Christian Living

On July 4th, our nation will celebrate two-hundred and forty-four years of declaring freedom from the King of England. Early patriots felt the king was oppressive and taxed the colonist too much. They wanted to be a free nation. So, in anticipation of being an independent nation, they endured war for eight years. They had no permanent central government in place other than the Continental Congress. They appointed a military general to lead the army. The people in the land were told they were free from the king. However, no one had promised that they would win and truly be free. 

Based on a sermon given at Hephzibah Mennonite Church on October 30, 2016.
If the title were “Why I Chose to Be a Conservative Mennonite,” I would probably say, “Because my parents taught me and led me in that direction.” Or maybe, “Because I grew up in that church and thought it was right.”

Former Vice President Al Gore wrote a book titled “An Inconvenient Truth.” The book’s theme was the urgent crisis of climate change. He urged the world to act on the inconvenient truth that we must take the difficult steps to correct our practices to save our world from a climate that is rapidly destroying our planet. We agree that often the truth is inconvenient. Convenient makes things easier or does not involve much effort or trouble. Is the truth you believe convenient or inconvenient?

The term nonconformity is a Biblical term derived from the Scripture be not conformed to this world, as found in Romans 12:2. The word conformed comes from the same Greek word that is translated fashioning in I Peter 1:14, where Peter tells Christians not to fashion themselves as they did when they lived in ignorance. This word, as it is used in the Bible, always refers to the outward appearance of a person or object. The fashion pages of the newspapers and catalogs will also verify that it has reference to outward appearance.

There is a tremendous need for warnings against the accumulation of wealth in the affluent society in which we live. During Jesus’ day, wealth and riches were very prevalent as well, although perhaps on a different scale. Jesus was anything but silent on this issue, and we have many foundational teachings regarding affluence. However, because of the effect that riches can have on us, it is quite easy to misinterpret scripture making us feel more comfortable with our accumulation of wealth.

Some questions frequently asked in our day are: Which translation of the Bible should we use? Which translation is best for our churches? Shouldn’t we use a translation of the Bible that people can easily understand? Is it right to read other translations?

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things (Matt 12:33-35).

What is Covid-19? It is said to be a particularly dangerous strain of Coronavirus, which first appeared in China in November of 2019. It is believed to be a novel virus, never before seen on earth, which means no one is immune to it, and nearly everyone who comes in contact with it will get sick. When a person is infected, they typically have no symptoms for one or two weeks, during which they unknowingly affect others. We are told the infection rate doubles about every six days, which, if true, every person on earth will have had it eight weeks from now.

In our world, today, loneliness is an epidemic. According to recent surveys, nearly half of Americans aged 18 and older report they sometimes or are always feeling alone or left out.1 One in four Americans rarely or never feel as though people understand them. Two in five Americans sometimes or always feel their relationships are not meaningful and that they are isolated from others. And one in five people reports they rarely or never feel close to people or feel like there are people they can talk to.

We are in the upheaval of what many are calling a global pandemic. COVID-19 is claiming lives. Anxiety, dread, and fear are present in the hearts of many. Financial markets are teetering. This global pandemic dominates the news headlines. It comes up in nearly every conversation when we meet neighbors and townsfolk. Schools and church buildings are empty. Many businesses are closed or struggling to survive. Unemployment claims have spiked to new records. Some would say COVID-19 is controlling our lives.