Holiness issues

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>Agreed, but this is not how most of the church world functions.  Allow me
>to illustrate.   75 to 100 years ago, there were many good moral
>standards in the *world*.  Standards like honesty, paying your bills,
>being a good neighbor, helping friends and neighbors in time of illness,
>death, and etc.   The world had a standard.

Lets look at this a little closer. There were legal and social
standards in some parts of the "world". Lets assume you were talking
about the USA. It is true that the value of modesty (as regards
dress), and the values of personal integrity displayed in honesty and
respect of other persons as well as other "standards" had a place in
the US & Canada, and in a number of other places.

In Christianized places these values were associated (by claim if not
fact) from the Bible, and a long time of public declaration of the
book and many misreadings of it, as the source of all good.

However, other cultures also largely held moral standards also in
demonstration of Romans 2:14-15. 

But, the real church never had anything to do with this.. Now, perhaps
we agree at the bottom line, but please follow for a moment.

>The churchs (in general) had a higher standard than that of the world.

I don't agree that there "churches in general", but it is true that
the religious instiutions were more effectual at portraying the
elements of behavior that more fit their reading of this high quality
of life (which at its source is nothing but the life of the Lord Jesus
Christ). Non-Christianized society were not inclined to the hypocricy
of pretending to be something they were not, but rather simply lived
the law of conscience and if they were to fall from a "standard" it
was because the civil government failed to excecute punishment against
transgressors.

>As the world's standard declined, the churches just maintained the same
>distance from the world.  As the world has declined, so has the churches.  The standard of most churches is lower than the standard of the world
>50 years ago.

The "churches" are simply the worlds portrayal of religion, and the
observation you make is a truism. That is, it must be that way, for
there is no REAL power in mere profession and the human will to
completely distinhuish itself from the spirit of the  world.

>
>1900    1910    1920    1930    1940    1950   1960   1970   1980   1990
>
>True
>Churches***********************************************************************
>Standard

[snip]

>   Most churches think they are ok. They are still maintaining their
>standard as compared to the world.

Of course! That is why we must not make standards an issue superior to
the message that will give them the power to LIVE above the ideals
that otherwise will KILL them.

To make what I have been trying to say real brief: 

Natural Children of God live like God ... others live like their
father. No matter what the church teaches, it cannot change this
principle.

But, to agree with you, the church CAN teach the attributes of God and
then display them in a powerful manner using wisdom and application of
the Word to make a living impact upon this generation which is being
freed from the stranglehold of tradition and hypocricy.

However, if we miss this chance (called a "harvestime"), my feeling
is, there will not be another.