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   Bible Classes (10:00 am)

   AM Worship (11:00 am)

   PM Worship (3:00 pm)

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   Bible Classes (7:35 pm)

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Being a Christian in a Non-Christian Society

by John Waddey

Many American Christians have finally awakened to the fact that in our
lifetime our society has devolved from one that was fundamentally
Christian in its thinking, values and conduct to one that is largely
secular (non-religious) and on many levels anti-Christian. The
question confronting us in this hostile environment is, "How then
shall we live in this situation?"

* We must remind ourselves that neither the Father, the Son nor the
Holy Spirit have changed. They are the same yesterday, today and
forever (Mal. 3:6; Heb.13:8). The will of God for humanity, which is
recorded in our Bible, has not changed. It reads for us the same as
it did for the earliest generation of Christians (Matt. 24:39). It is
still the standard by which Christians must live and it will judge us
with all previous generations in the last day (John 12:48-49). The
Lord's church has not changed! True, the many churches created by men
have changed and will change yet more. Their leaders hesitate not to
cast aside old beliefs and practices and embrace new ones to make them
more palatable to modern men. What men create, men can change. True,
false teachers are changing congregations of the Church of Christ that
have fallen under their influence. But every change induced takes them
further away from the Savior and his favor. It is true that some
peripheral aspects of the church can change. Things that are in the
realm of incidentals, such as means and methods can change without
harm, but the true and faithful church will not change its basic
nature, its matters of faith, worship and the prescribed activities
and duties assigned by Christ (Matt. 28:20).

* We must remember who we are. We are children of God by faith in
Christ (Gal. 3:26). Our conduct should reflect this sacred relationship.

* Keep your eyes on Jesus. He will lead us to victory (Rev. 19:11-15).

* We must never forget the great and painful price our Master paid for
our salvation and for his church (I Cor. 15:3; Acts 20:28). Whatever
our hardships, they are not likely to compare with His!

* We must never be ashamed of our faith, of the church, her standards
and worship (Rom. 1:16).

* Never be ashamed of who you are. Wear the noble name of Christian
with holy pride and dignity, even in the face of ridicule, slander and
persecution (II Tim. 1:12; I Pet. 4:14-16).

* Don't be afraid of our enemies. "The Lord is (our) helper; (we) will
not fear: What shall man do unto (us)?" (Heb. 12: 6). " Greater is he
that is in (us), than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4).

* Don't feel overwhelmed by the enormity of our task or of the
opposition. The Lord who gave us our mission has all power in heaven
and on earth. He is with us as we advance to the ends of the earth
(Matt. 28:18,20). No enemy can stand before him and no obstacle can
block his advance. Eleven surviving apostles set out to conqueror the
world for their Master. There are some three million of us. They had
little or no resources. We have resources abounding. They had none
of the remarkable tools of transportation or communication that we now
enjoy. Yet, they succeeded, even in the face of the hostile Jewish
establishment and the mighty Roman Empire.

* Remember your mission. "Go make disciples of all the nations" (Matt.
28:19). We must not allow ourselves to be distracted from our Great
Commission to bring lost men to salvation in Christ by the many other
good things proposed for us to do. Schools, water wells, medical
clinics, and benevolence do meet the needs of the physical man but
only the gospel can meet the needs of the soul. The one benefits for
time, the other for eternity! Our first priority must always be the
salvation message, others things must be secondary to that.

* Remember your goal. The conversion of the human race to Christ is
our goal (Mark 16:15). Yes, it is greater than any one of us, or any
congregation, but it should be the consuming purpose of every
Christian in every age.

* Banish from your mind any ideas of retreat, defeat, surrender,
compromise, fleeing or desertion.

* Keep in mind your reward. Those who are faithful unto death will
receive the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). A place in our Father's house
will be a reward that will repay every sacrifice made for the Cause of
His Son.

Our situation is surely no more challenging than that which the early
church faced. Like them we will be "more than conquerors through him
that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).

 Other Articles
Jesus Relation to the Law of Moses
The Pharisee Shield
Reclaiming a Heritage Reviewed