“And behold, there talked with him (Jesus) two men, which were Moses and Elias…Peter said to Jesus…let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said” If we are not careful, we too can put saints that are far removed from our generation on a level a notch or two above our present one.
The advantage of the “old-timers” was that they didn’t have to rub shoulders with us on a daily basis. Personally, I believe that there are those among God’s people today who, if we looked back in hindsight from the next generation, we would also put on a pedestal. We are told Moses and Elias were “men.” Yes, they were used of God to be a blessing. Still, they were only men of clay. Moses had his fits of anger, and Elias had his bouts with depression.
Contemporary Christians give themselves a bad rap at times, because well-intentioned writers elevate saints of by-gone years to positions that would cause those folk to blush, if they were here. Let us put on God’s specks, so to speak, when we look at others from the past. Then we will see men, not as trees, but as they actually are…men. And, to our delightful surprise, we will find they were people pretty much like you and me.
The only reason some hold contemporary Christianity in contempt is familiarity.
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