A commentary by Randy Stiver (2-24-2023)

The echo of trains rumbling through the night carrying the nation’s freight was a peaceful, rhythmic sound when our family lived in the state of Ohio.

But it wasn’t so peaceful the night of this past February 3, 2023 when a heavily loaded freight train ignited into a rolling, roaring, toxic fire that derailed in a rural valley near the Ohio River just north of the town of East Palestine. The derailment and the resultant, toxic chemical spill and fire occurred just west of the nearby Pennsylvania state line.

Only a handful of miles south lays the beautiful and peaceful Beaver Creek State Park. Some years ago, with the help of a small team of volunteer outdoor experts, we conducted a church-sponsored young adult camp in that location, we called it the Challenger East program. In addition to the daily Bible class, one of the most popular activities was fly fishing in the clear waters of the Beaver Creek. A chemical spill so near this beautiful, bucolic area is jarring and troubling.

News of the train wreck has raised concerns about the status of rail safety across the nation. Five of the hazardous chemical cars derailed and broke open, causing toxic flowage into nearby streams. Their caustic contents spilled onto the soil and a great deal of it made its way into the mighty Ohio River flowing south and west through Wheeling, West Virginia and on toward Cincinnati.

Downstream concerns

The toxic toll of the hazardous chemical spill directly affected many thousands of families living along the mighty Ohio River. The city of Cincinnati, among others, had to temporarily halt their municipal water uptake from the river, others were concerned for the welfare of wildlife and domestic herds that drink from the river, to say nothing of fish and birdlife. What is the long-term effect of the spilled chemicals? How will it impact the human population down the road? How long will it take for the affected fish and animal populations, and plant life to recover—and how long for the water to be safe for swimming, fishing, and potability? Time will tell.

God created rivers to cleanse themselves. But people have historically tended to misuse God’s creation. How long will it be before mankind gets a clue?!

Another kind of river

The true, historic Church of God—the Church that Jesus Christ personally established—is like a mighty river, too. God’s way will prevail—and at Christ’s return “… it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes” (Exekiel 47:9).

There is a valuable analogy here. Human as we are, we must strive with spiritual vigor to stay true to Christ our Savior and God our Father. And we also need to take faithful, personal action as well. Avoid “like the plague” being overloaded with spiritual poisons that sometimes spill into the Body of Christ.

Remember, if we lose the vision of the true Church that Jesus built, we will soon devalue the understanding of God’s truth, potentially endangering our precious salvation and that of others.

Be on guard to identify and reject spiritual poisons, inaccurate teachings, and false gospels. Read or reread the Church’s “Fundamentals of Belief” booklet. Know the teachings of Your Savior—prove them and believe them. Become acquainted with and know the true doctrines and where to find them in the Bible.

Learn and keep the true faith that Jesus Christ taught. Don’t let yourself be derailed from God’s Kingdom!

*This originally appeared as a weekly note sent to my local congregation. If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission.