Exhortation

Exhortation

After the war, most of my young years were spent speaking before groups of every type, civic, church, political. I have told many pastors that I do not see how they stand in front of the same group week after week, year after year when they know full well their exhortations are not taken very seriously...that for many church people, attendance, is just a matter of habit.

An old pastor in one church asked me to speak at their homecoming. During the year he died. The new young pastor asked me to speak at the next homecoming because the people had requested him to do so. At the time, 50 years ago, I had a shadow of vision in one eye. As you lose one sense the others become more acute. I still remember, as it yesterday, the woman who sat on the right side of the church aisle seat, both services, and looked out the window the entire service. Have you noticed that people always sit in the same places church, clubs, whatever. Another thing of which you should become aware, the blind or deaf person is telegraphed your feelings in other ways. Through touch, voice, actions. I can tell just as good what one is thinking of me just through the inflection of their voice as if I could see their body language. God gives me a mental image of everyone and most of the time, when I ask a sighted person it is as I had imagined. The only time I have been really fooled in is Sarah Palin. I imagine her an attractive blonde. I am told she is an attractive brunette!

One pastor told me that even his church members, can be in a group talking, and when he walks up everything gets quiet. I told him, get used to it. It has always been that way with me. More so now than ever because we are different. Gods man has little to share with those not interested in God. Disabled people have little to share with those who are normal. I truly believe the Christian must have a longsuffering heart (2 Corinthians 6:6)...a heart large enough, a brain wired well enough to understand that many walk in shoes we have not worn. I believe when we deal with others people of failure, people of disappointment, people of dispute, people of disability you telegraph to them in some manner, your thoughts toward them whether you express them or not. It takes a large heart to deal with people who have been in prison or in some way do not measure up to your standards. The poor person recognizes right away the disdain of the wealthy. I was never in a country club or a fraternity house where I felt wanted. The elitists in these places always let me know that they were better than me. This is the biggest lesson for the church. The scriptures warn us of these things...recognizing people who are dressed better, who are the big givers. In God's house, a place of worship, God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).

In exhortations of any type we need to dwell on the positive. In order to reach people, they must be brought into the circumstance. Mechanics are interested in tools, mothers are interested in children. Christians should be interested in Heaven. I overheard two very old women talking in church. One said to the other, “it wont be long now”. The other, “I can hardly wait”.

Goodness in life expects us to accept people as they are not as we want them to be. This does not mean weak kneed compromise, we do not condone wrong doing. Rather, in finding the generosity of spirit with ourselves to work with people in spite of themselves. I would rather see a sermon any time than hear one. St Frances of Assis said, “preach every day, use words if you must”. It often takes a long time. I saw relatives, mostly aunts, drag lost, unbelieving husbands in and out of the church house year after year. Each time, their hearts being more hardened to the gospel. But, even though the preacher was putting water on rocks that just washed off, water will eventually cut through rocks...look at the Grand Canyon, and I could tell you about Petra in Jordan. We don't give up, it is up to God to give up and turn them over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28). Then, they are really in bad shape. I have very few relatives that I believe are truly saved. They go to church, can even talk the language (you can teach parrots to talk). But from what I have experienced, I wonder if God knows them. Believe me, I am not judging anyone...just inspecting fruit trees. I wish I could see how to inspect anything. Certainly food before I put it in my mouth. I get so tired of hearing people talk about fear of judging someone. Put some adhesive tape over your eyes, try blindness for a while. You will learn to judge everything any way possible...such as sounds, such as feeling the texture of walls, the texture of pavement or grass with your cane.

One morning, as I walked into church, a woman was sitting on a brick fence outside a bar waiting for it to open at noon. As I passed, she asked me if I would give her a dollar. I said' “sure, here is one I have for you”. I keep my money folded a certain way in my pocket. Over and over, people have asked me, why do you give people money? My reply, “I can afford to do so. I can not afford not to do so. I can not take the chance”. I was on the way to church. This woman knew her condition much more than those surrounding in the church house. I am not at all sure of the salvation of the man in the pulpit. One, pastor there for 24 years, I considered him a friend left town, left his wife and family, with a girl about the age of his daughter. He has taken up with her in a counseling session. The last time I was in that church, as our precious Lord's communion was being observed, one of the deacons still wobble from the country club activity of the previous Saturday night, was wobbling down the aisle trying to carry the elements. I am perfectly willing to let God do the judging in all of these cases, including my own. We find in God's word the word mercy used 267 times. I asked God for his mercy toward me...a chief sinner saved by his marvelous grace.

In all areas of life, political, financial, religion etc... there are just two groups, the traditionalists and the revisionists. Most are trying to revise history, banking, theology. I am a traditionalist. I believe in the integrity of government, the security of history, common sense and conservatism in finances, sins ruin and Christ's redemption in theology. We do what we do because we believe what we believe. Faith is a verb. Faith is action, based on belief, sustained by confidence. Confidence in God's sovereignty, His truth, His light, His love. We know that light has come into the world and that men prefer darkness to light (John 3:19). With all our doing, with all our exhortation, learn to hang on by trust to the promises of God. There are 1189 chapters in the Bible. The verse of scripture that is exactly halfway through the Bible is in Psalm 1:18. This verse tell us to trust in God and put no confidence in men.

God will always win the battle, if he wants the battle won. This should make us happy. I can not understand sad, bitter preaching. At the corner of Broadway and 47th Street in Manhattan there is a booth where you can buy, at a tremendous discount, theater tickets for the next performance that have not been sold. I could not see what was on the screen, I would have to listen to those around me talking to learn what was available, but never failed to get a ticket. Always, unless in bad weather, a woman preacher was trying to cajole those in line for tickets to listen to her tell them about God's love for their soul. She always had such a morose expression, bitter presentation. Who would be interested in this type of exhortation?