There's Things Going On

In the early 1970’s, the quintessential Southern rock ‘n roll band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, released a song entitled “Things Goin’ On.”  The last line of the first stanza says, “Cause there’s things goin’ on that you don’t know.”  At a quick glance, you know the truth in the statement.  In the world around us, there is so much going on that we just have no knowledge about.  Things occur that are outside our immediate environment or sphere of experience.  There are forces at work in the world at large and we are totally unaware of their plans, plots, and schemes.  How many know what is going on with the players in the South American drug cartels? Do we really know the extent dangerous Hispanic gangs have infiltrated American society?  What really is happening behind closed doors when our president meets with the leaders of Mexico and Canada and they discuss a North American Union?  Truly, there are things going on that you don’t know.  

It’s easy to dismiss those things going on far away and think, “How am I expected to know, and does it really affect me – or matter to me at all?”   Yet when your city or neighborhood begins to experience firsthand the results of the drug cartels’ business ventures or when you see “MS-13” emblazoned across a local school building, you may begin to see that the danger that you perceived as being far removed from your life is not so far removed at all.  And you have to admit, there are things going on that you don’t know.

Even in areas that are in your environment, you are not always aware of what’s going on.  In the work place, some superior may have a friend who needs a job – and your job is the ideal position for them.  Behind your back and without your knowledge, they start pulling strings and calling in the debts to move you out. You may lose your job and fall onto hard times without having a clue what happened or why. Too many times innocent people are shafted when they are caught unaware of things going on that they didn’t know.

Over the past two decades, tens of thousands of individuals who went to church every week, paid tithes on all their income, and made great personal sacrifices were tripped up because there were things going on that they did not know.  When doctrinal changes began to be introduced into the Worldwide Church of God in the late 1980’s, some felt uneasy and were disturbed by the move from what they had proven to be true.  The vast majority did what most humans do when faced with disturbances and discomfort.  They sought to “understand,” agree, and adapt.  The human mind seeks to be at ease and at peace.  When your inner being is in turmoil because of what is going on in those areas of importance to you, you either stand up and fight or you “monitor and adjust.”  Most monitor and adjust - they change their thinking so they can be comfortable.  And so it was in the 1980’s and 1990’s in the Church of God.  Many were caught unaware of things they did not know.  When the church told them that past teachings were in error, they accepted the new teachings without question or with the slightest whimper.

Yet there were people who knew there were things going on and they did know.  Some knew of the underhanded efforts of church authorities to abandon the truth and adopt the belief systems of the world’s religions.  When the God Is… booklet appeared, those convicted of the truth could see through the fog and realize that the Greek words in the booklet used to describe God were nothing but a clever verbal masquerade for the belief in the trinity – a belief the historical Church of God never has subscribed to.  Those not willing to surrender their beliefs soon found out about the meetings going on behind the scenes with church authorities and Protestant theologians.  Those in charge of church government were seeking advice on how to make the transition from the truth to the lie that they believed.  Sadly, most never were awakened to the things going on that they didn’t know.  They were swallowed by the lies and deception and fell away from the truth.

Why and what’s the point?  Yesterday, today, and in the future, we must always know there are things going on that we don’t know.  Yet there are things we must know.  We must be aware of what is going on so we are not swept away by deception, lies, and offenses.  We must always be grounded in the truth and know the source of the truth -  for there will always be clever doctrinal deceptions that many will pressure you to believe and adhere to.  The Bible clearly indicates there will be an increase in false prophets and false ministers at the end of the age.  The scriptures are not just referring to the world outside the church.  If Paul warned the elders in Ephesus that false ministers would rise out of their midst, it should be no shock to us that the church at the end would experience a similar occurrence – especially since it is prophesied by none other than Jesus Christ Himself.  If the apostle of love, John, had trouble with Diotrophes tossing true brethren out of the church, it is not a stretch to know that something like that could possibly occur in our day and age.  True and converted brethren may be dismissed from a congregation or the corporate church, but still be enrolled in the spiritual Church of God.

As the church was going through the turmoil of change in the early 1990’s, I read George Orwell’s novella, Animal Farm.  The book is a satire depicting the workings of totalitarian governments – how those in power manipulate and twist the truth to stay in power and to advance their ideology.  The book, written in 1945, described exactly what was going on among the governing officials of the church.  It helped me clearly see things going on that I did not fully know.

As we near the end of the age and the descent into totalitarianism at all levels around the world, we would be well advised to arm ourselves with knowledge of the techniques liars and deceivers use to gain control and to exert their power.  If we are grounded in the truth of the Bible, we can make it through the maze of untruths and deceptions that are bound to come.  If our trust is in God the Father and Jesus Christ, we can know that we can be preserved in what is right despite what may go on in the world around us.  But we have to be willing to stand up for the truth, for what is right and for each other.  We must never be willing to surrender our will to do what is right to some totalitarian entity.  If we are unwilling to stand in the breach for the truth and for each other in time of attack, what kind of people are we?  No different than those a few years ago who abandoned all they once believed when sufficient pressure was applied by those in charge.

There’s things going on that you don’t know… Or, do you?