Articles
Decline and Fall
Decline and Fall
By Stan Cox
Gibbons, in his well respected work entitled, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, lists seven reasons he contends were the major culprits resulting in the fall of the greatest of the ancient empires. The seven reasons listed are:
- The divorce rate rose.
- Taxes grew higher.
- More public money was spent for welfare.
- The craving for greater pleasure and leisure increased.
- Sports appeared to get more exciting, more brutal.
- The building of gigantic armaments continued.
- Religion was thought by many to be on the decay.
Now, it doesn't take a genius to see the parallels of the ancient society with our day and time. And this is a pretty strong indicator of the present state of our society as well. If Gibbon's list fails to impress, how about comparing the pagans of Paul's day with our society. Paul said, in describing that society in Romans One: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (vs. 28-32).
Once again, the parallels are obvious, and show that we live in a society that has forgotten God, and as such is in extreme danger of His judgment. We, of course, do not know the when of judgment, as God works in His way, and His time. However, we do know that He indeed works in the affairs of men, and this nation exists solely at His discretion. Paul stated in Acts
As a nation, we must repent, and remember God again. To refuse is to doom ourselves to the same end as that suffered by
Sin is not a Disease
It is a large matter and too much to one side of the road to be discussed adequately here; but this is the real objection to that torrent of modern talk about treating crime as disease, about making a prison merely a hygienic environment like a hospital, of healing sin by slow scientific methods. The fallacy of the whole thing is that evil is a matter of active choice whereas disease is not. If you say that you are going to cure a profligate as you cure an asthmatic, my cheap and obvious answer is, ‘Produce the people who want to be asthmatics as many people want to be profligates.’ A man may lie still and be cured of a malady. But he must not lie still if he wants to be cured of a sin; on the contrary, he must get up and jump about violently. The whole point indeed is perfectly expressed in the very word which we use for a man in hospital; “patient” is in the passive mood; “sinner” is in the active. If a man is to be saved from influenza, he must be a patient. But if he is to be saved from forging, he must be not a patient but an impatient. He must be personally impatient with forgery. All moral reform must start in the active not the passive will. (G. K. Chesterton, 1908)
MORE!
Do more than exist - live! Do more than touch - feel! Do more than look - observe! Do more than read - apply! Do more than hear - listen! Do more than think - ponder! Do more than intend - act! Do more than plan - fulfill! Do more than say - perform! Do more than care - love! Yes, we need to be people who desire to do more, and not be like those who look for ways to do less! (From The Vegas Drive Messenger) “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1Cor. 15:58).
The One Thing Khrushchev Got Right
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1Cor.
Khrushchev shouted, "Who sent up that note?" Not a person stirred. "I'll give him one minute to stand up!" The seconds ticked off. Still no one moved. "All right, I'll tell you what I was doing. I was doing exactly what the writer of this note was doing--exactly nothing! I was afraid to be counted!" (From Illustrations Unlimited, by James S. Hewett, p. 128). Stand up and be counted for the Lord and do not be afraid.
A Moments Wisdom
--Law tells me how crooked I am; Grace comes along and straightens me out.
--Stewardship is what a man does after he says, I believe.
--First, men practice sin, then defend it, then boast of it.
--To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.
--God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.
--The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
--Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
--Time adds years to our life; faith adds life to our years.
--Judas heard all Christ's sermons.
--We learn from experience that we seldom learn from experience.
--Keep your nose to the grindstone, and it'll be too short to put into other people's business.
--To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.
--Well done is better than well said.
--He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
--He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.
--Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be.
Upcoming Sermons
3/3/24 AM - The Temple of God is Holy; PM - Worship in Song: Congregational Choice of Songs
3/10/24 AM - Service to Appoint Elders & Deacons; PM - Unwittingly Entertaining Angels
3/17/24 AM - Guest Speaker: Doug Sanders - Joseph; PM - Guest Speaker: Larry Winn - Stumbling Blocks to the Faith: “Me”
3/24/24 AM - Guest Speaker: Haden Black; PM - Guest Speaker: Elijah Dean
3/31/24 AM - “I Cannot Give” (Requested); PM - The Grace of Giving (Requested)
