Not That Complicated

“We believe that God has ordained various governments among men,” says our Statement of Faith. “The three basic governments are civil government, church government, and family government. All…working in individuals to bring about self-government.” If asked to summarize each of their responsibilities, how would you respond?

C.S. Lewis answered this way regarding the civil government. I would like to live in such a land:

“The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden—that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time.”

Lewis answered this way regarding the Church. I would like to attend such a body:

“The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons…are simply a waste of time” (Mere Christianity).

If Lewis answered the question for the Family, I am not aware. But I do not think it to be a difficult one to answer. Husband, love you wife. Wife, submit to and respect your husband. Kids, obey your parents. That would be an enjoyable home to sit around the dinner table with and to lay down one’s head on the pillow each night.

And what if the question was asked of the Individual? The Individual exists to love God and love people. That would be an enjoyable person to hang out with, wouldn’t it?

But reality says otherwise right now. The Bloated State seems hellbent on controlling every area of our life; including imposing its will on the Church, Family, and Individual. The Misguided Church seems driven on helping congregants, quoting one of their current prophets, to have their “best life now”. The Distracted Family seems unaware they are losing their kids to Big Tech, Big Entertainment, and Big Woke. And the Lonely Individual seems to be living life any way he or she feels and is slipping further away from truth.

UCLA Hall of Fame basketball coach, John Wooten, was said to start every year the same. At the first practice showing his players how to correctly put on their socks. About as basic as one could get.

In this confused time or ours, getting back to basics seems to be a good starting point. The State needs a civics lesson. The Church needs a return to the Bible. The Family needs a wake-up call. And the Individual needs to stop looking within and start looking up.

Perhaps there are easy answers for complicated times.

Pastor Rich Hamlin
April 8, 2021

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