This morning, the world is doing what the Holy Scriptures say would happen. Evil men are waxing worse and worse, and the bounds that they push are getting to the point that one might begin to wonder how long the longsuffering of the Almighty will extend. However, the bounds that are pushed by man do not give us cause to jump into another ditch to try to outweigh the evil that we see. As the old saying goes, "Two wrongs don't make a right." We are not at liberty to be wrong in a ditch, just because others are just as wrong in the other ditch. 

The first practical matter that we will consider is that of judgment. The world likes to quote Matthew 7:1 to prove that judgment is wrong. However, the passage that follows the 1st verse shows that judgment (in and of itself) is not wrong. Rather, the measure by which we judge should not be anything other than the word of God. So, we should not judge based on comparison. We cannot look at others and say, "Well, I am not so bad." Our course should be to hold ourselves to the standard of the word of God. The church has been given authority (by her Head) to judge her members. But, our judgment should be that of ONLY what the Scriptures call for. We do not base our judgment on what we feel to be right, but rather, the judgment should be based on what IS right.  

The next matter is that of whether to live in or out of the world. Many will say, "Well, we should all live together separate from the world." This "compound theory" will not hold up to the words of our Saviour. He prayed to His Father in John 17 these words, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." We must live, work, and interact in the world. However, that does not give us cause to live LIKE the world. Our manner of living should be different than those of the world, but we must still live IN the world. Someone told me one time, "Things would be wonderful if all the Old Baptists could live together in one state separate from everyone else." To this I query, "Then how did a single family unit of 4 souls end up with a murder and a murderer?" One family could not live in harmony, and I believe wholeheartedly that even we Old Baptists could not do it either. These two extremes will not work.   

The last practical point to consider this morning is that of support for the gospel ministry. In the past, we can read of ministers that were not supported by the churches that they served perhaps as they should have been. However, this does not give us reason to preach full financial support of the ministry across the board. There are things that are taught by God's word that must be applied by circumstance. If a church has say 200 members, it could feasibly support her pastor enough so that he does not have to have a secular job (although he may if he so chooses). But, to require a church with say 16 members (like the one that I try to serve) to give me enough to live on is unreasonable. The church that I try to serve is very generous with their support, but it would be an extreme notion to say that they do not give what they should.   

The question of whether or not to support the ministers is rather easy to answer. The church should to the level at which they are able. And, it is most unwise and erroneous for another to try to apply a standard amount across the board. Paul said, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." (I Corinthians 16:2) How much is that? Well, that depends on the church and how the Lord prospers her members. May we ever be found serving Him as we should so that one might say of us, "She hath done what she could."

In Hope,

Bro Philip