Dear Friends,
Ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free. John 8:32
Years ago, I stood before a
black-robed priest who was berating me for bringing up Jesus Christ in a secular
court. "Look here, young man, you keep your religion out of this. If you
want to preach, you can go to church on Sunday morning. But right now you're in
a secular court and you have certain secular duties which you have failed to
perform."
Was he right? As
Christians, do we wear different hats? Do we wear the "secular hat"
when it comes to driving, or shopping, or working? But then when it comes to
worshiping God, we put on our "religious hat" and "go to
church?"
How
much of our lives are we obligated to perform as secular creatures? How much is
left over for serving Christ? Can we be both Secular and Christian?
Let's look at the
words. "Secular" is one idea. "Christian" is another. When
you put them together, you are combining opposites. It is an impossibility. It
is like "hot ice." "Hot ice" is an oxymoron. "Secular
Christian" is an oxymoron. You cannot be both secular and Christian.
Going to Church
Before we go any
further, let's look at the meaning of some words and phrases. Think about the
phrase, "Let's go to church." Everybody uses it. "Are you ready
to go to Church?" "Put on your best clothes and let's go to
Church."
People use the
word "church" as if it were some kind of place or location where God
is worshiped. They forget that we are the temple of the living God (2
Corinthians 6:16) and that the Most High does not dwell in temples made with
hands (Acts 7:48).
Let's see a
definition of the true Church:
The Church is
Christ's Body with Jesus Christ as the Head. However, without any members,
Jesus remains in the heavens. When the members come together for His purpose,
they form His Body known as the Church.
See what
nonsense it is to say, "Let's go to church?" We are the Church.
We are that body. We are already there. For the Church is within us.
The definition
goes on. The building is not necessarily the Church. The building may be
property of the Church but it is not the Church. The Body is made up of
individuals, the `called out' members.
Can you imagine
how ridiculous it would be to say, "Let's go to State?" Why don't we
say that? Why don't we think of the State as a special building with echo
chambers where the State gods are worshiped?
The reason is
that people have not been deceived into thinking of the State as a building.
They have been told that the State is made up of the body politic. It is a
body of people who have come together for common purpose. The State's head
is the governor, not Jesus Christ. That is what makes the state secular. Secular
is without Christ.
Paul Revere, Pastor
