodies.

Granted this treatment is both painful and unpleasant but it is absolutely essential if we are to survive.