[TruthTalk] Good News!

[Judy Taylor]

Terry writes: That is kind of an inside joke in our home church, Bill.  It is all too common, at least here in the Bible Belt, to hear that from deacons and pastors.  People question why we prefer to meet in homes, and we in turn question some of the things done in the institutional church.  Often these things done in the IC have  no biblical basis, and so when we ask why they do it that way, the answer is "Because we have always done it that way".  Supposedly, if great grandpa and grandpa did it that way, then that is the way it should be done.  Scripture seems to have nothing to do with it.  Tradition is all important. Couldn't help myself when I saw Izzy's post.  Just had to point to our recent tradition here. I have a bad habit of sometimes responding without enough fore thought to how it might be received.  Need to work on that.  I have zinged Jeff twice this month and now I have to await his revenge.  His silence to this point causes me to fear and tremble. Terry   So true Terry :) Reminds me of a story I heard told about a mother preparing the Thanksgiving meal who cut the end off the roast every year before putting it in the oven.   And one year someone watching got curious and asked her why she did that every time to which she replied  "I do it because Grandma always did it and she's sitting right over there why don't you ask her?"  So the questioner went over and asked the old lady why she had cut the end of the roast every Thanksgiving when she prepared the dinner to which she replied.  "Well back then the pan was small and we had to cut it off to get it in there"    So the roasting pans got larger but the tradition stayed the same which IMO is an excellent word picture of the traditions that surround Our Lord Jesus Christ - King of Kings and Lord of Lords....  jht     Bill Taylor wrote: If we are one in Christ we will at least be united enough to avoid the behavior described above in Titus 3.  We will be of one accord; each having different gifts and callings, but peaceably agreeable with each other even when we disagree.  Izzy But we have never done it that way.  It defies TT tradition.  Do you really think it might work? :-) Terry   I don't know, Terry (and I hope your question is general enough to allow for my intrusion), but I fear if it does not, Christ will do with TT what he promises to do with congregations when they fail to repent, and that is, he will remove from us our lampstand, the result being that the darkness will be such that no one will be confused by any claims on our part to be his representatives on earth. There are lots of dead churches packed with members too stupid -- for whatever reason: pride being the most evident -- to dismount, but I don't really think the world really thinks they are a true representation of Christ. The truth is, I think the world knows better than that. Anyway, I sure hope that we can make it work out.   Bill