MuddyPuddles

As I’m nearing the completion of my book I’ve dredged up some miniscule memories that were tucked away in little crevices of my brain—specifically those mentioned in the title.  Though these may seem to be unrelated topics, generally speaking, they are all related in my mind because of their tie to previous experiences I’ve had.

When I was a young boy, whenever my stomach would ache a common question my mother would ask me was whether or not I had experienced a bowel movement.  I had no idea of what she was speaking.  I just kept thinking she was talking about some kind of ball.  (She should have asked if I did a #2.  Then I would have known what she was talking about.)  I always said, “No.”  I didn’t know what a bowel movement was and I figured if I’d had one I would have known about it.  Therefore, I didn’t have any bowel movements until I was several years older.  Before that I just went to the bathroom.    

When Jarod was playing optimist football in the fourth grade, the offensive line coach kept telling these 10 year olds that their responsibility was inside out.  What he was meaning by that was that if two defensive players were lined up across the line from them, their most important responsibility was to block the one that was lined up closer to the football—the “inside” man.  If there was no one inside, then he was to block the one on the outside—further away from the football.  Thus, their responsibility was “inside-out.”  For all they knew he could have been telling them that their responsibility was upside down and backwards.  They didn’t have a clue as to his meaning—ergo the blank stares.

I laugh at my previous lack of understanding of the terminology of A.S.A.P. (As Soon As Possible).  When I first started teaching in Arlington , the counselor sent me a note wanting some information ASAP.  Later she asked me why I hadn’t gotten it back to her.  I told her that I didn’t realize she needed it quickly.  She said, “I put ASAP on it.”  I said, “What does that mean?”  She went blank and then explained it.  I told her that we didn’t use that terminology on the farm.  Dad just said, “Hurry up.”  I had thought she was just making a joke about a sap or something.  I guess the joke was on me. 

When I was teaching eighth graders in an alternative school (where they sent kids who were kicked out of other schools) in Ft Worth, the principal, Steve Gay, taught me a valuable lesson.  It was prompted when he heard someone telling a student, “You know better than that!”  He said that because of the background of many of these kids—their horrible or non-existent home life—that they really didn’t know better on many things we had assumed they would.  No one had ever explained to them what it was or they had never considered how their actions impacted others in a negative way. 

The truth is we all have something, even what most people consider really simple things, that we don’t know about because we’ve had no occasion to know about them.  Thanks to the life experiences I’ve had and Mr. Gay’s instruction I was able to be a better teacher by making sure to point out simple things that I would not have mentioned otherwise.  I even try to do this today with my sweet grandson, Trapper.  I look for teachable moments to educate him about the “simple” ordinary things of life.  Then he will know about them and be able to make better decisions as a result.  And who doesn’t need that ability?  So the next time you see me doing something stupid, don’t assume I’m doing it on purpose.  Cut me some slack and love me anyway.  That’s what I really need.  God Bless, Dennis

I’ve been reading a book about the life of Cecil Hook, one of my heroes in the faith.  It’s called “Grit in My Gizzard.”  Cecil was a very poor, hard-working country boy who eventually attended ACC and wound up being a long time Church of Christ preacher.  Because of his practical nature, after many years in the pulpit and much study and introspection, he started coming to different conclusions about what he had been teaching for most of his life—our legalistic doctrinal stance.  In 1984 he wrote the book “Free in Christ,” which very clearly points out so many flaws in our thinking and practice and it reveals a more accurate way to follow the Lord.  Though I was already starting to doubt some things about our “legalistic righteousness by obedience to worship doctrine” ways, this book gave so much voice to what I was feeling inside that I’ve recommended it quite a bit through the years.  Cecil has made it available free of charge to those who want a copy. 

One thing Cecil reminded me about in this autobiography is the fact that Barton W. Stone and Thomas Campbell, who are generally highly respected amoung our brotherhood, were individuals who were instrumental in uniting two fairly diverse groups of Christians.  We have articles written for the Christian newsletters of their day by which we can study their positions on various biblical topics.  Anyone who has studied them much realizes that their beliefs were quite different from each other in what many today consider to be salvation issues, and yet, they were uniters of the two groups.

Some decades later, a new philosophy cropped up.  It was the philosophy that everyone had to see those critical worship service doctrinal issues exactly the same or the alternative was that they must split—withdraw themselves from the “erring brothers.”  There was no tolerance for error. 

Because of my conservative background in the Church of Christ, when I hear the words “sound doctrine,” I am reminded of the mindset that has been prevalent in most of the smaller Churches of Christ during my lifetime.    It most always refers to the state of being precisely accurate in how “the church” is supposed to conduct worship services on Sunday morning, according to “the pattern” of the first century church.  It has also encompassed a few issues surrounding those worship services like what kind of physical plant is acceptable (“ Family Life Center ” okay?  Kitchen okay?  Water fountain okay?) and how church funds can be used (Supporting Children homes okay?  Helping non-members okay?  Paying a preacher okay?). 

Because of differing interpretations upon which parts of the first century pattern are acceptable (or required), most small towns have at least two Churches of Christ.  We have four in our little town of 3,000.  Though I believe the intent of the founders of these congregations was usually noble—trying to be exactly what God wanted them to be—I believe their efforts to follow the first century pattern were misguided. 

In one sense they actually took the Old Testament template and placed it onto the New Testament to get their answers (When God said “gopher wood,” he meant “gopher wood” only; When he said “sing” he meant “sing” only.)  They should have used the New Testament template to interpret the New Testament and left the Old Testament template alone. 

In response to this, many would say “God is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  And I would agree, God is the same.  But the covenant he made with Abraham is different than the covenant he has made with us.  It has changed.  It is different.  The old no longer applies.

            Hebrews 9:1-10 (NIV) “[1] Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. . .  (a list of detailed regulations described in verses 2 through 9) . . .[10] They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”  

That new order is here and those external regulations no longer apply.  There are no regulations for worship services in the new covenant.  But man’s desire for a checklist has overridden his comprehension of the fact that God, on purpose, left it out.  Therefore “we” have come up with our own set of regulations and called them the “five acts of worship.”  And then, we’ve put tremendous pressure on people to conform to those five acts of worship and to do so in a worthy manner so they can be acceptable (to us and) to God.  Otherwise they are guaranteed eternal damnation in Hell. 

We've been wrong.  I encourage each of you to just go back into the word and notice that there is no reference to “worship service” in the New Testament.  Also notice that not one of the acts of worship is ever referred to as an “act of worship.”  Notice that the scriptures we have used to require non-instrumental singing weren’t even written until AD 60—twenty-seven years after the establishment of the church.  We are never commanded to partake of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week.  The scriptures we’ve used to require four of the five acts of worship (Acts 2:42) were something the first century church did daily (as opposed to something they were required to do during a “worship service” on the first day of every week).    And one of those acts, fellowship, we’ve skewed to mean “giving of our money.”  We've totally ignored the other things the first century church did in the verses following 2:42.  We've been remiss. 

It’s time to take another look and to reassess our positions on these matters.  We’ve been wrong.  It's time to get it right.  Dennis Ensor  quicksand@dishmail.net

This morning I was in a Walmart that had a McDonalds Restaurant inside.  Since I was waiting for a one-hour picture development I decided to eat something so I ordered a “bacon, egg, cheese biscuit.”  I spread a little grape jelly on it and took a bite.  Somehow, in that first bite I got the perfect blend of flavors.  It was marvelous.  I paused and savored the moment.  I didn’t expect that from a McDonalds. 

As I continued eating I began to think about foods that often gave me that special feeling.  I thought about that first bite into a perfectly grilled, tender, marbled steak.  I thought about that first slurp of the perfectly blended, smooth and creamy chocolate malt.  I thought about the taste of that sweet and juicy, succulent red heart of a black diamond watermelon.  It makes me want to experience all three of these right now.  I would probably have to say that these are my top three (or at least in my top five) flavors.  I relish them (no pun intended).

And then I got to thinking about other things in my life that deliver that special feeling where, for that moment, all is not only well, but it’s so much more than well—it’s sublime.  It may be one of those mountaintop experiences—like reaching summit on Wilderness Trek or crossing the finish line of a marathon.  It may be watching someone you love as they reach a personal goal in spite of great obstacles.  It may be just holding a tiny new granddaughter or being on the receiving end of a non-coerced kiss or a big hug from a sweet grandson.    It may be an uplifting and fulfilling time of worship and fellowship with a loving and caring church family.  It may be looking back at photos and keepsakes and reliving special moments from the past.  It may be something as simple as a quiet and peaceful evening at home with your spouse or family.

Whatever it is, I’ve come to appreciate it more and more as time has gone by.  Life is so fleeting.

I want to make the most of it and to “smell the flowers” along the way.  Won’t you join me?  God Bless, Dennis

According to the study notes in my MacArthur Study Bible, “Early Rabbis had determined that there were 613 commandments contained in the Pentateuch, one for each letter of the Ten Commandments.  Of the 613 commandments, 248 were seen as affirmative and 365 as negative.  Those laws were also divided into heavy and light categories, with the heavy laws being more binding than the light ones.  The scribes and rabbis, however, had been unable to agree on which were heavy and which were light.”

            Beyond that was the problem of the interpretation of the commandments themselves.  For example, they knew they weren’t supposed to work on the Sabbath.  On that they could all agree.  But exactly what that encompassed raised many questions and debates. “Could a man wear a wooden leg on the Sabbath?  Was it lawful to eat an egg laid on the Sabbath?”  They did come to some conclusions.  “Some knots could be tied or untied on the Sabbath, but not others.  Vinegar, if swallowed, could be used to relieve a sore throat, but it could not be gargled.  No woman was to look in a mirror on the Sabbath lest, seeing a gray hair, she might be tempted to pull it out.” (from A Church That Flies, Tim Woodroof, page 103)  It’s enough to drive you crazy.  It’s a good thing that God provided a way for us to get rid of all those trivial questions and wranglings by nailing the law to the tree and giving us a law of the spirit—or did he?

            As I look around I see a whole new set of laws being debated weekly in our midst.  You know what I mean:  How should we sing?  Is it wrong to use an instrument?  Can we use an instrument to sing “church” songs outside of the church building?  Can we clap during the songs?  Can we raise our hands during the songs?  Can we snap our fingers?  Can we sing the newer more contemporary songs?  Can we sing while partaking of the Lord’s Supper?  It is okay to use more than one cup?  Is it okay to use church funds to help non Christians, support orphans homes, build a fellowship building?  Can a young man who has not been baptized serve communion?  Can a young man who has not been baptized lead a prayer?  Can women start songs or say a prayer during small group devotionals?  Can we pray with our hands lifted up?  Can we study, in our Bible classes, from a book which was written by a person who worships with instrumental music? Can we even have Bible classes at all?  And there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other issues on top of that.   

            In a high percentage of our Bible Belt towns, several groups proclaiming to be the Church of Christ are divided over these issues.  They will not fellowship with one another because they each have come to different conclusions about one or more of these issues.  On top of that, a majority of their Sunday preaching topics include a condemnation of some other group that has come to a different conclusion on one of these "all important" matters.

            When Jesus was asked about the commandments of God, he spoke with a paradigm shift in mind.  Some of our astute brethren have somehow failed to pick up on it—even though he said it several times and in several ways.  He said,  “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt 22). 

            Did you hear that?  “All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  In case that wasn’t clear enough, he also said,

Matthew 7:12 (NIV)  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.   And,

Romans 13:8 (NIV)      Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.  And,

Romans 13:10 (NIV) 

    Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  And,

Galatians 5:14 (NIV) 

    The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  And,

Galatians 6:2 (NIV) 

    Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

How many ways must Jesus say it before we get it?  Jesus could not care less about whether we clap, or raise our hands or wear pant suits or have Bible class or use church money to help anyone in need, as long as we are doing what ever we do out of love for him and for our neighbor.  God wants our hearts and if he has our hearts he knows we will sincerely try to please him and respond to the needs that are placed before us.

Maybe if he would have said something as plainly as “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love,” we would have gotten it by now.  O yeah, he did say that, didn’t he (Gal 5:6)?

It’s time to back off of these trivial pursuits and get down to what’s important—Loving God and loving our neighbors.  After all, these two commandments fulfill all of the Law and the Prophets.  If we will just do that, the rest will take care of itself.  Dennis 

There is a myth that is widely held by many of the more “conservative” members of the Church of Christ about what the more “liberal” members believe about doctrine.  That myth is that the “liberal” members are not interested in teaching “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” They hold that the “liberals” want to make the determination of what is right by using their emotions or by what feels good or by what is popular at the time.  In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  Though I can’t speak for all “liberals” I can speak for myself when I say that my goal with my Bible study is to be exactly dead center correct in my interpretation of it.  I want to be EXACTLY right and I don’t want to vary from that standard by one nano-particle.

I have come to believe that the “conservative’s” misconception comes from the belief that the biblical principals of  “salvation by grace,” “freedom in Christ” “grace is a free gift from God,” “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love,” and other similar teachings are not considered to be as important as the doctrines of “the five acts of worship,” “meeting three times a week,” “no instruments allowed,” “no guarantee of salvation unless you ask forgiveness right before you die,” “works are necessary,” and other such "high value" doctrines.  In their minds, the latter far outweighs the former in importance.  They believe that if you stress the former you are soft on doctrine and don’t care about the truth.  I submit to you that there is more absolute truth in the former than there is in some of the contrived items listed in the latter. 

The EXACT truth is that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works so that none can boast.  The EXACT truth is that Christ set us free from the law of sin and death and he does not want us to be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (which comes in the form of rule-keeping and relying on rule-keeping for our salvation). 

I also submit to you that it is really the “conservatives” ones who live by their feelings.  They don’t feel right unless they hold on to these doctrinal issues as a way of legitimizing their existence.  They don’t feel right by just accepting this free gift from God and giving their heart to him and living for him because he died for them.  They don’t feel right unless they’ve done something to deserve this salvation that God has made available to them.  Hopefully, before it’s to late, they will know the truth so it can make them free.  God Bless.  Dennis

I have a friend with whom I have been studying the Bible recently.  He is very “conservative” in his understanding of scriptures.  I would even describe him as somewhat legalistic.  To his way of thinking, we should all be able to agree on what the scriptures teach and that we should use command, example and necessary inference to make those determinations as well as the principle of the “Thundering silence of scriptures” (meaning that things not specifically authorized in scripture are necessarily unauthorized and therefore forbidden).” 

This approach seems very reasonable if this is the way you are first taught by seemingly wise and knowledgeable men for whom you have great respect.  But the reality is that those guidelines are not commanded.  Nor are they exclusively exampled.  And they are not necessarily inferred.  In fact the scriptures are “Thunderingly silent about how to interpret the scriptures.”  Well, maybe there are clues here and there, but historically we’ve “strained out the gnat and swallowed the camel” in this regard.  And, even after exhaustively examining the poop, some of us haven’t realized it yet.

What’s good about my discussions with this young legalist is that, though he is a legalist, he still seems to be open-minded.  What I mean is that he seems to genuinely consider the things that I say.  Most legalists that I’ve dealt with in the past few years remind me of the Pharisees that stood there and watched Jesus heal the man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years and then complained that Jesus had done it on the Sabbath.  They totally missed the point.  They focused on the wrong things and felt threatened by anything that didn’t fit their preconceived notions.  In short, they were not open to the possibility that they had been wrong or that they had been majoring in the minors for all those years.  They read the scripture, (1 Cor. 10:12 (KJV)),  “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall,” but didn’t consider the possibility that it might apply to them.

I am hopeful that this young man will not be a legalist one year from now.  In fact, because of his open mind, I feel optimistic that his legalistic days are numbered.  Legalism and open-mindedness cannot co-exist in one person for long.  I believe they are incompatible when it comes to studying the new covenant (which is written on men’s hearts rather than on tablets of stone).  Maybe that is why it is so rare to find an open-minded legalist.  They can't stay that way for long.  If correctly challenged with scripture, they must either close their minds (like the Pharisees) or move toward grace, like the Galatian brethren.  

Please pray for me and this young man as we study the word together.  Pray that God will open our eyes and lead us both to the truth. Thanks in advance,  Dennis

I’ve been driving around in the State of Texas a lot over the past couple of weeks—hundreds of miles in three different directions.  In nearly every little town I’ve seen the obligatory “ Church of Christ ” signs just outside the city limits.  Most of these signs look pretty old and weathered.  Some are down right dilapidated.  Rust is creeping through in spots and colors have faded.  I can’t help but think that the condition of these signs is probably very much indicative of the conditions of the “churches” in these towns.  And I’m not talking about the paint job on the buildings.  I’m not saying it has to do with cause and effect; painting the signs won’t cure the problem.  It goes much deeper than that.

There was a time when seeing a C of C sign gave me a little boost—knowing that the “Lord’s church” was in this place.  But now, it doesn’t.  Because of my preconceived notion about what this little church is probably like and what positive impact it is probably NOT having on that community, the up tick in the heart beat is gone. 

As reality sets in more and more, I've been drifting toward the conclusion that most conservative small town Churches of Christ are pretty much irrelevant.  Though they are generally made up of pretty good people they, as a church, have little or no impact on the community.  In fact, they are pretty much ignored by the community.  Sure, everybody knows they are there, but that’s about it.  They are basically impotent but don’t know it.  They live in a vacuum.  Because they go through the motions of the "five acts of worship" each week, they think they are the exact replica of the 1st century church—the one true church—and that’s good enough for them. 

They would bristle with “righteous” indignation at the thought of someone calling them irrelevant.  But I shake my head in amazement that they can’t see it.  It’s beyond my comprehension that they can’t see it.  And yet, they don’t  

Though I think that there is some positive change taking place in isolated spots, I’m afraid that full scale change is unlikely in the near term.  I think that it is more likely that most of these churches will slowly die out completely rather than to risk change.  What happens after that is anybody’s guess.  Hopefully, they will be reborn with a new and loving spirit that will have a positive impact on their surroundings.  Until that time we must keep the faith and share the love. We can’t be the solution for everywhere, but we can bloom where we’re planted.  Though we can’t make a difference in every place, we can make a difference in this place.  And that is where we need to focus.  God Bless you this week as you make a difference your world.  Dennis

I visited the grave site of my Great Grandfather yesterday.  It’s located outside of Bartlett City (near Salado ).  That ancestor of mine was born in 1822, 186 years ago.  He died 111 years ago in 1897.  That felt pretty amazing to me that I was standing next to the body of someone of whom I am a part all these many years later.  I looked around and tried to imagine what life must have been like back then. 

Then I visited the little town of Prairie Dell where my Grandfather first married in 1891 at the age of 19.  He had married his 17 year old bride in the house of her parents in this little town.     

The town is off to the side of I-35 now and has a population of about 30 people.  Except for a couple of fairly old houses, it’s mostly made up of mobile homes and small brick homes.   I doubt if anything is the same as it was back then except for the street locations and some of the lots that touch those streets.  Some of the biggest trees might have been upstarts about then but that’s probably about it.  The oldest looking man-made thing around was an old rusty barn which was probably built about 60 years ago. 

In spite of all of the obvious changes it still seemed special to be in a location where I knew for sure that my Grandfather had walked with his new bride over a century ago.  I’m sure that he rode his wagon down this exact same street, which I’m sure was just a dirt road back then.  It was a great glance back into the past and a reminder of my own mortality.  I’m glad I took the time to make that trip into my past.  I think it grounds me and helps me appreciate my blessings and my family.  God Bless, Dennis