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 Any
preacher, or other saint who has been around awhile, and has
traveled a bit, will tell you that there are certain “problems”
which appear over and over, generation after generation, among
brethren. They may be certain scripture interpretations, or “hobbies”,
or matters involving human judgement, traditional practices, and
the like — things which each generation must face and solve
for itself.
Some
of these are inevitable, and the sooner each church can face and
settle — themselves, if not the problem — the better off
they are. But others are senseless quibbles that survive only
because there is some one in just about every church that loves
to argue, or thinks it is a sign of brilliance to bring up
something the brethren can’t answer. (The querist usually
proposes answer — some old saw that has long ago been
thrashed to threads, but is new to the present victims. Subject
matter may be anything from Cain’s wife to the church
treasury.
One
preacher wrote, “I have known of local churches that have had
trouble after trouble for years and years I think some of them
“can-up trouble” for the future, even; like Mom used to can
beans, corn, and sausage. When they get tired of fussing over
one can of trouble, they can open up a new
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can of trouble, and eat away at each
other.” I understand and appreciate the writers disgust at
this.
This
attitude thrives where the brethren have no sense of direction
— no positive goals toward which they press. Reminds me of the
old man who made his first trip to the big city, and his
court-yard cronies back home were anxious for a report on his
trip.
“Wasn’t
you a-feered you’d get lost?” he was asked.
“How
could I of got lost,” the old man spat, “when I didn’t
even care where I was at?”
There
are brethren who apparently have no real goals, and “don’t”
even care where they are at.” Their idea of Bible study is to
spend an hour arguing about “Paul’s “thorn,” and future
planning is getting a preacher for the next meeting. Canned
problems compose their steady diet — no energy to generate
fresh ones.
Thank
God for brethren who “can-up solutions” — and use
them.
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