Maintaining A Holy Standard

MAINTAINING A HOLY (SPIRITUAL) STANDARD

By

District Elder M. L. Maughmer, Jr.

***Spirituality without standard is an Atrocity***

OPENING: - It’s a shame and a black mark against the church when someone comes to church bound, hurt, possessed, lonely, un-loved, cast down, forsaken, perplexed, sad, or just with a need to ultimately leave without having these issues resolved. Oftentimes unfortunately they suffer from even deeper injuries that were caused, mostly unwittingly, by the church. Unwittingly because the church was so caught up in trying to be what is so-called spiritual that they failed to realize that they have lost their effectiveness. To the outsider coming to the church desperately seeking help and understanding and experiencing church possibly for the first, are often overwhelmed by the expression of what we call worship unless they have been exposed to that method of conduct previously. Many times they will sit there with a look of astonishment or confusion on their face trying to understand this thing called joy all while being tormented and crying on the inside. They are in need of a loving word, a caring heart, and a life changing experience only to be pushed to the side or given a card to fill out by a person that is more upset that they had to actually walk down the isle instead of just sitting on the last row watching the time pass slowly by. Spiritually lost, repeatedly abused, plundered, emotionally emasculated, and desperately in need of deliverance (r.a.p.e.d) they walk out of the doors of the church right back into the welcoming arms of spiritual destruction and soulish sorrows. Hurt and let down by the church they fill as though they have no other choice they sadly give in to the craftiness of the devil, the deceit of sin and ultimately spending eternity in hell, both now on earth and in time to come all because we the church failed. We failed to maintain the standard of holiness, we failed to deliver the captive, we failed to make a disciple for Jesus Christ, we failed to be the salt of the earth and if the salt has lost its savor it is good for nothing but to be trodden under the foot of man.

The church needs to do it’s first works over and repent for the hurt it caused, turn from their wicked ways of traditionalism and rudiments of men, stand tall with a clarion voice as a beacon of truth, compassion, and understanding to this untoward generation. We must understand that Doctrinal compromise is Anathema 1Cor 16:22, therefore love, patience, kindness, and temperance must rule in the church and in our lives. We must understand that people are not a problem, they may have problems, but problems are simply opportunities to resolves circumstances and not an excuse to criticize people. Sadly the church oftentimes gets caught up in what it calls spiritual. It proclaims “All to Jesus I surrender” yet miss the standard of Holiness thinking that a couple of hours in church clapping your hands and stomping your feet all while dressed to the nines is what it is all about. However, we must understand that clapping your hands and stomping your feet without a standard is not spiritual, but simply emotional. Spirituality or rather what we call spiritual without standard is an Atrocity.

Atrocity: - 1: extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel : barbaric2: appalling, horrifying 3 a: utterly revolting : abominable.

To the church goer that comes desperately seeking to be helped, delivered, Loved, understood, and just made welcomed, but leaves still seeking to be helped, delivered, loved, understood, and feels unwelcomed this is an atrocity regardless of how much hand clapping, shouting, gyrating, and speaking in tongues was done. There was so-called spirituality; however, the standard of true holiness was missing.

Maintaining a Holy (Spiritual) Standard.

The Bible says in Leviticus 11:44 “For I [am] the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I [am] holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”.

The latter part of this scripture is repeated in scripture seven (7) more times in slightly a different manner in the following passages: Lev. 11:45, 19:2, 20:7, 20:26, Num. 15:40, 1st Pet. 1:15-16. The number 7 is God’s number, it represents perfection and completeness; therefore, the fulfillment of this command will cause one to be perfectly complete in Jesus.

God gave the command (command: - the authoritative direction or instruction to do something – another word for command is ordinance) to be HOLY.

? Command without Reason is senseless just as Spiritual without standard is atrocity.

COMMAND: - Be ye Holy

? God gave the authoritative direction which calls for action from us.

? Be is a verb. A verb is a word of action; therefore, “be” is something we must do, we must take action.