Rites of Worship or Obedience?
*Herb Miller writes of a time during Adolf Hitler's regime when the churches of Germany were facing increased pressure to conform to Nazi ideology. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor and loyal German, could not reconcile Scripture with the demands of the Nazi state, so he began to resist and protest. He refused to participate in the state controlled churches, which bowed down to the Fuehrer’s demands, and instead preached an unfettered Gospel.
Several of Bonhoeffer’s friends urged him to cooperate. They argued that they would lose the opportunity to preach altogether if they followed Bonhoeffer’s example. He replied, "One act of obedience is better than a thousand sermons."
He eventually paid with his life for holding that conviction.
But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22 New Living Translation)
*(Herb Miller. Actions Speak Louder Than Verbs. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989, p. 38)
Sandy (Comment this)