A Timely Letter

October 12, 2017

Note: The following letter has been copied and sent around to Amish families for years.  Most parents have at least one copy stuck away in a desk drawer.  When one leaves the Amish community, this letter is often mailed to them as a reminder that when they walked away from their parents, they also walked away from God.  Those who receive this letter, often lack scriptural knowledge and understanding; therefore, they become convicted and go back to the Amish.  – Joe Keim

A Timely Letter

A letter from a man, who returned to the Amish after 20 years.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Psalm 119:9

TO MY DEAR UNKNOWN Friends,

Greetings to you in that Precious Name of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. To Him be all praise, honor, and glory now and forever, Amen.

The reason I am writing this is my wife and I were with the Beachy Mennonite Church for about twenty years, and it was very hard on my dear father and mother when we left the Amish Gma (church). They came to visit us soon after, and admonished us out of love, and asked us to come back. But we hardened our hearts against parental instruction and against conviction. We stopped our ears against the truth and shut our eyes against Light. In other words, we were fighting against God and against our own souls. We were grieving the Holy Spirit. It is a wonder God had not removed His Holy Spirit from us, but about a year after we were with Beachy church I was ordained a minister and preached the Gospel of Christ, and in my Bible study I soon saw I was a HYPOCRITE.

I would stand up in front of the Church and tell parents to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4), and I would tell the children to obey their parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord (Col. 3:20). Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise. (Eph. 6:2) And all the time, I knew I was not obeying and honoring my father and mother. I was telling others how to do and live, but I was not living up to God’s commandments myself (A HYPOCRITE). And in my Bible study, I saw what the end of the hypocrite will be. See Matt. 23:13-33.

Also, in my Bible study, I would read: To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17) I would read; Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son. I would see I had gone far off the right course. I cried out with St. Paul, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” See Rom. 7:24. Again, the Lord would speak to my conscience in a still small voice, saying: Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. (Col. 3:20) Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise (Eph. 6:2). Yet I knew I was living in sin by not obeying my parents. I knew I was breaking God’s command; and I knew I was condemned. What should I do? I could turn or burn!

The devil kept telling me, “You can do this,” and “You can do that, and you can still be a Christian,” – others are doing it, so can you. But in my Bible study I read: For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, ARE NOT WISE. (See 2 Cor. 10:12) That is just what I was doing; I was measuring myself with others and not with Christ, Who died for us. After several years, my dear mother became sick and died; she went down in her grave broken-hearted. Some years later, my dear father also died and went to his grave broken-hearted. Before he died, I promised my father we want to repent and come back to the Amish church. That gave him some consolation. But a few years elapsed and time went on and on.

Our Beachy church was dangerously drifting into the world, and again, in my Bible study I would read: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15) And again I read: Be not conformed to the world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. (Rom. 12:2) And in Jer. 10:2; Learn not the way of the heathen, and in Ecc. 7:29; Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

One of the worst enemies, dangerously lying at the door of the Beachy church, was the cursed green-eyed dragon of MODERNISM. Modernism is one of the biggest idols in the world today. In my Bible study I read: For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sign of God (Luke 16:15). All this did I find in God’s mighty looking glass. I could see the abomination of desolation as a thick cloud moving over the church.

What were we to do? For some time, we were in the valley of decision. (Joel 3:14) For we could see the day of the Lord approaching. Finally, the dear Lord gave us grace to come back and love our VOWS. I can say with Ruth – when I left the Amish church I was full, but when we came back, we came back empty. (Ruth 1:21) Don’t think, dear friends, that this was easy. NO! NO! This was very hard on our pride to come back to the Amish church and give up our nice cars, tractors, and electricity and confess we had gone the wrong direction. It cost many a tear, but it brought exceeding great joy and peace into our hearts and lives. We give God all honor and glory for bringing us back.

Now it’s 20 years since we have come back. My dear father and mother are in their graves and we cannot go back and confess to them, but we can still honor them by doing their will. I believe their prayers are now answered.

Now, I would like to admonish you, dear Brother and Sister, out of love for Christ’s sake. How vastly important the command is to honor our father and mother! We first find it in Ex. 20:12 in the Old Testament and again we find it in Eph. 6:1-3 where it reads: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” In Matt. 15:3-9, Jesus preached a brief sermon on this text, repeating and elaborating on the duty of honoring father and mother, and again in Mark 7:6-13. Just take a look in the book of Prov. In 6:20-23 we read: My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awake, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. The authority of parental instruction is commanded over and over again throughout God’s mighty looking glass. God never intended young people to be independent of their parents. The right kind of instructions from anyone is valuable, but from parents – always supposing them to be godly parents – it is as though it is from God and they will give you God’s Word and not their own. Therefore, bind it continually on you (Prov. 3:3 and 4:21) as your rule and let God’s Word be your friend for all times.

The child who does not reverence his father and mother will not reverence the Great Creator. One who has a proper reverence and godly respect for his parents will naturally respect the Creator. A man’s inherent duty towards his parents is very much like the duty toward God. In fact, we are taught to call God “Our Father, which art in Heaven.” It is intended that a human father should be the image and reminder of our Heavenly Father of the Christians.

There are some people that will not like the teaching of this article, that children are to obey parents. There are some people who strenuously object to parents chastening children, and who are these objectors? Why, they are the same people who do not believe the Bible and do not surrender and bow to the authority of the Almighty. Those who object to God’s authority also object to the authority of a father and mother. Every sensible person knows that those who rebel against father and mother also rebel against God. No wonder that in Russia, ruled by atheistic communists, parents are forbidden to teach their own children about God.

Rebellion of children against parents goes with rebellion against God. That is the history of the human race. 2 Tim. 3:1-7 is a terrible catalog of the sins of men and women on the last days. Verses 2-4 say: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parent, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Right in the middle of this catalog we learn that some will be blasphemers, and disobedient to parents. Unthankful, unholy, blasphemers, and disobedient to parents go together. Disobedient to parents is naturally a deed of the ungrateful. Dear brother and sister, just think; the Scriptures say that disobedience to parents is part of those terrible sins of the last days. So those that do not obey parents do not honor God.

Let us look again in God’s looking glass. In Rom. 1:29-31, St. Paul points out some more of the terrible sins, and in verse 30 he says: Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. Verse 31: Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. Please notice again – nearly in the middle of these gruesome sins, He names “Disobedient to parents.”

I am pained continually, and feel sorry for young folks who rise up against their parents in disobedience, and join a more liberal church. For I know in my heart they will reap just what they sow. Nine times out of ten, if the Lord tarries, they will get married, if they are not already married, and have children, and you will reap in your children just what you sowed. They will be disobedient to you and will not listen to what you say. They will take their own way. Oh! Dear Children, take warning; deal faithfully with your own soul, and do it now. Today is the day of grace.

I doubt not you were prayed into this world. Your mother carried you nine months under her arms and in great pain you were born, and after you were born, she wrapped you in swaddling clothes and nursed you and took care of your little body and soul. Just think what a great debt we owe to our Christian parents.

Be warned – remember, children, the way to Heaven is paved with obedience and the way to hell is paved with disobedience. Have you ever given it a thought that there is a day coming when you will stand before the Judgment Bar of Christ and the books will be opened? First – the book of conscience. I believe many people’s conscience are now slumbering, but OH, dear children, when that day comes, conscience will slumber no more. Return now with the Prodigal Son to your father’s home and make the same confession the Prodigal Son did. (Luke 15:18-23). There will be great joy in Heaven and also in your father’s and mother’s house.

There are many young folks who set out in life with a fair outward appearance of success just as the Prodigal Son did. They may contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3) for a while, but by degrees their zeal and faith are blinded by false doctrine and wax cold. They begin by entertaining doubts and by throwing off respect for precepts and obedience, but I hasten to remark, that decision is all important in this act of obedience to the Divine call. There must be no hesitating about the matter. There must be no looking back with lingering, longing look upon Sodom. “Get thee out hence.” See Gen. 19:15-17.

Delaying is very dangerous; decision is very important. I know it’s a lot easier to go drifting with the tide of this world, and to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, than to suffer affliction with the people of God. (Heb. 11:24, 25)

I must now leave off and leave it to your conscience and to your God. For GOD’S WORD WILL BE THE FINAL AUTHORITY IN THE GREAT JUDGMENT DAY. May God bless his message to your soul, is my prayer.

I will now close with Jude 24:25: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

--Samuel J. Beachy, July 1992

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