Having completed reading the special issue of the O.P.A., July, 1992, I would like to highly recommend the articles in this issue. There remains, however, one question that bothers me for it remains unanswered: Why have these things, which have always been with us, been allowed to become an issue in the church? Proclaiming the world to be grossly immoral and warning that these same things are now invading the church says that there is a deeper problem. It is this that I would like to address briefly.

Fear to teach what needs to be taught has aided the growth of the "morality monster." (fear of upsetting the congregation; fear that some might be offended; fear to answer questions; fear to call sin by its hideous name... proclaiming sin to be the bar that will exclude entrance into heaven.) Scripture says, preach the word... to the preacher, to the evangelist, to the teacher.. Preach the word. Timothy 4:2. When an issue begins to exist that would bring shame upon the church and blemishes upon the robes of Christianity, preach against it Remove the "1eaven" before it leavens the whole lump. Paul records, A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9.1 Corinthians 5:6) We cannot and must not learn to live comfortably with sin as with a good neighbor. It will destroy. "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Corinthians 15:33). The individual cannot help but be affected by the company he keeps and the places he goes, and the body will be affected by that individual who is allowed to go unreproved. The leaven must be removed.

Years have rolled by with little or no teaching having been done on worldliness and the sins covered in the O.P.A., while many Christians have gone about failing to recognize the authority of the Bible to command. Anytime we have authority which is not recognized, we will also have restrictions established by that authority that will not be respected or recognized. If there is disrespect for God's authority to command and of our Lord's authority to command, then why should we expect recognition for any other authority; the policeman on the corner, the teacher in the classroom, the laws of the land, the laws in the church... recognizing authority and its right to command is the key to overcome these issues before they become deeply rooted. Disrespect for laws, as well as obedience of the laws, is a learned behavior. It is taught, and sadly, in many cases, the world has been allowed to set the standard. Jesus spoke of some people whose eyes had been blinded and whose ears were dull of hearing, and except we take what scripture says as our guide the same words may apply to us, today. Teaching concerning respect of authority has been lacking from the pulpit, but even more important, it has been sadly absent from the family scene as the family studies together. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest in the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be frontlets between thine eyes. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (Deut 11:18-20) The Bible, God's word, must be taught, and it must start in the home. The teaching must a well planned, organized, continuous program... of families studying together, of Christians studying together. Parents are admonished to bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4. And before we start bemoaning the lack of time just remember God knows all. Let's think out loud for a minute.

1. Do you set aside time for your "social calendar," your sporting events, your cultural events?

2. Do you "find the time" for trips? or watching Olympics or some T.V. special?

3. Do you "make time" for parties and other things "you want to do" in your life?

We all do in one or more of these areas, yet, we have no time to study. What is our profession? Where and what are our values? Scripture says, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness... Matthew 6:33. We say that we love the Lord, an then we allow anything and everything to keep us from study and attending the services of the church. Our children need to be taught, and we need to be busy getting it done. Christianity is a profession that we live daily and dedicate our lives to. It is not game that we play on Sunday morning for lack of something else to do.

It seems that the awakening comes only when we see our families engaged in some issues that are scripturally wrong or at best questionable. We often hear the voice of those who want to engage in such refer to these as gray areas." And sometimes, we see them even being defended, because they are so close to home, and besides, we want to do them. If we perceive such things as gray areas," then we ought to leave these things alone. Scripture tells us to Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good. I Thessalonians 5:21. It is the good that we cleave to, not the "gray areas." Our failure to lead and to teach may have lost many near and dear to us, eternally. When permissiveness is allowed to flourish in the life of an individual, converting that one to total obedience to any authority by man or God is highly unlikely. Divorce (for every cause); living together outside of wedlock; abandoned children; abused wives, children or husbands; aggressive women's libbers (who respect no authority); and engaging in scripturally unsound practices are but a few of the devices exploited in a rebellious society. This type of society recognizes no authority from God or man for which they need be obedient. These issues have been growing for years, but what has the church heard from its pulpits to inhibit their growth, and, yes, each of these does exist in the church. They shouldn't, but they do. Why? Some don't see or don't want to see them as problems. Others see the problem, but feel that if we just ignore it, it will go away. Some see the problem, but because it affects "my kids" in the sin, it really isn't so bad... in fact, the Bible might not really mean what it says. The Bible declares that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." (II Timothy 3:16), therefore, the Bible really does mean what it says, regardless of what men may proclaim, or what the latest book I read may say, or what I want to have it mean. There are many other comparisons that could be made, but enough have been that we can surely see that the problems growth is like the hydra, it has many heads. Remember, what is written here is to and about Christians. The world does not have the authority to set standards for the church nor for the members of His body. God's children are warned, "Be not con-formed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2). Yet, by the way we would try to blame all of our ills on the world, it would appear that the world does hold such authority. The blame lies much closer, for our conformity comes from a lack of knowledge. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of God, I will also forget thy children (Hosea 4:6), from a lack of knowledge which only God's word can supply us. Might I suggest that we view ourselves in the mirror of God's word by honestly and scripturally asking ourselves: Have we done all that we could to teach our own, within the church and the family? Or do we want someone else to be responsible for teaching those about things for which we have the obligation?

Evangelists who are called to hold meetings need to remember that there are many, even young adults, who don't know how that the child of God must be different. Preaching needs to be done and done boldly concerning issues that attack the lives of God's people. The last thing that we need is preaching that tickles the ears of the hearers, and lectures which aren't worth the paper they are written on. Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for IT is the power of GOD unto salvation to everyone that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). It's the gospel that needs to be heard. It's the gospel truth that must be preached, not only by the evangelist, but by the congregation's teachers. These may be termed as "old fashioned" or even labeled as "negative," but the message remains the same, preach against sin... stand for truth... Preach the word.--4444 Hansen Ave. #246, Fremont, CA 94536-5763.