Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Jan/80

Contributor - Richard Westra

Title - Do Not Be Led Astray

Topic - Youth

As I walked through O'Hare Airport on my way to gate 8, I was stopped by a young girl who approached me for support of her work. "What kind of charity is this?" I asked. "We are asking for help to buy books for our theological training," she replied. That caught my interest since I too am interested in theological training. When I asked her what church she attended and what school of theology she was supporting, she answered, "The Universalist Church." I politely confessed that I was part of the church of Jesus Christ and that part of my contributions went for theological training of our students.

I walked a little further to where the tunnel would take me to gate 8 and stopped to sit down. Since the plane wasn't scheduled to leave for another two hours, I began to read a book from my own theological library. Every so often I would glance upward to observe the tenacity and boldness with which this follower of Sun Myung Moon appealed for support. While she didn't appear to get a lot of sympathy from the busy travellers, I learned a few days later that she might bring in as much as $100. a day. Ten people doing this six days a week would soon collect a lot of money.

A few days later on my way to the University of Toronto, I walked past a couple of well dressed young people advertising their belief by holding up the magazine, "The Watch Tower." They stood courageously in the rain and wind, taking the critical stares of those passing by, seeming indifferent to these who had no time for them. Supporting one another in the determination to share their convictions with others, they braved the mockery of the world to be true soldiers. Such conviction is hard to find in our society. Yet here were young people who had found a cause for which they could give their life, and a support group who would give them that needed sense of belonging.

We all admire those who have a strong sense of conviction and often hear each other say, "At least they stand up for what they believe." While we may mourn the loss of young people for these causes and while we might ridicule their fanaticism, there is a certainty and peace about them which we admire. Each of us is looking for a certainty in our belief. We would like to know what this life is all about and where we are going with our own life. The world is full of misery, hatred, evil, misunderstanding, and there doesn't appear to be much sense to it all. Strong leaders with a definite purpose and hope that does not fade in the complexities of this life are hard to find. Even parents are unable to answer some of the toughest questions about existence. Young people, like many of their elders, splash around in a sea of uncertainty, waiting for someone to throw them a life-line. Unfortunately, most simply follow the crowd and are lost at sea. Young people, take a fresh look at yourselves in the light of Scripture, and examine what is happening in your life. Jesus spoke about the forces in our world that would lead us astray. His words are as pertinent today as they were when the Gospel writers penned them. for the readers of the first century.

1. False prophets and messiahs. Jesus calls to our attention that many prophets and messiahs would come to lead people away from God. "If anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ,' or 'Look, there he is!' I do not believe it. False Christs and false prophets will arise and shown signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect." (Mk 13:21,22) One of those false messiahs in our own time is Sun Myung Moon who claims that since Jesus hasn't erased sin from the world, the Lord of the Second Advent will do so by transforming everything and bringing to pass the perfect world. Moon suggests that the 'Last Days' have begun and that he knows the date of the Second Advent. He implies that he is the Lord of the Second Advent. He writes, "spirit men must direct their counterparts to come to the Lord of the Second Advent, and to become his disciples, in order for them to get full resurrection." He gives all sorts of reasons why he is the one who will bring in the new age, even to the point of distorting Scripture. But we know he is a false messiah, since Jesus spoke of one like him who would lead many astray. The Messiah of the second advent would be Jesus and there would be no mistake about His identity.

False prophets have also arisen in our time. One of the qualities of a prophet is the ability to tell what is going to happen in the future. Many who call themselves part of the true Christian community have claimed this gift. Jehovah Witnesses have since their birth predicted the second coming of Jesus, in spite of the fact that Jesus said it couldn't be done, and inspite of the fact that they have always been wrong. There is no more obvious example of false prophets than they. Don't be misled by them.

2. Evil and suffering will continue. Jesus calls to our attention that evil, suffering, disasters and death will not only continue in our world but that it will grow in intensity as the second advent draws nearer. "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. " (Luke 2 1: 10,1 1) We don't need any great imagination to see this evil and disaster occurring around us. Every time we read the newspaper our eyes are drawn to the attention of some oppressive rule, some natural disaster, some example of extreme suffering. Many are tempted to conclude that there is no God who has control of these happenings. The temptation is to say what many say, "If there was a God, he would surely shown sign of caring." Many of our friends have used this argument to discredit our belief in God, and we have found no satisfactory reply. Why doesn't a loving, caring and merciful God do something to prevent evil and suffering? As a friend recently told me, "If God is so caring, why doesn't he do something?"

We know, of course, that one of these days God will do something about it. Heaven and earth will pass away, and then the kingdom of God will come. Until such time all that we have is his promise that those who put their trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, will never die. Anger at God, unbelief, and hardness of heart will not make our world any better. In fact, it will do just the opposite. Blessed are those who are not led astray from Christ into a world where there is no hope.

3. Pressure to conform. Jesus calls to our attention that the Christian will always feel the pressure to conform to the way of life of the majority. Jesus said, "They will deliver you up to the councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them." These words don't mean too much to us for a couple of reasons. First of all they were written for the benefit of the first century Christians who were indeed brought before councils, synagogues, and governors, something which we are not likely to experience in our life time. Second, the threat of capital punishment does not lie over our head if we should continue our Christian belief. The same pressures that the first Christians experienced are not part of our life. But that doesn't mean that there is no pressure to conform.

Try making the claim some day that you will not do what the crowd does because you are a Christian and then see what the reaction will be. If you tell your friends that you read the Bible every day, you are called a religious fanatic. If you refrain from swearing, drinking, premarital sex, drugs, smoking, then you are branded as someone who still lives in the Victorian period. If you stay home from a party on Saturday night so that you can attend worship the next morning, they say that you don't know what life is all about. And if you talk about working for the Lord they look upon you as weird.

Jesus says, "Bear your testimony." If you don't know what you are to say, don't worry about it. The Spirit will tell you what to say at the right time. Above all, don't give in to the pressure of the world to conform. Endure in those moments of temptation, remain faithful to Christ, and don't be led astray.

4. Intoxicating attractions of the world. Jesus calls to our attention that there are all sorts of attractions in the world that will take up our time, money, and interest which will tear us away from God. "Take care that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare." (Luke 21:34) "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26,27)

Everyone knows that there is nothing wrong with eating, drinking and getting married. There isn't a teenager who doesn't love to eat and drink, and there are no fewer teenagers who don't want to get married. Even though parents might complain that their children eat too much and are attracted to the opposite sex far too early in life, even they would begin to wonder if their son or daughter would not want have anything to do with food and the opposite sex. Even those who live during the time of Noah couldn't be faulted for that. Where the people of Noah's time went wrong was that they became intoxicated with the cares of this world so they had no time to worship God and to care for others. Don't let that happen to you.

How much time do you spend working for the Lord? Only about 40% of the church is involved in some work that builds up the church of Christ or provides care for those in need. The percentage is a lot smaller outside of the church. Most people spend their time working, eating, drinking, sleeping. watching television or engaging in some other pleasure seeking activity. Day after day, life goes on without a thought being given to what God wants.

Many of you young people are in the process of establishing a permanent relationship with a boy or girl. You have been looking for years for the right person to marry. Some of you are sure that you have the right person. Some of you wonder whether you will ever get the right mate. All the time you are confronted with the figures that one in two or one in three persons are divorced or separated and you hate the thought that you might be one of those statistics. You worry about what the future might bring into your married life. The thought of even having children even scares you, Life goes on and you feel helpless to do anything about it. You become intoxicated with the cares of this world. Don't be led astray. Let Christ be first in your life and be sure he is first in the life of your partner. Make sure that you are both walking with the Lord. Don't let the world scare you or engulf you in the anxieties and worries of life. The world is intoxicated with the cares of this life. You be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Lord said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me." Don't let anyone lead you astray. Jesus calls to our attention the various things which are happening in our world so that we might remain faithful to him. There will be false prophets and false messiahs, disasters, suffering and death,

pressures to conform to the worldly standards, and temptations to become intoxicated with this worldly cares. Don't be led astray. Jesus promised that his sheep are given eternal life. "They shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:27-29)

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