Lingua Latina

What causes something to die? A person, animal, insect or bird dies when its body stops functioning. This same answer can apply to languages, automobiles, cultures and even churches. A non-functioning anything, is dead (mortuus). So, when I think of the Latin language, which was first considered to be a lingua mortuus circa anno 750 Anno Domini, the use of latin phrases in the English language today makes me realize that it is non mortuus. Even though my syntax nor exact translation may not be correct in that last sentence, I will bet you understood it. The reason you could understand those words is because the latin language still functions, even if it is not at its peak.

The same goes for God's church. If, or when, you 'church shopped', you probably found absolutely no church which truly emulates the first Church that Jesus planted here on earth (through Peter in Matthew 16:18). That church which grew rapidly in the first years of its existance does not remain today. It is dead. Est mortuus. But, like the lingua latina, it has not completely stopped functioning. There are remants of that church in existence now. Unfortunately, like Latin, it is, and probably never will be, as glorificus and magnificent as it once was.

That having been said, today's church, as imperfect as it is, still lives on. Like words make up a language, people make up a church. There are still thousands of verba alive today from at least one of the ancient latin languages, from the Early Latin, through the Classical, Silver, Vulgar, Late, Medieval, and Renaissance versions, to what is called Modern Latin. Likewise, there are numerous people alive in God's Church. Are you one of them? Or are you in the throngs of rigor mortis, the rigidity of death? How can you tell? Well, are you useful for God? As an advertising slogan once said, "what have you done for me lately"? People whose hearts and minds are dead to God, are dead spiritually, no longer functioning. They are no longer doing anything for God, but only for themselves. Oh sure, many 'Christians' go through the act of going to church on Sundays and even midweeks. Many attend regular Bible studies. But the problem with that, is sometimes those ARE just acts, and the person is still spiritually dead. When people come to church because they think they have to, or attend Bible studies because someone expects them to, then they have attended these events for the wrong reason. Pretty soon, they will no longer be functioning at even that spiritual level. The entire thing is about Deo (God---but then, you knew that).

How does one bring about the life back into a church that is failing? Deo volente (God willing), you must put the life (of God) back in yourself first. It makes no sense to have a church full of people who don't even TRY to do His will. If everyone started doing what the Bible teaches, the church will come back to life. Unlike lingua latina, which probably will not make another comeback, the churches of the world today can return to a condition once sought and obtained in the first century. To get God back into your own life, He wants you do things. Matthew 28:18-20 immediately comes to mind. Churches die all the time because of the lack of evangelism. Or if they don't die, they shrink in size, and fade away eventually when the last member expires or gives up. It becomes difficult to do the commands of Jesus in those passages if we don't do other things requested of us in the Bible. Paul tells us to get together on a daily basis. John reiterates the commandments about loving. James tells us to confess our sins. Jesus tells us to live our lives for Him, not for pagan gods. Those gods were put to death by Pater Noster. Although satan is persona non grata, he somehow tries to get those gods to come alive again. We constantly have to fight against satan, and it is impossible to do it by yourself. You need both God and other people in your life to win that war. Where two or more come together, there Jesus will be. Church shouldn't, and isn't, a bi-weekly meeting of a body of people to worship the Lord. That is only part of it. Church has to occur in our lives all the time, meaning, we need to live according to the Scriptures. And, just as importantly, in order to live by them, we have to know them. Not many of us know our Bible. We can recite a few Scriptures, lead some studies, and even sometimes (although it has been rare as of late) teach someone what they need to do to become a Christian. Dead people can't do that. Dead physically, or spiritually. But we don't really know the Scriptures. It is time we, as a group of well meaning individuals, regroup, study, love and repent from our long list of sins. We have to keep God's church alive.

It is not important to me that the lingua latina survive. There will always be new languages for peoples to communicate. Even though the languages of today may not be as pure, as rigid, as structured as lingua latina was in its prime, we can still use them because they function. Our churches today can also be used, because they do function. But it is our responsibility to see that the churches function properly---and it can only do that when we, as individuals, also function in accordance with God's will and commands. Our churches are not at their peak.....but that is not cause to let them die. Let's do something....together....individually.