TERMITE TROUBLE

Sometimes we think that problems in the church are a twenty-first century phenomenon. In reality, there have been issues since the first century. The church was flourishing, but not without fighting. The Devil will always oppose the forward march of the church. His way is not only to attack, but to infiltrate. Jesus warned of this. “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.’” (Matt.‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬-‭25‬‬). 

Old Vance Havner said it in his inimitable way: “The church has never been in so much danger from woodpeckers on the outside, as termites on the inside!”  We have termite protection at our home. Our pest control company sprays to create a chemical barrier to prevent the destructive pests from invading, and carries out regular inspections to make sure they have not found entry. Church elders, you are charged with pest control. There is the truth treatment. You must faithfully spray Scripture  around the house of God. You must also be watchful, lest destructive invaders slip in.  The longer these are tolerated, the greater will be their damage.

Recognize them by their DIVISIVE DISPUTATION. “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses…” (v. 17a). “Divide and conquer,” is an effective military strategy. Satan employs it effectively. The Devil knows that if he can get us fighting one another, then he will have no fear of us being an effective force. 

Many churches form circular firing squads! Note those who are ever causing division. Do a regular termite inspection! Confront them and exercise church discipline when needed. 

Be aware of their DOCTRINAL DEVIATION—“contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them,” (v. 17b). Termites are insidious insects. They eat away at the fiber of the wood. The wood may appear solid, but is getting weaker by the day—until it collapses. We must, “Avoid truth decay!”  

It would seem that the doctrinal deviation Paul was speaking of led to divisive disputation. We must hold to fundamental principles, without theological hair-splitting. One cannot sacrifice sound doctrine for maintaining unity. Yet, we should be cautious about making mountains out of molehills. Satan is a deceiver and will sow tares among the wheat. The peril is that the tares appear so much like wheat. Rampaging through the field, indiscriminately yanking up weeds, will also cause us to pull up young wheat. Discernment is demanded. 

The invasive insects are identified by their DECEPTIVE DECLARATION.“For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” (v.18‬‬). These claim to serve Jesus, while their motive is self-interest. It is not about Him, but them. Their communication is contradictory to their claim to be His servants. They are smooth talkers and flattering speakers. They hold up a Bible in front of a packed auditorium and with a sparkling smile promise, “Your Best Life Now.”  

Those mature in faith will detect them, but the immature will be deceived by them. Pastors, be mindful of who your members are listening to and what they are reading. The solid saints in the congregation are likely to spot such and spurn these teachers, but the young in faith will be seduced by them. Keep all the truth termites away by faithful exposition of Scripture, but do a regular inspection to see if some termites have slipped in. The earlier such is confronted, the less damage they will do!

PRESERVING FELLOWSHIP

 

Preachers can seemingly always find something to argue about. The reality is that some hills are to die on. The fundamentals of the faith cannot be compromised, whatever the cost. 

There are other matters perhaps not as vital as those, but still of great significance. These are what make me to be a Baptist. Brothers of other denominations may see those matters differently. If they hold to the fundamentals, then I can have fellowship with them at some level, but I also dare not bend in my convictions just to get along. 

Yet, there are issues on the periphery that I can hold to of which those in the church I serve or the pastors I know may disagree. These must not become divisive. Preserving the fellowship is also something worth fighting for!  This is what Paul tells us in Romans 14. 

Here, he references those who were disputing over sacred days and special diets. They were making mountains out of molehills. It is not that those matters might not have significance in our personal walk with the Lord, but we need not impose them on others—especially at the cost of dispute and division. 

Early in my Christian walk and ministry, I was very legalistic. I was immature, and “weak in the faith,” as Paul put it in Rom. 14:1.  After attending a Bible College, I felt that I knew everything and was right about all things, willing to argue about anything. 

As I have gotten older, I have come to understand that there are hills to die on, but I want to reject the temptation to make mountains out of molehills. But, I must also remember that what I consider an insignificant matter I can step over, may be something that is large enough for another man’s personal convictions that it would cause him to stumble.  As we age, like fruit, we tend to mellow and get sweeter—but, remember that the next stage is rotten!

“Let each be fully convinced in his own mind,” (Rom. 14:5b). The fundamental principle is this: do all to the glory of God and for the good of others.  

“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (Rom. 14:7-10)

I want to neither be a liberal nor a legalist.  Jesus had conflict with both, represented by the Sadducees and Pharisees. I need not compromise conviction out of a concern for compassion. We can speak the truth in love. We dare not sacrifice one for the sake of the other.

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another,” (Rom. 14:19).  It might be a good thing before we attend a pastors’ gathering to read Romans 14 to prepare our hearts, and then to read it following the meeting to evaluate how we did.

There is a real enemy out there. Satan is bent on destroying the church. If he can turn us into a circular firing squad, he has accomplished his intent. There will be increasingly hot fire incoming from the hostile culture about us. We will need one another to “have our back.”  There is a quote attributed to Ben Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence that applies, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” 

DOCTRINAL DRIFT

I doubt we ever drift toward doctrinal fidelity. We drift from it. Little by little, pulled by the gentle current of the culture—a desire to be accepted, a longing to get along, compromise in the name of compassion. At first, we claim to still believe “those things,” while failing to identify what those things are.  It seems safer not to rock the boat, and the boat drifts downstream from theological clarity until faster and faster the pull gets stronger and stronger.  The end is to become like Hymenaeus and Alexander who, “concerning the faith suffered shipwreck” (1 Tim.1:19-20).