BARNABAS - ENCOURGER

BARNABAS - ONE WHO ENCOURAGES
Barnabas (encourager), one of the first Christian missionaries, a member of a Jewish-Cypriot priestly family and a cousin of John Mark. He befriended Saul of Tarsus, represented the Jerusalem church at Antioch (where Gentiles were being converted), and recognized that the mission to the Gentiles was Saul’s (Paul’s) work. With Saul (Paul) he carried famine relief to Jerusalem, where the mission to the Gentiles was recognized. He temporarily gave way to judaizing pressure in Antioch before joining Paul in the mission to the Gentiles." Gal. 2:1,9,13. [Compact Bible Dictionary]

In the NT the word most often translated encourage is found 109 times. "But exhort (encourage) one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting (encouraging) one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25.

Be an encourager with your words. When the Jerusalem church heard of the spiritual awakening in Antioch - they sent Barnabas. "Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord." Acts 11:32-34.

Be an encourager through your actions.

"And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Acts4:36-37 He did this of his own free will to help in this time of need. Some Jews who stayed on in Jerusalem after Pentecost were without jobs and were destitute. Barnabas used his resources to help.

Be an encourager through your attitude. Few in the NT had a better attitude than did Barnabas.

"And when Saul had come to Jerusalem . . but they were all afraid of him . . . But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles." Acts 9:26-27.

In Acts 13, the opening verses introduce us to Barnabas and Paul. By the end of the chapter it becomes Paul and Barnabas. From that point Barnabas plays on the support team. Tom Ellsworth writes: "We have no sermon that Barnabas ever preached, no New Testament book he ever wrote. But if it had not been for Barnabas and his encouraging spirit, who can guess what might have happened to Paul and Mark?"

In Acts 15, when Paul refused to use John Mark, it was Barnabas who took him along and gave him a second chance. (Paul showed his later approval of Mark in 2 Timothy 4:11.)

"And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus" Acts 15:39.

Tom Ellsworth writes: "God has called us to be encouragers - men and women in the kingdom who will put the Lord and His before their own needs, who will encourage others with words and actions. If the day comes that God calls you to play "second fiddle," then always play it from the balcony and never the basement. May your nickname always reflect your walk with the Lord. And if someone ever decides to write about your life, make certain that you have lived it in such a manner that it could be included in a book entitled Profiles in Encouragement!"

CHURCH AND LEGAL MATTERS

CHURCH - LEGAL MATTERS

R. D. Ice

"Here, show me the coin used for the tax." When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" "Caesar’s," they replied. "Well, then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." Matt 22:19-21 (NLT)

The Lord's One Church is a Spiritual Kingdom which includes every saved person. "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:47. Salvation, then, is the key to being a member of the Lord's church. When one is saved the Lord adds that person to His Church.

The local church includes "some of the saved" in a geographical area. We can choose to either join or not join ourselves to a particular local church. Does our salvation depend upon belonging to a local church? Probably not. [The Ethiopian Eunuch was saved before he became part of a local church.] In general all who worship with and feel themselves part of a local church are members. All who are baptized in a local church setting are automatically considered members in good standing.

But the local church has a legal existence also. Each State has its own laws about such things. And the Federal Government (the IRS) has its rules and regulation concerning "nonprofit organizations" such as local churches.

The elders are the spiritual leaders of the local church. But in most States there must also be Trustees who have legal responsibility for the church property. This doesn't seem important, yet it could be in certain situations. There might be a question as to who owns the church-building. There could be a hostile takeover of the church property.

Churches in many States incorporate as a nonprofit organization for protection in legal matters, and sometimes to please the IRS. (We did so in New Kensington, Penna. in 1976.) Such churches must have a congregational meeting each year consisting of such members, men and women, who are 16 years of age and older, who are considered members in good standing. Voting is then done on such things that are legal matters [not on church doctrine]. Trustees are elected (in multiples of three) to serve for a period of time (such as three years).

Probably each local church as a set of by-laws (written or unwritten) by which they confirm the membership status of each person.. And sometimes some will keep their "membership" in the old church back home. It is important to be a church family united together in faith and practical matters.

Time For A Standard Church

ISN'T IT TIME YOU HAD A STANDARD CHURCH FOR YOUR BIBLE?

 

      “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”  1 Cor 12:13 (NKJV)  And in the Book of Acts the Holy Spirit fills the ONE BODY.

 

      “Don’t you want to be sure you belong to the true church?”  Two JWs stood at my door.  “I was baptized into Christ,” I answered, “and the Lord added me to His church.  I am sure He did not add me to the wrong one.”

 

      Campbell objected to the word “church” because he said it had too much baggage.  He preferred to use “congregation” in his Living Oracles Version.  Use “congregation” in your favorite quotations and see whether this makes a difference in how you understand them.  Or use the word “kingdom.”  Someone said: “How I Learned to Stop Being Religious So I Could Follow Jesus.”  Jesus Himself said: “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.”  The Bible defines “church” as: family, flock, body, fellowship.  Note Paul in Eph. 2:19-22.  The Congregation of the faithful is a holy spiritual temple where God Himself dwells.

 

      An English writer of the 19th century wrote: "The whole world is a temple and man is everywhere a worshiper."  This accords with the "living sacrifice" which Paul speaks about in Romans 12.  We worship God with purity and holiness and good works and especially love.  This extends throughout our entire life.

 

      Could there be a “standard church” just like McDee has a standard format for their fast food restaurants?  Daniel Sommer at Sand Creek attempted to standardize the church of Christ as he knew it.  He published a Rough Draft which he expected all to rally around.  But things were not as he hoped.  He is reported to have said in frustration: “The New Testament is the Book we divide over.”

 

      The question really is: “Can I find a church like the one I remember from my childhood?”  This writer remembers a small church in Columbus, Ohio, that has not been there for many years.  It was replaced by a Disciples Church.  The small church was rural in nature, even though in the city.  The Disciples Church was city-oriented.  The small church had a series of preachers who kept things Just Like They Were.  Then a new preacher came who Thought Big.  There was some difference in doctrine, yet basically the emphasis was on Jesus and the gospel.  But they Did Things and as population grew in the Columbus area, so did they!  To several hundreds!  [If preaching the truth means we will continue to be small - what about the Jerusalem Church?  They baptized thousands!]

 

      To ask this question about a "standard church" is to set the parameters of the answer.  The Roman Catholic Church to some extent grew out of a wish to produce a standard church which would be exactly the same everywhere.    Centralized authority ensured that each (local) Church would reproduce the matrix-pattern: Latin language; Latin Vulgate Bible; fixed liturgy of worship; priests trained and certified by Authority.  But even this eventually has had to change.  The charismatic movement has changed even the Catholic Church.

 

      The Old Testament does not describe just how worship was done under The Law (even though mention is made of certain things done).   The New Testament does not describe in detail a worship-service under the Gospel.  Certainly we may infer - and conjecture - what things were done, but not all the minutiae of the manner in which these were carried out.  And certainly Jew and Gentile did the same things "differently."  Note the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15.

 

      But Christians are commanded to meet together as a worship-community. "Don't give up the habit of meeting for worship."  And even during times of severe persecution Christians met in secret as a group to worship their Lord and Savior.  Some disparage the "institutional church," yet we see the great churches at Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, etc.  Both blessings for the individual Christian and a pooling of energies and abilities exist only in the Institutional Church.  Note Paul in 1 Corinthians 12.

 

      But all this omits the one factor common to each local church - The Holy Spirit.  "...that He may abide with you forever."  "...but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me.'" "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  “But you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”  “Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses.”

 

      Jesus said in John 4:14, "But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  Note the inspired explanation of what Jesus is saying, in John 7:37-39.  It surely cannot be right to denigrate grace, depersonalize The Holy Spirit, and fail to elevate JESUS in our lives and worship.

 

      A good case can be made for the fact that it is the presence of The Holy Spirit who "standardizes" the church   The Book of Acts could be spoken of as the "Acts of The Holy Spirit."  God indwells the church (The Congregation of the Saved) by The Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).  God indwells each Christian by The Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 3:6,18).  It isn't necessary that we become "Pentecostal" in what we do.  But to "DENY" The Holy Spirit places us on dangerous ground.  [Few would admit to denying The Spirit.  But what are we doing?  We should look carefully.]

 

      Someone has written about Christian believers and worship:

"Without The Holy Spirit, God is far away,

Christ stays in the past,

The Gospel is a dead letter,

The Church is simply an organization,

Authority is a matter of domination,

Evangelism is a matter of propaganda,

Worship is no more than an evocation of an absent deity,

Christian living is only a slave morality."

 

      WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT PRESENT, ALL THIS CHANGES!!!

The Cosmos is resurrected and groans with the birth-pangs of the Kingdom (Romans 8:18-23).

The Risen Christ is there.

The Gospel is the power of life.

The Church shows forth the life of the Trinity.

Authority is a liberating service (cf. Luke 22:25-26).

Propagation of the Faith is a "Pentecost."

Worship-service is both memorial and anticipation.

Human action becomes "in the image of God."

 

      Consider the following which I have adapted from a letter.

      "I had been a member of the church of Christ for 48 years and was about as strict a Bible-Christian as anyone could be.  I never missed Worship and was there every time the "church" met.  Then I discovered through the Holy Spirit that what I had been trying to do for 48 years by works and service to the church of Christ had already been done 2,000 years ago at Calvary. At that moment I knew the only way to heaven was through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  As I tried to share this truth with others, I got a severe lecture from the preacher.  He said I could not get to heaven by grace but had to work out my salvation through the Church of Christ.  Sadly and reluctantly I was forced to leave.  It was so strange being both in the 'Lord's Church' and on the verge of being kicked out because of my belief in salvation through grace as Paul taught."

 

      “It is the supreme discovery of life that we need not punish ourselves in a hopeless effort to earn God’s forgiveness.  It is freely offered to all. We must gladly accept His gift of love on the terms offered.  A grateful heart will make the best effort to please Him.  No longer do we as criminals seek by our own strength to escape our chains, rather as faithful children we do our best to please our loving Father.”  JHW in “Saved by grace through faith.”

 

      What Jesus taught is not the normal human way of looking at things. God The Father deals with us as we deal with our children.  Not punishment in the sense of revenge.  But chastisement to protect and mature.  God's response to the prodigal who brings himself back is to receive him home! Note what Paul said in Philippians 3:8-11.  The righteousness that is given through faith in Christ!  "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  We sing: “Trust and obey, For there’s no other way.”

 

      The average person is "soft" on forgiveness.  They cannot believe that God forgives sins.  Note this from one of our brothers in Romania. "In general Romanians do not trust each other, prompted by their communist experience. Associated with this is the difficulty of believing in God's grace.  To them, the older brother in Luke 15 is a hero and the father was inexcusably unfair in receiving the prodigal back."

 

      The "older brother" was loved and accepted by the father.  Yet the older brother had problems with the "grace" extended to the prodigal.  Perhaps he felt no need of grace for himself.  He had works and faithfulness!  Yet his acceptance by the father also involved his own acceptance of the returned prodigal.  Note 1 John 4:20.  "...for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"  Our own love of God is circumscribed by our love for our "brother."

 

      This from some Sci-Fi things I borrowed and rewrote.  Note this is a parody but also a parable. 

 

      What might a standard church be like?  Would there be a three-ring manual giving exact details of all the services down to the smallest detail?  Would all the churches (buildings) be clones of the pattern?  Sci-Fi writers ask what if a brotherhood of churches were set up as a franchise, much like the Fast Food Industry does.

 

      The entrance room of First Church is, of course, just like all the others in the franchise.  A picture of Evangelist Brother Billy-Bob is placed so you will see it as you enter.  A stylized picture of Jesus receives the emphasis.  A counter sits to one side, done up in fake wood so it looks like something from an old church. Behind the counter, an elderly lady sits, a flimsy sort of choir robe thrown over her shoulders.

 

There's a little rack along the front of the counter bearing gospel tracts, free for the taking, donation requested. The lady types some stuff into the computer. The worshiper snaps her Visa © card down on the fake wood counter top; it sounds like a rifle shot. The lady pries the card up, then she swipes the card through its electromagnetic slot with a carefully modulated sweep of the arm, as though tearing back a veil, hands over the slip, mumbling that she needs a signature and daytime phone number.  Since cash and checks are no longer used, the collection must be taken up before the service.  (We are to “lay by in store.”).

 

Then it just remains for the “Word from On High.” But computers and communications are awfully good these days, and it usually doesn't take longer than a couple of seconds to perform a charge-card verification. The little machine beeps out its approval code. "Thank you for your donation," the lady says, slurring the words together into a single syllable.

 

The worshipper hurried toward the double doors. The song leader had already walked to his place to convene the service. The interior of the church is weirdly colored.  Fluorescent fixtures are wedged into the ceiling.  Large colored light boxes simulate stained-glass windows. The largest of these, shaped like a fattened Gothic arch, is bolted to the back wall, above the pulpit, and features a waterfall pouring into a river basin.  The baptistery is placed beneath this.  The song leader announces the first number and the singing begins.

 

       Again, this is both a parody and a parable.  It is the worshipper who is being served and involved.  We NEED fellowship (koinonia), sharing and intimacy, in whatever form we choose.  “Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise. 24 Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. 25 Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.”  Heb 10:23-25 (TEV)

      But what is the church?  Campbell disliked the word church, because, he said, there were too many unreal ideas attached to it.  In his “Living Oracles Version” he used the word congregation.  The church is people.

 

      “As Jesus was going to the district of Cesarea Philippa, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of Man is? They answered, Some say, John the Immerser; others, Elijah; others, Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets. But who, returned he, do you say that I am? Simon Peter answering, said, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus replying, said to him, Happy are you, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I tell you, likewise, you are named Stone [Peter]; and on this rock I will build my congregation, over which the gates of Hades shall not prevail. Moreover, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you shall bind on the earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you shall loose on the earth, shall be loosed in heaven.”  Matt. 16:13-19 Living Oracles Version – A. Campbell

 

      Jesus preached: “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  If you will substitute the word kingdom for church, you will find you cannot say some things.  And Paul the Apostle wrote: “who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his beloved Son: by whom we have redemption, even the remission of sins.”  Col. 1:13 Living Oracles Version – A. Campbell

 

      The Lord will judge us all.  I will continue to preach as Peter did in Acts 2:38, and I will sing with the Spirit and sing with the understanding.  I will continue to baptize as Peter did, and tell "seekers" just what he told them.  And I will continue to pray for every one of my brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere.  "The Lord knows those who are His."

 

 

CONTRARIETIES

The Law of Contrarieties

R.D.Ice   June 17, 2006

 

        Never were the faithful brethren in the Seven Churches of Revelation told to draw off to form a “true” church!  Rather, they were to “hold fast what you have until I come.”  “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  And the continual refrain: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

        Over some 61 years of working with the church, this writer has come across many things.  The ‘Law of Contrarieties’ means to react to an idea, to oppose what that person thinks the idea means, sometimes without thinking through implications and consequences.  Many years ago at a Lectureship a young preacher said some good things.  And older brother got up and angrily denounced the things that he thought had been said.  I went to him afterward and showed him that they were both saying the very same thing using different words.

 

         “Uncle John” is a composite of people and places I have known over the years.  These things really happened.  Truth really is stranger than fiction.

 

        Someone said of old Uncle John Rogers (not his real name), “He is the most spiritual man I know.  He is so strict that he is against everything!”  Uncle John would never allow the church to die.  But, neither would he allow it to grow.  If someone new came in, he would discourage them to move on. 

 

        Uncle John said, “I don’t remember who said it, but if the denominations go in and out the door, why, we will go in and out the window.”  “We’ve got to be different,” he said, ”or we don’t have anything to preach.” 

 

        “What about preaching Christ?” someone asked.” 

“Oh,” Juhn said, “the denominations do that.  We’ve got to tell people just how different we are, that we are the true church because we are different and peculiar.”     

 

        Paul said: “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  1 Cor. 2:2.  The ancient church spoke of the Fish  <”)))><  - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior (ichthus).  This was their faith.

 

        A Brother came to hold a Gospel Meeting.  The first night he preached that no one at all could be saved, except just maybe a tiny remnant.  He quoted what Jesus said about "entering in at the strait gate."  One of the young people asked, "what about Matt. 8:11 where Jesus said “many will come from the east and the west and sit down in the kingdom of heaven?  And what about the ‘great number that no man can number’ in Revelation 7?"

 

        The next night the brother preached on how sinful it was to have a kitchen in the church (building)."  Uncle John said, "There has been enough gospel preached here tonight to save the world!"

 

        Uncle John was against “premillenialism.”  But he didn’t stop at that.  If Christ would really come to usher in a 1000 year kingdom, Uncle John would have surely given Him a strong argument against it.  “If premillenialism is true, why, you might as well just throw the Bible out the window!”  But of course God doesn’t need our advice on what He does or does not do.

 

        But Uncle John was so against the idea of a thousand year reign that he began following the AD 70 argument (Preterism).  He bought a book on Revelation that taught that everything had been fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.  For a while he taught that Christ would never come again.  This world would just go on forever.  But finally he had to give that up when he saw where all this was leading.  He knew that Jesus really is coming at the end of the world.

 

        Anything Uncle John didn’t want to have done, he would say that it was “just for the first century” and write it off.  But when someone tried to tell him that “baptism was just for the first century,” he really got angry.

 

        Someone tried to say that the Lord’s Supper was only for the first century.  They quoted 1 Corinthians 11:20.  “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.”  “See,” they said, “you cannot eat the Lord’s Supper today.”  But Uncle John would have none of that.

 

        Someone said that the bread should never be broken before passing it.  “You are breaking the body of Christ.  It is only right when each person breaks off a piece.”  And for a while Uncle John argued that the bread should not be broken before it is passed.  Then another argued that since the ‘elements’ had been blessed in the morning worship, they should not be blessed again when offered at the evening service.  And for a time Uncle John offered the Lord’s Supper at the evening service without ‘blessing’ it.  But a visiting brother attacked that, and Uncle John again “blessed” the Lord’s Supper at the evening service.

 

        A visiting brother said, “You can buy all the Holy Spirit that is in the world for 10 cents.”  He was speaking of a paperback New Testament.  But Uncle John said, “You’re wrong.  Simon the Sorcerer tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit and got into trouble.  The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible.”

 

        But Uncle John was sure that the Holy Spirit was just for the first century, and that only the apostles had ever received the Holy Spirit.  For a while he began teaching that the New Testament did not really begin until Acts 2:22, and that all Peter quoted from Joel applied only to the Old Testament times.  He began teaching that since Jesus lived under the Law, you should ignore all that Jesus said and taught.  But Jesus Himself said His word would judge us at the last day, John  12:48.

 

        When some of the young people began singing: “There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit In This Place,” (page 882 in Praise For The Lord), Uncle John called the elders together and said those young people should be put out of the church to protect it.  “Why, there never was a Spirit in this place, sweet or otherwise.”  But Paul said: "Quench not the Spirit."

 

        Uncle John decided that the Holy Spirit was the Written Word, and that anyone could only have the Spirit as he read the Bible.  But someone asked, “What about those who cannot read, or who do not  have a Bible?  Is the Holy Spirit out of reach of such a person?  And if you say we do not have the Holy Spirit because we now have the Bible, would you also say we no longer need Christ because we now have the church?”

 

        When he was reminded of Cornelius being baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-17), and that Philip’s four daughters had prophesied (Acts 21:9), he began teaching like the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  “The holy spirit is just a power like electricity.  ‘It’ is not a person at all.”  One preacher said “It (the Spirit) is just a messenger like Moses.”  And another preacher wrote a book in which he “proved” that all the restoration pioneers were Unitarians like the Jehovah Witnesses.

 

        But the JWs have strange ideas about Who Jesus Is.  They teach Jesus was only a man, or perhaps an angel. He read in the JW Bible Version that John was preparing the way of Jehovah (Luke 3:4  LORD = Jehovah) and compared this with Isaiah 42:8 (“I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another...”) and he had to change again.  Surely Jesus was Jehovah and the teaching about the Trinity was true.  Father-Son-Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).  [Campbell spoke of Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the Son, Jehovah the Holy Spirit.]

 

        Uncle John decided that the Holy Spirit “is just the Spirit of God.”  Someone said that was like saying “Jesus is only the Son of God.”  Campbell insisted that this is the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20).

 

        Uncle John met some Pentecostals who spoke about the Indwelling Holy Spirit and quoted Bible to prove this.  “Impossible!” he said.  “Why, the Spirit would just burn them up!  The Holy Spirit could never actually indwell anyone.  It’s just a figure of speech.”

 

        Then he got to thinking.  If the Spirit would just burn them up, how could Jesus be the Son of God in the flesh?  So for a period of time, he began teaching that Jesus “just wore a disguise” and was not really God in human form.  But the Bible really does teach Jesus as the Son of God who came in flesh and blood (2 John 7; 1 John 5:6), and he finally had to give this idea up.  Note 1 John 4:1-4.  One who denies that Jesus is the Christ who came in flesh & blood has committed a serious sin.

 

        Some time later an evangelist from another State came to hold a Gospel Meeting for the church.  He preached on Wednesday night that “The church must grow from the inside out.”  He said that love was even more important than faith and hope, and he quoted Paul to prove it (1 Cor. 13:13).  That was just too much for Uncle John.  “Why the church has gone all these years without love.  That’s just these change-agents trying to get their two cents in.”

 

        Someone reminded him of what Jesus said about the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest about loving neighbor.  “Jesus taught about God’s love for us in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  He taught about loving neighbor in the Good Samaritan.  And Jesus taught that love is the identifier of a true disciple (John 13:34-35).”

 

        But Uncle John remembered a friend who said everything in the Bible is negative!  This friend could read the divorce issue into every verse of the Bible.  He would ask this friend. what to do about the “love” issue.  “Forget this love thing.  They are making it too easy.  Just concentrate on duty.  The righteous are scarcely saved.”  But of course Jesus Himself said that Christian love was the identifier by which all would know His disciples (John 13:34-35).  And John spoke of the eternal hope we have in Jesus (1 John 3:1-3; 4:2-4,13,17-18).

 

        In contrast, Campbell said he tried to approach the Bible every morning as if he had never seen it before.  He meant that he tried to read the Bible without any preconceived ideas and biases.  When we read a newspaper, we unconsciously use the laws of language and communication to understand what we read.  Perhaps it would help to read the Bible as if it were a newspaper, or a letter from God.  Paul warned of some who “strive about words to no profit” (2 Timothy 2:14).  Compare 1 Timothy 6:4.  David Lipscomb wrote: “They had such a morbid fondness for questionings and disputings over untaught questions and words that it amounted to a disease.  These men deal with subtle, useless and unpractical questions, which have no bearing on ordinary life, and only tend to stir up strife and useless discussions, and make men discontented and rebellious.”

 

        Let us never forget what Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 5:18-19.  “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”  NKJV

 

        F.L.Rowe wrote in his book: “The History of Reformatory Movements:” “Forgiveness takes place in the mind of God, and not in the heart of the sinner.”  Compare Hebrews 8:7-13.

 

        Brinsmead wrote: “It makes a lot of difference whether we think the body is a prison (of the soul) or a temple of the Holy Ghost.  1 Cor. 6:19.”

 

        The New Testament church had every problem we have today.  “The Church (at Corinth), torn with divisions, plagued by sex scandals, involved with lawsuits, weakened by corruption of the worship and the neglect of the poor, was one of Paul’s greatest evangelistic successes.  The corrupt urban society of Corinth was a fertile ground for Paul’s preaching.  His success in the pagan and hedonistic culture had a profound impact on the development of Christianity throughout the ages.  Paul was clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit when faced with the daunting task of changing the Corinthians into the very body of Christ.  The two letters of Paul to the Corinthians deal with issues that have been relevant throughout history and will continue to inspire the Church till the end of time.  In these letters, Paul deals with tawdry sex scandals taking place within the Christian community and also gives one of the loftiest descriptions of true Christian love ever given.”  [adapted from Stephen Doyle]

 

        As Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word.”  Jesus said: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matt 5:16

 

 

 

PAPER POPE

PAPER POPE – An Interview

 

Today the Christian Ledger is interviewing Brother Levi Sandals.  We have had serious differences with him in the past.  But we want to give him a fair chance to explain.  Jesus said to go first to your brother.

 

Ledger:  Thank you for speaking with us.  We thought it important to hear from you personally.  Things have a way of being distorted when passed on from one mouth to another.

 

Sandals:  I certainly have been misunderstood in some things I now regret having done.  It did cause me problems.

 

L: Did you do it?  What we heard, that is.  We were in Christian College at the time.  We were all properly scandalized!  And shocked!

 

S: Yes.  To my regret I did.  In a fit of emotion I got carried away.  Perhaps you have done this too. 

 

L: You actually threw your Bible on the floor and said: “I will not be bound by a paper pope.”

 

S:  In my defense I ask you to listen to what Jesus said.  “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.”  That is what I intended to do. 

 

L:  Then you do accept the Bible?

 

S:  I believe that holy men of God wrote just exactly what God intended.  My problem is with some who READ INTO IT things that are not there.  That is what I intended to protest.

 

L:  But you spoke of a “paper pope.”

 

S:  Paul wrote: “The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”  I believe Paul was speaking about the way in which some use the Bible.

 

L:  But isn’t what Paul said a contrast between Law and Gospel?

 

S:  Listen to Paul.  “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.”  2 Cor 3:14 (NKJV)   Again, Listen to Christ Himself.  “You search the Scriptures, for in them you THINK you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”  John 5:39-40 (NKJV)

 

L:  So you are saying with Jesus: “Take heed how you hear.”

 

S:  That’s what I intended to say.  But you know preachers.  Sometimes we get too involved in what we are trying to communicate.

 

L:  We remember when a young preacher was trying to emphasize how Naaman had to dip seven times.  “If Naaman had dipped only six and a half times he would not have been saved.”

 

S:  No, he would have drowned.  That is just my point exactly.  We use the laws of language when we read the newspaper.  We should read the Bible using these same laws of language.

 

L:  Alexander Campbell said he tried to approach the Bible each day as if he had never seen it before.

 

S:  Certainly this is impossible.  But we do want to let the Bible speak for itself.  That is, to use the laws of language and context to deduce what the Bible is actually teaching.

 

S:  This is how Karl Barth describes the shift towards Biblicism that took place in much of Protestantism after the Reformation: The Bible was now grounded upon itself apart from the mystery of Christ and the Holy Ghost. It became a "paper Pope," and unlike the living Pope in Rome it was wholly given up into the hands of its interpreters. It was no longer a free and spiritual force, but an instrument of human power.” (CD I.2, p 525)

Here is where Barth finds the great sin of Biblicism. Rather than submitting to the Word made flesh revealed in the Bible (i.e. Jesus), we have all-to-often submitted simply to the book, to the Bible. Which ultimately takes the authority away from Christ and places it into the hands of the interpreter of Scripture.  And Peter the Apostle said some had twisted the words of Paul the Apostle.

 

L:  We hear you saying that some by their actions seem to say: “We have the Bible – we have no need for Christ anymore.”

 

S:  Yes.  And some deny the Holy Spirit as did some Jews in Christ’s day.  They said Jesus did miracles by the power of the devil.

 

L:  What then do you see as the power of the Bible?

 

S:  I Think Luke said it in the first verses of his Gospel.  “…that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”  Luke 1:4 (NKJV)   As eye-witnesses of JESUS the disciples saw and heard the things which He did and taught.  And Paul (Luke’s mentor) was given these things by inspiration.

 

L: We sing: “The Light of the World is Jesus!”  Red letter editions emphasize the words Jesus spoke.  And Jesus said we would be judged by the words He has spoken.

 

S:  I liked the way Rob Lacey emphasized Isaiah 9:6.  “It’s a boy! And He’s ours! He’ll grow up to carry the government on His shoulders. His titles will include Wonderful Wise One, Awesome God, Father Who Stays, Peace Prince. His tranquil rule will just keep on spreading. He’ll sit on David’s throne and run a kingdom full of justice and goodness right into eternity. God’s burning enthusiasm will see this is done.”

 

L: And we say Amen!  We are pleased to be able to join you as brothers in Christ to proclaim the everlasting Gospel!

 

 

 

 

Acceptable Worship

ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP  

               [This Bible study grew out of a Ladies' Bible Class in Parkersburg, WV, many years ago.  It still says important things.  R.D.Ice  5-7-06]

      God’s Love in Jesus Christ is the basis of our Worship to Him!  Romans 8:31-39

1. God is Spirit!  We worship Him by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

      John 4:22-24; 17:15; Romans 5:1-5; 2 Cor. 3:17-18

2. God is Holy!  From a life that is holy and pure, we worship Him in a spirit of humility. 

      Isaiah 1:15-16; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Peter 1:13-21

3. God is Benevolent!  Every good and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17-18).  We thank Him and praise Him in a spirit of gratitude and happiness!  Psalm 100:1-2; 122:1

4. God is King!  We honor Him in a spirit of respect, reverence, and godly fear.

      Isaiah 6:1-5; Revelation 1:12-18; 4:1-11

5. God is Intelligence!  We use our minds which He has given us, to believe and to trust Him and to worship with undivided attention.

      Matt. 15:7-8; 22:37-38

6. God is Invisible!  Faith is the victory as we believe and walk in faith, trusting in those things we cannot as yet see with our eyes.  But we see Jesus with the eye of faith and see the Father through Him. 

      2 Cor. 5:6-9; Eph. 5:19-20

7. God is Love!  We love Him because He first loved us!  We worship Him out of this love which He made real in Jesus Christ.  We love our fellow man - our neighbor - as He taught us. 

      1 John 4:8,11,20,21; Matt. 5:23-24

8. God Forgives! We worship with forgiveness in our heart toward others.

      Zechariah 3:1-5; Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35

9. God is our Father!  As His child, we worship Him and call Him “Abba, Father.”  In a childlike spirit, we are trustful and dependent. 

      Matt. 6:9-13; 18:1-5; Romans 8:14-17

Airport Legend

 A PAID PROFESSIONAL PREACHER

"I don't preach for money!"   You shouldn't.  BUT are you fulfilling your God-given talent?  Some promote the idea of a series of tiny house-churches with each member taking a turn at preaching..  And there may be a time and place for this.  But the Bible shows us a broader role for a "Timothy."  There is a God-given place for a committee of church elders to manage God's business in the local church.  But there is also a role for a preacher.  He will be a catalyst for the whole church and will assist in the spiritual family life of the church.  He may or may not be one of the elders also.  But he must be a "servant" leader who loves the people.  He is not a "hired servant."  He works with them and not for them.  The church supports him as he reads and studies and passes on to them the wonderful treasures of God.  It is scriptural that he be supported financially by the congregation.  Phil. 4:16; 1 Cor. 9:14; 2 Cor. 11:8-9.  Because of the special conditions at Corinth Paul refused to take support from them. 

In the NT an evangelist does these necessary things

1. Preach the Gospel (Christ-on-the-cross and His resurrection.  1 Cor. 1 & 15).  2 Timothy 4:1-5.

2. "Water" God's church.  1 Cor. 3:5-9.  Barnabas was an encourager.  He also helped enable Paul's work (Acts 9:26-31).

3. Train and teach other workers.  2 Timothy 2:1-2

    

4. Put things in order.  Titus 1:5; 1 Timothy 5:19-20; 1 Cor. 6:5.

5. Teach in general the true meaning of the Gospel of Christ.  Titus chapters 2&3; 1 Cor. 15:1-23.

"I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  [1 Cor. 3:6]  Paul pointed out that he and Apollos were partners working together for God.  Their work overlapped as they did the things necessary to make the "plant" grow - even though it was God Himself who was the Source of life.

The general rule in the church - the Christian community - is that each is to "submit to one another because of your reverence for Christ" (Eph. 5:21).  The Head is Christ Himself.  Reverence for Christ is both a motive and an example which Christ Himself set for us.  "Submitting" does not imply any inferiority, but rather a mutual sharing of the new life in Christ.

THE PARABLE OF THE AIRPORT

[What need is there for "paid-professionals"?  Consider.]

We arrived at the airport. The cab driver set our luggage on the sidewalk, then drove off.  No one seemed to be around to help us.  So we were forced to carry our own luggage into the terminal.

No one was behind the ticket desk.  We looked up to see a large sign which informed us: "Due to the current crisis we have eliminated all paid personnel.  Please insert your credit card and punch in your destination. You will receive a magnetic-coded slip."

We carried our luggage over to the check-in desk. There another sign informed us to insert the magnetic slip into the reader, then to walk through the metal detector.  We did this and a machine spit out a green plastic card for each of us. 

We inserted our green plastic cards into the turnstile at the door, then walked down the loading chute into airplane.  There a sign instructed us to load our own luggage on the plane.  We found this difficult to do, finally stowing things in some cupboards and lockers we found.

There seemed to be no stewardesses.  Since no seats were assigned, we sat here and there, wherever we were comfortable.

We sat and waited for the plane to take off.  Finally someone called our attention to another sign up front. "Please choose one of your number to act as pilot, plus someone to act as copilot for the flight. There are no air-traffic-controllers.  You must be especially careful not to conflict with other planes as you taxi for takeoff.  Thank you for flying our Airline."

As I woke from my dream, I thought of what the Lord had said. "The 'gifts' which He made are appointments as missionaries, preachers, reporters, organizers and educators, who are to shape the believers into a working force, into a functioning Christian body.” [Ephesians 4:11-12 Jordan's Version]  And I prayed to the Lord to give me wisdom and a message for the sermon I was to preach Sunday morning. I am a "paid professional."

Paul planted, Apollos watered the plant, God made the plant grow.  Compare 1 Corinthians 3:5-9. The word "evangelist" is used in a broad sense in the Scriptures. "Evangelize" describes only one facet of the preacher's work. A lot of Timothy's time was spent in teaching (1 Timothy 4:6,11-13; 2 Timothy 2:2 [note: men = anthropos = people]). Paul, in addition to planting, spent time teaching and training (Acts 20:31; etc.). He rejoiced and wept with his brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 12:15). Paul, Barnabas, and others could be called "paid professionals" as they worked for the Lord.  [1 Corinthians 9:6-7; 2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 4:15-16]

Chaucer [c. 1387] wrote some things about a man who evidently loved God and loved his brothers and sisters in Christ. I have translated this into American English.

His congregation was scattered

and houses far apart,

But he was not discouraged

by rain or thunder,

In sickness and misfortune

to visit

The farthest in his congregation,

high or low,

upon his feet,

and in his hand a staff.

This noble example

to his sheep he gave,

that first he did and

afterwards he taught.

He kept at home and guarded

well his fold,

so that the wolf

did not bring disaster.

He was a shepherd

and not a hireling.

Note Jordan's restatement of Acts 20:28. “Keep an eye on yourselves, as well as on the whole group over which the Holy Spirit made you guardians. Take good care of God's fellowship, which He has brought together around the death of His Son."

Note Apollos “watered” where Paul had “planted.”  Our Restoration has been severely damaged in some instances by a lack of "watering." About 170 years ago, Walter Scott evangelized in northern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.  He baptized some 1,000 people a year for 30 years!  A. S. Hayden wrote: "Under Walter Scott a new order arose. It was given to him to blow the trumpet of the gospel. His work was purely an evangelism.. The admirable Osborne saw it, and lamented the absence of a system for holding and training the converts...There is an old Latin proverb which teaches that 'it is right to learn, even of an enemy.' Other religious bodies could have taught us wisdom, if we had not spurned every thing that the fingers of 'sectarianism' had touched." ["Early History of the Disciples on the Western Reserve," A. S. Hayden]

One brother has observed: "If the denominations go in and out the door - we will go in and out the window." Our desire to be "different" can lead us astray and can send us down a "blind alley."

Often the "baby is thrown out with the bathwater." Turning to the right is no better than turning to the left. Simply "reacting" against "change" can cause us to do foolish things. The "past" is a good teacher if we are willing to learn from it. If we do not learn, we will repeat the same mistakes.

The young Alexander Campbell was ready to "burn the house down to get rid of the mice." In his excitement and frenzy, he opposed some things simply because others were doing them. Age brought added wisdom, and the results of rash actions became more clear. Some simply destroy, for whatever reasons. It seems always more exciting and popular to destroy, rather than to build.

There will always be a need for spiritual preachers, elders, deacons, teachers - and members. Jesus has put the Gospel into our hands. We are to occupy until He Comes!!!

The Gospel is: JESUS - Crucified, Risen, Coming Again!" We dare not forget: JESUS SAVES!