God will not stop nor protect us from persecution... Thessalonians

Acts 9:15-16 (ESV)
But the Lord said to him, "… he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."


Thessalonica was the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia.

On his second missionary journey, Paul preached in the synagogue here, the chief synagogue of the Jews in that part of Macedonia, and laid the foundations of a church:

Acts 17:1-4
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. [2] And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, [3] explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." [4] And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

The violence of the Jews drove him from the city, when he fled to Berea:

Acts 17:5-10
But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. [6] And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, [7] and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." [8] And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. [9] And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
[10] The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.

Paul visited the church here on a subsequent occasion:

Acts 20:1-3
… Paul … departed for Macedonia. [2] When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. [3] There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

In his letters to the Christians in Thessalonica he repeatedly refers to difficulties, afflictions. As we pray for God to make our lives easy and to protect us what makes us think he will do that. He did not for Paul.

When we pray we must pray as the Bible supports.

James 1:6
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Amish v Church of Christ

Have you ever considered that the Amish are closer to being the church established on Pentecost than we are? With the exception of immersion for the forgiveness of sins most of their beliefs mirror our beliefs with the exception of our dependency upon the culture.

 

They have meeting houses, we have church buildings. We believe we must keep up with the Jones's so-to-speak or the lost will not come to our facilities. Our beliefs are pretty much centered upon what we do on Sundays the Amish beliefs are pretty much carried out in the way they live each day.

 

Both groups claim to be "in the world but not of the world." When you look at both groups which comes closer to living that claim? Neither group is perfect but in discussions we accept as a normal human response for individuals to be upset at God when tragedy strikes while the Amish publicly forgive and choose to love and do not blame God.

 

Just a few thoughts. . .

On the question of what is the justification for a kitchen. . .

The problem originates from our attitude towards the contribution. We say we are commanded to give and then once given the funds are considered a special category separate from other monies. Neither of which is correct nor can support for such beliefs be found in the Bible.

The Church of Christ habitually calls what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays worship. We have even identified five acts of worship: praying, singing, preaching, giving, and the Lord's Supper.

Considering these items to be worship confuses people. Worship would be directed towards God. Praying for ourselves, singing to each other, giving to ourselves for our comfort, listening to preaching while edifying are hardly worship. We hold memorials all the time for our deceased friends and do not consider that worship so considering the Lord's Supper worship is a stretch. Our giving on Sunday is not worship it is convenience.

We know God's will he wants everyone to be saved. He does not care if we have a building with or without a kitchen. To consider the weekly contribution the same as the collection Paul talked about to the Christians in Corinth is out of context. That collection was so there would be no need to gather the funds at the last minute AND the funds were to be used to help poor people, people who needed financial help. Our collection is so we can spend it primarily on ourselves. I know we give $4,800 to Irma and $4,800 to Michael and maybe $10,000-$15,000 to people who need financial help and a measured amount of what we pay Al benefits others but the majority is on us for our comfort and our convenience. If the visitors did not create an overcrowded situation we would not have built a building. There is nothing inherently wrong with that other than our deceiving ourselves.

Members of any organization have a responsibility to support the activities of that organization. But it is optional. With Jesus and the apostles as examples helping the poor is not optional.

It is too late to change anyone's mind about the sinfulness of having a kitchen in The Church so we will just have to live with being ostracized by some.

And that is what I would say if someone were to ask me that question.

Have Personal Preferences Become Law?

We talk about commands, examples, and necessary inferences. Have you ever wondered if that was the way Jesus thought?
 
The manner in which Israel was to prepare the lamb and eat the Passover is clearly described in Exodus 12 but in Matthew the manner in which Jesus and His Disciples ate the Passover meal reads more like a meal in a restaurant.
 
How about not following an example?
 
In Moses' retelling of the events recorded in Exodus he repeats the punishment for sexual immorality?
 
In Deuteronomy 22:22-29 God told the people the punishment to be meted out on a woman and or a man for sexual immorality.
 
In the New Testament we have the story about Mary being found to be pregnant and we are told because he was a just or righteous man and was unwilling to put her to shame Joseph was going to divorce her quietly instead of following the Law.
 
In Genesis that God blessed the seventh day and made it Holy and he rested. We don't hear any more about it until Israel had left Egypt and was at Mt Sinai and God provided food on the sixth day so no work would be done on the seventh day. Notice gathering food was among the work not to be performed. When it was included in the Law no work was to be done by neither man nor beast nor visitors (women were probably allowed to cook and fetch water and pickup after their man etc). Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man's benefit and appears to have done what the Israelites were forbidden to do and that was to gather food on the Sabbath.
 
How do we know which commands, examples, and necessary inferences are applicable to us. How did the Israelites?
 
Have we taken conveniences and personal preferences from the first century and made them law in the 21st century?
 
We shun brothers and sisters who disagree with us and if we are wrong in our shunning what will be our outcome?
 
Maybe a subject for a discussion class sometime....

What Others Think We Believe...

I was reading about Amish beliefs (their basic beliefs are close to ours with one primary exception, they "baptize" by sprinkling. They immerse by sprinkling. Doesn't make too much sense but by encouraging the use of the word baptism we do not help the situation. Regardless I did similar searches for other groups and then thought of the Church of Christ. Here is what they said about us. We may not agree but this is the way many people see us.

Types

1. In the three basic branches of the Church of Christ, each branch holds its own theological beliefs. Each one considers the other a heretic, yet they still share the same name. The first group of Church of Christ believers is called "One Cup Brethren" and has no musical instruments in the service and followers use only one cup for communion. The second group of believers is called "Cups Brethren." These followers also have no musical instruments, but they use many cups for communion. The last group is called "Instrumental Brethren." They use many instruments in their worship service and they, too, use many communion cups. The "One Cup Brethren" refers to the "Cups Brethren" as the "Digressive Church of Christ," and the "Instrumental Brethren" is known as the "Liberal Church of Christ."

   History

2. The Church of Christ attributes its roots to A.D. 30, stating that it is a New Testament church. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the churches went through a restoration time, which in turn spread throughout America and other countries. The movement which was also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement was lead by two men, Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell, in 1832. Many churches went through a revival time, denouncing their original denominational ties and just referring to themselves as Christians or disciples. Because of this revival, the Church of Christ was established. It emphasized the importance of the Bible and using it as the only source of information.

   Misconceptions

3. There are many people who believe the Church of Christ is a cult or has the potential to be a cult. The reason for this is because some feel that the definition of a "cult" is a group that follows extreme beliefs, and that its way is the only way. Another popular misconception regarding the Church of Christ is that it is a denomination. By its own account, it is not a denomination, but a part of the body of Christ. Church of Christ believers claim that they do not follow any man's beliefs or accounts, but model their lives after Christ.

   Theories/Speculation

4. The main theology of Church of Christ followers is that the Bible is the only text that should be followed. Their theology can also be broken down into three main ideologies: Baptismal Regeneration, Non-Instrumental Worship (except for the "Liberal Church of Christ") and denial of the Holy Spirit. Baptismal Regeneration means you are born again and receive your salvation once you've been baptized by water. Many Church of Christ followers have deviated from the Non-Instrumental Worship and allow the use of instruments to worship. However, original Church of Christ followers denied musical instruments in the church, stating that the Bible never mentions them used in the church, so they won't use them. The denial of the Holy Spirit is not followed by all Church of Christ believers. The original Church of Christ followers did not believe that the Holy Spirit was a part of the Holy Trinity, and denies the gift of the Spirit.

   Size

5. Because there are so many different sects of the Church of Christ, the size of the church varies from sect to sect. According to some estimates, there are about 15,000 different individual Church of Christ churches. There are about 2 million members with over 700 men preaching the Word. These statistics were based on the "Christian Herald," which tallies church memberships and churches throughout the United States.

Do you suppose God will answer our prayers for unity any differently than he did Jesus' prayer? A group so divided at first blush does not appear to be worth considering. The world is entering eternity lost and we ignore Jesus' possibly rhetorical question: Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. And we talk about how we "know" we are saved or that we are saved by "grace?" Should be wonder who are the heretics and who are the saved?

Do We Have Any Idea of What We are Here For?

As I have mentioned before when we ask for a definition of "grace" we get an acronym or clever cliche. "Grace" appears to be undefinable. I like "kindness of God" but then again I am different.

Have you wondered why we concentrate on the grace of God being a New Testament attribute and we don't think that much of grace in the Old Testament. But...in the Old Testament times God had to tolerate sins of man because if he did not he could have lost his entire plan. Wouldn't that be an example of grace? God tolerating man's failures? He didn't just wipe man off the face of the earth. But now God does not need us like he needed the descendants of Abraham. Then he needed a way for Messiah to be born but he no longer needs man for that purpose. But now we think we are protected by grace. What purpose do we serve? Why should God tolerate our failures today? Some say God is holding off destroying earth because he wants everyone to be saved. That cannot be the reason because the vast majority of human beings reject him. The longer God waits the more people will be lost. Do we have any idea of what we are here?

Reference Gospel Advocate, October 2009, “The Split That Wasn’t”

Reference Gospel Advocate, October 2009, "The Split That Wasn't"

Nice article. The concept of unity is curious. I have said for years we are either already unified or we can never be. We are either both the church Jesus established on Pentecost or one of us is or neither of us is. The latter two obviously prohibit unity under the name of Jesus.

The discussion centers on the importance of what is done in our assemblies. No place in the New Testament do we read where the "good guys" are told to separate from the "bad guys" so that their Sunday worship would be acceptable. In fact nowhere are we told to worship and nowhere are the activities described or defined as worship activities. That appears to be man's term.

That Jesus did not instruct separation of the churches in Asia suggests who is sitting next to us on Sunday has no affect on you or me. Being in an assembly where instruments are played has no affect on the individuals not in agreement with the instruments being played. If anything could affect the "good guys" surely Jesus would have encouraged them to separate from the "bad guys." He did not which tells us nothing should be permitted to divide the church. When congregations split neither side is right. By our love for each the people will know we are followers of Jesus. But we prefer to permit the world to enter eternity lost while we argue over meaningless differences, meaningless because the activity is not worship.

You mention worship services and that brings me to the point of this email which is a request for a future article. I have asked several preachers including some of the authors of articles of Gospel Advocate with no responses. I can only believe that like me, they have no idea either. Old habits are some of the reasons for the decline of the church of Christ. Young people today want answers and we are not providing any.

The Church of Christ habitually calls what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays, in fact every assembly, worship. We have even identified five acts of worship: praying, singing, preaching, giving, and the Lord's Supper. Not finding any reference to these practices as "items of worship" in the Bible I have to consider the term originated by man.

Members of the Church of Christ claim commands, examples and necessary inferences for what we do but considering these items to be worship confuses people because there are none. To say praying for ourselves, singing to each other, giving to ourselves for our comfort, listening to preaching are items of worship and primarily nonparticipatory at that being sit and listen is difficult for people to comprehend them to be worship. We conduct memorial services for the deceased all the time and hardly call it worship so calling the Lord's Supper worship is a stretch. All can be edifying but worship?

Nowhere are we commanded to worship which is good because worship cannot be commanded. Even the creator of the universe cannot command worship. Worship comes from within. In John chapter 4 Jesus was assuming or taking for granted his followers would worship and Paul told us when. As a side note the author of Hebrews tells us the purpose of our assemblies and he or she does not mention worship.

My questions include: Why do we call these items worship? How are they worshiping? How is giving to ourselves considered comparable to Paul's instructions for the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem? I believe an article answering such questions would be well-received.

Maybe if we understood our assemblies maybe we could be more loving.

Thank you for your time.

The Beatitudes: Matthew 5:1-12

(3) The poor in Spirit:

Those who are destitute of the proud, haughty, arrogant spirit of the world; destitute of spiritual possessions and who know their true condition and long for a better spiritual state; conscious or their need; will enter the kingdom will belong to it; describes a state of mind lowly and reverent before God; humble, not proud; contrite, not rebellious

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart …Psalms 51:17

(4) They that mourn:

Those who mourn for their own sins and over the sins of others; springs from sympathy with God, whose will is so grievously disregarded and thwarted by men.

(5) The Meek;

Primary meaning is mild, gentle:, those that suffer in love; those who in strength of love boldly yet meekly, meekly yet boldly, bear injustice, and thereby conquer; opposed to arrogance; opposite of ambitious and self-seeking; enjoyment of earthly blessings belongs not to those who grasp for them and assert and maintain with vehemence and care their right to them, but to those who hold them lightly, and rank them inferior to spiritual blessings and are not burdened by them while they possess them; they are not harassed by the fear of losing earthly possessions. Selfish people may possess the earth, but it is the meek alone who inherit the real blessings of this earth and of the spiritual kingdom; the meek will enjoy the temporal blessings more than others and finally will triumph over the earth in the kingdom of God.

(6) They that hunger and thirst after righteousness:

Not just desire righteousness, but show who has an intense desire that must be satisfied. The greatness of the soul is measured by the number, the intensity, and the quality of its desires. This is the highest and the best desire. The promise is to those who have such an intense desire for righteousness is that "they shall be filled." A citizen of the kingdom of heaven must have a deep longing after goodness, godliness, and the qualities that belong to heaven and not after wealth, honor, or worldly fame. The promise is that "they shall be filled "; not partly filled, but completely satisfied or filled. Life is a series of desires and their disappointments or fulfillments; to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness in the kingdom of heaven their desires shall be fulfilled.

(7) The Merciful;

Includes the idea of compassion; those who pity, sympathize with, and help to relieve, all misery and suffering; this is the natural outward expression of the inner hungering after righteousness. Mercy is near akin to forgiveness and love; it relieves spiritual want and darkness as well as temporal; those who are merciful are merciful not only to the guilty, but extend pity to the suffering and help to the needy. The promise is the merciful shall obtain mercy; Comprises every degree of sympathy and mutual love and help; we may show mercy, not by giving money to help the poor, but by word; if we have no other way, we can show mercy by the sympathizing tear. Showing mercy to others proves that we have a state of heart which makes if safe for God to extend mercy to us; for God to forgive the unmerciful would be to encourage that sin of vengeance.

(8) Pure in Heart:

Contrasted to the external or bodily purification the Jews and especially the Pharisees were scrupulous. Those who are pure, sincere, clean in motive and purpose; state of heart which repels, loathes, every vile or sinful thing. James 4:8 purify your hearts. The promise to those who are pure in heart is they will see God. To see God is to enjoy God. 1 John 3:2 … we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

(9) The Peacemakers:

One who loves God and man and who utterly detests, abhors, and abominates all strife, wars and dissensions; peacemakers carry with them the spirit of peace and quietness; like Jesus, seeks to reconcile men to God and to bring divine peace into the lives of men; the promise is they shall be called Sons of God. God is God of peace, and the kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace, all subjects must be peacemakers.

(10-11) Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake:

one must be ready and willing to endure persecution which relates to peacemaker; the kingdom of heaven will encounter opposition; there is antagonism between good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong, Jesus and Satan; evil forces are at war against the forces of righteousness; 2 Tim. 3:12 … all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

(12) Rejoice and be exceeding glad:

Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake are to rejoice and are to be exceeding glad that they are counted worthy to suffer for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus knew that those who would enter his kingdom and prove faithful would be persecuted; he prepares them for this by foretelling them and then promising to be with them. He reminds them that they would have to suffer greatly as did the prophets of old;

Jeremiah was scourged…

Jeremiah 20:2

Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord.

Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, was stoned…

2 Chronicles 24:21

But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.

According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was sawn asunder by Manasseh.

Elijah's life was sought, and many other prophets were persecuted; and within two years Jesus was killed.

Persecution made them partakers of Christ's suffering and therefore of his glory.

Romans 8:17

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The disciples were to rejoice because "great is your reward in heaven."

Though the crown of glory will be a free gift to those who have suffered, nevertheless it will be a reward for the suffering. The more faithful one is to the Lord the more difficult will be the life in the service of God; the more zealous and faithful, the more assurance they have of a rich reward in heaven.

Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

[2] And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

[3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

[5] "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

[6] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

[8] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

[9] "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

[10] "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

[11] "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Living by Faith

I care not today what the morrow may bring, If shadow or sunshine or rain, The Lord I know ruleth o'er everything, And all of my worries are vain.

Refrain:

Living by faith in Jesus above, Trusting, confiding in His great love; From all harm safe in His sheltering arm, I'm living by faith and feel no alarm.

Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise, Obscuring the brightness of life, I'm never alarmed at the overcast skies— The Master looks on at the strife.

I know that He safely will carry me through, No matter what evils betide; Why should I then care though the tempest may blow, if Jesus walks close to my side.

Our Lord will return for His loved ones some day, Our troubles will then all be o'er; The Master so gently will lead us away, Beyond that blest heavenly shore. the tempest may blow If Jesus walks close to my side.

The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote: be careful what you say to God!

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3

    Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

None of us on our own can perfectly keep his vows to God. Our Spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak. But we must mean what we say; we must intend to keep those promises, with God's help.

When we speak to Him, we ought to choose our words with care, because He holds us to the promises we make.

God hears everything we say.

Learning the Way of Salvation

1.       Jesus had a purpose on earth.  (John 10:10);

2.       Who may be saved? (John 3:16)

3.       The Bible is our complete guide. (Gal 1:8,12)

4.       Whom we are to hear. (Mt 17:3-8)

5.       How does God call men to him now? (Mt 28:18-20)

6.       How are we saved? (John 3:16)

7.       Obedience is necessary. (Mt 7:21)

8.       Faith is necessary (Mark 16:15-16)

9.       Repentance is necessary. (Luke 13:1-5)

10.   Confession of Christ is necessary. (Matt 10:32-33)

11.   Baptism is necessary. (Acts 2:38)

12.   What church will you belong to? (Acts (2:47)

13.   Whose church is it? (Matt 16:18)

14.   Unity of the New Testament church is vital. (Romans 12:4-5)

15.   What name should I wear? (Acts 2:47)

16.   How important is church? (Acts 20:28)

17.   Scriptural worship is required. (John 4:23-24)

18.   How is the New Testament church organized? (Acts 14:23)

19.   It is important to do exactly what Jesus required, (Luke 6:46)

20.   Christian growth must follow. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

 

 

People are responsible for their own salvation. All that can be done by others  is to bring to their attention where the Bible teaches that Jesus is The Way. They must read. They must study. They must develop their faith. One cannot be given faith. 

In Denial?

We all know life is different today than it was in New Testament times. Then to prepare their children for life beyond the nest a parent taught their son a trade of some sort and their daughter how to take care of the house, cook and care for her children. Today to do the same thing the parent must accumulate tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide for their education. Having accumulated a lot of money does not necessarily define rich. But sometimes it does. The parable Al talked about last night, what if it went something like this?

 

Luke 12:16-21 (ESV) 

    And he told them a parable, saying, "Over his lifetime the rich man accumulated much money, [17] and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have more on deposit than the FDIC will insure where will I protect my money?'  [18] And he said, 'I will do this: I will withdraw my money from my savings and checking accounts and invest in CDs and there I will invest all my savings.  [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have enough to retire on for many years so I will retire and do nothing that does not give me pleasure.'  [20] But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

 

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

If Jesus is correct does that place our heart squarely in the CDs? 

 

Suggestion for Subject of Future Article

The purpose of this note is to request a subject for a future article. I have asked several preachers including some of the authors of articles of Gospel Advocate with no responses. I can only believe they have no idea either. Old habits are some of the reasons for the decline of the church of Christ. Young people today want answers and we are not providing any.

 

The Church of Christ habitually calls what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays, in fact for every assembly, worship. We have even identified five acts of worship: praying, singing, preaching, giving, and the Lord's Supper.

Not being any reference to these practices as "items of worship" in the Bible the reference grew out of the Restoration Movement

Members of the Church of Christ claim commands, examples and necessary inferences for what they do but considering these items to be worship confuses people. To say praying for ourselves, singing to each other, giving to ourselves for our comfort, listening to preaching are items of worship and primarily nonparticipatory at that being sit and listen is difficult for people to comprehend them to be worship. We conduct memorial services for the deceased all the time and hardly call it worship so even the Lord's Supper to be called worship is a stretch. All can be edifying but worship?

 

Nowhere are we commanded to worship which is good because worship cannot be commanded. Worship comes from within.

 

The questions include: Why do we call them worship? How are they worship? Why is giving to ourselves considered comparable to Paul's instructions for the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem? 

 

Thank you for your time. 

John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  
Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

"Remember, the only difference between marital and martial is where you put the 'i'"
Albert "the Reb" Lewis

Gospel Advocate October. 2009

Reference your article Baptism's Place in Conversion:

 

Nice article...

 

In the denominational world there is disagreement on what baptism is and its purpose. Many of those arguments are sustained by our own words. Two people can have a discussion on the topic of baptism, be in complete agreement, and at the same time be talking about different things.

 

Immersion is the only act one can participate in to have their sins removed. It does not make one a Christian. One is a Christian if they follow the instructions of the Christ. It does not save anyone. One is saved based on their life following the removal of their sins. Symbolically immersion may do many things but one actual thing is it results in the removal of one's sins.  

 

Baptism and church are words that mean nothing to anyone and mean anything to everyone. They are words that should be removed from our vocabulary.

 

Again nice article.

 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  
Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

"Remember, the only difference between marital and martial is where you put the 'i'"
Albert "the Reb" Lewis

What Do We Need to do Differently?

Prayer is an activity we do not understand. With all the praying for the sick and safe travel etc one would think they are our primary concerns. We pray differently than the early Christians but we do not like to think about that.

 

If God is in the healing business one would think we would see more healing, more positive response to our requests. Recently there was a story in the local newspaper about a couple whose child died. Instead of seeking medical help they prayed. And apparently God said "No." Apparently God did not see that healing that child as servicing his purpose. Or is it possibly that he is not in the healing business.

 

I have a book entitled: The 21 Most Effective Prayers of the Bible, by Dave Earley. Most of the prayers, I have not figured out Jabez's prayer yet, served God's purpose as much or more than the person praying. Healings recorded in the New Testament served God's purpose as much or more than the person being healed.

 

We need to understand prayer, not the corporate policy. Christians need to understand prayer and easy glib phrases do not help. We have convinced people that God will heal them and when he does not they get angry with God.

 

We quote Jesus "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" and then talk about how it is difficult to be a Christian.

 

I have another book entitled: All the Prayers of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer. Most of those prayers served God's purpose as much or more than the person praying.

 

The prayers in the books mentioned were answered. God responded. Why doesn't he respond to our prayers? Nothing happening in response to a prayer will not be understood that God answered said "No" it will be understood he did not respond.

 

We often say we believe prayer works. By what do we measure do we use to support that belief?  James wrote "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."  If we can pray wrongly what do we have to change to pray rightly?

Bad Things Happen to Good People. Good Things Happen to Bad People

It occurs to me that people whose faith is shattered or undergoes a traumatic assault when they experience suffering have the mistaken notion that as a Christian they will not suffer and no one associated with them will suffer. That is not true. That is not reality. In fact it is unscriptural. People who teach that are teaching error.
 
We hear questions concerning why bad things happen to good people. The answer is "Why not?" Jesus said "… he (God) makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."  Apparently there is no difference between the just and the unjust as far as nature is concerned. What is nature? How about disasters, illnesses, accidents, crime, bad things in general, etc?
 
If you add to that fact that God knows what we need before we ask, Jesus said "… your Father knows what you need before you ask him" he knows bad things are going to happen to good people yet he does not stop them from happening.

When Stephen was killed we read it we believe it but do not intellectually grasp that bad things happen to good people and neither God nor Jesus will interfere. Luke tells us "But he (Stephen), full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'"  God and Jesus knew what was happening yet did not stop it. Why didn't they? Why should they?
 
If we teach the truth, if we teach reality people will be better prepared for when bad things happen to and around them.
 
Mark tells us Jesus "began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again." Talk about bad things happening to good people. Why should our situation be better?
 
When we understand the truth about our situation it might be a bit scary but it does not have to be. Paul told the people in Philippi "… Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  And, he told the people in Rome "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
 
Is that true or not?
 
When threatened, Peter and John did not pray for safety did not pray for security did not pray for protection. They asked God to "look upon their (the authorities') threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."  That is the type of prayer God can answer in the affirmative.  Peter told his readers, "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit," Always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you includes while bad things are happening to good people.
 
We read how Christians were and are tortured for their beliefs. What makes us think God is going to put a hedge around us? Suffering is in the world because sin is in the world. Christians will suffer as long as enemies of God exist. Unless God is to remove the principle of "free will" he has to let us choose our reactions to life. He cannot stop suffering. We should not expect him to.
 
One of the Charlie Brown cartoon scripts shows Charlie in the back yard shooting arrows into the fence. Wherever he shoots an arrow, he runs over and draws a target around where the arrow hit. Lucy walks over and asks him why he's doing this. His reply," This way I never miss." To often, this is how we approach prayer.
 
Wishful thinking leads us to believe God answered our prayer when he did not. We convince ourselves God gave us a parking spot but at the same time says "No." to more serious situations. Based on prayers "answered," we believe God is more interested in us having a building, our visitors having safe travel, and that we be protected from our enemies than he is in the health and well-being of his followers. Isn't that strange? Causes people to give us money, keeps us out of traffic mishaps, but lets our friends continue to suffer. Maybe he is not answering any of those prayers because we are not focused on what he wants us to be focused on? Are we like Charlie Brown? Do we find something that goes our way and then put a target around it to show he answered our prayer, but who are we kidding? Who are we leading to lose their faith and confidence in God when bad things happen to good people?

Others Do Not Know Our Inward Self, but We Know.

According to the apostle John, Christians are able to have confidence in their future: (John writing) "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life." 
 
Luke recorded that there are those who call upon the Lord but are lost: (Jesus speaking) "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?"
 
Matthew wrote that there are those who believe they were acting in the name of Jesus who were not: (Jesus speaking) "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"
 
According to Matthew there are those in the kingdom who will be lost: (Jesus speaking) "… as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 
 
To summarize: Confidence in one's salvation is possible; calling on the name of the Lord to no avail is possible; believing erroneously that we are acting in the name of Jesus is possible; being in the kingdom and being lost is possible. How can we correctly know that we have eternal life?
 
Jesus said "You are my friends if you do what I command you" and "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
 
The term "Command" is defined as: to give an order to direct with authority; an authoritative direction or instruction to do something; to have authority or jurisdiction over; control.
 
Apparently Jesus has the authority to issue commands we have no option but to obey. He does not allow any wiggle room. He said we are his friends if we do what he commands. He does not say if we try. Yoda, of Star Wars fame said "Do or not do, there is no try." Yoda correctly interprets Jesus' instruction to us. We are Jesus' friend if we do what he commands.
 
Mark wrote: "one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 
 
According to Jesus if we do not love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength we are not his friend. Paul told Christians in Corinth that without love we are nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 
 
We can do the right thing with the wrong motive and that makes us as a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. We can know the truth of our salvation because we know whether or not we love or are just pretending. Others do not know our inward self but we know and that may be cause for a bit of apprehension.
 

GRACE

Undeserved acceptance and love received from another, especially the characteristic attitude of God in providing salvation for sinners. For Christians, the word "grace" is virtually synonymous with the gospel of God's gift of unmerited salvation in Jesus Christ. To express this, the New Testament writers used the Greek word charis, which had a long previous history in secular Greek. Related to the word for joy or pleasure, charis originally referred to something delightful or attractive in a person, something which brought pleasure to others. From this it came to have the idea of a favor or kindness done to another or of a gift which brought pleasure to another. Viewed from the standpoint of the recipient, it was used to refer to the thankfulness felt for a gift or favor. These meanings also appear in the biblical use of charis, but only in the New Testament does it come to have the familiar sense which "grace" bears for Christians.

When the Perfect Comes the Partial Will Pass Away

We are told that miracles have ceased.  We are told the when the perfect came, the partial passed away. The Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament reached their current form during the time of Ezra the priest following the return to Israel in the 5th century BC and existed prior to the "perfect" having come.
 
The New Testament books were written between 48 and 95 AD. We are told when the last New Testament book was completed "the perfect had come" so miracles were no longer required. We are also told that spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased when the last person who could pass them along died.
The first complete New Testament in a single volume appears to have been complied around 250 AD.
 
That would suggest the saved were without a complete revelation until after that time. It was even later when the Bible was available in the language most people could understand. How did they know that women were not allowed to teach a man or preach the gospel or that there was only one acceptable excuse for divorce, or any of the specific instructions not found in every book of the New Testament if by chance they did not have access to a copy of a specific book or letter?
 
Are we sure miracles ceased when we say they did? Are we sure the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased when we said they did?  According to what we teach, until at least 250 AD the perfect had not come to the common person. How did they know the gospel? It appears based on what we teach the common person of the second century and beyond had less revelation than the early Christians.
 
Are we so sure they are not with us today? How and Why?

A couple of articles from meeting agendas in 2008 by Rubel Shelly in I Just Want to be a Christian

A couple of articles from meeting agendas in 2008 by Rubel Shelly in I Just Want to be a Christian. Goes along with some of what we were talking about yesterday.

 

Good Ideas Have a Way of Going Bad

 

Sociologists and anthropologists have occasionally pointed to a pattern of change which tends to occur in institutions from one generation to the next. Think of the history of some great nation, or some labor movement, or educational enterprise. Think also of the direct implications it has for the life of the church.

 

The first generation is made up of the "founding fathers and mothers" who have some things in common. They are drawn together by a vision of something new, for which they have paid a high price. Often they have left some old institutions to join the new movement. Friends and relatives sought to draw them back and, when this failed, cut them off. Moreover, they faced high risk, for there was no assurance that the new organization they founded would survive. Cut off from their old world, they are bound together by strong ties of fellowship and oneness of purpose.

 

The second generation is made up of the children of the founders, or by the generation that takes over from the founders. Here a major structural change takes place. While the founders paid a high price to leave their old institutions to form the new one, the children grow up within the framework of the new institution and its programs. The cost is not so high, but neither is the commitment. Members of the second generation do grow up amid the excitement, sacrifice, and commitment of the new movement, but they acquire second-hand the vision that motivated their parents.

 

By the third, fourth, and fifth generations, the new movement has become "the establishment." These generations grow up with the institutional structures. In churches the children go to Sunday school and youth meetings with their friends, then with those friends they make profession of faith and are baptized. In schools and mission agencies, people work their way through the ranks to positions of leadership. For all of them, to remain within the institution is the path of least resistance and cost.

 

The Disciples of Discoverers

 

Daniel Boorstin, Librarian of Congress since 1975 and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for a volume of American history, has made an observation, which seems relevant here. He says: "the disciples of discoverers are enemies of discovery."

 

The American Restoration Movement began as an exercise in discovery. Bright men with open minds looked to Scripture in an effort to discern the will of God, distinguish that divine will from accretions and departures, and to practice the former without being encumbered by the latter. These men urged their pupils to be open-minded, but some of those students turned their ideas into dogma. The exciting sense of discovery and restoration began to give way to the dull and confining task of maintain the approaches to spiritual knowledge now regarded as traditional.

 

Socrates loved ancient Athens but was distressed in his belief that what had made Athens great was being abandoned by most of his own generation. Thus he went on a mission he regarded as divine. Saying that Athens was like a powerful but sluggish horse, he described himself as the "gadfly of Athens." He saw his mission in terms of stinging the city, not to hurt it but to awaken it.

 

To quote Boorstin again, "The great obstacle to progress is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge." Until we are humble enough to resume learning, we are not true "disciples" of the Son of God. Openness precedes learning and growing. What we thought was right all along may or may not be right after all; only honest investigation can settle the matter. If what we have been taught is right, our personal study will result in transforming tradition into genuine faith; if anything we have been taught is wrong, we do ourselves a favor to discover and move away from it. We have never hesitated to challenge our Presbyterian or Baptist neighbors to "lay aside prejudice and study for yourself"; we must not hesitate to display the virtue we call for in others.

 

 

Thanks, John Jenkins

865-803-8179  cell

Gatlinburg, TN

 

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com

Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  

Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

 

"Remember, the only difference between marital and martial is where you put the 'i'"

Albert "the Reb" Lewis

 

Silence in the Church?

The synagogue at Capernaum had a balcony, accessible from the outside by a stairway. Why was the balcony built above a portion of the main meeting room of the synagogue, and constructed in such a way that anyone seated there would be hidden from view and anyone entering or leaving would be forced to use steep outside stairs? The answer is this was the place reserved for girls and women, just as the court of the women separated females from males outside the temple in Jerusalem. The front doors of the synagogue and the main floor---the meeting hall itself---were used exclusively by men. Women might have been present in public worship, but only in a separate chamber, silent and unseen.

As restrictive such an arrangement might seem to us today, the Jewish custom of having women present at all during worship was innovative among the cultures of the time, except for Egypt. For the most part when women met for worship in was usually in all-female company.

One of the most plausible reasons behind the separation of the sexes during worship in ancient societies was the association of woman in worship with cultic prostitution. As difficult as it may be for modern people to understand, sexual intercourse has been an integral part of worship within various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean world. In the time of Paul including women with men in worship would have been regards with distaste or greeted with misbegotten fantasies.

In the time Paul, Corinth was a center of religious prostitution.

Even Judaism had a history of sacred prostitution. The sons or Eli engaged in intercourse with women who served at the tabernacle. The office of cult prostitution was established within Judah and continued until King Josiah. The author of Deuteronomy recognized the practice existed and wrote that having sacred prostitutes within the land of Israel or even taking money so earned into the house of the Lord was an abomination.

During the time of Paul, conservative Jews even social contacts between men and women were restricted. A man could divorce his wife if she were guilty of speaking to another man. Speaking to a man in the street might be used as evidence of a bride’s unfaithfulness.

Because the Jews were aware of prostitution being associated with worship and because they were concerned about potential contact between males and females, it is a wonder women were allowed to be present with men during public worship at all. A compromise had been reached: women might be present during worship only if they were silent and out of sight. Women were not included in the count to determine if a congregation were present for worship (ten men were required). Although women qualified to read the scripture in public worship she was not allowed to “out of respect for the congregation.

Imagine for a moment the Muslim restrictions on women not only in worship but in daily activities.

Paul, permitting women and men together in worship must have shocked Jewish and pagan contemporaries.

The importance of the place of women in the Church is indicated by the fact Saul arrested men and women believers. Since for the purpose of persecution Saul treated men and women as equals one would not expect him to change after his conversion. He met with women in Philippi and went to the riverbank. The first convert in the city was a woman. Why target individuals who would not be able to assist with spreading the gospel?

Examples of Public Prayers

Hi Guys:

 

Are you aware of examples in addition to the ones I cite here where a group was praying as we do in our assemblies with an individual speaking for the group? How about examples other than Moses, Miriam and Mary singing a prayer?

 

I find it a bit odd that although in his "Sermon on the Mount" where Jesus told the multitude "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" we ignore that and require (prefer) that a man stand before the assembly and speak for the group.

 

We have Acts 12:12 - Peter went to the house of Mary where others gathered for prayer; and Acts 1:13-14 - scripture records that all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women.

 

Neither of these examples requires that one person was speaking for the group. The Amish have silent prayer where the individuals assembled pray silently and individually. You could still say they were praying with a common focus.  We could be missing the true meaning of the verses. We comment on the fickleness of the people for not recognizing Peter. We assume they were praying for his release. No one escaped the Roman prison. They could have been praying for his courage, for him to die quickly, for boldness etc. They may have never expected him to leave the prison alive. And let's face it, they were right, Peter did not escape God released him.

 

In the Old Testament we have 2 Chronicles 6:13-42 where Solomon prays as all Israel gathered around. That does not require Solomon to be leading the people in prayer but it could be that Solomon as king was addressing God and the people were observing and listening similar to when someone was representing a group before the king. Solomon was on his knees with his hands raised. A position we find too Pentecostal.

 

I am looking for examples of prayer in the assembly.

Thanks, John

 

865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  
Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

"When Life Gives You Scurvy, Make Lemonade."

Satan or Who?

Talk about Satan walking to and fro looking for someone to devour, when Peter was encouraging Jesus not to die, Jesus said "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Matthew recorded that Jesus was addressing Peter but Jesus calls him Satan. Was it Satan or was Jesus telling Peter that he was advancing Satan's purpose not God's purposes?

 

If Satan can personally and physically influence humans today why can't the Holy Spirit? And if they both can, how do they do it? Some believe the HS works only through the Word without considering the consequences of that belief. If the HS leads only through the word how does Satan influence people he has no word.

 

In the Garden of Eden, the HS tells us Satan tempted Eve. We are told later a serpent is punished for that action. Could it be the animals had a unique relationship with Adam and Eve and one of the serpents was just advancing Satan's purposes and not God's purposes?

 

If Satan tempts us what does James mean when he tells us we are tempted when we are lured and enticed by our own desire? Is it Satan or is it us? Was it Satan or a serpent? Was it Satan or Peter?