PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: “ETIQUETTE OF HELL OR TRUE COURTESY?”
By: Ron Woodrum
There is a growing religious point of view that is sweeping our country over the past two decades. It is a view that it is ok for you to believe what you want, and have the freedom to practice it. But it should remain a personal matter of worship. You should not be trying to convince anyone else who doesn’t accept your view to consider changing. It has caused our government to begin changing the terminology it uses in discussing our protected freedoms in America. The constitution has always protected our freedom of religion. But lately, even in immigration testing, the terminology has been changed to freedom of worship, not freedom of religion. Is there any difference in the terms? Aren’t they basically the same? Isn’t it just a matter of semantics, (i.e. a choice of favorite words)? No-there is a BIG DIFFERENCE! Freedom of Religion protected not just our choice of private worship-but included our public expression of living and sharing that faith. Freedom of Worship guarantees our rights to worship whoever, and however we choose, in private, behind the four walls of our Church, but it does not guarantee our public expression of that faith both in practice and proclamation! As a matter of fact we are told that Churches in Cuba have freedom of worship, but they cannot publically share that faith outside the four walls of the Church! Michelle Boorstein, in her article Freedom of Religion vs. Freedom of Worship, writes “freedom of worship includes the right to gather, pray, sing, etc. but the freedom of religion encompasses much more-the freedom of public display, advocate for, protest, and most notably: proselytize.” She refers to Knox Thames, the director of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom-A Congress-controlled body tasked with monitoring religious freedom abroad-spoke at a recent briefing about the worry, saying the change in wording has not been by accident. Well-known religious freedom advocate and Georgetown University Professor Thomas Farr agrees. The tragedy is we are in danger of losing our religious freedom to show and share our faith. The tide of public opinion agrees we can believe what we want-but keep it to ourselves. Most evangelical Churches aren’t protesting because…WE DON’T SHARE OUR FAITH ANYWAY!!! WE NEED TO WAKE UP! SOON WE MAY FIND THAT IF WE WANT TO OBEY OUR LORD’S COMMISSION TO GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES-WE WON’T HAVE THAT FREEDOM ANY LONGER! Another fulfillment of what Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing!”
This is not a new problem. Over one hundred years ago the Great British Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon spoke on this issue. He wrote, “Etiquette nowadays often demands of a Christian that he should not intrude his religion on company. Out with such etiquette! IT IS THE ETIQUETTE OF HELL! True courtesy to my fellow’s soul makes me speak to him, if we believe that soul to be in danger!” He went on to say, “Having joined the Church of God, are any of you satisfied to be silent? Are you content to let those around you sink to hell? What! Never tell of Christ’s love? Never speak of salvation to your own children? Can this be right? In God’s name wake up! What are you left on this earth for? Is there nothing for you to do, why are you still in this sinful world?” If we value our salvation, understand it, it should cause us to want others to experience it as well. He said, “I am sure of this: It is impossible to know the value of salvation without desiring to see others brought in. It is said of the renowned preacher, George Whitfield, that he said, ‘as soon as I was converted, I wanted to be the means of the conversion of all that I had ever known. There were a number of young men I had played cards with, sinned with, and transgressed with. The first thing I did was I went to their houses to see what I could do for their salvation. Nor could I rest until I had the pleasure of seeing many of them brought to the Savior.’ “Spurgeon felt that every believer should feel that way-share that burden and concern for friends that are lost. He said, “If you never have sleepless hours, if you never have weeping eyes, if your hearts never swell as if they would burst, you need not anticipate that you will be called zealous. You do not know the beginning of true zeal, for the foundation of Christian zeal lies in the heart. The heart must be heavy with grief and yet must beat high with holy ardor. The heart must be vehement in desire, panting continually for God’s glory, or else we shall never attain to anything like zeal which God would have us know.” Spurgeon felt like that is the attribute to be most desired by any Christian. He illustrated this clearly by saying, “If a man could tell me he had the power to stop Niagara with a word, I would not envy him his power if God would only allow me to stop the sinner in his mad career of sin. If a creature could put his finger on Vesuvius and quench its flame, I would not at all regret that I did not have any such power if I might but be the means of staying a blasphemer and teaching him to pray. This spiritual power is the greatest power imaginable, and the most to be desired!” That is the least we can do. Spurgeon pleaded with his Church members: “You cannot stop their dying, but, oh, that God might help you stop their being damned! You cannot stop the breath going from their bodies, but of, if the Gospel could but stop their souls from going down to destruction!” He continued, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not none go unwarned and unprayed for!”
Today’s message emphasizes that as followers of Jesus we should share the broken heart that our Lord expressed for those who were rejecting His best gift-the gift of salvation. But they did so over His tears, and His faithful pleading for their salvation. We can do no less!