Getting Out of Divine Order

In this chapter I want to call the reader's attention to a few thoughts on being out of divine order. It will take eternity and the day of judgment to fully reveal the awful importance of this subject.

Satan strives to do one of three things with every soul that gets saved. His first effort is to get them back into sin. The second is to get them into error and fanaticism. His third effort, after not succeeding in the foregoing two, is to get them out of Divine order.

It may seem at first a rather extravagant expression; however, I feel safe in making the statement, that nearly one-half of the Christians are, to some extent, out of Divine Order. It is to be remembered, we do not always have to commit sin to get out of Divine Order. There are hundreds who enjoy some grace that are greatly out of Divine Order. Let us briefly notice a few ways of getting out of Divine Order.

The first is, a man or woman who is called to do the work of the Lord, who is failing to follow this calling, but is doing secular work instead, with no intention of going into the ministry. This man is as much out of Divine Order as Jonah when he was swallowed by the whale. Look out, brother! The whales are not all dead.

A second way of getting out of Divine Order is to go too deeply in debt for a farm, a house, furniture, etc., and thus overload ourselves with debt and responsibilities, so much so that we lose the burden for souls, the spirit of prayer and all interest in the work of God.

A third way of getting out of Divine Order is to move out of vital touch with the church and go away to the suburbs or to the country to raise chickens and cultivate a garden, which often proves a curse to yourself and family. The children grow up heathens through not being able to attend the Sabbath-school, the poor wife loses all the grace she had through not being able to attend any of the prayer and class meetings, and the husband becomes a dead, dry, joyless, graceless, fireless, powerless, lifeless, Sunday church member.

A fourth way of getting out of Divine Order is to deliberately resign from a religious office in the church without a legitimate excuse. We often see people resign from being class-leader, Sunday-school superintendent, secretary, prayer-meeting leader, etc., with no real excuse, only they are tired. This slip-shod business grieves God and causes one to be lean in his soul.

A fifth way of getting out of Divine Order is for one to sever his connection with all churches and not belong to anything. This is almost a sure way to backsliding, sin and hell. I am perfectly in harmony with people separating themselves from all churches that indorse sin and worldliness; but on the other hand, I believe in finding the cleanest church possible, and joining it heart and hand.

Note a few things that result from being out of Divine Order.

First, an uneven, vacillating experience. This is often the secret of why some people are so wavering and unsettled in their experience. The trouble is, they are not in the center of God's will.

A second result is, non-successfulness in temporal matters. How many times have we seen people who were out of Divine Order trying to make things go in the business world, but every now and then a horse would die, a wagon break down, a barn burn, a cow go astray, a pocketbook get lost, etc., etc. All of this ofttimes is the sad result of being out of Divine Order.

The next thought I wish to call the attention of the reader to is, the sad end of three Bible characters who were out of Divine Order. It is to be remembered, they did not reach this state in one day.

The first was Lot, who lost everything in Sodom and barely escaped with his life.

The second was Balaam, the compromising prophet, who was finally slain by the children of Israel.

The next was Sampson, who was captured by the Philistines and made an object of sport, shame and disgrace.

O, brother, sister, it is impossible to succeed unless you keep in Divine Order.