Institutional Child abuse.

Our church recently received an email from someone asking if I would send a message of encouragement to those people who are currently giving evidence to the Royal Commission into "Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse".

This does not directly involve our church, for we are an independent church, and not affiliated with any of the large groups - we have a loose association with other likeminded independent Baptist Churches, no direct link.

However, as a result of the generalisations I have already written about, Christians in general are often caught up in these accusations. I know people who blame all of Christianity for such crimes.

I must say that the people who perpetrated these crimes are of the lowest sort of person in this world, and certainly are not Christians in the Bible sense of the word.

These people are (wrongly) put in a position of almost unquestioned trust and authority, and so to then use that position to satisfy their own sinful lusts, and especially on those who are not old enough to know better, is quite simply an abomination.

And for the institution to then protect and hide what was done is to heap abomination upon abomination.
Anyone who perpetrates crimes like this should have no protection from any group - they should face the full weight of the law, and if anything, their punishment when found guilty should be increased because of the trust involved.
The Institutions involved should be the first to bring in the police and open up fully to investigation, and ensure that the crime is paid for appropriately - and I am talking about justice here, not finance, although if it is deemed necessary there should be no balking at that either - but money will not fix it.

But, and this is the point I want to make, these people are not Biblical Christians.

It is clear from their false worship practices - I won't go into it here, but if you compare what the "High churches" in particular do, you will see that not much of it comes from the Bible.

No man should be put on a such a pedestal that this kind of thing would be possible.

There are so many ways that these people, and the institutions they are involved in, are not qualified to call themselves Christian - but unfortunately people look particularly at the Catholic Church and what they do, and they blame every Christian for it.

Oh yes, there have been Christians who have done bad things, but not everyone who calls themselves a Christian actually is a Christian.

One thing is certain though - whether a "church" institution, or a community institution, or a government institution, or in fact any sort of institution - if there are people in there who are committing crimes of any sort, they should not be protected from the Law.
And this is especially true for the kind of crimes that are being testified of in this Royal Commission.

These people testifying have every right to be angry, both for the crimes, and also for the treatment from the institutions.

I have prayed for the Royal Commission and will do so again.

But to these people - do not blame Christ for the crimes of men who do not know Him, but carry His name.
They are impostors.

You have every right to not trust people who talk about God.
But if you would read the Bible, you will find the truth about God, and it is very different to what these people taught, and to what you might think of God after your experiences.

Don't listen to what men say about God, but simply read the Word of God.

Study to shew thyself....

I have been doing a lot of preliminary study lately.

By that, I mean I have picked a subject and searched out as many verses and passages that are relevant to the passage, listed them in a document file, and then, verse by verse, looked at and added my thoughts between.

Some of these I have completed in a preliminary sense and come to a general conclusion.

Some have far more depth to investigate.
For instance, Marriage.
So far I have looked into the Biblical origin of marriage, and the Biblical pattern of marriage, but there is far more to look into with this subject.
Like, the Biblical interaction of a husband and wife, on both spiritual and emotional levels - and some also on the physical.
And the family issues that result from marriage.
And even the matters surrounding divorce.

But the initial basics I have found so far are that Biblical Marriage is between one man and one woman. Plural marriages are recorded in the Bible, and God even used people who were involved in plural marriages, but it seems pretty evident that God's original design was one man for one woman for life.
Plural marriages appear to be biblically against God's will, not in accord with God's will.

And these things have been settled with me from God's Word alone - yes I have pre-existing opinions on these matters, but my investigations are to find out what the Bible says about various matters, and I try to set aside my own opinions. And I also do not want to just take on someone else's opinions.

Since the Word of God is the rule and guide for my life, then I should be able to find the answers to these questions in God's Word.

I have not sought out commentaries or web pages or sermons by others.

I may look to these things further into my study of a particular issue, but only once I have found a solid Biblical baseline. It may also be of help to find other's opinions so that I can investigate their arguments against the Bible and against the position I find myself at - If their position is closer than mine, then I need to change mine. I may find a direction of argument that has slipped by me that someone else has seen - and of course maybe there is a good reason why I never saw that thought in God's Word - it might not actually be there....

Anyway, study of God's Word is a good thing, and if you have the time - or can make the time - it is a profitable thing - it must be, because God says that study makes you approved unto God, and that can't be a bad thing.

Generalisations

Something that bugs me no end, is when people generalise about Christianity.

I am having to constantly deal with people accusing "Christianity" of all sorts of crimes throughout history.

I have a problem with this for a couple of reasons.
1. Not everyone who claims the name of Christ is a Christian.
Many of the crimes done in the name of Christ (and there are plenty) have been done by men who use the name of Christ, but have no regard to the teachings of the Bible.
How can these men and women who ignore the Bible in the most basic of teachings be considered Christians?
There are so many different groups who claim the name, but the test of a true Christian is how they align with the Word of God.
By definition, these who use the name but go about killing (such as in the Crusades for instance) can not be used as a general template to condemn all Christians.
2. Not everyone who says they follow the teachings of the Bible, actually do. There are many people who twist various Bible texts right out of shape, in order that they can tell people to do what they want.
Some of these people are very convincing, very charismatic (not in a religious sense, but in a personality sense - although the charismatics have their issues as well), and due to their leadership abilities they can get people to follow them and to trust them. Follow them right into bankruptcy (while the "preacher" gets rich), follow them right into immorality, follow them right to death. There have pretty much always been this kind of charlatan, who takes advantage of people who are desperately reaching out for hope.
3. Then there are the false "Christian religions" which call themselves "Christian" but in fact teach stuff that is AGAINST the Bible, not in line with the Bible. The JW's, and the Mormons for instance both deny that Jesus is the God in the flesh, making Him instead a small g god, and a created being. This in spite of the fact that John 1 tells us that all things were made by Him (the Word, Jesus Christ). The SDA's add works to salvation, just as the Jews of Paul's day were doing. So also do the Catholics, who add in all sorts of unbiblical bit and pieces, such as making Mary a mediatrix in spite of the Bible telling us that Jesus is the only mediator, then also adding men - their priests - in as further mediators (what are they doing in the confessional if not acting as a mediator?). The Christadelphians join with the SDA's in some their theology, particularly with regard to soul sleep, another unbiblical twisting (And yes I have read the Christadelphian handbook, so I do know what they teach about this.) And there are plenty who teach that tongues and healing are signs of salvation and necessary for it, and others who talk about a "second blessing, and security by a second work of grace.

So generalisations, which are never really helpful, are a tool used by the opponents of Christianity to tar everyone with the same brush.
But you might be surprised to find that true Christians ALSO condemn such rubbish as many who claim the name spout.
In fact, for anyone to properly judge any Christian, it needs to be done by comparing what that person or group teaches against the Bible.

Now no man alive today is perfect, and we all make mistakes, but a genuine Christian will TRY to live by what the Bible says. And a genuine Christian church will stand on what the Bible says.

The only rider on this point is that some of the Bible is written as history, and some of the commands were given at specific times for a specific purpose - this means that those who say that we should go out and kill because God commanded it are just wrong.
They take a passage or verse out of context and are no better in their accusations than the false teacher who takes advantage of men.

The Bible, taken in its proper context is the yardstick, the rule, the template that every Christian, both individually and corporately (in his church) should follow and stand by.

Judge me not by those who falsely carry the name - judge me by the Words of God.

Why is church not important any more?

Hebrews 10
22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

 23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

 25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Look at these verses a moment..........

Everyone has heard verse 25, and we all have surely heard a message about this verse and how we should be diligent about coming to church.
Some no doubt roll their eyes the minute they hear this verse quoted.

But look at the verses running up to it.

This not forsaking is initially based on our great High Priest.
Because He is our High Priest.... forsake not the assembling together.

Because of Him, let us draw near - with full assurance, a clean conscience, and clean lives.
If you are having problems with assurance, with conscience, with besetting sins - maybe it has a link in you not assembling together?
If you struggle to hold fast to your profession of faith - maybe you are forsaking the assembling together?

When you assemble together there is opportunity to provoke one another to love and to serving the Lord. You can grow in the Lord when you assemble together.
If you walk alone the only thing you will grow is cold.....
 And lonely....


The manner of some is to forsake the assembling together - but that shouldn't be the manner of any saved person.
We ought to assemble together precisely for the reasons that we can help each other with loving the Lord and serving the Lord, and this can be called exhortation.

Don't blame your pastor or your church if you are getting downcast in the world, when you refuse to assemble together in exactly the place and with the people whom the Lord has provided to help you grow in Him.