Old Cars and Old Ways - Lee Snow

     There was once something on this earth that God placed here for the edification, salvation and benevolence of mankind via His only Son, Jesus Christ. That thing was the church. But at some point man took that beautiful masterpiece of God and started introducing flaws into its engine, if you will. Instead of the divinely inspired ways of worship, organization, evangelism, doctrine and attitude man began to replace these "factory" parts with man-made, and ultimately defective, after-market parts which might have seemed to increase the power and effectiveness of the machine but in actuality did nothing more than harm the inner workings and begin a process which would eventually lead this miraculous institution into something so foreign to the original that it was almost impossible to make a case that the two were the same. 
     
     At some point, cars deteriorate. Paint becomes faded, fabric becomes brittle and tears, exposed metal rusts and starts flaking away and corrosion envelopes battery cables. What was once a brilliant specimen of man's ingenuity and hard work becomes a heap taking up space in the back yard with a small oak tree growing out of the front window. Things break down, it's just a fact of life. 

     And, with these foreign parts introduced into the church, the same began to happen to something that was never meant to even tarnish in the slightest degree. Fast forward some 1,500 years or so and you see the church essentially gone. Sure, some of the original parts had been shared via the swap meet of religious diversity and had been installed into various other vehicles of faith but the original was, essentially, not available anymore. 

     Except, there was one way that it was still available. Just as any good car maker provides detailed diagrams and instructions to its craftsmen (nowadays they are giant yellow robot arms that look like some weird Sci-Fi movie) in order to produce the vehicle intended by the designers, God left detailed instructions on His church, the vehicle by which every person will drive through the Pearly Gates one day. 

What was once a brilliant specimen of man's ingenuity and hard work becomes a heap taking up space in the back yard with a small oak tree growing out of the front window. 

     The difference between the diagrams provided by the car company and God's divine diagrams of His church is very simple. One might be open to change if something is seen as defective and a recall is issued, but God's will never require a recall. It's perfect. The same One that created our world in such intricate and diverse organization so that it works perfectly for its purpose built a vehicle that is even more amazing. 

     The fact is, those fake, flawed and fraudulent vehicles are still available in the hundreds if not thousands today. Thankfully, however, a few hundred years ago something happened in the society of man and the mindsets of those that made up that society that led those who wanted the pristine original to start the process of replacing the defective parts with the factory approved parts, the ones that God intended on being in there to begin with.
 
     It took a great deal of hard work, tears, sweat and even a little blood sometimes but eventually all of the major parts had been restored. The paint had been redone and the interior was replaced to the way the Father, its Designer, originally planned. And while there are still some small tweaks that are being done and will continue to be needed in the future in order to have the church run the way it was back when it rolled off of the heavenly show room floor, the vehicle continues to blow away all of its competitors at all of the shows. Not because of what the restorers have done, but because of just how awe-inspiring the original really is. 

The best part? - The Driver, Jesus Christ, allows everyone to ride! 

     Even more amazing, there are seat belts for everyone that will help to hold you securely in your seat whenever the bumps of life come!

     So, here's the deal, instead of riding in all of the phonies, let's hop in the back seat of the only vehicle that is actually going to the desired destination, whose ride is smooth and whose parts will never break down or decay - the church of Christ! 

There were no Bible passages given in the article by the intention of the author. If you'd like Biblical references for anything said or have more questions about anything please do not hesitate to contact us here at the Preacher's Favorite Passage!