God's word calls Christians

"peculiar people."

I was thinking, how is this

so? Why are Christians "peculiar"? What is supposed to be so

different about these people from everyone else? Don't people want to

"fit in" and not stand out from the crowd?

Doesn't everyone want to not

have conflict in life? Doesn't everyone want people to like them and just

go along with the flow? Biblical history recorded that there were 12 men

who didn't think so. The 12 eventually went down to 11 in the betrayal

of Jesus by Judas. These 11disciples of Jesus turned the world upside

down with the teachings of Jesus. All of them except John metvery painful

and fiery deaths.

What is it that would cause

these men to be so peculiar as to end up this way. Is the Bible saying

to us today that we are, if need be, supposed to be that peculiar?

What can the world, or better

yet, what can God expect of Christians today? After all, aren't things

going pretty well in these United States? Why rock the boat? One might

get wet.

Today, my wife, Dee, and I

are driving to Greensboro, N.C., where she will be speaking to a group

of educators on the subject of character. Dee has formed her own business

as an educational consultant. She has entitled the business Head Heart

and Hand.

Character education was mandated

several years ago to be taught in our public schools. I was looking over

her shoulder at some of the books that have been written on the subject

of character. There was one book that came out years ago entitled "Why

Johnny Can't Read." Then another came out entitled "Why Johnny

Can't Tell Right From Wrong." And so the subject continues to flow

and be debated with "peculiar" people who sincerely care about

children and want them to get the very best chance in life by teaching

them character-building traits.

Then there are those who want

them to be reared in a valueless, characterless, anything goes, raise

them by the TV society.

Does the following list of

what one could expect from a "peculiar people" bother you? Should

you be able to expect this "peculiar" behavior from a Christian?

The following is a list of

the "peculiar" Ten Commandments.

Remember, those are the ones that say:

No other gods before me.

No carved or graven images.

Don't take the name of

the Lord in vain.

Remember the Sabbath and

keep it holy.

Honor your father and mother.

Don't murder.

Don't commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not bear false witness

against your neighbor.

Do not covet anything of

your neighbor's.

Any of this sound a bit foreign

or "peculiar" to today's society? If any one of these were kept,

it would shut down the soap opera industry tomorrow because they wouldn't

have any subject themes to follow. These Ten Commandments are what the

ACLU is trying to remove from our public courtrooms and monuments. I feel

they should read them aloud in every courtroom before every case. It would

probably openup the clogged court system and move toward more sane deliberations.

Christians should be counted

on to do the right things in our society. The very name alone, "Christian,"

should make us very peculiar people, as salt and light to the world. People

who don't fall in lock step with the world and all its nothingness. People

who are willing to do the will of God their heavenly father no matter

what the cost.

Now that is peculiar thinking.

Press on, peculiar people, time is short!

The Rev. Dr. Knox Herndon is

the pastor of His House Community Church (SBC)and a former Army chaplain.

The church has moved to a new location just below Senoia on Ga. Highway

85, a mile on the right just below the fire station. Visitors are welcome.

Phone 770-719-2365 or e-mail [email protected].

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