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From: The
Lawrenceville church of Christ ‘Beacon’ Why All The Fuss? By Gene Plyler Hundreds of years before the birth of our Lord, God told a man named Noah, a preacher of righteousness, to preach to the ancient world that they must either repent of their sins or He would destroy them with a flood (II Peter 2:5). The people must have thought “Noah, why all the fuss?” “We are all happy and having so much fun!” The flood came. Noah and his family were saved but the others perished. God told Abraham that He would destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin is very grievous (Genesis 18:20). Abraham was grieved in heart and asked God to spare the city of Sodom. Would you a/so destroy the righteous with the wicked (Genesis 18:23)? Lot tried to get the men of the city to do right. They no doubt thought, “Lot, why all the fuss?” God turned the cities into ashes (II Peter 2:6). Lot and his two daughters were spared. Jonah was sent by the Lord to cry against the city of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2). He preached to the people yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown. The people could very well have cried, “Jonah, why all the fuss?” “We are all happy and unity prevails throughout the city.” But they did not. They believed God and proclaimed a fast. They repented. God spared the city .Why all the fuss? It was needed to make the people think about their lives and to bring them to repentance. Jeremiah was sent to the people of Israel to proclaim to them that they must turn away from the false prophets, false ways, or God would send a nation against them and they would be overthrown. The Israelites would not be bothered. “Why all the fuss, Jeremiah?” The condition of Israel is described as the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so (Jeremiah 5:30). They did not want Jeremiah causing a lot of fuss in their cities. After all they were happy with what they were doing. But guess what? God was not! Israel was taken captive by their enemies because they believed the false prophets who led them away from God and His way. Jesus exposed the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and commanded the people to repent or perish (Luke 13:3-5). The people could have thought “Why all the fuss?” “We enjoy our city and our lives.” “Why don’t you just leave us alone?” The apostles told the Jews in Jerusalem that they must turn away from the old system of religion, and believe in Jesus as the Son of God, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for remission of sins (Acts 2:36-38). Many of them must have thought, “Why all the fuss?” “We like this old religion.” “Our fathers have practiced it for hundreds of years.” “What was good enough for them is good enough for us.” Yet, some listened and obeyed the gospel. When the great apostle Paul preached in the synagogues of the Jews in the different cities where he went, perhaps many of the Jews said, “Why all the fuss?” “We are happy with our religion.” But they were in error, religiously, and Paul was trying to get them to turn from such. Some said of Paul and his co-laborers in the vineyard, these that have turned the world upside down...(Acts 17:6). WHY ALL THE FUSS? Souls are at stake. There are false teachers that want each of us to follow them (I John 4:1). False teachers do not have God (II John 9). Those who believe and follow false teachers, those who support and encourage false teachers are partakers of their evil deeds (II John 9-11). Is that so hard to understand? Apparently many brethren professing to be strong and faithful have a hard time understanding it! Yet when we try to teach those who are supporting and encouraging these false teachers we are ridiculed and marked in our efforts. Once one stands beside someone (a false teacher) who teaches false doctrine on matters such as “Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage”, “Unity in Diversity” and such like, how far and long will one stand beside them in other false doctrine? “Why all the fuss?” “‘Brother False Teacher’ is so strong on all other issues.” All it takes is false doctrine on one subject that could cause a soul to be lost for eternity. If a man teaches false doctrine on even one subject, he is a false teacher. One can call a dog a cat, but that does not make him a cat! He is still a dog! Only the truth can save—all the truth. Men who teach false doctrine must be corrected. There is but one gospel. Those who have believed another gospel are accursed (Galatians 1:6-9). That is why we must teach the truth, even at the risk of making enemies. In the words of the beloved apostle Paul, Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? (Galatians 4:16) WHY ALL THE FUSS? |
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