Lodges

Perhaps you’ve heard many good things that lodge members have done. They help
children and they have close personal ties to one another. You may have seen their floats,
motorcycles and bagpipe bands in parades.

Most lodges require that their members believe in god. But this god must be acceptable
to Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc. Many lodges require a holy book to be present at
meetings, but it is the holy book of whatever religion to which its membership subscribes.
The lodge chaplain says prayers during a meeting, but no prayer is spoken to the Triune
God or said in Jesus’ name, since this detracts from the universal character of the lodge.

Secrecy is another aspect of lodge membership which appeals to many people. They like
the idea that they can know something which others cannot know. An oath is required of
each member not to reveal what is taught in the lodge.

Since you asked about the lodge, God has some important things for you to consider.
God Himself has revealed who the true God is: “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is
no God'” (Isaiah 44:6). When Jesus instructed His disciples to baptize all nations ‘”in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'” (Mat 28:19), He informs
us that the one God is three Persons who are to be worshiped equally as God. A
religious organization that does not worship Jesus as true God and Savior of the world
contradicts His word: “‘All men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father'”
(Joh 5:23).

No one really has to join a lodge to have a sense of belonging, to know what life is all
about, or to help people. Membership in a Christian congregation which teaches the truth
about sin and about Jesus gives all these blessings and more. The Bible says, “Now in
Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. For
He Himself is our peace” (Eph 2:13-14a).

Christians united to Jesus by faith are taught to love their believing brothers and sisters.
God instructs them to “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the love of Christ”
(Gal 6:2). Since Jesus paid the punishment of sin by His death, Christians have the
sure hope of eternal life as the goal. For Jesus promised, “‘I will come again and receive
you to Myself, that where I an there you may be also'” (Joh 14:3b).

Christian worship services are open to all. Believers worship together, hear His holy
Word from the Bible, and pray and sing praises to God. Jesus instructed believers to
“‘preach the Gospel to every creature'” (Mar 16:15). God does not want His message to
be a secret, but He “desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”
(1Ti 2:4).

Rescue from eternal death, hearing God’s Word, praying to Almighty God, showing
Christian love to many people, rejoicing in the hope of eternal life with Jesus – these are
good reasons to be a member of God’s Church. With all these benefits, who needs to join
a lodge?

(All Scripture references are from the New King James Version)