Luke 18:8, Indeed
Here it is, Monday morning, and my first hour of the work week was spent on errands that led me to think about faith, or the lack thereof. 1: I had to pay my car insurance. 2: I had to pick up a letter from the post office regarding the registration of our church under Portugal's new Religious Liberty Act. 3: I had to make my monthly Portuguese social security payment.
Items 1 and 3 are obligatory. They belong in the same class of programs as IRAs, retirement funds, pension plans, health insurance coverage.(What have I left out?) As a good citizen, I make social security payments to two countries(!); as a good steward, I try to plan for future retirement with investments in funds for retirement (in two countries!); and I take advantage of a health insurance plan offered through the US State Department. Some of these are optional, of course, but who doubts the wisdom of wise stewardship and planning? In the end, with all this planning and protection, does a person in today's modern socially-oriented societies really have to trust in God? Somehow or another, the government or an insurance company will step up and resolve my needs.
Item 2 (the church registration) is a further example of government intervention, but on a different level. The fall of the Portuguese regime in April 1974 changed the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Portuguese State, which had operated under a "Concordata" for a generation, or so. Now there is freedom of religion, and equality! Those are the words, but not necessarily the reality. Only three years ago, however, did the government enact the Religious Liberty Act. Whether that "Liberty" is actual and accurate is another question; equality itself is a debatable point, if we look at the practical aspects. True, there is no official repression; there is more openness to evangelicals in many, perhaps most, places in the country. I can see, however, why Baptist churches in some countries (former URSS territories, for example) refused to register with the government. However subtle it may be, the government senses it has the need to "control, watch over, look out for" religious groups.
We fulfilled our legal obligations as a church back in 1987 and got a legal status so we can buy property. For this reason, we own our own property and building today. But that old registry is about to be done away with under the new "religious freedom" law. The letter today said that the form in which we registered previously does not meet the requirements of the new registration procedures. We have 15 days to submit the missing items. I haven't studied the details, but I see no reason why we won't be able to do that. Of course, that doesn't answer the question of why we, as "a non-Catholic religious association" should have to register anyway, if we are "free and equal".
Having spent an "inspiring" hour in dealing with governmental and societal obligations designed to protect and provide for us, I pondered the role faith in God has in our lives today. (I write from a western socialized society point of view.) Do we wonder at the general lack of faith in God around us? There is a widespread school of thought current in evangelical circles, which believes that we, the church, are called to transform entire societies, in short, gain the whole world to Christ, city by city, nation by nation. Sounds great, but in my Bible, Jesus' own words in Luke 18:8 loom as an insurmoutable obstacle to that plan: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" The obvious answer is, "No, not much."
I mentioned that Pastor Neilson Amorim and his family are coming tomorrow to spend a week with us. Why were we so attracted to this family and their mission work? Although we didn't know their story at first, we found out later that when they felt the call of God to leave Brazil and do mission work in Portugal, their denominational mission board turned down their application. So, obeying God rather than men, they sold everything and came with the prayers and support of their local church (humanly speaking, insufficient), trusting God to supply their needs. Now, Bro. Neilson says that even if the mission board offers to support them, he wouldn't trade his freedom in trusting God for the "security" of a man-made contract. Echoes of our own call to the mission field and the marvellous supply of God over the years, far beyond our expectations. At present, we have more guarantees of financial security from the human standpoint than we've ever had, but I thank God for Bro. Neilson and his family. They are a reminder and an example of the kind of faith I never want to lose.
When Jesus comes, will He find faith on the earth? No, not much, but as long as there are men and women like Neilson and Esther, He will find His faithful few, who are truly "sold out" for God. "Lord, I want to be in that number."
Items 1 and 3 are obligatory. They belong in the same class of programs as IRAs, retirement funds, pension plans, health insurance coverage.(What have I left out?) As a good citizen, I make social security payments to two countries(!); as a good steward, I try to plan for future retirement with investments in funds for retirement (in two countries!); and I take advantage of a health insurance plan offered through the US State Department. Some of these are optional, of course, but who doubts the wisdom of wise stewardship and planning? In the end, with all this planning and protection, does a person in today's modern socially-oriented societies really have to trust in God? Somehow or another, the government or an insurance company will step up and resolve my needs.
Item 2 (the church registration) is a further example of government intervention, but on a different level. The fall of the Portuguese regime in April 1974 changed the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Portuguese State, which had operated under a "Concordata" for a generation, or so. Now there is freedom of religion, and equality! Those are the words, but not necessarily the reality. Only three years ago, however, did the government enact the Religious Liberty Act. Whether that "Liberty" is actual and accurate is another question; equality itself is a debatable point, if we look at the practical aspects. True, there is no official repression; there is more openness to evangelicals in many, perhaps most, places in the country. I can see, however, why Baptist churches in some countries (former URSS territories, for example) refused to register with the government. However subtle it may be, the government senses it has the need to "control, watch over, look out for" religious groups.
We fulfilled our legal obligations as a church back in 1987 and got a legal status so we can buy property. For this reason, we own our own property and building today. But that old registry is about to be done away with under the new "religious freedom" law. The letter today said that the form in which we registered previously does not meet the requirements of the new registration procedures. We have 15 days to submit the missing items. I haven't studied the details, but I see no reason why we won't be able to do that. Of course, that doesn't answer the question of why we, as "a non-Catholic religious association" should have to register anyway, if we are "free and equal".
Having spent an "inspiring" hour in dealing with governmental and societal obligations designed to protect and provide for us, I pondered the role faith in God has in our lives today. (I write from a western socialized society point of view.) Do we wonder at the general lack of faith in God around us? There is a widespread school of thought current in evangelical circles, which believes that we, the church, are called to transform entire societies, in short, gain the whole world to Christ, city by city, nation by nation. Sounds great, but in my Bible, Jesus' own words in Luke 18:8 loom as an insurmoutable obstacle to that plan: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" The obvious answer is, "No, not much."
I mentioned that Pastor Neilson Amorim and his family are coming tomorrow to spend a week with us. Why were we so attracted to this family and their mission work? Although we didn't know their story at first, we found out later that when they felt the call of God to leave Brazil and do mission work in Portugal, their denominational mission board turned down their application. So, obeying God rather than men, they sold everything and came with the prayers and support of their local church (humanly speaking, insufficient), trusting God to supply their needs. Now, Bro. Neilson says that even if the mission board offers to support them, he wouldn't trade his freedom in trusting God for the "security" of a man-made contract. Echoes of our own call to the mission field and the marvellous supply of God over the years, far beyond our expectations. At present, we have more guarantees of financial security from the human standpoint than we've ever had, but I thank God for Bro. Neilson and his family. They are a reminder and an example of the kind of faith I never want to lose.
When Jesus comes, will He find faith on the earth? No, not much, but as long as there are men and women like Neilson and Esther, He will find His faithful few, who are truly "sold out" for God. "Lord, I want to be in that number."
posted by EP | 11:25 AM | Permalink
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