Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me, Pastor Jordan, for some Fine Points from Sunday’s service and message “If There Is Nothing Holy”.
Holiness is something that seems to be emphasized less in most churches and denominations than in the past. It is most likely partly because of disagreement on what practical holiness is.
To some people, churches and denominations holiness was, and still is, interpreted as and has been reduced to a list of prohibitions found in the old and new testament as well as evolving prohibitions related to lifestyle choices and activities not explicitly expressed in the bible.
As societies began to offer people more lifestyle activities and choices, people became and have become increasing wary of anything within or without the church that would restrict, limit or judge their freedom or choices.
In order not to alienate potential and current worshipers, churches have toned down any mention of holiness so as not to turn people away because holiness is seen to them as an imposition upon their liberty.
The problem is when holiness is removed from a people, church or denomination all that is left is more like a social club where the leadership and members decide on what to emphasize and what not to emphasize in order to keep and drive membership in the church and so as not to offend anyone.
So, we have decided to keep holiness out of the conversation. But holiness is what defines the people of God. Holiness is the praise, worship and devotion to the One who is greater than ourselves and who is worthy and deserving of it.
Holiness is conforming to practices and ideas set forth by the Holy One. It is the Holy One who makes us holy. Holiness is not something we can confer upon or make for ourselves. Without holiness, we all become heathens.
A heathen can be described as someone who does not belong to a group of people who praise, worship and are devoted to someone superior to themselves who is worthy and deserving of that praise, worship and devotion.
It is heathenistic people who are contaminating the world with misleading and false information, sowing seeds of anger, mistrust and fear and perpetuating division and racial tension. Heathens are therefore also lacking of any meaningful morals or principles because they are self-ascribed and are turn on and off at their will.
But that which is devoted to the Holy One by and through means He has set forth is holy. There is little if any that people are devoting of themselves and what they possess to our Creator and God. By that I mean things that are set aside for the Holy One and for Him alone.
I presented the tithe and the reverence for the Sabbath as two prime examples of the heathenistic behavior both within the Church and in society at large. Both are the most basic of places we are called to demonstrate holiness. Yet, look how many of us are failing to sanctify just those two things! If there is nothing holy, then what are we doing and what do we have?
It is time for those of us who claim God as our Father and Jesus as our Lord and Savior to once again embrace and reclaim holiness if we are going to not only save ourselves, but have any hope of impacting our fallen world steeped in the darkness of heathenism and idolatry.
Holiness does restrict some freedoms, but it gives us new and better ones that take their place. This is something we must come to see and realize and begin to share with a lost and skeptical world.
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Pastor Jordan
