Spiritual Ecology

Ecology Now! We see this slogan on bumper stickers, we read about ecology in the newspapers and hear about it on the radio. What do you think about when you see the word “Ecology”? Today people are becoming very concerned about this subject. The word “ecology” is derived from the Greek word “Oikos”, meaning house. Therefore Ecology is the study of the house or the living place of an organism. It involves the study of the effects of the living surrounding on the organism and the effects of that organism on its surroundings. The concern today is centered on the pollutants which man is putting into his environment. These pollutants in the air, in the water and in the soil are killing other living things and even man himself.

But man’s environment includes more than just air, the water and the dirt. Man is affected mentally, as well as physically by his surroundings. There is a spiritual side to his environment. Let us consider this “spiritual ecology.”

We are all shaped by the world around us. Those things which happen to us—the things we read, the things we hear are put into our memories and become a part of us. How often do we find our thoughts wandering during the Sunday Morning meeting, to other things? We go there intending to put away all our worldly cares and problems and remember only our God and his son whom he sacrificed for us. Yet at the most solemn moments we find ourselves thinking about something entirely different—how hungry I am, my plans for Sunday afternoon, whether so-and-so likes me, will my car make it home, when can I study for that big test tomorrow. These mundane things poke their way into our thoughts during hymns, prayers, exhortations, and even during the breaking of bread. To sum it up — our spiritual environment is polluted.’

Let’s look at some of the influences in our environment. In an average day we spend roughly 8 hours sleeping, 1½ hours eating, 1/2 hour for dressing and personal care, 8 hours of work (whether it be at a job, doing housework, or school and homework), maybe 1/2 hour of Bible reading and study, with 51/2 hours left for miscellaneous recreation or odd jobs. We read the newspaper, listen to the radio, watch television, talk to our fellow workers, our neighbors and friends, maybe go to ball games or plays or concerts. Many of us go to a week-night Bible class. On Sundays we come to meeting and maybe to lecture and Sunday School. Over a weeks’ time then, in 112 waking hours we spend 1/3 (56 hours) at our occupation (worker, student or whatever) about 1/10 of the time eating (10½), 1 12 of the time in Bible study, meeting and classes, 1/30 of the time in personal care, and ½ of the time in miscellaneous recreation. During most of this time we are surrounded by the things of the world. We learn in school about science, mathematics, history, literature and skills which might be useful in holding a job. At work we are involved with building or growing things, or fixing things, or taking care of the paperwork for those who build, grow and fix things. At home we clean and repair our household possessions and prepare meals. We eat and we drink, we comb our hair and try to look handsome or beautiful, we drive our cars, we learn news of the world, we hear advertisements for worldly possessions. We dream of having many of the things we see: houses, cars, dishwashers, TV’s or color TV’s, campers, furniture. Each of us has his own secret desires. We see heroes on television who lead exciting lives and we wish we were like them. Our environment is filled with those things which make us love the world rather than God. Christ said “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

One of the major differences between man and the lower animals is that man can control his environment to suit him, while other animals must be naturally suited to fit their environment. We build houses with lights, electric heaters and air conditioners. We drink filtered water. We wear clothes to keep off the hot sun and coats to keep out the cold. We bring water to grow plants in the desert. We pave the streets to have a firm solid ground to travel on. We put out poisons to get rid of pests. So too we should control our spiritual environment. We are naturally suited to the life of the world, just as the lower animals are naturally suited to their environment. But as creatures made in the image of God we must not be bound to these ungodly surroundings. But how do we go about controlling our spiritual environment.

Another trite word today is involvement. Some of the popularity of this word stems from the case a few years ago in New York in which a young woman was stabbed repeatedly and killed while thirty some people heard her cries and did nothing. One was quoted afterwards as saying, “I didn’t want to get involved.”

Involve means “to roll up, wrap, enfold, envelope.” We can control our spiritual environment by becoming involved in the Ecclesia; by enveloping ourselves in good spiritual activities. We think and dream about those things with which we are involved. We are concerned about our future plans. Let’s make those plans good ones. Plans which help others, plans to learn more about God’s plans, plans to associate with those who believe as we do and share the same ideals.

In Philippians 4 verses 5-9 (New English Version) Paul tells us not to worry about anything, but to pray about our problems and we will have the peace of God which passeth all understanding. Further, we are to keep our thoughts on things which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report. Then by thinking about and doing these things, the God of peace will be with us. We can see that it is very important to control what we think about. But our thoughts are only a reflection of what we see around us. Whatever our bodies are involved in, that is what our minds will be concerned with. So let’s keep ourselves involved in the right things. But remember the definition of involve, “to roll up, wrap, enfold, envelope.” How often have we done something because we knew it was right, but without really wanting to. Perhaps it was getting a class ready for a Sunday School Program or writing an exhortation, maybe coming to lecture, or going to a Bible class, or talking to a friend about the Bible. We can do things without being involved in them at all, just going through the motions and hoping it will be over soon. We often do things because we are trapped by social pressures, so that we do something good but hate it the whole time. This isn’t involvement. But before we discuss attitude let’s see some concrete examples of things we can do to become involved in the ecclesias: ways to improve our spiritual environment.

  1. # How many Christadelphians can you think of who have been converted to another religion? Not very many, probably. Now how many can you think of (either brethren and sisters or unbaptized Sunday School scholars) who have simply fallen away and quit coming? A lot more, probably. And chances are they had a lot of friends outside the ecclesia—at school or at work and they spent their spare time with these friends who gradually drew them away. In II Corinthians 6:14 Paul tells us “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness)” What common interests and goals do we have with our friends who are outside the ecclesia? Maybe it’s just so called “good clean fun”, but usually we do things with these friends which are not very good uses of our time. Would it not be far better to make our friends in the ecclesia?—to devote our leisure hours to activities shared others with our own ideals? Separation from the World implies separation in desire, motive, and act, from the world. Not from contact with the world but from complicity with and conformity to it.
  2. # We all come to meeting most of the time, some of course cannot for reasons of sickness or other problems. But when we possibly can we manage to get to meeting. But what about the rest of the day Sunday? Sunday School is attended by a little over half the members of the ecclesia, yet it is a very beneficial activity. Certainly none of us can say that we are too old to learn about the Bible or that we already know all we need to know. We are all in need of refreshing our knowledge and by coming every week to a class with a continuing subject we can get involved in the subject and look forward to the next class. Some don’t like the subjects that the classes are studying, hut new subjects start and suggestions are asked for. The Sunday School always needs teachers, regular and substitute. Teaching will get you involved like nothing else. Preparing the lessons each week and knowing that you are depended upon and needed by the ecclesia will certainly keep you interested. You say you can’t make it to Sunday School? Well some really can’t, but children can always be brought with you. There are mothers who want to start a nursery but not enough others will come and help out. There are always brethren and sisters who will be glad to provide transportation if that is a problem. Providing a good atmosphere for your spiritual growth takes effort. Put forth as much as you can and your efforts will surely be helped by God.
  3. # Sunday evenings there are lectures. Scarcely % of the members of the ecclesia come. Yet a brother spends days of preparation to give an informative and interesting presentation. Look at the speaking list and see if you can’t at least pick out a few titles of special interest to yon. And lecture is certainly a better way to end Sunday than watching television.
  4. # But we don’t have to just sit in the audience and listen. We are not really involved unless we are doing something ourselves. There are many jobs in the ecclesia which can always use volunteers who will work hard and dependably. The Sunday School needs teachers, the meeting needs doorkeepers, pianists, helpers for various committees (the food committee, visiting, etc.), speakers, and willing helpers for many special projects. It’s not hard to get these jobs. In fact, if you are around and available it’s often hard to avoid jobs. If you have a definite responsibility, problems to cope with and extra time set aside to work for the ec­clesia, you will find your thoughts concerned with what is happening in the ecclesia.
  5. # Your spiritual environment has to do with the whole week, not just Sunday. In fact, what you think about on Sunday depends on what you do and think about all week. If the environment is being polluted all during the week, it won’t be cleaned up Saturday night. But what can we do to keep our environment clean during the week? One of the best spiritual anti-smog devices is daily Bible reading. Whether we follow the Bible Companion or some system of our own, the 15 minutes required to sit down with family or alone and bring our thoughts to the important things—the plan of God and what he wants us to do—will keep us from being drawn away, from letting our daily business take over our minds. Many of us fall down when it comes to the readings. Our schedules are irregular and that makes it hard to set a specific time to do the readings each day. Yet if we don’t set a time we find that we never seem to make time for the readings. They slip our minds and they don’t get done. So let’s try. Set the best time we can and do our best to keep to it. If we miss one day, or even several days, don’t give up just keep trying. Some might find it helpful to use a different version—the New English Bible, for instance. Hearing the familiar passages in a new wording often casts a new light on the meanings and we get something new out of it. But don’t just read a chapter or two and close the Bible. Surely there was something you didn’t quite understand. Look at the marginal references, try a Bible commentary or some other book on the subject for help. Don’t just read_________ study. Many of us have some subject we have wanted for months or years to look into deeply. Don’t put it off again and again. Turn off the TV and radio and start on it. One form of pollution which has recently been studied is called noise pollution. The racket from machinery in factories and on the streets can cause permanent deafness. The effects are gradual—they may not even be noticed when the noise is present. But when the noise dies down, the victim finds irreparable hearing loss has occurred. Often TV and radio act the same way. We don’t think they harm us but later we find our ears are insensitive to the more quiet calls of the Word of God. Noise can’t always be eliminated but it can be kept to a minimum. Insulation can be very effective. Our daily readings can insulate us against a lot of noise.
  6. # Much of the pollution in our spiritual environment has to do with fleeting pleasures. We want to have fun. Yet the fun doesn’t last. In fact there is often more fun in the anticipation of the future activity than in the actual activity when the day finally arrives. And after it is over there is often a big letdown. We can filter out some of this pollutant pleasure by taking a hard look around us. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 “Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” Those of us who are young may look for pleasure, but with age these pleasures lose their attraction. There are many of our brethren and sisters who can hardly leave their bed. Visit them or write them. Not only can we learn from them about the true and lasting pleasures of righteousness but we will be getting a breath of clean air—unpolluted by selfishness and worldliness. We will be giving love to a fellow Christian—performing the most Christian of all acts —an act of love. There are many things we can do for others. Just take a look around and the opportunities are unlimited. There are others with problems which make our own problems seem petty by comparison. There is an old proverb which says “I had no shoes and complained until I met a man who had no fed.” If we consider the problems of others, we won’t worry so much about our own problems, and when we visit the sick and feeble we can see ourselves in a few years and see the pointlessness of seeking pleasure instead of righteousness.
  7. # Each week there are a number of Bible classes. Sometimes they require a long drive to get there. Or maybe children are the problem. Consider hiring a babysitter. Try to get a ride. These classes are well worth the trouble. They provide us with new knowledge, new ideas and new thoughts. They get us out of the day to day rut and return our thoughts to the plan of God. And they keep us in close contact with others in the ecclesia. Without the friendship and fellowship of others it is hard to feel at home in the ecclesia. Being involved with the ecclesia means being involved with those members who make it up. And only through close contact can we become so involved.
  8. # During the year there are certain special events which are important to our spiritual environment: Bible schools, conferences, weekends with the word. The devoting of entire days to study and fellowship can renew our faith and determination. Often we physically go up to a mountain, out of the smog and noise. But more important we go up spiritually to a mountain apart from the world that knows not God. We escape for a time from the polluted and polluting world.
  9. # Another special event is the business meeting of the ecclesia. We cannot be truly involved in the ecclesia, if we don’t care what happens to it or how it is run. If it effects our lives and controls our time we will certainly want to have a say in it.

In all of these things we must have the right attitude. But doing them is the best way to shape our attitude. The more we do in the ecclesia, the more we think about it the more we develop goals and wishes that fit in with the good ideals which the Bible provides for us. All around us the world is dying. Our friends are being dragged down and stabbed by the worldly beliefs and pleasures which fill their minds. Will we stand back and say, I don’t want to get involved? I don’t want to push my religion in where it isn’t wanted. Will we ignore the cries and go about our business? Let’s get involved!

Every week in the year brethren give exhortations. Yet none of these brethren ever say anything new. Nor should they! All the principles and ideals have been expressed before many times. They were laid down two thousand years ago in the words of the Bible. The Bible is quoted often because it is the authority which backs up the exhortation. Without this authority, the speaker would merely be touting a bunch of his own opinions. But he prayerfully and scriptural trys to bring home what the Bible has already said. He trys to say something in a nos way, to review the facts which we all know so well but in a manner which will stir up our spirits and renew our faith. This article has certainly said nothing new. But maybe we can now think of things a little bit differently. When we see a bumper sticker which says “Ecology Now” maybe we can think, not of the smog but of our spiritual ecology and the pollutants in it. Perhaps we can bring our thoughts to something higher than the freeway on which we are driving; to the things we should be concentrating on: the environment in which our spiritual life must grow.