Why Such A Fuss Over Standards!!

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by *AQuietPlace*

Great post, Aquila.

Amen.

[jaxfam6]

Great post both Falla and Aquila.

[Hoovie]

Falla I understand your post and know your intent and motives are right. You are a blessing to us all.

[Hoovie]

Aquila has been busy posting the last few days... I think he is making sense on purpose - just to trip us up!

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hoover

Aquila has been busy posting the last few days... I think he is making sense on purpose - just to trip us up!

Somebody has to keep you guys on your toes.

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Sis Falla,

Lovely post sister. I was deeply moved and can sincerely see the loving spirit with which you submitted it. But I do want to share my thoughts as a 33 year old man who has only walked with the Lord 20 years.

I think the "fuss over standards" comes from our being able to read God's Word for ourselves. For example, my previous pastor taught us that if we had facial hair we'd go to Hell. I remember crying my eyes out at the alter feeling like something was deeply wrong with me because I thought some facial hair looked good and in my heart, as a baby faced young man, I wanted facial hair because I thought it would make me look more masculine. I was horrified that my feelings for something so sinful indicated a deeper problem and it left me weeping at the altar more than once. All of us young men were dangled over Hell because our pastor didn't believe in facial hair. Yet when I was on the minister's team and I was searching my heart and searching the Scriptures to find where I stood regarding standards... I found no such standard in the Bible. It was a tradition of man. I spent time weeping over my desire for facial hair and failed to address some of the deeper issues lingering in my own heart. I was being distracted by the superficial, majoring in minors, and was failing to really "grow in God". I made a comprehensive list of all the standards I had been taught, standards I believed I would preach as a preacher and decided to find Scripture for them all. Because if I was going to preach... I had to know in my heart that I was preaching the Word of God not just my elder's, elder's opinion. I found that the vast majority of our standards, regarded emphatically as Heaven or Hell issues (I attended an ultra conservative UPCI church) were not necessarily in the Scriptures. I was shaken to the core when I realized that all I had to preach about were man made standards and opinions passed down from two generations back. I realized that my enemy wasn't necessarily sin (Christ dealt with sin on the cross) but it was the poison of Pharisaical religiosity... the very same enemy Christ faced more than once.

I think that as people search the Scriptures with commentary and resources becoming ever so plentiful via software and the internet people are discovering how so many of our standards aren't explicit commands of Scripture. Those who study the Scriptures independently without a denominational/organizational filter are typically the one's voicing their dismay at some of our standards. Those who proudly wave the banner of a denomination or organization rally around said standard in the name of preserving the way as filtered and defined by their denomination or organization.

In a way it's sad because so many elders and old timers who bought into the traditional standards lock, stock, and barrel are watching their standards be abandoned. But in a way it's also a blessing because we see more and more of us turning to the Scriptures alone to define our faith and practices. In a way... being sold out to human standards lowers the value of our Christian walk... because our walk is based on the rules of man... not necessarily the Word of God.

I loved the story you presented. It was very warm and heartfelt. I felt a tinge of guilt for some of the standards that I've abandoned because I couldn't find them in the Word of God. But then I notice something about this story.... it contained no Scripture. It was an emotionally driven statement, powerful, and provoking... but it doesn't address the crux of the problem... so many of our traditional standards aren't Scriptural. From standards on facial hair, the belief in magic hair, absolutely not jewelry (not even wedding bands), to no television, radio, or internet. None of these things are commanded in Scripture.

We were taught that if we had a question... "find it in the Bible"... well... now we're reading the Bible and some things we just ain't findin'.

Of course we're on dangerous territory. When believers started reading the Bible in previous centuries the Catholic Church decided to ban the private reading of Scripture without the proper interpretation from their established religious authorities and chained the Bible to the pulpit in a dead tongue, Latin. Thank God we live in America.

Parts of your post just broke my heart. God never intended to judge His people like some of us do each other. Thankfully we can find in His Word the truth for ourselves. Jesus set THE standard for us that we love one another and not impose OUR judgments on each other.
But we must have standards of living from God's heart in this world. And our example is Jesus.

[freeatlast]

POTD Aquila.

[Falla39]

There is SO much more to "standards" than just what we wear. There is honesty and
integrity, principals, how we treat and respect people. Standards involve every area
of our lives. There are moral standards, standards of the heart, etc.

We need the Spirit of the Living God to lead and guide us continually. IF we look to man
for our direction, we will get man's ideas. If we look to the Word of God and
depend on His Spirit and walk in, and are led by the Spirit of Almighty God,
we won't have to find out too soon, too late that we have been deceived.
If we know what thus saith the Word of God, and have the Holy Spirit to
illuminate and open our understanding we won't be disappointed. We were
pointed to the Word of God all our lives. The Word of God was promoted big
time in our home and the church our late parents pastored.

My husband and I will celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniv. on July 11th. We
both received the Holy Ghost the summer of 1958. Dad opened the doors of
the storefront church he, with his wife and eleven children, founded, Nov.12,
1958, We married the following July 11th, 1959. We have never left. Five of
our six children and 16 of our 20 grandchildren still go to the church my late
parents founded. The other son and wife, with their four children, go to an
apostolic church in a neighboring city where they live. All of our adult children
are married to their original spouses. The youngest has been married 12 yrs.,
the eldest has been married 27 yrs. and all in between. Our middle daughter
and husband who pastor the church now, was married 18 yrs. ago yesterday.

God has been good to our family. Those good family values and all that goes
with it, has surely paid off with huge dividends.

No, our lives have not all been easy. We have had our trials and stuggles,
but God has been with us, by His Spirit from the beginning until now and we
have no doubt that HE will be with us all the way! He said HE would be our
guide, even until death. Psalms 48:15

Just giving God some Praise for all HE has done, doing and will continue to do,
in Jesus Name!

Blessings,

Falla39

[scotty]

Your a blessing Sister Falla and your wisdom in living for God is just more than most can comprehend. Thank God for you and thank you for your standards and the example of what His light in us is capable of .

[crakjak]

Originally Posted by Falla39

There is SO much more to "standards" than just what we wear. There is honesty and
integrity, principals, how we treat and respect people. Standards involve every area
of our lives. There are moral standards, standards of the heart, etc.

We need the Spirit of the Living God to lead and guide us continually. IF we look to man
for our direction, we will get man's ideas. If we look to the Word of God and
depend on His Spirit and walk in, and are led by the Spirit of Almighty God,
we won't have to find out too soon, too late that we have been deceived.
If we know what thus saith the Word of God, and have the Holy Spirit to
illuminate and open our understanding we won't be disappointed. We were
pointed to the Word of God all our lives. The Word of God was promoted big
time in our home and the church our late parents pastored.

My husband and I will celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniv. on July 11th. We
both received the Holy Ghost the summer of 1958. Dad opened the doors of
the storefront church he, with his wife and eleven children, founded, Nov.12,
1958, We married the following July 11th, 1959. We have never left. Five of
our six children and 16 of our 20 grandchildren still go to the church my late
parents founded. The other son and wife, with their four children, go to an
apostolic church in a neighboring city where they live. All of our adult children
are married to their original spouses. The youngest has been married 12 yrs.,
the eldest has been married 27 yrs. and all in between. Our middle daughter
and husband who pastor the church now, was married 18 yrs. ago yesterday.

God has been good to our family. Those good family values and all that goes
with it, has surely paid off with huge dividends.

No, our lives have not all been easy. We have had our trials and stuggles,
but God has been with us, by His Spirit from the beginning until now and we
have no doubt that HE will be with us all the way! He said HE would be our
guide, even until death. Psalms 48:15

Just giving God some Praise for all HE has done, doing and will continue to do,
in Jesus Name!

Blessings,

Falla39

Falla,

My dear sister, you are absolutely right, it is and was those "standards of the heart" that build strength into our family. Mom and Daddy required these standards of their children, honesty and respect of those around us. I remember one of us sassing a neighbor, and Dad requiring a face to face apology to that neighbor. These things of character are honorable and make us respected by our community, and by the grace of God I see them in my own adult children.

As for balance, I will also acknowledge that there were some "standards" that were passed from the preacher that brought the "message" to our parents community that our parents eventually discarded. I know some folks that continued with those extreme "standards" that have wrecked lives because of the control and lack of freedom in Christ. Our parents found more balance but still maintained some fairly conservative standards, but not nearly as rigid as their first exposure to Pentecost. I believe those earlier extremes were false standards and discarding them in no way devalued our parents lives.

I also know of many who maintain even the less rigid standards, yet lack the "things of the heart" and their lives are just as wrecked.

My point is: It is those things of the heart that made the difference in our family, so I have to believe it is those standards to which you are referring. And from that perspective I totally embrace and agree with all that you have presented.