In the biblical account of Noah, the ark, and the flood, beginning in Genesis 6, the entire world had become so corrupt and violent that God decided to destroy it, saving Noah and his family as a remnant with whom to begin anew. II Peter 2:5 states that Noah was a preacher: “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.” (KJV)

Genesis does not elaborate on Noah’s life while he built the ark, which undoubtedly took some time. We do know that God was patient and withheld carrying out His sentence until the ark was completed. But since Noah was also a preacher, surely it stands to reason that he continuously warned those around him of impending doom and pleaded for the ungodly to change their ways before it was too late. Ultimately, only eight souls out of the entire world survived, for everyone else had chosen to embrace popular trends and the “pop culture” of the time, which only grieved God the more.

Today the Church Growth Movement/Change Movement can be likened to the ungodly masses of old who rejected Noah’s warnings. Throngs of people are departing the “old paths” and traveling the “wide path of destruction” to churches that offer more pleasurable and less demanding “worship experiences” through a host of unbiblical gimmicks. Worse, they de-emphasize biblical doctrine for an entertaining, man-contrived “gospel” promoting self-esteem and “feel-goodness.” Yet there remain a few "Noahs" who will continue to warn that embracing such a movement will ultimately lead to spiritual destruction in due course. Undoubtedly, Noah’s compatriots laughed him to scorn; the change agents are doing the same with 21st-century "Noahs." Noah and his family were saved. The time is coming, however, when spiritual “rain” will fall upon the change agents, and with rain, the flood cannot be far behind.

[Article is cited from “Bible-Infonet” site; emph., by d.c.]


Change, Transition, Abandon

By Adron Doran


On one hand we hear voices calling for change and those who are becoming involved in the movement for transition. On the other hand there are those who fear that the proposed changes will result in abandoning the "old paths."

We can understand full well why some people are disenchanted with political, economic, and educational leaders and systems and are advocating changes in the way local, state, and national governments are being administered. Certainly our tax structure needs overhauling, and our education programs need reforming. These are all parts of our social system and subject to the will of the democratic electorate.

However, the gospel of God and the church of our Lord Jesus Christ are sacred institutions and are not subject to the whims and wishes of our modem society. Just because drastic changes are being wrought in the social order is no valid argument for changing the church that Christ purchased with his own precious blood or that the gospel which came as the will of God should succumb to, change, or be abandoned.

We hear and read much from those who contend for change in the status quo of the economy of grace. But some of us have difficulty in understanding what it is that they really want to change. What changes must be made in the church to bring it from the first century, when it was established, into the twenty-first century where the "baby boomers" will hold forth? Do the advocates propose to perfect change and accomplish transition from the traditions which we have followed through the years? Are there traditions which limit our effectiveness to evangelize or the way we conduct worship when the saints have gathered together?

Many of our traditions have proved profitable, while there are others which could be eliminated with no ill effects. However, we do not believe that the churches of Christ are victims of traditions to the extent that the purposes of the Lord are being stymied. If we stripped the church of all of its "innocuous traditions," it should not change the mission, the organization, the purpose, the doctrine, and the direction which God gave to the church when he made Christ head of the "body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:23)!

I would raise a number of basic questions about changing the administration of the church, the pattern of worship, the conditions of salvation, as stipulated in the gospel, and the relationship between the church and religious denominations in a clamor for unity.

Do the proponents of change really think that God has changed or needs to change (Mal. 3:6)? Do they think that Christ has changed or needs to change (Heb. 13:8)? Do they think that the church was lacking when the Lord presented it unto himself (Eph. 5:27)? Do they think that truth is timeworn and outdated (I Pet. 1:25)? I admonish those who are dead set on leading a movement for change, within the brotherhood, to read and accept the proposal by the apostle Paul to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2:15):

So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.

When I was baptized and began to preach (1928), we never heard preacher, elder, or editor propose to change the church, prepare it for transition, or accept a new way to interpret the scripture. N. B. Hardeman, A. B. Barrett, G. C. Brewer, I. A. Douthitt, H. L. Calhoun, Alonzo Williams, and Coleman Overby, for whom I led singing in gospel meetings, were never afraid nor ashamed to preach the commands of God, nor to point out the approved apostolic examples and the great truths of the Bible based on necessary inferences.

A similar course of change being proposed by modem "scholars" was introduced by the Christian Church and resulted in the formation of the Disciples of Christ denomination and the abandonment of the restoration plea.

Brethren, we must profit by the mistakes of those who abandoned the pleas of the early restorers under the guise of a new theology and commit ourselves to "hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard in faith and in love which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:13).

As early as 1829 Thomas Campbell proposed that

nothing should be admitted into our churches (congregations) either as to doctrine, or practice, or manner of teaching, or terms of communion, or ministerial qualifications, or government, but what we find taught, enjoined, and practiced in the primitive churches. Now this is the very thing we plead for, neither more nor less!

Let us be careful that change and transition do not result in abandon.

DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO WARN OTHER CONGREGATIONS OF ERROR?


Dear Bro. Waddey:

In principle I agree with you and have agonized over what to do, however, since Churches of Christ congregations are each autonomous it appears to be one roadblock we have to overcome. I would appreciate your thoughts from that perspective. Beverly


Dear Beverly:

Thanks for writing. I, like you, recognize and cherish our congregational autonomy. This however does not prohibit us from trying to teach, encourage and warn brethren concerning dangers that could destroy them. Think of it this way. Every man's house is his private castle, his domain and I have no right to infringe on his property. However if I should be driving by and see smoke and flames pouring from his attic, I would have a moral obligation to bang on his door and warn him of the danger.

The extent of my efforts is to teach, to sound the word of warning. I am trying to convince those at risk, not to heed the siren calls of false teachers. The New Testament is full of such warnings. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and Jude all contain warnings to brethren about false teachers. I would not try to insert myself into the business of any congregation, overthrow any eldership or dislodge any preacher. Such would be wrong. But I can teach brethren God's will and way, just as we teach the gospel by television and radio and gospel literature.

We are more than members of our local congregation where we hold membership. We are members of the kingdom of Christ, which is world wide. We are part of his body. When one member suffers or is lost, we all suffer. This was the point of my article which you received. Because we are members of the worldwide kingdom, we send relief to Christians in Africa, Russia, etc. Churches send their preachers on mission trips to assist mission churches because we are all part of one great family.

Surely we should be concerned when destructive error is corrupting and destroying the faith of our brethren. We should shout the word of warning to them and try to show them the way back to safety. Satan would be very happy if we all just wrung our hands and fretted and did nothing as his agents cut a path of destruction through the heart of the church.

May God help us to love his kingdom enough to try to save it from ruin.

John Waddey
_____________________________________
John Waddey, Editor
Christianity: Then and Now
E-Mail: johnwaddey@aol.com

Heylel ( 1966) hay-lale'; from 1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning-star: - LUCIFER.

Halal (h1984) haw-lal'; a prim. root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causat. to celebrate; also to stultify: - (make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool (- ish, -ly), glory, give [light], be (make, feign self) mad (against), GIVE IN MARRIAGE,[SING, be worthy of] praise, rage, renowned, shine.

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; Mt.24:38

Chalal(h2490) khaw-lal'; a prim. root [comp. 2470]; prop. to bore, i. e. (by impl.) to wound, to dissolve; fig. to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an "opening wedge"); denom. (from 2485) to play (the flute): - begin (* men began), defile, * break, defile, * eat (as common things), * first, * gather the grape thereof, * take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute, slay (slain), sorrow, stain, wound.

Jubal, Jabal, Tubal-Cain and Naamah are identified as sorcerers or enchanters. Cain derives from A MUSICAL NOTE. When Jubal "handled" instruments it was like laying his hands on people for sex. It was this family which caused sin to so overwhelm the world that God destroyed it and saved a tiny remnant. The story of the Babylonians--refuted by Moses--proves that people immediately returned to the "days of Noah."

Clement of Alexendria and three dozen other documents agree with the following to define the DAYS OF NOAH:

"But when all these things were done, men turned again to impiety; [There is a similar chapter in Homily IX. 7, but in a discourse: on the following day.-R.] and on this account a law was given by God to instruct them in the manner of living.

But in process of time, the worship of God and righteousness were corrupted by the unbelieving and the wicked, as we shall show more fully by and by.

Moreover, perverse and erratic religions were introduced, to which the greater part of men gave themselves up,
by occasion of holidays and solemnities, instituting drinkings and banquets,


following pipes, and flutes, and harps, and diverse kinds of musical instruments, and indulging themselves in all kinds of drunkenness and luxury.


Hence every kind of error took rise; hence they invented groves and altars, fillets and victims, and after drunkenness they were agitated as if with mad emotions.

By this means power was given to the demons to enter into minds of this sort, so that they seemed to lead insane dances and to rave like Bacchanalians; hence were invented the gnashing of teeth, and bellowing from the depth of their bowels; hence a terrible countenance and a fierce aspect in men, so that he whom drunkenness had subverted and a demon had instigated, was believed by the deceived and the erring to be filled with the Deity.

Revelation 18 implicates professional speakers, singers, instrumentalists (doing worship) and craftsmen or "house builders" as consuming all of the resources of the end time church.

Ken

This thread contains good articles. I would like to add a a couple of old Proverbs and I thought this would be a good place.

Proverbs 24:21-22 "My son, fear the Lord and the King; Do not (associate) with those given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring?"

Larry